Changeling Film Review By Todd Murphy
BOTTOM LINE:With a very strong story, subtly executed and detailed direction, this historical drama about a mother's strong determination to find her kidnapped son is a touching ordeal of love, sacrifice, brutality and police corruption.
THE GOOD:Director Clint Eastwood has served up a rich tapestry of a film in "Changeling", which goes far beyond its initial synopsis of a woman trying to find her kidnapped son despite the police insisting that they have found him and force her to take a child who is not her son. What unfolds on screen is a detailed account of the systematic corruption of the Los Angeles Police Department and the brutality of a serial killer who preys on children, and how the disappearance of Christine Collins' (Angelina Jolie) son is mixed up in all of this treachery. The arrogance and disgusting behaviour of the LAPD, as embodied by the Chief Of Police James Davis (Colm Feore) and Captain J.J. Jones (Jeffrey Donovan) who ultimately throw Christine into a mental asylum and will not release her until she signs a document stating that she was wrong in questioning the police about the handling of her son's case and that the child they brought to her was not her son makes for a touching and excruciating story, even though in the end the hands of the police are forced when the serial killer who may have abducted her child is discovered.
On the other hand, there is also the story of that brutal serial killer who abducts his victims with good words and killing them with an axe on a lonely ranch, and then forcing his child-sidekick to help him. All these stories eventually coalesce, almost be accident as the police detective sent to find the killer's child sidekick was actually there to deport him back to Canada and eventually the kid tells him his horrific tale. An impressive Angelina Jolie puts in a rich performance as Christine Collins, a woman who is strong on the inside but does not always push her point in all cases, befitting the role of the woman in society at the time. As a result, Jolie portrays a unique woman, not all tough, but not all soft either. Clint Eastwood delivers one of his best looking films to date, and his team have carefully recreated the 1920s and 1930s to exacting detail, photographing them with a lovely eloquence and richness that truly make you believe you are there. "Changeling" is an excellent film, brilliantly directed and acted, with a strong story that will engross you from start to finish.
THE BAD: Although Angelina Jolie does an exceptional acting job in this film, her look and her presence as a star do not always match the character she is playing. Christine Collins is strongly interpreted by Eastwood as a woman who is very strong on the inside but does not always show that on the outside; in essence, a character who is in the middle, who can back down if pushed but can also stand up for herself in certain situations. Angelina Jolie unfortunately looks and feels like a tiger of a person, as she always does, and despite her great acting in the film, she still has the look and presence of a tiger which does not quite mix with the character she is portraying. Coupled with the fact that she seems to be crying way too much in this film, even despite the ordeal her character is going through, makes for a small drop in sympathy for her character's plight. Also, Jeffrey Donovan as Captain J.J. Jones is not all that good, and is perhaps the only member of the cast who has trouble performing with any sense of believability. He has a permanent scowl on his face that I think is meant to be interpreted as being a tough, corrupt policeman, but somehow it looks like he is trying too hard. Thankfully his presence in the film is only in effect an extended cameo.
For the original review, follow this link: http://www.allaboutmovies.net/filmreviewchangeling.htm
Todd Murphy is a staff reviewer at the film/DVD review web site, http://www.allaboutmovies.net - for all the latest reviews on the newest releases.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Todd_Murphy
Friday, February 27, 2009
Friday the 13th - A Review of the 2009 Remake
Friday the 13th - A Review of the 2009 Remake By Danny McMonagle
Jason Voorhees is the most hardcore badass to slay his way through the slasher genre no arguments. First emerging as the killer in Friday the 13th part 2 and last seen carrying the head of his defeated foe in Freedy vs. Jason he's stacked himself up a damn good body count with some of the most gloriously over the top killings (JASON X in particular).
But lets face it the Friday the 13th franchise was never that great and after part 3 has continued to deteriorate and stray from the original formula (Horny jocks and nerds getting hacked up at Camp Crystal), taking our 'Hero' away from his setting to New York, Space and Hell until finally pitting him against his other horror franchise heavyweight Freddy.
The only way foward for the hockey masked antagonist was a fresh start which was inevitable in this day and age of endless remakes, sequels and reboots. Made by Michael Bay's production company Platinum Dunes and director of previous remake 'Texas Chainsaw Massacre' Marcus Nispel, the new Friday the 13th is a more grounded and realistic film that still retains elements of the originals formula of Jocks, nerds and girls with enormous boobs, getting up to mischief and recieving grisly deaths.
