Kevin Reviews The Dark Knight Rises

Chris covered a lot of what I had to say in his review, so I will do my best to not be redundant.  This was a highly anticipated film and I would say it lived up to its hype.  I was working as an usher on Friday before I saw it, and I was able to watch about 10 minutes of snippets of the film.  It looked great, and I was so excited to see it.  After seeing The Dark Knight Rises on Saturday, I was happy with the finished product.  It had many great aesthetic elements as well as great on-screen talent that Christopher Nolan did a great job of utilizing to make a great end to arguably the best superhero trilogies of all time.


I will dive right in and spout off what I liked about this film.  The soundtrack was awesome.  I remember one scene where Joseph Gordon-Levitt's character is racing to the hospital and he is running through the halls with a shotgun.  There was a great, wall-shaking percussion line that made the theater tremble, and made the whole scene much more intense than any other musical piece could've done.  Many scenes that showed Batman overcoming some obstacle or returning to Gotham was highlighted with the Dark Knight Theme, an unforgettable piece of music. 


I enjoyed the acting in this film, namely from Christian Bale, Michael Caine, Tom Hardy, and Joseph Gordon-Levitt.  Christian Bale plays a good Bruce Wayne and an even better Batman.  Michael Caine's performance was good, especially toward the end of the film.  I was actually surprised with Tom Hardy's performance as Baine.  There were big shoes to fill after seeing the Joker in The Dark Knight, and surprisingly, Baine was enjoyable.  Not nearly as much as the Joker, but it exceeded my expectations.  Joseph Gordon-Levitt is almost always great, and I knew that coming in.  His role in Inception and 50/50 were spectacular and I expected nothing less in this film.  On a side note, I enjoyed getting to see some of my favorite TV actors on the big screen (Desmond Harrington from Dexter, and Daniel Sunjata from Rescue Me).  I always appreciate a director who brings out the talent of little-known actors to the big screen.


I had one main complaint with this film: Anne Hathaway.  Her acting was okay, but I think someone better could've been cast.  Perhaps I am scarred by knowing she was in The Princess Diaries, and that made it hard to take her seriously in this.  I'm just not crazy about Anne Hathaway.  I also thought this character added more screen time, unnecessarily at that.  Yeah, she was tied in later to make it seem like her role was crucial to the plot of the film, but a few changes here and there in the script could have easily taken her out.


In conclusion, The Dark Knight Rises is a great film, but also predictable at times.  A good end to a great trilogy, Batman will forever stand as one of my favorite superheroes and superhero films.  I highly recommend this film as well as the other two Batman movies by Christopher Nolan.  He always does a great job creating a dark atmosphere and a believable Gotham City.  I am really looking forward to watching his future films.


MY RATING:

4.5 out of 5


Kevin A. Millward 

Chris Reviews The Dark Knight Rises

So the Christopher Nolan Batman saga has finally come to an end. Yet again the franchise has been tainted by tragedy (We pray for the families of the victims). Considering that this and Prometheus were my two most highly anticipated films of the summer, I had pretty high expectations. In the end I feel pretty similar to this as I did with that film, I have a fair amount of criticism for the film but still love it anyway.

The Good-

This film is held together by great performances across the board. While I like Michael Keaton, Christian Bale will probably always be Batman to me. Michael Caine, Gary Oldman, Morgan Freeman, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Tom Hardy and Anne Hathaway were all good to great in this as well. The set pieces and action sequences were good to great throughout the film and the final 30 to 40 minutes was very exciting.  I also loved how well this film tied into Batman Begins to help wrap up the story. The story is somewhat similar to the first film and provides a complete arc to the saga. I have a feeling this film is best watched as a part of a whole trilogy rather than on its own. One final note: I really enjoyed the soundtrack for this film, possibly more than The Dark Knight.

The Bad-

While I liked Tom Hardy and I think he did a great job with what he was given, overall I think Bane was a pretty weak villain. He seems to have the potential to be a cool villain but he is poorly developed and when the final information is revealed about his character it kind of makes his character irrelevant, despite being billed as the main villain. I also found the film to be a bit clunky through the first two acts, almost to the point where I was getting bored. My final complaint is something that I had an issue with in the Dark Knight and part of the reason why I like Batman Begins the best, the secondary characters yet again overshadow the hero. While it worked well for the most part in the The Dark Knight, Bane is not as effective at carrying the film as the Joker was.

