Delivery Man (2013) Movie Review

DELIVERY MAN (2013) MOVIE REVIEW

Although I did know what was exactly going to happen, I did find myself actually enjoying this film. To some extent.

After David (Vince Vaughn), an affable underachiever, finds out he has fathered 533 children through anonymous donations to a fertility clinic 20 years ago, he must now decide whether or not to come forward when 142 of these children file a lawsuit to reveal his identity. While the film itself is incredibly cliché and simple in it's execution, I found the story quite interesting and I will admit it is something I have not seen before. It also brings up many moral questions regarding how can one father 533 children? Is it better that these children remain oblivious to their father's identity? All these questions and many more are reasons as to why I believe that this film's story and concept are incredibly original. While I cannot give the director and writers credit for this story, as the plot for this film is based off the French-American film Starbuck, I can say that no matter what film it originated from, both of these films had an interesting, daring and original concept for a movie.

Still of Vince Vaughn

Like I stated before, I personally found this film quite cliché in many different aspects. For example, the entire movie follows the whole everything is going downhill for David, then he finds out something that could change his life. Eventually it does and through many different events it all works out in the end for everyone, the end. And if I actually spoiled the film for you, come on, we all knew what was going to happen anyway. Anyhow, I'm not really sure what I can say about this movie, and this because much like an earlier film this year The Internship, I can't really find anything wrong with the movie, even if it is incredibly apparent that there are problems. However, I did find one or two main problems that stuck out to me throughout the film. First off, I felt that the film was little too rushed even for a two hour run time. This is due to the fact that because the film is based around so many characters, we don't really explore any of the kid's personalities and attributes much. This was a let down for me as one kid in particular I really liked, and that was the one who has a job as a barrister. Secondly, I noticed that there was one plot point in the movie that popped up, then disappeared. And this was the whole gangster trouble as they do something to David, and then just disappear for the rest of the movie. While it didn't bug me much, it still slightly bugged me. 

Still of Cobie Smulders and Vince Vaughn

As for the comedy in the film, I felt that the film really excelled in this category. I found pretty much everyone in this film funny in their own way. Vince Vaughn was funny in his generic role that he plays in every single movie, Cobie Smulders I felt did a good job as Vince's love interest, though in some parts, I felt was underutilized. Though out of everyone, the easy stand out for me is one of the most underrated actors in film right now, Chris Pratt. If anyone has watched the funny T.V show Parks and Recreation, then you should know that this man is one of the funniest actors to ever grace our screens. In this film, Chris plays Vince's good friend and lawyer throughout the lawsuit case. Because of his occupation, plus the fact that he is the dependant and tired father of four young children, this manages to create some incredibly funny and in some parts harsh scenes. Overall, I felt that all three of the main actors in this film brought their A-Game in this film and managed to let more people know about their respective comedic abilities. Yes, I'm talking to you Chris. 

Still of Chris Pratt

Overall, while many critics seem to have shunned Delivery Man for being generic and unoriginal, I think that that is what makes it a good movie. The film knows exactly what it is from start to finish, simple and heart-warming. And if that is what the movie was aiming to do, it did it's job more than well. 

OVERALL: 6.8/10

The Hunger Games: Catching Fire (2013) Movie Review

THE HUNGER GAMES: CATCHING FIRE (2013) MOVIE REVIEW

When going into this film, I wasn't expecting great things as I didn't care much for the first one. After seeing this one however, I never thought I would say it is one of my favourite films of 2013.

Taking place after the events of the first Hunger Games film and book, Catching Fire once again revolves around our two protagonists from District 12, Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence) and Peeta Mellark (Josh Hutcherson). After their simultaneous victories in the previous Hunger Games, the Capitol sees them as a threat as this victory causes different acts of rebellion from all the districts across Panem. Because of this, President Snow (Donald Sutherland) and Plutarch Heavensbee (Philip-Seymour Hoffman) decide to eradicate their kind by choosing the victors from previous Hunger Games to compete in the 75th annual games. As a result, Katniss and Peeta must now find a way to stop Snow and Heavensbee's plan all while preparing for their inevitable enlistment into the 75th Hunger Games. While I have read the first book, I never got around to Catching Fire and Mockingjay, so I cannot say whether it is reliable or not. For the most part however, I felt the story was exactly what I wanted from the first film, though never really got enough of. And that is the political side to the Hunger Games. In this film, it shows how this battle to the death affects not only the entry, but their loved ones and even complete strangers. Overall, the story was incredibly compelling and showed it's strongest elements, which is the political aspects, and uses them to the absolute limit. 

