Chris Reviews Premium Rush

This is one of those spur of the moment movies for me. I really had not been anticipating this at all and had no expectations for what I wanted it to be. I went because Kevin can get us into movies for free and it looked mildly interesting. Was it worth the hour and half investment? Read below to find out. 

The Good-

This is a slick looking well placed thriller that brings a unique concept on to screen.Yes the story is somewhat formulaic but the biking element gives this a very distinct feel that has not been done before and that alone makes it worth a watch. Joseph Gordon Levitt is solid but gets overshadowed by a fantastic performance by Michael Shannon. This made me particularly happy because I came to see this movie to get an idea of what he will be like as the villain in Man of Steel. After seeing this I am anticipating that movie even more now. It is also refreshing to see a PG-13 action movie that does not feel restrained. Often times PG-13 action feels like they are holding back to get that rating but this does everything it needs to and really can be watched by anyone at any age.

The Bad-

I didn't find anything to be glaringly bad but nothing stood out as fantastic either. While Joseph Gordon Levitt was solid, he really didn't stand out in this film. The storytelling was a bit chaotic although it did not bother me that much but I think the main issue is the somewhat formulaic plot even if it is in a new setting.

Summary-

All in all this was a solid thriller that was well worth seeing. It has some interesting looking bike chase scenes that are somewhat cool, a unique concept and a great performance from Michael Shannon. The film suffers from a formulaic plot, chaotic storytelling and an average performance from Joseph Gordon Levitt. Is the film worth seeing in the theaters? The best I can say is maybe, because I'm not sure I would have gone to see it if I had to pay. (Wow Kevin and I have the same rating for 2 movies in a row!)

MY RATING

3.5 out of 5

Chris "Da Franchize" Hart          

Premium Rush: A Familiar Plot with a Decent Execution

Premium Rush is a movie we've seen dozens of times, but what I liked was the whole biking concept, and, of course, Joseph Gordon-Levitt as the star.  While this film doesn't present anything we haven't seen before, it is an enjoyable thriller to waste some time with.

I had a good time with this film.  Michael Shannon as the villain was great; he was funny, creepy, and lovably over-the-top.  JGL was good as Wilee, although it wasn't my favorite character he's played.  I had mixed feelings about the pacing of the film, as it jumps around a lot.  However, if you are looking for a quick thriller that doesn't require a lot of thinking and want to jump straight into the action, this is your type of movie.  Without wasting much time, Premium Rush dives into the meat of the story, making the 91 minute film go by much faster.  I'm a bit of a sucker for thrillers, especially ones that take place over the course of a single day.  This is one of those films, and it was enjoyable.  This film also had a minuscule amount of violence, especially for a thriller, which I was impressed with.


While I respect a film that doesn't waste time, Premium Rush didn't leave a whole lot of room for character development.  This made it difficult to be very immersed in the story.  I also wasn't a fan of the CGI building fly-throughs.  I find that to be kind of a gimmick and a visual sellout, and it seems very cliched in summer films.  One final complaint I have about this film is the overall plot.  I was a bit confused about what was going on, and the fact that this movie didn't follow the traditional chronological order made some of the plot even more difficult to follow.  I'm referencing what was in the envelope that everyone was scurrying after.  There wasn't a whole lot of build up to this, which made this aspect of the film generic and kind of bland.

Premium Rush is a solid movie and highly recommended if you don't have any expectations for it.  Michael Shannon's performance makes this worth watching, and if you want to watch a mostly non-violent thriller, you will probably enjoy this.  Overall, I would say you could wait to rent this at Redbox, because there is no terrible RUSH to come see this film.


MY RATING:

3.5 out of 5

Kevin A. Millward

The Expendables 2: Your Money is Spendable

The Expendables 2 is a solidly entertaining action film that improves on the previous film.  The previous film was too serious and just overall a weak film, but the second Expendables was very entertaining and had a lot of laughs and action to satisfy the audience.

The thing I really liked about this film was the cast.  You gotta love the star-studded cast of The Expendables 2, especially if you are an action fan like myself.  There are some great fight scenes and like The Avengers, this film does a good job of balancing screen time so you get to see everyone in action.  The fast pace of the film kept it from being a drag, and it was a very fast watch.  One liners and bad acting also make this film hilarious, and I was bursting out laughing at some of the scenes with poorly written dialogue.  I also liked how this film payed homage to older action films, such as The Terminator and Die Hard, by referencing classic lines from those films.  All these elements together made this a very entertaining action film.  As long as you come into the film expecting to have some fun and not take it seriously, you will have a good time with it.  

