Olympus Has Fallen: The new action film from the director of Training Day

Today, I look at Antoine Fuqua's latest action-thriller. (Minor SPOILERS Ahead)

Olympus Has Fallen:
Mike Banning is an ex-Secret Service agent who know works in the US Treasury Department. He was disgraced when he chose to save the President over the First Lady in a car crash on Christmas Eve. When he finds himself in the White House during a terrorist attack by North Korea, he decides to save the President, the White House, and the country. The film was surprisingly really entertaining. Despite some scenes going way overboard with the ego-stroking of America, the film reminded me of great 90's action films like The Rock, Speed, Bad Boys, Con Air, and Face/Off. It's a brainless, violent, and bad-ass action movie that keeps everything pretty simple. The film has an almost all-star cast. Gerard Butler plays Banning. Even though sometimes he's hard to relate to because of just how brutal he is in combat, he's pretty likeable, and is the typical American action hero. Morgan Freeman plays Speaker Allan Trumbull, who is the acting president during the attack. What can I say? It's Morgan fucking Freeman. Aaron Eckhart (Thank You for Smoking, The Dark Knight) plays President Asher. He's a good leader, father, and is a pretty cool guy. Unfortunately, he plays damsel in distress for most of the movie. Dylan McDermott (The Campaign, American Horror Story, Perks of Being a Wallflower) plays Dave Forbes, an ex-Secret Service agent who goes rogue. He later redeems himself. McDermott fits the role well, and I feel like he is a very underrated actor, who needs to get more work. Angela Bassett and Melissa Leo plays the head of Secret Service and the Secretary of Defense, respectively. Radha Mitchell plays Mike's supportive wife. Cole Hauser plays a Secret Service agent named Roma. Ashley Judd plays First Lady Asher in the opening sequence. Rick Yune (The Fast and the Furious, Die Another Day, The Man With the Iron Fists) plays Kang Yeonsak, the main villain. He's cold, calculating, ruthless, and, surprisingly, is a physical threat for Banning. The music in the film is the typical action movie music, nothing special. The action sequences, including the White House raid and ending fight scene, are fantastic, and really exhilarating. Director Antoine Fuqua (Training Day, Tears of the Sun, Shooter, Brooklyn's Finest) really knows how to make a thrilling action sequence. Although Olympus Has Fallen has some chees moments and a plot that really makes you suspend your disbelief, it's action sequences and surprisingly decent acting make it an enjoyable romp that asks you to leave your logical brain at the door. 3/5 stars.

 (Image: Wikipedia)

The Oz "Trilogy"

Today, I look at one of the most beloved movies of all time, it's forgotten "sequel", and it's blockbuster prequel. (Possible SPOILERS ahead.)

The Wizard of Oz:
Dorothy is a farm girl in Kansas, she is swept up one boring day in a twister after dreaming of something better. She then is caught up in the world of Oz, a magical dream world. She meets a living scarecrow, a tin man, and a cowardly lion, and they go on a quest to get their wishes granted by the great and powerful Wizard of Oz, and to destroy the sinister Wicked Witch of the West. The plot is very simple, but that's one of the reasons the film works. Even though the special effects are dated, and some of the acting skills of the cast are questionable, the film appeals to all ages. The simplicity of the story, characters, and special effects adds a layer of charm to it. This, like many other children's classics in my opinion, must be viewed at a young age and then viewed again with a mature eye to truly be appreciated. The film also gives kids and even adults a simple message: No matter where you go or end up, there's no place like home. The film also delivers some of the most terrifying character in a children's film. Sure, The Wicked Witch and the Flying Monkeys don't seem that scary now, but don't lie, those god-damn monkeys and that witch were creepy when you were a toddler. They even got The Wizard of Oz put on Bravo's 100 Scariest Movie Moments countdown in 2003. Judy Garland, Frank Morgan, Bert Lahr, Roy Bolger, Jack Haley, Billie Burke, and Margaret Hamilton all give fantastic performances, especially for the late 30's. Now, these stars were pretty big in their day, I mean, they weren't all A-listers, but this would be the equivalent of Natalie Portman, Ben Kingsley, Edward Norton, Jim Carrey, James Franco, Ewan McGregor, Whoopi Goldberg, Kerry Washington, Patrick Wilson, Liam Neeson, Amanda Seyfried, Robert Downey Jr, Ben Affleck, Sam Rockwell, Don Cheadle, Sigourney Weaver, Ethan Hawke, and Blake Lively getting together for a fantasy-adventure-musical. Again, not all are A-listers, not all are even B-listers, but they are all well-known and pretty damn good actors and actresses. The music and songs are classic. Now, I'm not a big musical guy, yeah, I enjoy a good one, but I don't seek out every last one. But these songs, especially "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" are ingrained in popular culture for a reason. The songs also have the huge sets that usually go with big musical numbers. These sets, hell, the entire setting of the film, are fantastic, and are full of color. A memorable thing in the film is the fact that everyone Dorothy meets in her travels represent someone she knows from Kansas. Another memorable thing about the film is that it begins with a grainy, black and white format, and when Dorothy gets to Oz, the film pops with color. The Wizard of Oz is a fantastic film, and must be seen by every person, regardless of genre preference. 5/5 stars.





