moviemaniac008 Reviews

Pour que plus jamais (2014)

hilariously awful

[1/10 · 20 May 2014]

The film is dedicated to the memory of the mother of the director, assassinated in 2009. While that was a touching move and while the movie certainly has noble aspirations, this movie, from a purely cinematic point of view is nothing short of awful. Hilariously awful, might I add.

I won't try to sum up the plot of the film like I usually do because I couldn't for the life of me remember what it was about. One minute it's about cultural diversity in Montreal, next it's about a conflict between families in Haiti and eventually it turns into a woman becoming a fugitive from Haitian authorities. These all events all feature the same woman, and is supposedly a continuous telling of her story, but I can barely make the links between the different parts of the story.

Marie-Ange Barbancourt overacts in just about every scene she is in. She is, however, much better than all the supporting actors in this film. One I can think of right now is the judge during a court scene taking place in Haiti whose sentences feel overly written and whose intonation is even worse.

The film features some very funny moments (although they aren't intentional), such as when Marie-Ange's character visits a person and they have small talk for a minute or so before they start yelling at one another insults that I'd frankly never heard of in my life. Other scenes include Olympic medalist Bruny Surin and another actor playing some overly cartoonish cops (with a special gun handshake...yep you read that right)...I mean I can tell that the director wanted to show them as being evil, but there really are no motivations for their actions. Their actions are unexplained and do not make sense, and it's even funnier when the rookie cop starts shooting randomly in the air and his superior tells him that he's learning fast. Another scene involves demonic possession, and my question is this...why? It didn't bring anything to the story, and was never referenced again.

In short, if Quebec ever wanted to respond to Tommy Wiseau's The Room, this would have to be the movie. Studying film in college at the moment of this review, it should be noted that I haven't even talked about the film's technical problems yet. Frames that look pretty weird, sound that just lags from scene to scene (it will either just cut during dialogue or will feel way too low...one scene in particular that comes to mind is a scene in which a washing machine makes more noise than the characters talking. I cannot believe that nobody saw that during post- production)...This film is absolutely terrible.

A Final Word: A friend of mine works in a theater. He states that on Saturday, during the whole day, only one person bought a ticket. That same person got a refund 20 minutes into the movie. Yesterday, the theater was empty except for me and this friend, and another woman, who walked out after 40 minutes. That didn't matter because we didn't have to contain our laughter anymore. If anybody walked by our auditorium, they must've thought we were watching the comedy of the century.

Taken 2 (2012)

When too much is kind of like too little...

[4/10 · 14 November 2012]

The original Taken is an action movie that I liked a lot. It's been a while since I last saw it, and yeah, I was a younger and less mature viewer back then, but what I remember is that it was an awesome action film. Unfortunately, I didn't enjoy this second film all that much.

Bryan Mills and his family have re-adapted to their own life back in the United States following the events of Taken. One day, Bryan has work to do in Istanbùl, and convinces his daughter and his ex-wife to join him on the trip. Their daughter hopes that they will get back together, and sends them off on a date. Little do they know, however, that an Albanian old man and his bunch of goons are seeking vengeance for his son's death in the first movie, and they kidnap both Brian and his ex-wife. Bryan escapes, and with the help of his daughter, will try to save his ex-wife.

The movie could have been genuinely awesome, and yet so much went wrong with it, it's almost unbelievable. The idea of the dad and the daughter teaming up to save the mother/ex-wife wasn't a bad one, and could have been executed very decently had the relationship between the two not relied so much on clichés. Brief example of such clichés: Daughter thinking she can play Cupid by trying to get her parents back together, overprotective father not too happy of the idea of his daughter having a potential boyfriend. It just seemed so cliché and added nothing at all to the story.

The action scenes were awful, and that is probably due to the sloppy editing. In one scene, Bryan is being a bad ass and disarming three armed Albanians at once, but it is pretty difficult to make out anything going on at all. Most of the time, they're too over-the-top. I don't mind surrealism here and there, but when the action is too unbelievable, I tend to stop enjoying it. Example, one car chase scene is actually well-shot, but I couldn't quite get over the fact that the girl who was driving a manual car had never even passed her automatic driver's license. The only real action scene I liked was at the end, some pretty intense hand to hand combat between Bryan and one of the henchmen.

Even the villains are bad. Rade Sherbedgia is an actor I really like (Boris the Blade is one of the best characters ever). In here, he just looks bored, and with reason, too: The scriptwriters give him nothing to work with. He sits on a couch and waits for his dumb-ass henchmen to call him. He fires a gun once, and - spoiler alert - it is empty. His henchmen are idiots, too. I'm no expert in shooting a weapon, but it makes perfect sense to shoot at something you can see, that way you have more chances of hitting your target. While Bryan hides behind a wall, the two henchmen shoot at the wall with no result (thick walls?). While they reload, Bryan gets out of cover, and shoots them dead. Rinse and repeat all along, and you've got a Taken 2.

Other irregularities are present as well: The girl throws grenades all around town and the police never shows up, the henchmen don't look carefully in the closet when the girl is hiding (Normally you would think of looking behind the clothes?). And that's only part of what the film has to offer if we talk about stupidity.

Still there's some positive to be had: Liam Neeson still gives an excellent performance, he's really into character. Maggie Grace and Famke Janssen are also very good as supporting actresses. The beginning is a bit long and relies a bit too much on clichés if you ask me, but at least it was well acted and engaging. Finally, that one hand-to-hand combat scene I told you about earlier is also really awesome.

Overall, there's not many redeeming things out of watching this movie. Maybe you'll walk out a smarter and more mature viewer after pointing out all the irregularities in this movie. There's some positive to be had, but most of the action is sloppy and not thrilling, which is exactly why I watch an action film: to be thrilled. This is the kind of movie that you wait for cable TV to show in a couple years, but it is not worth the rental price and definitely not worth a movie ticket at the theatre.

Dredd (2012)

Dredd

[9/10 · 11 November 2012]

I checked Dredd out of curiosity one evening. Having never seen the ''Judge Dredd'' with Stallone and having only heard negative stuff about it, I will not compare the two together. But all I can say is that the 2012 Dredd is simply put, an amazing action film.

Dredd tells us a story of a violent city in the near-future where cops have the right to kill criminals on the spot depending on the severity of their offences. The main character, ''Dredd'' (Karl Urban), has a rookie for the day, a telepath by the name of Anderson (Olivia Thirlby). On her first training assignment, Dredd and Anderson must inspect a murder scene at a residential sector ran by Ma-Ma (Lena Heady). As soon as they arrive, the building is put on lock down, and the cops must shoot their way to the top if they want to survive.

The story of Dredd shares many similarities to ''The Raid: Redemption'', but don't be afraid of paying to see the same film: both shine in their respective ways. The Raid was all about awesomely-choreographed fight scenes, some of which were pretty brutal. Dredd on the other hand, appeals more to a modern American audience who wants a typical point-and-shoot type of action film. Dredd shines in delivering a simple story that still manages to keep the viewer interested in it all movie long.

As the lead character, Urban is amazing, while his co-star Thirlby is also very good. The two main leads have a great chemistry together. To all those skeptical of Urban, do not worry, for the Dredd character fits him perfectly. I think that Dredd is probably one of the most epic character I've seen on the big screen this year, slightly behind Tom Hardy's Bane.

The action is amazingly shot. Director Pete Travis shows very good usage of slow-motion, which can lead to certain parts to be very intense. Speaking of intensity, Dredd never shys itself of showing blood and gore, and is very worthy of it's R-rating. So if you're sick of all the PG-13 action films like for example, Taken 2, this movie is really for you.

I had no choice but to see it in Real D-3D. How was the 3-D you ask? In my opinion, it was pretty good. I probably wouldn't have paid for it if I had the choice, but what I got was pretty solid. The scenes with the drug, SLO-MO in particular are very well made, especially with 3D. As the name of the drug implies, you get those scenes in slow-motion, and those slow-motion scenes are usually largely propelled by 3D.

