Argo Review

Argo Review (2012)

Argo Official Trailer: Official Argo Trailer (HD)

Overall: A
Story: A
Characters: A
Production: A

Run Time: 2 Hours

Thoughts: 'Argo' is movie directed by Ben Affleck that is about a 'classified' joint effort between the CIA and Canadian government (Yes, you heard me right, the Canadian gov't) to rescue six U.S. diplomats from an Iranian hostage crisis in 1979. At first when I heard this premise, I didn't really know what to expect. I mean, I'm all for movies that are based off of 'classified' missions, but this just sounded so far-fetched. How was Affleck going to produce a movie that was not only interesting to watch, but also historically accurate? And how much of the audience actually knows about this crisis to keep them interested. Well needless to say, Affleck did not disappoint with this film. 

Throughout the whole movie, I was quite entertained. It has a nice blend of what I would call "historical imagery" and actual film. We often wondered if some of the film was old footage or if they filmed it all new, but whatever they did, it flowed seamlessly together. Moreover, even though I had very little background knowledge of the real crisis (I was yet to be born), Affleck still managed to make it a very interesting 2 hour ride. I never found myself telling the movie to "move on," as it did an excellent job at keeping the tension high and the adrenaline running. Explanation of the situation was clear and precise, character development was enjoyable, and it was extremely interesting learning how the whole operation came to be. Hell, Affleck even to manage to provide some humor in this CIA-centered film. And who thought our government agencies didn't have a sense of humor? 

Well anyway, without giving away too much of the movie, Just "Argo-fcuk-yourself" and go see the movie. I know you really don't care what I think, nor do I blame you, but it is a movie that I would highly recommend.

Bane, is that you?

Found this today while surfing the internets, found it pretty interesting.... It images of what Bane COULD HAVE looked like in 'The Dark Knight Rises.'

Take a look for yourself (thanks to Screencrush.com) Bane's Mug Shots 

Flight

Flight

Flight Trailer:Flight Official Trailer

Overall Grade: B+

Thoughts: So I'll cut to the chase right away, "Flight" was a little more boring than I expected. It starts out fast, but the crash that was so highly previewed before its release literally took up maybe 15 minutes of the whole 2.5 hour movie. Pretty disappointing in my book. But it was a pretty awesome 15 min ride anyways. Not to give away too much, it must really suck to be the flight attendant! Anywho, once I came to realize that the main focus wasn't so much the crash, but instead the demons that haunt Whip Whitaker (Denzel Washington), I found myself quite interested in the movie. Granted, there were some pretty slow parts, but overall I thought the dialect between characters and the raw emotion portrayed was excellent. There were times you actually felt sorry for the poor bastard. If only he could have stopped sipping on grand dad's ol' cough medicine...

Bonus tip: The cameo of John Goodman was a highligh of the movie. Although they never really explain who or what he is during his first encounter, it is quite easy to figure it out by the end. He definitely injects some much needed energy in a relatively slow film. 

Overall I would recommend this flick, but don't go into it expecting a fast-paced movie. You'll be highly disappointed if that's the case. 

Skyfall

Skyfall

Skyfall (2012) Trailer: Skyfall Official Trailer

Overall Grade: A

Thoughts: Best bond movie out there especially compared to "Casino Royale" and "Quantum of Solace." Rent, buy, whatever, you won't be disappointed. Good action, excellent story, great characters, and a cool setting. But let's get to the real debate here, who is the hottest bond girl? I'll leave that up to you...

Dredd

Dredd -(2012)

Dredd Official Trailer: Dredd (2012) Official Trailer

Overall Grade: B-

Thoughts: So here's the deal and I'm going to be honest, I thought this movie was going to be terrible. I went into the movie EXPECTING a horrible story, horrible acting, and horrible special effects. But want came out of it was rather...delightful. Hence, the grade it received. Saying that, if you pick up a movie much like Dredd expecting a well written story, amazing character development, high-end special effects, etc, etc, etc, you are just being dumb. You're probably the same type of person that thinks its easy to fix the national debt, loves the "Notebook," and wishes all cars ran on love and flowers. Take it for what it is, a good old fashioned shoot 'em up movie. 

Now, its no Stallone "Judge Dredd," but somehow they still managed to get a decently high profile actor to play Dredd in Karl Urban. I felt he did a decent job playing a "by-the-book' badass cop except it did feel very RoboCop like which I am not completely sold on yet. The female role was 'buy-able' so I have no real beef with her character either. And the kill scenes....BOOYA! Best part of the movie. If you are looking for a little gory action, you can definitely get your fix in this movie. 

This biggest complaint I have are the long scenes showing the effects of the new drug. Apparently this drug makes the user feel like time is in slow motion. Of course the director has to show off this slow-mo effect so we are stuck watching this drug in action multiple times throughout the movie with most of the scenes being much too long. I get it, stop beating it into a dead horse. 

Anywho, like I said, if you are just in the mood for a shoot everyone kind of movie (as I don't see any other reason for getting this movie), this flick will definitely get you your fix. Just don't expect any Oscars for this one. 

Taken 2

Taken 2

Trailer Link: Taken 2 Official Trailer

Overall Grade: D+

I'll put it this way, this movie was a huge disappointment and sucked more than a vaccuum.  The majority of the movie takes place in Istanbul where Liam Neeson's character had some "security" meeting with a prince, but from there, it just goes downhill. Of course, we already know what's going to happen before the movie even starts; a revengeful kidnapping of Liam and his family by an Albanian mob, Liam goes off, killing them all, and therefore, getting his family back. 

Normally watching him crush people's skulls in is a delight, but for some god forsaken reason, there was an emphasis on the daughter's character. When I want to see one of the most annoying female characters help her dad fight kidnappers, I'll let you know. (If you've seen the first 'Taken' movie, you know what I mean.) This was definitely not one of those times. On top of that, the script was terribly written. I recall at least two extended periods of time during the movie where we had to listen to Liam constantly repeat himself. In one scene all he does was count and make a mental note of random things around him, "Birds....26, 27, 28.... guitar....29, 30, 31...2nd gear...blah, blah, blah..." There goes 5 minutes of my life. In another scene, we have to hear Liam yell, "Go, Kim, Go!" over and over while she drives their taxi cab in a high speed chase. (Keep in mind, she hasn't passed her DRIVER'S TEST yet.) Another 5 minutes wasted. Thanks for that. Right about that point, I was ready to turn off the movie, but I guess I did pay $1.63 for it so I finished watching where this crappy production went. 

But my all time favorite part about it was what a big pussy the "main" bad guy was. All movie he talks about how his Albanian brothers and his son were killed by Liam (in 'Taken') and that they must get their revenge against him. Well he (finally) captures Liam and his family, looses Liam (shocker), gets chased by Liam, and when they finally meet each other, he hides in a corner. Yawn. 

I thought hard about it, but I cannot find one good thing about this movie. I was bored, angry, and frustrated the whole time. Don't waste your time with this one. Go have a beer instead. And you're welcome.