Recommendations: November 23

Red Dawn - An updated version of the 1984 film, this one is about the invasion of America by the North Koreans.  More importantly, it stars Chris Hemsworth and Josh Hutcherson, which are two good reasons to go see it.

Rise of the Guardians - This year's cute Christmas movie for kids, I've been waiting anxiously to see it since I saw the first trailer for it months ago.  Rise of the Guardians is about what happens when an evil spirit launches an assault on Earth's children, the Immortal Guardians band together in response.  My favourite part of the trailers is the fact that Santa Claus (Alec Baldwin), here called North, really resembles a Russian crime boss.

Life of Pi - Ang Lee's latest, this is based on the book of the same name and follows a young man and a Bengal tiger on one of those life changing journeys - presumably different to many life changing journeys that feature tigers in that the young man does not become food for the tiger.  I'm not sure, I haven't read the book, but IMDb is referring to the tiger as "an unexpected connection" which implies a lack of eating.  Based on the four Ang Lee movies I've seen, I'd say this could either be great or really bad.

Hitchcock - This one's getting a limited release for now, in order to be out in time to be considered for the Oscars - I can't find any word on when, or if, it will be given a further release.  This is based on the life of Alfred Hitchcock (Anthony Hopkins) and his wife Alma Reville (Helen Mirren) around the time that he was filming psycho.  I love the fact that the man who played one of the creepiest villains ever, Dr. Hannibal Lector, is now playing one of the most influential horror film directors ever.

The Expendables 2 - Did everyone see this in theatres?  It really wasn't all that good.  Now, you have the chance to spend more money on it and buy it on DVD - or spend no money on it and download it (which I don't condone at all).

That is, in all honesty, the only new DVD release this week and none of the other releases are all that interesting to me.  So, in celebration of Hitchcock, I'm going to say go watch Psycho (the original, not the 1998 Gus Van Sant remake) or whatever Hitchcock film is your favourite.

The Apple Tree - My favourite Hitchcock is The Birds, which is based on a novellette by Daphne du Maurier.  Both "The Birds" and other stories can be found in du Maurier's collection The Apple Tree.  Check it out if you haven't already.  Just a note, this collection can also be found as The Birds and Other Stories.

The Expendables 2 (2012)

Starring: Sylvester Stallone, Jason Stratham, Jet Li, Dolph Lundgren, Randy Couture, Terry Crews, Chuck Norris, Liam Hemsworth, Jean-Claude Van Damme, Bruce Willis, Arnold Schwarzenegger

Director: Simon West

Genre: Action, Adventure, Thriller

Rating: C

Okay, so I actually really enjoyed this movie.  Like it's predecessor, The Expendables 2 is lame and ridiculous in its plot, but it's also fun and action packed.  I saw this with my little brother and he made the comment that he thought some of the action sequences were extended just so that the movie could be a full length film; I on the other hand thought that the dramatic sequences were extended for the same purpose.

Barney Ross (Stallone) and his crew are back, this time joined by new comer Billy (Hemsworth).  Ross is approached by Church (Willis), who gives him a mission that he's forced to accept - following the events in The Expendables Ross owes Church.  The Expendables travel to Albania to retrieve an item from a safe in a downed plane; they're joined by technical expert Maggie Chan (Yu Nan).  Things go to this from there, and the Expendables come across arms dealer Jean Vilain (Van Damme).

Once again, this movie is lame and ridiculous.  It's fun though, and the action sequences were great.  I actually really liked that I saw it with my brother; periodically we'd turn to each other and make a comment, often along the lines of "do you think x is going to happen, or y?"  The Expendables 2 is horribly predictable, pulling out all the classics of an action movie, but it succeeds in remaining fun while it does so.  My favourite part of the film was the one liners and the fact that they made fun of themselves.  There was probably at least one part of the movie - a stunt, a line, whatever - referencing some other movie that the major players were in.

My one problem with the film is that Liam Hemswroth doesn't really fit into this movie, and sadly not in a good way.  His character clashes with the overall tone of the film and, to be honest, I really didn't buy him as an ex-soldier turned mercenary.  I understood the significance of the character, I just didn't really feel Hemsworth in the role.  He didn't fit in.

The Expendables (2010)

Starring: Sylvester Stallone, Jason Stratham, Jet Li, Dolph Lundgren, Randy Couture, Steve Austin, Terry Crews, Mickey Rourke

Director: Sylvester Stallone

Genre: Action, Adventure, Thriller

Rating: C

This was not a good movie.  The plot was lame, the acting was mediocre, the…. Really, the everything was not good.  The thing that I liked about The Expendables, however, is that it is exactly what it presents itself as.  This movie is little more than a mindless action flick filled with a bunch of old action stars.  It’s not trying to be anything more than that, it’s not pretending to be anything more than that.  Consequently, while the movie itself is definitely bad it’s also fun.

Because the plot technically is important, I’ll summarize the premise.  The Expendables are a group of bikers and elite mercenaries, lead by Barney Ross (Stallone), and composed of a ragtag group of fighters, many of whom look like they’re dangerously close to overdosing on steroids.      Ross is given a contract to overthrow a dictator in an island in the Gulf of Mexico, where things all go to shit.

This movie is unbelievably predictable and ridiculous and tried and tested and true.  And it’s awesome because despite all that it’s fun.  It’s totally the movie that you watch after a long day when you just want to see stuff blow up.  To be fair, though, that’s what most of Stallone’s movies are like, along with most of the rest of the cast.  This isn’t good, but it’s fun.

 

A Late Review

I wasn't able I get my review written for today, so you'll all have to wait until tomorrow. Don't worry, I'll still be doing both Expendables movies.

Recommendations: August 17

Sparkle - I've been seeing the trailers for this a lot lately, and I'm not entirely sure what to make of it yet.  It looks kind of like another Dream Girls except with Whitney Houston... and, honestly, the Whitney Houston part of the equation is probably enough to get me to see it.

The Expendables 2 - The follow up to The Expendables, this movie is trying to prove that there is no such thing as too many older action starts in one movie.  I have no clue what this is about, but I'm totally looking forward to seeing it.

The Hunger Games - The hit movie, based on the hit book, is now available on DVD.  If you didn't see it in theatres, check it out.  If you did see it in theatres, see it again.

Jaws - The classic horror film is being re-released on Blu-Ray, DVD, Digital Combo, and Amazon Instant Video as a part of Universal's 100th Anniversary celebrations.  Just in time to ensure that you don't go to the beach.

The Gargoyle - This book did a bit of a number on me when I read it.  By author Andrew Davidson it tells the story of this cynical and formerly gorgeous male porn star who's in a horrific car crash that horribly scars him.  During his slow recovery he meets Marianne Engel who insists that they were lovers in medieval Germany, and begins to spin their tale.  This is an amazingly written book that makes you question the reality in which it is based the entire time.  I totally recommend it.