Amph What was the last movie you saw?

The Expendables 2


"Track him, find him, kill him." This quote sums up The Expendables 2. Though not a smarter film than its predecessor, it makes a more entertaining film that is fun, tougher, and to the point than the predecessor. This is mostly delivered through the greater emphasis (as compared to the lack lustre first film) on fight choreography, blood, gore, and overall cutting during the fight sequences. In the first Expendables, the action didn't feel as involving because of the rapid cutting and bang-blam-bang gunplay which dominated the feel of the action scenes. This time around, the shots focus more on the blood and the overall grit of the action, like the 80s source material it looks to for inspiration. Though barely anymore detailed in its story writing as its predecessor, the writing still feels more rounded in The Expendables 2 because it works with a theme - the spaghetti western. In the tradition of The Magnificent Seven, the team gather their greatest strengths against a cartel who have enslaved a rural village.

But, the film never becomes too straight faced or serious since the sequel makes a more liberal use of humour than its predecessor. Though only intermittently funny, the winks and nods to the audience do allow the film to breathe easier while allows the personalities of the principle cast to gel far better in this film than the first outing. Meanwhile, new comer Maggie (played by Chinese actress, Yu Nan) is a very welcome addition to the team and ends up being the best. Her presence, while tough and all business, is never dominating or too obvious. Instead, she is a bona fide member of the team because, like the guys she works with, she does it her way. Meanwhile, her chemistry with Sylvester Stallone's character felt natural to a point it would have been more rewarding to see them develop their relationship further. Overall, The Expendables 2 is a drastic improvement over its predecessor while not losing what the series is about - fun. I really loved it, which surprised me as the first film underwhelmed me so much.

4 out of 5

 

Minions. Trying so hard to live up to their brand overexposure. But adorable.

 

Two Champions of Shaolin (1980) One of Chang Cheh's better Shaolin vs. WuTang films, this is one of the last Venoms mob movies to feature Sun Chien and Lo Meng with the acrobatic trio of Lu Feng, Chiang Sheng and Kuo Choi. One of the things that makes old school martial arts films worth multiple revisits for me is slowly recognizing the cast and noting each of their skills. This happens a lot in Shaw Brothers films and the Venoms mob films are no exception. Someone at the Kung Fu film board I am also a part of mentioned kicker Sun Chien's amazing array of kicks all done in one fluid motion in this film. Now I like Sun but never caught what he was talking about it. So revisit. Sure enough what a display! (Not surprising. I've liked Sun Chien the moment I saw him with the other Venoms, but he's rarely mentioned as a master kicker. BS in my book.) The variety of kicks this acquaintance discussed were over in seconds. Chang Cheh had a lame habit of ignoring his kickers (Sun and Dick Wei immediately come to mind) and I'm not sure why that is. Not only were both of these gents good actors, they proved why one shouldn't look down on kicking as opposed to bare hand and weapons fu.

As far as this film, it's fun and you see some duplicity both of the part of the WuTang and the Shaolin. I honestly didn't miss Kuo Choi but after Lo and Sun's contracts expired, I really did miss them in the subsequent Venoms films. Not just because of their acting but their martial arts styles broke up the Peking Opera wow of Lu, Chiang and Kuo. I find my opinions on the Venoms Shaws constantly evolving and I like that.

This is a fun film and like Shaolin Rescuers, it's nice to rethink it beyond how much Lu Feng blew me away. To see more of the cast and truly appreciate their characters and their kung fu, is great.

 

Was that like the more action-packed remake war starring Karl Urban?

 

Was this your first time seeing it? I more or less had the same opinion you did but it is a movie that stayed with me. I've been meaning to rematch it again

 

G-Force (2009)

The only thing that was interesting about it was that Charlie Bodell basically transformed into a mole Cronenberg-style before the events of the movie. It makes it more interesting. I mean, it's the same voice.

I'm guessing only tom will get this joke.

 

The Magnificent Seven [1960] - I decided to rent this from Netflix in anticipation of the 2016 remake of this movie which is also a remake of the movie "The Seven Samurai" which I didn't know until IMDb told me. Regardless, at the end of the day, this movie reminded me of a serious and sad "Three Amigos".