While this was one of the more fun films I've seen this summer, there were a lot of flaws with it.  We didn't get to see a whole lot of Jean-Claude Van Damme, which is disappointing because he could've made a great, rather than good villain.  Stallone overshadowed a lot of the cast.  Also, the acting in this film is pretty bad.  That made it more fun for me, but it might not be as enjoyable for everyone else.  This film was also very cliche, although that was probably intended.  Finally, my biggest complaint is the addition of a female to the Expendables team.  That's all I will say about that.

The Expendables 2 is a solid action film with plenty of laughs and fun.  If you can get past the cliched story, bad acting, and overused CGI blood, this is a good action film with good intentions.  I recommend this film to anyone that enjoys action films, particularly 80s and 90s action films.

MY RATING:

4 out of 5 

-Kevin A. Millward 

Chris Reviews Expendables 2

Everyone who reads this blog should know by now that the 80's action genre is probably my favorite. All of my critical perspective tends to go out the window when I watch films of that genre. With the first Expendables film I was very disappointed because it really didn't hit hard enough, does the sequel improve upon the original? Read below to find out.

The Good-
     
The action is kicked up several notches in this. We get a fantastic opening action sequence that just unloads one set piece after another. So right out of the gate the testosterone is very high. The cameos are much more effective and lengthy in this as well which is part of the reason you come to see the movie. By far my favorite part of this movie though is JCVD, now I am a bit biased as he is my favorite action hero but I think everyone will agree he is fun as hell in this. He plays a very cartoon like villain who always seems to get away from the Expendables at every turn. He has a very flamboyant charisma about him and the final showdown with Stallone was awesome if a bit short. All of the action scenes have more of a sense of fun than the original and I think that is why I liked this movie.

The Bad-

If you strip away the cool action scenes and take a look at the script, this is a genuinely terrible film. It is the most generic and formulaic story, but isn't that what this whole genre is about. The film does drag a bit in the middle but does have a few smaller action scenes to liven it up. The acting was pretty bad as well but again what do you expect in a movie with a cast like this.

Summary-

I can understand why someone might walk out of this film hating it because it is a bad movie. But if you are coming into this movie look for a well written story and moving performances your an idiot. This is a movie made for the 15-25 year old boy who loves pure violence. This movie made spending hundreds of hours watching Stallone, Arnold, Van Damme, and Lundgren movies worth it. So if old school action movies are your thing this is a must watch. Keep in mind my rating of this movies is balanced between my love for this which would be a 5 and the critical view which would probably be a 2.5.

MY RATING-

4 out of 5

 Chris "Da Franchize" Hart

The Bourne Redundancy

Let me start by saying this is the third movie this summer that has really let me down.  Along with Savages and Total Recall, this movie failed to reach my expectations.  I'll cover what was good about The Bourne Legacy, what was bad about it, and then I'll conclude with my rating.

While this movie was a disappointment, I have to say, there were a lot of great things about this film.  First and foremost, the action was spectacular.  A combination of artistic cinematography, graceful and intentional editing, and well-paced choreography made for some stellar action scenes.  The Bourne movies are well known for their great fast-paced, quick-cut action scenes, and this film does not fail to continue that style.  I would dare to say that the action alone in this film warrants a viewing.  One scene in particular caught my eye.  It was a scene where a doctor shoots up the lab he is working in.  This was a very terrifying scene, even for a PG-13 rating.  It felt very realistic and although it was a dark scene, it was very well done.  A more subtle element I liked about this film was the continuation of the water theme.  Every Bourne film starts with a water theme, and they continued this into the fourth film.  It helps connect the films in a way and I really liked that.  I also liked the cast of Edward Norton, although I wish I would have seen more of his character.  Rachel Weisz's performance was good, although I greatly disliked her character.  All her character did was scream, yell, and beg for Aaron to save her in several points in the film.  I was indifferent about Jeremy Renner.  I liked him as an action star, but I don't think he or anyone else for that matter should be taking the place of Matt Damon.  

