Babylon A.D: Aurora

Official Site: www.babylonadmovie.com

Director: Mathieu Kassovitz

Writers: Eric Basnard, and Maurice G. Dantec

Producers: Alain Goldman, and Mathieu Kassovitz

Starring: Vin Diesel As Toorop, Michelle Yeoh as Sister Rebeka, Melanie Thierry as Aurora, and Charlotte Rampling as High Priestess(IMDb). Rated Pg-13, 90min. 

Toorop is eating his dinner and he is interrupted by highly weaponized men in black who capture him to meet a mob boss who recruits him to transport a girl to the united States who is of great importance to a religious group's (Neolite) high priestess. While transporting the girl Toorop discovers her true identity. 

Considering my  attitude before watching this film, the advertisement was not misleading. This film was advertised as an action film, and an action film is what I saw.  The action sequences were not groundbreaking, but they were entertaining, and Vin Diesel did well in his usual role as a "bad ass". It seems like the dialogue was centered around him. 

The story was great but the plot fell apart all the way at the end, and that is the point the movie's potential became non-existent. The ending was anti-climactic, inclusively, the entire falling action was a car chase that did not lead to an impressive ending, and it was an ending that left major aspects of the story unresolved. Regardless of the troubles the story and the plot had at the end of the film, if you wanted to see an action movie you got one. According to metacritic.com the film received generally bad reviews, and Rottentomatoes.com gave the film 2 fresh tomatoes to 38 rotten ones thus far. I' ll grade this movie a C-. Stay Tuned, movieporium.blogspot.com.     

 

Mirrors: Right Back At Ya

Official Site: Mirrorsmovie.com

Director:  Alexandre Aja 

Writer(s):  Alexandre Aja, and Gregory Levasseur 

Producers(s): Alexandre Aja, Gregory Levasseur, Alaxandra Milchan, Marc Sternberg, and Moritz Von De Groebon. 

Starring: Kiefer Sutherland as Ben Carson, Paula Patton as Amy Carson, Cameron Boyce as Michael Carson, Erica Gluck as Daisy Carson, Amy Smart as Angela Carson, and Mary Beth Peil as Anna Esseker(IMDb). Rated-R, 110min.  

Ben Carson is a retired cop suffering from post trauma as a result of shooting a man. His family life is not healthy because his struggling marriage is marked by a wife who does not answer or return his phone calls to see his kids. Life seems to be headed in a positive direction when Ben began a new job as a security guard patrolling a burnt dilapidated building working the night shift. During his employment, he witnessed something that would ultimately pose a threat to him and his family. 

This film had an interesting story, and  the film presented the story well especially the way it was delivered through the pace. There was no lag in the film, and that kept Carson's search engaging, and enticing. There was so much detective work in this film, it could be categorized as a detective horror story. Carson really digs deep to solve the mystery of Anna Esseker who is linked to the mirror phenomena. 

Unexpectedly, this film was good, however I thought part of the ending was not well defined. The final confrontation in the falling action left me dissatisfied because the confrontation was not consummated through a well formed explanation, regardless though, the final scene in the movie was neat. According to Metacritic.com, this remake generally received bad reviews, and according to Rottentomatoes.com the film received 7 fresh tomatoes to 39 rotten ones. The reviews seem a little harsh; this film was not that bad. I will grade it a C+. Stay tuned Movieporioum.blogspot.com.  

Death Race: Oatmeal

Official Site: DeathRaceMovie.Net

Director: Paul W.S Anderson

Writer(s): Paul W.S Anderson

Producer(s): Paul W.S Anderson, Jeremy Bolt, Roger Corman, Tom Criuse, and Paula Wagner.

Starring: Jason Statham as Jensen Ames, Joan Allen as Hennessey, Tyrese Gibson as Machine Gun Joe, Ian Mcshane as Coach, Natalie Martinez as Case, Max Ryan as Pachenko, Jacob Vargas as Gunner, Jason Clarke as Ulrich, and Robin Shou as 14k(IMDb). Rated-R, 98min. 

The year is 2012 and the U.S economy has collapsed and most people are poor, and the former race car driver Jensen Ames is no exception. A factory closure has left Jensen Ames unemployed with only $300 to take home, but his beautiful wife is optimistic that they can stretch a dollar to make ends meet, but she does not stay alive long enough so her optimism can help her an her husband endure harsh economic times. Jensen is falsely convicted for his wife's murder. While serving his sentence he is recruited to compete in a race by Hennessey, who guaranteed him that after his 5th win, he would earn his freedom. During his time in prison, Jensen observed a clue that enabled him to conclude who his wife's murderer was.  

