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Gerryt22
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An error has ocurred. Please try againHonorable mentions go to Mary Poppins Returns, BlacKkKlansman, Incredibles 2, Crazy Rich Asians, Searching, Halloween, A Star is Born and First Man.
Reviews
The Hunger Games: Catching Fire (2013)
Another example of a sequel that's far better
The first Hunger Games, in my honest opinion, was very disappointing to me. I felt that the direction was lacking, it didn't feel like it's own world and thus it felt like I was watching a ton of people play dress up, and the love triangle overshadowed the main plot. To sum it all up I thought the first film tried too hard to be like Twilight. Catching Fire comes along and everything that I felt went wrong in the first film was improved upon in this stellar sequel. The directing was on point and very well paced, the world felt BIG and also felt as if I were in this rich looking world, and, most importantly, the love triangle, even though still present, wasn't as distracting as the previous installment.
Something I will never bash about with the first film is how well the acting was and in this sequel it gets even better. Jennifer Lawrence plays on of the most believable film heroes in recent years. A character with such depth and emotion, Katniss is one unforgettable character.
At first I thought this series was going to be another Twilight. The lacking first installment worried me but now after viewing Catching Fire I'm now confident that, under Francis Lawrence's direction, the final sequels with be something special.
8/10
-Gerry T
Godzilla (2014)
An interesting film that features a Godzilla cameo
When I say giant green lizard monster what is the first thing that comes to your mind? Well Godzila of course! Now if I said giant green rage monster then that means I'm talking about the Hulk. One thing about the Hulk and his recent films (Ang Lee's Hulk and the reboot Incredible Hulk, with the exception of The Avengers since he's one of the many stars) we get to see what we came for, THE HULK!
Now this is a MUTO review..... oh wait.... never mind! This is a Godzilla review! Meaning we should have had a good amount of screen time for the king of monsters. Sadly we barley get to see our giant green star of the movie. We ended up getting more MUTO screen time than we did Godzilla. The film does, for a time, a good job with slowly building up to Godzilla however by the time an hour and a half rolls by they seem to have taken a bit too long to do so.
The lacking direction keeps teasing something big only to then cut away to something silly and unnecessary. Monster battle is about to go down but first watch this scene where the main character helps a little boy find his parents! A Monster fight just started to go down but first watch this scene with a kid watching the fight on TV! This goes on and on and on and it becomes aggravating that every time something interesting happens the scenes cut to something else.
When it comes to monster films one of the most common issue are the human characters. This film suffer that same problem and more. These actors work with what they have but in the end we feel no interest for the problems they have to deal with. Sure we need characters to emphasize with but these characters we just not strong enough.
Now let's forget the humans and go back to what's important... GODZILLA! With all these issues one things for sure the moments we do see Godzilla truly delivers. The action scenes with Godzilla fighting the MUTOs were visually dazzling and fun to watch. The special effects in this film is without a doubt just spectacular. The best best looking Godzilla we've seen yet.
This is a film I'd recommend that you just skip to the end of the film. Godzilla is what it is, a missed opportunity. The intention was to revive Godzilla to the new generation of film goers but seemingly fails to. What's a film without it's star? Director Gareth Edwards has apparently set himself up for a possible dilemma. He has announced that there will be a sequel. This film spent the entire film, and literally the entire film, to set up the king of monsters. I hope that the director learns from this film mistakes and can actually give us a Godzilla film that features... Godzilla.
6/10
-Gerry T
Bad Boys (1995)
Michael Bay at his best.
Bad Boys is just a pure action classic! I am a sucker for buddy cop films and Bad Boys is without a doubt my favorite buddy cop film. It is also the perfect action comedy. It seems as though with action comedies there are two possible things that can happen. You can have a film that has mostly comedy but with some action, though not BIG action like Beverly Hills Cop for example. Or you can have a film with a ton of BIG action yet just have some humorous moments here and there like Die Hard for example. What I always loved about Bad Boys and it's sequel is that it has equal amounts of action and comedy. You can be at the edge of your seat watching an intense action scene then laugh out loud in the next one and so on.
Will Smith and Martin Lawrence were perfectly matched for this film. at the time the two were big sitcom stars on TV and have yet to have a break out hit on the big screen. This film was also Michael Bay's directorial debut. This film had a fairly small budget for an action film and what I've always appreciated about this film was how Bay was able to make a fun, entertaining, explosive action film while staying on budget. He even sacrificed part of his salary just so he can film extra action scenes. The point is Bay proved in his debut that he can work with a budget long before his high demands with Transformers.
