21 Jump Street:
Based off the old 1980's television crime drama series, starring Johnny Depp, this version obviously takes itself less seriously. This version stars comedian Jonah Hill, and teenage-girl heartthrob Channing Tatum. They star as two new graduates from the police academy, who were enemies in high school, who bond like brothers in the academy, as Tatum teaches Hill how to pass athletic exams, while Hill helps Tatum ace the written tests. They are put on the job of going undercover in a high school to stop a drug dealer from selling the students a strange drug that causes the students to trip out and die. Now, the two become popular at the high school, and become absorbed in the high school life. They must try to put their new lives aside in order to stop the drug smuggling, but can they? I find it distasteful to ruin the best moments in the film for those of you who haven't seen it. All I have to say, is all of the jokes are hilarious, and non-stop. They just throw one joke after the other, many are obvious, some are more subtle. Just when you try to catch your breath from laughing so hard, they hit you with an even funnier joke. Jonah Hill is just as hilarious as ever, and Channing Tatum is also, surprisingly very humorous. The best part is how straight the characters play it,there must have been countless hours of bloopers, because, I can't imagine trying to keep a straight face for most of these jokes. If you haven't seen 21 Jump Street, do it fast. It's one of the funniest comedies since The Hangover, and the funniest I've seen since last year's Horrible Bosses. 5/5 stars.
The Hunger Games:
One of the best films I've seen in a while. Not as good as 1984, and nowhere near as dark, this teen-action-drama still manages to be disturbing and very intriguing. The cast of young actors, including the talented Jennifer Lawrence, do a great job, and some older actors, such as Woody Harrelson, are fantastic. The dirty, Orwellian district life to the flamboyant, Schumacher-esque, strange utopia of the Capitol is a drastic change. All the obstacles faced by the chosen participants, from psychotic enemies, sadistic hunters, genetically altered animals, and rigged traps, are terrifying. The actors have realistic responses to all of the situations. Unfortunately, several actions scenes suffer from the same thing as Batman Begins and Cloverfield, way too much shakey-cam. A little shaking is okay, too make the action intense, but was the camera man having a seizure? Nonetheless, the powerful performances and great writing and direction make The Hunger Games a must-see. 3/5 stars.
Mirror-Mirror:
From Tarsem Singh, director of Immortals and The Cell, comes another visually amazing but very dull and boring movie, that is just about an hour long. Tarsem makes very stylistic movies, with amazing visuals, that have a very synthetic look to them, but that's the style he goes for. In this film the visuals are great, and the dwarves are played by great little-people actors, including Danny Woodburn (Watchmen) and Martin Klebba (Pirates of the Caribbean). The other actors, not so much. I'm sorry, Julia Roberts does not work as a villain, she's just too sweet. The prince and Snow White, are played by, my god, I can't even remember the actors they're so bland, they're more boring and dull than a Disney romance. Now, you may be asking yourself, how in the hell did you get dragged to see this piece of shit? Well, me and my friend Josiah and his brother were going to see John Carter, but my theater posted online it was leaving the theater that Thursday (it was a Wednesday), but they said they pulled it early. We decided, since Josiah hadn't seen 21 Jump Street, that it was worth a second watch. The douche bag who was taking the tickets wouldn't let us in, because Josiah, being 25, me being 15, wasn't my parent. I explained the R-rating doesn't specify parental guidance, but the guy said it's their "company policy" and pussied out, because he could get fired. So, we previewed the flick for Josiah's little brother, to see if it was any good. All we had to say is "I haven't seen a movie that made me laugh that hard in a while." We weren't laughing at the corny jokes either. That's how bad it was, the moment it begun we knew it was stupid. The film doesn't even take itself seriously. Don't even try to see it for the visuals, it's not worth it. It's a beautiful looking apple, that's actually rotten to the core. 1/5 stars.
The Cabin in the Woods:
This is one of my favorite films this year, one of my personal favorite horror films of recent years. Why? Well, geeky fanboys Drew Goddard (director of Cloverfield) and Joss Whedon (director of The Avengers and creator of Dr. Horrible's Sing-A-Long Blog and Buffy the Vampire Slayer) are witty, and don't take the situation too seriously. There are tons of hilarious jokes and homages to other films in this movie. It makes fun of and pays tribute to horror movies, cliches, and characters. My favorite scenes are in the climax, but, the film is paced well, and has some massive amounts of gore. I'm not going to spoil the plot, it's almost impossible to discuss the film without spoiling it, all I can say is: WOW! Chris Helmsworth is better than he was in Thor, and I thought he did great in that! I can't remember the name, but whoever played the stoner, he's hilarious, he looks and sounds just like Shaggy. Sigourney Weaver makes a nice cameo. Whenever you get the chance, if you're a film fan or horror fan, see this film!! 5/5 stars.
The Raven:
Finally, we come to a film I just say two days ago. Edgar Allen Poe must stop a killer basing brutal murders on his own work, with his fiancee's life on the line. John Cusack is surprisingly good as the tortured, drunken Edgar Allen Poe. Without work, Poe is broke, and wants to marry the love of his life, who is also the daughter of a rich man who despises Poe, played by Brendan Gleeson (Mad Eye Moody). The film has a large British cast, despite being set in Baltimore. The traps set up by the killer, similar to Jigsaw, but based off Poe's works, are very cool and intriguing, but upon further though, seem unrealistic and silly. The actors to an adequate job, but still, I could've gone for better casting, especially for Poe. John Cusack pulls off the job. For those expecting an action-packed, gory thriller, this is not the film for you. The action is low, and the deaths, saving for the "Pit and the Pendulum" scene, are not all that gory. Most of the film is solving a mystery, and the traps are nowhere near as cool as the ones in Saw. The film is pretty good, but is directed by James McTeigue, director of V for Vendetta. As with that, the film has low action, but some good dialogue. That film, while straying a little away from the book, still is better than this. 3/5 stars.
In a few weeks, I'll have some videos on The Avengers and Dark Shadows, I'll also be posting reviews of those films and The Pirates! Band of Misfits very soon.
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