Leonardo DiCaprio and Martin Scorsese can never go wrong together. Scorsese is a legendary filmmaker. The late Roger Ebert even said that Scorsese has given us a classic each decade with Taxi Driver in the 70s, Raging Bull in the 80s, Goodfellas in the 90s, and The Departed in the 2000s. It's my pleasure to say that he's continuing that tradition with The Wolf of Wall Street. The Wolf of Wall Street is basically the biography of legendary stockbroker Jordan Belfort, who is an incredibly greedy and despicable, yet ambitious guy. My favorite quote of his in his narration when he says, "the year I turned 26, I made $49 million, which really ticked me off because it was just three shy of a million a week." That just shows how arrogant and confident this man is. But that's not it, because he also lives a life filled with drugs and desire. This movie is gratuitous and insanely realistic about that; it doesn't hold back at all and you'll know what I mean when you see this movie. It explores that world of rich Wall Street brokers who are extremely corrupt, and it does so in such detail. You witness the arc that is Jordan Belfort's life from his start as an innocent and ambitious stockbroker looking to make his way up in the ranks, to the peak of his life where everything is bizarre and extreme, all the way to his tragic fall from grace. Along the way, he's accompanied by some diverse interesting characters, sharp quick-witted comedy, and probably one of the most engrossing and fast 3-hour movies I've ever seen. This film is so entertaining and filled with such colorful characters. At the front of it all, we obviously have Leonardo DiCaprio with yet another Oscar-worthy performance. He's such a vibrant character in this movie and his energy resonates so well that it's contagious to the viewers. He plays his role so well that you stand behind him and love him because he's so fun and silver-tongued, but at the same time hate him because he's such a despicable person. While I expected a great performance from him anyway, this is one of those times where I started to not even see him as Leonardo DiCaprio. He was so phenomenally invested in the character that every word that comes out of him is gold. And then there's Jonah Hill, who plays his best friend and right-hand man, Donnie. If you thought his Oscar-nominated performance in Moneyball was good, then this will blow you away. Jonah Hill has greatly matured as an actor and he's absolutely spectacular in this movie. Like DiCaprio, he got lost in the role and you started to not see him anymore, but instead just see that character he's portraying. On top of that, there's an extreme amazing supporting cast. Margot plays Belfort's wife, and she absolutely nailed the east-coast accent. Matthew MacConaughey's there for a short time and he's awesome. Rob Reiner, Kyle Chandler, Jean Dujardin; they're all incredible, and add immensely to the completion and hilarity of the overall movie. And this movie is hilarious. It's that sharp and quick type of comedy that you have to sort of think of about. It's almost like a Tarantino movie in that respect. There are so many laugh-out-loud scenes and even some where you feel like you shouldn't even be laughing, but you do so anyway. The movie goes by so fast because of all the crazy and outrageous scenes. It's a long story but it's so fast that you don't really even feel the length of it up until the end. On top of that, this film is still a serious character study and biography of this man Jordan Belfort, and there are some very serious scenes in which the tone gets really dark. While there's so much fun going on, the film doesn't shy away from the consequences and what negative results can come from living such a lifestyle. In that, Scorsese so seamlessly blends these elements together and retains a consistent focus throughout the entire film. It's astounding how well the tone can change so drastically, yet the perfect focus can still be there, and it continues to show why Martin Scorsese is such a legendary director. He brings such great style to the movie, with vibrant shots and utterly bizarre scenes that just confuse you but draws you in. It's a really hypnotic film as all the bizarre things that go on just draw you in and keep you invested, despite the long runtime. It's fast-paced and the writing is stellar. There's quick and realistic dialog, as well as so many great memorable monologues. It almost felt like Pulp Fiction wherein it keeps you so entertained for so long just because of the witty dialogs and great words that come out of every character's mouth. The Wolf of Wall Street blends such great elements together and everyone involved in the movie works so well together. The serious drama and starkly opposite vibrant comedy blend so seamlessly, while still holding focus. And the directing of the movie complements the writing to the point where the momentum of the film just never stops. The writing works perfectly with the actors as they sell every word they speak as if they're selling you a stock share. The Wolf of Wall Street really sucks you in and shows you the lifestyle of these characters, sparing nothing as it displays the great successes, the bizarre occurrences, and the dire consequences. I gotta say: The Wolf of Wall Street is my favorite movie of 2013. I can't think of a single flaw. Jordan Belfort once said, "If you give people a good enough 'why,' then they'll figure out the 'how.'" Well, I just told you why this movie's great; now figure out how you're gonna see it.
Reviews
26 Reviews
Walter Mitty's Life should be no Secret - Noodles Review
27 December 2013
This is the movie I wanted to love the most this year. From the first trailer I saw of it so long ago, I was greatly looking forward to it. I really didn't know what to expect from it; you really don't know what the story's gonna be about until you actually see the movie. That kind of ambiguity really intrigued me. What also intrigued me was that it looked as if Ben Stiller was veering away from strictly comedy into a more serious role in this movie. It almost reminded me of Jim Carrey when he went and did Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. And while Carrey was much better in that movie than Stiller is in this one, I think I enjoyed Walter Mitty's adventure more. So, The Secret Life of Walter Mitty is about a guy who kind of lives a boring lifestyle, which leads him to be ultimately the biggest daydreamer in the world. He literally freezes and imagines some spectacular things going on, usually including him as a hero. And we get to see everything he imagines and how people perceive him when he zones out, all from Walter's perspective. From the trailers, these dreamlike sequences seemed really cool and I thought they'd be an awesome highlight. However, in the film, sometimes they're a bit drawn out. They do result in some cool or funny moments though. One of these is even so outrageous that some people may not like it. But it was just so ridiculous that I was laughing so hard; you'll know what I'm talking about if you see it, because it involves conversation of another film that came out in 2008. Anyway, Walter Mitty works for Life magazine as a negative asset processor. He gets all the negative slips of film and process them so they can be photos in the magazine. And this time the one photo that they have to use for the cover is missing, so Walter decides to track down the photographer so he can get ahold of the picture. From there, his real adventure starts and this movie greatly picks up. He starts to go into his fantasies a lot less since his actual life is becoming so lively and epic.
This is testament to the directing of the film, which is done by Ben Stiller himself. I was really amazed with so many shots in this movie. The cinematography sometimes has such a large and epic scale, and then other times it has a really interesting and visually artful take. Some scenes really even gave me goosebumps because I really felt so sucked in and moved by some of the shots and sequences in this film. His acting isn't bad either because he plays a convincing Walter Mitty. He's hardworking and determined but also a bit quirky and awkward. Kristen Wiig's character, Walter's love interest, was also played well; I think this is the best she's ever been since it's the first time she wasn't playing an outrageously absurd character, and instead a desirable and somehow inspiring woman. The strongest role in the movie, however, is the small amount of time that Sean Penn is on screen. He plays the photographer that Walter is tracking down, and he's really in this character; he's so interesting and laid back, really encapsulating the presence of a photographer. Then, of course, there's the downsides. There are a few corny characters in this movie. Adam Scott, whom I know as the jerk older brother from Step-Brothers, plays an incredibly cartoony character in this movie. It's made in such a way that he's such an unrealistically mean a$$hole. I understand that he's supposed to be an antagonist but he really didn't fit. As with a couple other characters, like Walter's weird sister or Adam Scott's bearded friends who just act like henchmen. This sort of disrupted the tone of the film as well.
A major gripe of this movie is its tonal inconsistency, since the tone was all over the place for the first third of this movie. It sort of got out of it. The daydreams, even, kind of come out of nowhere and most of the time don't have time to get you connected to them. Just as well, the movie has some very clichéd moments, and the movie overall has a lot of very predictable elements. As a result, the writing of the film isn't very strong. Even some comedic moments are hindered by this. But even so, the film does have a large share of funny scenes, whether they're subtle or laugh-out-loud. What I came to see this movie for wasn't the comedy, though; I came for an inspiring feel-good tale. And from the moment Walter makes his decision to go to Greenland, that's what we get. The location shooting is absolutely breathtaking and the transitions in this movie from scene to scene are even cool in their own way. The Secret Life of Walter Mitty is probably the most visually stunning film of 2013 and the epic cinematography gives it such an ambitious feel. The real thing to this movie is Walter finding himself, and actually living life, and I can't tell you enough how satisfying that actually is to see. This movie polarizes critics and viewers as some can love it, some can hate it, and some can go straight in the middle. While I wasn't totally invested in the first act of the film due to tonal inconsistencies and some bad characters, once Walter Mitty embarks on his adventure, it becomes one of the most uplifting and awe- filled movies I've seen in a while. While it subtly disappointed me, it still impressed me
This is testament to the directing of the film, which is done by Ben Stiller himself. I was really amazed with so many shots in this movie. The cinematography sometimes has such a large and epic scale, and then other times it has a really interesting and visually artful take. Some scenes really even gave me goosebumps because I really felt so sucked in and moved by some of the shots and sequences in this film. His acting isn't bad either because he plays a convincing Walter Mitty. He's hardworking and determined but also a bit quirky and awkward. Kristen Wiig's character, Walter's love interest, was also played well; I think this is the best she's ever been since it's the first time she wasn't playing an outrageously absurd character, and instead a desirable and somehow inspiring woman. The strongest role in the movie, however, is the small amount of time that Sean Penn is on screen. He plays the photographer that Walter is tracking down, and he's really in this character; he's so interesting and laid back, really encapsulating the presence of a photographer. Then, of course, there's the downsides. There are a few corny characters in this movie. Adam Scott, whom I know as the jerk older brother from Step-Brothers, plays an incredibly cartoony character in this movie. It's made in such a way that he's such an unrealistically mean a$$hole. I understand that he's supposed to be an antagonist but he really didn't fit. As with a couple other characters, like Walter's weird sister or Adam Scott's bearded friends who just act like henchmen. This sort of disrupted the tone of the film as well.
A major gripe of this movie is its tonal inconsistency, since the tone was all over the place for the first third of this movie. It sort of got out of it. The daydreams, even, kind of come out of nowhere and most of the time don't have time to get you connected to them. Just as well, the movie has some very clichéd moments, and the movie overall has a lot of very predictable elements. As a result, the writing of the film isn't very strong. Even some comedic moments are hindered by this. But even so, the film does have a large share of funny scenes, whether they're subtle or laugh-out-loud. What I came to see this movie for wasn't the comedy, though; I came for an inspiring feel-good tale. And from the moment Walter makes his decision to go to Greenland, that's what we get. The location shooting is absolutely breathtaking and the transitions in this movie from scene to scene are even cool in their own way. The Secret Life of Walter Mitty is probably the most visually stunning film of 2013 and the epic cinematography gives it such an ambitious feel. The real thing to this movie is Walter finding himself, and actually living life, and I can't tell you enough how satisfying that actually is to see. This movie polarizes critics and viewers as some can love it, some can hate it, and some can go straight in the middle. While I wasn't totally invested in the first act of the film due to tonal inconsistencies and some bad characters, once Walter Mitty embarks on his adventure, it becomes one of the most uplifting and awe- filled movies I've seen in a while. While it subtly disappointed me, it still impressed me
Spring Breakers
(2012)
Spring Breakers - Noodles Review
19 December 2013
When Disney stars go bad... I guess this happens. Selena Gomez and Vanessa Hudgens star in this movie, which takes them far from their previous roles in Disney and family material. I can tell you that this is not a family movie. Spring Breakers is a modern take on what people in our modern society do these days at the age of these particular girls and then what the consequences can be. It follows the four title girls on a quest to have the best spring break ever. So, they try to rob a store, but they end up getting arrested and bailed out by an arms & drugs dealer, who takes them into a life of partying, drugs, craziness, etc etc.
I originally wanted to see this film to see how the Disney princesses (Gomez and Hudgens) could transform themselves into such an adult role. Additionally, I'm always interested in the Harmony Korine's films because they're so different and really stand out, even though only one of his films has actually been good. Spring Breakers, on its roots, is a party movie and I can only enjoy a party movie if its characters and events are written well. That was the problem I had with recent party movies like 21 And Over and Project X; they lacked depth or anything characters for the viewer to get into. Thankfully, Harmony Korine is a good writer, because this movie is pretty interesting and deep.
The first half of this movie is pretty much a really big music video because we just see partying and women with little clothes on. It's sort of dragging and nothing is really happening that's good for the movie. All we see is the provocative stuff that all the teens paid to see: girls, boobs, music. But the movie really picks up in the second half when James Franco's character comes in. James Franco is an awesome actor with great range; and he really gets into this role as the arm & drugs dealer that brings the girls into the life of trouble-making and craziness. From then on, the movie is very unpredictable and deep, and I really like that. As far the girls, their performances are good as well (just not as great as James Franco, but he's awesome) as you see their lives fall into crime and drugs and the underground world. There are several scenes where it gets emotional or pretty crazy and it actually kept me invested in the movie.
