Posts Tagged ‘review’

Iron Man 2 Review

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Posted 09 May 2010 — by ckapps
Category T.O.F.

Overall Movie Score: 9 out of 10

Last song heard: (lyrical slaughter – yung al ft. cory gunz)
Last food eaten: Cereal
See this film?: definitely

Robert Downey Jr was the best reason to watch the first Iron Man film since he seemed to slide into the role of Tony Stark so flawlessly and effortlessly. RDJ is just as amusing and fun to watch in Iron Man 2. If there were any doubts left over from RDJ’s portrayal of Tony Stark from the first film, they’re inevitably washed away with his convincing performance in the sequel. Newcomers Mickey Rourke, Sam Rockwell, and Scarlett Johansson are just as impressive.

Rourke has been on an incredible streak since The Wrestler and puts in another solid performance here. His Russian accent is pretty spot on and he shows a wider range of emotion that you may have not been expecting.

Rockwell has been on my “actors to keep an eye on” radar since Confessions of a Dangerous Mind and Moon. I thoroughly enjoyed his smarmy performance as Hammer, who has all of the tools at his disposal to make as big of an impact on the world as Tony Stark has only to wind up falling short in the long run. The flirting between Tony and Johansson’s Natalie Rushman is pretty captivating, but her crowning achievement is her fight scene in the latter half of the film that practically steals the show.

Don Cheadle does have a few humorous one-liners and is great as War Machine, but doesn’t really add anything that Terrence Howard already established with the role in the first film other then a more “stern” look to him then a “laid back” approachable guy. It’s slightly disappointing since Cheadle is known for his strong acting roles, but may be a result of the way the Capt. James Rhodes character was written for both films.

The final conclusion along with any other action scene is nothing short of epic in this film. The audience in the theatre actually clapped and cheered in amazement of the final fight scene where iron man and war machine take on numerous replica drones and the villain whiplash. The way the scene is made is nothing short of jaw dropping, not only because the effects were amazing, but because there use of camera movement along with everything going on made it look like one of those choreographed dances that leave you amazed…..only instead of dancing they were KICKING ASS! its hard to explain, but its nothing short of amazing.

The main reason why iron man 2 isent just another sequel and isent just another marvel film is the way they mesh story, character development and action perfectly to make you care about the outcome of the film in total rather then just waiting for the action scenes. The film has a life of its own.

Iron man 2 was amazing. See this film.

The following clip is from the BEGINNING of the film and shows Tony stark (iron man) getting to his expo show in nothing short of amazing fashion. (keep in mind in the end of the first film he exposed that he was iron man)

The awesome trailer

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The Assassination Of Jesse James By The Coward Robert Ford Review.

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Posted 14 Apr 2010 — by ckapps
Category T.O.F.

Overall Movie score: 9 1/2 out of 10

Last Song Heard: (uptown Drake ft. Lil wayne)
Last Food Eaten: Chicken
See This Film?: YES

From writer/director Andrew Dominik comes the long titled and lengthy timed The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford starring Academy Award nominee Brad Pitt and Casey Affleck. The film in so much of its glory has positive components that make this an unforgettable experience at the movies.

Many critics were stating Brad Pitt gave his best performance ever in Babel however, his Jesse James is the best performance of his career by a mile. Pitt wears Jesse like an overgrown coat that you don’t want to get rid of. Pitt gives the most tortured, endearing, and frightening performance thus far. He makes the audience so uncomfortable and awkward yet gives off sensitivity and compassion for a very unlikable and ferocious man.

Casey Affleck, arguably the better actor of the Affleck clan gives the most pathetic, annoying and cowardly performance in the last ten years; and its brilliant. With his deep “admiration” for Jesse, his Robert Ford is obsessed with Jesse’s presence and wants enjoy the moments with him, even if he is in fear of him. The finale is truly his show as he stretches out his acting legs and dissolves into a character you can’t wait to see off-screen

The musical score by Nick Cave and Warren Ellis is on par with Clint Mansell’s classic Requiem for a Dream score, if not better. In the films most horrific scenes, the music turns them into something beautiful. You’ll want to sit through the end credits just to hear it one more time. The music will draw you back to the film to see it again. The score also fits the tone for the most of the scenes.

Andrew Dominik’s direction is perfect. He uses the camera in such a unique way that you never miss anything that happens. In one of the film’s best scenes, he places the camera so that you can only see Pitt’s silhouette become meshed into a train’s smoke and then reappear seconds later as it pops out. Dominik also wrote the entire script by himself, which really shows how versatile he is. He originally wrote the film into a 3hr and 50min cut that the studio made him trash.

This film is an epic in itself. the story unfolds, we get deeply involved in the characters, the conclusion happens and we even get the sad, emotional aftermath.

If you are a true fan of incredible story telling, if you are a fan of real art in film, mark my words you will appreciate this film. Its beautiful and too this day still one of my favorites.

Below i will post the trailer and a clip.
Just A T.O.F

for several seconds we, the audience, are in complete darkness and can only hear the oncoming train…
then we see that headlight coming round the corner…and the music starts…
that’s just great movie-making. i love this scene

The trailer, WATCH!!

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Brooklyn’s Finest Review.

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Posted 09 Apr 2010 — by ckapps
Category T.O.F.

Overall Movie Score: 9 out of 10

Last Song Heard: (Stupid Wild – Gucci Mane Ft. Lil Wayne)
Last Food Eaten: Pita
See This Film?: Yes, superb film making.

Brooklyn’s Finest is one of those rare films in which the viewer must watch submersed in tension. The violence boils and the blood spills in almost every frame of this well thought out and gritty crime drama. The story, while done before, is done with such class and such skill that it is hard to look away from the screen from the first frame until the last. It is chaotic and very brutal, but it is the type of police drama that is needed. The story is well thought out and is light on continuity and in a film like this, that deserves a standing ovation.

