Clash of the Titans

Clash of the Titans from the moment I saw the first trailer I looked forward to this movie and the action sequences that would be throughout. While this is a remake of a very campy version that was made in the 80's, I was very pleased that this go around was not just a step up from the original but several steps up with the visual effects and action sequences. Clash of the Titans tells the story of Perseus in his quest to prevent the underworld and its evil from destroying the earth. Clash of the Titans was a fast paced pre-summer blockbuster that while it did not deliver the strongest script it made up for that weakness with strong action.

Sam Worthington in the main role of Perseus fell a little flat for me. I do not know if it is either the writing or what but the characterization of Perseus just seemed hollow. Worthington did suffice greatly on the action sequences as he is very believable as an action star. Worthington is definitely a rising star and will only continue to be a strong action star. Liam Neeson and Ralph Fiennes do a great job in their roles of Zeus and Hades. While I would have liked to see both Neeson and Fiennes utilized more, it was at the same time nice to see big stars be willing to have supporting roles in films where the lead role is being played by an up and coming star. Not too mention they shared the screen perfectly with Worthington in they came across as being gods without taking over the scenes. The rest of the supporting cast ends up being very forgettable as they do not stand out.

Some of the action sequences are quite impressive and boast fairly decent special effects. The various creatures Perseus encounters aren't quite always photo-real, although the sheer size of the creatures are impressive enough to allow the viewer overlook some of the creature flaws. However, seeing as this blockbuster lives and dies by its amped up, large scaled action sequences--the screenplay truly suffers and does not even bother to try to link between the action sequences and make the audience care about the epic plights of these characters. One aspect that I was pleased with was the simple fact I did not see this in 3D.  From everything I heard the 3D added in at the last minute did nothing to immerse the audience, but instead used it to pop things at the audience.

Clash of the Titans ends up being your run of the mill action adventure that relied on the action to keep the audience involved I have loved to see a strong story to link the action together. While Worthington worked in the action the lack of strong writing really hurt the development of the character of Perseus. With a sequel in the works I hope they recover from the mistakes in the first movie and realize that a strong story is just as important as the fun action sequences. I am giving Clash of the Titans two and three fourth buckets of popcorn out of five. If you want to be just entertained and see some amazingly strong action sequences then Clash of the Titans is worth the price of renting.

-The Movie Man 

The Eagle

The Eagle is the latest in a long line of movies that deals with the Roman Empire. This movie revolves around the disappearance of the ninth legion along with the eagle that they carried into battle with them. Fast forward twenty years and the son of the standard bearer has taken a post in Britain so that he can hopefully be able to go and find out what happened to the legion and hopefully to recover the eagle and return the honor back to his family's name. The Eagle wasn't overly ambitious, which worked for this movie, it is exactly what I expect from a story of friendship and adventure. While I went in expecting a ten minute introduction educating us on the socio-political climate of Roman occupied Britain, I was pleasantly surprised with the character focused introduction. Surprisingly, I did not see this movie movie for historical accuracy, or to be preached to about the triumphs of the human spirit. It is a simple story, but epic with its presentation.

Channing Tatum stars as Marcus, a soldier in the Roman army who asks for a post in Britain so he can work to restore the honor of his family. This is definitely Tatum's best work, he plays a stoic Roman with great conviction. The audience is able to know that while he is a good soldier at the same time he has an inner battle with his feelings of disgrace because of his family name. With this we see him as a great leader to the soldiers, but not untouchable as he is injured in a battle early on in the movie. Jamie Bell in the role of Esca the servant to Marcus after his life is saved by Marcus. Where on the journey Marcus is the stoic one, Esca is the loose cannon that one never knows what he may do once past Hadrian's wall. Bell plays this loose cannon ability perfectly. Bell plays perfectly on the knowledge the audience is given concerning the reasons behind why Esca has a hatred for Marcus, with this throughout the movie it gives the audience a sense of distrust for Esca that we expect throughout the journey for him to betray Marcus. Although a small role Donald Sutherland gives some heart to the movie playing the uncle to Marcus. He is able to give this heart as he is a strong father figure to Marcus.While it may have been nice to see Sutherland on screen more, at the same time it may have been his lack of screen time that made his role so full of heart those moments when he is on-screen.

