Predators - Review

One of the questions that has plagued man since the beginning of time... or rather around 1987 is this, "Why is it so difficult to make a decent sequel to Predator?" The classic Arnold Schwarzenegger sci-fi/action flick made quite an impact on moviegoers for its fun, suspenseful, and thrilling concept. It eventually was followed by a mediocre sequel in 1990, with Danny Glover filling in for Arnold. 14 years after audiences finished spitting out Predator 2's bad taste came Alien Vs Predator, a long hyped theatrical crossover between two of cinema's most memorable intergalactic baddies... and it sucked. Now that Predator 2 looked amazing compared to its over hyped successor, Hollywood decided to add some more insult to injury 3 years later with Aliens Vs Predator: Requiem... and then, the shit really hit the fan.

When all hope had seemed lost, a light at the end of the tunnel appeared, a light shined by fan favorite producer Robert Rodriguez, the filmmaker behind cult hits like El Mariachi, Desperato, From Dusk Til Dawn, Sin City, and Grindhouse. Rodriguez has almost always delivered in the world of action and horror movies, and therefore seemed like the perfect contender to produce (but unfortunately not direct) a new entry in the Predator lineup. Is Predators the sequel we've all been waiting for.

Predators takes a bit of inspiration from its sibling series, Alien, in both title and concept. Now instead of one predator preying on a group of people, its a bunch of predators hunting a whole horde of unfortunate humans. Instead of grunt marines, however, this is a group composed of psychos, convicts, and killers all dropped into a predator game reserve planet. On this unknown planet, the group tries to work together, protect themselves from the bloodthirsty predators, and find a way to get home.

That plot description was pretty vague, but to be honest, there really is not much more to it. Like every other film in the series, Predators is essentially a B-Movie. It features a group of human characters being chased vicious monsters. If you were hoping for a more dynamic or original plot, you'll probably be disappointed. Of course, if you're looking for some balls-to-the-wall, bloody, over-the-top action, than there is plenty here for you.

Its been a while since I've seen a brutal and bloody action movie, and I have to admit, it was a breath of fresh air. In terms of action, Predators delivers! It features some of the bloodiest shootouts I've seen in a long time. The fights were hardcore, the Predators are still big and tough, and the whole movie is such a wild rush that hardly ever settles down. Its a roller coaster ride of a movie... fast, fun, and thrilling.

One of the biggest surprises of the film was the talent recruited for the human characters. Leading the ensemble cast is Academy Award winner Adrian Brody! This actor has one of the most interesting post-Oscar film resumes of any award winner I can think of. He went from serious dramas like The Pianist to movies like King Kong, The Darjleeling Limited, Splice, and now Predators. Most of his movies aren't bad, just interesting choices for an actor of his caliber. Other members include Laurence Fishburne, Topher Grace, Alice Braga, Danny Trejo, and a few more. By in large, the acting is... there. That's really all I can say about the cast, nobody is particularly bad but none of the performances are by any means great or inventive. Acting-wise, its exactly what you would expect and all you really need. Hey, if the shoe fits...

Overall, Predators has a lot going for it. A fun premise, cool special effects, and sweet action make this the best Predator sequel so far. Still, it fails to outdo the original, and I still can't shake the feeling that the "definitive" predator movie has yet to be made. Its a good movie, but not amazing and isn't likely to wow anyone. Nonetheless, the Predator series seems to be back on track, and with Rodriguez in control, another sequel is very promising.

My Score: 3 Out of 5!

The A-Team - Review

When I heard that they were adapting the campy 80s action series, "The A-Team" into a big budget Hollywood blockbuster... I have to admit, I didn't really care. It wasn't a horrible show, but it was so silly and over-the-top, that its appeal was based entirely on camp, something that a lot of productions can only keep fresh for so long. So, I basically figured would be little more than a mindless summer blockbuster that would, at best, be a fun movie yet ultimately forgettable. After finally watching the flick, its actually a bit better than I had originally anticipated.

