Spanks - 4
Director - Kenneth Branagh
Writers - Ashley Miller & Zack Stentz and Don Payne
Starring - Chris Hemsworth, Natalie Portman, Tom Hiddleston, Anthony Hopkins, Stellan Skarsgård, Kat Dennings and Clark Gregg
Release Date - 6 May 2011
MPAA Rating - PG-13
Thor is the first of two films released by Marvel Studios this summer. It is the origin story of the superhero Thor. It begins on Thor's home world of Asgard and tells why he came to Earth and how he became one of the heroes of Earth. It also introduces Jane Foster and how she got thrown into Thor's life.
The movie has some really good action scenes with Thor kicking ass. Kat Dennings does a great job as the comic relief playing Jane Foster's intern. The people who designed and created Asgard did a fantastic job "building" that world.
If you are a fan of comic book character movies, you will enjoy this film. I am looking forward to a possible confrontation between Thor and Iron Man in next summers Avengers film.
08 May 2011
03 May 2011
Fast Five
Spanks - 4
Director - Justin Lin
Writers - Ben Ripley
Starring - Vin Diesel, Paul Walker, Dwayne Johnson, Jordana Brewster, Elsa Pataky, Tyrese Gibson and Chris 'Ludacris' Bridges
Release Date - 29 April 2011
MPAA Rating - PG-13
There are only two words to describe Fast Five. Absolutely ridiculous. In a movie based in reality, the main characters are more invincible then superman and physics are thrown out the window of a Ford GT40. The film is hilarious too, but I am not sure it was written to be funny. One example; in the opening sequence, Vin Diesel's character is broken out of the prison bus by having it flip over end over end (multiple times) using a sports car while both are driving at high speeds. Everyone on the bus survives and there is not a scratch on the sports car. The screenwriters also wrote a screenplay full of plot holes. If they needed something to happen to fit their story it just did without logic or explanation.
After Dom is freed from going to prison by Brian and Mia, the trio escape to Rio de Janeiro. Once there Dom decides they should do one last job to be set for life. To pull if off they bring in everyone who has helped Dom and Brian in the previous four movies. The DEA send special agent Hobbs and his team to apprehend Dom and his gang and crime lord Hernan Reyes don't make the heist easier.
Despite everything wrong with Fast Five, the film is entertaining, only because of the ridiculousness. It is not an award winning film except for maybe an MTV Movie Award. If you have a crappy rainy afternoon, this could be a good two hour escape for you.
Director - Justin Lin
Writers - Ben Ripley
Starring - Vin Diesel, Paul Walker, Dwayne Johnson, Jordana Brewster, Elsa Pataky, Tyrese Gibson and Chris 'Ludacris' Bridges
Release Date - 29 April 2011
MPAA Rating - PG-13
There are only two words to describe Fast Five. Absolutely ridiculous. In a movie based in reality, the main characters are more invincible then superman and physics are thrown out the window of a Ford GT40. The film is hilarious too, but I am not sure it was written to be funny. One example; in the opening sequence, Vin Diesel's character is broken out of the prison bus by having it flip over end over end (multiple times) using a sports car while both are driving at high speeds. Everyone on the bus survives and there is not a scratch on the sports car. The screenwriters also wrote a screenplay full of plot holes. If they needed something to happen to fit their story it just did without logic or explanation.
After Dom is freed from going to prison by Brian and Mia, the trio escape to Rio de Janeiro. Once there Dom decides they should do one last job to be set for life. To pull if off they bring in everyone who has helped Dom and Brian in the previous four movies. The DEA send special agent Hobbs and his team to apprehend Dom and his gang and crime lord Hernan Reyes don't make the heist easier.
Despite everything wrong with Fast Five, the film is entertaining, only because of the ridiculousness. It is not an award winning film except for maybe an MTV Movie Award. If you have a crappy rainy afternoon, this could be a good two hour escape for you.
15 April 2011
Source Code
Spanks - 5
Director - Duncan Jones
Writers - Ben Ripley
Starring - Jake Gyllenhaal, Michelle Monaghan, Vera Farmiga and Jeffrey Wright
Release Date - 1 April 2011
MPAA Rating - PG-13
Source Code is one of the only films not based on an existing character or story that has been released this year or due out this summer. It is about a secret program called The Source Code that can send a person back in time for the last eight minutes of a persons life. This can be done as many times as needed, reliving the same 8 minutes. The intent of the program is to go back and stop disasters and terrorist attacks. In this situation, a bomb goes off on a commuter train in Chicago. Air Force Captain Colter Stevens is tasked to go back an locate the bomb and find out who built it.
Throughout the whole film, I was trying to predict what would happen next, and each time I tried I was incorrect (also hoping I could use The Source Code to go back and see what I missed to get it right). You would also think a movie that takes place over the same eight minutes over and over would get boring and get predictable, but it never does. It is one of the best movies of 2011 so far.
Source Code is the movie you want to see this summer instead of another remake, or sequel, or comic book movie, or reboot, or based on that bestselling novel by that person because all but one tent-pole movie is one of these.
Director - Duncan Jones
Writers - Ben Ripley
Starring - Jake Gyllenhaal, Michelle Monaghan, Vera Farmiga and Jeffrey Wright
Release Date - 1 April 2011
MPAA Rating - PG-13
Source Code is one of the only films not based on an existing character or story that has been released this year or due out this summer. It is about a secret program called The Source Code that can send a person back in time for the last eight minutes of a persons life. This can be done as many times as needed, reliving the same 8 minutes. The intent of the program is to go back and stop disasters and terrorist attacks. In this situation, a bomb goes off on a commuter train in Chicago. Air Force Captain Colter Stevens is tasked to go back an locate the bomb and find out who built it.
