“HANCOCK”

( 2008 )

**** 1/2

I have been waiting several weeks, even months to see this movie. Its unique way of advertising a superhero intrigued me. Who would think of a superhero that is a drunk, depressed, and has a dark mysterious past? If you ask me, that alone almost sounds like a super-villain. Well Hancock is neither a super-villain, nor your classic superhero. He simply has his own classification.

I vaguely recall when this film was entitled, “Tonight, He Comes,” on IMDb.com, and the plot of course said something about a superhero. I thought to myself, Will Smith in a superhero movie? How will that work? Needless to say I was very excited to see how it all went down. After the days passed, and more and more hype built up, I was ready to see it. Did it meet my expectations? You can say that.

Hancock stars Will Smith as ‘John’ Hancock. About 80 years ago, Hancock woke up in a hospital with no memory of what happened to him before that day. Living with amnesia, Hancock learned that he had supernatural powers, and could not age. One would think, with great power, comes great responsibility, but Hancock never got that memo. In present day, he isn’t thought of as much of a heroic figure. He does what he wants, because there is no one that can stop him. He stops criminals and saves lives, but at what cost? He ends up damaging property and running the risk of harming others along the way.

His life however may not be all that bad, because Jason Bateman’s character, Ray, comes by to help him out. He suggests to Hancock that he should go to prison, because then when the city needs him the most, he can be there for them. Which he does go, and after a little time in the slammer, he begins to reflect on his life.

Will Smith is one of my all time favorite actors. He knows where it is at, and knows how to make a good movie. Much like Shia Labeouf, or Tom Cruise in his earlier days, (before he joined a cult.) Will Smith is a very talented actor, and I try not to miss a chance to see him in theaters. Hancock is yet again, another great film of his. It has something that is unlike any other superhero film out there, originality. Hancock is his own character. While technically, there is no main villain in the film, there is the Man Vs. Self conflict. The darkness that he deals with every day regarding his past is his villain and weakness.

I had a lot of fun with this movie. I was very glad I finally saw it. The twist at the end had me completely surprised. I thought it was really done pretty well. My one flaw that I have with this movie was its excessive language. It’s not a huge problem, but I think in the long run, it subtracted from my viewing experience. Peace out!

Read below for reviews on the following films:

The Fantastic Four (1994) ** ½

Saving Private Ryan ( 1998 ) **** ½

The Wicker Man (2006) ** ½

August Rush (2007) **** ½

27 Dresses ( 2008 ) ****

Breathing Room ( 2008 ) ***

Jumper ( 2008 ) ****

Get Smart’s Bruce and Lloyd Out of Control ( 2008 ) *** ½

The Ruins ( 2008 ) *** ½

Stardust ( 2008 ) *** ½

Wanted ( 2008 ) *****

The Fantastic Four (1994) ** ½

The Fantastic Four, otherwise known as “The Fantastic Flop.” This was a made-for-TV movie back in 1994. I was only six years old when this originally aired, and I remember distinctively my mother telling me that I was not allowed to watch it. It must have been too violent. Maybe it was just my bed time, I’m not sure, but the point was, I didn’t see it until today.

For me at least, the cast was just a bunch of unknowns in the lead. However, I think Alex Hyde-White did an actually great job as Mr. Fantastic. His voice, and look reminded me a lot of Ioan Gruffudd in the newer Fantastic Four films. Other than Alex, I really don’t think the other actors or actresses did a very good job at all. I think The Thing was done really horribly. You could tell it was a suit he was wearing, and the mouth was noticeably fake, since it didn’t match up with anything he said. Almost like an old Japanese Godzilla flick.

The acting wasn’t horrible, I’ll say that. I’ve seen much worse. Even though at parts, you just plain wonder how they got such a ridiculous cast, but that’s it.

The movie has two main storylines. One of the best story lines in the movie was the one dealing with Dr. Doom. I think they portrayed him pretty well. I did have one problem with Doom though, he never once used any powers. I was kind of upset about that.

The other storyline had to do with the other villains. These were stupid villains if you ask me. They played The Outcasts, or something. No one liked them, so I guess that ticked them off a little bit before they decided they felt like being villains. Now, I have no problems with the idea, but they just made these people look like homeless retards. It took away from the story big time.

When it came to the special effects, I can say that there was nothing special about the effects. There was almost no special effects, and when there was, it was noticeably fake, like a cartoon. They did, however have technical effects, and its understandable, because this film was done back in the day where special effects weren’t used in every movie. When you got right down to it, Mr. Fantastic’s stretching looked alright, but it didn’t show much. Susan Storm going invisible looked fake, and I know for a fact, that if I wanted to, I could do that. Johnny Storm’s fire power was just a little better than cartoon, until he made his entire body catch fire, then all he was, was a cartoon. Also, the movie’s quality was downright horrible. It’s 1994, not 1954.

When it comes right down to it, I know that with just the equipment I have in my own home, I could make this movie, and I could make it a heck of a lot better than this turned out.

