Monsters vs. Aliens Imax 3D Review

Director: Rob Letterman, Conrad Vernon

Starring: Reese Witherspoon, Will Arnett, Seth Rogen, Hugh Laurie, Kiefer Sutherland, Paul Rudd, Rainn Wilson.

Monsters vs. Aliens is the latest CGI animated film to come out in Imax Intru3D.  The film blends 3D seamlessly into the viewing experience, with the addition becoming an added dimension of the film, rather than a distraction or becoming the center of attention.  By the time 30 minutes of the run time has gone by, the 3D effect had become no longer noticeable and only served to enhance the experience, making the scenery and characters pop out.

The film itself centers around a group of monsters, collected by the government, and stored in a secret area.  The monsters have been locked away to keep society safe and keep their existence a secret.  When a giant meteor impacts earth, and causes a normal human, Susan, to become a giant, she is also sent to this facility.  But the strange meteor also causes an evil alien to come seeking the benefits it possesses, with the worlds only hope being the monsters they have locked away.    

The animation in the film is smooth, the characters motions are fluid, the special effects during action sequences are spectacular, and everything looks great.  The style is an exaggerated one, with human characters being cartoonishly disproportionate.  The movie overall looks good, although in a post Wall-E world it isn’t spectacular, but it does not attempt to replicate those visuals.

The story itself is a simple one, good guys must save the days from bad guys while overcoming far obstacles, but it is executed effectively.  The movie is infused with many classic horror movie homages and parodies, which make it fun to watch for those who have seen the films it takes influence from.   The comedic elements are peppered sporadically throughout the movie, I would not call it the funniest CGI movie to come out in a while, but it does have its fair share of laughs.   

Voice acting is on par with most animated films with Seth Rogen standing out as perfectly cast for the brainless blob B.O.B., he is both funny and entertaining, as are the rest of the cast of characters, getting into their characters and really making the film go with their voice talents. 

Overall the movie is an enjoyable, if forgettable one, it is entertaining while it is on the screen, and when the credits roll it feels like a fulfilling movie experience, particularly in 3D.  The film is comparable to a summer action film, get the popcorn and candy out and sit tight for a fun filled ride that both kids and parents can enjoy.   

IMAX 3D Highly Recommended

Score: 8/10

Knowing Review

Director: Alex Proyas

Starring: Nicolas Cage

Alex Proyas, director of such film as I, Robot and Dark City latest film Knowing stars Nicolas Cage as a MIT professor that has stumbled upon a list, buried fifty years earlier, predicting various disasters throughout the last fifty years.  Finding disasters on the horizon, Professor Koestler attempts to decipher the code and save the day.  The film questions the audience, is life preordained or a random series of events?  A question cleverly posed in a lecture by Cage’s character.  This question is never really answered directly in the film, but doesn’t affect the story either way, allowing the viewer to decide. 

The film has a great initial premise and the first scene nails a perfect balance between eerie horror and intriguing drama.  This scene manages to inject a sense of terror into the film.  The terror element wears off quickly, though, as the story progresses more into sci-fi thriller territory for the remainder of the film, opting for spectacle over story.

Proyas manages to create great disaster set pieces throughout the film, with the carnage amped up to 11 and the overall execution makes the scenes a wonder to look at, with planes exploding, people burning, subway cars smashing everything in sight, and people being pulverized.  Cage can be distracting in these moments, looking on stupefied as everything around him crumbles. 

The acting in the film is fine but, Cage, in particular, plays the character so seriously that it detracts from the film, he becomes somewhat unbelievable as the movie progresses and makes himself, rather than the scene going on, the center of attention.  The child actors stand out as being very capable, the girl in the opening sequence coming off as legitimately terrifying and Professor Koelsters son(Chandler Canterbury) doing a good job of conveying the terror he was supposed to be feeling.

The real problem with Knowing is that the reasons behind most things that occur are not explained, instead the film moves along adding more elements and becoming increasingly bizarre up until the vague conclusion.  This leaves something to be desired, if the story perhaps only focused on the disasters and left out the supernatural element then it surely would have been more enjoyable.    

