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Reviews
Black Swan (2010)
Black Swan Review
I'm very glad that i enjoyed this film! One because i had to purchase it on Blu-ray and two, many of my friends suggested it to me. Ill admit, i wasn't all for the ballerina aspect, but i was all over the dark/sinister aspect. i felt scared, tormented, etc. i enjoyed how dark the film got despite the fact that i only jumped once. what i loved about the film is there is no explanation, its all up to the viewer. and to this point, i still don't know what to make of everything that happened. but all in all, still a great film! if you're someone like me who loves a dark atmosphere, you will be pleased and yes it cancels out the ballet concept.
Saw 3D (2010)
SAW VII not 3D
first off, the 3D wasn't necessary, its SAW VII in my eyes. i have been a true SAW advocate since the beginning. loving the traps and the suspense of the story. and i must say, I'm glad to see a good finish to a good story. unfortunately like most movies, this was not without its flaws. for starters, the main game did not attract me at all, it seemed very random and it lacked the "final game" vibe. however the game was, in my opinion, only added to keep us in suspense of the main storyline: Hoffman vs Jill. that is what i was really interested in! each time we would get a piece of info of the Hoffman vs Jill, it would go back to the game forcing us to wait for the next piece of info. the return of the legendary Dr. Gordon was so epic that it sent chills down my spine! the opening and closing scenes with Gordon was simply amazing. the one thing i didn't like about the ending was it was an ending we all saw coming, yet at the same time, it was an ending we all wanted. Gordon is the last man standing (pun, since he only has one foot) by this film, you simply want Hoffman to die, if you haven't already in saw 4 (or 5). Hoffman becomes a simple flesh and blood killer instead of the jigsaw recruit jigsaw wanted him to be. Hoffman's main goal is to exact revenge on Jill for placing him in the signature trap of the SAW films: the reverse bear trap. Hoffman's strategy to getting to Jill is clever, he sets up a trap, the victims die, as the police are investigating an explosion occurs which gets everyones attention, then Hoffman removes a corpse from a body bag, places himself into it which inevitably will be transported to the morgue/police station where Jill is being kept safe. Hoffman exits the bag and goes on his killing spree and finds Jill, places her in the bear trap and finally we get to see someone die by that trap (unfortunately its Jill). Hoffman thinks he is home free until he is attacked by none other than Dr. Gordon who is Jill's "silent guardian" (a wish that jigsaw wants Gordon to carry out) and then it all ends where it all began: the bathroom. Gordon locks Hoffman in the bathroom without a hacksaw, delivers the closing line "game over" and slams the door shut ending the series and making Hoffman getting what he deserves-to let time rot him away. great finish to a great series. what made this film get a 8/10 from me, the game was weak, and the 3D was useless, i wasn't even impressed.
Iron Man (2008)
don't hate but don't love...
i just saw this movie for the first time tonight and the reason it took me so long was because iron man isn't really a big well known hero to me. however tonight, i thought id give it a shot and i was hoping it would be serious, down to earth, not cheesy like the kilmer/clooney batman films....well it wasn't as cheesy as them, but it was campy fun like the spiderman films. of course, i couldn't tell you the first thing about iron man, as in his origin, so i wouldn't know if the atmosphere is supposed to be dark or not, but i was expecting a much more mature, dark, serious tone... me seeing the sequel will probably take as long as it did for me to see this film...
Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (2009)
The Fallen Has Risen
just got back from finally seeing this film! i loved the first one to the point of not even letting anyone borrow the precious DVD. i was psyched about this film...and i still am. the movie definitely forces you to say "i wish id seen the first one" if you for some reason never seen the first one. and i say that because it opens (after the title sequence) pretty much saying "welcome back" and throws you right into the bot battles. there is no "refreshery" of the first film's events. the story was a little there but i wasn't there for that, i was mainly there for the action.
PROS-starts of good right away. never a dull moment. action is great and better than first. formation of devastator is pretty wild and so was he! we see more of the decepticons (as in screen time). the forest battle: optimus vs. starscream megatron and grindor CONS-Galloway. not much transformation is seen. megatron and starscream do not battle as i hoped (just a few words). scorponok just "shows up". this is not on DVD yet.
Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (2009)
the video game sequel has taken revenge...
having not seeing "Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen" yet tells me by playing the video game the movie will be greatly awesome! the video game for the sequel has much more matured compared to the first film's video game. the action in this game is more serious, and more fun. the transformations seem better as well.
pros- game has a "mature" value to it (not as in rated M for mature) but seems more serious than the first game. much better and tougher boss battles. ability to choose your character (on some missions). health/weapons regenerate by itself (and quickly!)
cons- the upgrades doesn't really seem like they make a difference. a few cheesy bonuses. when both campaigns are completed you are wanting to play a new game, unfortunately that will overwrite your current saved progress, but then again the only thing you will overwrite is the completion of missions from the previous game, and the (useless) upgrades you made and a few unlocked episodes from the TV series.
all in all, the game is really fun and entertaining... i enjoyed it very much
Halloween (1978)
...and along came zombie!
i watched this fully for the first time tonight in my 23 year life. but I've watched the zombie remake many times. the original was coming on, i recorded it with the dvr and watched it a few days later.... its nice to know that zombie's remake was sitting on my DVD shelf. i didn't have to wait 20 or 30 years for someone to come along and make it more interesting... it was already here! thats the good thing about watching the originals for the first time 30 years later, the remake has already been done. ill admit, the now popular music score for Halloween is what kept me watching the film. however the lack of murders and awesomeness... not really for me. its hard to believe that some people "decided" to find this film scary. not saying that zombie's version is scary, just saying that its better.
12 Rounds (2009)
Only worth playing 7 out of 12 rounds
this review is being based on cena's other film, the marine..
i seen this movie because i enjoyed the marine. I'm not a wrestling fan, so therefore I'm not a cena fan (not that he isn't a good actor). i know this isn't a sequel (or related) to the marine, but i was expecting a much more boost in the action area. when it came to explosions and destruction, it was good, but there were more fist fights in the marine than in 12 rounds. some of the story was kinda confusing as well.
GOOD-fun action, fun games, interesting "twists" BAD-a few far fetched moments. hard to follow at times. doesn't surpass the marine
Biohazard 5 (2009)
RE4+steroids=RE5
Ten years after the mansion incident Chris Redfield is a member of the BSAA and travels to Africa to team up with Sheva Alomar who together are trying to stop terrorists from using bioweapons.
GOOD- Fun enjoyable game, plenty of action. Interesting boss battles. New enemies that are guaranteed to make you turn around and run (reapers) The surprise return of an old enemy (Licker B)
BAD- Five years later and it feels like there isn't much of a change from RE4. Aside from interesting, some of the bosses felt like they would never die. And the fall of a great character-Albert Wesker (Why did they have to make him the final boss!)
In closing, RE5 is pretty much RE4 on steroids. The enemies are very similar, some of the sub-bosses are pretty much reused or had a make over (chainsaw and Gatling gun enemies). Some of the areas weren't that interesting to me. Sheva's AI is occasionally questionable. For instance, she'll have the weapon, but hardly pick up the ammo for it after I've broke open the crate. Yes its fun, yes its enjoyable, but i can say that Im starting to miss the old classic RE games
Burn After Reading (2008)
Keep After Watching
a movie filled with good drama, great twists and an unexpected death. Burn After Reading will make you Keep After Watching.
good-a good story. a very good serious adult like comedy. amazing twists-certain characters death, the discovery of who is following George, etc.
bad-first of all, i know that every film (must) introduce the characters before getting to the point of the film. but in this film, it seems like it takes forever to get to the point (the CD) and all the time up until that point seems kinda boring but at the same time entertaining.
summary-a good film if you enjoy twists and are willing to accept its adult like comedic.
Grand Theft Auto IV (2008)
gta review from "driver" fan.
i wont lie, I've always been a fan of the driver series. never thought id play gta. so i figured id give gta 4 a chance. i played the game by looking at it as a stand alone, not a fourth installement. i found the game to be extremely well! great things you can do along side the main story! so here we go...
good-very long and enjoyable game. the concept of mission after mission is what keeps you turning your system back on and inserting the disc. fun side missions, the ability to date women, the ability to go into stores to purchase and raise hell on the customers and employees. the cops are actually intelligent, they aren't easy to lose which makes the chases very fun. however...
bad-the cheat codes! don't get me wrong, i love cheat codes as much as the next player, but for gta 4, the cheat codes make the game so very boring, yet you find yourself in situations where you have no choice but to use them, which is disappointing (takes out all the fun). for example, the "infite health" code: it only restores your health each time you use the code, so basically when you're dying from police gun fire, you have to take cover quickly and then very quickly choose the code from your cell phone. and sometimes you find yourself having to use the lower your wanted level rather than escaping because you feel there is no escape.
summary-in closing, the only bad thing is the cheat codes, the only good thing is (about the codes),is they aren't permanently programmed into gameplay, just your cell phone waiting to be selected when you need to use them. the game is very fun and very long. some missions can be stressful and make you say "when i beat this game i ain't playing (the story) no more" but when you complete the story and side missions, you have nothing left but to play the main game again.
