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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.

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. (more…)

This new movie written by Lisa Cholodenko and Stuart Blumberg star a family of four, composed of a young teenage boy who has questionable friends, a daughter heading off to college and their two mothers. You guessed right, it’s a modern family and that’s what the movie is all about. It’s not really a drama nor a comedy but you have plenty of both weaved into this adorable movie. Jules (Julianne Moore) and Nic (Annette Bening) made use of a sperm donor in order to have both of their children. To each their child, but you quickly realize that this family has been living just like any other family has to live. It’s funny how much I could relate to their family dynamics, the movie does not take itself too seriously as it sometimes felt into clichés. But you clearly feel that they portrayed an emotional story with a light heart. It’s the summer for crying out loud! I had more laughs that I would of imagined, the execution is solid and I was surely in awh, waiting to see what the next reaction would be. Not to be seen with your kids, but I believe parents and couple will truly identify as to what goes into a relationship. Not to delve in the plot too much, but the movie kicks into gear when the kids decide they want to meet their biological father. This new person, new father, they most connect with will have impacted their lives in ways they could not of imagined. Trailer is after the jump, I liked the movie, I could recommend The Kids Are All Right, but you need to be open-minded enough to pull some life lessons out of it. (more…)

Welcome to a 2008 movie I’ve missed, and I am glad to have now seen. This movie falls in the category of remakes from the same family as War of the Worlds. A fresh look at a great science fiction story. Keanu Reeves, plays the avatar to an alliance of alien races that think we’re killing this planet (wich we totally are doing). He attemps to communicate to the world a message of salvation hoping they will listen, however he is quickly shown that goverment, army and people in general are just hostile towards what they don’t understand.

Our first interaction with him is a bullet to the chest. Aside from character development and that annoying kid that I loved to hate, the movie shows off how cool aliens can be, unclear of what technology they might be using. Indicating how out of reach they are, and how miserable we truly are in the grand scheme of things. Sadly, the movie fails at having the message come across to the general public. As shown in this poster, what I’ve liked the best about the movie was how bad ass the giant “robot” was. The Day the Earth Stood Still is a clever reference to how the movie ends, but you should go read 13 WTF Moments From ‘The Day The Earth Stood Still’ Remake that demonstrates many confusing and geeksome moments of the movie. [Spoilers] It’s clear that Jaden Smith doesn’t want to be a cute little kid as seen in The Pursuit of Happiness, I would of smacked him multiple times during the movie. I even dared to say that if he were to die during the movie Klattu should NOT revive him. If he wants to save the Earth he should start by getting rid of that one first. I digress, I love kids in general!