Review: SUCKER PUNCH

SUCKER PUNCH (2011)
Starring Emily Browning, Abbie Cornish, Jena Malone, Vanessa Hudgens, Jamie Chung, and Carla Gugino, among others. Directed by Zack Snyder. Produced by Warner Bros. Pictures, Legendary Pictures, Cruel & Unusual Films, and Lennox House Films.

Genre: urban fantasy
Format: DVD

About SUCKER PUNCH (2011):

A young girl is institutionalized by her abusive stepfather. Retreating to an alternative reality as a coping strategy, she envisions a plan which will help her escape from the mental facility.

Source: Info in the About SUCKER PUNCH (2011) was taken from http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0978764/ on 17/01/2013.

Movie Trailer:

Movie Links:
Official site
Sucker Punch at Wikipedia
imdb

Review:

The best thing I can say about this film is that the cinematography is brilliant! From the outset though, I can tell that this is a frilly little fantasy with a blonde instant-ninja chick and I didn’t want to waste money and time going to the cinema to see that. And I was right. However they had this dvd on sale and it was so cheap that I recon then that it would probably be worth it with that cheap a price so it got bought. Because I went into it with such low expectations, there wasn’t much to disappoint, so I wasn’t. Besides, for something that cheap, I can’t really complain about value for money, now can I? For that price it can be considered good entertainment with all my expectations realized. Silly. Check. Non-believable fantasy. Check. Nonsense weird plot. Check. Sword-weilding, gun-toting pretty blonde. Check. Good entertainment filler in a pinch for fantasy fanatics who likes blondes with no other source of entertainment. That was the upside. The down side, and I guess was the contributing factor why I resisted watching it to begin with, was the movie’s smexing schoolgirls. Look at Sweet Pea, for christ sakes!! It smacks too much of pedophilesm to me. WTF!! And that brought the rating of this movie down to the boots.

Empirical Evaluation:
Cinematography = 4.5
Script/Story Itself = 1.5
Ending = 3
World building = 2
Attention To Detail = 2
Plot = 1.5
Acting = 4

Overall Rating: 2 out of 5 cherries

Movie Review: MORTAL INSTRUMENTS

Mortal Instruments: City Of Bones (2013)
 

Starring Lily Collins, Jamie Campbell Bower, Kevin Zegers, Jemima West, Robert Sheehan, Godfrey Gao, and Jonathan Rhys Meyers. Directed by Harald Zwart.
 

Genre: urban fantasy YA
 

About Mortal Instruments: City Of Bones (2013):

Set in contemporary New York City, a seemingly ordinary teenager, Clary Fray (Lily Collins), discovers she is the descendant of a line of Shadowhunters, a secret cadre of young half-angel warriors locked in an ancient battle to protect our world from demons. After the disappearance of her mother (Lena Headey), Clary must join forces with a group of Shadowhunters, who introduce her to a dangerous alternate New York called Downworld, filled with demons, warlocks, vampires, werewolves and other deadly creatures. Based on the worldwide best-selling book series. Written by Sony Pictures Entertainment

Source: Info in the About Mortal Instruments: City Of Bones (2013) was taken from http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1538403/ on 24/08/2013.
 

Movie Trailer:

 

Movie Links:
www.themortalinstrumentsmovie.com
Wiki
imdb
official facebook
 

Review:

I love the world building in the story! Sure, it is recycled, still fantastic though. But the plot depended loosely on the characters acting stupid to give the story a bit more drama. Not the most sturdy of plots. Clary Fray and Jocelyn Fray are just this side of stupid and quite annoying to watch. It makes me wanna shake them and scream for them to use the brains they were born with. Not having read the book yet, it made me wonder if they are even more stupid in the book than they are in the movie… it does not encourage me to read the book after that thought… And then as if that is not enough, the scenes just looked too contrived. It wasn’t very convincing. So you have big, scary demons bearing down on you, so everybody takes 5 minutes to look at each other and look dreamy??? WTF?! If it was in “slow motion” to give a scene emphasis, yes, that I could buy. But the actors to act in slow motion? What was that all about?!? Brought the suspension of disbelief down to the boots! It makes me hope that the next Mortal Instruments movie would NOT be directed by Harald Zwart again because this obviously shows that he does not pay that much attention to detail. Or it could be a lack in the talent department. Either way, he ruins what should have been a good movie. I don’t even blame Lily Collins for not giving her character a very convincing performance seeing that she is suppose to be stupid and Harald Zwart for a director. She is beautiful though. Her acting is just not as good as her looks. Now, Jonathan Rhys Meyers… he makes a very good villain! The movie makers got that one right! Another thing this movie aced is the cinematography. They have the most talented CGI (computer generated imagery) team ever! The mixing of the CGI effects and live actors/physical set was seamless! The paranormal elements of the story was brought to life in fantastic ways on the silver screen! And I think that was the best feature of this film.

