doom-ca Reviews

Interstellar (2014)

Ho Hum

[4/10 · 9 November 2014]

This movie is everything I expected it not to be. It was dramatic, but not in a good way. Over dramatic. Far, far too predictable, too Hollywood and anything, and I mean anything but scientific. I'm just going to ask this once - Chris,have you ever actually read any Stephen Hawking? Because then maybe the story line could have taken a turn toward science instead of fairy tale, Hollywood pump up the revenue box office production. Maybe someone on your crew could have consulted with Hawking and came up with an alternate ending. One where people who enter black holes get broken up into their atomic parts such as happens to even light. Instead of some fantasy land Disney ride. Wow what garbage.

The trailer in this movie made it look like an amazing adventure in deep space. And yes, don't get me wrong there is space, and a few time deadlines to add in some much needed suspense after one too many porch scenes with Grandpa drinking beer while tending the corn fields. However, what this movie lacked was a sense of logic. I mean really. Flat out.

The blight that is taking down the humans seems to be completely overlooked in the movie. There really is no information on it except, our atmosphere has a lot of nitrogen in it which is feeding the blight. "huh?" The earth is written off in this movie because of blight? This earth has survived, earthquakes, giant meteorites, plagues, famines, flooding and we are done in by a blight?

Fine, we can't feed people so we are headed for the stars, all covertly of course. And our hero just happens to stumble upon NASA. Which wants him to be the pilot, even though he's a reluctant farmer, who was a pilot - because as a pilot he's the best of the best with honors. The script felt like something I would read in an old spaghetti western Clint Eastwood movie. I feel like I threw money away on a cheap plot based on oversimplification of scientific notions and box office greed. And the end: omg it's "time," no, no it's "gravity," no it's time. Just stop. And our protagonist surviving a black hole. What? Because it's not a black hole? Human's built it? Future humans. Probably the one's from Futurama. OK I've seen enough roll credits.

However, that said, if you want some good sound, yes the sound was good. Good visuals, nothing gravity didn't do better, and descent acting, almost like Armageddon, yah know, the Bruce Willis stuff. Then indeed this is your movie. Trust me, this is no Inception. If you go, enjoy, just don't go in with high expectations (9.1 on IMDb? really?)or you'll be let down.

Oh and the 2001 monolith robots were the highlight of the movie for me. They were good for a couple of laughs. Have a good one.

Edge of Tomorrow (2014)

Excellent Action Thriller

[9/10 · 22 September 2014]

Loved it. First if you are like most of us in movieland, you had no idea what this movie was going to be about. I was completely clueless going in to view "Edge of Tomorrow." From the title it's a little hard to tell. I thought I was going to be watching a futuristic cop movie. I make a point not to watch trailers because all too often I can figure out what the main plot will be or view too much info about the movie. To the movie: great intro one that gets your attention, the cool news real style, much like district 9. Then into our main character Tom Cruise. Outstanding performance. He is the classic reluctant hero. I watched this movie four times looking for the subtitles in his acting. If you are a Cruise fan this is a must see. Coupled with Emily Blunt who easily held her own. Brendan Gleeson as the General is very fitting and Bill Paxon, well, c'mon "It's game over man Game over." How can you go wrong with Bill and his famous Alien's line. Script is awesome, excellent use of comic relief, good film work, sets were impressive and the CGI does not disappoint. And above all, intense action. I loved this plot, there my be some who frown, but for me it really worked. Get the blueray when it's out and enjoy! Take care and enjoy whatever movie you decide to watch :-)

Martha Marcy May Marlene (2011)

Worth Watching

[8/10 · 29 July 2014]

Loved the movie, hated the ending. Martha Marcy May Marlene, even the title was enough to draw my interest. At first I thought - is this going to be about several women on the compound? But Director and writer Sean Durkin, has put a lot of thought into both the story and the direction of the film capturing the strangeness of a cult environment and the brainwashing that takes place while a person is subjected to the environment. Like the title, it's complicated the interwoven script moves through the movie as well as the cinematography and transitions it helps the audience understand Martha, played by Elizabeth Olsen. It's involved, I found myself really worried about Martha as a character, worried she would be abducted, possibly hurt her sister or hurt herself. This move does fall down flat on it's face at the conclusion however, not because it is indefinite but because after viewing all the violence and control exhibited by the leaders of the cult we are left with only one conclusion Patrick, the cult leader, will kill Martha. Why create an indefinite ending when the majority of the evidence suggests otherwise. Or as a director and writer,much more evidence would need to be offered that Martha is just paranoid. Loved the movie, hated the ending, great acting, writing, directing. Four out of five popcorn balls!