Events of the first three films are all rolled into one, quickly establishing the backstory of Jason and his mothers demise before offering a sequence that plays like a mini movie establishing a pre hokey masked Jason and the events to follow.
Six weeks later and a fresh bath of vacating teenagers arrive at Camp Crystal for the weekend. Also arriving in town is Clay (Jared Padalecki), who has come to Crystal Lake searching for his sister Whitney who went missing six weeks ago and it's not long before the hapless jocks, nerds bimbo's and token black are targeted by the masked avenger.
The characterization was hardly ever a strong point to the Jason franchise and the filmmakers make no exception here with all of the usual trite cliches and antics that have covered countless times before. But who cares about the characterless cannon fodder.
This is Jason's film and he's better than ever. Derek Mears is a great replacement to Kane Hodder as the new Jason and this time he runs like a maniac, wields an impressive array of makeshift weapons and isn't portrayed as just another mindless meat head but a hunter with survivalist skills using his wits to hack down his victims.
Apart from weak, predictable plotting and weak characterization, the one main drawback to the Friday the 13th is that the deaths aren't as anarchic or wildly inventive as before whilst some of the violent elements have been toned down a little for more grounded and visceral thrills, but there's no denying that this is a very enjoyable slasher film that gives Jason the screen justice he deserves and has all the right elements to please Jason fan's whilst opening up interest to a new market. A follow up will be welcomed.
Danny writes for the famous movie memorabilia site STARSTORE and its blogs, covering the latest and greatest in film, TV, music and comics merchandise and collectibles. For the latest updates from the world of pop culture, check out ====> http://starstoreblog.com
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Danny_McMonagle
Jason Voorhees is the most hardcore badass to slay his way through the slasher genre no arguments. First emerging as the killer in Friday the 13th part 2 and last seen carrying the head of his defeated foe in Freedy vs. Jason he's stacked himself up a damn good body count with some of the most gloriously over the top killings (JASON X in particular).
But lets face it the Friday the 13th franchise was never that great and after part 3 has continued to deteriorate and stray from the original formula (Horny jocks and nerds getting hacked up at Camp Crystal), taking our 'Hero' away from his setting to New York, Space and Hell until finally pitting him against his other horror franchise heavyweight Freddy.
The only way foward for the hockey masked antagonist was a fresh start which was inevitable in this day and age of endless remakes, sequels and reboots. Made by Michael Bay's production company Platinum Dunes and director of previous remake 'Texas Chainsaw Massacre' Marcus Nispel, the new Friday the 13th is a more grounded and realistic film that still retains elements of the originals formula of Jocks, nerds and girls with enormous boobs, getting up to mischief and recieving grisly deaths.
Events of the first three films are all rolled into one, quickly establishing the backstory of Jason and his mothers demise before offering a sequence that plays like a mini movie establishing a pre hokey masked Jason and the events to follow.
Six weeks later and a fresh bath of vacating teenagers arrive at Camp Crystal for the weekend. Also arriving in town is Clay (Jared Padalecki), who has come to Crystal Lake searching for his sister Whitney who went missing six weeks ago and it's not long before the hapless jocks, nerds bimbo's and token black are targeted by the masked avenger.
The characterization was hardly ever a strong point to the Jason franchise and the filmmakers make no exception here with all of the usual trite cliches and antics that have covered countless times before. But who cares about the characterless cannon fodder.
This is Jason's film and he's better than ever. Derek Mears is a great replacement to Kane Hodder as the new Jason and this time he runs like a maniac, wields an impressive array of makeshift weapons and isn't portrayed as just another mindless meat head but a hunter with survivalist skills using his wits to hack down his victims.
Apart from weak, predictable plotting and weak characterization, the one main drawback to the Friday the 13th is that the deaths aren't as anarchic or wildly inventive as before whilst some of the violent elements have been toned down a little for more grounded and visceral thrills, but there's no denying that this is a very enjoyable slasher film that gives Jason the screen justice he deserves and has all the right elements to please Jason fan's whilst opening up interest to a new market. A follow up will be welcomed.