Return to Oz:
A lot of people either don't remember this one or have never even heard of it. That's because it was so strange, surreal, and creepy, that Disney (yes, they got the Oz film rights from Warner Bros.) buried it, only giving it a small VHS and DVD release, no anniversary releases or Blu-ray. (By the way: Don't worry, Warner Bros. still has all rights to the original film.) The film follows Dorothy, who has told everyone about her magical and wonderful journey to Oz. She is now being given intense electroshock treatment at the local Kansas mental institution. Suddenly, she is whisked away backed to Oz with her pet chicken (yeah, no more Toto) who can now talk. She sees that the Emerald City is in ruins, her friends are turned to stone, and there are freaky-ass weirdos running around called The Wheelers. They brought nightmares to many children of the 80's and 90's. There's a weird bitch called Mombi who wears different heads every day. But, I do respect the film for trying to introduce kids to other fragments of Oz. Although I don't think the Wheelers where in the Oz books, I know the supporting heroes Jack Pumpkinhead and Tik Tok were. The film has a cult following now. The Academy Awards even gave it a nomination for Best Visual Effects. The special effects are pretty good, but they don't raise the film higher. The film has no great actors (the biggest ones here are Deep Roy and Piper Laurie, who play minor characters), it's barely a sequel to the original, has no great songs, and is pretty damn dark, in fact, too dark for kids. The characters barely even resemble their counterparts from the previous film. There's some very strange elements in the film, such as the new addition of lunch-pail trees and "The Deadly Desert" (a desert that devours people), and "The Gump", a moose head tied to a flying couch. The film is good, but I think that it's too dark, too intense, and a little too surreal. The whole film is in color, and the colors are very dull. Nothing pops like in the original, and I would like for it to have the opening scenes in Kansas to be in black and white like in the original. Return to Oz has some major issues, but if you really want to, check it out. 2.5/5 stars.




