The Amazing Spider-man

Genre: Action/Adventure/Fantasy // Running Time: 136 minutes // Release Date: July 3, 2012
Cast & Crew at IMDB - http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0948470/

Overall Rating 7 out of 10

Synopsis: After growing up without knowing what happened to his parents, Peter discovers his father's old briefcase in his Uncle's basement which provides him with some clues about his father's past and leads him to Dr. Curt Connors, his father's old partner. On his trip to Oscorp to find Dr. Connors, Peter goes into a biolab and is bitten by a radioactive spider giving him enhanced strength, reflexes, and the ability to stick to things (hopefully you already knew all that!).

I was quite surprised by this film. Going in with little to no expectations might actually help to make movies seem better simply because I'm not disappointed by the film not meeting my expectations. I thought that this movie was pretty decent. It's definitely better than any of the 3 films with Tobey 'Seabiscuit' Maguire. First, Andrew Garfield and Emma Stone are better actors than Maguire and Dunst. Secondly, the supporting case is also stellar. Rhys Ifans is excellent in his role of Curt Connors and quite menacing as The Lizard. Martin Sheen provides his usual solid performance in the role of Uncle Ben, and the best part is, he doesn't tell Peter that "with great power comes great responsibility". And Dennis Leary, who in my mind should have been a police officer not a comedian because he plays these types of roles so well, brings a little humor into the film as Captain Stacy. Also, don't confuse Dennis Leary with Willem Dafoe who played Norman Osborn in the other Spiderman films, they look similar, but they are in fact different people.

The special effects in this movie are excellent. There's a great mix of CGI and physical stunts, and they use some of that parkour stuff the kids these days seem to love. The way they give Peter the ability to shoot 'webbing' was both clever and much more believable than past efforts. While the entire movie didn't have stunning 3D effects, there were parts in it that were absolutely fantastic. There are a few scenes where the 3D is used to give you a first person Spiderman view as he runs, climbs, and swings through the city, which in my opinion, was worth the extra money for 3D alone. There's also a few other parts where the 3D is used rather effectively, however like most movies, the 3D is only useful when the movie is using mainly CGI and not real actors.

This movie also has Stan Lee's best cameo appearance to date. When you see it, you'll know what I'm talking about. And for those of you who don't know who Stan Lee is and why he keeps appearing in all the Marvel Studios movies, go look it up and educate yourself!

Fans of the comic book genre will definitely appreciate this movie, as will people like myself, who spent their childhood watching the same 5 frames of animation every morning before school. I don't know if it will live up to summer blockbuster status, but I definitely enjoyed it and would recommend it.

Brave

Genre: Animation/Action/Adventure // Running Time: 100 minutes // Release Date: June 22, 2012
Cast & Crew at IMDB - http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1217209/

Overall Rating 6 out of 10

Synopsis: Merida is a princess who enjoys her freedom and doing her own thing, but when her parents tell her she is to be betrothed, she seeks the help of a witch in the woods to change her fate.

I must say that I was a little disappointed with this movie. After seeing the preview and knowing it was a Disney/Pixar production, I guess I had some lofty hopes. My main problem with this film is that is was far too focused on emphasizing the moral of the story, which just ended up making certain parts of the film seem very long and boring. However, in an attempt to balance these parts out, there were some really funny bits, and good action sequences which was kind of nice.

I was very impressed with the animation, but of course, it's Pixar, so obviously it will be top notch. The characters and the scenery were a visual treat for the eyes, and the voice acting was also pretty decent. However, I still feel like they tried too hard to really bring home the life lessons they were trying to get across and by spending multiple scenes and long stretches of time on these lessons, I found that it really detracted from the overall enjoyment I got from the film. If you have kids you can take them as I'm sure they'll enjoy the movie a lot, but otherwise just wait for the DVD.

Movies On The Fly

The following is a review of movies I watched while travelling back to Taiwan from Canada, hence the movies on the fly title (sleep deprivation makes you think you’re more clever than you actually are). These movies I presume are all out on DVD, so this one will be a DVD review rather than a cinema review.

Underworld: Awakening

Genre: Action/Fantasy/Horror // Running Time: 88 minutes
Full Cast & Crew: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1496025/

6/10

Synopsis: The humans discover the existence of Vampires and Lycans and set out to exterminate them. Selene, the Vampire community’s most hated death dealer, is caught by the humans while trying to escape the ongoing purge and the story picks up after Selene awaken from cryostasis 12 years later.

If you’re a fan of the Underworld series, you’ll enjoy this one as well. If you’re not, well it’s definitely not the best one of the four, so you’ll probably want to skip it. If you like fantasy action flicks, this one’s not too bad, and if you’re looking for something to order on Shaw On Demand, or rent a DVD for a mindless night in, you could do worse than this one (you could also do better).