Danny writes for the famous movie memorabilia site STARSTORE and its blogs, covering the latest and greatest in film, TV, music and comics merchandise and collectibles. For the latest updates from the world of pop culture, check out ====> http://starstoreblog.com
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Danny_McMonagle
Monday, February 16, 2009
Push Movie Review
Push Movie Review by Jj Jamson
Push was a movie that promised fast action from the start and looked to end even faster. No wonder it was a big mess.
The movie was about super humans with various powers that governments and criminal organizations around the world seek to control as weapons.
The story took place in Hong Kong where Nick (Chris Evans) and Cassie (Dakota Fanning) had to save Kira (Camilia Belle) from the Division, the branch of the US government that handles super humans. The storyline took the same string of chords from Heroes and the X-Men, but did not quite reach the same note.
It's not so much the acting, but the story telling was incoherent and filled with so much plot holes that movie goers are required to be familiar with the likes of Heroes and X-Men to make sense of the struggles. If we had to draw from outside the Push universe, then the movie is not good. There were too many loose ends.
Perhaps the biggest among the loose ends was toward the end when Nick somehow managed to beat Victor, a fully trained and well experienced field agent. Earlier in the movie, Victor totally wiped Nick and was on the verge of killing him. As far as we know, Nick did not undertake any training to improve his skills to exceed that of Victor by the end of the movie.
Also, was Kira an agent of the Division or not? She defeated an agent in hand-to-hand combat and she knew how to use a gun...
Another problem with Push was that at no point in time did I feel that the main characters were in danger. Maybe it's because I stopped caring.
If Push is to be remembered for anything at all, then it would be for two things: Dakota Fanning's acting and the Pop brothers, played by Kwan Fung Chi and Jackie Heung. Dakota outshined everybody and convincingly played a streetwise 13 year old girl, probably not seen since Jody Foster in a much darker movie, Taxi Driver.
Meanwhile, the Pop brothers could become a cult hit simply because they look funny when using their powers. I definitely see profile icons, screensavers, and windows background with these two.
All in all, I rate the movie 2 out of 5. It's not a complete disaster, but it's not worth the admission of a feature. Perhaps if you're local theaters have a great matinee price or just wait for rental.
About the Author
The author is a web producer and writes freelance on various topics, including "geeky" fun stuff like Transformers movie action figures and, sometimes, more serious subjects, like finding online medical coding schools.
Push was a movie that promised fast action from the start and looked to end even faster. No wonder it was a big mess.
The movie was about super humans with various powers that governments and criminal organizations around the world seek to control as weapons.
The story took place in Hong Kong where Nick (Chris Evans) and Cassie (Dakota Fanning) had to save Kira (Camilia Belle) from the Division, the branch of the US government that handles super humans. The storyline took the same string of chords from Heroes and the X-Men, but did not quite reach the same note.
It's not so much the acting, but the story telling was incoherent and filled with so much plot holes that movie goers are required to be familiar with the likes of Heroes and X-Men to make sense of the struggles. If we had to draw from outside the Push universe, then the movie is not good. There were too many loose ends.
Perhaps the biggest among the loose ends was toward the end when Nick somehow managed to beat Victor, a fully trained and well experienced field agent. Earlier in the movie, Victor totally wiped Nick and was on the verge of killing him. As far as we know, Nick did not undertake any training to improve his skills to exceed that of Victor by the end of the movie.
Also, was Kira an agent of the Division or not? She defeated an agent in hand-to-hand combat and she knew how to use a gun...
Another problem with Push was that at no point in time did I feel that the main characters were in danger. Maybe it's because I stopped caring.
If Push is to be remembered for anything at all, then it would be for two things: Dakota Fanning's acting and the Pop brothers, played by Kwan Fung Chi and Jackie Heung. Dakota outshined everybody and convincingly played a streetwise 13 year old girl, probably not seen since Jody Foster in a much darker movie, Taxi Driver.
Meanwhile, the Pop brothers could become a cult hit simply because they look funny when using their powers. I definitely see profile icons, screensavers, and windows background with these two.
All in all, I rate the movie 2 out of 5. It's not a complete disaster, but it's not worth the admission of a feature. Perhaps if you're local theaters have a great matinee price or just wait for rental.
About the Author
The author is a web producer and writes freelance on various topics, including "geeky" fun stuff like Transformers movie action figures and, sometimes, more serious subjects, like finding online medical coding schools.
