Movie Review (23): Legion

Frenchie and I have been recording movies on our PVR. There has been a lot lately, so stay tuned for several Movie Reviews.

Legion

Starring: Paul Bettany, Dennis Quaid, Lucas Black, Tyrese Gibson

I’m a big fan of angels, religious movies and good & evil. I’m also a fan of Paul Bettany ever since I saw A Knight’s Tale way back when. What I’m not a fan of is this movie. Frenchie didn’t want it on the PVR, but I recorded it anyways. I’m a sucker for these kinds of shows. The rating on our cable box was 1/3 stars. (Don’t even get me started on their rating system. 3 stars? How can you rate out of 3?) We figured it would be a crappy movie, so there was no delusions going in. Bettany played Michael, the Archangel. He was sent on a mission to prevent the birth of a child who would save mankind. Apparently God got fed up with us and decided to extinguish the human race. Michael decides God is wrong and can’t possibly want to destroy His creation, so he sets out to protect this unborn child.

Chaos ensues with the angel army comes in waves to this little diner in the middle of nowhere to take the mother and child. Other than the predictability of the story, I did enjoy some of the fight scenes. I rather enjoyed when Gabriel (another Archangel) shows up. His fight scene was pretty awesome, and I love that his wings were sharp as a sword.

I was disappointed in Dennis Quaid. What happened to him as an actor? I seem to remember him being wholesome and a great actor. Clearly the mighty have fallen. His acting was horrible.

As much as I gave this movie a bad review, and won’t recommend it, I did watch the entire thing and have to say that I’m a still a sucker for angels.

Movie Review (22): Red

To celebrate Halloween, Frenchie and I went to a movie Saturday night. We chose to see Red instead of Saw #whateveritis because lets face it, that movie doesn't provide me with gore, it provides nightmares and oodles of therapy. I like gore, but not like that. (I mention Saw, only because it would have been the "Halloween" thing to do.)

Red finds Bruce Willis, Morgan Freeman, John Malkovich, and Helen Mirran as retired CIA agents. There is a hit out for all of them. They band together and try to solve who is trying to eliminate them and why. The humour is definitely there. I love the jokes and the digs the young guns aim at the old guns. Hilarious! One thing I didn't know about the movie was that Karl Urban was in it. He looks damn fine in a suit!

If you're looking for a laugh and some action, go see this one. It's got both. Frenchie and I left laughing and with smiles on our faces.

Movie Review (21): Resident Evil: Afterlife

Frenchie and I went to Resident Evil: Afterlife yesterday. Let's start by saying that Alice is by far my favorite "superhero".

As the fourth installment of the franchise, Paul WS Anderson came back to write and direct. Thank goodness for that. The second and third movies were sad. I still went and I still rather enjoyed them, but I'm glad the original writer came back for the fourth. He did it justice.

Alice kicked ass. They dealt with what was left over from the third movie and moved on. I think I should have probably watched the third one again before going just for my own sake since there were a few characters I couldn't quite remember. Mila Jovovich is one movie actress I wish I could be like. I'm a huge fangirl and swear I'll see any movie she's in. I love her acting, her voice and there is something to be said for how good she looks. (I wish I had her costume designer for halloween. I also wish I had her trainer)
Claire (Ali Larter) rocked. She was fabulous in her role and I really like her character.
Chris (Wentworth Miller) didn't really surprise me. I watched every season of Prison Break with him and his acting was pretty much the same. Serious face, furrow the brow, deep commanding voice. But, I'm still a fan!
The story was decent for a Resident Evil movie. It's farfetched, obviously since it's a video game, and full of action, blood and guts. I did have to laugh when there was Alice and Claire fighting in water. How 'guy' of the movie to have the two hot chicks wet and fighting evil together.

We went to the movie in 3D because that was the only option at our theatre. I could do without the 3D. I don't get why it makes your movie experience any better. For cartoons I get it. Live person movies, not so much.

Movie Review (20): Mongol

We watched Mongol on the PVR the same night as Whiteout. Both movies were pretty disappointing. (See the review of Whiteout here)

I was under the impression that Mongol was about Ghangis Khan as a warrior and a leader. I wanted to know about the conquering he did and his reign. Sadly, the movie fell short of that expectation. The movie was about his life BEFORE he was the greatest Khan in history.

