A preface if you'll indulge me. Watching this latest movie this afternoon made me rethink how I go about the theater experience. I'll be watching the movies I want to watch from now on. Movie reviews should not dissuade me. Hype, popularity and obscurity will not factor in my decision, for or against them. I've never walked out of the theater ever and always try to find redeeming qualities in every movie I've seen. I rarely do the latter.
March and April have been slow months for my movie watching. Despite all the other movies I could have watched (Cinderella, Insurgent and Home), I only saw three movies and one on TV.
1. CHAPPiE - This was the only movie I saw in March. Based on the director's past films (District 9, Elysium), I expected a similar premise. CHAPPiE is the name of the police robot unit that it's creator (Dev Patel - from Slumdog Millionaire) modified with new software containing artificial intelligence. Hugh Jackman's character (Wolverine) is a jealous robot creator in the same company who wants his militarized police unit on the field instead of the others. When he learned of CHAPPiE's existence, he sabotaged the entire police robot unit's programming to show off his own. There's also the bit about Die Antwoord's involvement with the movie and existential concepts. Overall, it was an OK movie.
2. Furious 7 - I gotta say, this movie was all action, unrealistic stunts and super lucky individuals surviving falls and hits to the head that would kill someone. Yet, in the last five minutes, I teared up. For those who have not been keeping up with the movie, The 4th, 5th and 6th films in the franchise happens between the 2nd and 3rd film (Tokyo Drift). Jason Statham is Ian Shaw: the brother of the 6th film's bad guy who takes revenge on everyone and kills Han first in Japan. They retooled the story so that Han's death was caused by Jason Statham's character rather than a freak accident in Tokyo Drift. The entire movie is about them protecting themselves and teaming up with another secret government organization to hunt down Shaw. It was an entertaining movie. It was the proper send off to Paul Walker's character.
3. Django Unchained (2012) - One thing about Quentin Tarantino movies is that he's never shy about profanity. This film has lots of them, including old-school backwards and slavery terms. Jamie Foxx's plays Django, a former slave freed by Christoph Waltz's bounty hunter character. Django learns the bounty hunting trade while looking for his wife. It's a Western movie with over-the-top violence and profanity-laden dialogue. In my opinion, these take a backseat to Christoph Waltz and Leonardo DiCaprio's acting. Samuel L. Jackson also plays a convincing Uncle Ruckus-type character (a black guy who hates black people). Dark comedy at it's finest.
4. Age of Adaline - I could have watched Unfollowed, Ex Machina or Home, but I thought I'd watch this one instead. I was intrigued by the premise. Blake Lively plays Adaline Bowman. At age 29, Adaline had a car accident. The car crashed into the water off the road along with Adaline. While submerged in the freezing water, her heart stopped and she was dead for 2 minutes. Then lightning struck the water and revived Adaline. This freak event caused Adaline to stop aging. She changes her identity and moves to different locations to avoid suspicion. Ellen Burstyn plays Adaline's old daughter. Harrison Ford plays an old lover of Adaline's. Great acting from the cast.
I'm done.
March and April have been slow months for my movie watching. Despite all the other movies I could have watched (Cinderella, Insurgent and Home), I only saw three movies and one on TV.
1. CHAPPiE - This was the only movie I saw in March. Based on the director's past films (District 9, Elysium), I expected a similar premise. CHAPPiE is the name of the police robot unit that it's creator (Dev Patel - from Slumdog Millionaire) modified with new software containing artificial intelligence. Hugh Jackman's character (Wolverine) is a jealous robot creator in the same company who wants his militarized police unit on the field instead of the others. When he learned of CHAPPiE's existence, he sabotaged the entire police robot unit's programming to show off his own. There's also the bit about Die Antwoord's involvement with the movie and existential concepts. Overall, it was an OK movie.
2. Furious 7 - I gotta say, this movie was all action, unrealistic stunts and super lucky individuals surviving falls and hits to the head that would kill someone. Yet, in the last five minutes, I teared up. For those who have not been keeping up with the movie, The 4th, 5th and 6th films in the franchise happens between the 2nd and 3rd film (Tokyo Drift). Jason Statham is Ian Shaw: the brother of the 6th film's bad guy who takes revenge on everyone and kills Han first in Japan. They retooled the story so that Han's death was caused by Jason Statham's character rather than a freak accident in Tokyo Drift. The entire movie is about them protecting themselves and teaming up with another secret government organization to hunt down Shaw. It was an entertaining movie. It was the proper send off to Paul Walker's character.
3. Django Unchained (2012) - One thing about Quentin Tarantino movies is that he's never shy about profanity. This film has lots of them, including old-school backwards and slavery terms. Jamie Foxx's plays Django, a former slave freed by Christoph Waltz's bounty hunter character. Django learns the bounty hunting trade while looking for his wife. It's a Western movie with over-the-top violence and profanity-laden dialogue. In my opinion, these take a backseat to Christoph Waltz and Leonardo DiCaprio's acting. Samuel L. Jackson also plays a convincing Uncle Ruckus-type character (a black guy who hates black people). Dark comedy at it's finest.
4. Age of Adaline - I could have watched Unfollowed, Ex Machina or Home, but I thought I'd watch this one instead. I was intrigued by the premise. Blake Lively plays Adaline Bowman. At age 29, Adaline had a car accident. The car crashed into the water off the road along with Adaline. While submerged in the freezing water, her heart stopped and she was dead for 2 minutes. Then lightning struck the water and revived Adaline. This freak event caused Adaline to stop aging. She changes her identity and moves to different locations to avoid suspicion. Ellen Burstyn plays Adaline's old daughter. Harrison Ford plays an old lover of Adaline's. Great acting from the cast.
I'm done.
No comments:
Post a Comment