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Saturday, November 23, 2013

Haunter (2013)

I graded it 7! Long time since I've done that.

Author: Flow from Romania
imdb link
 

So after many, many months of 4, 5 and tops 6, finally I get a movie that deserves more. I'll tell you folks, I really enjoyed this one. Yes, it may be cheesy at times, a tad bit confusing, could use more frights, but does NOT disappoint.

It starts as a horror, ends the same, delivers with quite an impressive story, good acting, good characters, nice mood and a terrific performance by Stephen McHattie. Of course, some might say it's more supernatural, has some plot holes, should have improved the scares, and so many other aspects that might have used some changes, but I for one loved it. I'll take it as it is and pass it to you guys! It's a great movie to watch it with your girlfriend, or with friends, cracking your head trying to figure what's going one, see who manages to break the ice.

Anyway, words are useless this time, it's up to you to get your hands on Haunter and press play. You won't be disappointed. Cheers!



Solid but not much impressive ghost story

Author: rust37 from Moscow, Russia
20 September 2013
The trailer may leave you with a taste of a Gothic horror, which Haunter is definitely not. Closest resemblance is probably Others, and I'd also name Saint-Ange and Awakening for some similarity in its atmosphere.

I may safely agree with the other reviewer that Haunter is not scary at all, just couple of very primitive boom-based jumpers.

Keep in mind that the Haunter director (Vincenzo Natali) once shoot such gem as Cube, and it shows through all 97 minutes. The movie is claustrophobic and weird,it's cheating you on time and dimensions, and that's the best part. Very solid directing, script and acting yet nothing that can leave you thinking further or wondering.

As soon as you realize that lots of ideas are brought from Cube the Haunter loses on IMDb stars instantly.

Still don't get me wrong, it has its own developments, and I personally liked the way Vincenzo Natali delivers moody look, creative frames, and elaborated sets in a very contrast to minimalistic Cube.

To sum up: a solid 6/10 - not impressive but very fair dish for ghost genre lovers.

Tuesday, November 19, 2013

The Internship - 2013

Brilliant chemistry between the leads along with wonderful supporting actors

Author: Faisal Khatib from United Arab Emirates
imdb link
 

*** This review may contain spoilers ***
With the premise of an internship at Google; you get the whole deal with product placements. Luckily "The Internship" manages to stay afloat as a two hour enjoyable and rather funny Google advert.

The film begins with Billy (Vince Vaughn) and Nick (Owen Wilson) losing their jobs as fast talking watch salesmen facing an uncertain future thanks to the digital age. Managing to talk their way into an internship (against all odds) at Google, they find themselves facing off against smart and tech-savvy college kids aka "a mental Hunger Games" for jobs at the on-the-line search giant. Ending up with a team of out casts and facing mostly unreasoned challenges (Read: Quidditch match), Billy and Nick manage to turn the odds on its head for the perfect (and predictable) "Lived happily ever after" ending.

With previous individual failures Vince Vaughn and Owen Wilson come together once more to share their amazing chemistry on screen. Vince Vaughen plays the exact same role he has played in every possible film you've seen of him lately. Since he's co-written the film; I guess he likes to feel right at home. The same may apply to Owen Wilson who's landed himself in a similar rut. It does make the whole process rather familiar but there is no denying that the chemistry both these lead actors share gives the films premise a new pair of legs every time it starts lagging a little. Both these actors clearly know their limitations and have managed to work around it well this time. Also since this was a PG-13 rated film, some of the vulgarity that you might associate with these actors is kept to a bare minimum reducing what I feel are just distractions.

Tobit Raphel as home-schooled Yo-Yo was a complete scene stealer as more often than not he'd have you laughing out loud with his crazy antics on screen. Dylan O'Brien on the other hand balanced it with his controlled cynical act of 'know it all' Stuart. Tiya Sircar as Neha was brilliant as you watch her character go through its curve. Josh Brener as the 23 year old Team leader Lile starts off brilliantly as he tries to portray himself as a cool dude but fades away as the love interest angle falls into place quite predictably.

Max Minghella as the films main antagonist Graham is underused and left with one-liners that are too far and few. Rose Byrne as Wilson's love interest apart from a single scene comes across as a postscript. Aasif Mandvi as the internship programs head Mr. Chetty is stereotypically brilliant and the short chemistry he shares with Billy is entertaining to watch.

Brilliant chemistry between the leads along with wonderful supporting actors makes you forget the flaws and plot holes blatantly staring at you. You just go along with that warm fuzzy feeling with a smile plastered on your face.

