2 Guns (2013)

If you want to watch this movie, DON'T READ ANY OF THE DESCRIPTIONS OTHER THAN THIS ONE AND DON'T WATCH THE TRAILER. I was very happy I did not watch the trailer or read any descriptions prior to watching it. They give away WAY too much information. 

The story itself is cheesy and lacks development but the focus is the relationship between Denzel Washington and Mark Wahlberg. Their chemistry is really good. Wahlberg tries too hard at some points but overall it's fun to see them together. They make you want more of them and less of the actual story.

Paula Patton's performance is off. Her facial movements are unnatural and too exaggerated. Her chemistry with Denzel is painful. Being the only significant female in the movie, it's disappointing she doesn't have a better presence; but her character and story line lacks a lot so it's not that big of a deal that she doesn't do a good job. 

By far the biggest complaint is the terrible lighting. It's entirely too dark at times.

2 Guns could have been more of a quirky and memorable movie had it been directed by the Coen brothers. It doesn't win any awards for quality or depth, but it's a decently entertaining movie. Worth a watch if you're in the mood for a slightly dark action comedy.

I usually put a video of the trailer here...BUT...read above!

White House Down (2013)

White House Down is a mess. My new resolution is to never watch another movie with Channing Tatum in it. I can think of a dozen actors off the top of my head that would have been WAY better than Tatum. It's painful to watch him on screen. Unfortunately, Tatum isn't the only thing wrong with this flick.

Recently, I reviewed Olympus Has Fallen and I was pretty harsh about it. White House Down is its brother from another mother. Although it doesn't make the White House as easy to take down as Olympus Has Fallen, they both have almost identical plots. If I had to choose to watch one or the other, I would choose Olympus Has Fallen. That should give you an idea of what a hot mess White House Down is.

Tatum is the "hero" and Foxx plays the current President of the United States. Their chemistry is awkward to say the least. Tatum's character apparently has aspirations to be in the Secret Service but when he gets a chance to interact with the President, he treats him like an inadequate sidekick and comes off as disrespectful.

The attempted funny parts are noticeable and seriously not funny. Again, I blame this one on Tatum's delivery. Another Tatum point, then I'll stop. He is severely unconvincing as a father. He comes off more like a young punk. 

Joey King who plays Tatum's daughter, Emily, is good and reminds me a little of Alyssa Milano in Commando (1985). As good as she is, she still can't overcome Tatum's inabilities.

Overall, White House Down looks like they released the movie prematurely. It's unpolished and messy. Definitely not worth watching.

Olympus Has Fallen (2013)

Olympus Has Fallen is slightly entertaining but mostly embarrassing. The details are very messy. The first 20 minutes of the movie is the best part. Everything else is a display of severe American incompetence.

The cast is pretty spectacular and the acting is generally good. It just doesn't play out well. It's a sloppy excuse for an action movie. I really don't understand what happened here. The budget for this movie was pretty hefty at $70 million. I'm going to have to put this one on the director, Antoine Fuqua, and the two writers Creighton Rothenberger and Katrin Benedikt. All three of whom do not have much experience. So maybe the onus is on the producers for choosing three noobs to handle all the fire power behind the casting. Boggles my mind that so many heavy weight actors signed on for this one.

Speaking of a heavy weight, an underrated one, Ashley Judd as the First Lady is the main spark of energy; which is actually unfortunate.

The casting is the only saving grace for this one. I mean, for the most part, they have actual Korean actors play the Korean roles. That's unique! If only the writing and directing were as detailed and thorough, this movie could have been good. Instead, it will make you sigh and huff for two hours.

Olympus Has Fallen trailer...

IMDB
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2302755/

Pacific Rim (2013)

Pacific Rim is Robocop meets Godzilla, on steroids. The digital effects are incredible. The visuals really display the enormity of the robots and aliens well. It's simply remarkable to watch. It is however a little busy on the eyes. Not as busy as a Michael Bay film, but if you're not an action fan in general, you might not appreciate the sequences as much.

This is essentially a digital film with some really bad human actors. The casting and acting is all wrong. COMPLETELY wrong! Charlie Hunnam, who plays Raleigh Becket, and Rinko Kikuchi, who plays Mako Mori, are downright embarrassing. It's painfully clear there was no budget left for decent actors. It is exacerbated by a sloppy script and a lack of directing effort (on the human aspects) by Guillermo del Toro.

The character development lacks attention and focuses on the wrong people. It focuses on Raleigh and Mako when it should focus on the father-son duo, Herc and Chuck Hansen, played by Max Martini and Robert Kazinsky respectively. Kazinsky, pulling the best performance of the entire movie, clearly should have been the star.

The Russian and Chinese pilots are fun and quirky. There isn't enough time paid to them and not enough pilots either. It would have been fun to see all of them training together and getting to know each other. Instead, you're forced to follow around aimless Raleigh.

Idris Elba, as "Marshall" Stacker Pentecost, is underutilized in his ability and his character. The trailers misrepresent his role in the action.

I would recommend watching this one but only for the amazing digital effects.

Side note: One thing that bothers me; I found it quite odd that there are hardly any marine animals. There are a few fish, that's it. A little weird considering the robots and aliens are walking through the ocean like it's a swimming pool.

