Movie Schizo

random movie musings

Archive for category Action

Percy Jackson & The Lightning Thief

Mar 4

Posted by Helmut in Action, Adventure | 1 Comment

Percy Jackson & The Lightning Thief PosterOriginally I hadn’t planned on watching this movie, but Percy Jackson & The Olympians: The Lightning Thief turned out to be the entertainment I needed on a night when I didn’t feel like thinking much.

Percy Jackson is an ordinary teenager. He lives with his mom and her horrible boyfriend. He goes to school every day. But something is about to change. When Zeus’s lightning bolt is stolen, Zeus suspects Poseidon’s son of this deed, and demands the return of the bolt – otherwise a war of the gods would ensue. And you’ve guessed it – Percy is Poseidon’s son. Except he doesn’t know it. And he didn’t steal the lightning bolt. And so begins his quest to find the real thief and return the lightning bolt.

This movie is good, mindless fun if you don’t want to be intellectually stimulated. If you just feel like switching off for 2 hours, to get away from every-day life, and you don’t mind Harry-Potter-type movies, this could do the job for you. Even though I haven’t seen all the Harry Potter movies (only saw the first two), I like this movie more.

There’s really not much more to this movie. It was fun watching it, but it’s nothing to write home about.

Technorati Tags: , , , ,

Tags: , , , ,

The Spy Next Door

Feb 12

Posted by Helmut in Action, Comedy, Family, Spy | 2 Comments

The Spy Next Door Movie PosterHow hard is it, as a foreigner, to learn English over many years of acting in English movies? Apparently very. While Jackie Chan is great for action and combat scenes, he still can’t string together a sentence with each word pronounced correctly. I would have expected a little more.

His latest Hollywood movie, The Spy Next Door, is a laugh. But not for the right reasons. I found myself laughing at a lot of things that are just totally unrealistic and seem a bit stupid. But I guess this film wasn’t intended for intelligent, discerning adults that expect a certain level of sophistication. It’s probably better suited as a family movie that parents watch with their kids. At that level it would probably not seem so… simple.

The first thing that irked me was the relationship between Bob (played by Jackie Chan) and Gillian (played by Amber Valletta). We don’t get any back story or anything to help us identify with their relationship. It’s just suddenly there. And I couldn’t feel it at all. It didn’t make any sense why two totally different people like that would fall in love. Not that it couldn’t happen, but with no background it’s harder to believe.

The bottom line is this: it’s more of a family movie (if your family includes kids), so just bare that in mind if you do decide to go watch it. If you approach it as such, you might enjoy it a lot more. :)

Technorati Tags: , ,

Tags: , ,

Sherlock Holmes: Elementary, my dear Jude.

Jan 8

Posted by Helmut in Action, Crime | No Comments

Sherlock HolmesI didn’t quite know what to expect of Sherlock Holmes (2009, directed by Guy Ritchie). In fact, I hadn’t even seen the trailer yet. But nonetheless I wanted to see what was going to be so elementary in this movie. The movie, based on the books (which I haven’t read) by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle chronicles one of the first cases that Holmes (played by Robert Downey Jr) and Watson (played by Jude Law) tackle together. After catching and imprisoning Lord Blackwood (played by Mark Strong) for several murders and practising black magic, the case seems wrapped up. But when Lord Blackwood mysteriously rises from the dead to continue his killing spree, Holmes and Watson dive back into the case, putting both of their lives in grave danger.

What struck me most about the movie was Holmes’s character. He’s very rough around the edges, socially ill-equipped, and doesn’t really fit into society. Sherlock Holmes always seemed more brain to me, but this time around he showed lots of brawn as well. I’m not sure how closely this corresponds to the books, though, since I haven’t read any of them. But something about the character seemed very familiar. I couldn’t put my finger on it, until my wife mentioned parallels to Gregory House (played by Hugh Laurie), from House MD. And thinking about it, the character of House was quite extensively modeled on the character of Holmes. It will certainly change the way I watch House MD from now on.

I enjoyed Sherlock Holmes, and thought some of the logical connections in the case were done very cleverly. Before watching the movie, I was gonna bet that the film would end with a setup for a sequel. And it did. As the film is concluded, the connection to Professor Moriarty is made, very strongly hinting at a sequel. But don’t wait for that! Go and see Sherlock Holmes now. If you like detective stories with some good physical action, you’ll find it very entertaining.