The reason I rated it a 2.5/5 versus a maybe 1/5 is because I liked the story. I liked the throwbacks to the original Fantastic Four plots. I really enjoyed the characterization. Anyways, would I recommend this to anyone? No. It’s not that great, but at least I sat through the whole thing without really wanting to stop it. Peace out.

Saving Private Ryan ( 1998 ) **** ½

Although this film is ten years old, after watching it I can say that it really felt like it could have been released this year with just as good as an effect. Saving Private Ryan
stars Tom Hanks as Captain John Millar, who leads a crew of eight men on a rescue mission to find a missing soldier by the name of James Francis Ryan, played by Matt Damon.

The reason they had orders to rescue him, was because he was missing in action, and all three of his brothers have died in the war. They did not want the same fate to happen to Private Ryan, so they sent out to find him, and bring him home safe.

Even though the story alone may not sound that intriguing, I have to tell you now, if you haven’t already seen the movie, it is a very good film. There is a lot of very believable gory scenes that give you no choice but to understand the horrors of war. I haven’t ever been in a war, but I can guess that the closest a movie producing company can get to depicting a war, Saving Private Ryan did just that.

Some parts of the movie, I just sat back wondering how they did that. That is something all movies should try to achieve. There were so many things that, even though you knew it was really just a set in Hollywood and everything is fake, you really believe everything you see. It was an incredible movie. I’m not a fan of war movies, I usually get bored with them, but this was done very well.

If I could recommend this to anyone, I would recommend this to anyone that can stand watching a lot of gore. If anyone has a light stomach, I assure you it won’t be a lot of fun watching this. Otherwise, check this out, it’s worth a watch! Peace out.

The Wicker Man (2006) ** ½

Before I saw The Wicker Man this afternoon, I was able to see the beginning half hour of it on television. When I saw that first half hour, I was really enjoying it. My “pre-rating” went straight from a 3/5 star rating to a 4 or 4.5/5 star rating. Since I enjoyed that bit so much, I decided to get the blu-ray version on Netflix. That good of a movie has to be seen in its best quality, correct? Wrong. I ended up very disappointed in this film, and I’ll tell you why.

The film stars Nicolas Cage as Edward Malus, a cop who was just informed by his ex-fiancé, that her daughter was missing and she needed his help to find her. So what he needed to do was travel to a privately owned island, where his ex-fiancé lived. This is where the movie got interesting, hence the reason I rented the movie. The island was a very strange place inhabited by mostly women dressed up in olden time clothes. The only men there didn’t talk, and seemed to be used as slaves and breeding by the women.

When he went around the town asking about the little girl that went missing, everyone in the town pretended the child never existed to begin with. He had proof of her existence, though. The women and children of the land were simply denying her existence.

That was the beginning half of the movie. In a way it reminded me in between the TV show “LOST” and M. Night Shyamalan’s “The Village.” The second half was where the movie jumped the shark. I can’t really say what happens after that without spoiling anything, so I’ll just say this: They took a perfectly good storyline, and destroyed it every way they possibly could.

The movie was terrific before that. It had real potential. Though I have to say after that first half ended, it went no where but downhill. I was downright upset when the movie ended. I literally went through all the special features (not many) to try to find some kind of alternate ending, to which there was none. I’m sorry, I didn’t like this movie. Anyone interested in watching this, don’t. Peace out.

August Rush (2007) **** ½

I remember when this film originally came to theaters. Originally, I wanted to see this movie, but things came up, and I never was able to see it. Today, I was finally able to see it. Might I just say that I am glad that I finally saw this movie. It was very good!

August Rush
stars Freddie Highmore as Evan Taylor, otherwise known as ‘August Rush.’ Evan is an orphan whose big dream in life is to find his parents, who he believe lost him unintentionally. Also, he believes that his mother and father are looking for him just as much as he wants to find them, so he sets out into the world to try to find them.

To guide him, he claims he can hear music in anything, and as long as he hears the notes, he follows it wherever it goes. Unlike Toucan Sam, Evan doesn’t follow his nose, he follows his heart and ears. On his journey to find his parents, he learns a lot about music. He met a man named Wizard, played by Robin Williams, who basically only wanted Evan to personally make him money with his musical talent.

What I found interesting is, that even though his talent is completely unbelievable by any means, they explained it, saying that Evan was a musical genius like Beethoven. It was unbelievably remarkable how quick he took up guitar and piano, and ultimately composing an entire orchestra. I think this concept may be hard for others to accept, but I personally enjoyed it. If you take it for what it is, and how it was meant to be perceived, than I think you will be fine. Peace Out.

27 Dresses ( 2008 ) ****

What can I say? This is a chick flick, and I am not a chick, so I obviously can’t review this in the same way a girl would. However, I, unlike most guys, do like the occasional romantic comedy (chick flick). Though I have to admit, sometimes a chick flick can go beyond its title to something ridiculously feministic (like Sex and the City). I am happy to report that 27 Dresses was done quite nicely, and was not too feministic in its actions. It was clearly a film for the ladies, granted, but I still enjoyed it. Sue me.

