Men in Black 3 [movie review]

I didn’t have high expectations for Men in Black 3 (even though I was a fan of the first two movies), but I have to say… I actually really enjoyed the third installment.

In Men in Black 3, Agent J (Will Smith) travels back in time in an attempt to stop a monstrous psychopath, Boris The Animal (Jemaine Clement), from killing his partner, Agent K (Tommy Lee Jones). In order to do this, J must acclimate to this new time period (the 60s) and do his best to stop Boris in his destructive path.

The Men in Black trilogy is just one of those series that works. As with the first two movies, I enjoyed the acting, especially Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones. Their characters are so different; J is young and fun-spirited while K is a bit older and rather emotionless. They couldn’t be more opposite, but they still make quite the duo. Their on-screen relationship is always funny to watch. It was also fun to see the young Agent K (Josh Brolin) in action, who was practically a different person from the (present day) Agent K we’re used to.

The ending was the icing on the cake for me. Everything came to a full circle and I really enjoyed it. It was one of those moments when you kinda just stare at the screen with your mouth open, trying to process what just happened. It was actually quite touching. Pretty deep for a Men in Black movie, huh? Overall, the movie was well-rounded… it was funny, touching, and action-packed all at the same time.

I give Men in Black 3 4/5 stars. If you liked the first two movies, you definitely need to check this one out. Even if you haven’t seen the first two movies, you can certainly enjoy the third one as a standalone.

The Hunger Games [movie review]

As some of you may know, I’ve been waiting for The Hunger Games to come to the big screen for quite some time. I was a huge fan of the books by Suzanne Collins and I couldn’t wait to see the story come to life and be something I could watch. I haven’t experienced a ton of book to film adaptations (where I’ve both read the book and watched the movie), but I assure you, you won’t be disappointed with this one. Now, get ready for a longwinded post because there’s a lot to talk about.

For those of you who haven’t read the books (which I suggest you do), The Hunger Games is a post-apocalyptic story that takes place in Panem — a land split up into 12 Districts. Because of a past uprising started by the citizens of Panem, the Capitol has enacted  a yearly tradition, The Hunger Games, in order to keep everything in control. Every year, two tributes — one boy and one girl between the ages of 12 and 18– are selected from each District to be entered into these said “games.” A total of 24 tributes are chosen, sent to the Capitol, trained, and entered into an arena to fight to the death until only one tribute remains… the victor. This story follows Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence) who volunteers as the tribute for District 12 to save her sister, Primrose (Willow Shields), whose name was originally selected on the day of the reaping. Katniss is joined by Peeta Mellark (Josh Hutcherson), the boy from her District.

Where do I even start? Like I said, as an avid reader of the books, I wasn’t disappointed at all with this movie… I think the adaptation was great! Of course there were a few things that were missing, but you have to expect that… there’s simply not enough time to jam everything into a movie that’s two and a half hours long (I mean, I personally would’ve watched a ten-hour long movie, but that’s just me). The settings were fantastic… you understand the struggle of living in District 12, you get the over-the-top, glamour-filled lifestyle in the Capitol, and I could remember reading the book as I was brought though the different sections of the arena.The costuming in the movie was excellent as well — everything from the rags in District 12 to the riches in the Capitol. It’s one thing to read about the crazy outfits, makeup, and hairdos that the people of the Capitol don, but it’s another thing to actually see it. I also really liked seeing all the tributes in their showcasing outfits, particularly Katniss — you finally see what it’s like to see her as The Girl on Fire.

Now, to talk about some particular scenes. If you haven’t read the book, I don’t suggest you read this paragraph… consider this a spoiler alert. First, when Katniss volunteered as tribute, I got chills (even though I saw it 98643 times in the movie trailers on TV/online). You could just feel the tension as you’re waiting for tributes’ names to be pulled (again, even though I knew exactly what was going to happen). Second, I can’t not talk about the scene at the Cornucopia… it was nuts. The announcer was counting down the seconds to the start of The Hunger Games and I actually had anxiety for the tributes. I was on the edge of my seat and I had knots in my stomach. I don’t think I took a full breath until Katniss was safe in the woods. It was so intense — seeing these children fight to the death in order to save their own lives. Third, Rue’s death scene (insert sad face). If you thought this was sad in the book, get ready. The theater fell silent during this scene and you could hear sniffles from all the crying. This sounds lame, but it was a really powerful scene… you could really feel Katniss’ pain and sadness. Katniss and Rue had a very short-lived relationship, but it was still a strong one. There were plenty of other memorable scenes, but I think these were my top three.

