Looper review

Out of all the modern sci-fi films, this is one of my new favorites. This is the new film Looper, which is being called "this generation's Matrix". Director Rian Johnson (director of the cult thriller Brick, and the underrated Brothers Bloom) takes the sci-fi genre to the next level, and brings the time travel film to new standards.

Looper:
In the year 2072, if the mob bosses want someone dead, they send them back to the year 2044, where a "looper" shoots them dead, and collects a gold prize from their pockets. Why do this? Forensics in 2072 are so advanced, no one can murder and not get caught, so the bodies are disposed of 30 years before they are killed, a clever plan. Why call them "loopers"? Well, at one point, they "close their contract". You see, the mob wants to close loose ends, they send a looper's future self back in time, and the looper kills them, and they can enjoy the next 30 years of their life. Joe, an average looper and drug addict, is chased down by his own employeers when his future self escapes execution. Joe attempts to chase down his future self, and stumbles upon a woman named Sarah, and her son Cid, who has strange powers. Meanwhile, Old Joe has his own dark objectives, to change his past by distorting the future. Joseph Gordon-Levitt, at first, appears to be a self-centered, cold-hearted prick. He is changed by Sarah, and begins to want to protect her and her son. Bruce Willis plays Old Joe as a sympathetic, tragic character, you want him to succeed, even if his goals are questionable and methods horrifying. Emily Blunt plays Sarah as a loving mother who will do anything to protect her son. Jeff Daniels plays Abe, a man from the future sent to the present to keep tabs on the loopers. Pierce Gagnon plays Cid, a weird young kid who has violent mood swings, but plays the role straight, and is very convincing. Paul Dano plays Seth, Joe's best friend who fucks up on one of his looper assignments, and must pay the price. Noah Segan plays Kid Blue, an idiotic, but eager looper who always fucks up, but just wants to please his superiors. There are few action scenes, but when they occur, they're thrilling and startling. The writing and plot get so complex, it's a little hard to follow, but if you pay attention, you'll get it. Looper is a smart, complex, edgy sci-fi thriller which asks some very serious questions about time travel, and other serious questions about morality. 4.5/5 stars.

 (Images: Google)

Dredd- The Non-Dreadful Comic Book Movie

Based on the popular British comics 2000 AD and Judge Dredd, this new comic book adaptation is like Dark Knight to Batman and Robin. 1995's Sylvester Stallone vehicle Judge Dredd, tried to humanize Dredd, and was Hollywood-ized. This version gets the character of the comics right. He's a bad-ass, strict, buy-the-books, asshole cop who doesn't give a shit about who you are, he just kills you. Dredd is a "Judge", the law enforcement of the future. After a nuclear holocaust, all Americans are sectored off in Mega-City 1, surrounded by a desert, this huge dystopian society stretches from Boston to Washington, DC. The crime rate is so large, the Judges can only take on 6% of it. The Judges take on the duty of judge, jury, and executioner. They are mean, fascist individuals, but that is needed in a society where drug dealers and sadistic murderers rule the night. Let's get to it.