The film is about Katherine Heigl’s character, Jane, who is, for lack of a better word, obsessed with weddings. Since she was a small child, she found that she had a knack for helping out brides with their weddings, so she decided then and there that that is what she wanted to do for a living. Which is what she did. For her entire life after that, she has served as a bridesmaid 27 times, at least. Her only problem is she needs a life of her own. She needs to meet her dream man, and marry him. That’s where James Marsden comes in with his character, Kevin.

Kevin is a columnist for the local newspaper writing articles about wedding commitments. He is there to write an article for the latest engagement announcement, Jane’s sister, Tess. Tess is getting married to Jane’s boss, who Jane secretly is in love with.

Basically, to make a story short, this movie was very predictable. We, as the audience, have seen this story hundreds of times in movies. Actually, if it is a chick flick, and has to do with a wedding, it will probably be the same plot as this one. I am no complaining though. I had fun watching this. I thought Katherine’s acting ability in this film was done very well in parts. Parts where it actually made me feel her pain. That’s what a movie should do.

Overall, I liked this movie. Of course it wasn’t my favorite movie of the year, and it probably won’t be winning any awards, but honestly, who cares? When they made the movie, I’m sure they weren’t sitting around trying to figure out how to make it Oscar-worthy. I’m sure all they wanted to do was to make it enjoyable as a comedy, and I think they did their job. Peace out.

Breathing Room ( 2008 ) ***

Breathing Room is what I would like to describe as a “Saw” rip-off movie. It’s tagline was even “Let the games begin.” (A classic line in Saw.) It’s classified as a horror-thriller, but I personally classify it as a thriller only. It revolves around 14 individuals, locked in a room, with no way to escape. The rules were simple, they weren’t allowed to break the rules, or they die. Also, every now and again, the lights would go out, and someone else would die. That part made me think of the popular board game “Clue.”

So they basically have a choice to either trust each other, or to not trust anyone, because of the fact that somebody in the room is the killer. So throughout the film, each player finds clues that lead them closer to victory. Then of course, like Saw, there was a twist at the end.

I had a pretty big problem with this movie. One being the movie looked like it was shot by college students taking a video class. I could have shot this better. Another problem, and this is my biggest problem with the movie, is that it didn’t explain anything. Whoever was terrorizing these people had absolutely no reason to be doing it. At the end, I believe it tries to explain everything, but I still did not understand

Overall, I wouldn’t recommend this to anyone, unless they feel extremely bored. Peace out.

Jumper ( 2008 ) ****

The last time I saw Hayden Christenson and Samuel L. Jackson on screen before was in the Star Wars films back in 2002, and 2005. It is always entertaining to see former cast members coming back together to film another movie. As always, Sam Jackson does fantastic job acting, Hayden also did a pretty good job.

The film follows David Rice (Christenson), who just found out he has an amazing gift. The gift to transport wherever and whenever he feels like. Then along comes Jamie Bell’s character, Griffin, who explains to David that he isn’t the only “jumper.” Jumpers date all the way back to ancient times, and as long as there has been jumpers, there has been people known only as “paladins” trying to find the jumpers, to kill them. Sam Jackson’s character, Roland, is a paladin, who masquerades himself as a government agent. Roland is the most feared of all paladins, and it is up to David and Griffin to find some way to defeat him.

When it comes to the movie itself, I thought it would be more of a superhero-like film. I thought we would see David transporting to people in danger, and save them. To my surprise, that is not how it worked. The jumpers, including Hayden’s character, seem to all be greedy, since they can ultimately do whatever they please. Rob banks, steal cars, anything. Even though the movie didn’t turn out the way I thought it would, I actually had a lot of fun watching it. I loved the whole back story leading up to everything. It was really done well.

[RANDOM THOUGHT] On a separate note, I have always wanted to know what the “L” stands for in Samuel L. Jackson’s name. Looking it up on Wikipedia, I found out that it is “Leroy.” What kind of name is Leroy?

Well I had fun watching this. Never did I have a moment thinking to myself, Wow, I wish this would finish already. So it was a lot of fun. Peace out.

Get Smart’s Bruce and Lloyd Out of Control ( 2008 ) *** ½

Because I saw the Get Smart film starring Steve Carell, I obviously had to check this movie out. It is basically about two of the minor characters in Get Smart, Bruce and Lloyd, the secret device makers. Their newest invention, the invisible cloak was stolen, and it is up to them to get it back to ultimately save the world.

Masi Oka, and Nate Torrence reprise their rolls as Bruce and Lloyd. This film is an obvious advertisement for the theater version with Steve Carell. Everything in the movie happens in the same time frame as the theater version. There are also several throwbacks to the film, including a cameo by Anne Hathaway as Agent 99.

Overall this is not as great as Get Smart, but it does have its laughs. I have to admit that the best parts of this movie were the throwbacks to the movie, but that’s it. I rated this a little lower than I gave Get Smart. This was an entertaining film, I won’t rate it any lower than 3.5, because I don’t believe it deserves that.

