I recently finished the Hobbit Trilogy and I have 2 words - Under Whelming. When I first heard about the prospect of a Hobbit film, I was excited. But after I discovered it would be a 10 hour epic like The Lord of the Rings trilogy, I was confused. After seeing the first film in the theater, I decided that the next two would have to be on DVD.
One reason is the effects (FX). In a recent article on Cracked.com, David Christopher Bell gives all the reasons why modern movie CGI looks so bad, so I won't go over that territory again.
The main reason I didn't like these films is because they weren't that interesting. Apart from 2 or 3 scenes out of the entire 9 - 10 hours of screen time, the story was flat and at points boring. Guillermo del Toro was smart to bow out of this series.
I would give the Hobbit Trilogy 2.5 out of 5 stars.
Wednesday, May 20, 2015
Tuesday, March 25, 2014
Russian Ark (2002)
You only get one shot
A 19th century French diplomat finds himself in Russia's State Hermitage Museum speaking perfect Russian and not knowing how he got there. The rest is very interesting, pure cinema at its best. This groundbreaking film 'one ups' Alfred Hitchcock's Rope by being filmed in one 90 minute take, uninterrupted by edits.
Filmed in real time with a Steadicam, Russian Ark is nothing short of extraordinary. Apart from the obvious technical brilliance and skill behind making the film, the things that happen in front of the camera are very impressive as well. The acting is top notch, the costumes are amazing, and the setting is gorgeous. This unique film, which could have just been a gimmicky film is truly great.
Russian Ark gets 5 out of 5 stars!
Director: Aleksandr Sokurov
Writer: Boris Khaimsky
Starring: Sergey Dreyden, Mariya Kuznetsova, Leonid Mozgovoy
Rotten Tomatoes: 89%
Metacritic: 86%
A 19th century French diplomat finds himself in Russia's State Hermitage Museum speaking perfect Russian and not knowing how he got there. The rest is very interesting, pure cinema at its best. This groundbreaking film 'one ups' Alfred Hitchcock's Rope by being filmed in one 90 minute take, uninterrupted by edits.
Filmed in real time with a Steadicam, Russian Ark is nothing short of extraordinary. Apart from the obvious technical brilliance and skill behind making the film, the things that happen in front of the camera are very impressive as well. The acting is top notch, the costumes are amazing, and the setting is gorgeous. This unique film, which could have just been a gimmicky film is truly great.
Russian Ark gets 5 out of 5 stars!
Director: Aleksandr Sokurov
Writer: Boris Khaimsky
Starring: Sergey Dreyden, Mariya Kuznetsova, Leonid Mozgovoy
Rotten Tomatoes: 89%
Metacritic: 86%
Monday, March 10, 2014
The Place Beyond the Pines (2013)
You can't choose your family
The film is a very clear three act presentation of three related threads of the same story. The connections become clear later in the film, although Derek Cianfrance tips his hand a little making the payoff a bit predictable. This film starts off really strong, but finishes a bit weakly with the second and third acts lack the power of the first one. Cianfrance is the man behind Blue Valentine, one of my favorite films of the past few years.
The Place Beyond the Pines gets 3 out of 5 stars!
Director: Derek Cianfrance
Writer: Derek Cianfrance
Starring: Ryan Gosling, Bradley Cooper, Eva Mendes
Rotten Tomatoes: 81%
Metacritic: 68%
The film is a very clear three act presentation of three related threads of the same story. The connections become clear later in the film, although Derek Cianfrance tips his hand a little making the payoff a bit predictable. This film starts off really strong, but finishes a bit weakly with the second and third acts lack the power of the first one. Cianfrance is the man behind Blue Valentine, one of my favorite films of the past few years.
The Place Beyond the Pines gets 3 out of 5 stars!
