Review : Date Night

Director: Shawn Levy

Release Date: 6 May 2010

Genre : Comedy, Crime, Romance

Casting: Steve Carell, Tina Fey, Mark Wahlberg

Memorable Quote: Phil Foster: He turned the gun sideways! That's a kill shot! (screaming)

What it’s all about:

A boring couple tries to lighten up their daily meaningless lives. Upon trying this they get involved in a situation where they definitely don’t belong, this is the beginning of a very long night ,with a lot of obstacles and adventures. Will they get out of it alive and together?

Why yes?

I had a couple of problems during this review, one side I believed that the movie sucked big time, the other side tells me that the movie was funny and amusing. Now which is it? The answer is simple, it was both. The comedy and the two main actors made this movie hilarious. Carell and Fey gave everything they got in way of speaking. Comedy is there job and they excelled in it but they had to give some unneeded “more”. The comedy and humour were well placed and I have to admit I had tears in my eyes in a couple of scenes. You could make this movie as a two man comedy stand up, since all the other actors didn't really had a say in this movie, they were there without being there actually.

Why not?

Like I said before the other side sucked now why is that? I like the flow in a movie, the scenes need to flow into each other, a direct relation between each frame is important for me. This flow needs to be constant. Now in a comedy, the movie should be funny all the time, if not ( and that’s exactly what happened in this movie) you’ll have a couple of hilarious scenes in which you will have pain because of all the laughing, but then you will feel the steep decline in the scenes where there is no comedy, and they will suck. It’s sounds ridiculous but the flow in this movie was broken with stupid romance scenes that could be deleted easily. That’s why I didn’t like a couple of good minutes of the movie where I was just sitting in front of the TV and staring waiting for another funny scene, which came eventually but the waiting was long and exhausting. Carell and Fey are not per sue made for romantic films, they are comedians so they should stay and do what they’re good at. “I can’t swim so I keep my black ass out of the pool” ( gone in 60 seconds). Last thing about Wahlberg , what the hell did you do in this movie, show your peck’s, that’s what they pay you to do? Maybe, but they could just bring some other hot guy without reaching so deep in the pockets for you.

Well...

The overall verdict about this movie is somewhere between good and almost good. It’s funny but at some moments just dry, in which you can have a refill or go to the bathroom, but during the funny scenes you will surely know that you are there. So watch it, it’s good and fun.

Grade: (7 out of 10)

Mammoth

Review: Kick-ass

Director: Matthew Vaughn

Release Date: April 16, 2010

Genre: Comedy Action

Casting: Aaron Johnson, Chloe Moretz, Nicolas Cage, Christopher Mintz-Plasse

Memorable quote:

Dave Lizewski: How do I get a hold of you?
Hit Girl: You just contact the mayor's office. He has a special signal he shines in the sky; it's in the shape of a giant cock

What it’s all about: Dave Lizewski is a regular high school student who is in to comic books. One day he decides to become a superhero, of course without any powers or talent for it. He succeeds in getting into trouble with some drug dealers and vandals where he is later joined by some actual heroes. Is the hero outfit enough to survive the cruel streets of New York??

Why yes?

I see here a combination of Spykids, a bloody Tarantino and Superbad, and hell I like it!! I didn’t expect it at first but this weird combination works. We find good action, funny characters and a lot of blood which makes this a real fun movie to watch. You have a couple of dry scenes but all in all a good film. A small kid slashing up grownups, not exactly your daily, ordinary movie. The action, well you got that is amazing, the comedy is well placed and even funny. From old to younger, Nicolas cage played the part well even so I believed he was misplaced in the movie, they should have come up with somebody ells, I don’t know exactly who but it was ok. Aaron Johnson, well what can I say, he had this geeky, nerdy personality which was tailored on him, he was amazing, but not as amazing as Chloe Moretz she rocked this whole movie. An eleven old girl who decapitates criminals is just something else.

Why not?

It’s not such a big deal but the only thing that could spoil this hit is the performance of Christopher Mintz-Plasse, it was a bit lame and not so much needed. But that’s all in the big picture. A couple of minor moment where you feel the lack of flow in the movie, but besides that, I guess that’s it.

Well...

It’s a well filmed well acted movie, maybe with a couple of dry scenes but all in all a great movie to watch. Like I said before the weird combination makes this a keeper. If you like comedy mixed with some bloody action you’ll love this. It’s not a movie for children like every other superhero movie but hey you don’t realy have here any “super”- heroes just some regular guys in wet suits who make their day. Because of all the above I grade this one...