I was expecting some pretty interesting war scenes, but there was nothing. He spent most of the movie either tied up, in jail, or running for his life. This isn't who I pictured Ghangis Kahn to be.

I wouldn't recommend this movie. It didn't do anything for me historically, and there was no action. I won't dock it marks for subtitles because I don't mind subtitled movies. It's a different language and I respect that, so if I have to read it, I'll read it and can still very much enjoy it.

Hopefully a good movie comes along soon.

Movie Review (19): Whiteout

This show popped up on the PVR so I thought I'd record it for Frenchie. Kate Beckinsale is a big draw for him. I'm also a big fan because in most movies she kicks ass. The rating on the PVR was 1 star and I'd have to agree.

The plot was pretty thin.

U.S. Marshal Carrie Stetko is three days from the end of her tour at an international research station in Antarctica after which she'll resign. An incident from her past haunts her. The continent's first winter storm is coming when a body, wearing no gear, is discovered in the tundra. She investigates, soon finds more bodies, and must find a motive and a murderer before the storm and her departure. A U.N. agent, Robert Pryce, appears, seemingly out of nowhere, to help. An aging physician about to retire, a nervous mission chief, a downed Soviet plane, and the weather's deadly elements add to the story. Can Carrie trust Pryce and does she still have what it takes?

The lines were pretty horrible to the point you could tell they were lines. If you are an avid movie goer, you know what I mean when I say that. There are some movies you get sucked into the characters and you don't feel like they are actually acting.

We both figured out by the end who was involved. It wasn't much of a surprise. I would not recommend this one. Save your rental money and your time.

Movie Review (18): Public Enemies

I recorded Public Enemies on the PVR for Frenchie and I to watch. I remember wanting to go to the theatre to watch this one but never getting around to it. I can't say I'm sad about that. It was pretty slow moving, and not that entertaining. The acting was great though. Johnny Depp and Christian Bale both did a fine acting job.
I found the movie very quiet. There wasn't a lot of dialogue, and very little music. I wasn't familiar with the history with John Dillinger so I'm not sure if that was a disadvantage. It just seemed to fall flat and I felt like there was something missing. I thought there would be more bank robbing and more excitement in that respect. Perhaps I had the movie pegged wrong.

I almost wanted to shut it off and go to bed. I got very tired watching it and almost fell asleep. I'm not much of a fall-asleep-in-movies kind of person. It's rare that it happens. Having to keep myself awake doesn't ever bode well for a movie review.

Movie Review (17): The Expendables

I've heard mixed reviews about The Expendables. A lot of people liked it, a lot of people didn't. Here's my advice: Don't go to it expecting some complicated, thrilling plot. It's a Stallone movie. Expect lots of shooting, explosions and cheesy lines.
In my mind, those three things can make up a great movie for entertainment purposes. I'm a huge fan of Jason Statham and Jet Li. Those two in the movie was enough for me to go and see it. I'm also a huge action movie fan. After a rough day, nothing beats watching a pure action flick that can make you laugh, curl your toes and say "omg that just happened" or "where the hell did that gun come from?"
There really isn't much else to say about it. It's entertaining, it's gory, it's far-fetched and completely awesome.

Movie Review (16): The Other Guys

Frenchie and I were in debate on which movie to go and see. I wanted to see The Expendables, he wanted to see The Other Guys. We polled the audience and ended up with his choice.

I'm not sure how to review this movie. It was funny because I laughed. But I also shook my head a lot and said "what the f*&^?" more times than I can count. I should probably put a disclaimer that I'm not a huge fan of Will Ferrel. I do love me some Mark Wahlberg though. However he was in baggy clothes for most of the movie. That body is FAR too nice to have it covered up.

Frenchie didn't want to see The Expendables because he'd heard it's got terrible dialogue full of clichés. The Other Guys was about the same. Full of clichés and crappy dialogue.

There's not much else to say really. I wouldn't recommend it, but if you like Will Ferrel, I'm sure you'll enjoy it.  Frenchie and I kept giving each other looks through out the movie with that knowing, "are you serious" glance. Needless to say, my veto power of his choice of movies will now take effect until he picks a good one.