The movie follows the same basic plot as the show, updated for the current time period. The A-Team is a group of four elite soldiers with contrasting skills and personalities, currently serving in Iraq (as opposed to Vietnam from the original series), carrying out secret missions and tasks for the US government. The leader of the team is Hannibal Smith (Liam Neeson), the cigar smoking tactician who "Loves It When A Plan Comes Together." Faceman Peck (Bradley Cooper) serves as the smooth talking, good looking, conman, and ladies man of the group. B.A. Baracus (Quinton "Rampage" Jackson) is the team's gruff enforcer and expert mechanic with a perpetual fear of flying. Finally there's the mentally unstable H.M. Murdock (Sharlto Copley), the team's highly skilled pilot and linguist. After carrying out a covert operation in Baghdad, their superior officer is killed, and the team is framed for crimes they did not commit. The four are sent to separate prisons, in which they all escape in an effort to clear their name.

There's usually an inherint problem with reviewing most summer blockbusters. Each season, you'll generally get one or two outstanding films and a few absolutely dreadful attempts at cinema. I can usually find a lot to say about a movie thats either extremely well made or the train wrecks. Of course, the average middle of the road summer blockbusters are more difficult to review. "The A-Team" definitely falls into the latter category, a stereotypical summer action flick. They appeal to a specific audience: those who love over-the-top action movies, and usually don't care about what critics say. That being said, it does have something of a charm compared to the usual summer lineup, enough to give it a bit of an edge.

That charm falls in the hands of the cast. One of the series' most enjoyable appeals came from the contrasting characters. The four have such different personalities, that their quarrels are often played out for some very enjoyable humour. Each actor plays their respective character perfectly. The two standouts for me are Liam Neeson, who looks like he's having a blast as Hannibal Smith, and District 9's Sharlto Coplay as the over-the-top H.M. Murdock. Of course, all four work off each other really well. Its this brilliant move in casting that give "The A-Team" an edge over the average blockbuster.

Now, a good portion of the reviews for this movie have been fairly negative. Many critics have criticized the movie's excessive noise, explosions, and ludicrous action scenes. My response to that is this... "What the hell did you expect???" Those were the kinds of things that I loved about this movie. Of course the logic makes absolutely no sense, the script is nowhere near free of holes, and that the action is excessive. Its okay, every now and then, to watch a movie for the sake of fun... do you remember that? I'm not giving "The A-Team" a free pass on the general rules of filmmaking, but every now and then, its okay to stop being a film snob and buy into the fun factor of a movie. The action was crazy, the movie was loud, and pracitcally nothing that happens would stand a chance of playing out in the real world, but for a film like this, I could really care less.

Thats really all I have to say about "The A-Team." If you're not a fan of over-the-top action movies, then you can probably skip it, just stop complaining. If you're looking for a fun filled, action packed, adrenaline rush, this should do the trick. I have a feeling that was the filmmaker's plan, and I do love when a plan comes together ;)

My Score: 3.5 out of 5!

Toy Story 3 - Review

I want you to think of every threequel you've seen. How many of them were bad? How many of them were mediocre? How many were good but not as good as its predecessor(s)? How many of them were the best in the trilogy? Movies like The Bourne Ultimatum, Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, or Die Hard with A Vengeance both had great first entries, but so-so second entries, so a superior third was not too difficult to imagine. Then you have Spider-Man or X-Men which both had great first entries, superior seconds, but a mediocre third part. How about Return of the Jedi, a great film, but is seen as the weakest link in the original trilogy (mainly due to coming off the heels of its two fantastic predecessors.) So with that in mind, think about the past two Toy Story movies. The first was excellent, the second was even better... so when I say Toy Story 3 is the best in the trilogy... that's one hell of a compliment!