Summary-

Despite my complaints with the film I still really enjoyed it and am sad the saga is over. This a fitting end to one of the best trilogies in film history, right up there with The Lord of the Rings. This is a film that presents a lot of good ideas and great moments but has a few flaws that hold it back from being a great movie and instead settles in as just a really good one.

MY RATING

4 out of 5

Chris "Da Franchise" Hart  

Chris Reviews Safety Not Guaranteed

When I first saw the trailers for this film I was very intrigued with the premise. The story revolves around a awkward girl named Darius (Aubrey Plaza) who is interning at a magazine in Seattle. One of the writers wants to do a story on a guy who put an ad in the paper looking for someone to travel back in time with him. So Darius and another intern go with the writer to investigate this story. She meets the guy who put out the ad named Kenneth (Mark Duplass) and earns his trust to become his partner to go back in time. I wont divulge any more info because this is an excellent film and I do not want to ruin it for you.

The Good-

 The performances really stand out in this. Aubrey Plaza plays basically the same character she does on Parks in Recreation but with a bit more emotion and it really works in this film. Mark Duplass nails this role, playing a quirky genius who obviously had a rough childhood. Not only is the acting great but the story is fun as hell, it goes from quirky comedy to thriller to sci-fi throughout the course film. All of these elements blend together to make a very enjoyable story.

The Bad-

I really did not have any complaints with this film. I got everything I was wanting out of this film and more. I guess if you don't like Indie Comedy films you could have a problem with it, but even then this is definitely one of the better films in the genre.

Summary-

This is an excellent comedy that combines great performances with an excellent story.I definitely want to see  Aubrey Plaza in more films and I am probably going to go back and watch some more Mark Duplass films because he is awesome. I highly recommend this film!!!

MY RATING-

4.5 out of 5

Chris "Da Franchize" Hart

Kevin Reviews Brave

So it's been a while since I posted a review and because I've seen just about everything else in theaters, I decided I'd give Brave a shot.  Overall, I was pleased, and this is a solid family movie that most people will enjoy.

This film was generally well-received by critics and audiences alike, so I went in expecting what most Disney films deliver: family-friendly content that normally doesn't require any serious emotional or intellectual investment.  I actually laughed out loud at a few parts, which surprised me.  When I saw the trailer, I thought the humor was going to be obnoxious crap in a desperate attempt to appeal to the younger audience, but I was pleased with the way it was done. 

The storyline is a bit strange.  Because the main character, Merida, wants to be free, she has a witch perform a spell to "change" her mother.  This "change" involved her turning into a horse.  The rest of the film consists of Merida trying to break the spell and bring her mother back into human form.  Okay, I can try to accept the odd storyline.  It is a kid's movie, after all.  But here's where I have a problem: The witch tells Merida to remember a phrase.  I don't remember it because everyone in the film has Scottish accents, so it was hard enough trying to comprehend what they were saying.  This phrase is supposed to be so important that the witch repeats it.  After this, we never hear the phrase again.  What was the point of spending that much screen time on something that won't be brought up again?  More organization in the script could've made this a better film.

There was one thing I really liked about this film: the climax.  There is an awesome scene where we get to see two bears fight.  For a Disney film, it was actually really intense, which is an unusual but welcome feeling to experience in a film of this caliber.  This film was also funny, specifically when Merida is trying to sneak her bear mother past a group of townspeople.  Also, who doesn't enjoy seeing a bear dive down a big-breasted woman's blouse to get a key?  I give two thumbs up for the comedy in this film; the timing was spot-on and targeted several different age groups. 

To wrap things up, Brave is a colorful and funny film that lacks a solid script.  I really want to check out more Disney films in the future so I can keep in check my thoughts about the studio.  Disney usually does a good job of making great family films, but not always.  I liked Brave and I like the direction Disney is heading in.  If they continue to make films as enjoyable as this one, you can expect more Disney reviews from me.

