Thursday, January 31, 2013
Safe Haven
The title alone is an ominous hint to the plot of Nicholas Sparks' version of "Sleeping with the Enemy". A girl on the run (Julianne Hough) and a widower (Josh Duhamel) with 2 kids meet in an idyllic small seaside setting and fall in love, but then trouble comes to town. Ladies, break out your hankies for this classic romance/tearjerker set up with a Fourth of July climax and a twist at the end. Sparks fans won't be disappointed; they will get what they are expecting.
Alien gives it 3 "second chances" stars out of 4.
The title alone is an ominous hint to the plot of Nicholas Sparks' version of "Sleeping with the Enemy". A girl on the run (Julianne Hough) and a widower (Josh Duhamel) with 2 kids meet in an idyllic small seaside setting and fall in love, but then trouble comes to town. Ladies, break out your hankies for this classic romance/tearjerker set up with a Fourth of July climax and a twist at the end. Sparks fans won't be disappointed; they will get what they are expecting.
Alien gives it 3 "second chances" stars out of 4.
Monday, January 28, 2013
Bullet to the Head
It's 'old' Rocky versus 'new' Conan in this "Odd Couple" buddy cop film where one of the partners is quite the opposite of being a cop. Tough guy Sylvester Stallone's slow, muddled voice-overs pretty much sets the pace and tone of this Big Easy corruption story that leaves a bloody trail of senseless killings and big explosions. The movie's main flaw is that it has an unlikable hero that no one will care about. "Bullet to the Head" is exactly what audiences will request just to erase this experience from their memory.
Alien gives it 1 ½ "fire axe fight" stars out of 4.
It's 'old' Rocky versus 'new' Conan in this "Odd Couple" buddy cop film where one of the partners is quite the opposite of being a cop. Tough guy Sylvester Stallone's slow, muddled voice-overs pretty much sets the pace and tone of this Big Easy corruption story that leaves a bloody trail of senseless killings and big explosions. The movie's main flaw is that it has an unlikable hero that no one will care about. "Bullet to the Head" is exactly what audiences will request just to erase this experience from their memory.
Alien gives it 1 ½ "fire axe fight" stars out of 4.
Friday, January 25, 2013
Parker
This is not a sneak preview. This film has already released.
From Ohio to New Orleans to West Palm Beach, Parker (antihero Jason Statham) plots his revenge for a double cross during a big heist and leaves a bloody trail behind him. Like "The Transporter", Parker is a man with rules and principles, who is a one man army, fighting and killing machine. The beautiful Jennifer Lopez is the local real estate agent/innocent bystander who becomes his accomplice. This is a fun, tough guy action movie where the hero keeps bouncing back no
matter how badly banged up he gets.
Alien gives it 3 "everybody steals" stars out of 4.
This is not a sneak preview. This film has already released.
From Ohio to New Orleans to West Palm Beach, Parker (antihero Jason Statham) plots his revenge for a double cross during a big heist and leaves a bloody trail behind him. Like "The Transporter", Parker is a man with rules and principles, who is a one man army, fighting and killing machine. The beautiful Jennifer Lopez is the local real estate agent/innocent bystander who becomes his accomplice. This is a fun, tough guy action movie where the hero keeps bouncing back no
matter how badly banged up he gets.
Alien gives it 3 "everybody steals" stars out of 4.
Thursday, January 24, 2013
Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters (IMAX 3D)
This famous children's fairy tale has been given a modern twist and an "R" rating (for language, violence, and brief nudity) for grownups. This brother (Jeremy Renner) and sister (Gemma Arterton) team are orphans who have become mercenary witch exterminators saving towns and rescuing missing children. It's a larger than life, action packed, special effects driven thriller projected onto the huge IMAX screen in 3D. The film is played a bit over-the-top and tongue-in-cheek as medieval times gets a high tech makeover to appeal to today's young adult audience; which leads Alien to steal a repeated quote from the movie: "Are you f***ing kidding me?" Ironically, the least cartoony character in the movie is a charming CGI troll named Edward. This film is just mindless fun with lots of blood splatters and some cheesy lines.
Alien gives it 2 ½ "missing children, rise of the Blood Moon, and the heart of the Grand White Witch" stars out of 4.
This famous children's fairy tale has been given a modern twist and an "R" rating (for language, violence, and brief nudity) for grownups. This brother (Jeremy Renner) and sister (Gemma Arterton) team are orphans who have become mercenary witch exterminators saving towns and rescuing missing children. It's a larger than life, action packed, special effects driven thriller projected onto the huge IMAX screen in 3D. The film is played a bit over-the-top and tongue-in-cheek as medieval times gets a high tech makeover to appeal to today's young adult audience; which leads Alien to steal a repeated quote from the movie: "Are you f***ing kidding me?" Ironically, the least cartoony character in the movie is a charming CGI troll named Edward. This film is just mindless fun with lots of blood splatters and some cheesy lines.
