Scream - Review

Do you remember when Scream first came out back in 1996? It was a big deal movie, a self-aware teen slasher flick... half parody and half legitimate horror film. Plus, it was directed by genre legend Wes Craven, the filmmaker behind hits including The Hills Have Eyes and A Nightmare On Elm Street. Critics loved it, fans ate it up, and the film spawned two sequels (soon to be one more) and a stream of similar teen slasher comedies. I was very young at the time of its release (9 or 10), so I didn't see it until my teen years. But by that time, I became a horror fanatic, and was really looking forward to watching this movie... and then the disappointment began. Scream is easily one of the most overrated movies I've ever seen!

The movies takes place in the small town of Woodsboro, California, which is currently being plagued by a series of murders. The killer is an unknown individual simply known as Ghostface. He wears a common Halloween costume and stalks his victims before he murders them. His main gimmick though... he's a scary movie buff. Before he goes in for the kill, he calls his victims and asks them "What's your favorite scary movie?" Ghostface's main sights, however, are set on the young Sidney Prescott (Neve Campbell)... a high school senior whose mother was murdered one year earlier. So now, there's a killer on the loose, few clues are left behind, and everybody is a suspect...

I will admit, the concept behind Scream is actually pretty clever... a slasher flick that makes fun of other slasher flicks. I normally love intentional send-ups, and I do enjoy horror movies, so this seemed like a great concept. Not to mention, the idea behind the killer is kind of intriguing too. Not so much the "What's your favorite scary movie?" concept (so gimmicky), but the idea of him wearing the common Ghostface costume makes his identity truly ambiguous. Plus, I have to give Scream credit for giving recognition to the classic slasher flicks that inspired it. The way it lists the cliches and pokes fun at them has its moments, and Scream definitely had a hand in defining the modern perception of the slasher genre. Unfortunately, Scream ultimately kills its decent ideas (no pun intended) with poor execution (again, no pun intended).

Here's the thing the bugs me about Scream, nothing feels particularly authentic. That's not uncommon for a horror movie, especially those that are spoofing the genre. Scream, however, goes for realism and favors believability. Ultimately, it fails to pull that off. The characters aren't believable, the script feels contrived, and the dialogue is laughably bad. Plus, aside from the famous opening scene, nothing is particularly memorable about it.

The actors... they're pretty miscast. You have Neve Campbell, Drew Barrymore, Mathew Lillard, Jamie Kennedy and others all playing high school students. First problem... NONE OF THEM LOOK LIKE TEENAGERS!!! Again, not particularly uncommon for the genre, but when you're going for realism, it kills the effect. On top of that, most of their deliveries are totally over-the-top. No performance is believable enough to work with the concept. Granted some aren't horrible, on average slightly better than the typical slasher. But still, they don't really work. You also have Courtney Cox, David Arquette, and even The Fonz... erm, Henry Winkler in various supporting roles. Granted, their acting is slightly more enjoyable than the so-called "teens" but their characters just aren't engaging enough to justify the lack of enjoyment from the others. It doesn't help that the dialogue in this movie is just painful. Not one word sounds natural, and every line spoken feels unbelievably forced. I get that its a satire, but having a character constantly making glib comments on how the movie's events resemble a horror cliche just gets annoying. What a waste of a promising concept!

Of course, for any slasher flick, the main question is usually how well it delivers on the horror front. Well, I will say that the opening is pretty enjoyable. Its easy to see why it was referenced and parodied many times throughout the 90s. In the scene, Drew Barrymore's character gets a call from the killer while she is at home by herself. I won't spoil it, but I will say that it was a pretty enjoyable and creepy scene... and does set up the movie quite well. Unfortunately, the rest of the movie goes downhill. Aside from a couple of adequately memorable kills, Craven went for a more semi-minimalist approach. Its adequately bloody, but the lack of any extreme gore that could have made up for the weak story is sorely missed. Again, the failed approach at realism just didn't work for this kind of movie.

So yeah, Scream is easily one of the most overrated movies I've ever seen! It had some good ideas for the time, but it doesn't deliver on what it promises. Its a mediocre horror film and a mediocre satire, nothing more than that.

My Score: 2 out of 5!

