John McClane attempts to avert disaster as rogue military operatives
seize control of Dulles International Airport in Washington, D.C.
Director:Renny Harlin
Writers:Walter Wager (novel), Steven E. de Souza (screenplay)
Stars:Bruce Willis, William Atherton, Bonnie Bedelia
Storyline
After the terrifying events in LA, John McClane (Willis) is about to go
through it all again. A team of terrorists, led by Col. Stuart (Sadler)
is holding the entire airport hostage. The terrorists are planning to
rescue a drug lord from justice. In order to do so, they have seized
control of all electrical equipment affecting all planes. With no runway
lights available, all aircraft have to remain in the air, with fuel
running low, McClane will need to be fast.
Die Hard 2 Movie Reviews
This
is still a good movie,although it's not as good as the first one.for
one thing,it's a lot slower paced and there is less action.John McClane
is once again the only person who seems to be standing in the way of
terrorists carrying out there plan.this time,it just happens to an
airport which is the scene.Bruce Willis is back as McClane,of course,and
he actually has some more and funnier lines than in the first.William
Sadler plays the main bad guy in this one,and puts in a great
performance.i liked his character better than the main villain in the
first movie.the biggest problem with this movie,like i mentioned,is the
pacing.it is a bit slow especially compared to the first one.but that
makes a big difference in how enjoyable it is is.it's just not as fun or
thrilling.for me, Die Hard 2 is a 7/10
PG-13
||Action,
Adventure,
Sci-Fi|
1 August 2014 (USA)
A group of intergalactic criminals are forced to work together to stop a fanatical warrior from taking control of the universe.
Director: James Gunn
Writers: James Gunn, Nicole Perlman|
2 more credits »
Stars: Chris Pratt, Vin Diesel, Bradley Cooper
Storyline
After stealing a mysterious orb in the far reaches of outer space, Peter
Quill from Earth, is now the main target of a manhunt led by the
villain known as Ronan the Accuser. To help fight Ronan and his team and
save the galaxy from his power, Quill creates a team of space heroes
known as the "Guardians of the Galaxy" to save the world.
Guardians of the Galaxy Movie Reviews
If
you've seen the trailers for Guardians of the Galaxy, you'd be within
your rights to think Marvel Studio execs have been hitting the bottle
hard or taking LSD.
The film revolves around a group of
dysfunctional but goodhearted criminals – think Robin Hood's Merry Men
of the future – comprising human thief Peter Quill aka Star-Lord
(Pratt), green assassin Gamora (Saldana), talking raccoon Rocket
(Cooper), knife-wielding Drax the Destroyer (Bautista), and walking tree
Groot (Diesel).
Like the Avengers, the Guardians get off to a
false start but soon unite over a common cause, namely, the galaxy being
obliterated by genocidal maniac, Ronan – not Keating – the Accuser.
Ah yes, the old, let's-exterminate-everyone-for-the-mistakes-of-their-forefathers ploy.
But
unlike Avengers Assemble, Guardians of the Galaxy oozes offbeat
originality and frankly, it's the most unique and delightful film Marvel
has created to date.
It's a hell of an achievement given the
extensive movie library the company is building up and when you consider
the characters aren't household names like 'big three' Iron Man, Thor
and Captain America, but Marvel seems well aware of that fact with the
final production risky to say the least.
The film opens in 1988,
which is when Quill is abducted from Earth, and 26 years later we see
he's become a crooked intergalactic outlaw with a taste for all things
shiny, valuable and not his.
Given the distinct decade in which
he was taken, his cassette player and mixtape of 70s and 80s tracks are
laced throughout the film, which creates a quirky yet grounded quality
in the midst of all of the dazzling interstellar warfare that takes
place along the way.
In addition to the soundtrack, jokes and
comedy have never been more of a feature in a Marvel film – perhaps Iron
Man 3 was the closest – as gags are thrown into the unlikeliest of
scenarios to lessen the tension, and I would imagine, to really
differentiate itself from Avengers Assemble, Star Wars and Star Trek,
which by comparison are left looking very sombre.
