Second Opinion - Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides (2011)

Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, 2011.



Directed by Rob Marshall.

Starring Johnny Depp, Penélope Cruz, Ian McShane, Geoffrey Rush, Kevin McNally, Richard Griffiths, Stephen Graham, Judi Dench, Greg Ellis, Damian O’Hare, Gemma Ward, Roger Allam and Keith Richards.





SYNOPSIS:



Captain Jack Sparrow crosses paths with Black Beard (Ian McShane) and his enigmatic daughter Angelica (Penelope Cruz) on a quest to find the Fountain of Youth.





Part four and counting, Walt Disney Pictures continues its one time trilogy into a, for now, quartet of a film franchise. Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides returns to the screen with basically some of its original, cheery-eyed cast intact. Usuals and choice favorites, Orland Bloom & Keira Knightley, chose not to reprise their roles. But everyone’s lovable and normally deceitful captain sailed his way back onto the theater. Johnny Depp as Jack Sparrow, excuse me, Captain Jack Sparrow is with new direction this time. Rob Marshall picks up directing duties from the franchises normal head, Gore Verbinksi.



When we last found Captain Sparrow (Johnny Depp) he had set sail in a tiny dinghy in the direction of the Fountain of Youth. By now, four years later, you would think that maybe he has found it. You would be incorrect because movie time has never quite equaled real-life time. Not only has he not yet found these legendary waters but we find his first mate, Mr. Gibbs (Kevin McNally), on trial with the court believing that he is in fact Sparrow. After exchanging some dazzling pleasantries with the King of England’s superior guards, with them in pursuit of him, Sparrow crosses paths with someone from his past. Enter the still very beautiful Penelope Cruz as Angelica, yet another female that the womanizing Sparrow has “loved and left”.



After having some very choice words for him, Angelica sort of recruits Jack for her ship to help her crew and captain search for the Fountain so that they may claim it as their own. Her captain proves to be no ordinary pirate as Jack discovers that the ship he has been attached to is headed by none other than the infamous evil pirate Black Beard (Ian McShane). They then all find themselves in a race against the English as well as the Spanish, who were the first ones to learn of the whereabouts of the Fountain, to delight in the wonders that the mystical waters from the Fountain will bring them.



Writing duo, Ted Elliot and Terry Rossio, also make a return to pen the screenplay for this latest chapter as they did the first three. Disney has got a real franchise here on their hands and Elliot and Rossio among others get to reap the benefits. I think it’s safe to say that it is time for me to sit down and write out some kind of a screenplay. Before going to see this film, I felt that the absence of Bloom and Knightley’s characters would yield a hole in the story and provide a lack of screen presence. I find my theory to be both right and wrong after seeing it.



The movie and story packs enough substance to carry it all the way through without losing the audience’s attention. But at times, the lack of their appearances might be missed. The other characters did receive plenty of time on screen due to this. Some points felt like it was too much but it did a good job of turning your attention to some other aspect within the plot as not to over saturate the film with just one dimension.



As usual, the action and stunt sequences were enjoyable. Packed with quick movements, sword fights, plenty of banter and that famous Pirates score that I enjoy so much. Depp did pull plenty of action duty where it would have normally gone to Orlando Bloom attempting to fight his way out of a jam wielding his sword. Even Cruz had her stunt and sword play moments. I couldn’t really complain about the film in that department. Can’t complain about any of the films in that department now that I think about it. They’ve done a pretty good job being consistent in that aspect.



Black Beard played the film’s main antagonist, showing no mercy where normal men would. With his steady hand and control of his ship, Queen Anne’s Revenge, you can tell that he is definitely one pirate that you do not want to mess with. This Pirates was different in the fact that it was filmed primarily in Hawaiian waters as opposed to the usual Caribbean where the previous three were shot. Still, the tropical back drop and clear waters served their purpose providing an ideal environment for pirating all the same.



I did not see this one in 3D, it being the first Pirates film that I’ve actually seen in theaters, but still enjoyed it nonetheless. It is reported that there is a fifth one which already has a script finished in the works. This last one, as the others have, definitely left a medium sized window open for another sequel. I give Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides “4 zombie-fied pirates & killer mermaids out of 5”



“I wish to agree with the missionary’s position”

Sean Guard

Follow me on Twitter @SilentScribbler



Movie Review Archive

Second Opinion - Thor (2011)

Thor, 2011.



