Ultimate Catch-Up Review 3 of 3

Project X

Project X is probably one of the best party movies that I have seen in a long time. The cast is made up of relatively unknown actors, but for the most part they do fine. I can only say how I felt but I was actually tired after seeing this film, it was almost like I was there (almost).

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Silent House

Go into Silent House with no prior foreknowledge. Know that it is a horror film and it might have been filmed as one long take. It has a twist but you may can figure out the twist before the end. I realize i'm being cryptic but the less you know the better. I was pleasantly surprised by the film and I hope you are too.

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

21 Jump Street

21 Jump Street is the best comedy of the year so far. The Hollywood re-imagining of the 80's television show doesn't take itself seriously, at all. The entire cast does well and makes the best scenes seem effortless. If you are still on the fence it has a very special cameo. You should definitely....

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

And now to bring you up to speed with.... The Hunger Games

Ultimate Catch-Up Review 2 of 3

Chronicle

Chronicle is the type of innovation in the found footage genre that I was talking about. It introduced a new scenario for found footage. The characters were genuine and overall the movie felt like it really happened.

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Woman In Black

Woman In Black is a horror movie that is firmly grounded in classic old school horror films. There is no blood and gore, just good suspense and a few jump scares peppered in for extra flavor. While it might not give you nightmares it is good entertainment.

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

Safe House

Safe House is probably one of the better spy fiction movies in recent memory. It has plenty of twists and turns, but overall the story stays strong. The action is what is expected from such a film today and audiences will be pleased with the overall experience.

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

Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance

The next entry in the Ghost Rider franchise is an utter let down. The art direction of the film is what makes it almost unbearable. It doesn't help that Nicholas Cage's portrayal of the main character got progressively worse between the two films. The overall story would have been fine if it was presented in a different way. To the duo that directed this film, (and the Crank movies and unfortunately Gamer) the frenetic disjoint style that you continue to use worked for that one film and that film only. STOP IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

STAND OUTSIDE YOUR LOCAL THEATER AND WARN PEOPLE

For films in March take a look at part 3.

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....

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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...

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