Holy Hot Damn… those are the first three words that came to mind after seeing this film this evening. As I mentioned prior, I minored in History and have researched Hoover in many instances and I must say, Clint Eastwood did a magnificent job with this film.

I know many people are going to moan and groan about Leonardo DiCaprio playing the former FBI Director, and the only thing I have to say to that, is watch your tongue. This is an Oscar worthy performance which he surely deserves and probably will get. Hollywood gets a stiffy over Bio Pics and this is one of the best I have ever seen.

Eastwood tells the story through both avenues of the story of the troubled director.

::SPOILER ALERT::

We get the story from the viewpoint of Hoover and then the audience is shocked to learn that Hoover’s story he has been telling throughout the whole film is not all reality. Those of you who know your history will pick up on this right away. The scenes of major historical importance are done wonderfully.

::END SPOILER ALERT::

The only complaint I have is the actor who plays President Nixon at the end of the film. Could have been cast a bit better, but that’s okay. I know many others have criticized this movie for its makeup and lighting and the such, and I must admit, there was some bad makeup, but not in the case of Hoover or Helen Gandy (Naomi Watts). The story is not confusing unless you’re a complete idiot and not following what’s going on. That was another argument against this film that I had read, simply untrue.

Regardless if you are on the fence with this film, drop the money and see it, you won’t be disappointed, and don’t be cheap! Many theaters have discount nights or whatever if you want to take advantage of that, but I even would have spent the ten bucks on this film and I’m super cheap!

Enjoy!

-Jim

Live-size, live-action “Rock ‘Em Sock ‘Em Robots?”

Yes please!

The premise is pretty basic: a down-on-his-luck former boxing champ Charlie Kenton (Hugh Jackman) needs cash for a new robot so he can make some $$$ in the ring as the sport of boxing has been outlawed and replaced with robot fighters. In debt to a lot people, he gets stuck with the child he fathered from a previous relationship. Discovering a robot buried in a scrapyard, it turns out there might be more to it (the robot’s name is ‘Atom’) than meets the eye (pun intended).

So how was it?

Very good flick!

Sure – it borrows heavily fro

m “Rocky,” “Over The Top” and a bit of “Short Circuit”  (is or isn’t the robot ‘Atom’ sentient?) but the movie hits it’s story beats perfectly and the film is well-crafted so you actually enjoy it despite the seeing the story outcome from the very beginning.

PROS:

The row-buts – very well-designed and executed. This one of those rare occasions where the CGI and the Puppetry / Animatronics is seamless (the last time I couldn’t tell when I genuinely knew there was an even mix was 2001′s Jurassic Park 3 with the Spinosaurus / Tyrannosaurus Rex brawl – I still can’t really separate the two technologies)!

The cast – especially the kid. 99.9% of the time you can’t stand the kid; the kid here is genuinely likable, smart and the story treats him as an equal to Jackman’s character.

Danny Elfman’s score – a very non-Elfman score, which so far, I’ve only heard once and that was 2003′s Hulk. You know what I’m talking about – Elfman’s Tim Burton mesh that is distinguishable and in the majority of 90% of film scores. This is a good thing as I like it when composers venture out into unfamiliar territory (Compare the Spider-Man score to Men In Black and you’ll see what I mean…).

One other thing I like – the date in which the film takes place is never mentioned; closest we get is the fact that one of the robots was manufactured in 2014. One of the thing I hate most that sci-fi flicks are esp. guilty of is “dating” their future. Nothing kills the escapism of a film than seeing a date, esp. a current “future” date which hasn’t quite turned out the way predicted (SeaQuest’s “guv’ment banning of beef” in 2004, anyone?). The only thing fanciful are the robots and the sleekness of some of the tech; but just like the swingin’ 60′s fifty-years past, people still wear business suits, jeans, sweatpants, sneakers, dresses, etc. and all the daily shenanigans of life play out as normal.

CONS:

The only real “con” I see is the story is a cobbling of already familiar plotlines…

The “champ / underdog” and “over-the-hill sportsman gets another shot of glory” of “Rocky…”

The “son travels with father to questionable locals while dealing / betting with shady characters” of “Over The Top…”

The “bad father who truly loves his son / discovers love for his son” from just about any family drama…

…but like a said – the film is so well made and adds some new tracks to the well-beaten path that you just follow along happily.

What I’m saying is…

…the movie was good – better, in fact, than some (most) of the mega-budget summer popcorn flicks!

