Brave (2012)

Brave is another film by Pixar. They usually make great films. Usually. You probably know the two films which don't live up to the Pixar name. Cars was an okay movie to say the least but was a disappointment considering the past films. Cars 2 was just bad. Disney Pixar's Brave is the CPR of the Pixar films. And it's... okay. It's just okay. No it's not Citizen Kane but it's not Plan 9 From Outer Space. It's. Just. Okay.

This film is about a girl named Merida(Kelly Macdonald), a Scottish girl who is the daughter of a King and Queen. The Queen, Elinor (Emma Thompson), is a strict mother who is kind of portrayed as a "bad guy." She doesn't let Merida be who she wants to be. The king, Fergus(Billy Connolly), who a goofy dad and is pretty much the opposite of Elinor. The plot is Merida wanting to change her fate because she does not want to be the princess of her kingdom. All of the sudden her family gets a letter saying that 3 first born sons of 3 clans of 3 clan leaders will come so then Merida will can choose who she will marry. As you can imagine, Merida is not very "thrilled" to be married. The fantasy adventure ensues.

Let me start off by saying the animation is amazing. I didn't get the chance to see this in 3-D but hot damn did this film look good. Merida is a character that stood out for me. She seemed very adventurous and daring. I'm not sure why but I am always find that type of character. I also liked the king because he was very cartooney. He has a huge body but small legs. He was also, like I said, goofy and clumsy. This film really surprised me on the plot. It went in a completely different direction then what I was expecting. Instead of a grand epic adventure you get a movie where the main locations are a forest and a castle. It also adds a mythological sub-plot when it really didn't need to. This wouldn't be so bad but they drop half way the movie and bring it back towards the very end. It might sound that I am bashing this movie but I'll put the good stuff next. There was comedy in this film. Quite a lot actually. Kids will laugh out loud at this movie. And uhhhh.....well.....that's it.

Bottom line is that this is a kids film. Kids will love this film. I want to like this film more but oh well. You won't hate it but you won't love it. That's about it, I mean there is not much else to say. This is an okay film but you will forget about it in 1 day. Come on Pixar! Next film bring your A-Game!!!

6.5/10

Dr. Strangelove Or: How I Learned To Stop Worrying andLove The Bomb (1964)

Dr. Strangelove Or: How I Learned To Stop Worrying and Love The Bomb, is a Cold –War satire directed and written by Stanley Kubrick starring George C. Scott and Peter Sellers and  it was released in 1964. When this movie was released, many people were surprised on its subject matter. A satire of a conflict that could destroy humanity. Kubrick made it anyway. The story is about General Jack D. Ripper, (clever Kubrick), played by Sterling Hayden, who orders B-52 bombers to bomb Russia. This surprises Washington because they did not order this attack. Ripper took off all communications from his air force base so nobody could interfere with his attack. The only way to stop the bombers is to give a three letter code that only Ripper knows. Ripper also told his soldiers to shoot anybody in a 200 yard perimeter around the base. He does this because he thinks that the Russians are destroying the purity of our bodily fluids. The comedy just writes itself.

                The films comedy is phenomenal.  Every line, every facial expression, is done to add comedic hilarity. Stanley Kubrick told George C. Scott to over act for practicing the actual scene. Scott didn’t want to use the practice scenes but Kubrick used them anyway. This enraged Scott but if it wasn’t for Kubrick’s smart move, the film wouldn’t be as funny as it is. Peter Seller played three rolls in the film. Dr. Strangelove who is a former Nazi nuclear expert now working for the U.S., Lionel Mandrake; a British officer, and lastly the president of the United States. He plays all of these roles expertly and Dr. Strangelove is probably one of the best quotable characters.

                The movie takes place in basically just three locations. The iconic War Room, the inside of a B-52 bomber, and the inside and outside of an air force base. The film can be suspenseful in fairly comedic ways.  For example, in one scene the whole world depends on a Coca-Cola machine. It is these parts that make this film so enjoyable. And here is the kinda scary part: This all could have happened. Sure it maybe a little of a stretch but the basic idea of a corrupt general that exceeded his authority and send bombers to wipe out all of Russia could have happened.