Dredd 3D:
The plot of this film is very similar to Die Hard, and especially the action film The Raid. But, this film and The Raid were in production at the same time, so it's not a rip-off. Dredd and new recruit Anderson must stop a brutal crime syndicate inside a Mega-Block (a 300-story apartment complex) called Peach Trees. The crime syndicate deals SLO-MO, a drug that affects the mind's interpretation of speed. The gang is led by the unstable Ma-Ma, an ex-prostitute who "feminized" her abusive pimp, and took over his empire. Dredd and Anderson are locked down inside the Mega-Block alone, and a hit is put on them by Ma-Ma, who has control over many of the residents, so Dredd and Anderson must fight their way out. The film was produced on a low budget, so we see little of Mega-City 1, and was made outside of Hollywood, so it breaks many typical conventions. The cast are all fantastic. Karl Urban (Chronicles of Riddick, Star Trek, Lord of the Rings, Red, Bourne Supremacy) plays Dredd as a mean, cold-hearted, facist, balls-to-the-walls cop who doesn't take shit from anybody. He never removes his helmet (like in the comics), and never shows remorse for his killings, as they are in the name of the future's laws. He aces the role, and helps it rise above the typical action hero role. Olivia Thirlby plays Cassandra Anderson, a psychic who is less cold-hearted than Dredd, and almost starts a "good cop-bad cop" routine. Lena Heady (Game of Thrones) plays Ma-Ma, the brutal, unstable, psychotic leader of the Ma-Ma Clan of Peach Trees, and the head distributor of SLO-MO. The action in the film is spectacular. The filmmakers use the 3D effects an slow-motion scenes to emphasize the violence and carnage on-screen. (And take note: the film is extremely gruesome and violent.) The special effects are pretty good for such a low-budget film. I thought that after Dark Knight Rises that no other dark superhero film would meet it's standards. Dredd almost does that. The producers have stated if the film grosses enough money, they will make a bigger-budget sequel. I'm happy with that because, to be honest, I want more Judge Dredd. 4/5 stars.

(Editorial note, January 12 2013: Unfortunately, the producers said that the film had to have made a decent amount of money at the US box office in order for them to make a sequel. The unfortunate part is, for reasons I can't understand why, the filmed bombed at the US box office, despite the popularity of the comics and the critical praise. That means, unless DVD and Blu-ray sales change their minds, the producers will not make a sequel, meaning no more of the cool world we were hinted at. This film is great on it's own, but I am saddened to hear the news. I don't understand why it wasn't a hit: it was a dark comic book movie with some brains and brawn, it had gruesomely violent and fun action scenes, some pretty good special effects, and great acting, and it garnered praise from critics and audiences. People just don't know what's good for them. Busy preordering their Twilight tickets I suppose. Dumbasses.)

New reviews

Up soon will be the reviews of Dredd, The Master, Looper, and End of Watch will be up soon for sure. Frankenweenie, Nightmare Before Christmas, and Sinister will be up in the next few weeks. By the way, I will do a Halloween segment and a Christmas segment. (Read "Four new segments" for more news on new additions to review library.)

Four new segments

There are four new segments on their way. First, "Reel Time", a flashback to movies from the past, and films I've had second thoughts on. Next, "The News Segment", with movie, comics, video games, books, and music news. Third, "Games Center", with video game and comic book reviews. And finally, "Curl-Up-With-A-Good-Book", a book review and graphic novel segment. Don't forget to look at my other blog: mattmonstermovies.blogspot.com, which is where all my reviews of monster movies, games, comics, books, and shows are. The Walking Dead review will be up on that blog soon. See you later!

(Editorial note, February 2, 2013: I've also had thoughts about doing a music-themed section with different music and even film scores.)

Premium Rush

Let's take a look at the brand-new action-thriller Premium Rush, well, the semi-action movie...

Premium Rush:
Wiley ("The Coyote Man") is a New York bicyclist delivery man who works for a delivery company that operates, well, on bikes. One day, he picks up a package from a young Chinese woman who is also his girlfriend's roommate. The package is of interest to corrupt NY cop Bobby Monday, who owes money to some Chinese gangsters. It becomes a race against time to get this mystery package to the right location, or something very bad will happen to the Chinese customer's child. Joseph Gordon-Levitt plays Wiley, a likeable, playful guy who gets mixed up with the wrong people. Michael Shannon plays Monday. Shannon plays the role so over-the-top and comical, that his scenes come off as if they were purpousely bad. Danua Ramirez plays Vanessa, a female bicyclist who juggles two guys: Wiley and Manny. Wole Parks plays Manny, an egotistical, speed-obsessed, dumb asshole who you just want to see run over with a truck. Model and part-time actress Jamie Chung plays Nima, the Chinese customer who's package is the source of the trouble, and the roommate of Vanessa. The action is pretty good, with cool stunts and bike chases, but the ending villain confrontation is a total let-down, and there's not many actual thrills, because most of the film is played for laughs. The comedy is pretty good, and the film works better as an action-comedy than a serious thriller. There are funny scenes in the vein of Scott Pilgrim, where Wiley envisions possible outcomes for certain situations, and cool transitions from one location to the next. Overall, the slick editing, fast pace, comedic tone, and somewhat cool chase scenes make Premium Rush an okay film, but still kind of a let down. 2.5/5 stars.
 (Editorial Note, January 12 2013: I have had second thoughts on this film, I believe it is an effective comedy-thriller film with some cool bike chases and some interesting acting. I also love Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Michael Shannon, hilarious in this movie. Michael Shannon also plays a crooked cop on HBO's hit Boardwalk Empire, but there he plays a demented and threatening character, here he plays a hilariously over-the-top idiot. I think it's still a bit of a badly marketed film but still a pretty good  one.)