I had fun watching this. I probably wouldn’t have had as much fun with this if I didn’t see Get Smart though. You can’t watch this movie without seeing the theater version. If you do, you probably won’t think much of it. Peace out.

The Ruins ( 2008 ) *** ½

Let me first explain that I am not a huge fan of horror films. This is mainly because the horror genre has changed over the years from horror to “gorrer” and yes, I did just make that word up. What I mean is that horror films are not what they use to be. They don’t scare us anymore. They just fill the screen with a disgusting amount of gore. As for actual scary films, they are usually called “thrillers.” That being said, I will say that I am warming up to the idea of nowadays “gorrers.”

The Ruins is considered to be a horror, and in a way it was. It made me jump at least two times. I am sure it meant the audience to jump more, but for me at least, it was a different story. It tells the story of some teenagers looking for their lost friend in a forbidden location in the ruins. When they get there, some Mexicans gather around them telling them to stay over there, (near the ruins) and to stay away from them. Otherwise they would get killed.

The group who was now afraid of the Mexicans, go up the hill, and stay there until someone notices they are missing, and comes to rescue them. That is where the adventure begins. Apparently the shrubs that cover the hill are alive, and can even talk. I know, that doesn’t sound like Oscar-worthy material, but I guess when it comes right down to it, you have to see it to understand. The point is, whoever gets into contact with these plants, dies someway or another.

The movie had it’s good share of gore in it, which makes it more along the lines of a gorrer than a horror. I thought it was good, though. I had fun watching it, and was even scared in parts, and I think that’s what the movie was going for. If you like horror films, I think you should definitely check this movie out. Peace out.

Stardust ( 2008 ) *** ½

I’ll be honest with you. The only person in the entire cast of “Stardust” I recognized was Claire Danes. Unless of course, if you count the narrator, Ian Mckellen. I almost didn’t watch this movie. I really had no reason to, but that changed, and I ended up watching this film.

Let me start off by saying that I am not a big fan of fantasy films at all. The only fantasy movies I have enjoyed were the “Lord of the Rings” series. I haven’t ever felt like seeing any other fantasy films. I guess you can say they aren’t my type. Now that being said, I actually enjoyed this movie to an extent.

It’s about a boy who ventures off into a restricted area behind a wall. It is said that beyond that wall is another world. When he hops to the other side, he meets a captive princess, who is later found out to mother the child of his son, Tristan. The film ultimately follows Tristan on his journey to the other world. There he meets a fallen star, (Danes) and together they venture out into the incredible magic world.

The film was definitely a fantasy, but it was very much an adventure film as well. Throughout the movie, a hideous witch is trying to capture the fallen star to steal her heart, so that she can have ever lasting youth and beauty.

The movie itself was very interesting. For the most part I liked it, but because fantasies are odd, and I’m not used to them, I rated this 3.5/5 stars, basically an average film. If you are a fan of fantasy films, by any means, check this one out. Peace out!

IN THEATERS:

Wanted ( 2008 ) *****

(To see my review, go to: http//veohreview.wordpress.com)

“WANTED”

( 2008 )

*****

Wanted tells the story of Wesley Gibson, a seemingly ordinary man living a seemingly ordinary life, when his life was thrown into turmoil.   Before seeing this, I knew very little about the movie.  I knew that it had something to do with bullets bending, so I was obviously really skeptical about that.  I also knew that Angelina Jolie starred in the movie, other than that, I had no idea what it was about.  I had no idea it was based off of a graphic novel.

James McAvoy stars as Wesley, who was told by “The Fraternity,” an assassination group,  that his father, who was a famous assassin, was killed the night before, and it was up to him to fill his father’s shoes.  Wes doesn’t believe he is assassin material, so initially, he declines.  Then when he discovers that his panic attacks weren’t really panic attacks to begin with, he has a change of heart.

Apparently, his panic attacks are actually triggered by his heart beat, which is going 400 beats per minute (faster than the Hulk’s heart beat.)  When his heart goes at such an alarming speed, he has the ability to slow down time, and focus more.  The Fraternity then taught him how to focus his abilities, and bend bullets.

This movie was really great.  No, it was not believable at all, but that was the point.  I was on the edge of my seat for most of the film.  I thought the acting and casting was done really well.  I loved the twist ending.  As for negetive points, I don’t have a whole lot.  My main problem was there was a little too much language.  It’s to be expected, I guess, but they did use it pretty excessively.

Other than that, I think I would reccomend this to anyone looking for a good time at the movies.  Peace out.

READ BELOW FOR THE FOLLOWING REVIEWS:

Big Nothing ( 2006 ) ****

Stephen Tobolowsky’s Birthday Party ( 2006 ) ****

On the Doll ( 2007 ) **

Otis ( 2008 ) ***

Cleaner ( 2008 ) ****

What Happens in Vegas ( 2008 ) ****

The Happening ( 2008 ) *** 1/2

Get Smart ( 2008 ) ****

The Incredible Hulk ( 2008 ) *****

Iron Man ( 2008 ) *****

Big Nothing ( 2006 ) ****

Big Nothing stars David Schwimmer (Friends) as an everyday man. At least this is how the film began. It showed plenty of shots in the beginning of him playing and talking to his daughter, and he had a wife, your average family. The only problem with the whole situation was that Schwimmer was an aspiring author, but hasn’t gotten any calls from publishers, so he has been going left and right trying to find a steady job. He got a job as a telemarketer, which wasn’t so bad until he was fired on his first day. That is where the adventure began.

