The Review Zoo » Movies

OMGOMGOMGOMGOMG AVENGERS TRAILER!

Agm — Tue, 11 Oct 2011 14:56:50 +0000

Nuff Said!

www.youtube.com/watch?v=E9cuGZJ9DP0

50-50 Early Screening Review

Tricon — Fri, 02 Sep 2011 16:06:18 +0000

What do you think of when you hear the word “Cancer”? Do you think of sports analogies that beat-writers and sports journalists seem to overuse when referring to an unruly athlete? “He’s a cancer in that locker room.” Does your birthday fall between June 22^nd and July 22^nd, and automatically think of your horoscope? Or do you think of the debilitating, uncontrolled growth of abnormal cells in the body that’s claimed so many of our loved ones for generations?

The word “Cancer”, regardless of its context, always seems carry with it a lot of weight and negativity. So when people would refer to the movie 50-50 as “that Cancer movie”, I really didn’t know what to expect. Was it a movie in the same vein as 2009’s My Sister’s Keeper, a heart warming movie that was more about an internal family conflict than it was the actual cancer that consumed Sofia Vassilieva’s character? How about 2001’s sappy romance story Sweet November, a movie so chock full of the genre’s clichés that you could have taken Cancer out of the whole movie and replaced it with something as trivial as “She is taking a job overseas” and it still would have been the same movie.

Well, 50-50 certainly “beat the odds”. 50-50 is a story about a 20-something year old (played incredibly by Joseph Gordon-Levitt), a seemingly ordinary man, who goes to the doctor after some back pains, and leaves with news that he has Cancer, and that his odds are 50-50. Not groundbreaking stuff, but it’s the writing that gives this film its wings. The character’s dialogue is so good; you sometimes forget you’re watching A-list movie stars playing the roles of everyday regular Joes. I’ve been a fan of Gordon-Levitt all the way back to his sitcom days on 3^rd Rock from the Sun, and my affinity for his work really took off when he played hopeless-romantic Tom Hansen in 500 Days of Summer. But something about Gordon-Levitt separates him from the pack of movie stars that usually get the 100-mil budget summer blockbusters. Maybe it’s his ordinary, but handsome, good looks that make him so “approachable” while watching a movie, but JGL, from the start of the movie, makes you invest immediately in his characters stock, and you just sit there to wait and see how far it rises (and drops, in this case).

A cast that is just as well written surrounds his character. Seth Rogen plays the best friend and main comic relief in the film. If you don’t like Seth’s past work, you won’t like him here. I find him hilarious, and his banter with JGL’s character (and everyone else for that matter) really standout in the film and will always make you laugh. But he’s such a good character because he matters to the story, he wasn’t just written in for comedic relief. There’s a reason the poster for the movie is of those two with the tagline “It takes a pair to beat the odds.” Definitely one of my favorite Rogen characters ever.

Anjelica Huston, who plays his mother who defaults to smother-mode once she gets the news while also dealing with her husband’s own debilitating disease of Alzheimer’s, adds another dimension to JGL’s character. Bryce Dallas Howard plays Gordon-Levitt’s girlfriend who just can’t seem to adjust to the news, and the adorable Anna Kendrick (Up In The Air), plays his too-young therapist.

The only analogy that popped up in my head was when I saw the movie Jarhead in 2005, starring Jake Gyllenhaal. Without doing much research about it, I went into that movie thinking I was going to see just another “war movie”. But Jarhead was more than that. It actually wasn’t about guns or fighting or any kind of physical warfare. It was the mental warfare we witnessed Jake’s character go through throughout the whole movie, and that film really stood out for me.

So 50-50 is about Cancer, and you never forget that while watching any scene in the movie. But you won’t see any corny, drawn-out speeches anywhere, no “moments of clarity”, and no cliché’s of “last toasts” or “you only live once” late-night ideas. 50-50 is just plain-old good writing, woven into a sad, funny journey, that will make you leave the theater smiling and turning to your friend saying, “That was pretty good.”

50-50 is in theatres September 30^th. Highly Recommended!

Ghost Rider rolls into theaters again this Feburary!

Agm — Fri, 19 Aug 2011 18:02:29 +0000

In case you haven’t seen it yet, the new Ghost Rider: Spirits of Vengeance Trailer just rolled onto the internet. This movie looks better than the last one for sure, but the pissing joke at the end makes me wonder quite a bit how good it will be. Check out the trailer in the rest of this post!

www.youtube.com/watch?v=ebCawfEnSWU

Thor, The Movie Review!

Agm — Thu, 05 May 2011 04:01:34 +0000

The summer movie season started last week with the release of the awesome fifth installment in the Fast and Furious franchise. This week follows up with what has become a new tradition of the summer, the blockbuster superhero film.

There are arguably three this summer preparing to duke it out, Captain America next month in June and Green Lantern shortly after in July. But this month we start things off with a hammer blow, delivered by the best hammer swinger in comics, The Mighty Thor. I forgot X-Men First Class too!