That said, if
you were going to compare Pratt's Quill to someone, the character is
quite reminiscent of Chris Pine's Captain James Kirk – smart,
womanising, reckless leaders, who eventually find their feet.
The
editing is supreme and makes each bit of dialogue super-sharp and
tight, so when the infamous five are bickering or talking generally, the
repartee all feels really clean and natural without being awkward or
forced.
Thor can be stubborn, Iron Man can be arrogant and
Captain America is considered too stiff, but all of the Guardians bring
even more wildly different qualities to the table and offer some
diversity that doesn't ever grate or bore, which wouldn't have been
possible without such excellent casting.
Meanwhile, the film is
very much in the here and now, with Quill's backstory the only one that
truly gets a look-in, which creates a sense of intrigue about his
colleagues who only have their pasts hinted at, meaning sequel fodder.
There's
just no way of knowing where you're going and tonally the movie
delivers a piece of everything and it's done big and without hesitation.
Guardians may have been a gamble, but I'm Grooting for it to Rocket to the top.
In a Fascist future where all forms of feeling are illegal, a man in charge of enforcing the law rises to overthrow the system.
Director: Kurt Wimmer
Writer: Kurt Wimmer
Stars: Christian Bale, Sean Bean, Emily Watson
Storyline
In a futuristic world, a strict regime has eliminated war by suppressing
emotions: books, art and music are strictly forbidden and feeling is a
crime punishable by death. Cleric John Preston (Bale) is a top ranking
government agent responsible for destroying those who resist the rules.
When he misses a dose of Prozium, a mind-altering drug that hinders
emotion, Preston, who has been trained to enforce the strict laws of the
new regime, suddenly becomes the only person capable of overthrowing
it.
Equilibrium Movie Reviews
The "Equilibrium" is
one of the very little action movies that actually make sense! The
script was influenced by many books and it worked! The film is really
great, quick action, combined with a brilliantly stated philosophical
question, breathtaking scenes with lots of effects, superb actors! It
perfectly balances on the verge between just a high-budget nonsense
action film (despite it's low budget) and extremely boring
science-fiction film. It was quite a nice surprise when I watched it,
because the director is not famous! And there was not any Hollywood
superstar but all and the acting is amazingly great! Like the actors
completely fit in their roles and ruthlessly overwhelm the weak script
parts! I still remember the change of the emphasis when the main
character changed sides! With this performance it is a serious
competitor of "the matrix" or maybe more!
Although one little
remark must be made in the beginning, when cleric Preston enters the
barricaded room with the rebels, some shooting scenes are the same!
But I guess there is not a good film without a little weakness in it, is it?
In a future British tyranny, a shadowy freedom fighter, known only by
the alias of "V", plots to overthrow it with the help of a young woman.
Director:James McTeigue
Writers:Andy Wachowski (screenplay) (as The Wachowski Brothers), Lana Wachowski (screenplay) (as The Wachowski Brothers)
Stars: Hugo Weaving, Natalie Portman, Rupert Graves
Storyline
Tells the story of Evey Hammond and her unlikely but instrumental part
in bringing down the fascist government that has taken control of a
futuristic Great Britain. Saved from a life-and-death situation by a man
in a Guy Fawkes mask who calls himself V, she learns a general summary
of V's past and, after a time, decides to help him bring down those who
committed the atrocities that led to Britain being in the shape that it
is in.
