Movie Reviews

Should You See ‘Iron Man 3?’

by Joel Dale | May 9, 2013 | 8 comments

With a movie as iconic as Iron Man 3, it seems that this review is best meant for the people who wouldn’t see it opening weekend because I’m not sure any words I use would influence any decision in the first three days. I’m not even sure the casting would influence anyone in those first three days. In a seemingly increasing trend in big films, only the biggest names show up.

Robert Downey Jr. reprises his role as Tony Stark (aka Iron Man). Gwyneth Paltrow is the plucky Pepper Potts, Stark’s “girlfriend Friday”. Don Cheadle keeps the role of Colonel James Rhodes, who mans War Machine, an Iron Man clone of sorts. But let’s add two more huge names. Guy Pearce as Aldrich Killian, jilted scientist who doesn’t take kindly to Tony Stark, and Ben Kingsley as The Mandarin, super villain of the world. Oh, and William Sadler, who people might remember as that guy from Shawshank Redemption. But I always think of him as that guy from Die Hard 2 or even better as the hero of Demon Knight. All of which are better films than Iron Man 3. But don’t take this the wrong way; I quite liked the latest outing for our metal hero.

Should You See ‘The Big Wedding?’

by Joel Dale | Apr 30, 2013 | 0 comments

So you may have guessed that I review movies after they come out, not prior to release like most professional reviewers. That’s just a consequence of current circumstances, however – I’ve learned there’s a benefit to doing this. A lesson that presented itself to me as I saw the ensemble, dysfunctional nuptial movie The Big Wedding. Just about everyone in this cast is famous and often that’s a bad sign. Rather than hire the best people for the roles, when an amateur script comes along, I think producers toss famous names at it to combat the lack of interest otherwise. It’s like having a barrel of sub-par fireworks and firing them all off to seem more impressive. Not that Susan Sarandon, Robert De Niro, Dianne Keaton, Robin Williams, Katherine Heigl, and Topher Grace are unimpressive but I think they all feed off of each other knowing not one is going to be the most impressive, because in a film like this it doesn’t really do to stand out. My mother called me yesterday explaining that she thinks she’s caught up on all my movie reviews and noticed that I have yet to review a movie that she’s interested in. When I told her I saw The Big Wedding and was making it my next review she said it didn’t look very good but “I like Susan Sarandon.” This is the effect studios are going for: sell the actor, not the movie.

Should You See ‘Oblivion’?

by Joel Dale | Apr 25, 2013 | 8 comments

One of the things I noted in the middle of watching Oblivion was how the soundtrack is so similar to Daft Punk’s TRON: Legacy soundtrack. This factoid went into a list of things that are bugging me lately. Namely that movies copy each other. People fell all over themselves for the Daft Punk soundtrack so it only stands to reason that any futuristic movie for the next couple of years copies that formula regardless if it’s the best choice. In looking up Oblivion’s director, Joseph Kosinski, I learned he directed the aforementioned TRON: Legacy. So I guess it makes more sense now. He also stayed with the tried and true movie sci-fi legacy that futuristic order comes in the form of completely hoseable, white and clear surfaces. Oh and that the opposition lives in the dark caves of the world’s underbelly, resembling mole people that scavenge for whatever dirty remnants they can find. In fact, members of the opposition are even named “Scavs.”

Should You See ‘Side Effects?’

by Joel Dale | Apr 21, 2013 | 0 comments

By the time I got around to seeing Side Effects, it had been in the theaters for a number of weeks. I had expected a depressing and angry corporate malfeasance picture. And that’s exactly what I got… in act one. What I didn’t expect were the second and third acts. It’s like sucking on a Gobstopper for the first time and realizing the layers keep getting tastier the more you stick with it. Once again I went with my friend G.I. Joe, still recovering from his gall bladder removal. We even flipped a coin at what movie we would see. I think I should start doing that more often. Side Effects is fantastic.

Channing Tatum is one of many stars packing this film. He plays a recently-released white collar criminal, married to Rooney Mara’s mentally unstable Emily. We know she’s unstable because Emily drives her car straight into a wall, on purpose. The couple decide to seek out the help of Dr. Jonathan Banks played by Jude Law. With her depression getting the best of her, including a sad breakdown at a work party, the couple continuously search out alternative medical solutions. Jude Law brings a real, caring humanity to the rich, educated, and driven Dr. Banks. Despite his success and the nary-a-hair-out-of-place sense of organization that he brings, you can feel that he truly cares to help his patients. The writing is so smart and human. There’s a remarkable scene where Dr. Banks is explaining to his patients about a drug trial he’s being payed to promote. It’s short and simple, but its purpose is to make clear that this man has a strong ethical code. He’s so straightforward and honest with his patients, I never once felt he didn’t deserve the success he reaped. After consulting with Emily’s previous therapist, Dr. Victoria Siebert (played by Catherine Zeta-Jones), he decides to put Emily on a new drug – but with disastrous effects.