Indiana Jones Movies

Now it is time to look at one of the greatest trilogies of all time, the greatest modern adventure films, one of the greatest movie series of all time, and the best action trilogy of the 80's. The Indiana Jones films. Created by George Lucas and Steven Spielberg as a throw-back to the adventure serials of the 1940's and 50's, the films got so popular, the films got a ride at Disneyland, a show at Disney World, and has one of the biggest fan followings ever. But why are they so popular? Let's look at the films to see why... (*SPOILERS*)

Raiders of the Lost Ark:
This first film didn't even have Indy's name in the title. Jones and his campanion, Marion, travel the middle East in search of the Ark of the Covenant, while being hunted by Nazi spies and soldiers, and Indy's rival, French archeologist Belloq. Harrison Ford is the ultimate action hero as Indiana Jones, a college professor who adventures as an archeologist as a side-job. (Tom Selleck turned down the role due to scheduling conflicts with Magnum PI) Karen Allen plays Indy's ally and love interest, Marion Ravenwood, who is getting captured a lot, but also is a strong woman. John Rhys-Davies plays Sallah, Indy's ally in Cairo, who is hired by the Nazis to dig up the Ark, which the reluctantly agrees to. He helps Indy find the Ark's location. (Danny DeVito was originally cast in the role.) Paul Freeman plays Rene Belloq, a French archeologist who is Indy's nemesis, always stealing Indy's finds away from him. (Including stealing the idol in the famous opening scene.) Ronald Lacey plays Arnold Toht, a creepy, toad-looking Gestapo agent sent to interrogate Marion and assists in the Ark excavation. He was cast because Spielberg thought he looked like Peter Lorre (info from Wikipedia). Klaus Kinski turned down the role due to it's "shittiness" and Roman Polanski turned it down due to scheduling conflicts. Wolf Kahler plays Dietrich, a German colonel who is working with Belloq in Cairo. Denholm Elliot plays Indy's friend Marcus Brody, a musuem curator. Alfred Molina, in his debut role, makes a cameo in the opening scene as Saptio, a treacherous former ally of Indy's. The action and special effects are amazing, especially for 1981. All the stunts are top-notch. From the iconic opening scene with the booby traps, to the scene in the bar in Nepal, to the Cairo chase, the fight with the Nazi weight-lifter, to the chase in the truck, to the rescue of Marion, to the final encounter with the Ark, the film is full of iconic and amazing moments. The special effects are bloody and spectacular, especially when the Nazis faces are melted by the Ark. The comedy is well-done, too. Raiders of the Lost Ark is a classic action-adventure piece, it's fun for the whole family, but doesn't stoop low or go to a Michael Bay level of cheap. 5/5 stars.

Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom:
This is my second-least favorite Indy film. Indiana Jones, after a run-in with Chinese gangster Lao Che at the Club Obi-Wan, Indy escapes aboard a plane with singer Willie Scott, and his Chinese kid-sidekick Short Round to India. There they stay at a village, who tell them their children are being stolen by the Pankot Palace. The trio travel there, finding a Thuggee cult who sacrafice people to the god Kali. They attempt to stop the evil Thuggee leader Mola Ram, who has enslaved the children, having them mine for ancient stones with a mystic power. Harrison Ford returns as Indiana Jones, being as bad-ass as ever. Kate Capshaw (Spielberg's wife) plays Scott, an annoying, whiny character who nobody liked. Jonathan Ke Quan plays Short Round, the annoying little kid character who is loved by some, hated by others. Me, I don't love or hate him, I'm just in the middle. Amrish Puru plays Mola Ram, the utterly insane Thuggee leader, who rips peoples hearts out of their chests, and nearly turns Indy to the "dark side". Roy Chio plays Lao Che in the opening, Indy's treacherous Chinese nemesis. Steven Spileberg, Kathleen Kennedy, George Lucas, Dan Aykroyd, and Frank Marshall all have very small cameos at the Chinese airport. The action scenes aren't as awesome as the original, and there aren't nearly as many, but they're good. The fight with mine guard (Pat Roach), and the mine cart chase are great, as is the finale on the rickety old bridge. The comedy is terrible slapstick routines, mostly focusing around Willie's hate of gross things. This Indy film managed to offend both Chinese and Indians. This is more of a "day in the life" Indy film, as they only visit Asia, whereas in Raiders Indy travelled all over the place. This film also, along with Gremlins, caused the development of the PG-13 rating. With good acting, good action, and satisfactory special effects, Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom proves to be a worthwhile adventure film, with a few faults. 4/5 stars.

Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade:
After the mixed reaction to the unevenly toned and somewhat dark Temple of Doom, Spielberg and Lucas decided to have a film more in line with Raiders. The film follows Indy, as we learn his origin in adventuring in the opening scene. Indy then recieves a journal from his father. Marcus Brody and Indy investigate, finding that his father was on a quest for the Holy Grail, and was taken by the Nazis. Indy teams with collector Walter Donovan and Dr. Elsa Schnieder to find the Grail and rescue Indy's dad. He is betrayed by the duo, finding they are working with the Nazis to find the Grail for Hitler. Indy and his dad recruit old allies, and begin a race to find the Grail before the Nazis do. Harrison Ford is great as Indy Jones, who's real name is revealed: Henry Jones, Jr. Sean Connery is great as Jones Senior, who is funny and quirky, and is shocked by his son's often-violent lifestyle. It is funny that Connery plays Indy's father, as James Bond was the inspiration for some scenes in these films. He's Indy's dad in both senses. John-Rhys Daies and Denholm Elliot return as the comedic relief of Sallah and Marcus Brody, much better than Short Round and Willie. Allison Dooly plays the femme fatale love interest Schnieder, who slept with both Joneses. Julian Glover plays the treacherous businessman Walter Donovan, betraying his own country for the Grail's power. River Phoneix plays Indy at age 13 in the opening scene. Michael Byren plays SS officer Ernst Vogel, who meets his demise in the climactic tank chase. Kevork Malikyan appears as Kazim, the leader of the Grail guardians. Robert Eddison plays the Grail Knight at the climax. Michael Sheard has a cameo as Adolf Hitler. The action and special effects are incredible, from the opening chase on the circus train, the scene in Venice, the escape from the castle, and the tank chase being awesome sequences. The special effects when Donovan gets his life sucked out by the Grail are outstanding. Stop-motion at it's best. With it's excellelent acting, outstanding effects, great action and characters, and great ending, Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade is a great end to a great trilogy. 5/5 stars.

I will not give my thoughts on Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, go to Redlettermedia.com for an in-depth review of that film, I just give it 2.5/5 stars.

