-Lynx
Thursday, July 25, 2013
And the Winner Is...
The winner of the recent poll of what in theaters film should be reviewed is World War Z. Therefor sometime in the next few days I will be going to see that film and a review shall appear shortly after. Polls like this will be held on a somewhat regular basis particularly during blockbuster seasons such a summer and Christmas break. Thank you.
Monday, July 22, 2013
Broken City
At the beginning of the movie Broken City we meet Billy Taggart (Mark Wahlberg), a New York City police officer who is potentially facing charges of murder. Some believe he shot an armed suspect in self defense, others believe he intentionally gunned down the "known" criminal who got off on a technicality. However, when evidence, and a witness comes out that could prove Taggart's guilt, Mayor Hostetler (Russell Crowe) who considers Taggart a "hero" covers it up under the condition that Taggart retire from the force.
Fast forward seven years and Taggart seems to be doing well for himself. He is working as a private investigator and in a long term relationship with an aspiring actress. This being the case he is more than a little worried when the mayor calls and asks him to meet with him. When he gets to the mayor's office he finds out that the mayor is in need of his private investigative abilities. Though the mayor's request seems simple enough at first, Taggart quickly gets drawn into a dangerous political battle leading up to the next election. In the end he will have to decide which side he wants to be on and how much he is willing to give up in order to uncover the truth and bring the guilty to justice.
Broken City was a fairly decent action movie with a lot of good political intrigue and more plot than many other films of its genre. It keeps viewers on edge as they wonder what Taggart is going to do, and who is going to win in the end. There is certainly a battle of many wills going on throughout the movie, and it all comes down to how well the opponents can predict each others actions, who has the most to lose, and who is willing to give that all up to win.
I enjoyed this movie quite a bit and would say it is worth a watch. The acting is superb and the plot is both intriguing and suspenseful, as it should be. It certainly keeps the viewer curious as to how things are going to turn out in the end, the whole way through and makes one think about actions and their subsequent consequences.
-Lynx
Fast forward seven years and Taggart seems to be doing well for himself. He is working as a private investigator and in a long term relationship with an aspiring actress. This being the case he is more than a little worried when the mayor calls and asks him to meet with him. When he gets to the mayor's office he finds out that the mayor is in need of his private investigative abilities. Though the mayor's request seems simple enough at first, Taggart quickly gets drawn into a dangerous political battle leading up to the next election. In the end he will have to decide which side he wants to be on and how much he is willing to give up in order to uncover the truth and bring the guilty to justice.
Broken City was a fairly decent action movie with a lot of good political intrigue and more plot than many other films of its genre. It keeps viewers on edge as they wonder what Taggart is going to do, and who is going to win in the end. There is certainly a battle of many wills going on throughout the movie, and it all comes down to how well the opponents can predict each others actions, who has the most to lose, and who is willing to give that all up to win.
I enjoyed this movie quite a bit and would say it is worth a watch. The acting is superb and the plot is both intriguing and suspenseful, as it should be. It certainly keeps the viewer curious as to how things are going to turn out in the end, the whole way through and makes one think about actions and their subsequent consequences.
-Lynx
Sunday, July 21, 2013
Oz the Great and Powerful
I suspect that most of us are probably familiar with the original Wizard of Oz movie from 1939. If not, then perhaps it is time to brush up on your pop culture knowledge. I hope that even those who haven't seen the film are aware that it was the first color film. The story was of course first a book, and then a Broadway musical before it became a movie. The interesting thing about the new film Oz the Great and the Powerful is that it takes a look at what happened before the Wizard of Oz. Of course other stories have done this, such as Wicked, but this particular one is about the mysterious wizard himself.
I really enjoyed that this movie covered most of the important elements which are found in the original book and movie versions. For instance, the beginning of the movie takes place in Kansas and as with the 1939 film, is in black and white until the character arrives in the land of Oz. While it certainly doesn't hold the shock and awe factor that it did in 1939 when the film switched to color for the first time ever, I'm glad that this new film retained that feature since it makes the land of Oz seem even more mystical somehow. Besides this there are of course appearances by many familiar character such as the three witches, Theodora (Mila Kunis), Evanora (Rachel Weisz), and Glinda (Michelle Williams). There are also scenes with the flying monkeys or baboons, the munchkins and many of the famous Oz landmarks such as the poppy field and the Emerald City. Of course one can't leave out the wizard Oz played by James Franco since he gets to be the one the story is about this time around.