Overall, I was very surprised by this movie. It was a completely different tone in the second half and I was really engrossed into that. The writing and directing styles of Korine is unique and sometimes even hypnotic, as well the acting by the main characters being entertaining. Though, the beginning wasn't particularly enjoyable, this movie is still very unique and the second half just sorta draws you in
I originally wanted to see this film to see how the Disney princesses (Gomez and Hudgens) could transform themselves into such an adult role. Additionally, I'm always interested in the Harmony Korine's films because they're so different and really stand out, even though only one of his films has actually been good. Spring Breakers, on its roots, is a party movie and I can only enjoy a party movie if its characters and events are written well. That was the problem I had with recent party movies like 21 And Over and Project X; they lacked depth or anything characters for the viewer to get into. Thankfully, Harmony Korine is a good writer, because this movie is pretty interesting and deep.
The first half of this movie is pretty much a really big music video because we just see partying and women with little clothes on. It's sort of dragging and nothing is really happening that's good for the movie. All we see is the provocative stuff that all the teens paid to see: girls, boobs, music. But the movie really picks up in the second half when James Franco's character comes in. James Franco is an awesome actor with great range; and he really gets into this role as the arm & drugs dealer that brings the girls into the life of trouble-making and craziness. From then on, the movie is very unpredictable and deep, and I really like that. As far the girls, their performances are good as well (just not as great as James Franco, but he's awesome) as you see their lives fall into crime and drugs and the underground world. There are several scenes where it gets emotional or pretty crazy and it actually kept me invested in the movie.
Overall, I was very surprised by this movie. It was a completely different tone in the second half and I was really engrossed into that. The writing and directing styles of Korine is unique and sometimes even hypnotic, as well the acting by the main characters being entertaining. Though, the beginning wasn't particularly enjoyable, this movie is still very unique and the second half just sorta draws you in
The Host
(2013)
The Roast - Noodles Review
19 December 2013
Teen romantic dramas have taken over all of our favorite classic monsters. Vampires. Werewolves. Witches. Zombies. Oh no! I hope they don't take aliens next! Oh wait... they just did. The Host is based off of the book by Stephanie Meyer and it's about the aftermath of an alien invasion in which the aliens take over the bodies of humans and use them as "hosts." But the host's mind is still inside the body, fighting with the mind of the alien that's taken over. Pretty cool concept, right? Let's just throw in some middle school bulls**t romance, that'll make it better, right? Wrong... Now, I'm not against romance at all; I'm a sucker for The Time Traveler's Wife and Atonement, but those movies were actually done well and the romance is fitting. Putting a juvenile love triangle in the middle of an alien invasion story can only fit if you do it in an interesting way. Needless to say, this movie was not successful in that endeavor. The love story in this movie is so convoluted (there's actually a love rhombus. Not a triangle, a rhombus) that it's just not interesting. The dialogue, considering the situation that they're actually the aftermath of an alien invasion, isn't believable at all and the teen romance is just so out of place.
There's not really much else to say about this movie. The premise of it is actually really cool and interesting; there are so many possibilities with it. But, the execution of that wasn't good and then, on top of it all, there's a teen love story going on (of which isn't done well either). It's not worth seeing in theaters but maybe on DVD if you're desperate. 3 out of 10 Noodles.... I honestly feel that's it's worse than the Twilight movies.
There's not really much else to say about this movie. The premise of it is actually really cool and interesting; there are so many possibilities with it. But, the execution of that wasn't good and then, on top of it all, there's a teen love story going on (of which isn't done well either). It's not worth seeing in theaters but maybe on DVD if you're desperate. 3 out of 10 Noodles.... I honestly feel that's it's worse than the Twilight movies.
G.I. Joe: Retaliation
(2013)
Go Joe! Yes? No? Maybe so? - Noodles Review
19 December 2013
G.I. Joe! That's always exciting, right? Well, not in this movie's predecessor The Rise of Cobra, but this sequel (that should've been a reboot to the crap we saw in 2009) has some to it. G.I. Joe: Retaliation starts with the imposter president ordering for the G.I. Joe unit to be taken out. And now, all that's left are the heroes of this movie (they don't exactly save the movie but they, more or less, save the day). Right off the bat, I can tell you that this movie is a hell of a lot better than its predecessor.
Retaliation stars the Rock... Yup, pretty much just the Rock. Well there's also the really hot chick and the other guy that nobody cares about, but the movie is for Dwayne Johnson. Additionally, there's Snake Eyes doing his thing and Channing Tatum's character, Duke, who was obviously written in at the last minute to make a little bit more money. Some of these characters are very irrelevant. Snake Eyes is in this movie for the sake of being Snake Eyes, an ass-kicking ninja soldier. That's it. So, his relevance to the story is somewhat forced; I personally thought the movie could've been executed better without him (although he does have some cool action scenes). The third guy of the main squad is highly forgettable (I don't even remember his name) and I feel that Duke should've had that role; but unfortunately Duke was written in at the last minute in scenes that wouldn't alter the present story too much.
As for the execution of the movie, it's actually really entertaining as just a popcorn flick. The story's not that dense but at some times, it tries to be. In the middle of the movie, it just slows down for no apparent reason. If that had aided in the storytelling, I would've been okay, but that's not the case here! The story of the movie is a little forced at times, and I just wish this movie didn't take itself as seriously as it actually did because it made the movie, itself, seem messy. Then, they throw explosions and bullets at you to make you forget about that. But, I think we all just wanna see this movie for the action and the special effects.
Really, this movie is good for a G.I. Joe movie. Compared to the first movie, Retaliation is a hell of a lot better, in pretty much every sense. And because this movie is going to be compared so much to the first movie, G.I. Joe: Retaliation will seem a lot better than it actually is. As a movie itself, it's an enjoyable and cartoony popcorn movie where you can just turn your brain off and have some fun watching the action and explosions; but not really worth seeing more than once. It's a one time thing.
Retaliation stars the Rock... Yup, pretty much just the Rock. Well there's also the really hot chick and the other guy that nobody cares about, but the movie is for Dwayne Johnson. Additionally, there's Snake Eyes doing his thing and Channing Tatum's character, Duke, who was obviously written in at the last minute to make a little bit more money. Some of these characters are very irrelevant. Snake Eyes is in this movie for the sake of being Snake Eyes, an ass-kicking ninja soldier. That's it. So, his relevance to the story is somewhat forced; I personally thought the movie could've been executed better without him (although he does have some cool action scenes). The third guy of the main squad is highly forgettable (I don't even remember his name) and I feel that Duke should've had that role; but unfortunately Duke was written in at the last minute in scenes that wouldn't alter the present story too much.
As for the execution of the movie, it's actually really entertaining as just a popcorn flick. The story's not that dense but at some times, it tries to be. In the middle of the movie, it just slows down for no apparent reason. If that had aided in the storytelling, I would've been okay, but that's not the case here! The story of the movie is a little forced at times, and I just wish this movie didn't take itself as seriously as it actually did because it made the movie, itself, seem messy. Then, they throw explosions and bullets at you to make you forget about that. But, I think we all just wanna see this movie for the action and the special effects.
Really, this movie is good for a G.I. Joe movie. Compared to the first movie, Retaliation is a hell of a lot better, in pretty much every sense. And because this movie is going to be compared so much to the first movie, G.I. Joe: Retaliation will seem a lot better than it actually is. As a movie itself, it's an enjoyable and cartoony popcorn movie where you can just turn your brain off and have some fun watching the action and explosions; but not really worth seeing more than once. It's a one time thing.
Evil Dead
(2013)
Evil Dead Remake - Noodles Review
19 December 2013
That was intense. So, this is the remake to Sam Raimi's '80s Evil Dead, which is considered a horror classic and one of the scariest movies of all time. Evil Dead's got a lot to live up to. Thankfully, this is one of the best horror remakes I've ever seen. Now, the story of Evil Dead is simple. A couple of friends go out to a cabin and one of them finds a mysterious book. Upon reading this book, evil is unleashed and these friends are in for hell. Now this movie is sort of a throwback to the '80s horror movies, using makeup and gore. Evil Dead is a seriously disturbingly violent and gory film; it's really not that scary but it is insanely disturbing. Really, the people in this movie are just experiencing the worst things that could ever happen to somebody in a movie. And though it's crazy, it's entertaining and intriguing to see where else it can go.
Evil Dead is a pretty short movie and it tries to establish its characters early on in the movie quite plainly. And though it's no Pulp Fiction, it doesn't really hinder the likability of the movie at all because we're really just here to watch them all suffer and die. Still, the amount of fear and uneasiness in the characters is, more or less, believable. And when they're scared, they are SCARED. One thing about this movie you really have to praise is how disturbing it is, and I give a lot of credit in this movie to the director. So much was going on and as much as I wanted to look away because of how much it made me cringe, I kept wanting to watch to see how far it could go and what else could possibly go wrong. The movie sort of draws you in like that. It's a short ride but an intense one at that.
I personally often don't like horror movies, but this movie really got into the mood of enjoying it. It was old school, it didn't overdo any special effects, and it was so disturbingly fun. As a horror film, it was great. As a movie, it was still pretty good. I really enjoy and respect a movie that knows what it is. Evil Dead knew what it was. It wasn't trying to be an Oscar-winner or even a deep movie. Its story was simple, yet interesting; and it was full of gore and gore and gore, of which was done in disturbing and awesome ways.
Evil Dead is a pretty short movie and it tries to establish its characters early on in the movie quite plainly. And though it's no Pulp Fiction, it doesn't really hinder the likability of the movie at all because we're really just here to watch them all suffer and die. Still, the amount of fear and uneasiness in the characters is, more or less, believable. And when they're scared, they are SCARED. One thing about this movie you really have to praise is how disturbing it is, and I give a lot of credit in this movie to the director. So much was going on and as much as I wanted to look away because of how much it made me cringe, I kept wanting to watch to see how far it could go and what else could possibly go wrong. The movie sort of draws you in like that. It's a short ride but an intense one at that.
I personally often don't like horror movies, but this movie really got into the mood of enjoying it. It was old school, it didn't overdo any special effects, and it was so disturbingly fun. As a horror film, it was great. As a movie, it was still pretty good. I really enjoy and respect a movie that knows what it is. Evil Dead knew what it was. It wasn't trying to be an Oscar-winner or even a deep movie. Its story was simple, yet interesting; and it was full of gore and gore and gore, of which was done in disturbing and awesome ways.
Jurassic Park
(1993)
Welcome to Jurassic Park.... Noodles Review
19 December 2013
Look up the word "awe" in the dictionary... ya know what you'll find? Jurassic Park. And now in 3D! Usually, I don't really like post- converted 3D in movies, but this one won me over. Ever since I was a little kid, I've always loved Jurassic Park (I think we all did) and I'd always heard that it was one of the best movie theater experiences ever. Unfortunately, I wasn't born when this originally came out so I never got the chance to experience that... until now! And damn, were they right when they said it was an awesome movie theater experience because it sure as hell is. It's so fun, engrossing, and thrilling to watch it on the big screen, with all the sound surrounding you (the sound in Jurassic Park has got to be some of the best sound in a movie ever). Jurassic Park is also one of the most monumental movies of all time. It defined CGI. The CGI and special effects in this movie still holdup today and are even better than most movies today.
The story of Jurassic Park is that a really rich guy has cloned dinosaurs to make an amusement park full of living dinosaurs (you would do that if you could too). Because they are these live dinosaurs in the park, his investors say that he needs approval from experts, so he recruits Dr. Alan Grant (a paleontologist who is more or less the protagonist of the movie), Dr. Elli Sattler (a paleobotanist), and Dr. Ian Malcom (a mathematician who's character is pretty much the show stealer). Through a number of circumstances, the dinosaurs get loose and all hell breaks loose. Now, we have our movie being one of the most awe- inspiring movies ever; as well as being one of the most suspenseful movies ever. When the characters first enter Jurassic Park, you see the many dinosaurs in the distance and the theme (one of the greatest movie themes of all time) is playing in the background. Your jaw just drops. And the dinosaurs look awesome. Sometimes they're CGI, sometimes they're animatronic. Sometimes they're amazing... oh wait, that's all the time. One of my favourite scenes is when the T-Rex is attacking the car and a flashlight shines in its eye and the eye dilates. That just shows how detailed and alive these dinos are.
But the dinosaurs don't wreak havoc until about halfway, or even 3/4, through the film. Even yet, the movie does a brilliant job of immersing you into it, bringing you onto this island, and getting you to care for the characters. The dialogue and acting are so good that you feel as though you're there with the characters (it drags sometimes but it's easy to get past that). And when they're in peril, you feel as though you're in danger too. I just can't stress how substantial the suspense in Jurassic Park is. The 3D does add to that, too. The 3D in this movie is probably the best post-converted 3D I've ever seen and it works really well.
