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Flash Movie Review: The Dark Knight Rises
Before I taught my 1st fitness class, I made the conscience decision that my classes would be filled with fun and laughs. With no political or religious discussions; I only focused on light, humorous subjects. This was what I decided my collection of movie reviews would be on my blog. However, under the circumstances with today’s review; I know in my heart, I must acknowledge the horrific act that took place at this movie’s premiere in Aurora, Colorado. Our hearts go out to the families and friends of the victims. The movie viewing experience will never be the same. I never imagined my life’s timeline would include such a life altering, heinous act. And now for my review of the final installment of this Dark Knight trilogy. It has been 8 years and a reclusive Bruce Wayne/Batman, played by Christian Bale (The Fighter, The Prestige) has aged, including having bad knees. When Gotham is threatened by the evil anarchist Bane, played by Tom Hardy (Warrior, This Means War), Batman returns to Gotham’s defense. There were brilliant scenes in this nearly 3 hour movie. The fight scenes were intense and well orchestrated. I loved Anne Hathaway (Love and Other Drugs, Rachel Getting Married) as Selina, but I still have a soft spot in my heart for Michelle Pfeiffer. Michael Caine (Harry Brown, Sleuth) as Alfred had a more emotional role in this film and carried it off beautifully. I thought Joseph Gordon-Levitt (Inception, 50/50) was his usual excellent self in this new role of Blake, Commissioner Gordon’s assistant. On the downside, I had a hard time understanding Bane’s voice at times; so, I felt I never really understood his motives. In a way, I would have to say the same about Selena; I was not sure how she got mixed up in all of the chaos. Even with some confusing parts in this action thriller, I did feel like I was at a special event. Also, pay attention in the last hour for a couple of hints of what the future may hold for all of us.
3 stars
Flash Movie Review: Stardust
There is such a fascination with stars. Whether it concerns their death or birth, their names, when they are falling or even shooting; there is something about them that intrigues us. Oh, by the way, I am referring to stars in the astronomical sense, not the Hollywood variety. “When You Wish Upon a Star” or “Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star” are part of the magical hope and desire we place on these brilliant, little lights in the sky. This fantasy film was a wonderful example of taking the magic of a star and bringing it to life. The story played just like one of those classic fairy tales I remembered from my youth. Tristan Thorn, played by Charlie Cox (Stone of Destiny, Casanova), to prove his love for the girl of his dreams, vowed to retrieve a fallen star. However, he would have to cross over into the neighboring magical realm, where he would have to contend with the sinister Lamia, played by Michelle Pfeiffer (People Like Us, New Year’s Eve). There were equal amounts of action, humor, drama and fantasy in this beautiful movie. If I am not mistaken, I think Michelle brought out a little of her Catwoman persona because she was just evil in her role. There was the added benefit of a solid cast of other characters played by Robert De Niro, Claire Danes and Ricky Gervais. It was a real treat to watch this fanciful film. I cannot imagine anyone watching this movie and not adding a little magical dreaming, the next time they gaze upon a star.
3 1/4 stars — DVD
Flash Movie Review: Savages
I paid very little mind to the man next to me who left his seat, never to return. Maybe he was a theater hopper, I thought. However, during the last half of the movie I noticed more people had left their seats and were not returning. This new Oliver Stone movie had bloody violence and graphic torture scenes; I wondered if I had just become jaded towards it. By the end of the movie at least one quarter of the audience had left early. As the film ended and the lights came on a manager announced apologies for the theater’s broken air conditioning. I had no idea that was the reason people were leaving during the movie. Did those individuals miss a great movie? Not really, but some aspects of it were good. The best part was Salma Hayek (Frida, Once Upon a Time in Mexico) as Elena, the head of a Mexican drug cartel. She was crazy good in this role. Another standout was her henchman Lado, played by Benico Del Toro (The Wolfman, Che: Part One and Two). Their cartel was determined to take control of the California based drug operations of Ben and Chon, played by Aaron Johnson (The Illusionist, Kick-Ass) and Taylor Kitsch(John Carter, Battleship). As I mentioned earlier, there were intense torture scenes in Oliver Stone’s version of violence. Though there were tight action scenes, I felt the character development was insufficient. The way Mr. Stone chose to do the ending was a turn off for me. On the plus side, this film kept my attention for me not to be aware of the theater’s lack of air conditioning.
