Cindy Prascik’s reviews of The Host / G.I. Joe: Retaliation

Dearest Blog, on Good Friday I set out for the cinema, hoping religious observances coupled with a warm spring day would give me the place to myself.

Spoiler level here will be mild, nothing you wouldn't know from the trailers.

Since we didn't get The Place Beyond the Pines, my leadoff batter on Friday was The Host.

Alien beings inhabit human bodies and take over the Earth, leaving only small pockets of human resistance.

The Host is a profoundly bad film. It's based on a novel by Stephanie Meyer, of Twilight fame, who writes at about a fifth-grade level. I never assumed this'd land among the alltime greats, but I hoped by this point filmmakers were pumping enough cash into her garbage to make it halfway tolerable. That hope was misplaced.

The premise of The Host is fine, if nothing new, but the execution is awful. The dialogue is painfully awkward, particularly exchanges between the lead girl and the alien that occupies her body. Poor writing doesn't help the young cast shine, but the actors have to shoulder some of the blame for their uninspired performances. Every turn is predictable, and, at a bloated two hours and five minutes, this disaster is easily 125...er...30 minutes longer than it should have been.

The Host runs 125 minutes and is rated PG13 for "some sensuality and violence." The whole thing plays like a bad (but overfunded!) film school project, and if I hated it less than Twilight, that's only because I don't love aliens like I love vampires. Of a possible nine Weasleys, The Host gets two.

Next on my agenda was G.I. Joe: Retaliation, admittedly one of my most-anticipated movies of the year. Go ahead, laugh!
Framed and branded as traitors, the G.I. Joes must save the world from destruction while restoring their good name.

Dear Blog, let me admit to you that I'm not well-versed in Joe Lore, and I did myself no favors by failing to re-watch the last G.I. Joe film before I saw this one. I spent a lot of time wondering, "Now what's this guy's deal again?" but that didn't dampen my enthusiasm for the movie one teensy bit.

Dwayne Johnson may never win an Academy Award, but he's certainly one of the more engaging leading men making movies today. After a more subtle turn in Snitch, G.I. Joe sees him back in full ass-kicking mode. The enjoyable supporting cast includes Channing Tatum, Jonathan Pryce, Ray Park, Byung-hun Lee, Adrianne Palicki, Joseph Mazello, and two folks who make me giddy whenever they turn up: Ray Stevenson and Walton Goggins. I found them a very likable group, with nice chemistry.

I did not see this in 3D, but I have no doubt the mountain scenes alone would be absolutely worth the upcharge and 3D-glasses headache.

As you'd expect, G.I. Joe: Retaliation is heavy on big action and light on pretty much everything else. It could fairly be compared to last summer's Battleship, but, unfortunately, G.I. Joe lacks that surprise bit of heart and sincerity that made Battleship more than it had to be.

Still, it's good, dumb fun, and no doubt will be counted among the summer's monster hits, even though we've barely made it to spring.

G.I. Joe: Retaliation clocks in at a fast-paced 110 minutes and is rated PG13 for "intense sequences of combat violence and martial arts action throughout, and for brief sensuality and language." I loved it every bit as much as I expected to. Of a possible nine Weasleys, G.I. Joe: Retaliation earns seven.

So, dearest Blog, that's about all the news that's fit to print for this lazy Sunday. Since I had my cinema fun on Friday, I guess that makes tomorrow closet-cleaning day. Ugh.

Until next time.......




*shameless fangirling*

MOVIE REVIEW: G.I. JOE: RETALIATION 3D

Veteran dance-film director Jon Chu takes a crack at G.I. Joe in this sequel to Stephen Sommers' blockbuster 2009 film. Dwayne Johnson stars as Roadblock in the sequel, with Channing Tatum returning as Duke, the leader of the Joes, and Ray Park joining them as mute ninja Snake Eyes. Bruce Willis, Ray Stevenson, Adrianne Palicki, Jonathan Pryce, Lee Byung-hun, Elodie Yung, and RZA co-star. ~ Jeremy Wheeler, Rovi

Director: Jon M. Chu

Cast: Dwayne Johnson, Channing Tatum, D.J. Cotrona, Adrianne Palicki, Jonathan Pryce.