Support it and go and see it!

Jason Statham vs Clive Owen? Check.

80′s rock music? Check.

Robert DeNiro? Check.

Somebody getting punched in the balls to 80′s rock music? DOUBLE CHECK!

I am here to tell you, this trailer is misleading.

OVERALL: This is a movie about ex-military. It’s about mercenaries, killing for money. It has a secret society of shadowy men, pulling political strings. It’s based on supposed true events in the early 80′s, and was inspired by the book The Feather Men. It is NOT, as the trailer suggests, Statham vs. Owen for 2 hours. It’s a shame because that was the movie I wanted to see. But that blame rests on the marketing department, and not on the film itself. The film itself is pretty dang good. It feels almost like a sequel to the 1998 film Ronin, also starring DeNiro.

The one thing I had displeasure with was the use of “shaky cam” during the action scenes.

I liked shaky cam back in the 90′s. It worked for Gladiator, it worked for the Bourne films.

But it’s over now. If you are making an action movie I want to see what the heck is going on!

ACTING: The whole cast is great. Statham and Owen are great as always, DeNiro isn’t in it much (he probably had three days of shooting) but gives a nice comfortable performance. The supporting cast of Dominic Purcell, Yvonne Strahovski, and Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje all did a great job as well.

FAMILY FACTOR: Strong language and violence abound in this flick. There is a tiny bit of nudity and a whole buncha murdering happening.

SEE IN THE THEATER: If you dig action flicks, mercenary flicks, and/or Jason Statham. Just be aware it’s not what the trailer suggests.

…Or maybe not. It’s “artsy”.

OVERALL: I didn’t like this movie. It’s more notable to me for the camera they built to shoot it with which gave the film a unique feel.

I don’t want to be mean, because I’m not about tearing people down, especially when I know how much work goes into a film.  I heard secondhand that this cost just shy of $20k to make. That is amazing and admirable.

This movie would have worked well as a short. The story only picks up and gets interesting over halfway through and then only about the last 20 minutes or so breathe any sort of life on the screen. I heard someone describe this style of indie film as “mumblecore”.  I think that fits perfectly. It’s kind of interesting to look at for a little while, but the acting, directing and dialogue are so unfocused and sloppy that you quickly lose interest. It’s like when you find that you have a voicemail from someone you know that was left inadvertently. You can hear people talking, and you sort of have a challenge trying to figure out what they are saying and if they are actually talking to you, but then you realize it’s just a boring everyday conversation about something mundane and you stop listening and delete it. That’s what 80% of this movie feels like.

I was excited at the prospect of fire and guns and cars that shoot fire and the whole “Mad Max” obsession. I am also into all of those things. But this movie wastes them and tries instead to make you realize how much it sucks for a young man in today’s world with love and betrayal and friendships and blah blah blah. I kind of expected Woodrow to stop and say “I’m just so angry and young and angsty and confused!” while shaking his fists at the sky. These types of “youth in turmoil” statements work in movies where you care about the characters and the drama is set against some other forward moving factor: a war, a civil movement, a change in family (divorce, death, remarriage), going to college, etc. But this angst and aimlessness is the focus of this movie, which means it crawls along at a snails pace for the viewer. It’s like watching the channel in some apartments where you can see who is down at the lobby door.

But on the plus side, the car (Medusa) is pretty sweet.

This trailer actually makes it look really cool and action packed. Well done, marketers!

ACTING: I give respect to the lead Evan Glodell (he is also the director). He is a likable chap and I could see him playing both a good-natured everyman and a darker more sinister character, both of which he kind of gets to play in this movie. The rest of the cast is OK for this indie type of movie. Nothing great or amazing, but they show up and do the job.

FAMILY FACTOR: Strong language and brief bursts of violence abound in this flick. There is a bit of nudity and sexual situations. It’s not a movie for kids by any means.

SEE IN THE THEATER: If you like to support indie cinema. I think Evan Glodell has a future in movie-making, even if this film didn’t really gel into something interesting.

Bellflower is running in limited engagement all over the country RIGHT NOW. Check here for where it is playing near you: http://www.bellflower-themovie.com/theaters/

Dwayne hates his overbearing Marine father (Fred Ward) and wants to kill him so he gets the rest of the 10 Million in lottery money his Dad has won. It seems that dear ol’ Dad is burning through the cash so that he won’t have anything to leave his do-nothing dreamer son after he kicks the bucket. Dwayne and Travis (who is some sort of pyrotechnic genius) hatch a plot to get someone to rob a bank for them so that Dwayne can pay a hitman to kill his Father. Enter the pizza man and the bomb.