Directed by Kenneth Branagh.

Starring Chris Hemsworth, Natalie Portman, Tom Hiddleston, Stellan Skarsgård, Colm Feore, Ray Stevenson, Idris Elba, Kat Dennings, Rene Russo, Anthony Hopkins, Jaimie Alexander, Joshua Dallas, Tadanobu Asano, Clark Gregg, Jeremy Renner and Samuel L. Jackson.



SYNOPSIS:



Cast out of Asgard by his father Odin (Anthony Hopkins), Thor (Chris Hemsworth) arrives on Earth and must defend humanity from the threat of his power hungry brother Loki (Tom Hiddleston).





Marvel movie number whatever it is right now is the second big film of the summer. I only say that because Fast Five has proved itself to be the first. Even though it is still officially Spring, the mega-blockbusters are beginning to roll themselves into theaters. Hopefully so that many moviegoers will roll green-colored- paper out of their wallets and roll their butts into the seats. Thor is one of many links on the path towards Marvel’s eventual Avengers destination. The next link on this road will be Captain America: The First Avenger, which just might turn out to better than this step.



Chris Hemsworth takes on the role of the god of Thunder and the heir to Odin’s, the king of Asgard, (Anthony Hopkins) throne. From the beginning of the film, the audience can sense the jealousy that is pulsating from Loki (Tom Hiddleston), Thor’s younger brother. When the day finally arrives for him to realize his destiny as King, the eldest prince proves that he truly isn’t ready. He carries himself with a brash and recklessness of a warrior but not a leader. After there is a breach in security by the Frost Giants, enemies to Odin and the people of Asgard, Thor instantly wishes to declare war upon them. Not even the strict forbiddance of this by his father deters the eventual hero from paying the race of giants a visit.



Thor enlists the help of his closest friends and allies to join him on the journey and without surprise nearly gets them killed. For this defiance, King Odin banishes his son, along with his legendary hammer, to the realm of none other than good ‘ol Earth. Here he meets, more like is nearly critically injured by her car, a mortal named Jane Foster (Natalie Portman). Is it me or has she been in absolutely every movie this year? After he discovers that his hammer has been confiscated by S.H.E.I.L.D., he sets out to retrieve it. Back home, after King Odin has fallen ill, Loki replaces him as king and attempts to instill his own devious plans. He wants to rule over Asgard and make sure that his brother remains banished.



Before getting into what I disliked about the film, I’ll talk about what I enjoyed. The first half hour takes place in the other realm, within Asgard. There’s an action scene that pits Thor and his squad of warriors against the Frost Giants, most of whom are CGI-creations. The special effects that were used to make this scene were great. Crisp filming and detailed character depictions made for a very engaging fight scene. When it finally shifted back to puny Earth, I thought to myself how the movie could have possibly taken place in its entirety in Asgard and been great. But that wouldn’t exactly follow the story of Thor and set things up for The Avengers, would it?



I kind of hate to say it but after that, it kind of slid downhill for me. There were many portions that progressed the movie rather slowly, including the mini-romance between our hero and Natalie Portman. Someone should tell Mila Kunis and Ashton Kutcher that their sex buddy is getting wooed by a God. Until he realizes that his home world is in jeopardy, Thor is somewhat of a jerk. Demanding things and talking down to everyone, you can tell why his father banished him. But watching him trying to interact with mere humans does provide some humor. Of course there’s the shirtless shot for the ladies and the glimpse of a future Marvel hero who is currently working for S.H.I.E.L.D for the comic fans.



Superhero flicks are never known for their acting quality so I wasn’t extremely surprised by the lack of superb attempts in this film. Even Oscar-winner Hopkins and veteran Rene Russo who played Thor’s mother couldn’t save the movie from that. Also, there wasn’t much action. It was pretty much whatever you saw in the trailers plus the “epic” end-fight which all hero movies have that contained all of the action scenes. Although Loki is helmed as Thor’s main antagonist throughout the comics and the film, I sort of saw where his character was coming from. He was possibly the wisest one after his father but no one wanted to take him seriously. I think that would push anyone to turn evil, don’t you? That’s how major corporations come tumbling down and tragic school shootings come about.



