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Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter (2012)
A thoroughly entertaining and inventive movie.
Everyone just needs to calm down and respect this movie for what it is. Frankly, I don't understand what people were expecting from a movie called Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter. You'd think it's an entertaining guilty pleasure sorta movie. But even my fairly high expectations were surpassed. What I thought would be a fun popcorn flick was actually a high octane, original and overall epic movie. The movie has great atmosphere and an especially awesome dismal colour scheme. The cast is quite impressive, like Benjamin Walker's Lincoln, while, of course we'll never really know how well he portrayed Lincoln, he seemed interested and dedicated to this roll. The vampire designs were awesome. I loved how their jaws grew to such large size and contorted to a whole different shape, reminiscent of Venom. It's good to see something different than just pale guys with fangs and red eyes. I thought the actions sequences were also well put together and quite inventive. For example, there's a chase between Lincoln and a vampire atop a herd of stampeding wild horses. I never thought I would see that. I've only heard complaints about this movie. A big one is that Abraham doesn't even kill vampires for half the movie, when he becomes president. That's quite the exaggeration. Try the last third of the movie he's president, plus he's supposed to be in his fifties. Were you really expecting him to be slaying vampires at an age when he could retire. And if that's not enough, he does kill vampires, in the film's finale. He has a higher body count than any other action sequence in the film, too. People should just calm down. No, it doesn't have the greatest story line or Oscar winning dialogue, but it did what it came to do: entertain. Stop oogling at the third batman movie, and watch an original movie for once, instead of simply shunning it away. Stick to your franchises for all I care, because I'm satisfied with this. Final rating: 8.5/10
Suburban Knights (2011)
It's a different kind of funny.
This isn't for everyone. You won't find it funny if you don't usually watch content from TGWTG. In fact, unless you know a lot of the in jokes from all of the reviewers, it won't be nearly as enjoyable. Basically, if you don't watch tgwtg.com material really often, it won't be enjoyable. It got silly gags. Obviously. Were people expecting anything else? I wasn't expecting a rom-com. I was expecting a funny silly comedy. The people behind this were catering to their audience, which for the most part is 18 or younger movie fanatics. And people claiming that they don't know how to make a movie considering they bash on movies for a living is ridiculous. For one thing, they've never claimed they CAN make a movie. I pretty sure only a few of the reviewers on this site went into any sort of film study in school. And I couldn't tell you who that is, or how long they were studying. Plus, I have a feeling the script was somewhat of a group effort. I bet everyone put their two cents in, not just the credited script writers. Another thing, it doesn't have a big budget. So no, there aren't top of the line effects and award winning acting. IT's cheesy. Yes. It's basically just friends goofing off. And if you're a big fan of these reviewers like me, you'll enjoy it.
Take Shelter (2011)
Terrific
This is a simply magnificent film. The acting is top notch, the effects practical, and the cinematography is stunning. Michael Shannon gives a brilliant performance as Curtis and feels so real. He is for the most part calm, but when he flips out it is unreal how tense Shannon can make you feel. Jessica Chastain does her job and the supporting cast is just as great. But you know what? Every other actor could suck in this movie and it would still be great just because of Michael Shannon. We follow him the whole film and we come to realize that while the things he's doing are rather crazy and desperate, we know what he's going through and the audience can tell he's just trying to do the right thing. The script is tight knit and well thought out. It does start and end somewhat slow, which is the movie's only real weakness, but as the film progresses we become more and more invested in the story and we want to know if Curtis is going crazy or he's right and the storms are coming. The camera-work here is breathtaking. Like this shot right here. It's too good. It's a pretty haunting image. Unfortunately I can only show you what I can scrap up online, but trust me, it's some great stuff The whole feel of this movie is chilling as the musical score constantly jangles in the background. It's quiet, but noticeable. Take Shelter is a top of the line kind of movie, with a haunting feel and a genuine sense of paranoia. You will feel like your there, with Curtis, as the anxiety and tension builds. If it weren't for the extra few minutes that made the movie more dragged out, it would probably get a perfect 10. My favourite film of the year so far, 9/10.
Transformers: Dark of the Moon (2011)
I approve.
FIrst, let's get something straight. I enjoyed the first film. 7/10. I think people can understand that rating. The second film, i gave a 5/10, and again I think some will agree. There are some bad and good of that film, so it evens out to mediocre. But the third one, was great. And yes, that's probably the best word to put it. There are flaws, of course, but I think that this was the movie that was trying to take itself seriously, for the most part. There aren't as many annoying robots this time round, and I honestly didn't notice any racial stereotypes, there might be a few subtle ones but they stick out like a sore thumb like in the other films. Many people are complaining about Rosie Huntington's character being the only likable one, and that laBeouf's is obnoxious and screams a lot. I find him fine this time around, and that he only screams for comedic reasons. I should also add that Huntington does a fairly good job for someone whose never acted before. I was impressed. I feel the third act was taken very seriously, and Bay knew he had to finish the series in a well executed way. I believe he succeeded. He is slowly moving away from that fast paced editing, and takes us on some nice long shots to let the audience breathe. And there was no more forced storytelling like in the last movie, we learn with the characters at some points, which was pretty nice. This movie's only big mistake was the runtime. Quite lengthy. ANd let's not forget that the effects and action is spectacular, as always expected from a transformers movie. It's a well made movie, and while not all the problems are gone, they've at least faded a little. And that is all I have to say. In the end, I give it 8/10. But hey, that's just me.
