MOVIE REVIEWS: MONSTERS

ON DVD

MONSTERS



Two people who barely know one another are thrown into otherworldly danger in this independent thriller. Andrew Kaulder (Scoot McNairy) is an American photojournalist on assignment in Mexico at a time when working there has become unusually dangerous -- after a NASA space probe crash-landed not far from the American border, alien creatures that made their way into the satellite were released, and have since thrived in Northern Mexico. Now the area is regarded as an "infected zone," where the aliens (who resemble giant squids) have been contained but move about freely, sometimes attacking humans who cross their paths. While working on a project, Kaulder's publisher contacts him to ask a big favor; his daughter Samantha (Whitney Able) has been traveling outside the United States, and would appreciate an escort from Southern Mexico to California. Not wanting to anger his boss, Kaulder agrees and books passage on a ferry that travels through a safe zone. But bad timing, bad luck, and some foolish choices by Kaulder prevent him and Samantha from catching the ship, and now they have to travel through alien territory with the help of some armed guards, hoping to avoid contact with the bloodthirsty creatures. Monsters is the first feature film from special effects artist-turned-director Gareth Edwards. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Director: Gareth Edwards

Cast: Scoot McNairy, Whitney Able

Release Date: Oct 29, 2010

Rated R for Language

Runtime: 1 hr. 34 min.

Genres: Science Fiction, Alien Invasion, Suspense/Thriller

Review:

Gareth Edwards’ Monsters is an ambitious and admirable effort which shows off his many talents (he directed, wrote and did the FX for this film). It’s intended as an allegorical sci-fi film with a road movie romance. Neither of which really hit the mark. The allegorical element is fairly heavy handed and lacks the subtlety to make it truly effective. At times it seems that both elements are battling with each other and Edwards can’t seem to fine a happy medium. The love story never feels organic and the actors try their best but lack any substantial chemistry. Scoot McNairy fares the best while Whitney Able borders on amateurish at times. It never reaches the inspired heights of District 9, which is borrows certain elements from, but it does provide some thoughtful heady moments which will leave an impression well after the fact. Pacing can be an issue as the film moves at glacial pace and we get just a few extended sequences with the titular Monsters but if you stick with the film and let it set in you’ll find enough to enjoy, making it a worthwhile experience.

C+

MOVIE REVIEWS: YOUR HIGHNESS

IN THEATERS

YOUR HIGHNESS


Pineapple Express co-stars Danny McBride and James Franco reunite for director David Gordon Green's fantasy comedy Your Highness, which sends up such beloved '80s gems as Krull and The Sword and the Sorcerer. Thadeous (McBride) has always stood in the shadow of his older brother, Fabious (Franco), a fearless knight who never met a Minotaur he couldn't slay or a warlord he couldn't defeat. Meanwhile, as Fabious embarked on incredible adventures and returned home to lavish celebrations, Thadeous puffed on wizard's weed, and spent his nights in the company of loose maidens. But Thadeous' life of luxury comes to an abrupt end when powerful wizard Leezar (Justin Theroux) shows up and abducts Fabious' beautiful fiancée, Belladonna (Zooey Deschanel). Now threatened with being cut off from the family fortune by his father, the king (Charles Dance), Thadeous reluctantly agrees to join Fabious on a treacherous quest to rescue the fair maiden, and defeat Leezar once and for all. Their voyage to rescue Belladonna will be marked by incredible adventure and unprecedented danger, but together with the help of a fearless warrior named Isabel (Natalie Portman) the two brothers will battle mythical beasts and villainous knights. Meanwhile, as Isabel carries out a clandestine agenda that could place them all in greater danger than they ever imagined, Thadeous struggles to summon his inner warrior and help his noble brother prevent Leezar from using his powers to usher in a terrifying new age of darkness. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

Director: David Gordon Green

Cast: Danny R. McBride, James Franco, Natalie Portman, Rasmus Hardiker, Zooey Deschanel

Release Date: Apr 08, 2011

Rated R for some drug use, pervasive language, violence, nudity and strong crude sexual content

Runtime: 1 hr. 42 min.