 

Empirical Evaluation:
Cinematography = 5
Script/Story Itself = 2
Ending = 3
World building = 4.5
Attention To Detail = 1.5
Plot = 2
Acting = 3
 

Overall Rating: 3 out of 5 cherries

 

 

The book from which the movie was based from:

City of Bones by Cassandra Clare
Book 1 of the Mortal Instruments series
Genre: urban fantasy YA
 

About City of Bones:

Don’t miss The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones, soon to be a major motion picture in theaters August 2013!

When fifteen-year-old Clary Fray heads out to the Pandemonium Club in New York City, she hardly expects to witness a murder — much less a murder committed by three teenagers covered with strange tattoos and brandishing bizarre weapons. Then the body disappears into thin air. It’s hard to call the police when the murderers are invisible to everyone else and when there is nothing — not even a smear of blood — to show that a boy has died. Or was he a boy?

This is Clary’s first meeting with the Shadowhunters, warriors dedicated to ridding the earth of demons. It’s also her first encounter with Jace, a Shadowhunter who looks a little like an angel and acts a lot like a jerk. Within twenty-four hours Clary is pulled into Jace’s world with a vengeance, when her mother disappears and Clary herself is attacked by a demon. But why would demons be interested in ordinary mundanes like Clary and her mother? And how did Clary suddenly get the Sight? The Shadowhunters would like to know. . . .

Exotic and gritty, exhilarating and utterly gripping, Cassandra Clare’s ferociously entertaining fantasy takes readers on a wild ride that they will never want to end.

Source: Info in the About City of Bones was taken from GoodReads at http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/256683.City_of_Bones on 24/08/2013.

Movie Review: Breaking Dawn (Part 2)

The Twilight Saga: BREAKING DAWN (Part 2)
Starring Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson and Taylor Lautner as the most prominent of the cast. Released by Lionsgate and Summit Entertainment. Directed by Bill Condon.
Genre: urban fantasy
Format: (Watched at the cinema.)

About The Twilight Saga: BREAKING DAWN (Part 2):

After the birth of Renesmee, the Cullens gather other vampire clans in order to protect the child from a false allegation that puts the family in front of the Volturi.

Source: Info in the About The Twilight Saga: BREAKING DAWN (Part 2) was taken from http://uk.imdb.com/title/tt1673434/ on 20/11/2012.

My Thoughts:

So I watched Breaking Dawn (Part 2) at the cinemas and I was happy enough with it. I am a sucker for happily ever afters (HEA) and I got what I wanted. However, I have to say that the Twilight series was just a long drawn out affair marketed dry to the very last drop. What would have been a spectaular movie experience is now a dried up husk of a beautiful thing. I could still see the beauty in it but the enjoyment is diminished by how they marketed it, as in they chopped the movie into little pieces to span several years. The Lord Of The Rings was chopped to bits but you can see there was a lot packed in every section/in every movie. And the sections makes sense, not just drawn out for the sake of marketing it out to dry, which the Twilight series was. I think I would be wary about watching films by Bill Condon next time. Maybe I’ll just buy them in dvd format if they really look good. But go to the cinema again? I don’t think so. I think I am one of those fans disillusioned by the movie outcome of the book largely contributed by how Bill Condon messed it up.

Kristen Stewart is very pretty which made up for her lack of acting abilities. But… the cinematographic effects was fantastic! I noticed it with Twilight (the first movie installment) and I am happy to see that it has persisted to the final movie installment of the Twilight saga! Gotta give kudos to the cinematographic team!!

At the end of it, I did enjoy the film and I would rate it a 3.5 out of 5 in terms of entertainment value.

