The Incredible Hulk (Movie Review)

The Incredible Hulk is a very predictable movie that doesn't have a lot going for itself. So what's different in this adaptation? Well, for those of you out there that were unfortunate in seeing the 2003 Hulk movie should expect the same movie with just more action scenes and not much focused on story. Louis Leterrier (Transporter Series) is handling the directing this time around as the backstory is detailed during flashbacks this time rather than explaining Bruce's transformation throughout the movie. It's funny how my opinion keeps changing about the 2003 Hulk movie over and over again and I know the core storyline was about as fun as female cats menstrating on themselves, but at least the movie from Ang Lee's adaptation was mildly interesting, even if the rest of the movie wasn't as enticing. Visually, I'd prefer the version five years ago, but what's here isn't terrible just not a grapical powerhouse by any means compared to the one in 2003. For that movies shortcomings, I admired the visual authenticity of Ang Lee's version. The Incredible Hulk feels like a missed opportunity to retry and resurface the brand as something more than just a mere re-issue of a movie that wasn't even good years ago and to even attempt to try again just shows the longing for something more respectable. The acting is disappointing thanks to an uneven script that doesn't suit the qualities for the actors and actresses in the movie. If your movie has William Hurt, Ed Norton, and a cameo from Robert Downey Jr. you should have a good movie assembled, guess I was wrong to believe that theory. Everything just seems like an excuse here to make-up for the one five years ago and it doesn't work here. If the two could've paralleled each other and be an individual series things might have been a little more smoother, yet this movie is barely passable.

*** out of 5

Pluses: Better Hulk model, looks nice.

Minuses: Lame Story, disappointing script.

Cast:
Edward Norton ... Bruce Banner
Liv Tyler ... Betty Ross
Tim Roth ... Emil Blonsky
William Hurt ... Gen. Thaddeus 'Thunderbolt' Ross
Tim Blake Nelson ... Samuel Sterns
Lou Ferrigno ... Voice of The Incredible Hulk / Security Guard
Robert Downey Jr. ... Tony Stark (uncredited)
Ty Burrell ... Leonard
Christina Cabot ... Major Kathleen Sparr
Peter Mensah ... General Joe Greller
Stan Lee ... Milwaukee Man Drinking From Bottle (uncredited)


Produced by
Ari Arad .... executive producer
Avi Arad .... producer
Stephen Broussard .... associate producer
Kevin Feige .... producer
Gale Anne Hurd .... producer
Stan Lee .... executive producer
David Maisel .... executive producer
Michael J. Malone .... associate producer
John G. Scotti .... associate producer
Jim Van Wyck .... executive producer

Original Music by
Craig Armstrong

Cinematography by
Peter Menzies Jr. (director of photography)

Writing credits
(WGA)
Zak Penn (screenplay)


Zak Penn (screen story)


Directed by
Louis Leterrier

Hard Candy (Movie Review)

I'm surprised that Ellen Page didn't go to some police academy in Canada for her role as Haley in Hard Candy. A deep, controversial and disturbing movie that is different from movies that deal with child molestation. The movie starts with the two characters (Haley and Jeff) talking from separate chatroom to figure out where should these two anonymous people should meet. Haley (Ellen Page) is a 14 year-old teenager while Jeff (Patrick Wilson) is a 32-year-old fashion photographer. These two meet at a coffee shop for some conversating which leads to Jeff taking Haley to his home. She sees his work of the girls that he took pictures of as she realizes these girls aren't old enough to think for themselves. Yet, Haley is smart enough to know that she's dealing with a child molester and drugs him which leads to events that delve deeper into this guy's psyche. I wish their we're more movies like this. The dialogue exchanges between Wilson and Page are great especially with how Page commands her character with such raw emotion that this movie could be considered Oscar worthy. It is quite riveting stuff considering the limitations of the movie. I feel that the writing (by Brian Nelson) compansates both actors and shows their emotions and in this film you see both Wilson and Page develop two estranged beings; by one avenging abused teens and the other well....you get the idea. For a movie produced under a million dollars ($950,000) the cinematography isn't bad either; It uses modified lighting to represent certain sequences. It's a very smart, intense movie that is different from most suspense flicks.

****1/2 out of 5

Pluses: Excellent Dialogue, Interesting Directing and Cinematography, smart writing

Minuses: Not a lot of variety in terms of setting.