MY RATING:

3.5 out of 5

Kevin A. Millward

Chris Reviews Seeking a Friend for the End of the World

I did not come into this films with high expectations, It had only taken 2 weeks to get to the cheap theater and had gotten mixed reviews from what I had saw. That being said I ended up pleasantly surprised with this film. While it has it's issues, overall it was a very enjoyable film that was well worth the $1.75 I payed.

The Good-

The performances where great, I think this is the first film that I really enjoyed Keira Knightley in. Steve Carrell was good as well and continues to make smart film choices that allow him to show both his dramatic and comedic sides. I also thought they had good chemistry throughout the film.

The Bad-

I know a lot of reviewers have had a hard time with this because it has drastic shifts in tone. It did not really bother me because that is what I was expecting but I can see how people may have struggled with it. Also this is a somewhat depressing film, but that is to be expected from a film about the end of the world.

Summary-

I don't have a ton to say about this film other than that I really enjoyed it. Yeah its depressing but it is also really funny at times.It has a good message and really makes you think about what you would do in this situation. All in all this is a pretty solid Comedy that is worth a watch.

MY RATING


3.5 out of 5

Chris "Da Franchize" Hart
   

Chris- Upcoming Review Schedule

So if you have not seen it yet look to the right panel that lists our pages and check out my series called Loving Bad Movies. This blog will review bad Sci-fi, Horror and Action films that range from the 1970's to 5 years ago. My goal in all of this is to create a whole collection of blogs that are all feeding into this one.

Today I also wanted to give readers a heads up on the films I will be reviewing over the next 2 months. This is a basic list of the films I plan on seeing so additional reviews may be added in.

Seeking A Friend For The End Of The World-

It's been out for a while but today is the $1.75 day at the cheap theater so I figure it's worth that.











Safety Not Guaranteed-

 I'm starting to become somewhat of a Mark Duplass fan and Aubrey Plaza is always enjoyable on Parks and Recreation, so that combined with a very intriguing premise has me super excited.      









The Dark Knight Rises-

 I am pretty upset that I wont be able to go see this opening night because I will be out of town, but I will see it the next day when I get home. Who isn't excited to see Christopher Nolan's finale to arguably the best Super Hero trilogy ever. 









The Watch-

 This looks like it could be the Summer Comedy Gem this year. I dig the premise and the cast of Ben Stiller, Vince Vaughn and Jonah Hill looks like it could be a pretty good combo.










Total Recall-

   The original film is one of my all time favorites so I will see this out of respect for that. Unfortunately from what I've seen it looks like they are going for more of a thriller type feel rather than the Action/Sci-fi feel of the original. I will still probably see this opening night but this could be a big disappointment for me.








The Bourne Legacy-

I'm a huge fan of the first three and Jeremy Renner has been good in everything I've seen him in, so this is a must watch for me.










The Expendables 2-

   Probably the film I'm most excited about this Summer! JCVD as the Villain was the definite selling point for me and if you know me you know that 80's action is my thing. It has to be better than the first one!









Lawless-

  I love gangster movies and this one looks the most promising of the year. With an awesome cast featuring Tom Hardy, Gary Oldman, Shia LaBeouf and one of my favorites in Guy Pearce. This looks violent as hell which is what I'm looking for in a movie like this.








End Note-


So this is my basic schedule for reviews on here through the end of August. I'm sure their will be additions but for right now this is what it looks like.

Chris "Da Franchize" Hart  

Chris Reviews The Amazing Spider-Man

This is probably the film that Kevin and I have the biggest difference of opinion on so far on this blog. While I don't think this is a terrible film, most of my review is going to look at all the issues I had with it. So before I get into dissecting this film let me first state the couple of things I did like.   

Likes

- Marin Sheen as Uncle Ben
- Performances from the Lead Actors
- The Look of Spider-Man
- The Idea of Peter finding out about his parents
- The skateboarding scene

Those were the main things that kept me from really disliking this film. Aside from those 5 things I had problems with almost every aspect of this film. Initially when I came out of the theater I shrugged my shoulders and said it wasn't too bad. Then I got home and the more I thought about it the more I realized how bad the plot and script really are. This is a film that is supposed to be about Peter finding his identity and place in the world. Unfortunately there really isn't any character development here, he starts out as a kid who has a lot of unresolved issues and ends with those same issues.  The whole idea that Peter is going to be more responsible that seems to be resolved when he promises to stay away from Gwen Stacey to protect her is completely negated at the end where he states that the best kind of promises are the ones you can't keep. He is still the whiny jerk that he was at the beginning of the film. If this was the only issue I had with the story I could have let it slide and probably still enjoyed the film but unfortunately there was more.