Getaway - 2013

The Title is the Only Thing Right About This Film

Author: Michael_Elliott from Louisville, KY
imdb link 
Getaway (2013)
BOMB (out of 4)

What on Earth could Ethan Hawke have done that caused the producers of this thing to be able to blackmail him into appearing in this film? In the film, Hawke plays a former NASCAR driver whose wife is kidnapped by some maniac on a phone (Jon Voight). This maniac forces Hawke to drive all over the place, cause large amounts of damage and it's up to the poor viewer to figure out why. GETAWAY is without question one of the worst movies of the year. It takes elements of SAW, TAKEN and DRIVE and puts them in a blender but the end result is just downright horrid. The most shocking thing is the fact that director Courtney Solomon has made one of the ugliest, more boring action pictures in the history of cinema. He has bragged that no CGI was used in the car stunts but it really doesn't matter if it's true because the scenes are so poorly shot and many times it's just one second clips with quick editing, which is just annoying.

The entire visual style of this picture seems like some kid got ahold of some editing equipment and didn't know what he was doing. While watching the picture I couldn't help but think of the director and editor in the editing room giving each other high fives and saying "awesome" non-stop. Another problem is the dialogue, which is just downright horrid and it's amazing that actors like Hawke and Voight can keep a straight face while saying it. The performances are even worse with Hawke sleep-walking through the role and every scene just seems like he's wanting to walk away from the camera and go home. Voight pretty much gets to do nothing except talk with a funny accent and this adds nothing to the picture. As for Selena Gomez, I've seen her acting ability before and it's the time I saw a dead goldfish sitting at the bottom of its bowl. GETAWAY doesn't have a single thing going for it but my expectations were low going in. I just never could have imagined that a major studio would release a picture like this into theaters. I'm sure even the low-standards of Cinemax would have turned this thing down.

Wednesday, November 13, 2013

Would You Rather (2012)

I would rather....be broke for life!!!

Author: tdrish from United States
imdb link

Would You Rather tells the story of Iris, a young woman ( played by Brittany Snow ) who is in dire need of a job, trying to take care of her ailing brother who is in dire need of a bone marrow transplant. Desperate times call for desperate measures, and the measures get pretty desperate when she turns to the wrong man for help: A rich man worth millions invites house guests over to his mansion to compete in a sadistic game called Would You Rather. Now, rest assured, he's not inviting them over to play Wheel Of Fortune or Jeopardy. In fact, the only trivia question being asked is "Would you rather?", at that point each guest is asked to perform grisly acts to make it to the next round...if they even live to see the next round. By the beginning of round two, when the plastic is laid out to protect the expensive assets around the area, we can bet it's going to get pretty messy in here. Would You Rather delivers non stop intense suspense, along with that stressful, annoying music that always plays in a movie whenever something bad is going to happen. Don't want to play anymore? Want to go home? No problem...you'll be forced to continue the game by the wave of a gun, you have to play now! So, the question is : Can Iris survive this insane , violent game, and save her brother in time? Or will her fate be an early casket, along with her brother? Would You Rather is not a disappointment, however, gore hounds may be a little disappointed, it's not that gory. Would You Rather concentrates more on being a great, low budget film, rather then be a blood and guts film, and I liked that route...and you won't forget it. If you think you'd do anything for money, check this flick out, and see if you're still saying that.

Tuesday, October 29, 2013

White House Down, 2013

Entertaining! But that's it.

Author: gkc-kelvin
imdb link
 

The world has seen millions of movies where USA comes under attack. This was probably just a rehash of every single one of those movies. There was nothing fresh, or new; there was no wow factor. Simply put, the producers probably just took a bunch of pre-molded "Lego blocks" that had already been overused in every other action movie, threw them all together, made a new movie, and called it "White House Down".

But that's not to say this movie was all bad. The undeniable chemistry between Tatum and Foxx was like a consolation for a 99.9% cliché storyline. The light humor between the two might have just given the audience a couple of time-outs from the heart-thumping moments during the movie's intense sequences, making the somewhat draggy, long-winded two-hour film a little easier to sit through. But as mentioned, a million clichés thrown together made the storyline absolutely predictable, so don't expect any twists.

In a nutshell, it's just a mashup of a whole series of music hits, in movie form. But oh well, at least the mashup was decently done.
Let me just begin by saying, this movie was worth the price of my ticket. But that might just be because I got my ticket at 50% off.

Sunday, October 27, 2013

Embrace of the Vampire, 2013 - UnRated

Nothing very special..... but watchable

Author: bunty18 from India
imdb link

The movie is not scary or thrilling and the climax is quit predictable as well. If you are expecting a little bit of action then you are in for a disappointment. As far as the acting is concerned, its not bad at all..... Sharon Hinnendael who plays the lead as Charlotte has done a fine job (though sometimes she does try to act like Kristen Stewart in Twilight...lolz), the other cast has done a good job as well, I wont say great but good.... The girls in the movie including Sharon show quite a bit of skin so that keeps it a bit interesting ha ha.

