axd92 Reviews

The Haunting of Molly Hartley (2008)

Very Boring

[2/10 · 2 November 2008]

I went into the theater not knowing anything about this movie; I hadn't seen any previews on TV, no reviews on the Internet, nothing. A good buddy of mine wanted to go see it, so I thought "What the heck, it's Friday night and I don't have anything better to do", so we went. Boy, did I learn my lesson.

I can't believe I actually paid to see this movie. Do yourself a favor and just wait until this comes out on DVD. Actually, don't do that; this movie isn't even worth renting. This is one of the most boring and non-entertaining movies I have ever seen. Although this movie is labeled as "suspense" or "thriller", there is nothing even remotely suspenseful or scary about it. It uses all the scare tactics you're familiar with, and thus are not affected by anymore. For example, the bathroom mirror trick. Come on, how old is that trick?

As for the acting, I would say it is mediocre at best; no great performances from anybody that will save this movie. There were a couple of scenes in which I thought Haley Bennett (Molly Hartley) was going to be able to turn the movie around, but ultimately ending up crushing my hopes.

If you want to spare yourself two boring hours, don't go see this movie; it's just not worth the money. Also, remember to do your research. And don't trust your friends. (Just kidding)

The Punisher (2004)

The Punisher: A Worthy Adaptation

[8/10 · 8 October 2008]

This is a fantastic movie. As a big fan of The Punisher comic book series, I can honestly say this is a very close adaptation of the comics. Although it is based off of a comic series, you could be a fan of action movies and still enjoy this film without ever knowing that The Punisher started out in comic book form.

Thomas Jane is great as Frank Castle/The Punisher. He brings a very dark and somber mood into the film, which is how it should be. John Travolta is wonderful as the psychotic and delusional Howard Saint. He pulls off being insane really well(?), especially in the scene where he is talking to Quentin Glass (Will Patton) before he kills him. Rebecca Romijn is good in her role of the young, reformed girl who knows the evils of the world all too well. The rest of the cast is very good as well.

This movie also has some very entertaining action sequences. The scene that first comes to mind is the scene where the mastodon comes through the door to Frank Castle's apartment and a brutal (but sometimes funny) fight ensues. Another scene that comes to mind is when Howard Saint (John Travolta) is being dragged by a car into what is a parking lot full of cars with bombs on them. The Punisher detonates the bombs and what appears is the The Punisher's trademark skull. Absolutely brilliant!

So, if you're a fan of the series or a fan of action flicks, or just want to see a good movie, this would be a good route to go.

Batman Begins (2005)

A Great Re-Imagining

[10/10 · 30 June 2008]

I was so surprised when I first saw this film simply because I thought it was going to be another stupid Batman movie...boy was I wrong.

When I saw that Christopher Nolan had directed this film I got pretty excited because I had seen his previous movies and was a big fan; I especially enjoyed "Memento". With already one good thing to this movie, I figured why not check it out. I love the darkness of this film. It's a different take on the series and it works very well. The darkness of the story, the characters, and everything else. I also really liked how Nolan showed the origins of Bruce Wayne and how he eventually became what he was destined to be, it was just great.

The acting is superb. Especially Christian Bale as Batman; he pulled it off very well and is probably one of the best Batman in the long-running series. Cillian Murphy is very good as the villain. Michael Caine is good as Alfred and he and Bale have good chemistry in the film making it all the more believable.

Overall, I really enjoyed this film and I can't wait to see The Dark Knight.

Wanted (2008)

A Very Entertaining Movie

[8/10 · 30 June 2008]

To start off, I just want to say that I thoroughly enjoyed this movie and the ideas used in this film were very creative and visionary.

The action in this movie is fast-paced and keeps your eyes glued to the screen. As I said before, the ideas and the way it was directed is so creative and unique. I hope to see more stuff from Timur Bekmambetov in the future. I especially enjoyed the scene close to the beginning of the movie where it shows the guy on the rooftop who gets shot with the sniper from an insane distance. It was cool because it basically went back in time and showed you where the bullet came from and shows the bullet shedding its casing; I thought it was very cool the way they did it.

James McAvoy was the perfect leading role for the film; he sold his role very well. Morgan Freeman was very good (as always) as the leader of The Fraternity; he almost reminded me of Morpheus from The Matrix. Angelina Jolie was good in her role as Fox although she wasn't in the film too much.

Overall, I thought this a very entertaining movie and worth going to see on a Friday night with some of your friends.