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I’ve been intrigued by this movie since it’s first trailer. But since I have yet to see “The Fighter” I told myself this film looked to aim for similar sensibilities. The plot seemed pretty simple, there is this huge competition organized in order to have the world’s best Mix Martial Arts (MMA) fighters tap it out until one stands above the rest. Those looking forward some UFC rounds will need to wait until the last third of the movie to be satisfied. But this flick is all about being an underdog that breaks all expectations, could be considered there is nothing new there. However, it does not follow tired beats of the regular underdog story, most importantly you don’t feel the presence of any antagonists, that is not what the movie is really about.

The story unfolds and feeds you the life of these characters “post-facto”, alcoholic father, divorced family, loss, and failures. The protagonists are played by Joel Edgerton and Tom Hardy, the latest who’s fame grew after his role in Inception and his upcoming portrayal of Bane in the next Christopher Nolan adaptation of Batman, The Dark Knight Rises. Tom Hardy is one of these actors that goes all the way in order to get the role, he goes through actual physical transformation and he plays it real though in Warrior.

The movie is mature and is somewhat inspiring. Possible spoiler, but the drive of the film is that the two fighters that end up in the finale are brothers. Both fighting for their honor and the prize money. You feel that they both deserve to win, but you’re shown that family ties a so strong that they can overcome almost anything. There is an entire sub-plot with one of the brothers who was in the military, whereas the other was a physics school teacher. The broken family and the past of their father, played by Nick Nolte, is a great portrayal of how bad things can get before they can get better.

I’ll give Warrior a few thumbs up, it’s a definite “Must Watch” in my book, it goes past the silliness and grounds itself in reality in a satisfying way. Watching the trailer might give you the missing incentive to get out there and watch the movie this weekend.

Rottentomatoes: 87% | Metacritic: 74/100

 

A few weeks back I got to experience my first movie in Cineplex’s UltraAVX format. This new tier in movie admission has been introduced a few months back but I’ve managed to shrug past it until now. It’s presented as having better picture, better sound, better seats and other perks.

In order to enjoy their UltraAVX screening you must add 3$ to your regular admission price, once you step inside you immediately notice the area was built recently. The seats are a bit more spaced, they’re leathered and can be reclined a bit. The screen is definitely larger and the digital picture quality is really satisfying. The promos say we’re enjoying 7.1 surround sound and I can tell you that for Super 8, it was worth it.

Also consider the fact that the tickets you buy include reserved seating. The best scenario is if you purchase your tickets online and get to reserve a row for you friends and not having to worry you’ll get the worse seats (even if you run late into the previews).

I feel like all the rooms should be this great in a movie theater. But the premium price starts to take it’s toll if it’s a 3D movie, because they add an other 3$ for these showings. For now I’ll enjoy this kind of screening on a Tuesday evening where prices are reduced.

I was not expecting much when I sat in the theater to watch Rise of the Planet of the Apes, featuring James Franco and motion capture by famed Andy Serkis (Gollum – The Lord of the Rings). In all honesty I was taken by surprise and clearly entertained by the movie. It was funny, had a good plot, and was not filled of exposition. This movie acts as both a reboot and prequel to the Planet of the Apes franchise which has seen better days since Tim Burton’s version back in 2001.

The story takes place in the near future where a scientist is experimenting on an Alzheimer cure, and during testing it so happens that primates benefit from increased intellect after being exposed to the drug. Most of the action takes place around Caesar,  a young chimp raised by said scientist leading to a series of events that will provoke the rise of the apes.

The movie is a fun ride and I highly recommend it. Fans of prior movies will recognize to nods and famous quotes from the series and there are legitimate “oh snap” moments. In my book this is the last of the summer feeling movies of the season, grab it in theater while you still can.

IMDB: 8/10 | Rottentomatoes: 82% | Metacritic: 68/100

What you see from this post’s title is pretty much what you’ll get. I’ve thoroughly enjoyed Marvel’s adaptation of the god of thunder, Thor. If you’ve been following upcoming movie for this summer you’ll know that super-hero comic book based movies are abound, Captain America: The First Avenger and Green Lantern to name these two alone.

