The Expendables 2

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This film is the sequel to Sylvester Stallone's The Expendables. Barney Ross is pulled into an agreement with Church as a favor. Ross and his team, along with a technical expert, is sent to collect an item that was on board a downed airplane in Albania. The team finds keeping this item a deadly challenge that they might not be able to finish alone.

This film was directed by Simon West, and not Stallone. This film isn't a direct sequel, its another chapter. This one takes a very different approach to the first film. The film takes a more comedic tone. The comedic tone takes away any emotional depth that would attach an audience to a character. The only real connection to the characters comes from familiarity to the actors, their former roles, and their popular one-liners. The action in the film was good. There was more realism presented in this film than the first film. It had several moments of gore. However, the action was poorly presented. The fight sequences happened too fast making it feel short lived and uneventful. There was a lot of unnecessary computer animation. A lot of time it was too obvious. It was great hearing old songs to place audiences into the spirit of the film. Also, interestingly enough, there is no sex in this film other than hints. 

The cast worked great together. It was great to see the original cast returned for this film. I'll keep this short, or it'll be a long list of small roles. Sylvester Stallone played the role of Barney Ross. He was good in his role. He didn't go to over the top this time. Unfortunately, the script failed to make his character stand out. Jason Statham played the role of Lee Christmas. He was good in his role. The character remained the same from the first film. Nan Yu played the role of Maggie. She was great in her role. She got to fight and offer some emotion to the film. Jean-Claude Van Damme played the role of Vilain. literally  that is his character name. His character wasn't given much opportunity to be explored. But, he was a good actor in his role. Liam Hemsworth played the role of Billy The Kid. He was great in his role. He gave the film its only meaningful story. Bruce Willis played the role of Church. He was great in his small role.

I give this film 2 out of 5 stars! It is good as an action film, but not great. It's humor and homages make it worth a watch.

Answer to last blog: Actress Dakota Fanning, The Twilight Saga, starred in the 2001 film I Am Sam.

Que: What was actor Sylverster Stallone's involvement in this film?

Producer
Fight Choreographer
Camera Operator
Writer

Twilight: Breaking Dawn Pt. 2

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This film is based off Twilight: Breaking Dawn written by Stephenie Meyer, and is the second part to Breaking Dawn pt. 1. Bella Swan/Cullen has become a newborn vampire with a dhampire child. Bella awakens to her new family and her new vampiric powers. The Volturi still attempt to destroy the Cullen family. It forces the Cullen's to ask other families for assistance. 

This film was directed by Bill Condon, who also directed part 1 of this film. This film runs 115 minutes, and the first runs 117 minutes-making it pointless to have this film split into two parts. Both films are rushed, and it is more evident in this film. I will confess, having read the novel, my heart stopped at the beginning of the ending. After the climax battle, it returned. It remains true to the popular novels. It was a very clever tactic. Keeping fans of the novels happy, and keeps fans from feeling cheated. The opening and ending credits were awesome. I loved the use of the red and white colors for the opening. I also loved the ending credits showing the cast from all the films. The vampire effects were well done, and I was glad that the sparkling effect was kept simple. The Volturi still remain bad-ass, and Jane becomes the greatest villain of all time. It is unfortunate that it didn't include her backstory in the film. This film's story does open the world for so much more, and it is present in the film. However, since it is rushed the world isn't as expanded as it could have been. There is also a lack of deep character relationships. The ending battle scene was amazingly well done. It slowed when it needed to, and kept plenty of non-gore action. This film is not gory, but it does have violence. It does contain some sexual content though. 

The cast worked great together. Kristen Stewart played the role of Isabella Swan/Cullen. She was good in her role. She kept her expressions limited, but she is improving. Robert Pattinson played the role of Edward Cullen. He was great in his role.  Taylor Lautner played the role of Jacob Black. He was good in his role. He created a slight change in his connection with Bella. Mackenzie Foy played the role of Renesmee. She was good in her role. She was able to convey emotion through expressions instead of words. Ashley Greene played the role of Alice Cullen. She was great in her role. Kellan Lutz played the role of Emmet Cullen. He was good in his role. It was nice to see his character opened up. Michael Sheen played the role of Aro. He was great in his role. There was a few moments of over the topness. The laugh was purely creepy. Dakota Fanning played the role of Jane. She was amazing in her role. She really created a character that was frightening and sadistic. Maggie Grace played the role of Irina. She was good in her small role.

I give this film 4 out of 5 stars! This is a great romantic film that ends the popular franchise. However, it has been drawn out too far, and would only really captivate its die hard fans. 

Answer to last blog: Directors Andy and Lana Wachowski, Cloud Atlas, worked together on the film The Matrix Reloaded.

Que: What film did Dakota Fanning star in?

