The Darkest Hour movie review (2011)

The Darkest Hour (2011)

QuickRating: It has a decent premise, the special effects are pretty adequate for the most part, and the scenery of Moscow city is absolutely glorious to watch, but "The Darkest Hour" remains an unimaginative and poorly-executed alien invasion flick that feels rushed and contrived from the very beginning and has a paper-thin plot and zero character development. Worst of all, the trailer is more tense, exciting and entertaining to watch than the movie itself.

Flipped movie review (2010)

Flipped (2010)

Brief review: "Mysery" director, Rob Reiner brings this adaptation of Wendelin Van Draanen's novel of the same name, that while well-acted and pretty watchable, brings nothing new to the table in terms of storytelling, except for a dual-narrative from the two young protagonists, each of them telling the story from their own perspective. The plot drags on slowly throughout the majority of the film, and as a result, "Flipped" feels dull and lazy, and it often becomes tedious to watch. Another issue is Rob Reiner's direction, which is so apathetic, that instead drawing you more and more into the story, it somehow pushes you away. Acting-wise, "Flipped" delivers partially. Madeline Carroll is absolutely adorable as the smart, modest and helpful girl, Juli, and she truly shines on screen. Callan McAuliffe, on the other hand, is somewhat stiff and uncharismatic, therefore he doesn't seem like a worthy screen partner to Madeline. The supporting cast which includes Rebecca De Mornay, Anthony Edwards and Penelope Ann Miller and they all do a farily good job with the given material. Visually, "Flipped" looks quite sterile and unimpressive, as it features mostly 'colorless' and boring environments.

Overall summary: Nicely-acted and interestingly-narrated, yet overly-familiar and rather bland, "Flipped" is a so-so nostalgic coming-of-age drama, that is neither as sweet, nor as touching as it thinks it is.

Hugo movie review (2011)

Hugo (2011)

Brief review: Based on Selznick's award-winning novel, "Hugo" is a delightful and exuberant, yet enlightening family-friendly adventure tale, that celebrates both the wonders of the imagination and the magic of cinema, and shows a whole new different side of Martin Scorsese, who pays homage to his favorite art in a deeply intimate and nostalgic way. Visually, "Hugo" is eye-poppingly gorgeous and absolutely stunning, as pretty much every single frame of this beautifully shot movie is a state-of-the-art perfection, thanks to Scorsese's innovative and impressively versatile direction, aided by the amazing skills of his technical crew. The highly-acclaimed director of photography, Robert Richardson, uses a unique color palette of dim turquoise and copper, complemented by a smooth, delicate lighting and vivid violet tint when needed, to deliver the most breathtaking cinematography of 2011, and the striking production design by Dante Ferretti gives the film a truly authentic period feel. The characters in the film are superbly written and portrayed, and the acting is top-notch. Asa Butterfield as Hugo conveys innocence, candor, purity and determination with ease, Chloë Grace Moretz is absolutely adorable as the amiable Isabelle, Ben Kingsley truly shines as the heart-broken filmmaker-turned-toy seller, Georges Méliès, and Sacha Baron Cohen delivers a hilarious performance as the grumpy Station Inspector.

Overall summary: With its magically moving story, delightful characters, dazzling cinematography and exquisite production design, Scorsese's personal love letter to cinema, "Hugo", is arguably, the most enchanting, absorbing, imaginative and visually-sumptuous film of 2011.

"Awesome" Bloggers: Beware of Dr Blood!

Hello, dear friends and readers!

I'm doing this post against my will, and I don't feel good about it at all, but since Dr Blood (who turned out to be the rudest, most arrogant and impolite bloggers I've ever met) presented ME as the bad guy who says mean things to people (take a look a this), I decided to "advertise" his rudeness and unacceptable behavior publicly.

First, read this comment on Porkhead's "Let Me In" review. His negativity is exhausting, isn't it?!

Dr Blood said: But it IS dumbed down. Eli was a castrato, Abby is just a girl who is now a vampire so the whole "I'm not a girl" thing is made simpler and the relationship to the "non-father" paedophile makes even less sense. Also "Let Me In" just has stereotypical American high school bullies, amped-up gore to please the masses, Abby is now a jerky CGI monkey vampire, and the swimming pool scene is much weaker. But, yes, the only thing that needed to be changed was the cat scene, i.e. it needed to be done better not left out entirely.