Still with me? I’ll leave it at that as I don’t need to spoil any more of the plot for you. On to the usual thoughts by me!

OVERALL: Thanks to the inclusion of Danny McBride and the overall action/comedy feel, this feels a lot like Pineapple Express with fewer pot references, but directed by the same guy that did Zombieland.

ACTING: This is a solid comedy cast. Jesse Eisenberg puts in a decent – if forgettable –  performance. He is a well liked “everyman” in this. Aziz Ansari is quite funny as Nick’s neurotic best friend Chet. Danny McBride plays Dwayne like every character Danny McBride ever plays. Nick Swardson was a stand out for me and I enjoyed his conflicted portrayal of Travis.

FAMILY FACTOR: Strong language and comic violence abound in this flick. There is also a scene in a strip club. It is rated “R” for a reason. Even if it’s funny.

SEE IN THE THEATER: If you like Danny McBride, or if you want to see the action on the big screen. There are some fun action sequences that were enjoyable with the sound thumping and the picture large.

30 Minutes or Less hits theaters August 12, 2011.

IN A NUTSHELL: It’s like Indiana Jones mixed with Star Wars viewed through the “Marvel Studios” lens.

I guess whether or not you will like it depends on how much you like those movies. It 100% fits with the Marvel Studios Universe established in Iron Man 1 and 2, Incredible Hulk, and Thor but feels more like Indiana Jones and the original Star Wars trilogy in tone and style. The film is set mostly in the 1940′s but has very sci-fi elements thanks to the “Magic Tech” originally explained in this summer’s Thor movie also from Marvel Studios.

THE ACTING: Chris Evans is great as Steve Rogers/Captain America. He brings compassion and thoughtfulness to the role, showing lots with his face and body language. Evans also handles action quite well, also displayed by his previous movie roles. He displays natural charisma and leadership qualities as the good Captain. The various supporting roles were well acted and believable, from the Howling Commandos to Peggy, Bucky and Arnim Zola. I hope we see Zola again sometime is his bizarre Marvel-Comics look. Howard Stark is totally believable as Tony Stark’s Dad.

I actually thought the weakest link was Red Skull, which I personally wasn’t expecting. Hugo Weaving was decent as always, but didn’t really get all that much to do. He was more interesting in the film when he looks “normal”. I think buried under the Skull makeup some of his acting nuances got lost.  Unfortunately, the makeup is probably the most out of place thing in this movie. It’s so bright and colorful in an otherwise fairly muted color scheme. I hate to say that, because it’s so SPOT ON to his comics appearance.

THE EFFECTS: Lots of CGI – as is expected. It is a standard in modern movies, and here it’s very good! There were a couple shots where I lament the loss of traditional stunt work, but that’s more of a personal hang-up. Steve at the beginning where he looks like a 90 pound asthmatic is quite stunning.

THE DIRECTION: Joe Johnston worked as the art director on Raiders of the Lost Ark, and this movie feels like it inhabits the same world Dr. Henry Jones does. It’s no doubt intentional, and there are even a couple nods to Indy in there. Johnston handles both the action and the drama deftly and the movie clips along at a brisk pace pausing briefly from the action from time to time to reflect on events or for humor. This movie is infused with a sense of fun that modern audiences aren’t used to.  I heard lots of people in the theater snickering at the wrong times, mostly around the Hydra/Red Skull scenes. Captain America isn’t jaded and he has no “personal demons”, just a sense to want to do what is right and to be the best person he can be whenever possible. It’s extremely refreshing to see a superhero movie where the “super” is actually a “hero”.

Oh, and Cap’s shield! He gets to use it and HOW! It’s great to see on the big screen bouncing around knocking over HYDRA goons.

CAN KIDS SEE IT? I don’t know about all children, but my kids seeing this are going to be as blown away as I was seeing “Raiders of the Lost Ark” for the first time as a kid. It really feels like an 80′s Spielberg/Lucas flick, with the “best parts” from other movies staged one after another. There is plenty of sci-fi action violence, mostly bloodless. There is light cursing, like “Hell” and “Ass”. No sex or nudity to speak of, besides some cloy dialogue that’s very 1940′s and some brief kissing. Red Skull may be frightening to little kids, but I kind of doubt it.