Still of Donald Sutherland and Philip-Seymour
Hoffman

One of the reasons I did not enjoy the first instalment in this money grabbing franchise was because of the actual Hunger Games. I felt that the violence was toned down too much as although it is a PG-13 film, I'm sure you can get away with one or maybe even two semi-graphic scenes of violence. In this film, while the toned down violence is still incredibly apparent, the violence was much more cringe worthy than just simple blood and limbs everywhere. Me personally, I have always preferred violence and both mentally and biologically affects a victim, which they take full advantage of. For example, in the previous film, the most violent scene for me was when the wasp of bees killed one of the tributes, which wasn't really that violent to begin with. In Catching Fire, some of the violent scenes used include a poisonous acid cloud, monkeys which rip someone's throat out, electrocution, drowning and even the sounds of loved ones being tortured. Yep, that's defiantly an improvement. Anyhow, another aspect I felt that was lacking from the first film was the humour. While there was humour in it, none of it really stuck with me when I left the theatre. Like most things in this film, it is the complete opposite as the comedy in Catching Fire is just hilarious. When a dramatic event has just occurred, much in the same vein of Joss Whedon productions, it seemingly transitions into a joke without any awkwardness to it. This managed to happen so often that I was actually convinced that the script was on the calibur of that of a Joss Whedon. By the way if you don't know, Whedon is the director of The Avengers, just for comparison purposes. 

Still of Josh Hutcherson, Woody Harrelson and
Jennifer Lawrence

As for the acting, I was not surprised by it one bit. When you have A-List actors like Jennifer Lawrence, Woody Harrelson, Stanley Tucci and Philip-Seymour Hoffman in the film, you know the acting is going to be spectacular. Jennifer Lawrence ultimately has to carry the film as the film revolves around her character, and thankfully, she once again carries the entire film and will unsurprisingly carry the franchise. Jennifer is without question my favourite actress in Hollywood at the moment as when she needs to be a badass, she's a badass. When she needs to be dramatic, she's dramatic and when she needs to be comedic, she just be's herself. Josh Hutcherson also did a really good job and an even better job then he did in the first one as he just seemed more like a 3-Dimensional character and not just their for the plot. Speaking of this, the relationship between Katniss and Peeta I actually bought in this film as in some scenes, one in particular, Katniss really does show how much he actually does care about Peeta, all the while still in love with Gale. Also, that brings me to another thing about the film. I loved how they managed to utilize Gale more into the story as in the first film, it seemed like he was just there. In this movie, it actually shows through the actor's emotions how angry he is and how in love with Katniss he is. Other actors who were great in their respective roles include Stanley Tucci as the energetic host Caesar, Lenny Kravitz as Katniss' stylist Cinna, Woody Harrelson as the drunken mentor Haymitch, Elizabeth Banks as the polar opposite of Haymitch Effie. Out of everyone however, I felt that a new addition into the film managed to shine amongst all these great actors and characters. This person is Sam Claflin as Finnick. Watching this film I was more or less like "This guy is the smarmiest douchebag I have ever seen", and that's why I love him. I love how cocky and positive he is in a fight to the death. Thankfully, he is an ally of our heroes so we are all safe. Overall, the acting was almost perfect and managed to show off some known and unknown talent.   

Still of Sam Claflin as Finnick Odair

Overall, The Hunger Games: Catching Fire showed me to literally never judge a book by it's cover. This film had majority of things I love in a film. Comedy, action, drama, political aspects and rebellion. For some reason I knew 2013 was going to be a good year for films, I just didn't know it would come out and show me in the form of a Hunger Games film. And because of this film, I am now a fan of the critically acclaimed book and films. Bring on Mockingjay!

OVERALL: 8.8/10

The Butler (2013) Movie Review

THE BUTLER (2013) MOVIE REVIEW

When I first watched the trailer for the movie, I assumed by the stellar cast and significant story that it would more than likely get nominated for an Academy Award. While I may have been wrong, it is still a damn fine film at that.

The Butler revolves around Cecil Gaines (Forest Whitaker), a butler whom serves at the White House through the course of eight presidents. During this time, Cecil's life begins to be affected by his job as during many historic events, including the civil rights movement and the Vietnam war, his life, family and American society become affected as a result. One of the things that made this plot all the more engaging was the fact that all the events in this film actually occurred in real life, causing the audience, and myself included, more engaged and wanting to learn more throughout the film. While some people may criticise by saying that the plot has been done to death and that it seems unoriginal at this point. Myself however could not resist this temptation as I am just a sucker for anything related to the civil rights movement or know that I think about it, anything around the 1960's. Overall, I found the plot extremely interesting and caused me to look more into the events behind the story, which is of course never a negative in my books. 

