agrising Reviews

Kick-Ass 2 (2013)

An enjoyable sequel

[7/10 · 20 August 2013]

As someone who more or less worships the genius behind the first Kick-Ass film, I was disappointed at the first trailer released for the sequel. A lot of the heart appeared to be gone and replaced with a simple plot and forced villain. All worries aside, I went to go see this film after hearing very positive reviews from online users and friends. The verdict: a good sequel that either stands next to the original in the eyes of some...or behind it in those of others.

Kick-Ass 2 more or less borrows from the first film, both for the better and for the worse. While the tone is kept consistent from the first movie (constant foul language, cartoon bloody violence, over the top sex references), it feels that this film tried to hard to be a comedy. The first film, in my opinion, did an excellent job at satiring the superhero genre and entertaining its audience. While the sequel entertains, it feels rather lackluster, and relies heavily on its third act to make us care for all that has been happening for the last hour.

The movie kicks off great, reminding us that we are back in the universe of the Kick-Ass comic book and a great follow up to the original. After a few minutes, however, steam is lost. Katie's character is ruined for no reason, making her completely incoherent with the first film and ruining her character as a whole. We get a lot of the "high school" and "mean girls" from Mindy's storyline, with not much for us to care about and just placed here to fill in screen time and pretend to give us insight into Mindy's character that we already know, she loves being hit girl! Chris D'Amico's character has so much screen time and yet...we never really understand why he wants to become a villain. The trailer says it all, Kick-Ass killed his father. Other than that, all the screen time we get from here feels rather weak. The first hour was decent, but the second one kicks it into gear and we get everything the trailers let us to believe the movie was.

Without saying much else, the movie has an enjoyable climax and ties all lose ends as best as possible. I enjoyed the ending, Jim Carrey's character was great, the laughs came often, they were decent emotional moments, the violence was just as constant as in the first movie, and overall an enjoyable follow up to the first film. However, it did not try hard enough to improve on its predecessor and settled to just to satisfy your average audience. If you're a Kick-Ass fan, give Kick-Ass 2 a go. It stands right behind it, but don't go in expecting everything that made the first movie such a pleasure for critics and the casual viewers alike. I will always worship Kick-Ass for the smart movie it was, Kick-Ass 2 gets the same credit, but sadly, the first film still holds my heart.

Man of Steel (2013)

A well deserved and long awaited portrayal of Superman

[9/10 · 14 June 2013]

After a disappointing start to summer movies with Iron Man 3, 2013 seemed like a weak year for movies. Followed by a decent Star Trek sequel, a very successful and unexpected Fast and Furious 6 as well as an out of nowhere decent flick Now You See Me, the reins were handed to Man of Steel to be the summer blockbuster to blow everyone away.

Man of Steel is a solid movie as a whole. The plot suffers from clichés and it is rushed to death, but some substantial stuff is there. Performances all around are good but special mentions go to Russell Crow and Kevin Costner for an outstanding job. As far as an action flick goes...expect a lot of it. If you thought the previews had all the action...boy, you're in for a surprise. The movie is nonstop action, things blow up and get destroyed at least five minutes within one another and the last hour of the film defines mayhem. As a superman film, here is where Man of Steel succeeds.

Henry Cavill was an outstanding Clark Kent. His portrayal was on point: charismatic, fragile but strong, charming but menacing, and a pretty boy for the ladies if they felt turned off by the Fourth of July over the top action sequences that were taking place around him. The storyline was very fragmented but his character was made out to be a lot more interesting and less cheesy than other films, but still had its flaws.

Now, for General Zod. As excited as I was to see a villain that can rival Superman and a break from the overused Lex Luthor, he was too much for the first film. Why do I say this? His character was developed rather poorly and his dialogue sounded very similar to that of many other villains that we have seen before. Despite that, the final fight scene was memorable. You get what you expect. Two titans go at it for a good amount of time and if there fighting does not pump your adrenaline, go check your pulse.

Man of Steel. The best of summer 2013 so far, one of the best Superman film (if not the best to date), amazing action flick (believe it or not, people might say it has too much action), and overall one of the much better superhero movies out there only rivaled by Nolan's batman trilogy (Someone give the Justice League a green light, Bale and Cavill? That would be unbelievable). Forget the critics, everyone has something to enjoy here, thats for sure.

God Bless America (2011)

I really wanted to love it

[7/10 · 6 June 2013]

Instead, I liked it and would gladly watch it again. God Bless America had so much potential. Its first half an hour or so goes as you expect, over the top dark humor with non-stop truth hitting relentless social commentary and then...Roxy walks into the movie. From this point on, unfortunately, without saying much, the movie falls into several paradoxes and loses its focus.