Sucker Punch - Review

Sucker Punch is one of those odd movies that make me feel half entertained and half let down. Its neither great nor awful, but I can't exactly call it average either. There's something about it that is harder to pinpoint and difficult to explain... but I'll give it a try. The movie takes place during the mid 1950s, and follows a teenage girl known as Baby Doll (Emily Browning). She is admitted into a mental institution by her abusive stepfather and scheduled for a lobotomy in five days time. Faced with such intimidating odds, she retreats into a fantasy world in her imagination, blurring the lines between what is real and what is not. Now, her and four fellow inmates, Rocket, Blondie, Amber, and Sweet Pea, formulate an elaborate plan to escape in five days.

The film is directed and co-written by Zack Snyder, the talented filmmaker behind the awesome adaptation of Watchmen along with the enjoyable 300 adaptation and surprisingly decent remake of Dawn of the Dead. While only one of Snyder's films is truly great (Watchmen), he's shown extensive promise as a filmmaker with a knack for creating movies with imaginative eye candy, great cinematography, clever editing, and a unique talent to create compelling visions of very difficult subject matter. Have you ever read Frank Miller's 300 graphic novel? Aside from some pretty images, there really isn't much to it. Yet, Snyder was able to turn it into an admittedly decent, though flawed, comic book adaptation. Then you have the legendary graphic novel, Watchmen, a comic deemed "unfilmable" by its author and numerous others. Not only did he make a serviceable film out of the material, but he turned it into an excellent movie on its own right. So yeah, Snyder is one talented guy.

What ultimately intrigued me about Sucker Punch was not just that it was written and directed by Snyder, but that it was his first movie not based on previous source material. Unfortunately, Snyder falls victim to a trap many filmmakers have fallen victim before, trying to accomplish way too much. In an effort to seemingly appease the entire nerd demographic of moviegoers, the imagined worlds presented include elements of pretty much any pop-culture or geek-fetish motif you can think of. There are references to fantasy, sci-fi, steam-punk, ninjas, kung fu, video games and manga present in the depicted worlds. Plus, the plot ultimately is based around the characters searching for four specific items that are deemed necessary to carry out their escape plans... something right out of a video game.

Sucker Punch is actually a really difficult movie to review. I actually saw it last Friday, but I've avoided writing this review because I needed a few days to let the movie sink in. On one hand, the plot is a mesh of all things geek. In theory, that sounds like a good idea, but the actual result is quite messy. The plot is inconsistent, the characters are never fully developed, and the in-your-face presentation of all these concepts becomes so convoluted that it ended with too many unresolved plot-threads and unanswered questions. The ideas are all great, and the main motif concerning youth rebellion has interesting merits, but the overly-ambitious execution comes off so sloppy that I just found the story more disappointing than anything. Maybe if I saw this movie again, my opinion would change.

In spite of all the movie's negative traits, there is still quite a bit to enjoy. If nothing else, Sucker Punch works well as a straightforward action movie. After all, there are worse things than some enjoyable over-the-top action in fantastic settings. The camerawork and editing definitely lives up to Snyder's impressive standards. Great composition, good use of slow-motion, interesting color correcting, and impressive cgi are all present here. Its eye candy at its finest. And while the characters don't exactly embody dynamic personalities, the acting is overall good. No fantastic performances, but it usually works.

So that's Sucker Punch... if nothing else, its one of the most interesting movies I've seen in a while. I have a feeling this will be one of those movies that if I were to see it again, my opinion would dramatically change. Maybe I would I love it upon a second viewing or maybe I would despise it. Either way, this movie is definitely worth watching in spite of all my gripes about it. This is by far one of the most unique and creative Hollywood movies to come around recently... and you don't see them often. Maybe you'll love it, maybe you'll hate it, but still check it out.

My Score: 3 out of 5!

They Live - Review

I've been wanting to go back to reviewing some not-so-recent movies for a while now, but for a couple reasons I was keeping to the recent movies. Now seems like as good a time as any to go back to the past, so lets review the cult classic, They Live! Why am I reviewing self aware B-Movies all of a sudden? Last time it was a cheesy action flick and now its a cheesy sci-fi movie... they're just too damn fun!

They Live is a sci-fi/horror/comedy written and directed by the legendary John Carpenter, the man behind such cult classics including Halloween, Big Trouble in Little China, Escape from New York, and many others. The film is about a drifter named Nada (played by professional wrestler Roddy Piper) who comes to LA looking for work. While staying the night at a homeless shelter, he accidentally finds a pair of unusual sunglasses. What is unusual about them... they reveal that Earth has been taken over by aliens. They all look normal to the naked eye, but when Nada wears the glasses, he can see who is human and who is not. Suddenly he finds himself thrown into a planetary struggle between man and invader.