Still of Oprah Winfrey and Forest Whitaker

Like many people have said, the main reason that this film was really good was because of the cast and how their acting managed to nail the characters they were portraying. On the poster alone, the names mentioned include Forest Whitaker, Oprah Winfrey, John Cusack, Jane Fonda, Cuba Gooding Jr., Terrence Howard, Lenny Kravitz, James Marsden, David Oyelowo, Vanessa Redgrave, Alan Rickman, Liev Schreiber, Robin Williams and Clarence Williams III. When a movie poster can put 14 actors on it, you know that the cast must be the biggest aspect of the film. As for their characters, I felt that most of the actors managed to play their part up particularly well. Favourites amongst this stellar cast include Cuba Gooding Jr. as Carter Wilson, Cecil's first friend upon entering the White House. One of the reasons I liked this character so much was mainly because of Gooding Jr. as anything with him in it, I will be instantly hooked as I just love him as an actor, and here his dramatic and charismatic sides show. Another actor I loved in this film was James Marsden portraying President John F. Kennedy, just seeing Cyclops from X-Men as President for some reasons just brought a smile to my face, that and he was actually really good in the role. I felt he nailed the expressions and attributes that Kennedy was known for before his assassination. While the cast was incredible, I felt that certain characters were under utilized and I would have liked to explore their thoughts and struggles a little more. Two men who come to mind are Terrence Howard as Howard and Robin Williams as President Eisenhower. In terms of Howard, I felt he was not used very much as it seemed that he was only in the scenes he was in for the simple fact that it needed comedic relief. This was fine until we see him standing on his porch, and then the film immediately jumps to the next scene and we never see him again. As for Eisenhower, their were many more things that could have been done with this iconic president, though while I am not feeling as strongly as this as Howard, I still feel they could have utilized him a little more. 

Still of Forest Whitaker and Cuba Gooding Jr. 

Throughout the film, many significant events occur that really did change the entire course of American history. The way that these events were handled on-screen I felt were exceptionally good. Some of these events include the civil rights movement, in which they showed the hardships that these black people went through during these difficult times. One of the reasons I liked this part was, and not to sound like a terrible person, because of the fact that they showed all the violence and didn't cut anything out. Lee Daniels must have really been going for a cringe worthy experience and in this film, I think he may have done it all too well. Another historical and infamous event was the assassination of John F. Kennedy in which here, all they show is Kennedy before he leaves the White House and the next scene, it shows Cecil crying in the kitchen over his tragic death. Just the way this part was handled was extremely good as they never actually show the assassination and they simply explain it as it just happened in a heartbeat, which is why it jumps to the next scene instantaneously. While not a specific event, another aspect that I felt was handled very well was the transition from president to president as each of their final scenes, whether it be Kennedy, Nixon or Eisenhower, are with them conversing with Cecil. This dynamic I found very interesting and direct as it shows how this butler actually did spark a new age for America as a country. It also shows how these much these presidents do actually care about their employees. This is shown further with Kennedy and Nixon's goodbye respectively, which I won't spoil what happens in the scenes as I found it compelling and quite touching to say the least.  

Still of John Cusack, James Marsden and Robin Williams
portraying President Nixon, Kennedy and Eisenhower respectively

Overall, while The Butler may have been shunned by various critics due to it's slow pacing and awkward introductions, I personally found the film compelling, interesting and just an inspiring film. Although it isn't one of my favourites this year, the movie still is a damn fine one at that. 

OVERALL: 7.4/10

Prisoners (2013) Movie Review

PRISONERS (2013) MOVIE REVIEW

I see you going for that Oscar Hugh Jackman, don't think we didn't notice. 

When the Dover family go over to their friends house for thanksgiving dinner, they realise something terrible has gone wrong. After the two youngest daughters from each family goes to the Dover's house, everyone quickly realises that they are not there, resulting in them being determined as missing. As a result of this, Keller Dover (Hugh Jackman) contacts the police and gets introduced to Detective Loki (Jake Gyllenhaal) where he tells him that he will not stop until the girls are found. Now looking for these two young girls, Loki must now work with the police to follow various leads and possible sources, all the while Keller becomes taking matters into his own hands in order to find both their friends and their own daughter. When going into this movie, I knew that I was in for a tense and thrilling story. And that's exactly what I got. Throughout the entire movie, I was on the edge of my seat and attempting to guess who could have pulled off this kidnapping. This movie managed to show that you don't need guns and explosions to make a movie exciting and thrilling. It relies more on the characters and the development of them as normal human beings and seeing them struggle through various hardships and disappointments in the course of a 2 and a half hour film. Overall, the story in the movie was beyond excellent as every single possible plot point was left explained and everything managed to make sense by the credits. 

