MOVIE REVIEWS: PIRANHA 3D

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PIRANHA 3D



Haute Tension and Hills Have Eyes director Alexandre Aja pays homage to the films that made him fall in love with the horror genre by helming this comedic remake of director Joe Dante's 1978 Jaws parody. Lake Victoria may look peaceful, but beneath the placid waters of this painterly lake lurks a deadly menace. A powerful underwater tremor has released scores of man-eating prehistoric fish into the waters, and now it's up to a group of unlikely heroes to band together and defeat the razor-toothed predators. With time running out and the aquatic carnivores taking over, one brave heroine (Elisabeth Shue) will risk everything to save the lake and prevent her family from becoming fish food. Richard Dreyfuss, Ving Rhames, Jerry O'Connell, and Adam Scott star in the Dimension Films production. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

Director: Alexandre Aja

Cast: Elisabeth Shue, Adam Scott, Jerry O'Connell, Ving Rhames, Jessica Szohr.

Release Date: Aug 20, 2010

Rated: Sequences of strong bloody horror violence and gore, graphic nudity, sexual content, language and some drug use

Runtime: 1 hr. 29 min.

Genres: Horror, Suspense/Thriller

Review:

Roger Corman’s sole direction when he produced the original B-movie classic Piranha was “More blood...” The low budget original filled that bill capably and while Alexandre Aja’s redux shares little, outside of the titular fish, in common with the original he does keep the spirit of it alive in all its gory goodness. His remake is filled with enough blood, gore and full frontal nudity to appease even the most cynical of horror fans. Aja moves his film at an incredibly fast pace staging some of the larger scenes of carnage with a precise technical eye but never losing the sight of the fun of the entire endeavor. His film is classic B-movie goodness, something that’s become a lost art. He finds that perfect mix of the exploitive, an egregiously long fully nude underwater ballet is a prime example, and visceral excess. Nothing is ever taken very serious, the cast plays it mostly straight with only the slightest of a wink, enough to let you know they are very aware of the kind of film they are making. Elisabeth Shue is given the unenviable job of trying to carry some semblance of a story and she does a fine job while displaying a nicely toned physique. Steven R. McQueen plays a fairly paint by the number goofy kid in love character and is mostly forgettable. Everyone else, from the good natured cameos to porn stars are pretty much cannon fodder for the meat grinder. Once the carnage starts its keeps going till the end but once it ended I could help wondering or maybe wishing that Aja pushed the envelope a little bit further. Perhaps that speaks more to my general blood lust.

B-

The 3D doesn’t make nearly the impression it should and mostly feel unnecessary.

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MOVIE REVIEWS: SCOTT PILGRIM VS. THE WORLD

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SCOTT PILGRIM VS. THE WORLD



Based on Bryan Lee O'Malley's Oni Press comic book of the same name, Scott Pilgrim vs. the World follows the eponymous slacker rocker on his colorful quest to defeat his dream girl's seven evil ex-boyfriends. Twenty-two-year-old Scott Pilgrim (Michael Cera) may not have a job, but rocking the bass for his band, Sex Bob-omb, is a tough job unto itself. When Scott locks eyes with Ramona Flowers (Mary Elizabeth Winstead), he knows she's the girl he wants to grow old with. But Ramona has some serious baggage; her supercharged exes rue the thought of her being with another man, and they'll crush any guy who gives her a second glance. Now, in order to win Ramona's heart, Scott will do battle with everyone from vegan-powered rock gods to sinister skateboarders, never losing sight of his gorgeous goal as he pummels his way to victory. Shaun of the Dead's Edgar Wright directs the film from a script he penned with Michael Bacall. Superhero veterans Chris Evans and Brandon Routh co-star in the action comedy as two of the seven ex-boyfriends. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

Director: Edgar Wright

Cast: Michael Cera, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Kieran Culkin, Chris Evans, Brandon Routh.

Release Date: Aug 13, 2010

Rated: stylized violence, sexual content, language and drug references

Runtime: 1 hr. 53 min.

Genres: Action/Adventure

Review:

If you’ve ever wondered what a Baz Luhrmann dream would look like if it had 16-bit sensibility, I know I have on various occasions, then Edgar Wright’s Scott Pilgrim vs. The World is right up your alley. Like Luhrmann’s Moulin Rouge, Wright has a basic and fairly straightforward story as his base but the visuals elevate it to an inspired bit of kinetic epilepsy inducing filmmaking that’s easy to love. Wright uses anime and old school video tropes in telling this story and it’s a visual marvel to behold, something that’s insane but perfectly logical within the story. Acting, like the story is 2nd fiddle here and with a few standouts, Kieran Culkin leaves the most tangible impression, the cast is mostly just going with the flow of the film’s lunacy. Wright has really flexed his directorial muscle here and created visual candy which is s tad overlong and probably not terribly accessible to the general public.

