Movie Review #23 Cabin In The Woods (2011)

- If you actually use every cliché in the book, is that a cliché?

I'm going to try another horror movie on my blog here again. I am hoping that my last and only horror movie review, Mother's Day, did so poorly for hits because it wasn't quite a current movie. Or perhaps I am just bad at reviewing horror movies due to my dislike of the genre “torture porn” horror movies. It is then with great pleasure that this week I'll be reviewing The Cabin in the Woods. This is for two reasons. Firstly, I like Joss Whedon, not in the “everything he does is fantastic” way, but in the “he has had some decent stuff so I'll give him a chance” kind of way. Secondly, Joss Whedon described the film as an attempt to rejuvenate the horror genre, which he and director/co-writer Drew Goddard felt had “devolved” with the uprising of “torture porn”. Pretty bold words, right? Nobody can just let that sit like that. You have to see what he's selling when you say something like that, so here we go.

Movie Review #22 Brave (2012)

- Pixar's foray into the dynasty of Disney Princesses

By this time (some 17 years since their first full feature film) the viewing public is generally attuned to the fact that Pixar has gotten their successful movie formula down to a perfect science. At least that's what you would say till 2011. Since then they have made Cars 2. I only recently watched Cars itself and was pretty shocked at how for a majority of the movie I just couldn't care about anyone and only grew fond of the characters just in time for the credits. If the first one was bad, how much worse must the second be? But fear not! Pixar shouted, we're back to our regular programming with Brave, a movie about a strong female princess who doesn't need any Prince Charming to protect her. With the dud of Cars out of the way Pixar was in shape for the great resurrection to form.

Movie Review #21 Wrath of the Titans (2012)

- a sequel to a remade movie

Not that I'm inherently against remakes but I certainly didn't think this particular film was going to impress me much since the remake of Clash of the Titans was so poor in so many ways. What was up with the blindingly poor love interest angle shoved into the movie anyway? No, if you enjoyed the remake of Clash, it probably had to do with the computer generated creatures or maybe you just really like screaming “unleash the kraken” at appropriate and inappropriate times.

Movie Review #20 The Dark Knight Rises (2012)

- A trilogy rises

This is it, Christopher Nolan's last Batman movie, a movie that was so anticipated that the midnight showing in many places was sold out up to six months in advance. We all know what Batman (played by Christian Bale) is, nobody lives under a rock so I'm not going to write up a silly summary of any of that, however I am going to write that this was the best Batman movie to date, discuss its minor problems and note that even at its run time of 2h45m, it was actually not long enough (even though I always dread seeing movies that are over 2 hours due to the confining aspect of it all).

Since this movie is still in theatres, and having talked to readers after my previous written movie reviews that were in the theatre at the time I give this warning now. I try to never spoil anything that isn't in the first five or ten minutes of any movie and I'm going to do that here, but within reason, this is a review you probably shouldn't be reading it if you didn't want to know things about the movie. So with that being said, here is my review.

Movie Review #19 21 Jump Street (2012)

- The 80s continue to live due to my continued efforts

I fully admit I'm a kid of the 80's and loved it, still do. They produced the best cartoons, some of the best movies (later the year I'll be doing my best five movies) and some great tv shows as well! With that out of the way, I'll admit that I never saw the original 21 Jump Street. So if the movie was trying to be like the show, I'll never know. I do know that this movie is supposed to be a continuation of the beloved (?) TV series so that might be something to catch the eye of rabid Depp and DeLuise fans. 

I haven't really enjoyed either of the main actors' (Hill and Tatum) acting chops in the past. For starters, I didn't think that Jonah Hill was 'best supporting actor' material in Moneyball. As for Channing Tatum, well, I've only seen him in Haywire (read my review here) so that was not really a great introduction to him!

Movie Review #18 Contagion (2011)

- We've run out natural disaster movies so let's drive disease movies into the ground!

If my memory serves me, this is the second Steven Soderbergh film I've reviewed. I didn't plan it, but hey, now he has a second chance to impress the readers of this blog. I've got to say that disaster movies, be it weather related or in this case, about disease, do not really interest me so the movies run along a thin line at the get-go. What interests me most is the post-apocalyptic after effects plot, the star studded cast and again, Soderbergh's directing does catch my eye (even if the last movie I watched of his was a disappointment). Contagion might not have the meat I'm looking for but there is surely enough to get me to watch it. So, on with the show.

Contagion's story overall story isn't complicated. There is a virus that has hit the human race, it has an incredibly short lifespan and it kills the infected person long before any virus has the right to do so. Through the movie, we follow the Centre for Disease Control (CDC) and its various levels of management, through two main characters: one character who has lost someone dear to him and a blogger who believes he is spreading the truth because he has all the answers. I promise I'm not as annoying as Alan Krumwiede (played by Jude Law) but I'm sure I know all the answers.

Movie Review #17 The Room (2003)

 - Bad movies can't roll back into good

I'm not even sure where to start with this review; it really is that bad of a movie. Not bad as in that way you laugh like a B movie, but where you feel very awkward for everyone involved because such poor decisions were made that there might actually be something intelligent within but it will never matter because it is so overwhelmingly bad you'd need a full bleaching of the mind to forget it..

Foolishly, I promised (and I always keep my word – sort of like a Lannister!) to watch the movie on a few friends' recommendation. I won't name them but, let's say that I will certainly be wary of their movie recommendations from now on. I'm not really sure what they were going for within the movie, it's not a comedy and anyone laughing isn't laughing with them. The characters take themselves too seriously throughout the entire movie which ultimately stopped me from enjoying the film. A joke movie has to be having fun with itself or it is just awkward. I can't believe how idiotic things were, but enough generalization, on to the specifics.