Syrup might be the surprise film of 2013 in year filled with good movies, but nothing exceptional (thus far). The satire is done to near perfection, however the highlight once again is Amber Heard who continues to impress with a wonderful performance worthy of a Golden Globe nomination.
Ambushed isn’t a terrible movie but one that also is guilty of some false advertising prominently featuring Dolph Lundgren, Vinnie Jones and Randy Couture on the cover despite none of them being in the film for more than 15-minutes.
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey has its moments with fine performances from Martin Freeman, Richard Armitage and the always reliable Ian McKellen who slips right back into his Gandalf garbs without missing a beat. But the screenplay and plotline feels too simplistic especially when you compare the scope and ultimate effect it would have on Middle Earth.
Bounty Killer is a brutal yet often fun action adventure in the vein of Mad Max. The two leads played by Matthew Marsden and Christian Pitre are great together while Kristanna Loken serves well in a smaller role as the villain.
Perhaps R.I.P.D. had potential but between the casting and screenplay, it never really came together. I don’t know nor do I care how it compares to the graphic novel (heard there are major differences), but as a film while some of the action is decent as were the visual effects and the casting Jeff Bridges and Kevin Bacon, the only two who seemed to be having a good time, was great, everything else fell flat.
Passion only has two things going against it, the screenplay and Noomi Rapace, but those are huge issues that are hard to overcome. That being said, I do think there’s enough here that it might be worth checking out especially if you are a fan of either Rachel McAdams or Brian De Palma (for his directing style).
The Internship is a weak comedy and the only success it manages is the re-pairing of Vince Vaughn and Owen Wilson who generally have great chemistry, otherwise the script (co-written by Vaughn) is half-baked and the funny moments, while a few, is too far and between. This is not a bad movie by a long shot and might be worthwhile as a time waster, but it’s also one you can skip and won’t miss.
Necessary Evil: Super-Villains of DC Comics is a well made documentary featuring a wide array of participants chatting about the importance and substance behind the numerous villains in the DCU.
Cars is hardly Pixar’s best film, not even in the top 5, but there’s some magic to it and you can’t go wrong with the voice talent of Paul Newman, the perfect choice for the role.
The Other is a thoroughly haunting and creepy psychological drama with stand-out performances from Uta Hagen and twin brothers Chris and Martin Udvarnoky.
Dead in Tombstone is the usual Danny Trejo action vehicle with a supernatural/western twist but everything else is standard quo. The acting is average although Anthony Michael Hall and Mickey Rourke seem to have a hell of a time (pardon the pun) and there isn’t enough of the revenge plot to keep the energy going until the end. I guess if you’re a fan of Danny Trejo, this might be the movie for you, otherwise you can outright skip it.
Embrace of the Vampire (1995) is simply a bad movie made only for a child star in Alyssa Milano trying to strip (figuratively and literally) that persona. The story is lacking, and the performances are bland and the movie as a whole is downright boring leading to something with nothing to offer (even Ms. Milano’s breasts aren’t worth the sludge you have to wade through).
Internal Affairs is a bit of a forgotten crime-drama overshadowed a few years later by Heat and even only 3 years earlier with The Untouchables. Even so, Richard Gere turns in an incredible performance and playing opposite, Andy Garcia is also top notch. I don’t think it’s a perfect movie and I think it had potential to be better, but director Mike Figgis has a good eye and at least makes an above average genre film.
The first Grown Ups movie wasn’t anything special but it did provide a few laughs and a relatively coherent plot, Grown Ups 2 on the other hand has no real plot to speak of but worst of all, there’s no real laughs and seeing this cast back together is hardly enough to hold the film together.
Monsters University might be one of the weaker outings from Disney/Pixar since Cars, yet there’s enough here to make it an enjoyable experience for the entire family. The return of Billy Crystal and John Goodman is great, the animation is still absolutely amazing and the story is good even if it heavily borrows from other college films, although I suppose one could argue it was paying homage to those movies.