A great aspect of this movie was that of using very little CGI, which kept a very nice human element throughout. A lot of times in battle movies it makes it easy to go with CGI overkill in your battle scenes, instead with such limited CGI we see a lot more battle interaction in a one on one aspect. Using hand cameras for the action which has become the new popular choice by directors in action movies, we get this shay camera that gives us in the audience the feeling of being right in the middle of the action. At times the shaky camera effect can be annoying and distracting, in The Eagle it made me be on the edge of my seat because I felt I needed to keep my head on a swivel just to be ready for someone attacking me from behind or the side if I am not prepared. As well as ready to see what comes next on screen.

The attention to detail in this movie is something that can easily be overlooked in movies that are set centuries in the past. On such an instance of this is Marcus is having dinner with his uncle and they eat with candlelight, and with the candles they room is still fairly dim and really makes you feel like you are back in a time before electricity. A lot of movies try to make a viewer believe that a few candles can fully light a room with only a few candles. Another aspect used in this movie that is not always used in films is the Scots spoke in a Gaelic tongue every time they talk on the screen. A lot of movies that use a foreign language will use a line two in the foreign language and then either give an excuse  as to them being able to speak English or just switch with no explanation.

The Eagle ends up being a fun movie that exceeded expectations. While this movie is far from being epic like Gladiator, it uses its own merits to be simple yet epic. With admirable acting that goes out and gets the job done. The attention to detail at different points is really what helped exceed the expectations I had for The Eagle. I am giving The Eagle three buckets of popcorn out of five. The Eagle is well worth going out and renting for an enjoyable movie night.

-The Movie Man

Sucker Punch

Sucker Punch is a movie that from the first trailer, I was not only intrigued but looked forward to seeing this movie. In a world filled with mindlessly violent movies and flimsy plots with practically noting to substantiate the actions of the characters, I went into this movie expecting mindless action/violence and girls with guns and not much more. Sucker Punch ended up not being what I was expecting, which is not necessarily a bad thing. This movie was not about a girl escaping reality by setting up a fantasy within a fantasy and use that to escape from the reality of an institution. This movie is in turn about a young woman who had lost all hope and was willing to accept that, but is saved by someone she eventually calls an angel, told from the angels point of view.

The acting while not superb is sufficient for the needs of the movie. Emily Browning stars in this film in the role of Baby Doll . While the dialogue is far from strong Browning does an admirable job and comes across as being very believable. She is a young actress who this is the first movie I have seen her in and I saw some potential for the future. The part of her that was interesting is she is this petite, innocent looking girl, but then once she goes into her fantasy world, she is the same innocent girl who at the same time can beat up anyone that gets in her way. The supporting cast around Browning does a good job as well. For me it was totally different to see Vanessa Hudgens in the role of Blondie this was such a hundred and eighty degree  difference in all of her previous roles (yes, I have seen the first two High School Musical movies). Abbie Cornish, Jena Malone and Jamie Chung as well doing fine jobs themselves in their roles and each one of them brings something different to the pack of girls. There is definitely chemistry  between the five main girls and with the amount of time when they are on screen together this chemistry is vitally important.

The direction of Zach Snyder is so visually stunning , that it works perfectly in these fantasy worlds to immerse the viewer into and forget the life that they are all in. It was great to see Snyder directing his own source material for the first time. While he has been successful in his directing of graphic novel material in 300 and Watchmen, the visionary imaging and cinematography can lose all of its awe making ability it can get muddles in a weak storyline. Snyder has a keen touch to blend his vision with some finesse with this being a movie with tough girls. one instance that showed this finesse with strength at the same time is when Baby Doll is in her fantasy world and in the heat of battle, she pulls out a gun that has little charms hanging from it.

The story of Sucker Punch ended up being one that was not what I expected. This is a story where one has to sit back after watching and think about what actually happened in the story throughout the movie to actually understand whose story we are actually being told. The story that is told is a lot deeper then what gets portrayed in the trailer. The action that goes along with the story blends perfectly together in that it does not feel disjointed like you get out of some movies. The action sequences end up being imaginative and are true strengths for this movie. The different villains Baby Doll and the girls go up against in the fantasy world are out there and  a lot of fun. Personally I enjoyed them going against the zombie Nazis. The imagery and color contrast in the different worlds makes for the stronger fight sequences to be all the more immersing.