Director: Derek Cianfrance
Writer: Derek Cianfrance
Starring: Ryan Gosling, Bradley Cooper, Eva Mendes
Rotten Tomatoes: 81%
Metacritic: 68%
Friday, March 7, 2014
Movie Review: Pain and Gain (2013)
We want to pump you up
Daniel Lugo, a Miami bodybuilder formulates a plan to get rich. After recruiting some accomplices, they make a plan. Unfortunately the plan involves kidnapping and murder, something which none of them are any good at pulling off. The film is filled with cliches and stereotypes. It gets old after a while. And I can't stand Michael Bay. In spite of all that, this film was well shot, funny, outrageous, and had some really good action sequences.
Pain and Gain gets 2.5 out of 5 stars!
Director: Michael Bay
Writer: Christopher Markus, Stephen McFeely
Starring: Mark Wahlberg, Dwayne Johnson, Anthony Mackie
Rotten Tomatoes: 49%
Metacritic: 45%
Daniel Lugo, a Miami bodybuilder formulates a plan to get rich. After recruiting some accomplices, they make a plan. Unfortunately the plan involves kidnapping and murder, something which none of them are any good at pulling off. The film is filled with cliches and stereotypes. It gets old after a while. And I can't stand Michael Bay. In spite of all that, this film was well shot, funny, outrageous, and had some really good action sequences.
Pain and Gain gets 2.5 out of 5 stars!
Director: Michael Bay
Writer: Christopher Markus, Stephen McFeely
Starring: Mark Wahlberg, Dwayne Johnson, Anthony Mackie
Rotten Tomatoes: 49%
Metacritic: 45%
Thursday, March 6, 2014
My Brother the Devil (2012)
Gangsters, guns, and drugs
Mohammed (Mo) and his brother Rashid (Rash) are the children of Egyptian immigrants living in the London neighborhood of Hackney. Rashid is part of a street gang which mainly sells drugs. Mo wants to be a part of that life, but Rash doesn't want him in it. The director gives us a realistic glimpse into life in the English ghetto, which seems to have taken its cues from the worst parts of American culture. This film had me hooked from the first five minutes. It is one of those rare movies that is so well made that I got lost in the story and forgot that the rest of the world existed. Can't wait to see more from Sally El Hosaini!
My Brother the Devil gets 4.5 out of 5 stars!
Director: Sally El Hosaini
Writer: Sally El Hosaini
Starring: James Floyd, Elarica Gallacher, Fady Elsayed, Saïd Taghmaoui (Lost Season 6)
Rotten Tomatoes: 91%
Metacritic: 72%
Mohammed (Mo) and his brother Rashid (Rash) are the children of Egyptian immigrants living in the London neighborhood of Hackney. Rashid is part of a street gang which mainly sells drugs. Mo wants to be a part of that life, but Rash doesn't want him in it. The director gives us a realistic glimpse into life in the English ghetto, which seems to have taken its cues from the worst parts of American culture. This film had me hooked from the first five minutes. It is one of those rare movies that is so well made that I got lost in the story and forgot that the rest of the world existed. Can't wait to see more from Sally El Hosaini!
My Brother the Devil gets 4.5 out of 5 stars!
Director: Sally El Hosaini
Writer: Sally El Hosaini
Starring: James Floyd, Elarica Gallacher, Fady Elsayed, Saïd Taghmaoui (Lost Season 6)
Rotten Tomatoes: 91%
Metacritic: 72%
Wednesday, March 5, 2014
Movie Review: The Way Way Back (2013)
One crazy summer
When Duncan is forced to to spend the summer at the beach with his mom's new boyfriend, things don't look so good. Duncan manages to salvage his summer by getting a job at a local water park. This film is funny at some points. However, the story felt very forced and contrived. All the loose ends got wrapped up way too easily. It seems like the filmmakers were trying so hard to make their film attractive to the indie crowd that they didn't bother making the film anything more than amusing. There are some laugh out loud moments, but I really didn't care about the characters or what happened to them. The three best things about this film are Liam James, Sam Rockwell, and AnnaSophia Robb
The Way Way Back manages to squeak out 2.5 out of 5 stars.
