Friday, August 30, 2013

Fact Friday

  Today's movie fact is about another favourite of mine.The remake of a 2001 German film called Das Experiment.The 2010 movie The Experiment is about a psychological study in which the participants are divided into groups either acting as prison guards or as inmates.The movie is very emotional and very powerful and is starring Adrien Brody, Forest Whitaker, Maggie Grace and Cam Gigandet.
  Both, the original and the remake, are based on a real life experiment which was conducted at Stanford University in 1971.Twenty-four male students were selected to take on randomly assigned roles of guards and prisoners in a mock prison situated in the basement of the Stanford psychology building.
  The experiment, however, took a dark turn when the guards started psychologically torturing prisoners.Many of the prisoners passively accepted psychological abuse and ,at the request of the guards, harassed other prisoners who attempted to prevent it.Two of the prisoners quit the experiment early and the entire experiment was abruptly stopped after only six days.
  Certain portions of the experiment were filmed and excerpts of the footage are publicly available.

m.
Courtesy
Stage 6 films
Columbia Pictures

Wednesday, August 28, 2013

Now you see me movie review

Cast: Isla Fisher, Mark Ruffalo, Jesse Eisenberg, Woody Harrelson, Dave Franco, Morgan Freeman, Melanie Laurent
Director: Louis Leterrier
Running time: 1 hour and 56 minutes
  The movie starts out with introducing us to four magicians,played by Eisenberge, Fisher, Harrelson and Franco. Those magicians are brought together by an anonymous source,who helps them gain fame and success. One year later we meet again with our magicians only this time they are performing in Las Vegas and they are called "The Four Horsemen".Their magic show has become infamous and it now consists of ... robbing a bank while on stage performing. This robbery gets the Horsemen into trouble when FBI agent, Mark Ruffalo, and Interpol agent, Melanie Laurent, try to prove the heist and arrest them.There to help them get proof is a former magician who is now revealing the secrets behind other magicians' tricks portrayed by Morgan Freeman.
  Magic tricks are pretty cool.And this movie has a lot of them.The fact that there is "magic"  in the film makes it instantly more  interesting.So people are intrigued from the begging.I,also, liked that, even though the horsemen claimed that the bank robbery was done with magic, we actually learn how it was done fairly quickly.There was a logical explanation,that was actually pretty smart,and if it wasn't revealed early on it would have driven me crazy.
  On the other hand,i found many faults with this movie,which i didn't expect.First of all who were the lead roles?Was it the horsemen?Was it the FBI guy?Was it both of them?I'm not sure and it doesn't really matter to me,which brings me to my second point: I didn't really like anyone in this movie.The horsemen were arrogant jerks,the agent was losing all the time and the ex-magician was average for me.I couldn't route for anyone since i didn't like anyone and that pissed me off because i ended up not caring about the movie.I was really disappointed.Moreover, i though that we didn't see a lot of the horsemen.We learn nothing about them and we don't get much personality out of them except that they are kind of full of themselves.That contributed to the "i didn't like anyone" argument even more.Furthermore,the police or FBI or whatever it was is depicted as totally incompetent.They are 100 steps behind at all times with no clue.It gets annoying at some point.And i didn't expect that the horsemen would be caught but the FBI didn't even come close (and the revelation at the end doesn't excuse this for me).Also,i felt that the magic tricks were getting a little bit too "magic-y" as we were getting near the end.They were too perfect and too unbelievable for me.But i think that wasn't an issue for many people so it could be just me.I don't know.Maybe i am too much of a sceptic.Finally, i feel that the "eye" was underexplained,if that's even a word.I would have liked for it to be explained further and more deeply so we could've understood it better.
  In conclusion, i was really disappointed with this movie.I expected much more but it's definitely not in my "worst movies" list.Watch it of you like extravagant magic performances.
Score:49%

m.
  
Courtesy
Summit Entertainment

Monday, August 26, 2013

Casual Monday

  One more of the changes i decided to do to my blog posts is create Casual Monday.Casual Monday is the day i will post anything new or anything that i though was interesting a movies.Today i wanted to show you and talk a little about a trailer i watched today.The trailer was for the movie Divergent that will be opening on the 21st of March in 2014.
  Kate Winslet, Shailene Woodley and Maggie Q are some of the leads in the movie.Woodley plays a Divergent (hens the title) in a futuristic Chicago. Divergent is a does not fit in any of the factions that people are divided at that time. Winsnlet portrays some sort of leader in the community and Q is,from what i gathered from the trailer, someone that will help Woodley's character break free.
  The movie is based on a novel of the same name written by Veronica Roth.The book is the first installation in a trilogy. And even though this genre of movies is not my favourite,the cast made me really look forward to the film.Woodley , previously in The Descendants and The Spectacular Now (which i have not seen yet), show great promise and is one of my favourite young actresses at the moment.Maggie Q, who i know from the TV show Nikita, is one of my favourites anyway.And you can't go wrong with Kate Winslet.
  So, i can't wait to watch Divergent and review it for you guys. Hope you like the new schedule and look for more changes soon.
  Here is the trailer: 
Courtesy
Summit Entertainment
Lionsgate

m.