Some things in the movie weren’t as I pictured them from the books — not that it matters, it was just interesting to see something differently from what I imagined it to be. The Cornucopia, for example. I was picturing this giant structure of some sort, but it looked like a tiny, steel playground. Second, I pictured the tracker jackers to be these huge, flying insects, but they looked like regular wasps. Lastly, I imagined the mutants to be a bit more grotesque… they were still scary though. There was one scene when a mutant jumps out at Peeta and Katniss and I definitely jumped. There were things that were spot on for me, too, though. For example, The Careers were just as obnoxious as I pictured them to be. They were the stereotypical “cool kids” in high school who took bullying to a whole new level. Cato (Andrew Ludwig) and Glimmer (Levin Rambin) were pretty much your typical jock-cheerleader couple with their henchmen sidekicks, Clove (Isabelle Fuhrman) and Marvel (Jack Quaid).

Time to talk about some of the characters and the actors/actresses that played them…

Jennifer Lawrence did an amazing job as Katniss. I honestly can’t imagine anyone else playing this role. She was just as strong/loving/stern/awkward as I imagined her to be in the book. It might sound weird to list all those characteristics, but Katniss emitted different emotions for different people and Jennifer did a great job with all of them. Overall, Jennifer Lawrence is badass.

I really liked Josh Hutcherson as Peeta. I don’t have much to say, other than he stood true to the character in the book, I think. No complaints.

Although Liam Helmsworth (who played Gale) didn’t have a ton of screen time, I still think he did well in the scenes he was in. While Katniss and Gale are only friends, Liam did a good job at hinting toward those extra feelings that might be there. I think Liam’s time to shine will be in the next movies.

Stanley Tucci was an excellent Caesar Flickerman (host of The Hunger Games) — everything from his blue hair to his jolly facial expressions to his interviews with the tributes. It’s really hard to like anyone from the Capitol, but Stanley Tucci made it pretty easy to like Caesar… I actually think he’s one of my favorite characters now.

Elizabeth Banks as Effie Trinket… hilarious. Effie always looks her best… in a Capitol kinda way. She also always says the wrong things at the wrong times, but it’s always really funny… comedic relief much? Elizabeth was spot on with Effie’s clueless yet proper personality.

Woody Harrelson played a great drunkard AKA Haymitch Abernathy. I had a love-hate relationship with Haymitch in the books (more hate, I would say), but I actually liked him more in the movie, thanks to Woody. There were times when he had to be drunk, times when he had to be serious, and times when he had to be funny… he played all three well.

I have to be honest, I wasn’t too thrilled when I heard that Lenny Kravitz was playing Cinna (Katniss’ stylist), but I wasn’t bothered by this after seeing the movie. There’s much more to Katniss and Cinna’s relationship in the book, but Jennifer and Lenny had a great on-screen relationship and you could sense the immediate bond that they formed. I also learned from GMA that Jennifer is actually best friend’s with Lenny’s daughter, Zoe, after being in X-Men: First Class together. Maybe their off-screen relationship helped them on-screen.

Rue. Don’t even get me started. Amandla Stenberg did perfect. What more can I say? Amandla made me love Rue’s character even more than I already did. I hope to see more of her in the future.

Last, but certainly not least… President Snow being played by Donald Sutherland. You just get the sense of evil when you see President Snow and Donald did a great job of that. The Hunger Games was just the start to Snow’s evil ways and I’m excited to see Donald really channel his inner villain for the next movies.

There were plenty of characters that we saw — like Flavius (Nelson Ascencio) and Claudia (Brooke Bundy) — but didn’t really see them, if you know what I mean. I’m excited to go more in depth with these characters in the next movies. What I’d also love to see more of in Catching Fire and Mockingjay is more visuals of the other Districts. The only other District we got a glimpse of was District 11.

Hands down, I give The Hunger Games 5/5 stars. Go see it. You have to. I really suggest reading the books first though… they’re just so good. I just think it’s amazing that I still felt such strong emotions throughout the movie even though I knew exactly what was going to happen. The fact that the movie stayed so true to the book, too, is just so great I really look forward to Catching Fire, the next movie in this series. Writing this review makes me wanna go see the movie again and re-read the trilogy.

  Be sure to check out my book reviews for The Hunger Games, Catching Fire, and Mockingjay,

May the odds be ever in your favor.

