Ironman 2 rekalled...

IRONMAN 2, the sequel to the great-out-of-nowhere Ironman from a couple of summers ago, comes at us again, all guns blazing. The key players are back, Jon Favre brings his keen ability to craft and entertaining story and his star is Robert Downey Jr does not disappoint with his interpretation of Tony Stark. Never has a character so arrogant and narcissistic been so fun to root for as the one that Downey has crafted in Ironman 2. There is plenty of action and John Favre shows his growing ability as a director with these action scenes while maintaining the humorous interactions with all the characters. The bit players really tied the film together with an excellent performance from Sam Rockwell as rival industrialist Justin Hammer. Overall I really enjoyed the film from beginning to end and had many little moments for fans of the comic and the universe they are developing but it wasn't overwhelming for the average film goer. A real crowd pleaser. I liked it so much I saw it twice within a week of each viewing and can hardly wait for the Bluray to see more of what went into this movie.

Kick-Ass rekalled....

KICK-ASS, the newest comic-book based film to hit the screens brings a realistic bent for the genre. Or at least attempts to in a genre where people fly and come back to life. I had the pleasure/disservice to see a massive preview of this film at last summers San Diego Comic-Con and I thought it was a can't miss sure fire hit. I was slightly wrong that it was an enjoyable film but not the hit I thought it would be. I noticed the marketing of the film was pretty bad and seem to miss-represent what I had sensed the film to be from the preview. And since I saw a bunch of the best clips from the film and had to marinate on the film for about 8 months it didn't quite live up to what I had built it up to be but it was still good.

I am still amazed at the talent that Matthew Vaughn has in only his 3rd film, he is trying to push genres and bringing something unique. In my opinion he is 2 of 3 with Stardust being terrible. And the kid who plays Kick-Ass; Aaron Johnson does a great job of the nerdy kid with super hero ambitions, I did not know he was Australian until after the movie. His transition from kid to Kick-Ass is a believable secret identity not thinking it is him or him doing a ridiculous voice to cover up. Nicolas Cage as Big Daddy gives another mesmerizing performance where he is just chewing scenery and pushing the boundaries of what is acceptable and absurd with nice comical touches here and there. I am a bit of an Nicolas Cage fan/apologist though. If you haven't heard by now, Hit-Girl played by Chloe Moretz, stole the movie with all the best lines and awesome action. I really enjoyed he banter with Nicolas Cage and wanted to see more of that father/daughter/crime fighting relationship.

Overall I enjoyed the film, whilst not as good as I hoped, my expectations were wildly out of control. This movie does have some ridiculous moments and leaves the realm of reality but if you want reality go outside. If you want to see the super-hero genre pushed or just watch an entertaining spectacle then you can't miss with this.

Clash of the Titans rekalled...

Clash of the Titans, the remake by Louis Leterrier and staring Sam Worthington, is a bland action movie with passable, but not great, special effects. The original, which I haven't seen in years, holds a special place for the special effects and it's interpretation of classic stories. This new version does nothing to replace or differentiate enough from the original to be worth making. Plus the big Kraken at the end of the film is nothing special since they show it all in the trailer, if you have seen the trailer you have seen everything you want to see in the film. Nothing in this film will make you forget Bubo the mechanical owl(it even makes an appearance)or Harryhausen's great stop motion special effects.

HOT TUB TIME MACHINE rekalled...

Hot Tub Time Machine is a high concept "R" rated comedy that has the ridiculous premise that 3 old friends and a young relative somehow time travel to the 80's and hijinks ensue. As ridiculous as the premise was this was a great comedy. The story doesn't hold back and definitely it isn't for kids and Rob Corddry steals the film with a classic jerk performance. This was just a fun film and if you are looking for a comedy for adults then you can't miss with Hot Tub Time Machine.

The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus rekalled...

The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus is the latest feature from Terry Gilliam and the last performance of the all too brief career of Heath Ledger. Another example of a troubled feature that had to make major changes to get finished. With the death of Heath Ledger part way through the production the story actually allowed for a novel way for the story to progress with different actors playing the Ledger role. Even with this novel approach the film felt unfinished and didn't make much sense, even for a Terry Gilliam film. The special effects were subpar but the art direction was up to Terry Gilliam's normal used universe feel. The bright point of the film was the performance of Lily Cole who felt natural yet had emotion when needed, surprising to me coming from someone whom I knew was a model going in. She turned out to be more than a pretty face. Over all, the film seemed to have too many focuses and assumptions by characters that didn't make sense. Not a film I recommend unless you want to see the last performance of Heath Ledger or how they dealt with it. I would just watch the Dark Knight again if you want to see Heath Ledger at his best or Brazil if you want to see classic Terry Gilliam.

the WOLFMAN rekalled...

WOLFMAN, the troubled vanity project staring Benicio Del Toro directed by Joe Johnston came and went with a whimper. The history of this film is one of those hollywood legends of a film that changed it's director a month before shooting and continuos edits and changes to the composer just weeks before the movie open after being delayed numerous times with reshoots.

The story was weak and forgettable with some strong actors who were wasted in this film. I did enjoy the art direction of the film and it was directed in a manor that had some unique moments and style but falls apart on a whole. The biggest disappointment of the film was the acting of Benicio Del Toro, he was pedestrian and boring which is ironic since he was playing a famous actor in the film. Anthony Hopkins had some choice lines and delivered them with a polish that made him the bright point of the film. Emily Blunt's character and the relationship she has with Benicio is a forced one, one of the movie romances that has no reason for developing but is the deepest of loves that they would die for one another which was unbelievable. And the score was laughable even though veteran composer Danny Elfman was called back after being removed early in the process, he used a musical shorthand to make reference to gypsies and others to bring on my laughter.

Avoid this movie unless you are interested in how hollywood tries to save a film that is troubled from the start.

Ninja Assassin rekalled...

NINJA ASSASSIN, a modern martial arts action film brought to us by James McTeigue which to me is just an extension of the Wachowski's brand since he was their assistant director for their most recent films and appears to be a disciple of the brothers. The style of the film is very slick and if I was 10 years old I would say this was my favorite movie ever. Alas I am not a youth anymore and this film was simply entertaining, the gore was a pleasant surprise. A fun film that only seemed to be lacking a little extra oomph to take it to greatness. I wanted a little more ninja vs. modern soldier action. There was a smile inducing moment at the end of the film but other than that is was a straight forward ninja action story adding elements to the ninja lore that I enjoyed. A solid film.