This action feature did not disappoint in delivering what it advertised. I went to see an action movie, and I got an action movie. The action scenes were not that original, but they were very well crafted and entertaining. The casting was great; Statham, and Gibson were awesome in their role, and the support cast was awesome as well.  

The story was good but the plot was predictable, but the predictable plot did not take away from the entertainment value of the film, very predictable, but very entertaining. The movie watchers were pleased as they cheered during certain scenes in the theater that I attended. According to Metacritic.com the film received mixed reviews, and Rottentomatoes.com granted the film 37 fresh tomatoes to 57 rotten ones. This was very entertaining; this film gets a C+. Stay tuned, Movieporium.blogspot.com.  

Tropic Thunder: Booty Sweat

Official Site: http: www.tropicthunder.com

Director: Ben Stiller

Writer(s): Ben Stiller and Justin Theroux

Producer(s): Ben Stiller, Stuart Cornfeld, and Eric Mcleod

Starring: Robert Downey Jr. as Kirk Lazarus, Jack Black as Jeff Portnoy, Jay Baruchel as Kevin Sandusky, Brandon T. Jackosn as Alpa Chino, Ben Stiller as Tugg Speedman, Nick Nolte as Four Leaf Tayback, Matthew McConaughey as Rick Peck, Tom Cruise as Less Grossman, and Reggie Lee as Byong(IMDb). Rated- R, 107 min. 

Some of the major hollywood stars have been gathered  to star in Tropic Thunder-the book which is based on the Vietnam experience of Four Leaf Tayback. Although these stars are highly lauded for their acting talents, they have their problems on set, and the director has to deal with Less Grossman, who wants these problems resolved by any means necessary. Tayback suggests, taking the actors in to the jungle when things get real, way too real.  

I was skeptical about this film, and I believed it was going to be absolutely stupid. It was, and I loved almost every minute of it. The brand of humor  in this film was somewhat awkward, but yet the awkwardness worked specifically in relation to Downey's character. Sometimes it was difficult to decipher what his character was saying, but the circumstances in which his awkward, but yet comedic portrayal of a black man's speech disposition was like, worked in certain scenes, while in other scene, one was literally trying to understand what his character was saying. Definitely, Robert Downey Jr. was awesome. 

There were a lot of hollywood heavy weights in this film, unexpectedly, Tom Cruise was one of them. He was great! Less Grossman is a memorable character in my opinion, and Tom was official as that character. He acted that role with such fervor, and passion, and despite all the aspersions, Tom is an amazing actor with a lot of range, proven clearly in his role as Less Grossman. Over all this film was funny, but not hilarious, but none the less enjoyable. According to Metacritic.com the film received generally good reviews, and according to Rottentomatoes.com the film received 128 fresh tomatoes to 25 rotten ones. I like this film and I'll grade it between a B- and C+. Stay tuned movieporium.blogspot.com.    

Were Critics Too Harsh On The Clone Wars?

Clone Wars seemed to have received bad reviews almost unanimously. The critics seem really disappointed with this sequel. Todd McCarthy, from Variety mentioned, " This isn't the Star Wars we've always known and at least sometimes loved. " I disagree with Todd; I thought this sequel kept many of the proponents that the previous Star Wars films kept true to. This film had action, it was politically involved, it had military strategy, and a rich multifaceted story that included the plot of the duplicitous Count Dooku, and his alliance with Ziro the Hutt, who was awkward and pimp like admittedly. The action scenes were exciting, and the particular animation format attributed a video game quality to the film, in some scenes, which was refreshing. I do agree with Todd that the animation in its application to the human characters, did make the humans seem stiff.

Peter Hartlaub from the San Francisco Chronicle, seemed to have written an objective review, but he still thinks the movie has a sophomoric basis in saying, " Clone Wars doesn't try to be more than one thing - a movie for 10-year-old boys - and by that standard, it's a success." This proponent of his review is positive seemingly, but considering his review in its entirety, this seems to be a mixed review rather than a bad review, and because Hartlaub indicates the movie was made for the kids, does not equate that he opines the movie is bad. In retrospect, I do not see a major difference in the dialogue, and content in Clone Wars in contrast to the previous films, on that point, I disagree with Peter.