More importantly, it shows Captain America/Steve Rogers as a leader with strong ties of friendship, loyalty, honor, and self sacrifice. He does what he does to help and save people, and can put his ego in check when needed. This is the type of hero I want my kids to emulate. I consider it counter programming to the disturbing selfish behavior of Hal Jordan in WB’s Green Lantern movie.

AFTER CREDITS SCENE? Of course stay after the credits. AMAZING Avengers teaser at the end. I have goosebumps. Going to see this again this weekend with my boys in tow.

OVERALL: It’s a plot that’s been done before, and it’s a plot that’s been done very recently with even a “That 70′s Show” star. Yet, this was still an enjoyable romantic comedy. My biggest issue is that it tries to make fun of romantic comedies but still falls into the same predictable cliches that all romantic comedies fall into. It tries to rise above them, but ultimately just becomes one. If you like romantic comedies this is not really a bad thing, but this movie is not as clever as the excellent “500 Days of Summer”, even thought it tries really hard to be.

ACTING: Justin Timberlake did an admirable job as the lead, but I personally have a difficult time seeing beyond that “OMG, it’s Justin Timberlake”! He was just too big of a pop star for me to shake that off and believe he is some other guy. Mila Kunis was enjoyable as always, and her natural charisma and spunkiness plays well here.

FAMILY FACTOR: There are STRONG sexual themes and situations in this movie, so be warned if you have children or teens you are thinking of bringing. Prepare for uncomfortable questions afterward if you choose to do so.

SEE ON THE BIG SCREEN: If you need to see Justin Timberlake’s butt 10 feet wide.

Friends With Benefits opens nationwide on July 22. See Captain America First, though.

…this never happened to the other fellow!

Having a film as GOOD as ‘On Her Majesty’s Secret Service’ that is.

With that line spoken, we immediately know that we, the audience, are in for something completely unique in this picture.

In a series riddled with cliche`s-a-plenty even into the third film, ‘On Her Majesty’s Secret Service’ (referred to as ‘OHMSS’ from here on out) breaks the mold and is arguably the best in all twenty-two movies to date!

Why?

Well let’s start with George Lazenby…

Who, you ask, is he?

Exactly my point.

An Australian actor known previously only as “The Big Fry Man”  from a series of chocolate bar commercials. With a new face, an unknown, we finally get to focus on James Bond and not merely watching Sean Connery going through the motions.

He is a human Bond; he has emotions on display. For the first time in the series he is a Bond in true jeopardy; after a brutal ski chase he attempts to hide during a Christmas celebration in a small village; he’s tired, he’s being hounded, he’s genuinely afraid and it is all shown gloriously!

The world is our world. No outlandish fantasy. No secret volcano bases. Just a compound on a mountain side.  No mustache twirling here. Granted the villain, Ernst Stavro Blofeld, is portrayed with charm and relish by Telly Savalas (taking over from Donald Pleasence in the film prior), but never once is he over the top or maniacal – he is calm and calculated. No lasers aimed into the Earth’s crust; no nuclear detonations threatened for a ransom. No, Blofeld is content at crippling the agricultural livestock via germ warfare and bacterial sterilization.

Henchmen a plenty show up in this film, adorned in orange jackets and black fatigue pants and boots, and while they are sent to dispatch Bond during two thrilling ski chases (particularly effective is the first which takes place at night and utilizes flares among the Swiss forests as well as some jaw-dropping vistas), our villain isn’t merely seated behind a desk. No, Savalas’ Blofeld is proactive in his search to capture or kill our hero, getting his hands soiled out in the field along with his men. I can’t ever remember such a thing in a movie of this type!

Did I mention the jazzy film score provided by John Barry? A pulsing theme fueled by electric organs and synthesizers – a film-first in 1969. I could talk more about it, but, why not listen for yourselves:

This Never Happened To The Other Fellow!

On a closing note there is no tidy ending…

The villains escape. Oh sure – Blofeld’s plan is thwarted, his compound destroyed, his men disbanded, but he survives and escapes custody.

Bond does the unthinkable – marrying the young and vivacious Countess Theresa (also a Bond girl who holds her own against her adversaries and even manages to be the saviour of Bond after his escape from the Piz Gloria compound.

You see why Bond had fallen in love and you fall in love with and for the couple…

…which is why it is a literal punch in the stomach when the ending of the film comes and the credits roll. You’ll shed a tear.

Promise.

