Battle: Los Angeles

Directed by Jonathan Liebesman

2011

Viewed June, 2011

I loved the preview for this movie with its slow motion and haunting music. So when this film came out I wanted to see it, but didn't have the money. I snatched it up from Redbox the day that it was released just to make sure that I got a chance to finally see it. Wow. Was it worth it! Battle: L.A. is about aliens landing and starting a war here on earth. The focus of the movie is obviously Los Angeles, where a squad (I don't know the technical marine lingo...) of marines are sent in to save some civilians who are trapped behind enemy lines. It's shot like a legit war movie and it really works well. I love the shaky camera and the feel of imminent destruction by unknown forces.A

Kick-Ass

"With no power comes no responsibility... Except that wasn't true."

Directed by Matthew Vaughn

2010

Viewed June 5, 2011

In a world full of super hero comics, games and movies, teenager Dave Lizewski wonders why no one has tried to be a super hero. He decides to take things into his own hands and buys a scuba suit and mask and walks the streets looking for people to save. He gets into a fight with some thugs and the video is put on Youtube and Kick-Ass gets thrown into the spotlight. Meanwhile, Damon Macready (a.k.a. Big Daddy) is training his young daughter in the different forms of combat so together they can bring down drug tycoon Frank D'Amico. Kick-Ass has a really good mix of humor, seriousness, super (or not so super) heroism, action and heart. My only really big problem in this movie is Big Daddy and his daughter Hit Girl. Hit Girl is played wonderfully by Chloe Grace Moretz. She's quick witted and kicks a lot of bad guy butt. The father/daughter duo work wonderfully together and Nicholas Cage does a great job as Big Daddy. The thing that I had the biggest problem with is that this dad purposely puts his 11 year old daughter into harms way. He trains her and basically brainwashes her to become a killing machine. I'm really not cool with someone who puts a bullet proof vest on their daughter and then shoots her in the chest. There's also the issue of Hit Girl getting punched in the face and beaten up by a grown man. Even though the characters were very entertaining and perfectly cast, I still had a hard time with all of that. B-

Update

So, I don't know if anyone actually reads this, but I've made a few changes... I've updated the background (yay I figured out how), but the coolest thing that I did (and should have been doing since the beginning) was that I started to add tags to my posts so that now if you're looking for something in particular you can just look along the right column and choose a tag that fits what you're looking for. For example, lets say that I want to watch a movie starring Zach Galifianakis but I don't know which one is a good one to watch, I can search for his name and see that yes, he's been written about in this blog and I can see how many blog posts there are about him and I can click it and read the reviews of the movies that he's been in. Pretty cool. I've tagged according to who is starring, the director, the genre and the MPAA rating. Enjoy!

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1

"These are dark times, there is no denying. Our world has perhaps faced no greater threat than it does today." 

Directed by David Yates

2010

Date Viewed: Friday December 24, 2010 and May 29, 2011

This is probably my second favorite Harry Potter film (Number 4, HP and the Goblet of Fire is my #1 pick). I think I enjoy how its in a really dark place and the whole series has led up to this huge ending and this one just gets me really excited to see how the ending will all play out on screen. I think the acting is definitely better, and the friendship of Harry, Ron and Hermione is just so strong- Hermione and Ron are even willing to sacrifice their lives for Harry. I know, Ron has his weak moment in the film where he's all sullen and crabby and ditches them for a bit, but that's Ron for you... This film finds the three wandering the wilderness in search of the Horcruxes that hold pieces of Voldemort's soul. Voldemort is in search of the Elder Wand, which is the most powerful wand in the world. Bellatrix is still a crazy psycho, and Dobby is the hero in this film. B+

127 Hours

"I chose this. I chose all this. This rock... This rock has been waiting for me my entire life."

Directed by Danny Boyle

2010

Date Viewed: May 13, 2011

I put off seeing this movie because it sounded just so boring. Its the true story of Aron Ralston who went canyoneering and got his arm caught under a boulder. Really? an hour and a half of watching a guy be stuck? That sounds so boring! Too bad Danny Boyle is an awesome director! This movie was very far from boring! Aron's present is mixed with his past and with his hallucinations in a very interesting way. James Franco was fantastic as Aron and definitely deserved the Oscar nom that he got for this role. I know that I heard this a thousand times before finally caving, but seriously, listen to me, go rent this movie! It's really really good! A

The Hangover Part II

"We made a pact, Wolfpack only."

Directed by Todd Phillips

2011

Viewed May 2011

If you enjoyed the Hangover part 1, then you'll probably enjoy this one as well. Yes, it follows the same basic plot as the first part, yes some of the same characters randomly pop up, but I think part 2 holds its own against part 1. I can't decide which one I enjoyed more! For those who aren't familiar with the plot... The 4 guys go to Thailand for Stu's wedding. Stu insists on not having a bachelor party because of how badly that turned out for Doug in the first movie. So instead they have a bonfire and a couple of beers. The next morning Stu, Alan and Phil wake up in Bangkok with no memory of what had happened the night before. Also, Stu's future brother in law (and also his future in-laws pride and joy) is missing. They have to piece together what happened the night before in order to find Teddy. Hilarity ensues.  B+