taikung1 Reviews

A Bronx Tale (1993)

"One of the great ones"

[10/10 · 17 October 2016]

The true value in this must see coming of age story is found in its gritty, authentic story line, cinematography and acting done by sensational casting. Robert De Niro and Chazz Palminteri reach deep down and bring to life the core essence of that internal struggle of direction faced by many youth when told to just do the right thing but never told what the right thing is.

Growing up poor with parents that make an honest living, Colagero (C) tries to understand his father's life lessons but can't contain his ever increasing curiosity and reverence for the local thugs. After C witnesses a crime and responses to it the way the streets taught him, the neighborhood enforcer (Sunny) takes Colagero under his wing to teach a few life lessons of his own. The methods of each role model may be different but the message is the same.. There are consequences for compromising on integrity and values.

For C this fact is something that isn't easily understood without living it first hand. He struggles to balance the only 2 futures presented a neighborhood boy growing up in the Bronx which are a safe mundane pseudo existence or an exciting fast paced lifestyle of money, power and respect.

Sicario (2015)

A hit with a purpose

[7/10 · 9 October 2016]

Sicario gives a first person account of FBI agent Kate Macy who although no stranger to the cruelty cause by the Mexican Cartel, is seemingly put over her head in a new assignment. With the support of superb cinematography there brings out a sense of loneliness and self reliance as Kate attempts to figure out her role and the end game scenario being worked out by the US bureaucrats.

Director Denis Villeneuve gives a methodical crime thriller with a generous helping of suspense. Married to a constant stream of questions and mind wondering theories were surreal scenes of brutality coupled by imagery only observed when in deep thought. This style of cinematography created emotions of loneliness and self reliance as fears mounted towards how Kate was being used.

A stellar performance by Benisio Del Toro playing the roll of a dauntless Alejandro further added to the films mystery. Born out of a world where human lives are worth more dead because they make a stronger statement, Alejandro seeks revenge against the cartel with the US government at his disposal.

The questions to Kate's involvement become answered in a very matter of fact manner. Instead of keeping the level of suspense and concern for her safety the story drops the ball and although tries, can't quite grasp it as it bounces away. It was disappointing after being brought down the rabbit hole with Kate only to discover her roll was technical and minimally subversive. In an era of film making history where antiheroes are the new champions, this movie may have missed its opportunity for greatness by not basing the story more around Alejandro from start to finish.

Mysterious Island (2005 TV Movie)

The perfect blend of shoddy camera work and comically unrealistic cgi

[2/10 · 28 September 2016]

It's doubtful that even the B level talent would have put their names on this if they were allowed to sample the cgi beforehand. Fortunately there are only a handful of creatures to endure that unintentionally provide this film's only comic relief. There was a total lack of effort put into involving the viewer in any aspect of character or story development. Labeled as "Made for TV" doesn't absolve this movie for desecrating Jules Verne's name and vision..

To get through this film.. Image that it was produced in a 1950's black and white style picture and change all the cgi creatures to a paper mache equivalent. This will make all the awkward "horrified" expressions and poor camera cuts easier to accept. Be sure to watch the preview before investing any time into starting this show.

Homefront (I) (2013)

Statham always delivers

[7/10 · 21 July 2014]

This story is about Phil Broker, played by Jason Statham, who moves into a small town hoping to provide a better living for his daughter. Despite his attempts to keep his nose clean, he manages to get himself into trouble with the locals including a meth dealer named Morgan 'Gator' Bodine played by James Franco that basically runs the town. Dealing with Gator and his cronies is almost manageable thanks to the "don't mess with me" message Broker sends to the town until his past life of a DEA agent catches up with him.

The name says Homefront, but this screenplay written by Sylvester Stallone is anything but family friendly as there is plenty of vulgarity and violence in this film. If searching for something that is going to spark a little aggression, like after a bad day at work, Jason Statham always delivers a high degree of action. The film will put viewers into those situations where they'd either say, "what would I do if.." or "I wish I had.." and let's Statham play out the fight scenarios with maximum leverage.

