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The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo

POSTED 05-03-2012 Tweet

Plot: A murder mystery rife with suspense, scandal, sexual abuse, and some supremely intriguing characters, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo is an excellently crafted film adaptation of Stieg Larsson's equally fascinating book of the same name. Larsson's book was also the basis of a 2009 Swedish film (also with the same title), and while the Swedish film was good, this American version is far superior, thanks to fantastic cinematography and livelier pacing that results in a constant, electric tension that drives every second of the movie. The breathtaking footage of a snowy, remote island in Sweden thoroughly exudes bitter cold, and the attention to the smallest details, like the whistling of the wind through a door left ajar, makes the hairs on the back of viewers' necks absolutely prickle. Like the book, the film is long (158 minutes), there's an abundance of dialogue that is never awkward and always efficient, and there are plenty of false endings. The suspense and the intricacy of the mystery are stellar, and even viewers who know the story well will find themselves sucked into the riddle being investigated by journalist Mikael Blomkvist (Daniel Craig). The casting is great, as are the performances of all the key actors, but by far the best thing about this film is Rooney Mara, who is utterly believable as the incredibly strong, extremely disturbed Lisbeth Salander, Blomkvist's unlikely assistant. Mara's performance is chillingly real and completely riveting. Yorick van Wageningen is perfectly despicable as Nils Bjurman (though his scene with Salander is sure to prove highly disturbing to some viewers), Christopher Plummer is an effective Henrik Vanger, and Stellen Skarsgård is eerily frightening as Martin Vanger. Viewers can only hope that director David Fincher, screenplay writer Steven Zaillian, and actors Craig and Mara will continue their collaboration to produce films based on the final two books of Larsson's Millennium trilogy.

I've had this review sitting on my calendar for a while but I simply don't know what to say about the movie. More than a few people said they loved the movie and that I really should watch it. It was nominated for a handful of awards and took home quite a few of those awards. So finally this weekend, I curled up with my notebook and sat down to watch.

I was not impressed with the movie and had to force myself to even finish it. I tend to doodle while I watch movies - phrases that are interesting, things I want to remember - and I filled two pages of random doodles but very little words or phrases.

Maybe I should have curled up with a good book instead.
[xrr rating=3.5/5]

Posted in Movie Reviews | Tagged Movie Reviews, Reviews

Bounty Hunters

POSTED 05-10-2012 Tweet

Plot: A group of down-on-their-luck bounty hunters hit the jackpot one night when they pick up an informant with $100,000 on his head. But their world is turned upside down when a mob boss offers them one million dollars in exchange for the informant. When they refuse, the Mafia unleashes a trio of assassins on them who use all of their power to bring the bounty hunters down, and to get their man - dead or alive.

Bounty Hunters is an action packed film that highlights former WWE wrestler Trish Stratus as a bounty hunter down on her luck when she and her team get the opportunity to make a one million dollars by NOT doing their job. That's right, a mob boss offers the team a million dollars if they simply turn over the informant they have in their custody. The team decides to stick to their job and are subsequently hunted by trained assassins.

The movie has its moments and will hold your attention for a while. It certainly isn't one I'd waste valuable shelf space to keep but it's worth watching once.
[xrr rating=2.5/5]

Posted in Movie Reviews | Tagged Movie Reviews, Reviews

Taking Chances

POSTED 04-06-2012 Tweet

Plot: When he discovers that an Indian casino is about to be built over the town's historic battlefield, Chase Revere, the self-appointed protector of a small town's rather meager place in American history, joins forces with sexy but dangerous town siren Lucy Shanks to launch an all-out offensive against the project - earning the wrath of the entire town, who believe that the casino will save their decaying local community.

Justin Long plus an indie film should equal a great movie but Taking Chances falls flat. The majority of the movie is predictable. The story line is under developed. The suspense was nonexistent. The ending is unsatisfying. It did have some laughable moments so it wasn't all a waste.

Chase Revere (Justin Long) loves the history of the little town he where he resides. The residents of the town are at their wits end trying to keep the town afloat. When the town gets the answer to their prayers in the form of an Indian casino, Chase desperately seeks to stop the destruction of the towns historic battle site. Chase turns to his best friend and the new girl (cue romance music) in town to aide Chase in his quest to save the town.

[xrr rating=2.5/5]

Posted in Female Celebrities, Movie Reviews, Emmanuelle Chriqui | Tagged Movie Reviews, Emmanuelle Chriqui, Reviews

Grimm's Snow White

POSTED 03-13-2012 Tweet

Plot: When the King is killed by ferocious reptile beasts, his Queen takes control of the kingdom. She tries to kill her beautiful stepdaughter SNOW, but she escapes into the enchanted forest...

Grimm's Snow White is certainly not the fairytale you recall from your childhood. The story encompasses the standard characters - evil queen, huntsman, princess Snow White, prince Alexander, and many "little" people - and a few unexpected characters - dragon like creatures, over sized evil "dogs", and a magical green power source known as the viridian flame.

The viridian flame is located on Prince Alexander's land. The elves protect the viridian flame and utilize it's magical powers to hide from humans. The humans are amid of power struggle after the king's death and Prince Alexander offers to marry the evil queen to unite their two kingdoms. That is, until Snow White returns from the convent and the mirror reports that Snow White is the fairest in the land. The evil queen sends the huntsman on a mission to kill the princess and he fails when the dragon like creatures protect her. The elves discover Snow White laying unconscious in the woods. They reluctantly nurse her back to health unaware of her status in the kingdom. And just when you think the story is over because it's all you remember from the childhood version, it's not.