I got to see the movie earlier today at a special Marvel invite only screening. The house was packed easily with a few hundreds and everyone was excited to once more see the Marvel logo on screen when the movie began.

Thor is the story of the Norse God of Thunder. Not a crazy man who thinks he is, although we human beings are unsure whether to take his claims seriously, but an honest to god…well god.

The story is told in a way to introduce the audience to the idea of the fantastic and the idea that not only superheroes, but God’s, walk among the people of this planet. Thor’s world of Asgard stands in sharp contrast to the mortal world of New Mexico that we see Thor eventually find himself in. We see the highs of Thor’s victories against the Frost Giants and learn how he comes to be on Earth and powerless.

Every actor in the movie does a top notch job. Hemsworth is every bit the god, standing tall over the normal cast members and coming across with a self assured confidence and charm that only a god of thunder could possess. Hopkins and Portman do a fantastic job of making a serious matter of the craziness of Thor’s reality. And Hiddleston is magnificent and duplicitous as Loki, with every shot of him looking the schemer and villain. Elba, The Warriors Three, Russo, Dennings, and the rest are all regal, godly, funny and awesome which makes me want to see more of Asgard and the gods of Marvel.

The special effects rock. Whether its giant beasts, Frost Giants, or a slightly too short encounter with The Destroyer, the look of all the battles are amazing and definitely deliver.

I saw the movie in 3D and while it did feel like Asgard and the environments had increased depth, I also felt myself thinking that movie looked far to dark in some scenes which I am certain the 3D glasses were the cause of. So I can’t recommend seeing it with or without them. All I can say is the movie is awesome and if you are a fan of 3D you should enjoy it, but don’t expect it to blow you out of the water with anything you haven’t seen before. Thankfully the 3D at least isn’t gimmicky and Thor isn’t throwing his hammer at the camera for cheap effects.

The after credits teaser is a good one and definitely gives a strong hint of what The Avengers will be about and definitely who will cause the most problems so make sure to stay for it!

Personally I can’t wait till Captain America next month. I love superheroes and have always loved Marvel. With the Avengers filming starting this month for their film debut next year it’s a great time to be a superhero film fan. Thor is fantastic first step into the cosmic extra super world of Marvel superheroes. If you’ve been satisfied with the Iron Man films and the last Incredible Hulk, you should definitely enjoy this and stay tuned for more from the House of Ideas.

OMG! WTF! BBQS! Harry Potter Deathly Hallows Part 2

Agm — Thu, 28 Apr 2011 17:26:33 +0000

Dude, this has to seriously be the most epic series of movies ever.

Sure, Star Wars, Star Trek, James Bond, all those series have been around for decades and make new products on the regular.

But eight movies? Eight movies back to back, with even the idea that if one of them had failed, that they may not have finished telling the story in movie form.

Harry Potter is a damn global treasure.

Check out this trailer which rocks the socks. And dammit I better not be the only who cheered when I saw Mrs. Weasley battling Belatrix!

Wow! X-Men First Class New Theatrical Trailer

Agm — Thu, 28 Apr 2011 17:04:50 +0000

X-Men First Class also looked a little suspect when we first saw it.

The horrible posters that looked like a first year photoshop student created them, the odd idea that Havok might actually be Cyclops father recruited to the X-Men long before him. Xavier and Magneto at the strip club together.

Charles, are you sensing a threesome as well?

Yeah it was looking bad. But it seems like it might all come together.

Check it out.

Arthur Review aka What the hell did you expect?

Agm — Thu, 21 Apr 2011 20:55:05 +0000

Let’s get this out of the way.

I saw the original Arthur when I was ten or younger on Saturday evening UPN tv. I DO NOT RECALL IT AT ALL.

With that out of the way I enjoyed the newest movie. Then again, I enjoy Russell Brand.

Do I think he is some comedic genius? Hells no. But do I enjoy his wild man schtick? The drunken bohemian Brit who does what he pleases however he pleases in the exact same manor he did in Forgetting Sarah Marshall and Get Him To The Greek. Yes I do.

So I went into this movie expecting the same thing after a trailer of Brand and a chubby Luis Guzman squeezed into the costumes of Batman and Robin and that’s what I got.

The movies fun, just don’t bother trying to turn on your brain and expect it to get too overly deep. Towards the end, predictably, we see the character of Arthur begin to mature as he deals with a loss, making the movie a pretty standard asshole gets redeemed story.

Who I was really surprised at and liked? Greta Gerwig, who I didn’t realize was also in the Friends with Benefits movie with Ashton Kutcher and Natalie Portman too, but was delightful in a less coked up Brittney Murphy type of way. I like her. She was a plain Jane, simple girl next door, but she struck me as endearing and I’d love to see her in more.

If you like Brand, Mirren, or Gerwig go see it. If you think the original Arthur is a classic, skip it, you’ll just disappoint yourself.