Limitless [movie review]

My friend was raving about Limitless, telling me how good it was, so I obviously had to watch it and find out for myself.

Limitless is about a struggling writer, Eddie Morra (Bradley Cooper), who is introduced to a mysterious drug called NZT. Before NZT, Eddie could barely write a page of his book and his life was pretty close to rockbottom. After NZT, however, he was able to write his entire book in less than a week and everything else in his life seemed to take a few steps in the right direction. Basically, NZT turns you into the most perfect version of yourself. Eddie’s newfound, extreme powers abilities catch the attention of many people, including Carl Van Loon (Robert De Niro), who hires teams up with uses Eddie for his artificially enhanced brain power. Eddie becomes addicted to the drug (go figure) and he begins to experience side effects. Will Eddie be able to keep up the act, or will NZT be his absolute rockbottom? Definitely watch and find out.

Limitless was definitely an interesting concept for a movie. It was very thought-provoking and it kept me on the edge of my seat at times. There were some pretty sick action scenes, too, especially when NZT was involved. I thought Bradley Cooper did a great job in his role, playing polar opposites at times. One second you see him as the hot shot, well-dressed, professional mastermind, but then there’s also the struggling drug addict side when he’s unable to get his fix of NZT. I’ve only really seen Cooper in The Hangover, where he obviously played a very different role, so it was cool to see a different side to the actor. Overall, I give Limitless 4/5 stars. Definitely check it out, I don’t think you’ll be disappointed.

GoodFellas [movie review]

GoodFellas, directed by Martin Scorsese, is one of those movies I’ve constantly heard about, but never took the time to sit down and watch. I noticed that it was on TV the other night and I took the opportunity to watch it. Now, after watching it, I see why so many people consider it to be one of their all time favorite movies. I honestly don’t know how/why it took me so long to watch this amazing film.

Based on the book Wiseguy (which I now want to read), GoodFellas is about a group of gangsters and their crime-ridden lives. Particularly, the movie focuses on Henry Hill (Ray Liotta) and his involvement in the gang, from beginning to end. When Henry first joins James Conway (Robert De Niro), Tommy DeVito (Joe Pesci), Paul Cicero (Paul Sorvino) and the rest of the gang (literally), life doesn’t seem too shabby. Whenever Henry walks into a room, everyone knows who he is and he gets everything he wants and more, including the girl, Karen (Lorraine Bracco). As Henry gets pulled deeper and deeper into this life of crime, the life of a gangster proves to be be a little less glamorous than he had first expected it to be.

GoodFellas is a classic, action-packed crime film. Everything about it was just so great. There were parts throughout the movie where I actually oohed out loud in response to the pain these gangsters would inflict upon some unlucky people. All part of the authenticity of a real crime film. There were parts throughout the film where I was laughing out loud, too.

Ray Liotta and Lorraine Bracco had great chemistry. You could really feel the emotion, good and bad, in their onscreen relationship. Robert De Niro, Joe Pesci and all the other guys played really badass gangsters. Let’s just say, I wouldn’t want to be on their bad sides… unless I was in the mood to get shot in the foot, stuck in a trunk or completely whacked. Overall, I give GoodFellas 5/5 stars. If you haven’t seen it, don’t wait as long as I did. It’s definitely one of those movies that everyone has to see.

Also, according to Deadline, AMC has plans for a GoodFellas TV series! If AMC follows through with this, I’ll definitely be tuning in. Any other GoodFellas fans that would be interested in watching a TV show like this?

Immortals [movie review]

I went to go see Immortals a few weeks ago and it was pretty epic.

In Immortals, the evil King Hyperion (Mickey Rourke) is on a mission to unleash the sleeping titans in an attempt to rid the world of the Olympian gods and all of mankind. Chosen by Zeus (Luke Evans), a peasant by the name of Theseus (Henry Cavill) rises up in an effort to bring the evil king down. The Sibylline oracle, Phaedra (Freieda Pinto), envisions the defeat of Hyperion with the help of Theseus, but will her vision come true? Will Theseus, Phaedra and their small band of companions be able to stop Hyperion in his tracks? Watch and find out… it’s well worth it.

Immortals was a lot like 300, but I think it was even better. It was action-packed from start to finish… it’s hard to peel your eyes off the screen (with the exception of a few scenes, for you squeamish people). The movie was filled with awesome fight scenes… the movie’s worth seeing just for them. If you’re a fan of action movies, this is definitely a movie you wanna check out.

