PRISONERS

A drama-thriller that serves its purpose well...



Premise

          The story follows Keller Dover, a desperate father attempting to recover her missing daughter and her friend. While Detective Loki have been assigned to the case and has the whole police department looking for them, Keller Dover feels hard done and takes matters into his own hands and captures and tortures a suspect, and begins to question his morality and lose his soul in the process.

Review

          As a drama-thriller kind of movie, Prisoners did amazingly brilliant. The story was great and full of emotional scenes, while the tension grows as the movie progresses, and some scenes were just very suspenseful. But the movie did seem slow paced, although it seemed deliberate.

          The best thing about this movie is that it makes us question about the sense of morality, about who's good or bad and what's right or wrong. In the end, we may feel that we have been rooting for the wrong guy after all, while also having the sense that every man and woman has their light and dark side after all. It's the kind of movie that is full of questions and ambiguity that we walk out most likely thinking back to what really happened back there.

          The movie felt slow paced, yet it may be deliberately so and I can see the reason behind it, such that they build up the tension and confusion in the audience. And the running time was without question very long, and though it may be good to serve the purpose, there are some drawbacks too. The movie went on very long, such that I gradually lost the sympathetic feeling of the family having a missing daughter, which wasn't supposed to happen. Audiences are supposed to be kept rooting all the way. It could just be me, however. 

          The acting was brilliant by most of the cast, and I have to say that Mr. Hugh Jackman, who displayed more rage than Wolverine ever did, really deserve another Oscar nomination. No proper action sequences and no comedy, since its a complete drama-thriller film. As an action lover, I didn't thoroughly enjoy the movie, but I appreciated what they brought, and I have to admit, drama-thriller lovers would really love this movie.

VERDICT:

Good: Complex story line, Sense of ambiguity, Tension and confusion, Brilliant cast & acting

Bad: A bit too long, Slow paced

SCORE: 7.0

PLANES

Not soaring high as other 'Disney' animations, but still enjoyable...

Premise

          From above the world of "Lightning McQueen and Tow Mater", comes a cropduster named "Dusty Crophopper" (not the most creative of names, but well...) who dreams of becoming a racer. The story revolves around Dusty who enters a round-the-globe race, as he met new friends and encounter enemies along the way to achieving his lifelong dream.

Review

          The movie is enjoyable in the sense of being an animated movie with touches of humour, drama, and action, however has an 'underdog' stereotypical plot, which is a bit far-fetched in this case, and predictable otherwise.

          Being a kids movie, Planes can be forgiven to have such a stereotype plot, but being a Disney movie, maybe not that much. If you have seen the likes of Wreck-It-Ralph, Brave, or Cars for that matter, you would be disappointed with this one.

          Wreck-It-Ralph or Brave comes with a strong story that actually amazes people, while giving the main characters problems you don't expect, and adds in the touch of drama in there. Planes is far too predictable, telling about an underdog who wants to be a racing champion, and you kind of know how it's going to end. However, it is also a bit far-fetched to even have Dusty qualified for the race in the first place without some proper explanation, aside from sheer determination & practices.

          The characters are as typical as you'd expect, with that one love interest, one rival, annoying side characters, one loyal friend, one new made friend, etc. There is one character that I feel is unpredictable at one point, but nothing else follows.

          The story adds touches of drama, although not as touching or depressing as other recent Disney movies. The action revolves around racing in the air, with a few smash & bash, banks & turns, etc, which provides decent entertainment for an animation. 

          Otherwise, typical characters, predictable plot and far-fetched turn of events became its downfall. For a Disney movie, it disappoints, and with a sequel to come up next year, we can only hope that they learn from this, to make it a movie that catches.

VERDICT:

Good: Enjoyable, Decent actions

Bad: Predictable plot, Typical characters, Far-fetched flow of story

SCORE: 5.5

RIDDICK

Seems too familiar, but is a fun ride throughout...



Premise

          Betrayed by the Necromongers, Riddick is left for dead on a dry and desolate planet inhabited with deadly predators. In order to escape, Riddick lures some bounty hunters to grab their ship, before things get more complicated in a turn of events.

Review

          'Riddick' is all but familiar, with deadly alien predators and bounty hunters, much like 'Pitch Black'. It's a good return as fans have always liked the first movie instead of 'Chronicles of Riddick', especially as it shows Riddick's true character, and more, in fact, on this movie. Compared to its predecessors, this movie have a lot more humour and intricate plotting as well.

          Character is one big aspect explored in this movie. Albeit the familiarity with the aliens and mercenaries, this movie reminded us again how cool Riddick can be messing around with the bounty hunters, yet also showed us that Riddick himself is vulnerable, and can be weakened and frightened, in his showdown with the alien monsters. Not only that, this movie showed more as Riddick displays his softer side, as he developed a relationship with his pet predator, that audiences will grow to like as well.