Charlie (Schwimmer) meets up with his co-worker, Gus, who apparently has a plan that will save both of their lives financially. The plan was pretty simple. All they had to do was blackmail a very wealthy priest into giving them money. The only problem was, they had no idea what they were into. They end up accidentally killing him, and to be honest, just about everyone else in this movie, most of the murders being accidental. The whole movie was hysterical. I had a lot of fun watching this. It is described as a comedy/thriller. I have never heard of a genre like that, but I like it, it’s really interesting.

I think it had a really great plot, and they did it well. They played their part. I was just not too happy with the ending of this one. Everything else worked perfectly, and if it had the ending play right into everything else, I probably would have rated this even higher. That is only one small detail. Everything else worked pretty well. Peace out.

Stephen Tobolowsky’s Birthday Party ( 2006 ) ****

Documentary: (docu·men·tary) noun; a film or video that explores a subject in a way the public expects to be factual and accurate. Documentaries may be balanced by including various viewpoints, or they may be subjective, offering the viewpoint and impressions of one producer. [source]

By any technical definition, I guess you would call this a documentary. I don’t really see it as a documentary though. I saw it more along the lines of a show. Half stand-up comedy, half heartwarming stories. They did have a good point in this movie, or at least, the trailer. Before I saw this movie, I would have no clue of who Stephen Tobolowsky was, I wouldn’t even think I’ve ever heard of him before, and of course I have, as have most anyone who watches movies knows who Stephen is. He has been in over 150 films, a very recognizable face.

I would never have watched this movie hadn’t I heard of it by a podcast that I heard online this week. The people on the podcast started talking about a Stephen Tobolowsky, and I didn’t know what they were talking about until they mentioned that Stephen played Ned Ryerson in “Groundhog Day” I loved this actor, and it was true, I didn’t even know his name. The movie had no real plot, all it was, was Stephen planning his birthday party, cooking food, and telling about 300 stories of his life, and let me tell you, the guy can tell a story like its nobody’s business.

There were funny, sad, and interesting stories. I had a lot more fun than I thought I would watching this. I’d say definitely check this one out, its worth a watch. I might watch it again myself someday, because I just liked listening to him tell his life stories. Peace out.

On the Doll ( 2007 ) **

On the Doll is nothing less than a tragedy. In all aspects of this film, it has what a classic tragedy has. Not many of these do you see nowadays, and I never understand why. Now I do. Tragedies are just so depressing, and you end the movie with a mouth wide open asking yourself, “What?” I was speechless when it came to this film. If I had a say in what it’s moral of the story was, I’d have to say, If you had a bad childhood, there is no happy ending.” Or something like that.

The movie is simply about three different groups of people. Each and every one of them has a messed up story. We all have messed up stories in this world, but these groups beat out anyone. One group is trying to get money to help out a friend of theirs, one group is trying to raise money so they can get married, and the last group is two brainless teenage girls who are stupid enough to take drugs, when told to. All of these groups end up in horrible situations, and just as you think everything is going to be good, that there will be a happily ever after, all heck breaks loose. This would be where the mouth drops.

The movie was a tragedy, even though it was put in the Drama department. It was actually done really well with acting, lighting, photography, everything. It’s just something that I wouldn’t care to see a second time. I actually think I wasted time a little watching this. The only advice I’d give to my viewers is to just avoid this movie. There is much better movies out there. Peace out

Otis ( 2008 ) ***

Otis is yet another comedy/thriller film. I am starting to notice a common denominator in this genre. Paranoia. These films seem to get off on paranoia. It’s nothing to laugh about it real life, but it’s a whole other story when it comes to movies. In thrillers, paranoia is also a vital element, but it’s taken seriously, in comedy, that’s not the case. I love how they can play with paranoia, make you think of one thing, then, make a joke out of it, and its something completely different, that is really cool.

The movie is about a forty year old child, basically. He hasn’t grown up much since I’d say high school. This is what happens to some dorks in high school, you know? The kinds that are always picked on and never had a girlfriend, then in later years, nothing has changed. Things begin to dawn on you later in life. If you keep things bottled up inside for too long, you’ll probably end up like Otis. Otis is forty, yet he works at a pizza joint, as a pizza delivery man. That too, is what teenagers do for a living, not a middle-aged man.