The movie picks up 11 years after Toy Story 2. Andy is all grown up and is days away from leaving for college. His toys have dwindled in numbers and haven't been played with for years. There's a growing concern among the remaining toys (which includes Woody, Buzz, Jessie, Bullseye, Slink, Mr. and Mrs. Potato Head, Hamm, Rex, and a few others) regarding their fate. Will they be left in the attic, will they thrown away, or will they be donated or sold?

I don't want to give too much more of the plot away then that. I'll start by saying, Toy Story 3 is one of the most profound, deep, and flat out entertaining family mov... actually just movies in general. Pixar has one of the greatest track records of any studio, when your worst film (Cars) is still an overall critical success and box office hit, that's really saying a lot. I will admit, I was curious if Pixar could make lightening strike three times with this series, and for a while, it looked it was going to fall into the usual traps of the threequel, but it overcame in every way possible, creating a movie that is one of the most satisfying conclusions to a classic series.

As per usual, the voice acting is top notch. Tom Hanks returns as the perfect voice of Woody, the cowboy doll and de facto leader of Andy's toys. Tim Allen returns once again to bring his comic timing to Buzz Lightyear, the space ranger action figure. Other Toy Story alumni includes Joan Cusack as Jessie the Cowgirl, Wallace Shawn as Rex the Tyrannosaurus, John Ratzenberger as Hamm the Piggy Bank, Blake Clark (replacing the late Jim Varney) as Slinky the Dog, Don Rickles as Mr. Potato Head, and Estelle Harris as Mrs. Potato Head, plus a few more. Newcomers include Ned Beatty as Lotso Huggin Bear, ex-James Bond Timothy Dalton as Mr. Pricklepants, Flight of the Concords star Kristen Shaal as Trixie the Triceratops, plus many more. However, the standout newcomer is most definitely Michael Keaton as Ken. Acting alongside the Jodi Benson-voiced Barbie Doll, Keaton brings his spot on comedic timing to a blatantly metrosexual depiction of the popular doll in a lot of the movie's funniest moments.

Pixar's talent for storytelling has always been top notch, with concepts that overshadow practically every other studio attempting to capture the same level of excellence. With Toy Story 3, however, they have really outdone themselves. In addition to the deep characters, hilarious comedy, the threequel boasts some incredibly compelling drama that most family flicks would be afraid to go near. The dramatic themes set forth in the first two come full circle in the threequel, throwing metaphors relating to mortality, death, and the afterlife. The first centered around a concept of self-realization, namely in that Buzz having to come to grips with being a toy. The second tapped on the issue of a toy's existence being finite, demonstrated mainly through Woody realizing that Andy will eventually grow up. Now, with Andy grown up, the movie shifts to a metaphorical presentation of death and the afterlife, showing depictions of toy limbo, reincarnation, Purgatory, Heaven, and even a toy Hell. Its a very profound movie, one I could spend hours interpreting and analyzing. Like any Disney movie, the ending is uplifting, yet very touching. Once the ending comes around, don't be surprised if you see grown men weeping like a little girl... yeah, its one of those movies.

The drama is a central part of the story, but it doesn't overshadow the fun elements from the film. As I mentioned, the movie has far too many hilarious moments to list, with humor bound to entertain everyone from little kids to grown adults. I have not even gotten around to mentioning the action scenes yet. By the third act, the movie turns into something of a prison break movie, taking inspiration from classics like "The Great Escape." By around the halfway point, a villain of sorts presents itself, making for arguably the most intimidating and interesting bad guy of the series. Between thrilling chases, great escapes, and creepy baddies, the story never lets up and never gets boring.

I guess this is the point where I am supposed to find something about the movie I didn't like. To be honest... I can't think of anything I didn't like about the movie... seriously. Everything just works so well, balancing the humor, thrilling, and dramatic moments perfectly. I guess some might say Toy Story might be a little too dark for the very young viewers and might be prone to scare some of them. I will say this, Toy Story 3 is easily the darkest of the series, and some of the villains (particularly the monkey... just watch and see) might be a little much for some. That being said, I personally never felt that it was too much. When I look back at a lot of the kids movies I watched back in the day, a lot of them had much much much more disturbing moments. Look at it like this... this movie is no scarier than practically anything else Disney animation has released (actually, some Disney movies are much scarier that this) ... if your kids are able to stomach those, I can't think of a reason Toy Story 3 would be any worse.

