The Dark Knight Rises - Movie Review

"The Dark Knight Rises" is the final installment in the trilogy started by Christopher Nolan in 2005. In a summer that has big comic book blockbusters like "The Avengers" and "The Amazing Spider-Man," it concludes with the most anticipated movie of the summer. Can "The Dark Knight Rises" surpass the previous mentioned movies in the box office? Can it live up to the expectations set by "The Dark Knight?"

"The Dark Knight Rises" picks up eight years later after the events of "The Dark Knight" and Batman (Christian Bale) has decided to put away the mask and begin a life without Batman. When a terrorist leader, Bane (Tom Hardy), comes to Gotham and starts his plan to destroy it; Batman and company has to do whatever it takes to put a stop to Bane's plan.

*I could go more in depth with the plot, but I do not want to spoil it.*

Everything about this movie was great; flawless. The characters were developed well, both previous characters from the other movies and the newly introduced ones in the movie. The Bruce Wayne character had really great scenes that when the audience views them, they feel what he goes through and they get emotionally drawn into Bruce Wayne's character. The same thing goes for Bane; he is such a scary villain and terrorizes everyone and everything. The audience wants to see this man go down and get rewarded with a great fight scene. Catwoman (Anne Hathaway) exceeds expectations; she was wonderful and brought comic relief to the film in the proper spots. Alfred (Michael Caine) as always was fantastic. The was very intense and it had you on the edge of your seat the whole movie. The pace of the movie is slow at times, but it doesn't hurt the film at all. Overall the writing, production, and the score were fantastic.

I am not one of those people who say "that's the best movie ever" after each movie they see; for me, this was the best movie I have ever seen. There is no one in the theater checking their phones to see what time it was or to see how much time in the movie is left. This movie had high expectations, and it went beyond them. I recommend that everyone go see this movie right away. You'll be impressed.

5 out of 5 stars

The Amazing Spider-Man - Movie Review

"The Amazing Spider-Man" is a superhero film that consists of action, drama, suspense and comedy. The film is a reboot of the Spider-Man trilogy that started in 2002. Marc Webb has taken the challenge of making Spider-Man his own and ready to compete with a competitive comic-book hero summer that consists of The Dark Knight Rises and The Avengers. Let's see if the "The Amazing Spider-Man" has what it takes to compete with the big boys.

Peter Parker (Andrew Garfield) is very smart high school student who loses his parents at a young age and lives with his Aunt May (Sally Field) and Uncle Ben (Martin Sheen). Peter, being curious, tries to find out why his father disappeared and stumbled upon a cross-genetic that leads him to meeting Dr. Curt Connors (Rhys Ifans). Wandering around the lab, he comes across a room full of spiders and gets by one and soon realizes that he shares the traits of a spider. After learning some interesting stuff about Dr. Connors and his father, he has to balance several things: his high school crush Gwen Stacy (Emma Stone), staying away from the police captain (Denis Leary), and stopping Dr. Connors.

Andrew Garfield's performance of Peter Parker and Spider-Man was phenomenal. He had the perfect combination of shyness, awkwardness, and humor. When the scene was supposed to be emotional, he was emotional; when it called for humor, he was funny. Each scene he owned from beginning to the end. Emma Stone was fantastic as Gwen Stacy and Rhys Ifans was a great villain. And the rest of the supporting cast was solid as well. The thing that impressed me the most was the use of the web sling. He not only used it to swing, but to trip the enemies, use as a bungee cord, and shoot enemies with. The CGI was great; I liked the first person view shots of Spider-Man when he was swinging or running. The 3D was really good too; it didnt hurt my eyes or get me dizzy at all. It was perfect. The pace was good, it got you hooked early and never it never let go.

I loved the movie. I loved the Avengers, but I liked the feel of this movie. I enjoyed Garfield's take on Peter Parker/Spider-Man. Everything was great. If there is one problem I had it was that Peter and Gwen's relationship was rushed and we could have gotten and few more scenes of them building the relationship. I highly recommend this movie seeing this movie. Anyone can enjoy this film.