Jurassic Park is really a movie that everyone should experience (notice how I didn't say "watch"). If you get the chance, see it in theaters and have your mind absolutely blown. The movie is full of awe and imagination; it sometimes makes me feel like a little kid again. The characters are likable; their dialogue is believable and sometimes humorous. The dinosaurs are awesome. The suspense is intense as hell. The soundtrack is perfect. It's a classic...
The story of Jurassic Park is that a really rich guy has cloned dinosaurs to make an amusement park full of living dinosaurs (you would do that if you could too). Because they are these live dinosaurs in the park, his investors say that he needs approval from experts, so he recruits Dr. Alan Grant (a paleontologist who is more or less the protagonist of the movie), Dr. Elli Sattler (a paleobotanist), and Dr. Ian Malcom (a mathematician who's character is pretty much the show stealer). Through a number of circumstances, the dinosaurs get loose and all hell breaks loose. Now, we have our movie being one of the most awe- inspiring movies ever; as well as being one of the most suspenseful movies ever. When the characters first enter Jurassic Park, you see the many dinosaurs in the distance and the theme (one of the greatest movie themes of all time) is playing in the background. Your jaw just drops. And the dinosaurs look awesome. Sometimes they're CGI, sometimes they're animatronic. Sometimes they're amazing... oh wait, that's all the time. One of my favourite scenes is when the T-Rex is attacking the car and a flashlight shines in its eye and the eye dilates. That just shows how detailed and alive these dinos are.
But the dinosaurs don't wreak havoc until about halfway, or even 3/4, through the film. Even yet, the movie does a brilliant job of immersing you into it, bringing you onto this island, and getting you to care for the characters. The dialogue and acting are so good that you feel as though you're there with the characters (it drags sometimes but it's easy to get past that). And when they're in peril, you feel as though you're in danger too. I just can't stress how substantial the suspense in Jurassic Park is. The 3D does add to that, too. The 3D in this movie is probably the best post-converted 3D I've ever seen and it works really well.
Jurassic Park is really a movie that everyone should experience (notice how I didn't say "watch"). If you get the chance, see it in theaters and have your mind absolutely blown. The movie is full of awe and imagination; it sometimes makes me feel like a little kid again. The characters are likable; their dialogue is believable and sometimes humorous. The dinosaurs are awesome. The suspense is intense as hell. The soundtrack is perfect. It's a classic...
Scary Movie V
(2013)
Worst Movie of 2013 - Noodles Review
19 December 2013
It sucked. I don't really even want to talk about it. I actually sometimes enjoy watching the first two Scary Movies, but this one is just so bad. It's not even funny! I thought we already got our horror parody of the year with A Haunted House like yesterday. Scary Movie 5 is even worse than that. It's written terribly, it's acted terribly, it's jokes are terrible. The movie relies on poop and fart jokes; c'mon, that's too stupid. I only laughed for about 2 minutes, during the Inception part of the film. But even that was just a small smirk-type laugh. That's sad for a movie that's supposed to make people laugh out loud. All in all, I really don't want to talk about this movie anymore. It's stupid, unfunny, and unnecessary
42
(2013)
42 Noodles Review
19 December 2013
42 is the biopic of Jackie Robinson, who we all know as the first African American to play Major League Baseball. The number 42 is the only jersey number retired by the entire league, so I guess you can tell he's a pretty big deal. There was a lot that Jackie Robinson had to fight through to get to where he was. Racial prejudice was just terrible and this movie chronicles it pretty well.
Jackie Robinson is played by Chadwick Boseman, who's relatively unknown (although he was in one episode of one of my favourite shows: Justified). Having to play the role of such an iconic person in the history of sports (and even civil rights) is a pretty big plate to step up to. Fortunately, he hits a home run with his performance because it was pretty good. You could tell when he was angry but had to hold it in or when there was hope in his eyes. I really liked that. But the show is stolen by Harrison Ford's character of Branch Rickey. Harrison Ford is one of my favourite actors (Indiana Jones, Blade Runner, Star Wars, The Fugitive, etc.) and he doesn't disappoint here. His character is very inspiring and is played amazingly. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if Ford was nominated for an Oscar for this role. Additionally, there was Alan Tudyk (whom I've always loved in Firefly and, most recently, Wreck- It Ralph) as the racist a-hole, Ben Chapman. In this performance, he really puts the "dick" in Tudyk because he will make you absolutely hate the Philadelphia Phillies (the Pittsburgh Pirates aren't too likable either). And that's something that was done pretty well in this movie: the level of racism and prejudice. Of course, it's not as great as that of Django Unchained or Roots, but it's still quite believable and can make you wonder why people back then were so cruel. However, nobody really ever flipped out for real in this movie, which I would've wanted to see. Robinson gets mad at one point and breaks his bat and some people throw around names but it doesn't really capture what I'd imagine it should really be like. They keep that sort of PG in this movie; and while I understand why, I don't necessarily like.
The baseball scenes, however, were something I did like. They were dramatic and intense. I just wish there was more of it though. The movie is about 2 hours but I feel like there could've been about half hour more to the movie of baseball. Nonetheless, what baseball there was in the film was still cool even though you already knew what was going to happen. Touching on knowing on what would happen, the movie was very predictable. I found my friends and I calling every scene right before it would happen. And even with it being a true story, it can still be made to keep you on your toes, like Catch Me If You Can or The Fighter. This could probably have been due to the writing. Although the movie was written by the writer of L.A. Confidential and Mystic River (two great films that are mostly based on dialogue), its writing isn't as good as it could be. The script is pretty light at some parts and the dialogue gets a bit sappy sometimes. That's easy to get passed, though, if you're not looking for that; the directing style and level of drama is enough to keep it off your mind anyways.
It's a treat to see Jackie Robinson stealing bases on the field and it's interesting (and a little enraging) to see how he gets butchered by racial prejudice. 42 is quite a memorable baseball movie and could go up there with Field of Dreams and The Sandlot (not exactly on par with Pride of the Yankees though). The baseball scenes are fun, although I did want to see more. The acting is great, which is probably the gem of the film. The showcasing of real events was interesting. Though, it's sometimes unbelievable the way some characters speak or the way some events play out. But, 42 has style and is an enjoyable film with family and/or friends. While it's not an august pinnacle of film achievement, it's still an inspiring and enjoyable experience
Jackie Robinson is played by Chadwick Boseman, who's relatively unknown (although he was in one episode of one of my favourite shows: Justified). Having to play the role of such an iconic person in the history of sports (and even civil rights) is a pretty big plate to step up to. Fortunately, he hits a home run with his performance because it was pretty good. You could tell when he was angry but had to hold it in or when there was hope in his eyes. I really liked that. But the show is stolen by Harrison Ford's character of Branch Rickey. Harrison Ford is one of my favourite actors (Indiana Jones, Blade Runner, Star Wars, The Fugitive, etc.) and he doesn't disappoint here. His character is very inspiring and is played amazingly. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if Ford was nominated for an Oscar for this role. Additionally, there was Alan Tudyk (whom I've always loved in Firefly and, most recently, Wreck- It Ralph) as the racist a-hole, Ben Chapman. In this performance, he really puts the "dick" in Tudyk because he will make you absolutely hate the Philadelphia Phillies (the Pittsburgh Pirates aren't too likable either). And that's something that was done pretty well in this movie: the level of racism and prejudice. Of course, it's not as great as that of Django Unchained or Roots, but it's still quite believable and can make you wonder why people back then were so cruel. However, nobody really ever flipped out for real in this movie, which I would've wanted to see. Robinson gets mad at one point and breaks his bat and some people throw around names but it doesn't really capture what I'd imagine it should really be like. They keep that sort of PG in this movie; and while I understand why, I don't necessarily like.
The baseball scenes, however, were something I did like. They were dramatic and intense. I just wish there was more of it though. The movie is about 2 hours but I feel like there could've been about half hour more to the movie of baseball. Nonetheless, what baseball there was in the film was still cool even though you already knew what was going to happen. Touching on knowing on what would happen, the movie was very predictable. I found my friends and I calling every scene right before it would happen. And even with it being a true story, it can still be made to keep you on your toes, like Catch Me If You Can or The Fighter. This could probably have been due to the writing. Although the movie was written by the writer of L.A. Confidential and Mystic River (two great films that are mostly based on dialogue), its writing isn't as good as it could be. The script is pretty light at some parts and the dialogue gets a bit sappy sometimes. That's easy to get passed, though, if you're not looking for that; the directing style and level of drama is enough to keep it off your mind anyways.
It's a treat to see Jackie Robinson stealing bases on the field and it's interesting (and a little enraging) to see how he gets butchered by racial prejudice. 42 is quite a memorable baseball movie and could go up there with Field of Dreams and The Sandlot (not exactly on par with Pride of the Yankees though). The baseball scenes are fun, although I did want to see more. The acting is great, which is probably the gem of the film. The showcasing of real events was interesting. Though, it's sometimes unbelievable the way some characters speak or the way some events play out. But, 42 has style and is an enjoyable film with family and/or friends. While it's not an august pinnacle of film achievement, it's still an inspiring and enjoyable experience
Pain & Gain
(2013)
All Pain, No Gain - Noodles Review
19 December 2013
I went into this movie hoping it would be Michael Bay's redemption. His early movies, The Rock and Bad Boys, were fun and actually good movies. Then he completely lost it. I was cool with the first Transformers movies, but the second made me lose all hope. Anyways, I really liked the first trailers for Pain & Gain. They made me feel like this would actually be a fun and stylish movie. However, their ads literally have hashtags in them. "#GetBig" made me immediately like this movie less before seeing it; but I still went in with an open mind. Regardless, I was still disappointed.
Mark Wahlberg is obviously the star of this movie. He's fine as an actor but his character is so difficult and stupid to identify with. And it's hard to identify with any of the characters in this movie because it's so unfocused. There's inner monologue for Wahlberg's character and that's fine, but then there turns out to be inner monologue for a plethora of other characters. Now the movie has no focus and you can't really follow it or relate to anyone. Dwayne Johnson was kinda likable in this movie because he tries to act innocent, but he gets annoying sometimes. Regardless, he's a good actor but if we have to talk about the acting, I'd say Ed Harris is the best in the movie, and so is his character. That being said, there's not much else to really like in the movie.
Michael Bay, one of my least favorite directors, tries to go for a weird type of style in this movie. The whole movie is saturated on blast, the colors are popping out at your face in extreme contrast. It's really annoying after the first couple minutes. I would be okay if they used that for a specific scene to make it interesting, but it's forced throughout the movie. Another thing forced is the comedy of the movie. I'll admit I did laugh some times, but the movie isn't really that funny to be memorable. I can't really think of anything memorable from this movie; and the funniness really isn't one. And one big issue with this is that it actually happened. These guys went out and tortured, murdered, and stole from people (not too long ago either); and they make it as a comedy in which the criminals are the characters you're suppose to follow and root for. And sometimes it gets so over the top that the movie literally tries reminding you that it's still a true story (literally, it says "this is still a true story"). I'm okay with comedy, I'm okay with style, and I'm okay with fun movies. But I'm not okay with Michael Bay. And I'm not okay with how this movie is blended together.
Mark Wahlberg is obviously the star of this movie. He's fine as an actor but his character is so difficult and stupid to identify with. And it's hard to identify with any of the characters in this movie because it's so unfocused. There's inner monologue for Wahlberg's character and that's fine, but then there turns out to be inner monologue for a plethora of other characters. Now the movie has no focus and you can't really follow it or relate to anyone. Dwayne Johnson was kinda likable in this movie because he tries to act innocent, but he gets annoying sometimes. Regardless, he's a good actor but if we have to talk about the acting, I'd say Ed Harris is the best in the movie, and so is his character. That being said, there's not much else to really like in the movie.
Michael Bay, one of my least favorite directors, tries to go for a weird type of style in this movie. The whole movie is saturated on blast, the colors are popping out at your face in extreme contrast. It's really annoying after the first couple minutes. I would be okay if they used that for a specific scene to make it interesting, but it's forced throughout the movie. Another thing forced is the comedy of the movie. I'll admit I did laugh some times, but the movie isn't really that funny to be memorable. I can't really think of anything memorable from this movie; and the funniness really isn't one. And one big issue with this is that it actually happened. These guys went out and tortured, murdered, and stole from people (not too long ago either); and they make it as a comedy in which the criminals are the characters you're suppose to follow and root for. And sometimes it gets so over the top that the movie literally tries reminding you that it's still a true story (literally, it says "this is still a true story"). I'm okay with comedy, I'm okay with style, and I'm okay with fun movies. But I'm not okay with Michael Bay. And I'm not okay with how this movie is blended together.
