Final Destination 5 (2011) Quick Review

How much longer will they continue the series? As long as we continue to watch it, sadly. Final Destination 5 is, well, the fifth installment in the Final Destination series. What started as a cool, slick thriller, became a money sweltering franchise that serves no sentimental purpose but gruesome deaths and sick pleasures. Final Destination 5 will provide with more sick kills.

Surprise, surprise. Another FD movie...

The movie's plot is the same as usual: A protagonist has a premonition and saves a group of people, only to discover that they all die one by one and that death is after them. So what do they do next? Find a way to cheat death...but wait! I thought there was no way you can cheat death. Wasn't this established with ALL of the films? In Final Destination 5, a young man has a premonition where the bridge collapses and everyone dies. You guys know the drill from there on.

This does not look pleasant at all.

As horrible as the series can get, the fifth installment was an improvement over the fourth film. Final Destination 5 is edgier and more twisty than the average Final Destination film, so this one might actually take you by surprise. This one is more of a prequel if you ask me. Anyway, the death scenes are horrifically satisfying and beyond gross, the acting is cringe-worthy, but the audience demands this kind of "film." Let's face it, the movie sucks, but it's fun to watch. Kudos for its effort to surprise the audience.

Grade: C

Rise of the Planet of the Apes (2011) Quick Review

 
Where to begin...I was never a fan of either the original or the Tim Burton remake. I honestly did not know what to expect when I walked into Rise of the Planet of the Apes. Well, my experience was not bad, actually. The film is about, well, the title says it all. James Franco portrays a scientist, an unbelievably good-looking one, who is researching the cure for Alzheimer's Disease.

Apart from the scientist and Caesar, the ape, all the other characters serve no true purpose other than to piss the audience off by building hatred towards a certain character, who we later see get it pretty bad by the apes. Ehem! Draco Malfoy. Ouch. Anyway, Jon Lithgow plays James Franco's dad, who has a bad case of Alzheimer's Disease, and, well, plays the "sick" dad that he is trying to save. Freida Pinto plays a dull girlfriend, who we never really get personal with, so in the end, I kept asking myself, "So, what happened to her, again?" Anyway, as the film progresses and Caesar becomes more intelligent, we begin to ask ourselves, "Where do we draw that fine line between right and wrong?" The only deep message I got out of this movie was that one question. When do we, as humans, have the right to keep the freedom of another life form away from them? Well, the movie perfectly sums it up and we face the ugly consequences. No surprises, literally. Keep note that i've heard some ugly arguments that the film is "racist" because it's supposedly an allegorical portrayal of blacks overcoming the whites after all these years, but let's face it...that's not the message.

Rise of the Planet of the Apes serves as pure entertainment and it succeeds at it, but there underlies social inequalities and the consequences one can bring upon everyone when they play God for too long. The special effects were average in certain scenes, but shined in others, as well, which gave me mixed feelings about where all the budget really went to. Overall, it's a fun, and one of the more "thoughtful" mainstream, action films with good performances.

Grade: B-

The Help (2011) Quick Review

 
Change begins with a whisper.

The Help is a story about courage, equality, and redemption in Jackson, Mississippi, during the early 1960s. Narrated from three central characters, their stories intertwine, which eventually results in the start of change. The film boasts mainstream stars: Emma Stone, Viola Davis, Bryce Dallas Howard, as well as some new talents: Octavia Spencer and Jessica Chastain.

My favorite aspect of The Help was its eclectic subplots, which all had its relevancy to the central storyline; each subplot symbolized change and/or discrimination in different forms, and how there was much more to it than just the inequality between the blacks and whites, like social status, jealousy, envy, etc. The film manages to encompass all these different aspects, giving us the developed characters we always demand for. In the end, we feel something for all the characters, whether we love, hate, or pity them.

The Help is a pleasant surprise. For a film that runs well over two hours, it manages to keep its pace from drowning, while it touches base with its comedic, tragic, bittersweet, and blissful side; it's poignant. A movie that honestly portrays what is considered daring and taboo, The Help is real and harsh in certain aspects, which can make the movie hard to watch sometimes, but the truth it all we need, don't we? After all, it's what makes us better people, right?

Grade: B+

Crazy, Stupid, Love.

 
When I first saw the trailer for Crazy, Stupid, Love., I felt indifferent to what seemed like a romantic comedy with an all-star cast, which is likely for a type of movie like this (ahem, 2010’s Valentine’s Day). However, I was quite surprised by what came out of it. Crazy, Stupid, Love. is one of those movies that is hard to write a review about because it is a story comprised of multiple story-lines of different characters, which, ultimately, come together in the end.

A memorable scene that cannot be spoiled in this review. Sorry.