Release Date: Mar 28, 2013

Rated PG-13 for Intense Seq of Combat Violence, Brief Sensuality, Language and Martial Arts Action

Runtime: 1 hr. 39 min.

Genres: Action/Adventure

Review:

I’m still trying to remember when I’ve ever had the desire to watch a sequel to a movie I avoided like the plague. G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra looked like garbage and everything I read after the fact confirmed that fact. Unlike Transformers, whom I loved as a child, G.I. Joe never connected with me as a kid, even if it was pretty much the same cartoon except one starred robots. Regardless, the trailer for this sequel looked like stupid fun and thankfully it’s incredibly stupid but fun in a toy box kind of way. The nonsensical plot is almost besides the point here. This movie is about highly choreographed and staged action and it works for the most part. There’s very little if any depth to any characters and the actors are all aware they’re in a silly movie. The cast, led by a very manly muscled Dwayne (The Rock) Johnson provides his usual charisma with an over the top delivery that appropriate for the film. Channing Tatum has a brief role in the film, disappearing quickly and quietly. Adrianne Palicki, the woman that would have been the new Wonder Woman, has a noticeable sass to go along with a seemingly endless supply of beauty products. Ray Stevenson, a personal favorite from HBO’s Rome, has a small role but still leaves an impression even with one of the worse southern accents in recent memory. Bruce Willis pops up because he has a little time on the set of RED 2 and continues his self parody tour with unabashed sincerity. It sounds like a mess and it is but it’s a fun mess especially when they stop trying to build a story or have the RZA try and act. That’s not what this film is about; it’s about 3D mountain climbing ninja fights which are surprisingly fun. The 3D, one of the better post conversion jobs, is spotty with some sequences like the aforementioned ninja fight working well and others coming off as too dark and jittery. It’s at best when the extreme action sequences take center stage something director Jon M. Chu obviously feels a lot more comfortable doing.

C+

[Trailer] The Wolverine

It won’t take much to wash off the horrible taste from X-men Origins: Wolverine. It was probably one of the worse comic movies I’ve sat through. So while another go around with this character seems unnecessary at the very least they can’t do any worse than before, this trailer gives a glimmer of hope especially with quick shots of Silver Samurai among others. Still, after the last debacle I’m still very wary…



International Trailer




US Trailer

Cindy Prascik’s Movie Review : The Croods / Olympus Has Fallen

Dearest Blog, yesterday I set out for the cinema, hoping two highly-anticipated offerings would meet expectations.
Spoiler level here is mild, limited to things you'd know from the trailers.

First on my agenda: DreamWorks Animation's The Croods.


A prehistoric family are forced to flee their cave after it's destroyed by a disaster that threatens to change their lives forever in this animated adventure featuring the voices of Nicolas Cage and Emma Stone. As a protective caveman father leads his family out of harm's way, the clan crosses paths with a resourceful teen named Guy (voice of Ryan Reynolds), who offers to help them reach a distant land where they'll be safe from an impending catastrophe that will soon alter the entire world. Catherine Keener, Clark Duke, and Cloris Leachman round out the cast of vocal performers. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
Director: Kirk De Micco

Cast: Nicolas Cage, Emma Stone, Ryan Reynolds, Catherine Keener, Cloris Leachman.

Release Date: Mar 22, 2013

Rated PG for some scary action

Runtime: 1 hr. 31 min.

Genres: Action/Adventure, Animated, Family


Much to the dismay of a rebellious daughter (Emma Stone), the patriarch (Nicolas Cage) of a pre-historic family believes the only way to keep them safe is to stay within the dark and gloomy confines of their cave home. His theory, as well as his ability to protect his family, are put to the test when the cave is destroyed.