This movie had excellent fight scenes, great tactical thinking and a pretty decent story line. Everyone played their part well and for the most part we're convincing of their role. The only issue I had was with James Franco's acting ability couldn't quite sell the character he played. Thankfully all the supporting actors and actresses were able to meet this deficit and help develop the character to keep the overall scene value consistent.

This isn't a movie to run out and buy for your collection, but it is a good one to experience once.

Wicked Blood (2014 Video)

Wicked Bad

[3/10 · 13 July 2014]

Wicked Blood follows the life of a "diamond in the rough" teenage girl brought up in tragedy and hardship. She relates the people in her life to chess pieces and uses concepts of the game to devise a plan as a means to take control of her life. Part of this plan is to join up with her uncle's gang as a drug mule transporting $20K worth of product for $10 a trip. Hilarity ensures… Right!? Wrong.

Instead of this movie taking itself so seriously it should have been made to be more of a situational comedy given the plot. The director seems to try and feign intellect into the story through chess concepts of strategy, but this direction further complicates the overall production value as it give the entire movie muted undertone. Sometimes movies are made just for the sake of making movies and this one is no exception. The adventure of our young, dumpy hero flows well enough, but it was uninteresting at best and often took turns that where pointless and lead nowhere to enriching the story line. The actors did OK to play their part but nothing stood out more than just a day at the office for them.

In some cases, I can identify and concede to a target audience enjoying a film but for this one I'm completely at a loss.

Out of the Furnace (2013)

But Not Into the Fire

[7/10 · 12 July 2014]

Christian Bale and Casey Affleck star in a true to life, genuine movie about 2 brothers very with different ideals about how to achieve a high quality of life while playing the hand life has dealt them. There wasn't much by way of character development at first, other than you're given the challenges they face, but the rest is picked up through their environment. This was probably intentional because the story very much stayed to the theme of what will this person do next or how will this scenario play out.

The movie starts off violent, gets really slow for about a half hour and then finally ties a story together. The all-star cast including Forest Whitaker, Willem Dafoe, Woody Harrelson and even Zoe Saldana were all convincing and really identified with the parts they played. Christian Bale above the others has the ability to completely absorb himself into a role, but as authentic as he is, you never really are given a connection to him or any of the other characters in this film although you do understand them.

This was a well-produced and believable movie. Other than some of the lulls in story line, it was fairly entertaining but the sheer raw talent that the actors put into this film makes it a very good watch.

Jack Reacher (2012)

Jack Reaching...

[6/10 · 9 July 2014]

As a book this story flows incredibly well moving from chapter to chapter which warrants a much better rating, but as a movie it doesn't translate well enough scene to scene. The story had lots of action, was entertaining thanks to some bumbling scenes and comedic quips but there was a lack of any real thrill. Any situation our hero was put in failed to deliver that suspenseful feeling of "what would I do or how would I get out of this situation" because without a doubt Jack Reacher will skillfully exceed the challenges of any event.

Tom Cruise stars as ex-military cop Ethan Hawk in a... wait... make that Jack Reacher, but just as impossible to believe is that one hit from anything short of a wiffle ball bat wouldn't topple Tom let alone a blunt wooden object to the back of his head. Cruise relies heavily on his demeanor to sell the character, which he has the talent to do, but in the world of on screen bad asses I'd rate him just above Jack Black in Nacho Libre.

Another miscasting award for this flick was that of co start Rosamund Pike. Her best attribute is in the way she looks at the the actors which admittedly she has the skill to put the viewer into a trance that will make you stop thinking of reasons why she's not a good actress. I'm curious how she passed expressions in acting school but I imagine it would be something like this... Show me: Love: O_O Fear: O_O Sadness: O_O, Hate: (_ (. There has to more style and charisma to acting than just a pretty faced, groggily eyed look to the side of the camera.

Overall though the movie wasn't a waste of time. It was a good story and (as long as you're not looking for anything intellectual) entertaining enough to keep you interested.

