Production Company: Abraham Productions/Bazelevs Production/Tim Burton Productions Director: Timur Bekmambetov Writers:Seth Grahame-Smith (screenplay/novel) Main Stars: Benjamin Walker, Rufus Sewell and Dominic Cooper
Abraham Lincoln, the 16th President of the United States, discovers vampires are planning to take over the United States. He makes it his mission to eliminate them.
Once again, I have only glimpsed the trailer for this movie and was not sure what to expect. Somehow I just could not wrap my head around the thought of the once President of the United States being a vampire hunter. It just looked like a good movie and Reeshe and Sandy were hyped to see it, being vampire buffs.
The base of the story revolves around a young Abe vowing to kill the man he witnessed kill his mother. Later coming to finding the man he finally got up the nerve to kill could not be killed because he is a vampire.
Abe meets up with Henry who tells him he is a vampire hunter. Henry promises Abe that he will have his revenge, but first he must become a vampire hit man for him. He must have no friends and no family, and be ready when he tells him. There is not much more I can say without spoilers, but I must say there is an interesting twist.
There is plenty of action which is slowed down like in Sherlock Holmes, to allow you to see the blow by blow. It is also very interesting the way they incorporate some of the historical facts of his political life into the movie, like the battle of Gettysburg.
We highly recommend you go see this movie and hope that this review, though short will want you to go and check it out for yourselves.
In the aftermath of the recent tragedy in Colorado, we decided to still go see this movie. It is so sad that there are people in this world who prey on innocent victims in there moments of insanity. Our blessing go out to those have lost loved ones, hurt or suffered any traumatic damage in this incident.
Production Company: Warner Bros. Pictures/DC Entertainment Director: Christopher Nolan Writers: Jonathan Nolan, Christopher Nolan, David S. Goyer, and Bob Kane Main Stars: Christian Bale, Tom Hardy and Anne Hathaway
Eight years on, a new terrorist leader, Bane, overwhelms Gotham's finest, and the Dark Knight resurfaces to protect a city that has branded him an enemy.
I think we all agreed that this movie was well worth the wait. Somehow I expected more with all the hype. But I guess I should have watched the trailer before. Reeshe and Sandy know a lot more about the character of Bain so it was more to their expectations.
I was never much a fan of Christian Bale as Batman fan; I must say he did a really good job. In this movie you see a more emotional side of the Dark Knight, as he struggles with his inner turmoil dealing with his lost love and choosing to protect his beloved Gotham City.
Anne Hathaway as the catwoman/burglar I thought was no Hallie Berry or Michelle Phiffer, but she did a wonderful job. The chemistry between her as Selina Kyle and Bruce Wayne was spectacular...and she sure can handle the bike! Her quirky personality is always a plus too.
My favourite casting was Joseph Gordon-Levitt, who plays Detective Blake. I think he has really come a long way from his role as an alien in the popular 90s TV show Third Rock from the Sun. We can look forward to seeing big rolls from him in the near future.
Although I think this movie could have had a bit more action, we all greatly enjoyed the story and of course seeing all the new bat gadgets.
Production Company: Columbia Pictures/Marvel Studios Director: Marc Webb Writers:James Vanderbilt, Alvin Sargent, Steve Kloves, James Vanderbilt, Stan Lee, and Steve Ditko Main Stars: Andrew Garfield, Emma Stone and Rhys Ifans
Peter Parker finds a clue that might help him understand why his parents disappeared when he was young. His path puts him on a collision course with Dr. Curt Connors, his father's former partner.
Peter Parker finds a clue that might help him understand why his parents disappeared when he was young. His path puts him on a collision course with Dr. Curt Connors, his father's former partner.
At first I was not sure I wanted to see this movie, because I thought it was just another remake of an already great string of movies. But I am glad I watched it, because it totally wasn't. Of course we decided like a lot of new movies, to watch it in 2D...since 3D here sucks! It is certainly not like Universal or Epcot. Maybe it‘s our screen or something...anyway back to the movie.
