Plot Summary:
An Alaskan oil drilling team led by John Ottway (Liam Neeson) tries to survive the wilderness after a plane crash. However, they struggle to do so when a pack of wolves comes after them.
The Positives:
Lately, it feels like every year now that Liam Neeson comes out with another high-concept action movie that turn into instant box office hits. He had a real success with 2009's Taken, while he had a mediocre but somewhat successful film in last year's Unknown. I started to think that Liam Neeson just does these movies for the money, but this film changed that thought process I had. This may be the best of the recent Liam Neeson action films.
The performances and the characters are what make this film differentiate from recent action films. Liam Neeson gives it all in this performance, one that is very layered and that you instantly care for from the beginning. Rumors had it that this film was due to be released late 2011, but due to time constraint issues, they delayed the film to be released this weekend. If it was released in late 2011, I think Neeson would have been nominated for Best Actor for this performance. I'm glad that the studio is going to rerelease the film in October for Oscar consideration, I hope the Academy considers this performance later in the year. The rest of the cast is great as well: Dermot Mulroney, Frank Grillo and Dallas Roberts give wonderful supporting performances. What really makes this film great is how they set up these characters. Most of these characters at the start of the film are tough and careless, but when put in a situation like this, they're helpless and scared. This character development gives this film some structure, it makes it interesting and very thought-provoking as a result.
The writers did a fantastic job with this film too. What could have been just an ordinary nature action film is made into something much more because of the realism and the intelligent philosophical content this film delivers. These are not one-dimensional characters, these are flawed, layered characters we care for during this film and the writers did their jobs of developing these characters naturally. They also make this situation of being trapped in an area of wolves look realistic rather than Hollywoodize it. They add real fear and emotion to make this story as frightening as it should be.
I was also very surprised and pleased with the direction of this film. I am honestly shocked that the director of The A-Team worked on a film like this, but then I remembered that this is the same director who brought us the gritty and intriguing Narc. I am happy to see he is going back to his gritty roots here, telling a story artfully as well. The cinematography truly captures the mood of this film. It makes the wilderness as frightening as it should be. Without giving anything away, I want to say how much I loved how he ended the film. The film is gritty and dark enough already, but the ending is one you surely will not forget this year. It may just be the most haunting and thought-provoking ending I have seen in a while. This is thanks to the careful and passionate direction Joe Carnahan gives here. I hope he directs his films like this in the future.
The Negatives:
I really enjoyed this film for the most part, however some scenes feel a little slow. Certain scenes feel necessary for the slow duration, like scenes when they discuss home life and character revelations. For other scenes, it just felt a little unnecessary. This only happens once or twice in the film, so I consider it a minor flaw.
One issue I had is the misleading marketing this film had. The marketing dumbed down the film to make it look like a full action pic, when in reality it is a haunting and thought-provoking action pic. I know most mainstream audiences may be disappointed by this film because of this misleading marketing, but I'm glad this movie will be getting money as a result.
Conclusion:
The Grey is an intense, gritty and thought-provoking action film. One that will haunt you as soon as it ends and one that may require a second viewing. This is the first great film of 2012, I honestly did not expect it this soon.
Rating: 9 out of 10
Saturday, January 28, 2012
Tuesday, January 24, 2012
Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close Review
Plot Summary:
Oskar (Thomas Horn), an autistic child whose father (Tom Hanks) was killed in the 9/11 attacks, finds a key in his father's closet. Thinking the key leads to a message his father left behind, he searches around the city looking for the key. On his adventure, he conquers his fears, makes remarkable discoveries and ultimately learns to deal with his loss.
The Positives:
Many people consider this film to be the surprise Best Picture nominee at this year's Oscars. With hardly any awards talk about it and many mixed reviews floating around the internet about it, I'll admit I did not quite know what to expect out of this film and curiosity sparked on how this film could be nominated for such a prestigious award. After seeing this film, I am here to tell you to avoid the negative criticism for this film, it is a really good movie.
The main thing I really enjoyed about this film was the brilliant performances the ensemble gave here. Thomas Horn, who was a Jeopardy! contestant before this film, gives one of 2011's best child performances here. He was given a very difficult task to portray an autistic child, a performance if done wrong could be both offensive and laughable. But with Horn's innocence and intelligence, he gives this performance justice, he portrays the benefits and disadvantages of autism extremely well. At times he is mean and could be considered unlikeable, but it is emotions that guide him and Horn portrays this wonderfully. He deserves great work after this film. Sandra Bullock, who plays his disconnected mother, gives a great performance here too, she shows grieving in a very realistic manner rather than a fake way. However, the best performance here is Max von Sydow, who steals the show with a silent performance. The facial and body gestures he gives make his performance remarkable and well worth watching.
Another thing I really enjoyed about this film was the artistic style it showed. Rather than taking the pretentious route most art films take, the artistic choices help the film tell the story in a better way. The cinematography is beautiful, it shows New York City in a colorful and lively way, rather than a grim, scary place most films take this place to nowadays. I really commend the editing choices here, I feel it portrays the emotions and the thoughts of Oskar beautifully. The editing here shows us the story through the eyes of an autistic child, which I felt they did a really good job on. I think the Academy snubbed a few nominations for this film: direction and editing.
The writing here is really intelligent and thoughtful. The advanced vocabulary Oskar uses once again portrays autism very well. The way he interacts with the other characters in this film really show this as well. The film is also funny at times, the humor is well-placed for a film with a strong topic like this one.
The Negatives:
I enjoyed this film for the most part, but I did have a few issues with it. I felt that the film tried too hard to manipulate the audience into feeling emotion at certain scenes. Some of the scenes I felt were just put in there to burst the audience into tears. The writing is somewhat to blame here, I feel if they worked on making the emotions more realistic rather than forced.
Another issue here is how they used 9/11 in this film. I understand that 9/11 is a part of the story, but I feel that using 9/11 in a plot like this was a little unnecessary. I feel the story is great, but I think I would have enjoyed it more if 9/11 wasn't used as a plot device. Once again I feel that through this plot device, the audience is manipulated into emotion rather than actually feeling it.
Conclusion:
Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close is an extremely underrated film. I honestly do not understand the negative criticism for this film and I probably never will. Despite its flaws, this is a very well-done film with strong performances, a strong story and a unique artistic style. This is very worthy of the recent Best Picture nomination and I feel more people should check this out.
Rating: 8 out of 10
Oskar (Thomas Horn), an autistic child whose father (Tom Hanks) was killed in the 9/11 attacks, finds a key in his father's closet. Thinking the key leads to a message his father left behind, he searches around the city looking for the key. On his adventure, he conquers his fears, makes remarkable discoveries and ultimately learns to deal with his loss.