Now Michael Bay these days seems to be a popular magnet for hate and criticism. I feel as though he does NOT deserve the amount of hate he gets. Whenever I hear someone say "I hate Michael Bay" I always bring Bad Boys to their attention hoping to prove to the viewer that Bay is talented. Sure, obviously he isn't Spielberg good, but Bay is good enough that people should give him a chance. One things for sure is that even though film analyst, critics, and all sorts of film buffs love to hate Bay, the general audience seem appreciate his works since all of his films have been box office successes. Bay knows what audiences want and gives it to you. What's so bad about seeing a brainless action film every once in awhile?!?! Haters act as if Bay murdered a village filled with children when he does his films. When Bay presses all the right buttons in his directing machine he can make something truly entertaining.
Overall this is without a doubt a film I can re watch at least 5 times a month. This and its sequel are not only on my top 10 all time favorite action films but also my top 10 films in general. Love or hate Bay, Bad Boys is his best work.
10/10
-Gerry T
The Amazing Spider-Man 2 (2014)
A film that proves that good performances can save a film
The Amazing Spider-Man 2 is not a great movie nor is it an awfully bad one. Although to many this film is as bad as Batman and Robin I personally believe this film was just simply 'good' but with many problems. For every pro there's a con.
In this second installment in the rebooted Spider-Man series leading man Andrew Garfield reprises the role of Spidey/Peter Parker and proves that he truly owns the role. What really saved this film for me was Garfield's performance. Garfield understands the character and how to bring him to life along with the help with director Marc Webb. One thing I've noticed with many of Garfield's performances is that he works well with other actors and actresses. I always enjoyed his on screen chemistry with Jesse Eisenberg in The Social Network and now I can add Emma Stone, Sally Field and Dane DeHaan to that mix. Since the first Amazing Spider- Man I was always convinced with Garfield and Stone's chemistry. For a second I literally thought they were dating. Eventually after the first film the two actors started dating. Garfield is one lucky man. His chemistry with Field also works in so many levels. Field truly felt as if she were is caring aunt just as good as Rosemary Harris in the Raimi trilogy. The biggest standout to me was Garfield and DeHaan's chemistry. Just like Tobey Maguire and James Franco, Garfield and DeHaan acted as convincing best friends. So pretty much the main strength for this film are the performances and on screen chemistry.
One thing that has never disappointed me in a Spider-Man film (including the awful Spider-Man 3) are the action scenes. The Amazing Spider-Man 2 truly delivers some fun and beautifully shot action scenes. Marc Webb truly seems to understand how Spider-Man's powers work and visually brings them to the screen showcasing how skilled of a superhero Spidey is. Spider-Man's web-swinging in this film is without a doubt the best we've ever seen. At the end of the film you may feel as if you have gotten the feeling of vertigo.
One question that always runs through my mind is which Spider-Man series is better: Sam Raimi's series or Marc Webb's? MY answer: with the exception of the third film, Raimi had the better films, however, Webb's had a better leading actor. Webb's direction in this series so far has been a bit questionable. It feels as though Webb is a bit ill confident and unsure on where to take the film. It can literally go 5 ways.
The decision to have 3 villains bothers me. Now here's the thing, it's not that it's bad that there are 3 villains, it's bad that they didn't use them well. You can have 12 villains in a film but if you carefully make sure that each character is used well enough you can still have a great movie. First of all Rhino should NOT have been in the film. Second, Max Dillon's back story is not strong enough at all to justify him becoming a super villain nor do the audience feel empathy for him. And third, Golbin SHOULD have been the main leading villain. This is Spider-Man's arch nemesis! He's partially responsible for Gwen Stacy's death and therefore he should have been the main antagonist.
This film suffers the problems that Iron Man 2 suffered and that it felt more like a set up film. Iron Man 2 was criticized for feeling more like a set up for The Avengers. Since The Avengers was a proved success Iron Man 2's cons were seemingly forgiven. Amazing Spider-Man 2 sets up Sinister Six. Problem is now if Sinister Six fails then all this set up work has been done for nothing.
Overall even though this film has it's many share of problems it's still a solid entertaining film. The action scenes dazzle and Garfield steals the show with his performance. The film suffers problems that Raimi's Spider-Man 3 had and that is badly used villains and overstuffed plot, however, Amazing Spider-Man 2 at least did the overstuffed plot better and that everything is connected is done for a reason. At this point all we can ask for now is for extreme improvements for the next Spider-Man film. In this day in age it seems as though Spider-Man is no longer the cool kid in the superhero movie block, under shadowed by the likes of Iron Man, Batman, Superman, and Thor. Hopefully Amazing Spider-Man 3 will remind us all why we love Spider-Man.
7/10
-Gerry T
The Expendables 3 (2014)
We have found our first expendable Expendables film
Here is another example of what people call the "Godfather trilogy effect". First film - good, second film - amazing, and third film - awful! Though I will say I did like Godfather Part 3 but I figure I'd use this example. I could have also used Sam Raimi's Spider-Man trilogy or even X-Men. But it seems like now we have found our newest culprit.
