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Reviews
Iron Man 2 (2010)
Not as great as the first but still outstanding
PROS
I loved the pacing, editing, cinematography, musical score, and all the other technical aspects of the storytelling.
All of the actors were top-notch. While, I think Terrence Howard looks more like Rhodey than Don Cheadle, Don was better at acting the part. My GF, pointed out well for me. They both played various aspects of the character perfectly, and if you could combine the two performances, you'd get the perfect Rhodes. Mickey Rourke as Ivan Vanko was GREAT! This movie combined elements of Whiplash and Crimson Dynamo into one villain. And I was so glad to see them do it well. Especially the Dynamo suit Rourke wears.
The other actors/actresses did as well as they did in the first movie. RDJ was perfect yet again, but more-so. Dealing with his "illness" and his alcoholism, and semi-depression. And all the stuff with his father. They beefed up Fury's involvement, which was very cool, and necessary to the plot this time.
The character interactions, the action, the dialogue, the comedic timing of the humor was all top-notch.
AND THE ENDING! Stay for after the credits!! I was so happy! It was the perfect set-up for future entries in the Marvel Movie Universe.
CONS
Scarlett Johansson LOOKED the part. But she was way too "nice", and not hard-edged enough for her role, and I understand that it's PG-13, but she NEVER USED HER GUNS. And NO ACCENT. Come on folks.. she's Russian. Mickey Rourke affected an accent and learned to speak some Russian, and INSISTED on speaking Russian during the movie. COME ON!
Justin Hammer was written wrong. He was funny, and offered great entertainment. But he's supposed to a sort of secret underworld crime-boss and a devious evil mastermind, of sorts. Not a fidgety, goofy bad-guy wannabe that gets caught.
The final battle was over way too Fast! It was easily one of the shortest face-offs I've ever seen in a movie. His attack drones got a longer fight than him! WTF!?
CONCLUSION
I LOVED everything else about this movie, except for the few complaints I listed. But because I had complaints, I can't give it a perfect score. Still, one of the very best comic book movie adaptations to date. And one of the best movies I've seen, in its own right as well.
Great stuff! Overall, I'd have to give it a 9 out of 10. Not perfect, but damn close.
The A-Team (2010)
The 'A' Stands for Awesome!!!
An amazing send-up to the funnest 80s action-comedy series, this movie delivers on every level. On being an homage and recreation of the old show, it's fantastic. On being a send-up to 80s style movies and shows in general, its wonderful. As an action-comedy in its own right, its flawless.
Liam Neeson, Bradley Cooper, Sharlto Copley, and Quinton "Rampage" Jackson perform their roles beautifully. Full of energy, these four play off each other perfectly. I couldn't have asked for better chemistry. And when your four stars nail it so well, you just gotta smile. Everyone else does a remarkable job in their roles as well, from the wonderful Gerald McRaney to Jessica Biel to Patrick Wilson. With such interesting and entertaining character portrayals, you're hooked into every scene. With many movies like this, the scenes that stray away from our hero(es) often ruin the pacing of the movie or allow the viewer to distance themselves from the action on screen. Not this movie. You're hooked from start to finish.
The dialogue is witty, and the humor is relentless. The musical score provided by the amazing Alan Silvestri is perfect in each scene, and he manages to recreate Mike Post and Pete Carpenter's classic TV Show theme with flying colors. The special effects are great, not top-notch, but great (if I had any complaint that was it). The pacing is relentless, as it should be. The story is wonderfully told. And the editing is perfect, with the intricate juxtaposition of scenes in just the right place, like a puzzle being finished before your eyes.
And be sure to stay after the credits, for awesome cameos from Dirk Benedict and Dwight Schultz (the original Face and Murdock respectively). Mr. T refused his cameo offer, which is just ludicrous. I'm sure George Peppard would have had a cameo as well if hadn't tragically passed away in '94.
Great action, great acting, great music, great story, great delivery, great everything. The cast and crew were flawless in their execution. ... I love it when a plan comes together.
Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time (2010)
The sands have spread fairly thin and it shows... but surprisingly in a good way
The common view amongst "professional" reviews is that the movie is average. scoring below 50% from Rotten Tomatoes, and MetaCritic, and notably a 2 out of 4 stars from Roger Ebert. The average user ranking on MC puts it at 9 out of 10.