There is not much I can say about the movies without giving away spoilers. I will say this though, there was plenty of fast paced action and the storyline was done in a completely different way, which made the movie a standalone movie. Being a Spider-man fan I can't say I was disappointed at all...besides the whole him not being able to spin his own web thing which bothered the heck out of Reeshe :-).
I was not sure about the new guy; Andrew Garfield, I mean he is no Toby Maguire...he so skinny! But he pulled it off nicely, showing a more comical side to the character. Emma Stone also did a good job playing Gwen Stacy (the MJ of this movie). I actually liked her because she liked Peter from the beginning, not like the stuck up MJ.
The movie also has a new villain; "The Lizard", which I appreciated that they did not do the whole Green Goblin thing again...although this one was still green. Funny enough this one was not so scary, but still cool.
After a few movies we realize that sometime extras scenes show during or after the credits so we waited back a bit...looks like there might be a sequel brewing! :-)
Writers
Justin Theroux, Chris D'Arienzo, Allan Loeb, Chris D'Arienzo
Main Stars
Diego Boneta, Julianne Hough, Tom Cruise
A small town girl and a city boy meet on the Sunset Strip, while pursuing their Hollywood dreams.
Firstly let me tell you that some of us were totally unaware that this was a musical lol. And it borders the line between PG-13 and R ratings, something we did not realize when we dragged Sandy's little 12 year old brother to watch it.
The movie is about a small town girl coming to find her dream of being a singer in Hollywood, a bartender and his band trying to make it as the next big rock-n-roll success, a couple of stuck in the 80s guys running a club to relive their glory days and of course the washed up Rock God (played by Tom Cruise) looking to rekindle his fire, by going solo.
If you are like me who grew up in the 80s or just like 80s rock, you will love this movie. I was singing along to every song. The producers did a wonderful job in fitting the songs perfectly with each situation.
It was an all around feel good movie, which I enjoyed greatly and would definitely recommend it, and get it on DVD.
Writers
TYler Perry, Mark Andrews, Steve Purcell, Irene Mecchi
Main Stars
TYler Perry, Eugene Levy, Denise Richards
A Wall Street investment banker who has been set up as the linchpin of his company's mob-backed Ponzi scheme is relocated with his family to Aunt Madea's southern home.
At first I thought this movie was going to be about Madea going into the Witness Protection Program, since I did not really watch the trailer. I just love Tyler Perry movies, so it did not really matter to me.
Turns out it is actually the opposite. Her nephew; a lawyer investigating a charity fraud case (played by Tyler Perry himself), asks her to hide his client and his family, who he believes is innocent, from the Mafia until he can testify.There's just one thing...they're white!
The movie was funny but there was something off about it. I thought this was not directed by Tyler Perry himself, because there were some flaws in the acting and camera shots, but then I found out he did direct it.
Madea was just not the same. The real Madea would not hesitate to lash out at an unruly child, but this one maintained control. Perhaps they are trying to change things up a bit, but I say "If it ain't broke, don't fix it!"
I would still commender to go see it, but a true Tyler Perry Madea fan will be a bit disappointed.
I have been given the task of writing the movie reviews for the blog. Since I am not used to doing reviews, it may take me a little while to get the hang of it, and let me apologize now for being late. in my defence, all of these movies are still showing in the theater here in Cayman :-).
If you have already seen the movie, then I encourage you to please share your comments. If you have not, then I hope my review will help you decide it you do or do not want to see it...but please remember it is only my opinion, so watch the trailers first.
Production Company
Walt Disney Pictures/Pixar Animation Studio
Director
Mark Andrews
Brenda Chapman
Steve Purcell
Writers
Brenda Chapman, Mark Andrews, Steve Purcell, Irene Mecchi
Main Stars
Kelly Macdonald, Billy Connolly, Emma Thompson
Determined to make her own path in life, Princess Merida defies a custom that brings chaos to her kingdom. Granted one wish, Merida must rely on her bravery and her archery skills to undo a beastly curse.
First off, I was very glad to see the new short from Pixar, which always come before their movies. This one was actually a bit more vocal terms of grunts, groans and what might have been Spanish?? None the less it is always a pleasure.