Oz, The Great and Powerful:
Oscar Diggs (nicknamed Oz by his peers) is a county fair magician who wants something more from life. One day he is whisked away by a freak tornado, and winds up in the magical land of Oz. He finds out that there was a prophecy foretelling his arrival, and he is thrilled to hear that the prophecy also states he will rule the land will countless riches in his possession. But, only if he defeats the mysterious witch who torments the land and saves the magical land. At first only doing it for the riches, he eventually makes friends with a talking winged monkey, a little girl made of china, and Glinda, the Good Witch. These events propel Oscar on the road to becoming the "Great and Powerful Wizard of Oz." This film is surprisingly really good. Like with Dorothy, most of the people Oscar meets in Oz represent someone he knew in the real world. (One thing that separates this film from the other films, it's unknown if Oz is a real place or not, while in the original, it's definitely a dream world.) James Franco is fantastic as Oscar, he's charismatic, intelligent, funny, and likeable. Zack Braff (Scrubs) plays his assistant in the Kansas county fair, and voices his monkey counterpart Finley in the world of Oz. Mila Kunis, Rachel Weisz, and Michelle Williams plays the three witch sisters, all beautiful, but one holds a dark secret. They all give good performances. Joey King voices the China Girl, a little girl who joins Oscar and Finley in their quest to kill the witch, and who grows to almost see Oscar as a father figure. Bill Cobbs plays the Master Tinker, and Tony Cox plays Knuck, a Munchkin who works at the Emerald City palace. Bruce Campbell gives his usual Sam Raimi cameo as a Winkie guard. The direction by Sam Raimi (Spider-Man, Evil Dead, The Gift, Drag Me to Hell) is fantastic. I was pleasantly surprised. He makes many allusions to the books and the original film: from the black and white opening, to the scarecrow, to the cowardly lion. (Look on Wikipedia, the number of allusion is quite fascinating.) He also brings some dark moments to the film, from the revamped and even more terrifying Flying Monkeys (now rabid baboon creatures), to the opening scene in the China Town. The opening credits are pretty inventive, too. The camerawork is great (Raimi always uses unique camera angles in all his films, even in his early horror films) as always and the special effects are amazing. The music by Danny Elfman fits the film perfectly. No wonder this is the #1 movie in the world right now, it's a great movie. Anyone who has fond memories of the original should see this movie as soon as possible. Oz, The Great and Powerful is really something great, and should be enjoyed by anyone who enjoyed the original film, and everyone in general. It appeals to all ages, everything is nearly perfect. Completely lives up to the hype. (Except the Wicked Witch's cackle, that sounded just awful.) 5/5 stars.



(Images: Wikipedia)

Happy Birthday Mr. Tarantino!

After celebrating his 20th anniversary of making movies in late 2012, Quentin Tarantino is celebrating his 50th birthday today. Happy Birthday, Mr. Tarantino! Continue making great movies for another 20 years, and living on for another 50!


 (Images: Google Images)

Dead Man Down: The latest thriller from the director of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

Today, I look at Niels Arden Oplev's latest film, the neo-noir crime thriller Dead Man Down. (Possible Spoilers ahead, don;t worry, nothing that will ruin the whole movie.)

Dead Man Down:
Victor is a thug and hitman for gangster Alphonse, and begins to develop a relationship with Beatrice, a woman who lives across from him in his apartment complex, who's face was reconstructed after a brutal car crash left her horribly scarred. Victor is blackmailed by Beatrice after Beatrice witnesses and films him brutally murdering another man. She tells him to take out the drunk driver responsible for her disfiguring. Meanwhile, Victor has his own dark objectives, which focus on revenge on Alphonse for something he did in the past. This film had one amazing trailer, showing off it's brutal action scenes and great actors with a soundtrack provided by Kendra Morris, with her cover of Pink Floyd's "Shine On You Crazy Diamond". But when it began getting mixed reception, I was hesitant about it. But I'm glad I had the chance to see it. Although many people have said that the pacing is slow and some story details dull, I found it very interesting. Sure, it's not as action packed as the trailer makes it out to be, (many of the action scenes in the trailer are from the ending gun fight) but the story and characters (especially the main two characters) are enough to keep your interest for almost two hours. In fact, Colin Farrell gives one of his strongest performances in years as Victor. His struggle and personal issues are captivating, and he proves quite the bad-ass hero in the end. Noomi Rapace (the star of Oplev's The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo) is fantastic as Beatrice, the beautiful but extremely troubled heroine of the story who's goals are questionable, but as Oplev peels back the layers of her character, we grow to like her, as Victor does, and understand why she wishes for Victor to kill the drunk driver. Dominic Cooper (The Devil's Double, Captain America, Mamma Mia, The Duchess, Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter) gives a memorable performance as Darcy, Victor's younger friend and fellow thug, who has a wife and newborn baby to take care of. He's loyal to Alphonse, but also has a close friendship with Victor, trusting him with things he wouldn't dare tell other thugs. Terence Howard gives a great performance as the detestable villain Alphonse Hoyt, a powerful mobster who is the employer of Victor and Darcy. He is involved in drugs, extortion, and murder. Terence Howard doesn't often play the bad guy, so it was a nice change, and he does a great job at it. Isabelle Huppert plays Maman Louzon, Beatrice's kind and caring mother who lives with her in their apartment. Luis Da Silva (21 Jump Street, Burn Notice, Fast Five) and wrestler Wade Barrett play Terry and Kilroy, the two right hand men on Alphonse, who are heartless killers. Franky G (Saw II, Wonderland, The Italian Job) plays Luco, one of Alphonse's henchmen. James Biberi plays Ilir, an Albanian crime kingpin who is involved in Victor's plans for revenge on Alphonse. Niels Arden Oplev directs this thrilling crime film, the first film he's directed since 2009's Dragon Tattoo. He not only brings back actress Noomi Rapace from that film, but also composer Jacob Groth. The action sequences are brutal, well-executed, and entertaining. The highlights are the small scuffle at a drug den run by Jamaican gangsters, the chase scene/fight downtown in the first act, and the final, huge, spectacular gun battle in Alphonse's mansion. The music in the film is pretty good, it matches the tone of the film, similar to the soundtrack to the film Drive. This is a great crime movie, but it was not a box office success on it's opening weekend, mainly because it was competing with Oz The Great and Powerful. Another interesting fact, because Wade Barrett is in the film, it's a WWE Films production, something I was shocked by in the theatre. I was under the impression I was in the wrong movie. Barrett isn't even the main actor, he's a supporting character. This movie is a hell of a lot better than any other WWE film. Although there are a few flaws, such as little patches of slow pacing here and there, Dead Man Down is an entertaining and thrilling crime film with great characters, and interesting story, and a clever twist. Not bad for Oplev's first English film. 4/5 stars.