Technorati Tags: , , , , , , , ,

Tags: , , , , , , , ,

Review: Avatar (2009)

Jan 3

Posted by Helmut in Action, Adventure, Fantasy, Science Fiction | 2 Comments

AvatarTo round off 2009, Avatar (written and directed by James Cameron) provided some technically brilliant entertainment. Having developed brand new technology over the last years to make this film possible, Cameron delivers some of the most stunning visuals ever seen on the big screen. Realistic scenery coupled with life-like aliens and great animation makes Avatar one of the more enjoyable movies of 2009. Here’s a basic summary of what it’s about (skip to the next paragraph if you already know): Jake Sully (Sam Worthington) is sent to Pandora on a special mission – infiltrate the Na’vi as one of them, and find out how to make them move out of their home, which lies above one of the richest Unobtainium deposits known. The corporation that employs Sully was established on Pandora to mine this Unobtainium, the most valuable substance known to man, and they are prepared to do anything to get what they want. As Sully learns more and more about the Na’vi, he begins to see things from their perspective, and thinks about switching sides. And thus this internal struggle leads to a huge conflict that can only be solved one way.

There are several issues that Avatar deals with. Most of these are only hinted at, though, and so we are left to draw our own conclusions. Jake Selinger has some interesting thoughts on his blog (The Story’s Story), where he talks about the anti-technology and anti-corporation themes that some people see in this movie. I tend to agree that these themes are not very strong in the movie, and don’t make sense when most blockbuster movies are solely approved based on their profit-making ability. The anti-technology argument seems quite weak, as nowhere in the movie is this point raised distinctly. In fact, the Na’vi have their own “technologies” that they use to fight the humans, however primitive (from the human’s perspective) or different they might be.

The anti-corporation argument has more weight, though. But, even though the evil corporation is what is threatening the Na’vi’s existence, the film puts much more weight on the evil leader of the corporation’s “military”, and his obsession to get his way. Colonel Quaritch is really the antagonist here. And while he works for the corporation, it’s his ego that mostly causes the conflict. So what we have is, in fact, just a simple “evil guy vs. good guy” scenario.

As a whole, the plot doesn’t present any unusual elements that we haven’t seen before. Nonetheless, Cameron pulls it off expertly, giving us a thrilling experience including action, adventure, romance, and comedy. I highly recommend Avatar. It entertains like little else in 2009.

Technorati Tags: , , , , , ,

Tags: , , , , , ,

The Hurt Locker

Dec 26

Posted by Helmut in Action, Art, War | No Comments

The Hurt LockerOne of the most unique war movies recently was The Hurt Locker. While the movie doesn’t have a plot in the classical sense, it does a brilliant job of showing you what the war in Iraq is like. Jeremy Renner plays Sgt. William James, who joins a bomb diffusing squad after their last commanding officer tragically died trying to diffuse a bomb. Sgt. James now leads the team, continuing their duty in the middle of a war-torn Iraq.

The squad is made up of vastly differing personalities, each having their own issues and quirks. While the rest of the movie doesn’t have a continuing story, it portrays each of the characters as they perceive the different challenges they face. The pressures of their job start to affect some of them, while others seem unaffected.

The stand-out character for me was Sgt. James, who is portrayed as fearless in life threatening situations. Watching how the others try to cope with this addition to the team becomes one of the most fascinating parts of the movie. I would recommend The Hurt Locker to anyone who enjoys a modern war movie that makes you think.

Technorati Tags: , , ,

Tags: , , ,

Surrogates: From 1st draft to movie in 1 step

Dec 16

Posted by Helmut in Action, Crime, Science Fiction, Thriller | 1 Comment

SurrogatesOne of the worst thought-out movies this year for me was Surrogates. I’ll explain in a moment. First, a basic run-down of what happens.

Some years into the future people live their lives through robotic replicas of themselves, called Surrogates, while sitting at home in a “stim chair”, through which they can control their surrogate as if it was them. Tom Greer (Bruce Willis) is an FBI agent who is called to investigate the first murder in many years. The victim was killed when someone destroyed their surrogate. When Tom’s own Surrogate is damaged beyond repair during his investigation, Tom must go out into the real world himself. Subsequently he discovers a web of lies as the conspiracy deepens.