Yul Brynner, Steve McQueen, and Charles Bronson were great. Robert Vaughn and James Coburn were good as well, but I felt that they didn't get a lot of screen time especially Coburn. Vaughn always reminds me of his role Superman 3 no matter what I see him in. The other 2 of 7 was actor Brad Dexter (I hadn't seen him before in anything / he didn't look familiar) who kept talking about an imaginary treasure in the mountains and an annoying "kid" named Chico who got too much screen time so the 18-34 demographic had someone to relate to. Not only does he get to go on an adventure and be a hired gun, but he also gets the girl in the end.

I think the farmers were supposed to be Mexican, but their accents seemed to go in and out, and when they spoke English it was with excellent diction and pronunciation. It kind of removed me from the film when it happened.

Understandably, the farmers decided to "hide" their women when the 7 came to town, but then when the women were later introduced, they were just mostly background. It would have been better if the townspeople was more developed so you cared more about their safety. I half expected that the villain was going to kidnap the pretty young girl that Chico fell for, but it didn't end up happening.

On a positive note, there were a few well written lines and some humor. The acting by the principles slightly made up for the faults of the movie. You could feel that the 7 cared for the town and protecting it, but the feeling wasn't really returned and that was unfortunate. I look forward to how the 2016 remake will improve on this movie as I was a fan of True Grit remake.

P.S. For you videophiles, I viewed this movie on Blu-ray. I didn't notice any graininess which was good. What was noticeable was when a scene would end and fade to almost black before the next scene would begin, you could really notice a lack of quality in the picture. I'm guessing this was a byproduct of the way the film was probably cut and spliced together originally. I assume for a 56 year old movie, this is as good as it gets.

EDIT: Music-wise, the main theme was well done and reused over again in good places throughout the film.

 

Ha! I know, right?

 

It's probably the meatiest role JCVD has ever had

 

Back before substance abuse got its claws into him, Jean Claude had a natural, easy charisma (similar to Ah-nold's) that more than made up for any deficiencies he had as an actor. But even that said, I always thought he was an underrated actor. Compare him to his one-note contemporary Steve Segal for instance.

But Jean Claude actually did get a chance to show off his acting chops, playing a fictionalized version of himself in 2008's JCVD. It's worth watching in general, but if you watch nothing else, check out Jean Claude's performance in this pathos-drenched monologue scene.



People may laugh, but when I saw that I thought "That was Academy Award caliber acting.". And none other than Time critic Richard Corliss agreed with me, rating Jean Claude's performance the second best of '08, saying that Jean Claude "deserves not a black belt, but an Oscar".

 

Karl Urban elevates every movie he's in!

 

Whore 2

Seeking inspiration, writer Jack interviews prostitutes. Along the way, he develops a contentious friendship with mean prostitute Laurie and a romance with nice prostitute Mary Lou. Most of the interviewees are apparently actual prostitutes. Not sure if the main characters are actual actors.

 

huh, weird. is it related to the russell film at all?

 

The Rockford Files: If the Frame Fits . . . The third Rockford Files TV movie does a pretty great job of blowing a TV episode up to feature length. I mean that in the sense that it feels just like an episode of the old show, deliberately so. On the show, Rockford was constantly hassled by the police and FBI, especially by Lieutenants Chapman and Diehl, jackasses who enjoyed antagonizing Rockford and whose thirst to convict Rockford whenever he stumbled into a jam, and conviction that he was a shady character, never seemed to be dispelled by the fact that he was always innocent of the charges they tried to hang on him. Here, both Diehl and Chapman show up, once more looking to book Rockford on a murder charge when somebody tries to frame him for the death of a rival private eye. Also appearing, finally, is Gretchen Corbett as Beth, Jim's defense lawyer and on-and-off girlfriend. There are some nice continuity nods within the movies, with some new characters recurring, as well as these pulls from the classic series, a short but sweet bit of Angel, a touching tribute to Rocky, who's acknowledged as having passed away, and even the films' first car chase, a surprising omission considering they provide action that doesn't require Garner to exert himself and the TV series was renowned for its automotive action. In short, the film is very much in the groove, telling a competent new story of its own while doing an excellent job of evoking the pleasures of the TV series. They made eight of these TV movies, so they must have been pretty big hits, and I'm not surprised. They're doing a top-notch job of bringing a wonderful old series back to life so far.

