Movie Review- Gamer

Okay, I know what the makers of "Gamer" were trying to say. I know what they were trying to do. I know where they were trying to go. But i don't feel they said it, did it, or went there. It all just turned into a corny mess. I mean any movie that opens up with a soft rock version of "Sweet Dreams" and with the line "They f*@king tea bagged him", worries me.

It's an interesting concept really. Turning real humans into video game characters and making them battle sounds delightful. And then add Gerard Butler to the mix, you've got something there. But something went wrong between the pitch and the actual film. Ok, maybe more than something...maybe alot of somethings.

Plot:
Death row inmate John Tillman (Gerard Butler) is caught in a gamer software mastermind's virtual reality game, where inmates battle to the death while being controlled by civilians.

Pros:
The movie is filled with a talented cast with impressive resumes, and Butler, Michael C. Hall, Terry Crews, Chris Bridges, and John Leguizamo give pretty good individual performances. The large ensemble of familiar faces also wasn't a bad move either.

I really think cinematography-wise, the filmmakers did a good job duplicating the video game feeling. During the battle scenes, it really felt at times that I was watching my friends play "Call of Duty" online. Those scenes alone made the film watchable.

Cons:
As I said earlier, it was pretty corny. At least most of the first 45 minutes was. Butler seemed as if he was in the wrong movie. The film threw in elements of playfulness that made it seem as if they weren't taking themselves seriously, much like what the filmmakers did with "Crank", but Butler was kicking ass like he was doing battle scenes from "Saving Private Ryan". He gave a depthless character depth, purely based on his acting talent. The same goes for Hall. He was impressive as the mastermind, but it seemed as if his acting was too good for the dialogue.

Leguizamo was not needed, and that kills me to say that because I am a big fan of his. But he wasn't in much of the movie and he was gone before his character was really given anything to do. WHY THE HELL WOULD YOU WASTE TALENT LIKE THAT?! He was better off doing the "Pest 2" or something. The worse part about it was i really thought his character had potential and was gonna be given a subplot. Wrong!

The violence and gore wasn't bad, it fit the video game feel, but what they did well in gore and video game violence, they lose in content and dialogue. Again I say, "Looking good means nothing if you don't have substance to back it up." Make a complete movie damn it!

And though I applaud the cinematography during battle scenes, they could have let up a little during non-battle scenes. Are quick, swooping, "look what i can do" camera tricks needed when two people are just having a conversation? I didn't think so.

Recommendation:
Wait til it comes on HBO

Written by:
Mark Neveldine
Brian Taylor

Directed by:
Mark Neveldine
Brian Taylor

Main Cast:
Gerard Butler ("300", "The Ugly Truth")
Michael C. Hall( TV's "Dexter", TV's "Six Feet Under")
Amber Valletta ("Hitch", "Transporter 2")
Terry Crews ("White Chicks", "Get Smart")
Chris Bridges ("Crash", "Fred Clause")
Kyra Sedgwick (TV's "Closer", "The Game Plan")
Logan Lerman ("Number 23", "3:10 to Yuma")
John Leguizamo ("Pest", "Across the Universe")
Allison Lohman ("Big Fish", "Drag Me To Hell")
Aaron Yoo ("Disturbia", "Perfect Score")
Keith David ("Armageddon", "There's Something About Mary")
Milo Ventimigilia ("Rocky Balboa", TV's "Heroes")

Similar Titles:
Crank, Crank: High Voltage, Surrogates

Movie Review- Hurt Locker

I've heard all the hype over the last two months about this film after never hearing about it before. The media blitz worked on me, because i was really excited to see this film. So often, these limited release, Oscar pushed movies don't live up to the hype. "Hurt Locker" does.

