You know, for some reason I have this sneaky suspicion I have seen this movie before. If only I had a better memory and could remember. Just kidding. Before I begin I would like to say this. I like apple pie and I like cherry pie. I do like both pies equally the same for the qualities that they have. I love the sweetness of the apples mixed with the cinnamon and the sugar but on the other hand I love the sweet tartness of the cherries and the gooey sauce that surrounds them. With both pies I love how the crust can be flaky and buttery with just the right texture to hold the pies all together but still soft and flaky enough that a fork can cut through and the crust melts in your mouth with caramelized sugar coating the top of it.
That being said, Total Recall with Farrell, Beckinsale and Biel would be like a apple pie that went wrong and Total Recall with Arnie, Stone and Ironside would be like a cherry pie with a few mistakes as well. From now on let me discuss the merits, or flaws, of the apple pie Total Recall with Farrell. The action in this film was quite good. Plenty of jumps, shots, explosions and action to keep a guy like me interested in and almost disguised the flimsy plot and tiny little problems in the film that would have me scratching my head. All I can say is that not only is the population in the future totally stupid but they are apparently living in a world without safety back ups and restrictions. In this day and age where I can't get a coffee without warning labels or even open doors without passcards or keys, apparently you can jump around the inner workings of mass transportation vehicles with a twist of a handle or manually pulling the door open.
Acting wise was not too bad though a little on the flimsy side. Farrell does play a lost and confused person quite well, though I think he had a lot of outside help to draw on for the confusion part. Such as asking himself repeatedly "how exactly did I get convinced to be in this film?". Beckinsale does a great job playing the wife/agent assigned to Farrell and is in charge of bringing him down. She convinced me that she is one twisted and vengeful woman. Hell hath no fury than that of a women ticked off for sure in this film. On the whole, I would say that the cast was rather interesting in their performances and had moments of true depth but on the whole nothing really spectacular to write about.
In total I would say that while this movie was not exactly like the Arnie movie of Total Recall it was just another take on the short story "We Can Remember It For You Wholesale". Both movies had their differences like the pies have their apples to cherries, while both movies had their similarities like a pie has crust and sugar topping. They can not really be put side by side and judged but I would say that both of them have gotten the same rating in my mind. I give them 2 out of 5 popped kernels of corn. Not a bad movie to go and kill an afternoon or evening on but don't expect to take a date to this movie and impress them with your cinematography depth and perceptions.
Tuesday, August 7, 2012
Sunday, August 5, 2012
Step Up Revolution - movie review
What is the definition of a 'triple threat'? In the entertainment industry it would be someone that can both sing, dance and act. An example would be, and this is my personal opinion only though I am sure some might disagree, would be Antonio Banderas. An example of someone that is NOT a triple threat would be anyone in the movie Step Up Revolution.
This latest installment of the movie train wreck has a dance crew that is used to public displays of either annoyance or excitement (depending on which person the news crew in the movie asks) known as "The Crew" use their colorful dance crew to go from performance art to protest art to stop the destruction of their homes by the usual 'greedy and corrupt business'. Throw in a bit of Romeo and Juliet in the form of one co-founder of the crew and the daughter of the head of the greedy and corrupt business (sure it is a spoiler but trust me when I say that nothing I say or tell you could possibly hurt this film cause they do a pretty good job themselves in the film making it almost unbearable to watch) and this painful film is born.
I think the only saving factor about the film is that the dancing is quite good. While my knowledge of dance is about on par with my level of current fashion and music, I can appreciate the skill that is required to do what these dancers can do. The only down side that grounds me in a bit of reality is the fact that there is a difference between watching these performers on stage live, watching them on TV reality shows like So You Think You Can Dance? and watching them in a the movies. One has no form of editing and you have to be good to get it on the first take, one could have some mild editing and perhaps they do edit a couple routines here and there for the show which I can not say they do or do not, and the other is edited out the whazoo to get the best form of movie around. After seeing the routines that were done I have to wonder how many of them practiced and then rolled the cameras and got it in one take or had to practice each scene repeatedly again and again.
Regardless of the dancing, the whole movie was simply painful to watch. This film, to me, deserves no popped corns but I would go backwards and give it 2 unpopped corns out of 5 popped corns.
This latest installment of the movie train wreck has a dance crew that is used to public displays of either annoyance or excitement (depending on which person the news crew in the movie asks) known as "The Crew" use their colorful dance crew to go from performance art to protest art to stop the destruction of their homes by the usual 'greedy and corrupt business'. Throw in a bit of Romeo and Juliet in the form of one co-founder of the crew and the daughter of the head of the greedy and corrupt business (sure it is a spoiler but trust me when I say that nothing I say or tell you could possibly hurt this film cause they do a pretty good job themselves in the film making it almost unbearable to watch) and this painful film is born.
I think the only saving factor about the film is that the dancing is quite good. While my knowledge of dance is about on par with my level of current fashion and music, I can appreciate the skill that is required to do what these dancers can do. The only down side that grounds me in a bit of reality is the fact that there is a difference between watching these performers on stage live, watching them on TV reality shows like So You Think You Can Dance? and watching them in a the movies. One has no form of editing and you have to be good to get it on the first take, one could have some mild editing and perhaps they do edit a couple routines here and there for the show which I can not say they do or do not, and the other is edited out the whazoo to get the best form of movie around. After seeing the routines that were done I have to wonder how many of them practiced and then rolled the cameras and got it in one take or had to practice each scene repeatedly again and again.
