Everything I go to the movies for! Fantastic action! Compelling characters! Seamless story telling! Suspense! Appropriate comic elements! This new telling of the Star Trek story out does every previous telling without taking away from the countless hours of Star Trek entertainment already available in film and TV. I loved the acting. I loved the casting. I was drawn into the story from the very beginning and then stayed completely engaged to the very last frame. Sometimes I go to the theaters just hoping to escape from the world and its cares for a couple of hours and just enjoy pure entertainment. Star Trek gave me this experience. Don't miss this one! One of the best few films of 2009 along with Avatar and the Hurt Locker (really a 2008 film, but that is another issue).
Reviews
13 Reviews
Taken
(I) (2008)
Everything a Thriller Should Be
1 May 2010
This is an example of what I hope for every time I go to the theater to see a action/thriller. The set up of characters and dangerous circumstances was perfect. What is more compelling than the love of a good father for his daughter? When the film started I didn't know anything about it so I had no expectations. Within the first half hour I was literally ON THE EDGE OF MY SEAT! Talk about engaging! This movie sucked me in in the best possible way. I felt for the Dad. I felt for the daughter and I cared deeply that the bad guys got their due. This movie's strength is not only in its fantastic story telling and fast pace action, it is in its unrelenting heart. You find yourself absolutely caring about what happens to the characters. You feel their pain, their fear and their determination. Don't miss this film! It is also one of those rare films that is worth a second viewing. Masterful film making. Master story telling. What a thrill ride!
Kick-Ass
(2010)
Could Have Been Better Minus Gore and Foul Mouthed Girl
1 May 2010
Warning: Spoilers
In a lot of ways this movie had heart and that is something I love to find in a movie going experience. Regular guys tried to be something special in reaction to the apparent disinterest most people have in helping others in need. We have all heard the stories of people just standing by while witnessing a violent crime without even lifting a finger to help the person in trouble. In fact it is common that when people see someone hurting someone else the first impulse is to pull out the phone, and not to dial 911 but to film the action so they can post it online. Where is chivalry? Where is love thy neighbor? Well this movie shows its heart when a regular kid tries to be a hero, and that makes for a great story. There are quite a few good laughs. Where the film falls short is in its inability to resist delving in the vulgar and grotesque. I don't care to see a kid masturbating to online pornography, or to hear a pre-teen/early teen girl cuss like a sailor. The fight scenes are also over the top bloody and gory. To see a little girl slice people up with so much gore is just plain wrong. I believe that the film makers thought they were being funny and clever with these scenes, but all they are doing is desensitizing the audience more and more to what are horrible acts. None of this is necessary for the sake of comedy and entertainment. It is appealing to the lowest common denominator and ultimately takes away from the effectiveness of the comedy. This really could have been much better.
Horrible Horror
1 May 2010
It boggles the mind that movies like this get made, and it is an even greater mystery that people will actually go and see films like this. Granted, I have been one who most enjoys movies that aspire to the highest ideals of humanity. Horror has rarely registered high in my personal ratings with a few stellar exceptions, Alien being the first that comes to mind. Horror films often descend into the world of just trying to be out right offensive by pushing the limits of what they can get away with putting on the big screen. I am all for an occasional good scare. Take for instance the first Halloween film. That when scared me half to death when I was in my early teens. That was good horror achieving what horror is meant to achieve, scare your wits out of you. This film is just twisted and wrong. Makes me think of the Saw films-out to just make you squirm in your seat. I admit that I walked out of this film after just a short while, but I refuse to waste my precious time on such garbage. I also must admit that I only watched what I did so that I could write a review to try and discourage others from subjecting themselves to this filth. STAY AWAY from this one. Don't encourage these film makers to make more garbage like this. Spend your time and money on movies that leave you feeling good, feeling inspired or excited about life and living.
Avatar
(2009)
Films Like This Are The Reason I Go To The Movies!
7 February 2010
Avatar is a fantastic accomplishment in film making. Most of the reviews comment on the visual power of the film. (It must be experienced in 3D and I have no doubt that we will see more and more films made in 3D.) Avatar is absolutely visually stunning, but that is not what makes this a great film in my opinion.
The story makes the film! It seems that it has become the popular thing to do to say that the story is weak and it has been told many times before. Sure, love stories have been told countless times in film. Struggles between good and evil have been told thousands of times in film. I think it is ridiculous to fault Avatar as a mediocre story. It is a powerful and moving story. It is a story that keeps you on the edge of your seat completely engaged in the film. My wife and I didn't want the story to end. In fact we saw it a second time and as a testament to the quality of the story, we both liked it even more the second time around.
It has become popular to say Avatar is shallow tree hugging propaganda. In my opinion that is just people trying to find fault with a film that has become incredibly successful. I don't want to give anything away, but I will say that even though the themes of the film are nothing new, the story is told with perfection. The visual experience in amazing, and it is amazing because all the film making technology is used to tell a wonderful story.