Friday, August 23, 2013

Fact Friday

  Hi, guys.I decided to start a new schedule for my blog posts and i am excited to share my first change with you. So from now on every Friday there will be a new movie fact waiting for you.
  My first ,ever, movie fact is about one of my favourite movies (expect a review soon) "fight club".
  So here you go:
  On the DVD of the movie after the copyright warning there is another warning.This warning is from Tyler Durden (character played by Brad Pitt and one of the protagonists of the movie).The warning reads 
"If you are reading this then this warning is for you.Every word you read of this useless fine print is another second off your life. Don't you have other things to do? Is your life so empty that you honestly can't think of a better way to spend these moments? Or are you so impressed with authority that you give respect and credence to all who claim it? Do you read everything you're supposed to read? Do you think everything you're supposed to think? Buy what you're told you should want? Get out of your apartment. Meet a member of the opposite sex. Stop the excessive shopping and masturbation. Quit your job. Prove you're alive. If you don't claim your humanity you will become a statistic. You've been warned ........ Tyler"

m.

Courtesy
20th Century FOX




Thursday, August 22, 2013

Savages movie review

Cast: Taylor Kitsch, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Salma Hayek, Benicio Del Toro, Blake Lively, John Travolta
Director: Oliver Stone
Running time: 2 hours and 9 minutes
  We meet two guys,Kitsch and Johnson. They are in the a marijuana business.Johnson is the romantic, nature-loving grad from Berkeley and Kitsch is the tough, ex-navy SEAL,ex-mercenary guy.We, also, meet their girlfriend (yes they share a girlfriend) rich girl, played by Lively.Their home-grown weed is so good that the Baja cartel wants to do business with them.And when they refuse the cartel finds another way to persuade them, they kidnap their girlfriend.So in order to save Lively, they must go above and beyond.
  The movie is mostly interesting throughout.The cast is well picked,the plot is entertaining and the acting is pretty good.So it is a good movie for the most of it.It could,very well be a total disaster but i have to admit, up until the end i was into it.The storyline was intriguing, so i was never bored,the cast is talented,which i appreciated and it was generally kind of good.Benicio Del Toro was excellent as an abusive,cruel drug dealer from the Baja cartel.I loved his performance and i totally bought it.But,his character was, also, very realistic.He behaved , exactly, like someone like him would behave both in his personal life and in his business at the cartel.
  On the other hand, the movie had some inconsistencies,in my opinion. During the movie we are presented with many details about each character and their past.Like how Lively's parents were never there for her or how Travolta's wife has cancer...And even though these details are supposed to make us understand the character and his or her behavior better, we end up only knowing the character superficially.The film doesn't help us get further into their lives so we don't really get to understand Lively's relationship with her parents or Travolta's with his wife, for example.One other thing i noticed is that during the movie everyone kept saying the word savages,which since it was the title of the movie became kind of obvious after a while.If it was mentioned one time it would have been a bit clever but the ended up taking it too far.Moreover,the voice over by Lively's character was a little annoying and too much.She kept saying things that didn't need to be said, and even if they did, there were other ways to let us know.Furthermore, the relationship between the three protagonists didn't feel real to me.And because it was such a big part of the movie i think it should have been shown and explained more in depth.Finally,the fact that the film had two "alternative" endings made me like the movie a million times less than i would have otherwise.I didn't understand why it happened.Why did Lively said that's how she imagined it.At one point i  thought maybe that was what people said it happened after years had past but it couldn't be since it was on the news.I didn't understand it at all and i actually liked the first ending better.If anyone got what happened comment below because i would really like to know.
  In conclusion,the movie was pretty interesting and i recommend it but i must warn you there is not much depth to it.It is just a fun way to pass the time.
Score: 65%


m.