2 2/3 stars
Flash Movie Review: The Amazing Spider-Man
The only thing I get when I walk up into my attic is cobwebs in my face. I wish one of the spiders living up there could give me a bite like the one Peter Parker received, that gave him his special abilities. This movie was one of the better ones that fall into the prequel/reboot category. Andrew Garfield (The Social Network, The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus) as Peter Parker/Spider-Man had the perfect blend of teenage angst mixed with new found cocky confidence. Real life girlfriend Emma Stone (Easy A, The Help) who I love, was perfect as his love interest, Gwen Stacy. The spider-man suit was no where to be found in the first hour of this action film and I did not feel as if I were missing out on something. We were shown more back story about Peter and his absent parents, leading to a clue that may explain their disappearance. When Peter’s body began to transform, the humorous scenes showing the changes were fun. I felt the pacing kept everything moving forward as the action increased when Spider-Man took to the streets. Great visuals and special effects were plentiful in this super movie. And with any of these type of super hero movies there has to be a villain; I thought the writers did a good job in the way the villain was introduced into the story. This certainly will be one of the best comic book summer movies this year along with The Avengers. Be sure to sit through the first set of credits.
3 1/3 stars
Flash Movie Review: Kick-Ass
How could superheroes defeat the bad guys when they do not have any superpowers? There was a geek and a young home schooled girl; I had no idea what would drive this action movie to keep my interest. The simple answer is heart. I always root for the underdog and this movie had some great underdogs. There was comic book loving Dave Lizewski/Kick Ass, played by Aaron Johnson (Albert Nobbs, The Illusionist) who wanted to be someone different and to do something good. Home schooled Mindy Macready/Hit Girl, played by Chloe Grace Moretz (Hugo, 500 Days of Summer), was not only schooled in your typical subjects, but also martial arts and weaponry. This little girl packed some serious heat; I felt she was the star of this exciting film. She was like a miniature Jonah Hill as Seth from Superbad. I could easily sum up this movie’s story by telling you it is a story about good vs. evil. There were no hidden surprises like double agents or super high tech fancy machines; there was only solid directing and an easy to follow story. I loved the dichotomy of having average kids with typical growing up issues turning into tough superheroes. And this group had to deal with a lot of bloodshed. It surprised me on how much blood was being shown. As the title clearly states, this movie kicked ass. The trailer has foul language and fight scenes.
3 stars — DVD
Flash Movie Review: Brave
I do not have children; but if I had, my hope would be that I raised them to be free thinking, independent adults. My parents did, even if that was not their intentions. With that being the case, the story in this Pixar animated movie was a success. Princess Merida, voiced by Kelly MacDonald (No Country For Old Men, Nanny McPhee), was not going to grow up in the traditions of her mother Queen Elinor, voiced by Emma Thompson (Love Actually, Last Chance Harvey). Merida did not want her parents deciding who she could marry or how she should act. If only she could make her parents understand; the young princess was determined to break the traditions of her family. What I found different in this movie was the presence of a strong conflict between mother and daughter. In my opinion it was about time an animated movie dealt with deeper real life issues, yet still have the elements of a funny Disney movie. There was conflict, a challenge and a consequence; but for the broader audience, there were elements of humor, adventure and fantasy. It was like having a smorgasbord of emotions spread out for the viewer to sample. Visually this movie was stunning; the amount of detail was breathtaking. I was mesmerized by Merida’s beautiful, flaming red hair–it looked so real. Overall I felt the film had a split personality. There seemed to be a shift in focus that dulled the story for me, when the witch’s spell came into play. But like any relationship, one could not pick and chose the parts they liked. The entire movie experience for me was good, not great and I almost felt as if I had just been to Scotland.
