speedforce131 Reviews

Mortal Engines (2018)

Hit 'em high and hit 'em low

[6/10 · 16 June 2019]

Mortal Engines takes place in a post-apocalyptic world where humanity has near destroyed itself and the planet. The remnants of civilization reside on gigantic motor vehicles that also serve as their home cities. It is a dog eat dog world where cities consume each other and add their people and technology to their own.

We are introduced to Tom Natsworthy (who is portrayed by Robert Sheehan), an apprentice historian for the city of London and Katherine Valentine (Leila George) the daughter of the mayor of London Thaddeus Valentine (Hugo Weaving). During the absorption of people from a captured city, a woman named Hester Shaw (Hera Hilmar) attempts to assassinate Thaddeus Valentine. From this event, the film escalates in intensity.

It is odd that the film introduces us to a variety of characters but quickly severs us from those characters. Some characters are not seen again, or their relevance has been lessened severely. In other cases, characters are introduced all of a sudden and are given significance, if only to drive the plot forward.

The best aspect to this film is definitely the visuals. The use of colors is very prominent here with the world and it's characters being very vibrant and rich. Each scene, whether it is during the daytime, or night, whether on or off it's cities, looks beautiful. The camera angles, lighting and color, in addition to the special effects, all combine into a very good looking movie.

The action sequences are also exciting to watch although it's not something that you haven't seen before. There's sequences that range from hand-to-hand combat, to aerial dogfights, and city to city vehicular combat. They have a grand, magnificent splendor to them that is a sight to behold.

Acting, however, is a bit left to be desired. The characters are one-dimensional, comical, and sometimes are overblown. The dialogue doesn't make it any better as many lines seem cheesy.

Despite the inconsistent plot and cheesy dialogue, Mortal Engines is an enjoyable movie. Don't come into the movie expecting a masterpiece. If you come into it looking for big budget spectacle with set pieces and action with an attractive cast, that's exactly what you'll get. Sometimes, that's what you need on a boring weekend.

Skiptrace (2016)

Over-hyped but under-delivered.

[5/10 · 18 August 2016]

Skiptrace is the result of a collaboration effort between Chinese talent and American filmmakers. The movie is directed by Renny Harlin (Die Hard 2, Cliffhanger) and written by Jay Longino (Bachelor Party 2) and BenDavid Grabinski (Cost of Living).

Jackie Chan returns to play the kind of role that made him famous in America. The movie's format is also reminiscent of Rush Hour. A series that Jackie was famous for in America following Rumble in the Bronx. Johnny Knoxville is seen here as the goofball reminiscent of Chris Tucker's role as Carter in Rush Hour. The film also stars famous mainland Chinese actress Fan Bingbing who plays as the adopted daughter of Jackie Chan's character.

On paper, Skiptrace sounds like a great movie. I love Jackie Chan and Fan Bingbing and I also love the Rush Hour movies. What can go wrong? In reality the movie ends up disappointing. Jackie Chan turns in a decent performance but typical of his earlier action movies. Johnny Knoxville's acting was sub-par but I did buy the whole scumbag gambler routine. Fan Bingbing was far and away the best performer (in terms of acting) in the movie but she was relegated to a damsel in distress role.

What I enjoyed most in the movie is seeing China's beautiful countryside as well as a brief look into Mongolia and it's people. The film overall is very run of the mill buddy cop flick. I didn't feel connected to Benny Chan's tragedy, which is central to his motivation for going after the crime boss Matador. I warmed up to the characters midway through the movie when it was more humorous. The plot twist was predictable and the ending gave me a bitter taste in my mouth.

Family for Christmas (2015 TV Movie)

Pleasantly surprising Christmas movie

[7/10 · 21 December 2015]

In the beginning of the film, it didn't not immediately pull me in. It seemed like the film felt cold despite the fact that this is a Christmas movie. I didn't pay full attention to the characters or the world they were in.

The film's main protagonist, Hannah, meets Santa, although he looks like one of those hired Santa's you see out on the street. Following that day, she wakes up to find that she's living in a completely different house, with kids and a husband that she never had.

This is where the film gets interesting. Normally what you would expect is a hilarious realization that something is not quite right. However that's not how it came across for me. Hannah seemed initially frightened and overwhelmed by the whole experience. Gradually, Hannah becomes accustomed to this life as she plays it out.

You definitely realize the difference where other movies would give you a light, zany, and fun vibe at such a crazy scenario (such as Hallmark's own Just In Time For Christmas released this year), but this film actually makes it scary, which is odd, but refreshing.

Of course, this wouldn't be a Hallmark Christmas movie without the recognition of what's most important about Christmas. The movie transitions into a more positive note as Hannah enjoys her alternate life and lives it as if she's always had it.

The film then does a complete 180 and takes it all away. The magic Christmas feeling and atmosphere disappears and the tension and apprehension sets in, bringing us back to the state before Hannah started living the alternate life. Instead of being frightened because she suddenly had this family and different life, she's frightened because she doesn't have it. In traditional Christmas movie fashion, she gets the opportunity to change her life for the better.

Part of the reason I think this film is so good is that it depicts a woman who is so obsessed with her career that literally it is all she has. The magic about movies is that we can explore the 'what if's'. In the alternate reality, Hannah is surrounded by people who love her. Her life is fulfilling and satisfying. She is happy. In her real world, she has no one but her job. She is alone and later realizes she is miserable. Her job is no comparison to the family that she got a brief glimpse of. I think that it speaks to today's audience quite well. It gives us a glimpse into what people enjoyed in the 1950's, and all that we've lost along the way to our present day.

Kudos to the writers, to Hallmark, the cast, crew and Amanda Tapping for a great job as director (I'm a huge fan of SG!)

Miss Conception (2008)

God awful

[2/10 · 27 July 2009]

I've been on a string of romantic comedies this month and I've never stopped a movie or fast forwarded to the end like this movie. Miss Conception tells the story of Georgina, a 34 year old woman who is entering an early menopause and only has 4 days left to conceive. Unluckily for her, she gets into a fight with her boyfriend and he leaves for work.

As the title suggests, her main goal is to conceive a baby. During a 4 day period, she goes from zany encounter to encounter. This is where the film ultimately fails. The story would like us to believe that it's just that hard for her to get laid and in reality it's really not, especially a woman as beautiful as Heather Graham.

Like all romantic comedies, the resolution is predictable. It's not that it's a bad thing, but the way that the events turned out, it makes you want to skip right to the end. It's pointless because there's nothing there to makes you want to keep watching. Even for fans of romantic comedies, I highly recommend against watching this film.