Courtesy
Universal Pictures

Friday, August 16, 2013

Movie poll

As it was voted by you, guys, in the near future i will be watching and reviewing:

  • Only God forgives (2013)
  • What Maisie knew (2013)
  • Upside Down (2013)
Thank you guys for voting on what i should watch and a new poll will be up shortly.So be sure to vote.Have a great day.

m.
Courtesy
                                                                                                                  Millennium Entertainment                
                                                                                            
                                                                                                                                              

Tuesday, August 13, 2013

The wolverine movie review

Cast: Hugh Jackman, Rila Fukushima, Tao Okamoto, Svetlana Khodchenkova, Famke Janssen
Director: James Mangold
Running time: 2 hours and 16 minutes
  The movie is the return of the wolverine,a mutant with metal claws or something ,who goes to say goodbye to an old friend who is now dying and ends up protecting the dying man's grand-daughter from the people who are trying to kill her.But everything is not as it seems.
  The wolverine had a lot of action and the action was actually good.I ,usually, don't like action movies and i wasn't thrilled about this one,I'm still not thrilled about it but i have to admit that i was never bored.I've seen many action films that made me want sleep right then and there,most recently Olympus has fallen and the numbers station, but here i was kind of into it.The action scenes were well done and a bit exciting.I , also, liked Rila Fukushima's character and i would have liked to have seen more of her in the movie.She brought a youthfulness and an excitement to the whole thing.
  Now, on to my problems with "The Wolverine".Firstly, the movie had a lot of cheesy moments.I couldn't help but roll my eyes and it was my biggest problem.These type of moments in the film were a lot and excruciating.Moreover, the brief romance that took place between Jackman and Okamoto's characters was out of the blue, didn't felt genuine and seemed forced.They didn't have much chemistry and the fact that they ended up together was a real turn off about the movie.Finally, the flash backs with Jackman and Famke Janssen tried to make wolverine experience the catharsis that he needed to move on from the death of Janssen and his guilt but they felt out of place for me.There was not much insight about the journey that Jackman's character had to take emotionally in order to get free from blammimg himself about the death of his loved one. 
  In conclusion, you will definitely like this movie if you are a wolverine fan and you may ,also, like it if you're not.
Score: 49%

m.

Courtesy
20th Century FOX


Monday, August 12, 2013

The heat movie review

Cast: Sandra Bullock, Melissa McCarthy, Dan Bakkedahl, Taran Killam 
Director: Paul Feig
Running time: 1 hour and 57 minutes
  The heat is a movie about a cop, Melissa McCarthy, and a FBI agent, Sandra Bullock, who get teamed up and try to take down a drug overlord.Their partnership doesn't starts off in the best way but the two have to work together in order to catch the bad guy.
  The movie is pretty funny.The characters work well together and the actors have great chemistry with each other. Bullock and McCarthy seem like they would be friends in real life and that is translated in the big screen.I liked them together and i would love to see them in other movies together even in completely different roles.But it's not just the actors that made me really like this movie.I feel that the script is well written and has some solid jokes in it.It's funny and i laughed throughout.Moreover,i liked that Bullock is portrayed as a nerdy,not-likable-by-the-other-characters FBI agent and McCarthy as a tough,irregular cop.They seem perfect for their parts and they are very realistic.
  On the other hand, i found the whole story about two cops that don't get along at the begging but then decide to work together and in the end they end up arresting whoever they have to arrest a little unoriginal.It's been done plenty of times and even though this is a pretty good version of it, it is still the same story with the same ending.I would have liked to see something out of the ordinary,a twist in the plot or something.But this is the only negative thing i can say.
  In conclusion, the heat is a very funny movie in my opinion, worth a trip to the cinema.I believe that you will enjoy it and i definitely recommend it.
Score:77%

m.
Courtesy
20th Century FOX

Tuesday, August 6, 2013

The descendants movie review

Cast: George Clooney, Shailene Woodley, Judy Greer, Beau Bridges
Director: Alexander Payne
Running time: 1 hour and 55 minutes
  The Descendants is a movie about how a father and his two daughters come to terms with the death of the mother and wife, and how they will react when they find out some secrets about her that they didn't know before.
  The movie takes place in Hawaii and some islands near it.It was great to see a movie somewhere other than the typical destinations for movies.It felt very original and we get to see places we wouldn't have otherwise.The beaches are magical.Something i, also, liked was the portrayal of Clooney's relationship with his older daughter, played by Woodley.I liked how he treated her like a grown up rather than a kid.She was the first one he told that her mother was going to die and he went with her to find out more about his wife's affair.Finally,what made this movie different, for me, from any other movie about extramarital affairs is the fact that even though Clooney's wife loved her boyfriend, portrayed by Matthew Lillard, he didn't feel the same way.He was just using her and in the end he didn't even go to visit her in the hospital.
  On the other hand, there were some things that didn't sit well with me about the movie.First of all,as much as i liked how Clooney's character treated his older daughter i didn't think he was a good father in general. One of the things that led me to that conclusion was that he would let Woodley's character talk bad to his younger daughter but if she said anything back he would tell her to stop.And i would understand it if he was a bad father because he wasn't that involved when his wife was alive but that is just logic.Anyone would know that it is not good to let one of your kids insult the other. Moreover, you come to not like the mother's character after everything you learn about her so as a result you don't sympathise with the grief of the characters.They mention some good things about her throughout the movie but they don't go deeper than that.Lastly, i am sorry to say that i didn't feel a real connection with the characters.I liked them to a level and i did want them to find the woman's boyfriend but i didn't care about them as much as i wanted to.I wanted to get sucked into the story but i ended up having a superficial interest.
  In conclusion the movie was fun and i recommend it but i would like to have gotten more out of it.
Score:67%

m.