Sucker Punch is a movie that ended up being a lot deeper and completely different from what I was expecting. Snyder shows once again how much of a visionary and talented director he is and I am now even more excited to see how his vision comes across on the Superman reboot movie. The acting, story and action all work very well together. Sucker Punch exceeded my expectations and that is why I am giving it three buckets of popcorn out of five. Sucker Punch is a movie that is well worth your time to see.

-The Movie Man

Secretariat

Movies about horses are ones that are typically not always my cup of tea. While I love sports movies and many will say a horse racing movie should be a film that I should be excited to see from the get go. Secretariat focuses around a housewife who after her mother's death goes back to her family horse farm in Virginia for the funeral, only to end up using her bullheadedness and determination to become successful in a male dominated world of horse racing. Having seen this movie it will do down in my movie history as probably the best horse movie.

Diane Lane stars as Penny Chenery a strong housewife who is able to compete with the men in the horse racing world. Although I think it really helped Lane's portrayal to be so strong because the real Penny Chenery was so amazingly strong in real life. There are not many women out there in the world during that time period who would have been willing to make such sacrifices and risks. The gamble she made to save the farm is unheard of and had she been wrong the cost would have created financial ruin not only for her and her family but her brother's family as well. John Malkovich plays Lucien Laurin the outlandishly dressed trainer of Secretariat. Like almost all of the roles I have seen Malkovich in he plays the kooky, on the edge of slight insanity perfectly. Malkovich's interactions with not only Lane's character, but the assistant to the family make for some of the funniest interactions and lines in the movie. The rest of the supporting cast give fine performances and really help to support Lane and Malkovich.

Of course the real star of the movie is Big Red or Secretariat as was his official racing name. The story of Secretariat is truly a powerful one. There has never been a horse that has dominated horse racing the way Secretariat did and with all the advances that have taken place in medicine and technology we will probably never see a horse dominate that way again. The cinematography throughout the movie does a great job at truly showing this dominance. Throughout the movie the moments of slow motion are done perfectly , showing all the power and strength a horse has in its legs. Seeing the movement of the muscles and how defined they are is stunning to watch and really made for great sequences.

Secretariat exceeded my expectations as I was not expecting this horse racing movie to be up my alley. The acting in the movie ends up being very strong while at the same time it was really cool to watch the horses in the racing sequences, from the cinematography to even the simple sounds of the horses breathing before and during the races. I am giving Secretariat four buckets of popcorn out of five. This is a movie that is definitely worth your time.

-The Movie Man

Toy Story 3

I am sure many people wondered how Pixar would make a successful third Toy Story movie. After seeing the first trailer I became excited to see Toy Story 3. I loved the overall story for the third installment and I really enjoyed the fact that in a way this was a coming of age movie for the toys as Andy had grown up and was ready to go away to college.

From the on set Pixar has been a great animation studio.  Pixar's animation talents shine through in Toy Story 3. I am a huge fan of the three dimensional character animation because of the simple fact that it makes the movie more realistic and does a great job at fully immersing the viewer into the movie because it feels like an actual world. In the animation the attention to detail is impeccable. I think the attention to detail for me is most noticeable with the slight shine that comes off from Buzz's helmet. Also, it was nice to see even more realism in the human faces.

The voice talent once again shines. Not only are the main characters great, but the secondary characters are able to hang with all the main characters. For me the introduction of Ken was a genius move. It was very funny as they played off all the stereotypes for the doll Ken and one of the best parts of it was his trying on clothes for Barbie. I also enjoyed the new twist with Buzz and how he was reset back to the Spanish setting. It ended up being a great change of pace for the Buzz character as he was able to play a Casanova type and then after being switched back to the English setting he has no recollection of being in Spanish mode.