Alien gives it 2 ½ "missing children, rise of the Blood Moon, and the heart of the Grand White Witch" stars out of 4.
Tuesday, January 15, 2013
Broken City
Alien was not available to screen this film, so SCW, a critic-in-training, was sent to this film. Here is a summary of the filed report:
Billy Taggart (Mark Wahlberg), ex-cop turned PI, is hired by Mayor Nick Hostetler (Russell Crowe) to find out who his wife's (Catherine Zeta-Jones) lover is. Superb performances are made by Wahlberg with car chases, gun play, & physical fighting and by Zeta-Jones as the bitchy wife. It's dirty politics with some surprising twists.
This action-packed movie is not a must see at the theater but worth red-boxing; SCW's rating is 3 out of 4 stars.
Alien was not available to screen this film, so SCW, a critic-in-training, was sent to this film. Here is a summary of the filed report:
Billy Taggart (Mark Wahlberg), ex-cop turned PI, is hired by Mayor Nick Hostetler (Russell Crowe) to find out who his wife's (Catherine Zeta-Jones) lover is. Superb performances are made by Wahlberg with car chases, gun play, & physical fighting and by Zeta-Jones as the bitchy wife. It's dirty politics with some surprising twists.
This action-packed movie is not a must see at the theater but worth red-boxing; SCW's rating is 3 out of 4 stars.
Monday, January 14, 2013
Django Unchained
This is not a sneak preview. This film has already released.
Two years prior to the Civil War, a slave turn valet turn bounty hunter named Django (Jamie Foxx) teams up with Dr. Schultz (Christoph Waltz) to hunt down wanted men and to rescue Brunhilda (Kerry Washington). This Quentin Tarantino spaghetti western is ultra violent and bloody with Leonardo DiCaprio as the main villain and Samuel L. Jackson as his Uncle Tom henchman. The acting is terrific and played over the top with a quirky sense of humor. Director Tarantino puts himself into movie and has a blast with his role. For nearly 3 hours, the film tries to recreates the attitudes towards blacks in the South from Texas to Tennessee to Mississippi. It is a bold and powerful film where the good guys are heroic and the bad guys are evil.
Alien gives it 3 "little troublemaker in Candyland" stars out of 4.
This is not a sneak preview. This film has already released.
Two years prior to the Civil War, a slave turn valet turn bounty hunter named Django (Jamie Foxx) teams up with Dr. Schultz (Christoph Waltz) to hunt down wanted men and to rescue Brunhilda (Kerry Washington). This Quentin Tarantino spaghetti western is ultra violent and bloody with Leonardo DiCaprio as the main villain and Samuel L. Jackson as his Uncle Tom henchman. The acting is terrific and played over the top with a quirky sense of humor. Director Tarantino puts himself into movie and has a blast with his role. For nearly 3 hours, the film tries to recreates the attitudes towards blacks in the South from Texas to Tennessee to Mississippi. It is a bold and powerful film where the good guys are heroic and the bad guys are evil.
Alien gives it 3 "little troublemaker in Candyland" stars out of 4.
Wednesday, January 09, 2013
Zero Dark Thirty
Oh, Where In The World Is Osama?
Follow the 10 year search for Osama bin Laden through the eyes of Maya (Jessica Chastain), the key young woman in these covert CIA operations. Chastain is brilliant in her portrayal of this smart, tough, and determined woman frustrated by the many road blocks and dead ends. Director Kathryn Bigelow has crafted an intensely gripping story based on factual accounts. You will feel like you were there behind the scenes at each of those pivotal points in history watching how it all went down. Everyone wants to know the secrets behind CIA black ops missions.
Alien gives it 4 "tradecraft & canaries" stars out of 4.
Oh, Where In The World Is Osama?
Follow the 10 year search for Osama bin Laden through the eyes of Maya (Jessica Chastain), the key young woman in these covert CIA operations. Chastain is brilliant in her portrayal of this smart, tough, and determined woman frustrated by the many road blocks and dead ends. Director Kathryn Bigelow has crafted an intensely gripping story based on factual accounts. You will feel like you were there behind the scenes at each of those pivotal points in history watching how it all went down. Everyone wants to know the secrets behind CIA black ops missions.
Alien gives it 4 "tradecraft & canaries" stars out of 4.
Tuesday, January 08, 2013
The Impossible
This is not a sneak preview. This film has already released.
In 2004, a family's Christmas holiday in paradise turns to disaster when a tsunami strikes Thailand. Film makers smartly focus more on one family's ordeal of survival than the carnage around them. Naomi Watts & Ewan McGregor give tremendous performances. The young actors that play their children are adorable and amazing. Amongst the pain and suffering are some touching moments of humanity. The special effects are remarkable in this true story about hope and not giving up.