The acting is superb starting off mainly with Ethan Hawke. The desperation that his character displays is almost perfect. The only gripe with his storyline is the fact that he has four kids, with two more on the way in a small house and on a cop’s salary to boot. It lessens the sympathy card with the character but that does not take away from Hawke’s brutally honest portrayal of a cop looking out for his family.

Richard Gere is almost perfect as Eddie Dugan, a depressed alcoholic police officer with a death wish. His acting is spot on, but his persona in general did not fit that of the character sometimes. However, he did the best he could with the hand that was dealt. The fact this character was aged to about 40 years old made him seem wise and in command without even having to say it.

Don Cheadle has not turned in a bad performance of his career and he carries on that tradition with this film, giving a performance that is commanding and very interesting because the character is in such a bind in his undercover work that the viewer does not know what he is going to do next. It is a treat watching him tackle every new obstacle that his character goes through, handling it with nothing but perfection. Bravo to Cheadle on that.

Credible mention goes to Wesley Snipes, whos character is Tango. Wesley hasn’t had a U.S theatrical movie in over 6 years, his last being Blade: Trinity. Yet he shines here so well. He plays a high roller street gangster who just got out the joint. Don Cheadle as the undercover cop has been friends with him since childhood. Tango dosent know Cheadle’s a cop…and Cheadles been told to takedown Tango.

Its with story lines like these all in one film that make this one a must see movie. Even with all this going on, the film is still fast paced, filled with tension and  gritty darkness and SOMEHOW manages to maintain superb character development with all characters. By its amazing final conclusion, your left in awe.

Overall, I felt that the film is an outstanding installment in the cop drama genre, delivering scenes that just pack one hell of a punch that you cannot look away. I highly recommend this film to everyone, especially those who enjoyed The Departed, Crash and Training Day.

A smart, entertaining, complete film. Director Antoine Fuqua is making it big.

Heres the trailer.
Just A T.O.F

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Clash Of The Titans Review

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Posted 08 Apr 2010 — by ckapps
Category T.O.F.

Overall Movie Score: 5 1/2 out of 10

Last Song Heard: None
Last Food Eaten: Shake
See This Film?: Not really

Ah, the pre-summer action movie. My expectations for Clash of the Titans were fairly high, as i had made a “coming soon” post for this film earlier. On top of that, many of the initial casting choices appeared to be new and fresh. So, what’s my verdict? Well, I didn’t hate it…

The plot of Titans is extremely straightforward , practically to a fault. Often, the film acts as though it’s in a hurry, attempting to get from one action sequence to the next as quickly as possible. The scenes that occur in between each of these battles ultimately amount to nothing more than brief segments of exposition delivered by Perseus’ “guardian angel” of sorts, a beautiful woman who’s followed him since childbirth, Io (Gemma Arterton). So, while the film never really drags, it feels very soulless.

And while we’re on the subject of these action sequences, none of them end up being particularly memorable. About half of them are so frenetic to the point where they’re almost disorienting, there were some eye popping scenes but i was left disappointed with the ending kraken battle, which lasted almost a total of 5 minutes. The only action scene that was impressive was when they had to fight off the scorpions in the desert, but one scene dosent make up for a whole film.

On top of that, there’s virtually no character development outside of Worthington’s character (and even he isn’t all that likable), so I never really cared about the outcome of these action sequences either. The acting was there, but for a movie with an epic feel to it nothing stood out, it was more like they said there lines then on to the next scene.

A quick note, do NOT see it in 3d. This was a quick way to make an extra buck, the film was shot in 2d then converted to 3d after it was done. The result is a horrible looking 3d experience and youll find yourself wanting to take off your glasses half way threw the film.

Ultimately, Clash of the Titans ends up being a forgettable piece of entertainment with a couple of gaping plot holes and hit-or-miss action sequences. It’s not horrible, just hollow and it hurts me to say that, because i was looking forward to seeing this for a while.

Below i will post a short clip from the “scorpion battle” sequence.
Just A T.O.F

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Green Zone Review.

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Posted 08 Apr 2010 — by ckapps
Category T.O.F.

Overall Movie Score: 8 out of 10

Last Song Heard: None
Last Food Eaten: Lasagna
See this Film?: Yes sir.

British director Paul Grengrass + American actor Matt Damon = “The Bourne Supremacy”, “The Bourne Ultimatum” and now “Green Zone”, so we know what to expect here – and we’re not disappointed. From the opening seconds, we’re into the action with the trademark Greengrass ‘in the action’ frenetic camera-work and sharp editing. The film seems to base itself off of true facts of the iraq war, such as the search of weapons of mass destruction being the cause of the war, while adding a own personal feel to it also, it is very unique and very mature. If you ever have had any answers about why we are at war…what are government was doing…this will address that issue in an exciting way.

The script could of easily been written by a journalist who has documented the actions of the war in Iraq to this very day. It is smart, it keeps you wondering and it is filled with action.

If the tension isn’t as excruciating as the other Iraq movie “The Hurt Locker”, at least “Green Zone” has a narrative and poses some questions, hard questions that many American viewers would probably were rather not aired: what was the source of the ‘intelligence’ that Saddam Hussein possessed weapons of mass destruction? why was the source so readily believed when the evidence was so thin? could the bloody insurgency which followed the relatively easy initial occupation have been avoided if the Americans had been willing to work with elements of the Iraqi army? This film addresses all those questions while still keeping it a easy story to follow and understand. Even to someone who has lived under a rock and dosent even no there is a war in Iraq. This film was very entertaining and smart and i suggest you watch it.

Below i will post the awesome trailer.
Just a T.O.F

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