The story started off with Merida; a typical little tomboy just trying to be a kid having fun. Her father the king is very playful and childlike himself, encourages her. Her mother the queen on the other hand is trying her best to prepare her in being a lady, for the day she will one date rule the kingdom.
Then comes along her three little little brothers, who do their share in distracting her in their mother's teachings. They are always getting into mischief and trouble, while Merida and their father eggs them on, enjoying their childhood.
One day, Merida gets the news which she is totally oblivious to; all the first born from the surrounding clans will come forth to compete in a competition for her hand in marriage. She of course is upset about this and reluctantly sits in, picking the sport of Archery (her favourite) as the deciding factor.
All hell breaks loose when Merida herself steps in (as first born to her parents) to compete for her own hand, winning the competition by splitting the bullseye arrow down the middle with her own arrow. She is determined to have her way.
Her mother is furious and forbids her, but Merida runs off into the woods. She finds these mysterious glowing fairy like creatures called wisps and follows them even deeper into the woods. There she finds a mysterious cabin, and a wood carver/witch whom she begs to give her a spell to help her change the outcome of her destiny.
Despite the witches warning she uses the spell with devastating results. She has only two days to reverse the spell by mending the bond between her and her mother, while trying to protect her from danger.
This was a wonderful tale, and just goes to show, be careful what you wish for, because it might not be exactly what you hoped for.
Writers
Evan Daugherty, John Lee Hancock, and Hossein Amini
Main Stars
Kristen Stewart, Chris Hemsworth, and Charlize Theron
In a twist to the fairy tale, the Huntsman ordered to take Snow White into the woods to be killed winds up becoming her protector and mentor in a quest to vanquish the Evil Queen. .
Despite my best efforts I went into Snow White and the Huntsman with high hopes which is probably why I came out a little disappointed. Not to say that is wasn't a good movie, there were some parts that were even great but overall Snow White and the Huntsman was a movie that had the potential to be an amazing fantasy but just didn't quite reach it and I think I know why. However, before I tell you what I didn't like about Snow White and the Huntsman let me tell you what I loved.
In the words of Jim Moriarty from the television show Sherlock "Every fairy tale needs a good old fashion villain" and Ravenna, the Evil Queen (played by Charlize Theron) was a Villain with a capital V. A woman who was both cruel and vain but a woman who could also appear vulnerable and, in times of loneliness, broken. There is a reason that you mostly see this character in the trailers despite the title of the movie because it really is all about her. She gets more back story and development then basically every other character in this whole movie.
My other favourite part about this movie was that it was beautiful..to look at. From the scenery to the close ups this movie was just a feast for the eyes. So much so that I wish I had pictures or clips to show you what I am talking about because it's really hard to put into words how wonderful it was just to watch this movie and not for the story but for the setting, and costumes, and landscapes.
And now for my last and most favourite part of the movie, which might make it sound like the movie was crap because it's the credits. The credits were beautifully done and again it's another thing you have to see but the graphics paired with Florence and the Machine's Breath of Life was just perfect.
Now for what made the movie less than great, there was hardly any character interaction at all. Snow White barely talks, Kristen Stewart probably has about twenty lines in the whole film, is this why she was better here than in Twilight I don't know but her lack of speech left for very little communication between her and everyone else. There was also very little communication between supporting characters which I think stifled character development a lot so I up ended not really caring about mostly everyone. I thought William was really cute (I like archers) but he was just the childhood friend that missed his chance, the huntsman had a bit of development but when a crucial turning point took place in the movie I was in disbelief because I found it hard to believe he would do such a thing. The scenes with the Queen and the Dwarves were where most of the characters actually spoke to each other which is sad because none of them were titular characters.
Snow White and the Huntsman had a lot of promise but in the end all I can really say is that it was a very pretty film.
Main Stars
Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson
Liam Hemsworth, Woody Harrelson, Lenny Kravitz, and Elizabeth Banks
Set in a future where the Capitol selects a boy and girl from the twelve districts to fight to the death on live television, Katniss Everdeen volunteers to take her younger sister's place for the latest match. Based on the bestselling novel of the same name by Suzanne Collins.