Nebular said: Dr Blood, you know what? Everything you say is bullshit. Sorry about that, but it's true.

So, beware guys! If you ever disagree with Dr Blood, or if you say to him something he doesn't like to hear, where's what follows:

Dr Blood has left a new comment on your post "[7.25/10] Sucker Punch (2011)":

"It sucked, just like your review."


Dr Blood has left a new comment on your post "[6.00/10] Wake Wood (2011)":

"Yeah, it's about as original as PET SEMATARY! You are now banned from interacting with my blog after what you wrote on Porkhead's review of that crappy dumbed down remake "Let Me In". You are just a common, ignorant, pleb with no taste or discernment in movies whatsoever. I bet you really loved "Sucker Punch" which you raved about constantly too. Idiot."

And I just used the word "bullshit", and in my next sentence, even apologized for using it.

Dr Blood has left a new comment on your post "[6.00/10] Wake Wood (2011)":

"PET SEMATARY! LOSER!"

And then continued harassing me... so I had to fight back...

Dr Blood said: @Nebular - try backing up your juvenile insults with some facts next time or try watching some more films with subtitles. I know how you Americans hate that. :P

Nebular said: Dr Blood, LOL!:D First of all, I'm not an American. Secondly, I watch ALL the films with subtitles, much to your surprise. You're so overreacting, dude. Are you always so mean to people that disagree with you? That's so selfish. Now you've been crowned Dr. Blood the grumpy, self-centered egoist, who has zero respect for other people's opinions. Based on your attitude, I doubt have any friends in real life. Joel, sorry about this argument. It has nothing to do with you and your "Let Me In" review.

Dr Blood said: @ Nebular - "Dr Blood, you know what? Everything you say is bullshit." Yeah, right. What reaction do you expect to that? Hearts and flowers? Get a job, George, and buy yourself some manners

.

Nebular said: Yeah, and then I said I'm sorry, but now... I actually don't. Just learn to appreciate honesty, Dr. Grumpy. And you're talking me about manners?! LOL! You're so rude, it's unbelievable! Yes, I said 'bullshit', but your reaction was TOO arrogant. Dr. Blood: "You are just a common, ignorant, pleb with no taste or discernment in movies whatoever. I bet you really loved "Sucker Punch" which you raved about constantly too. Idiot." Don't worry about me, I have a great job. ;) Obviously, your job is to be rude to people that disagree with you. I'm done with you now. GOODBYE!

Dr Blood said: @Nebular - Good riddance! I hope you have great success getting your obvious bipolar disorder treated.


About Dr Blood: "I'm a Brit living in America who loves watching horror films late at night with two cats for company."

YEAH, BASED ON YOUR TERRIBLE BEHAVIOR, I BET THESE TWO CATS ARE THE ONLY FRIENDS YOU HAVE IN YOUR LIFE, Dr BLOOD... OR SHOULD I SAY Dr EVIL? ...OR Dr MENTAL ILLNESS??

Love and Other Drugs movie review (2010)

Love and Other Drugs (2010)

Brief review: "Blood Diamond" director, Edward Zwick, brings this refreshing, love story about a handsome, yet selfish salesman, who happens to fall for a beautiful young woman, who suffers from Parkinson's disease. Though Zwick hardly balances the drama with hilarious character-driven humour, the end result is a smart, funny and sexy, yet heartfelt rom-com, that will leave you satisfied. The films also delivers plenty of delicious nudity and delightful sex scenes to satisfy viewers' curiosity. The two wonderful leads are certainly driving force of this movie. Not only that they are extremely physically attractive, but they both possess some truly impressive acting skills. Gyllenhaal often steals the show as the ambitious and handsome Jamie, however Anne Hathaway's charisma is so strong, that it's hard to take your eyes off of her, when she's on screen. In terms of chemistry, Gyllenhaal and Hathaway are a match made in heaven! Their relationship feels sincere and believable, it makes you think they're meant for each other. However, Josh Gad really lets the film down as the annoying younger brother of Jamie. Unfortunately, Gad appears on the screen way more often than expected, and most of the time he's just barely standable.