The story makes the film! It seems that it has become the popular thing to do to say that the story is weak and it has been told many times before. Sure, love stories have been told countless times in film. Struggles between good and evil have been told thousands of times in film. I think it is ridiculous to fault Avatar as a mediocre story. It is a powerful and moving story. It is a story that keeps you on the edge of your seat completely engaged in the film. My wife and I didn't want the story to end. In fact we saw it a second time and as a testament to the quality of the story, we both liked it even more the second time around.
It has become popular to say Avatar is shallow tree hugging propaganda. In my opinion that is just people trying to find fault with a film that has become incredibly successful. I don't want to give anything away, but I will say that even though the themes of the film are nothing new, the story is told with perfection. The visual experience in amazing, and it is amazing because all the film making technology is used to tell a wonderful story.
Defiance
(I) (2008)
Power Story of Survival. "The Strong Will Take Care of the Weak"
4 June 2009
I tend to be a "loved it of not" type of movie viewer. It is hard for me to pick apart I movie I enjoyed enough to deduct points, and keep myself from rewarding good films with less than a 10. Such is the case with "Defiance". This film delivers on all of the important parts of film making. For my taste it all begins with story telling. A film can have everything else, yet be a failure in my eyes if there is not good story telling. I can forgive a low budget film if it tells a good story. "Defiance" tells a great story and then delivers on all other levels of film making. This is a heroic film about a small group of survivors overcoming the horror of war by banding together and helping each other survive. I too have brothers, of whom I am the eldest, and like the brothers Bielski, if forced to war, we would stick by each other's side in the fight for survival of good. "Defiance" takes the time to develop characters you can care about and then goes on to tell a compelling story about how a small group of people who were targeted as undeserving of life according to Nazi philosophy survive and keep their humanity intact until the war was finally over. The performances by the entire cast are convincing. The Cinematography was beautiful and the editing was effective both in scenes of conflict and scenes of tenderness. This film does require attention span as it starts slow, especially for viewers accustomed to high paced action, but if you take the patience to involve yourself in the film you will be rewarded with a great viewing experience that will reconfirm your belief that it is always possible to overcome adversity.
Fast & Furious
(2009)
Very entertaining and satisfying. This movie is one of the reasons I go to movies.
11 April 2009
It is good to see this movie doing well at the Box Office because it was a lot of good, clean, exciting fun. It was good to see Paul Walker, Vin Diesel and crew back together on film. This movie works, not because of the fun and exciting action scenes, but because it has a reasonable solid story as a foundation, dialog was natural for the characters and above all the movie dealt with the theme of loyalty between friends. Above all this is why, in my opinion, the movie is doing so well at the Box Office. Hollywood, please don't start to think that all it takes is bringing stars back on the set from older successful movies and then you will have a hit on your hands. People, including me, like this film above all because it deals with the loyalty between two friends, ever if they are on opposite sides of the law. Everyone of us that might be a potential audience member understands the importance of loyalty, friendship and the sacrifices you might be willing to make for each other. My advice to everyone is treat yourself and your wife to a nice night at the movies. Go catch this with some good friends or with your brother, brothers, sister, sisters, neighbor, work associate or anyone else you enjoy spending time with. Have fun at the theaters! This is one movie perfect for that good time at the movies!
The Pink Panther 2
(2009)
Delightfully Funny, but cynics will not enjoy this great rebirth of Peter Sellars comedy genius.
28 February 2009
I was going to give this a nine, but after considering how hard I laughed in the first half hour of this film, and considering how good it feels to laugh, and how rare good, pure, clean, laughter is, I had to give this a 10. I don't remember the last time I laughed so hard at a film. This film had John Cleese at his Monty Python best in one scene. It gave great homage to the wonderful humor and film making of Buster Keaton and Charlie Chaplin. And ultimately it celebrated the comic genius of Peter Sellers. I hope that this film will lead to more Pink Panther films for a new generation to enjoy. I believe, unlike some of the other people that have reviewed this film, that Peter Sellers would be honored that Steve Martin as brought Inspector Clouseau. This film is better than the first Steve Martin Pink Panther, but it seems it is not being appreciated as such. The laughs are constant from start to finish. It seems to be the era of Judd Aptow R-rated vulgar comedies (some of which I have found incredibly funny) but there is plenty of room for this kind of delightful, family friendly, films. I hope more people go together as families to enjoy films like this. Go see this movie!!! It is pure gut busting fun!
Gran Torino
(2008)
Clint Eastwood's Best Work Ever, and that is a Bold comment considering all he has done.