The movie starts off with Cal (Steve Carell) and Emily (Julianne Moore) having a nice dinner. But before they even order what’s on the menu, we can already feel that emptiness in their relationship, and Emily immediately and publicly asks Cal for a divorce, which is he taken back by. We later find out that Emily was having an affair with David Lindhagen (Kevin Bacon), a character that does not serve too much of a purpose but is used as comedic relief. We also have a hot, young cast: Jacob (Ryan Gosling), a ladies’ man who learns more of himself as he tries to help Cal find his mojo after his divorce. Hannah (Emma Stone), is a smart girl, who is a successful up-and-coming lawyer, who is having trouble finding the right man. The cast also boasts a few new talents including Analeigh Tipton, Jonah Bobo, and some old faces, including Marisa Tomei. That’s a lot of information right there!

Hey, Steve, where did your mojo go?

As the movie progresses, each and every character learn more about themselves of who they are, the decisions they made in their lives, and, of course, romance. It’s hard to explain the plot of Crazy, Stupid, Love. without giving away the twist in the end, so i’ll leave it there. All I can say about this movie is that the witty dialogue and intelligent characters help it stand out when thrown into the pile of the same genre. I would say this is an American version of Love, Actually, but without the Christmas theme.

Crazy, Stupid, Love. is a gem of love, heart, laughter, and value; it’s real. We all question ourselves: Will we find the right person? The truth is is that everything is meant to happen. The worst will even bring us together and there should be no regrets in life. We take our actions for granted, and this movie assures us that we should appreciate even the little things in life. Ultimately, something good always comes out of something. I thoroughly enjoyed Crazy, Stupid, Love. The downside is very brief; for example, the scene where the handsome Ryan Gosling exposes us his muscular body. It is obvious that certain scenes were added in there to grab a certain age group’s attention, but it’s quite minor compared to the positives of the film.

Hey this is actually a pretty good movie!

It’s great to see a movie where all the characters are likable, even the ones we are supposed to hate. Expertly executed, beautifully directed, and an intelligent use of a recycled storyline, makes this a go-see.  Crazy, Stupid, Love. is refreshing and fun.

Grade: B+

Cowboys & Aliens (2011)

 There have been many theatrical trailers within the scope of the past couple of years that have caught my undivided attention in the theater and make me think, “Wow, this might actually be good.” Unfortunately, this isn’t the case with Jon Favreau’s  Cowboys & Aliens. The title alone would either convey stupidity towards the audiences, or at least make them think that this might be one of those “mindless, fun, and enjoyable movies.” Well, the movie did not reach to me on any of those levels I have just mentioned.

Wha-wha-what is this?

The movie start off with a man, Jake Lonergan (Daniel Craig), who wakes up with a strange mechanical device on his wrist in the midst of some desolate region in the west coast region of the United States. From the start, we, the audience, is thrown into a realm, where we are uncertain of what is happening around us, kind of a like a wild wild west form of immersion. That said, we learn the violent nature of Jake within the first five minutes when he belligerently attacks a few pioneers who underestimate him. Fast-forward to the forty-five minute mark is where the action begins (The scenes prior to this part of the film is mainly the introduction of certain characters like the “tough and mighty” Woodrow Dolarhyde, played by Harrison Ford and the enchanting and mysterious Ella Swenson, played by relative newcomer, Olivia Wilde). Now, I’m not going to lie, but the action sequences in Cowboys & Aliens were tame. Less shaky camera action, but incredibly dragged out dialogues cross-cutting in between the “intense” action scenes made it difficult for me to keep up with what was supposed to be “fun.”

I know who you are, but do you know who I am? That's the real question here.

It is here when we discover that our hero, Jake, has a purpose (when he uses his wrist gadget) and shoots down a saucer. The characters then form a posse and begin to embark a quest to find their missing loved ones taken. The mystery is: What happens to the people? And what the heck are the aliens doing in a small town, invading cowboys? As the movie progresses (and drabs), we are introduced to Jake’s background bit by bit, but not one bit of sympathy really came out from me. The “twists” that follow-up are borderline absurd and predictable.

This town ain't big for the two of us.

The movie does try really hard to be likable. But, unfortunately, the characters somehow sink beneath the sands of the desert land and continue to stay there. My problem with Cowboys & Aliens is that there is many characters and concept in introduced too quickly  and there is no time for the movie to re-cap everything on a more personal level, therefore, there are a lot of undeveloped storyline and plots that Favreau could have touched based on. Pacing is somewhat of a drab, but the aliens looked pretty rad. Absurdity is another issue with Cowboys & Aliens. We are led to believe that this movie was some kind of revelation when the trailer was released a year prior to its release, but let’s face it, the plot fell flat. In other words, it was lame. For some reason, all the cowboys in this town can do no wrong! I did enjoy Favreau’s Iron Man series, which made me believe that this movie had the potential to have the same effect as his other films have done in the past, but it did not quite reach me this time around.

I'm Jake, and I'm an ordinary human being who somehow knows how to defeat the aliens...

Cowboys & Aliens is not a terrible movie by any means, but even walking into this movie with low expectations will not surprise you. Well, at least it did not for me. Fans of the cast will watch it anyway, but newcomers, I warn you. On the other hand, Cowboys & Aliens is beautifully filmed and the technical aspect of it trumps all other aspects. Try and see a matinee showing with this one if you must.

Grade: C-