Topic: Never Ending Movie Marathon (short reviews)

[samuelrichardscott]

Machine Gun Preacher (2011)

Overview:
Sam Childs is a real-life ex-biker gang member. He decides to turn his life around by heading to East Africa to help repair homes that have been destroyed by civil war. He is affected by the plight of the people, especially the children. Against advice, he begins building an orphanage in militia territory. He also goes on an armed mission to rescue the children who have been kidnapped by the militia - who are being taken and forced to become child soldiers.

My Thoughts:
Machine Gun Preacher is quite a topical film at the moment considering that Joseph Kony is getting heightened media coverage for his atrocities in Uganda/Sudan. It follows the true life story of Sam Childs, a biker gang member who found god, built his own church and then went and built an orphanage in Sudan where he rescues kids from becoming child soldiers of a long civil war. One thing I am happy about here, is that director Marc Foster has shown that Childs has a very nasty streak in him also. His drug problem, his psychotic tendencies, and how he has also killed in rage in Africa are all documented here. Gerard Butler is good as Childs and he is well supported by Michelle Monaghan as his wife. Childs has said that the film has had some Hollywood spin put on (for obvious reasons) but that he thought it was a good representation. Not in the film, but documented in articles, is the fact Childs has also sold weapons in Africa and that (allegedly) not all the money raised appears to be going to the orphanage. Is Childs a good man? In some ways, yes, and I do believe he went with the right intentions, but he has become a bit of a political pawn now and not always for the right reasons. I recommend this film, but only if people take the time to read up and investigate more about Childs and Kony and the child soldiers of Africa. 3.5/5

[samuelrichardscott]

Friends with Benefits (2011)

Overview:
Dylan (Justin Timberlake) is done with relationships. Jamie (Mila Kunis) decides to stop buying into the Hollywood clichés of true love. When the two become friends they decide to try something new and take advantage of their mutual attraction - but without any emotional attachment. Physical pleasure without the entanglements. Sounds easy enough for two logical adults, right? Not so much. They soon realise romantic comedy stereotypes might exist for a reason.

My Thoughts:
Directed by Easy A director Will Gluck, Friends with Benefits is an enjoyable comedy romp (no pun intended) that is superior to the similar No Strings Attached which came out at around the same time. Justin Timberlake is headhunted by Mila Kunis to work in New York just as both are dumped by their respective partners (cameos from Emma Stone and Andy Samberg). They decide to basically, become friends with the sexual benefits of a relationship. Of course, it is pretty obvious how it pans out with them eventually falling in love but the ride there is a good one (again no pun intended). Woody Harrelson is easily the best character here, playing Timberlake's gay colleague, and every line he speaks is absolute comedy gold. The rest of the writing is above average, but not great, the main stay of the film being how Kunis and Timberlake interact. If you enjoyed Gluck's Easy A, you'll probably enjoy this. Recommended. 3.5/5

[samuelrichardscott]

Bird on a Wire (1990)

Overview:
Mel Gibson and Goldie Hawn team up in this non-stop action-comedy directed by John Badham.
Hiding under the FBI witness relocation program, Rick Jarmin (Gibson) gets nervous when old flame Marianne Graves (Hawn) recognizes him. But before he can assume a new identity, the man he put in jail (David Carradine) is released and comes to pay his respects.
Rick and Marianne find themselves thrown together on an exhilarating cross-country scramble, barely evading the gangsters, police and an amorous veterinarian (Joan Severance).
Their whirlwind travels eventually lead to an unforgettable climax in an elaborate zoo exhibit. A rollercoaster of a movie which will keep you on the edge of your seat!

My Thoughts:
This is one of those cheesy action-comedies that doesn't have a particularly great script and is as formulaic as they come, but is good fun thanks to the way it unfolds and the cast. Mel Gibson stars as Rick Jarmin who is in a witness relocation prgram. He is working at a petrol station when who should turn up, but his ex Marianne played by Goldie Hawn. Of course, when Gibson is recognised he tells the FBI but his holder has retired and his new one has dobbed him in to those he is trying to hide from. From here we get some fun little set-pieces but nothing extraordinary with some quite funny one-liners. The supporting cast are well selected and include Stephen Tobolowsky, David Carradine, Bill Duke and Joan Severence. This is far from the best movie that the involved cast/crew have been involved with, but it's entertaining enough for a rental or cheap purchase. 3/5

[samuelrichardscott]

Invitation to a Gunfighter (1964)

Overview:
In the frontier town of Pecos, New Mexico, Jules "Jewel" D'Estaing (Brynner) is a hired gun who has just taken a new assignment from the town's powerful boss: kill returning Civil War veteran Matt Weaver (George Segal). But Jewel struggles with his deadly mission when he realises that the proud, defiant Weaver may be the only truly honourable man in a town steeped in corruption and prejudice. As the clock ticks down to the inevitable confrontation, Jewel must do battle with his most powerful adversary – his own conscience. This is an action-packed western hitting drama and "a knockout preformance from Yul Brynner." - Radio Times.

