scottyxl Reviews

Escape Plan (2013)

Quite good for a simple action flick

[7/10 · 31 August 2015]

Stallone and Schwarzenegger co-starring for the first time! I was expecting another really bad flick with a bad plot and even worse acting, well that assumption was (mostly) wrong.

The plot is actually pretty good. I really liked how they introduced new characters. The pace is steady and action scenes are not that long. It never felt boring or idiotic to me which quite a lot of simple action flicks are IMHO. I was also astonished that the story was quite original and that it contained quite a few well done plot twists.

Camera work and music score are good but obviously nothing special, the scenery was pretty well thought out.

I really enjoyed the cast and their okay acting (you obviously need to take into account that both Sly or Arnold are bad actors) with Jim Caviezel playing an excellent villain. Except for 50 Cent, who should never be cast again!

In the end I really enjoyed watching this and I would recommend it to anyone who wants to spend two hours watching a simple action flick.

The Raid 2 (2014)

Amazing stunt work!

[8/10 · 31 July 2015]

Wow! You don't often see a sequel that is better than the first movie but Raid 2 did just that.

The stunts in this movie where absolutely spectacular. A lot of unique stunts that I had never seen before (and I've seen a lot). The pace of the action was very high but because of the chosen camera angles if was easy to follow. The excellent camera work added more thrill to the fight scenes.

I really liked that not only the main character had some long scenes but the rest of the cast had them as well and the choreography was very good.

The plot was good but a bit confusing at times. There where a few time jumps here and there, and character introductions that only made sense later on.

So IMHO this is a movie you must watch! Just remember that it's in Indonesian though.

PS: You don't need to watch the first Raid before watching this but I strongly urge you to do so because it's really good.

Human Universe (2014)

From apeman to spaceman

[10/10 · 9 June 2015]

"From apeman to spaceman" is a quote from the first episode but it also describes the entire show. And for me personally it is an amazing quote I will be remembering for a long time.

This series shows the viewer the journey our species made from its first steps to its permanent base in space. As a space enthusiast I really liked that it touched a lot of areas in that field even though it didn't feel like a documentary about space (exploration).

As always Professor Brian Cox did a stellar job presenting this show, his enthusiasm and skill in explaining theories with ease is just amazing.

Adding the stunning visuals (the satellite overview in episode #4 was such an amazing shot for me I actually paused the screen for several minutes) to the mix makes this a documentary a must watch for anybody who enjoys watching documentaries.

I did find that I knew most of the theories that where explained but for me this didn't make this show any less good, because they where told from a different angle. This was done so well that I lost count of how many times my hair stood up straight on my arms, legs and neck.

Hopefully, like Sir David Attenborough, Professor Brian Cox will continue making documentaries until he's physically unable to.

12 Years a Slave (2013)

Portrayed the awfulness of slavery well

[7/10 · 4 June 2015]

Because I don't like films that reside in the past I wasn't paying much attention at the start and it took me a while to get into it. The time jumps made it even harder to follow (I actually watched the start twice).

But along the way the film started to get good (and coming from me that says something). The plot was very well written and was not to fast or to slow.

I wanted to see this film because the idea of slavery is idiotic to me. How people back then could be doing this is beyond me, but I guess it has something to do with greed and group pressure. This film really showed the viewer how awful slavery was.

Chiwetel Ejiofor did a fantastic job playing this character, Brad Pitt was really poorly cast and absolutely the wrong man for the role, even for the small part.

The Words (2012)

Good but predictable

[7/10 · 20 May 2015]

Whats really good about this plot is that it's three separate stories that impact each other but don't occur at the same time. And all of this without making the viewer feeling confused about the plot and leaving some stuff open to the users' interpretation. I did feel that there wasn't much character development because of this and some parts felt rushed.

Personally I caught on to where the plot was going quite early and that ruined it a bit for me. If you're used to watching these kinds of movies this one is not the best but its still very enjoyable.

The performance of this cast was just as you'd expect, impeccable!

In the House (2012)

Fantasy or reality

[7/10 · 14 May 2015]

This was a film without much scenery or need for a score. It only needed a setting for the plot to unfold. I liked how this film could take place anywhere in the world and yet the story is not common.

I like how the plot made sure you couldn't predict what was going to happen and how it wasn't obvious from the start. The interaction of the characters was done really well between the 'real' and 'fantasy' worlds. You never know if it is something that happened or if Claude makes it up.

Even though the movie was almost 2 hours long it didn't feel that way and it was quite enjoyable to watch.

Promised Land (2012)

Fracking

[7/10 · 16 April 2015]

I thought this was an interesting story about a salesman who basically goes door to door selling fracking (god that word makes me miss Battlestar Galactica).

During the movie I thought the plot was good but afterwords I had a few issues with it. I did like that it didn't politicize the subject a lot. It was more about the story then about fracking itself. I also liked that it showed multiple sides of the story.