Still of Viola Davis and Terrence Howard

Out of everything in this film, I think the thing that I enjoyed most of all was the shear realism embodied within each character. No matter how big or small, every single character was relevant to the overall conclusion to the story. As a result, this means that the audience has to care for each character at some point in the story, no matter how creepy or off-putting they may be. Another aspect that made the movie for me was once again how real the film was. While watching the movie, it occurred to me that this very situation may have happened somewhere in the world, which is just frightening to me and really put me off during the movie, though thankfully, in a way that made the film that more enjoyable to watch. Sometimes showing the dark sides of stories can have a positive outcome on the quality of the film, and here, it more than works out in Prisoners favour. Back on the topic of the characters, I also enjoyed basically everyone in the film. Hugh Jackman's character while was getting annoying in terms of his frustration, though here it actually makes sense that he is annoying as he is just pleading for his daughter to be found. Another character that while underutilized, it did make sense for her to be, and that is Keller's wife Grace (Maria Bello). While she was only seen in few scenes, she was more than a relevant character due to her contributions to the story that will not be mentioned due to spoiler reasons. Out of everyone however, I actually found the two most interesting characters to be Detective Loki and Alex Jones (Paul Dano). Loki was interesting to me as I have always liked the story of a detective who is the best in the business, though is now faced with his greatest case yet. As for Paul Dano's character, I found him incredibly interesting as he is one of those misunderstood people who has incredibly bad social aspects and is the police's first suspect. Because of this, you kind of feel sorry for him as you don't know if it is actually him. That and he is played by one of my favourite up and rising actors. 

Still of Paul Dano and Jake Gyllenhaal 

As for the acting...just..wow. Jake Gyllenhaal was superb as the frustrated though committed detective and showed just how good of an actor he is. Terrence Howard was really good as the worried father and was more or the less the borderline between good and bad throughout the film. In terms of up and rising actors, Paul Dano easily steals this category as he just manages to maintain his incredible acting even when put into scenes alongside legendary actors like Hugh Jackman and Jake Gyllenhaal. Speaking of Hugh Jackman, Hugh manages to be the ultimate actor not only in the film, but throughout the entire year. In this film, he really does give it his all and delivers a performance that was not only thrilling and powerful, but also managed to  give me goosebumps. I honestly believe that Jackman was not acting, I believe that the director kidnapped his daughter and just took his reactions and just put them in this film. Yep, that's how real and phenomenal his performance was. Overall, I'm not sure what else I can say about the acting as it is easily the best I have seen this year and managed to catch me off guard, especially Paul Dano and Hugh Jackman. 

Still of Jake Gyllenhaal and Hugh Jackman

Overall, Prisoners is just one of those special kind of movies. It's the kind of film that manages to keep you second guessing, excited, shocked, emotional and most importantly, interested throughout the entirety of the film. As well as, the movie managed to completely surprise me as it is my favourite movie of 2013 so far. 

OVERALL: 9.0/10

Bad Grandpa (2013) Movie Review

BAD GRANDPA (2013) MOVIE REVIEW 

It's amazing how something so in your face can still remain to be as hilarious as ever. 

Brought to you by the Jackass crew, Bad Grandpa revolves around 86 year-old Irving Zisman (Johnny Knoxville) as he has been burdened with the task of taking his 8 year-old grandson, Billy (Jackson Nicoll) back to his real father Chuck (Greg Harris) in North Carolina. Essentially, the film is more or less a road-trip movie, except for the fact that it is Jackass' take on the often praised concept. For the most part, I actually enjoyed the movie's plot as it actually managed to make sense throughout the entirety of the movie. Every single pit-stop in the film does in fact relate to the progression of the plot, so props to the movie for that. Overall, I can't really talk too much about the actual story of the film as while it is in the movie, it's not what the film is supposed to focus around, obviously. 