Overall Rating: 3.5 out of 5 cherries

Review: BREAKING DAWN

Twilight: Breaking Dawn (Part 1)
From the Twilight series books written by Stephanie Meyer

About Twilight: Breaking Dawn (Part 1):

The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn, commonly referred to as Breaking Dawn, is a 2011/2012 two-part romantic fantasy film directed by Bill Condon and based on the novel Breaking Dawn by Stephenie Meyer. The two parts form the fourth and final installment in the The Twilight Saga series. Wyck Godfrey and Karen Rosenfelt serve as executive producers for the film, along with the author of the series, Stephenie Meyer; the screenplay was written by Melissa Rosenberg, the screenwriter of the first three entries. All three main cast members, Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson, and Taylor Lautner, reprise their roles.

Part 1, rated PG-13, was released on November 18, 2011,and Part 2 will be released on November 16, 2012. In totals as of November 21st, the movie has grossed $291,022,261 worldwide.

Source: Info in the About Twilight: Breaking Dawn (Part 1) was taken from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Twilight_Saga:_Breaking_Dawn on 22/11/2011.

My Thoughts:

I like the cinematography. The combination of 3D animated effects with live actors was professionally done and looks really good on the screen. I also like the way the love triangle between Edward, Jacob and Bella has seems to have matured. Being an urban fantasy geek, I love the world building in the story! What I found disappointing was Kristin’s acting. Her “happy scenes”, “sad scenes” and “shocked” moments all looked the same. She might be beautiful but she blatantly can’t act. She is saved from total disaster by the apparently talented make-up astist and creative props team who made her look thin and sickly when she is suppose to. But I couldn’t see much acting going on there. That brought the entertainment value of this movie for me down a couple of notches. I like Bella but Kristin ruined her character. I sincerely hope it gets better in the second installment.

Overall Rating: 3 out of 5 cherries

Twilight: Breaking Dawn (Part 1) Tralier:

Movie Review: TANGLED

Tangled by Walt Disney

Review:

There are gaping flaws in the story’s logic as wide as the grand canyon. But, this is a cartoon, so you’ll just have to take the characters and events as they are presented. I think this is one of the reasons most people outgrow cartoons. Because cartoons not only dictates that you suspend disbelief but to suspend logic as well. But somehow I never outgrew cartoons, maybe because they always, always deliver a HEA! Though the suspension of logic does grate on me sometimes. I do have to praise the animators. They did their job well. One, they were bang-on the facial expressions! Looks to me like they did their homework. Two, the art was both beautiful and impeccable. Lots and lots of kudos to those talented artists who drew the characters and scenes! Overall, I enjoyed this film and I would give it a 3.5 out of 5.

Overall Rating: 3.5 out of 5 cherries

Movie Trailer:

Movie Review: KUNG FU PANDA 2

Kung Fu Panda 2 by Dreamworks

I like cartoons/animated movies. It’s one of those things I never managed to outgrow. So, I went to the movies after work last weekend and was glad I did! I really enjoyed this movie! Had me wishing I saw Kung Fu Panda 1 which I sadly missed and I’m still waiting for the DVD to go on sale. Anyway, the kung fu action was well done and imitates nicely choreographed kung fu moves. I also love the humour between the lines! Had me smiling even after the movie finished and was on my way out of the movie complex. I just wished that the story’s logic flowed a little better, but hey, this is cartoon! So I chose to ignore that little bit of nitpicking. I’d give this movie a 4 out of 5.

Overall Rating: 4 out of 5 cherries

Movie Trailer:

Movie Links:
www.kungfupanda.com

Review: PRIEST

Priest
Starring Paul Bettany, Karl Urban, Cam Gigandet and Maggie Q. Produced by Sony International Pictures.

About Priest:

In an alternate world, humanity and vampires have warred for centuries. After the last Vampire War, the veteran Warrior Priest (Bettany) lives in obscurity with other humans inside one of the Church’s walled cities. When the Priest’s niece (Lily Collins) is kidnapped by vampires, the Priest breaks his vows to hunt them down. He is accompanied by the niece’s boyfriend (Cam Gigandet), who is a wasteland sheriff, and a former Warrior Priestess (Maggie Q).

Source: Info in the About Priest was taken from GetGlue at http://getglue.com/movies/priest/scott_stewart on 15/05/2011.

Review:
Before watching this movie, I haven’t got a clue who Paul Bettany or Maggie Q are, but I like them now! However, Karl Urban is one of my fav authors but he plays the bad guy.