Well after years of torment, Otis is now a full time psychopath. He kidnaps teenage girls, and makes them do stuff for him, and if they don’t, they end up dead, and body parts are cut off. That part reminds me of Jack the Ripper. Well the first half of the movie is focused on Otis, and what he made this girl do before she escaped. The second half of the film revolves around her family, who apparently, is also psychopathic. I’m not sure, but I’m willing to bet that everyone in this film is insane. Her family sets out to kill her captor in the most brutal of ways. Any possible way of torture is sure to be seen there. Not to mention they got the captor’s brother instead. As funny as this movie got, I think it just ended up more creepy than anything.

It’s a scary thing that I could actually see something like this happening. It may be exaggerated in this movie, but stuff like this does happen in this crazy world of ours. Like I said it was pretty creepy so I give it three stars. I know I won’t be watching it again, but others may enjoy this for what it is, and they are welcome to, peace out.

Cleaner ( 2008 ) **** 

Cleaner stars Samuel L. Jackson as a retired police officer, and although he is retired, he is still in the homicide business. He has got an actually really interesting job. It’s one I haven’t really thought about before. He cleans up crime scenes. 

This movie tells the viewers that even though it’s a little known fact, if someone is killed in your home, the police will take the body away, but apparently, the family is left alone to clean up the mess. Now, I don’t know if that’s actually true or not, but it is messed up. Since some people don’t have the stomach to clean it themselves, they hire Tom, (Jackson) to do their dirty work for them. 

Now if this is a true occupation or not, it definitely built a strong character on Samuel Jackson’s part. There were truly parts in the film where I literally thought to myself, the acting was done perfectly, without any flaw. That alone is hard for me to say. 

His job is going fine until one day. He is ordered to do a job. Which he does, when he arrived at the house, he found a key on the ground to enter and do the work. Which he did, but only to realize he still had the key, so when he went back to the house to return it, and what he found out was that the owner of the house, Ann (Eva Mendez), didn’t order any cleaner. So then his world is turned upside down as he tries to find out who hired him, all the while he is a suspect in murder. 

I enjoyed this movie. It was really done well, kept me interested, and gave me an appetite for more. That’s all I can ask for. I would suggest this movie to anyone that doesn’t have a light stomach, because there are some very gory scenes. Peace out.

What Happens in Vegas ( 2008 ) ****

What Happens in Vegas stars Ashton Kutcher (Punk’d) and Cameron Diaz (Shrek). When this film hit theaters several months ago, I did not go to see it. The reason was simple; it looked ridiculous. One thing I wouldn’t complain about is the cast. Not only does it star Ashton and Cameron, but it has some other recognizable names such as Lake Bell (Over Her Dead Body), Queen Latifah, and Jason Sudeikis from SNL. I remember the first time I saw Ashton Kutcher on film was in the first Cheaper by the Dozen

film with Steve Martin. To be honest, his role in this movie isn’t so different from his roll in Cheaper by the Dozen. Maybe that is just because that’s the only character Kutcher can play.

Before seeing this, I thought the whole film was going to be about Las Vegas, but I was way off. Vegas was only part of the beginning. The rest of the movie was about a newly wed couple trying to make their marriage work, forced, actually to try to make their marriage work. If they didn’t, they wouldn’t get the three million dollars Kutcher’s character won in Las Vegas.

Then we go on to see Ashton and Cameron trying to sabotage each other in order to get the money entirely for themselves. We have seen this type of film several times before. It is nothing I, nor anyone else, has not seen before. We have seen similar rivalry movies such as The Parent Trap, Blades of Glory, or even the upcoming film Step Brothers with Will Farrell. The movie was completely predictable, you know how it will end before it even begins. That’s just part of the fun though.

On a road trip, you know where you will end up, but does that stop you from going? No, because driving there is half the fun. In a way, it’s the same deal with films. I knew how it would end, because honestly, would you have one character get away with all the money, and leave the other alone and unloved? The answer is no, but even though I knew how it would end, that didn’t subtract from the entertainment of the film.

Overall, this was so much better then I originally thought it would be. I was wrong, it was pretty funny. I would recommend this to anyone just looking for a movie to watch, and don’t have any ideas of what to watch. Peace out.

IN THEATERS:

The Happening ( 2008 ) ***1/2

(See my review on http://veohreview.wordpress.com)

Get Smart ( 2008 ) ****

(See my review on http://veohreview.wordpress.com)

The Incredible Hulk ( 2008 ) *****

(See my review on http://veohreview.wordpress.com)

Iron Man ( 2008 ) *****

(See my review on http://veohreview.wordpress.com)

“GET SMART”

( 2008 )

****

First off, I have to let you all know that I am a big fan of Steve Carell, and enjoy everything he has ever done. He is a brilliant actor. At first, I only knew him from his comedic rolls . He is known to be a part of several hilarious rolls. (The Office, Evan Almighty, Anchorman, etc) Occasionally, however, Steve has done some great serious performances , like for instance, he did amazing in Dan in Real Life and Little Miss Sunshine. He has become one of my favorite actors of all time. Now that that is out of the way, let me talk about Get Smart.

