As Johnny Blaze hides out in Eastern Europe, he is called upon to stop the devil, who is trying to take human form.
Directors: Mark Neveldine (as Neveldine) , Brian Taylor(as Taylor) Writers: Scott M. Gimple (screenplay), Seth Hoffman(screenplay) Stars: Nicolas Cage, Ciarán Hinds, Idris Elba
Storyline
Johnny Blaze, a man who made a deal with the Devil who called himself Mephistopheles at the time (now Roarke), is on the run trying to make sure no-one is harmed by his alter ego, The Ghost Rider. He is approached by a Monk named Moreau who tells him that he can help be him free of the Rider, but first, he needs Johnny's help to protect a boy, whom Roarke has plans for, to help him take human form.
Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance Movie Review
A tale of fantasy and wild stupid debauchery
To be honest, i was really looking forward to see this movie, the trailer itself was eye-candy and highly exaggerated.The story is as bad as the actors' performance. Nicholas Cage is going a very , very bad road, his lasts movies , ''season of the witch'' and ''drive angry'' were as thin and dreadful as this one. The action in this movie was unjustified and plain crazy bad, the way ''Blaze'' was written, the laughable dialogues and dumb facial expression of Cage didn't helped at all. The 3D effect on this movie is overrated, everything is too much and fake. Idris Elba was probably the only reason why i went to watch this but even then his role was thin and futile, On the whole, it's messy , funny and plain bad, i pray to god there is not a third one
Rio (2011)
When Blu, a domesticated macaw from small-town Minnesota, meets the fiercely independent Jewel, he takes off on an adventure to Rio de Janeiro with the bird of his dreams.
Director: Carlos Saldanha Writers: Carlos Saldanha (story), Earl Richey Jones(story) Stars: Jesse Eisenberg, Anne Hathaway, George Lopez
Storyline
In Rio de Janeiro, baby macaw, Blu, is captured by dealers and smuggled to the USA. While driving through Moose Lake, Minnesota, the truck that is transporting Blu accidentally drops Blu's box on the road. A girl, Linda, finds the bird and raises him with love. Fifteen years later, Blu is a domesticated and intelligent bird that does not fly and lives a comfortable life with bookshop owner Linda. Out of the blue, clumsy Brazilian ornithologist, Tulio, visits Linda and explains that Blu is the last male of his species, and he has a female called Jewel in Rio de Janeiro. He invites Linda to bring Blu to Rio so that he and Jewel can save their species. Linda travels with Blu and Tulio to Rio de Janeiro and they leave Blu and Jewel in a large cage in the institute where Tulio works. While they are having dinner, smugglers break into the institute and steal Blu and Jewel to sell them. Linda and Tulio look everywhere for Blu, who is chained to Jewel and hidden in a slum. Meanwhile, Jewel ...
Rio Movie Review
What a disappointment...
Wow, this was such a disappointment, I felt really bad having convinced my partner to go to see it. The great part that earns the 4 stars is the animation of animals (not humans) Yes, they are cute, well drawn and animated, and all that jazz. But, yes, there is a huge BUT here, the plot, the dialog, the human "love" story... Well, they all fail to inspire any kind of emotion or imagination. On top of badly written, slow dialog, which is not helped much by the necessary comic elements, you have really badly written songs! Something like: "I fly like a bird, oh wait, I AM a bird." Wow, really really? What's interesting, though, is that the "camera" lingers a few seconds after the characters leave the scene on the favela, the human built trash-tin-dumpster living spaces crammed on top of each other, full of homeless, street-smart kids like the one meet in the film... It lingers, as if to almost say something, as if it will finally add something to all this taking place in Rio, and the economic necessity that some people might have in stealing rare animals, but it doesn't. Nor does the film shy of piling up many stereotypes, you know, all Brazilians care about is partying, and they fail at doing their jobs mostly because they just want to party, watchsoccer, wear Carnival costumes and dance in the streets, no wait, even at home all the time. Naturally, the police are useless, the professor is useless, the animal smugglers are useless. Right? At times the stereotypes are a bit uncomfortable, because it is not clear why they are there. They are mostly used as stale plot devices, otherwise nothing would be believable, even in the cartoon-suspended-reality kind of believable. The only character worthy of any praise, in terms of vision and execution, is Nigel, the villain bird. The rest? I have already forgotten everything about them! The laughter sometimes was louder than the joke merited, mainly because people and children expected to be laughing. When it is hard to find something good to laugh at, you laugh hard at the lame jokes even harder. Note for parents: Children in the audience seemed to enjoy the film much more than the adults.