Cast:
Patrick Wilson ... Jeff Kohlver
Ellen Page ... Hayley Stark
Sandra Oh ... Judy Tokuda
Odessa Rae ... Janelle Rogers (as Jennifer Holmes)

Produced by
Paul G. Allen .... executive producer
Michael Caldwell .... producer
Ellora Chowdhury .... post producer
Erica Farjo .... associate producer: US
David Higgins .... producer (as David W. Higgins)
Richard Hutton .... producer
Barney Jeffrey .... associate producer: UK
Rosanne Korenberg .... executive producer
Brian Nelson .... co-producer
Jody Patton .... executive producer
Hans C. Ritter .... co-producer (as Hans Ritter)
Alex Webster .... post producer

Original Music by
Harry Escott
Molly Nyman

Cinematography by
Jo Willems (director of photography)

Writing credits
(WGA)
Brian Nelson (written by)

Directed by
David Slade

The Dark Knight (Movie Review)

It's a relief when somebody can do a sequel right, even if the expectations are daunting. The Dark Knight prevails because it doesn't try so hard into similar territory and it makes for some of the best movie making of this decade. Heath Ledger's Joker is probably one of the most memorable villains that I have seen this side of Anton Chigurh (No Country for Old Men). He's the most convincing version of the Clown Prince hands down. Assessing Heath Ledger's performance is like assessing all of the other adaptations of the previous Jokers. They were ranged from too clownish (Cesar Romero, Jack Nicholson) or over-the-top (Mark Hamill, Kevin Michael Richardson). Most of these performances were great (well, except Cesar's laughable performance) ,yet they lack a certain duality that Heath puts into the character. The Joker was always a psychopath, but for some people not taken very seriously. His presence in the movie as a very menacing and emotional figure will not only be remembered for years to come, but will change the way of how to perform as the Joker. Christian Bale isn't as awe-inspiring, but is great once again as Bruce Wayne/Batman; even he hits a certain emotional core not seen since Kevin Conroy in Batman: The Animated Series taking his performance from Batman Begins to new heights. Amazingly, where Bale succeeds is the climax where his final words are bone-chilling and heartwarming which not only affects Gotham City, but the well-being of Batman and how he stands with the citizens of Gotham City. which ends the movie on an optimistic though cliffhanger note. The Supporting cast is also very good as Aaron Eckhardt is very good as Harvey Dent; even if the character seemed slightly underdeveloped. I felt that Nolan didn't give enough room for Harvey/Two Face to expand his role. It was an attractive performance that should've saved for movie No. 3. Maggie Gyllenhaal should've been Rachel Dawes from the start (even though as a whole, the character isn't quite interesting) as she doesn't seem as oblivious like Katie Holmes when she portrayed her the first time this character was exclusive to the films. The same goes for the rest of the performances, even Eric Roberts who is very effective as Sal Maroni and his lines were delivered very precise and exected well and I thought out of He, Oldman, Freeman, and Caine . He was more interesting and left me wanting to see more screen time for his performance. (which is rare; since I expected him to be a total stiff) Visually, what more can you say about the cinematography? The movie wants you to take notice of the sprawling city and the aesthetics. You'll see some amazing set-pieces along with some stylish special effects. The chase scene with The Joker, SWAT and Batman deserves high praise especially when Bats is on the Bat-Pod. The camera shots and some sharp editing make it even a more incredible sequence. The Interrogation scene also deserves credit for the clever touches that are implemented and a stirring, sinister orchestral score will send chills down your spine. The same goes to Christopher Nolan who has some of the most exciting and thought-provoking camera work throughout the movie especially for the three scenes that I mentioned; In terms of his directing. The bar has officially been raised by The Dark Knight and any superhero movie will have a hard time topping this towering achievement. Good luck, Iron Man II.