John Carpenter is one of those directors who clearly enjoys classic B-Movies. Almost all of his movies (or at least, his best movies) are essentially B-Movies made with a sense of self-awareness. They Live, is definitely one of those... albeit with some intelligence thrown into the script to offset the camp-factor. At its core, They Live is a standard Human Vs Alien action thriller, but it throws in some insightful commentary regarding consumerism, materialism, and class struggles. The aliens are the elite social class, and most of them are also politicians and high ranking officials responsible for controlling most of our lives. And while it was clearly a comment on the 80s (the movie was release in 1988), a lot of its insights are still quite relevant and interesting. Its not perfect, like a lot of satires, the movie is full of great ideas that aren't as recognized as they could have been. By the end, it delves more into the action than anything.

Although, for those just looking for the straightforward B-Movie fun, They Live delivers there too. While the action won't likely blow anyone away, it still has some extremely enjoyable shoot-outs and fights. There is one particular scene, however, between Roddy Piper and Keith David that is especially long and brutal. It's pretty crazy to watch to say the least. Not to mention, some of the movie's one-liners are among the best I've ever heard. My favorite has to be Piper saying, "I have come here to chew bubblegum and kick ass, and I'm all out of bubblegum." So between the interesting commentary and B-Movie fun factor, there is a lot to enjoy in They Live.

The casting is where I have some mixed feelings toward. First, you have wrestler-turned actor Roddy Piper in the lead role as George Nada. Here's the thing about Piper, he certainly embodies the everyman persona, has a good look for action movies, and delivers his one-liners with flawless tenacity. One the other hand, he is really not particularly good with anything else, at least not by traditional standards. However, he definitely has an appeal, and I can't deny he's an absolute blast to watch. He's entertaining in the same way many action stars are, like Schwarzenegger or Stallone.

You also have Keith David as Nada's friend and ally Frank Armitage. You can pretty much say the same thing about him as I did with Piper... not a great actor but enjoyable for something like this. The only other major supporting role to critique would have to be Meg Foster as Holly Thompson, the forced love interest thrown into the movie's chaos. Foster is... bland as hell. No emotion, no drive, and no real personality to speak of. I guess they were going for the B-Movie characterization, but compared to the onslaught of incredibly fun personalities, she just comes off as boring. So yeah, don't go into They Live expecting a cast of great actors, go in expecting some quirky fun performances.

Some final statements to add... the movie has some memorable B-Movie inspired scenes with some enjoyably cheesy special effects and make up designs. Some might say they look stupid (and they would be right) but that just made this movie more enjoyable for me. You have some classic flying saucers and silly alien masks that look like they walked straight onto this movie from a 1950s alien invasion flick. It was all so deliberately corny that I couldn't help but have a great time.

Overall, They Live is a total blast. Its definitely not a perfect movie, but I still enjoyed the hell out of it. Go in with the right mindset and you'll probably get a kick out of it too.

My Score: 4 out of 5!

Machete - Review

A while back, I wrote a review for The Expendables. Some people asked me why I was being so harsh on it, saying things like "Its a movie with a bunch of action dudes! Why take it so seriously?" Yes, its true, I wasn't too enthusiastic about the movie, though if you actually read my review and not just looked at the score, I actually said that my biggest complaint was that it wasn't silly enough. I only it 2.5 stars and criticized the film for playing it too seriously and not taking advantage of its inherently goofy premise. Now, what if that said movie actually had fun with its B-Movie plot? I would imagine it might be something like Machete... a far superior B-level action movie. How much better is Machete? Lets take a look, shall we?

Machete is based on the fake trailer shown in the Robert Rodriguez/Quentin Tarantino collaboration, Grindhouse. Machete (Danny Trejo) is a Mexican super-cop turned illegal immigrant day-worker after his family was brutally murdered by a ruthless drug dealer named Torez (Steven Seagal). While trying to live a quiet life in a small Texas town, he is hired by a mysterious individual to assassinate Senator McLaughlin (Robert De Niro), a borderline-racist politician whose campaign is based around around tighter immigration laws. Machete is then betrayed by his employers and set up as a fugitive in order to attain the Senator sympathy votes in the upcoming election. He then finds himself in the middle of a war between racist border guards, drug cartel, corrupt politicians, and an underground network of illegal immigrants.

