G.I. Joe: Retaliation actually isn’t a terrible movie, thanks in large part to Dwayne Johnson, and a fair step up from Rise of the Cobra but it’s still a relatively generic action movie with nothing discernibly memorable about the action set pieces or the standard plot itself. Even so, Retaliation is worth a one-time viewing especially if you’re a fan of the “G.I. Joe” franchise.
With Evil Dead Fede Alvarez and company, along with producers Sam Raimi and Bruce Campbell, were on an uphill battle remaking/rebooting a cult classic and in some instances, it works but in many others, it came across as another horror movie amongst hundreds of others with higher production values.
The Last Exorcism Part II is the epitome of the unnecessary sequel. The story is slow to develop, the scares are scarce and the screenplay itself is half-baked. However, for all that’s wrong with it, there are some truly incredibly awful scenes that approach awesomeness that it would make for perfect “MST3K” material.
Bullet to the Head is yet another forgettable action flick. For some, it might be a fun callback to 1980s action but for myself, I found it to be poorly made with awkward storytelling and poor casting with Sung Kang, who I generally find to be a charismatic actor (and was the only good thing in Tokyo Drift) but he had absolutely no chemistry as Stallone’s quasi-adversary.
Sleepless in Seattle isn’t the perfect romantic-comedies but it’s an effective one and respectable given the two leads share very little time on-screen with one another. Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan are great in their respective parts separated and even though I’ve seen the film dozens of times over the years, it’s still entertaining.
Cohen & Tate is the buddy movie you’ve never seen before. Roy Scheider is excellent, as always, in the lead; for a child actor, Harley Cross is remarkably strong-is performance while Adam Baldwin went over-the-top, in a good way, as a psychopathic killer for the mob.
Dead Man Down is a rare film in Hollywood, one that puts character first and action/thrills second, and both fronts are mostly successful. The chemistry between Colin Farrell and Noomi Rapace is palpable and although it was “one the nose”, the lost soul’s aspect to their characters is a nice touch.
Upside Down threw away so much potential that it could have been a cult classic but instead we get a jumbled screenplay and finished product that seems to be missing some key scenes. It also doesn’t help that our two protagonists are barely together early on making Adam’s journey so hard to follow because it’s not immediately obvious why he is so enamored with her.
The “Robot Chicken: DC Comics Special” is just as funny as the show itself and for fan of DC Comics, it’s a hoot to watch. While not all the jokes land, the majority do and alongside some decent talent lending their voices, even if a few are unrecognizable (like Alfred Molina).
The Brass Teapot features some great performances and fine writing and direction from an on-the-rise filmmaker in Ramaa Mosley. Even if the story doesn’t offer many surprises, there is enough here to entertain and at least keep one’s attention until the end.
Although hardly the perfect comedy, The Incredible Burt Wonderstone still has plenty of laughs going for it. Steve Carell is more or less Michael Scott, and any other character he’s played in his other comedic efforts, but the supporting cast gives good performances and I for one managed to laugh more than a few times and was all around amused by the film.
Gruesome to the extreme, and weird as all hell, The ABCs of Death will probably satisfy some hardcore horror fans. And although the segments are done from film students, it’s interesting to see how each approach the subject from in-your-face gore to light-hearted comedy (i.e. “Fart”), there’s probably something there for everybody. No, it doesn’t work put together but it’s not a complete waste.
I hated Movie 43. I didn’t find the jokes particularly funny – and mind you, I don’t mind crude/rude humor – nor was it very controversial. Instead this looked more like a college film project with a higher budget and one which was made for insiders rather than a larger audience.
The Rambler is certainly one of the stranger movies to come out in 2013 and one where writer/director Calvin Reeder was influenced by the master of oddities, David Lynch. And while this is a unique movie in the midst of sequels, remakes and reboots, it never quite reached its full potential.
The Call isn’t an unpredictable suspense-thriller but thanks to the performances by Halle Berry and Abigail Breslin, and some slick direction by Brad Anderson, it’s an entertaining and captivating thriller from beginning to end even if the finale felt out of place.