Limitless (2011)
With the help of a mysterious pill that enables the user to access 100 percent of his brain abilities, a struggling writer becomes a financial wizard, but it also puts him in a new world with lots of dangers.
Director: Neil Burger Writers: Leslie Dixon (screenplay), Alan Glynn (novel) Stars: Bradley Cooper, Anna Friel, Abbie Cornish
Storyline
An action-thriller about a writer who takes an experimental drug that allows him to use 100 percent of his mind. As one man evolves into the perfect version of himself, forces more corrupt than he can imagine mark him for assassination. Out-of-work writer Eddie Morra's (Cooper) rejection by girlfriend Lindy (Abbie Cornish) confirms his belief that he has zero future. That all vanishes the day an old friend introduces Eddie to NZT, a designer pharmaceutical that makes him laser focused and more confident than any man alive. Now on an NZT-fueled odyssey, everything Eddie's read, heard or seen is instantly organized and available to him. As the former nobody rises to the top of the financial world, he draws the attention of business mogul Carl Van Loon (De Niro), who sees this enhanced version of Eddie as the tool to make billions. But brutal side effects jeopardize his meteoric ascent. With a dwindling stash and hit men who will eliminate him to get the NZT, Eddie must stay wired long ...
Limitless Movie Review
You're not supposed to judge a book by its cover, or at least that's what authors tell us. Well motion picture directors would want you to not judge their films by the trailers or posters. Limitless is one of the few recent films to deny the misconceptions from its efficient marketing.
It's sold as Bradley Cooper gets smart drug fix from Robert De Niro then must defeat him through a series of cat and mouse games. In actuality Eddie Morra (Bradley Cooper) is a struggling writer/slob who acquires a drug called NZT-48, a pill that allows him to recall everything from the briefest of encounters. In minutes he is transformed from a guy no one could believe has a book deal to a man no one can do without. Door opens, too many door really. Eddie's problem solving solutions end up fanning the flames of questions around him, and before long it seems that everyone in the city is after him. The intricate dynamics that weave this trail of lies is the best since Match Point (2005).
Cooper's performance totally shocked me. He's able to go from panicked addict to conversationalist genius and back without losing the support of the audience. With no key player for Eddie to confide in or take along for the journey, the supporting performances are little more than plot points. Abbie Cornish, and Robert De Niro don't have nearly as much range to showcase in this screenplay. However with a little change, Anna Friel's one scene could have been expanded into something with more drama and likely give Limitless the emotional impact needed for some to take it seriously.
Enough cannot be said for how amazingly brisk and refreshing the production comes across. Nearly every scene has at least some artistic appeal. This is one of the more attractive films I've seen using the Red digital cameras and I have to give the colorist some praise for the warm palette used to show the influence of NZT-48. Thanks to the mind-altering plot, Limitless is one of the fewer movies where extravagant transitions make sense.
Limitless is indicative of a minor subgenre that sprang up around the dawn of the current millennium; I call this the genre of self-discovery. Examples of these films include Fight Club and The Beach and more examples can be found in Asian cinema (where I also believe Limitless drew inspiration for art direction). The primary goal of these metaphysical pictures is to delve into what makes us tick. Limitless asks the viewer to exam what's holding each of us back from being the perfect versions of ourselves, and by stories end this viewer certainly felt inspired.
I can see room to complain when it comes to the way Limitless approaches relationship. Remember, I'm seeing this as a specialty film about inner exploration and as such I'm allowing for some leeway in how director Neil Burger is able to keep the pace going while focusing almost exclusively on Eddie. Still, I would have appreciated one scene showing how his limitless knowledge afforded him relationship-handling tact.
Limitless has such a breathtaking pace that you aren't going to find the time needed to nitpick. Some of the action at movie's end is resolved with little plausibility, but it's too much fun to attack. At least the title of Limitless offers some truth in advertising.
