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The Predator (2018)
Shockingly bad
I don't know where it went wrong. The writing stage? Production? Post-production?
As a premise, in my opinion, the idea of an even BIGGER Predator is just stupid and overkill. Perhaps developed to cater to Transformers fans. "7 foot? Nah.... Let's make him 12 FOOT, hell yeah!!!"
There are so many problems, but the main one that most critics have been pointing out is the plot, and the amount of holes in it. It's convoluted, and doesn't make sense. Some really forced, cheesy scenes: the Boyd Holbrook tough guy interrogation, the introduction of all the "Loonies" in the truck, the "heartfelt" chat between father and son (dreadful). Too many jokes (some were alright, but mostly poor), absolutely NO tension. The pet Predator.... Speechless.
Such a misfire. The first 15 minutes were ok, and it's just terrible from then onwards.
It Follows (2014)
Hype
I'm normally, like many people I suspect, underwhelmed by films that get a lot of hype. And I'm glad to say, not this time. Was meaning to watch it for weeks, and it did not disappoint.
These are exciting times for independent films. Last year I was blown away by Blue Ruin and The Guest, and now this one. In the latter two, it very likely has something to do with the fact that the film makers are clearly inspired by the awesomeness of John Carpenter's Golden Age.
Score: Brilliant and effective.
Photography: Great overall. Some shots I didn't quite understand and found slightly amateurish, others, including the now notorious opening shot, are inspired.
Acting: Solid enough. Really liking in particular the new girl on the block: Maika Monroe. Very convincing, and beautiful though not in the conventional Hollywood way.
You can feel that the film comes from the heart, and it's apparently inspired by a real nightmare. It really comes across, and effectively captures a dream-like atmosphere.
What's also very original is the concept that you can, in theory, physically avoid "it" for the rest of your life. As we see several times, the infected can just circle around it while thinking about his or her next exit. But it's about the mental persecution that comes with this thing just walking after you non-stop, and at what point do you break down and give up? Very cool and creepy, without using cliché, massive amounts of gore or cheap shots.
Predator: Dark Ages (2015)
Congratulations to the film makers!
(MILD) SPOILER AHEAD! I'm a huge fan of the original, and stumbled upon this short film on youtube.
Within the 1st few shots, you can tell serious people are behind this. Cinematography, Sound design, Sound Mix, Music and VFX are high quality.
Good pace as well, the half hour flew by.
The acting in my opinion wasn't always spot on, but hey, mostly good.
The Predator looked great, though I feel he could have possibly looked even taller.
Finally, I respect the director's take on the Predator's character, though my feeling is he isn't such a "noble" creature, and doesn't possess a sense of honour which the ending of the film suggests.
Anyways, thank you, and congratulations! Great example of what an independent production can accomplish when talented people put their hearts into it.
Taken 3 (2014)
Wow
I love Liam Neeson, and I love Forest Whitaker. They must have loved their paychecks.
Even these experienced actors couldn't save the dreadful lines from sounding dreadful.
Predictable isn't strong enough a word, the final showdown was just a question of when and where.
The editing was messy. Regularly there are some useless cuts that don't help the story line or action sequence. I don't particularly care for frantic modern-day editing, but when it's done well (eg. Bourne series), then yes, it works. Not here.
How, with a 40 Million budget, does it still manage at times to have a cheap cinematography feel to it? Surely you hire top-notch technicians with a budget that size, or is all the budget going into aforementioned paychecks?
At least Besson is providing regular work to film-makers... but it's still hard to believe the maker of Nikita, Le Grand Bleu and Leon is responsible for this drivel.
3 Days to Kill (2014)
A watchable and forgettable cheesy film.
There was a time when Luc Besson was an artist. He wrote/directed films such as "Subway", "Nikita", "Le Grand Bleu", "Leon"...
I like Kevin Costner, it might be for nostalgic reasons, but I do, he's a very decent actor. And he's also aged well.
Let's be honest, the film is dumb. It's a cynical, if pretty well executed, cliché-ridden rip-off of the Taken series.
The African family backdrop is ridiculous, the "simple" people who teach the old hardened agent the important things of life and how to live again... Oh, and they occasionally and conveniently speak English amongst themselves (despite being from Mali), perhaps so the dumbed down target audience doesn't lose the plot. I guess 10/15 lines in French with subs would have been too much to handle? Amber Heard's character is as stunning as she is silly.
The bad guys are not scary or threatening.
Lots more to laugh at, but all in all, a couple of good action sequences and the fact that I enjoy Costner made me give this film a 3 instead of a 1.
Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit (2014)
Watchable, but...
Keira Knightley and Chris Pine annoy me, especially the former. The latter is a solid enough actor and is well cast, I suppose, as the All-American patriotic and brainy bad-ass agent, but I can't help thinking he belongs in a tooth-paste ad. Knightley however, I can SEE her acting, and didn't buy her for a minute.
Kevin Costner is good here, and Kenneth Branagh is brilliant, as always it seems. The "USA = Good and Russia = Bad" foundation was pretty basic, but the movie isn't trying to be a Geopolitical analysis, so no big deal. The action scenes are done well and the pace is tight: an entertaining film.