Machete is one of those movies that could go for just laughs... a silly over-the-top grindhouse movie that, while fun, would have little to no substance behind the silly plot. Nothing wrong with that, there is no law saying all movies have to push an agenda or have some message attached. Some pure-fun grindhouse movies have been pretty enjoyable (Piranha 3D) while others, not so much (The Expendables). Then again, when a movie that uses a goofy concept actually has some relevant underlying theme, it feels more complete. Movies like District 9, Robocop, or X-Men all feel more nourishing because they include profound insights into themes of apartheid, privatization, or prejudice (homophobia to be particular) respectively. Machete follows that said suit and builds a story around the subject of immigration and border control. Its a pretty gutsy concept, one that certainly has more than its share of controversy. Make no mistake, this is the kind of movie the folks at Fox News would flip their lids over.

Of course, when you get right down to it, people go to see a movie like this mainly for the action. Does it deliver? Let me ask you this... are you feeling bloodthirsty today? This is an absolute brutal, chaotic, and insanely bloody movie! It's so over-the-top that you can't help but have fun with the movie... if you're into that kind of thing (which I am). How bloody are we talking here? Let me say this... have you ever seen a movie where the main characters rips out the intestines of a guy and uses it as a rope??? Of course, all of this brutality comes compliments of Mr. One-Man-Studio, Robert Rodriguez... the legendary film geek behind cult hits like the El Mariachi trilogy, From Dusk Till Dawn, and the Spy Kids movies (okay, so the Spy Kids movies weren't his best). But still, you can't deny that this guy knows brutal action. There is nobody in this industry who does this kind of film better than Rodriguez.

Now the casting is where the film has its ups and downs. Sure, the movie is obviously trying to be cheesy, but there's still some things that need to be said. First, you've got Danny Trejo as Machete. You can't deny that this guy has the look for the part. Big, gruff, and bitter all describe the guy. Not a huge range of emotions, and some might say that he's bland (which may be true), but this is the kind of part that makes good use of that. He's brutal, big, cold, and pulls off the action scenes with flawless tenacity.

Then you have Jessica Alba as Agent River, an immigrations official infamous for deporting illegals. Alba is definitely the weakest link... little personality and so-so delivery, she's pretty forgettable. Steven Seagal has his moments of enjoyability as a goofy villain, but usually doesn't make the character as intimidating as he could have. On the good side, Michelle Rodriguez pulls off a convincing female-revolutionary leader, De Niro was a great choice as a crooked politician, and Cheech Marin has some unforgettable moments as a tough, bad-ass, gun-wielding priest! Finally, there's Lindsay Lohan as April Booth, the coke-snorting, promiscuous, rich daddy's girl daughter of one of the villains... was that perfecting casting or what!

The only real complains aside from some of the miscasting is that sometimes a few things don't quite add up. Yes, the movie is goofy and doesn't try to hide that (and it shouldn't), but some of the plot points don't quite add up in the end. Some of the supporting characters come off a bit annoying too, and the film's attempt to merge new footage with the Grindhouse trailer footage doesn't always work either.

Still, despite its flaws, Machete is an insanely enjoyable over-the-top exploitation action flick! If you can stomach the violence (believe me, its not for the faint of heart) and the concept sounds fun to you, definitely check it out.

I give Machete 4 out of 5 stars!

Jonah Hex - Review

Since I ranked this as the 2nd worst film of 2010 a few months back (2nd to the Nightmare On Elm Street remake), I decided it would be a good idea to write a proper review for this sad excuse for a movie. What is interesting about Jonah Hex is that in the same year True Grit showed audiences the right way to make a Western, this piece of crap showed everyone the wrong way. Just how bad is this movie? Oh, where do I begin?

Loosely based on the DC comic character, bounty hunter Jonah Hex (played by Josh Brolin) is more or less your typical Western anti-hero: a gritty, brutal, and vengeful vigilante. After his family is murdered by Quentin Turnbell, a soldier Hex fought alongside in the Civil War, Turnbell brands Hex's face and leaves him for dead. Having survived the murder attempt, Hex develops a unique ability... an ability to communicate with the dead. Now, Hex goes on a quest to avenge his family and bring Turnbell to jus... geez, is there even a way to make this movie not seem so freakin' lame!