If it's not too late, if Dredd still plays in a local theatre near your house, then do yourself a favour and rush out to go see it. It's very well worth your time and I'm still thinking about it a month after I've seen it. Definitely going to buy the Blu-Ray to watch it again and again.

The Hunger Games (2012)

Why all the love?

[4/10 · 31 July 2012]

I really enjoyed the novel by Suzanne Collins (not so much the sequels, Catching Fire recycled way too many elements from the first novel and I didn't even bother reading Mockingjay), but I was very disappointed with this movie. Let me enlighten you (I'll try to compare with the novel as much as I can, but mind you it's been a while since I read it).

For starters, the beginning seems stretched out a lot. And I mean, A LOT. For the first hour and a thirty minutes or so, we are given descriptions of how the games will be. Through interviews, talk shows, press conferences, seeing the tributes train and prepare for it, etc... The way the film is constructed at the beginning is, in no ways, amateurish, and is actually pretty well done, but I started lacking interest in it about 50 minutes in. It just isn't all that interesting after a while.

By now, after the hour and a half of massing pumping and hyping, you would expect the last half of the movie to be epic, to be impressive, yes? Unfortunately, it isn't. The problem is that the filmmakers tried to market a very violent novel for mature teenagers with a violent premise to kids. The camera keeps shaking constantly to not show any details, and it is annoying, because you end up practically not seeing anything at all. You have to be very, very focused on the screen to make out practically any action occurring in the second half.

A lot of things also seem pointless...Peeta's camouflage in the dirt being the most pointless of all. How useful was it to the story? He showed it to Katniss, as if to waste our time, and never used it after...

The film could also have used more screen time for Haymitch. Woody Harrelson is perfect for the character, and in the novel, Haymitch had some pretty interesting things to say. But, in this movie, Haymitch is so underused that we barely get to see his drunken antics and his powerful thoughts. Elizabeth Banks as Effie Trinket is really annoying...No fault of Banks, the character is just plain annoying, and yet she has more screen time than the 100 times more interesting Haymitch. Effie Trinket really bothered the hell out of me.

Still, there's some positive to be had: The acting. Jennifer Lawrence is brilliant as Katniss Everdeen. Her performance is enough to carry this huge-budgeted overlong film on her shoulders when the film needs it most. Always in character, Jennifer Lawrence shows us all her talents as an actress. It was the second time I saw her in a movie since the amazing X-Men First Class, and I can't wait to see more work out of her. Josh Hutcherson delivers the merchandise in a performance slightly inferior to Lawrence's. Elizabeth Banks, Woody Harrelson, Wes Bently, hell, even Lenny Kravitz gives in a respectable performance. And I have nothing negative to say about not one, but two great climaxes. I liked that the film doesn't end all happy-go-lucky like traditional Hollywood movies, but it foreshadows a sequel, which, I sincerely hope, will be better, darker, and braver than this movie.

Overall, this is a film that could have been so much more. I do not get all the love it has been getting. While all the actors give great performances (Jennifer Lawrence especially), the action is underwhelming and the build-up to the action is way too overlong and packed with unnecessary details. If you want an idea of what The Hunger Games should have resembled, watch the Japanese movie Battle Royale. Now that is one very intense movie.

DISCLAIMER: I'm not a Battle Royale fanatic trying to bash The Hunger Games, I actually first heard of Battle Royale after watching this movie. I just think that, personally, after having viewed both, Battle Royale is much better than The Hunger Games. (I strongly recommend reading The Hunger Games over the viewing of the film).

Ted (2012)

Hilarious film!

[9/10 · 6 July 2012]

I haven't reviewed a film in forever, so I thought to myself ''Why not review the last movie I have seen?''. Well, last night, my trip to the theatre was to see Seth MacFarlane's TED. I'm pretty familiar with Seth MacFarlane's comedy, and while I'm not always fond of it, I do kind of like it. However, with MacFarlane, it's usually a love-it-or-hate-it kind of comedy. As a result, TED could have easily gone one way or the other. Luckily for us, Ted goes in the right direction, and while undeniably very raunchy and very crude, those who are not offended by such humour will be in for one very, very funny ride.

John is the least popular kid in the neighbourhood. One Christmas Eve, he is given a teddy bear, and while the teddy bear isn't alive per Se, it automatically becomes John's best friend. One night, little John wishes for his bear to come alive, which is exactly what happens, and the two are now really best friends. It's a really cute story at first, but what happens 27 years after? Well, John (Mark Wahlberg) and his bear, ''Ted''(voice of Seth MacFarlane himself) are stoners and John, at 35 years old, works in a car rental company. John is in a relationship with Lori (Mila Kunis), a very patient and mature girl who, despite loving him too, believes that Ted is a nuisance to her relationship with John. In order to get the best of both worlds, John lets Ted go, helps him find a job, and other things like that...

I'm not saying more. I could go on and on about the plot, but I don't feel like spoiling anything. What you do got to know though is that TED is a very, very funny comedy. It works on pretty much every level. Seth MacFarlane's branch of humour is worthy of the early Family Guy episodes, back when it was any good. It is also easily recognizable in TED. Whether he's bashing Jews on a Christmas Eve or having someone pick up a piece of sh!t from the floor, there are many gags you could actually picture seeing on television. Of course, there are many pop culture references as well. However, those don't always work as well as the other gags, but still, when they work well, they're very funny. I'm thinking of an opening gag and a closing gag aimed at some today and past stars which had me up in stitches, and that, long after the movie was ended. The movie also kind of feels like a thriller near the end with a pretty tense car chase. A few other parts, near the end mostly, emotions were present. Not in a crying-your-heart-out kind of way, but more like a Aww-that's-sad kind of way.

Of course, both leads are great in their roles. Mark Wahlberg is surprisingly solid, constantly replying with perfect comedic timing and sometimes a surprising amount of emotion to...well, a teddy bear, who doesn't even exist. Mila Kunis also has her funny moments, but besides a climatic decision and being the one who wants Ted and John's bromance to end, she doesn't really bring anything useful to the movie (I blame the way the character was written, because Kunis was perfect for the role.) Undeniably, the real star of the movie is Ted himself. Not only does he look surprisingly realistic for a CGI teddy bear, but he's quite the entertainer. And while most of what comes out of his mouth is profane, it's also very funny. In fact, if Ted were an actual comedian, I wouldn't hesitate one minute to buy tickets for his one-man show. I'll give a special credit to Giovanni Ribisi (who also starred in Contraband, opposing Mark Wahlberg earlier this year), who is awesome as a stalker, but I won't say much more.

Overall, like I said, TED goes one way or another. For me, it definitely went the right way. It was hilarious and entertaining enough to warrant a full price ticket at the theatre. Let me put it this way. TED is up there with 21 Jump Street in terms of 2012 comedy. MacFarlane fans, you do not want to miss this movie. MacFarlane haters, enter with an open mind and you might exit pleasantly surprised. Average moviegoer looking to go on a date or to go see a movie? Why not try out TED? Before I used to give 10's out as a way to say "Highest recommendation", but I don't give 10's out like that anymore. 9 is a really great mark, and that is what I'm giving to TED, because that's exactly what it deserves.

The Devil Inside (2012)

Oh, gosh!

[1/10 · 29 January 2012]

Where do I begin? This movie is awful, in every aspect of the word.

Further justifications: Every thing sucked in this film. The acting was very wooden. Fernanda Andrade is not a good lead actress, but she is hot, so I guess the film could score mild points for that...but the rest of the cast is just incredibly bad (Hmm...That's a bit of a stretch...Suzan Crowley is pretty freaky as Maria Rossi), but every other actor looks like they couldn't care less about the film. They look annoyed, even more annoyed than the audience watching it. It's as if the project was something very boring for them and they couldn't wait to get the hell off of it.

I understand this is mockumentary, but whoever was handling the camera sucked. Did he just discover the zoom button? Because the fact that the camera would close up on faces and then back continuously really annoyed the $h!t out of me. Finally, I felt there was a lack of scares: I jumped once, which is the same place I jumped in the trailer (the one where Maria Rossi starts to laugh suddenly). The scriptwriters decided to get lazy as well, I suppose, because right when the movie is about to get interesting, it cuts to black and ends, telling us to check a website. What's that if it's not telling the audience to f--k off. I felt like I had been insulted.