The Expendables movies

Let's take a look at some movies that tribute the 80's action blockbusters... (*SPOILERS AHEAD*)

The Expendables:
A group of bad-ass mercenaries are sent to take down a Latin-American warlord, only to discover he is the puppet of a corrupt CIA agent. The acting is satisfactory, and the characters are great. Sylvester Stallone (who served as director on this film) plays Barney Ross, the leader of the "Expendable" mercenaries. Jason Statham plays Lee Christmas, Barney's right-hand man and apprentice. Jet Li plays Yin Yang, a martial-arts master who has a rivalry with Gunnar Jensen. Dolph Lundgren plays Gunnar, who is a brutish, somewhat psychotic mercenary, who picks on Yin Yang. Terry Crews plays Hale Ceasar, a giant-size black mercenarie with incredibly big muscles and weapons. Randy Couture plays Toll Road, a wrestling mercenarie, who dukes it out with Steve Austin. Mickey Rourke is Tool, a minor biker character who Barney consults for advice. "Stone Cold" Steve Austin plays Dan Paine, a huge, brutal enforcer for the villains. Eric Roberts (Sal Maroni from The Dark Knight) plays James Munroe, the malevolent and sinister CIA agent. Bruce Willis and Arnold Schwarzenegger appear in cameos (uncredited) as Mr. Church and Trench, even though the two are credited in many ads and posters. As you see, almost all the main cast are action stars, new and old. The action scenes are well done, although with some obviously digital blood. From the opening scene, to the car chases, to the fight between Lundgren and Li, to the final fights between Couture and Austin, and the showdown between Roberts and Stallone. The humor is okay, and the music is good too. I was disappointed that Schwarzenegger, Willis, and Rourke were not more involved, but The Expendables is a satisfactory action film, with good acting and humor so pick it up some time. 3/5 stars. (The film also had a mor elimited budget than the usual action fodder.)

The Expendables 2:
The mercenaries are back, with two new members. They are now facing a bigger threat. A rival mercenary group, led by the pure evil Jean Vilain (Vee-lan), who threatens the world with nuclear war. The acting is, again, satisfactory. Rourke, Austin, and Roberts do not return. (Due to the fact that Austin and Roberts were killed at the climax of the last film.) Stallone and Statham return as the heroic duo of Barney Ross and Lee Christmas. Jet Li barely appears in the film, the opening makes it seem like they're going to showcase his fighting more, but he just quits the team right after. Liam Hemsworth (Chris Hemsworth's little brother) plays Billy the Kid, a new addition to the team, who's pretty cool, until they kill him off like 20 minutes in. That scuked. he is replaced off the bat by Yu Nan as Maggie Chan, a omputer hacker and fighting expert. She's okay. Terry Crews, Dolph Lundgren, and Randy Couture reprise their roles, with Lundgren having a thing for Chan. Chuck Norris plays  Booker, in a borderline cameo role. He almost had the film rates PG-13. There's a cheesy scene where they even tell a Chuck Norris joke. Arnold Schwarzenegger and Bruce Willis expand their cameos into minor roles, but they get some bad-ass lines (where they steal each others lines, and recite their famous quotes) and bad-ass scenes. Jean Claude-Van Damme plays Vilain, who kills Billy, and becomes Stallone's nemesis. Scott Adkins plays Hector, Vilain's Russian right-hand man, who is a brutal knives master, who becomes Statham's rival. The action scenes are good, but since the film was re-rated R at the last minute, much of the gore is obviously CG. But, the opening scene, the rading of the munderground mines, the scene in the abandoned Russian base, the shoot-out at the airport, and the final fight between Stallone and Van Damme are all bad-ass. The music is good, and the humor is okay. The Expendables 2 is a good action film, that tops the first, and delivers some good thrills. 3.5/5 stars. (Still a lower budgeted film.)

The Possession

To see my review of The Possession, check out my other blog at: mattmonstermovies.com

More tragic celebrity deaths.

Michael Clarke Duncan (Oscar-nominated acotr who starred in The Green Mile, Kung-Fu Panda, Daredevil, and Armageddon) and Mark Abrahamian (guitarist of rock band Starship) both died, Duncan at 54, Mark at 46, while being treated for severe heart attacks. What's with the celebrity deaths lately? Farrah Fawcett, Michael Jackson, Billie Mays, David Carradine, Whitney Houston, Leslie Nielson, Dennis Hopper, Heath Ledger, John Hughes, the victims of the Batman shooting, Tony Scott, and now these two. Also, the great Neil Armstrong is dead at 82. Tragic.