Overall I enjoyed the film Oz the Great and Powerful, a lot. I felt that it provided a new and unique take on a familiar story. Really, it just seemed like a film that was lots of fun for the whole family. I recommend this to anyone, and if you haven't seen the original Wizard of Oz, you should consider watching that first, not because it is necessary to the story, but just because you are missing out if you haven't.
-Lynx
I really enjoyed that this movie covered most of the important elements which are found in the original book and movie versions. For instance, the beginning of the movie takes place in Kansas and as with the 1939 film, is in black and white until the character arrives in the land of Oz. While it certainly doesn't hold the shock and awe factor that it did in 1939 when the film switched to color for the first time ever, I'm glad that this new film retained that feature since it makes the land of Oz seem even more mystical somehow. Besides this there are of course appearances by many familiar character such as the three witches, Theodora (Mila Kunis), Evanora (Rachel Weisz), and Glinda (Michelle Williams). There are also scenes with the flying monkeys or baboons, the munchkins and many of the famous Oz landmarks such as the poppy field and the Emerald City. Of course one can't leave out the wizard Oz played by James Franco since he gets to be the one the story is about this time around.
Overall I enjoyed the film Oz the Great and Powerful, a lot. I felt that it provided a new and unique take on a familiar story. Really, it just seemed like a film that was lots of fun for the whole family. I recommend this to anyone, and if you haven't seen the original Wizard of Oz, you should consider watching that first, not because it is necessary to the story, but just because you are missing out if you haven't.
-Lynx
Gangster Squad
While this might be another book inspired film, like several of the others I've reviewed so far, it certainly is a lot different, but I was thinking it was time for a change so here it is. More than anything I would say that Gangster Squad is a modern film noir. It has a similar darkness and feel to an old time gangster movie, and is set in the late 1940's (the era of classic film noir movies), but it's got modern filming techniques, and a level of violence that probably wouldn't be seen in most movies from the 40's . The first thing that came to mind when I started watching the movie, was the 1997 movie L.A. Confidential, which is often regarded as a modern film noir itself.
Gangster Squad tells the story of a gritty 1940's Los Angeles which is being taken over by the vicious mob boss Mickey Cohen (Sean Penn). In the midst of this is the good cop John O'Mara (Josh Brolin) recently returned from the war and upset with the state of his town. However, nobody seems interested in doing anything about it. O'Mara may have returned from the war, but for him the fight is still going on, and he decides to go after Cohen. After an initial success in breaking up one of Cohen's businesses, the police chief tells O'Mara that he wants him to get together a squad of men and go after Cohen but not as cops. Instead he wants them to attack Cohen's businesses, drug shipments, and everything else, until he is forced out of the city. O'Mara assembles his force from fellow cops who are unwilling to be bought by Cohen, but are willing to work a little outside the law to defeat him. One of them, Jerry Wooters (Ryan Gosling) had entered into a risky relationship with Cohen's girl, Grace Faraday (Emma Stone) prior to joining the group. This relationship is in turns useful and very dangerous to the mission of the six men to bring down one of the biggest mob threats to L.A.
This film had some incredible acting in it, as well as some fantastic cinematography. Sean Penn executed his role as the merciless Cohen perfectly while Josh Brolin made an outstanding appearance as the determined cop who is still a little bit too much the soldier. Add in Ryan Gosling's somewhat reluctant to get involved character and you have a fine mix. Besides this the cinematography and editing of this movie brought a lot to it as well. While there is plenty of violence in the film (the opening scene is none to pleasant), there are also slow motion scenes, close ups, camera angles, and lighting and help to draw the viewer away from the violence at times. For instance in a intense gun battle there may be a slow motion close up of the empty casings bouncing on the floor, rather than a scene of someone getting shot.