Grand Piano (2013)

Movement Four: Out the Door

[3/10 · 4 July 2014]

Tom Selznick played by Elija Wood stars as an already nerve shot pianist coming back after 5 years to the stage after an emotionally debilitating performance. To make matters worse, there's an added suspense from an unknown antagonist threatening to shoot our piteous pianist unless he plays a perfect performance…

The story movement was consistent with the performance which was meant to character develop Tom's talent in timing and multi-tasking ability, however there was really nothing substantial or creative to benefit this flick. The lead actors were on point but some of the supporting roles left much to be desired. I wouldn't define this movie as a waste of time as the production was taken seriously enough to think it all through. If the piano was your interest for watching this movie however, a much more interesting and entertaining choice would be the must see film "The Legend of 1900".

When Grand Piano ended, I was left with more questions than answers including what the point was of this movie ever being made. Due to the excellent performance, this movie had much more entertainment value than if the same scenario were to say… I don't know... happen in a phone booth or something.

World War Z (2013)

Once bitten Twice Shy

[5/10 · 4 July 2014]

WWZ may be a zombie movie, but it's not your average slow moving limping around type creatures that someone could walk up to and kill with a knife to the head before they reacted. These zombies seem to make use of their muscle structure, form and function which allow them to run, jump and climb to complete their objective of spreading the virus inside them. The problem is their objective isn't to eat as much as it is to spread their plague with a predator like aggression so there is very little to no gore save a few teeth marks and a crushed zombie head or 2.

You'll know the moment that the first attack starts if you've made a good decision to see this movie or not. If you're unimpressed by the concept, then it's safe to quit watching the rest of the movie and find a spoiler alert if you can't already guess what will happen. For those who are impressed, hold on to those thoughts through the rest of the show because the 2 hour long movie doesn't get that much more interesting even though you can feel the potential is there!

Gerry Lane played by Brad Pitt is a former investigator for the UN and tasked with finding patient 0 where the virus originated to help make a cure for this pandemic. He travels to a few countries to investigate what they know which all seem to lead to dead ends so he's forced to rely less on protocol for finding the answers and more on observation to find a more creative solution. This movie offers a new twist to an old concept but really isn't much more than movie "filling food".

Odd Thomas (2013)

An outcast set on justice

[8/10 · 4 July 2014]

This movie takes you on an adventure with an outcast who not only sees the dead but is willing to risk his own well being to bring about justice. This righteous integrity is fueled by Odd's strong connection to his inner circle including his girlfriend Stormy Llewellyn played by Addison Timlin. The movie mixes twists and turns well in a creatively action packed time line of events that will answer the questions that the story leaves off with from scene to scene.

The connection between Stormy and Odd Thomas played by Anton Yelchin can best be described as one of pure admiration for each other. Anton Yelchin was the perfect fit for this role and his on screen chemistry with Addison Tilmin was not only sold, it came with a lifetime warranty! The story captured the essence of 2 people who found each other's muse that inspired one another to be the best at everything they are and do and what that would look like. Addison Tilmin is not only beautiful but has the substance of an elite actress right down to her subtle mannerisms which are absolutely memorizing. It is quite refreshing to see not just another pretty face and call that talent but rather someone with character and wit that knows how to entertain the viewer as Addison provides to her role.

The movie does have some violence and a fight scene which must have been practiced extensively because the movements are quite legit. Other than being completely entertaining, this movie will make you laugh and may bring a tear to your eye. It was well thought out, creative, entertaining and most importantly original and also gave a witty undertone which prevented the movie from being dark.

Lawless (2012)

A unique perspective of prohibition criminals

[7/10 · 4 July 2014]

Lawless takes a unique perspective of the prohibition era away from the gangsters of the day to the people that ran the moonshine distilling and distribution businesses behind the scenes and the challenges they faced. Based on a true story, this movie follows 3 brothers as they fight for their position and respect in the illegal business.

Few actors bring a high level of intensity to the character they play as Tom Hardy does and for his role as Forrest Bondurant, it's no let down. Shia LaBouf is too hokey an actor to take seriously in his role and tended to undersell some scenes due to a lack of appropriate or sincere expression and others like when he was getting a beat down by Special Deputy Charley Rakes couldn't oversell the scene more unless he did actual cartwheels after getting hit. The rest of the cast gave a quality performance and overall this movie is an interesting and exciting film to see.