Not gonna lie, dear Blog, I have a ridiculous amount of faith in DreamWorks Animation. Think it's got something to do with How to Train Your Dragon being...oh...only the best animated feature ever. I'm pleased to report that, despite a sluggish start, The Croods does not find my faith misplaced.

The Croods looks magnificent. No words could possibly describe just how gorgeous this film is; you have to see it. I was moved to tears a time or two by its physical beauty alone. Take Oz: The Great and Powerful, and multiply that by about a hundred. Full marks to the artistic and technical staff.

If The Croods' father/daughter tale is a little familiar, and if you see some things coming a mile or so out, that's easy enough to forgive in such a sweet and genuine picture. The voice cast is spot-on, with Cage and Stone joined by Ryan Reynolds, Cloris Leachman, and Catherine Keener.

The Croods does start out somewhat slow, and for 20 minutes or so, I feared I had another Oz on my hands; that is, I'd be left loving the look and nothing else. Once it gets moving, though, the movie's filled with action, laugh-out-loud moments, and a sincere and touching family tale.

The Croods runs 98 minutes, and is rated PG for "some scary action." It's no How to Train Your Dragon, but, of a possible nine Weasleys, it easily earns seven.

Next up was the action/thriller Olympus Has Fallen.

An ex-Special Forces operative and former presidential bodyguard must fight to take back the White House from terrorists who have kidnapped the Commander in Chief in this high-stakes action thriller directed by Antoine Fuqua (Training Day, Shooter) and starring Gerard Butler. Melissa Leo, Angela Bassett, Robert Forster, and Radha Mitchell co-star. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
Director: Antoine Fuqua

Cast: Gerard Butler, Aaron Eckhart, Morgan Freeman, Angela Bassett, Melissa Leo.

Release Date: Mar 22, 2013 Rated R for Strong Violence and Language Throughout

Runtime: 2 hr. 0 min.

Genres: Action/Adventure, Suspense/Thriller


When terrorists overrun the White House, taking President Harvey Dent, erm, I mean Benjamin Asher (Aaron Eckhart) and his top staff hostage, it's left to Mike Banning (Gerard Butler), an ex-Secret Service agent, to save the President...and the nation.
Olympus Has Fallen is extremely well cast; every actor is a perfect fit for his role.

Aaron Eckhart is very leaderly as a young-ish Commander in Chief. Gerard Butler has never been a favorite of mine. I've softened considerably towards him since he became Stoic the Vast, but think I'm still holding a grudge over Phantom of the Opera!

Yet I found him surprisingly watchable in Olympus, and I think he plays the tormented hero well. Angela Bassett is a bit too hard-ass for my taste as Director of the Secret Service; for some reason, she seemed like a comical police chief on a 70s TV cop drama. My favorite actress and best girl crush Melissa Leo is as lovely and tough as ever as the Secretary of Defense.

Morgan Freeman makes a predictably solid turn as Speaker of the House, forced to take charge as both the President and Vice-President are in the terrorists' grasp. If I had to trust the world's safety to any one individual, I admit I'd be entirely comfortable if that individual were Morgan Freeman. The rest of the cast is up to snuff, the one exception being Radha Mitchell, whose teary-eyed close-ups got old pretty quickly.

Olympus Has Fallen features maximum carnage.

The body count is so extreme that even I grew tired of it, and it's not that sort-of cartoonish massacre you get with a GI Joe or super-hero movie.

As a result, any chest-thumping 'Murica! sentiment the filmmakers hoped to achieve is somewhat deflated. The effects are good, and the trashing of the White House and other DC landmarks is chillingly realistic.

Olympus Has Fallen clocks in at 120 minutes, and is rated R for "strong violence and language throughout." If I liked it less than I'd hoped, I attribute that partially to my feeling that nobody makes a Big Baddie quite like Russia did back in the day, and partially to the movie's having precious little of that feel-good cowboy vibe (think Die Hard) I kind of expected from the trailers.

