Water for Elephants ( 2011 )

Water for Elephants ( 2011 )

Water for Elephants stars, Reese Witherspoon as Marlena Rosenbluth , the star attraction at the Circus and wife of the owner / ringmaster ; Robert Pattinson as Jacob Jankowski , the lonely poor orphan boy , intelligent and bright , wandering the open road of America ; Christoph Waltz as August Rosenbluth , as the Ringmaster ; but the star and hero of the film is "Tai" as "Rosie, the elephant" who saves the circus .

Set in the Great American Depression of the 1930s , where no one has any money , and worse than that , any booze . Prohibition just stinks , good hard working circus performers need a bit of the good stuff to carry them thru the day .

The story line is a little thin , but takes a long time getting to the end . The acting is good , and the period of the 1930s comes across well , but the hard sell is the chemistry between these people . The hubsand and wife seem to be in a loveless marriage , and in the end the film seems like a loveless movie .

But what is love ?

This is Francis Lawrence third time in the director's chair the first and second being Constantine (2005) with Keanu Reeves , and I Am Legend (2007) with Wil Smith · Water for Elephants (2011) also has the star power of Reese Witherspoon and Robert Pattinson .

The question now is does Robert Pattinson have the box office draws of the Twilight Movies , or is it the popularity of the Twilight books ?

Coming back to Francis Lawrence , he has wandered away from a strong action based / special effects in his first two films , to a more character driven films in the story of the People of the Benzini Brother's Travelling Circus .

As many of my friends pointed out in the end , the real stars of the film were the animals , cause that is all they talked about , imagine you have a circus movie , without animals . It just does not work . Everyone you could tell wanted more animals , and more story to the animals . You wanted to know more about the horses , the lions , the dogs , the monkey and of course the ELEPHANT .

By the way all you PETA members , out there walk with your box of tissues , this one is a real tear jerker for you PETA guys and gals .

The movie is nice swing away from the Romantic-Comedy , but hardly fits the mold of a Love Story .

Watch for the old time New York Scenes , with the Empire State building and the Brooklyn Bridge in the background .

Also there is not stinger , after the movie , but if you do stay through the credits , you will notice the cast credits are done in the old time layouts :

"Marlena Rosenbluth..................................................................................Reese Witherspoon"

The list of Stuntmen goes on and on and on , but the stunts are so intergrated into the movie you do not see them , in train jumping and the stampede scenes .

The movie is a classic piece of movie making , and could be used to teach film students "HOW TO MAKE A FILM" , yet the story and the acting does not appeal to the mass audience . I am worried if it should make back it's $40 million budget .

Paul ( 2011 )

Paul ( 2011 )

Two nerd from England go to the United States to attend a Comic Convention , and do a road trip to the famous UFO landmarks . They run into an alien , and help him get home .

The movie is a nerd / geek trip , and I being a geek , had a hard time following some of the stuff . Sure we all know Area 51 , and Roswell , New Mexico , but the "the Black Mailbox" was a little outside my field of knowledge .

For more on the Black Mailbox : 
Info : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_mailbox   
Location : http://wikimapia.org/68004/the-Black-Mailbox
Picture : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Black_Mailbox_Road.jpg

The movie maintains normal storyline , the heroes , the victim , the bad guys and the final showdown . Yet through it all , it becomes a buddy movie , discussion of friendship , girls , marijuana , alcohol , the size of one's own sexually organ ( you know penis ) , Paul quickly becomes one of the boys .

The movie gives nods to , Close Encounters of the Third Kind , Star Trek , Star Wars , Aliens , Back to the future ,and Mac & Me . Many would be lost to normal people , but to the geekworld it is really cool . I found a list of all the inside the jokes at : http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1092026/movieconnections

A read through before going to see the film would increase the enjoyable factor by at least three . Nothing mentioned in the movie connections would be a spoiler .

Simon Pegg and Nick Frost

Does the film work ? YES the general public can go and see a buddy movie , an action / chase movie , a comedy movie and a science fiction movie and come out feeling like they got their money's worth .

Then there are those of us who will recognize the music from the Canteen Scene in Star Wars : Episode IV , and lines like "Boring Conversation anyway." and " Get say from her , YOU BITCH ! " . For us the movie works on an entirely different level .