Review of Underworld: Rise of the Lycans
Review of Underworld: Rise of the Lycans by Jj Jamson
Rarely do movie prequels are made better than the original or any sequels. But Underworld: Rise of the Lycans is an exception. It has more epic action, more emotion, and more tragedy than the first two.
From the original film, Underworld, the personal hatred between Lucian and Victor was fleshed even though the two characters were rarely seen together, if at all. Rightly so, fans spoke out in various online movie forums and generated enough buzz for the filmmakers to give us this delight of a movie.
In Underworld: Rise of the Lycans, Danny McBride and the writing crew gave us things that we wanted to see:
1. Lucian as a ferocious lycan,2. Viktor as an iron-handed and ruthless vampire warlord,3. Werewolves and vampires pitted in an epic battle, and4. Why Viktor sired Selene into vampirehood.
First off, Lucian was a character we wanted to know more from the first movie. Michael Sheen did a great job creating a hero in Lucian. Born of servitude, Lucian drew us in so that we desired to see the circumstances that broke him out of shackles to fighting the vampires. In Underworld: Rise of the Lycans, we finally saw why Victor and the vampires feared him.
Also, we got to see Viktor as a warlord of death. As a power hungry ruler, he maintained the uneasy truce between humans and vampires. Viktor drew tithings from the local townships in return for protection against the growing population of uncontrollable werewolves who were the predecessors of lycans and the direct offsprings of William (from the second movie, Underworld: Evolution). More importantly, he was also bent on maintaining vampire supremacy over all that lived.
Another great thing about this movie was that it gave us an epic battle between the werewolves and the vampires. The shootout we saw in the initial scenes of the first Underworld was merely a skirmish. In this movie, we got to see an army of vampires defend their castle from a horde of werewolves.
One character we missed in this movie, however, was Selene, played by Kate Beckinsale in the previous two movies. That's ok. The story called for it. We knew from the first two movies why Viktor took to her so much. Selene reminded Viktor of his dear Sonja, the daughter he had condemned to death. And Rhona Mitra delivered brilliantly. Sonja and Selene would look great together as leather clad twins.
All in all, I give this movie a 5 out of 5 and shoot it up to the top of the Underworld series. As a fan, I hope there are future Underworld movies to keep us intrigued. This time, I'd like to see the back story behind Lucian going underground.
About the Author
The author is a web producer and writes freelance on various topics, including "geeky" fun stuff like Transformers movie action figures and, sometimes, more serious subjects, like finding online medical coding schools.
Rarely do movie prequels are made better than the original or any sequels. But Underworld: Rise of the Lycans is an exception. It has more epic action, more emotion, and more tragedy than the first two.
From the original film, Underworld, the personal hatred between Lucian and Victor was fleshed even though the two characters were rarely seen together, if at all. Rightly so, fans spoke out in various online movie forums and generated enough buzz for the filmmakers to give us this delight of a movie.
In Underworld: Rise of the Lycans, Danny McBride and the writing crew gave us things that we wanted to see:
1. Lucian as a ferocious lycan,2. Viktor as an iron-handed and ruthless vampire warlord,3. Werewolves and vampires pitted in an epic battle, and4. Why Viktor sired Selene into vampirehood.
First off, Lucian was a character we wanted to know more from the first movie. Michael Sheen did a great job creating a hero in Lucian. Born of servitude, Lucian drew us in so that we desired to see the circumstances that broke him out of shackles to fighting the vampires. In Underworld: Rise of the Lycans, we finally saw why Victor and the vampires feared him.
Also, we got to see Viktor as a warlord of death. As a power hungry ruler, he maintained the uneasy truce between humans and vampires. Viktor drew tithings from the local townships in return for protection against the growing population of uncontrollable werewolves who were the predecessors of lycans and the direct offsprings of William (from the second movie, Underworld: Evolution). More importantly, he was also bent on maintaining vampire supremacy over all that lived.
Another great thing about this movie was that it gave us an epic battle between the werewolves and the vampires. The shootout we saw in the initial scenes of the first Underworld was merely a skirmish. In this movie, we got to see an army of vampires defend their castle from a horde of werewolves.
