Posts Tagged ‘review’

Cut To The Chase: Red State (2011)

Monday, September 12th, 2011

redstate

Cut To The Chase Reviews from The City of Films are spoiler free ‘Reviews Abridged For Your Pleasure’. Quick, concise, and sometimes entertaining opinions on the go!

Kevin Smith has reinvented himself and made a very grown up movie. Red State is part horror, part action and heavily political; and with elements of the genres mixed together, we get a terrific movie that deserves attention even if you were a septic like myself prior to its viewing.

Set in Middle America, a group of teens receive an online invitation for sex; the tables are turned on them as they are forces to face justice at the hands of fundamentalists (think Fred Phelps and his crew with a whole lot of fire power).

Red State will piss off a lot of people, if it hasn’t already. The movie seems to take a different direction every 20 minutes with its few redeeming characters and for the many pages of script, it’s a shame that we didn’t get more show instead of tell.  The acting from the cast deserves recognition, namely Michael Parks (From Dusk Till Dawn) and Melissa Leo (Frozen River). Along with the great cinematography, editing, and writing, Smith give us one hell of an experience with his direction. Red State still may not be Kevin Smith’s best film (Chasing Amy), but it is certainly his most mature and I can’t wait to see if he continues on this more artistic path.

Score: 3.5/5

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Cut To The Chase: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 (2011)

Sunday, July 17th, 2011

Cut To The Chase Reviews from The City of Films are spoiler free ‘Reviews Abridged For Your Pleasure’. Quick, concise, and sometimes entertaining opinions on the go!

I hesitated to even write this review. I mean, a lot of people read reviews in an attempt to assess the merits of seeing a particular movie. With Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2, there is little doubt who will want to see this – everyone.

Straight from the get go Part 2 picks up directly where Part 1 leaves off. The call to action, and the overall pace of this film is fantastic. By the time the closing credits roll it’s hard to believe that over 2 hours had passed. It’s easy to feel a sense of nostalgia as we witness the conclusion of what is surely one of the most epic film sagas of our generation.

With the increasingly adult tone that this franchise has displayed from film to film – Harry Potter has become more than just a children’s tale. It’s an adventure that is pure magic.

Score: 4.5/5

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Cut To The Chase: Horrible Bosses (2011)

Saturday, July 16th, 2011

Cut To The Chase Reviews from The City of Films are spoiler free ‘Reviews Abridged For Your Pleasure’. Quick, concise, and sometimes entertaining opinions on the go!

Since the first poster was revealed for this one, I have been counting down the days until Horrible Bosses hit theaters. While I didn’t see it on the day it was released, I figured that I would check it out while everybody was lining up for Harry Potter.  I was a bit worried that all of the best gags were going to be revealed in the trailer, thankfully my worries were alleviated within the first 10 minutes.

The gags were raunchy, pushed boundaries, and had the theater in hysterics. As many could tell by the trailer, the cast for this one is stellar. While the likes of Jason Bateman, Kevin Spacey, Jamie Foxx, and Jennifer Aniston are well established – the breakout star is Charlie Day. For those familiar with his work on It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, I am starting to believe Charlie Day simply plays himself. The dialogue is off the cuff, and his interaction with Jennifer Aniston provide some of the best moments of Horrible Bosses.

Without giving anything away, Horrible Bosses lives up to the hype. One piece of advice I have to offer, if you have small children, don’t bring them to this movie. I say this because a couple brought their kids into this one, and there is nothing more awkward than hearing Jennifer Aniston talk about a man’s junk while a child is crying. Just saying.

Score: 4.5/5

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Cut To The Chase: Super 8 (2011)

Friday, June 10th, 2011

super8review

Cut To The Chase Reviews from The City of Films are spoiler free ‘Reviews Abridged For Your Pleasure’. Quick, concise, and sometimes entertaining opinions on the go!

Having been looking forward to Super 8 all year, it wasn’t easy for me to attend a screening without high expectations.  I wanted to love it and I wanted the film to evoke memories of movies past.  I’m relieved that it not only met expectations but easily surpassed them.

A lot of secrets were kept about the film, and you’ll have to see it to learn them, but one aspect of the filmmaking that director J.J. Abrams didn’t shy away from was the obvious homage to past Steven Spielberg films.  Themes from films like E.T. and Close Encounters are showcased here in an updated yet nostalgic fashion.  Growing up on Spielberg movies, some of which are the best movies of all time, I was relieved to see that my memories were handled with such care.

Super 8 has a lot of amazing visuals, the train wreck scene is definitely one for the books.  The cast is solid with a lot of credit going to the kids, who can always make or break a film.  If anything is missing from Super 8, it’s the heart and emotion found in the early days of Amblin.  While you certainly come to feel for the characters and believe what’s happening on screen, you never quite get the butterflies or lump in your throat like when you watched Elliot say goodbye to his alien friend for example.

Super 8 is sure to draw a line between viewers today.  I’ve already read a few negative reviews of the film, and I couldn’t help but feel the jaded commentary was due in large part to the writers falling out of love with movies.  Super 8 is for kids, old and young – if you loved movies at some point in your life but now have some obligation to hate everything that comes out (I feel that way too sometimes), Super 8 might just bring back some of those feelings you had.  It’s like getting under the blankets in my parent’s rec-room all over again, playing with a silly tracking button and wishing I was a Goonie too.

Score: 4.5/5
Extra: Check out this last poster for Super 8, now that’s classic.

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Cut To The Chase: X-Men: First Class (2011)

Saturday, June 4th, 2011

A quick review of X-Men: First Class

Cut To The Chase Reviews from The City of Films are spoiler free ‘Reviews Abridged For Your Pleasure’. Quick, concise, and sometimes entertaining opinions on the go!