Overall, I think Thor would be a good, fun movie to take the kids to see. I’m not quite sure if die-hard comic fans would agree but how many times has Hollywood gotten these kinds of adaptations correct. Even with them being produced by Marvel Studios themselves. The God of Thunder may have possibly proved to be the God of a mild but relaxing rainstorm. I personally would claim X2: X-Men United, Spider-Man 2, and Iron Man as the best that Marvel has put out thus far. I give Thor “3.5 after-the-credit-waits only to be disappointed out of 5”.



“Do you want me to take him down or would you rather send in more guys for him to beat up?”

Sean Guard

Follow me on Twitter @SilentScribbler



Movie Review Archive

DVD Review - Unthinkable (2010)

Unthinkable, 2010.

Directed by Gregor Jordan.
Starring Samuel L. Jackson, Michael Sheen, Brandon Routh, Carrie-Anne Moss, Stephen Root, Gil Bellows, Martin Donovan, Yara Shahidi, Sasha Roiz and Vincent Laresca.


SYNOPSIS:

A black-ops interrogator and an FBI agent have just two days to press a terror suspect into revealing the location of three nuclear bombs primed to detonate in the US.


There are terrorist movies and then there are TERRORIST movies. Unthinkable, in my opinion, falls into the latter. We’ve all seen the films that have the Islamic-motivated individuals who have done something extreme to prove either a political or personal point at the expense of others. They are fearless, clever and more than willing to die for their country and beliefs. This thriller has all of this but it takes it to another level.

Steven Arthur Younger (Michael Sheen) or Yusuf Atta Mohammed, which he prefers to be referred as is an American man who has made the conversion to Islam. He has placed three bombs in three American cities, all set to explode on the same day at the same time. Yes, and all of them are of the nuclear nature. He purposely allows himself to be captured by the U.S. government and is then subjected to special forms of “interrogation” by a man called “H” (Samuel L. Jackson). H has been specially hired by the government for his unique skills to deal with these specific kinds of situations. In addition, an FBI Special Agent, Helen Brody (Carrie-Anne Moss) is requested by H to assist him in extracting the unknown locations of the nuclear bombs from Younger.

Immediately upon meeting him, Younger is shown, or better yet feels, what exactly H does. To say the least, Brody is completely against H’s tactics and tries to convince him to stop. Yeah, like that was really going to happen. Throughout the film, many ideas and theories are thrown around by those conducting the investigation as to whether Younger’s threats are even legit. But the “Islamic-motivated” man assures them that he will not disclose any information until his demands are met. Demands that consist of Muslim countries being left alone and U.S. troops being withdrawn from Islamic areas. By stating these requests, he makes everyone aware that he not only wants justice for the horrors that have been done to his Muslim brothers and sisters but also peace and rest for his American people. The events that take place during the rest of the film, including some very unorthodox techniques of trying to get him to talk, makes for a whirlwind of a movie and definitely edge of your seat material.

The story was written by Oren Moverman and Peter Woodward is grossly engaging and I do mean grossly. Although some scenes are not for the faint of heart, director Gregor Jordan does a good job of not making it all about the gore. The interaction between the characters and back and forth of the plotline keeps the audience guessing without managing to lose any eyeballs watching the screen. It doesn’t take very long to get off the ground, delivering an open scene of Younger making his initial video demands. After that, it’s off to the races as we are introduced to Special Agent Brody and H as they are made aware of the possible consequences at hand.

Moss’ FBI character we can tell is somewhat of a light hard-ass, if that makes any sense. She is all about business and achieving results with very limited time for fun and games. But at the same time when compared to Jackson’s H, she is probably more human than we ever guessed. As with many of his roles, Samuel L. Jackson’s character is cool and extremely confident. He acknowledges what needs to be done and never hesitates at his tasks at hand. You like him but at other times you want to label him as a real a******.

I wanted to find something wrong with this movie. Only because I don’t normally hand out perfect scores but I couldn’t. Some may feel that it is simply a pile of processed and rehashed political/terrorism mumbo jumbo while trying to entertain its audience. But I feel that it dives very deep into the harsh reality of what is going on in the world today; bottom line is that there’s a war going on. We don’t know if it will ever stop but we do know that there are people out there who will go the ever seeing distance to make sure they feel retribution for evils done to them and their families. Sheen’s terrific performance as our antagonist provides Hollywood-style proof of this.