The Others

I Am Sam

A.I. Artificial Intelligence

Cloud Atlas (2012)

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This film is based off the 2004 novel, of the same title, written by David Mitchell. This film follows six different stories. In the South Pacific Ocean, 1849, Adam Ewing is traveling through the ocean to get back home. He is infected by a worm and fights to recover from the deadly parasite. In Cambridge, England, 1936, Robert Frobishor is a young musician who becomes a protege. Frobishor struggles to create a masterful work of art. In San Francisco, 1973, Luisa Rey is a reporter. She comes across a startling discovery after meeting Rufus Sixsmith. In the United Kingdom, 2012, Timothy Cavendish is a struggling publicist. He finds himself in trouble with some debt collectors. In Neo Seoul, 2144, Sonmi-451 is a genetically engineered fabricant (clone), a server at a fast food restaurant, is being interviewed before her execution. In the Hawaiian Islans, 2321 or 106 years after the 'fall', Zachry lives as a primitive after most of mankind has died. He is plagued by his people's perspective of the devil ("Old Georgie"). Meronym, on of the last of the 'Prescients' (remnants of technological society). Zachry has to decide to aid Meronym in her quest to search for Cloud Atlas (an outpost to send a message to people who have left Earth).

This film was directed by Tom Tykwer, Andy Wachowski, and Lana Wachowski. Each of them directed different segments of the film. This has been recorded as the most expensive indepent film to create. This film is difficult to follow, because the stories switch between each other frequently. It is also difficult to follow because, audiences are trying to find the connections between all of the stories. The connections remain vague except for one-each of the characters is the same person reincarnated into different lives. What is really great to watch is that there is a small group of actors that portray different characters in each segment. Sometimes it is obvious as to which actor is in what role, but sometimes it catches you off guard. Sometimes the make-up effects look great, but other times it looks terrible. The costumes and the backdrops look great in creating very unique worlds. Each of the stories are very unique in presentation and how they're told. The 1849's story is great. It has some deep emotion to it, but it mainly presents a man discovering himself in the world. The 1936's story was great to watch. It is deeply emotional and darkly romantic. The 1973's story is good. It has some political aspect to it, but it also has the first spark of rebellion. The 2012 story was the most pointless to the film, but it provided the film with great humor. The 2144 story is great, and it was a very dystopian futuristic world. The story had a lot of small details that weren't explained appropriately. A lot of questions that were left unanswered. The 2321 story is great. It shows the decline of civilization, and the perspective future. Yes, it is a lot to follow. It is hard to follow since when you get into one of the stories it'll switch to another. You have to keep memory of where each story left off. The stories do however lead to a great endings. It is one of those films that you'll either love or hate. 

The cast worked great together. The only problem with reusing the same cast is that sometimes they did not look the part they were playing. It is a lot of characters to sort through, so forgive me if I make a mistake. Tom Hanks played the roles of Dr. Henry Goose, Hotel Manager, Isaac Sachs, Dermot Hoggins, Cavendish (look-a-like character), and Zachry. He was great in his various roles. He really managed to create very different characters. Halle Berry played the roles of Native Woman, Jocasta Ayrs, Luisa Rey, Indian Party Guest, Ovid, and Meronym. She was great in her various roles. Jim Broadbent played the roles of Captain Molyneux, Vyvyan Ayrs, Timothy Cavendish, Korean Musician, and Prescient 2. He was great in his various roles. He created several different small roles with one major role. Doona Bae played the roles of Tilda, Megan's Mom, Mexican Woman, Sonmi-451, and Sonmi prostitute. She was great in her various roles. She was great in various roles becoming unrecognizable a lot of the time.  Ben Whinshaw played the roles of Cabin Boy, Robert Frobisher, Store Clerk, Georgette, and Tribesman. He was great in his various roles. Hugo Weaving played the roles of Haskell Moore, Tadeusz Kesseiring, Bill Smoke, Nurse Noakes, Boardman Mephi, and Old Georgie. He was great in his various roles. He was great creating the various villains for most of the worlds. 

I give this film 5 out of 5 stars! It is a great complex film. It can be hard to understand at times, but it still has a great ending.

Answer to last blog: Actress Judi Dench has acted as the character M, in 7 James Bond film.

Que: What other film has directors Andy and Lana Wachowski worked on together?

The Texas Chainsaw Massacre

The Matrix Reloaded

The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen

Love Actually

(007) Skyfall

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This film is based off the character created by Ian Fleming (1953). This film follows agent 007. An accident left James Bond injured, and assumed dead. Bond returns to help protect MI6, and M. 

This film was directed by Sam Mendes. This film harkens back to the classic James Bond films. It keeps the technological gadgets simple, and familiar to classic Bond. This film does take a risk in probing more into agent 007's back story and his relationship with M. This film is familiair to classic Bond, but it is also very different. The throwbacks to the classic films was great to try and catch. The opening digital sequence wasn't the best in the 23rd film series. The song was also very different from other Bond film taking a more grim perspective. The story is very deep and depends more on its story than its action. The ending of the film is more emotionally deep than major ultimate fight sequence. This film also boasts a lot of comedic one liners. The action sequences were simpler, but highly effective. It was also great to see a James Bond film without any over the top fancy gadgets. The Bond girls were interesting in this film. It had all different versions of girls in this film, and it worked for the film.