The Change-Up (2011)
Dave is a married man with three kids and a loving wife, and Mitch is a single man who is at the prime of his sexual life. One fateful night while Mitch and Dave are peeing in a fountain, lightning strikes and they switch bodies.
Director: David Dobkin Writers: Jon Lucas, Scott Moore Stars: Jason Bateman, Ryan Reynolds, Olivia Wilde
Storyline
Growing up together, Mitch (Ryan Reynolds) and Dave (Jason Bateman) were inseparable best friends, but as the years have passed they've slowly drifted apart. While Dave is an overworked lawyer, husband and father of three, Mitch has remained a single, quasi-employed man-child who has never met a responsibility he liked. To Mitch, Dave has it all: beautiful wife Jamie (Leslie Mann), kids who adore him and a high-paying job at a prestigious law firm. To Dave, living Mitch's stress-free life without obligation or consequence would be a dream come true. Following a drunken night out together, Mitch and Dave's worlds are turned upside down when they wake up in each other's bodies and proceed to freak out. Despite the freedom from their normal routines and habits, the guys soon discover that each other's lives are nowhere near as rosy as they once seemed. Further complicating matters are Dave's sexy legal associate, Sabrina (Olivia Wilde) and Mitch's estranged father (Alan Arkin). With time...
The Change-Up Movie Review
Body-swapping comedies are so 80s. But with The Change-Up, David Dobkin, director of the bloke hit The Wedding Crashers, puts a ribald spin to the genre. Those who can't stand scatological jokes and profanity ought to steer clear. Unless you're a Judd Apatow fan. Although in this movie, you should expect much less emotional poignancy.
It is refreshing to see Jason Bateman and Ryan Reynolds take on atypical roles. As the overachieving lawyer Dave with a stiff upper lip, Bateman steps into those loafers comfortably. Often type-casted as the jokester, he is now the model family man who works so hard till his wife, Jamie, feels neglected. On the other hand, Reynolds who mostly comes across as serious or amiable, gets to be the mildly offensive, profanity-spewing lothario, Mitch.
Dave and Mitch have diametrically-opposed characters and they play off each other very well. A hilarious encounter with a Roman statue by a fountain in the park, while they take a leak, allows them to magically swap bodies. Seeing them switch bodies to play opposite personalities and scramble (amusingly) to adapt to their new lives is central to the enjoyment of the movie. And through living each other's lives, they learn to improve themselves.
Dave enjoys independence and freedom from his stifling marriage, while in Mitch's body. At same time, getting jolted and turned off by Mitch's odd sexual partner, lewd profession and bizarre bedhopping antics. Meanwhile, Mitch gets to clean up his bawdiness and straighten up his waywardness while taking on the responsibilities of married life's daily grind, which includes changing the soiled diapers of two impish toddlers.
While the movie adopts the predictable narrative of flawed characters being transformed for the better, the journey is fun and occasionally goes ape. So check your brains at the cinema door and just go with the absurdism.
Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides (2011)
Jack Sparrow and Barbossa embark on a quest to find the elusive fountain of youth, only to discover that Blackbeard and his daughter are after it too.
Captain Jack Sparrow (Depp) crosses paths with a woman from his past (Cruz), and he's not sure if it's love -- or if she's a ruthless con artist who's using him to find the fabled Fountain of Youth. When she forces him aboard the Queen Anne's Revenge, the ship of the formidable pirate Blackbeard (McShane), Jack finds himself on an unexpected adventure in which he doesn't know who to fear more: Blackbeard or the woman from his past.Written by Walt Disney Pictures
Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides Movie Reviews
The Pirates of the Caribbean is (was) a great series. The first movie was ingenious in the way it mixed humor with serious threats and interesting characters. The second movie was a lot more epic, had a giant kraken, more CGI, and really lived up to the first. The third movie dragged out way too long and had so much going on that it was hard to follow. Well the fourth is here and everyone is expecting something epic and... it fails.