Noah (2014)

Almost Unwatchable

[2/10 · 16 July 2014]

Tolerable at best. It seemed with the plot a given that the writers struggled with storyline, that appears to be why there is little to no depth, suspense or watch-ability to this movie at all. I thought Noah would have lots of action with some great special effects, yes it did have special effects, but they can never make up for a weak storyline, weak dialogue and at times very questionable, over the top acting. I was really looking forward to this movie, and received a blunt trauma blow to the head when 20 minutes in, I realized how bad it was going to be. I just wanted to be put to sleep - like the animals on the ark. If you decide to give it a look see, lower your expectations considerably and maybe you'll come out with a "well it wasn't quite as bad as I thought it would be" attitude.

RoboCop (2014)

Very Good Entertainment

[7/10 · 16 May 2014]

Have you ever started up a movie expecting it be nothing more than a bunch of schlock, mindless drivel that does nothing more than numb your brain and put you into post apocalyptic zombie mode? Thankfully, Robocop is not that movie. Director Jose Padilha did a great job creating a much more cerebral movie than anyone would expect. The movie takes the time to explore the nuances of what makes us a human, is it our body, minds, emotions? Much more than just a shoot em up (the movie has plenty of that) Robocop explores the questions of humanity and takes the time to delve into the emotional aspects of the subject. The acting is excellent, Joel Kinnaman not exactly a house hold name and best know for his role in Safehouse, carries off the role of avenging cop and dedicated farther convincingly. Abbie Cornish puts in a solid performance as his wife, while Gary Oldman as the brilliant scientist and Michael Keaton as the aggressive entrepreneur carry off their roles flawlessly. Throw in a touch of Samuel L. Jackson and you have yourself a can't miss line of performers with seasoned skills. While the plot line is formula, the graphics are excellent, except the fight scenes which I found far too x-boxish with auto-aim cross-hairs drawn on all enemies a little too oversimplified, the overall effect of the movie is a solid 7 out of ten. You won't be disappointed with this movie. Thx for reading this review and whichever movie you select I hope you enjoy it. :-)

Gravity (2013)

Worth Watching

[7/10 · 27 February 2014]

I wasn't entirely sure what to expect from this movie, I hadn't heard a thing about it. But I thought generally Bullock produces solid acting, think "The Blind Side," where she single handedly carried the show. Here with George Clooney as support it's a can't miss situation. The story line is very basic, trapped in space, and "I wanna go home," not exactly rocket science story line, still it works. Clooney is the veteran style cowboy astronaut and Bullock is the tentative scientist apparently lured out to space to do a specialist job, when the mission goes wrong and they need to return to earth. The good stuff: excellent score, decent script, solid special effects and top notch acting. The script is basically all time deadline based which creates many suspenseful scenes with even a little comic relief thrown in. It's not - 2001 - but it's worth watching. Go watch it and enjoy, don't be turned off by the haters :-)

Fruitvale Station (2013)

Excellent Movie

[8/10 · 18 December 2013]

Rock solid eight out of 10. I walked into this movie without the faintest clue what Fruitvale station was about, but the fact it was a Sundance film and had a 7.7 rating on IMDb caught my eye. From the opening scene where you witness a viewers amateur video of the incident on the station platform - you'll be intrigued. Really, how could someone in cuffs pinned to the ground in a prone position be shot,or was the popping sound simply fireworks? After all the story takes place on New Year's Eve. Was the amateur video being shot simply part of the movie production? The amateur opening video transitions seamlessly to the sound of a train moving and propels you back to hours earlier leading up to the platform scene.

Watching the movie while these questions from the opening scene drifted though my head compelled me to take a serious look at the quality and depth of this flick. Like any view, you want to know what the hell happened.

You'll be drawn in to the acting which is spot on, especially the scenes between, Oscar and his girlfriend. The directors did an excellent job selecting the cast for this movie as the chemistry between the two is obvious.