          Compared to previous movies, this one put a lot of effort in humour, as we see two groups of bounty hunters in a competition for Riddick's head. The rivalry between these two groups sparked many satisfyingly humourous scenes. Despite no progression in the storyline during these scenes, they are gloriously laughable and deeply enjoyable, that we can forgive the producers for not focusing on Riddick more.

          The plot is more intricate in this one, with several twists that changes the feeling of this movie more, and perhaps changes our thoughts of Riddick and other characters as well. Otherwise, everything else seems to familiar, and may be a bit too repetitive. But this movie is an enjoyable action science-fiction throughout.

VERDICT:

Good: Character development, Lots of humour, Decent plot

Bad: Familiar aspects

SCORE: 7.5

PERCY JACKSON: SEA OF MONSTERS

Fun and action all the way...



Premise

          The movie follows Percy Jackson and friends as they venture to the Sea of Monsters to retrieve the Golden Fleece, an enchanted healing cloak, to save their camp after it is attacked by old foe Luke Castellan.

Review

           Much like its predecessor, 'Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters' is highly entertaining, with lots of fast paced action, as well as tons of humour. The plot is straightforward and simple, and seems to appeal to younger audiences. The movie also presents a modernized take on some Greek mythology.

           The action sequences in this movie are entertaining, though not epic in scale. The fight scenes involve fast jumping, running, and swords clashing which is still cool to look at. Percy's ability to manipulate water is only seen once, perhaps because either the situation did not allow him to, or the opponents were not as formidable.

           The plot is very much straightforward and simple. Even the flashback scene in the movie doesn't cause any confusion or surprising revelations. There are tons of humour, albeit most are just cheesy dialogues that are more annoying than funny.

           The modernized take on Greek myths are always interesting to look at. Who'd have thought that the Chariots of Damnation would appear in the form of a New York City cab?? However, there is an extensive use of CGI, which were not that bad, especially since the creatures in the movie are highly imaginative and wonderful.

Verdict:

Good: Fast paced action, Modernized take of Greek myths

Bad: Cheesy dialogues

SCORE: 6.0

Looking Forward: September - October 2013

For this post, I combined two months period because these months have less numbers of big movies coming out, but below are some to look out for...



Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2 (Sept 27-USA, Oct 25-UK, Oct 10-Singapore)

          Another animation movie by Sony Animation, but this one looks promising. Its predecessor did amazingly well, both critically and commercially. It was a very creative movie that places food in the context of natural weather and disasters. This sequel is, in my opinion, impressively creative, to have the foods representing live animals and creatures alive today. With another decent script and excellent visuals, this may be the animation movie to watch this fall.

Links for trailers:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dNiVB_d_z4k (Trailer #1)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jw6dECrl-BE (Trailer #2)


Gravity (Oct 4-USA, Nov 8-UK, Oct 10-Singapore)

          Sandra Bullock, George Clooney, and Alfonso Cuaron. These three names alone are enough to drag me to the cinema. The film itself is a big budget movie, set in the outer space. From the trailers, it looks visually stunning. However I do have to point out my initial concerns. Other than being hit by debris and getting lost in space, I could not see the details of the plot. There are only two names in the cast, and from the trailers alone, I cannot see how this can go on as a full movie. I'm blind with this one, yet I'm highly intrigued by what this thriller has to show.

Links for trailers:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k0ijEEivCbg ("Detached")
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8y7Hg5mxMPE ("Drifting")
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=alq4CHqEL6A ("I've got you")


Escape Plan (Oct 18-USA, Nov 22-UK, Oct 17-Singapore)

         Whenever you see Sylvester Stallone and Arnold Schwarzenegger in the same picture, you know something big is about to happen. Here I am with this perception, and looking forward to this movie, which is about escaping a maximum security prison codenamed 'The Tomb', which is of Stallone's character's own design. So this should be interesting to watch.

Links for trailers:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CI4EjV_x_PQ


Other Movies:

Riddick (September 6)
-The third movie of the 'Riddick' series, and Vin Diesel looks badass in this one!
(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zH3O-CeZckE)

Prisoners (September 20)
-Hugh Jackman is in rage again as a dad who's daughter is missing in this upcoming crime thriller...
(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1kWeHtI63jc)

Rush (September 20)
-A biographical action film about the famous rivalry in the Formula 1 between James Hunt and Niki Lauda...
(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dA3XN54J8nY)

ELYSIUM

Fantastic movie portraying yet another post-apocalyptic Earth...