Paul will never fall into the category of a classic , but will appeal to the young and older science fiction fans , and the chicks that they drag along kicking and screaming will get a laugh out of it too.

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Hanna ( 2011 )

Hanna , a 16 year old with 16 years in training , for just one mission , to kill Marissa Wiegler .

Trained by her father Erik Heller ; Marissa Wiegler must die .

Hanna and her father are in isolation near the Artic Circle in Finland . When she is ready , she will go on her mission .

We enter at the correct time , So the chase begins .

Details emerge , who is Hanna ? what is Hanna ? who is Hanna's mother ?

But the action sequences are perfectly European ; No Arnie or Stallone here ; the choerography of the fight sequences brought a sense of fear from this little girl . A Demon Killer .

Saoirse Ronan plays the character  to perfection , the blond , blue eyes set the character as a cool , confined master killer ; until she is faced with the real world of barbie dolls and bimbos . Clearly Saoirse Ronan is a name to be remebered with lots more Box Office draw to come .

Eric Bana and Cate Blanchett , seem stiff in their roles , written as CIA agents , personalities were not required .


The film's background of Finland , Morocco and Berlin , also the film a non-western feel , giving the matter a of James Bond fight the old Eastern Bloc of Communist goverment .

The only thing American about the film is the CIA headquaters and building .

The film works as a master piece of modern cinema . European . There is no action sequence , no show down at the OK corral , and most American audience will be waiting for the big HUAH at the end , the big gun fight . They will be disappointed . Yet if you are a believer in HANNA , going for her Mission ; no doubt her internal struggle between her training and her being a little girl ; HANNA wins in the end .

The film follows a thread , of all the "La Femme Nikita" films and tv series .





    

Sucker Punch ( 2011 )

Sucker Punch ( 2011 )

OMG is short hand used on the Internet by young people , it means Oh My God .

This film has a very simple story , some young ladies try to escape an institution , plain and simple . Yet to vamp up the stakes and to get young audience interested , the girls enter a fantasy world , zombie Nazis , Orcs and a Castle , Killer Robots all make an appearance in the course of the preparations to escape .

Zombie Nazis are a nod to the zombie and world war films . The Orcs in Castle sequence nods to the Lord of the Rings series , and the killer robots , feels like Will Smith's I,Robot film .




Yet each sequence plays out like a Playstation , Wii or XBox game . The film goes beyond typical action shoot them ups ; of the Rambo or Terminator films . The action special effects go so far past the limited of film , I was wondering if the kid in the row in front of me had brought his XBox controller , and was controlling the action on the screen .

The film surely hits a demographic ; teenage boys who like video games and girls . The five lead girls in the script who set out on the escape , scantly dressed in the fantasy dreams sequences with samurai swords and machine guns works , to the seventeen year old hormone raging teenager with his blood pumping . These perfect female fighting zombie-killing and orc-killing , can be the direct extraction from their own Wet Dreams .




The soundtrack however contains a 1970s Jefferson Airplane song and a 1980s Queen remix , which should re-introduce a new generation to some old classics .

The story is so short , fantasy sequences make up the majority of the film . Had we left out the fantasy sequence the run time of the film would have been forty five minutes , and I would have left the cinema with some respect to the writer and director . Natural I left disgusted , that I throw good money behind the price of a cinema ticket .

"Just because we can do something , does not automatically mean we should do something" - Jurassic Park

This quote came to me during the film , the prevailing use of special effects through the film industry and especially this movie , made me wonder ; How long did these girls spend in front of the green screen ? How long did they spend suspend from wires swing around in front of a green screen to get that shot ? Was it all worth it ?




I do not know what the director's or writer's vision was , but the film just feels like it was made by high school or university students with too much of a budget . Characters were never developed , personalities were non-existent , the star of the movie was the special effects . How far could they push the envelope of special effects action sequences , and get the audience to accept it ?

I would advise everyone to give the movie a miss , unless you are the demographic of a video games junkie . And if you are an action movie junkie , go see it in the IMAX format .

Battle - Los Angeles (2011)

Aliens Invade !

And the good people of earth fight back , Defending their home .