Genres: Action/Adventure, Comedy

Review:

Kenny Powers in King Arthur’s Court aka Your Highness should be a slam dunk of a film. A cast of fine actors and actresses with the director that brought us Pineapple Express yet it hits the screen with the comedic punch of a wet napkin. Green directs the film with capable hands and the actors are all committed their roles but the film fails mainly because of the script. That in of itself is a bit of a shock because McBride co authored the script and somehow forgot to include the funny. It’s seems more interested in the fantasy part and ignored a bevy of tropes from the genre that are ripe for jokes. Occasionally it finds a sweet spot and provides the kind of laughs it should have as a whole. Sadly, those moments are few and far between with the last act sustaining for the longest time. As mentioned the cast is all game with a radiant Natalie Portman showing off some strong comedic muscle. The ending is terribly abrupt even if it leaves the door open for a sequel. If there is one, I hope it delivers a much stronger script.
C-

Cool New Retro styled Promo Posters for X-Men: First Class

New shots from Total Film's next issue, very cool retro styled promos.

Not sure if the movie will be any good, kind of hard to wash the taste of X-Men: The Last Stand and X-Men Origins Wolverine but the advertising has been pretty solid thus far....







Keeping with the retro theme, check out this awesome FAN made title sequence!

X-Men: First Class Title Sequence from Joe D! on Vimeo.

[Trailer] New Thundercats Show via Wondercon

Now this is how you redo a classic 80's cartoon!

Trailer looks pretty epic....

MOVIE REVIEWS: INSIDIOUS

IN THEATERS

INSIDIOUS



Saw franchise veterans James Wan and Leigh Whannell team with Paranormal Activity writer/director Oren Peli to give the familiar haunted house story an exciting new twist with this tale of a family that moves into an old house and begins to suspect they are under siege from otherworldly forces when their young son inexplicably falls into a deep coma. As devoted parents Josh (Patrick Wilson) and Renai (Rose Byrne) struggle in vain to uncover the root cause of their son's condition, the stress of the situation gradually begins to take its toll on their once-strong relationship. Later, when darkness falls and specters appear to reach out for them from the shadows, the frightened parents realize they're dealing with powers beyond human comprehension. Barbara Hershey and Lin Shaye co-star. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

Director: James Wan

Cast: Patrick Wilson, Rose Byrne, Lin Shaye, Ty Simpkins, Angus Sampson

Release Date: Apr 01, 2011

Rated PG-13 for Violence, thematic material, terror, brief strong language and frightening images

Runtime: 1 hr. 42 min.

Genres: Drama Horror

Review:

Insidious is a welcome throwback to 70’s horror. . Stylistic, matched with effective music, this film is high on tension, low on gore, it’s the type of film that’s intent on winding you up and then smacking you in the face. It’s a kind of an expected surprise from James Wan who directed the original Saw. Wan directs with an aggressive style, using interesting angles to keep you off kilter and intrigued throughout. He does a fine job of building suspense with only occasional hiccups into absurdity. This film works best when the terror is in the shadows and never fully revealed. Wan doesn’t maintain this but veers into Sam Raimi territory, especially in the final act. The cast is strong even if they are asked to do much in the script. Patrick Wilson primary function is to be dismissive throughout but is given a tad more to do in final reel. Rose Byrne, who was born with the “my cat was just run over” look, is frazzled within 10 minutes of the film. Lin Shayne and her band of ghost hunters bring a change of pace to the film when they show up. I fear Insidious may not be everybody’s cup of tea, mainly because people can be terribly dismissive of tension as opposed to outright in your face gore. That being said, if you enjoy a slow build up this Poltergeist light will be right up your alley.

B+

[Trailer] Green Lantern via Wonder Con

Well this looks a lot better than the original trailer. I've always enjoyed the space police aspect of the Lantern stories and it's great to see some of that highlighted in the footage....