At its core, GBA is a good social satire with nonstop commentary on the problems with pop culture and society, but on the same coin, the movie tries so hard that it feels like a rant by an angry liberal rather the good satire it initially set out to be. Furthermore, Roxy becomes one of the characters you want dead as the movie goes and her character, along with her and Frank's relationship, appears so idealized and forced, that it just affects the movie for the rest of its running time.

The good, however, lies in the great shooting scenes, some of the great commentary made by Frank (most of what Roxy says makes you roll your eyes if not question what in the world the movie was going for), the dark humor, the targets for satire, the over the top story, its entertainment, and overall its a solid 9/10 movie but...

The bad lies in the second act, on Roxy's faulty and forced character, its endless rants between our two main character that makes you want them to kill themselves as the next person on their killing spree, the people targeted (whats wrong with high fives and country music? When did this movie become about taste rather than appropriate satire part?) and so on...it just bit itself in the tail.

I really wanted to love this movie. I almost did. Instead every time I went to smile and applaud the commentary, something matter of taste or the character discontinuity got in the way...good movie, definitely one everyone should watch, but sadly, for what it could have been and set out to be, very flawed.

Kick-Ass (2010)

Movie too smart for its own good

[9/10 · 6 June 2013]

Kick-Ass, one of my favorite all time movies. I'm an exception however, as Kick-ass, unfortunately, will never get the respect it deserves in our society.

As far as satire goes, and yes, it is a complete satire of the superhero genre for all the morons who didn't pick up what it was going to be about in the first five minutes, it is one of the best, if not the best, I can think of in recent history. Yes, Kick-Ass is entertaining, and in doing so a lot of people easily dismissed it as dumb, idiotic, not a good movie, simple, blah, blah, blah, blah. Kick-Ass goes a lot beyond simple entertainment, it goes on social commentary, commentary on our beloved and our over the top love for "superheroes," it is a commentary on our helpless world where the people who try to help are treated like dirt, where the heroes are dumb celebrities or people who just appear on TV. Many scenes in this movie carry a lot of weight, but are missed due to people expecting action, or humor, or things that keep this movie going for the sake of the average movie goer. Shame, really, a lot is here that is certainly missed by the much smarter viewers.

Outside of its entertainment value and commentary, Kick-Ass has heart. It doesn't go too far down the stupid side, claiming more to a dark side when needed. And, guess what, it works. For those who haven't seen the movie, go see it. You're missing out. If people can sit down and not only enjoy the movie for being truly entertaining, but also keep their brains turned on and see what Kick-Ass is trying to say, you'll realize how much of a lost gem this movie can become. The upcoming sequel appears to have lost all of this heart and commentary, but we'll see how that goes.

Kick-Ass, perfect 9 out of 10. Hopefully in a future people will begin to see this movie for what is it and it'll get the appreciation it deserves and get above its current 7.8 rating.

Silent Hill (2006)

A Beautiful Horror Film

[8/10 · 28 May 2013]

Oh, Silent Hill. A masterpiece, very close. An excellent standalone film, depends on your outlook. Deserves a lot more respect and love from everyone, even beyond horror fans and fans of the game, absolutely.

While only familiar with the game, the movie as a standalone film is very well done. As many reviews have stated, the atmosphere is haunting, making you want to take a trip back to Silent Hill whenever you get a chance. Its creepy, mesmerizing and intriguing all at once. This is not, per se, a horror movie. There is some violence, some rather gory scenes, but nothing too over the top or torturous or that we have not seen before. Rather, its a fantasy tale told with elements of horror. Yes, that does it justice. It's a complicated plot, that only becomes clearer with more viewings, and even then, you're better off reading forums and Q&A's for the many ways you can interpret the film.

Is it flawed? Unfortunately, yes. For a horror movie that runs for two hours, believe it or not, I found it short. The first hour flies by, making the viewer beg for more but the second act is rather slow and the third act is rushed. The time management of the film was poor, and if it had a stronger more engaging second act and more developed third act, this film would be superb and a true gem for Hollywood. Unfortunately, it was overlooked and went terribly wrong by promoting itself as your average horror film for gorehounds and horny teenagers. There is no sex. No jumpscares. No blood and guts throughout. Rather, what we get is a genuine scary fantasy film with a creepy atmosphere, great plot, amazing visuals, intriguing characters, and layers of complexity.

To sum is all up, it is what I call a beautiful horror film, or a fantasy tale with some horror elements mixed in. It's flaws lie in its "target" audience. If you are looking for a film to delve into and explore for two hours with an open mind and willing to understand, definitely add Silent Hill to your must see list. One of my favorite movies of all time, yes, of all time. If you're looking for a quick entertaining horror flick with gore, nudity and a spoon fed plot, don't view this film and give it a bad rating. It definitely deserves something higher than a 6.8 (current rating now), and closer to an 8. Good job Silent Hill, restoring our faith in Hollywood once more.