The cast worked great together. Daniel Craig returned, for his third time, to his role of James Bond. He was great in this film. He did explore the emotional depths of his character while keeping him as a bad ass. Judi Dench returned to her role as M. She was great in her role. She created a unique perspective of her character. Javier Bardem played the role of Silva. He was great in his role. He played the unconventional villain. Ben Whinshaw played the role of Q. He was great in his small role. He brought back a familiar character to the film. Ralph Fiennes played the role of Gareth Mallory. He was great in his small role.

I give this film 4 out of 5 stars! It does take a risk in changing how James Bond films are presented. It takes a more emotional perspective, but keeps enough action to make the film great to watch.

Answer to last blog: Director Marcus Dunstan, The Collector, did not write the script for Saw.

Que: How many times has actress Judi Dench portrayed the role of M in the James Bond franchise?

8
6
7
5

Look for my reviews on 007 and cloudatlas to come soon

The Collector (2009)

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Arkin is works at the house that he intends to rob. On the night of the robbery he comes across an unexpected surprise. The family is trapped inside the house as the Collector is slowly torturing the family to death. Arkin is forced to make the grisly decision of helping the family, or letting suffer their fate.


"He always takes one". This film was directed and written by Marcus Dunstan. This is his first film to direct. This film was originally intended to be a Saw prequel, which is why the films horror style is so similar to the Saw films. So, yes, it is torture porn. This film definitely was not intended for children. The story is great for general horror. There isn't much backstory to this film. It has a very general plot to scare audiences. It doesn't really offer anything new to the genre except for a new killer face. It possible that a new horror icon might have been created. It has a fairly large body count, and plenty of gore to keep audiences squirming in their seats. It is very good at keeping the desperation, and the urge to scream 'run'. This film uses great cinematography to build up the suspense of certain situations. There is also a lot of play off sounds.

The cast worked well creating the chaos for the film. Since this is torture porn there isn't much character development. Most of the characters are present to be corpses. Josh Stewart played the role of Arkin. He was great in his role. He gave the film true panic and emotional desperation. Karley Scott Collins played the role of Hannah Chase. She was good in her role. She gave the film some innocence  Madeline Zima played the role of Jill Chase. She was good in her small role. She was the general rebellious teenager. Andrea Roth and Michael Reilly Burke played the roles of Victoria and Michael Chase. They were good in their very small roles.

I give this film 5 out of 5 stars! This is a great horror film-especially if you love the sub-genre. It is moderately predictable, and doesn't create anything new for the horror world.

Answer to last blog: Actor Alan Tudyk, Wreck-It Ralph, starred in the film I, Robot.

Que: What Saw film did writer/director Marcus Dunstan not write?

SawVI
Saw V
Saw IV
Saw

Wreck-It Ralph

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This film follows Ralph, a video game villain from the arcade game Fix-It Felix, Jr. Ralph finds himself lonely and wanting more than just being the hated villain. He rebels against the beliefs and begins to game jump in hopes of finding the medal that will improve his life.

This film was directed by Rich Moore. His first animated film to direct. This film is a great film for children and adults. The film is full of familiar old characters from arcade games, and presents new ones. Unfortunately  there isn't much use for the familiar game characters other than fun to catch material. It is great to catch all the various references  and it does have a very cute story to follow. The story is predictable to most animated children's films. It has very likable and heartfelt characters that all children can enjoy. Which was great for this very character driven film. It was impressive how each character had a story that was wholly represented through the film. The story also shows that Disney has some respect for video games as an art style. It mixes various graphic styles to create each different video game world. It worked perfectly for the game, because they were able to create a kind of tempo for all the different worlds. It gave the film a very authentic feel. This film is very open in visual art styles and worlds which is rare in most modern films.

The cast worked great together. It is interesting that film didn't feature any child voice actors though. John C. Reilly voiced the character Wreck-It Ralph. He was great in his role. He created a villain that was full of heart. He became a character that audiences could easily relate to. Sarah Silverman voiced the character Vanellope von Schweetz. She was great in her role. She created the kid that everyone could fall in love with, and keep her acting like a child. Jack McBrayer voiced the character Fix-It Felix. He was great in his role. He created the very innocent character. Jane Lynch voiced the character Calhoun. She great in her role. She was the bad-ass in this film, but allowed her character to still have some deep emotion. Alan Tudyk voiced the character King Candy. This character reminded me so much of the Mad Hatter from the original Alice in Wonderland animated classic. He was very entertaining to watch as a character even with all of his strangeness.

I give this film 5 out of 5 stars! It does have a predictable plot, but it works for the film. It pays homage to the classic arcade video games, and can be enjoyed by all audiences.

Answer to last blog: Actor Kevin Dorman performed the action capture for the character Leon S. Kennedy in Resident Evil: Damnation.

Que: What other film did actor Alan Tudyk star in?

I, Robot
The Incredibles
Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events
The Butterfly Effect