Still of Jackson Nicoll pushing Johnny Knoxville
 in shopping cart

When I was watching the film, I think I saw the film very differently to what others were perceiving it as. This was because while people saw the movie as a hilarious movie, I saw it as both a hilarious film and a social experiment. Many times in the film, you see the grandpa go around and just mess with people and their businesses. In my eyes, I found it interesting how many people will turn a blind eye to what this elderly man is doing. For example, towards the start of the film, Irving attempts to mail Billy in a cardboard box. Upon discovering Billy inside the box, the two women almost do mail him as they are saying to Billy whether he would like a blanket for the trip. Seeing this made me laugh hard as if this is what the world has come to, then I think I like it this way. Other jokes in the movie were used incredibly well, one in particular was the nightclub scene as something happens that scares the dancers and the customers off, but I won't spoil what that something is. Lastly, the biggest aspect that got the most laughs out of me was the use of random civilians in the film. Unlike any Jackass movies before, this movie is a road-trip film and in that, this mismatched pair simply go around and mess with random people on the street or at other venues. Without question the best parts that this was utilized in was at a funeral, wedding and various stores across the film. For example, at the beginning of the movie, Irving gets his penis stuck in a soda machine (yep, you heard me). Anyhow, he gets his penis stuck and needs immediate assistance from randoms. As he is pleading and calling for help, all you hear and see are various people reacting to this in the most cruel and selfish ways. During this, one man was videoing him stuck and one simply laughed and drove off. This diverts back to how society has changed from the highest to the lowest common denominator. While the humour was really good, I feel that the trailer for the film showed a little too much, overall though, the comedy was excellent in the film and really opened my eyes and showed me how society had changed and how we treat each other. 

Still of Johnny Knoxville and Jackson Nicoll
charming a woman

As for the acting, I felt it was extremely strong considering this is a Jackass film. Johnny Knoxville plays the part of a horny old man perfectly as people do actually believe that he is a screwed up senior citizen. Just the way he manages to nail every single trait that an elderly person just managed to have my mind blown while watching the film. Jackson Nicoll as Billy also did a really good job as he is more or less the younger version of the Bad Grandpa, in which you can tell through the many acts that he performs in public. I also have to give props to him for not cracking a smile at whatever Johnny Knoxville says or does as some of the stuff he does is just too funny not to at least smile at. Anyhow, to be frank, those are more or less the two actors in the film and considering the movie is as good as it is, these two must have done phenomenal jobs in their respective roles. Overall, the acting was phenomenal considering that these two are more or less the only important characters throughout the entire movie. 

Still of Jackson Nicoll kicking chair out
underneath of Johnny Knoxville

Overall, Bad Grandpa is actually a really strong and hilarious film. Going into it, I was expecting more or less a shallow and poor attempt from the crew. However, they learnt from their rare mistakes and managed to pull out a film that in my opinion is almost as good as their last film, Jackass 3. 

OVERALL: 7.7/10

The Family (2013) Movie Review

THE FAMILY (2013) MOVIE REVIEW

You know when you go into a movie expecting it to be exactly what you think it is going to be? Well in the case of The Family, it is actually the polar opposite situation. 

In this dark comedy, the Manzoni family are a notorious Mafia clan who have to go under witness protection after a hit has been made on them. Members of this family include the father Fred (Robert De Niro) who is currently going through a mid-life crisis, Maggie (Michelle Pfeiffer) who is a mother trying to undue her past, Belle (Dianna Agron) who attempts at sparking a relationship with a fellow teacher and Warren (John D'Leo) who begins an extremely thought out system at his school, which involves elements used in the Mafia. Upon beginning their new life as the Blake family in a small country town in France, they soon realise that changing their entire personality and dark ways isn't as easy as they have been lead to assume. On paper, the premise actually sounded really interesting as it could have been a great way to show the emotional struggles that each family member has to go through on a daily basis. While the movie does mention this, I would have liked it if the film focused more around that aspect. Instead, we are left with a generic plot about another rival gang attempting to find them. This would have been fine if I the film's execution wasn't so choppy as the film in general just seems a little rushed. Overall, the premise for the film could have been interesting, though just didn't quite make the cut, still fairly good though. 

