I was pretty skeptical when I heard that director Justin Lin would be making another Fast/Furious film. While Tokyo Drift was solid, Fast and Furious was lifeless and dull (though that didn’t stop the latter film from making a boatload of cash upon its release). For Universal, a studio that’s had a pretty rough past few years, the Fast/Furious franchise is the closest thing it can get to a sure thing. Right?
In my opinion, Fast Five, which is out in theaters today, is a shot in the arm for a moribund franchise. Not only does it trade on the nostalgia of reuniting virtually every character from the previous films, it also has action set pieces so audacious and ridiculous that they demand to be seen on the big screen (as if to emphasize this, the film is opening in IMAX theaters too).
What did you think of the film? Leave your thoughts in the comments below. Assume SPOILERS lie after the jump.
Read More »
.
Please Recommend /Film on Facebook
Posted on Saturday, April 16th, 2011 by David Chen
There are a lot of questions surrounding the release of Wes Craven’s Scream 4 this weekend. Can Craven still pull off a solid horror thriller? (Obviously the man is a legend, but 2010′s My Soul To Take wasn’t exactly his most impressive work.) Even if Craven succeeds as a director, can he reinvigorate a moribund franchise? And can said franchise, which itself was a shot-in-the-arm to the horror genre during its initial release in 1996, still maintain its relevance in the midst of increasing cynicism in today’s horror cinema?
Be sure to check out Germain’s review of the film, and share your thoughts in the comments below. And assume SPOILERS lie after the jump and in the comments.
Read More »
Graph the trajectory of director David Gordon Green’s career and you’ll probably get a linear, downward slope, where the X-axis is “Time” and the Y-axis is “How Highbrow His Movies Are.” Once known for atmospheric drama/thrillers like Undertow and Snow Angels, Green hit the big time with the stoner comedy Pineapple Express. His latest film, Your Highness, arrives in theaters today and seems to represent Green’s deepening exploration into base, gross-out humor and violence.
Did Your Highness thrill you with its medieval adventures? Did it make you laugh with its horrible accents and its anachronistic banter between stars James Franco and Danny McBride? Let us know in the comments, and assume SPOILERS lie after the break.
Read More »
Duncan Jones’ Source Code hits theaters today, and for sci-fi fans such as myself, it serves as a good indicator of whether or not Jones can continue displaying the filmmaking magic he brought to the ultra-low-budget Moon. Whereas the latter was made on a shoestring budget with only a handful of actors, Source Code has a whole cast of talented actors and a fairly decent budget to play around with. Jake Gyllenhaal playing Colter Stevens, a U.S. soldier who must repeatedly re-live the last 8 minutes of a civilian’s life in order to track down a bomber. Captain Goodwin (Vera Farmiga) hands down directives through a computer screen, while a wildly over-the-top Jeffrey Wright plays Dr. Rutledge, the creator of the program that makes these time-jumping antics possible. Picture Groundhog Day crossed with Deja Vu and you’ll have a pretty good idea how this film unfolds.
What did you guys think of the film? Was Gyllenhaal convincing as the troubled Colter Stevens? Was Jones able to bring a sensibility that transcended the material? Leave your thoughts in the comments. Assume that spoilers lie after the jump.
Read More »
Posted on Saturday, March 12th, 2011 by David Chen
Jonathan Liebesman’s Battle: Los Angeles hits theaters this weekend and it’s a curious beast of a film, a summer blockbuster released in the wintry malaise of March. That being said, it’s probably one of my most anticipated film for quite some time, with a beautiful teaser trailer (embedded below) and a moody, atmospheric marketing campaign that played off of previous, real-life and alleged “alien encounters.”
So did the film live up to its savvy marketing? Was the director of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning able to create a moody, epic, sci-fi war film? Hit the jump for some brief thoughts and leave your own in the comments. As usual, spoilers are allowed after the jump.
Read More »
Posted on Friday, December 24th, 2010 by David Chen
Darren Aronofsky’s Black Swan hit theaters a few weeks ago, but has been expanding wider and wider each week. There’s a good chance that if you live near a theater, you’ll have the opportunity to see it this weekend, and many of you already have (the movie is doing gangbusters at the box office, making over $22 million to date).
Aronofsky hasn’t yet made a film that I haven’t liked/loved and after 2008′s The Wrestler, his name finally began entering the popular consciousness. With Christmas upon us, and many families and couples flocking to the theaters this weekend, we thought it would be a good opportunity to ask: What did you think of Aronofsky’s latest film? Is it a worthy follow-up to The Wrestler? Does it live up to the rest of Aronofsky’s oeuvre? Does Natalie Portman really deliver an Oscar-worthy performance? And what of Mila Kunis, Vincent Cassel, and Winona Ryder? Hit the jump for some brief thoughts, and to leave your own in the comments. Spoilers follow from this point forward.
Read More »
Joel and Ethan Coen hit a small speedbump a few years ago, but the filmmaking brothers are really back on track now. Their latest is True Grit, a new film based on the same Charles Portis novel that spawned the 1969 film of the same name starring John Wayne. It’s the Coens’ first out and out Western, and their second time working with Jeff Bridges and Josh Brolin. The film is also the feature debut of young Hailee Steinfeld. As Mattie Ross, who seeks to avenge the death of her father at the hands of lowlife Tom Chaney, she is the emotional and active center of the film. (Don’t let SAG’s minimizing Best Supporting Actress nomination fool you; the girl is the lead, end of story.)
True Grit is in theaters now, and we want to know what you thought of the film. As is the norm for posts of this type, spoilers follow after the break and are fully allowed in the comments. Read More »
Posted on Friday, December 17th, 2010 by David Chen
After years of hype and anticipation, Joseph Kosinski’s TRON: Legacy finally arrives in theaters today. The trailers promised dazzling visuals, heart-pounding light cycle sequences, a de-aged Jeff Bridges of questionable quality, and a kick-ass score by Daft Punk. Does the final film ultimately deliver?
Share your thoughts in the comments below. SPOILERS are allowed.
Read More »
Cool Posts From Around the Web:
