Starring:
Adrien Brody (The Jacket 2005, Midnight in Paris 2011)
Topher Grace (In Good Company 2004, The Double 2011)
Alice Braga (I Am Legend 2007, The Rite 2011)
Walter Goggins ("Justified" 2010, Cowboys & Aliens 2011)
Oleg Taktarov (Righteous Kill 2008, Ultimate Champion 2010)
Laurence Fishburne (The Matrix 1999, Contagion 2011)
Danny Trejo (The Devil's Rejects 2005, Machete 2010)
With Robert Rodriguez directing, I didn't know where this movie was going to go. That's one of the benefits of being a totally unpredictable director.
My roommate, Jason, and I agree that Predators is totally comparable to Predator and Predator 2.
The action was great.
The actors and characters were all perfect, totally perfect.
Lawrence Fishburne was freaking awesome.
And Topher Grace didn't ruin the movie like I though he might. He actually filled his role perfectly. That was my biggest peeve about this movie was that I thought they'd try to make Topher Grace out to be some kind of hardcore killer. I'm glad they didn't, cause Topher Grace is a pansy who ruined Spiderman 3 single-handedly.
The Predators in this movie were awesome, too. Not to be tangled with.
As seen in previews, the film also gives a much-desired insight into the Predator home world. Loved it. I want to see more.
I want a sequel. I want Robert Rodriguez to do another Predators movie.
Oh wait, he wants that too!!!
Not bad for a Twilight-sized budget...
Factoid: Rodriguez wrote this movie back in 1994, but 20th Century Fox denied it for budgeting reasons. The story presented in Predators is the same story Rodriguez wrote in 1994.
Friday, July 23, 2010
Monday, July 19, 2010
The A-Team (June 11, 2010) PG-13
Starring:
Liam Neeson (Taken 2008, The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader 2010)
Bradley Cooper (The Hangover 2009, The Hangover 2 2011)
Sharlto Copley (District 9 2009)
Quinton "Rampage" Jackson (Death Warrior 2009, Duel of Legends 2011)
Jessica Biel (The Illusionist 2006, Nailed 2010)
Patrick Wilson (The Phantom of the Opera 2004, Morning Glory 2010)
Sharlto Copley (Howling Mad Murdock) is completely histerical! He was to The A-Team what James Franco was to Pineapple Express. The film would have been average without him.
Liam Neeson (Hannibal Smith) did a fantastic job (as expected) as well. His performance was matched by that of Bradley Cooper (Faceman) and Quinton Jackson ("B.A." Baracus).
I must confess also that I've never watched an episode of "The A-Team". I can't say whether or not this movie stayed true to the traditions of the 80s TV show.
The entire movie was filled with unique action and comedy.
For a remake, it was totally original.
Factoid: Filming The A-Team got Liam Neeson hooked on cigars again, after having abstained from them for 17 years. He said in an interview that the only preparation for this role he had to do involved preparing himself to smoke cigars again.
Liam Neeson (Taken 2008, The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader 2010)
Bradley Cooper (The Hangover 2009, The Hangover 2 2011)
Sharlto Copley (District 9 2009)
Quinton "Rampage" Jackson (Death Warrior 2009, Duel of Legends 2011)
Jessica Biel (The Illusionist 2006, Nailed 2010)
Patrick Wilson (The Phantom of the Opera 2004, Morning Glory 2010)
Sharlto Copley (Howling Mad Murdock) is completely histerical! He was to The A-Team what James Franco was to Pineapple Express. The film would have been average without him.
Liam Neeson (Hannibal Smith) did a fantastic job (as expected) as well. His performance was matched by that of Bradley Cooper (Faceman) and Quinton Jackson ("B.A." Baracus).
I must confess also that I've never watched an episode of "The A-Team". I can't say whether or not this movie stayed true to the traditions of the 80s TV show.
The entire movie was filled with unique action and comedy.
For a remake, it was totally original.
