I find myself watching found footage movies as though one of these days the perfect one is going to happen around, and the entire world will realize how awesome they could be if done right. It's theoretically not something that should be that hard to do - and if anything building tension should be easier than through normal means, since it adds to the effect that the viewer is there (theoretically). It never seems to happen though, it always seems to somewhere go so terribly wrong - from either holding onto it's suspense for way too long, or pacing that's so dull you would rather go to sleep. Can this movie dig up some fun, or will it be destined to make your bones ache?
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The predator is probably one of my favorite alien creatures I've ever been privileged enough to learn of. Lean, mean, and out for the trophy heads of whatever creature proves to be a bad enough dude to merit it's attention - what's not to like about him? Pitch in that incredibly fun first run in the cinema universe against Arnold, and you really couldn't ask for much more - except an equally as fun sequel. Mayhaps you've read Concrete Jungle and are curious as to if the movie follows it's path? Can the second pitch handle the spotlight, or is it time for it to strike out?
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Action movies are awesome. I love them, a lot of other people love them. With the recent hullabaloo about Fury Road, I was having a bit of a retrospective about "best action movies" I've ever scene with a pal, and after a moment of revving up my remember-er, amongst the slew of things that came to mind there was one scene that happened to pop into my mind. That scene is contained within this movie, and became a bit famous after it's release for being one giant, continual take. Turn on the stove, it's time to get boiled.
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When I saw the first trailers for this movie, I thought to myself "Oh, looks like an unassociated redo of Short Circuit with a more humanoid robot." Of course, that's not a bad thing in my mind, so I filed it away on the "I should watch this when it comes out" list and here we are. Did it end up being a gangster Johnny 5? Does it stand on it's own two robotic legs? Is this the robot that you didn't want, but the robot you needed?
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So the first Sin City was pretty cool and fresh right? I mean, a couple of stories intertwined in a way - almost like the olden Horror anthology movies - with that Black and White palette with little splashes of color as it saw fit was pretty rad. So, now that it's been "done before," will it still hold up for the second time around?
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When I say Mortal Kombat, the first thing that pops to most peoples minds would be a series of 'wicked' violent fighting games that had super cool finishing moves and a dude that yells "GET OVER HERE!" Others may remember the string of movies that it had - you know, all two of them - and others still (like, maybe one person) might remember more still. Well, trip that nostalgia up, cause tonight's fine delicacy is best served with a basting of blo- wait a minute, pg-13? Did this movie just Finish itself before the fight even started?
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I read somewhere this was an interesting movie, what I hadn't read was that it was actually a foreign film. Got nothing against foreign films personally, so that wasn't going to deter me, but before I even started the movie I already expect some people are going to tune this one out - why? Because you either don't understand German, or English dubbing that doesn't always sync with the mouth movements of German words is gonna bug someone. That aside, you can tell by the title along that this movie is going to contain at least double the running of something like Running Man, but the question remains: will your soles burn from the speed, or will the plot leave your mind racing crazy?
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I remember seeing a trailer for Lucy and going "Hm, that could be fun." I didn't get around to it in theaters though, and the general reception of it that I did hear about was generally negative - complaints about not being hard-fact and a 'hard to follow plot riddled with holes' - which of course only fueled my desire to see it more. I've never been one to much care about the "mass opinion" on things, as it's truthfully hard to find people who can enjoy as broad a range of quality as me sometimes (although, somewhere out there somebody likes Uwe Boll movies, so they certainly beat me). Let's find out what my particular set of synapses firing can make of this movie - whether it's a new horizon or a fatal error in processing.
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Why do I keep watching found footage movies? I can only imagine that somewhere inside me I still believe that their is this completely untapped potential that each movie of the type I watch might be the one to be the Highlander or one ring to rule them all. Well, I can't say it's particularly a great hope to hold onto, but As Above walks calmly into the circle and throws off it's gloves to try and impress. Can this foray into the french underground prove to come out on top, or way below any expectations?
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Everybody knows Hitchcock. If you haven't ever heard the name, then chances are you are probably super young or something - as most people I've run into have at least heard of at least one of his works - such as Psycho. The man had a way with twists, although it would certainly appear that some seem to have less twists than others - but beyond that he knew how to make a movie for the time. In this take, we have a little less supernatural or epidemics, and instead focus on a small group with a big problem. Will the movie end up feeling like it tries too much, or will you know this man knew what he's doing?