The Positives:
Many people consider this film to be the surprise Best Picture nominee at this year's Oscars. With hardly any awards talk about it and many mixed reviews floating around the internet about it, I'll admit I did not quite know what to expect out of this film and curiosity sparked on how this film could be nominated for such a prestigious award. After seeing this film, I am here to tell you to avoid the negative criticism for this film, it is a really good movie.
The main thing I really enjoyed about this film was the brilliant performances the ensemble gave here. Thomas Horn, who was a Jeopardy! contestant before this film, gives one of 2011's best child performances here. He was given a very difficult task to portray an autistic child, a performance if done wrong could be both offensive and laughable. But with Horn's innocence and intelligence, he gives this performance justice, he portrays the benefits and disadvantages of autism extremely well. At times he is mean and could be considered unlikeable, but it is emotions that guide him and Horn portrays this wonderfully. He deserves great work after this film. Sandra Bullock, who plays his disconnected mother, gives a great performance here too, she shows grieving in a very realistic manner rather than a fake way. However, the best performance here is Max von Sydow, who steals the show with a silent performance. The facial and body gestures he gives make his performance remarkable and well worth watching.
Another thing I really enjoyed about this film was the artistic style it showed. Rather than taking the pretentious route most art films take, the artistic choices help the film tell the story in a better way. The cinematography is beautiful, it shows New York City in a colorful and lively way, rather than a grim, scary place most films take this place to nowadays. I really commend the editing choices here, I feel it portrays the emotions and the thoughts of Oskar beautifully. The editing here shows us the story through the eyes of an autistic child, which I felt they did a really good job on. I think the Academy snubbed a few nominations for this film: direction and editing.
The writing here is really intelligent and thoughtful. The advanced vocabulary Oskar uses once again portrays autism very well. The way he interacts with the other characters in this film really show this as well. The film is also funny at times, the humor is well-placed for a film with a strong topic like this one.
The Negatives:
I enjoyed this film for the most part, but I did have a few issues with it. I felt that the film tried too hard to manipulate the audience into feeling emotion at certain scenes. Some of the scenes I felt were just put in there to burst the audience into tears. The writing is somewhat to blame here, I feel if they worked on making the emotions more realistic rather than forced.
Another issue here is how they used 9/11 in this film. I understand that 9/11 is a part of the story, but I feel that using 9/11 in a plot like this was a little unnecessary. I feel the story is great, but I think I would have enjoyed it more if 9/11 wasn't used as a plot device. Once again I feel that through this plot device, the audience is manipulated into emotion rather than actually feeling it.
Conclusion:
Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close is an extremely underrated film. I honestly do not understand the negative criticism for this film and I probably never will. Despite its flaws, this is a very well-done film with strong performances, a strong story and a unique artistic style. This is very worthy of the recent Best Picture nomination and I feel more people should check this out.
Rating: 8 out of 10
Friday, January 20, 2012
The Artist Review
Plot Summary:
Hollywood, 1927: As silent movie star George Valentin (Jean Dujardin) starts to wonder if talking pictures will make him a nobody, he starts a connection with Peppy Miller (Bernice Bejo), a young dancer who desires to become an actress.
The Positives:
As many people may wonder, how can a silent film be made and could possibly be entertaining in today's era? Well, the answer lies in this film right here. The Artist has all of the trademarks of a traditional silent film. The editing relies on wipes and dissolves, rather than just plain cuts. The cinematography makes the film look like a traditional silent film rather than the copy it really is. The film itself is very clever and humorous in the way it pokes fun at the genre, such as signs saying "Silence" or people asking, "Why don't you talk?" It's a smart and harmless way to poke fun at the genre.
The acting from Jean Dujardin and Bernice Bejo is simply wonderful. Jean Dujardin truly makes this film. The moment he enters on screen, you instantly care for him and want him to succeed. You feel for him when he's at his lowest and continue to hope for the best for this character. Dujardin's performance, even though it's silent, might be one of the most layered and compelling performances of 2011. Bernice Bejo fits the female role very well. You immediately care for her the moment she enters the screen and you may be enchanted by her smile and laugh. I may also mention that Dujardin and Bejo's onscreen chemistry might be one of the most timeless romances in a while, without a single onscreen kiss or a line of dialogue. It is simply beautiful.
Many people may wonder how a film like this could possibly be entertaining. All I can say is, this might be one of the most entertaining surprises I've ever seen. The plot is thoroughly entertaining, even when it gets dark. The film itself is hilarious, heartwarming and clever without it needing dialogue. I feel more people should give this film a chance, rather than dismiss it because it is a silent film.
The Negatives:
I really did not have any issues with this film except for one thing. As I mentioned earlier, the film gets dark in the second act. However, the film still chooses to go to the happy ending approach rather than try something ambitious. But since this is a silent film, they are really limited to what they choose, so I understand why they chose the happy ending approach.
Conclusion:
The Artist is a triumph. It is easily one of the most hilarious, heartwarming, clever and crowd-pleasing films of 2011. It also redefines the silent film genre beautifully, and displays movie magic wonderfully. This should not be missed!
Rating: 9.5 out of 10
Hollywood, 1927: As silent movie star George Valentin (Jean Dujardin) starts to wonder if talking pictures will make him a nobody, he starts a connection with Peppy Miller (Bernice Bejo), a young dancer who desires to become an actress.
The Positives:
As many people may wonder, how can a silent film be made and could possibly be entertaining in today's era? Well, the answer lies in this film right here. The Artist has all of the trademarks of a traditional silent film. The editing relies on wipes and dissolves, rather than just plain cuts. The cinematography makes the film look like a traditional silent film rather than the copy it really is. The film itself is very clever and humorous in the way it pokes fun at the genre, such as signs saying "Silence" or people asking, "Why don't you talk?" It's a smart and harmless way to poke fun at the genre.
The acting from Jean Dujardin and Bernice Bejo is simply wonderful. Jean Dujardin truly makes this film. The moment he enters on screen, you instantly care for him and want him to succeed. You feel for him when he's at his lowest and continue to hope for the best for this character. Dujardin's performance, even though it's silent, might be one of the most layered and compelling performances of 2011. Bernice Bejo fits the female role very well. You immediately care for her the moment she enters the screen and you may be enchanted by her smile and laugh. I may also mention that Dujardin and Bejo's onscreen chemistry might be one of the most timeless romances in a while, without a single onscreen kiss or a line of dialogue. It is simply beautiful.
Many people may wonder how a film like this could possibly be entertaining. All I can say is, this might be one of the most entertaining surprises I've ever seen. The plot is thoroughly entertaining, even when it gets dark. The film itself is hilarious, heartwarming and clever without it needing dialogue. I feel more people should give this film a chance, rather than dismiss it because it is a silent film.