In the end Knowing is a spectacle film that is weighed down by the supernatural element it contains.  While the film works at times, it fails to create an enjoyable movie-going experience, and instead ranks as a missed opportunity.                 

Score: 4/10

I Love You, Man Review

I Love You, Man

Director: John Hamburg

Starring: Paul Rudd, Rashida Jones, Jason Segal

I Love You, Man is the example of a movie that takes a simple concept, stretches it out over an entire film, and makes it work.  The film succeeds on the strength of its stars Paul Rudd and Jason Segal.  From the beginning Rudd and Segal seem natural in their roles and create characters that are engaging and entertaining, enabling the comedy to flow.

The film focuses on Peter Klaven, a real estate agent from California, who has always had luck with the ladies but has never managed to find any “guy friends”.  After getting engaged to his girlfriend (played by Rashida Jones), Peter is encouraged to find a best man.  Through this search Peter comes upon Sydney (Jason Segal) and their bromance becomes the centerpiece of the film.  While the film is funny it is far from perfect, the thin concept does, at times, become apparent as the movie seems to lose steam towards the middle before, gaining it again for the conclusion.  Many of the actors and actresses are surprisingly entertaining and genuinely funny.  Jon Favreau, Andy Samberg, Rashida Jones, and Thomas Lennon are great supporting actors, managing to use their screen time to infuse unique personalities into the film.  Lou Ferrigno also has a supporting role in the film and is amazingly awesome while on screen, as he is able to play off of his image as the Incredible Hulk.

This movie is ultimately a pretty funny, if formulaic, one.  It has many scenes that will have the audience laughing so hard theywill be on the verge of tears, but it also has long stretches where the movie theatre will be dead silent.  If you enjoy Paul Rudd and Jason Segal’s brand of comedy, particularly films like Forgetting Sarah Marshall and Role Models, go check it out.

 

Score: 7/10    

Top 10 Worst Super Hero Films

10. Spiderman 3

9. The Incredible Hulk (Bana)

8. League of Extraordinary Gentlemen

7. Ghost Rider

6.Batman Forever

5. Batman and Robin

4.Superman Returns

3. Catwomen

2. Daredevil

1. Elektra

Top 10 Recent Generation Super Hero Films (1990-Present)

10. Hellboy

9. Watchmen

8. X-Men 

7. Spiderman 2

6. The Incredible Hulk (Ed Norton)

5. The Incredibles

4. Hellboy II: The Golden Army

3. Batman Begins

2. Iron Man

1. The Dark Knight 

Brian's Brief DVD B-Review?

Punisher: War Zone

Director: Lexi Alexander

Starring: Dominic West, Wayne Knight, and Ray Stevenson

Good: Ray Stevenson as Punisher

Bad: Action sequences are laughable, acting of supporting cast is lacking, dialogue is horrendous

When I heard that the star of the previous Punisher film (which I thoroughly enjoyed), Thomas Jane, dropped out I honestly believed this movie was going to be terrible, then I saw the trailer, and knew it would be.  Ray Stevenson attempts to save this horrible piece of work called a movie, but he is unable to elevate it beyond Lexi Alexander’s inability to create a coherent movie.  He does, however, look natural in the Punisher role and is believable handling the weapons.  Wayne Knight, making a rare appearance, does commendable work as microchip, Punisher’s weapon supplier, but his role in the film is limited.   

You would think with the Punisher branding and Marvel behind this that the film would be action packed and intense, the film has action but it is of the bland variety, with scenes feeling like they are in a constant state of slow motion, neither engaging the audiences nor seeming believable.  This film is also ridiculously and unnecessarily violent, with massive amounts of gore, so much so that it becomes numbing by the conclusion.  At one particular occasion Punisher literally punches through a mans skull, causing it to explode like a watermelon.

This film is just plain bad, avoid the Punisher at all costs, it will only punish you.   

Score: 3/10

Watchmen

After much, poking and prodding, from various members of my inner circle, I have decided to write some movie reviews and post them for kicks.  I am forewarning everyone who reads this that there are sure to plenty of grammatical errors in these reviews and possibly inflammatory opinions.  Without further ado, my very first review, Watchmen.