Just like Toy Story 2's subtle and underlying themes, Toy Story 3 focuses on the toys latest adventure, yet manages to delve deeper then just the adventures.On the surface this movie is about the toys through circumstances ending up in a daycare center, that is not what it seems. At the same time Andy is getting ready to go to college, but Woody is not yet ready to let go of his owner and that memories that follow. The deeper aspect of this film can be felt throughout and deals with growing up, moving on and the feelings of abandonment. Lee Unkrich direction for this movie is perfect with incredible pacing and just as much heart and dedication as Lasseter, who was in charge of directing the previous two. One of the great things within Pixar is the collaboration that takes place as they bounce ideas off one another. This can be seen throughout most of the Pixar films as they all seem to have a similar pacing and directing style. One of the techniques that shows through all Pixar films is that of incorporating as many tears as laughs. Toy Story 3 is no different with this, but also gives a heavy does of suspense and peril which pays off with one of the most exciting animated sequences.

Toy Story 3 does a splendid job at closing off trilogy and tying the loose ends as well as leaving the viewer satisfied. Toy Story 3 with the advances in technology since the original will go down as the best animation of the three. The Toy Story franchise are movies that are ageless and are ones that will stand the test of time. For the amazing animation and even the suspense I am giving Toy Story 3 four buckets of popcorn out of five. This is definitely a must have for not only any family DVD collection, but any DVD collection.

-The Movie Man

Salt

Salt is one of those movies that for me from the first minute I saw the trailer I was excited to see because it was action movie that immediately perked the movie bone in my body. Salt ended up being an edge of your seat spy thriller that will have you trying to figure out all the twists and turns throughout the entire movie. The concept of the story revolves around an agent who is accused of being a traitor by a Russian defector that will assassinate the president in the near future. From that moment on the audience is taken on a joy ride that never stops. 

Angelina Jolie plays Evelyn Salt and does a great job in the main lead and is truly able to play the action star with great strength. Jolie's success in this position shows the star power that possesses because initially the script was written for agent Salt to be a male actor, but they decided to change the role to a female lead because of the carrying power that Jolie has for movies. Jolie plays the part so perfectly that the audience is stuck trying to figure out if Salt is truly an agent for the U.S. or a Russian mole that was placed in the States after being brainwashed as a child. Playing agent Winter is Liev Schreiber. While most may only recognize Schreiber for his role in the X-men Origins: Wolverine movie, Schreiber definitely shows off a lot of ability and I can see that moving forward we will see him get more parts. Schreiber plays his role perfectly as the audience feels the conflict he feels within himself as he tries to hunt down and bring in his partner Salt, all while hoping that she is not this traitor she is accused of being. The rest of the supporting cast ends up being fine in their roles, but in the end they are all pretty forgettable.

The supporting cast being forgettable though truly works because in essence this film is truly a cat and mouse game between agent Salt and agent Winter, as Salt tries to figure out who she is while still staying a step ahead of Winter from catching her. The essential plot I think is quite compelling, and I don't want to give too much away but only to say that nothing is at it seems until the very end. The story is exactly what you need in a great spy action thriller. The key for the success with this story was the great ability for the story to throw you completely upside down each time you think you have the story and plot figured out. Normally a movie that has this many plot twists can be very annoying and can really take away from the movie. However, with Salt I think the twists made the movie unpredictable in a way that it really added to the movie in the end. This movie really in the end makes you think and with the twists makes you wonder who really is Salt?

To go along with the acting  and the strong story/plot with all its twists are the strong action sequences. The action gelled very nicely within the story, which a lot of times in movies like this everything feels disjointed in it goes telling the story then loses all momentum  in moving to the action sequences. The thing also that I liked is with a female lead is that the action and stunt work seems to have a little more fluid and finesse which was a refreshing change. Had Salt had a male lead like was originally planned the action would have had a more brute force strength to it. With Jolie in the role she was able to have a finesse feeling at times but at the same time she could follow that up with a show of sheer strength to basically kick the crap out of an adversary.

Salt is a great edge of your seat action spy thriller. I greatly enjoyed Salt from start to finish. Jolie simply showed why she is the star she is today and I will admit she is a lot easier on the eyes to watch then any male star they could have put in the role. For the great enjoyment and entertainment Salt provided I am giving it three and a quarter buckets of popcorn out of five. This is definitely one that I wish I would have seen on the big screen in the theater, it is though a movie that I will definitely be adding to the movie collection at some time.