The Negatives:
I really did not have any issues with this film except for one thing. As I mentioned earlier, the film gets dark in the second act. However, the film still chooses to go to the happy ending approach rather than try something ambitious. But since this is a silent film, they are really limited to what they choose, so I understand why they chose the happy ending approach.
Conclusion:
The Artist is a triumph. It is easily one of the most hilarious, heartwarming, clever and crowd-pleasing films of 2011. It also redefines the silent film genre beautifully, and displays movie magic wonderfully. This should not be missed!
Rating: 9.5 out of 10
Friday, January 6, 2012
The Devil Inside Review
Plot Summary:
In 1989, a triple murder was committed by Maria Rossi (Suzan Crowley) while an exorcism was being performed on her. The court finds her not guilty by reasons of insanity and is sentenced to a Catholic asylum in Rome. Twenty years later, her daughter Isabella (Fernanda Andrade) and a film crew try to find an exorcist that will help Maria. However, Isabella is fearful that someday she will become possessed.
The Positives:
This film really has no notable positive aspects. However, the marketing crew behind this is simply genius and I feel they deserve some recognition. This marketing crew made this truly awful film look great and terrifying by creating fantastic trailers and commercials for it. It's a shame they had to work for this film, but I am sure this marketing crew has great projects ahead of them.
The Negatives:
This is easily one of the worst films I have ever seen, there are so many problems with it. My first issue with it is how it fails in both the horror genre and the "found footage" sub-genre. To make a horror movie effective, it has to be frightening. This film is far from frightening, all of the "best" scares were revealed in the trailers and the film relies on cheap jump scares to attempt to scare the audience. Instead, the audience is in laughter at each "scary" scene, this is never a good sign for a horror film. The film relies on too many horror cliches to get scares rather than trying to be original. Also, for a "found footage" film to be good, it has to be interesting. This film moves at a painfully slow pace and it gets so boring to the point where any interest is diminished.
Another issue I had with the film was the writing. The dialogue is terrible for the most part, in fact it's even laughable at most points. The way the characters speak and how they react to certain situations felt rather dumb to me. As a result, I did not care for the characters in this film, which is normally not good for a horror film. There are several plot holes and sub plots that do not go in any direction, which makes the film more confusing than it needs to be.
The biggest issue I had with the film was the ending. The film was bad enough already. However, this ending was so abrupt and inconclusive that I hated this film even more. It had a rising action and climax going, then it abruptly ended with a black screen showing a website. The audience at my screening booed at the end and rightfully so! I joined in with them. This is possibly the laziest ending I have ever seen in a film, and I do not wish to go on that website they showed at the end of the film, since the 80 minutes I have seen already was terrible enough.
Conclusion:
The Devil Inside is lazy filmmaking at its finest. The first film of 2012 is already one of the worst films of 2012. It's easily one of the worst films I have ever seen, and possibly one of the most unsatisfying movie experiences since The Last Airbender. Avoid it at all costs. It's a pure rip-off of your money and a pure waste of time.
Rating: 1 out of 10
In 1989, a triple murder was committed by Maria Rossi (Suzan Crowley) while an exorcism was being performed on her. The court finds her not guilty by reasons of insanity and is sentenced to a Catholic asylum in Rome. Twenty years later, her daughter Isabella (Fernanda Andrade) and a film crew try to find an exorcist that will help Maria. However, Isabella is fearful that someday she will become possessed.
The Positives:
This film really has no notable positive aspects. However, the marketing crew behind this is simply genius and I feel they deserve some recognition. This marketing crew made this truly awful film look great and terrifying by creating fantastic trailers and commercials for it. It's a shame they had to work for this film, but I am sure this marketing crew has great projects ahead of them.
The Negatives:
This is easily one of the worst films I have ever seen, there are so many problems with it. My first issue with it is how it fails in both the horror genre and the "found footage" sub-genre. To make a horror movie effective, it has to be frightening. This film is far from frightening, all of the "best" scares were revealed in the trailers and the film relies on cheap jump scares to attempt to scare the audience. Instead, the audience is in laughter at each "scary" scene, this is never a good sign for a horror film. The film relies on too many horror cliches to get scares rather than trying to be original. Also, for a "found footage" film to be good, it has to be interesting. This film moves at a painfully slow pace and it gets so boring to the point where any interest is diminished.
Another issue I had with the film was the writing. The dialogue is terrible for the most part, in fact it's even laughable at most points. The way the characters speak and how they react to certain situations felt rather dumb to me. As a result, I did not care for the characters in this film, which is normally not good for a horror film. There are several plot holes and sub plots that do not go in any direction, which makes the film more confusing than it needs to be.
The biggest issue I had with the film was the ending. The film was bad enough already. However, this ending was so abrupt and inconclusive that I hated this film even more. It had a rising action and climax going, then it abruptly ended with a black screen showing a website. The audience at my screening booed at the end and rightfully so! I joined in with them. This is possibly the laziest ending I have ever seen in a film, and I do not wish to go on that website they showed at the end of the film, since the 80 minutes I have seen already was terrible enough.
Conclusion:
The Devil Inside is lazy filmmaking at its finest. The first film of 2012 is already one of the worst films of 2012. It's easily one of the worst films I have ever seen, and possibly one of the most unsatisfying movie experiences since The Last Airbender. Avoid it at all costs. It's a pure rip-off of your money and a pure waste of time.
Rating: 1 out of 10
Thursday, January 5, 2012
The Darkest Hour Review
Plot Summary:
Five young people (Emile Hirsch, Max Minghella, Olivia Thirlby, Rachael Taylor, and Joel Kinnaman) become stranded in Moscow shortly after invisible aliens have invaded. These people eventually learn the aliens' weakness and try to fight back their freedom.
The Positives:
While this is not a good film by any means, there are some slight positive aspects to it. I honestly felt they handled Moscow as a setting very well. Before the invasion, you see all of the common sights of Moscow: the State Historical Museum, the Red Army Theatre, Saint Basil's Cathedral, etc. I felt that showing these sights gave Moscow the attraction it wants from tourists. After the invasion occurs, all of these buildings are destroyed and could have been set up well for strong action sequences. I think the cinematographer did his job well here, making Moscow look like an exciting place for an alien invasion.
I can admit some of the acting was a little weak here, but I feel Emile Hirsch at least tried to pull the movie together. He has proved to be a strong actor over the years and while this is far from his best performance, he makes a decent performance out of what he's got.
The Negatives:
Like I mentioned earlier, when Moscow is in ruins, it looks like a place to plan cool action sequences at. However, all of the action sequences are terribly done in this film. They felt too fast paced for me, I felt that the action only happened for a couple minutes and suddenly stopped. Also, the suspense of the action sequences are poorly done as well. When the audience is supposed to "feel" scared of these invisible aliens, I felt they made it painfully obvious that they were there. I felt almost that they did not even try to scare the audience in this case. If that's so, they succeeded.