Lost in Translation (2003)
What a film.
This is a movie that will stick with you. At first, I didn't think I would like it. But that night, I thought of how much of an experience this movie is. The emotions captured and the world it brings you to is phenomenal. The acting is amazing. The relationship that Scarlett Johansson and Bill Murray have feels very real. The feelings I get from the movie are quite mixed. The main characters are almost never upset with each other, but before they met each other they were miserable. Now, the world this movie is in feels so distant, and yet so close. I guess we can all relate to the story, if we stripped it down and examined its basic premise, but the place the movie is set in is what strikes the audience as unfamiliar. Well, the main characters are unfamiliar with the place they're in. They're two lost souls, in an unknown land. I think that's what makes the movie work. The environment and the story seem to differ so much that they compliment each other. If this wasn't set in Japan, it would seem like an average romance flick. But it's a lot more. It's a bitter-sweet film that can show what the real world is like, which is quite refreshing, compared to all the happy endings nowadays. To be honest, there aren't really any parts that stick, no high points. However, this means that there isn't really any low points either. The ending is also bitter-sweet, I love it. I won't spoil it for you, It's just, realistic, i guess is the best word to describe it. This film deviates every norm of a movie of today. It's one of a kind. It's a different kind of love story. Except it's more of a friendship story. How two stranded people find each other and begin to care for each other more and more as their own lives seem to become less and less of a reality. This movie will stick with you. You will love it more and more as time passes. And I am certain that I will be watching it again in the very near future.
Cast Away (2000)
In my opinion, the best movie ever made.
This is the movie that defines perfect. Every way I look at it, it's amazing. Now, if you don't think this movie is perfect, erase all of the thoughts you had about this movie before reading this, or else you'll probably disagree with many of the things I say.
This is my favourite film of all time. I love Tom Hanks, I love the location, I love the story, I love the camera-work, I love every aspect. I'll start off with Tom Hanks himself. Well, he sure says a lot without saying much. The emotions on his face are unbelievable realistic. Every breakdown Hank's character has seems real. He can also make the audience emotionally invested in a volleyball, now THAT'S good acting.
The camera-work is astounding. There are many shots that last much longer than the average take in a movie. At first they annoyed me, but now I love them. The pans that can take a minute long really add to the realism, and just lets you take in the situation the main character is in. The effects are pretty good too, sometimes the porta-potty sail looks kinda iffy, but for the most part it's solid. Zemeckis nailed it with how this film was put together, and the camera crew did amazing too.
The story comes off outlandish, but in the end seems realistic. I found that the chances of Noland actually surviving a plane crash and then stumbling upon an unoccupied island slim to none. But hey, at least it's not like Lost, where not only to they crash onto an island, but like 20 or so people survive. I absolutely adore the ending. It shows that the movie will take risks, and that it's willing to vary from the crowd. Some people might say this movie is depressing, but for me, it's a perfect balance. We see a whole bunch of sad and dramatic stuff, so when the happy, funny moments come around it makes them all the more enjoyable.
Finally, I will put all the stupid complaints to rest. A feature length FedEx commercial. Ya, right. Regardless if Zemeckis made a deal with FedEx or not, it makes the movie even more realistic. A real company makes it seem like it really happened or really could happen. Not to mention, why does it bug everyone so much? I didn't even notice how many times the name appears until I read someone complaining about it online. The next thing is the runtime. I'll admit, this movie is a bit long, and is not very convenient. When i saw this for the first time, it bugged me how long the events went on after Chuck is rescued, but now it makes sense to me. More story needed to be told. This wasn't just a survival movie. It's supposed to be more than that. A character study, as we look at the lengths someone will go to stay alive, and the effects that being taken away from civilization for a long time can have on a person and the people around him. And for everything else, you don't like Tom Hanks or the story, that's really just personal preference and I probably won't change your mind on that.
Well, I think Cast Away will always be my favourite movie, and for me, It's a dream come true. My favourite director and my favourite actor come together to make a masterpiece. It's Zemeckis' best movie (Forrest Gump is a close second) and Zemeckis has mastered the art of telling a good story. But, can you please stop with all those CGI movies? It was cool at first, but now it's getting old. Oh well, we've still got his early work, one of the best films ever made, and my favourite film of all time.
Cast Away 10/10
127 Hours (2010)
Danny Boyle delivers!
When I saw the trailer for this movie, I was so excited. The trailer alone was so well put together, and the movie doesn't disappoint. James Franco is astounding, delivering only a few lines, but showing so much emotion when he isn't even saying anything. All the different shots are awesome, They really bring you into the movie and I personally felt kind of claustrophobic while watching. That's what I was arguing with my dad about, he preferred The Social Network over this, but I didn't. I look more into angles and environment, while he looked more at the story and acting.
127 Hours is well paced also, which is surprising because most of the film Aron is stuck. The amputation scene isn't as graphic as I thought it would be, I was more disturbed when Aron breaks his own arm. There were two very powerful moments where I got chills down my spine, When he hallucinates his son on the couch, and when Aron is getting rescued. The music flows so well with the movie, it just took my breath away. And that is what this movie is, A Spectacle.