V for Vendetta Movie Reviews
well... all i can say is goddamn.
keeping
in mind that anytime you see a movie as part of a major film festival
world premiere, where the cast and creators are present, along with
hundreds of avid film fans and press, it tends to raise the experience a
notch or two... but having said that - i found it to be a work of
monumental genius. i thought it was so amazingly good in fact that i
actually had to say something as extreme as that to express my current
mood towards it, which is still only a mere fraction of how i felt when i
actually left the theatre. it was seriously that good.
and yes,
i'm biased, if you can call it that. but i like the wachowski's for a
reason, not blind admiration. they're geniuses, and they've trained
mcteigue well.
naturally, i think it will be under-appreciated by
much of the general public as its not nearly as action-packed as the
trailer would have you believe, but whether it makes 100 mil or 200 mil,
it should at least completely redeem the wachowski's legacy in even the
most critical of critic's minds.
i have to say, the rush of
adrenaline i felt when...well, you know if you've seen the trailer -
made me want to stand u and cheer. when a movie can make you feel like
that, it's succeeded.
A woman rebels against a tyrannical ruler in post apocalyptic Australia
in search for her homeland with the help of a group of female prisoners,
a psychotic worshiper, and a drifter named Max.
Director:George Miller
Writers:George Miller, Brendan McCarthy|
Stars: Tom Hardy, Charlize Theron, Nicholas Hoult
Storyline
An apocalyptic story set in the furthest reaches of our planet, in a
stark desert landscape where humanity is broken, and almost everyone is
crazed fighting for the necessities of life. Within this world exist two
rebels on the run who just might be able to restore order. There's Max,
a man of action and a man of few words, who seeks peace of mind
following the loss of his wife and child in the aftermath of the chaos.
And Furiosa, a woman of action and a woman who believes her path to
survival may be achieved if she can make it across the desert back to
her childhood homeland.
Mad Max: Fury Road Movie Reviews
Mad Max: Fury Road sees veteran maestro director George Miller return to the Mad Max franchise after a 30 year hiatus.
Fury
Road is a hallmark in action films. Miller's post-apocalyptic future
provides an impeccable backdrop for the crescendo of mayhem present in
this movie. From the first scene to the last, there is plenty of
spectacular action, vehicular and human. The cinematography is lush
throughout. From the opening shot of the lizard being stomped by Max
(Tom Hardy) to all the action scenes raging in the desert, the
camera-work remains consistently on point. Many iconic shots are to be
found in this movie.
75% of the movie consists of action; so much
that there isn't an 'action SCENE' present. Any action aficionados will
have their expectations transcended while common moviegoers will have
their satisfaction met too. What is surprising, however, is the
emotional heft of the 25% that remains. Much of it is dedicated to the
back story of Furiousa (Charlize Theron) who effortlessly delivers an
Oscar worthy performance by mixing brawn with emotion for her internally
wounded character.
Nicholas Hoult's Nux, who provides one of the
best lines of the film: "It's a lovely day!" at the midst of a crazy
thunderstorm consisting tornadoes consisting cars consisting mad humans.
Nux is an interesting character in this interesting world and provides
plenty of the action by his well... actions.
Finally, Tom Hardy's
delivers a subtle performance as Mad Max. For a character whose name is
slapped largely in the film poster, he receives barely a page of
dialogue minus a monologue at the start. Considering the fact that he
wears a Bane-like (see the parallel) mask throughout much of the film,
it is surprising how powerful his performance actually is.
One
musical masterpiece act in the movie comes in the form of the guy the
mask furiously shredding a flame-throwing electric guitar while dangling
above a mobile wall of speakers that roars through the desert. Imagine
that. When all hell breaks loose only accompanied by that as the
background music, epic is truly an understatement as a description.
Overall,
Mad Max is a gleefully insane symphony of destruction that makes the
Avengers seem like misfits and the Fast and Furious crew seem like the
Slow and Sweet crew. This action packed masterpiece exhibits no shortage
of high voltage, 2,000 horsepower action that also contains of lush
cinematography, sufficient character development and a satisfactory plot
(that works, cause it's 75% action anyways). Mad Max: Fury Road is
definitely one of, if not the finest blockbuster of 2015!
After training with his mentor, Batman begins his war on crime to free
the crime-ridden Gotham City from corruption that the Scarecrow and the
League of Shadows have cast upon it.