I think Henry Cavill did a great job as the hero and Mickey Rourke played an awesome, creepy, gross villain. Ever since Slumdog Millionaire, I’ve been a big fan of Freida Pinto, so it was great to see her in this film… she did an excellent job as well. Also, if you’re a fan of The Vampire Diaries, you might recognize Lysander (Joseph Morgan), who plays Klaus in the vampire TV series on the CW Network.

Overall, I give Immortals 5/5 stars. Not only did I really enjoy the storyline, but my attention was kept throughout the entire film. This will definitely be a movie I’ll be buying when it comes out on DVD. If you still can, go see it on the big screen… definitely one of those movies worth seeing in the theater.

Source Code [movie review]

Heather and I went on a Red Box run the other night and picked up Source Code on DVD. It looked interesting from what I remembered in trailers and I’m a fan of Jake Gyllenhaal so we both thought, why not? Good choice, I say.

Source Code begins with soldier Captain Colter Stevens (Jake Gyllenhaal) waking up on a train in a body that’s not his. Colter soon finds out that he’s part of a government mission that requires him to track down the identity of a bomber in Chicago. This terrorist already bombed a commuter train and plans to set off another, bigger bomb that could put many lives at risk. The government needs Colter for their “Source Code” experiment, which allows him to enter someone else’s body within the last eight minutes of their life… and eight minutes only. Colter enters the body of one of the train bomb victims, allowing him to experience the last minutes on the train prior to the explosion over and over again until he retrieves the clues he needs. In his many visits back to the train, Colter encounters Christina Warren (Michelle Monaghan) every time and he starts to develop a certain fondness for her. Will Colter reveal the identity of the bomber and save Chicago? Watch and find out!

Source Code was an excellent movie. It was actually a lot better than I was expecting it to be. It was full of action and suspense… great combination, right? I was literally on the edge of my seat at times. Source Code definitely plays with your mind at times, but it’s all explained at the end, which I appreciate because I hate movies that end with a giant cliffhanger (not saying whether it ends good or bad… just saying it’s all explained). It might take a little bit of pondering, but it’s within your grasp to figure things out. There were a few crazy twists… one of which left my jaw dropped. This movie actually pulls at your heartstrings a bit, too, which is something I wasn’t expecting at all. There’s some comic relief dispersed throughout the movie as well — I actually laughed out loud quite a bit. Very well-rounded movie.

I think Jake Gyllenhaal did an excellent job, as did Michelle Monoghan — I thought they had good chemistry. Also, Vera Farmiga appears in the film (as Colleen Goodwin), which is awesome because I love her from Running Scared (one of my favorite movies) and Orphan. Lastly, the movie didn’t drag on — it was the perfect length, in my opinion.

If you’re looking for a good action/thriller type of movie, Source Code is a must-watch. I give it 4.5/5 stars.

Rise of the Planet of the Apes [movie review]

I’ve been wanting to see Rise of the Planet of the Apes for a long time now, ever since I first saw a trailer for it. After hearing so much (good) talk about the movie, I finally went to go see it earlier today.

In Rise of the Planet of the Apes, Will Rodman (James Franco) is close to finding a cure to Alzheimer’s after running tests on chimpanzees, finding increased levels of intelligence in his specimens upon administering some sort of “cure”. One ape, Caesar, exceeds Will’s expectations and takes matters into his own hands, organizing an ape uprising against the human race… well, at least in one area of California… for now.

After hearing such great things about this movie, I was afraid it wouldn’t live up to my expectations after seeing it for myself, but it did. I really enjoyed it. It wasn’t as action packed as I thought it would be, but I’m totally fine with that because it still kept my attention the whole time. It was interesting to follow Caesar’s story from the very beginning and watch the situation escalate slowly, but surely… it had me on the edge of my seat at times. Caesar’s one badass chimp.

James Franco can do no wrong in my eyes… I thought he was great. I thought Freida Pinto, who played Caroline Aranha (and Latika in Slumdog Millionaire), did a great job as well. Overall, I give Rise of the Planet of the Apes 4/5 stars. I definitely recommend it.

Side note: monkeys are still my favorite animal, but they creeped me out a bit in this movie. I still want one for a pet… as long as it won’t turn on me and pummel me to death.