Horrible Bosses (2011)

Great date movie

[7/10 · 3 July 2014]

There aren't too many directors as bold as Seth Gordon (also known for 4 Christmases) to try and mix several different comedic styles into one movie. Each of the actors brings their own perspective of what's funny to the table and were seemingly given free rein to portray their talents. Depending on what the viewer finds funny however, there was about 20 minutes of solid entertainment. The only consistent style throughout was the use of its cutesy sexual humor which is what earned this movie 6 out of 10 stars but a solid 8 as a specific great date movie. The plot was rather enjoyable. 3 friends all hate their bosses and decide the only course of action is to off them. Not having any knowledge on how to kill someone, they seek the aid of a killer 'MF' Jones played by Jamie Foxx. This made for an interesting twist, partly because Jamie Foxx used to play a clown and became this GQ facade after Ray but in this movie seems to fall back into his original more fitting role of being a joke. Always Sunny in Philadelphia actor Charlie Day has to be noted as being the most influential character who sticks with you well after the movie is over partly because he becomes slightly annoying. For timing and uniqueness, no one can hold a candle to Kevin Spacey. There is really not a lot of substance or mentionable other than that. See the movie if you have a date otherwise wait until it's free to watch and still save for a rainy day... Sorry Philadelphia.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 (2011)

Exceptional - Worth Watching in 3D

[9/10 · 3 July 2014]

The Deadly Hallows part 2 ends the decade long legacy of Harry Potter. In this ultimate good versus evil showdown, the once "He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named" has now established himself as Lord Voldemort and has now seized control of every political establishment. With his support and allegiance of an army, the time has come to change the magic world from one of acceptance and tolerance to one of power and domination. The only thing standing in his way is "The boy that lived", Harry Potter, whose very life is the symbolic manifestation of defiance against wrong doing.

Whether or not you're a fan of the series, there is something mesmerizing and fascinating about each movie. Everything from the special effects, story line and even right down to the music captivates and entertains. Watching these actors grow up and mature physically as well as their talent over the years also provided a special connection for the long time fan.

I gave this movie 9 out of 10 stars for its imagination, entertainment value, story line and talent but this is an obvious must see to anyone that has followed the series up to this point. The most noteworthy character (other than the triumphant trio) goes to Neville Longbottom played by actor Matthew Lewis who best portrays the "do what's right in the face of fear and danger" mentality. For best effect, see this movie in 3D.

Transformers: Dark of the Moon (2011)

Spare Parts

[4/10 · 3 July 2014]

If you go into this movie with the assumption that this is just capitalizing on the other 2 Transformer movies, you will not be let down!

The movie was 2 and a half hours long which could and should have been shaved by at least 45 minutes. It started off a bit like having to listen to a book report that needed a certain number of words to be acceptable but eventually jumped into some action. The movie was extended to write all the fun characters back into the plot from previous movies… all except for Megan Fox who was replaced by Victoria's Secret's model Rosie Huntington-Whiteley. This appears to represent a correction made to the 2nd installment as now there's another way to gauge how popular the movie was by how many hits her name gets on the internet.

There were more than a few quirky moments that made the audience laugh. The CGI was still off the charts which can almost justify renting on blu-ray and hitting fast forward to the good parts. Shai LeBeouf is talented and still has good delivery but even his lack of on screen enthusiasm is apparent for this role. John Turturro has to be credited with having the best comic relief and even wraps up the final scene to give viewers the impression that this was a good movie. Sadly there aren't any other notables as most of their character development has already been set in stone and starting to fade away over sequels.

To get the same effect of this movie, start watching the first movie and then pause anywhere in the middle of the last fight scene. During the break, gather all your unwanted electronics and throw them in a blender on low (to get the slow motion dramatic effect) for 20 minutes. Look up the new actress on line to catch a piece of the strange they're going for and then hit play.

I haven't seen the trailer for the 4th installment or read up on it but I predict either a prequel or maybe, to keep the plot on earth, the introduction of a new enemy that existed before the separation of the alien bots. To give the movie some credit there was a handful of people that did clap at the end. Happy it was over or maybe they missed the first 2?