Montag's Movie Reviews

So first question to get out of the way:  is this movie better than the 90s version with Stallone?  Answer:  yes, by leaps and bounds.  After all, any film is generally improved by the absence of Rob Schneider, who is to comedy what cancer generally is to a healthy human body.  Now don't mistake me on this point, I'm not saying Rob Schneider single-handedly ruined Judge Dredd, although he is fully capable of such a feat.  The 90s version was simply cheesy in general, which is not bad all by itself, but this is a comparison inevitably and I'm not going to waste time with quibbling. So getting right down to it: Dredd is gritty, brutal and totally unapologetic.  It pulls no punches and doesn't shy away from its deservedly harsh subject matter.  After all, I would expect law enforcement after a near breakdown of society following a nuclear world war to be pretty brutal.  I understand that there's an entire concept of realism vs. reality (where som

If I was to describe the Avengers in a single word it would be this:  Nirvana.  The film wants for nothing.  There's action, story, character development, and well placed humor bits.  It's everything we were promised and nothing we weren't.  You want super hero conflicts?  You got 'em.  You want gratuitous amounts of action?  You got it.  You want Stan a Lee Cameo?  Better question:  could it be an Avenger movie at this point without one?  You want Hulk Smash?  You bet your sweet candy ass Hulk Smash! There are a few nit-picky things that I could say about the movie, but they all fall wildly short of what the movie gets right.  This movie is a rock star affair from start to finish, with the screen play by Joss Whedon (geeks try to hold it together), and visual and sound effects done by none other than Weta studios and Skywalker light and sound. You already know the cast, we all know the score.  So its time to strap in and enjoy the ride.  And y

If I was to describe the hunger games in a single word, yes I know this is becoming a habit with me, it would be this:  Stark.  Having read the entire hunger games trilogy, I feel that this is appropriate, but does not necessarily make for the best movie.  Let me clarify though:  the very austere and even severe impression that I get from the movie isn't bad, it just isn't fun.  Interesting, compelling, provocative yes, but fun, no. A brief word to those that are fans of the series:  the movie is fine.  Structurally there isn't anything wrong with it and all the most critical details are left intact, as they had damn well better be if these people hope to make a trilogy out of this.  Being a fan of the series myself and having read all the books, I notice the glaring differences where small or large details have been left out and while I'm not thrilled, it didn't prove to be a deal breaker either.  On the whole, I would say that this film is a per

To jump right in, the grey is a movie about a group of men that survive a plan crash in Alaska and their struggle for survival as they are hunted by a vicious pack of wolves.  Now, while that simple description does roughly cover the movie, it really does not do it full justice. For such a seemingly simple concept, there is a surprising amount of depth to this movie.  While the characters are not all that well fleshed out, the acting is quite solid so you still do manage to get a sense of them as individuals and there are some small glimpses into their lives here and there that give perspective on their motivations as they struggle to continue living. This movie is not a fancy exercise of intricate story telling.  The plot is very simple.  But even so, it is striking and forceful.  In the scene where the plane crashes, there's an incredibly visceral feel to it that I've not experienced in many other films.  I've seen a lot of movies where they use err