Sunday, February 28, 2010

Review Shutter Island

IMDb

Title: Shutter Island
Distributor:
Paramount Pictures
Director:
Martin Scorsese
Writer(s):
Laeta Kalogridis (screenplay), Dennis Lehane (novel)
Staring:
Leonardo DiCaprio, Mark Ruffalo
MPAA Rating:
Rated R for disturbing violent content, language and some nudity.
Running Time:
138 min
Synopsis:
Drama is set in 1954, U.S. Marshal Teddy Daniels is investigating the disappearance of a murderess who escaped from a hospital for the criminally insane and is presumed to be hiding on the remote Shutter Island. .

What Others Are Saying?


Rotten Tomatoes: T-Meter: 66% (Fresh), Top Critics: 62% (Fresh), RT Community: 87% (Fresh)
Metacritic: Critics: 62 out of 100, Users: 7.1 out of 10
MRQE Metric: 71: (26.3% A, 46.3% B, 20.9% C, 5.0% D, and 0.0% F)
Yahoo Movies: Critics: NA Users: B

My Review


Source Material:
Baed on a book with the same title by author Dennis Lehane

Entertaining Value:
  • Action Elements: There are some action sequence but this film is more dramatically driven.
  • Comedy Elements: Maybe a few cleaver lines but not much of a comedy.
  • Dramatic Elements: Highly dramatic with great acting
  • Sci-Fi / Fantasy Elements: Some dream sequence have some neat effects but that about it.
Cinematic Value:
  • Acting and Dialogue: A-: The acting was very believable and Leonardo DiCaprio dose a good job even thought I am not a fan of his work generally.
  • Art Direction: B+: The art direction it was a very colorful movie, which contrasted the dark content. I have to say great make-up
  • Cinematography: A-: They had some very cool shoots, with a good amount of verity
  • Direction: A: The movie felt a little long but over all Martin Scorsese knows what he is doing for sure.
  • Editing: B: It was cut together in away that kept you thinking, and on the edge of your seat.
  • Screenplay: B: It was a decent story. most people will guess the plot twist but it dose a very good job going back and fouth on the guessing game.
  • Sound and Music: B: Brought an effect dark felling to the film
  • VFX: B: Some of the dream sequence where neat...but it's the make up that take the cake...great make-up
Moral and Ethical Value:
  • Themes: "Crazy is a normal thing here"
  • Moral of the Story: The mind is a beautiful thing to waste.
  • Take Home: Maybe I should get a physic test, just kidding, but really I may be crazy.

Overall: A-: I enjoyed this movie, I think you should give a chance.

Review Cop Out

IMDb

Title: Cop Out
Distributor:
Warner Bros. Pictures Fox
Director:
Kevin Smith
Writer(s):
Robb Cullen (written by) & Mark Cullen (written by)
Staring:
Bruce Willis, Tracy Morgan
MPAA Rating:
Rated R for pervasive language including sexual references, violence and brief sexuality.
Running Time:
107 min
Synopsis:
A comedy about a veteran NYPD cop whose rare baseball card is stolen. Since it's his only hope to pay for his daughter's upcoming wedding, he recruits his partner to track down the thief, a memorabilia-obsessed gangster.

What Others Are Saying?

Rotten Tomatoes: T-Meter: 20% (Rotten), Top Critics: 21% (Rotten), RT Community: 63% (Fresh)
Metacritic: Critics: 32 out of 100, Users: 4.0 out of 10
MRQE Metric: 37: (0.0% A, 10.2% B, 46.7% C, 31.5% D, and 11.5% F)
Yahoo Movies: Critics: C Users: B


My Review

Source Material:
Original screenplay written by brothers Mark and Robb Cullen

Entertaining Value:

  • Action Elements: With being a comedy about cops their is some action sequence but they more slapsticky cause the comedy aspect of the film.
  • Comedy Elements: There are a few one-liners that got the whole theater laughing but these happen mainly in the opening credits .
  • Dramatic Elements: Umm not so much, they actually make fun of melodramatic moments in movies.
  • Sci-Fi / Fantasy Elements: No shiney Sci-fi elements this time.