Factoid: Filming The A-Team got Liam Neeson hooked on cigars again, after having abstained from them for 17 years. He said in an interview that the only preparation for this role he had to do involved preparing himself to smoke cigars again.
Inception (July 16, 2010) PG-13
Starring:
Leonardo DiCaprio (Romeo + Juliet 1996, Hoover 2012)
Joseph Gordon-Levitt (Brick 2005, Live With It 2010)
Tom Hardy (Eddie and the Cruisers 1983, Last Will 2010)
Ken Watanabe (Batman Begins 2005, Shanghai 2010)
Cillian Murphy (Batman Begins 2005, At Swim-Two-Birds 2010)
Dileep Rao (Drag Me To Hell 2009, Avatar 2009)
Ellen Page (Hard Candy 2005, Super 2010)
Marion Cotillard (Nine 2009, Little White Lies 2010)
Pete Postlethwaite (Romeo + Juliet 1996, The Town 2010)
Michael Caine (Batman Begins 2005, Gnomeo and Juliet 2011)
Lukas Haas (Brick 2005, Crazy Eyes 2010)
Even though the previews made this movie seem too good to be true, I STILL was not disappointed. In fact, this movie was even better than expected, and my expectations were high. I entered the theater with NO idea what I was really in for, and left the theater raving and wanting to see Inception a second and third time while still in theaters.
The film features a few of Director Christopher Nolan's personal favorite people (Michael Caine, Cillian Murphy, and Ken Watanabe). It was cool to see this Batman Begins cast together again.
The film was extremely modern as well, and took the "heist" movie genre to an entire new level.
In order to understand what this movie is about (because the trailers may be ambiguous) you must understand two words/ideas. The first is "extraction."
Extraction is the idea of entering a person's mind through their dreams with the intent and purpose of taking information from the person's mind--information that they would never divulge in the waking world.
Inception is the idea of entering a person's mind through their dreams with the intent and purpose of planting an idea in a person's mind--an idea that will take and remain in the waking world. An idea that the person will act upon.
What surprised me about this movie was the amount of action in it. I went into the theater expecting an intellectually intriguing film (which it was), but I was not expecting it to be so completely action-packed.
I love this movie.
Factoid: In both Shutter Island and Inception, DiCaprio plays a man who's wife haunts his mind.
Also, this is Michael Caine's fourth film he's done with Christopher Nolan (Batman Begins, The Prestige, The Dark Knight, and Inception).
Leonardo DiCaprio (Romeo + Juliet 1996, Hoover 2012)
Joseph Gordon-Levitt (Brick 2005, Live With It 2010)
Tom Hardy (Eddie and the Cruisers 1983, Last Will 2010)
Ken Watanabe (Batman Begins 2005, Shanghai 2010)
Cillian Murphy (Batman Begins 2005, At Swim-Two-Birds 2010)
Dileep Rao (Drag Me To Hell 2009, Avatar 2009)
Ellen Page (Hard Candy 2005, Super 2010)
Marion Cotillard (Nine 2009, Little White Lies 2010)
Pete Postlethwaite (Romeo + Juliet 1996, The Town 2010)
Michael Caine (Batman Begins 2005, Gnomeo and Juliet 2011)
Lukas Haas (Brick 2005, Crazy Eyes 2010)
Even though the previews made this movie seem too good to be true, I STILL was not disappointed. In fact, this movie was even better than expected, and my expectations were high. I entered the theater with NO idea what I was really in for, and left the theater raving and wanting to see Inception a second and third time while still in theaters.
The film features a few of Director Christopher Nolan's personal favorite people (Michael Caine, Cillian Murphy, and Ken Watanabe). It was cool to see this Batman Begins cast together again.
The film was extremely modern as well, and took the "heist" movie genre to an entire new level.
In order to understand what this movie is about (because the trailers may be ambiguous) you must understand two words/ideas. The first is "extraction."
