When World’s Collide, 2010, Documentary
Plot: A look at the way the Old World affected the New World post-Columbus era.
Thoughts: This was a very interesting conversation that really shows the impact of a region of the world recently discovered by Western society that was intelligent and very progressive. The food portion was most interesting, seeing how we would be without most of our American crops.
Decent doc, just wished that it was more engaging.
2.7
Alpha and Omega, 2010, Comedy
Plot: A love-story about two wolves who are not in the same class end up having to work together to make it back to their home.
Thought: This was a decent alternative to Dreamworks and Disney animated films. It was cheesy, but in a good way. I didn’t enjoy the quality of animation but that is a secondary issue so it isn’t too important. The voice-acting was done well and the overall production was solid
3.1/5
Centurion, 2010, Drama
Plot: A group of Roman soldiers attempt to make it back home after being trapped behind enemy lines and hunted by an expert tracker.
Thoughts: This movie was very reminiscent of “Black Plague” based on the plot. Michael Fassbender was a convincing soldier and his supporting cast really made him look good. The movie was little more gory than it needed to be, but I guess the director was going for a more Zack Snyder type of film. I enjoyed the lighting, make-up, and wardrobe which really gave me a feeling of the time. This was a good movie.
3.2/5
GasHole, 2010, Documentary
Plot: A look at how the oil industry, combined with politics, uses dirty tactics holds viable/ economical fuel options back.
Thought: I thought that this film would have a little bit of a twist to the ever repetitious utterances of people asking for alternative fuel sources, but it was just more of the same…except more boring than usual. This was like a documentary shown in a political science class that leaves you thinking but in the end not caring too much. The stories were interesting but got drawn out for too long too quickly.
1.8/5
Fast Five, 2011, Action
Plot: An ensemble of all of the cast of the past “Fast & Furious” installments come together to pull off wicked awesome car stunts.
Thoughts: Last night of SVN’s Outdoor Movie Festival and I can tell you that I’ll need to re-review this movie because paying attention was something that I hardly did. Maybe it was just the mind-numbing quality the movie had combined with my downright tiredness. From what I can remember, however, this was a decent movie and I really began to be engaged in the plot from the get go. I’ll watch this one again.
2.5/5 (for now)
Kung Fu Panda 2, 2011, Comedy/ Action
Plot: The Dragon Warrior and the Furious 5 come back to battle an evil Peacock named Lord Shen.
Thoughts: This movie did the exact same thing that the first did in creating a film that harmoniously crafted Kung Fu, comedy, and a powerful story-line and delivers it with an all-star cast. Gary Oldman shows off his skills as the films antagonist and is a very likeable villain. The action scenes were on point and the comedy was entertaining while not being campy. Great sequel that equals, if not surpasses,the original.
4.8/5
The Hangover: Part II, 2011, Comedy
Plot: The same plot as the original, except this takes place in Bangkok.
Thoughts: I was sorely disappointed in this movie. It was entertaining, but something that was done before.”If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” I guess. Not too much to say other than if you liked the first one you’ll really enjoy this one.
Tron: Legacy, 2010, Sci-Fi
Plot: The sequel to the 1982 classic, this movie follows Sam who looks for his father and attempts to save them both after entering the video game.
Thought: This was a well-done sequel by Disney, turning this film into more of a family friendly film. The dialogue was cheesy but I really enjoyed the story. The visuals were out of this world but would have been much better had they used the same cameras as James Cameron in “Avatar”. I wish they had utilized more of the light aspect of the film, but it was still well done.
2.8/5
Superman/ Batman: Apocalypse, 2010, Action
Plot: Superman’s cousin crashes down to Earth and is forced to become one of Darkseid’s private guard.
Thoughts: LOVED the animation (a strong hint of Anime in the production) combined with KEVIN CONROY (the only man that can EVER be Batman) and TIM DALY (my favorite version of Superman). Now that all of the All-Caps are out of the way, this was a solid movie. The story was great and the action complimented it beautifully. The characters were true to their comic book selves and made believable decisions. This movie was as refreshing as Justice League/ Justice League Unlimited.
4.2/5
Wristcutters: A Love Story, 2006, Dark Comedy
Plot: Distraught over a bad breakup, a young man commits suicide and is placed in an area of the afterlife where those who commit suicide go.
Thought: This was a unique concept and was done well. It had that kind of stale quality that most independent films have, but that actually added to the story. The characters weren’t really believable which also helped the awkwardness of the discussion. This film had cameos by Nick Offerman AND Will Arnett…so that was a major surprise to me. The story started strong, went a little flat, but ended strong. I’d recommend watching it just for the sheer originality.
2.8/5
The Film Chronicles