Cinematic Value:

  • Acting and Dialogue: B-: The strongest actor was Bruce Wills but the strongest comedic performer was Sean William Scott. Tracy Morgan wast as annoy as he usually is in movies. There some great one liners, and pop culture references
  • Art Direction: C-: Nothing too fancy here
  • Cinematography: C-: Agian nothing too fancy here
  • Direction: B: Kevin Smith is very good at asembling a good comdey, this was good but there was some chemistry missing. Maybe that because he not using his normal comic players
  • Editing: C: Nothing special
  • Screenplay: B: The story wasn't half bad, a bit cliche but it work for a comedy
  • Sound and Music: C: I wasn't the biggest fan
  • VFX: NA not enough to commit on

Moral and Ethical Value:

  • Themes: Friendship, "A Couple of Dicks"
  • Moral of the Story: Friends stick up for each other together even in the hard times, I got your back
  • Take Home: A couple of laughs, that's about it.

Overall:
C: Even thought I liked this film for it comedy aspects it relay suck every else.

Sunday, February 14, 2010

REVIEW: Percy Jackson & The Olympians: The Lightning Thief

IMDb

Title: Percy Jackson & The Olympians: The Lightning Thief
Distributor:
20th Century Fox
Director:
Chris Columbus
Writer(s):
Craig Titley (screenplay), Rick Riordan (novel)
Staring:
Logan Lerman, Brandon T. Jackson, Alexandra Daddario, Jake Abel, Sean Bean, Pierce Brosnan, Kevin McKidd
MPAA Rating:
Rated PG for action violence and peril, some scary images and suggestive material, and mild language.
Running Time:
119 min
Synopsis:
A teenager discovers he's the descendant of a Greek god and sets out on an adventure to settle an on-going battle between the gods.

What Others Are Saying?

At The Movies: A.O. Scott: NA, Michael Phillips: NA
Rotten Tomatoes: T-Meter: 48% (Rotten), Top Critics: 35% (Rotten), RT Community: 69% (Fresh)
Metacritic: Critics: 48 out of 100, Users: 6.7 out of 10
MRQE Metric: 50: (0.0% A, 25.8% B, 54.1% C, 18.0% D, and 0.0% F)
Yahoo Movies: Critics: C+ Users: A-


My Review

Source Material:
Based off a book with the same title written by Rick Riordan. How does it match up to the book? I just started to reading the book cause I enjoyed the movie. So far the biggest difference I saw between the book and movies is Percy Jackson age. In the book he is twelve and in the movie he's a junior higher, if not older.

Entertaining Value:

  • Action Elements: Its an adventure so Percy and his friends are away in a state of peril, which lead to many action sequence
  • Comedy Elements: Being a kiddish type film it has some cheesy line and some decent slapstick.
  • Dramatic Elements: The drama comes mainly from the fact that all the demigods come from broken homes aka "daddy issues" and "abandonment" I think these iusse may hit home with the youth today, especially with the divorce rate rising daily.
  • Sci-Fi / Fantasy Elements: Well, we are dealing with Greek mythology so yes it jammed packed with all kinds of sci-fi/ fantasy elements.

Cinematic Value:

  • Acting and Dialogue: B+: I think the children actors did a fine job since most of them it there first acting job especially on the big screen. I like there were some big named actors to play small roles and cameos. It helped to balance out the amature actors. As far as the dialogue it did get a bit cheesy but I am willing to bet that's because it meant for a younger audience.
  • Art Direction: B: High fantasy movies like this one shine in the artistic categorizes. some of the different worlds they had to create like The Underworld were cool and beautiful in away.
  • Cinematography: B+: This film capture the fun qualities of an adventure. This was done mainly in the fact that the action sequence where shot properly.
  • Direction: B: It has that child friendly style that Chris Columbus has mastered in films like Home Alone and the first two Harry Potters. But I will give him props on know how to do put together a fun adventure that both kids and adults can enjoy...This is the man who wrote the Goonies, can you say CLASSIC.
  • Editing: B: The film was easy to follow, no real unique editing style.
  • Screenplay: B: The story was good but I maybe saying that out of bias toward being a huge fan of mythology especially Greek mythology.
  • Sound and Music: C: I am going to say it was way to cliche, example some says "If you see my dad on the highway to hell kick his ass for me" cue in Highway to Hell music by AC/DC.
  • VFX: B+: It has the same wow factor that the first Harry Potter's had. After seeing Avatar its going to take a lot to blows me out of the water with its visual effects. But at the same time this is the first movie that is VFX based that I have seen since Avatar, which is like comparing apples and oranges, you just can't do it.

Moral and Ethical Value:

  • Themes: Friendship, Coming of Age
  • Moral of the Story: Always strive to do the right thing.
  • Take Home: Always stand-up for what you believe in even if others don't agree with you.

Overall:
B+: Even with my bias to Greek mythology it's a good movie. I hope it get an enough money to finish the rest of the books. The first movie excited my interest.