Season of the Witch (2011) QuickReview

This movie was about what I expected…… sort of. It is total B movie, but not really in a bad way. It is a half decent rental option. And surprisingly, it isn’t Nicholas Cage who brings the movie down, it is the horrible dialogue and plot! Nicholas Cage does all right, but he’s acting next to Ron Perlman, and they have a good chemistry together, so it makes up for a lot. The plot is interesting, it just isn’t played out very well. And to add to it, the CGI in the movie belongs in 2002. All that being said, I still think it is a good rental, cause it wasn’t THAT bad.

I give it……….well, I guess ONE FOOT UP……..barely.

Joe

How Do You Know (2011) QuickReview

Some of these romcoms have been surprising me lately. This one is added to the list. I really really like this movie. Like, a lot. It is charming and funny, and incredibly real. The dialogue in the movie is not smooth, or polished, but rather what you might expect out of real world conversation. Paul Rudd is awesome, as usual; Owen Wilson is great; and Reese Witherspoon, who I don’t really care for, was charming and funny. Guys out there, give it a rent and make your girl happy. It was very enjoyable.

I give it TWO FEET UP on the coffee table.

Joe

Battle Los Angeles (2011) Quickreview

Hey all it’s Matt here, and I’m going to give you a quickreview of the movie just released on 3/11/11, Battle Los Angeles. As far as being a great action flick, I would say yes. There was also some drama, and the acting was good. Decent action, decent acting, and to round out what I was looking for, the storyline was decent. They kind of rushed the action, which is good in a way but then it’s bad due to the fact that the plot had some “iffy” parts. The only other thing that bothered me about this film is that some of the scenes seemed low-budget. For instance, during a scene where there were no explosions, the camera seemed noticably jumpy. So I checked online and found that the film was budgeted at $70 million. That’s a lot of money, but by today’s standards, not that much for a full-length feature film, especially if they want to feature good special effects. Anyways, to sum it up, this film has all that an action flick kind of person would look for. I enjoyed this film greatly, and I was excited to hear that there will be a video game released sometime in the future, in which Aaron Ekhart will reprise his role for the main… In closing, I recommend if you find yourself with an extra $10-15 soon, to go see Battle Los Angeles. I give it TWO FEET UP on the coffee table.

-Matt

Morning Glory (2010) QuickReview

I was surprised yet again. I definitely said skip this one in our magic 8-ball segment, but I have to say I was wrong. This movie is very good and compelling and it is just a couple of fledgling plot devices away from being two feet up. I thought the acting was good, the characters were likable, and overall the movie was fun and believable. It is very much a simultaneous coming of age tale for two of the main characters, and it is very interesting to watch them kind of go through it together, and largely, because of each other. Definitely worth the rental, and knowing what I know now, I probably would have seen it in the theater.

I give it ONE FOOT UP on the coffee table.

Joe

The Resident (2011) QuickReview

Yay!! A Hammer Film!!! Let me preface this by saying, I’ve seen a few Hammer films, and they were great. I’m not an expert, but they are classics for a reason. Now on to The Resident. I will not be talking in specifics at all because I went into this movie without seeing a trailer or having any other foreknowledge than it was a Hammer film and had Jeffrey Dean Morgan. That was enough for me.

The acting is superb. Swank and Morgan do an amazing job. The movie itself was effective. It was creepy and unsettling, and it took some chances. While this will merit some rewatches, it just won’t be anytime soon!! Whew. That said, I will still give it TWO FEET UP on the coffee table.

Faster (2010) QuickReview

Definitely worth while. I actually liked this movie a lot. And I will be watching it again. I don’t want to discuss it too much, but lets just say that Dwayne Johnson is definitely The Rock in this movie. Completely b.a. and out for blood. I loved it.

TWO FEET UP on the coffee table.

Wild Target (2010) QuickReview

Hey all, Adam here. I know long time no blog. But hey, time to get back in the saddle.

I just finished watching Wild Target. This movies was……….well………different to say the least. There wasn’t the action that I thought would be in there, and it definitely had it’s slow parts. But, given the fact that my expectations were a little construed it was overall a good flick. Bill Nighy did a great job at and gave the role of “hitman” a refreshing view. The rest of the cast was expected to perform just the way they ought to, seemingly it was dry comic type of movie. If you are into films that go beyond the average american “hitman” theme (or maybe you would just like to try something a little different) then go ahead and pop in this movie, you might find your self pleasantly surprised. Then again, maybe you will find that I have bad taste in movies!

I give this film, ONE FOOT UP on the coffee table!

As always, enjoy the film (if you can) and keep rocking the silver screen!

AdAm

Life As We Know It (2010) QuickReview

I have to say, from the commercials this movie seemed all too predictable and stupid. It seemed like that same old regurgitated rom/com formula that has been overused to the point of ridiculousness. While it kind of is, I was quite surprised to find out that the stuff you can ascertain from the commercials is really just the first half of the movie. They then take another tried and true method for rom/coms and stick that cliche at the end. So it’s kind of like a two for one deal.

Now I really dislike the Heigl, and I tolerate Tad Hamilton, but I really liked them in this movie. They have great chemistry and their relationship isn’t forced, but believable. The movie is emotional and believable and…. well it’s just well done.

Normally I would give this type of movie a standard one foot up, but since their are really two movies here that are one foot a piece, this one gets TWO FEET UP on the coffee table.

Let Me In (2010) QuickReview

I knew going in this was a remake of a vampire movie from Sweden, but I didn’t know what to expect. It is a pretty good movie and gives you an interesting take on vampires. There are some things about Abby, the vampire, that aren’t explored as much in this movie as the original. It is an interesting and slightly disturbing thing, but it is only hinted at in this movie. The cast is good, Chloe Moretz who plays Abby, is fantastic. Plus, the movie has Elias Koteas in it, so you know it’s good.

In most incarnations of “vampire” they use sexuality as one of their devices. This doesn’t seem the case here with Abby. It seems that attraction does exist, but instead of raw sexuality, the thing she attracts is love and loyalty. Like using her power of attraction to put dudes in the ultimate friend zone. It makes sense to be this way. A passionate love affair has ups and downs, but having the ultimate best friend commands a loyalty that would be needed of a partner in crime. The type of vampire they create here is really really cool as well. When Abby shows her darker side it is very much like a rabid animal. It is darn frightening to see that transformation.

If you like horror/vampire movies and are sick of crap like Twilight, then check this out. I give it TWO FEET UP on the coffee table.

On a side note, Stephen King called this movie “the best American horror film in the past 20 years”. This should be a sign to Hollywood that something is wrong, because this is a remake of a foreign film. Some originality would go a long way in this country……

The Tourist (2010) QuickReview

What a waste. Everything you need to know about this movie can be deduced from the trailer. Having any foreknowledge of this movie ruined it for me. You know the ending before the first frame and it makes this movie totally skip-able. Angelina Jolie and Johnny Depp have no chemistry, and their acting really suffers because of it. The only believable performances come form Paul Bettany and Timothy Dalton who have minor roles. So the greatest portion of this movie is spent watching two people waste my time. Frustrating.

Another weird thing about this movie is the score. It just doesn’t fit. This is supposed to be an action/thriller/romance, yet the score seems to be for a period romantic drama. (like a pride and prejudice) It totally takes you out of the movie because what the music is trying to invoke isn’t at all what is happening on screen. Annoying.

Needless to say, I give this “film” NO FEET UP on the coffee table.