It's weird seeing films about the war while a war is actually in progress. The main reason is because you are seeing something that thousands of people are going through at the present time. If you are like me and live in a military town and have friends and former classmates who have done tours or are out there now, it's surreal. No matter a person's feelings toward the war, I think most if not all sympathize with the thousands serving in the military and millions of us have no idea what the experience for them is really like. Though "Hurt Locker" isn't the first feature film to paint a picture of the life of an American soldier in Iraq, no other film has been mixed a sense of realism to the extent this one has. Though I'm sure every element isn't completely accurate to the war experience or military standards, though I feel it doesn't have to be; it is a movie, it was still an excellent film.

Plot:
A loose cannon bomb specialist SSgt. Will James (Jeremy Renner) joins a bomb squad serving a tour in Iraq.

Pros:
The acting, the cinematography, the writing, the plot, the realism, the pace, the tone, all of it was on point. I enjoyed the documentary look of the film. It added to the sense of realism, and makes it feels as if these characters actually exist.

I like that there was no exaggeration or war romanticism added in this film. No intense close ups surrounded by after-school special music underneath. Renner's Ssgt. James, probably the most tragic character, didn't get a sappy storyline filled with fluff and a long speech where he reveals the origin of all of his character flaws. It was well done.

None of the scenes were overplayed or literal. Nothing was spelled out with words. Alot of the biggest character reveals came from non-verbal communication. That, in my opinion, is the best way to go and makes audiences feel more connected to the story and the characters.

Cons:
The only thing i saw in this film that just didn't sit right with me was the initial relationship between Renner's Ssgt. James and Anthony Mackie's Sgt. Sanborn. Though James is a higher rank and the squads team leader, Mackie appeared to be more in charge than James. He gave alot of orders and it seemed as if they answered to him. I'm not a military guy, but I would never think that a lower rank could be in charge.

Recommendation:
Rent it.

Written by:
Mark Boal

Directed by:
Kathryn Bigelow

Main Cast:
Jeremy Renner ("SWAT", "Dahmer")
Anthony Mackie ("8 Mile", "Notorious")
Brian Geraghty ("The Guardian", "We Are Marshall")
Ralph Fiennes ("Schindler's List", "English Patient")
Guy Pearce ("Rules of Engagement", "Memento")
David Morse ("The Green Mile", "Disturbia")
Evangeline Lilly (TV's "Lost")
Christian Carmargo ("K-19: The Widowmaker", "National Treasure: Book of Secrets")
Chrisopher Sayegh

Similar titles:
Generation Kill, Stop-Loss

Next Review:
Gamer- Trailer

Movie Review-I Can Do Bad All By Myself

Tyler Perry is a double-edged sword with me.

On one hand, I commend him for making entertaining, funny movies with a message that the an entire family can watch together. I also commend him for tackling issues most people are afraid to venture towards and he's able to add realism between the buffoonery. I mean he has loads of christian themes where God is a focus, but he still has coarse language, and it's still accepted by religious groups.

The other end of the sword is the fact that his themes are repetitive. In every movie he features a lost/out-on-her-luck woman who is either on drugs or has been molested. Then all of a sudden, a man comes through and changes everything. He rescues her and it turns out all she every needed was the love of a good man and her life is complete.

Though i give him credit for showing black males in a positive light, so few do that, it seems to be counterproductive if you have to trivialize the struggles of black women and act as if it can be taken away by good black men.

I tried to ignore that fact while watching this film, but of course that's nearly impossible. But it doesn't have to be the main focus.

Plot:
Lounge singer April's (Taraji P. Henson) life is transformed when she is forced to watch over her sister's kids after her mother disappears.

Pros:
As with all of his movies. Tyler Perry's Madea character just breaths so much life into any storyline. This one is no different. Though Madea was only in a few scenes, she definitely leaves her stamp on the whole movie. You can tell Tyler Perry hits his creative strive when she is involved.

Though Perry is not as visually artistic as Quentin Tarantino or as talented as a writer as Oliver Stone, he taps into what is just flat out entertaining. A story with dramatic elements with comedy wrapped around it. No one does it better. He showed all those talents again here in this film. Probably better than he has in any other film he's done.