I love comedies. It is always good to go out once and a while, and let out a good laugh. Get Smart, was a very good movie to lighten you up. It is about a bumbling spy, Maxwell Smart (Carell), who goes on a mission with his partner, Agent 99 (Anne Hathaway.) They are going undercover trying to find a top secret organization, known as KAOS. It’s nothing that hasn’t been seen before, but it is still very enjoyable to watch, and you almost can’t help but laugh at a lot of different parts.

I enjoyed this movie a lot, however, I did have a problem with it. I loved the idea of Agent 99, and in a way it worked out really well. She was the smart one to help out Maxwell when he gets clumsy. Her character alone is great, adds to the story perfectly, my problem however, is Anne Hathaway. She is a very good actress, but I don’t think this was the right roll for her. When watching it, I didn’t really see any chemistry between the two.

Other than that, I really had no problem with it. It had a tremendously large cast. Most of which were recognizable. Alan Arkin played the Chief. Steve previously worked with Alan in Little Miss Sunshine, so it was good to see them work together again. Dwayne Johnson, A.K.A. “The Rock” also starred in this as Agent 23. Most people don’t like his acting, but I thought he did really well in this one. Those are just a couple big names in the movie, other recognizable names include: Terence Stamp, James Caan as the President, Bill Murray, and Masi Oka (Heroes.)

Overall, I had some expectations going into the theater for this movie, and I can tell you right now, that it met those expectations. I would suggest to anyone in the mood for a laugh, to check this out. Peace out.

“The Happening”

( 2008 )

***1/2

The Happening stars Mark Wahlberg, not to be confused with the Mark L. Wahlberg from the hit reality series Moment of Truth. Mark is portrayed as a brilliant science teacher who, along with the rest of the world, or rather eastern America, is thrown into chaos when a new and terrible natural disaster hits the eastern coast. It’s unknown what the cause of the strike is, but somehow it influences everyone to start committing suicide in the most creative ways.

The first strike happens in Manhattan’s Central Park, and we see that whenever this strike happens, people begin to all do the same thing at once. A line in the trailer says it all

“The first stage is confused speech. The second stage is physical disorientation, loss of direction. The third stage…is fatal.” (IMDB)

I love M. Night Shyamalan and all the work that he has done. Most critics and everyone else I know did not like his two latest films he has done, The Village & Lady in the Water. I actually enjoyed those two and let me explain why. When it comes to his work, Shyamalan is a very talented director. I haven’t seen such a creative director like this in years. Usually, you don’t see much original work in the film industry. How many films come out nowadays that are remakes, or sequels? Too many to count if you ask me. M. Night without a doubt is a genius when it comes to making films.

Sadly I must agree with others though, when they say that all of his movies that come out are getting worse. I enjoyed his last two, because they had a certain Shyamalan feel to them. He does all his movies a certain way, and that is admirable in my eyes. Unfortunately, The Happening, did not do that for me. I love being in a M. Night movie and wondering what’s going to happen next. I love the trills he brings to the theater, The Happening had no thrill at all. I think the main characters in the film weren’t scared enough of the fact that they are seriously going to die. They just hopped on a train and tried to flee. I know if I were in their situation, I would be red in the face, scared to death that this is really happening, and I probably wouldn’t talk much.

The best part of this movie, in my opinion, is a scene that had absolutely nothing to do with the plot. It’s like M. Night looked at the final reel of the film, and noticed it wasn’t long enough, so he added just enough to hit 90 minutes. This scene was toward the middle of the movie, maybe towards the end a little, but I really think it worked the best. It was truly a creepy scene, complete with a creepy old lady. Most of this scene didn’t even have the event happening. No one was killing themselves or anything, and you know what? I think that’s what made the scene work. It was like a M. Night Shyamalan short film. This part really felt like M. Night’s work. I don’t care that it didn’t make sense with the story of The Happening. This scene alone had what I expected to see out of the movie.

That is another thing. If this wasn’t made particularly by M. Night, critics would have thought different of this movie, and probably would have rated it higher than they did. It’s an expectation thing when it comes to Shyamalan. You go into the theater expecting to see a blockbuster thriller with a twist, and that’s not what you got with this one. It was more comedic than anything.

I don’t want to say it, but I am losing faith in M. Night Shyamalan. I still don’t think this was as bad as most people say it is, but I was disappointed. Also I was disappointed with the ending, I won’t spoil anything, but if you are an M. Night fan, don’t expect too much from this movie. I would suggest that if you are in fact a M. Night fan, I think that it would be much more enjoyable on DVD then it would be in theaters. Peace out.

“You Don’t Mess with the Zohan”

( 2008 )

*** 1/2

Adam Sandler is known for his movies that always seem to get release dates in each year’s summer.  Over the years, I’ve grown custom to Sandler’s wacky films. Even though throughout the years, his movies never do amazing, I always have a fun time enjoying his work.  I wasn’t too sure about this movie before going to the theater, but of course, I had to check out this movie because it is one of Adam Sandlers.

Apart from Sandler, this film stars John Turturro as Zohan’s arch nemesis, Phantom.  This character is pretty hilarious.  Then we have, as always in a Adam Sandler film, Rob Schneider and Nick Swardson.  Kevin James also makes a brief appearance in this movie.  James is also known to play opposite Sandler in last years, “I Now Pronounce You Chuck & Larry.”