Overall summary: Thanks to its extremely likable leads, and grippingly-enjoyable story, "Love and Other Drugs" is a bittersweet dramdey, that is every bit as engaging and amusing, as it's touchingly emotional.

Movies Everyone Else Loved And I HATED Part

Thanks for all your comments on Part 1, guys, really appreciate it. It's time for Part 2... and for further disagreements. :)

Movies Everyone Else Loved
And I HATED

[Part 2]

The Last Samurai (2003)

As you may know, I'm a huge admirer of Asian culture, martial arts, weapons, etc, however I found "The Last Samurai" to be the sappiest, cheesiest and ridiculously over-dramatic samurai film I've seen in my life. It was beautifully-shot, but the story was too Americanized, often absurd, and it played out more like a soap opera, rather than a true samurai movie. And Tom Cruise... completely miscast!

Saw (2004)

Well, I'm officially one of the biggest "Saw" haters out there. I thought the original was poorly-crafted, ugly looking, terribly-acted, 'cold', repulsive, and lacking in atmosphere, thrills, chills and scares. Plus, it featured arguably the most shockingly ridiculous and downright laughable twist ending ever put on film. Call it a self-torture, but I've watched all its sequels, only because I was curious to see how much worse it can get.


30 Days of Night (2007)

I actually couldn't believe how pathetic this movie was. It had a rather cool premise, but 'thanks' to David Slade's incapable, unimaginative and pretty amateurish direction, "30 Days of Night" ended up as just another mediocre, uninspired and badly-executed vampire flick, that has only few thrills and even less chills. Even though Mr. Slade is only 42, I think he should already retire.

The Hangover (2009)

How this painfully unfunny piece of crap won a Golden Globe for Best Comedy is still a mystery to me. I would be grateful if someone can tell me what's funny about a bunch of complete idiots, drinking tons of alcohol and doing stupid things in Vegas? Nothing! I also hated "Old School", which automatically puts Todd Phillips on my list of "Worst Directors Working Today". And the sequel made near $244 million at the box office? My God, where is this world going?!

TRON: Legacy (2010)

I hated the previews, and hated the movie. I thought it was dull, lifeless, unspectacular, and the whole premise was so ridiculous. Let's not forget to mention the silly costumes, and the terrible CGI cloning of Jeff Bridges. Like I said in my review, "TRON: Legacy" is like a bad club experience - it offers plenty of fancy neon lights, intended pomposity and loudness, but not enough fun and enjoyment.

Hanna movie review (2011)

Hanna (2011)

Brief review: Although it has a couple of dull moments, and a few rather unnecessary scenes, Joe Wright's latest flick is a fast-paced, intense and fantastically-crafted thrill ride, that delivers the goods. "Hanna" is nothing short of captivating, visually, due to Wright's dynamically versatile, yet sophisticated direction, the beautifully washed-out color palette of the cinematography, and the various stunning locations used in the film. Furthermore, "Hanna" 'sounds' as cool as it looks, thanks to Chemical Brothers' original music score, filled with intense electronic beats that prepare the viewer for action. Speaking of action, "Hanna" is not only wonderfully-choreographed, but also creative and edge-of-your-seat thrilling. Acting-wise, "Hanna" succeeds vastly because of its top-notch cast. Saoirse Ronan is a true force of nature in her difficult role as Hanna, who discovers the world for the first time. Her sweet, innocent look contrasts with her daring, fierce spirit, and despite her superhuman strength and abilities, Ronan is thoroughly believable as the title character. One of the finest actresses working today, Cate Blanchett, delivers an outstanding performance as the cold-blooded Marissa, and the insanely underrated Eric Bana gives another solid performance as the bold, protectful father of Hanna, Erik.

Overall summary: Thanks to its unique premise, brilliant execution, impressive variety of settings, and Saoirse Ronan's show-stealing performance, "Hanna" is not only a true breath of fresh air into the genre, but also one of the most clever and spectacularly entertaining action thrillers of the past few years.