Of a possible nine Weasleys, Olympus Has Fallen gets six.

Our next question, dear Blog, is how many cinema trips can one individual fit into a long weekend that also includes three home hockey games, a midday hair cut n' color, and one full day of enforced family time (ugh). Time will tell!

Until next time...




Is it twisted that I'd totally do this cartoon person??

[Trailer 2] World War Z

I keep trying to convince myself that this movie won’t be a bloody disaster but the trailers keep telling me otherwise. First trailer ended with the superfast anthill zombie gang and this one ends with zombies on a plane……

MOVIE REVIEW: THE CROODS

A prehistoric family are forced to flee their cave after it's destroyed by a disaster that threatens to change their lives forever in this animated adventure featuring the voices of Nicolas Cage and Emma Stone. As a protective caveman father leads his family out of harm's way, the clan crosses paths with a resourceful teen named Guy (voice of Ryan Reynolds), who offers to help them reach a distant land where they'll be safe from an impending catastrophe that will soon alter the entire world. Catherine Keener, Clark Duke, and Cloris Leachman round out the cast of vocal performers. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

Director: Kirk De Micco

Cast: Nicolas Cage, Emma Stone, Ryan Reynolds, Catherine Keener, Cloris Leachman

Release Date: Mar 22, 2013

Rated PG for some scary action

Runtime: 1 hr. 31 min.

Genres: Action/Adventure, Animated, Family

Review:

The Croods is the type of animated family film that made for everyone to enjoy. Working from a simplistic and tried and true formula its script brims with enough energy to every keep it from being tedious. It’s funny and touching throughout. Kirk De Micco’s direction is deft; he keeps our attention with a lush virtual cornucopia while ably handling the family dynamics at play. De Micco has a strong track record going for him, (Lilo and Stich, How To Train Your Dragon) so it shouldn’t come as a surprise that his film has some tangible heart in between all the action set pieces and gags. The voice work by the assembled talent is all great with Cage, Stone and Reynolds deserving specific praise. Cage and Reynolds really seem comfortable doing voice work as both have distinctive voices and personalities that lend itself to this kind of film. Throw in some wonderful character designs and fun 3D and you have a family film that enjoyable for everyone.

B

MOVIE REVIEW: DEAD MAN DOWN

Director Niels Arden Oplev (The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo) makes his eagerly anticipated English-language-feature debut with this action thriller about a tough New York City enforcer and an alluring blackmailer who both put their lives on the line to seek vengeance against one of the city's most powerful crime bosses. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

Director: Niels Arden Oplev

Cast: Colin Farrell, Noomi Rapace, Terrence Howard, Dominic Cooper, Isabelle Huppert

Release Date: Mar 08, 2013

Rated R Violence, Language Throughout and A Scene of Sexuality

Runtime: 1 hr. 58 min.

Genres: Suspense/Thriller

Review:

By Cindy Prascik


Dearest Blog, yesterday I escaped my miserable workday existence for a couple blissful hours at the cinema. On my agenda was the Colin Farrell thriller Dead Man Down, which I just couldn't squeeze in on its opening weekend. (Hindsight: "Oz? Really??")
Spoiler level here will be mild, nothing you wouldn't know from the trailer.

Colin Farrell is a man on a mission, but will his agenda be derailed by a mysterious woman (Noomi Rapace) with her own plan?
Dead Man Down is a double-barrel crime thriller, two stories running side by side, connected by a single character's involvement in both.

The bullets fly early and often, but quieter scenes between the two damaged leads are awkwardly perfect. Colin Farrell is as magnetic a leading man as Hollywood has to offer, and though the movie has a well-known and decorated supporting cast, it's his to carry, and he does so with his usual brilliance. Noomi Rapace is perfect as a broken woman who would add her burden to his. Terrence Howard's crime lord is cool, brutal, and defiant, even under siege, and Dominic Cooper is great as a young thug looking to work his way up the criminal ladder.