                Dr. Strangelove is a great film and surprisingly a lot of fun. Who knew a black comedy about the cold war could have been this good. Though the ending did leave me feeling a wanting more. I guess I haven’t learned to stop worrying and love the bomb yet. 

The Amazing Spider-Man (2012)

The Amazing Spider-Man is of course a super hero movie starring Andrew Garfield as Peter Parker/Spider-Man and Emma Stone as Gwen Stacy and it was directed by Marc Webb. Seriously with a last name like that it has to be good. The film is about Parker’s origin story of how he got his powers and how the disappearance of his father and THEN the death of his uncle affects him. This is the second movie that Webb directed, the first being (500) Days of Summer which is a critically acclaimed independent romance film.

                First let me talk about the characters. Garfield portrayed Spider-Man/Peter Parker materfully. When he is Peter he is a shy, outcast type kid but when he is Spider-Man he acts like he is immortal. He takes advantage of the mask in front of him. With the mask on he has no consequences. You immediately identify with him. If you had a secret identity and super powers, I think we would all humiliate and play with criminals. When his uncle (played by Martin Sheen) is shot you can really feel the emotion he is through. I mean he has no fricken clue about his father and suddenly loses his present “father.” During the scenes of him mourning his loss, you buy it, and I’ll admit I got a few body chills during that scene. You also see how it really affected him. In the Sam Reimi films you saw Toby Maguire doing his terrible crying face and then it cuts to the next scene. In this one the flesh it out a lot more. Garfield is a great crier in this movie. That might sound weird but remember Toby Maguire's crying, did you ever buy it??? In this film you definitely do. Emma Stone’s character, Gwen Stacy, is a great character.  She actually does stuff and not just get captured by the bad dude. She is unlike most female characters. She isn't just a prize for Spider-Man after she gets kidnapped. She has layers. Future filmmakers, listen up! This is what female characters have to be like. And of course the romance is great and completely believable. I mean it’s from the dude who made (500) Days of Summer.

                The villain in the movie is Dr. Connors who I gotta say is one of the few problems with the film. When I was watching the movie I had no clue why he was doing what he was doing. They should have fleshed him out more and they also should have had a scene where he was with his family. Something else that could have been better was Peter’s parents. They should have shown more of them. That would have been awesome but I’m reviewing the movie for what it is and not what I want it to be. The editing is also something that bothered me. Scenes went away way to fast and about one or two times I couldn’t keep up with what was happening. I can kind of agree why he did that, because we saw it 10 years ago, but at sometimes it seems that ten sub-plots are going at once. But on the upside, the first-person views in the film were great.

                If you can’t tell by this review I completely recommend this movie. Some people might say that a re-boot is unnecessary but I completely disagree. After what Spider-Man 3 left us, we needed to redo the story. Also some people thought that it was unneeded. I don't think that they should give it a low score just because of that. Also Marc Webb didn't copy exactly what Sam Reimi did in his movies. The scenarios change and are quite different. All in all I thought this was a fantastic movie and it was a hell of a lot of fun.  And be sure to expect a sequel as they almost completely drop the story about Peter’s parents. As the title suggest it is The Amazing Spider-Man and amazing it is.

9/10

Madagascar 3 (2012)

Now when I entered this movie theater to watch this movie I expected a good time. Just a good time. Nothing more nothing less. This movie stars Ben Stiller as Alex the Lion, Chris Rock as Marty the Zebra, David Schwimmer as Melman the Giraffe, and Jada Smith as Gloria the Hippo. This movie is about the New York zoo animals waiting for the penguins to return to take them back to their zoo. But they don't come. So they then go to Monte Carlo to try to find them and they do. In a casino. Gambling. With a disguise of a woman. And nobody notices them. As you can see this movie does not share the realistic style that other animated films use such as Toy Story. It is very cartooney, for example their is one scene where a woman runs through and breaks a brick wall without losing momentum and feeling no pain. But I digress, the zoo animals then get the attention of the gamblers and everybody runs for their lives. While all the animals, including the penguins, are trying to escape. In the meantime a animal exterminator chases them through Monte Carlo and through the entire movie. The animals then find a circus train while they are running from the cops and they then join the circus.