X-Men: First Class is the definitive follow up to the original X-Men film released 11 years ago. With superb action and fast paced storytelling the 2 hours and 20 minutes that this flick runs will fly right by. Centered around the origins of Charles Xavier and Erik Lehnsherr’s (Magneto) discovery of their mutant powers, they are pitted together against a common foe.

Taking place during the Cold War era, X-Men: First Class offers a dark and dramatic mood, while at the same time appearing lighthearted and filled with comic relief at moments. It does not shy away from telling the ugly side of some of Marvel’s most favorite antagonists and protagonists in a time when the whole world was on edge. Beyond the main cast that we are all aware of from the trailers for this movie, there are several mutants from Marvel lore who pop up throughout the film; sorry no Juggernaut. (Link has semi NSFW language oddly enough) Which turn out to be good tributes to previous incarnations of X-Men, both from the comics and from the small and big screen.

While there are a few moments of dialogue that may have you cringe, and some awkward split screen camera shots straight out of an old school 80′s montage, X-Men: First Class is a hit. By and large when you compare this to all of the other super hero movies coming out these days whose names are not Batman, this one is a good origin story and the pace was fantastic. For die hard fans, for casual film fans, First Class will help wash away the train wreck of a memory that was X-Men: The Last Stand.

Score: 4/5

Update, a fun music video for my fellow mutants.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L8JjKTcpfj8&feature=player_embedded[/youtube]

A funny X-Men: First Class comic brought to you by Penny Arcade.

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Cut To The Chase: Kung Fu Panda 2 (2011)

Thursday, May 26th, 2011

panda

Cut To The Chase Reviews from The City of Films are spoiler free ‘Reviews Abridged For Your Pleasure’. Quick, concise, and sometimes entertaining opinions on the go!

Kung Fu Panda 2 is a sequel that gets it right; with introductions and other such preliminaries out of the way – we get right to more laughs, better animation and more heart, all on a larger scale.  In the beautiful landscape of China, we our presented with amazing sequences of fighting that have obviously matured from the first film, so it’s clear they have been practicing in the off season.

One of my favorite scenes from the first Panda was the hand-drawn opening scene well the style is back for a few scenes this time around, just some of the best art I’ve ever seen on screen.  It doesn’t come off at all that this movie just wants your money having been released in 3-D, I would say this though; if you enjoyed Kung Fu Panda in 2-D, you will enjoy this sequel just as much or even more in, yes beautiful 2-D.  Save some coin and enjoy a more colorful experience. (Note: I was able to see a good portion of this film in 3-D so I could make this statement).

I’ve said many times on our site how much I loved the original, so it is with get pleasure I can now share with you my pure delight with Kung Fu Panda 2.  It’s what you would expect and more, in not just a sequel but more of a continuation from the first film.  I can’t wait for Kung Fu Panda 3.

Score: 4/5

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Cut To The Chase: Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides (2011)

Friday, May 20th, 2011

pirateschase

Cut To The Chase Reviews from The City of Films are ‘Reviews Abridged For Your Pleasure’.  Quick, concise, and sometimes entertaining opinions on the go!

Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides is the fourth instalment of a franchise based on a Disney theme-park ride.  I couldn’t help but think to myself while watching this sequel; “I’m watching a product of a product…of a product”.  I suddenly felt sick.  This is an underwhelming film with almost no sense to be found.  The eccentric Captain Jack couldn’t even save this movie from drowning.  With a big budget and no emotion whatsoever, this could very well be the great fail of summer 2011.

There are pirates, ships and mermaids and a pretty cool Fountain of Youth scene hidden in here somewhere.  Yet underneath the poor pacing, recycled “we have to do this now” point A to point B scenarios and lack of imagination there is just a shell of a movie. I get the feeling they are just pulling out a checklist with this franchise now -  “Ships, mermaids, expensive…cut, print, crap”.  Shiver me timbers indeed.

Score: 2/5

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Hey! That’s Not A Movie Review: L.A. Noire

Friday, May 20th, 2011

noire

“This is Hollywood detective, there’s always a deal to be done.”

Last year a reader sent me information on L.A. Noire, asking me “Doesn’t this remind you of film noir movies?” Of course it was no secret that the game was embracing the 1940′s and looking to film noir for inspiration, but who knew it would be this authentic?

Rockstar Games has created a massive world not just for gamers but for anyone who’s ever wanted to back slap a liar in an intense interrogation scene from your favorite black and white classic. For anyone who wanted to drive into town on a summer’s morning with Billie Holiday playing in your 1942 Lincoln Continental Coupe; L.A. Noir is waiting for you to do all of that and so much more. Read More Here:

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Reaction: The Social Network (2010)

Sunday, October 3rd, 2010

The Social Network

There are three sides to every story. Yours, mine, and the truth. David Fincher’s The Social Network is as much about Facebook as Rocky was about boxing.  “The Facebook movie” that many people are skeptical about centers on the creation of the social networking site, with relationships, success and greed getting in the way.  That’s just a starting point for this landmark movie, one of the best in years. (more…)

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Reaction: Cemetery Junction (2010)

Tuesday, August 24th, 2010

Cemetery Junction
It’s a town full of losers and we’re pulling out of here to win.
-Thunder Road by Bruce Springsteen

My single most anticipated movie of the last two years has finally arrived, was it worth the wait?  I stayed clear of any form of spoilers and reviews, even shying away from clips posted online.  Cemetery Junction was released on home video (only theatrical in the UK earlier this year) on August 17th;  I bought the DVD (Blu-ray had nothing special) and hurried home.  I watched the feature, the extras and then the feature once more with commentary by Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant.  Here is my reaction: (more…)

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