All Civilians are to be evacuated inland . Leading the government attempt to save the citizens from the invading army , is the Proud , the Few , the Marines , Semper Fi .

After the normal first encounter butt kicking from a superior force , this small band on Heroes re-group ; and re-engage the enemy .

In the end , we fight to a draw .

But do not worry , as the credits roll , we are going back for more .



The movie is an ongoing battle scene , and the gun battles barely pause for a breather , before it starts back again . Making it truly a boy's movie , a friend of mine tagged it as RAMBO 6 . He expected Arnold and Sylvester to appear out Beverly Hills in a pimped up Hummer , machine guns blazing .

The continuous violence and heroism was a little to much for older audience , but the young people ate it up , cheering on the marines .

Michelle Rodriguez , known for tough-chick roles , has once again been type-casted in her role from Resident Evil and S.W.A.T. as the bad ass soldier . If I was ever in trouble , I know who I would like to have come rescue me .

In the end the film seems like an infomercial for military recruitment , be a hero is the message , and I am sure the recruitment numbers are up for the month of the film's release .

Another movie doomed for late night re-runs on cable television .

The Adjustment Bureau ( 2011 )

Do we control our destiny, or do unseen forces manipulate us?

The Adjustment Bureau features Matt Damon as David Norris, a man who glimpses the future and what Fate has planned for him and realizes ; he wants something else.

Promises of political success in the senate , and the ability to change the world in years to come . Yet to wander of the reservation , out side of the plan , is to doom his dreams . Love or Glory , Fate or Free Will ?

Will he accept a predetermined path . . or risk everything to defy Fate and be with her.


The movie is based on a short story by Philip K. Dick . The story lends itself to religious belief , asking about angels and "the chairman" . But really relies on the question of Free Will as compares to Destiny or Karma . Do you believe that the choices you make change the direction of your life , or is everything predetermine . If you knew what your life was going to be , would you change it ? If you knew the person you loved was the one , and being together destroys the world , would you , could you , walk away .

Then as if , when you make a decision to fight for what you want , and fight for what you believe .

RUN ! ! !



The film does work , for the correct demographic ;

• You have to believe in TRUE LOVE .
• You have to believe that everyone has TRUE LOVE .
• You have to believe in Happy Endings

The film is an excellence FIRST DATE movie , you can definitely find out alot about a person based on what they think of this film . Women will love the story , as David Norris is such a good person , a knight in shining armour . He comes back for the woman he loves .

But THE ENDING , I walked out the cinema , unfulfilled , I did not know why , until i did some research about the movie before writing this review .

THE ENDING is an alternate ending , filmed four months after the movie was completed . For whatever reason the ending was changed ; I have a funny feeling I would have preferred the orginal ending , but i guess we have to wait for the DVD .

The Lincoln Lawyer ( 2011 )

When a slick Los Angeles lawyer lands what appears to be a cut-and-dry case involving a notorious Beverly Hills playboy , he thinks it's money in the bag . However , things soon take a more sinister turn . . .

Matthew McConaughey stars in , The Lincoln Lawyer , Micheal Connelly's book of the same name , as Mickey Haller , a Los Angeles based Lawyer . Wheeling and Dealing from the backseat of his car , A Lincoln . Slight of hand and deception are the normal operating procedure .

Getting a big time case , and putting the pieces together , Mr. Haller must come to terms with his moral dilemma , that he has put an innocent man is in jail and he is defending a guilty one . When his family is threatened , things get dirty .

Micheal Connelly's book is provides enough drama and intrigue to keep the movie going down to the end . As the storyline does work .

Matthew McConaughey provides an excellent performance as the slick Lawyer , the role seems to fit him , so someone has finally cast this square peg into a square hole . Marisa Tomei does equal justice to her role as a public prosecutor , a far cry from her "My Cousin Vinny" Oscar winning performance and "What Women Want" with crazy Mel Gibson .

If you are looking for the next "A Few Good Men" or a real courtroom drama like "12 Angry Men" you are in for a disappointment , the movie plays more like a detective movie , whodunit and who-REALLY-dunit . It was the butler in library with the candlestick . Everybody has a theory , the prosecutors , the defense , the victim and the truth gets lost somewhere along the way .