  (Image: Wikipedia)

The Last Exorcism films

Go to mattmonstermovies.blogspot.com for the reviews of The Last Exorcism films.

Silver Linings Playbook

Today, I look at David O. Russell's newish film, Silver Linings Playbook.

Silver Linings Playbook:
Bipolar Pat has just been released from a psych ward after beating a man nearly to death for sleeping with his wife. He decides to take his negative energy and shove it out, and find his "silver lining". During his morning jogs, he meets Tiffany, a troubled young woman he got fired for sleeping around he office after being depressed that her husband died. Together, they form a bond when Pat tries to help her get in a dance competition. At the same time, he reconnects with his parents, friends, his brother, and truly grows as a person. This is a truly great film. It's sweet, funny, quirky, and a little bit sad. The acting from the main cast is fantastic. Jennifer Lawrence, Bradley Cooper, Robert De Niro, Jacki Weaver, and Chris Tucker are great, and the supporting cast are great as well. This truly shows that a romantic comedy does not have to be directed towards an only female demographic. Guys out there, this is a great movie, it's not Dear John and The Notebook, or any of that Nicholas Sparks bullshit. If romance isn't your thing, than you can enjoy the drama and quirky humor. The writing and direction are perfect, this is truly Oscar-worthy. Silver Linings Playbook can be enjoyed by everyone. It's a true masterpiece, and one of the best of 2012. (It came out in November, but was recently rereleased.) 5/5 stars.

 (Image: Wikipedia)

Die Hard series, part I: A Good Day to Die Hard.

Today, I look at, oh fuck it, let's get this over with.

A Good Day to Die Hard:
FUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUCCCCCCCKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Fuck. God, this fucking movie. It makes me want to cry, so I'll make this short. The action is unrealistic, the movie feels like it's 20 minutes long, the John McClane character is ruined, the characters are annyoing, there's no memorable villains, and the whole fucking ending makes no fucking sense. FFFFFFFFFUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUCCCCCCKKKKKKKKK!!!!!!!!! 0/5 stars.

(And they're making another one, this makes Live Free or Die Hard look like Die Hard with a Vengeance.)

Check out Jeremy Jahns and spill.com's reviews (spill's audio review in fact) and Chris Stuckman's Youtube video on "Everything Wrong With Die Hard 5"

(By the way, there was a strip scene that the trailer showed, with publicity photos to boot, that was never shown in the film. Why?)




