 21 |  2 |
| Year: | 2014 |
| Genre: | Drama, Sci-Fi |
| Director: | Phillip Noyce |
| Stars: | Brenton Thwaites, Jeff Bridges, Meryl Streep |
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| Language: English Runtime: 100 min Subtitles: Italian Resolution: 704x480 Frame Rate: 25 fps Video Bitrate: 5428 Kb/sec Audio Bitrate: 384 kbps |
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Review: |
| 19 | 3 |
| Year: | 2014 |
| Genre: | Action, Adventure |
| Director: | Renny Harlin |
| Stars: | Kellan Lutz, Gaia Weiss, Scott Adkins |
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| Language: English Runtime: 99 min Subtitles: Italian Resolution: 704x480 Frame Rate: 25 fps Video Bitrate: 5428 Kb/sec Audio Bitrate: 384 kbps |
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Review: Step aside, Kevin Sorbo, we have a new man for the role of Hercules and his name is Kellan Lutz. If you have no idea who Mr Lutz is, check out his appearances in the Twilight instalments.Anyway back to The Legend of Hercules. As the title suggests, this is an origin story that sets up the demigod character. Despised by his father King Amphitryon (Scott Adkins) since the day he was born, Hercules - the son of Zeus and Queen Alcmene (Roxanne McKee) - is sent to war after failing to elope with his true love, Princess Hebe (Gaia Weiss). King Amphitryon favors his elder son, Iphicles (Liam Garrigan); unfortunately he is not warrior material let alone lead a kingdom and winning the heart of Princess Hebe. As fate would have it, Hercules survived the war and returns to reclaim his love and kingdom from the wrath of King Amphitryon. The poster reads From the director of Cliffhanger and Die Hard 2 - its unfortunate they forgot to add in the fact that both were movies from more than twenty years ago, and Renny Harlins directing career has long been sunk by a certain Cutthroat Island. Lets face it; The Legend of Hercules isnt going to resurrect Harlins status in Hollywood anytime soon. While similarly themed movies such as 300, Immortals and Clash of the Titans are known more for their visual aesthetics than storytelling, The Legend of Hercules failed miserably on both accounts. Filmed entirely in Eastern Europe because of cheaper costs and taxes, Harlins movie mimics the feel and look of its predecessors while pretending to strip down to the grittiness of that era. However every single set piece looks like a cheap knock-off, right down to the CG extensions - case in point, one seriously fake looking puppeteer lion looks even worse than that in cable series Spartacus and Rome.Written by at least four credited writers (one of them from the terrible Conan the Barbarian remake and Harlin himself), it is such a shame that the supposedly mythology-inspired story instead resembles Ridley Scotts Gladiator more than anything - if you recall, Maximus, was also betrayed and sold to slavery but made a comeback for revenge. We didnt realize that the legendary Greek hero Hercules actually ventures on the same path until now.Unimaginative plotting aside, the movie suffers from incredible clunky, modernized dialogue peppered with a variety of British and American accents and awful delivery from the actors. With the exception of McKee and Adkins (surprisingly turning in a solid performance), most of the cast members - especially Lutz - needs to sign up for advanced acting classes. Minus off all the disemboweling, limb and head severing and bloodshed you normally would have expect from such a theme (an obvious attempt to lure in younger audiences), The Legend of Hercules quickly dissolves into a predictable yawn fest.Its a tad disappointing that a movie about a demigod with incredible strength fares without emotion and plays like generally a mere paint-by- number adventure. Comparing to the 1997 animated feature by Disney, this one is hardly worth the time. |
| 5 | 5 |
| Year: | 2013 |
| Genre: | Action, Crime, Thriller |
| Director: | Justin Lin |
| Stars: | Vin Diesel, Paul Walker, Dwayne Johnson |
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| Language: English Runtime: 130 min Subtitles: Italian Resolution: 704x480 Frame Rate: 25 fps Video Bitrate: 5428 Kb/sec Audio Bitrate: 384 kbps |
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Review: Fast & Furious over the last few installments has become all about action. And the latest outing takes it a step further. Almost 20% of the movie is comprised of action sequences. And at the expense of action, plot, writing, characters all take a backseat. But no ones complaining. Why ? Because the action makes up for all of it.Do the above statements sound cliché ??? The movies plot is full of such silly dialogs so its best ignored in the current context. What works is the action - Lin and his crew bring us some of the most ridiculously outrageous and boldly conceived action sequences. Theres an intense chase through London in the initial reels and also a race later on. Theres a whole plane take-off-crash sequence towards the end that youve probably got a glimpse of in the trailers. The girls are no slouches either and we see an intense hand-to-hand fight of sorts between Michelle Rodriguezs Letty and Gina Caranos Riley.But the movies best sequence is undoubtedly the 10 minute Tank chase across the freeway that involves most of the cast and culminates in a breathtaking catch (about which Id not say any further). The camera cuts like crazy, music is pulsating and that single sequence is probably worth the price of the movie ticket.Apart from action, Furious 6 doesnt have much going for it. Dialog is standard, at times even silly and predictable, characters are flat, performances are decent. The car chases and night scenes got me so involved, I actually felt a bit strange leaving the theater and coming out into the real worlds broad daylight. And the post-credits scene is simply, a treat which makes the next installment in the series worth looking forward to. Suffice it to say that in the end, the movie drifts full circle.Watch it for the action, and for the action alone. If you expect any sort of character development or family issues like the first installment had, youll be disappointed. Else, youre in for one hell of a ride.Score: 7 / 10 |