All together Gangster Squad was a very impressive gangster film that should please fans of the genre. It has some great actors in it, and great elements in the filming. Besides all of this it is an interesting story of how six men took on one of the greatest mob bosses the city of angels had ever seen. While I occasionally watch movies of this type I do not watch them on a regular basis, so I was impressed that I enjoyed this particular one even more than I expected to going in. I hope that this helps people decide whether they want to see this film or not, and at very least maybe it provided a nice change from the other things I have been reviewing. Until the next time :)
-Lynx
Gangster Squad tells the story of a gritty 1940's Los Angeles which is being taken over by the vicious mob boss Mickey Cohen (Sean Penn). In the midst of this is the good cop John O'Mara (Josh Brolin) recently returned from the war and upset with the state of his town. However, nobody seems interested in doing anything about it. O'Mara may have returned from the war, but for him the fight is still going on, and he decides to go after Cohen. After an initial success in breaking up one of Cohen's businesses, the police chief tells O'Mara that he wants him to get together a squad of men and go after Cohen but not as cops. Instead he wants them to attack Cohen's businesses, drug shipments, and everything else, until he is forced out of the city. O'Mara assembles his force from fellow cops who are unwilling to be bought by Cohen, but are willing to work a little outside the law to defeat him. One of them, Jerry Wooters (Ryan Gosling) had entered into a risky relationship with Cohen's girl, Grace Faraday (Emma Stone) prior to joining the group. This relationship is in turns useful and very dangerous to the mission of the six men to bring down one of the biggest mob threats to L.A.
This film had some incredible acting in it, as well as some fantastic cinematography. Sean Penn executed his role as the merciless Cohen perfectly while Josh Brolin made an outstanding appearance as the determined cop who is still a little bit too much the soldier. Add in Ryan Gosling's somewhat reluctant to get involved character and you have a fine mix. Besides this the cinematography and editing of this movie brought a lot to it as well. While there is plenty of violence in the film (the opening scene is none to pleasant), there are also slow motion scenes, close ups, camera angles, and lighting and help to draw the viewer away from the violence at times. For instance in a intense gun battle there may be a slow motion close up of the empty casings bouncing on the floor, rather than a scene of someone getting shot.
All together Gangster Squad was a very impressive gangster film that should please fans of the genre. It has some great actors in it, and great elements in the filming. Besides all of this it is an interesting story of how six men took on one of the greatest mob bosses the city of angels had ever seen. While I occasionally watch movies of this type I do not watch them on a regular basis, so I was impressed that I enjoyed this particular one even more than I expected to going in. I hope that this helps people decide whether they want to see this film or not, and at very least maybe it provided a nice change from the other things I have been reviewing. Until the next time :)
-Lynx
Saturday, July 20, 2013
Epic
I love animated fantasy adventures. For instance I'm a huge fan of How to Train Your Dragon, Rise of the Guardians, and many other such films so when I saw a preview for the new movie Epic I knew that I had to see it. While I'm not sure that I would put Epic on quite the same level as those, it was still a pretty good movie.
Epic tells the story of a young woman, M.K, who has to go and live with her 'crazy scientist' father after her mother's death. M.K.'s father believes that there is an advanced civilization of tiny people who live in the forest and had spent many years trying to prove this. Initially M.K, who is voiced by Amanda Seyfried, thinks her father is a crazy as everyone else says. However, while out looking for her lost dog in the forest, she encounters the tiny Queen Tara, (Beyoncé Knowles), who shrinks her down to the size of the Leafmen. Tara and the Leafmen guards, are responsible for protecting the forest and bringing life to it, but they are at war with evil bugs who want to turn the forest to decay. In her adventures M.K. also meets Ronin (Colin Farrell) who is the Captain of the Leafmen, and the young, reluctant Leafman, Nod (Josh Hutcherson). In the end, it is up to M.K. and a few of her new friends, to save the entire forest from Mandrake (Christopher Waltz) the leader of the evil bugs.
The movie Epic was certainly a fun adventure story that would be great for kids in particular, but still enjoyable to most adults. It is at times reminiscent of movies like Alice in Wonderland, or A Bug's Life, but never so much so as to seem like an unoriginal copy. There are beautifully animated scenes, as well as some funny moments, and intense sequences. All in all it is a pretty good children's movie and something for the child in all of us. If you want a movie for kids, or just enjoy animated movies, it is certainly one to consider watching.
-Lynx
Epic tells the story of a young woman, M.K, who has to go and live with her 'crazy scientist' father after her mother's death. M.K.'s father believes that there is an advanced civilization of tiny people who live in the forest and had spent many years trying to prove this. Initially M.K, who is voiced by Amanda Seyfried, thinks her father is a crazy as everyone else says. However, while out looking for her lost dog in the forest, she encounters the tiny Queen Tara, (Beyoncé Knowles), who shrinks her down to the size of the Leafmen. Tara and the Leafmen guards, are responsible for protecting the forest and bringing life to it, but they are at war with evil bugs who want to turn the forest to decay. In her adventures M.K. also meets Ronin (Colin Farrell) who is the Captain of the Leafmen, and the young, reluctant Leafman, Nod (Josh Hutcherson). In the end, it is up to M.K. and a few of her new friends, to save the entire forest from Mandrake (Christopher Waltz) the leader of the evil bugs.