One character we missed in this movie, however, was Selene, played by Kate Beckinsale in the previous two movies. That's ok. The story called for it. We knew from the first two movies why Viktor took to her so much. Selene reminded Viktor of his dear Sonja, the daughter he had condemned to death. And Rhona Mitra delivered brilliantly. Sonja and Selene would look great together as leather clad twins.
All in all, I give this movie a 5 out of 5 and shoot it up to the top of the Underworld series. As a fan, I hope there are future Underworld movies to keep us intrigued. This time, I'd like to see the back story behind Lucian going underground.
About the Author
The author is a web producer and writes freelance on various topics, including "geeky" fun stuff like Transformers movie action figures and, sometimes, more serious subjects, like finding online medical coding schools.
Saturday, January 31, 2009
Movies to Look Forward to in 2009
Movies to Look Forward to in 2009 By Musa Aykac
2008 was a great year for movies and they managed to rake in millions for the box office considering the current economic situation. We had the likes of The Dark Knight and Cloverfield not to mention many more. But what does 2009 hold in store for us, in the form of big screen hits? Let us now take a look at some of the upcoming films.
Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen
With the popularity of the previous movie there was bound to be a sequel. Well 2009 sees the return of Shia LaBeouf and Megan Fox for another fully action packed movie. A few years on and the storyline and effects should be much more mind blowing.
Terminator Salvation
Last year we all knew him as Batman, but Christian Bale returns to our screens in 2009 for Terminator Salvation. We will watch as John Connor rallies against the robots in what is bound to be a box office hit.
Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian
The first Night at the Museum film was a surprisingly good one that I did not expect to be as entertaining. Will the sequel match up to the first? Who knows, but we are bound to see more museum exhibits come to life and cause havoc.
Fast & Furious
The fourth in the series returns, but I am not too sure about this one as we see Paul Walker and Vin Diesel reunite. But why haven't they been together in the other ones? The franchise has been affected by bringing in new characters. Can these two actors revive the movie or will this be the finale? Let's wait and see.
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
We can always expect a Harry Potter film to be a success, this is the sixth installment and see's Harry, Hermione, Ron and friends return to Hogwarts and face Lord Voldemort again.
Saw VI
Every year we can expect to see a Saw film released around Halloween time. But for Saw fans this may be the last installment as rumors are speculating that the film has run its course.
There are also many more films that we can expect such as X-Men Origins: Wolverine, Angels & Demons which see's the return of Tom Hanks, Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs, Shutter Island and not to mention the new movies that come out every year which bring us an unexpected treat as they take the box office and critics by storm.
For Heating Oil, Boiler Oil and great Heating Oil Prices
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Musa_Aykac
2008 was a great year for movies and they managed to rake in millions for the box office considering the current economic situation. We had the likes of The Dark Knight and Cloverfield not to mention many more. But what does 2009 hold in store for us, in the form of big screen hits? Let us now take a look at some of the upcoming films.
Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen
With the popularity of the previous movie there was bound to be a sequel. Well 2009 sees the return of Shia LaBeouf and Megan Fox for another fully action packed movie. A few years on and the storyline and effects should be much more mind blowing.
Terminator Salvation
Last year we all knew him as Batman, but Christian Bale returns to our screens in 2009 for Terminator Salvation. We will watch as John Connor rallies against the robots in what is bound to be a box office hit.
Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian
The first Night at the Museum film was a surprisingly good one that I did not expect to be as entertaining. Will the sequel match up to the first? Who knows, but we are bound to see more museum exhibits come to life and cause havoc.
Fast & Furious
The fourth in the series returns, but I am not too sure about this one as we see Paul Walker and Vin Diesel reunite. But why haven't they been together in the other ones? The franchise has been affected by bringing in new characters. Can these two actors revive the movie or will this be the finale? Let's wait and see.
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
We can always expect a Harry Potter film to be a success, this is the sixth installment and see's Harry, Hermione, Ron and friends return to Hogwarts and face Lord Voldemort again.
Saw VI
Every year we can expect to see a Saw film released around Halloween time. But for Saw fans this may be the last installment as rumors are speculating that the film has run its course.
There are also many more films that we can expect such as X-Men Origins: Wolverine, Angels & Demons which see's the return of Tom Hanks, Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs, Shutter Island and not to mention the new movies that come out every year which bring us an unexpected treat as they take the box office and critics by storm.
For Heating Oil, Boiler Oil and great Heating Oil Prices
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Musa_Aykac
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