***** out of *****

Pluses: Compelling Story and writing, Visually breathtaking, Awesome Direction

Minuses: Two-Face story goes by too fast

Cast
Christian Bale ... Bruce Wayne / Batman
Heath Ledger ... The Joker
Aaron Eckhart ... Harvey Dent / Two-Face
Michael Caine ... Alfred Pennyworth
Maggie Gyllenhaal ... Rachel Dawes
Gary Oldman ... James Gordon
Morgan Freeman ... Lucius Fox
Cillian Murphy ... Scarecrow (cameo)
Eric Roberts ... Salvatore Maroni
Ritchie Coster ... The Chechen
Anthony Michael Hall ... Mike Engel
Nestor Carbonell ... Mayor Anthony Garcia
William Fichtner ... Bank Manager
Michael Jai White ... Gambol

Original Music by
James Newton Howard
Hans Zimmer

Cinematography by
Wally Pfister (director of photography)

Film Editing by
Lee Smith

Casting by
John Papsidera

Production Design by
Nathan Crowley

Produced by
Kevin De La Noy .... executive producer
Jordan Goldberg .... associate producer
Philip Lee .... line producer: Hong Kong
Karl McMillan .... production associate producer
Benjamin Melniker .... executive producer
Christopher Nolan .... producer
Charles Roven .... producer
Emma Thomas .... producer
Thomas Tull .... executive producer
Michael E. Uslan .... executive

Directed by
Christopher Nolan

Juno (Movie Review)

Juno (Ellen Page) is a movie about a 16 year old teen who discovers that she's pregnant by her best friend Paulie Bleaker (Michael Cera). At first she wants to have an abortion, but with the help of her other best friend Leah (Olivia Thirlby) she finds an ad for pennysaver for parents who want to adopt a child. With help from her Dad (J.K Simmons) they meet the couple Mark and Vanessa Loring (Jason Bateman and Jennifer Garner) expressing the joy of adoption. I never though I find Juno to be so interesting, Ellen Page brings life to the character with creative dialogue and quick lines to make this character feel different and enjoyable. Ellen Page reminds me of Molly Ringwald; an actress that didn't seem like a cliche' (concerned about her personality, character or arrogance), she seems to be very comfortable with herself never worried about what people think about her which makes the Juno character interesting and accessible to the audience. She's not an elegant dresser or prom queen for a year she is just an ordinary girl trying to live her life. The supporting cast is just as good as Ellen Page's role, Jennifer Garner is convincing as the mother that wants to be the mother of her adopted child and so is J.K Simmons, Allison Janney, and Jason Bateman playing their respective roles. Director Jason Riteman does a good job of pacing with the movie. It's never too serious or too hokey; it very consistent with all the characters. The soundtrack leaves a lot to be desired, it felt like a band just murmuring the lines in the chorus and it just doesn't sound like music and some dialogue is a little questionable, but this indie sensation is a pleasure indeed.

**** out of *****

Pluses: Solid Dialogue, great cast, nice cinematography.

Minuses: Underwhelming soundtrack, lovable (if complex) main character.

Cast:
Ellen Page ... Juno MacGuff
Michael Cera ... Paulie Bleeker
Jennifer Garner ... Vanessa Loring
Jason Bateman ... Mark Loring
Allison Janney ... Brenda 'Bren' MacGuff
J.K. Simmons ... Mac MacGuff
Olivia Thirlby ... Leah
Rainn Wilson ... Rollo

Produced by
Joseph Drake .... executive producer (as Joe Drake)
Daniel Dubiecki .... executive producer
Lianne Halfon .... producer
Nathan Kahane .... executive producer
Kelli Konop .... co-producer
John Malkovich .... producer
Jim Miller .... co-producer
Mason Novick .... producer
Russell Smith .... producer
Brad Van Arragon .... co-producer

Original Music by
Matt Messina (as Mateo Messina)

Cinematography by
Eric Steelberg (director of photography)

Writing credits
(WGA)
Diablo Cody (written by)

Directed by
Jason Reitman

Quantum of Solace (Movie Review)