This might normally be the part, dear Blog, where I complain that not enough stuff blows up, but...well...lots of stuff blows up. And lots of folks get killed. And even when those things aren't going on, this film has so much to recommend it that I don't even mind...ummm...I don't even mind much!

Dead Man Down clocks in at a well-paced two hours, and is rated R for "violence, language throughout, and a scene of sexuality."
Feels a little hokey to throw down such a high rating so early in the 2013 game, but of a possible nine Weasleys, it wouldn't be fair to give Dead Man Down less than eight.

Until next time...

It wasn't easy, but we got the Black Friday deals at Wal-Mart!

[Trailer] Kick Ass 2

Red Band trailer for the sequel to one of my favorite movies from the last few years is out and it look like it’ll more than live up to the original!

The only thing that makes me a bit worries is the new director’s previous films which don’t inspire a ton of confidence. Either way, I’ll be checking it out for sure.

MOVIE REVIEW: DREDD

A feared urban cop takes on a vicious city drug dealer in a futuristic metropolis as director Pete Travis (Vantage Point) and screenwriter Alex Garland (28 Days Later, Sunshine) team to bring iconic 2000A.D. lawman Judge Dredd to the big screen. In the future, much of North America has been poisoned by radiation. The sprawling urban jungle Mega City One stretches from Boston to Washington D.C., and in order to keep the growing criminal element in check, police enforcers called "Judges" have been given the power of judge, jury, and executioner. Judge Dredd (Karl Urban) is the most feared of them all, delivering death sentences with impunity as he fights to rid the streets of "Slo-Mo" -- a powerful new drug that alters its user's perception of time. In the process of training psychic rookie Cassandra Anderson (Olivia Thirlby), Dredd receives a report of an incident in a sprawling criminal stronghold ruled by fearsome drug lord Ma-Ma (Lena Headey), and ventures in to investigate. Upon learning that one of her top men has been captured by Dredd shortly thereafter, an enraged Ma-Ma seizes control of her massive 200-story complex, launching an all-out war against the Judges as Dredd and Cassandra find themselves trapped in the belly of the beast. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

Director: Pete Travis

Cast: Karl Urban, Olivia Thirlby, Lena Headey, Wood Harris, Langley Kirkwood

Release Date: Sep 21, 2012

Rated R for strong bloody violence, language, drug use and some sexual content

Runtime: 1 hr. 36 min.

Genres: Action/Adventure, Drama, Sci-Fi/Fantasy

Review:

Taking another shot at a character that’s best remembered for a laughably bad Sylvester Stallone film takes some guts. Dredd isn’t necessarily a film that anybody asked for or wanted and the fact that it was mostly ignored by the movie going audience kind of rams that point home. It’s a bit of a shame because Pete Travis’s version is actually a solid piece of R rated action fun. He fully embraces the splatter factor delivering a series of visual punches in the face. Along the way he delivers some of the best looking use of slow mo to visually represent the effects of the drug in question. The plot is incredibly thin and you could probably watch it while doing something else and you’d miss absolutely nothing and still enjoy the gory spectacle. Character development is sparse and we don’t know much about the titular Dredd. Karl Urban, helmet on for the duration, gives a gravelly chin driven performance that’s impressive but your left wondering what’d he done if he’d been given a little more meat. Olivia Thirlby is equally one note with a slightly more fleshed out character. Lena Headley, as the lead baddie, isn’t asked to do much outside of having constant bitch face; thankfully she was born with that talent. While it sounds like the film is flimsy, which it is, it’s also a lot of fun for all the action thrown at you.

