Rating:
“Movies touch our hearts and awaken our vision, and change the way we see things. They take us to other places, they open doors and minds. Movies are the memories of our lifetime. We need to keep them alive.” –Martin Scorsese
No director loves movies more than Martin Scorsese. Knowing that he has spent the past four decades declaring his affection for the movies, you won’t be considered foolish to presume that good ‘ol Marty has finally started to calm down. But you would presume wrong. His voice has never been louder and clearer. Founded on Scorsese’s lifelong love affair with the movies, “Hugo” is a dazzling and magical gem that embraces the very essence of film itself. You can sense an irony in how it uses the latest 3-D technology to remember the earliest existence of filmmaking, but there is a more profound explanation behind this technique:
As a majestic tribute to silent films and a landmark in 3-D filmmaking, “Hugo” acknowledges the eternal significance of the past while simultaneously providing needed hope for the future.
Tuesday, February 28, 2012
Hugo Movie Review
Friday, February 17, 2012
The Vow Movie Review
Rating:
“The Vow” is a badly written, poorly executed, and weakly acted melodrama about how amnesia allowed a married couple in Chicago to relive the early memories of their love. The only thing that’s going for this inept love story is its release date. No doubt that the season of Valentine’s Day will lead thousands of couples into watching movies like this, no matter how terrible they are. Last year’s “Valentine’s Day” made over 200 million dollars, despite an 18% score on Rotten Tomatoes. I present to you a rating so low, Michael Bay hasn’t even been there (yet).
“The Vow” is currently holding on to a 30% rating, yet it made over 40 million dollars on its opening weekend in the United States. After discovering the statistics I just posted, I’m no longer sure why I’m still writing a review for this, since chick flicks are guaranteed to be box office hits when released near Valentine’s Day. But I press on. Right now I think to myself, “If this review causes a single person to cancel his or her plans regarding seeing this movie, then I’ll have peace knowing that I have done something good for a fellow human being.”
Tuesday, February 7, 2012
Chronicle Movie Review
Rating:
The three teenage heroes of “Chronicle” are strangely drawn to the baffling hole in the woods. From deep within this crater comes eerie sounds, and the little light that gleams from it is unexplained. In neglect of the human instinct of self-preservation, the boys jump right in. It wouldn’t be unnatural to fear that these kids would end up injured, missing, or trapped, especially if you’ve seen too many episodes of Man vs. Wild. But what do you know? They not only survived their stunt, but also gained telekinetic superpowers as a result. Lucky bastards.
“Chronicle” adapts the idea of the Superhero Origin story and operates it within the immature and naive world of teenagers. The boys are grateful to have acquired their amazing abilities, but their nature doesn’t lead them to save lives and fight crime. Heck, they’re probably not even old enough to win a battle against their own hormones. The film’s first half gives a depiction on what would happen if astonishing powers where granted to immature beings. Shoppers at malls become victims of telekinetic practical jokes. Leaf blowers are mentally activated in front of pretty girls with short skirts. The scenarios are small-scale and simple-minded, but they’re also amusing and believable, and certainly more original and entertaining than most of the comic book movies of last year.
Friday, February 3, 2012
2012 Movie Preview: 20 Movies You Should Anticipate
Most previews that list upcoming films are pointless and unhelpful. All they do is tell us things we already know. If a certain list is to have any value, it should introduce its readers to something great that they may have never heard of before. But such lists are rare and ignored, precisely because it doesn’t fit well with the expectation of the general public. People like to root for their favorite franchise, or for the impending movie that’s based on their favorite book. I’m sure that countless Harry Potter fans were enraged whenever they saw “Deathly Hallows: Part 2” place second to “Thor” in any list regarding The Most Anticipated Movies of 2011.
Summer Blockbusters that are already popular, like “Fast Five” and “Transformers: Dark of the Moon”, tend to headline every movie-related article on the web while Better Movies aren’t even given a chance to present themselves. It’s been almost three years since “Moon”, the excellent sci-fi film by Duncan Jones, was first released, yet it remains unknown to many. “Trick ‘r Treat”, which can be argued as one of the best Halloween movies of the past two decades, went straight to DVD. It’s sad, but the past has been done with. 2012 is shaping up to be a big year for great movies, where we’ll get the chance to see the latest works of Anderson, Tarantino, Spielberg, and so on. And because my list has only 20 spots to spare, I shall be focusing on less popular films that we should anticipate, rather than blockbusters that are already implanted in our subconscious.