Also as I mentioned earlier, with the exception of Emile Hirsch, the acting is simply atrocious. Each of the actors had no emotion whatsoever, especially when a human/animal dies. I felt the entire time that none of the actors were passionate about their roles at all and just said their lines hoping to make a quick buck out of this film.
The writing is wicked terrible here as well. While an invisible alien invasion movie is a cool concept, they failed to make it at least scary. Instead they took the more unintentional comedy route here by having cliche dialogue, an extremely predictable plot and annoying characters. My biggest criticism with the script is how annoying and one dimensional each of these characters are. I did not care for any of the characters in this film and rooted for the aliens instead.
The direction here is awful. This could have been a cool and unique alien invasion film in the hands of an experienced horror director or science fiction director. But instead, they hired a very inexperienced director to handle this film. I almost feel sorry that this is his debut film. I cannot 100% blame him for this since he got an awful script, but he could have worked around it. I hope he does better in the future.
Conclusion:
The Darkest Hour is truly a horrible film. While the cinematography of Moscow is worth checking out, I'd still say to save your money to visit Moscow than to see this garbage. Poor directing, terrible writing and atrocious acting make this potentially cool concept a pure waste of time. If I saw this movie before making my worst of 2011 list, this would easily be on it.
Rating: 2 out of 10
Five young people (Emile Hirsch, Max Minghella, Olivia Thirlby, Rachael Taylor, and Joel Kinnaman) become stranded in Moscow shortly after invisible aliens have invaded. These people eventually learn the aliens' weakness and try to fight back their freedom.
The Positives:
While this is not a good film by any means, there are some slight positive aspects to it. I honestly felt they handled Moscow as a setting very well. Before the invasion, you see all of the common sights of Moscow: the State Historical Museum, the Red Army Theatre, Saint Basil's Cathedral, etc. I felt that showing these sights gave Moscow the attraction it wants from tourists. After the invasion occurs, all of these buildings are destroyed and could have been set up well for strong action sequences. I think the cinematographer did his job well here, making Moscow look like an exciting place for an alien invasion.
I can admit some of the acting was a little weak here, but I feel Emile Hirsch at least tried to pull the movie together. He has proved to be a strong actor over the years and while this is far from his best performance, he makes a decent performance out of what he's got.
The Negatives:
Like I mentioned earlier, when Moscow is in ruins, it looks like a place to plan cool action sequences at. However, all of the action sequences are terribly done in this film. They felt too fast paced for me, I felt that the action only happened for a couple minutes and suddenly stopped. Also, the suspense of the action sequences are poorly done as well. When the audience is supposed to "feel" scared of these invisible aliens, I felt they made it painfully obvious that they were there. I felt almost that they did not even try to scare the audience in this case. If that's so, they succeeded.
Also as I mentioned earlier, with the exception of Emile Hirsch, the acting is simply atrocious. Each of the actors had no emotion whatsoever, especially when a human/animal dies. I felt the entire time that none of the actors were passionate about their roles at all and just said their lines hoping to make a quick buck out of this film.
The writing is wicked terrible here as well. While an invisible alien invasion movie is a cool concept, they failed to make it at least scary. Instead they took the more unintentional comedy route here by having cliche dialogue, an extremely predictable plot and annoying characters. My biggest criticism with the script is how annoying and one dimensional each of these characters are. I did not care for any of the characters in this film and rooted for the aliens instead.
The direction here is awful. This could have been a cool and unique alien invasion film in the hands of an experienced horror director or science fiction director. But instead, they hired a very inexperienced director to handle this film. I almost feel sorry that this is his debut film. I cannot 100% blame him for this since he got an awful script, but he could have worked around it. I hope he does better in the future.
Conclusion:
The Darkest Hour is truly a horrible film. While the cinematography of Moscow is worth checking out, I'd still say to save your money to visit Moscow than to see this garbage. Poor directing, terrible writing and atrocious acting make this potentially cool concept a pure waste of time. If I saw this movie before making my worst of 2011 list, this would easily be on it.
Rating: 2 out of 10
Wednesday, January 4, 2012
Top Ten Favorite Movies of 2011
Like I have mentioned before, I felt 2011 was a surprisingly strong year for movies. Some of these movies reintroduced classic formats, told a new story, revived a series or were just great to watch. I haven't seen every movie in 2011 so if a movie is not on my top ten or on my honorable mentions, then I probably haven't seen the movie yet. This was an extremely tough year for my list since there were so many good movies out, but here is my top ten favorite movies of 2011.
10. The Muppets
Director: James Bobin
Being a huge fan of the Muppets growing up, I was amazed on how well they handled this film. The songs, the humor and the cameos...all were right for a perfect Muppets movie. I am so happy that they used the real Muppets in this film rather than CGI, it's a fresh and nostalgic change for once. No one thought that the writers of Forgetting Sarah Marshall could revive the Muppets in a beautiful and heartwarming way, but they exceeded all expectations here. In fact, this may be the happiest film of 2011.
9. Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol
Director: Brad Bird
Who honestly knew that the director of The Incredibles, The Iron Giant and Ratatouille could make one of the most consistently entertaining action movies in a long time? Well, I am not sure of that. Before this installment, the Mission Impossible series was known for making somewhat disappointing films. The most recent one before this was known as the best in the series, but the box office was poor due to Tom Cruise's antics during release. Five years later, we have the best installment in the series. The set pieces are well put together, the acting is pretty top-notch for an action film, and the action scenes are simply BEAUTIFUL. Not one sequence has had made me worried or scared for a character in a while like the scene when Tom Cruise is climbing up the Burj Khalifa in Dubai, the world's tallest building. Simply put, out of all the action films released this year, this one's my favorite.
8. Attack the Block
Director: Joe Cornish
A fresh, fun and original alien invasion flick. The movie is set in the slums of London, where a youth street gang must face off against aliens invading their neighborhood. The characters are easy to fall for, even though they are criminals, their personalities and secrets make you root for them in the end. The aliens are very original looking as well, they are different from any other aliens I have seen. The setting itself is a fresh and fun place to be in for this film, it's different from New York or Chicago. The end result is a fun, hilarious and cool homage to alien invasion films.
7. Warrior
Director: Gavin O'Connor
Most people looked at this film as a Fighter ripoff. The only similarity between those two films is the fact that it involves two brothers. This film right here is possibly one of the most emotional and human films of the year. The acting from Tom Hardy, Joel Edgerton and Nick Nolte is wonderful- Nolte deserves a Best Supporting Actor nomination for his role as a former alcoholic father trying to reconnect with his family. The fighting scenes are very intense, it really shows the brutality of MMA fighting. But most importantly, it shows the battered relationship between these two brothers in a stunning climax that will leave people talking. This is one of 2011's criminally under seen surprises.