B-

MOVIE REVIEW OZ THE GREAT AND POWERFUL & PHANTOM

Cindy Prascik's reviews of OZ THE GREAT AND POWERFUL & PHANTOM

OZ THE GREAT AND POWERFUL



A mischievous magician gains the wisdom to become a powerful ruler after being swept away to a land of magic and mystery as director Sam Raimi and screenwriters Mitchell Kapner and David Lindsay-Abaire (Rabbit Hole) explore the genesis of author L. Frank Baum's enduring tales of Oz. Shady illusionist Oscar Diggs (James Franco) enchants curious audiences at a Kansas circus. A self-professed con man, he's a fast-talking performer who aspires to follow in the footsteps of inventors like Thomas Edison. Oscar is being chased across the circus grounds by the rampaging Strongman when a tornado blows in and everyone runs for cover. Seeing a hot-air balloon as his only chance for escape, the illusionist jumps in and cuts himself free. Magically transported to the wondrous world of Oz, he soon encounters Theodora (Mila Kunis), a temperamental witch who surmises that he is the wizard named after their land (Oscar's nickname is Oz), foretold to fall from the sky, defeat a nasty witch, and ascend to the throne. Theodora takes Oscar to the Emerald City to meet her sister Evanora (Rachel Weisz), a powerful witch who reveals that he cannot become the rightful ruler of Oz until he's accomplished his mission. Later, as Oscar and his new flying-monkey companion Finley (voice of Zach Braff) prepare to face their fearsome enemy, they're joined by the fragile but fearless China Girl (voice of Joey King) and benevolent witch Glinda the Good (Michelle Williams), who helps them prepare for the arduous battle ahead. Together with the brave people of Oz, Oscar draws up a plan to rid the land of evil once and for all, and become the great and powerful king who will rule from his throne in the Emerald City. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

Release Date: Mar 08, 2013

Rated PG for sequences of action and scary images, and brief mild language

Runtime: 2 hr. 10 min.

Genres: Action/Adventure, Sci-Fi/Fantasy

Director: Sam Raimi

Cast: James Franco, Mila Kunis, Rachel Weisz, Michelle Williams, Zach Braff.


Review by Cindy Prascik

Dearest Blog, today I braved the infamous late-winter cinema crowd, plus everyone with a sentimental attachment to the Land of Oz, to spend my Saturday at Marquee.

First on my agenda, and everyone else's, was Oz: The Great and Powerful.

Neither a remake nor a reboot, Oz looks at a familiar world from an unfamiliar vantage point. The Witch of the West has Wicked, now the Wizard has Oz.

Spoiler level here will be mild-ish.

Oz' primary selling feature is that it's a work of art, absolutely stunning from start to finish. Sets, scenery, costumes, makeup...I would run out of superlatives long before I could come close to adequately describing them. My cinema oooh-ed and ahhh-ed aloud throughout.

The cast is fine, neither good nor bad enough to be worth mentioning. Mila Kunis, the only one of the main cast who hasn't at least been nominated for an Oscar, is easily the best of the lot.

Annnnnnnnnnnd...that's about all the nice things I have to say about Oz. Clocking in at an extremely bloated two hours and ten minutes, at times it bored me so much I wished I wanted popcorn or needed to use the bathroom. Fans who see this hoping for even a shred of what makes The Wizard of Oz so very special will leave sorely disappointed. It's missing some of the good nature and innocence of its predecessor, to be sure, but I don't even fault it there; I suspect perhaps that's impossible to duplicate in this day and age. More importantly, it's just bad storytelling: Disney throwing money at the screen--all style, no substance--much like it's theatre counterpart, Wicked.
Like Avatar before it, Oz: The Great and Powerful is about as gorgeous a film as ever you're likely to see, with little else to recommend it. I've struggled mightily these last several hours debating a fair rating; clearly it deserves full marks for appearance (and, make no mistake, it's absolutely worth seeing on a big screen for that alone), but little or no credit for anything else, so, of a possible nine Weasleys, we'll set it right in the middle at four and a half.