Director: Nat Faxon, Jim Rash
Writer: Nat Faxon, Jim Rash
Starring: Liam James, AnnaSophia Robb, Sam Rockwell, Steve Carell, Toni Collette
Rotten Tomatoes: 85%
Metacritic: 68%
When Duncan is forced to to spend the summer at the beach with his mom's new boyfriend, things don't look so good. Duncan manages to salvage his summer by getting a job at a local water park. This film is funny at some points. However, the story felt very forced and contrived. All the loose ends got wrapped up way too easily. It seems like the filmmakers were trying so hard to make their film attractive to the indie crowd that they didn't bother making the film anything more than amusing. There are some laugh out loud moments, but I really didn't care about the characters or what happened to them. The three best things about this film are Liam James, Sam Rockwell, and AnnaSophia Robb
The Way Way Back manages to squeak out 2.5 out of 5 stars.
Director: Nat Faxon, Jim Rash
Writer: Nat Faxon, Jim Rash
Starring: Liam James, AnnaSophia Robb, Sam Rockwell, Steve Carell, Toni Collette
Rotten Tomatoes: 85%
Metacritic: 68%
Sunday, March 2, 2014
Movie Review: Upside Down (2012)
Get up for the down stroke
Adam and Eden live on two worlds which are connected yet remain separated. They fall in love. Although the idea of the story is in itself pretty fantastic and although the visuals are a real treat, overall the film only manages to achieve mediocrity at best. The clumsy dialogue and melodramatic performances weigh this film down horribly. It was actually difficult to believe that the three big names in this film, Jim Sturgess, Kirsten Dunst, and Timothy Spall, are the same great actors that I've seen in several other great films (Across the Universe, Melancholia, Harry Potter, etc) In general, big budget sci-fi, and other genre films, are rarely very good since they are often dumbed down for a wider audience.
Upside Down doesn't know which way is up and only gets 2 out of 5 Poblanos!
Director: Juan Solanas
Writer: Juan Solanas
Starring: Jim Sturgess, Kirsten Dunst, Timothy Spall
Rotten Tomatoes: 28%
Metacritic: 43%
Adam and Eden live on two worlds which are connected yet remain separated. They fall in love. Although the idea of the story is in itself pretty fantastic and although the visuals are a real treat, overall the film only manages to achieve mediocrity at best. The clumsy dialogue and melodramatic performances weigh this film down horribly. It was actually difficult to believe that the three big names in this film, Jim Sturgess, Kirsten Dunst, and Timothy Spall, are the same great actors that I've seen in several other great films (Across the Universe, Melancholia, Harry Potter, etc) In general, big budget sci-fi, and other genre films, are rarely very good since they are often dumbed down for a wider audience.
Upside Down doesn't know which way is up and only gets 2 out of 5 Poblanos!
Director: Juan Solanas
Writer: Juan Solanas
Starring: Jim Sturgess, Kirsten Dunst, Timothy Spall
Rotten Tomatoes: 28%
Metacritic: 43%
Friday, February 28, 2014
Movie Review: Celeste and Jesse Forever (2012)
It had to be you
Celeste and Jesse have been married for several years, but are in the process of getting divorced. The problem is that they still spend loads of time together. Jesse actually lives in the studio space behind the home that they used to share. When Jesse finds someone else, Celeste has to come to grips with losing him for good. Some parts of the film are cheesy and made me groan. Some are too far fetched and made me say, 'that could never happen to a real person.' At the same time, I loved this film. The thing which makes me like this film as much I do is the fact that I cared about the characters. I cared how Jesse' new relationship worked out. And I cared about how Celeste's life might turn out. Very strong performances by both Samberg and Jones makes this a very enjoyable viewing.
Celeste and Jesse Forever gets 3.5 out of 5 stars!