 

I don't think so. Maybe it was titled that way by the distributor or something. I got the impression it was an outsider vanity project kind of thing - the lead also wrote/directed - but it's not insane or incompetent.

 

The 5th Wave. One of the most poorly written and acted movies I've ever seen. I want my 2 hours back.

 

A Beautiful Planet (2016) – Toni Myers



Looking at Earth from space, we need to start to consider ourselves more as crew members, not passengers.

A Beautiful Planet is a 45 minute IMAX 3D film featuring footage filmed on the International Space Station by the astronauts stationed there. It was, of course, converted to IMAX & 3D after filming, since those cameras were not available at the space station. It goes by really quickly and features a compelling focus on Samantha Cristoforetti, an Italian astronaut who’s still caught up in the wonder of her endeavors. But the real star is obviously the footage taken of Earth from space and it’s genuinely breathtaking. A massive hurricane, an unbelievably large thunderstorm system sweeping across Africa at night, the Northern Lights by night, a horizon shot of the magnetic shield that surrounds the earth . . . this stuff is incredibly beautiful and also really genuinely thought-provoking in a powerful way. The film ultimately makes its case about the danger of climate change, but it does so artfully and in a way that doesn’t feel overly preachy. It’s a movie that really just suffused me with wonder to the degree that I actually teared up at a couple of moments. If you can see it in IMAX 3D, do so; it’s still well worth a watch even without those elements. Narration by Jennifer Lawrence, by the way, and she does it well; it’s not the sleepwalking performance you often get when celebrities narrate these things. The film is a must-see, I think; it packs an awful lot of wonder, beauty and emotion into just forty-five minutes. 4 stars.

tl;dr – IMAX 3D documentary is only forty-five minutes, but packed with astounding images of Earth from space; compelling, beautiful and ultimately humbling and thought-provoking. 4 stars.

More Movie Reviews!

 

'Run Fatboy Run'

An underrated Simon Pegg comedy from around the time of 'Hot Fuzz'. It's funny but falls under too many conventional tropes that plague these types of stories. It stars Pegg as a fat chain smoking loser who ran from his pregnant fiancé at the altar and thinks that attempting to run a marathon will completely reconcile their relationship. The story is frankly cliche and done do to death but it's how it's done and Pegg's like ability that sell it this time. The movie needs a more darker and meaner edge to it or at least to acknowledge at some point that this plan is pretty stupid.

The one thing that hinders the movie most is the Hank Azaria character. I get so tired of these romantic rival characters. Could it ever be possible to do one of these movies with a character who isn't sinister or hates the stepchild? Azaria is such a talent and he's wasted here.

It's very conventional but you can't help but get caught up in it especially if you are a Simon Pegg fan.

 

Star Trek: Nemesis

Nemesis stands as The Next Generation's swan song and is the most dark of this particular era of Star Trek films. As with the previous three Next Generation-era films, the majority of the flaws are to be found in the writing where attempts are made to marry up the spirit of the television show with the expectations and standards of what is expected from a mainstream cinema release. Very rarely is the translation from the small screen to the silver screen a fluid process - Star Trek, at least in the 1990s and early 2000s, was no exception. While the entire TNG cast are still in touch with their characters, the story is seriously lacking in detail and logic. There is no denying that the action scenes, though reminiscent from previous Trek classics, have aged gracefully in their ability to be exciting and visceral.

Production wise, the Star Trek films (save Insurrection) adhere to the medium upon which they are telling their story. But, this seems to be at the expense of good writing. Far too many questions are left open ended including the relevance and creation of the B4 character along with how Picard's clone (the villain) came to fruition, not mention the extremely cliched and shallow motivations of that character. It's a shame because the villain, Shinzon, who is played by a very young Tom Hardy in his second major big screen role (following Black Hawk Down) invests deeply into his character. But, too much of his performance is sidetracked by the cardboard cutout villain dialogue and Schumacher-era Batman style costume. This sums up what makes the TNG finale so disappointing - not the meat of the matter but just the little details.