Having not watched Casino Royale, I went with mild expectations that this Bond movie could be better than I would like (considering the last movies that I watched from Ian Fleming beloved franchise were less-than-stellar from a story standpoint) and I guess I should stop setting those goals so high anymore. It's not that "Quantum" is a bad movie, its just not particularly good by any means. It feels like the whole movie seems stuck in overdrive rather in neutral like some of the other installments. (This includes Die Another Day or Goldeneye) What's with Bond being an action hero, all of a sudden? It's like at the last second the producers thought that it would be a clever plot device to make the climax something from the Bad Boys franchise; It all feels like an inconvience to the craft of what makes Bond "Bond". Bond isn't supposed to be some conspicuous secret agent, he is a guy that supposed to be naked to the human eye and his stealth isn't displayed well here, leaving us wondering if there are anymore clever ideas of the character. That said, Daniel Craig is a good 007. It took me a while to get use to him seriously (his blue eyes are distracting) but he was well-effective just not very subtle to the Sean Connery's or Pierce Brosnan's of the world. As for the writing, it is well-written considering the limitations within the story. Judi Dench as Q was the best, not just because she had the most lines, but her delivery and presence of the screen made even Daniel Craig role as Bond pretty ancillary, at best. Also, what is with this franchises angle with environmental threats? "Die Another Day" dealt with a satellite that can harness global energy while "Solace" is simply about water, seriously? The point i'm trying to make here is that it all seems similar from movies that have stories like those; it's very unoriginal and absolutely cliched. It's somewhat out of context even for this franchise. As for the rest of the movie, it's barely above average with some nice cinematography, good writing and lovely locales (which are typical in a bond movie.) Unfortunately, the benign story, lame antagonist and pretty, but useless Bond babes (portrayed by Gemma Arterton and Olga Kurylenko) make this Bond more shaken than stirred.

The Good: Nice Cinematography, Solid Writing

The Bad: Lame antagonist, Underwhelming Plot

*** Stars out of 5

Cast: Daniel Craig (James Bond), Judi Dench (Q), Gemma Arterton (Straberry Fields), Mathieu Amalric (Dominic Greene), Olga Kurylenko (Camille) Giancarlo Giannini (Mathius) and Jeffery Wright (Felix Leiter)

Writers: Paul Haggis (Director of Crash) and Neal Purvis

Cinematography: Roberto Schaefer

Casting: Debbie McWilliams

Original Music by
David Arnold

Film Editing by
Matt Chesse
Richard Pearson

Produced by
Barbara Broccoli .... producer
Callum McDougall .... executive producer
Anthony Waye .... executive producer
Gregg Wilson .... assistant producer
Michael G. Wilson .... producer

Directed By: Marc Forster

Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li. (Movie Review)

What would possess anyone to make another Street Fighter movie after the disaster that was the 1994 adaptation? (as bad as that movie was, at least was at least watchable.) Legend of Chun-Li is a boring mess with no charisma and awful acting the list goes on and on with this disaster. As you can tell from the title that Chun-Li (Portrayed be Kristin Kreuk) is an origin story that tells her story from child to adult. In the movie, she plays an aspiring singer who wants to avenge the kidnapping of his father and her ailing mother from Bison (Neal McDonough) and the Shadaloo organization. I won't spend too much time typing this review because I want everyone to get on with their lives and the same goes for me as well. What does this movie do well? It's fairly short and Neal McDonough has one of the coolest beards this side of Baron Davis. He looks great and at least the suits that he wears works with his character. That's pretty much where it ends in terms of highs. It's poorly choreographed; you can tell the actors involved have wires on them when the stunts are performed. Poor Also, the acting is about as convincing as watching an episode of 7 Days; As stilted, dry lines are abundant throughout the film and really offer no sense of conviction from any of the actors they're just reading like it's a high school play. Ok, I'm done readers I can't take this film anymore. GO AWAY!

* Out of 5

Good: Neal McDonough's beard
Bad: Everything else (especially Chris Klein's hair)

Cast
Kristin Kreuk ... Chun-Li
Chris Klein ... Charlie Nash
Neal McDonough ... Bison / Vega (Japan)
Robin Shou ... Gen
Moon Bloodgood ... Det. Maya Sunee
Josie Ho ... Cantana
Taboo ... Vega / Balrog (Japan)
Michael Clarke Duncan ... Balrog / Bison (Japan)

Produced by
Patrick Aiello .... producer
Ashok Amritraj .... producer
Manu Gargi .... line producer
Keiji Inafune .... executive producer
Russell D. Markowitz .... co-producer
Toshi Tokumaru .... executive producer
Haruhiro Tsujimoto .... executive producer

Original Music by
Stephen Endelman

Cinematography by
Geoff Boyle

Film Editing by
Derek Brechin
Niven Howie

Writing credits
Justin Marks (adaptation)

Directed by
Andrzej Bartkowiak

Madea goes to Jail (Movie Review)