Bottom line: I knew from the start that this movie would be bad. A friend of mine convinced me to go with a few girls, who chose to see this movie. If only I had listened to my first instinct.

Look, this movie made 33 times it's budget on opening weekend (33 million dollars for a 1 million dollar budget). The studios don't care about the people who watch this film anymore, and quite frankly, you shouldn't care about this movie either. It's not worth seeing in theatres - wait - It's not worth seeing at all! When is Hollywood going to realize that over doing mockumentaries just gets annoying because they don't scare us anymore. Hollywood, never, ever, release a film this bad again! 1/10

Warrior (2011)

Best of 2011?

[10/10 · 3 October 2011]

Warrior tells the story of Tommy (Tom Hardy), a marine, who comes back from Iraq. He's angry at his father Paddy (Nick Nolte), for past actions, and refuses to forgive him, although he does train for a ultimate fighting championship called Sparta, in order to win enough money to help the ex-wife of his dead best friend to support her family. Meanwhile, Brendan (Joel Edgerton), a school teacher, has to live with his two daughters and wife Tess, and needs money to pay his house after a heart operation for one of his daughters pretty much stole him of all his money. He decides to enter an ultimate fighting championship called Sparta in order to make enough money to pay his house, and trains with one of his good friends. The brothers Tommy and Brendan will then realize that if they each win everything, they'll come face to face with each other, and both have their own reasons for winning and their own reasons for hating each other...

I'm not going to lie, I was expecting this film to be really good, and it totally blew my mind away. Warrior is not necessarily an ultimate fighting movie. The fans of UFC type of fights (such as myself) will get their share of what they want, but they might have to be patient a bit and wait for the second half of the film. Instead, we seem to be abording different themes: Redemption, Forgiveness, Reconciliation, Brotherhood and Family, to name a few.

The story is written in such a way that you cannot help but feel the need for both protagonists to win the ending fight. Sure, some might vote a little more for Tommy, others might root more for Brendan, but in the end, you don't want either of them to lose. Sure, the story might be a little unrealistic: Two unknown fighters training for barely a few weeks can outclass fighters who have been training for years for this tournament, but it's all done in a way that you end up forgiving it for that because of the ending.

The ending fight is the best moment of the story. Most would think it would end in a cliché-type of ending, with both fighters winning or a draw or some type of bull$h!t!, but it's in fact much more profound and emotional than that. The actors play perfectly their role of torn people wanting to end their feud in the ring once and for all, accompanied to the sad sounds of ''About Today'' by The National. Nick Nolte is a terrific actor in this film, and I do hope that the Academy recognizes him with not an Oscar nomination but rather an actual Oscar in his hands. Joel Edgerton and Tom Hardy's performances are both terrific, but I felt that Hardy outclassed Edgerton, perhaps not by much, but at least slightly. Hardy's confused and dark character is portrayed beautifully, and I do hope it could result in an Oscar nomination for the role.

With that being said, I do believe Warrior to be the best film of 2011 so far (though be aware, at the time of this writing, I have not seen Drive or Moneyball yet). With enough beautiful, fighting to keep up pumped and cranked up, some emotional scenes that might make the toughest of men cry, and an incredible distribution, Warrior should definitely be nominated for the big Award in January. If you haven't seen this film yet in theatres, run to it now! Definitely buying the DVD when it comes out.

Killer Elite (2011)

Could've been so much more...

[7/10 · 23 September 2011]

Killer Elite is a Hollywood made version of supposedly true events. It pretty much retells the story of a mercenary Danny (Jason Statham) whose best friend and mentor Hunter (Robert De Niro) is kidnapped by a rich Arabic man, who in return, wants to avenge the death of his three sons to the hands of British S.A.S. agents. At the same time, an S.A.S. agent by the name of Spike (Clive Owen) tries to prevent the deaths from happening.

This is pretty much a typical Jason Statham flick. If you like one of them, then chances are you pretty much like all of them. At times, the action feels just like ''The Mechanic'' (who came out earlier this year). As for the performances, Owen and De Niro give out some strong performances. While their performances aren't exactly what I'd consider Oscar worthy (I'm talking about two actors who were nominated for/won Academy Awards before), the performances still remind us that they are, even today, some really great actors. Statham is as good as ever, but this comes from a Jason Statham fan.

However, the film could have been so much more, and I know what I'm talking about. The opening scene, followed by De Niro's ''escape'' from the Arabic men, are very epic scenes. I actually wanted the film to continue in the same direction as it's beginning. However, the film turns typical Hollywood/Statham movie, and the action (although the film says it's inspired by true events) quickly becomes over the top. Furthermore, a part of the film seems to slow down the plot for nearly 20-30 minutes...The dialogue at times also feels awfully cheesy.

So overall I'll give it a seven out of ten. Not because it's a bad movie per Se. I'm sure typical Jason Statham who pay to see this in theatres will get what they're looking for. But simply because it could have been excellent movie, and that it unfortunately decided to go down another path. Still, for the most part I was entertained, with the first 15-20 minutes and the Clive Owen/Jason Statham fight being some of my favourite action scenes I've seen this year.

The Bourne Conspiracy (2008 Video Game)

It's not worthy of the name ''Bourne''

[4/10 · 3 August 2011]

First off, I have to say that I am a big Jason Bourne fan. I've seen every movie so many times (I own them all on DVD), and I'm currently reading the novels by Robert Ludlum and Eric Van Lustbader. Since I am a big Jason Bourne fan, I was walking around the video game store and, at a fairly low price (15$) found The Bourne Conspiracy. I was hoping this game would be GREAT!

Boy was I wrong! I don't know why I got my hopes up so high. This is pretty much just another licensed title based on a movie or series. In other words, it's not that good, and it feels rushed.

The game pretty much follows the story of the Bourne Identity, while some other scenes and missions follow the back story behind Jason Bourne and help us better understand this character.

The game is repetitive really quickly. Run through a mission from checkpoint to checkpoint. Along the way you'll have a few goons to fight or shoot at, and if you're lucky, a few objects here and there to interact with. A few bosses can pop out of nowhere at times and attack you, just punch them with a few combos and perform take downs on them. But that's not all, they get up after take downs, so you have to rinse and repeat over and over again until you defeat the bosses. Sometimes, it feels like it's been 20 minutes you're fighting the same guy over and over again.

The fighting and shooting mechanics suck. Because the camera angles refuse usually to cooperate, it's a chore getting your cross hair directly on top of your target. Fighting probably wouldn't feel all that painful if it offered more combos, if the enemies you are fighting weren't frustratingly difficult (there are times when they are) and, most importantly, if it didn't happen that often. Another control scheme was with driving. Although it happens only once in the game that you drive a car (thank god!!!), the car controls itself so horribly it was worth mentioning it.

Elsewhere, there's not much fun to be had. During the most climatic moments of a cut scene, you'll be asked to press A button that appears on the screen just once. You can't tap it too late, or Bourne will die. A rhythm game is as climatic as things get in the Bourne Conspiracy. This ''minigame'' also happens when you take down multiple targets at once, or when evading take downs from bosses.

But the game does have it's positive points. It does look pretty good for one. And the sound acting is beautiful to hear. The story is quite good and interesting, and progressing through it is my only motivation to passing the game. Notice how everything else but the game play is great about this game? This leads me to believe that, as a Bourne film, it would've been awesome. In fact, since this is based on the Bourne Identity, it was an awesome movie. But as a game, maybe it was rushed or I don't know what, but it doesn't really work out well. If you really want to try this game, wait 'till a friend buys it by mistake and ask to borrow it from him or her, or at the very maximum, rent it.

Bad Teacher (2011)

Good comedy, but not without it's faults...