16 January 2009
How can I give this film less than a 10? Even if it stood alone as the only film Clint Eastwood ever made it would still have to be given a rating of 10. There have been many powerful scenes orchestrated on film, but none more powerful than the last scene of Gran Torino combined with the beautiful composition of music accompanied by Clint Eastwood's voice. I will not give up any details of the film in this review, because I wouldn't dare rob a single viewer of the pure satisfaction of this work of film making perfection. Go see this movie! You will not be disappointed! Every scene is crafted with beautiful story telling. As I watched Walt Kowalski interact with the other characters I couldn't help but think of my beloved late Grandfather Lallatin. He was discharged from the Army two days before the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor so he went right back in to be stationed on Angle Island where he guarded Japanese prisoners of war. During the war my Grandfather's youngest brother, Keith, was killed in the Meat Grinder on Iwa Jima. Grandpa was the oldest brother by 13 years and Keith was only 19. He carried that loss with him his entire life. If anything came on TV advertising something made in Japan, Grandpa would go out of the room mumbling "Damn Jap Crap", and would get mad at him for being prejudice against the Japanese. My Dad raised me to never judge someone by their culture, ethnicity or race, only by their character. Thing is, we always had Japanese exchange students growing up and Grandpa alway treated them with kindness. It was just in the privacy of his own home that he expressed he prejudice. I came to understand him before he died...but this review is not about my Grandpa, it is about Gran Torino. Go see this film! It is film making greatness! It is, in my opinion Eastwood's best work ever. In a year with a lot of great films, this one deserves all the big awards! See it! You will be glad you did!
In the Electric Mist
(2009)
Fantastic adaptation of the James Lee Burke, Dave Robicheaux Series!
4 January 2009
I have been a long time fan of the writing of James Lee Burke. When they made Heaven's Prisoners into a movie I was disappointed with the finished product. So was everyone else and they didn't make any more of his books into films. I was glad to see that now, years later, they have decided to make another film. The casting is excellent and the story telling is true to the book. Tommy Lee Jones plays the main character about as well as I could imagine anyone playing Dave. I hope the movie is received with good reviews because I would love to see more of the series made into films. I highly recommend this excellent film to anyone. I think that James Lee Burke fans would be pleased, as well as people unfamiliar with the books. See this movie!!! It does not disappoint. The only thing I wish they had done, was make a movie out of one of the books that has Clete Purcel as a main character. I would love to see Black Cherry Blues made into a movie. I just think it would be hard to cast Clete. Maybe that character is too big for the silver screen.
Fool's Gold
(I) (2008)
Fool's Gold is a lot of fun.
22 February 2008
Seriously, what has happened with people? I gave this movie a ten because I feel like people have forgotten how to have fun. I think this movie was so widely panned because people don't have any adventure in their own lives so they don't know how to have fun with a very entertaining movie like Fool's Gold. This movie is an example of why I go to the movies. I love adventure! This movie isn't a smart film full of great wit and clever dialogue, but it is pure adventurous fun. I loved it and I wish Hollywood would make more movies like this. A couple of years ago I think a lot of people really missed out on a great movie when the critics tore apart the movie Sahara. Not only did a lot of people miss out on that movie, but because Sahara failed in the box office we all miss out on what could have been a great series of movies with Clive Cussler's Dirt Pitt character. I would have loved to see more of Cussler's Dirk Pitt adventures brought to the screen. Our loss because so many people listen to critics who have no adventure in their own lives and therefore can't relate to a great adventure on film and they pan movies like Fool's Gold and Sahara. I'm glad the National Treasure films have been well received as well as the Pirates of the Caribbean films, but we need a lot more great adventures on films. Go see Fool's Gold while it's still in theaters and try to watch it looking for fun and adventure. Sometimes I think if Raiders of the Lost Ark came out today a lot of critics would pan it.
Good Luck Chuck
(2007)
My wife and walked out.
23 September 2007
Warning: Spoilers
This movie was unbearable! It not that it didn't have it's funny parts in the first third of the movie that we saw, it just was so overboard with all the offensive sex and crudeness. The parts that were funny were all classical physical humor scenes, and we laughed at those scenes. It's just that we felt bombarded by the sex and nudity. A final note: Hollywood's apparent obsession with naked guy's bare rears is pissing me off. I've seen The Wedding Crashers and The 40 Year Old Virgin, both of which could have been just as funny with out the crass scenes. I know that some people say that these lewd scenes are what define these films, but in my opinion the good old comedy that has been in films from the days of Buster Keaton and Charlie Chaplin is what makes these films work. Cut out most of the gratuitous sex and over the top raunchiness and these films would be just as funny. Good Luck Chuck was a shame of a film. It could have been funny just building on the plot lines of Alba's character was a sweet but clumsy girl and Cook's character was a guy who was always the last relationship for lots of girls just before they meet Mr. Right. He should of been a guy that had an actually relationship with these girls but instead they made it all about sex as if that was what constituted a relationship. After the second sex montage we couldn't take any more of the filth and walked out.
Superman Returns
(2006)
What a waste of time and money!
1 July 2006
I am tired of film makers focusing so much on the visual presentation of their work, that they forget to tell a compelling story. What's more frustrating is so many people have gushed praises on this film and others like King Kong and X-Men 3 that it encourages the studios to continue with these spectacular visual productions with weak story lines and poor character development. It's even more frustrating that people in mass pay to see these films and turn them into blockbusters. And most frustrating of all, I am one of those people who paid to see this film. I wish I could take it back. Superman Returns will insult your intelligence. I love action/adventure films but some of my favorites from the last couple of years haven't been the biggest hits, like Sahara (now this was a fun film to watch), and Into the Blue. A couple of films I enjoyed that were also big hits are National Treasure and Pirates of the Caribbean.
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