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%

Woman in Black (2012)

Something's rotten in this town

Young Arthur is budding lawyer sent by his firm to finalize paperwork on a property.  When he shows up in the village, tragic things begin to happen.  Arthur soon realizes that all the strangeness is connected to the property.  And the rest is mildly thrilling.  The film does manage to capture a good bit of eeriness.  It also has some quality British actors.  Daniel Radcliffe is doing a fair job of trying to break out of the Harry Potter pigeonhole (Although it will always be hard for me to think of him as anything else).  This film is a respectable, if not memorable, addition to his filmography. 

Woman in Black gets a less than thrilling 2.5 out of 5 Poblanos!

Director: James Watkins
Writer: Susan Hill (novel), Jane Goldman (screenplay)
Starring: Daniel Radcliffe, Janet McTeer, Ciarán Hinds (There Will Be Blood, Game of Thrones)
Rotten Tomatoes: 65%
Metacritic: 62 out of 100

The Guard (2011)

Call in the FBI
A rural Irish policeman finds himself in the middle of an international drug smuggling case.  An American FBI agent is working to catch the smugglers.  They are forced to work together.  Don Cheadle and Brendan Gleeson star as a sort of odd couple in this police drama comedy.  Gleeson shines as the smart mouth Irish cop while Cheadle manages to not do much of anything. 

The Guard gets 3 out of 5 Poblanos!

Director: John Michael McDonagh
Writer: John Michael McDonagh
Starring: Brendan Gleeson (Harry Potter, 28 Days Later), Don Cheadle and Mark Strong
Rotten Tomatoes: 95%
Metacritic: 78 out of 100

Rise of the Planet of the Apes (2011)

Back where it all began
In this latest installment of the Apes franchise, we learn the apes’ origin.  The story is decent but the writing and acting are sub-par, the score is melodramatic, and a number of the effects are less than impressive, even cheesy.  Harry Potter alum Tom Felton's accent is laughable. And what is Brian Cox doing?   But while the human talent flops, the apes are the stars of this film.  Andy Serkis shows his acting prowess in his portrayal of Caesar.  While the original films (and Tim Burton’s remake) are better than this one, this film serves the franchise by filling in some blanks in the mythology.   It could have been a good addition to the franchise if it had been done better.  As it is, this film feels underdone and unnecessary.  Speaking of the franchise, Collider reports that sequels are already in the works.  Let's hope the rest are better than this one.

The Rise of the Planet of the Apes falls flat with only 2 out of 5 Poblanos!

Director: Rupert Wyatt
Writer: Rick Jaffa, Amanda Silver
Starring: Andy Serkis, James Franco, John Lithgow, Tom Felton, Brian Cox
Rotten Tomatoes: 82%
Metacritic: 68 out of 100