Still of Robert De Niro and Michelle Pfeiffer

Like I stated earlier, the premise on paper for this film does actually sound like an interesting and potentially award winning concept. However, the way that it was executed just didn't sit quite right with me at least. From I understood, the entire plot of the film is more or less about the family attempting to adjust to the change from killers to civilians. Now this is exactly what I wanted the movie to be like, however, I just feel something was off about the way it was handled. For example, at the beginning of the film, they don't really establish too much as basically what occurs is a family gets killed and then it cuts to the Manzoni's travelling to their new home. Now what I gathered from that scene was that the family that got murdered were filling in for the other family, or perhaps just got mistaken for them. While this may seem not relevant, it does raise the major problem with the film which is that everything isn't explained as well as it could have been. The film just expects the audience to pick up on something that may or may not be important to the plot of the film. Now this is OK if you are foreshadowing messages in the film like "know your enemies and know who to trust", but when you foreshadow important plot lines in the film, it just creates a confusing and to be frank, boring movie. This is yet another unfortunate problem as while he film does pick up the pace during the end, the lead up to the grand finale, in my opinion, is just extremely slow and boring. While there are actually some funny moments sprinkled throughout the film, it doesn't make up for the slow pacing throughout the entire film. If the movie was about 10-15 minutes shorter, I feel like it would have been a perfect length for this extremely dark comedy. 

Still of Michelle Pfeiffer walking away
from explosion

As for the acting in the film, I actually thought it was exceptionally strong. Robert De Niro pulls off the old, wise and ruthless father figure very well. Michelle Pfeiffer plays the headstrong, confused and seemingly nice mother very well and manages to play the borderline between bad and evil well. As for Tommy Lee Jones' character, I never quite understood why he is in this film at all. From what I gathered, he is more or less the agent that is checking on them and letting them know on any updates regarding the investigation. While I can see the relevance of his character, that doesn't quite translate onto the screen which goes back to one of the problems of the film that were previously mentioned. By far the best characters in this film were the two teenagers, Belle and Warren played by Dianna Agron and John D'Leo. I think the best I liked about these two were the chemistry that they had between each other as you actually believed that they care for each other, considering that they are brother and sister. As well as this, I also liked how they handled an everyday day at school as while many may see it as a waste of time, they see it as an opportunity to lie and cheat their way to the top of the popularity food chain. How they do this however is just hilarious and intriguing as when the girl feels uncomfortable around a group of men, she grabs a tennis racket and goes to town with it. While on the other side of the spectrum, the boy uses his wits and hires different students to protect and more or less serve him as long as he does something in return. This had me thinking about how their methods are very different and the way they work off each other considering their personalities are polar opposites was actually really cool to behold. 

Still of Dianna Agron and John D'Leo

Overall, I have mixed feelings about this film. On one side of the spectrum I really enjoyed the premise and the acting. However, I disliked the pacing and overall choppiness of the film. In the end, I have to go with my gut and judge this movie on what it is supposed to be, a dark comedy. Considering this, I must say this film is actually a good one at that. It has darker tones though managed to keep me intrigued, guessing and laughing all the way through. In the end, while the film isn't as good as I wanted it to be, I am glad I saw it. 

OVERALL: 7.0/10

Captain Phillips (2013) Movie Review

CAPTAIN PHILLIPS (2013) MOVIE REVIEW

When I heard this event was being turned into a movie, I was sceptical. Then I had heard that the director of The Bourne movies was directing, then I was excited. Thankfully, my excitement was more than justified in the case of Captain Phillips.

As the name suggests, Captain Phillips is based on the horrifyingly true story about Captain Richard Phillips (Tom Hanks) as his ship becomes hijacked by Somalian pirates. One of the reasons this significant event became such a travesty was because of the events that transpired and the fact that this ship was the first cargo ship to be hijacked in two hundred years. In terms of it's reliability to the source material, Captain  Phillips does an impeccable job at representing the tragic events that occurred and accurately represents these terrifyingly true events. Another aspect I really liked about the execution in the story is that it shows both sides of the story, though never makes you feel like you should feel for these pirates, well, most of them anyway. I won't lie, towards the end, you feel a tiny bit sorry for one of them in particular, but I won't spoil it for you. Anyhow, Captain Phillips managed to perfectly represent this terrifying story and managed to tell the events accurately and fluently. 

Still of Tom Hanks being held hostage by pirates

One of the best aspects of this film I felt was how real the film was and just the fact that EVERYTHING in this movie actually happened. Every single moment in this film you knew was either incredibly intense, or a scene leading up to an incredibly intense scene, causing you to be more engaged in the events occurring. While many have said that the film is a little slow at parts, and while I cannot disagree with them, I felt it was necessary as with a film like this, it is very hard to keep the viewer engaged and interested for the entire two hours. Another aspect of this film that I did not expect was that in the final ten minutes of the film, I was actually crying just because of the performance that Tom Hanks brought (which will be discussed soon). About halfway through the movie however, the film did something that I did not expect, and that is that the film turns into a more secluded hostage situation film, which I really enjoyed as it gave the film more freedom with it's setting, considering the movie takes place on a giant cargo ship. Speaking of the cargo ship, one of the major reasons I feel that this particular premise worked so well on the big screen was that it was a very secluded area, much like the critically acclaimed film Gravity. The biggest reason that film was so good was because it took place in the most empty place you could imagine, the depths of space. Before I divert off topic, all these elements came together to work off of each other in such a spectacular way. 