Director: Lee Toland Krieger
Writer: Rashida Jones, Will McCormack
Starring: Rashida Jones, Andy Samberg, Elijah Wood
Rotten Tomatoes: 70%
Metacritic: 59%
Celeste and Jesse have been married for several years, but are in the process of getting divorced. The problem is that they still spend loads of time together. Jesse actually lives in the studio space behind the home that they used to share. When Jesse finds someone else, Celeste has to come to grips with losing him for good. Some parts of the film are cheesy and made me groan. Some are too far fetched and made me say, 'that could never happen to a real person.' At the same time, I loved this film. The thing which makes me like this film as much I do is the fact that I cared about the characters. I cared how Jesse' new relationship worked out. And I cared about how Celeste's life might turn out. Very strong performances by both Samberg and Jones makes this a very enjoyable viewing.
Celeste and Jesse Forever gets 3.5 out of 5 stars!
Director: Lee Toland Krieger
Writer: Rashida Jones, Will McCormack
Starring: Rashida Jones, Andy Samberg, Elijah Wood
Rotten Tomatoes: 70%
Metacritic: 59%
Thursday, February 27, 2014
Movie Review: The Iceman (2012)
Stone cold crazy
Based on the true story of a New Jersey hitman, The Iceman tells how Richard Kuklinski became a notorious contract killer. For me, Michael Shannon makes the movie what it is. His physical stature alone is amazing. He has such a talent for playing severely messed up people (Take Shelter, The Missing Person, Boardwalk Empire). In general it is a very solid film and I liked it a lot.
The Iceman gets 3.5 out of 5 stars!
Director: Ariel Vromen
Writer: Morgan Land (screenplay), Ariel Vromen (screenplay)
Starring: Michael Shannon, Winona Ryder, Chris Evans, Ray Liotta, David Schwimmer
Rotten Tomatoes: 67%
Metacritic: 60%
Based on the true story of a New Jersey hitman, The Iceman tells how Richard Kuklinski became a notorious contract killer. For me, Michael Shannon makes the movie what it is. His physical stature alone is amazing. He has such a talent for playing severely messed up people (Take Shelter, The Missing Person, Boardwalk Empire). In general it is a very solid film and I liked it a lot.
The Iceman gets 3.5 out of 5 stars!
Director: Ariel Vromen
Writer: Morgan Land (screenplay), Ariel Vromen (screenplay)
Starring: Michael Shannon, Winona Ryder, Chris Evans, Ray Liotta, David Schwimmer
Rotten Tomatoes: 67%
Metacritic: 60%
Monday, February 24, 2014
Movie Review: Amour (2012)
These are the days
Georges and Anne are an elderly couple living in Paris seem to be enjoying their golden years when Anne begins having health issues. A stroke leads to an operation which leads to further issues. Georges finds himself caring for Anne, something which he finds exasperating at times. This very realistic, un-Hollywood look at love, relationships, and what it means to be committed to someone is beautiful at times, painful at others. It is gorgeously shot and the acting is incredible. This film won multiple awards including the Palme D'or at Cannes in 2012 and the Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film in 2013.
Amour gets 5 out of 5 stars!
Director: Michael Haneke
Writer: Michael Haneke
Starring: Jean-Louis Trintignant, Emmanuelle Riva, Isabelle Huppert
Rotten Tomatoes: 93%
Metacritic: 94%
Georges and Anne are an elderly couple living in Paris seem to be enjoying their golden years when Anne begins having health issues. A stroke leads to an operation which leads to further issues. Georges finds himself caring for Anne, something which he finds exasperating at times. This very realistic, un-Hollywood look at love, relationships, and what it means to be committed to someone is beautiful at times, painful at others. It is gorgeously shot and the acting is incredible. This film won multiple awards including the Palme D'or at Cannes in 2012 and the Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film in 2013.
Amour gets 5 out of 5 stars!