Again, to be fair to Peter he also mentioned, " But it's not as bad as it sounds." Metacritric.com categorized Peter's review as a bad one, but I think his review is mixed and rather objective. Almost unanimously, critics share the view that this film was designed for kids. However, this film could have received a PG-13 rating, because of the action scenes, specifically the scene where the heads of the bounty hunters were presented to Jabba the Hutt. In contrasting both reviews, apparently, Peter thinks the movie was O.K while Todd seems to think the movie was sub par. So were the critics too harsh in their critique of Clone Wars ? Maybe, but they were certainly not crazy about it, and apparently neither were the fans.

Star Wars: Clone Wars: Snips

Official Site: www.starwars.com/clonewars/

Director: Dave Filoni

Writer(s): Henry Gilroy, and George Lucas

Producer: George Lucas, and Catherine Winder

Starring: Matt Lanter as Anakin Skywalker, Ashley Eckstein as Ahsoka Tano, James Arnold Taylor as Obi Wan-Kanobi, Tom Kane as Yoda, Ian Abercrombie as Chancellor Palpatine, Corey Burton as Ziro The Hutt, Catherine Taber as Padme Amidala, Kevin Michael Richardson as Jabba The Hutt, Smauel L. Jackson as Mace Windu, Anthony Daniels as C-3PO, and Christopher Lee as Count Dooku.(IMDb) Rated PG, 98 min.

Jabba The Hut's son has been kidnapped, and he has sought the help of the Jedi so his beloved son can be returned to him. However the the dark side of the force has other plans, and led by Count Dooku, with the covert support of Chancellor Palpatine, the plan is to sabotage the recovery mission to gain a specific advantage over the Republic by gaining favor with Jabba the Hutt so he can provide safe passage through his territory which is key to obtaining a strategic advantage through the outer regions.

At first, admittedly I was scared. Well, scared is a strong term-cautious is a better term to describe my attitude toward the film upon hearing it was an animation rather than a live action film. However my cautious stance transformed to joy as I was very pleased with the film. This is classic star wars, with a strong emphasis on politics and military strategy. From the beginning of the film there was tons of action that was showcased through very good computer graphics animation with the mechanical characters being depicted better than the human characters. Their was no real buzz about this film, possibly because it was animated, but being a star wars fan I had to go see it.

The story was awesome. The plot was clear, and the story did not deviate from the plot. From its beginning the plot was introduced briefly and the story supported the plot well forwardly in the film. The content of the story and the plot was not watered down as my cautious stance was leading me to anticipate. In regards to one of the technical aspects of the film, the voices of the main characters were really good. For example, Catherine Taber as Padme Amidala, sounded similar to Natalie Portman. According to Metacritic.com the filmed received generally bad reviews, and according to Rottentomatoes.com the film received 21 fresh tomatoes to 92 rotten ones. I disagree with the bad reviews. This film fits between an A- and a B+. Stay tuned, movieporium.blogspot.com.

Pineapple Express: God's Vagina

Official Site:PineAppleExress
Director: David Gordon Green
Writer(s): Seth Rogen, and Evan Goldberg
Producer(S): Judd Apatow, and Shauna Robertson

Starring: Seth Rogen as Dale Denton, James Franco as Saul Silver, Danny R. Mcbride as Red, Kevin Corrigan as Budfolsky, Craig Robinson as Matheson, Gary Cole as Ted Jones, and Rosie Perez as Carol(IMDb). Rated-R, 111 minutes.

Before Dale decided to issue a subpoena to the drug dealer Ted Jones, he spent some time with his close friend Mary Jane while sitting in his car outside of Ted's house. As he was with Mary, he witnessed an Asian man being shot by the same person he was suppose to issue the subpoena to. Shocked out of his mind, Dale frantically tries to drive away but he is stuck between two cars, one of which is the police car of a crooked female cop,Carol, who was the accomplice in the murder. When Dale finally drove away, it was tool late, Ted picked up the the remainder of the joint he was smoking and began to track him down.