I like this angle on the vampire take… that vampires are a totally different specie to humans. Just as cats are of a different specie to dogs. I also like the action flicks, they were presented in such an authentic manner that I could totally believe that these priest warriors can do it. Awesome! For those bike enthusiasts, I guess the bikes in the movie would be like a “bike-candy” to you. They look fast and fab with nitro boosts which makes them go even faster! Cool!!It being a vampire movie, it didn’t have too much gory details which I like. Just enough to make it realistic but not too much to make me wanna be sick. However, there were a couple of scenes there though that did not follow rational thought which brought the “suspension of disbelief” down a notch. But on the whole, I enjoyed this movie and was worth the money I paid for it at the cinema.Overall, I’d give this movie a 4 out of 5.

Overall Rating: 4 out of 5 cherries

Movie Link(s):
www.priest-movie.co.uk
www.priest-themovie.com

Trailer:

http://flash.sonypictures.com/video/universalplayer/sharedPlayer.swf

Review: THOR

THOR

About THOR:

In 965 A.D., Odin (Anthony Hopkins), king of Asgard, wages war against the Frost Giants of Jotunheim and their leader Laufey (Colm Feore), to prevent them from conquering the Nine Realms, starting with Earth. The Asgardian warriors defeat the Frost Giants and seize the source of their power, the Casket of Ancient Winters.

In the present, Odin’s son Thor (Chris Hemsworth) prepares to ascend to the throne of Asgard, but is interrupted when Frost Giants attempt to retrieve the Casket. Against Odin’s order, Thor travels to Jotunheim to confront Laufey, accompanied by his brother Loki (Tom Hiddleston), childhood friend Sif (Jaimie Alexander) and the Warriors Three; Volstagg (Ray Stevenson), Fandral (Joshua Dallas) and Hogun (Tadanobu Asano). A battle ensues until Odin intervenes to save the Asgardians, destroying the fragile truce between the two races. For Thor’s arrogance, Odin strips his son of his godly power and exiles him to Earth, accompanied by his hammer Mjolnir — the source of his power, now protected by a spell to allow only the worthy to wield it.

Thor lands in New Mexico, where scientist Jane Foster (Natalie Portman), her assistant Darcy Lewis (Kat Dennings) and mentor Dr. Erik Selvig (Stellan Skarsgård), find him. The local populace finds Mjolnir, which S.H.I.E.L.D. agent Phil Coulson (Clark Gregg) soon commandeers before forcibly acquiring Jane’s data about the wormhole that delivered Thor to Earth. Thor, having discovered Mjolnir’s nearby location, seeks to retrieve it from the facility that S.H.I.E.L.D. quickly constructed but he finds himself unable to lift it, and is captured. With Selvig’s help, he is freed and resigns himself to exile on Earth as he develops a romance with Jane.

Loki discovers he is Laufey’s son, adopted by Odin after the war ended. When Odin, overcome with stress, falls into the deep “Odinsleep” that allows him to recuperate, Loki becomes king and offers Laufey the chance to kill Odin and retrieve the Casket. Sif and the Warriors Three, unhappy with Loki’s rule, attempt to return Thor from exile, convincing Heimdall (Idris Elba), gatekeeper of the Bifröst – the means of traveling between worlds – to allow them passage to Earth. Aware of their plan, Loki sends the Destroyer, a seemingly indestructible automaton, to pursue them and kill Thor. The warriors find Thor, but the Destroyer attacks and defeats them, prompting Thor to offer himself instead. Struck by the Destroyer and near death, Thor’s sacrifice proves him worthy to wield Mjolnir. The hammer returns to him, restoring his powers and allowing him to defeat the Destroyer. Kissing Jane goodbye and vowing to return, he and his fellow warriors travel to Asgard to confront Loki.

In Asgard, Loki betrays and kills Laufey, revealing his true plan to use Laufey’s attempt on Odin’s life as an excuse to destroy Jotunheim with the Bifröst Bridge, and thus prove himself worthy to Odin. Thor arrives and fights his brother before destroying the Bifröst Bridge to stop Loki’s plan, stranding himself in Asgard. Odin awakens and prevents the brothers from falling into the abyss created in the wake of the bridge’s destruction, but Loki allows himself to fall to his apparent death after realizing that he disappointed Odin once again. Thor makes amends with Odin, admitting he is not ready to be king, while on Earth, Jane and her team search for a way to open a portal to Asgard.

In a post-credits scene, Selvig has been taken to a S.H.I.E.L.D. facility, where Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) asks him to study an unnamed device, which Fury says may hold untold power. Loki, invisible, whispers to Selvig to agree, which Selvig does.

