Ultimate Catch-Up Review 1 of 3

Hello everyone! After a long hiatus (which was extended by my extreme laziness) The AJ Movie Review is back. Although my time as of late has been focused on other things, this will still be purely a movie review blog (this may change in the future). With that said reviews might not be in high supply. I will try my best to cover the major films, specifically the ones coming out this summer. Other films will probably be covered in catch-up reviews such as this one. To kick things off I will start with the films I viewed in January. I won't really go into details about the plot of the movies, rather I will give you my opinions of said movie. This is by no means a comprehensive list of what I have seen over the past three months (I'm going by the ticket stubs I could find on my desk).

The Devil Inside

The found footage genre is getting to the point that it needs innovation or it will die soon. Unfortunately, The Devil Inside is not the innovation that is needed. The Exorcist part 46 is predictable and is seldom scary, some of the jump scares were okay though. To make a bad situation worst it ends abruptly (at a point where the film could have gone on to be good) and directs the audience to visit a website for more information. In my opinion it felt like they didn't know how to end the film and just stopped it. Overall, there are better exorcism movies out there.

STAND OUTSIDE YOUR LOCAL THEATER AND WARN PEOPLE

Contraband

Contraband isn't really your standard heist movie, as most of the film takes place on a cargo ship. There probably is a movie that has done this before, but I haven't seen it. Contraband had a mostly all-star cast and was a refreshing start to my movie year (the above movie doesn't count). Overall, it was a really good movie.

GO NOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Red Tails

Red Tails is an exciting retelling of the story of the Tuskegee Airmen. While this movie isn't completely accurate in the historical department, it is very entertaining and gripping. The fact that the project was steered by George Lucas only adds to the entertainment value of it all.

GO NOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Underworld: Awakening

Underworld Awakening is in my mind the least of the four current films. The series in one take spiraled into loud long action scenes strung together with a weak plot. In my opinion the story and the world that the previous films wove together was one of its strongest attributes. I also have some gripes about the look and design of the lycans this time through. They are shadows of their former selves and although this may be loosely explained in the movie it was just sad. Let's hope the fifth time around is better.

FX/TBS IT

For February's movies take a look at part 2.

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

I honestly don't know how to write the introduction for this review. If you are fuzzy about what the movie is about I would suggest that you watch the trailer a couple of times. To be honest though, that still doesn't give you a complete idea of what this movie is. I can tell you that it is a a mystery movie, well part of it is at least. Having not read the book I didn't know what exactly to expect, but the trailer did pull me in.

This is possibly the best movie of the year. It's high up on my list with Drive. All of the actors performed wonderfully and you felt emotionally invested in the main characters. What I liked most about it is how for the first hour the two main characters are on different, but converging paths. This isn't the first time this has been done before, but the way that it was accomplished here impressed me. I will say a word of warning this movie is rated R for a reason. Some scenes even had me flinching and wanting to turn away.

Overall, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo is a really good movie. You should definitely ..............GO NOW!!!!!!!!!!!!

Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol

The fourth entry in the Mission Impossible film franchise has hit theaters recently. In this film Ethan Hunt and his team of agents are accused of blowing up the Moscow Kremlin. As in the first film the team is disavowed and they are solely responsible for clearing their names and saving the world, all at the same time. Can they do it in time or is this mission truly impossible....

Ghost Protocol is your standard Mission Impossible movie and that isn't necessarily a bad thing. The plot is basically the same as the first movie except it is on a larger world stage. The acting was good on all parts and the CGI effects are what you would expect from a big budget movie like this.

There's nothing negative that I have to say about Ghost Protocol. The fact that it feels like standard spy fiction does make it blend in with all of the other hundreds of movies like it.

If you're an avid MI fan like me you should ...... GO NOW!!!!!
If you're not you should probably RENT IT.

Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows

The sequel to 2009's take on everyone's favorite late 1800s detective is here and better than the first. This adventure finds Holmes on the trail of his ever elusive adversary Professor Moriarty. This adversary is no ordinary man. In almost every way he is equal to Holmes and in other ways he is superior. It is this edge that makes Professor Moriarty the most dangerous foe Sherlock Holmes has ever had. Two men enter in; one a master detective, the other a criminal mastermind and only one will leave.

A Game of Shadows is in every way better than its predecessor, that in and of itself is no small feat. The acting on all parts was splendid and most of the original cast are here. The plot was better than the first and it moves a lot faster which means watching the original is a must.

To be honest I have no complaints about this movie at all. A Game of Shadows is everything I wanted and more. If you're still on the fence I suggest that you....

GO NOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The Thing

The Thing is the newest movie in the franchise to come out. Now, there was a lot of confusion as to whether or not this was a prequel or a remake of John Carpenter's The Thing. I can confidently say that this is a prequel. The film takes place in a Norwegian camp not far from the American base in the 1982 film. The main protagonist is Kate Lloyd (Mary Elizabeth Winstead) an American paleontologist who is asked to go to the Norwegian camp to help study a discovery they have made. This "discovery" turns out to be....well,something.....

The Thing is probably the best science fiction movie that I have seen all year. The acting was great on all parts and the writing was very good. Most of all I liked the blended story that this prequel had. I could see overt references to John Carpenter's The Thing, but I could also detect subtle allusions to one of the greatest science fiction movies, 1951's The Thing From Another World. The story of how they discovered the thing and how certain members of the group reacted towards it reminded me of the 1951 film.