Olympus Has Fallen
(2013)
Olympus Has Fallen - Noodels Review
19 December 2013
I went into this movie with quite low expectations. Boy, was I surprised. Olympus Has Fallen is more than just a weekend popcorn flick; it's this generation's Die Hard (though not nearly as awesome as Die Hard). In a nutshell, this movie is the story of a former presidential guard who is the only survivor when the White House is captured by North Korean terrorists. Yes, North Koreans. In the 80's, it was Russians. In the early 2000's it was the Middle Easterners. Nowadays, it's the North Koreans who're the bad guys in all our movies.
Anyway, it's all cliché in that the terrorists take the president and hold him for ransom from the government and, additionally, request codes for nuclear missiles. It's not like we haven't seen this before. But Olympus Has Fallen is actually a movie where this all works. Is it believable? Not really. Is it awesome and entertaining? Hell yeah! This movie is just filled with action and intensity, with a badass who saves the day. Gerard Butler's character is a very likable guy, cracking jokes and saving the day, but he also means business. Butler played him greatly and I couldn't help but compare him to John McClane while watching the movie (again, still not as awesome as John McClane but still pretty darn awesome). Aaron Eckhart, as well, was great in the movie. And there's Morgan Freeman; but we know what to expect from Morgan Freeman.
Not only was the acting good and action entertaining, but the movie, itself, was very appreciative. Olympus Has Fallen is a movie that knows what it is. It's not trying to be an Oscar-winner, it's not trying to be a money maker (otherwise they would've made it PG-13). No, this movie is just straight-up what it is. Does that make sense? Probably not, but this movie knew what it was and it did what it aimed to do well: be entertaining and awesome.
Anyway, it's all cliché in that the terrorists take the president and hold him for ransom from the government and, additionally, request codes for nuclear missiles. It's not like we haven't seen this before. But Olympus Has Fallen is actually a movie where this all works. Is it believable? Not really. Is it awesome and entertaining? Hell yeah! This movie is just filled with action and intensity, with a badass who saves the day. Gerard Butler's character is a very likable guy, cracking jokes and saving the day, but he also means business. Butler played him greatly and I couldn't help but compare him to John McClane while watching the movie (again, still not as awesome as John McClane but still pretty darn awesome). Aaron Eckhart, as well, was great in the movie. And there's Morgan Freeman; but we know what to expect from Morgan Freeman.
Not only was the acting good and action entertaining, but the movie, itself, was very appreciative. Olympus Has Fallen is a movie that knows what it is. It's not trying to be an Oscar-winner, it's not trying to be a money maker (otherwise they would've made it PG-13). No, this movie is just straight-up what it is. Does that make sense? Probably not, but this movie knew what it was and it did what it aimed to do well: be entertaining and awesome.
Zero Dark Thirty
(2012)
Zero Dark Eight out of Ten - Noodles Review
19 December 2013
Though it didn't win Best Picture, it's a movie worth seeing. Zero Dark Thirty is directed by the Academy Award-winning director Kathryn Bigelow, known for her 2010 best picture-winning The Hurt Locker. It's the true story about the pursuit of the infamous brain behind the 9/11 terrorist attacks.
Right off the bat, Zero Dark Thirty is a very intelligent movie. It's not just another war movie about the troops running around with their guns (although there are very thrilling sequences of this). The heart of Zero Dark Thirty is really with the people behind, tracking the paper trail of the bad guys. Jessica Chastain's character, Maya, leads the way. This film is really her show. There are other characters that come in and out, but Chastain is the center of this movie. Zero Dark Thirty spans quite a few years, starting in 2003, all the way to Bin Laden's death in 2011. It's interesting seeing Chastain's character grow up from a rookie at the start of the movie to a veteran near the end. This type of character development is almost as stellar as that of Tom Hanks's Forrest Gump. The development of Maya is one of the most important components of the film. In watching it, the viewer is truly on board with her, hunting down Bin Laden with her. However, the amazing development of Maya overshadows the other characters in Zero Dark Thirty, making the majority of them much less important.
What was really lovable about Zero Dark Thirty was that it really pushed the limits. There were a lot of scenes that were disturbing to watch and unapologetic, but that's the beauty of it because these things really did happen and it makes the film that much more realistic and engrossing. At times in the movie, you really feel like your in the situation with the characters. The realism doesn't stop there; it continually transcends itself for the two-and-a-half hour run time. Unfortunately, the realism of it also includes some boring and long scenes of office work and phone calls. Though, this adds more to feel that you are there with Maya on the hunt. You feel how she feels: the frustration, the boredom, and the apathy at some points.
On the contrary to the long and drawn out scenes of the office, the film contains a ton of intense and suspenseful scenes; particularly the last half hour. Before watching this movie, I was informed that the last 30 minutes of Zero Dark Thirty would be one of the most thrilling movie- going experiences ever. It really doesn't disappoint. Even knowing how the movie will end, it keeps you on the edge of your seat.
All in all, Zero Dark Thirty, so far, the best film of 2013. It's acted phenomenally (especially by Jessica Chastain who was my pick for the Oscar for Best Actress); it's gripping to the edge; it's strong, realistic, and unapologetic. Zero Dark Thirty is a movie recommended to anyone who can handle the intensity of it and will, without a doubt.
Right off the bat, Zero Dark Thirty is a very intelligent movie. It's not just another war movie about the troops running around with their guns (although there are very thrilling sequences of this). The heart of Zero Dark Thirty is really with the people behind, tracking the paper trail of the bad guys. Jessica Chastain's character, Maya, leads the way. This film is really her show. There are other characters that come in and out, but Chastain is the center of this movie. Zero Dark Thirty spans quite a few years, starting in 2003, all the way to Bin Laden's death in 2011. It's interesting seeing Chastain's character grow up from a rookie at the start of the movie to a veteran near the end. This type of character development is almost as stellar as that of Tom Hanks's Forrest Gump. The development of Maya is one of the most important components of the film. In watching it, the viewer is truly on board with her, hunting down Bin Laden with her. However, the amazing development of Maya overshadows the other characters in Zero Dark Thirty, making the majority of them much less important.
What was really lovable about Zero Dark Thirty was that it really pushed the limits. There were a lot of scenes that were disturbing to watch and unapologetic, but that's the beauty of it because these things really did happen and it makes the film that much more realistic and engrossing. At times in the movie, you really feel like your in the situation with the characters. The realism doesn't stop there; it continually transcends itself for the two-and-a-half hour run time. Unfortunately, the realism of it also includes some boring and long scenes of office work and phone calls. Though, this adds more to feel that you are there with Maya on the hunt. You feel how she feels: the frustration, the boredom, and the apathy at some points.
On the contrary to the long and drawn out scenes of the office, the film contains a ton of intense and suspenseful scenes; particularly the last half hour. Before watching this movie, I was informed that the last 30 minutes of Zero Dark Thirty would be one of the most thrilling movie- going experiences ever. It really doesn't disappoint. Even knowing how the movie will end, it keeps you on the edge of your seat.
All in all, Zero Dark Thirty, so far, the best film of 2013. It's acted phenomenally (especially by Jessica Chastain who was my pick for the Oscar for Best Actress); it's gripping to the edge; it's strong, realistic, and unapologetic. Zero Dark Thirty is a movie recommended to anyone who can handle the intensity of it and will, without a doubt.
Oz the Great and Powerful
(2013)
Oz: The Mediocre & Somewhat Powerful - Noodles Review
19 December 2013
Oz: The Great & Powerful is the alleged prequel to '30s classic The Wizard of Oz. Though, Warner Bros. owns the rights to the latter, with Disney being responsible for the former. Essentially, Oscar, or Oz as he is known by, is a conman magician in a traveling circus. The movie begins in black and white 4:3 format while Oz is in Kansas, until a tornado comes around (wow, Kansas must have a lot of tornadoes that take you to other worlds) and he lands in the Land of Oz (weird; his name is Oz and the world is called Oz). Now, Oz, the man, is tasked with becoming the savior of Oz, the land. Though, he's not exactly up to the task as he's only a small-time magician, in contrast to telling everyone he's a powerful wizard.
As far the acting goes, James Franco never lets us down and his reputation remains that way with his performance as Oz. It's interesting to see his evolution as a person, growing from a selfish conman to a brave intellectual. Then there's the three witches. The only witch that I, personally, appreciated was that of Gelinda the Good, who was played as an overly kind yet sly woman, which is how she should be. The other two witches are either overacted or laughable. Additionally (spoiler alert but you should have already expected this), the Wicked Witch of the West is a huge let down in this movie. 'Nough said about her. My favourite character in the movie is Finley, the flying monkey who is a companion to Oz.
Oz: The Great & Powerful is a CGI fest. Everything in the movie is extremely spontaneous, but that takes a little bit away from the joy of coming back to Oz. On the contrary, it makes from the stunning visuals. The movie is very colourful and full of fascinating things to look at. But special effects aren't what make a movie stellar. The writing and direction of this movie are somewhat disappointing. It's obvious to see where the director is trying to go with this movie, attempting to make it feel as nostalgic to the original as possible, but it just doesn't work. Additionally, the plot is extremely predictable and quite forgettable.
Well, let's wrap this up. The goods of Oz: The Great & Powerful are the acting of the title character, the sometimes funny scenes (especially that flying monkey), and the majestic visuals. Unfortunately, the downs of this movie are just as much: the directing is poor, two out of the three witches aren't acted or written well, and the movie is very forgettable. Oz: The Great & Powerful is definitely entertaining for at times, but it feels stretched at others. While it's a good movie to watch with the family, it's definitely forgettable. 5.5 out of 10 Noodles: I probably won't remember this by next month.
As far the acting goes, James Franco never lets us down and his reputation remains that way with his performance as Oz. It's interesting to see his evolution as a person, growing from a selfish conman to a brave intellectual. Then there's the three witches. The only witch that I, personally, appreciated was that of Gelinda the Good, who was played as an overly kind yet sly woman, which is how she should be. The other two witches are either overacted or laughable. Additionally (spoiler alert but you should have already expected this), the Wicked Witch of the West is a huge let down in this movie. 'Nough said about her. My favourite character in the movie is Finley, the flying monkey who is a companion to Oz.
Oz: The Great & Powerful is a CGI fest. Everything in the movie is extremely spontaneous, but that takes a little bit away from the joy of coming back to Oz. On the contrary, it makes from the stunning visuals. The movie is very colourful and full of fascinating things to look at. But special effects aren't what make a movie stellar. The writing and direction of this movie are somewhat disappointing. It's obvious to see where the director is trying to go with this movie, attempting to make it feel as nostalgic to the original as possible, but it just doesn't work. Additionally, the plot is extremely predictable and quite forgettable.
Well, let's wrap this up. The goods of Oz: The Great & Powerful are the acting of the title character, the sometimes funny scenes (especially that flying monkey), and the majestic visuals. Unfortunately, the downs of this movie are just as much: the directing is poor, two out of the three witches aren't acted or written well, and the movie is very forgettable. Oz: The Great & Powerful is definitely entertaining for at times, but it feels stretched at others. While it's a good movie to watch with the family, it's definitely forgettable. 5.5 out of 10 Noodles: I probably won't remember this by next month.
Iron Man Three
(2013)
Iron Man 3 - Noodles Review
19 December 2013
8 out of 10 as a movie; 5 out of 10 as an Iron Man movie
You might've noticed my scoring of the movie and that's because it's a very awesome summer movie. But if you're a fan of comics and superheros (which I hugely am), you might feel a little different about it. If you're a die hard Iron Man fan, you'll probably be disappointed. I'm not saying it's a bad movie because it DEFINITELY is not. However, there are some points in the movie that could alter the enjoyment of the film. Iron Man 3 was my 4th most anticipated movie of 2013 (after Man of Steel, The Hobbit 2, and Elysium) and I wouldn't blame anyone for really looking forward to this movie. The trailers were insanely incredible. While the movie doesn't pull through as well as the trailers, it's still somewhat of a treat.
The premise of Iron Man 3 is actually quite interesting. It ties back to The Avengers in which Iron Man practically saved the whole world in the end. He gets anxiety and can't sleep at night because of his post-traumatic stress. The stuff really affected him big time. Then, The Mandarin has to come about and just bring him even more hell. I really liked the idea and where they were going with it. Tony Stark sort of has to use his wits and go on without the Iron Man suit for a bit. I liked that idea but it was a bit drawn out at times. However, the dialogue is quite on point (from the writer of Kiss Kiss Bang Bang and Lethal Weapon so I would imagine so). Sometimes I felt the humor was a little overdone but, oh well, it's a summer movie, I'll deal with it. The humor does kind of have a purpose though. That's who Tony Stark is. He's a narcissist who throws in one liners whenever he wants. Robert Downey Jr. obviously owns the role; he was born to play Tony Stark. Guy Pearce is an awesome actor and he pretty much owns his role but we'll talk about his character a little later. Don Cheadle was great and I was happy to see how much more developed his character was in this movie. However, I didn't really care about Pepper Potts in this movie as much as I did in previous movies, even though the movie tries to make you care about her. One character the movie did good at making you care about early on was The Mandarin. Ben Kingsley pretty much owns the role and I was expecting him to be awesome. If you don't get the gist of The Mandarin; he's the archnemesis of Iron Man, his most important villain. Joker to Batman, Lex Luthor to Superman, Green Goblin to Spiderman, Mandarin to Iron Man. You gotta do him well. However something happens that just completely splits the decision of whether or not you can enjoy the rest of the film. But I won't say it since this is a spoiler-free review; I'll only do a spoiler filled review if enough of you guys ask for it. Anyways, it's a pretty pivotal sequence in the movie. When you watch the movie, I guarantee you'll know what I'm talking about. It was a great move as a film. But as an Iron Man film, it just wasn't the way it should've been done.