6. Rise of the Planet of the Apes
Director: Rupert Wyatt
Another one of 2011's biggest surprises. The highly intelligent and engaging plot is what makes this prequel so intriguing. The acting all around is fantastic, but it's Andy Serkis's motion capture performance as Caesar is what shines and is truly Oscar-worthy. The special effects are amazing, the apes looked pretty realistic this time around. I haven't seen a Planet of the Apes movie until this one, and I'm curious to check out the other ones. I am also stoked that they are making a sequel to this film, let's hope they get the same crew that made this one a success!
5. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows-Part 2
Director: David Yates
The series could have not ended on a better note! This installment is the most heartbreaking, magical and beautiful of the series, it may just be the best one of them all. The acting is the strongest here: it shows how Radcliffe, Watson, and Grint have matured into their roles. Alan Rickman is also phenomenal as Snape, it's a shame he will most likely be forgotten at the Oscars for this powerful and heartbreaking performance. The set design and direction were very well handled for this movie. A series I grew up with is now over, but what a perfect way to end it.
4. X-Men: First Class
Director: Matthew Vaughn
In my opinion, 2011 was a strong year for superhero movies. This one right here is easily the best one of 2011. The director of last year's wonderful Kick-Ass did a fantastic job reviving the X-Men series as shown with this film. The plot and the writing are top notch, it shows the origins of each character very well. The special effects look really cool as well, they handled the set pieces very well. The acting is very strong for a superhero movie: Jennifer Lawrence, Nicholas Hoult and James McAvoy all give wonderful performances. But it's Michael Fassbender as Magneto who steals the show, every action scene he's a part of is a spectacle to watch and when not in action, his scenes are still very compelling. This is easily the best X-Men movie of them all and I hope Matthew Vaughn continues with this series since he did such a wonderful job with this one.
3. Drive
Director: Nicolas Winding Refn
Here is an action movie with a style of its own and wants its own identity. Unlike other recent action movies, Drive has a compelling plot, strong characters and an unique style. From the opening sequence playing dark 80's-esque techno music, you can immediately tell that this is a film unlike any other. Ryan Gosling gives one of the year's best performances as the Driver, a near-silent performance that portrays cool from the beginning: one scenes he's wooing his neighbor, the next he's killing a thug in an extremely graphic way. Albert Brooks gives a unique performance as the evil mobster. Normally, he's the funny guy, here he's a serious, evil and violent man. The film builds up slowly at first, then becomes overly violent, similar to a samurai film style. Drive is simply compelling, intelligent and unique. One of 2011's memorable gems.
2. The Descendants
Director: Alexander Payne
Alexander Payne has returned from filmmaking after 7 years! And what a great film 7 years of waiting is worthy of. The Descendants is a beautiful human story, one that mixes humor and heartbreak gently. George Clooney gives the performance of his career here, and I will be extremely disappointed if he does not win Best Actor. The plot is great, it tells a realistic story without ever boring the audience. One scene has the audience laughing, the next has them close to tears. It's a beautiful film that deserves a lot of recognition at this year's Oscars. However, there is one film I feel deserves a lot more recognition.
1. Hugo
Director: Martin Scorsese
Martin Scorsese's latest is my favorite movie of 2011! This is easily his most ambitious film in his canon. It's not only his first children's film or his first 3D film, but also his most personal film. The end result is a magical, beautiful ode to early filmmaking. The visuals are enchanting to watch from the views of Paris to the train station. The 3D enhances the beauty of the visuals of this film, in my opinion, it may be the best 3D to date. The acting is great as well, with a compelling performance from Ben Kingsley and innocent child performances from Asa Butterfield and Chloe Moretz. The plot is what makes this film so ingenious, most people will think Hugo is about a orphan trying to find a secret message from his father. However, the film is about something much closer to Scorsese's heart: the magic of movies, in particular, early cinema. It shifts to a history lesson of early cinema beautifully and it never gets boring. Some moments in the movie are even inspired by early cinema, in particular the slapstick antics of the Station Inspector (played by an energetic Sacha Baron Cohen). Hugo is simply movie magic at its finest, which is why it's my favorite film this year.
Honorable Mentions: Bridesmaids, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, Horrible Bosses, Kung Fu Panda 2, Martha Marcy May Marlene, Rango, Source Code, Thor, Winnie The Pooh
Hope everyone enjoyed reading my list. Feel free to comment on my list, or write some of your favorite films of 2011. Stay tuned for some reviews coming your way soon!
10. The Muppets
Director: James Bobin
Being a huge fan of the Muppets growing up, I was amazed on how well they handled this film. The songs, the humor and the cameos...all were right for a perfect Muppets movie. I am so happy that they used the real Muppets in this film rather than CGI, it's a fresh and nostalgic change for once. No one thought that the writers of Forgetting Sarah Marshall could revive the Muppets in a beautiful and heartwarming way, but they exceeded all expectations here. In fact, this may be the happiest film of 2011.
9. Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol
Director: Brad Bird
Who honestly knew that the director of The Incredibles, The Iron Giant and Ratatouille could make one of the most consistently entertaining action movies in a long time? Well, I am not sure of that. Before this installment, the Mission Impossible series was known for making somewhat disappointing films. The most recent one before this was known as the best in the series, but the box office was poor due to Tom Cruise's antics during release. Five years later, we have the best installment in the series. The set pieces are well put together, the acting is pretty top-notch for an action film, and the action scenes are simply BEAUTIFUL. Not one sequence has had made me worried or scared for a character in a while like the scene when Tom Cruise is climbing up the Burj Khalifa in Dubai, the world's tallest building. Simply put, out of all the action films released this year, this one's my favorite.
8. Attack the Block
Director: Joe Cornish
A fresh, fun and original alien invasion flick. The movie is set in the slums of London, where a youth street gang must face off against aliens invading their neighborhood. The characters are easy to fall for, even though they are criminals, their personalities and secrets make you root for them in the end. The aliens are very original looking as well, they are different from any other aliens I have seen. The setting itself is a fresh and fun place to be in for this film, it's different from New York or Chicago. The end result is a fun, hilarious and cool homage to alien invasion films.
7. Warrior
Director: Gavin O'Connor
Most people looked at this film as a Fighter ripoff. The only similarity between those two films is the fact that it involves two brothers. This film right here is possibly one of the most emotional and human films of the year. The acting from Tom Hardy, Joel Edgerton and Nick Nolte is wonderful- Nolte deserves a Best Supporting Actor nomination for his role as a former alcoholic father trying to reconnect with his family. The fighting scenes are very intense, it really shows the brutality of MMA fighting. But most importantly, it shows the battered relationship between these two brothers in a stunning climax that will leave people talking. This is one of 2011's criminally under seen surprises.