The sound track was good, acting excellent, Spike Lee style story line, and filming above average. This film does an exemplary job of trying to show how difficult it is in life, despite the best intentions, to simply make life unravel the way you hope or expect it ever will. Loved this movie though it was difficult to watch because of personally reasons. Hope you take the time to view the movie and that despite the deep nature of the subject matter enjoy the film. Take care and enjoy whichever movie you decide to view. Btw if you enjoy this film I would also recommend "21 grams," and "The Tree of Life." Once again take care and have a great Christmas :-)

Olympus Has Fallen (2013)

What a flop!

[1/10 · 20 July 2013]

Just don't bother. Walk away from this movie. No Run. Complete garbage, between the sterile, ridiculous plot line that takes it's self far, far too serious, to the brutally bad acting, I shut this one down 39 minutes into the film. The fight scenes were so shockingly bad, with secret service agents seemingly suddenly without any training leaping into the path of flying bullets rather than taking any cover. If a director decides to take their plot line with serious intent more effort has to go into creating realistic scenes. The opening few minutes of the storming of the white house is just beyond any realm of suspension of disbelief. The whole premise from the start was so disappointing and based on hard core stereo typed views. I mean think about it for even 1 minute. Would North Korea, really want to take over the White House? Really? When American subs are parked off their coast with nuclear weapons? Would America even think about negotiating with N.K? This movie should have been left on the cutting room floor. Do yourself a favor and bail on this one. Olympus has fallen all right, right to the bottom of the must see list.

G.I. Joe: Retaliation (2013)

Great entertainment!

[8/10 · 20 July 2013]

What a pleasant surprise. Setting down to view GI Joe Retaliation, I thought I would be lucky to get through 20 minutes of the movie without bailing out on it, as happen to me watching "Olympus Has Fallen." Fortunately, this movie offered far more than I had hoped. The directing kept the movie light hearted enough that as an audience we don't feel forced to take the movie at face value. Instead the light humor mixed in with stunning visual effects, and sound acting moved the plot line along enough to make a solid entertaining two hours of movie experience. Perhaps my low expectations walking into the movie made a difference, I simply wasn't expecting much and in turn was rewarded with good old Hollywood fun. If your looking for an awesome action suspense thriller with enough comic relief to keep it light then Joe is your movie. The over the top plot line worked for me, as I wouldn't expect anything less, similar to a Bond-esque flick. Take care and enjoy whichever movie you choose to watch.

Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters (2013)

worth watching

[7/10 · 17 May 2013]

Well worth watching. When I first saw the review of this movie on IMDb I thought why waste our time watching? Looks like a dud. But then I figured well Renner is a quality actor in my books and Will Farrell produced the movie so should have a few laughs as well as a bit of action. Turns out I was right. First for everything. The movie itself has a nice plot twist on Hansel and Gretel enough to keep the viewer's interest and guessing. It deviates from the original story drastically, thx God, to make an adventurous, entertaining humerus movie. Renner has some great lines, but the humor does not overpower the action, the movie strikes a good balance between the two. My wife and I laughed hard in a few spots and maintained our interest throughout. If you are in for a mindless romp into Hollywood action adventure/ humor you'll love this movie. btw some pretty explicit violence in here if you are gunshy or blood squeamish I'd back off and pick another. Hope you enjoy the show I know I did.

L8r Seebs

Training Day (2001)

Wife slept - I loved it!

[8/10 · 24 April 2013]

OK so not a chick flick. That's for certain. One of my all time favorites about a experienced cop that takes on a rookie for a day of training, the twist as we soon find out is that this veteran cop seems a little jagged. Yah let's leave it at that jagged. Not your standard protocol blue suit version of narcotics officer.

If you have never seen this movie I envy you because you are going to go on a roller coaster of an adventure full of all the best stuff that makes for cop movies but not with the standard plot. There is no who done it. There is no damsel in distress, but instead a plot that will have you saying: "holy smokes what an awesome movie." You'll love the banter in this movie it's awesome, some of the best cop dialogue ever written. Realistic. And the delivery...well

If you are a Denzel Washington fan, it's probably a stronger performance than "Flight," although they are diametrically opposed as movies. Flight is far more internal and cerebral where as "Training Day," is unmistakeably in your face. You'll love the banter, the plot, you'll cheer for the protagonist and most of all you'll have all the popcorn you yourself when Your wife nods off to sleep.

