Clash of the Titans (2010)

Why do people drink Haterade with this movie? It was surprisingly good. Is it perfect? No, but what is? Sure the CGI looks like a Wii video game, but the story and action kept me watching until the end. I usually think Greek mythology is boring, but I made an exception with this movie, and did not regret my decision. 

I know this movie isn't "new" but my rule for this blog is if I rent a movie I haven't seen, I write a review regardless of how old it is. Was it amazing? No.  However, it was a fun movie, and I can't wait to watch and review Wrath of The Titans soon. 

Grade: B  8/10 4/5 stars

Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit

If you're going to make an espionage movie, try not to use the same plot formula that we've seen 50,000 times. We get it Hollywood. You think Russians are evil. And we, the Americans are the best people on Earth. Instead of something original, we get a blatant plagiarism of James Bond movies. Tom Clancy would not be proud of what you've done. Shame on you, Hollywood. Shame. On. You. Please stay true to the source material and hire actors who sound like they're not bored next time. Everyone sounds like they really don't want to be there. And you won't either.

Rent or go to a discount-theater to see it. 

Grade: C+ 5/10 2/5 stars

The Lego Movie

If you think movies based off toys are a bad idea, (Transformers) this proves it wrong. I know it's only February, but I think I can easily say this is one of the best animated movies of 2014. And unlike the Lego video games, the characters actually speak. There's also a lot of cameos from other Lego figures, some of which are characters you might recognize. It's clear the filmmakers put a lot of thought and heart into this movie. The Lego Movie is a definite blockbuster. (Yeah that's right, I said blockbuster.) Exaggerated personalities of DC superheroes also make it a great film for those who are not Lego fans. 

Grade: A+ 10/10 5/5 stars

 

Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2

This movie is proof that you can have too much of a good thing. While the first one had great writing, this one seems like the writers just said "Hey let's choose the name of a food and the name of an animal at random and combine it to make some of the cheesiest puns ever unleashed onto mankind." If you've seen Jurassic Park: The Lost World you've seen this. Too much time is spent on lazily-written food puns, and not enough time spent on the story. By the end of the movie, your forehead will hurt from slapping your forehead so much from the bad puns and all the screaming. Please, no Cloudy With A Chance of Meatballs 3. Just stop. In fact, the first one was so perfect, this ruins it. Grade: C-, 4/10 2/5 stars. 

Top 10 movies of 2013

10. Oz: The Great and Powerful
9. Star Trek: Into Darkness
8. Despicable Me 2
7. Monsters University
6. Iron Man 3
5. Thor 2
4. Turbo
3. Saving Mr. Banks
2. Hunger Games: Catching Fire
1. Pacific Rim

The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug

While the first one took it's sweet time getting to the story, this just jumps right into the action. But get ready for characters that aren't even in the book, like Legolas. And the motion capture for turning Benedict Cumberbatch into the dragon Smaug is amazing. Peter Jackson knows the right people to do motion capture, as we all know from watching Andy Serkis as Gollum all these years. But really?! 3 hours?! That's stretching it wouldn't you say? Almost as stretched as butter scraped over too much bread.  I didn't see this one in 3D, which is a real shame, because it seems I would have benefited a lot from it. Smaug breathing fire towards the audience would have looked amazing in 3D. Then again, the 3D is HFR, so probably not.

Grade: B   8/10  4/5 stars

Saving Mr. Banks

I definitely think this  is going to be nominated for a few awards this season.  Tom Hanks is the perfect choice for Walt Disney, and Emma Thompson comes off as both snarky and funny at the same time. While at times it is a little dark, it has plenty of humor to make up for it. But considering that both this and Mary Poppins are both Disney I'm not sure we're getting all the facts here. But they really went all out in making everything and everyone look and dress like they were living in the early 60's. If this isn't nominated for at least one award, I've lost faith in the Academy.

Grade: A+    10/10    5/5 stars