Finally, I watched Captain America this morning. After Thor, I had kinda lost my interest in this whole Avenger series, but Captain America revitalized it some.
They do a great job of making you care about the hero, unlike Thor. It is the usual super hero stuff in the end, but the depth in between is good. It still isn't up there with Iron Man or Dark Knight, but it is not bad. 3 1/2 M&Ms
Sunday, October 30, 2011
Wednesday, October 26, 2011
PARANOMRAL ACTIVITY 3 A LITTLE TOO MUCH OF AN OKAY THING
Paranormal Activity 3 does bring some scary to the theatre, and for that it serves it's purpose. After seeing the first 2, you can kinda guess when something is going to happen. That is the only problem with a movie like this is it does get a little stale at this point. They did bring some new things to the table in this one that I thought were cool more than scary. I don't want to ruin anything for anyone, but there are about 3 scenes that I thought were a little different scare. The story is a prequel to the first two. It is set in 1988 when the girls from the first two are first introduced to the demon. The little girls do an okay job of playing innocent and creepy at the same time. Toby is the name of the demon, and he is still after that little boy that he's been wanting since the first Paranormal. Overall, it is worth seeing if you just want to see something a little spooky during this time of year. It is directed by the guys that did Catfish last year, and they could've chosen a better second project than this.
My main problem with the movie was the trailer. They put several things in the trailer that I thought were cool, and they left them on the cutting room floor. Very strange to me to lure people in with the things in the trailer then not include them in the movie. I'm sure they had their reasons, but this lowers my review a little. Here is a little article about the things they left out:
Like I said, go check it out if you want to see a scary movie, but be sure you know a little background from the first two movies, or you'll be confused at the end. I had to go look up the ending stuff to totally understand, so that means they didn't explain it very good...2 1/2 M&Ms.
FOLLOW BIG AL'S MOVIE REVIEWS ON TWITTER: ALSMOVIEREVIEWS TWITTER
Sunday, October 23, 2011
Pearl Jam 20 4 M&Ms
As far as documentaries go this was one for the ages. It brought back so many memories of that time in my life, and I'm sure it would in everyone that's been fans of PJ.
The doc shows a lot of never before seen footage of the PJ through the years, and a lot of interviews with all the band members. The doc is directed by Cameron Crowe who is a great director (Jerry Maguire, Almost Famous, Singles), and he was a writer for Rolling Stones during the grunge years. It has a lot of things that I knew nothing about with PJ, but a lot of things I already knew. The footage of Kurt Cobain is awesome and it makes you remember how sad it is that some people can't handle the pressure of success. Their perseverance to still be relevant today is amazing, and it is hard to imagine any of these bands today recreating what they have done. 20 years of PJ...that's crazy to think that it's been 20 years. Check it out if you get time.
Monday, October 17, 2011
Another Ryan Gosling Winner! Ides of March
Enjoyed Ides of March. Not anything new really as far political dramas go, but the acting and direction are top notch. 4 M&Ms
Thursday, September 22, 2011
Rise of the Planet of the Apes
Really enjoyed the Apes. This is a prequel to the other Apes movies and is a great reboot to the franchise.
This movie shows how the monkeys are being tested for a cure to Alzheimer's. The idea is to get parts of the brain that quit working because of the disease to start working again. They test the medicine on the monkeys and they begin to get smarter. They are ready to show the world their product when one of the monkeys goes crazy and is killed. They think that the medicine is responsible for her going crazy, so they are ordered to kill all the monkeys and shut down the program. When the man with the order to kill all the monkeys goes into do this deed, he finds a baby monkey which was the baby of the the monkey that went crazy. She was just being protective of her baby when she went crazy. This baby goes home with the lead scientist and grows into an Ape with the medicine past down from his mother. He begins to do amazing things, but, of course, things go a little crazy once he gets full grown.
Great prequel and great special effects make this a can't miss. I've never been a fan at all of the other Apes movies, but this one is worth it. 4 M&Ms
This movie shows how the monkeys are being tested for a cure to Alzheimer's. The idea is to get parts of the brain that quit working because of the disease to start working again. They test the medicine on the monkeys and they begin to get smarter. They are ready to show the world their product when one of the monkeys goes crazy and is killed. They think that the medicine is responsible for her going crazy, so they are ordered to kill all the monkeys and shut down the program. When the man with the order to kill all the monkeys goes into do this deed, he finds a baby monkey which was the baby of the the monkey that went crazy. She was just being protective of her baby when she went crazy. This baby goes home with the lead scientist and grows into an Ape with the medicine past down from his mother. He begins to do amazing things, but, of course, things go a little crazy once he gets full grown.