Your Highness, fun, dick jokes, and Natalie Portman’s heaving bosom

Agm — Sun, 10 Apr 2011 21:23:23 +0000

Fans of stoner humor, dick jokes, and boobs, fear not, the fantasy genre has not forgotten you. The newly released Your Highness hit theaters this Friday to bleh reviews from critics but fairly decent ones from the general public. The movie tells the story of newly returned Prince Fabious (James Franco) who returns from his latest successful quest with his bride, the beautiful Belladonna (Zooey Deschanel), much to the chagrin of his constant screwup and herb smoking brother Prince Thadeous (Danny R. McBride).

Needless to say shit quickly hits the fan when a dark wizard steals away Belladonna and plans to have her give birth to his child so a dark hunded year prophecy can be revealed. Fabious, being the hero is ready to go save his lady love. Thadeous, on the other hand can give two shits and its forced to go at risk of losing his inheritance and title.

The movie will definitely appeal to anyone who like McBride from Eastbound and Down and has enjoyed James Franco’s stoner like appeal the last few years. Portman, of course shines as the hot, mysterious warrior woman who kicks ass, takes names, and has a killer shot of her ass when bathing in a pond in a chain mail g-string.

Is the movie for everyone? Hells no. If marijuana humor, possibly homosexual magic acts by alien looking wizards and minotaur penises sound like a bad time to you you should stay far away. But if any of that last sentence made you laugh, go see the movie. It made me laugh while watching it and my eyes bug out by some of the crazy crap they actually threw in for quick shock appeal.

See?! Thats Portman butt. Thats the good stuff.

Burlesque

Rose Roberts — Mon, 29 Nov 2010 03:18:12 +0000

BURLESQUE

Theatrical Release Date:November 24, 2010
Runtime:100 min.
Starring:Christina Aguilera, Cher, Cam Gigandet, Stanley Tucci, Kristen Bell
Director(s):Steve Antin
Distributor(s):Screen Gems
MPAA Rating:PG-13
Genre(s):Musicals

This movie is a fun, skintastic ride down the soulful, plottless world of cameo land. In short, a small town girl, Ali (Christina Aguilera), leaves her home town for L.A.’s glitz and glamor. Once there, this girl finds out just how strong she really is.

Though this film lacks much of a cohesive plot and originality (since it is reminiscent to Coyote Ugly meets Save the Last Dance), it does have many of other gems of entertainment to offer. For one, the Golden pipes of X-tina and the sultry croons of Cher. In fact, if you are a big Cher fan this film is for you. SPOILER ALERT: About halfway through the film, there is a disjointed, misplaced solo by the goddess herself. The scene doesn’t really need to be in there, but it is quite a display and very Diva-esque.

The dancing is fun and light. The costumes are very funky and hip. And though this flick depicts the “Burlesque” style in a modern form, there is a very traditional bit of burlesque choreography done by Miss Aguilera, who appears to be completely nude yet covered up in a very classy way. It was nice to see the characters pay homage to the traditional art.

Tho this film did not have many surprises. But the music was great, the dancing was fun and the acting was perfect. I would not have cast this film any differently. I give it 3.5 out of 4 stars. If you are looking for a light-hearted movie that doesn’t require much thinking, I highly recommend it!

Machete ain’t your gardener…

Agm — Fri, 03 Sep 2010 18:56:29 +0000

But he definitely knows how to use a weed whacker. Trust me, if you see the movie you’ll understand what I mean.

Machete, the name of the movie and the movies bad ass hero, (pronounced ma-chet-a) is a hell of a ride. Beginning life as a fake trailer shot for the Robert Rodriguez/Quentin Tarantino collaboration Grindhouse, it tells the tale of an ex Federale named Machete who is hired to kill a Texas senator and then made into a fall guy for a much bigger baddie played by gentlemen who would fit right in in another summer blockbuster, The Expendables. But I’ll leave you to discover who has our hero Machete “Marked for Death.” Wink wink.

Machete is fun action fest that amazes you when hero, two minutes into the film has already taken out 5 men and encountered his first hot naked lady. It’s a movie that some may find a little hard to take seriously but takes itself very serious in the process. With a cast consisting of Danny Trejo, Robert Deniro, Jessica Alba, Michele Rodriguez, Don Johnson, Lindsay Lohan, and a few other familiar faces, Machete is a hell of a ride from start to finish.

Oh and if you ever feel the movie slowing down, then it’s probably preparing for titular hero for a brief rendezvous with one of his many leading ladies. Funky porno music and all.

Machete is a throwback to the time of Dolemite and Shaft without being as campy a throwback as Black Dynamite. It’s a modern action flick shot in a pseudo 70s style. Its set in modern day Texas with a bit of political allegory on the current illegal immigration situation which helps it hit very close to home. To make it simple, if you like Rodriguez’s films or Danny Trejo you owe it to yourself to see Machete.

Heres hoping Machete will return. He was a damn good end to a decent movie season.