My Thoughts:
Invitation to a Gunfighter is quite a standard western in my opinion. Yul Brynner is paid to kill George Segal by the town's immoral boss, Pat Hingle. George Segal has returned home from war to find Hingle has sold his home and as the movie continues we see just how nasty Hingle's character is. Eventually, Brynner also sees this and ends up revolting against the corruption resulting in a reasonably good, if unoriginal ending. The film has a couple of good gunfights, some good dialogue and is well paced. The only problem is it isn't unlike so many other westerns. 3/5

[samuelrichardscott]

A Little Trip to Heaven (2005)

Overview:
Oscar Winner Forest Whitaker (The Last King of Scotland) heads an all star cast, including Julia Stiles (Save the Last Dance), as ace insurance investigator Abe Holt.
Abe is sent to the snowy town of Hastings, Minnesota, to investigate a suspicious road accident in which a notorious con man Kelvin, has seemingly been murdered. Working tirelessly to uncover the events surrounding the accident he soon finds himself entangled with the policy's single benefactor Kelvin's sister Isold (Stiles) and her volatile husband Fred (Jeremy Renner).
As the truth about the tragic events unfolds Abe is drawn into a world of dark secrets and half-truths. Not knowing who to trust he must solve the mysteries surrounding the tragic death before he too slips into their icy web.

My Thoughts:
I've been a massive fan of Forest Whitaker for some time now and he's in easily in my top 10 actors working today. His roles in The Shield, The Last King of Scotland and Ghost Dog have made me pretty much buy anything he is associated with blindly, even when I've never previously heard of it. A Little Trip to Heaven is one of those movies and it features another great performance by Whitaker, this time rather understated as a life insurance investigator looking into irregularities in an accident where the beneficiaries would be Isold and Fred (a good Jeremy Renner but fairly woeful Julia Stiles). The plot can be a little confusing at times concerning Renner's character, but it comes together nicely and there are a couple of well shot set pieces (car crashes). The story is enjoyable, but sometimes too overcomplicated for it's own good and in my opinion doesn't follow the drama or thriller aspects enough to be better than mediocre at either. I'm still not 100% sure how I feel about this one, but for now, despite a couple of shortcomings, a solid 3/5


For those that have seen, questions...

(click to show/hide)

Regarding Renner's character, I know he is actually Stiles' brother Kelvin who isn't really dead (and his grave is from an old scam?) and the husband thing is part of the scam but... I also think Thor is his son but Stiles' has legal custody because Kelvin is supposedly dead, and she thinks she can provide a better life for Thor than Renner? Is that what all the back and forth regarding Thor is about?

[samuelrichardscott]

Children of the Corn 666: Isaac's Return (1999)

Overview:
With riveting performances from stars John Franklin (Children Of The Corn, Addams Family Values), Stacy Keach (American History X) and Alix Koromzay (Carrie II, The Haunting, Nightwatch), ISAAC'S RETURN is the sixth and newest bone-chilling chapter in the thrilling Children Of The Corn series. On a trip to find her birth mother, Hannah Martin picks up a dark stranger who kicks off a mysterious chain of events. Little does Hannah know that her journey may help fulfill a sinister prophecy made 19 years earlier by Isaac, the cult's original evil leader. It's a hair-raising movie event you don't want to miss...as Isaac makes his terrifying return and the frightening Children Of The Corn achieve their ultimate destiny.

My Thoughts:
As you can see from the movie's subtitle, the sixth film in the Children of the Corn series sees the return of Isaac, played here by John Franklin. I have to admire Kari Skogland and writers Tim Sulka and John Franklin for at least following on the story and relating the film to previous incarnations. Unfortunately, they just haven't done a great job. The acting throughout is suspicious at times, although Stacy Keach and Natalie Ramsey fare a little better than most, and the film lacks the atmosphere previous CotC movies had, with the children here not being anywhere near as freaky. Despite obvious budget limitations, a couple of the kill scenes are well shot, especially the one involving a bullet to the head and the face slice (I won't divulge which characters) and I have to admit the ending has a better than expected twist, though it became foreseeable a little too early. Overall, it's a bit crappy and the worst in the series so I can't recommend it. For completists only. 2/5

[samuelrichardscott]

A Knight in Camelot (1998)