Green Lantern [movie review]

I wasn’t exactly ecstatic about going to see Green Lantern, but I did go see it the other week. Here’s a little synopsis and review…

For those of you who are unfamiliar with the story of Green Lantern, it goes a little something like this. A purple alien from another planet crash lands on United States soil, bestowing its ring upon Hal Jordan (Ryan Reynolds), a test pilot. Why Hal, you ask? Because he was the so-called “chosen one.” This particular ring holds superhuman powers, allowing the owner to create anything he can imagine in his mind. He is then taken across the universe, to the planet where Hal’s late alien friend came from. Basically, Hal trains in preparation to fight an evil force in the universe that is a threat to anyone and everyone in its path. Insert pretty girl Carol Ferris (Blake Lively), Hal’s longtime friend and love interest, and you have your romantic aspect, just like any of the other superhero movies you’ve seen.

Green Lantern had a decent amount of action, and there were a few parts where I found myself chuckling, but there was nothing spectacular that made me go “WHOA!” I think Ryan Reynolds did a fine job as the Green Lantern — no qualms with his acting. I always enjoy him. I was actually surprised with Blake Lively — I thought she would be annoying, but I think she did well too. Hector Hammond (Peter Sarsgaard) played a pretty good villain… to the point where I was actually disguested by him every time he was on screen. I guess that’s a good sign if you’re playing the bad guy though.

To be honest, Green Lantern wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be, but it still wasn’t anything amazing. Overall, I’d give it 3/5 stars. Personally, I’m getting a little tired of these superhero-type movies, although I did really enjoy X-Men: First Class.

Paul [movie review]

Paul is about two buddies, Graeme (Simon Pegg) and Clive (Nick Frost), from England taking a road trip out west in the United States. They begin their journey in California at the Comic Con, then proceed to visit various extraterrestrial-esque attractions. One night, their dreams come true when they encounter Paul, a badass (yet friendly) alien, who escaped from the U.S. government after being held in captivity for years after his spaceship crashed on Earth. Graeme and Clive hesitantly agree to assist Paul in his mission to return home, but as they get to know their new, green companion, they become more than happy to help. With the government determined to recapture Paul before he finds his way back home, this adventure is anything but dull.

Paul was such a great movie. I enjoyed every second of it. It was hysterical, action-packed, and emotional all at the same time. I haven’t laughed out loud this much during a movie in a long time.

Simon Pegg and Nick Frost are a duo that never let me down. Kristen Wiig, Jason Bateman, Jane Lynch, and Sigourney Weaver were all great additions to the movie as well. Most importantly, I can’t forget about Seth Rogen. Although he didn’t physically appear in the movie, he did an excellent job of giving Paul a voice that just fit oh so well. I give Paul 5/5 stars! A definite must-see! Can’t wait to buy this one when it comes out on DVD.

Overall, everyone needs a Paul in their life. I’m currently looking for one.

#keeper

Unknown [movie review]

Unknown is about a man named Martin Harris (Liam Neeson) who travels to Berlin, Germany to guest speak at a special conference; Martin is accompanied by his wife, Liz (January Jones), on this trip. Upon their arrival to the hotel, Martin suddenly realizes that he left his briefcase behind so he flags down a taxi cab in an attempt to retrieve it. In the midst of it all, Martin’s cab gets into a horrific accident, launching the cab off of a bridge into the river. The cab driver, Gina (Diane Kruger), is able to free herself and save Martin from the sinking cab, but she flees the scene soon after the paramedics arrive. Martin wakes up in a hospital in a great state of confusion. He demands to leave the hospital against the doctor’s wishes in an attempt to reunite with his wife, Liz. Upon finding her, Liz appears to not recognize Martin, leaving him completely dumbfounded.

Unknown takes you on a wild adventure to find out the truth behind this puzzling mystery. I really enjoyed the plot, and there were quite a few action scenes to add some character to the movie. The storyline definitely kept me on my feet, waiting anxiously to see what was going to happen next. Just when I thought I had the mystery figured out, the movie took a turn in the complete opposite direction. The acting was sub par (in my opinion), but I was able to overlook it for the most part.

Out of everyone in the cast, I give the most props to Diane Kruger (Gina). I think she played her role the best. I was automatically drawn to Gina because I recognized her from Inglorious Basterds where she played the role of Bridget von Hammersmark, whose character I loved as well.

I give Unknown 3/5 stars. Although it wasn’t one of the best movies I’ve seen, it definitely kept my attention (which is hard to do). If you’re on the fence about seeing this movie in theaters, I think it’ll be OK if you decide to wait until it comes out on DVD/Blu-ray. Either way, I think it’s worth a watch.