Man On A Ledge

Genre: Crime/Thriller // Running Time: 102 minutes

Full Cast & Crew: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1568338/

7/10

Synopsis: An ex-cop convicted of a crime he insists he didn’t commit, escapes police custody and sets into play an elaborate plan to prove his innocence masked as a simple potential suicide.

The plot twists in this flick are pretty decent, there are a few things you might not see coming and the suspense level is maintained fairly well throughout most of the movie. If you’re a fan of police dramas or crime capers, you will enjoy this movie. This movie has slightly less action than Underworld, but there’s still a high speed car chase, a shootout, and some random explosions for the action junkie. This is another good choice for a quiet night in, but you’ll have to do a bit more thinking for this one.

21 Jump Street

Genre: Action/Comedy/Crime // Running Time: 109 minutes

Full Cast & Crew: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1232829/

8/10

Synopsis: Two ex-classmates from high school meet in police academy and discover that a friendship/partnership could prove beneficial and they become a team of brain and brawn. They are later transferred to an undercover division where they must pose as high school students to attempt to infiltrate a drug dealing ring.

The reason I gave this movie a 4/5 is because it was one of the funniest movies I’ve seen in a long time. I’m glad I watched this one early into the flight when most people were still awake, because I spent the first 45 minutes laughing rather loudly  (and obnoxiously) on the plane. There is a lot of humor in this movie of various kinds and it will definitely keep you entertained. The story itself isn’t the greatest, and the acting is also less than Oscar caliper, however, the random action and non-stop hilarity make this movie a great flick to watch if you’re looking for a good laugh and a good time. I was extremely surprised by how much I liked this movie and chances are, you will be too.

Contraband

Genre: Action/Crime/Drama // Running Time: 109 minutes

Full Cast & Crew: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1524137/

6/10

Synopsis: An ex-smuggler who turned legit is forced back into the smuggling game when his wife’s brother botches a deal and the debt becomes a potential threat to the whole family.

I honestly thought this movie was going to be a little more action and a little less story, however, the focus is more on the details of the story and the plot twists than the action. There’s definitely a bit of action involved, but mainly this is a high intensity drama film. This is the second movie I watched with Kate Beckinsale in it, and I can tell you, she’s not getting any uglier! If you’ve got nothing else to do (like say being stuck on a plane for 12 hours), give this one a look and who knows, you might enjoy it.

The Debt

Genre: Drama/Thriller // Running Time: 113 minutes

Full Cast & Crew: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1226753/

7/10

Synopsis: The story centers around a team of spies who are attempting to capture a Nazi doctor responsible for the massacre of thousands of Jews and bring him back to Israel where he can stand trial.

The plot of this movie isn’t overly complicated, but the makers of the film work hard to make it seem more complicated than it actually is. They seemed to draw out and focus on parts that I felt weren’t overly important and I felt the story moved a bit too slowly for my liking. That being said, there are a few good twists at the end that make the movie worth the watch. It’s an interesting story, and if you enjoy espionage and drama, you’ll probably enjoy watching this film.

Prometheus

Genre: Action/Horror/Sci-fi // Running Time: 124 minutes // Release Date: June 8, 2012 (Canada)
Cast & Crew at IMDB - http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1446714/

Overall Rating 8.5 out of 10

Synopsis: After discovering ancient cave symbols at an archeological site that are identical to symbols discovered at numerous other sites from other historical cultures, two scientists convince a rich industrialist to put together an expedition to a distant world in hopes of discovering the origins of human life.

I thought this movie was really well done. The story and the ideas it brings with it are very interesting and will force you to think about things introspectively a little bit, which is a nice change from the usual no brain required action films that have been released recently. Also, the interplay between characters really helps to build and keep the suspense throughout the film. It seems like almost every character has a hidden agenda and you find yourself constantly refining your ideas about what each character is trying to achieve as new twists in the story unfold. The acting in this movie is also fantastic, I felt that each character was well casted and very well played. I was especially impressed with Michael Fassbender, whose cyborg character David, supposedly devoid of human emotions and desires, seemed to have a sort of malevolence to him that made him a wild card character for the entire film, leaving the audience to wonder whose commands he was following or if he was simply acting on his own.

The special effects in the film are also fantastic. In this day and age, that is almost always a given for a big budget blockbuster film like this one. However, you don't need to pay the extra money just to see this in 3D. Some of the 3D was cool, but not so much that you must see it in 3D, 2D should be more than adequate.