Movie Review (15): Inception

Oh My God. Wow

Frenchie and I just got back from seeing Inception. I am completely flabbergasted and disoriented and amazed at what I just saw. Absolutely incredible!!

The complexity seemed easy to follow at first. You had to be fully aware of what you were watching. If you missed one little comment or detail, you were probably going to miss something big. I followed the show pretty well, with a little thought and attention and review of what level of dream the cast was in. Was it the first dream? A dream within a dream? Further? Then the end hit. WTH? I'm going to be thinking about this movie for a while to come.

Leonardo Dicaprio did an amazing job. I'm becoming a really big fan of his. I do need to see him in some different roles now though. Ellen Page was great. Her role as an architect in the dream world was intriguing.

The depths and complexities of this movie will never make sense after one viewing. I think after seeing this show several times you'd begin to see things you missed. I don't know if seeing it several times would bring any sense of it. I think it is so complex and beyond normal thought, it may be impossible.

I would rate this movie 5 stars. I don't usually give movies that high a rating, but there is no doubt that Inception deserves it. Christopher Nolan used gorgeous special effects, fabulous actors and a storyline to rival others.

Movie Review (14): The Secret Life of Bees

I posted my review of the book a couple of weeks ago. Click Here to view it.

After reading the book and loving it, I had to watch the movie. My mom happened to have it with her when we were camping, so I grabbed it and brought it home.

There are a few sutble differences, and a few added scenes, but all in all, it follows the book pretty well.
Most of the really important parts were kept the same. A few detail scenes were cut, but that's usually for obvious reasons. In a book, you need to describe things in detail and sometimes before a scene even happens. The movie just goes right into them.

Just a short review since there's really not much else to say. The book review covered the story and how I felt, the movie just put those thoughts and feelings onto the movie screen.
I think they cast everyone pretty well, so that was nice to see.

Movie Review (13): A-Team

"I pity the fool!" - who thinks this movie would have any sort of deep meaning.
I've seen a lot of crummy reviews for this movie and I'm going to write the opposite. I found The A-Team thoroughly entertaining. Here's why:

• crazy too big to be real explosions.
• how in the world could that work scenes.
• cheesy lines
• cheesy fight scenes

It's A-Team for goodness sakes!

***disclaimer - Keep in mind that I have only seen the TV show once or twice. It was before my time ***

A lot of people writing reviews in the newspapers and online make the comment that Quinton 'Rampage' Jackson is no Mr. T. Well no kidding? Mr. T is Mr. T. You can't replace him. You can't pretend you are him. Who cares!? I thought Quinton did a great job at the role of BA Baracus.

I loved the fighting between Murdock and BA. It kept the humour. Faceman (played by Bradley Cooper) made the show for me. His smart-ass remarks and (lets be honest here) scenes without a shirt were thoroughly enjoyable. Frenchie even said he liked Face as a character.

I would say, if you're looking for a couple hours of entertainment, go see The A-Team. It was funny, and everything an action movie should be. No plot, lots of guns, lots of smart-ass remarks, lots of explosions.

Movie Review (12): My Sister's Keeper

My Sister's Keeper  popped up on the PVR last week, so I recorded it to watch Monday night.

This is not a movie I should have watched alone. I sobbed through the last half of the movie. I could have really used a hug after it. The movie is based on the book My Sister's Keeper by Jodi Picoult.

Kate is diagnosed with Lukemia as a young child. Her parents are given the advice of their doctor that a second child, could help Kate. Anna is a petri dish baby born for this reason: To help her sister live.  When Anna turns 11, she sues her parents for medical emancipation. She wants to live her life and have choices. Kate is in need of a kidney transplant, which Anna is told she will provide, leaving her with a limited life.

I've been told that the movie ends the exact opposite of the book. I have not read the book, but I've been told the ending, and I can see why they ended the movie differently. Both are heart-wrenching, but the  book ending would be so much harder to watch.

If you watch this movie, I highly suggest watching with a friend and a box of kleenex. I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Watch the DVD                    Read the book

       

Movie Review (11): Prince of Persia

Frenchie and I went to Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time Friday night. I had to keep reminding myself it was a Disney movie. Some of the lines were pretty cheesy. All in all the movie was entertaining. The acting was good for the script and I thoroughly enjoyed all the action sequences. I kept relating the movie action sequences to that of a video game, and rightly so. The movie is based of the game by UBI Soft. I'm a fan of game-to-movie transitions, so this was right up my alley.

