Yes, it’s funny. No, it’s not hilarious. This is just your run of the mill comedy. The outline is funny, and the rest of the story builds on it, though in a somewhat predictable way. Overall, it’s a nice life message mashed inbetween work, plus a cute love story is intertwined. Easily identifyable, so it works great, but doesn’t leave a deep impression.7+.
While Will Smith has proven to be the most bankable actor in recent years, the specialty drama flicks he produces aren’t exactly the box office hits. At $58 million domestic, Ali could be considered a bomb, and Seven Pounds only performs slightly better (with his actioners easily averaging around $150 million).
So people don’t want to see Will perform well in dramas, but this movie adds a layer of mystery to it, with posters and trailers keeping a tight lid on the story. The story though, proves to be quite easily guessable, and it’s executed in a slow and predictable way. Performance are okay, so as a whole, it’s good, but not overly special.7½.
Ron Howard is an acclaimed drama director, and he knows how to give every movie a special twist. Still, somehow most of his movies are just above average, with the truly memorable dating back from the eighties and nineties.
This one is no different, a movie leading up to just one interview, filmed analogous to a Rocky boxing movie. The strategy, the training, the sparring and ultimately the final confrontation. It’s quite interesting, but honestly, the trailer seemed more explosive. The interview might be a bright spot in real history, but in movie history, while good, it’s still missing the wow-factor.7½.
Pair up Al Pacino and Robert DeNiro, and you’re in for something special. These two dinosaurs are guaranteed some explosive scenes together (for instance, the meetings in Heat).
Jon Avnet however, just takes advantage of their names. Both actors do their parts, but the characters are just so plain. The story isn’t that much either, depending on just one twist.
Nice try, but total waste of talent. This is definitely one to miss (or just one to download).5.
A Woody Allen movie, starring Scarlett Johansson, Javier Bardem and Penélope Cruz, in a quick relationship-exploring light play. Movie is dialogue heavy, but only in a frivolous way. If you’re into Woody Allen movies, this one might be for you, mostly focusing on the sex and passion part of the relationship, but never having a real message or bright insight into the matter.6½.
Baz Luhrmann takes a 7 year break (after the award winning Moulin Rouge!), to get things going big, in the form of a eye catching 2 and a half hour long attempt to sell us Australia. Heck, if this long running ad wasn’t enough, he was offered a job to do some more TV spots after finishing the movie.
Yes, you could get sold watching this movie, with lots of wide angle scenery shots of desert, mountains and oceans. The characters however, didn’t pay off that easy.
It’s actually your basic different society love story with its usual relationship hurdles. To my feeling, Nicole Kidman and Hugh Jackman don’t match up too well, but the story takes all kind of other turns, trying to insert some real life Aboriginal history (the Stolen Generation), but for supposed cinematic reasons, also inserts some mysticism. It literally takes a page out of a random X-Men or Wolverine comic (fans will know what I mean, with the extra irony of Hugh Jackman starring), and that’s just too laughable.
So, big budget, basic entertainment. Nothing more.6½.
Another Adam Sandler vehicle, relying heavily on role-playing, but luckily, no obnoxious characters in sight (a la Waterboy), so it’s quite bearable. Clearly made for kids in mind, the fantasy outline seems nice and opens limitless possibilities, though it still leads to a pretty predictable main storyline.
British comedian Russell Brand is a good addition to the cast, while Courteney Cox is obviously typecast.
All in all, not bad for a comedy in the Sandler genre.7+.
I should’ve seen it coming. Green screens, virtual studios. It’s supposed to open a whole new world of movie making. But like Frank Miller’s previous projects (300, Sin City), it’s just dark and bleak. It’s both limiting the experience, and there’s no atmosphere to speak of.
Again, you have narrative that irritates to the bone, the same dull self exploratory dialogue that leads nowhere. It tries to be both darkly serious and funny at the same time, and acting is typically comic-ish. It would be all good and nice, if only the story would be amazing. But it wasn’t.
Go if you are both an Eva Mendes, Scarlett Johansson and a Samuel L. Jackson fan, otherwise, let it go (along with Sin City 2 and 3 and 301).5.
A book to movie conversion, but somehow I think the book title must’ve been “How to make vampires boring”. Clearly written for teens, they still manage to make the story slow, and non-eventful. The vampire aspect is cliche, and only one visual aspect is introduced as something new.
Acting is the most gruelling point for this movie, with the main characters spitting out dialogue as if on the toilet with a major bowel obstruction.
Then it has to have cool vampire action in it, right ? No action is worth mentioning, both in originality and in screen time. All in all, a complete waste of time.3.
Sequel to an okay movie, results in an okay continuation of a group of flaky animal characters. Mostly designed to have only one outstanding trait, it’s clear it’s still geared towards children. Hence, the jokes are not of the highest quality, but they’re just okay.
Casually comparing with the original, this one does seem to have a more streamlined and dense story with slightly more depth. But overall feeling is still the same. Really okay for a one time viewing.7+.
Keanu Reeves headlines another big sci-fi production, and the looming title makes you curious. The movie however, seems a bit small scale, even with moderately budgeted effects. The movie poster makes it looks like Independence Day times 5, but the movie doesn’t reflect this.
The story is linear all the way, and it follows a predictable path. Characters are that interestingly written besides the obvious cliches, and a text book ending is something you didn’t wish for as well.
This movie is disappointingly average. So much for a Christmas box office surprise.6½.
Dark cop drama that has to have it from family conflict. Disappointingly, most thrills are subdued due to the fact there’s no real hidden agenda, and the viewer gets to see and know about things at the beginning. After that, it follows the path taken already by many many other movies. There’s totally no surprise left, and even with good acting (Jon Voight, Edward Norton and Colin Farrell), it feels a bit disappointing.
Director Gavin O’Connor throws away chance to show what he’s worth with big stars (previously only directing smaller movies), with most blame going to his own weak script.6½.
Lies it is. Mainly the trailer, which is so cut up and edited, it seems more than the movie really is. The conflict is not as you expected and is only mild and monotonous. The story isn’t that good either. There’s some drama, but overall, it’s mediocre.
As a drama actor, DiCaprio is okay, and Russell Crowe is cast well as an obnoxious supervisor. The story doesn’t take much out of them though.
Since The Gladiator and Black Hawk Down, it seems Ridley Scott doesn’t seem to be able to make any intense movies anymore (Kingdom of Heaven *yawn*). Will Nottingham be his downfall (a Robin Hood movie) ? 6½.
Simon Pegg has enough comedies under his belt to start carrying his own movies (slightly type cast), and this one is no different. Your average comedy, being fairly predictable combined with lots of moderate laughs. It doesn’t go anywhere near anything extreme, so you’ll have to do with the lot of slightly interesting characters (small roles for Thandie Newton, Megan Fox, Gillian Anderson and the likes).7-.
Love at first sight, and then some. It doesn’t feel right though, how this thing is meshed together, throwing in Diane Lane and Richard Gere together. It’s too contrived, and then the story is also predictable as hell. Not much depth in the characters, even thought it’s a pretty chatty women flick.6½.