As I never have time for a writing a full length review, I list and write a quick review of the films I see at the cinema.
Movies take a long time to reach Japan, so for people outside Japan, these might make good rental choices. For people in Japan I'll hopefully give you an idea if you want to spend your hard-earned yen on these movies.
Please comment if you agree or disagree with my reviews. I enjoy feedback!
A testosterone filled action flick about a group of mercenaries who try to take down a dictator and a rogue CIA agent on an South American Island. Don't look for anything to make sense, just check your brain at the door, get lots of popcorn and a good drink and try to enjoy yourself. Stallone is a too long in the tooth for this sort of thing, but other than that, a barely passable action film. There wasn't enough of Jason Statham in this film for me. The cameos are funny and if you enjoyed these actors in their heydays you might have a passable time here. A very lukewarm recommendation. Only for interested parties.
Big Time SPOILER How come it's called The Expendables? Doesn't that suggest that some of the group should die?
A silly date night movie, for nights when you don't want to think too hard. There's a meet-cute between a mechanic and a spy...he saves her life, and saves her life again, and again. They fall in something and have many adventures. It is quite brainless, but all in quite good fun.
Good for fans of the actors, or people who want to see various beautiful places in the world. It won't win any awards, but might let you have a goofy night out.
I never thought I would like zombie movies...and then along came Shaun of the Dead. I managed to sit through 28 Days later too, and now Zombieland. Perhaps I like zombie movies afterall? This one is a hoot. A zombie apocalypse has occurred in the US and "Columbus" has devised several rules for himself to help him survive. He meets up with "Tallahassee" who has a few rules of his own to ensure survival. The two men meet up with two sisters travelling together and...things don't exactly happen the way you might think they will.
This is a smart, funny, violent movie that happens to have zombies in it. A lot of fun, definitely worth seeing if a fan of the genre. Oh, and there's also an incredibly funny cameo to look forward to seeing.
It's TV's The A-Team rebooted for a new generation and it's a lot of fun. There isn't a lot of work for your brain, but it is rather fun to see the new cast take on the old characters. All in all, they do a pretty good job. There's a lot of hokum, lots of explosions but unlike the TV show, people die in this one. Fun for fans, and a few laughs from the new characters. Worth checking out if you like this sort of thing! Stay in your seats for a couple of scenes at the very end, especially if you were a fan of the original show.
Evelyn Salt is a married CIA agent who is asked to interview a possible Russian agent on the day of her anniversary. When he fingers her as a spy, he sets in motion a chain of events that may bring about a nuclear war.
Angelina Jolie is one of the few actresses today who could be believeable in this part. She runs, jumps from truck to truck, climbs walls, shoots and hits and we buy it because she looks like maybe she could do this in real life. It's a great, summer action movie. It is not exactly a feel good time at the movies, but it's better than it had to be.
I would say that fans of Angelina will love it, and action fans will like it too.
A very interesting film from a director who seems to deal with mind-trips. diCaprio runs a team of specialists that break into people's brains to steal information. He is given the task of dropping an idea into a businessman's mind and must deal with a new team member, an angry ex-wife and the defences of the businessman. A very unique film. Very much worth seeing.
I enjoyed it even more the second time!
A sequel of sorts to the original two Predator films, this is a full on action film. Surprisingly, it isn't a stupid action film, but rather a well acted and interesting time at the movies. We start by seeing Adrien Brody freefalling and unconscious. He wakes up in a panic and then his parachute opens and he lands safely. The question is, where does he land? He finds others who have had the same thing happen and they band together, looking for answers. They realize they are being hunted and try to discover why and by whom. The actions they take seem logical and the story builds in suspense.
It is refreshing to see a balls to the wall action film that has a brain or two as well. The actors are all interesting and most of them are very believable as people who can handle themselves in tight situations. The biggest surprise for me was seeing Adrien Brophy as an action star. He completely fit the part.
A good action film that fits in quite well with the Predator canon. If you liked the original two films, you'll probably like this one too. Fun!
The story of a man who flies around the US firing people. He lives in hotels, rents cars and collects his mileage points. He has a goal. He travels lightly, just one carry-on suitcase, no family ties, no steady girlfriend. And then, he is asked to help train a young up and comer at his company and his life starts to change.
An interesting film about what is important to people. Great acting, well written, and quietly humorous. Worth looking for in theaters.
A harrowing, well acted drama about a girl who lives in the depths of hell and the struggle by those around her to get her out. Precious lives with her abusive mother, is pregnant with her second child and cannot read or write. She is sent to a special programme where her teacher tries to reach her and help her.
In so many ways, Precious is the complete opposite of Jenny in An Education, yet they both have to work for what they want in life.
Precious is a difficult movie to watch, it is unrelenting and sad, but on the whole, well worth the effort.
An amazing true life story of an intelligent 16 year old who falls in love with a much older, worldly man. Carey Mulligan is luminous as the lead. It is refreshing to see a girl take control of losing her virginity and worry about things like pregnancy, instead of throwing caution to the wind. Also nice to see a movie where the daughter and parents have a good relationship! This is a movie to be on the lookout for.