6. Rise of the Planet of the Apes
Director: Rupert Wyatt
Another one of 2011's biggest surprises. The highly intelligent and engaging plot is what makes this prequel so intriguing. The acting all around is fantastic, but it's Andy Serkis's motion capture performance as Caesar is what shines and is truly Oscar-worthy. The special effects are amazing, the apes looked pretty realistic this time around. I haven't seen a Planet of the Apes movie until this one, and I'm curious to check out the other ones. I am also stoked that they are making a sequel to this film, let's hope they get the same crew that made this one a success!
5. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows-Part 2
Director: David Yates
The series could have not ended on a better note! This installment is the most heartbreaking, magical and beautiful of the series, it may just be the best one of them all. The acting is the strongest here: it shows how Radcliffe, Watson, and Grint have matured into their roles. Alan Rickman is also phenomenal as Snape, it's a shame he will most likely be forgotten at the Oscars for this powerful and heartbreaking performance. The set design and direction were very well handled for this movie. A series I grew up with is now over, but what a perfect way to end it.
4. X-Men: First Class
Director: Matthew Vaughn
In my opinion, 2011 was a strong year for superhero movies. This one right here is easily the best one of 2011. The director of last year's wonderful Kick-Ass did a fantastic job reviving the X-Men series as shown with this film. The plot and the writing are top notch, it shows the origins of each character very well. The special effects look really cool as well, they handled the set pieces very well. The acting is very strong for a superhero movie: Jennifer Lawrence, Nicholas Hoult and James McAvoy all give wonderful performances. But it's Michael Fassbender as Magneto who steals the show, every action scene he's a part of is a spectacle to watch and when not in action, his scenes are still very compelling. This is easily the best X-Men movie of them all and I hope Matthew Vaughn continues with this series since he did such a wonderful job with this one.
3. Drive
Director: Nicolas Winding Refn
Here is an action movie with a style of its own and wants its own identity. Unlike other recent action movies, Drive has a compelling plot, strong characters and an unique style. From the opening sequence playing dark 80's-esque techno music, you can immediately tell that this is a film unlike any other. Ryan Gosling gives one of the year's best performances as the Driver, a near-silent performance that portrays cool from the beginning: one scenes he's wooing his neighbor, the next he's killing a thug in an extremely graphic way. Albert Brooks gives a unique performance as the evil mobster. Normally, he's the funny guy, here he's a serious, evil and violent man. The film builds up slowly at first, then becomes overly violent, similar to a samurai film style. Drive is simply compelling, intelligent and unique. One of 2011's memorable gems.
2. The Descendants
Director: Alexander Payne
Alexander Payne has returned from filmmaking after 7 years! And what a great film 7 years of waiting is worthy of. The Descendants is a beautiful human story, one that mixes humor and heartbreak gently. George Clooney gives the performance of his career here, and I will be extremely disappointed if he does not win Best Actor. The plot is great, it tells a realistic story without ever boring the audience. One scene has the audience laughing, the next has them close to tears. It's a beautiful film that deserves a lot of recognition at this year's Oscars. However, there is one film I feel deserves a lot more recognition.
1. Hugo
Director: Martin Scorsese
Martin Scorsese's latest is my favorite movie of 2011! This is easily his most ambitious film in his canon. It's not only his first children's film or his first 3D film, but also his most personal film. The end result is a magical, beautiful ode to early filmmaking. The visuals are enchanting to watch from the views of Paris to the train station. The 3D enhances the beauty of the visuals of this film, in my opinion, it may be the best 3D to date. The acting is great as well, with a compelling performance from Ben Kingsley and innocent child performances from Asa Butterfield and Chloe Moretz. The plot is what makes this film so ingenious, most people will think Hugo is about a orphan trying to find a secret message from his father. However, the film is about something much closer to Scorsese's heart: the magic of movies, in particular, early cinema. It shifts to a history lesson of early cinema beautifully and it never gets boring. Some moments in the movie are even inspired by early cinema, in particular the slapstick antics of the Station Inspector (played by an energetic Sacha Baron Cohen). Hugo is simply movie magic at its finest, which is why it's my favorite film this year.
Honorable Mentions: Bridesmaids, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, Horrible Bosses, Kung Fu Panda 2, Martha Marcy May Marlene, Rango, Source Code, Thor, Winnie The Pooh
Hope everyone enjoyed reading my list. Feel free to comment on my list, or write some of your favorite films of 2011. Stay tuned for some reviews coming your way soon!
Tuesday, January 3, 2012
Worst Movies of 2011
While 2011 had many spot-on films (check out my top ten list tomorrow!), there were many films that were far from good. Many of these films were either disappointing, lazily made, or just plain awful. There were 5 films that I had a strong dislike for in 2011. Here is my worst movies of 2011 list.
5. Cars 2
Director: John Lasseter
What an extremely disappointing year Pixar had! This film ruined their critically acclaimed streak and lost a lot of money for the company. And this film completely deserved it! While the animation is top notch, the heart and humor that are usually in Pixar films was non-existent. Also, this film has a terrible message for kids: even if your behavior is destructive, just be yourself. Easily Pixar's worst film in their canon and I hope they won't make the same mistakes in their future films.
4. The Green Lantern
Director: Martin Campbell
2011 was a very strong year for superhero films. However, this film is an exception to that. It's a truly terrible superhero film. With the exception of Ryan Reynolds, the acting is pretty awful considering all of the talent involved: Blake Lively and Peter Sarsgaard to name some. For a superhero film released in theaters, the special effects are atrocious. The writing is pretty terrible as well. Out of all the superhero films released in 2011, this is easily the worst of them.
3. Paranormal Activity 3
Director: Henry Joost and Ariel Schulman
When I first heard that the directors of 2010's wonderful and eye-opening documentary Catfish were taking the helm for the latest Paranormal Activity installment, I was pumped for this film. I'm not a huge fan of the series to begin with, I despised the first one and thought the second one was just alright at best. I was hoping these guys would bring something new to the series. However, this one is just as bad as the first one. The scares were extremely laughable and ineffective. When there are no scares, the scenes are just plain boring and have no significance to the film whatsoever. This was simply a dumb and silly horror flick and I am angry that they are continuing this series.
2. The Change-Up
Director: David Dobkin
An extremely disappointing and extremely unfunny comedy. I cannot believe that the director of the hilarious Wedding Crashers and the writers of the wonderful The Hangover teamed up to make this garbage. The concept is pretty stupid to start with, a body swap comedy (normally a family genre) involving two grown men. The jokes were terribly unfunny, in fact, sometimes they crossed the line into overly offensive territory which was still unfunny. I am sad that Ryan Reynolds and Jason Bateman were involved in this atrocity, they played their roles well in such a terrible film. I expected this to be a quality comedy, but what I witnessed instead was a lazily made, unfunny and just plain offensive comedy.