First off, I must say that I knew nothing from the source material, I’ve seen how he looked in the comics and I had basic knowledge of Norse mythology (Odin, Loki, Thor, Asgard and Ragnarök). So with all that, when I saw the first trailers for this movie I was very skeptical. Even with the latest TV spots I was not sold on the movie’s potential. The premise of the movie is presented simply: Thor used to be a big shot in his world until his father Odin exiled him to Earth. He is taken out of his element and stripped from his powers. But that is not really how the movie starts, you get to enjoy a full initial chapter in the other realms where Thor and his warrior friends fight and kick ass.

In many ways, this movie’s sets and costumes can be very annoying. They either looked fabricated for a movie set or where essentially CG elements. But it can be forgiven when you understand that this movie tries to be funny above everything else. There are silly characters, poor one-liners but they serve their purpose gracefully. Chris Hemsworth who plays Thor has invested a great deal to the gym and thankfully has very few lines to say, how often does your main character also serve as comic relief.

Now what is so special about this movie? It clearly binds together other Marvel properties by making references to Iron Man, The Incredible Hulk and cameoed Hawkeye played by Jeremy Renner.

Times again I fall back on my feelings on how to judge a movie. It doesn’t take itself too seriously and I fear the marketing failed to let audiences figure out the scope of this movie. It’s a movie about family, friendship and redemption. I felt I could relate to that and was entertained until the end. Make sure to stick past the credits for the usual stinger tying this movie with others ramping up to the release of The Avengers in 2012 that will feature all the characters they’ve spent millions presenting on the big screen. I almost forgot about Nathalie Portman… well that’s all there is to say really. She had the opportunity to matter as a love interest and I did not buy it, and didn’t care. Haha!

 

 

When is the last time you heard about the fifth movie in a franchise of being one of the best? Well Fast Five aka Fast and Furious 5: Rio Heist might be just that. I definitely had a great time watching this movie, in a sense it departs from being about the street race elements, and much more grounded in the crime and corruption themes present in previous movies.

Visually outstanding along with the usual gratuitous eye-candy in the form or girls and cars. This film also brings back most of the original cast while integrating some characters for subsequent movies. The movie is silly and there is nothing wrong with it. It’s action packed and is a great outset for the summer.

Instead of going about my traditional review style I decided to focus on the science behind the fiction of the movie Source Code. For face value, the movie is quite fun to watch, Jake Gyllenhaal has a belivable performance and gets rid of the silly hair he had in last year’s Prince of Persia. I obviously have limited factual scientific knowledge but I’ll go ahead and throw some logic your way. So I’ll skip the narrative of the movie and go into detailed spoilers leading to my conclusions of the movie.

As the story unfolds we are lead to believe that the Source Code is a sort of simulation program that allows the subject to relieve the last 8 minutes of a deceased person. We are told that as someone dies they leave a sort of “echo” that can be tapped into. A kind of sample of their existence of some sort.

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The mind that brought the Watchmen and 300 to life has a new pet project hitting the big screen. Sucker Punch is the story of a young lady unjustly put in a mental institute from which she must try to escape. Now, Zach Snyder is known for his impressive visual work on film and he delivers in a big way.

This film screams of geek themes, steam-powered zombies, samurai, dragons, orcs and androids. Along it’s punchy soundtrack this movie hits actions beats  from the start. It doesn’t linger on plot details, but you have to be able to fill in the blanks and enjoy the ride. You are taken through the imagination of these girls, that have to overcome a series of obstacles in order to achieve freedom, but instead of being presented with their literal challenge the movie turns it into an epic battle. The trailer below illustrates best what you can expect through most of the film. Read the rest of this entry »

I recognize that NBC has the guts to bring out new TV shows from time to time. But at the same time they tend to take some risks with new IPs. Their new series titled The Cape aired at the beginning of the year and I’ve dared to watch the first three hours of the series.The show isn’t cool in any way, however it does play with some nice ideas, private police, shamed masked hero, corrupting villain, magic and illusions. It feels really like a low grade TV show with cheap effect and poor dialogue. But for some odd reason there a little bit of charm behind it all. It’s part silly part gritty and dark. You will not mind missing an episode, but it’s something I could see myself watching it if I flip the channels and fall on it. This show makes me miss FlashForward or The Event, so you get my point. I’m expecting this show to be canceled very quickly, once again Summer Glau is foiled by FOX, but at least Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles and Dollhouse got two seasons, witch is very unlikely the The Cape will have.