Matt Damon's acting is good, but not his best performance though. You don't see this kind of character development in movies much, that was refreshing.

Always lovely to see Rosemarie DeWitt, +1 for her <3

The Best Man Holiday (2013)

More drama than comedy

[7/10 · 3 April 2015]

I started watching this movie thinking it was another black comedy (I love those) so I was a bit disappointed because there where not a lot of funny scenes (though Terrence Howard was funny as hell). After I realized it wasn't a laugh your ass off comedy there was a lot more drama. I must say that in the end I really enjoyed watching this, it just took me a moment to switch.

Only after watching this movie I read that it was a sequel. That answered a few of my questions about the character development and plot.

I really liked the plot though and the character development was good, so I'll be watching the 3rd movie when it comes out.

So if you're into black movies and don't mind drama this is one you should definitely watch.

American Sniper (2014)

Realistic action with a side of drama

[8/10 · 3 April 2015]

This film was a bit different than I expected. Originally I thought it was going to be about all the action during wartime but I was surprised that it was just as much about the family at home. I liked how they tried to show the struggle Kyle had with shooting insurgents and his home life.

The action in this film was top-notch and realistic which I really love. I prefer these kinds of movies to the explosion and bullet packed movies that Hollywood normally produces.

Bradley Cooper did an amazing job portraying Kyle and was very believable.

It's a Disaster (2012)

You don't need a big budget to make a movie about the world ending

[7/10 · 10 February 2015]

I quite enjoyed this movie. Usually a end-of-the-world-movie involves lots of explosions but this movie took a whole different view on it.

The plot was genius: put a bunch of friends together, add a new person and make the world end. Taking place in a single house was a real nice idea, the mystery of not knowing what was going on outside really helped the plot.

The interactions the characters had in this film where funny, crazy and believable. Though its not a comedy where you are laughing all the time I found myself laughing more than in most big comedies.

Top notch acting really added to the experience. You normally don't expect such a cast in a low budget movie.

Blackhat (2015)

If you make a hacker-movie, at least get your basic facts right..

[5/10 · 9 February 2015]

I must say when I watched the trailer for this movie I was skeptical, there are only a few hacker- movies that are enjoyable to watch.

Sometimes I am wrong and the movie turns out to be better then I expected but not in this case. I actually got quite annoyed watching this. The computer action looked authentic by using existing OS-es and interfaces but they still made huge mistakes. IP's with numbers higher than 255 is just plain stupid and accessing a top-secret NSA program with some simple social engineering looked convincing on screen but I doubt the NSA allows simple user/pass access to such tooling. I could go on and on...

I did like the idea of the plot, too bad the execution was so terrible. Probably the only thing I really liked where the two big shootout scenes, you saw a bit of Heat's director Mann there:)

Unsynced audio and weird changes in volume where also very annoying, something you don't expect from a $70mil movie.

I'm giving this a +1 because it tried to be authentic so a 4 bumps up to a 5/10 rating.

Tale of a Forest (2012)

Amazing and unique shots with some Finnish folklore

[8/10 · 8 February 2015]

This is a short documentary about the forests in Northern Finland and the folklore the Finnish people created.

The team working on this documentary really knew what they where doing because most of the shots looked amazing! I really liked that they had some unique shots that I hadn't seen before in other documentaries.

I did feel that the score was a bit overdone and present at times.

Personally I don't care much for folklore so it didn't add anything for me. Luckily they kept the narration to a minimum so I could just really enjoy the stunning images.

As somebody who has visited that part of Finland (I'm Dutch) it was really nice to see the stunning environment again so 8/10.

The Attack (2012)

Faith in humanity not restored just yet

[7/10 · 18 January 2015]

This film is about a man who finds out that his wife killed 17 people in a suicide bombing in Tel Aviv, Israel and finding out the why and the how.

I really liked the plot of this movie because the main character is an Arab, not an Israeli. It really shows you two sides of the same coin and that the conflict between Israel and Palestine is different for everybody. It shows the pain and suffering from both sides and why they do what they think they must do. But also how somebody can think they know somebody while the truth is that they don't.

IMHO this film showed me why the conflict will not end in the near future (it will probably get worse). And that is a good thing because something needs to be done about it, adding more violence to the equation will only make it worse.

Climatically this film was great, the production quality was top notch. Even though I like foreign films the languages used made it hard for me to enjoy it fully. I think it is because the way they talk makes their emotions look different.

I really don't understand why this film was banned in so many Arab countries, because I think this film will make people understand the situation a bit more.