Cons:
The movie has a talented cast, but they all seemed to be playing below their full potential. I've seen Taraji P.Henson, Brian White, and even Mary J. Blige better. Though i feel like using non-actors in pivotal acting roles is risky, Gladys Knight, Mary J. Blige, and Marvin Winans were pretty good. But I don't really feel as if they all could have been a scotch better than they were.

The film felt rushed. The relationship between Rodriguez and Henson developed way too fast, but her inevitable transformation took too long. And then all of sudden they've been in love for a long time though they've had minimal, meaningful interaction throughout the film.

Recommendation:
Wait til it comes on HBO.

Main Cast:
Taraji P. Henson ("Hustle and Flow", "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button")
Tyler Perry ("Madea Goes to Jail", "Star Trek")
Adam Rodriguez (TV's "CSI: Miami")
Brian J. White ("Stomp the Yard", "Family Stone")
Gladys Knight
Mary J. Blige
Marvin Winans
Hope Olaide Wilson ("Life is Hot in Cracktown")
Kwesi Boakye ("Happy Feet")
Frederick Siglar

Similar Titles:
I Can Do Bad Ally By Myself (V), Meet the Browns

Next Review:
Hurt Locker-Trailer

Movie Review-Paranormal Activity

So, i heard all the hype about this movie before I saw it and i found myself angry. I was mad because I could of done this. All you need is a camera, a house, sound effects, and make it look like a soccer mom filming her kid eat raviolis in his high chair. It was so easy and this movie made a crap load of money. That could've been me.

After seeing this movie, all i had left to envy was the amount of money the film made. The film itself sadly was not nearly as impressive and didn't even come close to living up to it's hype.

Plot:
A young couple tries to outwit, outlast, and survive a demonic spirit who has haunted their new house.

Pros:
"Paranormal Activity" builds up the tension better than most movies I've seen. The element of surprise and not knowing what's gonna happen at every given second. A decent horror movie has the ability to make someone jump even when nothing is going on. That's what happens in "Paranormal Activity".

The real/home video look is pulled off well in this film. Sure "Blair Witch" did it, so the comparisons are inevitable. But the difference is that this film just does it better. Pedestrian, possibly naive, film watchers actually thought the majority of the movie was real. So the goal was accomplished.

Also, i thought the two lead actors did a great job looking like a real couple, they had good chemistry.

Cons:
Most people had one or two reactions.
One, this movie was creepy, and the demon plot freaked me out. Scariest movie ever. That means they bought the tension and the build.

Two, like me, felt the story took too long to develop which in turn made the conclusion a letdown. Their were streaks of really good filmaking and storytelling, but it just took way to long to get the bottom of things. The home video look is good and all, but for me it got irritating watching all the shaky camera work and consecutive scenes of nothing but actor reactions lasted way too long. Even worse, at the end of the movie, you don't see the conclusion. You hear and speculate. A true let down. I think more scenes like the last 10-15 minutes would have took the movie up a few notches.

Maybe it was the hype that spoiled it, or maybe it's my disinterest in modern-day horror films, but this isn't a movie I recommend anybody breaking their necks to see.

Recommendation:
Wait til it comes on HBO.

Written by:
Oren Peli

Directed by:
Oren Peli

Main Cast:
Kate Featherston
Micah Sloat
Mark Fredrichs

Similar Titles:
Blair Witch Project, Rec.

Next Review:
I Can Do Bad All By Myself- Trailer

Movie Review- Jennifer's Body

So, as i watched this film I thought to myself : "Wow, this film seems like it was written by 2 7th graders and Ron Jeremy."

As it turns out, Diablo Cody, writer of one of my favorite films "Juno" wrote "Jennifer's Body". It all made sense. The film's plot and storyline actually seems as if it would make for a decent horror flick, but unfortunately the writing, and awful acting from future multi-Razzi award winner Megan Fox made this film one of the worst of 2009, if not the decade.