Gyllenhaal did a great job as Dastan. He was believable as the innocent, framed brother. Dastan's character was carefree but smart. Although he was arrogant, he wasn't corrupted by power like his one brother and uncle. He lived through his heart rather than his head.

Sir Ben Kingsley is always fantastic no matter what his role. I found his character dark and brooding. As the uncle, serving his brother the King, and serving the King's sons, his evil demeanor fit perfectly. In every Disney movie there is a villan, and he was it, through and through.

If you're looking for a little mindless entertainment, go see this one. It was well worth it.

Movie Review (10): Gia

I've had this movie recorded on the PVR for the last 6 months and never got around to reading it. I had heard it was a sexy movie and I felt I should be in the right mood to watch it.

It wasn't very sexy, at least to me. It was touching and showed a side to the modelling world that most shows don't let us see. Gia was a happy young girl and then she got sucked into the world of fashion. They used her up and spit her out. She died far too young from a disease that the world wasn't truly aware of yet.

The part of the movie that stuck with me, wasn't the drug use, but that she felt so alone and was clinging to anyone who would show her an ounce of love. She was pulled from her slightly broken family and pushed into a world where she was preyed upon. Everyone loved her. She was so young and had no idea how to navigate the fashion world. She'd do anything they asked of her and more. She was so lonely that she turned to drugs as a way to find happiness. Sadly, that only lasted for so long. She clung to everyone and lost a lot of people. Every lose pushed her farther down.

I found it sad and scary that she descended so far into drug use and even as a junkie who was completely incoherent, they still wanted to photograph her. The scene where she is spaced out, and they are manually positioning her body for a photo made me angry and sad all at the same time. Anything for a picture.

Gia was a sad story, but it had a good message from all sides. From the young girl who said yes and ended up dying. From the mother who cared for her and wanted nothing but to please her. From the girlfriend who tried to do the right thing and no matter how she tried, would fail, but not through her own fault.

This movie is old, but it certainly shows great acting by Angelina Jolie.

Movie Review (9): One Week

From http://www.imdb.com/

Ben Tyler (Joshua Jackson) has been diagnosed with cancer. With a grim chance of survival in the best case scenario even if he immediately begins treatment, he instead decides to take a motorcycle trip from Toronto through the Canadian prairies to British Columbia. Along the way, he makes new friends, reevaluates his relationship with his fiancée Samantha (played by Liane Balaban), his job, and his dream of becoming a writer, and, after suffering some near-death experiences, learns to appreciate life.

I recorded this movie on the PVR so I would have something to watch while Frenchie is away. Season finales are airing so there is little left to watch. I am very glad I did.

I loved this movie. The scenery showed how beautiful Canada really is and that we need to take some time to enjoy it. Ben makes a life changing decision by deciding not to do treatment. He choose life first instead of being a 'patient' (as he says often in the movie).  He learns something from each person he meets and he also changes their life in some small way without even knowing it. One thing I liked about the story itself was that it didn't concentrate on his having cancer. It concentrated on him living life and dealing with the cards he was given.  I can't say the movie brought me to tears. I believe it could depending on your state of mind.

As a Canadian, I suppose I loved this movie because they had the typical things Canadians do. Ben stopped for coffee at Tim Horton's and rolled up the rim to win. Something most Canadians do yearly when the contest is on. They accurately showed what the different provinces had to offer in terms of scenery. (Yes, Saskatchewan was very flat).  I even recognized one of the roads that Ben drove on. I know it by heart because I've been on it to get to our yearly holiday location since before I was 5 years old. I felt proud to be from such a beautiful country. From a place that even with death staring Ben in the face, he found enjoyment.

I would recommend this one.

Movie Review (8): Robin Hood

I wish I hadn't used a free ticket to see this one. The free ticket would have been better spent on a movie worth seeing. If you're a Robin Hood fan, I would suggest renting it just to see it.

Here's why I didn't like it:
The battle scenes weren't up to Ridley Scott's amazing talent. They were short and sad and disappointing.
The plot was lacking for me. There was a couple of different plot lines they could have taken, sadly, none of them were executed thoroughly enough for me to enjoy. the thing to remember about this movie is that it happens before Robin Hood is who we know him. There was only one stealing from the rich, giving to the poor incident, which was what Robin Hood stood for. This movie is more how he became Robin Hood, and I find it hard to believe that's how it came to be.

