21

i recently saw this one in the cheap theater. it didnt ever grab my interest enough to go pay full price, but i had some time, and this was the best option.
the movie is ok, its nothing special, but its a bit of fun. the story is about a kid who needs money to pay for college and gets roped into a secret society of math nerds who work a plan to count cards and win money in vegas. the biggest problem with this movie is that there is nothing at all original about it. each and every story point is quite predictable, and there doesnt really seem to be an attempt to break from that generic mold. the plot twists are obvious and not at all surprising. he does well, gets a big ego, gets cut down, and gets the bad guy in the end. yawn.
the good thing going for it is its cast. everybody does a good job, including kevin spacey and laurence fishburne. the main character, played by jim sturgess, does a good job and is quite likable. the best casting goes to some of the second string characters. i really loved aaron yoo as choi and jacob pitts as fisher. i wished we could have seen more of them.
i guess its pretty good for a vegas cards movie, but instantly forgetable.

star rating

i recently reorganized this page of 'poke it with a stick'. now, as an added bonus, all the movies written about here have been categorized based on the tried and true method of the five star grading system. be sure to check out which films are the cream of the crop five stars, and if you are feeling masochistic, check out the terrible one star films. the categories can be seen over there on the right.

check it out!

breach

i had heard so many good thing about this movie, about how its just a good old fashioned tightly wound thriller, that i figured id check it out.
the story is about a new fbi employee trying to make agent. he is put on the case of spying on a fellow fbi employee who seems to be doing a few things that he shouldnt. the reason for spying on him is kept closely guarded from the main character as well as us the audience. as he starts to get to know the man hes working for/spying on, he starts to connect to him and really wants to know what is up. from there things start to spiral out of control as dynamics change, and change again.
as far as a movie goes, this one is actually pretty good. they do a great job with keeping us guessing and keeping us off balance. my biggest problem with the movie actually started before i watched it: i really dont like ryan phillippe. hes a crappy actor who always looks wooden and talks through pursed lips. this movie did nothing to change my perspective, and i think this would have been a lot better film if they had gotten someone else to play the part.

the happening

wow. sometimes i am prone to exaggerate, but this time i really mean it: this is the worst movie i have ever seen in my entire life.

let me defend that statement- i am a huge supporter of m. night shyamalan, i have been a fan ever since 'sixth sense'. i loved that movie very much. i loved 'unbreakable' even more, i would put it on the top five movies i have ever seen. 'signs' was great, loved 'the village', i even enjoyed 'lady in the water', so my statement above i write with sadness. and its not just the twist endings, his movies have always been so good that they stand up to repeat viewing because of the strong writing. m. night has always been so good with his stories and with his dialog. the way he handles a couple about to divorce and giving it another try in 'unbreakable' is moving and honest. the relationship between the two brothers with different beliefs in 'signs' was truthful and poignant. but 'the happening'? complete and total crap.
where do i even begin? the story is idiotic and the writing is borderline retarded. the story is about a sudden attack from some viral infection that kills everyone it touches. we follow a small group of people as they try to outrun it. basic enough, but with a lot of opportunities to do something interesting with it. none of those opportunities are taken. everything in the movie is so bad i dont know if i can only blame shymalan, or if the actors should be at fault too. it almost seems like the director told them to put less emotion into it, that they were acting too natural. the characters are so stiff and robotic that it has to be a joke. wouldnt someone at some point during the filming or editing process maybe have said 'look, night, this is terrible, we cant release something this bad!' or maybe this is the result of some sort of bet with his friends where he said 'i can make the worst movie ever, and people will still see it because its got my name on it!'. looks like he won, and we all lost.
here, let me offer up these actual lines from the movie as proof of its quality: "you know, I think hot dogs get a bad wrap...you like hot dogs, dontcha?", "Why you eyeing my lemon drink?", "We can't just stand here as uninvolved observers!", "she said she was going to the town of Princeton". dont worry, they dont make much more sense in context. at one point the main characters are standing around a parking lot and one asks 'how are we going to get out of here without a car?' just then a car pulls up behind them, and another character points to it and says 'look, a car. maybe we can catch a ride with them!' and yes, it was performed about as 'community theater' like as it sounds. the characters always seem to be in just the right place at the right times, they always happen to turn on the radio or tv just in time to hear exactly what they need to, and they sure do love to talk to themselves! right from the very first line it became apparent that this one was meant for the likes of 'mystery science theater 3000'.
i implore you, do not go see this movie. it already got my 8 bucks, let this be a warning to you, i took one for the team here so you dont have to.