4.5 out of 5 stars.

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Savages - Movie Review

"Savages" is a thriller filled with the feel of past Oliver Stone films that Stone himself wants to get the audience used to again. Using blood, gore, and intense action sequences; "Savages" wants to give you a feel that hasn't been present in many movies this summer. Now let's see if Oliver Stone can regain his former glory and make another cult classic.

Ben (Aaron Johnson) and Chon (Taylor Kitsch) are together one of the biggest marijuana dealers in Laguna Beach, California. When a Mexican cartel, led by Elena (Salma Hayek), wants to expand their business upward and offer Ben and Chon a deal, they reject and this forces Elena to send her right hand man Lado (Benicio Del Toro) to kidnap their shared girlfriend, O (Blake Lively). Upon hearing this Ben and Chon agree to comply; but instead with intel from DEA agent Dennis (John Travolta), they concoct a plan to rescue you O and get the cartel off their backs for good.

First of all, the tone of the film clearly set in the beginning of the movie in the very first scene. It gave you since of what the movie is going to be like and also how gruesome it is going to be. The pacing of the film was great, moved from scene to scene well and there wasn't any scenes that slowed it done. It had a nice steady pace with the perfect fix of action and dramatic scenes. Oliver Stone's close ups during really emotional scenes were great, the whole shot would be the actors face and it really got you invested in that character during the close-up. The acting was pretty good for the most part. Kitsch, Johnson, Travolta, Hayek were really good; but Benicio Del Toro was brilliant. Blake Lively improved in this film, but sometimes her dialogue was really hard to watch.

Overall I enjoyed this film a lot. The acting was good, the writing was good, and Oliver Stone's take on this story was good. I'm glad to see him go back to vintage Oliver Stone. I do recommend that people see this film. It's really good. Aaron Johnson, Taylor Kitsch and Del Toro are really worth the price of admission and the movie is, lack of a better word, bad ass.

4 out of 5 stars.

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Magic Mike - Movie Review

"Magic Mike" is a drama that is centered around the lifestyle of male stripping. It's been awhile since a movie of this sort has came out. Using solid choreography and a steady dose of dialogue, "Magic Mike" hopes to capture the audiences attention not only with the much anticipated stripping, but with a strong storyline. Let's see if the film can one up it's past predecessors of the same genre, "Showgirls" and "Striptease," and give "Ted" a run for it's money for the top spot in the box office.

Mike (Channing Tatum) is a 30 year old who wants to start getting his life on track by becoming an entrepreneur and starting his own business. But before that can happen, he works part time at a male strip club and is a number two to his boss Dallas (Matthew McConaughey). Mike then meets Adam (Alex Pettyfer) and takes him under his wing and shows him the lifestyle he lives and all the benefits it can come from it.

*I would like to add that I went into this film with an open mind. I was generally interested in seeing it.*

Steven Soderbergh direction of this film was great. He used great shots and they were beautiful as well. He really captured the colors of the all the backgrounds during the scenes; typical Soderbergh. He occasionally mixed in some character off-screen dialogue where it would focus on the character that was listening to the other character talk off screen. The choreography of the dancing was great. The dance moves that were being pulled off were impressive. Channing Tatum's performance was not bad. He has been improving with the last couple movies he has been in. McConaughey's performance was classic McConaughey; charming, charismatic and cool. Pettyfer  The lead female role (Cody Horn) and love interest of Mike was not the quite good. I really cringed when she got some dialogue. She just didn't fit in. The pacing was slow. The beginning started out so well and then it just got slow.

Overall, I didn't enjoy the film. I repeat I went in with an open mind. A lot of its target audience, females, were disappointed walking out of the theater. They were expecting 110 minutes of topless men dancing and they didn't get it. There was more of a story line (which isn't bad, just cliche and not really developed). I couldn't get invested into the movie.

2 out of 5 stars.