Throughout the whole film, I was trying to predict what would happen next, and each time I tried I was incorrect (also hoping I could use The Source Code to go back and see what I missed to get it right). You would also think a movie that takes place over the same eight minutes over and over would get boring and get predictable, but it never does. It is one of the best movies of 2011 so far.
Source Code is the movie you want to see this summer instead of another remake, or sequel, or comic book movie, or reboot, or based on that bestselling novel by that person because all but one tent-pole movie is one of these.
02 April 2011
Paul
Spanks - 4
Director - Greg Mottola
Writers - Nick Frost, Simon Pegg
Starring - Nick Frost, Simon Pegg, Jason Bateman, Kristen Wiig, Blythe Danner, Joe Lo Truglio and Seth Rogen
Release Date - 18 March 2011
MPAA Rating - PG-13
Paul is the first movie Simon Pegg and Nick Frost have starred in together without Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz director buddy Edgar Wright. It is almost as good and as funny as those two films. Paul is about two British sci-fi geeks who, after San Diego Comic Con, go on a road trip of UFO hot spots around western United States. Everything is going according to plan until they run into Paul. Paul is an escaped alien from Area 51 who crash landed on Earth and just wants to get back home.
The laughs start off a little slow, but once all the characters are properly introduced, the laughs are nonstop. I am not a huge fan of Seth Rogen, but he does an awesome job as the voice of Paul (who was created using CGI). The movie has its share of fart jokes, but there are plenty of more intelligent jokes... and who doesn't like fart jokes.
Director - Greg Mottola
Writers - Nick Frost, Simon Pegg
Starring - Nick Frost, Simon Pegg, Jason Bateman, Kristen Wiig, Blythe Danner, Joe Lo Truglio and Seth Rogen
Release Date - 18 March 2011
MPAA Rating - PG-13
Paul is the first movie Simon Pegg and Nick Frost have starred in together without Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz director buddy Edgar Wright. It is almost as good and as funny as those two films. Paul is about two British sci-fi geeks who, after San Diego Comic Con, go on a road trip of UFO hot spots around western United States. Everything is going according to plan until they run into Paul. Paul is an escaped alien from Area 51 who crash landed on Earth and just wants to get back home.
The laughs start off a little slow, but once all the characters are properly introduced, the laughs are nonstop. I am not a huge fan of Seth Rogen, but he does an awesome job as the voice of Paul (who was created using CGI). The movie has its share of fart jokes, but there are plenty of more intelligent jokes... and who doesn't like fart jokes.
Labels:
Blythe Danner,
Greg Mottola,
Jason Bateman,
Joe Lo Truglio,
Kristen Wiig,
Nick Frost,
Paul,
Simon Pegg
15 March 2011
Battle: Los Angeles
Spanks - 4
Director - Jonathan Liebesman
Writers - Christopher Bertolini
Starring - Aaron Eckhart, Michelle Rodriguez, Ramon Rodriguez and Bridget Moynahan
Release Date - 11 March 2011
MPAA Rating - PG-13
I went into Battle: Los Angeles expecting things blowing up, cheesy dialog, aliens, and gun fights and that is it. That is exactly what I got and there is not anything wrong with that. The film follows Sgt. Nantz, a US Marine whose retirement is approved the morning of a strange worldwide meteor shower. It turns out it isn't a meteor shower, it is an invasion. His retirement is overturned and he is assigned to the 2nd Battalion 5th Marines under 2nd Lieutenant Martinez who is fresh out of the academy. Their orders are to rescue survivors located inside "the hot zone" and return in three hours before the Air Force bombs the area.
The film is an alien invasion version of Black Hawk Down. After about twenty minutes of character introductions, it is an hour and a half battle filled with explosions, destruction, chaos and mayhem. The film is shot in the same style as well.
Battle: Los Angeles is a summer popcorn flick. If you want a movie with substance and award winning writing this is not the film for you. If you want a fun filled movie with with quotes like "I am only qualified to work on animals and aliens" said by a veterinarian then head to the box office straight away.
Director - Jonathan Liebesman
Writers - Christopher Bertolini
Starring - Aaron Eckhart, Michelle Rodriguez, Ramon Rodriguez and Bridget Moynahan
Release Date - 11 March 2011
MPAA Rating - PG-13
I went into Battle: Los Angeles expecting things blowing up, cheesy dialog, aliens, and gun fights and that is it. That is exactly what I got and there is not anything wrong with that. The film follows Sgt. Nantz, a US Marine whose retirement is approved the morning of a strange worldwide meteor shower. It turns out it isn't a meteor shower, it is an invasion. His retirement is overturned and he is assigned to the 2nd Battalion 5th Marines under 2nd Lieutenant Martinez who is fresh out of the academy. Their orders are to rescue survivors located inside "the hot zone" and return in three hours before the Air Force bombs the area.
The film is an alien invasion version of Black Hawk Down. After about twenty minutes of character introductions, it is an hour and a half battle filled with explosions, destruction, chaos and mayhem. The film is shot in the same style as well.
Battle: Los Angeles is a summer popcorn flick. If you want a movie with substance and award winning writing this is not the film for you. If you want a fun filled movie with with quotes like "I am only qualified to work on animals and aliens" said by a veterinarian then head to the box office straight away.
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