the incredible hulk

i went to go see this over the weekend and loved it! its kind of strange for them to restart the whole hulk thing only five years after the last one. now, there are a lot of people who give the other hulk movie a lot of grief but i dont really understand why. i really enjoyed the older one. sure, it was a bit more cerebral then it needed to be, but i found it interesting. and i really loved the comic art frames that the director used. the could have done without the hulk dogs, but the rest i enjoyed.
anyway, here we are with a reboot of the hulk. the movie recaps the first one in about the first minute! they sure get that whole origin stuff out of the way fast. we find bruce banner running from the law and trying to create an antidote to the thing that happens to him. hes been trying to keep his heart rate down by taking meditation classes and everything. well, soon enough the government is on to him and the chase begins. it leads back to america and confronting an equally powerful nemisis: the abomination!
the film does a great job of making bruce banner, and in turn the hulk, a very believable person. edward norton does a great job of showing the conflicted nature of banner as he tries to find a cure, and hating his other half for putting people in danger. the action is intense, and the bad guy finally gives him a fair challenge. this is the movie everyone seemed to want when the last one came out- tons of action, a good story, and the uttering of the popular 'hulk smash!' phrase. this movie does the same thing that 'iron man' before it did: makes us care about a character, and shows us the awe of seeing a real superhero in action.

the ruins

my mom always told me that if you cant say anything nice, dont say anything at all. i believe i will take her advice on this one.

indiana jones 4

ive been waiting for this one for quite some time. growing up i would watch the original indiana jones movies many times over, and always loved them. now, i think its a sign of my age when i say that the original is not my favorite. most people who were in to movies when 'raiders of the lost ark' came out stand firm to the opinion that it is the best one. well, i was only 2 years old when it came out, so i am not among those who saw it in the theater its first time through... but, when the third one came out i was the perfect age of 10, when seeing previews for a movie of adventure, daring do, guys on motorcycles and tanks and horses, and a guy in a cool hat and a whip, just sent my imagination soaring! for me, 'indiana jones and the last crusade' tops my list of favorites. i mean, its got harrison ford and sean connery- what more could you ask?!?
because of these vivid childhood memories, i had been really looking forward to the new indy movie. now that ive seen it i must say, its not too bad. i had been hoping for the best but expecting the worst. turned out to be ok. the story line is a bit ridiculous, but arent they all? the action was fast and fun, they did a good job of coming up with new action and different stuff for him to do, but that joy and excitement of the first three was missing. granted, this could just be because im older and not as awed by these things as i used to be. my biggest gripes would be that there is too much digital effects, and showy camera moves. some of the stuff that made the originals so cool was the basic approach to the film making. it seemed that it was intentionally striped down to simple camera moves and angles, and old school practical effects. now they have the cameras movies under vehicles and through scenery which feels too modern. and the charm of the down and dirty effects has been replaced by glossy computer effects that are too clean and empty. the title object, the crystal skull, was kind of lame too. they seemed to have spared no expense with most of the film, but the skull itself just looked like a clear plastic case with saran wrap inside- very cheesy. and i really missed all the supporting characters, from marcus brody to sallah. they make brief mention of their absence, but its unfortunate and they could have been included fairly easily. the much celebrated return of marion ravenwood was also handled quite poorly. there could have been some great conversations between the two of them, but instead its just a couple lines to acknowledge it, and then back to the action.
all that aside though, it really sucked me in! hearing that music, seeing harrison ford back in action, and just enjoying the ride really got me. at one point during the movie i came back to my own head and looked around and remembered that i was in a theater and i am not a 10 year old boy- and i was genuinely shocked! it did such a great job of sweeping me up into it that i guess all the criticisms i have about it can be forgiven. once again i was 10 and my imagination was soaring. what more can i ask of a movie, really?