Ted - Movie Review

"Ted" is a slap stick comedy by Seth MacFarlane that asks how far can a little boys wish go. It also asks how far can a comedy go in terms of crudeness. After one box office success, 21 Jump Street, and one failure, That's My Boy. Let's see if Ted can bring back crude comedy to the top of the box office this week and for weeks to come.

When John Bennett (Mark Wahlberg) was a little boy, he received a stuffed teddy bear for Christmas and upon receiving it he wishes that his new bear could come alive and talk in real life. When his wish is granted, his new friend Ted (voiced by Seth MacFarlane) comes alive and they share a bond that they will share forever. John is now 35 years old and Ted, now a celebrity, is still around and living with John. Now John has to balance his life between his job, fun with Ted, and his girlfriend (Mila Kunis) and encounters tons of road blocks in making his life balanced.

This being Seth MacFarlane first live action film, I thought the camera shots he used were very good and the comedy was laugh out loud hilarious. MacFarlane's voice work is amazing, even similar to Peter Griffin (Family Guy), his voice went well with Ted's personality and demeanor. Mark Wahlberg was gold in this movie and did a good job acting, especially in scenes with Ted, who was a CGI generated bear. The comedy in this movie was vulgar, grotesque, and racist; but this being a Seth MacFarlane feature the audience should be expecting that. The film had a good pace; it never seemed slow. Near the last third of the movie, the film did a little genre change. It went from crude comedy, then a little bit drama, and then near the end there was a cool little action adventure sequence. Then finally the movie had a lot of cameos and they all worked out well; not overused.

Even though I prefer comedies that aren't vulgar and crude, this one was definitely worth price of admission. It was hilarious on all counts. I think there are jokes in here that can be offensive to any type of person, but you knowing Seth MacFarlane you shouldn't be surprised. This is one of the best comedies of the year up there along with 21 Jump Street. This film had everyone rolling. Highly recommended.

4 out of 5 stars.

Seeking a Friend for the End of the World - Movie Review

"Seeking a Friend of the End of the World" is an end of the world drama that really makes you think about what you would do if you had only a few weeks to live. With strong dialogue, likable characters, and clever jokes, this film shows you that there can be good things to come out of a bad situation.

The movie begins with Dodge (Steve Carell) sitting in his car and hearing that the mission to save mankind has failed and in approximately three weeks the 70 mile wide asteroid is going to hit Earth. Upon this news Dodge's wife leaves him and Dodge considers what he is going to do with his final days of his life and the past regrets he has. He soon meets Penny (Keira Knightley) and they decide to embark on adventure that hopefully lead Dodge to find a girl from his past and for Penny to see her family before the their time runs out.

This movie was well made. The writers did a great job with mixing comedy in a movie that has a depressing feel to it. There were good jokes throughout the movie, mostly sarcasm but well planned. The pace of this movie was slow, but it necessarily isn't a bad thing. There were really good dialogue scenes where Dodge and Penny have conversations about themselves and their pasts and it really make the audience care about these characters. That being said, the characters were developed well and Steve Carell and Keira Knightley's performances were great as well as their chemistry.

I really enjoyed this movie. I really prefer Steve Carell in these types of these dramatic movies mixed with light comedy like Dan in Real Life and Little Miss Sunshine. This movie isn't a film that will dominate the box offices but it is one of the better movies of 2012 and I highly recommend this movie.

4 out of 5.

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Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter - Movie Review

"Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter" is an action filled drama that combines American history and the popular vampire theme that movie goers have grown up with. With the several vampire movies that have been released in recent years, this movie has to compete with the idea that the audience may be tired of the genre. By adding the name Abraham Lincoln to the movie, this film just may spark a new genre of combining horror themes with American history.

Abraham Lincoln (Benjamin Walker) as a kid witnessed his mother being killed by a vampire and now as young man before his life in politics, he gets trained by Henry (Dominic Cooper) on how to hunt vampires. With this knowledge, he plans to hunt down the vampire who killed his mother. After calling it quits to pursue a career in politics, he hears that vampires are helping the Confederacy in the war and comes up with a plan to eliminate them and win the war.