Where do I begin? I Thought this film was funny but more entertaining than anything. There were several scenes that stood out such as the hitchhiker scene, and the living room fight scene. The jokes were subtle, and they were truly an acquired taste, specifically for those who enjoy offbeat comedy. While the jokes were not tremendously funny, the way the actors delivered the jokes is what amplified the comedic value of the jokes, and the film overall. Seth Rogen has a talent for playing characters who are considered beatniks, and it seems James Franco has that talent too. He was great.

The acting was good. The pace of the film was just right, and the story was awesome. Although the story was about a couple of "weed heads", there was one moral in the story that is recognizable when Dale realizes that he does not function well when he is constantly high. According to Metacric.com, the film received generally good reviews, and Rottentomatoes indicates 97 fresh tomatoes to 43 rotten ones thus far. This movie fits somewhere between a B-, and a C+. Stay tuned movieporium.blogspot.com.

Swing Vote: Court The Voters

Official Site: swingvote.movies.go.com
Director: Joshua Michael Stern
Writer: Joshua Michael Stern, and Jason Richman
Producer(s): Kevin Costner and Jim Wilson

Starring: Kevin Costner as Bud Johnson, Madeline Carroll as Molly Johnson, Paula Patton as Kate Madison, Kelsey Grammer as President Andrew Boone, Dennis Hopper as Donald Greenleaf, Nathan Lane as Art Crumb, Stanley Tucci as Martin Fox, and George Lopez as John Sweeney(IMDb). PG-13, 100 min.

Madison is waiting for her dad at the voting hall, and when she realizes that he forgot to pick her up so he could cast his vote, she became angry and decided to covertly vote on her dad's behalf. As she was about to vote, one of the attendants at the voting hall accidentally unplugged the machine, being frighten Madison ripped the stub off the voting ballot, and left. Later, Bud received a visit from the state officials to recast his vote, and from that point he was on his way to the spotlight.

I was not excited about seeing this film, but it was not so bad. I actually enjoyed it. Seeing Costner in that type of role was strange for me because he usually plays men who are relatively erudite. Bud was a simple man defined by unpleasant wage labor, and a bottle of beer, and Costner played Bud pretty well, although witnessing him in that role was an adjustment for me. Bud as the basis for social commentary could be described or expressed as the idea that politics is the science of understanding the simple man, and designing a campaign to capture the vote of that man, and, or, that, in an election everyone's vote matters.

The story was good, and I thought the ending of the film was just right. The pace of the film was such, that it kept one's attention, and the humor in the film also aided in keeping the movie watchers engaged. One of the main features of the movie was the depiction of manipulation on both sides of partisan politics. Oh! Madeline Carroll was amazing! According to Metacritic.com the film received mixed reviews, and Rottentomatoes.com gave the film 36 fresh tomatoes to 58 rotten ones thus far. I liked this film. I'll grade it a B. Stay tuned, movieporium.blogspot.com.

The Mummy: Tomb of The Dragon Emperor

Official Site:www.themummy.com
Director: Rob Cohen
Producer(s): Sean Daniel, Bob Ducsay, James Jacks, and Stephen Sommers.
Writing: Alfred Gough, and Miles Millar

Starring: Brendan Fraser as Rick O'Connell, Jet Li as Emperor Han, Maria Bello as Evelyn O'Connell, John Hannah as Jonathan Carnahan, Michelle Yaoh as Zi Yuan, and Luke Ford as Alex O'Connell(IMDb). Rated PG-13, 112 min.

Rick and Evelyn O'Connell have retired, but their son Alex has discovered perhaps the greatest archaeological artifact of the 20th century. Although family ties aren't great, the O'Connells find themselves in an adventure which requires mother, father and son to reconcile in order to prevent the resurrected Emperor Han from gaining control of the world.

The essence of The Mummy franchise has not changed. Adventure still serves as the driving basis for the film. There was ample running and sword play to keep the fans of this franchise happy. The special effects were great, especially in the case of the abominable snowmen, and the three headed dragon. Definitely the film lived up to what it advertised, and I was not disappointed because there was plenty of action. Although this movie was fun to watch, I felt there was something missing, it was Rachel, my beautiful Rachel. O.k, Bello was good, but I missed Rachel. This was a good popcorn movie. According to Metacritic.com the film received generally bad reviews, and according to Rottentomatoes.com the film received 11 fresh tomatoes to 102 rotten ones thus far. This movie was fun I'll grade it a B. Stay tuned to movieporium.blogspot.com