I loved the comedy this movie uses. It has comedy that kids will love (such as slapstick) but also have comedy for adults too. Many jokes will go over kids heads but you will get. This is great because if you are a parent watching it, you will have just as a good time as your kid does. I really liked the characters. They were all shown their flaws, fears, and weaknesses. And none were annoying in how many other animated films are. But I think the stars of this movie are the circus animals. The Russian tiger (played by Bryan Cranston) is one of them that stands out. His character really shows someone who has truly lost something. Gia the jaguar (played by Jessica Chastain) is another circus animal that I really liked. When she is on screen, you feel a sense of adventure. But maybe I'm looking too much into it. Oh well.

This movie also has some faults though. It has some things that every kids movie has. In every kids movie there is always something that the main character does that is a lie, the other characters find out, the main character says it's not what it looks like, and then is shunned for 15 minutes while he then gets redemption and everybody loves him. This movie has this, painful formula but it executes it for a very slow amount of time and also bends it a little. I am so happy that they did that  because I HATE the mellow drama that ensues at the beginning of the end of a kids film.

So in conclusion, this is a very good film, albeit a predictable one. This is a great film to watch if you want a good time and them some.

8/10

Grown Ups (2010)

Ahh, Adam Sandler why must you make such unfunny movies. You used to make hilarious films that were such good times. Films like Happy Gilmore, Billy Madison, and Mr. Deeds. Those were awesome!

But! Then there came Grown Ups. This movie was directed by Dennis Dugan, who is known for his partnership with the funny (and unfunny) Adma Sandler movies. This movie stars Adam Sandler (also co-written by him), Chris Rock, Kevin James, David Spade, and Rob Schnieder. Okay, now with a cast like that you expect (at least I did) comedy gold or at least a good time. The movie is about these 5 basketball players winning a championship of something related to basketball (the movie never tells you). Also, how come there are only 5 players. They need at least one sub. Anyways their coach dies and we see the basketball players 30 years older. Adam Sandler is a rich agent in Hollywood. Kevin James is a co-owner of a lawn furniture company (does that even exist???). Chris Rock is a stay home father. David Spade is some sort of playboy. And lastly Rob Schnieder is the weirdo in every group of friends and somehow has married and divorced a bajillion amount of times. These guys all have wives and kids, except David Spade, and to the films credit it does have quite a few characters and show what their traits and character are but it doesn't amount to much. Many characters are either unlikeable and/or underdeveloped. The children are also portrayed as stupid, mean, and ignorant. So the basket-ball players and their wives and children all stay in this log camp house thing for some reason. Something I don't get is why do they stay at the house thing? They at first go to the funeral yes, but why do they stay? I mean they would catch up with each of their lives in a restaurant or something. Or maybe go to the same house but just stay for one day and go back to their regular lives but oh well. Then the team that they played with 30 years ago somehow find them and want a rematch cause they think they cheated and the rest of the story (the little that their is) unfolds.

Where this movie fails is at the comedy. It is just an unfunny movie. With this cast I was definitely expecting a really funny movie with classic Sandler who made movies I loved but was reduced to this, and eventually much worse. I didn't laugh once in this movie. Rob Schneider's character was one I gennualy did not like. It was disgusting watching a 40 year old man french kissing with what seems to be a 60+ year old woman. I did not like this movie. Mainly because it's boring and unfunny. Unfunny scenarios. Unfunny characters. Unfunny comedy. This movie had tons of potential but failed in almost everything. And of course it made lots of money. I'm sure everyone who watched this had the same expectation as me and was disappointed for the most part. And of course they are gonna make another one which won't make any sense why they would catch up again.

3/10

P.S. My next movie is gonna be a more recent movie. Cheers!!