[6/10 · 27 June 2011]

I must say that my hopes were kind of high after seeing the red band trailer for Bad Teacher. In Bad Teacher, we are shown the story of Elisabeth Huksey (Cameron Diaz), who is a teacher in a junior high. She smokes pot, drinks alcohol in class, swears like a sailor and doesn't care about the education of her students (makes them watch movies like ''Scream'' instead). She's just in it for the money. Throughout the film, her goal is to save up as much money as possible in order to pay for her breast implants, which she desires a lot in order to seduce Scott Delacorte (Justin Timberlake), a new substitute teacher, even though Russell Gettis, the gym teacher (played by Jason Segel), has a crush on her. Meanwhile, the state bonus for the best teacher in the state could help Elisabeth get her breast implants, but she will have to tough it out with Amy Squirrel (played by Lucy Punch)...

In short, I guess that anyone who read the above synopsis knows where the movie is going. Although the film isn't always predictable, there are many times where it is. In fact, I predicted what the ending would be 35 minutes into the film (well at least part of it, because another part of the ending is totally random). The gags are, for the most part, hit-and-miss: when the gags are funny, they make you laugh, and I mean they make you laugh a lot. But there are times where they miss, and when you can easily hear a little cricket sound throughout the silence of the audience. Elsewhere, Lucy Punch's character was probably meant to be shown as an obnoxious woman, but she got onto my nerves so fast that when her jokes appeared, she just didn't make me laugh so much (although I don't blame Punch for that: Maybe directing???)

But my main complaint with this film is that the story really seems to go nowhere. The story focuses on Elisabeth trying to get her implants all along. It never/rarely does anything constructive or creative to elaborate on her situation. There isn't much of a story in there, just a bunch of situations here and there where Elisabeth is in some kind of a pickle. Also in the story, the character of Russell Gettis (pleasant though is, all thanks to Jason Segel) wasn't necessary at all to keep the story going. As far as I can tell, he's pretty much there as a minor tool to make sure the movie keeps going on. And what about the kids? The movie is called Bad Teacher but we rarely see what's become of her students except for two of them. I was expecting something a bit (yes that's a bit of a broad comparison) like School of Rock, where the children do play a role in the story: maybe her kids helping her get the money for her implants would have actually brought the story somewhere.

However, as much as I am bashing about it, there are a lot of positive things to say about this movie too. Cameron Diaz as Elisabeth Hulsey was perfect: The role seemed written for her. She shines in this film. Timberlake, Segel, and Punch also shine in their roles due to roles that also seem to be written directly for them, which sort of makes you realize how natural they feel in their characters's shoes. And just like I mentioned before, there is some pretty funny stuff in this film, and when it's funny, you will laugh out loud quite a bit.

That being said, this film is far from being a masterpiece. I felt it was lacking pace and that it lacked a real story to interest the viewer. If you're a teen (movie's target audience) and are searching for a raunchy comedy, then maybe you should go see it. But for anyone else, I'd recommend to wait for the DVD release or for it to air on TV. All in all, a disappointing film, but still one that shines in some places thanks to the performances of it's actors and some clever jokes here and there.

The Mechanic (2011)

Another Kick-ass movie with Statham

[9/10 · 24 February 2011]

Let me put something straight...I am a great fan of Statham's. I have enjoyed each of his movies, including ''War'' which more or less impressed me, and Crank 2 which basically looks like a disorganized and badly edited movie. Whether it's in Death Race, The Transporter(s), The Expendables, Crank, or any other movie with him in it, it's always awesome to see Statham kicking-ass. The Mechanic is no exception, for it offers a more constructive narrative than most of his other movies, but still offers plenty of action to satisfy any person expecting an action flick. I even saw it twice in theatres, though the second time doesn't really count, for my friend and I switched auditoriums because The Roommate sucked too badly.

The Mechanic is, for the most part, pretty intelligent. With the exception of it's brain-dead ending, it's story is actually pretty brilliant over all (yes, I am aware it's a re-make). What makes it so brilliant is how Bishop is always ready for something unexpected to happen, and how he does prepare himself to never get caught unexpectedly. I thought the acting was okay. The Cast know they're not making an Oscar-worthy film. Statham is at his usual self, but Ben Foster literally surprised me. Having seen only a bit of overacting from him in Alpha Dog, I was surprised by how not shabby his acting was. There's one scene in particular near the end, where he questions Bishop about his father's murder (after finding out by himself Bishop was the murderer). The emotion is there, in his face and in his eyes. Sure, I know he won't be nominated at the Oscars, but it was a strong performance indeed.

So the Mechanic is pretty much a story about a skilled hit-man named Arthur Bishop (Statham), who is extremely skilled. After a mission that made him kill his best friend, Bishop teaches his skills to the dead man's son, who, in return, tries to find who his father's killer is. THe film itself is brilliant, relying on killing techniques I would never have thought of. The way Arthur plans his missions and all the twists made sure to not let your brain off during the viewing, and the only problem I had was with the brain dead ending. First, no cops intervene in their fight. Next, you get Statham rolling out of a sudden death (those who have seen know what I mean). Killing Statham would have made much more dramatic effect, but I guess this is Statham after all.

All in all, I saw it twice in theatres, and I believe this film is worth watching. Great popcorn flick. Surely will buy this movie when it comes out on DVD/Blu-Ray.

Scott Pilgrim vs. the World (2010)

Visual video game experience is great!

[9/10 · 22 December 2010]

Movies turned video games have a tendency to suck a lot more than they should, though many of them do have great potential to be turned in video games. Video games turned into movies have a tendency to suck as well, but in a good way. I have no idea why, but more often than not, a movie adaptation of a video game manages to entertain me. As a result, I enjoyed Prince of Persia : The Sands of Time (though not being a great film) and Doom (I rated Doom a 9.0 back when I was a snotty little 12 year-old brat, but even today Doom can still manage to entertain me). When I first saw a trailer for this before the excellent Toy Story 3 this summer, the first thing I said to myself was ''Damn this is gonna suck'', and even when the first reviews, who were mainly over positive, came out, I still wasn't interested in viewing this film. But having rented this film just a few hours ago, and in fact just a few minutes after the viewing, I thought I might just write a review for it.

I've never read a Scott Pilgrim comic before, so I can't exactly say how faithful the film is to the comic books. But from what I saw in the movie, the story was great. We've all seen this story before, of an ordinary guy who is in love with a girl, but who must stand up to her boyfriend (usually two or three times the main character's size) in order to win her heart. Scott Pilgrim vs. The World makes our hero, an everyday normal guy (played by Cera, an actor I like very much), fall in love with crazy, colourful-haired Ramona (Mary Elizabeth Winstead). But to gain her love, he must defeat her ''Seven evil x's'' (yes you read right. Not ex-boyfriends, just X's).

Straight on you can say that the cast is perfect for this kind of film. It's really hard to see anybody else than Micheal Cera fill the shoes of Scott Pilgrim. He gives one of his most dynamic performances up to date, and he is definitely one of the good points of the film. Mary Elizabeth Winstead is an actress I did not know very well (besides her supporting role in ''Live Free or Die Hard''), but she also portrayed Ramona quite beautifully. In fact all the actors in this film play their roles to the maximum without ever over acting, they just always seem to have the right amount of character in their roles.

This is a film that will probably appeal mostly to teenage boys (like me) and their parents, who grew up during the NES generation. Back when the consoles only had a two-dimensional Mario character who would jump once in a while to get a penny, or stomp an evil mushroom. Being 14 years old (soon going on 15 :D), I am a person who, before buying his first console at the age of 9 (a Nintendo Gamecube), played with his dad's old NES. Even today, when I'm not on X-Box Live playing Madden, Call of Duty, NHL or a variety of other titles, I do plug out this old NES and, believe it or not, I do have a lot of fun with it. Therefore, those who have already experienced the NES will be delighted by the amount of references to old consoles this film makes. Whether the main character beats up bad guys and makes money out of it, or the opening Universal logo shown in 2-D, this film makes the most of gaming references.

Edgar Wright (Hot Fuzz, Shaun of the Dead) also takes comic-book adaptation to a whole other level. This film has comic book adaptation written all over it, but that's mostly due to the references it makes to comic books when it is not referencing video games. The typical ''BAM!'' shown when the character hits a baddie. The visual effects were super, and though I'm not really a geek, I do have to say that Mary Elizabeth Winstead with her purple/blue/green hair was hot. Though some of the gags fell flat on a few occasions, most of them brought smiles, chuckles and laughs to me and my 10 year old sister. The visual effects were super. Definitely going to buy this one, and while this might be a real turn down for some, geeks and parents who experienced NES games and read many comic books during their youth should have a great time watching this film.