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I'd be crazy not to love action movies. Simple, straightforward, mind numbing scenes of glorious action and explosions? You know what really sets apart action movies for me though? One liners. Yes, choreography and cool guns and gadgets are important to make all that helter-skelter understandable in the mind, but one liners are the thing that stays with me longest. I can more easily recall "I'll be back" from Terminator than I can vividly recall any specific scene (although I can recall some of those too). In the case of Expendables however, we come into three off the back of 2 - which was in most people's minds a rather less than stellar follow up to the first nostalgia filled riot, excluding Chuck Norris of course. Can 3 bring the boys back in town while upping the ante, or is the series proving the longer it goes just how expendable it is?
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Well, the name is kind of a spoiler in it's own right, but it's been a while since a military style flick has shown up in my queue of viewing. Considering it's 'based on a true story' tag, what's going to happen here is a good deal of authenticity with some bad events over in the heated world of Taliban-filled territory. It's certainly a familiar war story to those who like the genre, but it never claims to be anything more than what it is. Will this band of brothers be cause to add to the collection, or would you rather leave the rifle on the shelf?
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Some folks just don't got time to bleed. Some creatures couldn't win a beauty contest if all the competition dropped out. Every now and then you run into a movie that sparks something in you that can cause a lifetime of wonder and interest. Predator may not be everyone's cup of tea, but for me it was one such movie - this little alien on a safari movie has drawn me into countless books, comics, movies, and games for years to come. You could say I'm a bit of a fan - but that won't get in the way much for the movie review itself. Can one liners flex their bulging biceps, or is this trophy nothing but a fake coat of gold?
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I saw the first Raid a couple years back - and it was enjoyable. Pretty good action, enough of a plot to hold it together, subtitles - it was a rousing good time, as though someone combined SWAT with the newer Judge Dredd. Having seen some hype going around for a second Raid, I figured it would be in my best interest to check it out. Can this sequel live up to the hype, or did it just pull a Leroy Jenkins?
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Oh stop your whining, I like watching foreign flicks - those that may or may not emulate some of the stuff we are used to seeing in our hollywood copy-paste lifetimes. Some of the reviews said that this would have some awesome fights, and being an action hungry kind of guy, how could I resist? Add in that it was dubbed so I could take a break from all the reading I've been doing as of late, and it was guaranteed. Can this gang of punks grow on you, or will you rather they be tossed in the gutter?
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I had some apprehension coming into this movie, I'm not going to lie. See, I saw the old robocop before, and it isn't exactly the kind of movie that easily is turned into a non-R rated film while retaining it's unique feel, and that had me a bit worried. At the same time, I've had two separate friends tell me that it was "not too bad," which in my books means at least worth one watch. Would the corporate machine churn out another sub-stellar cash cow reboot, or would the soul find a way to give us a reincarnation of a classic in modern times?
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An old movie redone as a SyFy original movie? How could this possibly go wrong, am I right? Hahaha, jokes aside, this is kind of accidental (I had meant to rent the original, and silly me got this one instead), but I haven't shied away from SyFy original movies before and I tend to get some form of amusement from them. The real question is will this boat movie sink like the Titanic, or will it be as electrifying as a Tesla coil?
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Arach·no·pho·bia: the pathological fear or loathing of spiders. Some people would have you believe that it's a fear without basis - and maybe they are right. I mean, it's not every single spider in existence that can cause death or even harm to a human, so the fear of a little tiny creature that springs on you from nowhere and builds nests to trap it's victims and suck them dry is totally irrational, right? If you haven't figured it out, I'm a tad bit arachnophobic - but I've been working at changing that slowly over the years through sheer willpower. Most people have an awesome story about why they have a fear of spiders, and yet mine is both weak and highly entertaining: I was taken to see this movie when I had no business in theaters. In that sense, it demonstrates the power of movies and the lasting ways they can affect us, and in turn I can't think of any other movie that would make more sense to do for my one hundredth review. Stick around and see if this movie is a web of lies, or if it puts the fear or spiders into you.
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The Thing, again! Surprisingly, although you would assume it from the name being the same as Carpenter's earlier version, this one is actually a prequel instead of a remake! Now we get to experience what happened to all those Norwegians at the hand of our creepy extraterrestrial friend. Granted, I'm gonna spin this a bit - we are gonna start this thing off with an approach where it's all it's own movie (as though you haven't seen the other Thing), and then get into how it ties into it afterwards. So what'll it be? The perfect copy, or just a cheap imitation.
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I'm a fan of Kurt Russell movies, and I'm relatively sure that part of the reason is because I enjoy him as an actor. Bigger then that, I believe a lot of the movies he's in are just highly entertaining in some way or another for me more so than just him being in it. The Thing is one of those films that's in my general go-to films for when I'm bored and inevitably comes up at least once a year. Obviously, I like it - but will it click for you? Will it have you looking at the people around you in a new light, or will it be a gooey dead mess?
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