Aside from the whole "communicating with the dead" element, is there anything in this movie that hasn't been in ALMOST EVERY WESTERN MOVIE EVER MADE!!! You've got the gritty anti-hero, the asshole villain, the bureaucratic politician douche-bags, and love interest who happens to be a prostitute with a heart of gold. In all fairness though, a lot of westerns have made good on simple and typically unoriginal premises. Plus, Jonah Hex clearly isn't trying to be an accurate or straightforward Western movie, but rather a more sci-fi/action themed movie in a Western setting... though that presents the next glaring issue, that kind of crossover has seldom worked.

Anyone remember 1999's Wild Wild West, the Will Smith vehicle remake of a 60s TV show? If you don't, let me sum up the movie right here... IT WAS F**KING AWFUL!!! Since Jonah Hex works off of a similar premise, you can imagine how this would turn out. Its a barrage of cheesy ideas combined with horrendous filmmaking. Cheesy doesn't have to be a bad thing sometimes. If someone approached this material like a self award corny-but-fun action movie, it could have been entertaining. Only problem, they take the script way too seriously, and it becomes a joke in and of itself! The story is a generic premise with more holes than a golf course. Storylines go unresolved, plot elements are not explained, and almost every character is one dimensional. I can't say how faithful it is to the comics since I've haven't read them, but the overall reaction from fans of the series is that it deviates quite substantially (namely that his power to talk to the dead was not present in the comic). So in short, its a weak script with little respect for its subject matter... that's pretty bad.

Lets get one thing out of the way first... Josh Brolin as Jonah Hex. Brolin is probably the most ideal candidate for this role. His resume is comprised of a number of excellent performances (some western themed) including to No Country For Old Men, Milk, and even True Grit (which was released after this movie). And make no mistake, Brolin is the ONLY good thing in this movie. He's pretty much a badass, has some cool moments, and approaches this character with the right amount of intensity. The character is pretty bland by typical writing standards, but compared to the paper-thin depth of the supporting cast, Brolin's depiction of Hex is the only thing in the movie that actually works. Its a shame to see this kind of performance in a movie like this, because no matter how good one is, he will inevitably be brought down with the rest of the movie's excessive awfulness.

Now lets take a look at the supporting cast shall we. John Malkovich plays the villain, Quentin Turnbull. Will somebody answer me this... does Malkovich even try anymore? The guy has some really good performances under his belt, so its not like he's a bad actor. It just looked like he was phoning in a performance in this because he just didn't care (can't say I blame him). Must have only been here for a paycheck I suppose. Then we come to Will Arnett, the funnyman best known as Gob in the series, Arrested Development, here going for a more serious role as Lieutenant Grass. He actually looks like he was trying, but like most of the supporting cast, fails to engage his character in any believable or convincing way.

Finally, I guess I need to talk about Megan Fox. She plays Lillah, the aforementioned whore with a soul and love interest to Hex. First thing I have to mention, I go so sick of hearing all of those jokes made at her expense... people were saying things like, "She's finally playing a character that she could do well... a prostitute!" The jokes bothered me for two reasons... first of all, hearing them all the time got really old real fast. Second and most importantly, they propel an incredibly negative perception about Fox's acting ability that quite frankly has been wrong from the start... that Fox actually possesses the ability to play ANY role well, even that of a prostitute (hehe, had you going there for a second, didn't I?). No, I have absolutely nothing good to say about Fox. I can't think of any actress who has gotten by on nothing but sex appeal as much as Fox. She is easily one of the worst actresses working in Hollywood today. Nothing about her performance works! She is just awful!

You would think that with a bigger budget summer film like this, the technical execution would at least be passable... but nope! It looks like the team had originally intended this to be an R-Rated movie, but decided to change it at the last minute to a PG-13. As a result, the editing is an abysmal disaster! I can't think of another movie off the top off my head that had so many sloppy cuts and continuity errors. It wasn't even little cuts here and there that you have to be looking for to notice. No, it was right there, in your face, like the only way to not notice them would be to close your eyes. Almost every attempted action scene is ruined because of such amateur editing. On top of that, the camerawork is standard, the sets are basic, and everything else is pretty much middle of the road.

Overall, Jonah Hex is pretty awful. This is easily one of the worst comic book adaptions I can think of. It's right up there with Catwoman, Howard the Duck, and Batman & Robin. The only other positive thing about this movie I can think of is that the runtime is only 80 minutes... so you won't suffer long.