Unstoppable (2010)

Popcorn entertainment at it's best!

[8/10 · 5 December 2010]

Just got back from a screening of ''Unstoppable''. I have to say, I came out pretty impressed. Unstoppable is the definition of popcorn entertainment: Just like this summer's ''The Expendables'', or ''Machete'', this is the perfect movie to just sit back with your popcorn and drink, and enjoy without asking yourself too many questions. I must admit that as much as I enjoyed this movie, I felt that the beginning was pretty slow, and I was actually starting to ask myself if this was the real, high-octane thrill ride it had promised itself to be, but after 20 to 25 minutes, I got my answer: It's definitely one hell of a thrill.

Based on actual events that happened in May 2001, the film centers around two men (Denzel Washington and Chris Pine), who work inside a train and who risk their lives to save a train with molten phenol, which is material that, if it had to come into contact with the oil tanks in Stanton (Pennsylvania), could cause massive damages. Sure, the movie was very exaggerated in some scenes: One of them in particular was when Washington's character jumps wagon to wagon like it's no big deal when actually, there's 70 miles per hour winds blowing straight in his direction. But then again, stunts are stunts and the exaggeration only happens a few times, for entertainment purposes only.

The screenplay is well-written, giving us a good amount of character development, and the direction is great. The main leads, Pine and Washington, give amazing performances that will probably not earn them any Oscars, but were very good for that type of movie. In fact, every actor in this movie was good. The visual effects are also good, and the thrill ride is intensely gripping. My two friends and I were literally on the edge of our seats, and there is a moment of relief when the film ends, where you can actually release your breath (you'll probably hold your breath during last hour and ten minutes of the movie).

This film is pure entertainment, it is the perfect definition of a popcorn movie. But due to some pretty unrealistic moments and a slow beginning, it is not a perfect movie. Still, it still ranks a solid 8 out of 10 and I promise you will not be disappointed with this movie.

Saw 3D (2010)

Great finale, otherwise disappointing movie (review from a Saw fan)

[5/10 · 24 November 2010]

Well there we have it folks! The ending to the Saw series! Well at least for the moment, until Lionsgate decide to announce an eighth film, or until some rookie director decides to re-boot the series in a few years' time. The yearly days of seeing bloody gratuitous violence invade our screens are finally over. As for me, I'm a die hard fan of Saw since the first film, but the most recent movies don't have the same depth as the original three movies, where Tobin Bell's character actually had a lot of meaning, whereas he is mostly (and mysteriously) re-used in every film, even four years after the character's death. Coming from the point of view of a Saw fan, this review will probably contain spoilers from this film and the other Saw movies, so if you haven't seen the movies, I recommend you click away from this review.

I was a bit skeptical upon entering the auditorium from Saw 3D (or Saw VII depending if you're viewing the movie in 3D or not), partly because of Rotten Tomatoes' consensus saying it was the worst movie of the series. Is it the worse? No. I found Saw V (2008) to be pretty bad, but still I found a way to like it. Saw 3D is a bit better than Saw V, but otherwise, it's the second worst movie of the franchise. Perhaps I was expecting too much out of Kevin Greutert, who had given us the incredible Saw VI last year. This year, his film is mostly sloppily directed and, for the most part, badly acted. Sean Patrick Flannery, Chad Donella and Laurence Anthony give borderline acceptable performances, while the rest of the actors are just plain bad. Cary Elwes and Tobin Bell give the best performances, but expect their characters not to be used more than 5 minutes each.

The traps I felt were very unoriginal. Besides for the opening trap and the closing trap, the traps in between were uninspired. I mean, am I the only one to believe that trap number one and trap number two resembled themselves a little? The spikes looked a lot the same, and really, it's a good thing that the challenges for main character Bobby varied a little because the traps looked no different from one another. The trap with Chester Bennington was unbelievably unrealistic. Another thing that bugged me was Gibson's character. He was unnecessary to the franchise, it just felt that the scriptwriters threw him in only to kill him afterwards, as if to say that by the end of this film, the Saw series will have killed all possible cops and have dealt with all the possible characters. I felt bad for Donella, because he really tried to make Gibson likable. The 3D was also lack luster, being used in the opening scene and on three other occasions in the film, none of them being more than five seconds each.

The good parts? Well the seventh Saw film shows us a pretty good ending twist to the whole franchise. Gordon's character might be used only five minutes, but he does play a HUGE part in the film despite very little screen time. The film seems to take us back in time by showing us clips from all six previous instalments, showing us familiar locations such as the infamous bathroom with Xavier and Adam's rotting corpses, and a familiar foot seems to be in there as well. The image is also beautiful, only because of the 3D (the screen is HD if you are viewing a real-D 3D projection). The opening trap is pretty exciting, and some of the dialogue (rarely) is actually pretty amazing as well. But of all of the positive points, the ending is the best. You will not believe how much I enjoyed it! There is also a few hidden messages for the fans only, like when Hoffman kills the cops (meaning Hoffman was not a real Jigsaw killer since Jigsaw had never really killed anybody, while the ''Reconstructing your life'' door has an effect on the poster, where Jigsaw is being rebuilt on a construction site.

So final view? Saw 3D feels a bit rough over the edges, but overall, I enjoyed it and I had a good time. The seventh instalment might not be the best, but it offers an impressing twist and a couple of exciting traps. The series, now being an excuse to show bloodbaths and torture scenes, might have lost some of it's queasiness. But overall, whether you are disappointed by the final movie, or if you enjoyed it, when Hello Zepp plays for the final time in theatres, you should be sitting in your seat with a smile on your face.

Jackass 3D (2010)

Best of the Jackass films

[9/10 · 11 November 2010]

As a fan of the MTV show, and of the first two films, I have to say that I had a damn good time watching Jackass 3-D last week (I didn't get ID'd :D), and I have to say it was a very funny movie. For those who are not aware of what Jackass is, it's pretty much a comedy that tries to make you laugh using shock value. It's separated mostly in 3 parts: dangerous stunts, crude stunts and hidden camera pranks usually involving random strangers. For those who weren't sure how much the 3-D is used in this film, I'll give you a small hint: it's used a lot. The Jackass movies are known for their incredible opening and closing sequences, and I can assure you that the 3-D is abused of in all the ways possible in the opening and closing sequences. For the fans, you might want to stay around during the credits, for you will have a special treat.

As for my personal opinion, it's hard to say really anything constructive about this film, because it's hardly a movie. It's a bunch of skits thrown in together in a 95 minute long movie. Just like the first two movies, this comes out as a longer version of the TV show, only with nudity and swearing. Just like Korey said on Spill.com, you can't walk into Jackass 3-D expecting nothing less than excellence, and that's what I did, and I enjoyed it. I have to say some stunts did gross me out, and I have a pretty solid stomach, such as for example ''The Sweat Cocktail'', ''The Apple of my Ass'', and one which involves Steve-O being launched in the air in a portable potty filled with crap. But then again, I can't say I didn't laugh myself silly during this film: All movie long, people in the theatre (and I was pleasantly surprised to see a full auditorium) were laughing and applauding. I found myself laughing out loud to all the stunts, though some of them like the ones mentioned above grossed me out more than they made me laugh. The only problem I can really think of is that some stunts we already saw (either from vol.1, vol.2, vol. 2.5 or the TV series), and while they still make us laugh, the comedic effect is lowered quite a bit

All in all, it's not a movie for everyone, but it almost comes out as a thank you to all the fans for having stuck with these guys for 10 years now. And frankly, the scene with Weezer's ''Memories'' almost brought tears to my eyes: Tears of joy. This is the part we realize the guys really wanted to offer a good time, and where we realize what the guys meant, a huge thank you. And honestly, I just felt like doing a standing ovation. Mission accomplished guys: I hope this is not the last we'll hear of Jackass, but if it is, it was a pleasure to stick around with you guys!