Halloween (2007)
from a zombie fan, not a meyer's fan.
Let me start off by saying that iam not a huge fan of Micheal meyers, let alone a fan at all. i only seen this film due to its director, rob zombie. he, iam a fan of. as a rob zombie film, i enjoyed it, it had all the ingredients: same cast (from 1000 corpses and devil's rejects) and it had that rob zombie halloween feel (despite the film's name and setting of time).
good-good teen slasher film. perfect for a rob zombie fan.
bad-it doesn't make me a fan of meyers in anyway shape or form (it may have that same effect on other "only zombie" fans).despite it's title, it isn't reserved for "the movie to watch on halloween night" it is a film that you'd just watch anytime when you invite you're friends over for popcorn and pizza.
summary-in other words, this isn't a movie that one would just save for their halloween horror movie night. i see this movie being played on starz any time of the year. its a good addition for the zombie film fan's, but I've heard that its a let down for true halloween/meyers fans
Resident Evil (2002)
From game to movie.
out of all three resident evil films, this is the only one that i gave a perfect 10. it may not contain any of the characters from the game(s), but it contains all the principles. the mansion, the underground lab, and a beautifully executed boss battle.
the good-keeps the atmosphere of the game with a slightly different story. the bad-followed by two sequels that have a habit of changing a few things just so they can work (for the film makers)
summmary-if you love RE, you will enjoy this. the story is convincing, the way the zombies are released is buyable! its a great flick for a zombie/RE fan.
Resident Evil: Apocalypse (2004)
resident evil 2 covers RE3
despite its follower (extinction) this film actually covers majority of the video game (RE3:N) it takes place in glorious raccoon city. the nemesis has joined the party, but you can clearly tell that the film makers threw in their own ingredients for the story. the nemesis was only created to see how "strong" Alice is. the nemesis only sticks to his true nature (from the game) when he is first introduced as he is blowing away the STARS members, then he is just an obstacle that Alice must over come. i wasn't very fond of the "boss" battle, who is stronger, Alice or Nemesis.
good-stuck to the game, included Jill valentine and nemesis. nemesis looked great but purpose was altered bad-the zombie attacks seemed unorganized. it was like the film makers said, lets throw in a bunch here, there. don't get me wrong, yea its "zombie flick" but extinction felt more like a video game (crows first, super zombies second, then boss battle) in apocalypse, the zombies seemed as if no one cared when they arrived. nemesis boss battle (alive vs nemesis) was dumb-who is stronger? i wanted an actual creature to mutate (like the licker or Dr. Isaacs from the other films) summary-its enjoyable, its there, i enjoyed extinction better (despite it didn't stick to any of the games)
Resident Evil: Extinction (2007)
"Sticking to the games" idea... has gone extinct.
now i know that the title of this comment and the rating i gave this film doesn't really go together. as a film based on the popular games (which I'm a fan of) it HARDLY sticks to the games. thats where the title of this comment comes in, but as for the movie itself, looking at it as a stand alone film (looking passed its based on a game) it is a good movie, which is where the 8/10 comes in. despite it being a very good film, it seems as if the creators (of the films) wanted to make a third film so bad, that they didn't want to wait for another RE game (despite RE4) so they just made up their own story (sticking to umbrella and t-virus). T-virus whipes out entire world, convoy traveling across Nevada desert, etc.
good-lots of action. crows are finally used. different take on zombies (fast "crimson heads" zombies) bad-literally not based on any of the games, no Nevada desert in any of the games. Ali larter was good, but she isn't a Claire redfield. actor who played Wesker-good, but his character of just sitting behind a desk-bad. i wanted to see him in action.