Director: Michael Haneke
Writer: Michael Haneke
Starring: Jean-Louis Trintignant, Emmanuelle Riva, Isabelle Huppert
Rotten Tomatoes: 93%
Metacritic: 94%
Friday, February 21, 2014
Movie Review: Once (2006)
When Irish eyes are smiling
An Irish musician makes a living by busking in his free time and working in a vacuum repair shop. One day he meets a girl who is also a musician. When they begin to make music together, it is truly magical. Everything about this film is great - the music (one of the songs, Falling Slowly won an Oscar in 2008), the characters, the narrative, the way it is shot - everything. It is the definition of a good film. This is the type of film against which others should be judged. I can't say enough good things about this film.
Once gets 5 out of 5 stars!
Director: John Carney
Writer: John Carney
Starring: Glen Hansard, Markéta Irglová, Hugh Walsh
Rotten Tomatoes: 97%
Metacritic: 88%
An Irish musician makes a living by busking in his free time and working in a vacuum repair shop. One day he meets a girl who is also a musician. When they begin to make music together, it is truly magical. Everything about this film is great - the music (one of the songs, Falling Slowly won an Oscar in 2008), the characters, the narrative, the way it is shot - everything. It is the definition of a good film. This is the type of film against which others should be judged. I can't say enough good things about this film.
Once gets 5 out of 5 stars!
Director: John Carney
Writer: John Carney
Starring: Glen Hansard, Markéta Irglová, Hugh Walsh
Rotten Tomatoes: 97%
Metacritic: 88%
Thursday, February 20, 2014
Trailer: These Final Hours
If the world was ending, what would you do? This film explores that idea. Looks like a quality film.
Tuesday, February 18, 2014
Movie Review: Kill List (2011)
When things go from bad to worse to weird
Jay, combat veteran hooks up with his friend, Gal, to do a job. As contract killers, the two have a list of people who need to get gotten. The jobs start out fairly run of the mill but become more bizarre as they work their way through them. This film is tense, funny, gruesome, and surprising. Mr. Wheatley, who also directed Down Terrace as well as he upcoming A Field in England, is definitely one of my new favorite directors.
Kill List gets 4 out of 5 stars.
Director: Ben Wheatley
Writer: Amy Jump, Ben Wheatley
Starring: Neil Maskell, MyAnna Buring, Michael Smiley
Rotten Tomatoes: 76%
Metacritic: 67%
Jay, combat veteran hooks up with his friend, Gal, to do a job. As contract killers, the two have a list of people who need to get gotten. The jobs start out fairly run of the mill but become more bizarre as they work their way through them. This film is tense, funny, gruesome, and surprising. Mr. Wheatley, who also directed Down Terrace as well as he upcoming A Field in England, is definitely one of my new favorite directors.
Kill List gets 4 out of 5 stars.
Director: Ben Wheatley
Writer: Amy Jump, Ben Wheatley
Starring: Neil Maskell, MyAnna Buring, Michael Smiley
Rotten Tomatoes: 76%
Metacritic: 67%
Monday, February 17, 2014
Movie Review: Horrible Bosses (2011)
This is why I don't watch many comedies
The title of the film pretty much sums it up - three friends have horrible bosses. Because they hate them so much, they make a plan to kill them all. I am not a big fan of films like this basically because I don't find them very funny or entertaining. I only watched this because John Frances Daley who played Sam Weir on Freaks & Geeks is one of the writers (and makes a small cameo). On the whole, it's mildly amusing and ridiculous, but not in a good way. To be honest though it was funnier than I thought it would be, especially the last third of the movie. Apparently lots of money was spent making this one star studded comedy.
Horrible Bosses gets out 3 of 5 stars.
Director: Seth Gordon
Writer: Michael Markowitz, John Francis Daley, Jonathan M. Goldstein
Starring: Jason Bateman, Charlie Day, Jason Sudeikis
Rotten Tomatoes: 69%
Metacritic: 57%
The title of the film pretty much sums it up - three friends have horrible bosses. Because they hate them so much, they make a plan to kill them all. I am not a big fan of films like this basically because I don't find them very funny or entertaining. I only watched this because John Frances Daley who played Sam Weir on Freaks & Geeks is one of the writers (and makes a small cameo). On the whole, it's mildly amusing and ridiculous, but not in a good way. To be honest though it was funnier than I thought it would be, especially the last third of the movie. Apparently lots of money was spent making this one star studded comedy.