I give Jonah Hex a 1.5 out of 5!

The Adjustment Bureau

If there is one thing I've made clear on this blog, its this... I love Sci Fi movies! No genre has allowed filmmakers to develop more creative stories, worlds, and filmmaking techniques. It's a great genre! That being said, there is one thing about it that has constantly gotten on my nerves. Whenever a Sci-Fi movie (sometimes Fantasy) becomes a big hit, what usually follows is a stream of inferior copies and wannabes. For instance, in 2009, District 9 became an immensely successful indie Sci-Fi movie, praised for its impressive visuals, well-written script, and insightful political themes. The downside is that the movie was followed by a string of mediocre indie knockoffs including Skyline or Monsters. They were clearly coasting on the popularity of District 9, with the hopes of achieving similar success. 2011's Adjustment Bureau follows in a similar suit, only this time, the movie is trying to mooch off the popularity of Christopher Nolan's Inception. Is the movie nothing more than an inferior ripoff or is there more to this movie than meets the eye?

The movie is about Congressman David Norris (Matt Damon) starting off the movie as a political candidate for New York state Senator. Despite his popularity with the public, his involvement in a rather embarrassing scandal is revealed to the masses and costs him the election. On the night of his defeat, he meets a charming woman named Elise (Emily Blunt) who helps raise his spirits enough to help him make a sincere speech about how he will come back in the next election. Months later, he reconnects with Elise and begins to pursue a relationship with her... until a squad of bizarre individuals begin to interfere with their meetings.

He is eventually confronted by the the mysterious group when they reveal themselves to be a secret society known as The Adjustment Bureau... a secret league of semi-omnipotent and seemingly supernatural beings who exist to keep the world on a specific timeline. Bent on following his own plan, David fights for his free will while the Bureau vigorously attempts to keep him on track and follow the plan.

The concept is actually kind of cool. After all, its based on a short story by the legendary Phillip K. Dick, the writer whose works inspired Sci-Fi classics such as Blade Runner and Total Recall. It at least has the potential to present an intriguing mystery and creative unveiling of a world behind our world. And you know what... it actually isn't bad. The setup is quite good and between the solid setup and exposition, I actually found myself genuinely curious about how the story would unfold. By the time the second act roles around though, its just kind of average. The reveal is interesting enough, but is held back by flat characters along with dozens of plot holes that continue to add up.

What we learn about The Adjustment Bureau is pretty interesting, but a lot of their story is left ambiguous. Sometimes ambiguity can work to one's advantage, but in this case it feels like kind of a cheat. You find out what they do, but a lot of the details regarding their back-story, abilities, and the extent of their powers go largely unexplained. That wouldn't be so bad if they hadn't built up so much about them. The writers try to add in some religious symbolism in attempts to add a little more depth, but in the end, it felt more half-assed than anything. I'm dangerously close to spoiling the plot right now, so I won't say much more. I'll finalize my thoughts with this, the script is one of those that has good ideas but ultimately falls short of greatness partly due to an over-ambitious reach and also some flat out lazy writing. In short: A promising concept with a weak execution.

As far as the performances go, a lot of the actors actually do quite well. Matt Damon has really been on a roll the last few years and he scores again here. Having to critique Matt Damon feels kind of pointless in any of his movies I've reviewed... he's just good. Solid intensity, a good range of emotions, great chemistry with Emily Blunt, and perfect execution of the action scenes, that's Matt Damon for you. As for Emily Blunt... well I guess everything I said about Damon could apply to her as well. Their characters didn't exactly have that much depth to them, but they were able to engage them in a profound and entertaining way. The rest of the cast is just kind of there. None of the other actors were particularly convincing, ranging from decent to meh. But most did little more than play second fiddle to the two leads, so it wasn't that bad.

If there is one other compliment I can give about this film, its this... this movie looks great. The director of photography, John Troll, has a great eye for composition. Every shot is framed with a keen artistic perception alongside the solid production design. The action scenes are shot well too, making good use of Steadicam so the audience can actually see what is happening on screen. The subtle use of special effects including some impressive shots with doors leading to other worlds (it will make sense when you see the movie). Its clearly trying to capture on the success of Inception, but you can't argue with what works. I have to give director George Nolfi credit here. For his directorial debut, he does a pretty good job. The script is far from greatness, but based on the tenacity of its visual style, there is much promise in Nolfi.