The plot is simple, an Orphan girl goes to a top grade University for higher studies on scholarship, conveniently the university campus is in a beautiful hilly location, where an innocent Vampire just happens to be waiting for her for past 500 years or so...gah...

If you are watching this movie for the story, thrill, suspense or horror element then you will be disappointed. However, if you feel like killing your time or like me you are a fan of vampire movies you might find it watchable.
Well honestly there is nothing very special in Embrace of the Vampire and it wont make a difference if you skip it....

Saturday, October 19, 2013

Orc Wars (2013)

Not bad for a low end movie

Author: toddrobinson-350-467838 from United States
imdb link
 

the acting is not too...bad, a bit more emotion, a little less dumb-a$$/redneck stereo typing and some back-story would be helpful. the camera work is adequate but depending on the shooting conditions it seemed they the must have had a very limited amount of space to film the battle scenes in. with a little more thought and camera work i feel that the limited space used could be made to look like a lot more... it reminded me of shooting in someones backyard. one way or the other that's falls back on the producer for choosing the spot and the DP for not using what he had to its fullest.

as for the battle scenes, if the intent was to show overwhelming orc forces than they should have hired more extras, recycling eight people in rubber masks at a time throughout the movie just didn't work for me.

I am unsure what they spent the 1.5 mil on for the production, I have seen better production value for about a quarter mil. I could always nickel and dime it further but I really don't see a reason. Overall I liked what I saw and with so much poorly filmed/acted trash out there this was a nice change.
As a lower level film maker myself I see many small issues that are distracting from an otherwise entertaining low budget movie. (the "after effects" gunshots/muzzle flashes/ejecting cartridges) coming from air soft style or resin prop guns. this can be distracting as its done way too much, and if they would have rented an armorer, a few real weapons and given more training to the actors on the use of them (for example you don't fire a barrett .50 from the hip while kneeling on a rooftop and actually expect to hit something) it would have helped keep the distractions down. and people watching the movie rather than questioning what they just saw.

Thursday, October 17, 2013

R.I.P.D. - 2013, Rest in Peace Department

Exactly what I expected

Author: Hockey-Girl-1995 from United States
imdb link


R.I.P.D. is exactly what it looks like. The plot was not mind-blowing but it was good enough to hold my attention, the acting was not Oscar worthy but they did a very good job in their respective roles and it wasn't the funniest thing I've ever seen but I did laugh. I would almost categorize this as an action before a comedy, it's got quite a bit going on!

I liked the second half of the movie more than the first, though that's not to say the first half was bad. It just felt a little repetitive and right about the time I began to feel like it was going to go in circles, it kept moving and saved itself. The second half steps it up in both action and comedy and the climactic ending was great.

Overall I enjoyed R.I.P.D. It was just a fun movie that you don't need to think about!




Not nearly as bad as a lot of people like to say it is.

Author: Hellmant from United States
'R.I.P.D.': Three and a Half Stars (Out of Five)

One of the summer's biggest expensive casualties is this Dark Horse comic adaptation starring Ryan Reynolds and Jeff Bridges as two police officers in the after life fighting undead ghouls. It was directed by Robert Schwentke (who also directed the action films 'RED' and 'FLIGHPLAN') and written by Phil Hay, Matt Manfredi and David Dobkin. Peter M. Lenkov created the comic book it's based on and also executive produced the film. The film also co-stars Kevin Bacon, Mary-Louise Parker, Stephanie Szostak, Marisa Miller and James Hong. Oddly both Reynolds and Parker had two big films opening the same weekend (Reynolds also can be heard in the animated family film 'TURBO' and Parker reprised her role in the sequel to Schwentke's 'RED'). All three films bombed and Reynolds now has a pretty big reputation for constantly delivering box office misfires. That doesn't mean they're bad films though and I actually enjoyed 'R.I.P.D.' to a certain degree (definitely not an especially good movie though).

The film opens with a Boston cop named Nick Walker (Reynolds), having a dispute with his partner, Bobby Hayes (Bacon), over whether or not to turn in gold they found at a recent drug bust. Walker is shot and killed by Hayes during a shootout and is recruited by the R.I.P.D. (Rest In Peace Department) in the afterlife. The R.I.P.D. specializes in catching 'deados', which are souls who have refused to leave the land of the living. Walker is teamed with an old U.S. Marshal from the Old West, named Roy Pulsipher (Bridges), while he attempts to track down his old partner and clear his reputation with the love of his life, Julia Walker (Szostak).