That is, basic logic of the characters, the various unresolved plot holes, and the occasional set or costume gaff. For a film that was promised to be TNG's Wrath Of Khan, Nemesis falls far short. But, the performances, pacing, action, and a few of the slower scenes (namely, the dinner scene with Picard and Shinzon) are enough to fuel the momentum of the film while, very sadly, giving the audience a taste of what could have been.

3.5 out of 5

 

Judgement of An Assassin (1977) - Outside of Vengeance! and The Deadly Breaking Sword, I don't think there is a more perfect Shaw Brothers film for me. I wasn't expecting to watch this last night but as usual fell right into it. Excellent story of a long gestating revenge plot and the few scant heroes and heroines who must stop the nefarious Bloody Devil from succeeding. Great kung fu, lots of humor and the best "old" couple I've ever seen in a movie.

The more I watch, the more I love this film.

 

The Rockford Files: Godfather Knows Best. This one tries to tackle slightly heavier material, with Jim coming across Dennis's son living on the streets. The simple fact that his best friend's son is homeless dominates the first act, with Jim trying to help him out, but the plot kicks in when he's suspected of killing a fashion designer who lived in the neighborhood and he had a history of hassling. There are some very amusing bits and a surprisingly interesting actor (Glen Chin) in the bit part of a Buddhist monk, but overall there's not quite enough pep to make up for the fairly thin plot, and there doesn't seem to be a coherent take on the son's character, who's all over the place before getting a particularly cheesy happy ending (after a pretty good climax). Not terrible, but definitely the least of the TV movies so far.

 

The Last Witchhunter. Not as bad as I thought it would be.

 

Eye in the Sky (2015) – Gavin Hood

Don’t ever tell a soldier he doesn’t know the cost of war.

In Eye in the Sky, we have a brilliant thriller, a political drama, a war story and a meditation on the morality of action and inaction. The story revolves around something incredibly simple, a drone strike in Africa. But as the film unfolds, we some to see that all of the cogs and wheels in the machinery of this mission are people, human beings. As such, they have a tendency to be unsure and surety is the one thing most necessary when a trigger is pulled. The film isn’t pedantic and it doesn’t preach. At various times, you’ll find your allegiance to the position you agree with wavering. What this film seems to be saying is that in our modern time of war the choice is often between two wrongs, not a wrong and a right. And when it is two wrongs on the table, it becomes a question of which is the most wrong and the division on that point is likely to be more intense than if it was a question of right and wrong. No plot details here; you need to experience this film as it unfolds. A word for the astoundingly great cast. Helen Mirren is brilliant as a hawkish Colonel driven to distraction by the hoops she has to jump through in order to commit any kind of action. Jeremy Northam is particularly great as a waffling politician; been a long time since I saw him, but he’s fantastic. Aaron Paul is nothing short of Oscar worthy as the morally and emotionally conflicted drone pilot. And a word for Alan Rickman, the great Alan Rickman, who turns in just one more great performance for us to remember; his performance is minimal and completely unaffected, but it’s masterful. He finds a way to humanize the character he plays, a harried General, with quiet moments between the lines. It’s one of his most naturalistic performances and made me miss him with renewed sadness. And a special word for Aisha Takow who gives an incredibly natural and seamless child performance. It’s a performance that could have hindered the movie immensely, but instead her performance helps the film to really soar. The rest of the ensemble is great as well, right down to the ground. Barkhad Abdi, Iain Glen, Phoebe Fox, Monica Dolan, Richard McCabe . . . some of these are small parts, but they’re played perfectly. And it all comes down to the simple question of where we draw our moral lines; these performances make the questions feel as urgent and compelling as they actually are. It’s a compelling look at the unprecedented way war is waged today and as such it feels absolutely vivid and of the moment; but the storytelling, directing, performances and moral dilemmas are as timeless as the oldest stories we have. The eye in the sky used to be God; now it’s us and the question is how do we handle the elevation? 4 stars.

tl;dr – suspenseful, intense thriller is also a gripping examination of the morality of modern warfare; a great cast invigorates a brilliant premise. 4 stars.