-The Movie Man

Real Steel (IMAX)

Real Steel while at first glance looks a lot like a movie version of Rock'em Sock'em Robots once the movie starts it ends up being far from that. Set in the fairly near future the sport of boxing has changed in that instead of boxers brains being slowly turned to mush after years of taking blows to the head the sports is now being run but remote/voice controlled robots. For me while the trailer gives you a feeling of this being a movie about robot boxing with the relationship of the father/son being a subplot after seeing the movie I feel like the movie focuses about relationship first and foremost with the boxing being the subplot. While many may feel upon seeing the trailer that this movie is another one of the campy, cliched, underdog/rags to riches story, instead it delivers a strong story with some great little plot changes that allow for a non-traditional sports movie.

Hugh Jackman stars as Charlie, a former professional boxer whoa down on his luck guy in the world of robot boxing, who takes his robot from fight to fight trying to make money. Jackman gives a great performance that does not disappoint. Dakota Goyo playing Charlie's son Max who he has never really known does a great job. He has a great ability to definitely come off very natural in his interaction with Jackman and is definitely not in awe when sharing the screen with his more illustrious co-star. Goyo was one of the best aspects of the film he gives the true underdog feeling for the audience. While the female audience members may disagree with me, but the true eye candy in the movie that can really act well is that of Evangeline Lily. Lily brings a few key moments here and there that help Max understand his dad better and even help Charlie realize a few things, her character along with a lot of the other supporting cast end up being under utilized.

The designs of the robots were definitely the highlight of the film, with names mirroring the ability the robots possess, and the animatronics were top notch naturally, with motion capture employed to detail the bouts. Plenty of thought went into the mechanics of the machines, from wireless control panels to components unique to each robot thanks to cannibalizing of others. Unique to Atom is its shadowing ability, since its built as a sparring bot, heavy set to allow for plenty of punishment, and like a sparring partner can mirror one's exact movements, which presents an angle of argument that machines that have that human touch, is probably blessed with the best of both worlds. I won't be surprised if Atom will get inducted into the annals of great cinematic robots one day for its endearing exploits in Real Steel.

One of the few aspects of the film that I did not like was that of the so-called villains of the film being the backers of the super robot of Zeus. The Japanese creator and the Russian backed promoter are not given the amount of screen time for you to truly dislike them. With a film like this you want to have a distaste for the villains that is as strong as the rooting for the heroes that you have i.e. Drago vs. Rocky in Rocky IV. I feel that at just over 2 hours the movie does not feel that long and could have either used some extra time to develop the characters of Lemkova and Mashido or there were a couple additional subplots that ended up going nowhere and upon looking back on the movie come across as time fillers for moments.

Real Steel ends up being a strong movie that was a lot of fun to sit through. The performances are good and I suspect that the young actor Dakota Goyo will be a name that movie goers will become more familiar with as the years move forward. While I would have loved to have seen more robot boxing action, the moments of the boxing are very entertaining. The ending for Real Steel ended up being perfect for this type of movie and ended in my mind at such a perfect point that it accounted for an additional quarter of a bucket of a popcorn. I am giving Real Steel three and a half buckets of popcorn out of five. We saw it in IMAX and it was well worth the added cost to see it in that medium. This is no doubt a movie that will be added to the movie collection and it has made me really wonder what they will do for the sequel, which has already been green lighted.

-The Movie Man

Source Code

Upon seeing the first trailer for Source Code one could easily think that this is a movie that is basically the same storyline as that of Deja Vu. This thought could be farther from the truth though as Source Code ends up being a great edge of your seat action movie that makes you wonder exactly what will happen next. While initially it is easy to think that this is going to be a cookie cutter Hollywood thriller, it is far from that. Source Code does not waste anytime as right from the first moment the audience is thrust right into the story and from second one to the end the audience is on the edge of their seat. Source Code does not waste anytime setting up the story like what happens in most movies. 

Source Code is not a cliched mediocre action movie. The movie avoids being predictable and instead wants to be smart and mind-bending. Duncan Jones directs this movie superbly and comes across as a director that does not focus on huge action sequences like a Michael Bay movie. Instead the focus becomes on not only the overall plot but also allows us to see other small subplots that would be lost in huge action sequences with massive explosions. Jones is smart to allow the story to keep you on the edge of your seat as this naturally makes this movie a thinker that gets you thinking about what amounts of science fiction could actually be a reality someday.