Surrogates feels like a first draft that was never revised. It’s as if they asked some 12-year old to write down some ideas, and then they just went with that. Here are some examples:

  • At the beginning of the movie they state that 99% of the world’s population live their lives through surrogates. So, apparently at least one billion people, who live in poverty, could suddenly afford to buy a high-tech robot, along with a docking station built into their shack somewhere in Africa. And then what? Do they use their surrogate to fetch water every day? I don’t think so.
  • It is also stated that since surrogates were invented, crime has been almost eradicated. Specifically, they say that there hasn’t been a murder in years. So let me see. If I were a criminal, and suddenly I could conduct my crime using a robot, instead of putting my own life on line, I’m sure I wouldn’t just give up my illegal activities. And wouldn’t murder be so much easier? You’d know exactly where everyone was. At home, sitting in their “stim chair”.

Don’t get me wrong. The concept of surrogates is a great idea, but they went with assumptions that don’t make sense at all, and so the whole story is built on a shaky foundation. And the movie was less exciting than I expected. If you look at the trailer, it looks like an action/thriller. But the movie doesn’t have any more action than what is visible in the trailer. The rest is rather slow-paced and not really that interesting.

So, in the end, watching Surrogates was a rather disappointing experience. I wouldn’t recommend it, unless it doesn’t bother you that the basis of the story makes little sense. If you disagree with my thoughts, I’d be interested to hear what you thought; leave a comment below. :-)

Technorati Tags: ,

Tags: ,

2012: That’s so NOT going to happen

Dec 15

Posted by Helmut in Action, Thriller | No Comments

2012At some point, this world will come to an end. 2012 presents us with one option of how this could happen (WARNING: spoilers ahead). A huge solar flare causes neutrino’s to react weirdly, raising the temperature of the Earth’s core. Who knows why. This causes all of the earth’s crust to “detach” and shift by over a thousand miles. Of course this brings with it total chaos and destruction. Jackson Curtis (John Cusack) is a failed author who is caught in the middle of this disaster, and spends the whole movie saving his ex-wife Kate (Amanda Peet) and their children from certain death. Their journey includes the Yellowstone National Park, two airplane trips, crashing in snow-covered mountains in China, and sneaking onto the biggest ship ever made as stowaways.

This movie was very long and entertaining. But, considering that it tried to portray something that could possibly happen one day, it was one of the most unrealistic movies I’ve ever seen. But in this case, it worked out quite well, since it made me laugh out loud at several points. It was just ridiculously funny how improbable the plot became. There were even a few times where it became so corny, I just wanted to shout out, “Oh, come on!”

Even though the movie might not have been very realistic, it did a good job of beating some other similarly themed “end of the world” movies, like The Day After Tomorrow. 2012 was a more spectacular production, and felt more worth it. If you’re going to end the world, at least make it go down in flames. ;-)

Another little aspect about 2012 that interested me was how human greed and selfishness could take over in such a situation and, for some (actually most), destroy the basic right to life. At least that part of the movie was realistic.

If you’ve seen 2012, would you say it makes your top 10 of the most unrealistic movies every made? What other movies would make it onto your list? For me, Surrogates is also definitely in there. But don’t get me started on that…

Technorati Tags: , , , , ,

Tags: , , , , ,

Random thoughts: G.I. Joe – The Rise of Cobra (2009)

Aug 15

Posted by Helmut in Action | No Comments

G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra

G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra

What is G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra about? Not much, if you ignore the action. But then the movie would only be a few minutes long. So let’s not ignore the action. But what is the action about, then? That’s also quite simple. It’s about “cool” places, weapons, stunts, and destroying stuff. I use quotes when saying “cool” because these things are intended to be cool. I must admit that some of the weapons and places are quite cool, but the stunts and explosions are not exactly ground-breaking.

Then there’s the humour. There were amusing moments, but I got the feeling that the writers were trying too hard to be funny in some scenes. And this didn’t mix that well with the semi-seriousness that was also present. This left the atmosphere hanging somewhere in between, with no clear theme. Mind you, not many films achieve the perfect balance between action and comedy. One movie that immediately comes to mind that does it really well is The Fifth Element. I believe that should be used as a template for movies like G.I. Joe.

I’m not going to go into any details of the story except to say that evil people get their hands on a weapon that “eats” away anything and everything in its path, and the G.I. Joe’s have to stop them. If you want to know more, read up about it on IMDB, or go watch the movie. It does entertain. Stars to see are Channing Tatum, Sienna Miller, and Dennis Quaid.

Technorati Tags: , , ,

Tags: , , ,