House at the End of the Street might not have been the worst of 2012 but it’s certainly forgettable. The screenplay is something that was more appropriate for a made-for-TV production and the performances are nothing special, even though Jennifer Lawrence will turn heads with her, ahem, wardrobe choices.
Sleep Tight is the kind of movie that’s hard to forget. It’s easily one of the most disturbing movies I’ve come across but it’s so effective and efficient that it sucks you in from the first scene to the last. One big reason for its success is the performance from Luis Tosar which is phenomenal.
Dredd is an amazing sci-fi action/thriller that seems to finally get the character right. The action is incredible, the visual effect top notch and Karl Urban, given very little to work with, is effective in the title role.
Premium Rush is one of the breeziest films to come out in 2012, one where you don’t have much to figure out and instead just sit back and enjoy the show, thin as the story might be. But thanks to some nifty stunts, an “interesting” performance from Michael Shannon channeling his inner-“Looney Tunes” and some impressive bike work by Gordon-Levitt, the film is at least worth a glance though I don’t think the replay value on this is very high.
Fire with Fire is a nice little suspense-thriller which, thanks to an impressive even stellar cast, lifts above a so-so script into something that will hold your attention for 90-minutes. This is hardly a challenging movie but it’s worth checking out if not for solid performances from Josh Duhamel and Vincent D’Onofrio. Having said that, don’t expect anything more.
Thanks to fantastic performances from the entire crew, Elizabeth Olsen in particular is incredible, and a limited theatrical run, Liberal Arts is one of the best hidden gems of 2012 and is worth at least a rental.
Resident Evil: Retribution is a lazy movie and one that despite a $65 million budget, felt so much smaller as the cast are contained more or less in one location (given Tokyo, Moscow and NYC were all computer simulations) but even so, situations are created that make no sense and you have characters who make decisions which not only defy logic but would’ve kept them out of unnecessary fights.
There are many reasons I should denigrate the action sci-fi remake Total Recall, but despite all its problems, I still found it moderately entertaining. That being said, it’s not a movie I’d highly recommend and would instead say it’s at best worth a rental rather than purchase for multiple viewings.
Dick Tracy is hardly a perfect movie but star/director Warren Beatty does a tremendous job translating the source material into the feature film format. Between the art direction, production and costume designs, the visuals on the movie are fantastic and Beatty as Tracy was perfect.
Although hardly a great sequel even when compared with the others, Ice Age: Continental Drift overcomes any problems with a thin plot with at least a modestly fun adventure with likeable characters and jokes which mostly hit the mark. No, it’s not remotely close to anything Pixar has put out or even DreamWorks Animation for that matter, but since it only clocks in at 88-minutes, it’s a breezy flick to watch on a slow afternoon which the entire family can enjoy.
The Bourne Legacy is a fine entry in the series and while it’s not as good as the previous three or as well polished, it’s still a fun movie with solid action scenes that keeps good pace after the first 10-15 minutes. Even though Legacy is as well refined as the other movies in the series, the potential is there for another sequel and a finale that involves the title character again.
MIB3 is a fine outing in the series and helps put the lackluster sequel in the rear view mirror and with the addition of Josh Brolin, really injected life into a relatively aging franchise. The script, interestingly enough, despite having three screenwriters (at least), was fairly coherent. I don’t think this is a great film and might not quite measure up to the first movie, but it’s still entertaining. Even so, the movie is still a lot of fun.
I suppose if you’re going into Silent Night wanting to revisit the good old days of the 1980s slasher genre, it will probably meet your expectations. However, if you’re looking even for a miniscule amount of logic –answering a question posed by the main character – then the film will disappoint. I couldn’t find much here to be entertaining.
The Kung Fu Panda Holiday Special isn’t anything profound or breaks new ground in terms of animation or anything, but with a short running time and a good message, this can be watched by the entire family.
Although the disc is pretty light on features – damn near empty, in fact – the fact that Deathtrap finally gets a proper widescreen release is good news for any fan, especially those in North America.