Jack Reacher(2013) Movie review; This movies tastes good with popcorn

This film is not half bad,I was expecting mission impossible meets top gun based on the title of the film but instead enjoyed an action packed thriller.

Without giving the plot away the police are chasing a killer,once they have found their man the only person he wishes to speak to… is… wait for it…..JACK REACHER!!!

This is where the twists and turns develop,Mr Mysterious,otherwise known as Jack Reacher, walks around like a real bad ass,this could come off as lame but the sarcastic dialogue saves the day,in the true style which originated with Clint Eastwood, Tom Cruise felt lucky when reading this script and manages to pull off this character .

Years ago I would look forward to a T’C movie, more recently I find myself being put off by him,with the scientology thing,Opera interview and reports of his controlling behaviour(media and relationships),not to mention a bag full of bad movies, I am happy to say that this is a decent film,it wont win any Oscars but it was just an entertaining ride of a movie, the type of movie Tom used to be known for.

7/10

KO

 

A film with me in it (2008) Movie review; This was filmed on my street!!! – Raglan road Dublin

The only reason I watched this movie was because I recently moved into a new apartment and was told by a friendly neighbour that the street I am on is famous.

The street in question is ;- Raglan road in Dublin,I was informed that there is  a famous song about the road sung by Luke Kelly, the owner of Ryan air lives across the way and ….. this titled movie was filmed three doors down!

As a movie enthusiast I can tell you it took me all of one hour to download this unheard movie,when the opening of film kicks off I instantly recognised the house just a few yards away,I felt a feeling of unwarranted achievement,as I had chosen to live in such an iconic flat which was surrounded in history and film, in reality the price was good and it was within the city limits.

My excitement soon died down after the first opening scenes of the movie,Keith Allen and Dylan Moran do a decent job acting wise but the story and delivery of this film just falls flat,there were moments when you think it might have something but then they spoil what could have been scene building with quirky off the wall comedy which squashes any true tempo or interest in the film.

I have made a vow to make sure that all my apartments in the future hold some significance when it comes to the movies,I am not sure how I will afford to live on Wall street, but if it ever happens I will be sure to quote this post in the New yorker!

5/10

KO

Hysteria: Movie Review (2011) -The Vibrator is Born

After reading the synopsis for this movie, the invention of the vibrator and staring Maggie Gyllenhaal my eyebrows were rising. I remember her a few years back making a crazy movie where she was employed as a sadomasochist, the movie turned out to be a dull affair, but she put herself out there in a role that could have sent her career in different directions. So it seemed she was looking to give us another taste of her more daring self! Unfortunately it’s another no on that front, but don’t confuse me as perverted, I just like seeing these types of actors in uncomfortable roles, just to see how they can handle it.

The Movie is based on how the Vibrator came to be. It was said that woman were being diagnosed with hysteria, due to over working or to the lack sexual activity from their partners. Mortimer, an up and coming young doctor who finds himself in a new role as Dr Dalrymple’s right hand man! It doesn’t take him to long before that right hand soon starts holding him back and a new plan is needed to keep his clientele happy.

I found the movie to be quite entertaining; there were plenty of honest laughable moments. There was no way this topic wasn’t going to be funny with a simple mind as mine to please. Period dramas can be a rather dull affair the best of times, but this takes away all the boring snobbery and has a good old giggle at itself.

My only fault with this movie was Maggie Gyllenhaal, not only doesn’t she step it up a notch, she is utterly annoying. She was totally out of place for this movie; I will never understand why directors cast foreigners for parts when that country has plenty to offer in talent. Not only that she looked like a beaver who’d just finished chomping two whole logs most of the time. I think it was the attire, not suited at all.

6.5

Seems low for a movie I enjoyed I know! but there are better  7’s out there.

Yappy

Iron Man 3: Movie Review – Old Iron Wanted for scrap!

The movie starts off well enough and there is plenty of action and special effects to keep the eyes busy, but this soon filters out when Iron Man starts having a breakdown. I’m not spoiling anything when I say Tony gets a visit from the bad guys of which he invited in the first place. They’re set on destroying his empire; caught unaware Tony needs a last grasp plan for a getaway. No one gets away with trying to destroy Iron Man without retribution, while out of harm’s way Tony seeks his revenge.

When he is away it’s where the movie takes a dip, when Stark is taken away from his gadget room, what has he got to rely on? Not a great deal, it seems he can’t even think for himself without Jarvis (he’s computer) and pepper , so when the chips are down he seeks help from a 12 year old boy! Iron Man doesn’t turn into a paedophile, although that would have made things interesting! No this 12 year old not even nerdy, so what’s he going bring to the table except for his supped up potato gun? Of course he brings more than that; he’s got a cute face and razor whit! What more do you need when saving mankind from The Mandarin.