| 5 | 2 |
| Year: | 2013 |
| Genre: | Animation, Adventure, Family |
| Director: | Chris Wedge |
| Stars: | Amanda Seyfried, Josh Hutcherson, Beyoncé Knowles |
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| Language: English Runtime: 102 min Subtitles: Italian Resolution: 704x480 Frame Rate: 25 fps Video Bitrate: 5428 Kb/sec Audio Bitrate: 384 kbps |
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Review: My third film for this Memorial Day weekend takes me out of the rated R woods and into one that is more magical and kid friendly. No Im not on drugs, Im talking about the movie Epic, Blue Sky Studios (BSS) latest animated installment. Ill admit that seeing the trailers last summer got me stoked at the potential for comedy, action, and a heartwarming tale. Yet like many movies I feared that I would be disappointed by the final product. What was the verdict? Read on to find out.As the trailers promised, the world of Epic is a beautiful creation of art, computer graphics, and attention to detail. The animators at BSS do their homework when it comes to creating their worlds/characters, managing to capture the natural grooves, curves, and texture of natures beauty. From the lines in the various leaves to the warped and horrific dimensions of rot, Epics visuals are indeed some of the finest Ive seen in a while. They dont stop there however, as the team took another step up to develop their creatures of fantasy. The denizens of the hidden world in the forest impressed me, as a beautiful blend of human anatomy and environment melded into a combination that I could only dream of. Of course like many movies, there was plenty of cookie cutting going on, especially in scenes where there were mass congregations or when the enemy swarmed the scene. Despite this minor flaw though, Epics world is clever, bold, and magical.Yet visuals probably isnt the main reason most will be seeing this movie is it? Many people may be going to take a young family member/friend to see a fun adventure. If that is the case, Epic is your movie of choice as the children in my theater were dazzled by what the movie had to offer. The comedy styles of Mub (Aziz Ansari) and Grub (Chris ODowd) might have been the most entertaining factor for the audience. Both Ansari and ODowd throw their two cents into the fray, one thinking he is a player, while the other wants to be a knight. Yet both are goofballs doing odd tricks, making silly faces, and performing mannerisms that the young and young at heart will love. Their voices matched the characters incredibly well for me, both giving the lines the perfect punch to leave me in stitches. Of course the other characters have some one hit wonders when it comes to making people laugh. A three legged dog, a clumsy professor and even Nod (Josh Hutcherson) have a few moments that are quite amusing. Aside from two wisecracking slugs what else might grab the audiences attention? I would have to say the action/adventure of the movie was the next big factor. I cant lie it didnt meet my expectations, but then again it is a kids movie. Instead of the Lord of the Rings like battles, most of the fighting was limited to well-placed arrow shots, a few punches, and a couple of sword slashes. Again the younger audience will mostly think it was awesome, but dont get your hopes too high. When Nod or Ronin (Colin Farrell) fly birds is where the real excitement comes into play. Like a mad roller coaster ride, the audience gets to watch the majestic dance unfold as the airborne steeds navigate through natures obstacles whilst their riders flip acrobatically to avoid danger. Overall the violence has been brought to a bare minimum, and parents wont have to worry about their kids acting out a beheading scene. Amidst the excitement though is a bit of sadness as well. For me I foresaw many things coming, but younger audience members might get a little upset at some of the sadder scenes in this movie. Some scenes even scared a few of the younger audience members, particularly those that involved the loud roars and creature popping out of the ground, so again be cautious when taking them. Despite how much of this is geared towards kids though, there are still a few thing BSS did to entertain the adult audience. Mubs jokes have some adult humor in it, which will surely get some laughs, though not as many as Donkey from Shrek. Unlike most kid movies, Epic d... |
| 5 | 4 |
| Year: | 2013 |
| Genre: | Adventure, Family, Fantasy |
| Director: | Thor Freudenthal |
| Stars: | Logan Lerman, Alexandra Daddario, Brandon T. Jackson |
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| Language: English Runtime: 106 min Subtitles: Italian Resolution: 704x480 Frame Rate: 25 fps Video Bitrate: 5428 Kb/sec Audio Bitrate: 384 kbps |