The film tries to continue the same trend that the previous installments have accomplished: little plot, cheesy humor, and BIG action. When you seem to forget the two latter parts you know you have a problem. Not only did this film lack memorable action scenes but it also lacked humor. What made the second film so great was that it didn't take itself too serious and had fun and contained cheesy (and maybe even cringing) humor. But that's how those classic 80s and 90s action films worked. Had this been the first film in the series I'd be more forgiving but this is not the case. This is the third installment to an action franchise that pays tribute to classic action films. Boy some tribute this film was!
There are SOME redeeming qualities. The additions of Wesley Snipes, Harrison Ford, Antonio Banderas, and Mel Gibson are certainly welcomed additions to the ensemble. There was more screen time for the Terminator himself, Arnold Schwarzenegger. And (POSSIBLE SPOILER) he even says one of his most iconic movie lines, no, not "I'll be back", the other classic line dealing with some sort of aircraft ;)
Along with the newer veteran action stars we've also gotten newer younger faces that include boxer Victor Ortiz, MMA fighter Ronda Rousey, and actors Glen Powell and Kellen Lutz. Out of the four, Lutz was the most interesting one. Once we meet his character the script seems to set up something big for the young expendable. By the time the climax comes around it was like they just forgot what they've written. Lutz also gave the better performance out of the four younglings. Now obviously this isn't a film series that's known for it's acting, however, Rousey's acting was god awful! Physically she was great, however, but again worst performance in the film. She's like a female Hayden Christiensen. But don't get me wrong she is pretty.
Another suckish thing this film has done, which the previous film is guilty of as well: Barley any Jet Li! However this film did it much worse by not even giving him martial arts scenes, which the previous film did have. How in the bloody hell do you have one of the most iconic martial artist in your film yet don't even give him any martial arts scenes?!?!?
Oh and by the way, note that none of my complaints for this film deal with the whole fact that this film was PG-13 rather than an R. I never cared one bit if the film is R or PG-13. All I ask for is a good entertaining film. I'd still watch the film had it been Pixar animated and rated PG! If the rating is your only complaint towards this film then I suggest you delete your IMDb account and go watch Teen Mom. A film's rating doesn't give it quality.
It's such a shame knowing that this new installment to the Expendables series might just be the last to feature most of the veteran action stars such as Stallone and Statham. In no way what so ever did this feel like 'the last ride' the trailers seemed to promise us. Now clearly there will most likely be more Expendables films moving forward but it seems as though we have found our first expendable installment.
1/10
-Gerry T
Guardians of the Galaxy (2014)
If Pixar made a live action film, this would be it.
Back when it was announced that Guardians of the Galaxy would be an upcoming Marvel film, me, as well as many other fans asked the same thing: why? These are characters that people, outside of the comic book community, don't know at all. So pretty much for me the days leading up to the films release I was excited to see this film but due to my lack of prior knowledge of these characters I wasn't so sure if the film will hit well with me. I'm glad I've been proved wrong!
At this point we shouldn't doubt producer and head honcho of the Marvel Cinematic Universe Kevin Feige and his abilities of gathering the best talent to develop movies for him. James Gunn is without a doubt an amazing choice for the directors chair. Gunn clearly knows that many people have no clue who the f##k this clan of misfits are yet he makes sure that each member had their moments of fame.
It's pretty obvious that Gunn has drawn inspiration from Star Wars and Indiana Jones. I also saw a little hint of Back to the Future, The Goonies, and even many Pixar films as well. From it's opening scene alone has Indiana Jones written all over it. As Peter Quill enters the dark tombs he knows for certain that any misstep can be failure for him. This plays just like how the opening for Raiders of the Lost Ark as we first meet Indy. However, I don't recall Indy dancing through the caves and traps.
Chris Pratt is without a doubt the perfect casting choice for Peter Quill/Star Lord. His charismatic energy embodies the character and gives us all a good look on what a likable hero should look like. Pratt reminds me of a classic 1950's actor: He is an entertainer, period, and he has achieved that he has (Yoda voice).
The rest of the casting all around were perfect. Zoe Saldana as Gamora, the Guardians answer to Black Widow. Dave Bautista as Drax, who ended up surprising me. The biggest standouts to me however were the voices of Bradley Cooper as Rocket Raccoon and Vin Diesel as Groot, and let me say I never got tired by his only line "I AM GROOT". It was risky for Marvel to roll the dice on a property very unknown to general audiences, let alone the fact that two of the characters are a CGI animated talking raccoon that shoots guns and a talking tree. And to think we got this before a live action Wonder Woman. But in the end Gunn has successfully made this weird duo work. The fact that I find myself caring for a gun holding raccoon and a talking tree says a lot and Gunn made it believable and lovable.
Out of all the MCU films released, so far Guardians of the Galaxy had the most heart. I found myself nearly tearing up within the first five minutes just like how Pixar's Up got me. It's without a doubt my third favorite film in the MCU series (after The Avengers and Captain America: The Winter Soldier).
9/10
-Gerry T