Great prequel and great special effects make this a can't miss. I've never been a fan at all of the other Apes movies, but this one is worth it. 4 M&Ms
Wednesday, September 21, 2011
Ryan Gosling is on a role!
Ryan Gosling has been one to watch for a while now, and he is really going to a new level this year.
Blue Valentine was a very dark movie about a failing relationship. It shows from the beginning bliss to the slow deterioration at the end. He is great in the role as is Michelle Williams in hers. I gave this 4 M&Ms.
Crazy Stupid Love was the first time for him to venture into the chick flick type movie since the Notebook. Most guys won't admit that the Notebook is a good movie, but it is. Crazy Stupid Love is really good and even throws in a great twist that I didn't see coming. Another 4 M&Ms!
The latest is DRIVE! His acting wasn't really what made this movie as it is the direction of Refn. Haven't seen anything else he's done, but he's on the rise. Drive is about a guy that does just that drives. Doesn't sound very interesting, but he gets into a situation where he has to do more than drive to protect Carey Mulligan's character and her son, which is become a bad arse! I could see this showing up at the Academy Awards some where. Seen it best described as an artsy action movie. 4 1/2 M&Ms.
He still has the movie with George Clooney coming out in a few weeks. This reminds me of Brad Pitt doing Twelve Monkeys and Seven in the same year and realizing he's not just a pretty face, he's a good actor. Gosling seems to be trying to do the same things as Pitt and not get stuck in some genre like McConaughey or some. Official man crush on Ryan Gosling.
Blue Valentine was a very dark movie about a failing relationship. It shows from the beginning bliss to the slow deterioration at the end. He is great in the role as is Michelle Williams in hers. I gave this 4 M&Ms.
Crazy Stupid Love was the first time for him to venture into the chick flick type movie since the Notebook. Most guys won't admit that the Notebook is a good movie, but it is. Crazy Stupid Love is really good and even throws in a great twist that I didn't see coming. Another 4 M&Ms!
The latest is DRIVE! His acting wasn't really what made this movie as it is the direction of Refn. Haven't seen anything else he's done, but he's on the rise. Drive is about a guy that does just that drives. Doesn't sound very interesting, but he gets into a situation where he has to do more than drive to protect Carey Mulligan's character and her son, which is become a bad arse! I could see this showing up at the Academy Awards some where. Seen it best described as an artsy action movie. 4 1/2 M&Ms.
He still has the movie with George Clooney coming out in a few weeks. This reminds me of Brad Pitt doing Twelve Monkeys and Seven in the same year and realizing he's not just a pretty face, he's a good actor. Gosling seems to be trying to do the same things as Pitt and not get stuck in some genre like McConaughey or some. Official man crush on Ryan Gosling.
Monday, July 11, 2011
4 MOVIES YOU MIGHT NOT HAVE HEARD OF TO SEE THIS SUMMER...
These are 4 not mainstream movies that I think are worth your time on one of these hot sultry nights.
Let me in is about a young boy that is bullied everyday at schools and dreams of getting revenge on these people. It takes place mostly in the apartment complex that he lives in. He goes out at night and spies on the people of the apartment complex. He becomes friends with a very strange little girl played by Chloë Grace Moretz. (If you don't know who she is, you soon will. She is not just a good child actor, she is a good actor period. She is good in Kickass, 500 Days of Summer and this.) Several murders begin to occur around the aparment complex, and the young boy begins to have suspicions of his new friend. I don't want to give anything away even though there is not too much to giveaway. I just think this was a great movie, and deserves more notice than it received. It is already on Netflix, if you want to check it out. It does have a few scary/gorey parts, if you don't like that.
Peter Traver's Take
Roger Ebert's Take
Mostly this is just because you should watch almost any movie with Paul Giammti! If he had the looks of Brad Pitt, he would be the one of the best actors to ever live, but then again looking the way he does may be what makes him great. Barney's Version is the story of a man's life told from his point of view. It goes through the 3 wives that he had and tells the story of each one with the last being the love of his life. He meets her and begins to persue her at his second wedding! He has many misadventures along the way with his father there for the ride played by the amazing Dustin Hoffman. This one is already on DVD, so go grab it!