Extraction is the idea of entering a person's mind through their dreams with the intent and purpose of taking information from the person's mind--information that they would never divulge in the waking world.
Inception is the idea of entering a person's mind through their dreams with the intent and purpose of planting an idea in a person's mind--an idea that will take and remain in the waking world. An idea that the person will act upon.
What surprised me about this movie was the amount of action in it. I went into the theater expecting an intellectually intriguing film (which it was), but I was not expecting it to be so completely action-packed.
I love this movie.
Factoid: In both Shutter Island and Inception, DiCaprio plays a man who's wife haunts his mind.
Also, this is Michael Caine's fourth film he's done with Christopher Nolan (Batman Begins, The Prestige, The Dark Knight, and Inception).
Monday, July 5, 2010
The Last Airbender (July 1, 2010) PG-13
Starring:
Noah Ringer (Cowboys and Aliens 2011)
Dev Patel (Slumdog Millionaire 2008)
Nicola Peltz (Deck the Halls 2006, Unbound Captives 2011)
Jackson Rathbone (Twilight 2008, The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 1 2011)
Sychelle Gabriel (The Spirit 2008, Falling Skies 2010)
It's like this movie exists only for its own sake. I walked out of the theater with a feeling of "so what?" I'm sure if I was a fan of the anime TV show "Avatar: The Last Airbender", I'd be singing a different tune. But I shouldn't have to watch the show to enjoy the movie. This isn't Twilight.
The special effects were nothing to look away from, don't get me wrong, but the story and feel of the overall movie was nothing new.
I was especially disappointed that this movie was directed by M. Night Shyamalan. I expected this to be one of the best movies this year simply because Night Wrote, Directed, and Produced it. It was not one of the best movies; not by a long-shot.
I made the mistake of watching this movie in 3-D also. All that did was screw up my peripheral view, and made the movie less enjoyable. There's no need to see this movie in 3-D. I think the 3-D thing was an after-thought...
Factoid: Me and Sychelle Gabriel share the same birthday, but not the same birth year.
Factoid: The casting of this film (in Philly) was met with severe criticism from fans who believed white actors should not be playing the traditionally Asian characters.
Factoid: This film's production budget was $150 million, and had a marketing budget of $130 million.
Noah Ringer (Cowboys and Aliens 2011)
Dev Patel (Slumdog Millionaire 2008)
Nicola Peltz (Deck the Halls 2006, Unbound Captives 2011)
Jackson Rathbone (Twilight 2008, The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 1 2011)
Sychelle Gabriel (The Spirit 2008, Falling Skies 2010)
It's like this movie exists only for its own sake. I walked out of the theater with a feeling of "so what?" I'm sure if I was a fan of the anime TV show "Avatar: The Last Airbender", I'd be singing a different tune. But I shouldn't have to watch the show to enjoy the movie. This isn't Twilight.
The special effects were nothing to look away from, don't get me wrong, but the story and feel of the overall movie was nothing new.
I was especially disappointed that this movie was directed by M. Night Shyamalan. I expected this to be one of the best movies this year simply because Night Wrote, Directed, and Produced it. It was not one of the best movies; not by a long-shot.
I made the mistake of watching this movie in 3-D also. All that did was screw up my peripheral view, and made the movie less enjoyable. There's no need to see this movie in 3-D. I think the 3-D thing was an after-thought...
Factoid: Me and Sychelle Gabriel share the same birthday, but not the same birth year.
Factoid: The casting of this film (in Philly) was met with severe criticism from fans who believed white actors should not be playing the traditionally Asian characters.
Factoid: This film's production budget was $150 million, and had a marketing budget of $130 million.