PHANTOM


The fate of humanity rests in the hands of a Soviet submarine captain whose tragic past casts a dark shadow over the present, and whose underwater craft might be host to an otherworldly entity in this apocalyptic thriller starring David Duchovny, Ed Harris, and William Fichtner. The Cold War has enveloped the entire globe, and when a Soviet submarine targets the U.S. Navy's Pacific Fleet for nuclear attack, it appears that the final battle has begun. But Capt. Dmitri Zubov (Harris) has a choice -- one that could pull the world back from the brink of annihilation. Meanwhile, it seems as if other forces are at work on Zubov's submarine. Now, in the depths of the South Pacific, Capt. Zubov will fight to ensure that there will be a future for every man, woman, and child on the planet. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

Cast: Ed Harris, David Duchovny, William Fichtner, Lance Henriksen, Johnathon Schaech

Release Date: Mar 01, 2013

Rated R for violence

Runtime: 1 hr. 37 min.

Genres: Suspense/ThrillerDirector:Todd Robinson

Review by Cindy Prascik


Next on my agenda was the Cold War thriller Phantom.


The crew of a Soviet submarine must thwart those who would to use it for a nefarious purpose.
Dear Reader(s), I gotta tell you a little story about Phantom. Two weeks ago I saw this trailer before Snitch. Last week it opened at my cinema. This week it's down to one show a day; it's not gonna see another weekend. I am not sure how a movie like this, with this cast, sails so far under the radar (see what I did there?), but this one's all but invisible.
The most noticeable thing about Phantom is that the Soviet crew is played by a thoroughly American cast, speaking unaccented American English. While committing to the choice 100% works much better than, say, 2011's Three Musketeers--where the "French" people all spoke English with a random mix of American, English, and German accents--it's an unfortunate distraction in what's actually a pretty solid little thriller.

Ed Harris is magnificent in the lead, and the always reliable William Fichtner is solid as his right-hand man. David Duchovny is effective as the film's mysterious antagonist...is his mission just secret, or is it secretly evil?? The excellent supporting cast is fleshed out by familiar faces, including Lance Henriksen, Sean Patrick Flanery, Jonathan Schaech, Jason Beghe, Derek Magyar, and Jordan Bridges.

Plenty of twists and turns, coupled with the mission's high stakes and the sub's cramped quarters, make for a tense, exciting 98 minutes; I was on the edge of my seat for the duration. The contrived ending will likely deprive the film of any love from Serious Critics, but I enjoyed even that, despite its being overly obvious.

Odds are you're gonna miss Phantom at the cinema, so don't make that mistake when it comes to DVD.

Of a possible nine Weasleys, Phantom gets seven.

Until next time...



I know some people without brains who make an awful lot of movies!

MOVIE REVIEW: OZ THE GREAT AND POWERFUL 3D

A mischievous magician gains the wisdom to become a powerful ruler after being swept away to a land of magic and mystery as director Sam Raimi and screenwriters Mitchell Kapner and David Lindsay-Abaire (Rabbit Hole) explore the genesis of author L. Frank Baum's enduring tales of Oz. Shady illusionist Oscar Diggs (James Franco) enchants curious audiences at a Kansas circus. When he is inexplicably transported to the wondrous world of Oz, he encounters three witches named Theodora (Mila Kunis), Evanora (Rachel Weisz), and Glinda (Michelle Williams), who pose him an awesome challenge: root out a ruinous force of evil that threatens to destroy the entire kingdom, and become the great leader that the population has been waiting for. Should Oscar succeed in summoning the necessary sorcery and creativity to deliver the land from darkness, he will forever be known as the Wizard of Oz. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

Director: Sam Raimi

Cast: James Franco, Mila Kunis, Rachel Weisz, Michelle Williams, Zach Braff, Joey King

Release Date: Mar 08, 2013

Rated PG for sequences of action and scary images, and brief mild language

Runtime: 2 hr. 10 min.