By the end of the film , you really do not care about any of the characters and wonder if the justice system will every really work . Lawyers in America are so loved , Mickey Haller turns out to be something of an Anti-Hero , but not a villain ; he just seems to be working the system to turn himself a dollar . Leaving everyone disappointed in the end .

Buy it now on :

For those of you following the exploits of Lawyer Mickey Haller , Micheal Connelly follows up with three more books ; The Brass Verdict , The Reversal and The Fifth Witness .


The Trailer





The Author Speaks about his Book .

Hall Pass ( 2011 )

When a wife is fed-up of her husband , she gives him a HALL PASS . One week off from marriage . A whole week , he can do whatever he wants , he is THE SINGLE MAN .

But is being SINGLE , all it is cracked up to be .

The film is truly FUNNY . Complaints come in terms of the variety of humour , basically there is a joke in here for EVERYONE . And this is where the problem lay , the humour can be very ha-ha funny , to downright rude , and a full nude scene . So be prepared to be offended , at some point in the film , it will go to FAR .

GOING TO FAR , is actually what the film is all about . FREEDOM of being single , but only for seven days ( DA-DUM ( Law and Order )) , and how far will you go in those seven days . Married people will related to part of the story , and single people will not be able to understand the HALL PASS part , but relate to living "LA VIDA LOCA" , the single life .

the Directors are from "Dumb and Dumber" and "There is Something About Mary" , and this film goes in the same direction , and surpasses them . The feeling is that the cast know each other , the wives know the husbands , and the husbands are truly friends .

Owen Wilson , has finally found a script and an actor Jason Sudikies , that show his true talent . I am certainly no Owen Wilson fan , but he brought the film together with good dialogue and writing to perform .



Watch out for Nicky Whelan , this Australian actress , the coffee waitress at the DRIP , she truly steals the movie from the wives ( wives what wives ? , were are not married ) as the female lead , as most people are not interested in where or what the wives were up too .

The wives are of course ready for their own mischief in the process ; dealing with their own issues of the HALL PASS .

But like all good movies , the morals overcome all , and the couples are happy in the end , and we suppose they all live happily ever after .




Watch out for Alyssa Milano in a cameo appearance .

STINGER : about 60 seconds after the credits roll , there is an additional scene for their British friend , so sit and wait for it .

Buy it now on :

UNKNOWN ( 2011 )

Many have accused this film of being the sequel to Liam Neeson's 2009 TAKEN , the stories are of a simple everyday man , the locations are in Europe ( Paris in TAKEN , Berlin in UNKNOWN ) and the colour and feel of the two film are very similar . Yet this is not a sequel and as such we move on .

The storyline is Professor Martin Harris is going to Berlin for a convention . Having loss his briefcase , he goes in search of it , and gets into a car accident . When he awakes it is four days later , and he has been replaced .

The ongoing storyline , is how do I survive not being who I think and I am . He fines his way into the world of "UNKNOWN"s , illegal immigrants and people with no identity in the heart of Berlin . And beings to survive ; and find his way back to his own world .

To give more would be to spoil the movie , however it is notable that the HITCHCOCK attempt , feels like a total failure by the end of the film . Somewhere a long the line , we feel the story suspense dis-belief , and the story's was unacceptability was apparent as the audience left the cinema .

The ticket price was however well worth the price of the film , multiple car chases and action fight scene between , Liam Neeson and the villains , were well directed and brought a sense of danger and excitement .

For this to become the SPY / ACTION / THRILLER movie it had set out to be , the script could have been re-written , a few more times , not in the send of the action sequences , but in the sense of characters . In the international world of espionage , there were quite a few chess pieces missing from the the board , we saw the King and the pawns , a cleaner and a replacement , but the back-up infrasture was clearly not in place .


The love interests of his wife and the illegal immigrant , clash not only in purpose , but in looks , and my audience , in one scene , had problems telling them apart . As both characters served the same purpose , on different sides of the lines draw in the film .

STINGER : For those of you interest , notice during the credits , the helicopter shot takes you from the train station , across Berlin towards the Berlin TV Tower . It may be un-important to the plot of the film , but those of us who have vacationed in , and love Germany , it is a long shot of the city , you will not see in your travels .