The acting in the movie was decent and tolerable; that was one of the few things I wasn't expecting. Benjamin Walker did a good job as young and old Abe Lincoln. The film had a lot of violence and gore, but the director's previous film (Wanted) had a lot too so I was expecting that. The pace of the film was somewhat good. The balance between dramatic scenes and action scenes is what kept the film going in the first half. But beginning the second half was a 20 to 30 minute scene of Abe as President with tons of dialogue and no action and it causes the audience to lose attention; but the end sequence restores that with a long action scene. The CGI and effects were over the top; it looked like Timur Bekmambetov was using the action formula he used for Wanted and it got really repetitive.

Personally, I enjoyed the film. The 3D was okay, not the worst I have seen. The CGI is overused but it is tolerable. I like the concept of mashing U.S. history with the vampire theme and I think the filmmakers did that well. It's not a film that I'd recommend spending $13.50 on, but it is not a bad rental. It can easily be enjoyed as a popcorn flick.

2 1/2 out of 5.



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Rock of Ages - Movie Review

“Rock of Ages” is a musical that uses 80’s rock anthems and combines it with a genuine love story that hopes to give you the best musical experience since “Hairspray.” With a star studded cast which includes names like Tom Cruise and Alec Baldwin, and all the talent featured in the movie it can be expected that this will be a fun film and put musicals pack on the map.

The movie is about Sherrie (Julianne Hough), who leaves her home in Oklahoma to head to Los Angeles so she can pursue her dream to be a singer. On the way she meets Drew (Diego Boneta), who is a bar back at the legendary Bourbon Room, who is also trying to achieve his goal and be the next rock icon. As their romance builds, the Bourbon Room is getting prepared for rock legend Stacee Jaxx (Tom Cruise) to play his last show with his band Arsenal.

The vocal talent in this film was amazing. Every big name in the film offered vocals, even Alec Baldwin, and they all sounded great. The pace of this film was very fast because they were jumping into songs quickly; I don’t think there was a fifteen minute period in the whole movie without a song. The film editing was impressive; they cut to many different locations when there were a bunch of characters contributing to a song and it was put together beautifully. The climax of the film was a little too early in the film. I think they should have made the Stacee Jaxx show a little further in the movie because after that, it really kind of slowed down a bit.

I enjoyed and had fun with this film. The film was cheesy, but I think it is expected to be cheesy and the film itself knows its cheesy so that’s why it works. If you grew up in the 80s this movie will touch home for and bring back memories. I recommend this movie for fans of the 80s and musicals in general. Tom Cruise’s performance is worth price of admission alone.

3 out of 5 stars.

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That's My Boy - Movie Review

“That’s My Boy” is a slap stick comedy that uses crude and vulgar humor to make the audience fall out of their seats laughing. Besides “21 Jump Street,” the audience hasn't really been presented with many slap stick comedies in 2012. With the lack of these comedies being made, with a name like Adam Sandler attached to the project it can be expected for this movie to relish in the box office.

The movie stars Adam Sandler who plays Donny Berger, who at age 14 has sex with one his teachers and ends up fathering a child. Years past and Donny has four himself in trouble and ends up owing money to the IRS; if he doesn't pay the money by the end of the weekend he will be sent to prison. Donny finds out that his son, played by Andy Samberg, is getting married the same weekend and believes that this is his golden ticket to getting the money he needs.

The pace of this film is pretty moderate; there is barely any slow parts in the film. The acting was okay, but it's pretty hard to judge Adam Sandler's performance because he is known to act kind of childish in his 90s films. There wasn't any performances in this movie that made me cringe. I will just come out and say that this film made me laugh. I do prefer comedies that don't use cuss words and vulgar jokes to get their laughs, but Adam Sandler movies will feature crudeness and disgusting jokes; even though I thought some were forced, I did think they worked out in this movie.

That plot is simple and the end is predictable, but the movie knows it is made to do and that is to make you laugh as much as it can and it did just that. If you are an Adam Sandler or a Saturday Night Live fan, this movie will make you happy. I give this movie 2 1/2 stars out of 5.



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