Horrible Bosses gets out 3 of 5 stars.
Director: Seth Gordon
Writer: Michael Markowitz, John Francis Daley, Jonathan M. Goldstein
Starring: Jason Bateman, Charlie Day, Jason Sudeikis
Rotten Tomatoes: 69%
Metacritic: 57%
Saturday, February 15, 2014
Wednesday, February 12, 2014
Movie Review: Museum Hours (2012)
A day at the museum
Johann works at the Kunsthistorisches Art Museum in Vienna, Austria. He encounters Anne, an American woman whose sister that lives in Vienna becomes gravely ill. The unlikely pair build a very amiable relationship. This free flowing narrative lends itself easily to beautiful shots of the museum as we'll as the streets of Vienna. Although it wasn't quite amazing as some reviewers made it out to be, this film is a treat for the eyes and is a worthwhile viewing experience.
Museum Hours gets 3.5 out of 5 stars!
Director: Jem Cohen
Writer: Jem Cohen
Starring: Mary Margaret O'Hara, Bobby Sommer, Ela Piplits
Rotten Tomatoes: 93%
Metacritic: 83%
Johann works at the Kunsthistorisches Art Museum in Vienna, Austria. He encounters Anne, an American woman whose sister that lives in Vienna becomes gravely ill. The unlikely pair build a very amiable relationship. This free flowing narrative lends itself easily to beautiful shots of the museum as we'll as the streets of Vienna. Although it wasn't quite amazing as some reviewers made it out to be, this film is a treat for the eyes and is a worthwhile viewing experience.
Museum Hours gets 3.5 out of 5 stars!
Director: Jem Cohen
Writer: Jem Cohen
Starring: Mary Margaret O'Hara, Bobby Sommer, Ela Piplits
Rotten Tomatoes: 93%
Metacritic: 83%
Tuesday, February 11, 2014
Movie Review: +1 (2013)
Seeing double again
A teenage party is turned upside down when doubles of every person start appearing. This film is not very suspenseful or scary. It is entertaining and amusing and turns the whole 'teenage party out of control' on its head. For a smaller film trying to do something different, it is good, not amazingly good, but good.
+1 gets 2.5 out of 5 stars.
Director: Dennis Iliadis
Writer: Bill Gullo (screenplay), Dennis Iliadis (story)
Starring: Rhys Wakefield, Logan Miller, Ashley Hinshaw
Rotten Tomatoes: 67%
Metacritic: 60%
A teenage party is turned upside down when doubles of every person start appearing. This film is not very suspenseful or scary. It is entertaining and amusing and turns the whole 'teenage party out of control' on its head. For a smaller film trying to do something different, it is good, not amazingly good, but good.
+1 gets 2.5 out of 5 stars.
Director: Dennis Iliadis
Writer: Bill Gullo (screenplay), Dennis Iliadis (story)
Starring: Rhys Wakefield, Logan Miller, Ashley Hinshaw
Rotten Tomatoes: 67%
Metacritic: 60%
Monday, February 10, 2014
Poulet aux Prunes (Chicken with Plums) 2011))
Ready to die
Nassar Ali Khan is a well known violinist who has decided to die. His career is stalled, his marriage is suffering, and he pines for a long lost love. This whimsical, humorous, and sad story tells of lost loves and relationships gone bad. I love the visuals in this films and am reminded of films such as Bunny and the Bull and The Science of Sleep.
Poulet aux Prunes gets 3/5 out of 5 stars!