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Review: I love the Percy Jackson books, its one of my favourite book series. Thought the first film was alright, but a mediocre version of the books. When I heard that there was going to be a second one, I was very skeptical that it would work considering the number of bad changes theyve done to the Lightning Thief. But once I learned that screen writers Scott Alexander & Larry Karaszewski were hired to adapt it (who arent credited for some reason), I began to feel hopeful for the Sea of Monsters. Alexander and Karaszewski had previously worked on the bio-pics Ed Wood, The People vs. Larry Flynt, and Man on the Moon. I thought that theyd look up the books and do justice to Percy Jackson.Just came back from seeing it and I really like it, thought it was better than The Lightning Thief. I didnt think that it was a great film, some of the dialogue felt awkward to me, but overall I had fun and felt some justice was done. Yes, there was some changes made to the Sea of Monsters but nothing as bad as the previous film. I enjoyed watching Stanley Tucci (Mr. D), Anthony Stewart Head (Chiron), and Ron Perlman (Polyphemus). Definitely see it if you like the books. Now Im hoping to see the next films in the series! |
| 19 | 1 |
| Year: | 2013 |
| Genre: | Action, Adventure, Fantasy |
| Director: | Harald Zwart |
| Stars: | Lily Collins, Jamie Campbell Bower, Robert Sheehan |
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| Language: English Runtime: 130 min Subtitles: Italian Resolution: 704x480 Frame Rate: 25 fps Video Bitrate: 5428 Kb/sec Audio Bitrate: 384 kbps |
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Review: I just got done watching a midnight showing of City of Bones. First off I will say that I am a fan of the series and I will try to make this review as middle ground as possible.I have spent the last few days reading over threads on the discussion board and once the critics reviews came out I read most of those too. Yes I know a lot were negative and abrasive, and sometimes even childish in their mockery of the young adult genre. I went into this movie as open-minded as possible knowing that there were some changes made to the film.Firstly, several reviews, both good and bad, had issues with the pacing. The time line is very condensed at the start of the film so things do seem to be happening in a whirlwind. This is because they condensed a few of the events from the novel into a shorter time span to enable the movie not to drawl on and be way too long. I didnt mind how they chose to change things up a bit and thought they tied things together fairly well. I just could see it being a bit hard to follow for the non fans that dont know what was cut out.I was worried about the romance being played up too much since some reviews were so caught up in the triangle. It was a small part of the bigger story much like in the book. Parts of it did come off a bit cheesy, but overall it did not overpower the movie like I thought it was.I really enjoyed the action sequences. They werent too short or too long and I felt they were well coordinated. Theres definitely enough action for the guys that will be dragged to this with their girlfriends.Some of the changes will probably be unsettling to the fans or upsetting because more of the film was different than I was warned or expected. Many reviewers were adamant that it kept to the book most of the time, but I would say it was a pretty even mix.Like most fans I had a certain idea how some scenes or characters would be and I felt a little let down because characters werent how I imagined or expected them. Magnus falls flat and lacks the charisma and attitude of his book counterpart. I also felt the way Valentine was played/portrayed did not fall in line with how he was in the book. But everyone who reads has there own interpretations and he wasnt close to he Valentine I had envisioned.Lastly I feel this is a pretty solid movie for the fans and non readers. I wouldnt say its perfect, few movies have ever come close to achieving that status. There are a lot of good elements going on here and a lot of decent acting from people I least expected it given the time they had to actually develop the characters. If you have any interest in watching the movie dont let all the negativity sway you. Go in with an open mind and make your own judgement. I wont say I loved this movie, but I did really enjoy it and would definitely see it again. |
| 24 | 1 |
| Year: | 2014 |
| Genre: | Comedy |
| Director: | Wes Anderson |
| Stars: | Ralph Fiennes, F. Murray Abraham, Mathieu Amalric |
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| Language: English Runtime: 100 min Subtitles: Italian Resolution: 704x480 Frame Rate: 25 fps Video Bitrate: 5428 Kb/sec Audio Bitrate: 384 kbps |
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Review: Wes Anderson is one of the most original film makers working today. None of his films can be categorized into any particular genre. His latest, The Grand Budapest Hotel, which opened the Berlin Film Festival, continues that trend. It is a tale within a tale within another tale. Whilst every shot has been meticulously arranged as though a work of Art hanging in a museum, story wise Anderson has let his imagination run wild. Though the tale (with Tom Wilkinson as the author of the story) and the tale within the tale (with Jude Law as the young author & F Murray Abraham as the mysterious owner of THe Grand Budapest Hotel) have straightforward narratives, the tale within the tale within the tale, which comprises the bulk of the film and is set in the years preceding the Second World War, is a wild uproarious train ride of story telling. It also boasts the cast of a life time: Ralph Fiennes, Tilda Swinton, Edward Norton, Adrien Brody, Willem Dafoe, Harvey Keitel, Jeff Goldblum, Bill Murray, Owen Wilson & countless cameos. It will delight Anderson fans but is more likely destined for Art house cinemas as it is too off center for mainstream audiences. The production design and music are outstanding and even the end credits are imaginatively done (and received another ovation from the audience). |