Buy it now on :

The Kids Are All Right ( 2010 )

The Kids Are All Right , was never released in Trinidad and Tobago , so look out for it at you local DVD vendor .

The story line is really simple , and only gets complicated . Eighteen years and nine months ago , a loving couple get pregnant by means of artificial insemination . Three years later , so does the partner . Yup lesbian couple , with half brother and sister , using the same sperm donor . No Problem we are hip society , we are down with that .

Fast forward to the eighteen birthday of the older child , and forms filled out with request for Daddy's name ; and of course fifteen year old brother know that is his papa too . Sneaking around behind mommies' back , the three of them with their shared DNA , meet .

Later to bring Moms into the picture , and slowly the entire ball of string unravels .

The core to this film , Who is your Daddy ? or What is your Daddy ? Asking modern day question for families outside the normal nuclear family . Even within the context of this story there is four members of the family , two parents and two children , keeping the space in the house normal . But as usual what happen when an outside person is brought in , where do they fit ? How does it work ?

Threatening are the normals , not the heterosexual normal , but the normals of the last 18 years of their own little bubble . Why do things change ? And can we keep them from changing .

Annette Bening received a Oscar nomination for Best Actress , and got snubbed for Natalie Portman in Black Swan .

The Film has had good reviews in all quarters , EXCEPT for the Lesbian community .

The cry is that all films involving Lesbians are apologetic , as is this one . Even though the director is an open lesbian . The community complained of the girl-girl sex scenes , and their misbehaver outside the bedroom . And truth be told , I could see the film very easily been drafted into a heterosexual movie , and remove the lesbian element from the film .

The film is worth being seen , though it may not be for everyone , themes are for the enlightened and not the bias . The film portraits the "alternative lifestyle" not as normal , but accepted .

Buy it now on :

All Star Superman ( 2011 )

But why ? Why, oh Why ? just re-reading the plot review over on Wikipedia after having watch 76 minute the movie ; one wonders who on earth could have thought this was a good idea .

What was the suppose purpose could the story have ? No enemy to defeat , so secret plot , not even a happy ending . The battle sequences have not caring if Superman wins or loses . What could have convinced anyone to put money behind this project .

Obviously someone who has not watch SUPERMAN RETURNS .

TIME WARNER and their DC COMICS division , listen care fully to my advice . Watch the following two movies then make a Superman in Outer Space Movie .

One : Matrix 3 , watch the end sequence battle between "NEO" and "Agent Smith"

Two : Chronicles of Riddick , and watch the space ships and alien worlds it functions in .

Then write a good Superman Movie that we can all watch . As far as the cartoons go , leave them for Saturday mornings , this is 76 minutes of my life i want back . Adults if you are buying for the kids , it will occupy them for a while , but even they will watch it once and then try to sell it off on eBay .

I Spit On Your Grave ( 2011 )

A Horror Movie , been a while since I reviewed a Horror movie. And the Rite does not count , certainly not in comparison to this I Spit on Your Grave.

Well the story starts off to a quiet start , a writer go out to retreat from society to establish her thoughts , mind and ideas, in order to write a book . And some of the local boys get a wind of her perfume , and take a liking to her , and decide to pay her a visit . Things go from bad to worse , and when the sheriff gets involved defending the local boys , all hope is lost .

Eventually she left for dead and the world moves on . One month later , she is back for revenge .

The Horror in the film is , who is the horrible person , the local boys , the sheriff or heaven forbid the victim .

The acts in the film are quite bad , even though others have said it is tame , in comparison with the 1978 original ( yes it is a re-make ) .

Sarah Butler is an unknown to me , as are most of the other actors , but that does not take away from the content of the film . The director has done his job , and delivered exactly what the script said .

Horror Fan fans will be please , as the revenge take on a "SAW" like feel , and female horror fans who have some unreleased feelings toward any ex-boyfriends should leave the cinema cheering .

Sanctum ( 2011) in 3D

THE ONLY WAY OUT IS DOWN .

Could this be the career of everyone involved in this film ? Assuring that their next film MUST be better that this one .

The film is built around a simple premise , We are Explorers , We go where no one has gone before . ( thank you Gene Roddenberry ) I climb mount Everest , caves are for soft people . We go into a cave , we come out of a cave , BORING .