Machete (2010)

Future cult hit

[10/10 · 25 September 2010]

Machete is, by far, one of the best movies of 2010, behind Inception. It currently ranks as #2 of my top 10, but I have to say I haven't seen The Town yet, and I can say that it slightly topped Toy Story 3 for me, even though that's a pretty dumb comparison. People are dissing Machete for being cheesy and over-the-top violent...which was basically the whole point of this film. The film is an homage to 70's, B-Movie action flicks. Heck, I'm 14 and I understand that! (The film is 13 + in my province). Many scenes had me and a friend cracking up in laughter, and the same goes for the rest of the audience, around 2o or 25 other people at my late night Thursday screening, with most people being generally middle-aged men and teenage boys, along with three teenage girls and a young woman. Everybody laughed, everybody had fun, and everybody was talking about how much of a great time they had when the movie was over.

Machete is a light movie, it doesn't have much of a story besides Machete trying to get revenge on the people who double crossed him when he was trying to assassinate the senator. If you've seen Robert Rodriguez's Planet Terror, you probably saw everything you had to see story wise when the fake trailer aired. There are a few twists and turns, and the story itself, while being very very slight, was very captivating. Don't walk in there expecting a Tarantino movie with a genius script, Rodriguez's film exploits violence and does it in a very amusing way.

As for the cast, Danny Trejo is incredible as Machete. After around 25 years of career only having minor or supporting roles, Machete is Danny Trejo's first leading role, and you can't imagine any other actor portraying Machete with such intensity. On side notes, Michelle Rodriguez was also pretty good, Robert DeNiro, Don Johnson, and Jeff Fahey were also excellent, the best side performance being by Cheech Marin however. Jessica Alba wasn't half bad, and so was Lindsay Lohan. In all, the acting was above average. Danny Trejo, however, could win the best performance by an actor in a leading role - comedy or musical, at the next Golden Globes.

The action scenes were very bloody and gory, to the point of exaggeration, but they were funny and let the audience have a very good time. If you have a night to spare and you want to go to the movies, Machete is the type of movie that you walk in with your popcorn and drink, and you don't ask yourself too many questions.Go watch it now, it makes me sad to see this film flop, and it's not too late to go watch it. Currently #2 in my top 10 of 2010.

Takers (2010)

Good film

[8/10 · 12 September 2010]

I won't go calling this film excellent, but I will say that this film did the job. I guess that after seeing the trailer almost 10 months ago before Armored, I was having high expectations about this movie, and all in all, Takers succeeded them all. Takers basically talks about a group of ''Takers'' (robbers, played by Idris Elba, Paul Walker, Chris Brown, Hayden Christensen and Micheal Ealy) who meet their ex colleague Ghost (T.I.), and Ghost offers them a job that will get them a lot of money. Meanwhile, police officers Jack Welles and Eddie Hatcher (played by Matt Dillon and Jay Hernandez respectively) try to follow their case in order to get them. Basically, it's yet another movie about a robbery gone wrong. Remember, the kind of robbery that's always supposed to go right until everything goes wrong? The cast is, altogether, pretty good. The best performances come from Micheal Ealy, Idris Elba, Jay Hernandez and Paul Walker, at least I found, whereas Hayden Christensen has some good scenes. Chris Brown and T.I. gave some pretty solid performances as well, despite having heard negative comments about them. Chris Brown and T.I. aren't as good as Eminem was in 8 Mile, but their acting was far from horrible. As for Matt Dillon, I felt he was inconsistent. Great in some scenes, and lousy in others. Most of the time however, the scenes in which he was bad was because I felt he had a bit more cheesy dialogue than the other characters.

The script is unfortunately highly original. As a story itself, it isn't all that bad, but we have some characters who are highly underdeveloped with others who are overdeveloped. The action scenes were (generally) pretty well filmed, but the main plot idea is a little...borrowed from many movies we saw before. The scene I felt was the most stupid was when Jake and Jesse go out to kill the cops (or just basically die there). The main idea isn't all stupid but couldn't we just see the actual shootout instead of just a small part of it? Thank God that the shootout in the hotel room was pretty awesome. The dialogue is sometimes cheesy, but then again, how could one not expect that? Cheezy dialogue, cheesy scenes, unoriginal main idea...Definitely, Takers will not be remembered by many people as much more than it is. It's not a film that will be making it's way to the Golden globes or the Oscars, but there is something about this film that I really enjoyed....Maybe it's the fact that I was actually hoping to be entertained, and that totally happened. I'm actually looking forward to buying this one on DVD.

The Last Exorcism (2010)

Good try....

[5/10 · 6 September 2010]

The Last Exorcism is far from being a great movie. Yet, it's very far from being a flop. I can say this film was good for me and yet it was disappointment. There was just a little something that didn't work out for me. I won't go blaming it on the budget....at 1.8 million $ budget, the filmmakers do what they can, and on the visual side, they actually did a pretty good job. The actors themselves are actually great in their roles, particularly Patrick Fabian and Louis Herthum, while Ashley Bell is also believable in her role. The story revolves on Cotton Marcus, who wants to prove that the ritual of exorcism is fake, decides to do a ritual on a family who believes their daughter is possessed by the devil. But things don't go as planned...

The beginning, I could tell everyone in the theatre was bored, but while others seemed frustrated about the movie, I had a big smile on my face. I was thinking that these fools have watched so many hostel and Saw movies (As much as I love these franchises, I believe whoever thinks of Saw as a horror film is an idiot) that they forgot what real horror was about, about making people grow in an atmosphere of terror little by little in order to show images later on that will scare them. The Last Exorcism started well, and in fact, the first few minutes were actually quite amusing. But it quickly became clear that, after 15 or 20 minutes, that the documentary aspect wasn't going to end soon.

For those who heard about Last Exorcism as being one of the scariest horror films of the year, I guess you shouldn't believe it. This film didn't make me jump once, although it did send chills down my spine once or twice. I think I jumped a lot more during Piranha 3D. The ending was a bit vague, but the more I think about it, the more I like it. I guess my expectations were a bit too high. District 9, the documentary asset, was about half an hour long but this film is almost a 99 minute long documentary. The horror doesn't come out as scary as it could because it feels like they bore you enough after 30 to 40 minutes, that when the film does become scary, you just don't care.

But I am happy with one thing: Having a horror film with a good script is rare nowadays, and this film succeeds in making itself different by offering a somewhat good story. Daniel Stamm deserves credit for trying something a bit more...different, I would say, but the film itself isn't just all that great. With Eli Roth as a producer, I was actually hoping for something better. Maybe when it comes out on DVD I will rent it, and knowing what it is, I will probably watch it from a different perspective, but for now, I don't feel like spending 11 bucks twice on a film I didn't really enjoy. All in all, if you walk in with no expectations, you will probably enjoy, because most people who enjoyed it seemed to have no expectations, but if you expect this film to be the all-time scariest movie, then you will be disappointed. If you're not sure, rent it on DVD when it comes out. It was a nice try...but sadly, on today, September 6th, 2010, this film ranks a 5/10. It's not that bad....but it could have been better.

Piranha 3D (2010)

Expect the Expected

[9/10 · 30 August 2010]

For those of you who saw the trailer, you can already expect loads of nudity and gore. And if you walk in Piranha 3D (do yourself a favour and watch it in 3D, it's definitely worth it) expecting these things, then you'll have a good time. Maybe it will go down in history as being a cult favourite within 10 or 15 years from now, but it probably won't be nominated at the Golden Globes or the Academy Awards, and that's fine because the crew know that and only want to offer a really great time. Piranha is a film that won't please to everyone: After all, it's sort of meant to laugh of other horror movies that use huge chunks of blood and gore to ''scare'' you, without exactly being a parody.