The dialogue in this movie is the best thing going for it, without it the movie could have been a lot worse off. RDJ is the king of coolness; he could pull off just about anything. It seems they really wanted to pull laughs out regularly in the movie, that’s normally a bad sign though, because it means they are trying to distract you from areas of the movie that are worth forgetting. The one character in the movie that does upstage RDJ is Sir Ben Kingsley as The Mandarin, he is pure comedy gold. He shows what a talent he is and will always be. Guy Pearce has more of a roll than one would like, I’m not saying he’s bad; he’s just not very memorable. Gwyneth really gets to show us this time around why she’s hot property of late, in the abominable area anyway. She even gets to don one of the many Iron man suits which shouldn’t really work because their only supposed to be programmed for Tony?

This instalment is part 3 for a good reason, Iron Man 1 was fresh and fun, 2 just went off the rails a little and with 3 they seemed to try and re-direct it back on course, but only managing to keep it on the curve.

I don’t see where they go from here if Robert Downey Jr does jump ship! I’m not sure anyone else could carry Iron man like he did. You just know it’s not the end, it makes too much money to quit.

6/10

Yappy

Welcome to the punch(2013) Movie review: Really bad and really BORING!

This is the type of movie that bores me beyond belief,a story about a super thief who is being chased by a cop who is living and working with his own problems as well as a power struggle within the police that you know relates to an inside man within the opening scenes.

The directors attempt to create an edgy thriller turns into a bad episode of the bill (UK TV drama) the dialogue is painful and the characters and story are so generic that my only reaction with twenty minutes on the clock was to turn off!

I kept going but I was now a detached viewer,I found myself asking; how such a poor piece of movie making could make it to our screens,the cast is strong, Mark Strong in fact,but the production is so lame that even this marvelous actor matched with James McAvoy’s talent could not save the show.

The pace of the film and the characters just do not work,the films leaves you with a real zero feeling.

0/10

KO

The Evil Dead- 2013 Movie Review, The Evil is ruined

Somebody really needs to tie the Director down under torture circumstances and get the truth to what this movie was!  Was it a re-make, a re-boot, an upgrade, a waste of time? My guess it is was the latter. Again we’ve come to a place that didn’t need to be revisited in the first place. The original holds up pretty well all by its self. I’ve heard the Director say it’s a different story that entwined with the original with the idea of the two heroines coming together in the foreseeable future. That sounded like a great idea when the words came out his mouth. The only trouble being is the movie should not even be breathed in the same air as the original.

They try and fool you by giving the characters new dimensions this time around, the troubled teen needing divine intervention from her friends to kick a drug habit. Sound good in theory, but it seems she’s really not that fucked up, because when the shit goes down she seems more hyper than a five-year who drank 6 Red bulls, then again being raped by a tree sure might make the withdrawal process speed up. This movie just lost itself when the words were uttered about remaking it in the first place. Its treats the viewer with no respect at all, at the beginning they have to explain why the book comes to be what it is, with visuals that would barely raise an eyebrow on TV before the watershed. After they watched the opening scene the director decided it was pretty lame on the gore side, so he notched it up. They just did what all horror movie makers do today and just put on a gore porn-vest. The only time you really get scared through the whole movie is when all these 5 friends try and actually act. It comes to something when they’re all getting upstaged by a tree. I don’t want to spoil the end for anyone, but trust me when I say it’s one of the laziest endings I’ve witnessed.  It was like they were trying to pack forty minutes of story into ten, but by then I was happy for the slap dash, I could have probably trimmed another five off.

4/10

3 marks for that tree, best piece of acting this year by a piece of timber.

Yappy

The Last stand (2013) Movie review:Much better than I was expecting!

Well when you look at Arnie’s classic action films there is one theme running throughout,a muscular guy who looks like he could dropkick a building while munching on a cigar,when I heard Arnie was dusting off his leather jacket I thought it could be very embarrassing for him,this thought was only enhanced when I saw the trailer of him being quoted as saying he felt old!

Well I guess this film is proof that at 65 he still has what it takes to deliver in the action genre,some of his one liners from the past came off as cheesy rather than witty,nothing has changed in that respect but rather than feel embarrassed for the former Mr Olympia I found myself smiling as I would if my granddad tried to portray an image we both know he is passed,the difference now ?… there is a look of wisdom in Arnold’s eyes,he knows exactly what is left in the tank and he also knows it blows other action stars,(new and old) out of the water and into reality TV.

While that sparkle is still there,I am happy to keep watching.

7/10

KO