Madea Goes to Jail is an interesting dilemma for me, because it's a good movie on one end and a disaster on another because the love story is a total mess. Once again Mabel "Madea" Simmons gets in trouble with the law and ends up in the big house for destroying a car because she cut right off of a parking spot. The subplot involves assistant district attorney Joshua Hardaway (played by Derek Luke) who seems to be on the fast track of success with his fiancee Linda (Ion Overman) until a case where he's in defense of a prositute (Keshia Knight-Pulliam) turns his life in a talespin. Madea Goes to Jail is probably the funniest Madea movie I have seen so far. That's not saying a whole lot this suffers from the same problem as it predecessors do. Yet, this one attached me in terms of it's stupidity. Sure, it's all trite and one-dimesnsional, but I couldn't help but laugh. (I'm Serious!) That's part of the reason of why I like the Madea character because the whole concept is so outlandish and absurd. There's some funny stuff and it's acceptable for the most part. The same goes for The Browns (David and Tamela Mann), I thought Mr. Brown was a little overwrought, but that's the point of this character; as he mispronounces stuff more than Dan Quayle can spell potatoe and is an overexaggerator. The love story is where everything falls apart. Derek Luke came off as unbelieveably bad in this role and it's not all his fault. Where the main subplot falls on it's face is more execution than the main actors because for a movie like this there would need to be two versions of Madea Goes to Jail. Disjointed, lame, and sloppy exchanges between Luke, Overman and Pullam give the movie a weird, and disorganized direction and it never recovers from it's struggle. Comedies and romantic movies can work, if you have a "forward" script to put it all together and this one just doesn't have it. So, it's a passable effort from Tyler Perry and Ms. Mabel Simmons, lets hope some story elements are fleshed out better.

*** out of 5

Good: Fairly good humor, Sofia Vergara is oddly sexy as a loony convict, Judge Greg Mathis (need I say more)

Bad: Sloppy, overwrought love story, often stilted in moments

Cast:
Tyler Perry ... Madea / Joe / Brian
Derek Luke ... Joshua Hardaway
Keshia Knight Pulliam ... Candace Washington
David Mann ... Brown
Tamela J. Mann ... Cora
RonReaco Lee ... Chuck
Ion Overman ... Linda
Vanessa Ferlito ... Donna
Viola Davis ... Ellen
Sofía Vergara ... T.T.
Robin Coleman (Hellga from American Gladiators) ... Big Sal


Produced by
Roger M. Bobb .... co-producer
Reuben Cannon .... producer
Karen Gorodetzky .... line producer
Michael Paseornek .... executive producer
Tyler Perry .... producer

Cinematography by
Alexander Gruszynski (director of photography)

Film Editing by
Maysie Hoy

Casting by
Kim Hardin

Art Direction by
Mark Erbaugh
Roswell Hamrick

Costume Design by
Keith G. Lewis


Writing credits
(in alphabetical order)
Tyler Perry writer

Directed by
Tyler Perry

Shadow of the Colossus (Reflections)

Sometimes I've wondered what if you wanted to do something in order to transcend life, in general. Whether it's a vehicle, become a movie star a doctor, sports star, radio broadcaster or bring someone back. Just recently, I thought back to a game I played back in 2005 that was not only enjoyable but morally confounding. (Spoiler Alert) The game involves the main character (Wander) trying to resurrect his loved one (Mono) only Wander has to beat 16 colossus in order for the loved one to be brought back to life. This order was given to him by an entity called Dormin. With each monster that he beats, his physical appearance changes. His skin and hair becomes darker, his face shows black streaks and he even grows some horns on his head. (This game is the spiritual prequel and successor to ICO) When Wander beats the final boss and goes back to the Shrine of Worship, he is then apprehended by Lord Emon (Wander stole the sword that he used to slay those sixteen Colossi across the forbidden land) and his men because those sixteen monsters brought the spirit Dormin to life. Dormin's spirit engulfs Wander's body and becomes some towering monster. Lord Emon uses the sword to create a cyclone (in a small pool) to take Dormin and Wander into it. He hopes someday he can atone for his sin for resurrecting a demon, even if he did bring back his love. It's some powerful stuff in that this person was willing to do whatever to bring back the girl he loves; even if the consequences were harrowing in the long run. However, was his quest for resurrection really worth the trouble? Should he have informed Lord Emon about the well-being of his lover instead of stealing the sword to slay the sixteen Colossi? If you were in Wander's situation, would you slay sixteen colossi in order to bring the dead back? So many questions and so little answers. Now, I'll leave you with a clip of one of the slayed Colossi.