The acting in Source Code is right on par with what is needed in a Hollywood action thriller. Jake Gyllenhaal does a great job and really with him being the part that truly has the most screen time it comes down to him to be able to successfully move the action forward and makes the whole story exciting. Michelle Monaghan in the love interest plays the part with an innocence that really endears the audience to her and helps them root for Gyllenhaal's character to not only find out who is behind the train bombing but that it would actually be possible for Gyllenhaal to prevent the train bombing from happening so that the girl can be saved. the two main supporting characters of Vera Farmiga and Jeffrey Wright give good performances and Farmiga does a great job particularly in her interactions with Gyllenhaal through computer screens.

The part of the story that really worked in a strong way was that of the ability to avoid feeling repetitive. The repetitive feeling was an easy trap that could have been fallen into especially since Source Code focuses on the same eight minutes over and over again. They are able to be successful at keeping the story fresh because Gyllenhaal's character goes about each eight minutes with a different aspect. The musical score for Source Code has a little bit of an older feel to it that works well with this story.

Source Code ends up being a movie that is nearly just as good as Limitless. both Source Code and Limitless have a very similar reason behind why they were so good. It's smart, intriguing and indeed fairly original. Source Code ends up making you question things and truly keeps you on the edge of your seat the whole time as you try to figure out what will happen before it happens. Gyllenhaal gives a strong performance and has a good supporting cast with him. Source Code while it may seem short at 93 minutes packs a punch every minute of it and it does not seem to be too short because the story just does not stop.

I am giving Source code three buckets of popcorn out of five. This is a movie that I will be definitely adding to the DVD collection.

-The Movie Man

-The Movie Man

Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides

Jerry Bruckheimer teams up with Johnny Depp for the fourth installment in the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise. While the third installment left me less then satisfied, I was not sure if the fourth movie would be worth it. Of course the biggest question looming for me is how would the story fare without Orlando Bloom and Keira Knightley. Where the third film got really weighed down with multiple story lines that left me wanting a cleaner storyline to go along with the action, On Stranger Tides gives a good plot/storyline to go along with the fun action sequences.

Depp as Jack Sparrow does not miss a single beat and is just as kooky and out there as he has been in the previous installments. Without Bloom and Knightley, more of the burden to carry the film falls on Depp and he does exactly what I have come to expect from any role that Depp takes on. Penelope Cruz steps in to her role as Angelica, is the damsel in the distress that can also kick some butt. The chemistry between Cruz and Depp while it feels forced at times, for the most part they are a great duo onscreen that have some great quips back and forth. The rest of the supporting cast deliver particularly Ian McShane and Geoffrey Rush in their roles as Blackbeard and Barbossa. It was even more fun this time around to see Barbossa in the service of the Crown.

On Stranger Tides is a worthy installment, while none of the movies are up to the original fun and even the story of the Curse of the Black Pearl, this installment comes the closest to the fun of the original. The production value is impeccable once again and the cinematography is skillfully done, giving us some great sweeping shots that are full of detail. The costumes and sets likewise truly pay attention to every detail in a masterful way. The opening twenty minutes of the film are an example of writing being at its wittiest and funniest. Hans Zimmer provides another good score that while not as good as the Curse of the Black Pearl, it is strong and truly does a great job at moving the movie along at different times.

The only complaint that I had about On Stranger Tides was that of the story with Syrena the mermaid. I felt that they tried to force an additional story line that was not needed, especially since the movie only glossed the very tip in trying to force a romantic storyline. At the end they did not do anything to resolve that small storyline.

Overall, Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides is a strong rebound from the previous two installments. Depp is his usual self and the premise to know what he might do next is what made me want to go and see what Captain Sparrow would do. The action sequences and the special effects are exactly what one comes to expect from a Jerry Bruckheimer produced movie. I am giving Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides three buckets of popcorn out of five. The key to this movie is to not look at it as a fourth movie but to forget completely about the second and third installments.

-The Movie Man