The whole promise this film made was that we were going to finally find out about what happened to Peter's parents. Through the first half of the film we get that, but once the basic idea is set up the story never follows through except at the end of the film with the brief after credits sequence basically saying oh wait we forgot to answer the one question this movie was trying to answer so we will do it in the next film. I'm not gonna lie that really pissed me off because that was the entire purpose of this movie and they basically used it as bait to get people to come back for a sequel.

The next major issue I had with the film is how poorly some of these characters where written. The character of Flash was the one that stuck out the biggest to me, he starts out as this mean bully then Peter bullies him then suddenly he wants to be best friends.They give really no explanation as to how this happens but somehow the character makes a 180 degree change and we are just supposed to accept and understand it. That's the problem with many of these characters, they are not developed enough and then they do things that counteract what you think they might do. This is not the fault of the actors but the result of poor screenwriting.

I guess my biggest problem still is that not only was this poorly written but It was to familiar. It hit a lot of the same notes as not only the 2002 Spider-Man but as many of the other Super Hero films that have come out in the past few years. It seems that a formula has developed for these types of films and this followed the formula. Not only did it follow the formula, but the other films like this just did it better. Throughout the whole film I just kept being reminded of why I loved the 2002  Spider-Man and why this film was so flawed. The Villains in both films follow almost the same arc as well, a good scientist struggling to complete a difficult task for a business/military, he experiments on himself, he becomes bad and Spider-Man has to defeat him. While I liked Rhys Ifans, I still think Williem Dafoe played it just as good if not better. That also brings up another problem I had, the CGI for the Lizard looked pretty bad. Honestly I thought Ted the stuffed bear looked better than the Lizard did. Another area that the 2002 Spider-man handled better was Uncle Ben's death. In this it seemed very forced and happened very quickly where in the 2002 film that became a key action piece of the film. 

Obviously I had issues with the storytelling of this film but sometimes that can be made up for by cool action sequences. Unfortunately I had a problem with the majority of the action scenes as well. As I stated before I did not like the CGI of the Lizard but I did think Spider-Man looked pretty slick. I also enjoyed the fight in the school which I thought was the strongest action sequence in the film. Other than that It seemed that most of the fights were poorly choreographed. The fight under water in the sewer system was the weakest by far and the final battle seemed like the same type of end fight we see in all of these Super Hero films.

I could go on and on with my complaints for this film but I think you get the point and while it might sound like I hate this film I don't. I'm just sad because the first Spider-Man was an event movie, it was huge in scale, it was cinematic and it was memorable and this film is just another summer blockbuster that reminds me of films like X-Men Origins:Wolverine and the Eric Bana Hulk film. There are so many Super Hero films out there now that I can't give a film like this a pass any more just because it wasn't terrible. The bar has been raised on these types of films because of the success of The Avengers and Christopher Nolan's Batman movies. I'm sure lots of people will still like this film because these type of films are popular but in the realm of Super Hero movies I can't say this is anything more than mediocre.

MY RATING

3 out of 5 

Chris "Da Franchize" Hart   

Chris Reviews Ted

Before I really dive into this review let me first say that I had a heck of a time seeing this movie. Me and a friend went to go see it at one theater at 11 at night and it was sold out. Somehow Ted had sold out but there were plenty of tickets to see The Amazing Spiderman (WTF?). I then had to drive another 20 minutes to go see this in a different theater. So if this had been bad I would have been really pissed off. Luckily it managed to keep me entertained enough to keep me from getting that mad. Anyways now lets review this film.

When I first saw the trailers for this I thought it had the potential to be downright terrible. It was Seth Macfarlane's first live action film and it was about a grown man who hangs out with a living teddy bear. I just thought it sounded really stupid, but then it started getting good reviews so I started to get interested. After watching it I understand why people are really enjoying this film. While I may not like it as much as some, I did have a good time watching it.