Saturday, July 3, 2010
Grown Ups (June 25, 2010) PG-13
Starring:
Adam Sandler (Reign Over Me 2007, The Zookeeper 2011)
Kevin James (Hitch 2005, The Zookeeper 2011)
Chris Rock (The Longest Yard 2005, Death at a Funeral 2010)
Rob Schneider (The Animal 2001, The Chosen One 2010)
David Spade (Black Sheep 1996, Hollywood and Wine 2010)
Maria Bello (A History of Violence 2005, Abduction 2011)
Salma Hayek (Bandidas 2006, Puss in Boots 2011)
Madison Riley (Fired Up! 2009, The Prankster 2010)
This movie is my facebook status. It's completely histerical.
I wondered, before, if so many comedians in a movie would be funny or overkill. They were hilarious, and had great chemistry.
Probably my favorite part was when David Spade was passed out drunk, then Adam Sandler and Kevin James started messing with him. I almost fell forward out of my chair.
I wouldn't necessarily say this is a "theater" movie, except that you don't want to watch Madison Riley work on her car on anything smaller than a big screen...
Great movie, check it out.
Factoid: The scene in the movie where David Spade mentions getting "wasted" in front of everyone's kids is based on real life times where Spade visited Adam Sandler's family.
Adam Sandler (Reign Over Me 2007, The Zookeeper 2011)
Kevin James (Hitch 2005, The Zookeeper 2011)
Chris Rock (The Longest Yard 2005, Death at a Funeral 2010)
Rob Schneider (The Animal 2001, The Chosen One 2010)
David Spade (Black Sheep 1996, Hollywood and Wine 2010)
Maria Bello (A History of Violence 2005, Abduction 2011)
Salma Hayek (Bandidas 2006, Puss in Boots 2011)
Madison Riley (Fired Up! 2009, The Prankster 2010)
This movie is my facebook status. It's completely histerical.
I wondered, before, if so many comedians in a movie would be funny or overkill. They were hilarious, and had great chemistry.
Probably my favorite part was when David Spade was passed out drunk, then Adam Sandler and Kevin James started messing with him. I almost fell forward out of my chair.
I wouldn't necessarily say this is a "theater" movie, except that you don't want to watch Madison Riley work on her car on anything smaller than a big screen...
Great movie, check it out.
Factoid: The scene in the movie where David Spade mentions getting "wasted" in front of everyone's kids is based on real life times where Spade visited Adam Sandler's family.
Knight and Day (June 23, 2010) PG-13
Starring:
Cameron Diaz (The Holiday 2006, The Green Hornet 2011)
Tom Cruise (Valkyrie 2008, Mission: Impossible IV 2011)
Peter Sarsgaard (Flightplan 2005, Green Lantern 2011)
Marc Blucas ("Buffy the Vampire Slayer" 1999-2002, "True Blue" 2010)
I really liked watching Tom Cruise being a crazy, rogue secret agent. The movie is really about him. This movie is to Tom what From Paris With Love was to John Travolta.
Cameron Diaz was great too, of course. She and Tom had great chemistry.
I don't have much to say about the film. Even with Tom's hilarious performance, this movie doesn't make an enormous contribution to the cinema world, and will most likely be forgotten in the coming years.
It was fun to watch though.
Factoid: In an interview, Tom Cruise refers to Knight and Day as a "story of boy meets girl."
Cameron Diaz (The Holiday 2006, The Green Hornet 2011)
Tom Cruise (Valkyrie 2008, Mission: Impossible IV 2011)
Peter Sarsgaard (Flightplan 2005, Green Lantern 2011)
Marc Blucas ("Buffy the Vampire Slayer" 1999-2002, "True Blue" 2010)
I really liked watching Tom Cruise being a crazy, rogue secret agent. The movie is really about him. This movie is to Tom what From Paris With Love was to John Travolta.
Cameron Diaz was great too, of course. She and Tom had great chemistry.
I don't have much to say about the film. Even with Tom's hilarious performance, this movie doesn't make an enormous contribution to the cinema world, and will most likely be forgotten in the coming years.
It was fun to watch though.
Factoid: In an interview, Tom Cruise refers to Knight and Day as a "story of boy meets girl."
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