Except this time is it a deep cave , and we are going far down below , and a hurricane is coming , and it will fill the cave with water , we are trapped . The Only Way Out is Down , find another exit some where .

Amidst all the drama , I knew I had been in this scenario before , not personally , but in another movie . Then it came to me , DAYLIGHT , Sylvester Stallone's last action movie ever ( well until he came back and did more action movies ) . In Daylight , a group of people are trapped in a long tunnel underwater , and crawl to get out , with old Sylvester Stallone leading the way .

Just as before , foolish decisions lead to the demise of the characters , and like TEN LITTLE INDIANS , one by one they fall away . The problem with the demise of each character is that , these people are not Extreme Explorers , they do not provide the professionalism that should occur in such a disaster scenario .



From early on in the film , from the parachuting , to the "I refuse a Wet suit" , the professionalism with this bunch is not there . How can you refuse equipment , when trapped miles underground , without equipment . If you have climb Mount Everest , or dive deep in the ocean , you have a RESPECT for the situation , and the RESPECT was clearly missing . So as each of them die , you really do not care .

The feeling is not that , these are professional extreme sport types , but more a Rich People's Club and the "This Can Not Be Happening To Me" factor steps in . Nothing make me happier to see Rich People go where they should not be , get in trouble and die .

Also their is no Sylvester Stallone , so there is no HERO , no lead character , and we do not know who will survive or who will die . Again though , do you really care ?

The ride that is the film , brings one to a climax , that lacks the final umph-factor to bring the movie to an exciting close .



Now the 3D fails completely , Why , because the movie is based in a cave , narrow , tight , cramped space . Claustrophobic it is not , when the 3D kicks in , we have space everywhere around us , enough to swing a cat . So maybe the movie should be seen in 2D , even though this was filmed in 3D and not converted like so many others . Given that , the 3D was better than the Green Hornet which , was convert from 2D to 3D . The jury is still out on 3D .

I am Number Four ( 2011 )

The movie opens with a hunt , and the victim is Number Three . The plot continues that , Number four is aware of the demise of the first three , and he knows he is next . With his protector's guidance, ( a Cêpan , for those of you wanting to learn the LINGO ) they are on the run to a new town , a new school , new friends and bad guys hot on their tails . So the chase is on and story is predictable .

When buying the tickets , the female cashier warned us , and told us not to bother . Her actual words were "A Big man like you would not want to see that " .

Then while inside , on the way in to the theater , ran into a friend , who say her friends walked out on the film .

So when I sat down , I was ready for a REAL BOMB , however I was satisfied after wards with the normal junk food movie produced by Hollywood .



The problem was not the story , or the special effects ; it was the thin story and cheap special effects .



The Good Guys and the Bad Guys are from planets far, far away . They were involved in a war between the races . A War scene that is never seen , and would have cost money . For reference pull out the T2 : Judgement Day DVD , and watch the opening sequence between mankind and the machine army . This could have setup in the audience minds , the ability to accept the story .

The absence of this sci-fi homeworld world war scene , gave the story a real thin layer . You had to really work to suspense your dis-belief .

Super-powers young person smacked of "Smallville" , and there is no KRISTEN KRUEK to help the story along , just some high-school blond .

Many friends and family of who I spoke to dis-liked the film . However . . . . the audience target is not in my friends and family range .

The release of the film , between Harry Potter 7.1 and 7.2 , and before the Twilight 4.1 and 4.2 , should be an indication of whom they are targeting : They are trying to past the torch , from one TWEEN book series movie franchise to another TWEEN book series movie franchise .




The listing says the book is the first of six , and by the time we reach the sixth movie , we may have a major franchise on our hands . Are story writers are going for a Space Age Harry Potter , will we return to Krypton and take revenge and liberate our world ?

There is a lot of story line to fill in , alot of background to go through . Special Effects companies be on the alert . We could go into a all out work horse here to give Star Wars a run for their money , action figures and all .

But this is not " A New Hope " .

The major thing as the credits rolled is the name "Micheal Bay" , With Transformers 3 in the can and due for release soon , if he seeks to role over this into s success full franchise , he better start planning from now .