As a fan of The Hunger Games trilogy I went into this movie, despite my best efforts, with very high hopes. Which of course always worries me because the higher the hope the lower the chances they will be met. This is almost always the case for me with book to movie adaptations despite my understanding that there will be necessary changes in the movie version. Scenes and characters will be changed or completely left out while others will be added to better adapt the story and sometimes I can live with the changes no problem but other times they will jump out and nag at me. To reduce the possibility of this occurring, from my experience, its best to always treat the movie as a separate entity and refrain from comparing it to the book. So the question isn't “was The Hunger Games movie as good as the book?” No, the question is “was the The Hunger Games a good movie?”
Judging from the reactions of the group of nine people I attended the movie with (only two of us actually having read the books) I would say that the majority of people (if not everyone) thought that the movie was very good. Kitten thought it was awesome, Reeshe, judging it as a movie alone, gave it a 4.5/5 and I have to agree with her. My little brother had already said he wanted to get the DVD before the movie was even finished and my little sister kept going over parts of the movie on our way home. Even my co-worker, who just saw it yesterday, said that The Hunger Games was one of the best movies he had seen in a long time.
What I really enjoyed about The Hunger Games is that it did not fail in engaging me. Maybe part of it is because I was already invested in the characters by reading the books but throughout the film, from beginning to end, the movie had me sitting still with tension, gasping in shock, laughing at shots of humour and crying with grief at heart-breaking moments. Even when I knew what was coming, apprehension would take over as I waited for a scene to play out; this I think had a lot to do with use of sound in the film.
Throughout the movie at particularly pivotal scenes there would be no background music at all telling us how to feel - just the characters, their dialogue and their actions. For many parts of the film I thought this technique worked very well to establish the atmosphere but at other times I thought it was overused and left a scene feeling awkward or incomplete. I haven't heard or read anyone else commenting on this particular aspect of the film, however, so this may have just been me seeing this as a problem. Something I have heard more than one person mention though, including myself, is the use of the shaky cam. I don't like this technique very much; it makes it very hard to focus on a scene and if it's over used it can move from irritating to headache inducing. Thankfully the shaky cam in the film did not become that severe of an issue for me and I will admit there were many times where its use made me feel like I was right in the middle of the action. But, like the "lack of sound" technique when overused I did find the shaking camera irritating when it made it difficult for me to tell what was happening in a scene, particularly in a fight.
Thankfully though these issues were minor when you look at the movie as a whole and focus on what did work. The casting for the movie, in my opinion, was spot on. Jennifer Lawrence was Katniss Everdeen; the emotions she displayed through just her facial expressions spoke volumes. The games puts their contestants through a lot of torment even before the actual fighting begins and the way Jennifer played in every single scene felt positively genuine. She could be vulnerable and caring while also being strong and determined. Another favourite was Josh Hutcherson, who played the charming and manipulative Peeta Mellark, for me he was another actor who became the character. It's also I think important to mention that although each of these supporting actors only had a handful of scenes - Woody Harrelson, Lenny Kravitz, and Elizabeth Banks that each of their roles stood out to me and are not easily forgotten.
Judging as an Adaptation
In the hands of someone else who might not have respected this series I could easily see this movie just be a shallow story about children killing children on reality TV but the core of the book is much more than that and I think that the movie captured it perfectly. There were changes of course, a character was removed, and scenes were added while others were left out but I was fine with all of them. I even think that the movie was better for it. There is one vital aspect from the book however near the end that was left out, and I had not remembered it until Reeshe had mentioned it that may affect how the future movies are made. I think though that the change still has time to be salvaged if they address it in the second movie so we'll see what happens when Catching Fire comes out so I still give the movie as an adaptation a 4.5/5. Reeshe on the other hand was not happy with a few of the changes made, particularly ones that had to do with portrayal of the character personalities and development and rates the movie, as an adaptation, a 3/5.
Production Company
Screen Gems/Lakeshore Entertainment/Saturn Films
Director
Måns Mårlind and Björn Stein
Writers
Len Wiseman, John Hlavin, J. Michael Straczynski
Allison Burnett and Len Wiseman (story)
Main Stars
Kate Beckinsale,Stephen Rea
Michael Ealy, Theo James and India Eisley
When human forces discover the existence of the Vampire and Lycan clans, a war to eradicate both species commences. The vampire warrior Selene leads the battle against humankind.