Overall, The Adjustment Bureau wasn't half bad. Good performances, interesting visuals, and despite the underwhelming treatment of a promising script, I was never bored by this movie. I'd say its worth a watch, though probably at a cheaper price if you can help it.

My Score: 3 out of 5!

I Am Number Four - Review

I've heard I Am Number Four described as "Twilight with Aliens." I can see why one might think that, but I wouldn't make that generalization quite yet. Like Twilight, I Am Number Four is based off a series (or rather a proposed series) or young adult novels featuring sci-fi/fantasy characters in a high school setting. Aside from that similarity, there really isn't THAT much else the two series have in common. Plus, I Am Number Four isn't nearly as bad as Twilight. It feels more like your typical teen-centric sci fi series you would see the WB like Smallville or Buffy.

The movie centers around John Smith (Alex Pettyfer), a teenage alien from the planet Lorien sent to Earth shortly after birth in order to escape from an invading race known as the Mogadorians. Eight other infants from his planet were also sent to Earth, which has lead a squad of Mogadorians to Earth with the objective of finding and killing the eight escapees. The first three are killed, while John, number four, is next on the list. Guarded by his assigned protector, Henri (Timothy Olyphant), the two take refuge in the isolated town of Paradise, OH, where John suddenly begins to develop special abilities.

One thing to know about me, I'm a huge sci fan. While I wouldn't say I was particularly interested in I Am Number Four, there are worse things than seeing aliens beat the crap out of other aliens. That being said, the first two-thirds of this movie are torture. John starts attending a new high school, is harassed by bullies, makes friend with another social outcast, and starts falling for the hottest girl in arms reach. To say that the first two acts are slow and disengaging would be probably the biggest understatement I've ever written on this blog. Its cliche, boring, and dull... nothing here hasn't been seen a million times before. I would normally say its been done better, but I can't really think of a time this sort of a thing has really worked. It was passable in the X-Men movies but even then felt pretty uninspired. We never get a real feel for a lot of these characters, especially the villains. Why did they invade? What is their motivation? None of that ever really gets answered.

As bad as the storyline goes, the casting is even worse. Alex Pettyfer... how do I put this??? He sucks, plain and simple. He's just awful! First off, if your main character is supposed to be this awkward social outcast, don't cast the guy who looks like an Abercrombie model! If you must cast the said example of a perfect being, he really should be able to engage his character in some way, shape, or form. A blank face, zero chemistry with the romantic interest, and next to nothing about this guy is even remotely engaging. While we're on the subject, the actress who plays that said romantic lead, Dianna Argon, isn't much better of a performer.

Timothy Olyphant channels his best Michael Biehn impression and is the only actor who actually comes close to giving a passable performance. He's still as bland and empty as the others, but it actually felt like he was trying. While I can't say his acting was great or even that good, I will say that he is the only character you can actually give a damn about. The villains Mogadorians and the other good alien (known simply as Number 6), are at the opposite end of the spectrum with forced over-the-top performances. In a sea of blank faces, you would think that some at least some overacting might at least add some so-bad-its-good appeal, but they really don't. Aside for maybe one or two moments they're given barely anything to do and have next to no screen time. As you can see, the cast for this movie is one consecutive fail after the other.

Now, in spite of all the bad things I've said... there is a faint light at the end of this tunnel. The third act actually does liven things up a bit. Throughout the weak exposition, the story was building up to this epic alien vs alien climax. By the time you get there... its actually not that bad. No, its by no means a great action climax, but its easily the most enjoyable thing to happen in the movie. Its basically what you would expect... lasers, giant monsters, and superpowers. Not the most original sci-fi battle, but you can't argue with what works. As long as we're talking about what works, I should mention that some of the make up effects are pretty good and some of the cgi is actually kind of creative. So the movie isn't a total dud.

Overall, I Am Number Four doesn't really deliver. I wouldn't say I was disappointed since I went into this movie with no expectations. This material would have probably been more effective as a TV series on the CW as opposed to a series of films, though it definitely could be worse. I mean, its better than Twilight... but that's not saying much. So yeah, I can't recommend I Am Number Four, but if the plot sounds like something you might be interested in, than it might make for a semi-decent rental when it comes out on DVD.

My Score: 2 out of 5!