Courtesy
FOX Searchlight Pictures

Monday, August 5, 2013

What should i watch??

  Hey,guy.Does anyone have any suggestions about what i should watch???Is there anything you would like to see a review on?Comment below with any ideas and i'll be sure to check them out.Have a great day.

m.

Saturday, August 3, 2013

Disconnected movie review

Cast: Jason Bateman, Hope Davis, Michael Nyqvist, Alexander Skarsgard, Max Thieriot
Director: Henry Alex Rubin 
Running time: 1 hour and 55 minutes
  The movie follows three different storylines ,with each one having as a plot point the dangers of the internet. The first story is about a young guy that is involved in a sex trafficking via webcams organisation and that is approached by a reporter who wants to interview him about it.The second story is about a teenager who gets catfished through social media and is humiliated by two boys in his class.And the last story is about a couple whose personal information are stolen and used by someone else.
  The movie is very powerful and full of emotions.The characters are genuine and react like real life people.As the minutes go by the viewer learns more and more about each story and gets more and more involved emotionally with every character and what they go through.Every person in the movie has a serious problem and they all try to solve it like humans,which isn't always perfectly.By the end i was all in.I really enjoyed how in all three stories the lead roles realised that there were more problems with their families and their lives than the cyber problems that they came across recently.It wasn't only that the couple had their identities stolen but how they couldn't communicate after the death of their child or it wasn't how the teenage boy was humiliate but how the whole family wasn't functioning as it should or how the young boy had been involved with sex trafficking but what he was going to do about it now.The film was a depiction of everyday life situations and i loved it.
  Even though i enjoyed the movie very much i did have trouble with some things.First of all, the storyline involving the couple was a little weak in the begging because while in other story the problems the character faced with the web were life-altering serious,here it was about money.That made me care a little less about them.However,i have to say that that changed as we got further in the story but i wish it had started out strong from the begging.Also, in the story with the teenagers two of the kids did something really bad which resulted in something worse and although one of the kids did get hit, by mistake i believe, for it neither of them had the consequences they deserved.Moreover, in the same storyline the kid was hit had many problems with his father which by the end of the film were solved too quickly in my opinion.Finally, i didn't like the way the movie was shot.At some points it took my mind from focusing to the stories.And there was one scene that was played out in slow motion and even though it was a very powerful and emotional scene the slow motion made it cheesy and annoying.
  In conclusion, i strongly recommend this movie.It is very touching and talks about real life problems that could affect anyone.One of the best movies of the summer.
Score:85%

m.

Courtesy
LD Entertainment

Friday, August 2, 2013

This is the end movie review

Cast: James Franco, Seth Rogen, Jonah Hill, Danny Mcbride, Jay Baruchel, Craig Robinson
Director: Seth Rogen, Evan Goldberg
Running time: 1 hour and 59 minutes
 This is the end is a movie with actors playing themselves(or a version of themselves),having fun at a party thrown by James Franco when the Apocalypse happens and hell is let loose.What are the six friends going to do in order to stay alive?
  The six guys that have the lead roles in the movie (Franco, Hill, Rogen, Baruchel, Mcbride, Robinson) are extremely likable.Even though i didn't like the film very much, the six protagonists were definitely a big plus.I think they are so good because they are everyday guys and they play off of each other very well.They have great chemistry.Moreover,there were some funny parts to the film and i laughed at times.So i did enjoy it a little bit.And i also really liked Baruchel's character because he was the one that i could relate to the most since he didn't live the "LA lifestyle",as he described it, and didn't really know all the famous actors in Franco's party.Finally,i thought that his friendship with Rogen was a great part of the movie and very interesting to watch.
  On the other hand,i did find some flaws to This is the end.Firstly, the movie was,essentially,a series of dick jokes.Although i don't mind dick jokes that much, i was really disappointed at how many there were during the movie.If there had been more funny bits to the film i wouldn't care about it but i felt that there was an extremely small amount of laughs,especially since the lead actors can be very funny.Furthermore, there were some references that i didn't get and i believe that if i knew what they were i would have had more fun with it.Maybe i haven't seen enough movies yet.Finally i didn't understand Emma Watson's character.It is not cameo because she is shown more than the other cameos but she doesn't have a role that brings anything to the movie.I think her character was a little bit useless and that she is in the movie mostly because she is Emma Watson.
  In conclusion, i had great expectations about this movie and they were not really met.If you like these guys go to watch them and maybe you will like it more than me.
Score: 55%

m.
Courtesy
Columbia Pictures