Topic: Never Ending Movie Marathon (short reviews)

[Jimmy]

I watched for the first time in years MIB II again not so long ago and it sure age badly... The acting, the story and the effects were so bad that I almost gave up without finishing (and I don't even talk about the 10 years old humour style in it).

But the first one is always as fun to watch, but it's because of Tommy Lee Jones because honestly Will Smith is awfully bad as an actor. I've never understand why he was a big name for a while, he isn't funny, he is always in the overacting mode and he is annoying...

[Mustrum_Ridcully]

Strangely for me it was the other way.
I didn't like it at all when originally watched in 2003. Bought the Blu for completeness and was positively surprised how good it was.
But possibly that was only because I expected absolutely nothing and will have some great disappointing moments when re-watching it with significantly higher expectations.

[samuelrichardscott]

I'm almost the same. I rated it lower the first time I watched it but this time I obviously had lower expectations having grabbed it to also complete the series. I had almost forgotten Rosario Dawson was even in it.

[samuelrichardscott]

Men in Black 3 (2012)

During post-production there was a lot of talk that this was shaping up to be a bit of a disaster and reshoots were ordered to be done so I went into this a little skeptical. However, there is a lot of fun to be had here and the time travel element has been done well, without being confusing and having a nice touching element to it towards the end. Josh Brolin was superb as a younger Tommy Lee Jones and Emma Thompson did well even though she was sort of out of her stereotypical comfort zone. I do think up and comer Alice Eve was underused though. 3D wise, it was quite good. The first time leap looked fantastic and the CGI 3D was great. Sometimes the scenes without special effects lacked a bit of depth but I was overall impressed. Recommended. 3.5/5

[samuelrichardscott]

Point Blank (2010)

A friend of mine recommended this one to me, describing it as a French version of Taken, and what a good recommendation it turned out to be. Whilst there isn't quite as much action as far as big set pieces go as Taken, the storyline feels fleshed out more. The cast are all well selected, especially Gérard Lanvin as Werner and the always reliable Roschdy Zem as Sartet. If you enjoyed Taken, I definately recommend a viewing of Point Blank. 4/5

[samuelrichardscott]

District 13 (2004)

Cyril Raffaelli, David Belle and Bibi Naceri became three actors I now look out for thanks to what is one of the most insanely paced movies I have seen. The action is unrelenting and full of a lot of great set pieces and some stunning parkour. The thought of a bad part of a city being walled in with politicians maybe wanting to blow it up is an interesting one, albeit very silly but it fits right in with the action and is stylishly done. It's essentially quite standard fare but the action is amongst the best out there so I highly recommend it as brainless entertainment. 4.5/5

[samuelrichardscott]

21 Jump Street (2012)

A bit of a surprise hit, this remake of the 80's television show is a lot funnier than it had any right to be. Jonah Hill and Channing Tatum look at ease with each other and the chemistry as friends in the movie is good but the real stars are Ice Cube as the stereotypical angry black captain (and he rants about that stereotype) and James Franco as the drug dealing student. The story is fun, if silly, the set pieces have the right mix of action and comedy, and the pacing is good. Look out for the cameos of the original cast too. Recommended. 4/5

[samuelrichardscott]

Mr. Untouchable (2007)

This was recommended to me after a viewing of American Gangster. A documentary about Nicky Barnes, an ex-junkie turned drug-lord in 70's Harlem, New York - he gained the nickname Mr. Untouchable from the New York Times who printed his name on their front page after yet another acquittal. He surrounded himself with loyal people and they all became rich by cutting out the middle men in the drug trade and taking from the wholesaler straight to the streets, killing anyone who stood in their way. Eventually, things came unstuck for Barnes and he turned snitch and made a plea bargain where he ended up serving 21 years, whilst many of his cohorts got life without parole and are still in prison today. This documentary does well not to glamourise gang life and also to talk to many people involved, from his former colleagues, to his defence lawyer, and of course Nicky Barnes himself. An interesting story. Recommended. 3.5/5

[samuelrichardscott]

District 13: Ultimatum (2009)

Five years on from the events of the first movie and the French government have not done what they promised and clean up District 13. A new plan is to have a government agency kill some cops, dump them in D13 and blame it on D13 inhabitants so that the President will evacuate and destroy the district in order for a certain company to make millions in the rebuild (unbeknownst to the President). Of course Leito gets hold of video footage of really happened and teams up with Damian to save the district and show the truth. Just like the first, the action takes hold over the story but it is so fast-paced and well choreographed you don't really care. If you liked the first, you'll like this. Recommended.

[samuelrichardscott]

Flakes (2007)

If there was ever a movie that tried to hard to be 'hipster', then Flakes was it. Despite talent on board including Zooey Deschanel and Christopher Lloyd, director Michael Lehmann has managed to make a film where the anti-capitalism message just becomes a bit tiresome and ruins what could've been a good quirky comedy. Deschanel and Lloyd play the only characters who aren't completely unlikeable and at times help the film almost seem watchable, but they can't pull it off on their own. Skip it. 2/5

[DSig]

I just picked up a copy of this from a closing BlockBuster ... glad i got it cheap   I'll watch it in the next couple of days and see if we concur

[Tom]

I just picked up a copy of this from a closing BlockBuster ... glad i got it cheap   I'll watch it in the next couple of days and see if we concur

I did concur.

[samuelrichardscott]

I just picked up a copy of this from a closing BlockBuster ... glad i got it cheap   I'll watch it in the next couple of days and see if we concur

I did concur.

Thanks for the link Tom. I hadn't spotted it!

[samuelrichardscott]

Priest (2011)

Yet again, a film in which Paul Bettany fights 'evil' with religious connotations is hounded by critics, giving me low expectations - only for me to enjoy it more than I thought I would (the first was Legion which I reviewed earlier in thread). Bettany, Maggie Q and Karl Urban all do a good enough job, Cam Gigandet unfortunately lacked, but the real surprise in the cast was a small role for Brad Dourif who was great to watch. The story itself is fairly standard, fight choreography is good but nothing new and the special effects what you would expect from a studio movie, making this average overall and worthy of a rental. Those interested in the 3D might be left a little disappointed as depth is minimal and at times feels flat. 3/5

[samuelrichardscott]

Nature Calls (2012)

Johnny Knoxville and Patton Oswalt star as two brothers who've taken different paths in life, so much so that Oswalt kidnaps Knoxville's African son and his friends from a party to go on a scouts camping trip. Although the premise is rather different, it reminded me quite a bit of the (superior but average) Bushwhacked starring Daniel Stern, but, with crude jokes that at times felt wildly out of place. The acting is below average, jokes generally unfunny, and the story feels tired and cliched. Skip this one. 2/5