Should You Go See ‘Trance?’

by Joel Dale | Apr 17, 2013 | 1 comment

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“That’s not what I was expecting.”

Without doing any prior research into this topic, I am fully convinced 72% of movie reviewers have made a pun about Danny Boyle’s new movie Trance not putting them “under its spell.” Or something equally obvious. And while I am fairly curious how close my guess is to the actual percentage, I’m not willing to do the work of counting up the numbers because I don’t care about this film enough to put forth the effort.

Trance is a psycho-sexual thriller starring James McAvoy as Simon, an employee at an auction house who gets himself involved in an art theft scheme but gets amnesia after being hit in the head during the crime. His criminal partners, led by the violent and empathetic Franck (one Vincent Cassel), take Simon to a hypnotist to unlock the secrets of his mind to find the missing painting.

Rosario Dawson brings a cold sexuality to the role as hypnotist Elizabeth and in a moment of confused and provocative decision making, she inserts herself fully into the criminal underworld, taking over control of the operation for reasons that will be uncovered later. Or will they?

Should You See ‘G.I. Joe: Retaliation?’

by Joel Dale | Apr 6, 2013 | 4 comments

If I had managed to see G.I. Joe: Retaliation on Easter Sunday I might have thought it proof of God. Because for all its flaws, everything that is so incredibly dumb about it, everything so strangely wrong, I somehow enjoyed myself. After hating, and I do mean hating, the original film, this one I went into ready for the worst. And despite actually wanting to dislike this film, I couldn’t. It left me dumbfounded, my brain confused. I didn’t know why I liked it. It was the ‘Immaculate Projection’.

Make no mistake. G.I. Joe: Retaliation is not a good movie. It’s just hard to not enjoy yourself.

Dwayne Johnson plays Roadblock, Welsh actor Jonathan Pryce is the president, Bruce Willis is General Joe Colton (the man G.I. Joe is named after it seems), someone plays Jinx, someone else plays Flint, yadda yadda. This is not meant as an insult to the actors and actresses who took on the other roles, but one thing that struck me is how we know nothing about anyone. There is zero backstory to the characters so calling them one dimensional is almost gracious. Roadblock, Jinx, Duke, Colton, Flint, and whomever else you care to mention are like interchangeable blocks with different name tags on them. They just show up to shoot guns. It doesn’t matter that Jinx uses blades. It could be Flint that uses blades. It just happens Flint uses guns. Whatever. Not like it made a bit of difference. The casting and subsequent plotting is like making a movie out of Lincoln Logs. Every piece is like every other piece and none is really important on its own.

Should You See ‘Olympus Has Fallen?’

by Joel Dale | Mar 29, 2013 | 2 comments

I don’t know what is in the air, but the 80’s hardcore action flick has made a comeback. These are movies defined by wise cracking heros laying waste to the enemy with hands, feet, knives, guns, explosives, and random household items. A hero that single handedly is able to do what the police, fire, FBI, and US Military can not: beat the bad guy. The better of these of recent times are The Raid: Redemption and Dredd. Then there are the cringeworthy bad kind like The Expendables 2. Now, filling in the current void comes Anthony Fuqua’s Olympus Has Fallen. I am happy to say it falls firmly in the former camp with Dredd.

Gerard Butler comes in as resident bad-ass Mike Banning, secret service agent extraordinaire that is banished from the White House after a presidential car crash sequence that will have you wondering why anyone would ever drive so fast in a blizzard on a bridge. Banning is called back into service by circumstances outside his control. From his boring office across the way at the Treasury Department, he witnesses Korean terror squads take over the White House in wave after wave of fairly ingenious attacks. I have to commend Fuqua’s direction in the attack sequence as it answers a lot of the “well why don’t we just…” questions. Like, “why don’t we just get some jets and take them all out?” It’s a full throttle, slam bang, and more bang and slam action sequence that doesn’t let up for a good ten minutes.

Weekend Box Office: Oz Uses No Magic to Land at Number 1

by Myke Havoc | Mar 11, 2013 | 1 comment

‘Oz: The Great and Powerful‘ exploded at the box office this week, debuting at #1, raking in $80 million. ‘Jack the Giant Slayer‘ gets bumped to 2^nd place, only managing another $10 million, for a two-week total of $44 million. Against the year delay and nearly $200 million budget, I can only imagine that Warner Bros is depending on foreign territories to at least make its money back. ‘Identity Thief‘ naturally moves to 3^rd, adding $6 million for a total of $117 million against a mere budget of $35 million.