Genres: Action/Adventure, Sci-Fi/Fantasy

Review:

Let me start of by saying I’ve never been a Wizard of Oz fan. I’ve watched the film various times and it just never connected with me. I got it but the connection just never occurred. I went into this prequel expecting something akin to Tim Burton’s mess of an Alice in Wonderland prequel from a few years back. Strangely Raimi’s prequel worked so much better for me. It’s got some obvious issues but for a film that’s 2 hours long, I found myself entertained for the better part of it. Raimi’s general template is borrowed from the original film with plenty of callback to the classic film. Enough to keep any diehard fan happy. Raimi delivers a candy colored assault on the senses, especially if viewed in 3D, from the moment we enter Oz. It’s a rather rousing experience especially as the film’s quasi-fantasy epic story begins to unfold. James Franco at the lead left me feeling fairly conflicted. At times during the film I thought he was terribly miscast and at others I thought he was perfectly suited. In the end, I really couldn’t decide so it’s a mix bag at best. Mila Kunis and Rachel Weisz do good work in limited and underdeveloped roles. Kunis is solid but tends to oversell her performance especially later in the film where it feels increasingly off. Weisz on the other hand is having a ball in her role, chewing up scenery with a wicked sort of determination appropriate for the character. Michelle Williams as Glinda is an angelic sight to behold; she fits the character very well. Zach Braff and Joey King voice a pair of CGI creations with impressive ease. The CGI on both of them, especially China Girl, are really impressive creations. The visual effects as a whole are wonderfully done, occasionally recreating the look from original film in some of the backgrounds. As mentioned this isn’t a perfect film. Its evil characters are underdeveloped and the crux of a certain important conflict seemed half baked at best. While I did enjoy the experience I can’t say there are plenty of spots, especially before the final act, that could have been trimmed a tad. Honesty, there no reason for this film to be over 2 hours long; still I found it thoroughly enjoyable warts and all.

B-

[Trailer] Iron Man 3

The newest trailer for Iron Man 3 is out and it looks pretty impressive. The Avengers kind of made you forget about the overstuffed 2nd film.

This new trailer looks like it really ups the ante and gives us hope we’ll have a better entry this go around. Lots of wonderful tidbits offered throughout, check out the trailer and enjoy.

MOVIE REVIEW: THE LAST EXORCISM PART 2

Tormented Nell Sweetzer (Ashley Bell) discovers her infernal nightmare is far from over while waging a desperate struggle against the forces of darkness. Shortly after the events of the first film, Nell is discovered deeply traumatized in rural Louisiana. Her recent past is a blur, but the one thing Nell knows is that her entire family has perished. Later, just as Nell tries to start a new life in New Orleans, the evil force that laid claim to her body returns with a hellish vengeance, and a diabolical agenda. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

Director: Ed Gass-Donnelly

Cast: Ashley Bell, Spencer Treat Clark, Louis Herthum, Dave Jensen, Tarra Riggs, Muse Watson

Release Date: Mar 01, 2013

Rated R for horror violence, terror and brief language

Runtime: 1 hr. 29 min.

Genres: Horror, Suspense/Thriller

Review:

The Last Exorcism part 2 is a pretty terrible title for a movie especially an unneeded and mostly unwanted sequel. It’s not a terrible film by any stretch but at the same time it’s a very good one either. It’s in between living in the wasteland of mediocrity. Horror movie clichés abound throughout the majority of the runtime. Director Ed Gass-Donnelly, who’s wholly outside of his wheelhouse, relies on all these clichés and just runs with it. He does a decent job of taking advantage of the setting which gives the film the slightest spark but it’s mostly uninspired. Ashley Bell, who left a strong impression in the first film, returns in the lead with mixed results. Bell isn’t nearly strong enough on her own to carry the film. She has a tendency to oversell her character’s naivety had she played it more subtle it might have worked better. As a film it’s a forgettable if watch able experience.

C-