This film clearly has Seth Macfarlane's hands all over it, the writing, the music and the characters all seem like they come straight out of Family Guy. That was both a strength and a weakness as it had the elements that i love about that show and the elements I dislike as well. The humor is always revolving around pop culture references almost to a fault and sometimes the jokes go on too long, past the point of being funny. That being said I really dug the CGI bear and thought that Ted was a really fun and interesting character.

I think my main issues with this film had more to do with how formulaic the story was. It followed the same typical comedy formula about the guy who has to mature to win back his girlfriend and that just really pissed me off. It was yet another movie where about half way through I knew exactly what was going to happen with the story. Still when the movie is funny it is really funny and their are a couple of funny cameos from other actors that are enjoyable. All in all Ted is an average R rated comedy that you can have fun watching late at night with some friends.

MY RATING 

3.5 out of 5

Chris "Da Franchize" Hart    

Kevin Reviews Savages

While there were a lot of flaws with this film, there were also a lot of things I liked about the film.  I enjoyed the premise of the film, but overall the execution could have been a lot better.  I will focus on the negatives of this film, and briefly touch base on what I liked in this film.

One problem I had with the film is how slow it is.  The trailer built the film up to be more action-packed and it was a bit slower than I had anticipated.  Almost all the good parts of the movie were in the trailer.  Whatever, I can get over that.  What I cannot get over is the ending.  I may come to enjoy it later, but right now I dislike it very much.  I didn't like how we saw one ending, then we rewind to see a different ending.  I guess I wouldn't mind it so much if the second ending was better, but it wasn't.

Another problem I had was Blake Lively's narration.  "I had orgasms...he had wargasms."  Come on, you gotta do better than that.  It was almost as bad as Nicolas Cage narrating.  ALMOST.  It was bland, awkward, and completely unnecessary.  The placing of the narration in the film was strange, too.  We hear a lot of back story from Blake Lively's character at the beginning.  Then we hear a few lines in the middle of the film, then a lot at the end.  It was just odd and seemed like more of a gimmick than anything.  To me, this came off as a cheap way to earn points for character development, and it didn't work.

I had one problem technically.  Why did we have sporadic moments of black and white spliced in with the normal color of the film?  It reminded me of Natural Born Killers: an attack on the senses.  Not nearly as bad, but still, unnecessary.

Oliver Stone is known for putting subliminal (sometimes prominent) messages into his films.  While the message isn't as obvious, its there.  Oliver Stone, as we all know, is a strong advocate for legalizing marijuana.  This film is clearly pro-drug, as we see all of the violence and suffering and despair that goes on in the drug war between the US and Mexico.  Maybe I'm wrong and I'm looking into it too much, but I definitely heard a message here, and could've done well without it.

One final point I want to discuss as a negative: John Travolta's dying wife.  Just one subplot that seemed completely useless to the structure of the movie.  I know there were several others, but this one stuck out to me.  We are reminded three times in the film of this subplot, and it is never taken anywhere.  Throw that out and shave some time off the film, for everyone's sake.

What I liked about the film: The odd love triangle.  Benicio Del Toro and John Travolta's performances.  Maybe even Salma Hayek.  I did like the action sequences in this film.  My favorite part was probably the premise of the film.  Sadly, the execution was mediocre. Despite its flaws, I still enjoyed Savages and will definitely revisit it. 

MY RATING:

3.5 out of 5

Kevin A. Millward 

Chris Reviews Savages

Oliver Stone has always been kind of hit or miss for me because while I love films like JFK and Wall Street I equally disliked Alexander. His latest film Savages falls somewhere in between. The film is extremely flawed but has some redeeming qualities that make it worth watching.

Savages tells the story of two friends who manufacture and distribute marijuana. They both share the same girlfriend and form a very odd love triangle. When a Mexican drug cartel wants to absorb their business, they decline and the cartel captures their girlfriend to make sure they join. All in all it is a very formulaic crime drama that I had figured out about 20 to 30 minutes into the movie. To make up for this, the film tries to weave in several sub plots to make the story seem more complicated but it just gives the film a very disorganized feeling.