1. Season of the Witch
Director: Dominic Sena
The first film released in 2011 is also the worst film of 2011. This is a film without any redeeming qualities whatsoever. The acting is terrible, I expect a lot better from both Ron Perlman and even Nicholas Cage. The special effects are lame, they are supposed to increase the film's scare tactics but fails doing so. The writing is horrible, it contains a lot of cliche dialogue and lame jokes. This film had all of the right ingredients to be an unintentional comedy, but it even fails at doing that job well. Season of the Witch is simply atrocious: easily the worst film of 2011.
Hope you enjoyed reading my worst films of 2011 list. Wait until tomorrow to check out my top ten movies of 2011 list! Feel free to leave comments about this list or discuss your worst films of 2011 to this list.
5. Cars 2
Director: John Lasseter
What an extremely disappointing year Pixar had! This film ruined their critically acclaimed streak and lost a lot of money for the company. And this film completely deserved it! While the animation is top notch, the heart and humor that are usually in Pixar films was non-existent. Also, this film has a terrible message for kids: even if your behavior is destructive, just be yourself. Easily Pixar's worst film in their canon and I hope they won't make the same mistakes in their future films.
4. The Green Lantern
Director: Martin Campbell
2011 was a very strong year for superhero films. However, this film is an exception to that. It's a truly terrible superhero film. With the exception of Ryan Reynolds, the acting is pretty awful considering all of the talent involved: Blake Lively and Peter Sarsgaard to name some. For a superhero film released in theaters, the special effects are atrocious. The writing is pretty terrible as well. Out of all the superhero films released in 2011, this is easily the worst of them.
3. Paranormal Activity 3
Director: Henry Joost and Ariel Schulman
When I first heard that the directors of 2010's wonderful and eye-opening documentary Catfish were taking the helm for the latest Paranormal Activity installment, I was pumped for this film. I'm not a huge fan of the series to begin with, I despised the first one and thought the second one was just alright at best. I was hoping these guys would bring something new to the series. However, this one is just as bad as the first one. The scares were extremely laughable and ineffective. When there are no scares, the scenes are just plain boring and have no significance to the film whatsoever. This was simply a dumb and silly horror flick and I am angry that they are continuing this series.
2. The Change-Up
Director: David Dobkin
An extremely disappointing and extremely unfunny comedy. I cannot believe that the director of the hilarious Wedding Crashers and the writers of the wonderful The Hangover teamed up to make this garbage. The concept is pretty stupid to start with, a body swap comedy (normally a family genre) involving two grown men. The jokes were terribly unfunny, in fact, sometimes they crossed the line into overly offensive territory which was still unfunny. I am sad that Ryan Reynolds and Jason Bateman were involved in this atrocity, they played their roles well in such a terrible film. I expected this to be a quality comedy, but what I witnessed instead was a lazily made, unfunny and just plain offensive comedy.
1. Season of the Witch
Director: Dominic Sena
The first film released in 2011 is also the worst film of 2011. This is a film without any redeeming qualities whatsoever. The acting is terrible, I expect a lot better from both Ron Perlman and even Nicholas Cage. The special effects are lame, they are supposed to increase the film's scare tactics but fails doing so. The writing is horrible, it contains a lot of cliche dialogue and lame jokes. This film had all of the right ingredients to be an unintentional comedy, but it even fails at doing that job well. Season of the Witch is simply atrocious: easily the worst film of 2011.
Hope you enjoyed reading my worst films of 2011 list. Wait until tomorrow to check out my top ten movies of 2011 list! Feel free to leave comments about this list or discuss your worst films of 2011 to this list.
Monday, January 2, 2012
10 Most Anticipated Movies of 2012
I personally think 2011 was a great year for films (expect my top ten list sometime this week!). It was a far superior year than 2010, and I hope that 2012 will surpass the great year 2011 was for films. There are so many films to look forward to this year. However, there are ten films that I am looking forward to the most.
10. The Hunger Games
Release Date: March 23, 2012
Director: Gary Ross
I personally have never read the books, but this looks like a really solid film. The concept sounds really interesting, and the cast is equally fantastic. I believe this could be a star-making turn for Jennifer Lawrence, who has given great performances in recent years (X-Men: First Class, Winter's Bone). The trailers really sold the film to me, so I'll definitely be seeing this on March 23rd.
9. The Cabin In The Woods
Release Date: April 13, 2012
Director: Drew Goddard
The long-delayed horror film produced by Joss Whedon is finally coming to theaters! I love tongue-in-cheek horror films and this film promises to be that kind of horror film. The concept is pretty cool as well, blending The Truman Show with The Evil Dead. And Chris Hemsworth is in this film as well, love the fact he's getting more work after his awesome performance in Thor! This looks to be a strong horror film with some serious potential.
8. Frankenweenie
Release Date: October 5, 2012
Director: Tim Burton
Tim Burton is returning to stop motion animation! I love the original short film that this was based on and am wicked curious on how Burton is going to expand his story here. In my opinion, Burton's best films are his stop-motion ones (Corpse Bride, The Nightmare Before Christmas) and this is surely to please. And the voice cast here is top-notch: Winona Ryder, Martin Landau, Martin Short, etc. Hopefully this film will be a great birthday present to me, since it's released on my birthday.
7. Gangster Squad
Release Date: October 19, 2012
Director: Ruben Fleischer
This is looking to be a really top notch gangster film. The cast is full of great names around: Ryan Gosling, Emma Stone, Sean Penn, Josh Brolin, etc. The plot sounds pretty awesome as well: Los Angeles cops trying to get East Coast gangsters out. And also, the director of Zombieland and 30 Minutes or Less is taking the helm. This film could go in many directions, but this is looking to be a film worthy of checking out.
6. Brave
Release Date: June 22, 2012
Director: Mark Andrews
After Pixar's first failure in 2011 with Cars 2, I am really hoping that this film will bring them back to their critically acclaimed streak. This film features many firsts for Pixar: first female main character, and first fairy tale to name some. The animation looks spot-on as always, and the trailers look far from disappointing so far. It is a very ambitious film for Pixar and it can go in any direction, but I think it will be a good one.
5. Skyfall
Release Date: November 9, 2012
Director: Sam Mendes
James Bond is back after 4 years! After the extremely disappointing Quantum of Solace, I have faith that this will be a great James Bond film. With Sam Mendes directing, I have sure faith that this will not disappoint. As long as the writers of Quantum of Solace are not involved, I am sure that I will enjoy this film.