Overall, Toy Story 3 is by far the best movie of the summer and, so far, of 2010. Pixar's standard of excellence continues, bringing another one masterpiece in a classic series. If you haven't seen it yet, go see it right now! You won't regret it.

My Score: 5 out of 5!

Splice - Review

Have you ever seen a movie in which after it ended, it left you thinking, "What the Hell did I just watch?" You don't know right away whether you loved or hated it, but after you get over the initial WTF factor, you realize the inherent brilliance in the film you just experienced. For me, it was movies like A Clockwork Orange, Blade Runner, and now Splice that illustrate that example perfectly. Okay, well I didn't love Splice as much as A Clockwork Orange (one of my favorite movies of all time) and Blade Runner (also a great one) but its perfectly evident that Splice is one of the most interesting, unique, and creative Sci-Fi movies released in the last decade.

The movie centers around Clive Nicoli, played by Adrian Brody, and Elsa Kast, played by Sarah Polley (hehe, I'm liking the Bride of Frankenstein reference). The two are young and ambitious scientists who have achieved fame for the splicing of DNA from different animal species. Despite Clive's initial reluctance, Elsa convinces him to splice animal DNA with that of a human, an act though seriously frowned upon but not technically illegal. The result is Dren, a female animal/human hybrid. The two form an attachment to their new creation but have difficult controlling her as Dren rapidly grows into a far more deadly being.

I've been hearing Splice referred to as a modern interpretation of Frankenstein. It definitely takes some inspiration from the story. Both involve an obsessive scientist who creates a living creature and looses control of it. The fact that the two main characters' names are a reference to Bride of Frankenstein also supports the claim. That being said, the themes and twists and very different, most of which I dare not spoil (trust me, you DO NOT want anyone to ruin the story.) However, instead of a neglectful father-type figure from Frankenstein, the creator in Splice is more of an obsessive mother. Of course, how they develop that characteristic is part of the surprise (again, which I absolutely refuse to spoil). I could write a lot about the story, but there's only so much I can describe without blowing the ending. I'll finish with this, its definitely a science fiction movie that keeps the science in the fiction without letting it overshadow the fiction aspect.

The acting is overall quite impressive. Adrian Brody and Sarah Polley hold their own for most of the flick. You can really feel their characters' personal demons and the struggles they endure. At times their chemistry didn't always flow, but that might have been intentional. The standout performance comes from Delphine Chanéac as Dren. Her natural beauty in combination with top notch make up and cg effects made for one of the most interesting movie creatures in recent memory. Chanéac brings about a very complex personality to the character, one with the instincts of a psychopath but the demeanor and innocence of a child. Its nothing like I expected and must be seen to fully understand.

This is the kind of movie that I wish I could just overlook the shortcomings, but I would not be much of a critic if I did that. Splice is a total mind-trip (with a more profane word), which ends up being both good and bad. One thing I love about independent cinema is that filmmakers are given more freedom and less incentive to censor their artistic vision. Only when you let that said artist get such freedom, its easy to abuse it. Some of the more disturbing moments appear to be done purely for shock value, in a movie that didn't need that much of it. The story itself holds its own with such a immersive and gut-wrenching concept, that some of the scares felt quite unnecessary. Its also a shame to see Splice fall victims to some really overdone horror cliches. Some of the cgi wasn't particularly impressive either. The effects accomplished on Dren were great, but some of the supporting creatures were average at best. A few gaping plot holes did not help its cause either.

A lot of these faults were quite apparent, and unfortunately did hold back what could have been an incredible movie experience. That being said, Splice is most definitely worth a watch. It is easily one of the most interesting and unique cinematic accomplishments in recent memory.

My Score: 4 out of 5!