If you're a fan of Ridley Scott (Gladiator, Blade Runner, Alien, Matchstick Men ... it's a long list), you will definitely enjoy this movie. Touted as somewhat of a prequel to the Alien series, this movie definitely has a similar feel as Scott's Alien. There is a lot of build up, suspense, and tension, and it might even be a little scary for the faint of heart out there. I really enjoyed this film, and after sitting down to think about it again to write this review, I want to go see it a second time. I guess that's the only part of the review you need to read ... too bad it's at the bottom.

Snow White & The Huntsman

Genre: Action/Adventure/Drama  // Running Time: 127 minutes // Release Date: June 1, 2012
Cast & Crew at IMDB - http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1735898/

Overall Rating 6 out of 10

Synopsis: After being held captive for most of her life Snow White escapes into the dark forest and is pursued by the Huntsmen and the Queen's men. The Huntsman quickly changes from working to capture Snow White to helping her and they set off to elude the Queen's brother and his men.

If you read the synopsis on the IMDB website, you will know that it is inaccurate, in that the Huntsman is never ordered to take Snow White into the woods to be killed, or is he ever ordered to kill her. Perhaps that was an early draft of the script, or someone got the plot for this Snow White movie confused with the Mirror Mirror plot.

Speaking of Mirror Mirror, this adaptation of Snow White is much more entertaining and a much better film than Mirror Mirror. The story is much better, and definitely much more exciting. I didn't feel like sleeping through this one, so that's probably a strong indicator that it's better than Mirror Mirror already.

Aside from casting Kristen Stewart, I thought they did a relatively good job with this movie. It had a lot of good action and fight scenes. The story was at least mildly interesting with a few good twists in the plot. There's quite a few parts that are pretty funny, and the acting (aside from Kristen Stewart) was also good. The dwarves are especially good with Ian McShane, Bob Hoskins, Ray Winstone, & Eddie Marsan particularly. Charlize Theron looks fantastic and also plays a deranged evil witch rather well. Chris Hemsworth is good as the Huntsman, but it's still pretty hard not to look at him and think of Thor, even with the dyed hair. Kristen Stewart still can't act her way out of a paper bag and I don't know if I'd go so far to say she's the fairest in all the land, but she's not hideous, so I'll let that one go.

All in all, I felt the movie was worth my money. It was entertaining and there were no overly dull parts or anything like that to ruin my experience. It's a touch long for my liking, but it's not boring so I didn't really notice. If you've already seen The Avengers and MIB3, this is probably one of your best bets for an entertaining night at the movies.

MIB 3

Genre: Action/Comedy/Sci-fi // Running Time: 106 minutes // Release Date: May 25, 2012 (Taiwan)
Cast & Crew at IMDB - http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1409024/

Overall Rating 7 out of 10

Synopsis: Agent J travels back in time to keep his partner Agent K from being assassinated by a time travelling alien.

My only gripe with this movie is that my dog wasn't in it. Seriously, where the hell is Frank? There's a huge poster of a pug above J's bed and you see on the ad for the Coney Island carnival that there's a talking pug, but they never show him. What is up with that??

Personal issues aside, this movie is pretty decent. It's got a lot of sweet special effects and new gadgets. If you've seen the trailer, you know about the cool looking future cycles. Well, they're even better when watching them whip through the streets of New York in 3D. The movie is full of action - there's the aforementioned cycle driving, large scale gun battles, and some sweet hand to hand(s) combat. There's also some other pretty sweet effects related things going on that any fan of the other MIBs will definitely enjoy.

The cast in this movie is also awesome. Obviously, you have Will Smith who is one of the funniest people alive in my opinion and definitely one of my favorite actors and can pretty much do no wrong in my eyes (I even liked him in Wild Wild West). Then there's Tommy Lee Jones reprising his role as Agent K masterfully, and you've got Josh Brolin playing a younger Tommy Lee Jones and his performance is fantastic. You've also got Alice Eve and a cameo by Nicole Scherzinger who are both incredibly attractive, which never hurts any movie in being more fun to watch. The dialogue and character interaction is awkward but funny at times, but always very entertaining. The story has some great twists and the ending is really quite interesting. Just go watch it and find out for yourself.

You don't need to see it in 3D, but the part where J jumps off the building to time jump, is almost worth the extra money for 3D in itself. And I already mentioned the future cycle scene. Obviously, there's other stuff in there that the 3D makes pretty good use of. I think in general, Hollywood is getting better at using 3D. It's almost becoming worth it to pay the extra cash for every movie to see it. That being said however, it's not essential to the enjoyment of this or really any movie. Movies that are good in 3D are still good in 2D ... except maybe Final Destination 5, but that's another blog entry altogether.