All in all, I was pleased with what I got. Some scenes had me laughing quite hard while in others, I literally jumped out of my seat. The acting was good, with no one really acting great, but everybody, from Elisabeth Shue to Jerry O'Connell, while going through Kelly Brook, Porn Star Riley Steele, Ving Rhames and small-time actors Jessica Szohr and Steven R. McQueen, everybody seemed to be having fun while shooting this movie. The CGI effects weren't as bas as expected and frankly, I didn't notice one scene featuring some cheesy dialogue. Blood and Gore is served in buckets and litres, so you might want to be prepared for that, and there's a lot of nudity as well. Maybe not a safe bet for young children but teens will have probably seen worse movies.

Story: An earthquake liberates thousands of bloodthirsty, prehistoric piranhas during the same week Lake Victoria is celebrating the annual spring break, where hundreds of teens come to party every year. Sheriff Julie Forester (Elisabeth Shue) tries to keep some order until she discovers about the piranhas and tries her best to close the lake with her deputies. Meanwhile, her son Jake (Steven R. McQueen) is asked by the Derrick (Jerry O'Connell) and his Girls Gone Wild stars Danni and Crystal (Kelly Brook and Riley Steele) to show them the nicest places in town to start filming their next porno film, even though his mother had clearly told him to stay home to babysit his younger brother and sister.

Of course there's much more to it than that but if I were to write too much about the plot I would probably write a full-length spoiler. All in all, expect what you expect from the trailers and definitely sit back with your popcorn and drink and get ready for a hell of a ride. Definitely one of my top 10 films of the year so far.

The Other Guys (2010)

Funniest film of the summer, possibly of 2010 as well

[10/10 · 29 August 2010]

I say that as of a few months ago, my reviews weren't 10 stars for any movie I loved and 4 (or lower for movies I hated) anymore. But to my eyes, this movie truly deserves it's 10 star rating. In The Other Guys, there wasn't a minute in which I felt bored, or started looking at my watch. There wasn't a minute in which I wasn't either laughing my a** off or being captivated by the action sequences. The chemistry between Wahlberg and Ferrell works very well, but the real highlight of the film comes from the first 10 or 15 minutes with Highsmith and Davidson (Samuel L. Jackson and Dwayne ''The Rock'' Johnson), who come out as two crazy cops who deliver both a load of action and laughs. too bad we didn't see them more.

I don't want to say much about this film's plot but I can assure you that you will definitely laugh, and thus, more than once. Of course it's a Will Ferrell movie, and his style seems to be a love it/hate it type of humour, and it is shown a bit in this film so if you are bothered with his style maybe you shouldn't see it, but if you enjoy his style then there is no reason you shouldn't see this film. Ferrell had me laughing a lot and so did Mark Wahlberg, shown here in a style of movie we aren't used to see him. Surprisingly, his funny lines come out better than expected (I'll never look at that actor the same way since his performance in the Departed, one of the greatest performances ever), and even more laughs came from other small roles, such as Eva Mendes and Brooke Shields. In all it's the funniest movie of the year so far, and it definitely has a chance at scoring high during the Golden Globes next Februray. Go see it now!

Dinner for Schmucks (2010)

Go see it

[8/10 · 10 August 2010]

First off, I heard that the original French film is a classic, but I have never seen it so I cannot and will not compare this movie to the original. All I can say is that I walked in expecting a laugh out loud comedy and I came out with a huge smile on my face, ready to see it twice, which is something that rarely happens in movies when I see them at the theatres. This is a really funny movie that can't compare with other funny movies like the Hangover, but is certainly a lot better than all the ''comedies'' we're used to see in the theatre nowadays.

Good points: The humour is almost non-stop, and I was surprised to see that the whole theatre was laughing. Not one person seemed unhappy, not one person didn't laugh, clap or smile. The chemistry between Paul Rudd and Steve Carell is solid. Speaking of Carell, to my eyes, he totally owned the film. His character got the most laughs. I loved Steve Carell in this film. And a few appearances by Zach Galifianakis (a.k.a Allan from the Hangover) were hilarious. A solid script kept the laughs coming, and that's just what you expect from a comedy like this.

Cons: Some characters were just underdeveloped, used too much, not seen enough or had nothing to do at all with the story. Andrea Savage could have been used a lot more than two scenes since she's part of the office, Lucy Punch was used too much for what her character could do with the story. Zack Galifianikis could have been used a lot more.

All in all, just shut your brain off and watch this film....you'll have a good time

Inception (2010)

The best film of the year so far, and probably will be hard to beat by anyone else.

[10/10 · 28 July 2010]

Although the Dark Knight was one of the best movies ever, Batman Begins was beyond excellent and Memento was just pure genius, Christopher Nolan brings us HIS masterpiece with Inception. Inception is a mix of all three movies mentioned above: It is one of the best movies ever, is beyond excellent and is pure genius. Many people feel that it is overrated but I definitely stay true to myself when I say that not only it is the best movie of the year so far, but also one of my favourites of all time. Some people will not be pleased with the very complex story it has to offer, but to understand you have to watch this film with your brain. Don't walk in thinking it's just an ordinary action movie because you'll walk out thinking you got ripped. It's definitely one of these films where you must think all along, where you must use your brain.

Usually in my reviews I leave the second paragraph for the flaws of the film. It's what I disliked about a film that comes in my second paragraph. But I can't seem to find any about Inception, since it's so beautifully well crafted all along. Leonardo DiCaprio gives what appears to be the best performance of his career, and unless some huge hotshot actor gives an incredible performance before the end of the 2010 year, DiCaprio's definitely got the chance to get the award that has been running away from him three times already (the Aviator, Blood Diamond, what's eating Gilbert Grape). The rest of the cast is also very good, with special mentions to Tom Hardy, Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Ellen Page.

As for the visual effects, there's only one word to describe them: Fantastic. Nolan does not use visual effects all the time but when you are seeing them, you definitely feel in a dream. Unless some Avatar like movie makes his way on the big screen before the end of the year, Inception could very well receive the best visual effects as well. In fact let's face it, Inception will be nominated in just about every category. Best picture, best actor in a leading role, best original script, best director (Don't you dare neglect Nolan for this one), Best visual effects, best sound, best sound editing, best editing, and I wouldn't be surprised if it won them all. And by the way, it's the first time I notice everything like that in a movie...I don't usually praise the editing or the sound or anything.

Story: Dom Cobb (Leonardo DiCaprio) is a thief. But not any regular thief, he is a highly skilled thief who, with the help of technology, can infiltrate a person's mind while the latter is asleep to retrieve information such as ideas. Due to some odd circumstance (I won't spoil), he cannot go see his children in America, but has the chance to do so, if he can complete this last job for Saito (Ken Wantanabe), a weapon manufacturer: Inject an idea in the mind of his competitor, Robert Fischer (Cillian Murphy). In short, it's a very complicated story but the most brilliant of us will understand it without a doubt and the less brilliant just need to stay awake with their brains on. That being said, only one sentence remains to my review: Wherever you are, no matter what date it is, go watch this film RIGHT NOW!

Jonah Hex (2010)

Not really what I'd call a catastrophe...

[9/10 · 30 June 2010]

Jonah Hex isn't one of the best movies I have seen. In fact, I can even guarantee you that it will not be in my top 10 at the end of the year. I can also guarantee that it will be nominated for a couple of Razzie awards, but who cares? I found it to actually be really entertaining. I have some problems still with the editing, particularly towards the end when he's dreaming of a fight with Turnbull and he's fighting him at the same time...This sequence got a little bit confusing. Another sequence that was confusing was when the Natives were treating his bullet wound...It was a bit weird to watch, kind of because of the editing. The film also disappointed me with it's length. My friend and I looked at each other when the credits rolled and we thought we had only spent half an hour inside the movie theatre. But if you continue reading you'll find out why I enjoyed so much.

One of the main reasons I liked it was because of the performances of the actors. Josh Brolin gives all he's got in an energetic performance as the title character, Jonah Hex. On the side notes, Megan Fox is also pretty good, and for once her acting is okay. Perhaps it's just a step higher in a career that will otherwise, like it or not, last a long time. John Malkovich is a talented actor, but we can all agree that his performance as Quentin Turnbull wasn't his best. But even the most talented movie makers and actors also go wrong once in a while, and while his performance wasn't that bad, it wasn't typical John Malkovich. Micheal Fassbender is probably the worst, and his acting was much better in last year's Inglourious Basterds. On another note, the early moments of the film shown in ''comic'' remind a lot of what Quentin Tarantino had done in Kill Bill, and were definitely a plus for me.