The moment I saw the trailer for this movie my first impression was that it reminded me of Resident Evil which disappointed me. I am not saying there is anything wrong with Resident Evil but if I am seeing a trailer for an Underworld sequel it should have the vibe of it's predecessors not the vibe of an unrelated movie franchise. Initial vibe disappointment set aside I was also worried about the lack of Scott Speedman in the trailer, Michael was a pivotal character in the first movie and a main character in the second and after finding out that Scott Speedman wasn't in this movie but his character was I didn't want to see the movie at all. I of course came around when I found out that he might possibly be in the fifth.
Underworld: Awakening begins with Selene recounting the events of the first two movies and ending with the fact that the world is under Martial Law because humans have now discovered the existence of both vampires and lycans referring to them as the Infected. Queue in a montage of scenes and news reels showing what looks to be S.W.A.T clad men forcibly entering homes and exterminating anyone they discover to be "infected" amid riots and bombings and you get a pretty good idea of how crazy the world has become. Which is why Selene tells us that her and Michael are leaving tonight, leaving to go where the viewer doesn't know nor does it matter since both Selene and Michael don't escape, in fact Selene gets captured and entombed in a container of ice for twelve years while Michael's fate is unknown.
What is found however is a little girl who isn’t human with a mental connection to Selene. Why they have a connection is pretty obvious but I had a hard time even considering the factor until it was actually stated in the movie. Selene and Michael have a daughter, a twelve year old girl who is in fact a hybrid and the institution who had captured Selene want her, not only that but so do the lycans.
Underworld: Awakening was an unsurprisingly, fast paced action-packed movie filled with guns, head-slicings and the usual vampire versus lycan fighting scenarios. I found it vastly entertaining but entirely too short. The movie is a mere ninety minutes long and could have been lengthened and fleshed out with some much needed character development and world-building. We barely find out anything about Selene's daughter, how she came to be, how her life has been, we don't even get her name. We also don't get any explanation on how the world became to be the way that it is. How did the humans find out about lycans and vampires, how was it so easy for them to find most of the covens and lycan hideouts and why was the story moved from Great Britain/Europe to the USA? The location change made no sense to me and caused the mood to feel like a diluted version of the previous Underworld films in my opinion.
Still, despite these few failings if another sequel is made I will be seeing it because I am quite curious to find out what happens next. And if you're an Underworld fan don't miss out on the movie, I think you'll enjoy it, but don't expect it to be your favourite.
Main Stars
Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson, Taylor Lautner
The Quileute and the Volturi close in on expecting parents Edward and Bella, whose unborn child poses different threats to the wolf pack and vampire coven.
Warning: Spoilers
Reeshe's Review
I enjoined this movie very much but I think the disappointing part of Breaking Dawn part 1 was when I found out that I would have to wait an entire year to watch part 2. Breaking Dawn was exciting, I never knew what was coming and it gave me goose bumps. I love that Jacob has finally found someone but I also can’t wait to find out what the Volturi will do about Bella or worst when they find out about the baby.
This movie is a rave but I fear that waiting so long will turn me off part 2.
Sandy's Review
Speaking as a non-fan this movie was surprisingly not as bad as I thought it would be even though I found myself laughing most of the time. Except for being a bit drawn out, it was obviously made for book fans and was actually quite decent. When comparing to the previous films I thought the actors were a lot better, there was a lot more humor and I didn’t find Bella dull. She was in danger again of course but this time it wasn’t just outward forces trying to kill her but her own unborn child. Kristen Stewart wasn’t overly awkward in this role and Bella actually seemed like a strong character in a subtle way.
Worst scene: where the wolf pack, as wolves, was communicating telepathically, it was cheesy and their voices, which were altered to have an undercurrent growl, sounded ridiculous.
Best scene: was actually a scene that had me cringing and a few have described as horror movie worthy – the birth scene. It was as if Bella was giving birth to the Anti-Christ - it was everything a normal birth scene had but turned up by 100.