Other than the action scenes, this film lacked many of the elements that made the first three Bourne films so good, specifically the pacing.  This movie was EXTREMELY slow for a Bourne film.  There was probably 15 minutes of solid action in this movie, and I expected more from a Bourne movie, whether Matt Damon starred or not.  The trailer gave away most of the good parts of the film, which is probably why I was so disappointed.  Also, for whatever reason, Matt Damon's character was repeatedly brought up throughout the film.  If we're not going to see him on screen, there's no reason to bring him up.  Every mention of Jason Bourne made me think about how cheap the writers were being trying to transition from one actor to the other.  Another complaint I had was how awkwardly the movie ended.  Immediately after an intense motorcycle chase, we are suddenly on a boat in the ocean with Aaron and Marta, and they escape, more or less, away from everything.  It seemed like there were some loose ends that needed to be tied up, rather than jumping straight from the climax of the film to the end.  That was a very jarring way to end the film and left me with a bad feeling walking out of the theater, which is something good filmmakers never do.

The latest Bourne film is more of a redundancy than a legacy.  I'm not saying that Matt Damon's absence from this film is the reason it wasn't very good, but it's hard to watch a movie of this caliber with a well-established star without having him in the back of your mind.  It is easily the weakest of the Bourne films, however, I would recommend giving it a watch solely based on the fact that the action scenes were great.

MY RATING:

3 out of 5

-Kevin A. Millward

Total Rehash?

I really wanted to like this movie.  I wasn't sure what to expect, because Len Wiseman directed one of my favorite action films, Live Free or Die Hard, but also directed terrible films like Underworld.  This isn't the worst summer movie, and it certainly isn't a bad film in any sense, but it failed to reach my expectations.

There are a few things I really enjoyed about this film.  I liked how it was fast-paced.  There were some solid action sequences and well choreographed fight scenes.  I think Colin Farrell was an okay cast.  I even enjoyed the set design in this film.  The first half of the film was even very enjoyable, but after that, this turned into a Michael Bay-style film.  

I could make several comparisons between this film and The Island.  This felt like the same kind of style; the pacing, action, and characters were almost parallel.  Colin Farrell's performance was good, but almost every negative thing about the film made it hard for me to care what happened to his character. Another issue I had was the redundant action scenes.  Chase scene after chase scene...they were all the same, nothing to set one apart from the other.  

I can get over that stuff.  What I cannot get over is more of a technical issue: the lens flares.  I noticed tons of lens flares in the trailer, which meant I knew I'd see even more in the film.  Not only does this look tacky, it is cliche and unnecessary...not only in this film, but in the majority of other films that utilize this effect.  It became annoying and distracting and I found myself mentally deducting stars from this film just based on that reason.  That's how bad it was. 

In conclusion, Total Recall is a watchable Sci-Fi film that is unnecessary but mildly enjoyable because of how fast of a watch it is.  Fast-paced action, although repetitive, makes for an easy, thoughtless viewing.  No need for a second pass.

MY RATING:

3 out of 5

-Kevin A. Millward

Chris Reviews Total Recall

Let me start of this review by saying that the original Total Recall is one of my all time favorite films. It had my favorite director (Paul Verhoven) behind the camera, a fantastic score from Jerry Goldsmith (my favorite composer) and Arnold in his prime. It has a perfect combination that came together to form a memorable and goofy Sci-fi action film. So how does the remake fair?

The Good-

The first thing that really stood out to me was the production design. I was expecting them to create some half ass futuristic world, but they really went all out to create an interesting world. The action scenes almost felt like you were playing a video game with very intricate obstacles. That is the primary strength of this film is that it looks pretty awesome. The first act of the film is also fairly engaging but unfortunately that is about it.

The Bad-

Colin Farrell has about zero charisma in this and its sad when you realize that Arnold gave a better performance than him. While Kate Beckinsale looked good in the action sequences I was not a fan of her character. She basically was fulfilling both the Lori (Sharon Stone) and Richter (Michael Ironside) roles from the original. Byran Cranston also disappointed as Cohaagen which was a fun villain played by Ronny Cox in the original. The serious tone and lack of fun, poor character development and the formulaic third act really killed it for me.

Summary-
  
This is a competently made summer blockbuster that had it come out when I was 10 and had I not seen the original might have seemed cool. If your contemplating on seeing this do yourself a favor and rent the original version because you will get a the same concepts presented in this film but in a much more enjoyable film.

MY RATING

2.5 out of 5

Chris "Da Franchize" Hart