The Dark Knight Rises (2012)

So close to perfection

[9/10 · 27 May 2013]

Coming after my favorite movies of all time, The Dark Knight, the Dark Knight Rises had everything but great expectations coming for it. After seeing the first few trailers, I was all too excited. Bane seemed like an interesting and powerful villain, Gotham appeared to be in real danger, Batman appeared to be struggling physically and mentally, and it had this dark atmosphere about it. Christopher Nolan, also one of my favorite directors, could not have gone wrong in his final installment to this epic trilogy. So close to being the best movie series of all time. So close indeed.

If you're expecting another The Dark Knight, leave those expectations at the door. The Dark Knight Rises, for about 85% of its material, can fulfill those expectations, if not more (the Batman vs. Bane fight scenes surpass about any fight scene you can think of in recent movie history) but the other 15% unfortunately ruin the other 85. Cheesy dialogue, unnecessary scenes, ridiculous plot holes, unnecessary and silly twist, and sadly, despite Anne Hathaway's best efforts, this movie would have been much better without Catwoman as every scene she was in felt forced and unlikeable.

But when it was good, it was amazing. Unmatched. For the first hour and a half or so I was ready to clap and call it a better sequel than its amazing preceder. Things, however, went abysmally downhill in the second half as things were forced and thrown in for the sake of entertainment or whatever Nolan was trying to do with all the foolishness that was taking place. It did however, have a heart, a great tone for the most part, intense moments that will make you wanna clap or cry, great action and fight scenes, an amazing return by the dark knight himself, a respectable and likable villain for most of the movies duration, and a fitting ending which only leaves us with a feeling that it could have so much more.

I have heard others complain of its running time. To be honest, it could have ran 20 minutes longer and still have been okay. I saw it twice in two days and had no complaint on its running time. Is it worth seeing? Yes. Despite being flawed, it is still at least the third, or second best, depending on how you feel about Batman Begins, batman film ever made. My only warning is that it will let you feel as if it could have been much more. Much more indeed.

Evil Dead (2013)

A Lot of Things to Mention Here

[7/10 · 16 April 2013]

First things first, if you're looking for a fresh, interesting, bloody, entertaining and different kind of horror film, go see the Evil Dead remake. If you are looking for a low-budget, campy, lacking 1980's film, well..that's the original.

This Evil Dead remake is by far more like a reinvision rather than a remake, and that's an excellent thing. I do not understand people's hold on the original. Yes, I've seen it. No, I do not think it is better than this remake. Why? I'll get to that later, now to the film review.

If you're looking for plot synopsis, you can find that anywhere. I want to talk about the film. I personally enjoyed, like truly enjoyed, this new version of the Evil Dead because it tried to improve on the original and in many ways it did. It had a great atmosphere, a more coherent story, more three dimensional characters (well they tried), some scenes will haunt you in terms of scare and WTF did that just happen? If you want a fun, but flawed, horror film, go see it. If you're looking for award winning performances and an amazing script...well, why are you watching horror in the first place?

Now, to the original. Besides our hero Ash, who were all the other characters? Oh yeah, that's right. Flat, two dimensional characters that don't get developed and who we could care less about since any line they said could have been said by anyone else around. This film improves, while these aren't amazing characters, they are more memorable (besides a filler blonde girl...who, well...yeah). The special effects are amazing in this version, which is why it had a much bigger budget and was advertised more. The original was a cult hit, this is meant to be a money making hit because a lot more money was put into this film. Why the hell do people get mad over this? I don't know. Either way, the budget difference showed, and I personally liked it. The storyline is a lot more coherent and makes more sense in this version. Vast improvement in terms of how everything played out the way it did. People also mention how the "humor" was gone...umm, if you're a true fan of the Evil Dead series, you should know that the first film had anything but humor. It wasn't funny, it was meant to scare you. This film does the same. Evil Dead 2 and Army of Darkness are the ones bathed in dark humor, if you want to complain about that, wait for the sequel. So much for fans, right?

Was this movie scary? Meh, but then again, was the original really that bad? Was this movie gory? Yes, and enough to make you cringe as the movie goes on. Was it necessary? Nope, but I enjoyed it. Should you watch it? If you praise the original blindy and hold on to it like dear life, look elsewhere. However, if you have an open mind and want to see a fun reinvision of a praised classic, go right ahead. You won't regret it. A very solid 7/10, and thats saying a lot for a modern horror film.