Weekend Box Office: Yippee Ki-Yay for ‘Die Hard’ at #1

by Myke Havoc | Feb 18, 2013 | 2 comments

Four new releases in the top 10 this week, three of which opened early due to Valentine’s Day. First up is Good Day to Die Hard, which pulled in $25 million, for a four day total of $33 million. It bumps Identity Thief from the top spot, which still manages to hold second place, adding $23.5 million for a $70.7 million total (twice it’s $35 million budget).

Safe Haven debuts at #3, with $21.4 million, managing a four day total of $30.3 million. Escape From Planet Earth, which was the only new release to open on Friday, pulled in $16 million for the #4 spot. Warm Bodies falls from #2 to #5, with a $9 million pull, crossing the $50 million mark.

Beautiful Creatures debuts at #6, with a disappointing $7.5 million and a four day total of $10 million, against it’s $60 million budget. Hit the list below for the other stats.

The Amazing Spider-Man 2 Being Shot on Film Rather Than Digital

by Myke Havoc | Feb 12, 2013 | 2 comments

Just a quick note: Director Marc Webb has revealed through his Twitter page that shooting has begun for the sequel to last year’s Amazing Spider-Man, with picture confirmation and hashtags making note of the use of 35mm film, over the digital RED cameras that were used on the first film. Also, an official synopsis for the film has been released, confirming the many rumors flying around lately that Paul Giamatti will be playing the Rhino.

Weekend Box Office: ‘Identity Thief’ Steals Top Spot

by Myke Havoc | Feb 11, 2013 | 1 comment

‘Identity Thief‘ opened strong, taking first place with $36.6 million, already grossing its budget back. ‘Warm Bodies‘ was bumped to second, but still managed to add $11.5 million, dropping only 44% for a two-week total of $36.7 million. ‘Side Effects‘ opened third with $10 million. ‘Silver Linings Playbook‘ is bumped to fourth, adding $7 million for a $90 million total. ‘Hansel and Gretel‘ drops to fifth, only adding $5.8 million for a $44 million take (still $6 million below its budget).

‘Mama‘ falls to sixth, with $4.3 million, giving it a $64 million total in comparison to its mere $15 million budget. At seventh is ‘Zero Dark Thirty‘, adding $4 million for a $83.6 million total. ‘Argo‘ jumps back into the top ten at eighth place, adding another $2.5 million to its total, equating to $123 million (three times it’s budget!) while ‘Django‘ hangs on in ninth place, adding $2.3 million for a total of $155 million.

‘Bullet to the Head‘ slips to the bottom of the top 10, not quite cracking $2 million for a disappointing two-week take of $8 million. Between that and ‘The Last Stand‘, I can only imagine Stallone and Schwarzenegger hope their co-starring vehicle ‘The Tomb‘, to be released in September, brings in their combined audience to manage better numbers.

2012 Films In Review Pt. 4

by Myke Havoc | Feb 3, 2013 | 1 comment

It wouldn’t be a proper film year without a series of action movies and 2012 was no different. Our 2012 films in review pt. 4 takes a look at films like Killer Joe, Expendables 2, Dredd 3D, and Looper. If action isn’t your thing, fear not as I’ve shared my reviews on documentaries like Side by Side and Everything or Nothing: The Untold Story of 007 which bears my highest recommendation.

2012 Films In Review Pt. 3

by Myke Havoc | Jan 20, 2013 | 0 comments

Our 2012 films in review pt. 2 concentrated on the DC universe with animated titles like Justice League: Doom, Superman VS. The Elite, and Batman: The Dark Knight Returns Part 1. Now, in our part 3, we take a look at summers biggest blockbuster, The Avengers and Prometheus, two crowd favorites. In the mood for comedies, we tell you if the adorable and potty mouth Ted and The Dictator are worth your time, after the jump.

2012 Films In Review Pt. 2

by Myke Havoc | Jan 12, 2013 | 0 comments

What do American Reunion, Cabin In The Woods, Lockout, The Raven, Justice League: Doom, Superman VS. The Elite, and Batman: The Dark Knight Rises Part 1 all have in common? They’re part of our 2012 films in review part 2 of course! In our part one coverage, we reviewed The Divide, Chronicles, Woman In Black, Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance, Hunger Games, The Raid: Redemption, and Wrath of the Titans. Anything worth seeing or should you move right along with these movies? Our review, after the jump helps answer that. Disagree with our take? Let us know in the comments section!

2012 Films In Review Pt. 1

by Myke Havoc | Jan 5, 2013 | 1 comment

Since my inclusion to the SRN team coincided with the end of the year, I did not get to do too many reviews for 2012. With the 2012 film year now behind us, I figured a multi-part article giving my two cents on the new release titles I got to see over the last 12 months might help fill the gap. What 2012 films are worth seeing and which ones should you skip? My 2012 films in review pt. 1 awaits you, after the jump.