The story is predictable, probably because most of us at some point have heard the Snow White fairy tale. The CGI and make-up scream low budget and will leave you wondering why they choose to include CGI dragon like creatures at all. Overall the movie is a great introduction to darker films for younger kids but isn't a movie that you'll have to own - unless it's in the cheap movie bin at your local big box store.
[xrr rating=1.5/5]

Posted in Movie Reviews | Tagged Movie Reviews, Reviews

Tomorrow, When the War Began

POSTED 02-29-2012 Tweet

Plot: Seven college bound friends return from a weekend camping trip to discover that a foreign army invaded their Australian homeland. With their friends and families taken prisoner, they must band together and find a way to fight for their freedom and survival.

Tomorrow When The War Began is a low budget Australian movie recently released in the U.S. that follows seven students on what they think is their last hurrah camping trip before the school year begins in the fall. Upon returning home, they discover their family and friends have all vanished and begin searching for answers.

There isn't a lot to say about this movie. The beginning is slow as they develop the characters which isn't surprising because the movie is based of a ten book series written by John Marsden. Once the characters are developed, the story movies along fairly quick and the action picks up dramatically.

Due to the slow development and large amount of books in the series, this would probably do better as a television series. I also wonder if U.S. audiences will connect with the movie since it's not based in the U.S. Tomorrow When The War Began is required reading for Australian middle school children which means most viewers are familiar with the story before they walked into theaters.
[xrr rating=3.5/5]

Posted in Movie Reviews | Tagged Movie Reviews, Reviews

The Six Wives of Henry Lefay

POSTED 01-13-2010 Tweet

Plot: A grieving daughter (Elisha Cuthbert) tries to arrange her father's (Tim Allen) funeral, while putting up with all of his ex-wives.

A brilliant and hilarious movie depicting the aftermath of a tragic accident that claims the life of Henry Lefay. His daughter, Barbara 'Barbie' Lefay, must balance her dad's multiple ex-wives, his current wife, and his mistress while trying to give her father the funeral he deserves.

Each of the wives brings their own view on how everything should be done which brings on a load of laughter.
[xrr rating=4/5]

Posted in Movie Reviews | Tagged Movie Reviews, Reviews

G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra

POSTED 01-17-2010 Tweet

Plot: A group of down-on-their-luck bounty hunters hit the jackpot one night when they pick up an informant with $100,000 on his head. But their world is turned upside down when a mob boss offers them one million dollars in exchange for the informant. When they refuse, the Mafia unleashes a trio of assassins on them who use all of their power to bring the bounty hunters down, and to get their man - dead or alive.

How many nifty toys, special effects, explosions, and fight scenes can be squeezed into a movie? G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra attempts to answer this question without providing much of a plot.
[xrr rating=4/5]

Posted in Movie Reviews | Tagged Movie Reviews, Reviews

17 Again

POSTED 08-09-2009 Tweet

Plot: At 17 Mike O'Donell was on top of the world; he was the star of his high school basketball team, and was a shoo in for a college scholarship. And is dating his soul mate, Scarlett. But on what's suppose to be his big game wherein college scouts are checking him out, Scarlett reveals that she's pregnant. Mike decides to leave the game and asks Scarlett to marry him which she does. During their marriage, Mike could only whine about the life he lost because he married her. So she throws him out. And when he loses his job, he returns to the only place he's happy at - his old high school. And while looking at his high school photo, a janitor asks him if he wishes he could be 17 again and he says yes. One night while driving he sees the janitor on a bridge and apparently jumps in and he goes after him. When he returns to his friend, Ned's house, where he has been staying, he sees that he is 17 again. He decides to take this opportunity to get the life he lost.

I really don't know what to say about this movie. It's not the same ol' story although it is a story that has been done in past movies. All I can say is that it was an ok movie, not a highlight, not a lowlight, just one of those movies that leaves you feeling, well, ok.
[xrr rating=3/5]

Posted in Movie Reviews | Tagged Movie Reviews, Reviews

The Taking of Pelham 123

POSTED 06-13-2009 Tweet

Plot: Armed men hijack a New York City subway train, holding the passengers hostage in return for a ransom, and turning an ordinary day's work for dispatcher Walter Garber into a face-off with the mastermind behind the crime.

Exciting plot? Check. Great actors? Check. Awesome special effects? Check. With all of these checked off, why do I feel disappointed at the end of the movie? Was it because they forgot to tie up a few loose ends? Was it because the bad guys lost again? I don't know really know why but the disappointed feeling lingers after the movie. The movie appears to have it all; speed, action, explosions, special effects, money, suspense and about a million other great things. But, do not make the mistake of thinking that it can deliver a great movie experience. Now don't get me wrong, I liked the movie but it just wasn't all it was cracked up to be.
[xrr rating=3/5]

Posted in Movie Reviews | Tagged Movie Reviews, Reviews

Race to Witch Mountain

POSTED 06-14-2009 Tweet

Plot: A Las Vegas cabbie enlists the help of a UFO expert to protect two siblings with paranormal powers from the clutches of an organization that wants to use the kids for their nefarious plans.

My expectations for the newest witch mountain movie, which contained more action than the first ones, were exceeded by miles. In this sequel, the plot moved at a much faster pace, the aliens knew they were aliens, and witch mountain is no longer inhabited by a group of aliens waiting for their long lost loved ones to return to them. While this will be a shock to fans of the first movies, the plot is more "believable" in this blockbuster movie era we find ourselves in today. Moviegoers will find themselves pulled into the action and rooting for the unstoppable alien teens. A valuable lesson is gained by the end of the movie; teenagers, no matter where they come from, exist to drive the adults in charge crazy. If you haven't learned that lesson, go see the movie!
[xrr rating=3.5/5]

Posted in Movie Reviews | Tagged Movie Reviews, Reviews