What I did like:
Russell Crowe did a good job. Cate Blanchet did great. Friar Tuck was a great character as always, and Robin's band of merry men caused laughs throughout the theatre. Little John was a great character and fit to what I remember in the past movies. Will Scarlett was great as well.

If you're a Robin Hood fan from the past, rent the movie. It's worth seeing just because it's Robin Hood, but not worth the money it costs to see on the big screen.

Movie Review (7): Iron Man 2

Frenchie and I were both off this past Friday, so we decided to hit a matinee. There were only about 30 people in the movie so it was great. No fighting for seats or ending up in the very front of the theatre.

The movie itself was awesome. Robert Downey was fantastic as always in his role. He was more Iron Man than he was in the first one. He was funny, charming and a smart ass. All the perfect traits for a super hero that has revealed himself to the world.
Black Widows character played by Scarlett Johansson was great. I didn't know what her role was in the comic books.
Definitely a great movie. Entertaining, funny and action-packed.

Movie Review (6): Zombie Land

Rules Rules Rules! I love his Rules!
This movies starts out with the main character going through a set of Rules for Zombie Land.
Things like: Don't be a hero. Beware of bathrooms. Cardio. Always wear your seatbelt.
It shows in detail why these rules are in place. I watched the intro, and was hooked. Gory, funny violence was a must after the day I had.
The movie itself is completely ridiculous and pointless. The USA is taken over by zombies and there are a few living humans left. Plot: Drive across the country to see if there's anyone else alive.

I laughed. I thought it was ridiculous. I thought it was entertaining. Not much else to say about it. Definitely a rental.

Movie Review (5): Date Night

Synopsis: Phil and Claire Foster are a couple who have been married for several years. Their days consists of them taking care of their children and going to work and coming home and going to bed. But they find time to have a date night wherein they go out and spend some time together. When another couple they know announce that they're separating because they're in a rut, Phil feels that he and Claire could be too. So when date night comes Phil decides to do something different. So they go into the city and try to get into a new popular restaurant. But when it's full and still wanting to do this, Phil decides to take the reservation of a couple who doesn't show up. While they're having dinner two men approach them and instructs them to stand up and go with them. They think the men are with the restaurant and want to talk to them about taking someone else's reservation. But it appears the couple whose reservation they took crossed someone and the two men work for this person. The men are after something, but whatever it is they don't have it.

My Review: I am not a Steve Carell fan. I do not watch The Office and I haven't found his movies particularily funny. I do like Tina Fey, and loved her on Saturday Night Live. This movie made my stomach hurt from laughing, even the next day! It was hilarious! The plot was funny, and typical of a couple who've been married for a long while, have kids, and the romance is dying. To try something completely different to put some romance back in and have it go so horribly wrong... A nice couple ends up in so much trouble and by trying to fix it, make things worse. I loved how they were so cute together, and they completely understood where the other one was going. They were in tune with each ones crazy ideas.
I must say though that Mark Wahlberg being shirtless for ALL of his scenes wasn't too bad either ;)
Without spoiling the show, here is my favorite line that I just have to share.
Steve Carell to Mark Wahlberg:

"And would you please, for the love of God, put a f$%*ing shirt on!"

Frenchie and I were quoting the movie the entire way back to our house and into the next day. Definitely buying this one on DVD.

Movie Review (4): "Whip It"

I finally got around to watching this movie. I loved it!
I have a friend who is on a roller derby team, and I've never quite understood the draw to it. On the other hand, she doesn't understand my draw to pole either. After seeing this movie, I get it. I totally get the joy and the fun and the blood and sweat behind roller derby and what makes her love it so much.

Ellen Page did a wonderful job in her role as "Babe Ruthless". She was a believable character. Young, 17 years old and looking for something to help her forget her life.

This movie certainly did not make me want to strap on some roller skates and join a team, but I would love to go and see a bout some day.

One of the things that struck me about this movie was how it didn't end like every chick flick does. I won't give the ending away, but just say it was refreshing. It was real and not fairy-tale.