A lot of what I didn't like about the movie are spoilers, so I can't really elaborate big on them in detail. I'll say this: a lot of what happened was really cheesy and cartoony, while other things were cliché. That's the most I can say without spoiling anything. Additionally, there were some flaws in the conveyance of emotion, where I sort of felt for the characters but then something would happen that would completely change that. But still, the action is pretty sweet in this movie. Whenever the suit just latches itself onto Tony Stark, I feel like I've seen some of the coolest things in the world. And the final battle is awesome! And that's something we didn't get with the first two Iron Man movies. It was really entertaining and I was totally amazed until the end of it... another totally cliché scene occurred. However, I rolled with it and watched the rest of the movie, which ended up being a lot of important scenes, going through unnoticeably in about a minute or two.
All in all, Iron Man 3 is definitely better than Iron Man 2 but can't quite get up to the level that the first Iron Man did. I'd say it's the most entertaining of the series for casual movie goers though. It has some awesome action and insanely cool special effects. There's subtle humor pretty much everywhere in the movie and Tony Stark is still a very lovable character. However, it does get kinda drawn out at some points, and cartoony at other times. As a regular movie, I give it 8 out of 10 Noodles. But, I can't deny my own feelings of the directions taken in this movie that really detracted from the experience for me, big time. It really doesn't compare to the level of emotion and amazement of the first movie, or the level of epicness that The Avengers reached. If adding the disappointing aspects of the movie as an Iron Man film, it's 5 out of 10 Noodles. I guess that averages it out at a 6.5, but in spite of that, I wouldn't really have a problem watching it again
You might've noticed my scoring of the movie and that's because it's a very awesome summer movie. But if you're a fan of comics and superheros (which I hugely am), you might feel a little different about it. If you're a die hard Iron Man fan, you'll probably be disappointed. I'm not saying it's a bad movie because it DEFINITELY is not. However, there are some points in the movie that could alter the enjoyment of the film. Iron Man 3 was my 4th most anticipated movie of 2013 (after Man of Steel, The Hobbit 2, and Elysium) and I wouldn't blame anyone for really looking forward to this movie. The trailers were insanely incredible. While the movie doesn't pull through as well as the trailers, it's still somewhat of a treat.
The premise of Iron Man 3 is actually quite interesting. It ties back to The Avengers in which Iron Man practically saved the whole world in the end. He gets anxiety and can't sleep at night because of his post-traumatic stress. The stuff really affected him big time. Then, The Mandarin has to come about and just bring him even more hell. I really liked the idea and where they were going with it. Tony Stark sort of has to use his wits and go on without the Iron Man suit for a bit. I liked that idea but it was a bit drawn out at times. However, the dialogue is quite on point (from the writer of Kiss Kiss Bang Bang and Lethal Weapon so I would imagine so). Sometimes I felt the humor was a little overdone but, oh well, it's a summer movie, I'll deal with it. The humor does kind of have a purpose though. That's who Tony Stark is. He's a narcissist who throws in one liners whenever he wants. Robert Downey Jr. obviously owns the role; he was born to play Tony Stark. Guy Pearce is an awesome actor and he pretty much owns his role but we'll talk about his character a little later. Don Cheadle was great and I was happy to see how much more developed his character was in this movie. However, I didn't really care about Pepper Potts in this movie as much as I did in previous movies, even though the movie tries to make you care about her. One character the movie did good at making you care about early on was The Mandarin. Ben Kingsley pretty much owns the role and I was expecting him to be awesome. If you don't get the gist of The Mandarin; he's the archnemesis of Iron Man, his most important villain. Joker to Batman, Lex Luthor to Superman, Green Goblin to Spiderman, Mandarin to Iron Man. You gotta do him well. However something happens that just completely splits the decision of whether or not you can enjoy the rest of the film. But I won't say it since this is a spoiler-free review; I'll only do a spoiler filled review if enough of you guys ask for it. Anyways, it's a pretty pivotal sequence in the movie. When you watch the movie, I guarantee you'll know what I'm talking about. It was a great move as a film. But as an Iron Man film, it just wasn't the way it should've been done.
A lot of what I didn't like about the movie are spoilers, so I can't really elaborate big on them in detail. I'll say this: a lot of what happened was really cheesy and cartoony, while other things were cliché. That's the most I can say without spoiling anything. Additionally, there were some flaws in the conveyance of emotion, where I sort of felt for the characters but then something would happen that would completely change that. But still, the action is pretty sweet in this movie. Whenever the suit just latches itself onto Tony Stark, I feel like I've seen some of the coolest things in the world. And the final battle is awesome! And that's something we didn't get with the first two Iron Man movies. It was really entertaining and I was totally amazed until the end of it... another totally cliché scene occurred. However, I rolled with it and watched the rest of the movie, which ended up being a lot of important scenes, going through unnoticeably in about a minute or two.
All in all, Iron Man 3 is definitely better than Iron Man 2 but can't quite get up to the level that the first Iron Man did. I'd say it's the most entertaining of the series for casual movie goers though. It has some awesome action and insanely cool special effects. There's subtle humor pretty much everywhere in the movie and Tony Stark is still a very lovable character. However, it does get kinda drawn out at some points, and cartoony at other times. As a regular movie, I give it 8 out of 10 Noodles. But, I can't deny my own feelings of the directions taken in this movie that really detracted from the experience for me, big time. It really doesn't compare to the level of emotion and amazement of the first movie, or the level of epicness that The Avengers reached. If adding the disappointing aspects of the movie as an Iron Man film, it's 5 out of 10 Noodles. I guess that averages it out at a 6.5, but in spite of that, I wouldn't really have a problem watching it again
The Great Gatsby
(2013)
The Great Gatsby - Noodles Review
19 December 2013
American classic of literature... The Great Gatsby... can somebody please tell me why this movie needed to be in 3D? The Great Gatsby is a very character-based story; the story can only proceed through how well the characters are portrayed, not the in-your-face style. Thankfully, the characters are most great too. Anyways, The Great Gatsby is a pretty simple story. There's an awesome rich guy, Jay Gatsby, whose pretty much the Hugh Hefner of the 1920s (although they were probably the same age in the '20s). He's in love with the narrator's cousin, who happens to be married to a douche with a lot of inherited money. That's some simple and classy drama there, right? Well, let's just add an insane amount of noise and a lot of green screen and now we have a movie.
The first thing you gotta talk about with this movie is Leonardo DiCaprio. The guy's like one of the best in the business right now and personally my 3rd favourite actor. You just can't help but root for him in whatever movie he's in (hell, I almost even rooted for him in Django Unchained... but that would've been bad) and ya root for him in this movie. He kills it as Jay Gatsby. One thing that was great was the subtle mystery of his character (one really great film aspect is that he wasn't even shown for the first 20-30 minutes of the movie) The rest of the cast is good; especially Joel Edgerton who plays the dick so well, helping us to appreciate Gatsby even more. Toby Maguire (who we've all come to know as Spiderman) is fine in the movie as the narrator but I feel his role could've been played by anyone. Carey Mulligan, who plays Daisy (the girl Gatsby is infatuated with) overacts a little bit but I feel that's good for the character she plays and the style of this movie.
The style of the movie is really one thing that's really crucial to its likability. For me, I like where they were going with it, but it's just too much.for the movie. Baz Luhrmann is the director of this movie. If you don't know who he is, imagine what would happen if Zack Snyder started making artsy movies. He's a very visual and striking director, which sometimes works but not always. They use a lot of noise and colors for this movie. It's, in a way, visually loud. So much is going on that its just like there's noise on the screen. And a lot of this movie is shot on green screen, with a lot of visual effects that don't really need to be there. I don't think there's much need for that in a drama about love. While it does work at some times, I didn't think it did much justice to the overall film. What I really liked are the scenes that take place in one room where people are just talking or arguing. You can feel the tension and emotion of those scenes really well.
Still, The Great Gatsby puts a little too much flair into a simple character-based drama, creating an imbalance of style over substance. The acting was great and the script seemed like it was probably great too; but the way it was conveyed was a little too much. The clash between the premise of the movie and the ongoing visuals really compromised the overall quality of it. While it's an interesting and, in a respect, a unique movie, The Great Gatsby is not as memorable as I hoped for it to be
The first thing you gotta talk about with this movie is Leonardo DiCaprio. The guy's like one of the best in the business right now and personally my 3rd favourite actor. You just can't help but root for him in whatever movie he's in (hell, I almost even rooted for him in Django Unchained... but that would've been bad) and ya root for him in this movie. He kills it as Jay Gatsby. One thing that was great was the subtle mystery of his character (one really great film aspect is that he wasn't even shown for the first 20-30 minutes of the movie) The rest of the cast is good; especially Joel Edgerton who plays the dick so well, helping us to appreciate Gatsby even more. Toby Maguire (who we've all come to know as Spiderman) is fine in the movie as the narrator but I feel his role could've been played by anyone. Carey Mulligan, who plays Daisy (the girl Gatsby is infatuated with) overacts a little bit but I feel that's good for the character she plays and the style of this movie.
The style of the movie is really one thing that's really crucial to its likability. For me, I like where they were going with it, but it's just too much.for the movie. Baz Luhrmann is the director of this movie. If you don't know who he is, imagine what would happen if Zack Snyder started making artsy movies. He's a very visual and striking director, which sometimes works but not always. They use a lot of noise and colors for this movie. It's, in a way, visually loud. So much is going on that its just like there's noise on the screen. And a lot of this movie is shot on green screen, with a lot of visual effects that don't really need to be there. I don't think there's much need for that in a drama about love. While it does work at some times, I didn't think it did much justice to the overall film. What I really liked are the scenes that take place in one room where people are just talking or arguing. You can feel the tension and emotion of those scenes really well.
Still, The Great Gatsby puts a little too much flair into a simple character-based drama, creating an imbalance of style over substance. The acting was great and the script seemed like it was probably great too; but the way it was conveyed was a little too much. The clash between the premise of the movie and the ongoing visuals really compromised the overall quality of it. While it's an interesting and, in a respect, a unique movie, The Great Gatsby is not as memorable as I hoped for it to be
Escape Plan
(2013)
Arny & Sly! Escape Plan - Noodles Review
19 December 2013
Rambo & The Terminator together in one movie! How could this go wrong? Well.... in a couple places. Sylvestor Stallone & Arnold Schwarzenneggar (no, I did not have to look his name up to spell it correctly) were THE two biggest action stars in Hollywood, and everyone wanted them to be in a movie together. It would be so awesome and badass! But, that was 20 years ago. However, we get that movie now, when they're both oldies (Expendables doesn't count because that's an ensemble action star movie). In Escape Plan, we have the both of them as the stars of this movie. I've always loved both of these actors (I might be more of an Arnie fan just for his one-liners); they brought us classics like Rocky, Rambo, Predator, Terminator, and many more. However, they've both had their fair share of misfires; and while this isn't exactly one of those, it's also not a modern classic, much less a generic action movie. The story goes that Stallon plays a guy who breaks out of prisons for a living. He literally gets paid to go to prison, then figure out how to break out, so that they can better secure the prisons. However, he gets sent to a really special prison this time, and there's definitely something wrong here... Additionally, I have to talk about this prison a little bit. It's really cartoony and unrealistic. Each prisoner has their own little glass case and the guards all have these black jabbawockeez masks; it's all really unbelievable. It really remind me of the movie Face/Off, which to me is an action classic. But one segment in that movie really threw me off when they were in the top secret, unrealistically secure & high-tech prison. This was like that, except for the whole movie... In this prison, Stallone meets Arnie and they team up to make... an ESCAPE PLAN!
I'm not gonna say this movie is bad, because it's definitely not. The acting was fine. You could tell Stallone is getting a bit rusty but he's still a believable actor (still like him better in The Expendables though). Schwarzenneggar, though, was probably the best part of this movie. He had those cheesy one-liners that we've come to expect from him (and I'm almost certain they did that on purpose as an inside joke to Arnie fans & '80s fans). They weren't memorable and they were pretty stupid, but his screen presence was actually gratifying. Also, Jim Caviezel's in this movie as the warden of this intense prison. Jim Caviezel will always be known as the actor who portrayed Jesus, but he's still pretty good in this movie as the asshole warden. He's sort of a comic booky character in that he's a villain who has somewhat weird mannerisms, but that fits, I guess, with this cartoony prison. He may have not died for our sins in this movie, but I still give him credit for standing out as an acceptable bad guy.
