Takes technologies power to a whole new level. It is a nonstop thriller with strong performances throughout.
rating: B stars: Shia LaBeouf, Michelle Monaghan, Rosario Dawson, and Billy Bob Thornton genre: action/adventure year released: 2008
The story is about the power of government and the roadblocks set up to stop the control the government has over the people. The plot may seem a little bizarre, but with the performances of the actors and the quality of the directing it seems real and possible. It is the story about Jerry Shaw (Shia LaBeouf) who was living his average life until he came home one day to find out his brother had died and there was incriminating evidence all over his apartment. He receives a call from a mysterious woman telling him to get out, and this is where the journey begins. Jerry goes on the run where he meets up with Rachel Holloman (Michelle Monaghan) who got a similar phone call. Both are driven to keep listening to this woman because if they disobey Jerry will be considered a terrorist and Rachel will lose her son. The two have no control of where they are taken, she know and controls everything. Through the film Jerry and Rachel are investigated and tracked by two agents one is an FBI agent (Billy Bob Thornton) and the other an air force agent (Rosario Dawson). The film never lets up with scene after scene of intense action.
I just bought the film and watched it for the first time yesterday. I thought that it looked interesting, but was afraid that it might be a little too out there. I was glad I was wrong. The film seemed very real and possible. It kept me drawn in the entire time. Shia LaBeouf does a very good job yet again. He had very good support from the rest of the characters as well. It was a well rounded film and that had all kinds of positives and very few negatives. I definitely recommend checking it out. It has a good story that keeps your heart racing.
All the big names and an interesting visual quality still don’t make The Spirit worth watching.
rating: D stars: Gabriel Macht, Samuel L. Jackson, Scarlett Johansson, Eva Mendes, and Jamie King genre: action year released: 2008
The film is about a cop who comes back from the dead and calls himself the Spirit (Gabriel Macht). He is the protector for Central City and is in a war against his enemy Octopus (Samuel L. Jackson). The Spirit is trying to stop Octopus and his assistant Silken Floss (Scarlett Johansson) from gaining immortality and wiping out the city. Throughout the film the Spirit chases Octopus throughout the city having multiple battles. Along the way he meets up with his childhood love Sand Saref (Eva Mendes) who is somehow connected into the story. The story just ends after a battle without really giving much closure to the film.
I just saw this movie the other day and went into it expecting it to be pretty bad, and sure enough it was. It was not just bad it was horrible. The story was not comprehensible, the characters had terrible corny lines and they never developed. I would like to try to pick out a few good things that happened in the film except all I can think of is that Eva Mendes was in it. To me the film felt like an incredibly over dramatic play. I have yet to see a Samuel L. Jackson film that I enjoyed. If you could not tell already I would not recommend wasting your time to watch this film.
Will Smith delivers again. It's a truely amazing story that hits hard.
rating: A- stars: Will Smith, Rosario Dawson, Woody Harrelson genre: drama year released: 2008
Ben Thomas (Will Smith) is haunted by the past, looks for redemption by transforming the lives of seven people he does not know. Once his mind is set, nothing is able to stop him. At least that is what he thought. The one thing Ben had not planned on was falling in love with one of the people that he had chosen. She was ultimately the one who ended up transforming him. The movie opens with Ben making a 911 call to report a suicide, his own. The rest of the movie leads back to that scene. It takes you briefly through the story of seven people’s lives he touches. Those people are: Ben his brother an IRS employee, a child services worker named Holly George a junior hockey coach, and a young boy named Nicholas. These were the minor characters, but the whole story really revolves around the other three characters. Those being: Ezra Turner (Woody Harrelson), a blind meat salesman who plays the piano, Emily Posa (Rosario Dawson), a self-employed greeting card printer, and Connie Tepos, who lives with an abusive boyfriend. The story does not just end though it continuously pulls at your heart for a good fifteen minutes before coming to a close. It leaves the audience in silence and tears.
I just saw this film the other day with my girlfriend. We both really enjoyed it. The story is very touching, but kind of predictable. I figured it out right towards the beginning of the story. Even with that, story is still very sad. There are many great details put into the film, which help the story all come together at the end. Will Smith is probably my favorite actor and again he delivers again here. It was another very deep role, which he magically gave that character a real life feel. You could really feel the emotions that his character was feeling. The story was annoying at times because you wanted him to do something else instead, but his mind was already set. It is a real and amazing show of humility. I definitely recommend seeing this film. It is one of Will Smith’s top performances. If you have cried after any movie, there is no doubt that this film will bring out some tears. Its just a great story.
Non-stop action from start to finish. Its fast, loud and out of control. Definitely a ride of a lifetime.
rating: A stars: Vin Diesel, Paul Walker, Michelle Rodriguez, and Jordana Brewster genre: action year released: 2001
The movie opens with a high speed truck robbery and it carries the same intensity throughout. It is the story about street racers, specifically a “gang” led by Dominic or Dom (Vin Diesel) who is the best around. Other crews from the area meet at night on the streets of LA to race. This is not the whole story though. An undercover agent, Brian (Paul Walker) gets in with Dom and his crew to investigate the truck robberies. Brian gets close to Dom and his sister, Mia (Jordan Brewster), but his investigation leads him to a conclusion he did not want. The film comes to a conclusion with a multiple high speed scenes that leave the story open for more to come.