Alien gives it 3 "Maria's story" stars out of 4.
This is not a sneak preview. This film has already released.
In 2004, a family's Christmas holiday in paradise turns to disaster when a tsunami strikes Thailand. Film makers smartly focus more on one family's ordeal of survival than the carnage around them. Naomi Watts & Ewan McGregor give tremendous performances. The young actors that play their children are adorable and amazing. Amongst the pain and suffering are some touching moments of humanity. The special effects are remarkable in this true story about hope and not giving up.
Alien gives it 3 "Maria's story" stars out of 4.
Monday, January 07, 2013
Gangster Squad
It's "L.A. Confidential" meets "The Untouchables" and "The Godfather" meets "Dirty Harry" at the O.K. Corral when mobster Mickey Cohen (Sean Penn) tries to control West Coast crime from Los Angeles in 1949. An ex-war hero/honest lawman (Josh Brolin) puts together a special squad to fight guerrilla warfare against the gangsters. The ensemble cast is terrific and also includes Ryan Gosling, Emma Stone, Robert Patrick, and Giovanni Ribisi. It's a gangster movie so you got to expect a high level of violence, but the line separating the good guys from the bad guys gets blurred. This inspired by a true story comes with it's tommy guns blazing and takes the audience on a seat gripping thrill ride. This great looking film is predictable, but you'll get what you paid to see, an old fashion noir detective story.
Alien gives it 3 ½ "Slapsy Maxie's" stars out of 4.
It's "L.A. Confidential" meets "The Untouchables" and "The Godfather" meets "Dirty Harry" at the O.K. Corral when mobster Mickey Cohen (Sean Penn) tries to control West Coast crime from Los Angeles in 1949. An ex-war hero/honest lawman (Josh Brolin) puts together a special squad to fight guerrilla warfare against the gangsters. The ensemble cast is terrific and also includes Ryan Gosling, Emma Stone, Robert Patrick, and Giovanni Ribisi. It's a gangster movie so you got to expect a high level of violence, but the line separating the good guys from the bad guys gets blurred. This inspired by a true story comes with it's tommy guns blazing and takes the audience on a seat gripping thrill ride. This great looking film is predictable, but you'll get what you paid to see, an old fashion noir detective story.
Alien gives it 3 ½ "Slapsy Maxie's" stars out of 4.
Thursday, January 03, 2013
Promised Land
What the "frack" is happening to small farm America? A big corporation sends in a sly sales team (Matt Damon & Frances McDormand) to convince small time farmers on the edge of their own fiscal cliff to sell the drilling rights to their property. However, a local school teacher (Hal Holbrook) and an environmentalist (John Krasinski) seem to be standing in the way. It's a highly entertaining movie with a message, great acting, some humor, a hint of romance, and a lot of heart. Someone isn't playing fair here.
Alien gives it 3 "Rob's Grocery, Guns, Guitars, and Gas" stars out of 4.
What the "frack" is happening to small farm America? A big corporation sends in a sly sales team (Matt Damon & Frances McDormand) to convince small time farmers on the edge of their own fiscal cliff to sell the drilling rights to their property. However, a local school teacher (Hal Holbrook) and an environmentalist (John Krasinski) seem to be standing in the way. It's a highly entertaining movie with a message, great acting, some humor, a hint of romance, and a lot of heart. Someone isn't playing fair here.
Alien gives it 3 "Rob's Grocery, Guns, Guitars, and Gas" stars out of 4.
Wednesday, January 02, 2013
Not Fade Away
It's a 60's trip down memory lane when a young man is inspired by the Rolling Stones to form his own rock and roll band. The music, clothes, hair styles, historical events, day-to-day life, and issues of the day are captured in this time capsule. However, if you aren't familiar with this era, you may be lost as the hero who is wandering through life trying to find himself. The film feels autobiographical, but really doesn't go anywhere. Alien liked the attention to detail and even recognized the obscure "Blow Up" clip, but felt the film's title seems ironic.
Alien gives it 2 "from Cedar Way & Forrest Ave to Sunset Blvd" stars out of 4.
It's a 60's trip down memory lane when a young man is inspired by the Rolling Stones to form his own rock and roll band. The music, clothes, hair styles, historical events, day-to-day life, and issues of the day are captured in this time capsule. However, if you aren't familiar with this era, you may be lost as the hero who is wandering through life trying to find himself. The film feels autobiographical, but really doesn't go anywhere. Alien liked the attention to detail and even recognized the obscure "Blow Up" clip, but felt the film's title seems ironic.
Alien gives it 2 "from Cedar Way & Forrest Ave to Sunset Blvd" stars out of 4.