Pacific Rim Trailer
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5guMumPFBag

The Heat (2013)

Ugh. I almost didn't want to review this one, so it will be short. No matter how hard I wished for it to be good, it isn't. The comedy is incredibly forced and awkward. The first three quarters of the movie are dull; with the exception of Melissa McCarthy, but not in a good way. She is over-the-top crude and simply not funny. Sandra Bullock lacks energy. She's tired and seems bored. Her usual confidence that emanates through all of her other characters is gone in this one.

The last quarter of the movie picks up. However; just when the chemistry between McCarthy and Bullock finally solidify, it's over.

Very shaky film. Not worth a recommendation.

The Heat trailer

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a5m7Ml76zoA

World War Z (2013)

I was excited to see Brad Pitt in an epic, apocalyptic movie. His character isn't utilized to his optimal abilities but this isn't a Tom Cruise saves everyone and everything role. In fact, Brad Pitt's character, Gerry Lane, not being a superman makes World War Z even that much scarier. Although I do wish he kicked just a little more ass.

Zombie movies and shows are in right now and it's easy to imagine what you would do if you were to ever find yourself facing a zombie apocalypse. You imagine what kind of weapon you would use, what vehicle to drive, how you would generally survive and kill zombies, etc. There is never a fear of zombies outrunning, overpowering, or sneaking up on you. You think to yourself, 'Hell yeah I could kill some zombies!' Then you watch World War Z. These are the scariest zombies ever.

The first half of the movie is fast, exciting, and scary. It's a great buildup for a solid, hefty story. However, the second half of the movie is rushed and disorganized. There are way too many unanswered questions.

There are times when the writing and directing creates a quick and believable bond between characters; like with Tommy and Gerry's family. Then there are times when you wonder if you missed something because all of a sudden there is a strong relationship and you don't know where it came from, (the Israeli soldier and Gerry).

Finally, the ending isn't really a proper ending but it's not a great opening to a sequel either. It leaves you unsatisfied and again with more questions. The pace of the movie is an attempt to distract you from the almost non-existent story. I incorrectly expected substance because Brad Pitt is in it.

On a positive note, World War Z is almost nonstop action and the zombies are incredibly scary.

On a scale of 1-10, World War Z is 6.5

Spoilers: Unanswered questions and curiosities.

If Israel knew, why not warn others? If they wanted to keep it a secret, why didn't any other country notice they were frantically finishing the wall? Then, the explanation for why they finished the wall was incredibly weak and grossly unbelievable; because a letter said "undead." C'mon! Finally, why didn't they know noise attracts the zombies and why didn't they have more defenses outside of the wall? For people that were prepared, they were not.

When Gerry prepares to leave the apartment, he resourcefully protects his arm with duct tape and a magazine. Why doesn't he do the same for his kids and wife? Why did he tape the knife to the end of his gun? Why not tape it to the end of a broom stick and give the gun to his wife? Two weapons better than one, no?

When Terry thought Gerry was dead (by the way, they should have changed one of their names. They're too similar sounding especially in such a fast paced movie), he couldn't stop Gerry's family from being taken off the ship. They do absolutely nothing with that story line. Why bother making such a fuss over their safety? That and the plane crash was a waste of time. On the contrary, there isn't enough time in the research facility. That group of people had great chemistry but there is zero development.

So now everyone is sick. What? Eventually people will either die from whatever bacteria is being injected into them or their bodies will become immune and the zombies will want to eat them again. I suppose the idea is to temporarily distract the zombies so they can kill them all. They will attempt to kill the virus in the sequel I suppose.

Looper (2012)

Looper is a futuristic take on the life of a hired gun. There is one thing that stands out; Joseph Gordon-Levitt. Oh my goodness, this kid is GOOD. He plays a younger version of Bruce Willis's character and he is so accurate with his mannerisms and facial expressions that his performance is actually a bit distracting in the beginning.

Oddly enough, Joseph Gordon-Levitt does a better job at playing a Bruce Willis character than Bruce Willis. However, the screenplay or directing doesn't give Bruce Willis the proper foundation to work with. The movie focuses too much on showing minor details than it does on solid character development and the minor details it does show aren't the ones you want to see. It leaves you with a feeling of wanting more; not in a good way. You watch it wanting it to be better than it is.

The story itself is entertaining and exciting and the time travel concept is always fun. A television show would be a better platform to showcase the nuances of this futuristic world.

Watch it to be entertained and you will be. It's definitely worth watching simply for Joseph Gordon-Levitt's performance.

On a scale of 1-10, Looper: 7.0

Performance distinction for Joseph Gordon-Levitt: underrated.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1276104/

Jack Reacher (2012)

Not bad. The trailers and media promote Jack Reacher as being some kind of anti-law anti-hero with a vendetta. That's off-the-mark. Reacher is a badass detective with above average abilities...in everything.

This movie is like The Firm (1993) meets Punisher (2004). Tom Cruise as Jack Reacher is very much like Thomas Jane as Punisher, without the vendetta, and the story is like The Firm because of it's suspense, crime, and investigative aspects.

Maybe it's Tom Cruise's character or the way he delivers him, but the movie has an old school comic book hero feel to it, hence The Punisher. The main villain is cheesy to boot.

It's a little low on the action considering it's a Tom Cruise movie, but there is still enough to not be completely disappointed.

There are a lot of unnecessary looks and stares and slow scenic movements like they're putting onto film a Stephen King chapter of descriptive scenery. We see it, we get it, move on.

Surprisingly Tom Cruise is funny! It's my favorite aspect of the entire movie. Oh and bonus...Robert Duvall is in it too.

Overall, it's decently entertaining.

On a scale of 1-10, Jack Reacher: 7.0