It’s for all these reasons why no other Bond film will EVER live up to OHMSS. Casino Royale came close, but truly, it will never be outdone.

It’ll never happen to the other fellow.

———–

The movie in one word: Ugh.

The movie in more than one word:
If this was a film my buddies and I made over the weekend for fun, It would have been excellent. This was an actual effort by a film crew though. I don’t know what to make of that. 

The plot can be summed up as this: Teenagers go to the “Rave of the year” on some creepy island. There is something evil there though, and it kills everybody. Some late party comers connect up with a few surviors and shoot their way to freedom through hordes of zombies. Sounds like fun, right? WRONG.

What worked: I liked most of the music, it was a cool techno type with a funky beat. The zombie effects were pretty good, with some good gooey head explosions. There were times when things were taken directly from the game, like the moss zombies coming through the water, or characters walking down a dark corridor with zombies popping out at them. That was pretty cool. Too bad it was about 5 seconds of the movie.

What didn’t work: Just about everything else. I will take this time to talk about the video game footage spliced in at scene transitions, and other random places. First of all, WTF? It made little sense and looked like crap. At least the “treated” footage at the start credits was cool. I liked the way that was done, almost music-video style. This film felt the need to constantly remind you that it was based on a video game and so it was supposed to be like this. Utter Bullshit.  They could have taken the time to make a good movie here, but instead made this piece of garbage.
The acting sucked.
The direction sucked.
The editing sucked.
They used crappy rip-off Matrix effects, that made no sense for the context of the film, or even the scene that they were in.

In my opinion: This could have made a good “attention getter” for a better film. Edit what happens in this movie down to ten minutes (It’s possible, believe me. You would lose none of the story.  ) and then continue by following the AMS agents, just like the damn games.

Family Friendliness: Don’t watch this with anyone. If you must see it, save yourself the embarassment of actually being accused of picking it out to watch and watch it by yourself. If you are looking for a good zombie movie, this isn’t it. Go rent Bad Taste, Dead-Alive, any of the Romero “Dead” movies, or pretty much any other zombie movie. Too gory for kids, too mindless for adults, with lots of pointless boob shots.

Best thing about the DVD: a making of/zombie movie retrospective. This was better than the actual film. It was cool to hear why they made the zombies the way they did and maddening to hear the producer of this movie talk about why he made this movie. Plus, Uwe Boll is a tool. I had to throw that in somewhere. 

You’d be better off just going and playing the videogames again instead of watching this movie. 

I don’t want to “review” this in the typical fashion where I detail every little thing that happens in the plot and give away all the surprises. I try not to do that, because I HATE when reviews do that. I will give you the basic premise: alien creatures land in South London and are met by a teenage gang. To quote the tagline for the movie: It’s Inner City vs. Outer Space. If you can get behind that concept, then hop aboard! It’s going to be a fun ride!

This is easily compared to past British cult-film favorites Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz. It’s funny, gory, tense, and fun. Director/Writer Joe Cornish is one to keep an eye on. He blends horror, comedy and drama deftly and leaves you pumped up at the end. This will be a “Cult Classic” for sure. I’m not sure it has enough mainstream appeal to hit “big”, but I am hoping American audiences prove me wrong. It certainly deserves it.

The acting by the nearly unknown cast is fabulous. The biggest name is the always fun to watch Nick Frost, but he’s just a featured performer in this. The main stars are the teenage gang. The lead of the gang is named “Moses” and is played by newcomer John Boyega, and he is a stand out. This movie would have died if this kid wasn’t good, and he surpasses good and enters great territory.

The gang isn’t played as sympathetic at first, which I think is a bold move that really pays off. This way, you see the characters grow and change. They go from someone you want to see kicked in the face, to the ones you are rooting for to survive.

Speaking of survive, the tone of Attack The Block felt more like a zombie movie to me than anything. The band of characters are trying to survive an onslaught that they are in no way prepared for.

The effects in this are also great, blending CGI and Practical creatures seamlessly. The gore is also quite well done.

The writing is snappy and the dialogue is witty, with some great one-liners that I’m sure will work their way into my quote bank.

It’s a thrill-ride from start to finish, but it also has some nice character development. It’s a coming of age story, set in a sci-fi invasion tale.

You all need to go to the US page they have set up on Facebook and tell them you want to see this movie.  This needs to be experienced first on a big screen.  If you are one of those that are kicking yourself that you missed Shaun of the Dead or Hot Fuzz in cinemas, you owe it to yourself to see this one there.