A fun follow up to Iron Man. This one has Tony Stark under fire from the government as well as from a Russian physicist. It does have quite a good story although there are places where it is hard to follow just what is going on. Sam Rockwell shines as a business rival of Stark. It's nice to see a "comic book" movie that doesn't take itself too seriously. If you liked the first one, you'll most likely enjoy this too.
Terry Gilliam's interesting look at fantasy and a man who made a pact with the devil. The movie looks as beautiful as Gilliam's always do, and the story manages to hold together until the end. However, knowing that Heath Ledger died during the film makes me wish that there was a little more substance to the film. Still, enjoyable and not as difficult to understand as some of Gilliam's other work.
I'm not sure why I liked this movie so darn much. I dislike John Travolta, don't enjoy dumb action flicks, yet I found myself carried along with with this movie. Basically it tells the story of a young Embassy employee(Rhys Meyers) who is marginally in the spy business. He asks for more responsibility and gets much more than he expected. He is partnered with Charlie Wax (Travolta) who leads him on a wild ride against drug smugglers and terrorists. Once the action starts it rarely lets up.
This isn't going to win any awards for acting or writing, but as a pleasant time waster...it's fun. Be warned that it is rather violent. If violence bothers you, don't bother with this film. Check your brain at the door and enjoy a little Paris vacation.
The story of a soldier trying to find the Weapons of Mass Destruction in Iraq just after the country was invaded. The power shifts constantly and he must try to stay alive in a war zone. It's a good film, but uses the "shakycam" technique a lot, which may not work for some people. It also moves so fast that there is little time to care about the characters. A noble attempt that didn't quite succeed.
The characters from the Lewis Caroll books are placed in a story that has very little to do with the original books. It's a bit like Tim Burton read the Wikipedia version of Through The Looking Glass, a long time ago. It's a beautiful looking movie but sadly there is nothing below the surface. Not recommended, even for fans. Vapid.
I only was able to see the original Clash of the Titans on TV. It was hokey but fun. It didn't take itself too seriously. This remake is also a lot of fun, but I think it takes itself a little too seriously. No matter. It's a popcorn film, if you are drawn to the actors or the story it is worth seeing, if not, it isn't. I had a lot of fun in the final 15 minutes of the film trying to name the films that I'd seen the scenes in before. Avatar (well, put Sam Worthington on a flying horse and what do you expect?), Narnia, etc. It wasn't until my husband whispered, "Quidditch" to me that I laughed out loud. It cracked me up that he was doing the same thing I was! And, he was right.
It's fun, fast and doesn't make a whole lot of sense, but worth seeing if this is the kind of film you enjoy. If not, keep away!
A very stylish film from Martin Martin Scorsese, tells the tale of two US marshalls looking into the case of a missing inmate in a mental institution/prison. DiCaprio plays a WWII vet who helped liberate Dachau. He is haunted by the memories of the Concentration Camp and by the ghost of his wife.
A few hours after seeing this film I am still thinking about it and what everything meant. I enjoyed it and it certainly wasn't as violent or scary as I thought it would be. That's a good thing! Fans will probably like it. Worth checking out at the theater.
The Academy Award winner for best picture and director this year tells the story of a bomb disposal unit in Iraq. It follows them as they try to defuse bombs and survive in a war zone.
I thought this was a good movie, but in all honesty I am not sure that it really was the best picture of last year. It was exciting and yet boring too, rather like war itself, I imagine. Worth watching however.
See review below.
Surprisingly, I enjoyed it much more the second time! I still think the story is simplistic, but because I didn't have to pay as much attention to the story I could focus on the special effects. They are amazing. However, still not convinced that this is a great film, just a great looking one.
Guy Ritchie's take on the Sherlock Holmes legend is a fun romp. There's magic, mayhem and many deductions in this film as Sherlock and Watson try to solve the mystery of who and why is killing in Victorian London. Not a great film, but it is a fun one. May become a series and if the next one is as fun as this, sounds like a good idea to me!
A fun time at the movies. Percy Jackson discovers that he has a rather famous father, Poseidon. Percy is a demigod, a half god with interesting powers. He has been accused of stealing Zeus's lightning bolt and if he doesn't return it, the gods will go to war.
It starts a little like Harry Potter or The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe, but by the end become a rollicky fun ride that's suitable for teens and up. This may be the first of a series. Bring 'em on I say, bring 'em on!
A rom-com for the over 50's has some big laughs, but ultimately isn't as fulfilling as it should be. Meryl is wonderful, Alec Baldwin shines as her ex, but Steve Martin sadly lets things down. If you don't feel like going for a chocolate croissant afterwards, you must be dieting!
A very disappointing version of the difficult-to-read-but-too-hard-to-put-down novel. While visually stunning, there is something lacking in Peter Jackson's version of The Lovely Bones. When I finished reading the novel, I cried; when the movie was over, I was glad. It didn't have an impact on me and I feel like it really should have.
Fourteen year old Susie Salmon disappears on her way home from school one night and is never seen again. The story told by Susie is of how her family tries to cope with their loss.
Fans of the book probably won't like it, and it won't make viewers want to read the book. Stay home. Don't bother.
A movie with a few good ideas in the long run doesn't become more than a couch and popcorn movie. It tells the story of a future where people stay home and allow their surrogates to go out into the world to do everything for them. Something goes wrong when both surrogates and users end up dead.
Only worth paying money for if you have seen everything else at the theatre.