Premise

           In the year 2154, the world is divided. The rich and powerful live in Elysium, a utopian space station, while everyone else lives on Earth. The movie addresses social and political issues visible in our world, though not as extreme. The story follows Max Da Costa (Matt Damon) finding himself in a condition where he needs to get to Elysium, while also handed with the opportunity to save everyone else.

Review

           The movie overall is a great experience, though in many ways reminds me of 'Oblivion'. Both are set in the future, and are presented in visually stunning worlds. Both movies emphasise more on drama and revolves around the main character's story. 'Elysium' on the most is quite predictable, but delivers us more action packed sequences.

          This movie brilliantly displays the social issues of the world, where the poor are badly trying to get to the rich, in this case, the people of Earth forcing their hand in as many ways as possible to get to Elysium. The story and characterization provides a good background for audiences to go along knowing exactly what is going on and what is at stake. 

          The action sequences are a joy to watch, and keeps things in the heat. Matt Damon is such a great actor, and he owned this role. However, the one other guy who deserve praise is Sharlto Copley, portraying the psychopathic villain that Damon's character must battle. And the thing about psychopaths, they are always scary, because they have no mercy and play by no rules, and Copley brilliantly conveys the character.

          The movie is supported by a decent soundtrack as well. However, at some points the camera tend to be shaking, which although didn't disrupt the flow of the movie, still felt unpleasant. There is unfortunately no humour at all. Although they emphasise on drama, humour can always be slipped in at any time to keep it lively, but not in this one.

Verdict:

Good: Excellent plot displaying current social issues, Decent action sequences, Brilliant cast, Good soundtrack

Bad: Shaky cameras, No humour

SCORE: 8.5

SPECIAL: From San Diego Comic-Con 2013

For superhero and science fiction movie fans, SDCC is the place to be, or at least, hear from...



San Diego Comic-Con 2013

           This year, SDCC delivered some big and jaw-dropping news, as well as panels and cast of the most anticipated movies in the coming year. For panels and press conferences, you can always find them in YouTube. For the news and updates, you can find them everywhere, but I will highlight some of the biggest ones below.


The Avengers: Age of Ultron



          Marvel never fail to bring a big news to this place. Last year, they announced the official title of the 'Thor' and 'Captain America' sequel, named 'Thor: The Dark World' and 'Captain America: The Winter Soldier' respectively. This year though, they revealed the title of their iconic highly successful Avengers, namely 'The Avengers: Age of Ultron'.
          We can't hide the fact that below the title, we can see 'Summer 2015', so yes it is still 2 years away. This is actually a smart move by Marvel, as this causes fans to build up anticipation for two long years. Although in between now and then, we are able to shower ourselves with 3 more marvel movies (in the Marvel Cinematic Universe).
          Concerning the movie, Joss Whedon stated that Ultron have always been his first choice as the main villain for this sequel, and that even in the comics, Ultron have always been an adversary for the Avengers. However, in the comics, Ultron was a creation of Hank Pym (a.k.a. Ant-Man, whose movie will come out in November 2015), so we can probably guess, and Whedon has also stated, that the origin story of the character will be different. Rumour even has it that our very own Tony Stark will be the creator. 
          Nevertheless, there is obviously much tension building up, and this is definitely a big, if not the biggest, thing to look forward to come 2015.

Interesting Link: http://www.vulture.com/2013/07/what-we-know-about-the-avengers-age-of-ultron.html

Superman vs Batman?



          Zack Snyder, who directed the Man of Steel movie that was just released back in June, didn't take long to tease the upcoming sequel, and my, was it a big and surprising one. All around the hall, and maybe even the world, jaws dropped as Snyder announced the most surprising news of all: Batman will appear in the Man of Steel sequel.
          Not only that, but Snyder himself stated that Superman and Batman will be facing off against each other. Now would be a good time to take a breath, but, some news this is. Two of the world's most biggest superheroes fighting each other, I mean, can it get any bigger than this?? Well, it can, if they next bring up the Justice League movie to match Marvel's The Avengers. That's probably the reason they decide to immediately do a crossover. But still, Superman vs Batman, it's just got to be every comic book fan's dream.
          This will still act as the 'Man of Steel' sequel, with Snyder, Nolan, Cavill, Adams all returning. Although they may need a new Batman as Bale stated that he would not reprise the role. This implies that 'The Dark Knight Trilogy' is to be left alone, and I think it's better like that, while 'Man of Steel' is the start of what is to be the DC Cinematic Universe.
          This 'Superman vs Batman' is slated for a summer 2015 release. Now, that year just can't get any better with both 'The Avengers' and 'Man of Steel' sequels coming out now, can it??