The movie Epic was certainly a fun adventure story that would be great for kids in particular, but still enjoyable to most adults. It is at times reminiscent of movies like Alice in Wonderland, or A Bug's Life, but never so much so as to seem like an unoriginal copy. There are beautifully animated scenes, as well as some funny moments, and intense sequences. All in all it is a pretty good children's movie and something for the child in all of us. If you want a movie for kids, or just enjoy animated movies, it is certainly one to consider watching.
-Lynx
Friday, July 19, 2013
Upside Down
It's a beautiful idea really. Twin planets, caught in each others gravity, orbiting a sun together as one unit. So close that skyscrapers can be built between them which connect them, and yet for the people living on the two planets, so very far away. This is the problem which faces the young lovers in the unique movie Upside Down. The twin nature of the planets causes them to have opposite gravity of each other, meaning anything from one planet, when brought to the other, will go flying away back to the other unless it is held down somehow. Besides this is also the social and economic differences between the two.
Up Above, as the one is referred to, is where all of the wealth and power is, while Down Below, is impoverished and desolate. People between the two worlds are not supposed to associate other than in certain working conditions, and certainly aren't supposed to have any type of relationship with anyone from the opposite planet. This combined with the gravitational issues, create what seem to be an impossible problem for the young lovers, Adam (Jim Sturgess), and Eden (Kirsten Dunst). However, Adam is a dreamer and believes that love is even stronger than gravity and he will go to any lengths to make it so.
This was a movie that I couldn't pass up once I read a plot description to it. Add to that some good actors and it's no wonder that it moved to the top of my watch list. That being said, I am very glad I made that decision. The plot was fantastically unique, with some great conflict for the characters to overcome and enough intensity at times to drive it forward. There was also opportunity for some wonderful artistic shots of the two planets and the connections between them.
While it certainly isn't your typical romance, that is what makes Upside Down so special. It is a great movie, full of amazing ideas that are original and fun. I watched this movie expecting to enjoy it, but came away loving it more than I predicted. Certainly worth a watch whether you are a fan of sci-fi and fantasy or not. I know I'll have to add this to my film collection soon.
-Lynx
Up Above, as the one is referred to, is where all of the wealth and power is, while Down Below, is impoverished and desolate. People between the two worlds are not supposed to associate other than in certain working conditions, and certainly aren't supposed to have any type of relationship with anyone from the opposite planet. This combined with the gravitational issues, create what seem to be an impossible problem for the young lovers, Adam (Jim Sturgess), and Eden (Kirsten Dunst). However, Adam is a dreamer and believes that love is even stronger than gravity and he will go to any lengths to make it so.
This was a movie that I couldn't pass up once I read a plot description to it. Add to that some good actors and it's no wonder that it moved to the top of my watch list. That being said, I am very glad I made that decision. The plot was fantastically unique, with some great conflict for the characters to overcome and enough intensity at times to drive it forward. There was also opportunity for some wonderful artistic shots of the two planets and the connections between them.
While it certainly isn't your typical romance, that is what makes Upside Down so special. It is a great movie, full of amazing ideas that are original and fun. I watched this movie expecting to enjoy it, but came away loving it more than I predicted. Certainly worth a watch whether you are a fan of sci-fi and fantasy or not. I know I'll have to add this to my film collection soon.
-Lynx
Beautiful Creatures
It is much to my regret that I have not yet found the time to read the novel Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia. As such I cannot provide insight in this review as to how the movie compares to the book, but sometimes it is good to have the perspective of someone who doesn't know the story already anyways.
Beautiful Creatures (movie) focuses on a small town in South Carolina and a teenage boy named Ethan Wate. When a new girl, Lena Duchannes, moves into the town to live with her mysterious uncle, there are a lot of rumors and suspicion flying around. Some believe Lena and her family are evil, but Ethan is not one to follow the crowd and befriends Lena. Tensions rise as the two face challenges from all of those around them, and they must decide whether to accept their fates or find their own way in life.
Alden Ehrenreich did an excellent job in the role of Ethan, portraying him as a likable character who seems unfazed by all of the strange goings on around him. Alice Englert also did well as Lena, a character who seems troubled at her core by the relatable question of who she really is. There were also some fantastic performances in the more minor roles, with notable appearances by Jeremy Irons, Emma Thompson, Emmy Rossum, and Viola Davis.