As for the script, people need to stop bashing it. It was written by Mark Neveldine and Brian Taylor, the two guys behind Crank, Crank : High Voltage and Gamer. The people who have seen all three of the movies I mentioned above probably understand that these guys have their own style, and that their style is reflected everywhere in this movie. Of course perhaps the violence has been toned down for the PG-13 rating but the style is reflected, particularly in the way the dialogues are spoken and in the way the action is presented.

Story: Jonah Hex (Josh Brolin) is a disfigured man whose family was killed by Quentin Turnbull (John Malkovich. Hex tries his best to find Turnbull, who fakes his own death, but believing Turnbull is dead, he becomes a bounty hunter that is wanted dead or alive. His only relationship is with a prostitute named Lilah (Megan Fox). But once Turnbull comes back, Hex will stop at nothing to kill the man once for good. Personally, I enjoyed it, and although this film will not please to everyone, those who enjoyed Neveldine/Taylor's previous works will certainly enjoy this film. If you don't like their style, perhaps you should stay as far back as possible from this movie, because it is not a comic-book adaptation like any other. If you're sure you want to see it then I suggest you go now because at this time, the film is flopping, and to become a success, it needs money. If you're not sure, wait to rent the DVD or Blu-Ray and if you think it will suck, then do yourself a favour unlike many people did here on IMDb and just don't go watch it, because frankly, I believe some people knew they'd find it bad and just went to see it to be able to complain afterwards.

7 Days (2010)

Definitely the best Canadian movie so far

[10/10 · 19 May 2010]

I haven't seen the Trotsky yet, although it does sound like an awesome movie. And I'm not the type of guy who will rush in the theatres for a Canadian movie: Most of the time, I don't even like the films my country produces, as I am more of an American cinema follower. But I have to admit it, if the film looks awesome, then chances are I will see it, regardless of it's country of origin. Les 7 Jours Du Talion is a very rare example of how a Canadian film - no let me change this- how any movie should be made. Of course people are going to say this is a revenge movie like any other, but where Les 7 jours Du talion (or Seven days) differs from movies like The Last House on the Left is that the violence (which is surprisingly realistic and shocking) isn't there to excite the viewer, but it's there mostly to disturb him or her and does so effectively in this intense psychological drama.

The story is about a surgeon named Bruno Hamel whose 8 year-old daughter Jasmine is kidnapped and brutally raped and murdered. When the police think they have found the killer, Bruno kidnaps the main suspect and tells the police that for seven days, he will torture the man and kill him on the seventh day as an act of vengeance. Hervé Mercure, played by Rémy Girard, is the cop in charge of stopping Bruno, however, he has a secret of his own. Reading this synopsis, you probably think that you have seen this material a lot already but no movie has shown this material in a more effective manner than seven days. For those who don't know, Seven days is based on a book by Patrick Senécal, an author who is well known in Quebec for writing horror and suspense novels (he is also one of my favourite authors, I discovered him after viewing this film). The actors are marvellous in their roles, each and every one of them from the intense portrayal of Bruno from Claude Leagault, to the rapist Martin Dubeuil, an actor I had never even heard of, who is majestic in this role.

The story itself is well written, however, there were many aspects of the book that were not included (I have read the book after viewing the film). Perhaps because some of it is too graphic, as the book is extremely violent at times, and the film is also shockingly violent at times. This is not a film for everyone, so if you have a weak stomach, certain scenes will leave you disgusted. The soundtrack was a bit of a problem at times, since there isn't any music. It makes you feel a lot closer to the character's pain as you feel that is unveiling in your eyes directly, but in the end there just seems to be something missing. The directing by Daniel Grou, also known as Podz is very well made, and he has a future in front of him. The ending many people will hate but I loved, because...well if you see this film the same way I did, you will understand. The only real people who can understand this film completely are the ones who will understand and like the ending. If you are an American (I heard this was going to be distributed in many countries including America), I highly suggest you try to find a copy and watch it. Honestly, Canada could choose this film to represent them in the 2011 Academy Awards and I wouldn't be surprised if it was selected.

Kick-Ass (2010)

Big Daddy and Hit-Girl own this film!!

[10/10 · 20 April 2010]

Kick-Ass. When I first saw the trailer when I was at the th eaters, viewing Sherlock Holmes with a friend, I wasn't too sure. At first glance, with the original green band trailer, I felt that it would be a comedy that would fall flat in the likes of Aaron Seltzer and Jason Friedberg, those who came up with the horrible Epic Fail (did I just say fail? I meant Epic Movie), with the okay Meet the Spartans and this bad disaster film, Disaster Movie. Eventually, my friend invited me this weekend (opening week-end) to see Kick-Ass, and since I just had a bit of money to spend, I sighed and said ''Why not?''. So, Saturday night (I went on Sunday), I you-tubed videos of Kick-Ass, and looked especially at the red-band trailer. And that's when I knew it was going to be a hell of a ride.

For those who have only seen the Green-band trailer (Which is horrible, by the way and does not do the film justice), Kick-Ass seems horrible. Thankfully, the horrible parts of this trailer only appear in the first fifteen minutes of the movie (at one point I felt like leaving because I thought I had just been fooled. Everyone in the auditorium seemed to be laughing when this dude crashes on top of the car, except me). But I am really glad that I did stay to see this film. The typical teen dilemma that happens surrounding Dave (Aaron Johnson) feels highly realistic (and yes, I am a teen, therefore I could relate a bit to Dave when he wasn't wearing his Kick-Ass costume).

The actors were all pretty good. Aaron Johnson is convincing enough as Dave, and Mark Strong is also awesome (except I felt like I had seen him do better in other movies, for instance, Sherlock Holmes). Christopher Mintz-Plasse, whom most of you will recognize as McLovin, from Superbad, has a terrific performance as Red Mist, whom I will not spoil too much on. But the main performances I felt were awesome were Nicholas Cage (Big Daddy, a.k.a Damon Macready) and his supporter, Hit-Girl (Chloe Moretz, a.k.a Mindy Macready). I couldn't understand where all the controversy surrounding her character, because when I was her age, my friends and I would cuss frequently and play war and kill many people in different manners in our heads). Hit-Girl got many laugh out louds from both the audience and myself, whereas Big Daddy had the most awesome scenes. Heck, I felt like watching an action movie whenever Big Daddy was on screen.

Big Daddy's scenes were the best because whenever Nicholas Cage would wear the costume (basically a look-alike of Batman's costume), you would feel his intensity (Big Daddy does not fight every criminal, only the ones he feels interfere with his cause, because he has a specific cause). The music chosen in the background could create with any scene either an atmosphere of intensity like in the warehouse scene where Big Daddy kills a lot of bad guys, or a comedic atmosphere, like Dave most of the time when he does not wear the Kick-Ass costume. Nicholas Cage is also incredible when it comes to creating many funny moments with his daughter Mindy. Their chemistry works perfect.

Story: Dave is a teen who does not know why nobody has ever tried to be a superhero. He buys a scuba suit off the internet, and decides he will become Kick-Ass, a crime fighter. Eventually, Frank D'Amico (Mark Strong), a mobster, hears about Kick-Ass, he decides he will try to stop him once and for all. Kick-Ass meets with Big Daddy and Hit-Girl, and they all team up to fight D'Amico. Perhaps the best thing about Kick-Ass is that it's different. Nobody has ever really tried to make a real, laugh-out-loud comedy based on superheroes. The actors work perfectly, the style is different, the laughs come and go all the time and perhaps the best is the way the action scenes were filmed. Perhaps Kick-Ass is a bit too early to be called a blockbuster yet but if Kick-Ass were to open the blockbuster season, I can definitely predict an awesome summer. If you are fan of hero movies such as Spider-Man, Iron Man, Watchmen, etc... then you will find a few winks here and there. Long live Kick-Ass, and I definitely hope for a sequel.