The only complaint that I have with this movie is that the thing was completely CGI. At times the CG monster looked great, but at others it would seem almost cartoon-ish in the way it appeared. This lack of realistic look sort of made it scary, but not as scary as the 1982 monster.

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed The Thing. If you have the chance you should definitely...

GO NOW!!!!!!!!!!!!

Super Catch Up Review

First of all, we at the AJ Movie Review would like to apologize for the lack of content lately. Furthermore we apologize for keeping our followers in the dark about our intentions. For the foreseeable future reviews will continue normally. This post is to update the blog with short reviews of the past six movies that I have seen. Unlike normal reviews I won't give a plot synopsis. I ask you to look on websites like fandango an imdb for that sort of information. So let's begin with the most recent film....

Killer Elite

Killer Elite is the latest in the "based on true events" spy movie genre. With actors like Jason Statham, Robert De Niro, and Clive Owen this movie only slightly disappoints. The acting itself is good and what you would expect from seasoned actors. The overall direction that the film takes is not one of constant action, which to be honest is what I have grown to expect from a Jason Statham movie. It seemed to have filler which was meant to further storyline but it sometimes ends up being dry and boring. With that said the plot isn't convoluted and is easy to follow. Overall the story aspect of it all is actually quite interesting in my opinion.

While Killer Elite was not the non-stop action movie I was expecting, I give it a solid....

RENT IT.


Drive

Drive is possibly the best movie I have seen all year. The acting is very well done and the overall story that the movie tells is simple yet engaging. There is literally not a dull moment in this film at all. What I like most about the film is that it has an overall late 70s early 80s vibe to it that just pushes it over the edge.

If you take one part very good acting, one part engaging story and a shot of nostalgia you have Drive. If you have the opportunity you should definitely.....

GO NOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


Straw Dogs

Apparently, Straw Dogs is a remake of a 1971 film of the same name. I remember telling another member of the AJ Movie Review that the preview of this movie looked like a hybrid child of the movies Last House on the Left and the Strangers. Now I know why. Since the film plays out in a similar fashion there is no new ground broken here but you already new that. The acting was well and the duplicity of the main antagonist was done very well in my opinion. With that said there is one part in the film that is not for the faint of heart. I found my self easily one quarter of the way to throwing up. I suppose though that is one of the appropriate responses to that scene. I was very entertained by the film though and rarely ever let my mind wander.

If you can stomach it better than I did, I say...

GO NOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


Apollo 18

Apollo 18 is yet another entry in the "found/discovered footage" genre. What I liked the most about this movie was the different setting/subject matter. How many films like this take place on the moon. Yes, you already know how the film ends, but at least with me, it accomplished what it set out to do. There was on point that my heart jumped 3 feet out of my chest. The acting and the effects were good and I thought overall it was a good 8 dollars and 1 hour and 30 minutes spent.

If it is still playing I recommend that you....

GO NOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


Conan: The Barbarian

First of all Conan the Barbarian is not a bad movie, but it isn't a good movie either it's just meh. The movie suffers from what I would like to call the Wolverine syndrome. I had a titular character that most people know, love and semi-respect. The main mistake here is that they did not do more with it. The acting was sub par and this was disappointing considering that I have seen the actors in other films and I believe they could have done better. The story was kind of obscure and mostly action driven. I do however like the fact that they included the gritty realism of the time period.

If it is still playing I recommend that you....

.....wait and FX/TBS IT


Fright Night

Fright Night was really good. It was visually stunning and well acted. To that one person (you know who you are) even though it's a remake you should give it a chance. It's late and I need to wrap this all up. It was good....trust me....

GO NOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Captain America

Tearing through Nazis and Red Skull cultists and into the theatres this weekend is Captain America: The First Avenger. This is the final introductory movie of The Avengers on film series. It stars Chris Evans as Steve Rogers (Cap), Hayley Atwell as Peggy, Sebastian Stan as Bucky, and Hugo Weaving as Johann Schmidt (Red Skull). It also includes performances by Tommy Lee Jones, Toby Jones, and Dominic Cooper as Howard Stark.

This may be my favorite of all the Avenger movies so far and my second favorite comic book movie this year (behind X Men: First Class). It tells the origin story of Captain America set nearly 75 years ago in the dark days of WWII. Steve Rogers, an undersized wannabe soldier, is a character that can be easily identified with. He wants to be something that no one will give him the chance to be. Until a certain doctor takes notice and brings him in to be a prospect in a program to create a super soldier to "personally escort Adolph Hitler to the gates of Hell."

On the flip side we soon learn of Red Skull/Johann Schmidt. A Nazi officer crazed with world domination over and above what he believes can be accomplished by Hitler. He has also been a part of a super soldier project just like Cap which resulted in his head being melted down to looking a red skull. He is played well by Weaving and is certainly a villain you don't like.

Captain America has the perfect balance of story telling and action. It gives a realistic explanation behind the suit and the whole thing feels very real.

Furthermore, Captain America ties in with the Avenger universe better and more creatively than any of the other films. It's a big plus if you see Thor before seeing this one. I kinda wish they would've gotten the Thor dvd out beforehand. It ties in so well.

That's about all I'm gonna say...GO NOW and see Cap ya commies!!!!!!

...Oh, and be extra sure to watch til the end of the credits. You see more stuff than you normally do after an Avenger film.