Plot:
After an attempted demonic sacrifice, popular high school cheerleader Jennifer (Megan Fox) is now half-demon and has to kill boys in order to stay alive.

Pros:
Lets see, I think Amanda Seyfried potrayal as Jennifer's nerdy best friend Needy was actually the only performance that could qualify as acting in this film, but she wasn't helped by the atrocious writing.

It was also kinda cool to see Adam Brody in a more adult role as the womanizing lead singer of a up and coming rock band. But maybe I'm just being nice.

Cons:
As i stated already, the writing was pretty awful. So awful that it's making me avoid watching "Juno" again. It's pretty bad when a movie is so bad you think about not watching another film because of the people involved in this one. The bad writing had a trickle down effect. It made the already pedestrian acting worse, and just made the scene rattle off into mindless plot holes and inconsistencies. Even cameos by Amy Sedaris and J.K. Simmons, as somewhat comical off-the-wall characters, didn't help either.

Megan Fox is just a pretty face. I know there are thousands of dudes out there who only saw this movie because they find her attractive, but truth be told, i was completely turned off by the awful job she did despite the script. Her inability to show emotion in scenes that garner some effort tore the movie down more notches. Maybe if the filmmakers focused on making a decent film, instead of playing off of male attractions to Megan Fox, this film would be watchable.

Recommendation:
Never, ever see this movie.

Written by:
Diablo Cody

Directed by:
Karyn Kusama

Main Cast:
Megan Fox ("Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen", "Transformers")
Amanda Seyfried ("Mean Girls", "Mamma Mia")
Adam Brody (TV's "The O.C.", "In the Land of Women")
Johnny Simmons ("Evan Almighty", "Hotel for Dogs")
J.K. Simmons ("Juno", "Ladykillers")
Amy Sedaris ("Strangers with the Candy", "Dance Flick")
Kyle Gallner ("Red Eye", "Haunting in Connecticut")

Similar Titles:
Carrie, Jawbreaker

Next Review:
Paranormal Activity-Trailer

Movie Review- District 9

With all the epics that came out at the end of 2009, "District 9" looked as if it would join the group. Eh, not so much. Much more of a story, a lot less fluff, makes this film definitely out of the ordinary.

Though many people saw this movie as a letdown, hoping for a "Star Trek"-esque experience, i enjoyed the story, it was intriguing and if you're a deep thinker as myself, you saw a certain ironic modern day social commentary, glazed underneath theatrics.

PLOT:
Fed up with 28 years of alien inhabitants, a South African government agency is brought in to evict the "prawns".

Pros:
I like what some people don't about this film. Though of course there is visual effects, CGI, and many other Sci-fi ingredients. But Blomkamp found away to make this more than that. More than fluff and visual stimulations. Instead, a good fictional film that shows realistic human emotions.

The storyline ironically can easy be matched to the our feelings towards immigration. Though i doubt this same scenario is possible here in 2010, it was in South Africa not too long ago. I thought it was creative to make a social, somewhat political statement hidden underneath a sci-fi flick. Beautiful.

And i must give a kudos to lead actor Sharlto Copley. "District 9" was his first feature, and I'm not sure if this film just fit him or he really is a good actor, but he pulled off a really believable performance.

Cons:
Nothing really. Aside from the fact that when the movie went from scenes of alot of activity to a scene based merely on character development, the pace was somewhat off-putting, if not borderline dull.

Recommendation:
Rent it.

Written by:
Neill Blomkamp
Terri Tatchell

Directed by:
Neill Blomkamp

Main Cast:
Sharlto Copley
Jason Cope ("Doomsday")
William Allen Young (TV's "Moesha", "Lockdown")
David James
Vanessa Haywood
Louis Minaar ("Invictus")

Similar Titles:
Independence Day, Alive in Joburg

Next Review:
Jennifer's Body- Trailer