The biggest complaint I've heard about the trailer for the film is how much it resembles the film 'MEN IN BLACK' and I have to say, after seeing the film as well, that it very much resembles a 'MEN IN BLACK' movie. It's of course not nearly as good as that campy sci-fi classic but it is better than it's first sequel (arguably 'MEN IN BLACK 3' as well). The fact is the movie is not nearly as bad as a lot of people like to say it is. It's a lot of fun, funny at times and the visuals are spectacular. It had a budget of approximately $130 million and as a purely visual treat it paid off; as far as the special effects go, plus the women are all super hot (Szostak and Miller are breathtaking in the flick). Watching Reynolds and Bridges together (as an odd couple duo) is a treat as well and it's funny to see Reynolds being mostly the straight man while Bridges mostly hams it up (Bacon is also once again a great despicable villain). Not a great film by any means but not a bad one either.

Watch our movie review show 'MOVIE TALK' at:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fFfGQiMGk-4

Knife Fight - 2012, Ready, Aim, Win (Political Movie)

Getting a Bad Rap


Author: phillybug_23 from Philadelphia
imdb link
 

Brilliant! An awesome political movie; if you didn't like Rob Lowe before this, you will! This isn't a political drama where the stage is set on the candidate being in your face; the main focus. You won't see all the bells and whistles, big budget fight & gun scenes, and worn action dialog. Rather, this is a political drama built around dialog and characters. The main characters aren't the machine; moreover, the main characters are the cogs that run the machines. The reason comparisons to Primary Colors or Game Change doesn't work is because only thing in common/related is the political storyline. After watching there is a slight bias; however,

Worth a DEFINITE watch!

Saturday, October 12, 2013

Pain & Gain - 2013


Of muscles and mad men

Author: del91 from Penang, Malaysia / Chicago, USA
imdb link:



Bay is shamelessly reputed for huge explosions, choppy editing, excessively flashy/glitzy cinematography, sexy women, fancy cars and (recently) giant robots. With "Pain and Gain" he returns to low-budget territory since his debut "Bad Boys" in 1995. The result - the film is a debauchery in style - it's all over the film. Although Bay cuts back on the explosions and robots (mercifully), everything else has Bay written all over it, and considering how morbidly ridiculous the film's subject matter is, Bay tackles it in such a head-on and energetic manner that the audience is whisked off for the insane ride ahead.

For this movie, he has assembled together Mark Wahlberg, Dwayne Johnson and Anthony Mackie as the three bumble-heads who have their hearts set in the right goal but clearly lack the intellect to do so. All three men look jacked up, and play their parts as ridiculous as the part goes for it, especially Johnson, who clearly is having a blast showing off a completely different side of him as opposed to what we've been seeing him of late. Wahlberg plays a character so dangerously goofy and dumb one will wonder whether such a person exists in real life. Tony Shalhoub's unfortunate but still jerk-ish character sets the tone for most of the movie as his predicament grows from one spectrum of ridiculousness to another. By the time we've reached sexy Bar Paly's and hilarious Rebel Wilson's love interest characters, the audience have probably seen enough.

Then in comes Ed Harris as Detective Du Bois. Just when I thought the film was about to careen off the rails into insanity. He's the only sane person in the whole movie, and his presence helps bring balance and clarity to what was a ludicrous first half.

Comic relief is key in Bay's action films, but here he's going all out at comedy, and he sure does pull of the stops. The film is simply put, hysterical. The fact that it was indeed a true story makes it all the more hilarious to watch, who honestly can think of some story like this and pull if off straight?

I am aware that since this is a film, some liberties had to be made to the story and characters. Some scenes were undoubtedly exaggerated, but which one? Every scene looked and felt so surreal, every major character ridiculous, every line of dialogue inducing a chortle from the audience. But it was a dementedly fun ride, and Bay, after making two bloated sequels about giant robots, finally returns to his stride.
Michael Bay's "Pain and Gain" is a very bleak, very dark comedy about three knucklehead bodybuilders in pursuit of their own American dream, even if the road there is paved with sex, drugs, torture, humiliation, and even murder.



Great, with a side of horror!


Author: ariasn1 from Canada

This movie was near perfect to me, and let me explain why: The actors portraying the three (can you call them) anti hero's incredibly well. I don't quite know how accurate they were in comparison to the real criminals but as standalone characters they were pitch perfect (even the Rock, who may have actually stolen the show for me).

Tony Shaloub is no actor to be laughed at, he played such an interesting 3 dimensional yet despicable character that forced me to try to come to terms with how I felt with him being the victim.

And what really made the movie for me was the phenomenal writing and directing combination, there were intensely serious moments surrounded by the blackest of black comedy, something that shouldn't have worked, but it did!

My only problem with the flick is that it IS a true story. From what I've heard it's not even based on a true story, it's just a sensationalized docudrama with added humour... Christ (re read this after you see the movie and then you'll find it funny... I hope)

TL;DR VERSION Not for kids; great movie with great casting, writing, direction, cinematography etc.; But it loses a point for taken such a sad, serious story and making it painfully funny.