B+

MOVIE REVIEWS: THE EXPENDABLES

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THE EXPENDABLES



An all-star cast of action-movie icons headline Sylvester Stallone's explosive action thriller about a group of hard-nosed mercenaries who are double-crossed during a treacherous mission. Approached by the shadowy Church to overthrow tyrannical South American dictator General Gaza (David Zayas) and restore order to the troubled island country of Vilena, stoic soldier of fortune Barney Ross (Stallone) rounds up an unstoppable team that includes former SAS soldier and blade specialist Lee Christmas (Jason Statham); martial arts expert Yin (Jet Li); trigger-happy Hale Caesar (Terry Crews); cerebral demolitions expert Toll Road (Randy Couture); and haunted sniper Gunnar Jensen (Dolph Lundgren), a combat veteran who never misses his mark. Traveling to Vilena on a reconnaissance mission with his old pal Christmas, Barney meets their local contact, a cagey guerrilla fighter named Sandra (Giselle Itie). It isn't long before Barney and Christmas have discovered that their actual target is not General Gaza but James Monroe (Eric Roberts), a former CIA operative who has recently gone rogue. Monroe won't be easy to get to either, because his hulking bodyguard Paine (Steve Austin) is a force to be reckoned with. When their mission is compromised, Barney and Christmas are forced to flee, leaving Sandra behind to face almost certain death. But Barney isn't the kind of soldier to abandon a mission, or a hostage, and now in order to get the job done he'll need the help of his old crew. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

Director: Sylvester Stallone

Cast: Sylvester Stallone, Jason Statham, Mickey Rourke, Terry Crews, Jet Li.

Release Date: Aug 13, 2010

Rated: strong action and bloody violence throughout, and for some language

Runtime: 1 hr. 43 min.

Genres: Action/Adventure

Review:

Sylvester Stallone wants to revive the ghost of mindless 80’s action flicks, the kind he headlined for years. He’s mostly successful even if in bringing this style of film back with warts and all leaves something to be desired from time to time. Stallone’s direction is generic but single minded and when the action gets hot and heavy its done well without losing focus from the point of the film as a whole. The point being, of course, is to provide lots of bloody carnage replete with bodies exploding, decapitations and bullets with minimal reloading throughout. The cast assembled is of course more than capable to fill the bill. Stallone in the lead role comes off a tad distant and distracted, seemingly more interested in taking in everything he’s brought together and feeling somewhat self satisfied. Needless to say, his acting here is fairly wooden. Jason Statham fairs far better feeling more like the real lead of the film, he comes off the most comfortable of the main cast and he’s good fun throughout. Jet Li is mostly short changed, pun intended, for the most part and what little time he’s given he does well with. Terry Crews has some fun parts popping up here and there throughout the movie. Randy Couture gets a few sections and comes off as wooden but he handles the action well. Mickey Rourke and Dolph Lungren both have small parts that I would have enjoyed to see fleshed out a bit more. Eric Roberts is having a good time laying it on thick as a typical 80’s action movie villain. Don’t expect much more screen time out of Willis and Schwarzenegger than what you see in the trailer even if the exchange is lots of fun. The Expendables delivers exactly what you’d expect and it’s a fun time at the movies, occasionally hitting a few inspired moments of awesomeness.

B-

MOVIE REVIEWS: THE OTHER GUYS

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THE OTHER GUYS



A desk-jockey detective and his tough-talking partner get their moment to shine in this buddy police comedy starring Will Ferrell and Mark Wahlberg, and directed by Adam McKay (Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy, Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby). New York City detective Allen Gamble (Ferrell) is more comfortable pushing pencils than busting bad guys. A meticulous forensic accountant, his numbers are never off. Detective Terry Hoitz (Wahlberg) is Gamble's reluctant partner. Try as Detective Hoitz might to get back on the streets, an embarrassing encounter with Derek Jeter has left a sizable black mark on his permanent record. Detectives Danson (Dwayne Johnson) and Highsmith (Samuel L. Jackson) are the complete opposites of Gamble and Hoitz: unwaveringly confident, they always get their man, and they do it with style to spare. When the time comes for Gamble and Hoitz to prove their mettle and save the day, their incompetence becomes the stuff of legend. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

Director: Adam McKay

Cast: Will Ferrell, Mark Wahlberg, Eva Mendes, Michael Keaton, Dwayne Johnson.

Release Date: Aug 06, 2010

Rated PG-13 for crude and sexual content, violence, some drug material and language

Runtime: 1 hr. 47 min.

Genres: Action/Adventure, Comedy

Review:

Adam McKay and Will Ferrell are usually comedic gold and they have the absurdist resume to prove it. The Other Guys is another strong comedic outing for the pair this time bringing Mark Wahlberg into the fold who’s finally having a little fun with himself by playing a parody of his typical character. McKay set the table with a ridiculous and entertaining opening action sequence involving Sam Jackson and Dwayne Johnson, both who are more just around for what amounts to an extended cameo, as your usual super cops. From the there, McKay introduces Ferrell and Wahlberg’s characters and keeps the film moving at a steady pace, throwing jokes left and right with great effect as both actors share palpable comedic chemistry onscreen. They play off each other extremely well throughout. Ferrell bounces back after last summer abysmal Land of the Lost by doing what he does best, creating likable weirdos who are more layered than you’d think. His character is like a more thoroughly realized SNL character complete with a “tragic” past. Wahlberg is well at ease playing a tongue in cheek version of the type of role he usually plays. He’s believable and only occasionally borders on caricature. Michael Keaton, Steve Coogan and Eva Mendes are all strong in supporting roles and it’s always good to see Rome’s Ray Stevenson large productions. McKay had something close to a classic on his hands till the 3rd act nearly brings the film to a dead stop as the convoluted plot gets in the way and it kind of saps the life out of the film.

B-