Regardless of the dancing, the whole movie was simply painful to watch. This film, to me, deserves no popped corns but I would go backwards and give it 2 unpopped corns out of 5 popped corns.
Thursday, August 2, 2012
The Intouchables - Movie Review
I saw the trailer for this movie a few weeks ago and the first thing that popped into my head was "I have to watch this movie". After speaking with a couple friends who saw the movie in an advanced screening my next thought was "I can not miss this movie". So when it came time to go and see a movie, my wife and I both immediately selected this one as our first pick for the evening. Neither of us was disappointed in our choice.
The movie follows the growing friendship bond between an aristocrat quadriplegic and a good hearted young man from the 'other side of the tracks' who is hired on as a care giver. The rest of the story is all about how the two slowly become friends and the things that they do for each other to strengthen their friendship.
Why this is such a funny movie is that the situations and humor are not forced ones like all the other comedies that are out there. An extreme example would be humor like The Hangover where granted there might be some bachelor parties that come like that those situations are more like the chances of being hit by a meteor after winning the lottery. The humor in this movie are all realistic one liner bantering that could happen in your every day life with friends or family, spur of the moment jabs and jokes that make you smile and laugh and even go and repeat it to friends as a 'guess what she said' kind of stories.
The two main characters are great together. They play off each others timing to a T and even made me believe that they were actual friends for life and not just actors portraying friends in a movie. The supporting actors are great as well. The attractive yet unattainable assistant to the aristocrat that the caregiver keeps hitting on relentlessly does an amazing job, and even the house keeper does a great job of playing the frumpy yet friendly person. The only down side is that at the end of the movie you get to see a real video of the two people in the film. The difference in looks are quite apparent. It would be like if I had a movie made about my life and I was played by George Clooney or Tatum Channing instead of someone like Neil Patrick Harris or Michael Cera (geeky main character from SuperBad).
The only really negative thing that I can say about this movie would be the same thing that I say about all foreign subtitled films that both my wife and I disagree on 100%. She likes to have the film played in the original language and subtitled while I prefer to have it dubbed in English, even if the dubbing is horrible and the words don't match the lip movements. There were many times in the movie where one of the characters would go on a rant or discussion and they would take for a good 30-45 seconds of fast talking ranting and the subtitles would come up as reading "No, get out". I, at these moments, sat back and had this sneaky suspicion that something else was said in the exchange but not given. Granted, I do understand that they can't put up a direct translation but only a paraphrase because if a direct translation was up you would be having to read about 20 words a second to keep up with everything. Just sits a bit uneasy with me is all.
I would have to rate this movie at 4.5 popped popcorns out of 5. I would have given it a 5 but that would make a perfect movie and there can be no such thing as a perfect movie....but this one comes close.
The movie follows the growing friendship bond between an aristocrat quadriplegic and a good hearted young man from the 'other side of the tracks' who is hired on as a care giver. The rest of the story is all about how the two slowly become friends and the things that they do for each other to strengthen their friendship.
Why this is such a funny movie is that the situations and humor are not forced ones like all the other comedies that are out there. An extreme example would be humor like The Hangover where granted there might be some bachelor parties that come like that those situations are more like the chances of being hit by a meteor after winning the lottery. The humor in this movie are all realistic one liner bantering that could happen in your every day life with friends or family, spur of the moment jabs and jokes that make you smile and laugh and even go and repeat it to friends as a 'guess what she said' kind of stories.
The two main characters are great together. They play off each others timing to a T and even made me believe that they were actual friends for life and not just actors portraying friends in a movie. The supporting actors are great as well. The attractive yet unattainable assistant to the aristocrat that the caregiver keeps hitting on relentlessly does an amazing job, and even the house keeper does a great job of playing the frumpy yet friendly person. The only down side is that at the end of the movie you get to see a real video of the two people in the film. The difference in looks are quite apparent. It would be like if I had a movie made about my life and I was played by George Clooney or Tatum Channing instead of someone like Neil Patrick Harris or Michael Cera (geeky main character from SuperBad).
The only really negative thing that I can say about this movie would be the same thing that I say about all foreign subtitled films that both my wife and I disagree on 100%. She likes to have the film played in the original language and subtitled while I prefer to have it dubbed in English, even if the dubbing is horrible and the words don't match the lip movements. There were many times in the movie where one of the characters would go on a rant or discussion and they would take for a good 30-45 seconds of fast talking ranting and the subtitles would come up as reading "No, get out". I, at these moments, sat back and had this sneaky suspicion that something else was said in the exchange but not given. Granted, I do understand that they can't put up a direct translation but only a paraphrase because if a direct translation was up you would be having to read about 20 words a second to keep up with everything. Just sits a bit uneasy with me is all.
I would have to rate this movie at 4.5 popped popcorns out of 5. I would have given it a 5 but that would make a perfect movie and there can be no such thing as a perfect movie....but this one comes close.
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