Change Your Image
tehkao
Reviews
Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014)
Best action scenes ever filmed
There has been amazing fight/action scenes in previous superhero movies but the ones in this film just bring them to another level. Also the fact that Cap has no real super powers and has to fight everyone hand to hand just adds more realism to the fight/action scenes.
IF there can be any complaint it's that it almost doesn't feel like a "real" super hero movie. I mean Cap doesn't have a secret identity, he has no real powers, and the enemies he face don't have real "powers" either. So everything feels very grounded and realistic. So the movie ends up having a very different feel from the Avengers/Thor, or even Iron Man. It feels more like a Bourne style movie where it's more like a political thriller (with incredible action scenes).
Kick-Ass 2 (2013)
Not a bad effort considering the source material
Let me preface this by saying that Kick-Ass is one of my favorite films of all time, and that Hit-Girl is probably my favorite superhero of all time. But even as a huge fan boy I have to admit the Kick-Ass 2 was not as good as the first. First of all it's much shorter (104 mins vs 117 mins), so the movie feels rushed and there's not as much character development or action scenes compared to part 1. I don't know how much of it can be blamed on the lower budget, or the fact that a lot of the original source material from the comics would be too "hardcore" for a movie audience. Hopefully there would be a longer, uncensored version released on Blu-Ray. The other main problem I see is that the MotherF***er wanting revenge on Kick-Ass storyline doesn't work as well as the Hit-Girl/Big Daddy vs D'Amico storyline. Also has anyone wondered why Chris had so much hatred for Kick-Ass, but not Hit-Girl? It seemed more logical that he should hate Hit-Girl even more because Kick-Ass is not a real threat. Still for fans this movie is a must-see and will be satisfying enough. I'm just sad that this might be the last we see of Hit-Girl. Maybe they can make a spin off movie for her?
The Love Guru (2008)
Not great, but not as bad as people say...
I don't understand the hate for this movie. If you are being totally objective, this movie's "quality" of humor is no worse than in Mike Myer's last two Austin Powers movies...lots of body fluid jokes, penis jokes, defecating jokes, midget jokes, etc. And if you can tolerate ridiculous characters like Fat Bastard I don't see why you would have any problem with the ones in this movie. I actually found Verne Troyer to be quite funny in this one and not just because of his midgetness. He delivered some of the best lines. I also thought Stephen Colbert's portrayal of the insane sportscaster to be quite hilarious. Anyway, overall this was a lot like Myer's previous comedies...a lot of vulgar jokes, some don't work, some do...but I think I found myself laughing more watching the Love Guru than the Austin Powers movies.
Over the Hedge (2006)
Great slapstick animation mixed in with some social satire
Just caught a sneak preview of this last night in Hollywood. I didn't go in with much expectations since I wasn't too impressed by the trailer. But I ended up being pretty well entertained. What really stood out to me was the quality of the animation and the great designs of some of the characters, especially the evil Home Owner's Association Lady. What disappointed me was the childish and crude nature of the dialog and humor, with the exception of a few clever gags near the end. Overall it isn't anything you haven't seen before in other cutesy-animal-CGI, but it did have a few unexpected twists at the end and enough satire about suburbia and American consumerism to make it worth a look even for adults. I rate it: CG quality - 8, Character designs - 8, Story - 6, Dialogue/Humour - 6, Overall - 7.5.
Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines (2003)
Very fast paced action plus a good story
Terminator 3 is a very effective, tightly edited, and polished action movie. You feel that every second of the 109 minutes of this film was used effectively and not wasted. There is very little "downtime". There is always something important going on or being said.
A lot has been said about the humor in this movie. Some think it's too much and ruins the dark "feel" that Terminator movies are supposed to have, but others don't mind the humor as much. I'm sort of on the fence on this one. On one hand I find the humor very clever and well done, but on the other hand it seems out of place in a movie that deals with such a dark theme and storyline (the end of the world). But in a way the occasional jokes help alleviate the overall gloomy mood of the film.
The movie is also a contrast of two parts: the first hour is full of one liners and gags, but the 2nd half is deadly serious and even depressing.
But the bottom line is, the movie keeps you entertained throughout and I think that's the most important thing. It also tells a very crucial chapter in the whole Terminator "saga", that of the genesis of Skynet and the "rise of the machines". It's a story that was begging to be told ever since Terminator 2, and I'm so glad we finally got it and it was executed so brilliantly. The ending was also surprisingly more emotional and touching than I ever expected.
Compared to its predecessors T1 and T2, I give T3 a very respectable 8 out of 10. Comparing it to most modern action movies, I give it a 10 out of 10. T3 is a throwback to the glory days of sci-fi action movies of the 80's and 90's. It's filled with one-liners, tells an engrossing story, pays attention to detail, while throwing in a lot of gratuitous explosions and destruction.