Take care and enjoy the flick Seebs

5 Broken Cameras (2011)

I loved this Documentary

[8/10 · 24 April 2013]

Five Broken Cameras is one of those pleasant surprises that you encounter as a movie buff. A homegrown low budget documentary that has you wondering right from the start. The title in and of itself had me curious, and helped pull me in - is this guy some camera shop mechanic or what? Who entitles their documentary after broken cameras? Fortunately, that mystery is solved instantaneously when you find out the film maker's journey through a Palestinian's point of view about the erecting of Israeli wall. It's an eye opening experience to see the progression of the film maker, both in his journey to see the building of the wall either diminished or stopped and his experience as a film maker in capturing the whole experience of the Palestinian domestic way of life. As a North American we are often removed from the complexities of the mid east and most of us are too busy living our own lives to really get a taste of events there. We see it on CNN or read about events in the papers, but it is rare to see such a gem of a documentary that really provides a domestic, gritty look at daily existence on the west bank. If you are a documentary lover, you will enjoy this movie, even if you are not - and just curious about Palestinian life - it's worth a look. I hope you enjoy the documentary - I know I did.

Take care Seebs

21 Grams (2003)

Excellent movie - you'll need to pay attention

[8/10 · 24 April 2013]

Profound is probably the word I would use to describe 21 grams. The basic plot of the movie one man gaining the heart of another through transplant and his subsequent interest in finding out who the donor was makes for excellent adventure and thick drama. That said this is not an action adventure film by any means, it is a profound retrospective of life, that tries to tackle the big questions, what is the meaning of it all? Is there a God, what's the whole purpose of this adventure, why take away the life of one person only to grant it to another? And why given all we've grown up to believe is life taken or granted seemingly on a whim? (btw not Taken as in Harrison Ford Taken - not that kinda movie) Some large questions that are attempted heroically by the writer of this movie, while he/she attempts them be sure to note they are humble enough to realize that only through the cinema and a chronological quagmire of ambiguity and balanced tension do they attempt to answer them. You'll notice this plot formation keeps you aware and wondering where is this movie going, who is doing what to whom and for what reason? The acting is excellent, in only a few spots was I removed from the lines delivered by the actors, and thought, that didn't seem realistic or that felt forced. Most of the time you will be engaged, questioning, feeling some emotion and most of all come away asking more about the big questions. Enjoy the flick if you've never seen it and your a serious movie buff you'll love it. If you are looking for something comparable - I'd say theme wise "Tree of Life" action wise name any IMDb movie with a solid seven rating. Take care and enjoy

Seebs

Drive (I) (2011)

weak sauce

[3/10 · 11 January 2012]

Don't waste your time on this movie. My wife fell asleep 20 minutes in and I hung on for the rest, which it turns out was a mistake. First of all I watched this movie because I saw the high rating on IMDb and usually the ratings are accurate. I rated this movie a 3 for good reason: weak script and a cheesy plot line, while the opening scene holds promise and it appears the audience might be in for anything but a cliché - it turns into one of the oldest formulas in the book "damsel in distress." Ugh. Gosling does what he can with a formula plot, weak script and the typical implausible ending. If you are looking for something beyond basic mindless dribble then steer clear of the Driver a chop-o-matic, Jasonesk film with little to know substance.

Conan the Barbarian (2011)

weak sauce

[3/10 · 6 December 2011]

Ouch this is a weak movie,the script is soft with little to no substance and the plot line is thin at best. If you are looking for an action packed sword and saucer movie pass this up and delve into the archives. Horrible acting, stereotyped characters, and over the top fight scenes equal an hour and a half of your life you won't get back. While the sets are reasonable and the barbarians ripped muscles will sure to please some starved house wives, its just not enough to make up for all the short comings of the movie. In addition, the moves feels like it is designed for a 13 year old boy to enjoy, with the overly simplistic plot and over the top violence but seems to have an r rating to the content. In short, you'll wonder why they even bothered to make such a blunder in the first place.