There's nothing wrong with the directing or technical aspects of the movie. It's all quite mediocre though. The writing could've been better in that the dialogue was rather generic. However, I was fine with all that. The one thing that mainly threw me off, though, was the concept of this super prison that the movie takes place in. It sort of took me out of the movie. In the beginning, the film shows Stallone breaking out of a regular high security prison and that was actually very cool. I was hoping to see more of that, but what can I say? I guess I was disappointed a bit. Nonetheless, Escape Plan is still an entertaining action movie, with its main redeeming quality being the fact that Sylvester Stallone and Arnold Schwarzenneggar are actually starring in the moviee together. You don't have to rush to the theatre to watch it, but if it ever comes on on TV, it's worth a watch.
I'm not gonna say this movie is bad, because it's definitely not. The acting was fine. You could tell Stallone is getting a bit rusty but he's still a believable actor (still like him better in The Expendables though). Schwarzenneggar, though, was probably the best part of this movie. He had those cheesy one-liners that we've come to expect from him (and I'm almost certain they did that on purpose as an inside joke to Arnie fans & '80s fans). They weren't memorable and they were pretty stupid, but his screen presence was actually gratifying. Also, Jim Caviezel's in this movie as the warden of this intense prison. Jim Caviezel will always be known as the actor who portrayed Jesus, but he's still pretty good in this movie as the asshole warden. He's sort of a comic booky character in that he's a villain who has somewhat weird mannerisms, but that fits, I guess, with this cartoony prison. He may have not died for our sins in this movie, but I still give him credit for standing out as an acceptable bad guy.
There's nothing wrong with the directing or technical aspects of the movie. It's all quite mediocre though. The writing could've been better in that the dialogue was rather generic. However, I was fine with all that. The one thing that mainly threw me off, though, was the concept of this super prison that the movie takes place in. It sort of took me out of the movie. In the beginning, the film shows Stallone breaking out of a regular high security prison and that was actually very cool. I was hoping to see more of that, but what can I say? I guess I was disappointed a bit. Nonetheless, Escape Plan is still an entertaining action movie, with its main redeeming quality being the fact that Sylvester Stallone and Arnold Schwarzenneggar are actually starring in the moviee together. You don't have to rush to the theatre to watch it, but if it ever comes on on TV, it's worth a watch.
Catching Fire - Noodles Review
19 December 2013
We all know that it's going to make big bucks from all those devout fans of the books and just the teen populace of the world. But I learned that there's hope for the quality of the movies in the series. So, we left off in the first movie that Katniss and Peeta won the Hunger Games, and the way they did it gave way for people to get the hope to rebel against the oppressive government in this world. Let's talk about the world for a second. The world that Suzanne Collins has established is actually impressive and interesting. I really dig the lore and how everything came to be, as well as the overall atmosphere of it. This movie gets that atmosphere right. The tone throughout the beginning of this movie is spot-on and I was afraid that wouldn't get it right, because the first movie didn't quite do it. I liked the first movie to a certain degree; it did hit some good notes, but I personally don't feel like it did the source material the right amount of justice. Catching Fire, takes almost a 180- degree turn, because this is SO much better! First off, they build off of the good things in the first movie, and then they improve on some of the weak points, and I think that's a lot due to the new director because I could definitely tell that this was directed differently (for the better, though). The camera angles are a lot better, as well as the tone and placement of everything; especially the pacing. Pacing was a major problem for me in the first movie because I don't think I should be getting bored during a movie about a government-orchestrated fight to the death between teenagers in a post- apocalyptic world. But I did. Sigh. The pacing is much better in this sequel. I was invested throughout more of the movie. And here's what you've all been waiting for... wait for it... the violence in on screen! In the first movie, almost all the violence was off-screen so we didn't even see what happened; it was more-so implied. That deters the viewers from caring as much for what happened. Being able to see the actual cuts, injuries, hits, and deaths, really adds more to the emotion and investment in the film.
That is also thanks to the acting because that's also great. Jennifer Lawrence has obviously proved herself as a credible actress now. We know she's great as Katniss. But I was really surprised by her in the beginning of the movie. You really begin to feel bad for Katniss and she effectively portrays her post-traumatic stress and stubbornness. What really surprised me was Josh Hutcherson. Wow, man, give yourself a pat on the back. He improved so much. In the first movie, I gave him a lot of crap since his acting was so wooden and ineffective. Back then he was just a pretty face. He's really improved, because I genuinely cared for his character in this movie, maybe even more than for Katniss at some points. Their little entourage in the Hunger Games is quite fleshed out and distinctive as well. It's inevitable that everyone's gonna love Finnick (or Aquaman as I called him). My favorite character, however, is Plutarch Heavensby, the game-master, and plots with President Snow on how to get rid of Katniss; their conversation on how to get that done is probably my favorite scene in the whole movie. He's played by Phillip Seymour Hoffman, one of my favorite actors. Caesar, as well as pretty much all of the supporting cast is acted well. The only characters I sort of have a problem with are the the tributes from districts 1 and 2. I understand that they're supposed to be formidable foes, but this movie honestly doesn't play them as anything else; it feels like they're just there to be bad guys.
Unfortunately, like the first movie, the pace slows down when the Hunger Games actually start out. This is a bit of a letdown because it's a little weird that the movie slows down when the "action" actually begins. Not only that, but the quality of the movie takes a bit of a dip as well. Yet by this point, it is a realization that the actual Hunger Games aren't the basis of the series. The Hunger Games event itself is a tool to help tell the story; it's a vehicle to propel the actual conflicts. That conflict is oppression and revolution. And this is one of the main reasons I like the book series. It's layered and has elements of politics on top of all this action and stuff. It's not just black and white wherein a good guy is trying to beat a bad guy. Catching Fire really started to show that, whereas one of my main problems with its predecessor was the lack of this layering. So up to the Hunger Games, we have actual dramatic conflict occurring, and it keeps us intrigued most of the way leading up to the games. The scope of the film was great until then, and I really felt more connected to the characters before it happened. Speaking of scope, there are some moments in the film that really make it feel more epic, and truly escalate the experience; this is part due to a great blend of sweeping cinematography and strong musical score. The score in this movie is definitely much stronger than that of the first movie since the music is actually memorable. I guess we could sum up this movie that way, because it's overall just more memorable than the first installment of the franchise. Catching Fire is a more exciting and more layered film that not only houses more intrigue, but also more cinematic prowess. Despite it having some obvious conveniences and other downfalls, Catching Fire is definitely a step in the right direction for the series
That is also thanks to the acting because that's also great. Jennifer Lawrence has obviously proved herself as a credible actress now. We know she's great as Katniss. But I was really surprised by her in the beginning of the movie. You really begin to feel bad for Katniss and she effectively portrays her post-traumatic stress and stubbornness. What really surprised me was Josh Hutcherson. Wow, man, give yourself a pat on the back. He improved so much. In the first movie, I gave him a lot of crap since his acting was so wooden and ineffective. Back then he was just a pretty face. He's really improved, because I genuinely cared for his character in this movie, maybe even more than for Katniss at some points. Their little entourage in the Hunger Games is quite fleshed out and distinctive as well. It's inevitable that everyone's gonna love Finnick (or Aquaman as I called him). My favorite character, however, is Plutarch Heavensby, the game-master, and plots with President Snow on how to get rid of Katniss; their conversation on how to get that done is probably my favorite scene in the whole movie. He's played by Phillip Seymour Hoffman, one of my favorite actors. Caesar, as well as pretty much all of the supporting cast is acted well. The only characters I sort of have a problem with are the the tributes from districts 1 and 2. I understand that they're supposed to be formidable foes, but this movie honestly doesn't play them as anything else; it feels like they're just there to be bad guys.
Unfortunately, like the first movie, the pace slows down when the Hunger Games actually start out. This is a bit of a letdown because it's a little weird that the movie slows down when the "action" actually begins. Not only that, but the quality of the movie takes a bit of a dip as well. Yet by this point, it is a realization that the actual Hunger Games aren't the basis of the series. The Hunger Games event itself is a tool to help tell the story; it's a vehicle to propel the actual conflicts. That conflict is oppression and revolution. And this is one of the main reasons I like the book series. It's layered and has elements of politics on top of all this action and stuff. It's not just black and white wherein a good guy is trying to beat a bad guy. Catching Fire really started to show that, whereas one of my main problems with its predecessor was the lack of this layering. So up to the Hunger Games, we have actual dramatic conflict occurring, and it keeps us intrigued most of the way leading up to the games. The scope of the film was great until then, and I really felt more connected to the characters before it happened. Speaking of scope, there are some moments in the film that really make it feel more epic, and truly escalate the experience; this is part due to a great blend of sweeping cinematography and strong musical score. The score in this movie is definitely much stronger than that of the first movie since the music is actually memorable. I guess we could sum up this movie that way, because it's overall just more memorable than the first installment of the franchise. Catching Fire is a more exciting and more layered film that not only houses more intrigue, but also more cinematic prowess. Despite it having some obvious conveniences and other downfalls, Catching Fire is definitely a step in the right direction for the series
Back to Middle-Earth! The Hobbit 2 - Noodles Review
19 December 2013
While it's still not the perfection I hoped for, it's still a treat. The second installation in The Hobbit trilogy (serving as a prequel to The Lord of the Rings trilogy) brings us back to Middle Earth with style and houses a grand feeling of adventure which is the main element I wanted out of this series. The Lord of the Rings is collectively my personal favorite movie of all time. I can say that it's pleasant to have read the book yet not completely know how all the events in the film will unfold. Though some die-hard fans will say that it's too starkly different from the book, I say that's what we should come to accept now. The outside story arcs that aren't in the book (such as Gandalf's personal quest to see if darkness has returned), all make sense and, for the most part, don't feel out-of-place at all. Desolation of Smaug has the right tone throughout the movie; the tone I was looking for in the first movie. In the first one, it held more of a familial tone, and while this film is still a fun-for-family movie, I feel like it grew up and became more like a Lord of the Rings movie (and that's exactly what we want!).
The casting is so well done that the actors/actresses fit their roles so well. They look like essentially exactly what I would imagine them to look like while reading the books or thinking about the characters. Just as well, the acting is pretty much stellar. Martin Freeman proved to me in An Unexpected Journey that he is the definitive Bilbo. He kills it in this role and he nails every expression, mannerism, hobbit-ism, and line in the exactly the way that he should. Also, you can see that his character has grown. I like to see character growth, especially when it's not overtly- clichéd. We saw in the first movie that he was still a homesick peaceful guy, even on the adventure. But he grew since then, and we can see here that he's grown quite courageous, as well as cunning. He even is responsible a lot of the time for getting the gang out of trouble in a bunch of situations. The company of dwarfs is still well acted done and the leader, Thorin Oakenshield, feels even more heroic and leader-like in this film. As well as Gandalf, but we all already know that he's an inherent bad-ass. And then we have the elves. Legolas, who was my favorite character in The Lord of the Rings trilogy for most of my life, is still awesome in this movie. His actions scenes make this movie so much cooler and appealing. However, it's noticeable that he's like a different character in this movie. He's arrogant and comes off as a jerk. I realized that this comes to play in his overall character arc over the span of the entire series, and imagine he'll grow into a more humble warrior in the next movie. The other elf is Tauriel. However she's not in any of the books whatsoever; she was completely made up for this movie. However, she definitely feels like she belongs there and she's acted well. The one thing is just that there's a bit of a small romance and it feels a little bit forced and childish, so I don't think that really fit. A lot of things in this movie, you can tell were shoehorned in by Peter Jackson, especially the involvement of Legolas and Tauriel, but it's executed in such a way that it feels like it belongs there. But the character who really belongs here is Smaug. Smaug is the dragon who lives in the Lonely Mountain, which is where the Company of Dwarfs is journeying to in order to reclaim it as their kingdom. Smaug, is voiced by Benedict Cumberbatch; and they could not have picked anyone better. He lends just the right tone of voice and speaks so articulately; it's amazing. Smaug gives off the perfect vibe of arrogance; you can tell he condescends upon everyone. He was a memorable character and he was so menacing that I don't think I'll ever forget him as a movie antagonist.