I just re-watched the film to brush up for the new one. After many years of waiting, Dom and his crew are back. The new Fast and Furious was just released and I cannot wait to see it. This was one of the first movies that I consider to be on my top five list. I have seen it probably ten times and love it each time just as much. There are outstanding special effects to make the many action scenes even better. It’s a classic movie for current times. The film is perfect for young guys. It has lots of hot women and sweets cars. A Definite adrenaline rush for over an hour.
Very well done. The re-make is a hit with the high quality visual effects and a successful modern portrayal of the original story.
rating: B+ stars: Keanu Reeves, Jennifer Connelly, Jaden Smith genre: sci-fi year released: 2008
The story begins when astobiologist Helen Benson (Jennifer Connelly) is taken from her house to consult for the government on a top-secret issue. The journey leads her back home to her stepson (Jaden Smith) where he gets caught up in the issue and goes along for the ride. The secret matter is the landing of a giant sphere in Central Park with a giant robot and an alien, Klaatu (Keanu Reeves) who transformers into a human to communicate with them. He is there to decide if the human race is worth saving. To figure this out he ends up going on the run with the Bensons where he gets his ultimate decision as to what to do with the humans. Everything comes down to the last seconds to make a very intense ending to the story.
I thought the film was very successful. I had just seen it for the first time last week and was not expecting to enjoy it very much. Much to my surprise it was very well filmed and the story developed nicely. The film had a very strong cast. In the film it is very easy to get annoyed with Jaden Smith’s character, but he does an outstanding job. He has done another fantastic job. Keanu Reeves was a surprise. I don’t really like him as an actor but he fits the role well making his character very interesting. Connelly plays a strong woman that easily fits her personality. The story kept you on edge the entire time, especially towards the end. The message was one that is very important in modern times. The film was explaining how humans are destroying the earth. This directly relates to global warming and the need for us to live much more sustainable lives. This is a topic I am very passionate about, so to see this message broadcast on the big screen makes me very happy. It is definitely one of the better films I’ve seen lately that is well rounded with a story and visual effect instead of one or the other.
An exhilarating, fast-passed, mind-blowing trip. Death Race takes action movies to whole new heights of insanity.
rating: A- stars: Jason Statham, Joan Allen, Tyrese Gibson, Ian McShane genre: action year released: 2008
The film is about a man named Frankenstein (Jason Statham of Transporter and other action-packed films) who is racing for his freedom. In a bizarre story that sends prisons into races for their freedom. If they win five they are free, but the warden of the prison (Joan Allen) won’t let anyone out. All the races are fixed to her liking so that it can bring in an internet audience. She broadcasts the death races live on the internet. Frankenstein’s top competition and future partner is Machine Gun Joe (Tyrese Gibson). It’s all about ratings, so when Frankenstein figures it out he puts together a plan to escape. The film is extremely bold with its fast-passed, gory, and intense action. The movie relies on its visual effects, but is backed up with a sold storyline.
I just saw the film after it was released on to DVD. I really wanted to go to the theatre to see it but couldn’t make it there in time. The film has outstanding visual effects that put you right in the action. The action never stops. Statham is one of my favorite actors. He does another wonderful job of being the hero in the film, with his unique personality and great performance in these fast-passed scenes. The casting was perfect with the other actors falling right into their roles. This film was really well put together. The only reason not to see this film is if you absolutely hate action movies, otherwise you better at least check it out once. It’s loud, fast, and tons of fun to watch.
Unbelievable picturesque locations, an outstanding action scene, but no strength in how the plot unfolded.
rating: C stars: Clive Owen, Naomi Watts genre: drama year released: 2009
The International attempts to tell the story of current economic times with a twist. The story is about the evil and corruption that is brought on by an international bank attempting to take control of countries across the world by controlling debt. When Interpol agent Louis Salinger (Clive Owen) and his kind of partner a D.A. in New York, Eleanor Whitman (Naomi Wattts) figure out what the bank is up to, they attempt to take them down. Their efforts are consistently shut down by local authorities. In their attempts to catch the people in charge they discover how widespread the banks influence is and also how far he is willing to go to catch these people. The search to catch these people takes the duo across the world, which leads to some magnificent scenery to shoot in. Owen plays an almost typical role where he is out to get everyone because the whole world is against him, but does shine in a few particular scenes. The scene with the shoot-out in the Guggenheim Museum is one of the best I have ever seen, but unfortunately the rest of the movie could not live up to that quality.
I just went and saw the film in theatres hoping to see a fast-paced action thriller. Instead I got a film with too much of a bizarre and at times confusing storyline. I usually am a huge fan of Clive Owen, but in this film he did not live up to his potential in many scenes. There was too much talking and not enough action. I was very disappointed in how they choose to put the film together, considering they had some of the most beautiful pieces of architecture, amazing landscapes and quality actors with a storyline that had potential. With all the factors mixed in it might be worth checking out if you are not concerned about the amount of action otherwise you should wait for it to come out on DVD and rent it just to watch the scene at the Guggenheim Museum. It’s one that you can’t afford to miss.
Takes technologies power to a whole new level. It is a nonstop thriller with strong performances throughout.