Most reviews range anywhere from 8 out of 10, to as low as 2 or 3 out of 10.
If there's one thing critics can agree on, its that the movie is clichéd, borrowing elements from plenty of epics based in the Middle East and fantasy alike, and that it's loads of fun.
The one thing no one can agree on is whether that's good or bad.
It should be pointed out that this film is produced by the same company/studio that brought us 'Pirates of the Caribbean', and it certainly shows.
With that said, I'll lead into my thoughts on the film. The first "Pirates" scored on average a 7.8 - 6.4 of 10, while the sequels averaged anywhere from 4.5 to 5.3. I'd say this movie is better than the sequels while not as good as the first.
So, I'd give it roughly a 7 out of 10.
The story is fun, for what it is. Which is a rough retelling of the video game "Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time", while incorporating elements of the following two sequels, as well as incorporating stylistic elements from the following game and the first three of the original trilogy. Thats right! Based loosely on one game, borrowing elements from SIX more. The movie is stretched too thin, and it shows.
The movie feels like your prototypical "sword and sandal" action flick, borrowing heavily from films like "The Thief of Baghdad", and stories found in "1001 Nights". So think 'Arabian Nights', Ali Baba and the 40 Thieves, Aladdin, all mixed with some Steve Reeves 'Hercules' and Robert E. Howard 'Conan' flash.
Is it as cheesy as that sounds? YES! Is it as awesome as that sounds? YES!
But it's still well edited, well acted, well scored (Harry Gregson-Williams never fails), and overall well done enough to merit an enjoyable experience.
The ONLY complaints I can think of are few, but here they are: A bit too much CGI, not on the stunts (not much CGI there surprisingly) but on things like demonic-esque snakes (you'll see). Too much random slow-motion. The sexual-tension seemed too forced (too many of those really slow "they're about to kiss but don't" moments). And whereas yes, the ending is supposed to have a "Deus-Ex-Machina" feel to it, in the game it is much more thorough and more explained, in the movie you're just expected to roll with it.
Other than that. A fun night at the movies! Grab your over-priced candy, soda, and popcorn (or do like me and sneak snacks in) and have fun with friends, family and loved ones, recapturing the fun escapism of your childhood with an epic but cliché action movie.
Hope you enjoyed my review... And I hope you enjoy the movie too!
The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou (2004)
A wonderful moment in cinema history
I thought that this movie was a terrific film and a welcome treat from the hum-drum monotony of Hollywood. Wes Anderson is a wonderful director, and this is even better than his other films (Rushmore and The Royal Tanenbaums, for example). Bill Murray (who has been in a few of Anderson's other creations) and Wes Anderson seem to have the Midas touch.
Bill Murray brings me to the next spectacular feature of this film. The cast is superb!! Bill Murray plays an oceanographer on a quest for revenge. Angelica Houston (who is still a site to behold after all of these years) is his wife. Willem Dafoe plays the hilariously odd First Mate. Jeff Goldblum takes on the role of Bill Murrays rival. Cate Blanchett does a bang-up job as the reporter doing a "puff piece". And it is all tied together by Owen Wilson, who despite his comedic gift, plays a rather subdued character in his performance as Bill Murrays son.
The soundtrack to the movie was outstanding! But I will admit that I loved it mainly because I am a huge fan of David Bowie (seven of his songs are featured in the movie). Seu Jorge, who plays one of the crewmen on the ship can be seen and heard throughout much of the film singing a Bowie song in what I will assume is his native language. And I wont spoil it for you, but the song featured towards the end of the film is a real knockout! On top of that, Mark Mothersbaugh delivers a fantastic, amusing, and moving score.
The cinematography is wonderful and the computer animations are sublime and surreal. The humor is top notch and features Bill Murray at one his highest points. I could rant all night about this piece of cinema gold, but I will let you go back to living your lives. I give this movie my highest recommendation.
Also, if you liked this film I highly suggest that you check out Lost In Translation (also starring Bill Murray as well as a wonderful supporting cast).