The special effects are also breathtaking. The dragon is designed so flawlessly. The CGI in other scenes was mostly on point; however it did slack a little bit at some moments, so there's a minor gripe there. The goblins are done better in this movie though. One of my major gripes with the first movie is that firstly, the baddies were done with CGI, and secondly, I could easily tell they were. Thankfully in this movie, a lot of them are done with makeup and prosthetics so there's a more realistic and gritty feel to them. The feel of the entire movie is much more exciting. One of my main problems with first movie was that it had pacing issues and lot of it felt slow or uninteresting. But Desolation is turned on for pretty much all of it 161-minute runtime; it's exciting and something's happening, almost all the time. It slows down a bit, but that could just be in relativity because the rest of the movie there's so much stuff happening.
All in all, Desolation of Smaug is a greatly welcomed installment to the series, and it's a great improvement over the first movie. It's more-so like An Unexpected Journey was actually just building up to the events of this film. This movie capitalizes on a lot of what it's got; the characters and action are spectacular, while the overall scope and tone are going in the right direction. Hopefully, the final film in the trilogy will veer towards even greater excellency, as there is still room to improve. However, The Desolation of Smaug as a movie is the opposite of a desolation.
The casting is so well done that the actors/actresses fit their roles so well. They look like essentially exactly what I would imagine them to look like while reading the books or thinking about the characters. Just as well, the acting is pretty much stellar. Martin Freeman proved to me in An Unexpected Journey that he is the definitive Bilbo. He kills it in this role and he nails every expression, mannerism, hobbit-ism, and line in the exactly the way that he should. Also, you can see that his character has grown. I like to see character growth, especially when it's not overtly- clichéd. We saw in the first movie that he was still a homesick peaceful guy, even on the adventure. But he grew since then, and we can see here that he's grown quite courageous, as well as cunning. He even is responsible a lot of the time for getting the gang out of trouble in a bunch of situations. The company of dwarfs is still well acted done and the leader, Thorin Oakenshield, feels even more heroic and leader-like in this film. As well as Gandalf, but we all already know that he's an inherent bad-ass. And then we have the elves. Legolas, who was my favorite character in The Lord of the Rings trilogy for most of my life, is still awesome in this movie. His actions scenes make this movie so much cooler and appealing. However, it's noticeable that he's like a different character in this movie. He's arrogant and comes off as a jerk. I realized that this comes to play in his overall character arc over the span of the entire series, and imagine he'll grow into a more humble warrior in the next movie. The other elf is Tauriel. However she's not in any of the books whatsoever; she was completely made up for this movie. However, she definitely feels like she belongs there and she's acted well. The one thing is just that there's a bit of a small romance and it feels a little bit forced and childish, so I don't think that really fit. A lot of things in this movie, you can tell were shoehorned in by Peter Jackson, especially the involvement of Legolas and Tauriel, but it's executed in such a way that it feels like it belongs there. But the character who really belongs here is Smaug. Smaug is the dragon who lives in the Lonely Mountain, which is where the Company of Dwarfs is journeying to in order to reclaim it as their kingdom. Smaug, is voiced by Benedict Cumberbatch; and they could not have picked anyone better. He lends just the right tone of voice and speaks so articulately; it's amazing. Smaug gives off the perfect vibe of arrogance; you can tell he condescends upon everyone. He was a memorable character and he was so menacing that I don't think I'll ever forget him as a movie antagonist.
The special effects are also breathtaking. The dragon is designed so flawlessly. The CGI in other scenes was mostly on point; however it did slack a little bit at some moments, so there's a minor gripe there. The goblins are done better in this movie though. One of my major gripes with the first movie is that firstly, the baddies were done with CGI, and secondly, I could easily tell they were. Thankfully in this movie, a lot of them are done with makeup and prosthetics so there's a more realistic and gritty feel to them. The feel of the entire movie is much more exciting. One of my main problems with first movie was that it had pacing issues and lot of it felt slow or uninteresting. But Desolation is turned on for pretty much all of it 161-minute runtime; it's exciting and something's happening, almost all the time. It slows down a bit, but that could just be in relativity because the rest of the movie there's so much stuff happening.
All in all, Desolation of Smaug is a greatly welcomed installment to the series, and it's a great improvement over the first movie. It's more-so like An Unexpected Journey was actually just building up to the events of this film. This movie capitalizes on a lot of what it's got; the characters and action are spectacular, while the overall scope and tone are going in the right direction. Hopefully, the final film in the trilogy will veer towards even greater excellency, as there is still room to improve. However, The Desolation of Smaug as a movie is the opposite of a desolation.
Star Trek Into Darkness
(2013)
Star Trek Into Darkness - Noodles Review
19 December 2013
Yup, I'm a Star Trek fan. Yes, I'm a Benedict Cumberbatch fan. How about we put those two together and see what happens? Well, this... the best movie of 2013 thus far. I loved the first movie (not the first Stark Trek: The Motion Picture) from 2009 that was sort of a reboot of the franchise but sort of not. The concept of it was that it opened a new timeline, sort of a parallel universe. This means that while everything in the original shows and movies did happen, all of the events in the new movies are also happening to the same characters in a different timeline (or parallel universe). This gives leeway for a lot of things as it gives the opportunity to the people making the film to create their own ideas for it, without altering any of the source material. Therefore, a lot of awesome stuff happens in the new movies.
The first thing you gotta talk about in this movie is Benedict Cumberbatch. He is absolutely awesome in one of my favourite shows, Sherlock, and he owns in this movie. He's menacing, smart, efficient; everything we need. One of my only gripes about the first movie was the villain. He didn't suck or anything but he just wasn't totally awesome; and I understand that because that one was introducing the characters and the whole world. But they got it all right in this one because Cumberbatch = awesome. If he's in a scene, you even totally disregard anyone else in the scene because he literally steals every single scene just be being present. Overall, I think you get the point that he's intense. Kirk and Spock are awesome as well. There's a lot of really enjoyable moments concerning their relationship as shipmates. They banter back and forth, intentionally disregard each other, and yet still work together and respect one another. That's a real buddy movie right there. Then there's Scotty who's the comic relief of the movie and Simon Pegg really does him justice. However, not all of the characters are as greatly important. It's not that they're irrelevant, but they aren't as perfectly fleshed out as they could've been (or Cumberbatch is just stealing all their talent).
Speaking of talent, the director, J.J. Abrams showcases his pretty well in this movie. While some people don't like his many lens flares, I feel they add more to the film's style. One thing that doesn't need style to be great in this film is the action and epic things that happen. The movie is filled with adrenaline and barely ever gives you a breather. Plus, it's filled with tons of money shots! If you don't know what that is, it's a really awesome scene in a movie (usually depicted in the trailers) that you know costs big money but it just makes your jaw drop. Example from this movie: the scene in the trailer where the U.S.S Enterprise crashes into the lake. Yup, it's there and it is awesome. While there's awesome and relentless action, the story's pretty dense too. It's compelling, heartfelt, and fun. It even has layers, which we don't really see in action movies often today; while there's the action between the good guy and the bad guy, there's drama, politics, and other events going on that really add to the movie.
If you know someone who says that they don't wanna see this movie just because Star Trek is dumb or nerdy, they are clearly either stupid or a jerk. This movie and it's predecessor actually make Star Trek a cool and entertaining thing for everyone to watch and undoubtedly enjoy. There's great and exciting action, a strong and compelling story, fun moments, and Benedict Cumberbatch is absolutely awesome. Star Trek Into Darkness is one of best movies of 2013,
The first thing you gotta talk about in this movie is Benedict Cumberbatch. He is absolutely awesome in one of my favourite shows, Sherlock, and he owns in this movie. He's menacing, smart, efficient; everything we need. One of my only gripes about the first movie was the villain. He didn't suck or anything but he just wasn't totally awesome; and I understand that because that one was introducing the characters and the whole world. But they got it all right in this one because Cumberbatch = awesome. If he's in a scene, you even totally disregard anyone else in the scene because he literally steals every single scene just be being present. Overall, I think you get the point that he's intense. Kirk and Spock are awesome as well. There's a lot of really enjoyable moments concerning their relationship as shipmates. They banter back and forth, intentionally disregard each other, and yet still work together and respect one another. That's a real buddy movie right there. Then there's Scotty who's the comic relief of the movie and Simon Pegg really does him justice. However, not all of the characters are as greatly important. It's not that they're irrelevant, but they aren't as perfectly fleshed out as they could've been (or Cumberbatch is just stealing all their talent).
Speaking of talent, the director, J.J. Abrams showcases his pretty well in this movie. While some people don't like his many lens flares, I feel they add more to the film's style. One thing that doesn't need style to be great in this film is the action and epic things that happen. The movie is filled with adrenaline and barely ever gives you a breather. Plus, it's filled with tons of money shots! If you don't know what that is, it's a really awesome scene in a movie (usually depicted in the trailers) that you know costs big money but it just makes your jaw drop. Example from this movie: the scene in the trailer where the U.S.S Enterprise crashes into the lake. Yup, it's there and it is awesome. While there's awesome and relentless action, the story's pretty dense too. It's compelling, heartfelt, and fun. It even has layers, which we don't really see in action movies often today; while there's the action between the good guy and the bad guy, there's drama, politics, and other events going on that really add to the movie.
If you know someone who says that they don't wanna see this movie just because Star Trek is dumb or nerdy, they are clearly either stupid or a jerk. This movie and it's predecessor actually make Star Trek a cool and entertaining thing for everyone to watch and undoubtedly enjoy. There's great and exciting action, a strong and compelling story, fun moments, and Benedict Cumberbatch is absolutely awesome. Star Trek Into Darkness is one of best movies of 2013,
Elysium
(I) (2013)
Elysium - Noodles Review
19 December 2013
I was really excited for Elysium since I absolutely adore writer/director Neil Blomkamp's first film District 9. It had a gritty, realistic feel to it; the character development and acting was great, as well as the action; and there were interesting themes of social commentary in it. Thankfully, Blomkamp has delivered that yet again with Elysium. This is one of those movies that you walk into not fully knowing what to expect. However, it all pays off since this is the best movie of the summer and possibly of the year. Elysium takes place about a century or two into the future and Earth is in a pretty bad, crumbling type, condition here. Don't expect the world of Back to the Future 2 because this Earth is overpopulated, polluted; it sucks. And in this film, there's essentially no middle class of society is really present. We have the poor class living on this tattered Earth. Then we have the rich class (politically "the 1%") living on this perfect habitat in a space station called Elysium. On Elysium, life is great: everything's clean, everything's high society, they listen to classical music and speak French. There's medical machines that can essentially fix anything (from fixing broken legs to curing cancer). Jodie Foster kind of runs the place. She's actually the secretary of defense, but you know she really runs things. We know she's a great actress, and she's good here. Some people may be bothered by the weird, almost unique, accent she gives her character but I kind of felt it added to her character. However, she's one of the antagonists of the film as she pretty much hates the poor people who illegally immigrate to Elysium.
On Earth, we have Matt Damon's character Max. He's a really likable guy and easy to root for. He cracks jokes and kicks ass, but is also really determined to reach his goals. Matt Damon delivers here with probably his best performance since The Departed. Through a number of events, he's gotta get to Elysium so he gets an awesome robotic suit bolted onto his body. It's pretty graphic when this happens too, the guys who do it don't exactly look like professionals, more so like thugs in the slums. Also on Earth is Agent Kruger, played by Sharlto Copley. I have to tell you right now that this guy completely steals the show. He's an actor with incredible range, playing an innocent fidgety guy who becomes a determined fighter in District 9, and then playing an all out psycho (who is awesome) in this movie. He works for the Elysium government but he still lives on the slums of Earth with his guys. The entirety of Earth is essentially the slums and the movie spends a lot of time on Earth, which I actually enjoyed. The location filming is fantastic and the setting is incredibly engrossing. You felt like you were in this world with them and caring about what would happen. The action sequences were so cool too. It's not tame though, there's very detailed blood and gore. And there's the robots, too, whom I can't even tell if they're actual set pieces or special effects. Whichever it is, they look so real.
Another real thing about this movie is the social commentary of it. Yeah, with District 9, Blomkamp gave us the themes of apartheid and racism, while wrapping them up in a really interesting and unique movie with aliens. In Elysium, we have the issues of immigration, healthcare, and class boundaries discussed in this movie. My dad would even point out how interesting they made it, like where a group of poor Earthlings take some illegal ships up to Elysium and Jodie Foster wants to deport them because they're technically illegal immigrants. It really makes you think about how society is in our world today. When a movie can do that, while still being an incredibly entertaining and engrossing sci-fi flick, you know it's gonna be awesome. And whether you agree with the societal themes or not, you have to admire how much passion Neil Blomkamp pours into this film. In 2013, it's pretty rare to see that and I really love it. Elysium is a fantastic sci-fi drama with some deep human elements, as well as some amazing action scenes and awesome sequences (there's a Bugatti spaceship... how is that not awesome?)