Director: Vincent Paronnaud, Marjane Satrapi
Writer: Vincent Paronnaud, Marjane Satrapi
Starring: Mathieu Amalric, Edouard Baer, Maria de Medeiros
Rotten Tomatoes: 74%
Metacritic: 70%
Nassar Ali Khan is a well known violinist who has decided to die. His career is stalled, his marriage is suffering, and he pines for a long lost love. This whimsical, humorous, and sad story tells of lost loves and relationships gone bad. I love the visuals in this films and am reminded of films such as Bunny and the Bull and The Science of Sleep.
Poulet aux Prunes gets 3/5 out of 5 stars!
Director: Vincent Paronnaud, Marjane Satrapi
Writer: Vincent Paronnaud, Marjane Satrapi
Starring: Mathieu Amalric, Edouard Baer, Maria de Medeiros
Rotten Tomatoes: 74%
Metacritic: 70%
Somos lo que hay (We Are What We Are) 2010))
Keeping the ritual
When the patriarch of a Mexican family dies unexpectedly, his family is left to carry on in his wake. And the way that they carry on is quite brutal. The family are actually cannibals who are obligated to reenact some sort of ritual. I watched this because I'd heard there was an solidly made American remake of it. Since I personally prefer originals over remakes, I went right to the source and was not disappointed.
There are so many things to love about this film. The story is crazy good. One of the biggest things I love about the narrative is the sheer mystery of the family's actions. The story is also very compact and tightly told. The creepy, off-kilter feel of the film is constant.
Somos lo que hay gets 4 out of 5 stars!
Director: Jorge Michel Grau
Writer: Jorge Michel Grau
Starring: Francisco Barreiro, Alan Chávez, Paulina Gaitan (Sin Nombre)
Rotten Tomatoes: 72%
Metacritic: 65%
When the patriarch of a Mexican family dies unexpectedly, his family is left to carry on in his wake. And the way that they carry on is quite brutal. The family are actually cannibals who are obligated to reenact some sort of ritual. I watched this because I'd heard there was an solidly made American remake of it. Since I personally prefer originals over remakes, I went right to the source and was not disappointed.
There are so many things to love about this film. The story is crazy good. One of the biggest things I love about the narrative is the sheer mystery of the family's actions. The story is also very compact and tightly told. The creepy, off-kilter feel of the film is constant.
Somos lo que hay gets 4 out of 5 stars!
Director: Jorge Michel Grau
Writer: Jorge Michel Grau
Starring: Francisco Barreiro, Alan Chávez, Paulina Gaitan (Sin Nombre)
Rotten Tomatoes: 72%
Metacritic: 65%
Saturday, February 8, 2014
Movie Review: Robot & Frank (2012)
Domo arigato, Mr. Roboto
Frank is a retired cat burglar. His family is concerned about him because he has developed memory problems. Like the library that he loves so much, he is a relic of a bygone era. This film is a sci-fi flick that is light on sci-fi. I like these type of films which use sci-fi elements as a backdrop against which to tell a good story. Thumbs up for humor, an interesting story, a great starring actor (Frank Langella) and an interesting concept. Thumbs down for the all-too-close-to-a-typical Hollywood ending.
Robot & Frank gets 3.5 out of 5 stars!
Director: Jake Schreier
Writer: Christopher D. Ford
Starring: Frank Langella, Susan Sarandon, Peter Sarsgaard, James Marsden, Liv Tyler
Rotten Tomatoes: 86%
Metacritic: 67%
Frank is a retired cat burglar. His family is concerned about him because he has developed memory problems. Like the library that he loves so much, he is a relic of a bygone era. This film is a sci-fi flick that is light on sci-fi. I like these type of films which use sci-fi elements as a backdrop against which to tell a good story. Thumbs up for humor, an interesting story, a great starring actor (Frank Langella) and an interesting concept. Thumbs down for the all-too-close-to-a-typical Hollywood ending.
Robot & Frank gets 3.5 out of 5 stars!
Director: Jake Schreier
Writer: Christopher D. Ford
Starring: Frank Langella, Susan Sarandon, Peter Sarsgaard, James Marsden, Liv Tyler
Rotten Tomatoes: 86%
Metacritic: 67%
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