Bonnie and Clyde (1967)

(As usual with any review, this will have spoilers.) Bonnie and Clyde was directed by Arthur Penn and stars Warren Beatty as Clyde and Faye Dunway as Bonnie. The plot is a dramatic, gritty, romantic comedy.As you can see those are very opposite sub-genres but this movie pulls it off. It is about a duo of bank robbers and murderers in the Great Depression. "We rob banks, " as they say throughout this film to their "sidekicks." Bonnie and Clyde go out and rob a few small stores, the occasional bank and sometimes pop the head of a bank manager. They are not technically "bad" people they just do what they do for the money and what little money there was. One scene where they are robbing a bank they ask a man if the which was in the stand was theirs and he said yes. Clyde let him keep it. Death in this movie is shown darkly. They do not want to kill anybody but as the intensity rises they have no choice. The "sidekicks" they get are C. W. Moss who used to work in a gas station and Clyde's brother Buck and his wife Blanche.They go and move to state to state in a circle so their crimes in on state won't go to the other. But the police act anyway and this starts the public enemy era. Bonnie and Clyde go through many typical romance dialogue but this dialogue transitions very quickly to gunfights with the law. They go around in the public nonchalantly but everyone reads the newspaper. The gunfights are intense. This movie makes you wonder if the characters you care for will die. The characters do see death right around the corner too. They are living the life where they have to flee from one place to another from guys with big guns and a lot of them. They are relieved this rather quickly but just try to forget or dismiss it but it is unavoidable. They know they are going to be killed for their actions and so do you. The questions come up when. When will they die? When you watch this movie I urge you not to see how much time is left or how far you are into the movie. This will take you out of the experience. And what an experience it is. This is truly an amazing film. This took two people that in the papers were described terrible people who will kill anyone on sight and made them seem like good people that just do what they do because they don't have money. They take money from the rich because they are poor. Some critics panned this movie for justification of criminals and at first Warner Brother's were not fans of the film. They didn't like it but Beatty had to beg for them to accept it. Good thing that they did. This movie broke some unofficial rules that film had at the time. They showed violence like non-other at the time. Not to mention it won two Oscars for Best Cinematography and Best Supporting Actress which was Estelle Parsons playing Blanche (?????). What were they thinking!?! I thought she was the worst and most annoying actor there! But I digress this is truly a good/great/amazing/awesome/something. Watch this movie. It is extremely easy to find and its instantly streaming on Netflix. You can't miss this movie. It will make you laugh. It will make you cry. Bonnie and Clyde
10/10

P.S. I know i'm really generous and stuff. I promise i'll have a good review about a bad movie (and give it a bad score) on the next review whenever I do it.

The Artist (2011)

[This review has spoilers, you have been warned.]The Artist is a silent black and white film made directed by Michel Hazanavicius and stars Jean Dujardin and Bérénice Bejo. The Artist is about a famous silent black and white movie actor seeing the film industry change to sound instead of silence. His name is George Valentine. He meats a woman named Peppy Miller who he then invites to the world of cinema. Then the future arrives. Valentine's boss shows him a "Talkie" but Valentine rejects the "invention." You then see the fall of his career and in the mean time you see another career flourish: Peppy Miller. Miller has become a widespread success with the "Talkies." This actually happened to many silent actors. They could not evolve to the films with sound and caused many to lose their life. This movie was the winner of 7 Oscars including Best Director, Best Actor, and Best Picture. Now on to the actual review. When I walked into the theater I expected a masterpiece. I received nothing less. The style is what I think made this movie so special. But of course the story is what matters the most. It is great with compelling characters and good drama and suspense to keep it going. The interaction that the characters have with each other is charming and sometimes even depressing. Dujardin's and Bejo characters are charming and their interactions with each other are funny. A small flaw was that the dialogue cards that come up didn't give me enough time to read but that might just me.
9.5/10
Why not a 10? [KINDA SORTA A SPOILER] I am not giving this movie a ten because of its ending. If I was to make/finish this movie, I would have made it much darker and much more grittier BUT this is never the less a masterpiece. Watch this movie and even if you just don't like silent movies or this one doesn't interest you, you should still check it out. It won best picture for a reason.