Overview:
Academy Award®-winning* favourite Whoopi Goldberg (How Stella Got Her Groove Back, Boys On The Side, Made In America, Sister Act) stars in this hilarious tale of a modern woman and her comic adventures in medieval times. Vivien Morgan (Goldberg) is a computer scientist who's accidentally flung back through the years to the colourful 6th century England of legendary King Arthur (Michael York – Austin Powers) and his Court. The fun then takes off when Vivien's attempts to make "improvements" produce outrageous and unexpected consequences. Also starring Amanda Donohoe (Liar, Liar) in an eye-dazzling production that takes a look at the meaning of freedom, honour and loyalty, the spirited A KNIGHT IN CAMELOT is rambunctious entertainment everyone will love!

My Thoughts:
There are quite a lot of movies around in which somebody from the 'modern ages' goes back to medievil times with all their fancy futuristic gadgets. This is a Disney effort starring Whoopi Goldberg, Michael York and Amanda Donohue and like most I have seen in ths sub-genre, is mediocre suffering from tired ideas, lazy scripting and a cast that is capable of better. Some of the one-liners were indeed amusing, and Goldberg's delivery was good, but it was nothing we haven't seen before. Of course it has the obvious Disney morality message thrown in for good measure, here it is about equality between the slaves and the Royals, and the message is portrayed reasonably. It isn't a poor movie... I mean, it is better than Black Knight, it just isn't imaginative enough considering the surroundings and opportunities. 2.5/5

[samuelrichardscott]

The Mercenary (2010)

Overview:
In the deep jungles of South East Asia is a blood thirsty mercenary Sebastian (Gary Daniels - The Expendables, Hunt to Kill) hunts for the thrill of the chase and victims to sell into slavery. In one operation he kills a peaceful loocal shaman Aroon (Danny Trejo - Machete, Predators, Con Air) and his family. Sebastian leaves with his catch, believing his mission has been successful, but he is about to find out that some men are hard to kill...
The Mercenary is a full-on thriller with an all-star cast that also includes Bai Ling (Crank: High Voltage) and Tommy 'Tiny' Lister (The Dark Knight) which will keep you on the edge of your seat until the action-packed climax.

My Thoughts:
There might be some recognisable names in the cast here such as Danny Trejo, Bai Ling, Tiny Lister and Gary Daniels but they are all poor in what is an uneven, boring, poorly structured action/thriller b-movie. Written, directed and produced by Jeremiah Hundley it is no wonder his attempt at directing the Wonder Woman TV show reboot starring Adrianne Palicki was woefully canned after just the pilot episode because his ineptitude shines through in this movie. The dialogue is beyond reproach, the set pieces look amateur and he seems to not have that much technical ability when it comes to choosing angles, lighting or lengths of shots. Krsytal Vee shows a little promise, but struggles to shine through what is an otherwise messy and inept production. Skip it. 1/5

[samuelrichardscott]

Teenage Hooker Became a Killing Machine (2000)

Overview:
After being murdered by her teacher and three brothers, a pretty high school student moonlighting as a prostitute is brought back from the dead thanks to the miracle of technology. Now an unstoppable killing machine, she's driven by horrific memories of her ordeal and decides to avenge herself on those responsible for het death.
A savage and witty look at hypocrisy, deception and the violent authority of an older generation supposedly leading the young.

My Thoughts:
What originally grabbed me about this when browsing Amazon late one night, was of course the title so I ordered hoping for a Korean movie in the same vein as maybe the Japanese films Machine Girl or Tokyo Gore Police, and in some places it does show a lot of promise with glimpses of a sort of mix between Verhoeven's RoboCop and Besson's Nikita. Unfortunately though, these parts are a little few and far between and despite a runtime of only sixty minutes, Teenage Hooker Became a Killing Machine can be a bit of a dull and overlong affair. The most annoying part of the experience for me, was the terribly boring opening credits sequence during which the music was as unbearable as the seven minute segment. Still, when you get one of these 'glimpses' of excellence, you get your interest back. It just never pays off really. 2.5/5

[samuelrichardscott]

btw Jimmy, I noticed in your (more favourable) review under the title Killing Machine that you said the short film is not English friendly on the US release. On the UK release, it does include optional subtitles but the main feature is non-anamorphic and of poor picture quality, and  dodgy NTSC>PAL conversion. I might watch the short eventually, but will leave it for now.