Grade: (8 on 10)

mammoth

Review : Twilight, Eclipse

Director: David Slade

Release Date: 30 June 2010

Genre : Drama, Fantasy, Romance

Casting: Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson, Taylor Lautner

What it’s all about:

Exactly where we left of the last movie the sequence brings Bella which comes closer to graduation, upon which she needs to decide if she stays with Edward the vampire or Jacob the werewolf. This difficult decision will affect her days left on earth. During this time a Series of unexplained killings eats itself trough Seattle with the only purpose to get a nice talk with Bella at the end of the movie.

Why yes?

I have always problems with sequels, from nature I’m a curious guy which is a simple reason to watch the next part of a series only and just to know what happens next. Not a good reason but sometimes enough for me. So yes it is better than the other two but still you shouldn't expect too much from a movie where the actors get paid to walk without a shirt. The fighting scene is nice but Ï would prefer it to be a bit longer but considering its a chick movie this was maybe enough. Talking about chick movie, you could believe that it’s a movie about vampires were wolfs and what’s in between and you would believe to see fights, blood and more blood. But here you just have a chick movie that delivers a bit more, so the boyfriend won’t suffer to much during the movie. So that’s a good point. The actors as expected don’t give the performance of their lives, but you still find some good dialogues between Jacob and Edward. You definitely see a big improvement in the quality of the computer scenes, the wolfs and fights were better.

Why not?

For my taste a bit too much chick movie, a couple of nice moments could be enough, but not the whole thing again and again, get to the point. In the first one we get to know Edward the vampire in the second we find Jacob the were wolf so you would believe the third one the decision and the act itself would happen, but everything is dragged out to much. In the middle of the movie you start looking at your watch since it is stretched out like gum. The movie is the best out of three even if it is the third sequel, but still not enough to say that it’s a good movie.

Well...

All in all an entertaining movie, especially for the twilight lovers, for outsiders and less Gothic loving crowds, the movie doesn’t really delivers any interesting aspect. For the girls I believe this is a must for the manly crowd, better avoid this one. Wait till it’s out of the theatre if you not of the crowd mentioned above, of course for the specific crowd this review is definitely too late.

Grade: (4,5 out of 10)

Till next time, Mammoth

Review : Green zone

Director: Paul Greengrass

Release Date: 12 March 2010

Genre : Action, War, Drama

Casting: Matt Damon, Greg Kinnear, Brendan Gleeson

What it’s all about:

Following the American invasion of Iraq in 2003 Chief Roy Miller and his men are charged with finding the so-called weapons of mass destruction, whose existence justifies the American involvement in Iraq. According to the Pentagon these weapons exist. Miller concludes that there are no weapons, it is a deception to allow the Americans to take over the country and force democracy in an unstable region. On one side we find Marty from the CIA who wants to bring the truth out in the open , on the other side we have Poundsgate from the Pentagon who tries to cover the whole story up and Miller in the middle. So begins a hunt for the important truth.

Why yes?

Same actor , same director, you would expect to get a Bourne Identity 4, well not exactly. You had definitely the action , a lot of shooting, good filming, sharp sounds and Matt Damon with a good and solid performance which makes the movie to what it is. The idea itself is not so astonishing and surprising, but still Americans who kill Americans always interesting to watch. Gleeson and Kinnear performed good as supporting actors which gave the whole movie a good flow, but not more than that. The effects and surroundings were satisfying. All in all a good movie , which keeps you wanting an end that you don’t get.

Why not?

So it’s not a Bourne because of the little details, of course the story wasn’t as amazing as Bourne and the coolness wasn’t their either but there was that little thrilling that you get when you see a Bourne, the feeling of ”give me a gun and send me over “ . The negative aspects were most definitely the story and the lack of logic at the end , where you expect something which you don’t get. Miller doesn’t kicks the bad guys ass as you would believe.

Well...

It’s a good movie but unfortunately not good enough to watch at the movies. If you expect a Bourne you will be disappointed , if you expected less you will probably like it. Wait till it comes out and enjoy it at home. It is depressing that Greengrass wasted his time to make Green zone instead of Bourne 4, but it is an interesting aspect of the Iraqi war, that we need definitely need to rethink.

Grade: (6 out of 10)

Mammoth

Review: The rebound

Director: Bart Freundlich

Release Date: 17 September 2009

Genre: Comedy, Romance

Casting: Catherine Zeta-Jones, Justin Bartha

What it’s all about:

Sandy, freshly divorced leaves the suburbs and moves to the city. She gets an apartment that's above a coffee house where she befriends one of the workers, Aram, a guy whose wife only married him so she could get a green card. Soon after moving into the apartment, Sandy hires Aram to be her nanny while she goes to work. It isn't long when Aram and Sandy find they get along wonderfully and start to date. But the question is: is their relationship real or is it, in fact, just a rebound for both of them?

Why yes?