(Images: Huffington Post, Tumblr, containsmoderateperil.com)

Identity Thief: quick review

This is going to be a quick review, no plot sypnosis, go to IMDb for that. Only the basics. (I recommend you go watch Schmoesknow, Jeremy Jahns, and Chris Stuckman on Youtube for their reviews, as well as spill.com)

Identity Thief:
Jason Bateman and Melissa McCarthy make a good comedic duo, and their are some very funny moments in this film, particularly at a diner, but this film, with all it's star power, really didn't deliver as many laughs as I was expecting from the director of Horrible Bosses. Also, making an ID thief a likeable person was just barely pulled off in this film, barely.  2.5/5 stars.



(Image: Wikipedia)

Steven Soderbergh's last film, will it be one to remember? (100th post)

Today (after a long hiatus), I will review director Steven Soderbergh's final film, the neo-noir crime thriller Side Effects (previously titled The Bitter Pill).

Side Effects:
Emily Taylor's husband Martin is released after years in prison for insider trading. She attempts suicide in a car, and is assigned a psychiatrist, Dr. Jonathan Banks. After she kills her husband in a trance, she blames it on her new pills known as Ablixa. After she pleads insanity, she is put in the mental ward for a little while. When she gets out, however, Banks notices some strange things about her case, and ignoring protests from his wife and friends, he pursues the case further, and finds out that possibly Emily was lying about Ablixa's "side effects", and she may be a stone cold killer. Although the film isn't too complex, you do have to pay attention to it, no bathroom breaks here. In my opinion, although the film is a pretty interesting and well-made psychological thriller, I just don't think it's a very interesting closing piece for Soderbergh. In fact, two Soderbergh's recent films, Contagion and Magic Mike, somewhat suffered from the same syndrome, interesting films that were badly advertised (Contagion was more of a drama-thriller than a horror film, and Magic Mike was more of a dark dramady than a chick flick) and also weren't worthy of being the last film Soderbergh directed. His first films seem like the big films you'd expect as a final project (Traffic, Ocean's Eleven, Erin Brokovich). Other than that, Side Effects is a very effective thriller, but one you might need a longer attention span for. Although it's only about an hour and forty minutes, it feels longer due to the slow pace, which works for the film, but someone expecting a fast-paced thriller may want to look somewhere else, maybe at Soderbergh's own films such as Ocean's Thirteen or Haywire. The acting in the film isn't anything too remarkable, but the performances from the two leads: Jude Law and Rooney Mara (in a role initially given to Blake Lively) are fantastic. Rooney almost plays with your emotions, at first you really connect with her, and feel her pain. But as the film progresses, and you begin to suspect her of more, you distance yourself from her, seeing the possibility of a true monster underneath. Jude Law, however, starts out as a typical doctor character, but slowly progresses, and we really feel his pain as no one believes his claims that Emily is a fraud and is a killer, and the fact that his family life is falling apart due to work, and work is falling apart due to bad press about the case. Channing Tatum is a good actor (21 Jump Street and Magic Mike sold me on that) but I feel this role could be given to anybody. He's just your average guy. Catherine Zeta-Jones basically plays a stone-cold psyciatrist, who slowly reveals a dark side underneath, again, Zeta-Jones is a fantastic actress, but this role is something you could give to any other actress. An interesting note about the cast is that besides Mara, every other major cast member was featured in a film of Soderbergh's. (Jude Law was in Contagion, Zeta-Jones was in Traffic and Ocean's Twelve, and Tatum was the lead in Magic Mike.) The writing is crafty and clever, and the camerawork is great as well. The slow pans and some of the editing on certain scenes add to the thrill factor. Although Side Effects isn't a great closing film for a director, it's an entertaining and engaging thriller that may constitute a second or third viewing. 3.5/5 stars.

 (Image: Rotten Tomatoes)

New reviews...

I'm going to post more reviews soon, including: Side Effects, Silver Linings Playbook, Identity Thief, Die Hard series (I'm catching up on those), and The Last Exorcism films (on mattmonstermovies.blogspot.com) Also, I might be doing some book, video game, or music related material soon. So check it out.