On Earth, we have Matt Damon's character Max. He's a really likable guy and easy to root for. He cracks jokes and kicks ass, but is also really determined to reach his goals. Matt Damon delivers here with probably his best performance since The Departed. Through a number of events, he's gotta get to Elysium so he gets an awesome robotic suit bolted onto his body. It's pretty graphic when this happens too, the guys who do it don't exactly look like professionals, more so like thugs in the slums. Also on Earth is Agent Kruger, played by Sharlto Copley. I have to tell you right now that this guy completely steals the show. He's an actor with incredible range, playing an innocent fidgety guy who becomes a determined fighter in District 9, and then playing an all out psycho (who is awesome) in this movie. He works for the Elysium government but he still lives on the slums of Earth with his guys. The entirety of Earth is essentially the slums and the movie spends a lot of time on Earth, which I actually enjoyed. The location filming is fantastic and the setting is incredibly engrossing. You felt like you were in this world with them and caring about what would happen. The action sequences were so cool too. It's not tame though, there's very detailed blood and gore. And there's the robots, too, whom I can't even tell if they're actual set pieces or special effects. Whichever it is, they look so real.
Another real thing about this movie is the social commentary of it. Yeah, with District 9, Blomkamp gave us the themes of apartheid and racism, while wrapping them up in a really interesting and unique movie with aliens. In Elysium, we have the issues of immigration, healthcare, and class boundaries discussed in this movie. My dad would even point out how interesting they made it, like where a group of poor Earthlings take some illegal ships up to Elysium and Jodie Foster wants to deport them because they're technically illegal immigrants. It really makes you think about how society is in our world today. When a movie can do that, while still being an incredibly entertaining and engrossing sci-fi flick, you know it's gonna be awesome. And whether you agree with the societal themes or not, you have to admire how much passion Neil Blomkamp pours into this film. In 2013, it's pretty rare to see that and I really love it. Elysium is a fantastic sci-fi drama with some deep human elements, as well as some amazing action scenes and awesome sequences (there's a Bugatti spaceship... how is that not awesome?)
Despicable Me 2
(2013)
Despicable Me 2 - Short Noodles Review
19 December 2013
I just have to stress how much replay value this movie has. I can honestly watch it so many times. There's never really a dull moment in this movie. If you liked the first one, I'm pretty sure you'll like this one too. Personally, I loved the first one and I might even like this one more. Despicable Me 2 is about the ex-villain Gru moving on from his life of crime and instead raising his family (of which the youngest girl Agnes is probably the cutest animated character. Ever.). Along the way, there's a spy conspiracy concerning a supervillain on his hands, as well as the outstandingly lovable minions. We all love the minions and the makers of this film realized and capitalized on that. There's so much more minion humour in this movie and it's great. Essentially all the humour in this movie is laugh-out-loud hilarious and the best funny parts are the really subtle things. It's actually rewarding in a sense. The second half of the movie is also filled with cool spy stuff (bear in mind that it's not Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol though) and it's all fun and entertaining, while still retaining all the laughs. It's fun for kids, teenagers, and adults: the quintessential family movie of this year so far and definitely the funniest.
Man of Steel
(2013)
Man of Steel - Short Noodles Review
19 December 2013
Man of Steel is just so entertaining. I mean, come on, it's not a bird & it's not a plane. It's Superman! Man of Steel was actually my most anticipated movie of 2013 and while I hate to say it, I was somewhat disappointed. I didn't get that special spark that I was hoping for, which I got from the Dark Knight movies. And I'm probably gonna compare it to that too. However, I still like this movie a lot. If you didn't know, Man of Steel is the reboot of the Superman franchise. It's actually a great start for the hero, but it's not perfect. Henry Cavill actually owns the role of Superman, and Amy Adams as Lois Lane is convincing as well. But the show is stolen by the fathers, Russell Crowe as Jor-El and Kevin Costner as Jonathan Kent. Michael Shannon as General Zod was great, too, but he lacked the emotion and intensity that I was expecting to get from him (especially showcased in one of the trailers). He was great in the role, but he's not the definitive Zod. Nonetheless, this movie still housed a ton of awesome sequences. Essentially every fight scene in this movie is done well and I just can't deny how much I enjoyed every second of them. Director Zack Snyder's visual direction of this movie is so great. However, I felt at times that there was too many action sequences in comparison to how much time is spent developing characters and emotion and all that stuff. While the movie has it's emotional scenes, it's not wholly inspiring or at the caliber of emotion that I was hoping for. But it's more so on the level of action-packed summer movieness. But I still enjoy this movie a lot and I'm so excited to see where the franchise heads (especially with the inclusion of Batman in the sequel!)
The Hunt
(2012)
The Hunt - Noodles Review
19 December 2013
This is a lesser known film (probably because it's foreign) but it's definitely a great one. The Hunt is a Danish film concerning the a man named Lucas, played by Mads Mikkelsen. You may know him as the Bond villain from Casino Royale or as Hannibal Lecter in the show Hannibal. He's a phenomenal actor and he really shows that here (I'd be surprised if didn't get nominated for this). In this film, he plays an innocent- minded teacher. What I love about this movie is that it's so grounded and real. You really believe that this guy, Lucas, is a real person and everything that happens in the movie is so believable. He's a recently divorced guy who's close to getting custody of his son; he's starting a new relationship; as a teacher, all the kids love him. His life is a pretty positive one at the moment, until... one little girl decides to tell a little lie and falsely accuse him of sexually harassing her. And even though there's no evidence of this, Lucas's life begins to crumble. It all happens so realistically and that's credit to the writing and direction of this movie. When I watched this movie, I literally sat forward in my seat, motionless, witnessing the events of the film unfold. There's no special effects or spectacular events; it's just pure raw emotion in an intensely believable situation. One of the best compliments I can give a foreign-language film is that I forget that I'm reading the subtitles because I'm so engrossed in what's happening. To me, this is one of the best crafted films of recent years. Not everyone can watch it because a lot of people would find it boring or uninteresting, but it is just beautiful to me.
Pacific Rim
(2013)
Pacific Rim - Noodles Review
19 December 2013
The story is actually really simple, in which huge monsters rise up from an inter-dimensional portal in the Pacific Ocean. The movie drops you in the middle of it, in which it's been happening for awhile so we've created huge badass robots to fight the monsters. It's a decent enough premise to make the awesome concepts of battles between giant monsters & giant robots plausible. It's reason enough for us to get locked into this movie. The character development was alright, as was the acting. Charlie Hunnam plays the protagonist; and while I absolutely love him in Sons of Anarchy, he's not spectacular in the movie. He gets the job done and you root for him but you're gonna buy his action figure. Then there's Idris Elba. We already know he's awesome, because with every role he takes on, the film could be terrible but you know Elba is gonna perform greatly. However, not everyone comes to this movie for the characters. We came to watch giant robots battle giant monsters. And I'll tell you it's so awesome. The battles are so epic. The scale of these battles are humongous and it allows you to actually see the entire fight occur, as opposed to the Transformers movies where it's all in you face and you can't tell what's going most of the time other than the sound of clanking metal. No, with this movie you see it all, and it is absolutely awesome.
Paranoia
(I) (2013)
Not even paranoid... Paranoia - Noodles Review
19 December 2013
What a misleading title for a movie? Nobody's even paranoid in this movie at all so calling it Paranoia doesn't really make sense to me. Instead, they could've titled it Generic Conveniences. Know why? Because everything in this movie is written in so conveniently for the characters to succeed in the most generic way. So, I guess you can tell it's not a very likable movie. Before seeing this movie, the premise sounded pretty cool. One guy is spying on a company for a rival company but not everything goes according to plan and then stuff happens. Plus, the CEOs of the companies are played by none other than two of the best actors in the business! We got Gary Oldman, one of the most diverse actors of modern cinema, and Harrison Ford (Indiana Jones & Han Solo: 'nough said). On top of that, it stars Thor's brother, Liam Hemsworth, who's good in The Expendables 2 and The Hunger Games, but this could have been his breakout role as a leading actor! Sadly, it's not.
Hemsworth's character in this movie is so unlikable; the only reason an individual would enjoy him in this movie is because he's an attractive guy. However, his acting in this movie is pretty bad. I found myself comparing him to Taylor Lautner's performance in Abduction but at least with that movie we knew it was gonna be bad. Just as bad as his acting are the choices made by his character. The whole plot is put into motion because he got fired from a company and then he decides to go out clubbing with the credit card that's issued by the company he got fired from that he still luckily has! How stupid is that! And then, through a sequence of events, they choose him of all people to be a spy; this irresponsible guy who just goes out clubbing after he's fired? Wow. The writing in this movie clearly is off-putting, but we'll get to that later. The chicks, too, that Hemsworth gets with in this movie are really weird as well. One tries playing hard to get even though he already got with her, while the other chick tries to seduce him while he's already trying to seduce her. The only semi-redeeming qualities of this movie are that Gary Oldman and Harrison Ford actually try in this movie. It's undeniable that they're phenomenal actors, and they are, for the most part, good in this movie for what they're given. Nonetheless, they're given crap dialogue and stupid plot points. I cannot bag on the writing of this movie enough; it is so bad. The dialogue is unrealistic and not enjoyable, while the plot is so convoluted and uninteresting that I kept wanting to stop watching the movie.
Additionally, the directing of this movie is a huge weakpoint. It looked like a made-for-TV movie from the '90s. The directing and camera-work were horrible. Sometimes there was a person talking but half their face was off the screen. In another sequence, Hemsworth is running like a little girl, flailing his arms around and whatnot. There's no purpose for him to be running like that; who said that was okay? It's funny seeing how stupid it is, but it's not even supposed to be funny. And with it being a spy thriller with convoluted twists, you'd think that it'd be unpredictable, right? Well it's not. It had those cliché moments like when he has to break into a vault and he's failed two out of three attempts, with the next failed attempt triggering the alarms. And then it tries to build tension in that moment, but you already know he's gonna be alright and his last attempt is gonna get through. The movie has no suspense whatsoever, despite trying to be a suspenseful summer thriller. It's not suspenseful because you always know what's gonna happen and don't really even care for the characters. It's not summer because it's boring and uninteresting rather than being fun. And it's not a thriller because there are absolutely no thrills. The only thing remotely okay about this movie are the performances of Gary Oldman and Harrision Ford, and that sometimes even gets old since Ford never gets the chance to say "Get off my plane!" It's not worth seeing in the theatre or even worth renting. It's one of those movies that will be on cable and you'll have to think about if you actually have nothing better to do than invest your time in it. But you'll probably end up passing anyways
Hemsworth's character in this movie is so unlikable; the only reason an individual would enjoy him in this movie is because he's an attractive guy. However, his acting in this movie is pretty bad. I found myself comparing him to Taylor Lautner's performance in Abduction but at least with that movie we knew it was gonna be bad. Just as bad as his acting are the choices made by his character. The whole plot is put into motion because he got fired from a company and then he decides to go out clubbing with the credit card that's issued by the company he got fired from that he still luckily has! How stupid is that! And then, through a sequence of events, they choose him of all people to be a spy; this irresponsible guy who just goes out clubbing after he's fired? Wow. The writing in this movie clearly is off-putting, but we'll get to that later. The chicks, too, that Hemsworth gets with in this movie are really weird as well. One tries playing hard to get even though he already got with her, while the other chick tries to seduce him while he's already trying to seduce her. The only semi-redeeming qualities of this movie are that Gary Oldman and Harrison Ford actually try in this movie. It's undeniable that they're phenomenal actors, and they are, for the most part, good in this movie for what they're given. Nonetheless, they're given crap dialogue and stupid plot points. I cannot bag on the writing of this movie enough; it is so bad. The dialogue is unrealistic and not enjoyable, while the plot is so convoluted and uninteresting that I kept wanting to stop watching the movie.
Additionally, the directing of this movie is a huge weakpoint. It looked like a made-for-TV movie from the '90s. The directing and camera-work were horrible. Sometimes there was a person talking but half their face was off the screen. In another sequence, Hemsworth is running like a little girl, flailing his arms around and whatnot. There's no purpose for him to be running like that; who said that was okay? It's funny seeing how stupid it is, but it's not even supposed to be funny. And with it being a spy thriller with convoluted twists, you'd think that it'd be unpredictable, right? Well it's not. It had those cliché moments like when he has to break into a vault and he's failed two out of three attempts, with the next failed attempt triggering the alarms. And then it tries to build tension in that moment, but you already know he's gonna be alright and his last attempt is gonna get through. The movie has no suspense whatsoever, despite trying to be a suspenseful summer thriller. It's not suspenseful because you always know what's gonna happen and don't really even care for the characters. It's not summer because it's boring and uninteresting rather than being fun. And it's not a thriller because there are absolutely no thrills. The only thing remotely okay about this movie are the performances of Gary Oldman and Harrision Ford, and that sometimes even gets old since Ford never gets the chance to say "Get off my plane!" It's not worth seeing in the theatre or even worth renting. It's one of those movies that will be on cable and you'll have to think about if you actually have nothing better to do than invest your time in it. But you'll probably end up passing anyways
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