Anybody who is interested in the conflict or in a good plot should really watch this, 7/10

Joe (I) (2013)

Damn... Needed subtitles because of all the rednecks

[7/10 · 18 January 2015]

Well! It seems that Nicholas Cage hasn't forgot what acting is :)

What I liked most of this movie is that most of the characters in this film where very good for unknown actors. It turns out that most of the actors aren't even actors but just locals (and some of them real homeless people). Because the actors where playing roles that where so true to there self it probably didn't feel like acting at all and that showed, it was very natural (and quite refreshing). Most of the script was probably improvised on the spot.

The character interaction was really good because of this and I had to turn on the subtitles because their redneck accent was so heavy.

The pace of the film was quite slow but not boring. It was the right speed for this plot which was quite good and original.

Frances Ha (2012)

Unusual

[7/10 · 15 January 2015]

It took me a moment to get into this film but in the end it was quite nice.

The plot was okay, IMHO a little too much time jumping. The script however was very nice, the interaction between the characters was really nice to see. And the choices Frances makes are very amusing to watch. The acting was a bit mediocre though.

I did like a lot of the camera shots and the black and white added something extra to the film. The score was very unusual which was perfect for this film.

If you are into art house/indie films you should definitely watch this, if not then don't bother as you wont like it.

Blue Is the Warmest Colour (2013)

Up close, cinematic orgasm

[9/10 · 13 January 2015]

WOW! What an amazing performance by this cast... You can really see that their hart and soul went into this, I cannot remember a performance this good by such a young cast.

What I loved most about this film is how it literally and figuratively zoomed in on the life of Adele. I loved the close up shots done at the strangest times of the day, it made her so realistic.

The plot was amazingly well done, though I did not like one time jump they did. I expected a coming out to her parents but that was nowhere to be found. Quite a few social topics where touched so not adding a coming out really was a plot hole for me. The time jumps itself where a bit unexpected at first but added to the plot.

There where quite a few sex scenes and normally they don't add a lot to the plot but in this film I think it was one of the key points to show the passion that Adele and Emma had for each other.

I hardly noticed the score (I'm actually not sure if it was there at all) but most dance scenes where really well done.

So much detail went into the ending of the film which I thought was a great touch.

I think I was 16 the last time I fell in love with an actress on-screen, but the stellar performance and amazing beauty of Adèle Exarchopoulos was just to much to handle! Not to mention that there where no make-up artists or stylists on set and most of the scenes where shot without makeup.

This film was 3 hours long but it only felt like 30 minutes had passed after it was done, the only rating I can give it is a 9/10.

Her (2013)

Awkwardly genius

[9/10 · 10 January 2015]

First off: What a stellar performance by Joaquin Phoenix and the rest of the cast. The acting is top-notch and the relationships between the characters where very believable.

What makes this film great is that the plot makes you think about a lot of different topics: What is love? What could AI be like in the future? What will the future be like? How will humans and computers interact in the future? Exploring these things in a very calm and subtle way is a very hard thing to do and it was done very well. Some scenes are truly awkward (NSFW) to watch but these scenes are also what makes the film great.

The score of this film was excellent and it added a lot of value. Attention to visual details was also a breath of fresh air, you could really see that the director knew what he was doing.

At the end of this film I found myself thinking what I should rate it because it didn't leave me with a WOW effect because I was thinking about all the topics that passed through the film. Then I realized this is what makes the film great so I'm rating it at 9/10.

Man of Steel (2013)

Okay movie with total destruction!

[6/10 · 7 January 2015]

The first half of the movie felt a bit rushed but it was nice to see a long intro of what happened to Krypton. It took me a bit by surprise especially because the CGI wasn't very good.

The plot itself was okay, Lois popping up everywhere in the movie was just wrong though.

I did like the casting very much, most roles where portrayed perfectly and Henry Cavill was perfect for the role of Clark.

Personally I don't like a ton of CGI effects, especially when they're not done well. I prefer actual props and stages to CGI and it was just annoying to see those battle suits looking fake as hell. During some points in the movie I noticed that it was filmed for 3D because of how they set up the scene's, so that might have dabbled with the experience a bit (watching the 2D version).

Overall the movie was a enjoyable movie with lots of things getting destroyed, a 6/10.

Exodus: Gods and Kings (2014)

What a PoS...

[4/10 · 6 January 2015]

What bothered me the most about this movie was that it was casted very very badly. Even Christian Bale was wrong for this role. Most of the acting felt forced and unnatural to me, the relationship between the characters felt fake.

On top of that the plot is rushed and just not very good story wise. I am an atheist but that does not keep me from liking movies and films about religion, this one on the other hand...

Like everything else in this movie the score was not good either, it felt misplaced and IMHO sometimes at the wrong moments.

There where only two positive things about this movie: - The boy who played the messenger of god (who for some reason is uncredited?) - The visuals (even though 3D added nothing of value)

Maybe its just me and its just because I don't like movies that occur in the past, but I entered the theater with an open mind expecting a lot more from this cast and director.

About Time (I) (2013)

What a wonderful film!