4. The Avengers
Release Date: May 4, 2012
Director: Joss Whedon
The long wait is finally here! Watching all of the end credits scene after Iron Man, Captain America and Thor hopefully will pay off with this film. It's going to be exciting to see all of these Marvel superheroes teaming up together. Joss Whedon is a great ensemble director as well, and I am sure he will not disappoint with this film. Let's just hope that the hype will not disappoint with this film!
3. Prometheus
Release Date: June 8, 2012
Director: Ridley Scott
The secrets will finally be revealed on June 8. Is this an Alien prequel or not? Ridley Scott's highly secretive return to sci-fi horror is high up on my list this year. He's made some misses in his filmography recently, but sci-fi horror is what made his career to begin with. I am sure Scott is capable of not disappointing his Alien fans, so I expect this to be a great film.
2. The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey
Release Date: December 14, 2012
Director: Peter Jackson
I am so happy that his film is finally coming out. Sad that it's in two parts, but man it will be an epic two movies! Peter Jackson directing the magical world he introduced us to over 10 years ago is wonderful news. The many cinematic and technical achievements this film is introducing us to...Oh man, I don't want to wait until December for this. But, this will be a very worthy wait.
1. The Dark Knight Rises
Release Date: July 20, 2012
Director: Christopher Nolan
This is the film I am most anticipating this year! Christopher Nolan's Batman trilogy is sadly coming to an end. I am not sure how he will top The Dark Knight (which is my favorite film), but the trailers look epic and extremely exciting. I've been waiting for this film since the end of The Dark Knight, and am praying that will be fantastic!
Hope you all enjoyed reading my list. Feel free to comment on my list or what your anticipated films are next year. Stay tuned for more blog posts this coming week!
10. The Hunger Games
Release Date: March 23, 2012
Director: Gary Ross
I personally have never read the books, but this looks like a really solid film. The concept sounds really interesting, and the cast is equally fantastic. I believe this could be a star-making turn for Jennifer Lawrence, who has given great performances in recent years (X-Men: First Class, Winter's Bone). The trailers really sold the film to me, so I'll definitely be seeing this on March 23rd.
9. The Cabin In The Woods
Release Date: April 13, 2012
Director: Drew Goddard
The long-delayed horror film produced by Joss Whedon is finally coming to theaters! I love tongue-in-cheek horror films and this film promises to be that kind of horror film. The concept is pretty cool as well, blending The Truman Show with The Evil Dead. And Chris Hemsworth is in this film as well, love the fact he's getting more work after his awesome performance in Thor! This looks to be a strong horror film with some serious potential.
8. Frankenweenie
Release Date: October 5, 2012
Director: Tim Burton
Tim Burton is returning to stop motion animation! I love the original short film that this was based on and am wicked curious on how Burton is going to expand his story here. In my opinion, Burton's best films are his stop-motion ones (Corpse Bride, The Nightmare Before Christmas) and this is surely to please. And the voice cast here is top-notch: Winona Ryder, Martin Landau, Martin Short, etc. Hopefully this film will be a great birthday present to me, since it's released on my birthday.
7. Gangster Squad
Release Date: October 19, 2012
Director: Ruben Fleischer
This is looking to be a really top notch gangster film. The cast is full of great names around: Ryan Gosling, Emma Stone, Sean Penn, Josh Brolin, etc. The plot sounds pretty awesome as well: Los Angeles cops trying to get East Coast gangsters out. And also, the director of Zombieland and 30 Minutes or Less is taking the helm. This film could go in many directions, but this is looking to be a film worthy of checking out.
6. Brave
Release Date: June 22, 2012
Director: Mark Andrews
After Pixar's first failure in 2011 with Cars 2, I am really hoping that this film will bring them back to their critically acclaimed streak. This film features many firsts for Pixar: first female main character, and first fairy tale to name some. The animation looks spot-on as always, and the trailers look far from disappointing so far. It is a very ambitious film for Pixar and it can go in any direction, but I think it will be a good one.
5. Skyfall
Release Date: November 9, 2012
Director: Sam Mendes
James Bond is back after 4 years! After the extremely disappointing Quantum of Solace, I have faith that this will be a great James Bond film. With Sam Mendes directing, I have sure faith that this will not disappoint. As long as the writers of Quantum of Solace are not involved, I am sure that I will enjoy this film.
4. The Avengers
Release Date: May 4, 2012
Director: Joss Whedon
The long wait is finally here! Watching all of the end credits scene after Iron Man, Captain America and Thor hopefully will pay off with this film. It's going to be exciting to see all of these Marvel superheroes teaming up together. Joss Whedon is a great ensemble director as well, and I am sure he will not disappoint with this film. Let's just hope that the hype will not disappoint with this film!
3. Prometheus
Release Date: June 8, 2012
Director: Ridley Scott
The secrets will finally be revealed on June 8. Is this an Alien prequel or not? Ridley Scott's highly secretive return to sci-fi horror is high up on my list this year. He's made some misses in his filmography recently, but sci-fi horror is what made his career to begin with. I am sure Scott is capable of not disappointing his Alien fans, so I expect this to be a great film.
2. The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey
Release Date: December 14, 2012
Director: Peter Jackson
I am so happy that his film is finally coming out. Sad that it's in two parts, but man it will be an epic two movies! Peter Jackson directing the magical world he introduced us to over 10 years ago is wonderful news. The many cinematic and technical achievements this film is introducing us to...Oh man, I don't want to wait until December for this. But, this will be a very worthy wait.
1. The Dark Knight Rises
Release Date: July 20, 2012
Director: Christopher Nolan
This is the film I am most anticipating this year! Christopher Nolan's Batman trilogy is sadly coming to an end. I am not sure how he will top The Dark Knight (which is my favorite film), but the trailers look epic and extremely exciting. I've been waiting for this film since the end of The Dark Knight, and am praying that will be fantastic!
Hope you all enjoyed reading my list. Feel free to comment on my list or what your anticipated films are next year. Stay tuned for more blog posts this coming week!
Sunday, January 1, 2012
Introduction
For those who do not know me, my name is Matt Viel and I am a film critic. I have been writing reviews since freshmen year of high school when I was writing for my high school newspaper. Film is very much a passion of mine, so are writing these reviews. This passion has evolved from just writing high school reviews to posting reviews on Facebook, MySpace, RottenTomatoes, my college radio show and even my college newspaper. One day, I figured that writing my reviews multiple times on these websites was kind of a pain, so I decided to start the New Year by creating a blog. Instead of reading my reviews on Facebook, I will put the link of my reviews on my wall and you can check the link from there. I feel a blog is a great way to spread my reviews online and hopefully they go somewhere from here. Expect either tonight or this week my top ten films of 2011 list, most anticipated of 2012 list and worst films of 2011 list. Feel free to give me feedback on my reviews. Hope you enjoy reading them as much as I enjoy writing them!
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