Source: Info in the About THOR was taken from Wikipedia at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thor_(film) on 13/05/2011.

My Take:

The movie wasn’t that stunning to me. It was entertaining enough, but not the sort which makes me want to go back to see it again and again. Now Chris Hemsworth and Natalie Portman are both good actors but they just didn’t sizzle. Individually they are big presence on the silver screen. But somehow, together they just don’t spark. They look very platonic. Staid. There is more spark between Sif and Thor than there is between Jane and Thor. And one of the central points of the story is suppose to be about the heartbreaking circumstances of two hearts yearning to be together but cannot be between Jane and Thor, but they just wasn’t able to pull it off in this film. It came through flat. However I do like Chris Hemsworth’s abs! 🙂

Movie Links:
Official Thor site (US)
Wiki
IMDb

Trailer

Review: THE SORCERER’S APPRENTICE

The Sorcerer’s Apprentice
the movie

Review:
The Sorcerer’s Apprentice was fantastic! Although some of the scenes were a bit too far fetched and the “suspension of disbelief” will have to drop a notch or two. But I can forgive that as a moviegoer given that the movie was wonderfully entertaining 🙂 The visual effects were stunning… The blending of 3D animation and live actors was so seemlessly done that it brought to life the magic of the story so vividly! Not to mention, the acting was very good. Nicholas Cage may be purported to have BPD, but he can act!

Cherry’s Rating: 4.5 out of 5 cherries

Movie Link: http://disney.go.com/disneypictures/sorcerersapprentice/

About The Story:

Walt Disney Studios, producer Jerry Bruckheimer and director Jon Turtletaub, the creators of the “National Treasure” fanchise, present THE SORCERER’S APPRENTICE – an innovative and epic comedy adventure about a sorcerer and his hapless apprentice who are swept into the center of an ancient conflict between good and evil.

Balthazar Blake (NICHOLAS CAGE) is a master sorcerer in modern-day Manhattan trying to defend the city from his arch-nemesis, Maxim Horvath (ALFRED MOLINA). Balthazar can’t do it alone, so he recruits Dave Stutler (JAY BARUCHEL) a seemingly average guy who demonstrates hidden potential, as his reluctant protege. The sorcerer gives his unwilling accomplice a crash course in the art and science of magic, and together, these unlikely partners work to stop the forces of darkness. It’ll take all the courage Dave can muster to survive his training, save the city and get the girl as he becomes THE SORCERER’S APPRENTICE. The screenplay is by Matt Lopez and Doug Miro & Carlo Bernard from a screen story  by Matt Lopez and Larry Konner & Mark Rosenthal.

Book Buy Link(s):

>Review: THE SORCERER’S APPRENTICE

>

The Sorcerer’s Apprentice
the movie

Review:
The Sorcerer’s Apprentice was fantastic! Although some of the scenes were a bit too far fetched and the “suspension of disbelief” will have to drop a notch or two. But I can forgive that as a moviegoer given that the movie was wonderfully entertaining 🙂 The visual effects were stunning… The blending of 3D animation and live actors was so seemlessly done that it brought to life the magic of the story so vividly! Not to mention, the acting was very good. Nicholas Cage may be purported to have BPD, but he can act!

Cherry’s Rating: 4.5 out of 5 cherries

Movie Link: http://disney.go.com/disneypictures/sorcerersapprentice/

About The Story:

Walt Disney Studios, producer Jerry Bruckheimer and director Jon Turtletaub, the creators of the “National Treasure” fanchise, present THE SORCERER’S APPRENTICE – an innovative and epic comedy adventure about a sorcerer and his hapless apprentice who are swept into the center of an ancient conflict between good and evil.

Balthazar Blake (NICHOLAS CAGE) is a master sorcerer in modern-day Manhattan trying to defend the city from his arch-nemesis, Maxim Horvath (ALFRED MOLINA). Balthazar can’t do it alone, so he recruits Dave Stutler (JAY BARUCHEL) a seemingly average guy who demonstrates hidden potential, as his reluctant protege. The sorcerer gives his unwilling accomplice a crash course in the art and science of magic, and together, these unlikely partners work to stop the forces of darkness. It’ll take all the courage Dave can muster to survive his training, save the city and get the girl as he becomes THE SORCERER’S APPRENTICE. The screenplay is by Matt Lopez and Doug Miro & Carlo Bernard from a screen story  by Matt Lopez and Larry Konner & Mark Rosenthal.

Book Buy Link(s):