[8/10 · 5 January 2015]

You would expect this film to be a romantic film like any other but you'd be wrong. This film has some really good romantic aspects but that is not what its about, it's about family and the choices.

The plot is done very well and also teaches you a thing or two about life. It takes you back to different moments in time without making you confused.

I thought the acting was brilliant but I wouldn't expect anything less from Bill Nighy and Rachel McAdams. The relationship between the father and son was truly remarkable especially because they shared the same secret.

The scenery and camera work where very good but the score was okay.

It wasn't a thrill ride but because of the chemistry and the choices the main character makes you really get sucked into the film. Thats why I'm rating it a 8/10.

John Wick (2014)

Great one-guy-kills-all-the-bad-guys movie

[7/10 · 30 November 2014]

I thought this was going to be just another movie where the main character has to kill all the bad guys to get to the main bad guy. While I was right about this, I did enjoy it a whole lot more than I originally thought.

The start of the movie is a bit fast, you get to know everything you need too but without much details. The acting is okay but when the action starts you don't care about this anymore. Most of the action scenes are really cool and some of the gun fighting scenes are just awesome! For a Hollywood movie its actually quite realistic, you can see Keanu's training for The Matrix is still in his muscles. The main plot is not that special but some side plots are really nice. Humor was a big part of the movie much to my surprise, the entire room was laughing quite a few times.

For a one-guy-kills-all-the-bad-guys movie this was really good and that's why I'm rating it 7/10.

Nightcrawler (2014)

Psycho on the loose with a camera!

[8/10 · 30 November 2014]

Somebody who's not doing anything with his life stumbles upon a job that really intrigues him. Once he gains skill and confidence he starts to go the 'extra mile'. Jake does an excellent performance of portraying someone lacking social skills (autistic?). Once the cameras are rolling the true self of the character comes out with some really crazy and shocking scenes. After he captured his final shot, the following ending was a bit fast and short. It looked like they wanted to keep it under 2 hours.

The plot is very original, the acting is excellent and the character building is done amazingly and that's why I'm scoring it an 8/10.

Interstellar (2014)

Almost perfect but +1 for being a realistic space exploration sci-fi

[10/10 · 19 November 2014]

WOW, just WOW! This film was almost perfect!

The story and plot where phenomenal and scientifically quite accurate, the shots where stunning (the shot of them passing by Saturn was absolutely breathtaking) and the acting was top-notch. The film really sucks you in, twists you around and then silences the room to only then explode in your face. Some people may not have liked the sound editing at some points but for me (with subtitles) the loud Noise at some points really emphasized the lack of sound in space in other parts and I thought this was genius. The ending was a bit far-fetched for me but it rounded up the film nicely and it did include a few (tiny) errors but then again I have yet to see a movie that has none.

For some reason I did think there was something wrong, maybe the ending, so I couldn't give it a 10 right away. I am a true lover of space exploration films and movies that I'm giving it +1 rounding up to a 10/10. I'll be watching this at-least once more time (and possibly even more) in IMAX because the experience was just breathtaking

The Hunger Games: Catching Fire (2013)

Better than the first but still nothing special, 6/10

[6/10 · 17 November 2014]

For some reason I enjoyed this movie a little more that the first one and I think it was because you know most off the characters by now. You'll hate some and love others. The pace in the first half is very slow compared to the second half in which it seams they rushed so many thing. It would have been a lot better if they slowed down the second part. The acting for most of the cast was alright but Jennifer Lawrence's acting was a lot worse than in the first movie, I hope she does better in the next THG. Throughout the movie a ton of errors are made (at one point she has 0 arrows left, few scenes later she has a dozen and in two movies I haven't seen her pickup one new arrow, she gets handed one by another Tribute). Katniss shooting at the sky was a WTF moment for me because the arrow could never reach that high, specially with a copper wire attached. I shouted why isn't she shooting at the wall 5m away, she apparently does that in the book. You got some pointers early on, on how things would end up. I wonder if this was intentional. It was an enjoyable movie but it felt too rushed and very much an in-between movie.

So I give it a 6/10, just like the first movie. And is it just me or is Peeta's character the most pathetic character ever? He always needs saving and never does anything right :/

The Hunger Games (2012)

Disappointment but still enjoyable

[6/10 · 16 November 2014]

The acting was quite alright but the story felt wrong. I was saying to myself this will happen any minute now and it did, quite a few times. The games are rigged from the start for many reasons but the hunt for Katniss by the producers of the game show was #1 in my book. 12 y/o children fighting 18 y/o young adults is not fair no mater how you reason and I doubt they could ever win. Not sure how this all can keep rebellion at bay (nobody in the districts seemed to care), to me it seemed like a mayor plot hole. But I guess thats why there are more movies (coming). So for me this is just a 6/10 and was quite a disappointment.