This movie was basically about Zohan, who is an Israeli Counter Terrorist soldier, who has superhuman abilities.  The things his character does reminds me halfway between a cartoon character from the Looney Tunes, and a superhero, right out of a comic book.  Though the problem is, Zohan does not want to be a soldier anymore, even though that’s what he does best.  He wants to move to America, and become a successful hair stylist.

That is what he does, he fakes his death, and sets out for his dreams.  The only problem is when one of his enemies spot him in America, and vow to destroy him once and for all.

Some good points I would like to mention is, I loved the beginning sequence of him in the army doing what he does best, amazing stunts.  I could watch an entire movie full of just that.  Another thing I enjoyed about this film was that, it would be very easy for the filmmakers to put some things into the film that would make it far worse then it turned out, and I am glad they didn’t.

Although this is another Sandler movie, there is an aspect to his character that you don’t normally see in any of his other films.  He is basically playing himself in his other films.  Technically not, but he could, and the movie would be just as good.  In Zohan, however, his character is so much different, its very entertaining.

The film also had its negative points as well.  Although the hair stylist thing was funny, Zohan could have inspired to have any other occupation, and I believe it would be just as enjoyable.  It’s his character that won the crowd over, not his profession.  I think this is a film that could be made into sequels, where Zohan would try out other occupations.

There were some aspects of the movie which I did not like.  I won’t get into it very much, but the point is that you can have something be funny in the movie, but I think in the movie, it crossed a certain line where the joke just isn’t funny anymore. So that made my viewing experience worse.

I really wanted to rate this movie a four out of five.  I had to think about it for a while before I came up with my final score which is 3 1/2 out of 5.  Like I said before, it crossed a certain line, so I had to lower the score. Peace out!

“The Strangers”

( 2008 )

****

“The Strangers” is about a couple that one night, decided to go to a log cabin.  Unfortunetly, that night is the night some ’strangers’ decided to terrorize the couple all night.  This movie stars Liv Tyler, (Lord of the Rings) and Scott Speedman.

Before going to see this movie, I asked myself a few questions.  Here is what I came up with,

will this be as thrilling as a roller coaster? (exciting but frightening at the same time.  Thrills never stopping until the ride is over.)

The answer to that is, yes in my opinion.  I knew the film was going to be scary.  I’ve read some reviews beforehand, which got me excited.  Honestly, through the whole movie, I was on the edge of my seat, waiting for something bad to happen.

Will I enjoy this movie although it’s a horror movie?

The answer to that is, yes as well.  I am known to not like horror movies, just because of so much gore.  Gore to me, isn’t scary, its just gross.  There was little gore in this flick, but the thrills and jumps are enough to keep me satisfied.

Is it worthy enough to be called “horror”?

Like I said, a lot of people in society today look at horror as something with tons of blood and guts.  When I hear horror, I hear scary, and it was scary.  If a movie can make you jump enough, I consider it to be scary.  I ended up losing count to how many times I jumped.

How good was the acting? Was it believable?

I think the acting was very believable.  This movie had an amazing cast, and they did their job right.  I got into the movie pretty fast.

Would I want to see it again in theater, or wait for DVD, or would I never want to see it again?

Well, I probably wouldn’t see it again in theater.  Just because it didn’t get a full rating of five stars.  But I would be one of the first in lines to get it on DVD.

and the last question being, “Who do I reccomend it to?”  I would reccomend this to anyone looking for a movie that will give some good jumps here and there.  This movie would be the right choice to go to.  Peace out.

“Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull”

( 2008 )

**** 1/2

Steven Spielberg and George Lucas make history again with their latest installment of the “Indiana Jones” franchise.  Harrison Ford reprises his role as Dr. Henry “Indiana” Jones, Jr.  Although the man is pushing 65 years of age, he still has his pizazz.

The last time we saw Indiana was in “The Last Crusade,” where he drank from the Holy Grail 19 years ago.  Now, we see him in the 50’s, where several problems that occurred in that era were depicted pretty well in this film.  Problems like the Red Scare and atomic bomb testings.

I really think Harrison Ford did a great acting job.  I haven’t seen this man do this great of an acting job in a long time.  When it comes to the acting of Shia Labeouf, I think he did alright, but I could have done without him.

The plot of the movie, however, is really complicated.  The storyline is a bit too crowded, and there is a major subplot that could have been completely removed from the film to make it better.  Don’t get me wrong, I love Indiana Jones, and I really enjoyed this movie.  There was just one thing I think shouldn’t have ever been used in an Indy film.  Like I say in the review, if it was a stand-alone film, or the first of the series, it would be amazing, and get my praise, but since this is a fourth installment, they owe it to themselves to make something better than that.

It’s not a huge problem for me.  I still enjoyed it a lot. There is no question that I would love to see it in theaters again. I would recommend this film to anyone looking for a good time at the movies.  Peace out!