Still of Tom Hanks and Michael Chernus

Now we come to easily the best aspect of the movie, the performances from the many actors in the film. Many different critics have stated that leading man Tom Hanks brings his best performance yet in this film. While I cannot agree with this, I must say it is defiantly one of his best as throughout the movie, you can really feel the pain that Phillips is going through. You can see that all he wants is to go home to his wife and never return. Before I digress, his performance is just phenomenal and while I feel it won't go down as a classic like Forest Gump or The Green Mile, I will be beyond disappointed if he doesn't at least get nominated for an Oscar or Academy Award. As for other actors/actresses in the film, I felt although the pirates in the film are completely new to acting, they were still really good to hold up against Tom Hanks as throughout the movie, most of the scenes are actually between him and these four beginners. Judging by their performances in this film alone, it is inevitable that their careers will continue to blossom (hopefully for the better). Overall, the acting was some of the best I have seen all year and Tom Hanks just nails the persona and emotions, according to the actual Richard Phillips who saw this film. 

Still of Barkhad Abdirahman, Barkhad Abdi,
Faysel Ahmed and Mahat M. Ali

In the end, Captain Phillips is easily one of the best films I have seen in a long time. With Tom Hanks bringing one of his best performances in history, fantastic debut performances from brand new actors and a solid and accurate representation of the event, I will be surprised if the film does not get nominated for something at the Oscars this year. 

OVERALL: 8.9/10

  

Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters (2013) Movie Review

PERCY JACKSON: SEA OF MONSTERS (2013) MOVIE REVIEW

Have you ever gone into a movie expecting to just hate it and rip it apart? Well surprisingly,  that was not the case with this film. 

After an event occurs that leaves the safe haven for all demigods unprotected  Percy Jackson, the son of Poseidon (Logan Lerman), friends Annabeth (Alexandria Daddario) and Grover (Brandon T. Jackson) and Percy's recently discovered brother Tyson (Douglas Smith) must now go on a perilous journey to the Sea of Monsters to collect the Golden Fleece, all while attempting to stop an ancient evil from rising. I'm just going to say it now, I haven't read the Percy Jackson books so I don't know if they are loyal to the source material or not, so I will just judge the movie as a movie. For the most part I had very few problems with the overall plot. While there were some plot holes sprinkled throughout the film, for the most part, the story of Sea of Monsters although a bit predictable, it got the job done and stuck with the classic good vs. evil storyline. And in my books, that is never a bad thing (most of the time). 

Still of Brandon T. Jackson, Logan Lerman
and Alexandria Daddario

One of the few aspects I enjoyed about the first Percy Jackson film was how Greek mythology and elements were implemented into the mortal world. In this film, while they don't have as many as the previous, they still manage to throw in some cool and funny nods to Greek mythology. For example, about halfway through the film, they need to find the Greek Messenger Hermes. Since he's a messenger, they have to go to a post office to find him which I thought was imaginative as it would make sense for a messenger to be in a post office. As I'm on the topic of Hermes in this film, probably the best thing about this film was actually his character as he was just so suave and acted like a real business man. As if that was not awesome enough, Hermes is played by the great Nathan Fillion, and while conversing, Hermes makes a reference to a certain cancelled TV show which only me and one other person in the audience reacted to, which I felt was great. While some mythical things were good, there were some just bizarre ones that unfortunately created small plot-holes in the story. For example, the whole point of the film is to recover the Golden Fleece which can bring anything back to life. While this is cool, this raises the point that when the film kills off an important character, they don't really die as they can be instantly brung back to life with the fleece. While useful, this leaves a plot-hole and doesn't keep the audience on the edge of their seat in suspense. 

Still of Nathan Fillion and Logan Lerman

As for the acting in the film, I felt it was way better than the acting shown in the previous instalment  Most of this is thanks to Logan Lerman's enhanced acting ability thanks to his role in the 2012 underdog film The Perks of Being a Wallflower. Other heavy-hitters in the film include Stanley Tucci as Mr D. and Nathan Fillion as Hermes, who both for some reason, are only in the movie for a short time. Listen to this directors, when you are given the acting talents of Nathan Fillion and Stanley Tucci, try and put them in as many scenes as possible. Even if they don't say anything, just stick them in the background for no reason. While it would be stupid, I would just be happy they got more screen time. One more person who actually did a good job was Leven Rambin as Clarisse a.k.a the biggest b***h in the movie. I don't know where this chick gets her anger from, but her playing an annoying and angry is just uncanny as this was shown in both this film and in 2012's The Hunger Games as in that film, she played more or less the same character. Overall, the acting in the film while not spectacular  it worked just fine for a family film and didn't really bring anything award worthy to the table. 