WILL FERRELL! Gotta love some Will Ferrell. This is about his 4th venture into a little more dramatic role. It does still have some of his comedy, but it is nothing like his normal roles. He is an alcholic who loses his job and his wife in the same day. He comes home from getting fired to all of his belongings on the front lawn, and the locks changed on the house. He proceeds to sit in his favorite chair on the front lawn and drink Pabst Blue Ribbon cans. He becomes friends with a young boy from down the street that helps him through this tough time. It was a great escape from the comic book movies and sequels of this summer. It is still on at some theaters.
MIDNIGHT IN PARIS
Midnight in Paris is one of those movies that I walked out of and wasn't so sure about, but that is, usually, how I feel after watching a Woody Allen movie. Now that I've had time to reflect on it, I did enjoy it and I think some of you would, too. A soon to be married couple (Owen Wison & Rachel McAdams) travel to Paris with the woman's family for business. Owen Wilson's character has a great love for Paris, and he begins to take these Midnight strolls around Paris. Very strange things begin to happen on these excursions as he goes back in time to the 1920s of Paris that he so admires. All the acting in the movie is great, and I enjoyed the overall message of the movie that everyone always thinks that another time, life, or place would be better than where they are now, but is it? It is still in the theatres, but, probably, not for long.
If you check out any of these movies, I hope you enjoy them as much as I did. I've gotten where the big budget movies don't do much for me, and all these type movies at least give you something to think about. Jon Favreau and Christopher Nolan are about the only big budget directors worth going to see now. I thought JJ Abrams was going to be until Super 8. He can still redeem himself. I give him a mulligan because Super 8 was a homage to Steven Spielberg. If you don't like these movies, don't complain to me. These are just my opinions, and everyone's got one...
LET ME IN
Let me in is about a young boy that is bullied everyday at schools and dreams of getting revenge on these people. It takes place mostly in the apartment complex that he lives in. He goes out at night and spies on the people of the apartment complex. He becomes friends with a very strange little girl played by Chloë Grace Moretz. (If you don't know who she is, you soon will. She is not just a good child actor, she is a good actor period. She is good in Kickass, 500 Days of Summer and this.) Several murders begin to occur around the aparment complex, and the young boy begins to have suspicions of his new friend. I don't want to give anything away even though there is not too much to giveaway. I just think this was a great movie, and deserves more notice than it received. It is already on Netflix, if you want to check it out. It does have a few scary/gorey parts, if you don't like that.
Peter Traver's Take
Roger Ebert's Take
BARNEY'S VERSION
Mostly this is just because you should watch almost any movie with Paul Giammti! If he had the looks of Brad Pitt, he would be the one of the best actors to ever live, but then again looking the way he does may be what makes him great. Barney's Version is the story of a man's life told from his point of view. It goes through the 3 wives that he had and tells the story of each one with the last being the love of his life. He meets her and begins to persue her at his second wedding! He has many misadventures along the way with his father there for the ride played by the amazing Dustin Hoffman. This one is already on DVD, so go grab it!
EVERYTHING MUST GO
WILL FERRELL! Gotta love some Will Ferrell. This is about his 4th venture into a little more dramatic role. It does still have some of his comedy, but it is nothing like his normal roles. He is an alcholic who loses his job and his wife in the same day. He comes home from getting fired to all of his belongings on the front lawn, and the locks changed on the house. He proceeds to sit in his favorite chair on the front lawn and drink Pabst Blue Ribbon cans. He becomes friends with a young boy from down the street that helps him through this tough time. It was a great escape from the comic book movies and sequels of this summer. It is still on at some theaters.
MIDNIGHT IN PARIS
Midnight in Paris is one of those movies that I walked out of and wasn't so sure about, but that is, usually, how I feel after watching a Woody Allen movie. Now that I've had time to reflect on it, I did enjoy it and I think some of you would, too. A soon to be married couple (Owen Wison & Rachel McAdams) travel to Paris with the woman's family for business. Owen Wilson's character has a great love for Paris, and he begins to take these Midnight strolls around Paris. Very strange things begin to happen on these excursions as he goes back in time to the 1920s of Paris that he so admires. All the acting in the movie is great, and I enjoyed the overall message of the movie that everyone always thinks that another time, life, or place would be better than where they are now, but is it? It is still in the theatres, but, probably, not for long.
If you check out any of these movies, I hope you enjoy them as much as I did. I've gotten where the big budget movies don't do much for me, and all these type movies at least give you something to think about. Jon Favreau and Christopher Nolan are about the only big budget directors worth going to see now. I thought JJ Abrams was going to be until Super 8. He can still redeem himself. I give him a mulligan because Super 8 was a homage to Steven Spielberg. If you don't like these movies, don't complain to me. These are just my opinions, and everyone's got one...
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