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Upgrade Movie Review

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If you know anything about the fact that this movie even exists, I’m honestly a little shocked. The ad campaign for this movie almost didn’t exist. But enough about that. Short up-front question: should you see this movie? If you like action and you’re not offended by gore, yes. If you are lame or a small child, no. I joke, but honestly this is definitely not for kids. The story telling is very direct and simple and that very much works in the movie’s favor. The pacing does seem a little on the fast side, but that works when considering the general setup of the film. The fast pacing actually helps with the suspension of disbelief and in drawing you in to the conflict of the main character Gray. I was a little miffed that he didn’t get very much in the way of actual character development, but Upgrade is very much a movie about ideas. And in all fairness, Gray’s character development does exist, it’s just way more subtle than what you typically see in other films. In fact,
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Godzilla: A Movie Review May 20, 2014 at 10:22pm Public Friends Friends except Acquaintances Only Me Custom Close Friends St. Patties Day Party See all lists... Limited Profile Dayton, Ohio Area Carroll High School Villanova University Family Acquaintances Go Back To sum this movie up in a word:  solid.  I know some people have been talking a lot of smack about this most recent incarnation of the G man, but I would like to say that this film stands reasonably well on its own merits and leaps and bounds above the 1998 version with Matthew Broderick.  The cinematography is good and well constructed, the monster action is very enjoyable and while the acting is just passable, it doesn't get in the way (which is more than can be said for other films, *cough* sucker punch *cough*). There is admittedly some padding before we get to the good stuff, but honestly it's really not that bad and at least it's not overly dull.  The entire way the movie is framed feels, in m
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Dredd: A movie review

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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
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The Avengers: A Movie Review

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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
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The Hunger Games: A movie review

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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
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The Grey: A Movie Review

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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
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In Time: A movie Review

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       When I first saw the trailer for this movie, I thought to myself "this looks kinda neat, I think I'll enjoy it."  So after that I promptly stopped watching any trailers for it and avoided all news media concerning it.  Didn't even look on IMDB for the filmography.  Yes, I review movies and remained willfully ignorant of as many of the pertinent details of the film as possible.  Why you might ask?  It's simple really, when I saw TRON, it was the same deal:  I avoided being saturated by news media about the film like some of my friends and was thus able to enjoy the movie more than they did.  I was actually really excited when Daft Punk showed up because I had no idea they were going to be in the movie. Anyhow,  what's this movie about?  The simplest and fastest explanation is this:  it's a dystopian future where time is quite literally money, and life.  Everyone has been techno-organically wired with clocks that keep time, which they use as c
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