2 3/4 stars
Flash Movie Review: Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter
Many of Abraham Lincoln’s accomplishments have been well documented. How did historians miss this tasty tidbit about President Lincoln’s skill as a vampire hunter? If it wasn’t for Mr. Lincoln’s special talent, the civil war would have had a different ending. Having not read the popular book this movie was based on, I only had a partial idea on what to expect based on the movie trailers. The story was totally outrageous and laid out to mirror the actual timeline of Abraham Lincoln’s progress from young boy to lawyer to president. This movie was an absolute fun experience. All you need to do is put common sense aside and just go for the thrilling ride as the action was constant and the special effects were great. The movie’s look was immaculate in its presentation and detail to the period of time. Playing Abraham Lincoln, I thought Benjamin Walker (Flags of Our Fathers, Kinsey) was wonderful as the lean, stoic, ax wielding man. His mentor Henry Sturgess, played by Dominic Cooper (The Devil’s Double, The Duchess), was also terrific in his complicated role. This is the type of movie you see when you need some escapism; a fun fantasy lined up along historical markers. Just imagine, if we did not have Abraham Lincoln to save us from being taken over by vampires, humans would have become the new red meat. There were multiple scenes of blood.
3 1/4 stars
Flash Movie Review: Snow White and the Huntsman
Having an aunt who was a sergeant in the Women’s Army Corps, I am familiar with what makes up a strong woman. My friends were always scared of her, because she would make them give her a solid handshake. Putting a different spin on the Snow White story; the writers of this action film created a strong Snow White, played by Kristen Stewart (Twilight franchise, The Runaways). This Snow White was a fighter; determined to reclaim her right to the throne after escaping imprisonment by the Queen, her step mother. The problem I had with this was the casting of Kristen. She did not convey the strength expected for such a role and it was due to her acting ability. I found her doing the same character as Bella in Twilight. A better actress would have made this movie more exciting; I found myself getting bored in parts. It was especially noticeable since the evil Queen Ravenna was so wickedly played by Charlize Theron (Monster, Young Adult). It looked like Charlize relished her role as she was the dominant figure out of the cast. In addition, there was Chris Hemsworth (The Avengers, The Cabin in the Woods) as the Huntsman who was sent by the Queen to hunt down Snow White in the Dark Forest. Chris did an admirable job with his character, being the tough yet sensitive man of the movie. The film was beautiful to watch, enhanced with great special effects. Though I liked the idea behind the story, I was underwhelmed by the execution of it. This movie needed someone like my aunt to make it better.
2 2/3 stars
Flash Movie Review: Headhunters
Nothing like walking into an unfamiliar movie and being taken on a wild ride of surprising thrills. I needed a seat belt due to my squirming from the tension that was built up in this action movie. Based on the best-selling mystery novel by Jo Nesbo, the screenplay had a mixture of fear, disgust, intrigue and humor rolled up into it, forming a tightly paced film. Roger Brown, played by Aksel Hennie (Buddy, Max Manus: Man of War) was a successful executive recruiter. He lived in an incredible house, had a beautiful wife, drove a nice car; yet, it wasn’t enough. To supplement his income, he moonlighted as an art thief. Tipped off by his wife, who happened to own an art gallery, about his recent client’s priceless painting; Roger set out to steal the masterpiece. The client was Clas Greve, played by Nikolaj Coster-Waldau (At World’s End, Game of Thrones-TV), a former mercenary. With excellent acting and some utterly crazy scenes; this was an exciting movie to watch, even though I found it hard to mix tense action with immediate humor. Also, some of the scenes were extremely violent and bloody. By the end of the film, I was tired but satisfied that my money was well spent by seeing this movie. Norwegian with English subtitles.
3 stars
Flash Movie Review: Men in Black 3
Others have tried but failed (think Will Ferrell’s Land of the Lost) when they tampered with the space-time continuum, in their movies. In regards to this action comedy, going back in time was the best thing to have happened in this film franchise. The special effects were up to the same excellent caliber as the previous two movies and Will Smith (Independence Day, The Pursuit of Happyness) as Agent J still had his quick witted delivery of endless jokes. Ten years since the previous sequel, this science fiction thriller aged well. A seriously bad alien criminal with a long history tied to Agent K, played by Tommy Lee Jones (No Country For Old Men, The Fugitive), went back in time to kill the agent, thus changing the course of history. Agent J had to go back in time to prevent the death of a much younger Agent K, played brilliantly by Josh Brolin (True Grit, Milk). Mr. Brolin executed the mannerisms and tone of Tommy Lee’s character perfectly. I also suspect baby boomers will get a kick out of time traveling back to 1969, I certainly did. Except for the need of tighter editing and lack of depth in the script, this 3rd installment did not disappoint me. I had a good time watching this film and believe the space-time continuum was returned to order, with the help of a few good laughs.
3 stars
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