Still of Stanley Tucci and Logan Lerman

Overall, Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters really did surprise me as it was much better than I had originally anticipated. As a big fan of Greek Mythology, I really dug this film as it managed to make references to various people from Greek mythology. Although I have not read the books, it appears that the film seems loyal enough to the books and although I think the movie needed a stronger plot and some inclusion of the Greek Gods, the film was still enjoyable, to a certain extent. 

OVERALL: 6.7/10

R.I.P.D (2013) Movie Review

R.I.P.D (2013) MOVIE REVIEW

Kevin Bacon, Jeff Bridges, Ryan Reynolds. Based on the cast alone I should love this movie, the most important word used here was SHOULD.

Nick (Ryan Reynolds) is a member of the local police and is just about to raid a group of drug dealers which he and the police have been tracking for some time. Upon busting in, something goes terribly wrong which leads to his untimely death. After he has died, Nick suddenly gets transported to a office resembling something that of an interrogation room. Sitting across from Nick is a woman known as The Proctor (Mary-Louise Parker) whom tells him that he is dead, though she wants him to work for the R.I.P.D, the Rest In Peace Department. The R.I.P.D is more or less a police unit that are dead and have to make sure any undead are not among the living, attempting to live a second life as it were. Because of this, Nick is now partnered up with Roy (Jeff Bridges), an eccentric cowboy who is normally used to being a one man army. With no other choice though, these two must now attempt to work together all while Nick tries and finds out how he died and possibly seek vengeance. I don't know what it is, but this plot sounds all to familiar  Oh wait. That's because I've more or less heard this same plot with Men in Black. Seriously, the only difference between the two are that they are dead but that is literally it. While the story did have elements of originality to it, the entire story more or less feels like Men in Black 4, just with weaker surprises and characters. 

Still of Kevin Bacon, Ryan Reynolds and
Jeff Bridges

For a film that holds actors that I KNOW can show some incredible charisma, the film really doesn't show any charismatic acting from..well..anyone. Ryan Reynolds plays the typical, cliché movie cop with very little humour. Jeff Bridges plays the role of an annoying cowboy out of his period too well as his voice really does paint the picture. Lastly, Kevin Bacon plays the best friend of Nick who (I guess spoiler) betrays and kills him. Seriously, whenever Kevin Bacon is on screen, you just know he is going to be a bad guy in some way. There was also one plot point in the film that I believe if it was taken out, the movie would be no different. In the film, Nick has a wife in which he sees more or less 2 or 3 times throughout the entire movie, at the start, once in the middle and once at the end. I feel if that plot point was taken out, it would have made the movie much more enjoyable as if the film just focuses around what real friends are to a person, it actually would have made the movie more relate-able (to me at least). At least Larry Joe Campbell is in the movie, for like 10 seconds for absolutely no reason but to look fat. 

Still of Jeff Bridges, Mary-Louise Parker and
Ryan Reynolds

Like I mentioned before with the whole underused message of the movie, which is finding your real friends, there are some other elements in the movie that could have been expanded upon or at least more developed with it's execution. One of the biggest things that was such a good idea though was incredibly underused were the avatars, in which Ryan Reynold's was a small Chinese guy and Jeff Bridge's was a hot supermodel. This could have made for some hilarious interrogation scenes, though the film instead does a weird thing where it cuts to the avatars for a second and then back to the actors for the rest of that scene. I would have preferred if they executed these scenes where before they enter the room, the say something along the lines of "get ready". Then when they have begun talking with the person, it stays with the avatars until something goes wrong or until the questioning is over, the film shows them as their original forms. If they had done it like this, I feel it would have created for some good chemistry between the two avatars and possibly increase the chemistry between Jeff Bridges and Ryan Reynolds (even though there isn't much to begin with). 

Still of James Hong and Marisa Miller
(Nick and Roy's Avatar's)

Overall, R.I.P.D could have been a funny movie, but it just fell on it's face due to a cliché plot, boring characters and humour that is just way too easy to come up with makes R.I.P.D just another quick cash in. 

OVERALL: 5.6/10