Zeta-Jones still has it definitely. She brings it all the way, you could believe that she is the part she is playing. The movie had some funny moments that put a smile on your face, the kids and the male nanny are a funny combination with a lot of potential that Freundlich definitely exploited in a good way. The drama is easy to spot, all the criteria are found to make this movie part of the drama-family which on itself wouldn’t be enough, but thanks to the few funny scenes, this movie is surely watchable.

Why not?

The movie brings you a usual love story, he meets her, they get along just fine, a certain event occurs, they can’t be together anymore, they miss each other, they get together again. So I have enough of this text book drama story. But if you still like it , it will deliver exactly what you expect. Zeta-Jones brings it big time, Bartha on the other hand delivers as I see it a semi- bad performance. I’ll explain, the scenes where he is supposed to be the nanny, he acts perfect, in contrast to the romantic scenes where he performs quite badly. For example take the brake up scene where you really need the skills that Zeta- Jones has, where you need to show passion, he tried but wasn’t convincing enough to tell you the truth.

Well...

All in all the movie is quite good, the expected ending the lame story, the usual drama makes this good to watch at home. Definitely not worth buying, maybe the other “illegal” way. Chicks: Gives you the happy ending you want for a chick movie, Guys: it is a chick movie which you can survive when you take out your girlfriend.

Grade: (5 on 10)

mammoth

Review : Unthinkable

Review : Unthinkable

Director: Gregor Jordan

Release Date: 8 July 2010

Genre : Drama, Thriller

Casting: Samuel L. Jackson, Carrie-Anne Moss, Michael Sheen

What it’s all about:

A US citizen converted to the Islam plants nuclear bombs in major cities around the United states. Upon apprehension the government tries to interrogate him and to give the locations of the bombs. H a black ops interrogation specialist Brody FBI agent are brought in to help with the situation at hand. Conventional and unconventional manners are used in order to stop the worse from happening. A struggle between ethical boundaries and survival is fought. Will they get the locations on time, and how?

Why yes?

The question raised by the writers is the one that keeps you watching the movie. How far would you go to save millions. Would you become a beast, un human or would you prefer to keep your clean conscious for this human being in front of you. This question makes the movie to what it is. Jackson and Moss gave a respectful performance. The Thrill is there and the unknown boundaries are the ones that make you stay tuned instead of just killing the movie in the middle. Michael Sheen was an interesting face starring as a terrorist, which makes you almost believe he is in pain. The ending keeps you thinking and maybe even discussing the matter for another minute but that’s it.

Why not?

Is this really the stage we want to discuss this moral question. For some it is and for some it isn’t. The movie has one theme and one situation, if you are disgusted by blood you shouldn’t watch this , even though most of the bloody scenes are quite well disguised and shielded from the crowd. It’s an ongoing dialogue between H and the terrorist, happening in one room, personally not enough happened during the movie, the same situation repeating itself wasn’t enough. The surroundings were cheap and not believable enough at least I didn’t buy the whole super duper black ops government intervention to do everything they want in the middle of an abandoned school.

Well...

It’s a medium good movie that makes you rethink your moral boundaries. I didn’t so much like it considering my opinion is very clear on that manner, take a sledge hammer and go with the flow, if you know what I mean. Certainly don’t watch it at the movies , but if somebody gives it to you or a friend rents it it’s good for a while.

Grade: (5 out of 10)

Mammoth

Grading

Hi everyone, it’s been a couple of hectic weeks, but now I’m back and hopefully I’ll stay back. I’ve seen a couple of movies during this period but first we need to explain my criteria and grading before we start reviewing all the movies. The main idea here is to make it easy for you to decide to watch the movie or not. To watch it at the movies or to wait till it comes out to the smaller screen.

First I will give some basic, dry, boring but surely needed info. Then I will give a short summary of the movie followed by the Why yes?/Why not? section. The last part will give some overall comment over the movie and the review will be concluded by the grade. The grade will be in a scale of one-five, were one means the movie sucked and five means awesome and brilliant. Now sit back grab some popcorn and relax. Why popcorn? I think it’s quite obvious, again if you now me you can understand that I like popcorn during a movie, and yes the size is important. You don’t come to the movies with a girly sized box, I need a manly bucket , probably for the ego and stuff but let’s say at the end of the movie I rarely leave it full. A pack of yellow M&M’s is a definite must. And some jellybeans and Doritos and... well I believe you got the message, enough food, a good spot in the theatre and we’re good.

So now the important part the reviews. I will review as much as possible, taking into account that I’m alone on this and that unfortunately I can’t sit and watch movies all day long, not yet anyway. Of course your comments are a major part of the review, so don’t be shy and comment.

That’s it for this section, the next post will be a review. I hope to start kind of a schedule here, means one day I give a review on a new movie recently come out, another day on maybe an older movie I saw again, in fact what comes in front of my eyes concerning a movie, and you’ll know it.

Till next time, Mammoth.