Director: Christopher Nolan
Writers: Bob Kane (characters),
David S. Goyer (story)
Stars: Christian Bale,
Michael Caine,
Ken Watanabe
Story line
When his parents were killed, billionaire playboy Bruce Wayne relocates
to Asia when he is mentored by Henri Ducard and Ra's Al Ghul in how to
fight evil. When learning about the plan to wipe out evil in Gotham City
by Ducard, Bruce prevents this plan from getting any further and heads
back to his home. Back in his original surroundings, Bruce adopts the
image of a bat to strike fear into the criminals and the corrupt as the
icon known as 'Batman'. But it doesn't stay quiet for long.
Batman Begins Movie Reviews
This
film easily trumps any live-action incarnation we've scene of the Dark
Knight before, borrowing heavily from both the comics and the Dini and
Co. animated series. This is a hard, fast, driving, heartfelt epic that
draws you into the character of Bruce Wayne and makes you damn well
care. Batman doesn't play second-fiddle to the villains here like in the
other films. It's his movie and that's the way it should be.
Much
has been said of the film's "reality" quotient, and I'm here to say it
works. Nolan talks about how Batman's strong because he does push-ups,
he gets around because of his gadgets, and by introducing each of them
with a plausible explanation, we forget to quibble and go along with it.
The technology may be fantastic, but it's believable. And, unlike the
"reality" of something like Daredevil, Nolan doesn't forget his ideals
halfway though and start having Batman wire-jump thirty feet into the
air.
Archaeologist and adventurer Indiana Jones is hired by the US government to find the Ark of the Covenant before the Nazis.
Director: Steven Spielberg
Writers: Lawrence Kasdan (screenplay),
George Lucas (story)
Stars: Harrison Ford,
Karen Allen,
Paul Freeman
Storyline
The year is 1936. An archeology professor named Indiana Jones is
venturing in the jungles of South America searching for a golden statue.
Unfortunately, he sets off a deadly trap but miraculously escapes.
Then, Jones hears from a museum curator named Marcus Brody about a
biblical artifact called The Ark of the Covenant, which can hold the key
to humanly existence. Jones has to venture to vast places such as Nepal
and Egypt to find this artifact. However, he will have to fight his
enemy Rene Belloq and a band of Nazis in order to reach it.
Raiders of the Lost Ark Movie Reviews
There
are only so many films in history that I can watch again and again,
gaining new appreciation for, one of them is this film. I went from the
movies to VHS, and finally to DVD. The availability and quality of this
film keep raising the bar of what I can get from it.
I read
someone posted that this is the king of B movies or something of that
sort, while I honestly think in some scenes like when Indy is running
from the Hovitos and he rises over the hill, the film had a really
strange documentary feeling, like if a comic actually came to life and
like in the Twilight Zone, you were stuck in it. It is great to see this
film, now that I edit and produce small independent films, and have
worked in post production in Los Angeles. I honestly think almost every
scene in this film is better than what's coming out today in
sci-fi/adventure. I might pull back that comment in regards to some nice
visuals in Riddick, and maybe the new Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith,
but I'm not certain.
The amount of time and effort put into the
comedy, adventure, and depth of each character dazzles me because I
really can't tell it was filmed the same year Fame was. It really has a
unique look to it. The key lighting in the piece is amazing, almost
everything looks like it was perfectly worked out.
My only
complaint is the attempt to visualize the opening of the Ark, as most of
the other scenes don't deal with the supernatural except maybe a
burning crate with a nazi symbol on it. George should redo that last
scene in my opinion, and tighten it up, because I really think it wasn't
coming together, however when I was a child it was so amazing and scary
realistic. It's all perspective, but my point it that now in this
modern filming era, the acting and film production is holding tight to
this day.
I forward you to just enjoy this film and look for
things like formulas on chalkboards, skeletons in classrooms, proper
patches on Nazi gear, gun accuracy. Research the film's era and
background, and it only gets better. That's the ability that Spielberg
and Lucas have, attention to detail and clever twists on most of their
bodies of work.