From the moment I heard the director of Chicago was making this movie I cringed, because I had no idea how this movie would turn out. The first rule about comedies, or any movie with a humorous main character is that you need a straight man (meaning serious, this has nothing to do with sexuality) but since Will Turner is not in this movie it is just Jack... and Jack alone doesn't really work. Jack was always our favorite character, but without a serious character to carry the plot Jack just feels off. To compensate for the lack of a straight character, Jack has to play a straight man and the comedian... at the same time. Also, Jack Sparrow in this movie doesn't seem as witty or clever as in the other movies, and the villain in this movie was laughable.
Black Beard is the main antagonist in this movie, and he utterly fails as a villain compared to Barbossa, or to Davy Jones. Black Beard doesn't really seem all that threatening, all he has is a ship that he can control, and when he controls his ship with his sword it actually looks kind of stupid. One of the problems in this movie is that everyone's character is changed. Barbossa is now sort of a good guy which really doesn't make sense at all, and Jack Sparrow actually cringes when he sees people dying. There is one scene that seemed rather silly where black beard kills someone by using flamethrowers on his ship, and Jack Sparrow and everyone act like they have never seen someone die. In all of the other movies Jack Sparrow couldn't care less if he let people die, in the second movie he was willing to sell 100 souls to Davy Jones. Either way all of the characters seems off.
There is this stupid love plot between a missionary and a mermaid which had absolutely, I MEAN ABSOLUTELY, nothing to do with the plot. It was just there and it made no sense. The missionary and the mermaid seemed to be there just for the sake of adding romance, but there is already some of that between Jack and Black Beard's daughter.
Another problem with the movie is that action. This movie cannot compare to any of the other movies, and what made the other movies enjoyable were its humorous and unique battles. This movie has none, and there is this whole mermaid battle thing which seemed pretty weird. One of the biggest issues I had is that mermaid sunk a ship. THEY SUNK A SHIP! And they sunk it not by firepower, but by sheer weight... does anybody see a problem with that? There are no witty fights in this movie which is what we have come to expect from a pirates movie. Blackbeard has some zombie henchmen which have nothing to do with the story. Blackbeard also can apparently store ships in a bottle, and he has the black pearl... this makes no sense at all also, and it just seemed like it was thrown in at the last second. Besides wasn't the black pearl taken by Davy Jones, even though Davy Jones is dead.
All in all this movie is only enjoyable for the sake of seeing a few of the pirates characters... actually that would be only three. Jack's dad, Jack, and Barbossa oh and Gibbs. Other than that you do no have the original cast. This movie was a waste of a good franchise, and hopefully no more pirates movies will be made unless they actually know what they are doing... oh yeah this movie was filmed in Hawaii and it is pretty obvious because the scenery looks so off. And a slight problem for some people is that this movie portrays real historical figures but fictionalizing them... that's not a big complaint but it is a little odd seeing as how Black Beard was a real person.
Bridesmaids (2011)
Competition between the maid of honor and a bridesmaid, over who is the bride's best friend, threatens to upend the life of an out-of-work pastry chef.
Director: Paul Feig Writers: Kristen Wiig, Annie Mumolo Stars: Kristen Wiig, Maya Rudolph, Rose Byrne
Storyline
Annie (Kristen Wiig), is a maid of honor whose life unravels as she leads her best friend, Lillian (Maya Rudolph), and a group of colorful bridesmaids (Rose Byrne, Melissa McCarthy, Wendi McLendon-Covey and Ellie Kemper) on a wild ride down the road to matrimony. Annie's life is a mess. But when she finds out her lifetime best friend is engaged, she simply must serve as Lillian's maid of honor. Though lovelorn and broke, Annie bluffs her way through the expensive and bizarre rituals. With one chance to get it perfect, she'll show Lillian and her bridesmaids just how far you'll go for someone you love.
Bridesmaids Movie Review
The most laugh-out-loud moments I've witnessed in a movie theater since There's something About Mary. This should make Wiig a star -- and she deserves it (she has a Meg Ryan quality). The rest of the cast is hilarious also.
This isn't a formula film. The scenes are way longer but you won't notice (because you'll be laughing so hard). They're much richer and funnier because they're given time to unfold.
I'm a guy. I went in with no expectations and came out with a big smile. This is a female driven film (and women will love it) but guys, don't be afraid -- you'll love it too. You won't "look away!" (a joke you'll get after you see the film).