Summary: if you are a true RE gamer and are WANTING/EXPECTING this film to cover one of the games, don't expect too much. if you are a fan but is willing to accept they (only) kept the main principles (t-virus, umbrella, zombies) then you will enjoy. in my personal opinion, i think they could have covered RE: Code Veronica instead of, t-virus whipes out entire world plot.
Boogeyman (2005)
I enjoyed this... until the ending.
Boogeyman is one of those movies where you know what its about but at the same time you aren't sure if it ends up being what you thought. Here is what i mean: Tim is tormented by the "boogeyman" for 15 years ever since his father was killed by the BM. So you get that much. Through the film you see time get all scared by noises and paranoia things, yet you don't see the BM, which makes this movie great. However, towards the end (thanfully it was at th end) you finally see the BM. Now when i say finally, i don't mean, its about time cus i wanted to see him, i mean you finally see the truth. Is there really a BM or is it all in Tim's head? Well, when they reveal the BM, the movie gets bummed because no more "fear the unknown" takes place. Kinda like Jeepers Creepers, you see a big brown beat up truck, a "man" in a trench coat and hat dumping bodies down a pipe. creepy, cus you have no idea what is going on. But when it reveals the creeper and that its a monster, that suspense and "fear the unknown" goes away. So in closing, boogeyman was good, yes, but the ending is ruined by actually showing the boogeyman.
Reign Over Me (2007)
Reign Over Me...Reigns with success!
This is a very good drama mixed in with slight comedy. I was a little skeptical about Adam Sandler's role in this film the reason for this is because Mr. Sandler is known as a pure comedian. However, I was blown away! Adam delivered a very good performance for a character we are not used to him playing.
The Good- Good story. Brilliant performances. Surprising dramatic scenes done by Adam Sandler.
The Bad- Personally, I don't think that the 9/11 attacks should have been the cause of Charlie's wife and daughter's death. Not because it was 9/11, but because any other cause would have been fine. The point isn't how they died, its point is they died and he acts as if he don't remember.
Dark Sector (2008)
Gives new meaning to infinite health/ammo!!!!
maybe a few spoilers-not storyline related.
Dark Sector is a brilliant video game if you love action, blood & gore! Also, what you will enjoy is you practically have infinite ammo/health, and here is why: First of all, the game pretty much evolves the use of the glaive, you will find yourself using this three bladed killing weapon throughout the game rather than ANY gun. The reason for this is because, not only does it help you open crates or unlock gates or solve simple puzzles, it is the best weapon in the game! The fact that it always returns without failure signifies-infinite ammo! Sure, you may have to move in closer for the enemy to be in range of the glaive, but that never is a problem! And for the infinite health, yes you can die, but if you find yourself heavily attacked, just take cover and your health will regenerate automatically. None of that, search for health packs while you're on your last leg. The enemies in the game are fun to kill! It is great to hear the human enemies (with automatic weapons) scream for help while you're throwing the glaive towards them, it gives you power! What also makes the glaive better is the power-ups you gain as you progress. My favorite is "search and kill" thats what i call it (cant remember the real name) but with this power up you can throw the glaive and then you, the player, can guide it where ever you want it. Its great when you want decapitations and it is very useful during puzzles. However, like all good there is some bad, but for this game it isn't a huge bad. And the bad for "Dark Sector" is the story. As you're caught up in the action, you forget about the story, not to mention the story is very weak. But that does not ruin the game in any way. If you want a lot of action and gore Dark Sector is for you. If you want good storyline and jaw dropping twists, you wont find it here. In closing, another good thing about the game is when you complete it, you can choose which chapter you want to choose from rather than playing it from start to finish.
Role Models (2008)
I seen a different movie than these other users...
First of all, I'd like to say that I enjoy these "crew" movies. By "crew" I mean movies starring the same actors. Anchorman, 40 year old virgin, knocked up, Dewey cox, Ricky bobby, super bad, etc. So with this starring Paul Rudd (part of the crew) and the brilliant Sean Williams Scott (Stiffler) I figured this would be great. Don't get me wrong, I thought it was good, but (for me) it wasn't laugh out loud funny like the other "crew" movies. Everyone on here said it was great, their ratings were from 8/10 to 10/10. So I figured, awesome. But I think I seen a different movie than the other users, because I ended up giving it a 6/10. Would I recommend it to others? I would, but would I own it on DVD? No.