I added the US, UK and Japanese releases to Rewind:
http://www.dvdcompare.net/comparisons/film.php?fid=20148

[samuelrichardscott]

Chicken Little (2005)

Overview:
Experience an outrageous world of breathtaking action in Disney's hilarious new movie Chicken Little. The sky's the limit for laughs and adventure!
When the sky really is falling and sanity has flown the coop, who will rise to save the day? Together with his hysterical band of misfit friends, Chicken Little must hatch a plan to save the planet from total annihilation and prove that the world's biggest hero is a little chicken.
Overflowing with incredible music and bursting with exciting bonus features, including alternate openings, an exclusive "making of" featurette, games and much more, this sensational DVD is truly something to cluck about.

My Thoughts:
Chicken Little is a film that has some impressive technical feats under it's belt. Not only was it Disney's first fully in-house CGI feature, but it was the first film to use REAL 3D and the Dimensionalisation process for Industrial Light and Magic for post conversion 3D effects. Unfortunately, the DVD I watched is just a regular old 2D version but it still looks pretty good either way. As for whether the film is any good? It has a fairly basic story that doesn't really stick to "The Sky Is Falling" apart from in small instances, but the dialogue is funny, the voice cast are well selected for their roles (especially Steve Zahn) and it doesn't outstay its welcome. Sure, there are much better CGI features out there, but this is enjoyable enough to recommend to fans of this type of movie. 3.5/5

[samuelrichardscott]

Super (2010)

Overview:
When Frank's ex-junkie wife Sarah leaves him for the arms of sleazy drug-dealer Jacques, he is touched by the finger of God and decides to take the law into his own hands, becoming his own crime fighting superhero: 'The Crimson Bolt'. What Frank lacks in superpowers he makes up for with his trusty wrench in his one-man war on petty criminals. Powers or not, every superhero needs a sidekick! Enter Libby, a cute psychopath working at the local comic book store. Transforming into 'Boltie', Libby teams up with Frank to take Jacques down in his quest to win back his wife. From the warped imagination of writer-director James Gunn comes Bolt and Boltie, a crazed crime fighting duo here to save the day, or at least to beat you up!

My Thoughts:
Pros:
- The cast. Rainn Wilson is spot on as are the supporting players like Kevin Bacon and Liv Tyler but one stands out...
- Ellen Page really owns her role here. Her good run continues and she plays nerdy and psychotic perfectly with the right amount of irony.
- Whilst it has similarities to Kick Ass, it also stands out on it's own merits thanks in part to the non-copout ending.
- Strong writing which manages to avoid being a stereotypical superhero movie.* (see spoiler at end)
- Some good special effects.
Cons:
- I felt one or two scenes were a little misplaced... mainly the scenes at Wilson's place at work.
- The emotional filler scenes between the revenge and the violence sometimes didn't come off because of some of Wilson's/Page's actions.
Overall:
Recommended. 4/5

(click to show/hide)

*Cop thats onto them, dead. Sidekick, dead. Guy doesn't get girl at the end. Well, he does, but for a short period.

[addicted2dvd]

I had the chance to watch Super about a week or so ago... when my brother got it from netflix. But I never got around to it before he sent it back. Wish I did.

[samuelrichardscott]

In Time (2011)

Overview:
Welcome to a world where time has become the ultimate currency. You stop aging at 25, but there’s a catch: you’re genetically-engineered to live only one more year, unless you can buy your way out of it. When a man from the wrong side of the tracks is falsely accused of murder, he is forced to go on the run with a beautiful hostage. Living minute to minute, the duo’s love becomes a powerful tool in their war against the system. A slick and sexy action thriller starring Justin Timberlake and Amanda Seyfried.

My Thoughts:
Pros:
- Really good idea for a thriller with a lot of interesting concepts.
- Justin Timberlake. The more movies I see him in, the more I think he is a capable actor.
- The Jaguar crash. Really liked the way this set piece was done.
- Andrew Niccol. He continues his great run following up Gattaca, the underrated S1m0ne and Lord of War by writing and directing this. Like Gattaca, he doesn't overcomplicate things to try and make it something it isn't, instead allowing the story to take place smoothly and simply whilst maintaining excitement.
- Nathan Fillion is his usual self as the timekeeper Raymond.
Cons:
- Amanda Seyfried as the female lead. No screen presence and holds the story back.
- Olivia Wilde and Johnny Galecki's roles are too short. Reasonable because of the story but still disappointing.
- Vincent Kartheiser. I just didn't care for his performance as Seyfried's father.
Overall:
Recommended but casting of a couple of the major roles could've been better. 3.5/5

[Achim]

- Vincent Kartheiser. I just didn't care for his performance as Seyfried's father.

I remember him from one or two movies a while back; Another Day in Paradise(?) and some movie about terrorists taking over a school(?). I am a bit surprised to see that he is now old enough to play a parent...