All in all it was a very enjoyable movie that was easy enough to follow even having not read the novel. Hopefully it stuck fairly truly to the novel and now I will have to read it in order to find out. It would be a great film for any lover of the fantasy genre to see and I would highly recommend it.
-Lynx
Beautiful Creatures (movie) focuses on a small town in South Carolina and a teenage boy named Ethan Wate. When a new girl, Lena Duchannes, moves into the town to live with her mysterious uncle, there are a lot of rumors and suspicion flying around. Some believe Lena and her family are evil, but Ethan is not one to follow the crowd and befriends Lena. Tensions rise as the two face challenges from all of those around them, and they must decide whether to accept their fates or find their own way in life.
Alden Ehrenreich did an excellent job in the role of Ethan, portraying him as a likable character who seems unfazed by all of the strange goings on around him. Alice Englert also did well as Lena, a character who seems troubled at her core by the relatable question of who she really is. There were also some fantastic performances in the more minor roles, with notable appearances by Jeremy Irons, Emma Thompson, Emmy Rossum, and Viola Davis.
All in all it was a very enjoyable movie that was easy enough to follow even having not read the novel. Hopefully it stuck fairly truly to the novel and now I will have to read it in order to find out. It would be a great film for any lover of the fantasy genre to see and I would highly recommend it.
-Lynx
Wednesday, July 17, 2013
The Host
Not being a fan of the Twilight movies I wasn't sure about another film based on one of Stephanie Meyer's novels. However, I have read The Host (book) and actually enjoyed it quite a bit so I thought I would give the movie a chance once it came out to rent.
Initially I wasn't sure how I felt about the movie. When it started it seemed like something that wasn't going to translate very well into film. Certain books just aren't meant to be movies as far as I'm concerned.
The real concern came with all of the internal dialogue which is an integral part of the plot of this story. The Host (preview) tells the story of a parasitic alien life form which has been placed inside the body of a young Earth woman, who is one of the few humans left unoccupied. However, the woman, Melanie, is still in her mind and fights against the alien, Wanderer. This leads to a lot of internal dialogue between the two of them which is difficult to convey in a movie without it seeming a little bit odd. While they did a reasonable job of portraying this, it still took me awhile to get used to it.
As I got more into the movie though I began to really enjoy it. The characters are intriguing and the plot is unique. While it certainly wouldn't be on a list of my all time favorite movies I definitely had fun watching it and was glad that I did. The movie also followed the book fairly closely and was probably the best translation of the book into film that it could be considering parts always have to be cut and changed for movies. My one concern would be that the movie might have a few elements which would be a little confusing to someone who hasn't read the novel. Overall though, I feel like everything was explained fairly well and it would probably be understandable even if one hadn't.
It is certainly a film worth watching if you have read and enjoyed the novel it's based on. Also anyone who hasn't read the novel, but is intrigued by the unique plot would probably enjoy this movie and have limited confusion about what was going on. Hope this helps to anyone wondering if they should see the movie or not.
-Lynx
Initially I wasn't sure how I felt about the movie. When it started it seemed like something that wasn't going to translate very well into film. Certain books just aren't meant to be movies as far as I'm concerned.
The real concern came with all of the internal dialogue which is an integral part of the plot of this story. The Host (preview) tells the story of a parasitic alien life form which has been placed inside the body of a young Earth woman, who is one of the few humans left unoccupied. However, the woman, Melanie, is still in her mind and fights against the alien, Wanderer. This leads to a lot of internal dialogue between the two of them which is difficult to convey in a movie without it seeming a little bit odd. While they did a reasonable job of portraying this, it still took me awhile to get used to it.
As I got more into the movie though I began to really enjoy it. The characters are intriguing and the plot is unique. While it certainly wouldn't be on a list of my all time favorite movies I definitely had fun watching it and was glad that I did. The movie also followed the book fairly closely and was probably the best translation of the book into film that it could be considering parts always have to be cut and changed for movies. My one concern would be that the movie might have a few elements which would be a little confusing to someone who hasn't read the novel. Overall though, I feel like everything was explained fairly well and it would probably be understandable even if one hadn't.
It is certainly a film worth watching if you have read and enjoyed the novel it's based on. Also anyone who hasn't read the novel, but is intrigued by the unique plot would probably enjoy this movie and have limited confusion about what was going on. Hope this helps to anyone wondering if they should see the movie or not.
-Lynx
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