The film also suffers from underdeveloped characters, the two guys and the girl are continually overshadowed by the supporting cast and are just downright boring characters. That being said the supporting cast is pretty darn good. Benicio Del Torro gives a memorable and creepy performance, and John Travolta and Salma Hayek are good as well.  

Savages is a well made, sporadically violent but formulaic crime drama. It suffers from a very convoluted plot, formulaic writing, very bland lead characters and is just really boring throughout most of the film. That being said there are some positives such as the supporting cast and the sporadic but funny humor, but in the end Savages is just another forgettable crime drama that you can wait to watch when its at red box.

MY RATING

3 out of 5

Chris "Da Franchize" Hart 

Chris Reviews Moonrise Kingdom

Wes Anderson is a director with a very distinct style both in terms of his visuals and the various characters that populate his films. Sometimes this works for him and sometimes it doesn't, in his earlier films such as Rushmore and Bottle Rocket it works almost flawlessly but in his later films the formula starts to feel a little tired and the characters are almost played so deadpan that its hard to relate to them. Moonrise Kingdom makes up for the past few films and may be the best Wes Anderson film to date.

The film is a sort of coming of age story about two emotionally disturbed children who fall in love and run away from their lives to be together. It deals with the taboo issues of children discovering sexual urges for the first time which is something as adults we try not to think about. While the film is analyzing a very serious subject it manages to make you laugh and think at the same time. Not only was the story engaging and filled with humor but I loved the atmosphere of the film as well. The set design and locations are awesome and there is always something really interesting to look at throughout the entire film.

Of all of Wes Anderson's films this one kept me engaged the longest although they always start to lose me at the end. Despite that one flaw I came away loving this film. If you are a fan of Wes Anderson films you will definitely love this, if you haven't seen any it could be hit or miss because he has a very distinct style. Still I say give this a shot as I highly recommend this film!

MY RATING

4.5 out of 5  

Chris "Da Franchize" Hart

Kevin Reviews The Amazing Spider-Man

I went into this film with high expectations.  The trailer looked great and Andrew Garfield immediately came off as a better cast than Tobey Maguire.  Additionally, I am a big fan of Denis Leary after being an avid fan of Rescue Me and watching some of his stand-up comedy.

 This film at least met my expectations, if not, exceeded them.  The action sequences were bigger, louder, and simply more intense than the original Spiderman movie.  Also, the special effects were much better.  This clearly came with the ten year gap between the films, but the difference really shows and makes a great visual improvement to the franchise. 

Andrew Garfield was a MUCH better cast than Tobey Maguire.  I have nothing against Tobey Maguire, and he played a decent Spiderman, but Garfield gave a more character-defining performance.  I haven't read the books, but from the glimpses I have seen, Andrew Garfield's physical appearance and acting style seemed to live more truly to the comic book version of Spiderman.  I was indifferent with Emma Stone's performance.  I would say she is hotter than Kirsten Dunst but that's about the only thing that would change my mind either way.

While this movie was awesome in so many ways, no movie is flawless.  I had two main complaints about this film.  First: Why did it take so long for Spiderman to get on screen?  The director spent too much screen time showing Peter Parker developing his Spiderman alter-ego.  I know I wasn't the only one anticipating the moment when Peter finally gets his costume design right and starts kicking some ass.  That definitely could've been cut down a bit.  Second: *SPOILER* We never find out what happens with Uncle Ben's killer.  I think they may have been setting this up as a plot for a sequel, which was a bad move.  This left me disappointed, ESPECIALLY considering how much screen time was spent focusing on Uncle Ben's killer and his physical appearance and Peter's struggle to find him.  Why go through all that if you aren't going to follow through and finish the story?  They could've tied up this loose end and made for a more satisfying ending.

In conclusion, The Amazing Spider-Man was a fantastic summer movie.  It is packed with action, a great blend of visuals and sound mix, and a fantastic cast of characters.  In summary, the best part about this movie was Andrew Garfield as Spiderman.  The downside is the amount of time we have to wait to see him become the web-shooting hero that we all love.  Overall, this is a great movie that I plan on seeing several more times.
 
MY RATING:

4.5 out of 5

Kevin A. Millward