Watchmen

Director: Zach Snyder

Starring: Billy Crudup, Jeffery Dean Morgan, Malin Akerman, Jackie Earle Haley, Mathew Goode

Before I begin my review I must add a disclaimer that I was a HUGE fan of Alan Moore’s graphic novel and believe it to be a near perfect piece of literature.  Set in an alternate 1985 where Nixon was elected to a third term and costumed heroes are real,  Moore’s novel revolutionized the genre of graphic novels by digging deeply into characters with flawed psychological profiles.  When I first heard that they were going to attempt to bring this masterpiece to the screen, I was concerned.  The novel relies heavily, in my opinion, on the text sections that pepper the various chapters in Watchmen and I was unsure how they would integrate these parts.  To me the text gives the reader insight into the beginnings of “super heroes” and helps readers to connect with the older generation that gave way to the watchmen, as well as serving as a sort of origin story.  While these sections are missing from the film director Zach Snyder compensates by including parts of the stories into the opening sequence.  This sequence worked flawlessly and was probably one of the most enjoyable parts in the entire film, not only does it convey the general ideas of the text, but it introduces the unfamiliar audience members to the alternate world of watchmen.  I particularly enjoyed the use of Bob Dylan’s The Times They Are A-Changing, as it served the scene perfectly.  The real disappoint is that the film rarely rises to the level of this sequence again.  

The feeling the movie gave me was one that was simultaneously bloated and yet missing pieces.  Fans of the graphic novel will notice that the black freighter/newspaper vendor scenes are missing, that Night Owl I is significantly marginalized, that Captain Metropolis is removed from a rather crucial scene, and the ending is changed.  These changes are not earth shattering but they are disappointing.  Several scenes seemed perfect, while others left something to be desired and the same goes for the performances.  Scenes like the Comedian’s death, the origins of Dr. Manhattan, and most involving Rorschach or Comedian were engaging and entertaining, showcasing Snyder’s ability to take the source material and infuse his signature style.  The film, however, is also damaged by the very same style.  Snyder goes over the top with the action sequences leading rather insignificant fights to become bone-shattering spectacles, that detract from the flow of the film and are unnecessarily brutal.  The cast of the film is fairly decent with some of the actors proving to be gems and other duds.  Jeffery Dean Morgan, Billy Crudup, and Jackie Earle Haley’s turns as Comedian, Dr. Manhattan, and Rorschach respectively are fantastic.  Morgan nails the Comedian, able to be likeable in one scene and detestable in the next.  Crudup’s even tone as Dr. Manhattan works out beautifully, making the character believable.  Haley proves to be up to the challenge in playing Rorschach, with my only qualm being that the Batman-esque deep voice becomes grating, at times.  Akerman and Goode seem out of place in their roles, Akerman is a serious distraction in the majority of her scenes, with her lines of dialogue feeling forced and her acting wooden.  Goode’s acting is fine, but his portrayal of Ozymandius leaves something to be desired as he neither looks or acts like the novel’s version. 

                While the film is not perfect it is an enjoyable, if flawed, excursion.  Snyder tries his best to stay true to the source material, with much of the dialogue and shots lifted straight from the novel.  He may, in fact, have stayed too faithful to the novel as it feels like watching an inferior version of the novel projected on screen.  This will leave fans of the novel dissappointed due to the lack of certain parts and Snyder’s overbearing style and newcomers scrambling to pick up all the information that is thrown at them.  Some scenes feel fragmented due to this slavishly faithful adaptation, as Snyder leaves even the chronological order of the novel intact.  While that back and forth style works for graphic novels, it hurts the film in the end.  Snyder's style isn't all bad, the film jumps off the screen via his visual flair and is engrossing while it is playing, something that cannot be said for many films. What Watchmen ends up being is, most likely, the best anyone could hope for, the source material is not butchered for filming purposes, but the story is also not fully represented.  The best advice I can give, read the novel first, if you enjoy it, check out the movie, it definitely deserves a viewing.  

Score: 7.5/10