I’m sorry I slept on this direct-to-DVD gem so that’s why I’m suggesting it to well, everyone. I give Unthinkable “5 reasons why you can’t prosecute someone without fingernails out of 5”.

“Every man, no matter how strong he is, lies to himself about something”

Sean Guard
Follow me on Twitter @SilentScribbler

Movie Review Archive

Second Opinion - Sucker Punch (2011)

Sucker Punch, 2011.



Directed by Zack Snyder.

Starring Emily Browning, Abbie Cornish, Jena Malone, Vanessa Hudgens, Jamie Chung, Oscar Isaac, Carla Gugino, Jon Hamm and Scott Glenn.





SYNOPSIS:



Locked in an institution against her will, a young woman fights for her freedom in a vivid dream world that blurs the boundaries between what is real and what is imaginary.





Bringing us visual delights such as 300 and Watchmen, director Zack Snyder transfers another epic green screen production into theaters. This time around our heroes are not muscled warriors nor do they have super powers. Well not unless you consider the ability to fight giant samurai and even bigger dragons while wearing tiny outfits a super power. Sucker Punch tells the visually-powered tale of a young girl desperately trying to escape an institution that her step-father admits her to against her will.



Emily Browning plays the lead role of Baby Doll. Following the death of her mother, she is placed in an all girl institution by her step dad. While there she meets four other young girls whom she befriends; Sweet Pea (Abbie Cornish), her sister Rocket (Jena Malone), Blondie (Vanessa Hudgens) and Amber (Jamie Chung). After struggling at first to deal with being locked away, Baby Doll is able to retreat to a type of alternate reality within her imagination which allows her to cope with her troubles. During these trips into this reality, she comes across a Wise Man (Scott Glenn) who instructs her that she needs to find five things in order to escape her prison.



She decides to include the other girls in on her plan to earn her freedom. They all agree to help her in hopes of also finally being able to put this place behind them forever. Their journey’s into this fantasy world pits them against random virtual enemies. Warriors, Nazi soldiers and fighting robots all attempt to prevent them from reaching their ultimate goal: to set themselves free.



Along with his wife and production partner, Deborah, Zack Snyder really goes all out when it comes to creating this world projected from the imagination of Baby Doll. “Over the top” is probably the best way to describe the visuals on this film. But in this type of film, the all out special effects are expected and much welcomed. Seeing this movie in IMAX probably fulfilled the effect that Snyder, who also helped write the screenplay, was originally going for. It had just the right mixture of super-slow motion and sparkle-dazzle to make it impressive.



It’s quite obvious that the majority of the effort put into this project went into the special effects because no one will win any acting awards here. Especially not Browning even in the lead role. She’s nice to look at in her school girl outfit battling mythical foes but she spares us of displaying any kind of actual acting talent. The rest of the cast pretty much follows suit. Only Carla Gugino who plays Madam Gorski really used any skill by throwing on a Russian accent for her character.



The costumes were well placed for a PG-13 rating, having sex appeal but being very tastefully done. Everyone was wearing some obvious pretty heavy make-up throughout the film, even Browning’s character before she had even entered the institution. Another plus for the movie, however, was the music used to fuel the fantasy world and fight scenes. Hearing, no not hearing, but feeling the score pound through the speakers in IMAX surround sound was a pleasure. Decent story with a couple of unexpected turns here and there, Snyder put in some work writing the story. But I did feel like the ending was kind of rushed.



The combat and gun fights alongside the special effects were the best spectacle of the film, if you weren’t able to already guess that from all of the trailers. Although we’ve no doubt seen bullets fly in slow motion, it was still good to see in this one. That and witnessing swords slowly slice their way through opposing enemy robots were all pretty well done. Chock up one more fantasy thrill ride for Mr. Snyder. I give Sucker Punch “3.5 much needed escapes into a violent fantasy world in order to deal with your problems out of 5”. Try it some time, it might even help you too.



“If you don't stand for something, you'll fall for anything.”

Sean Guard

Follow me on Twitter @SilentScribbler



Movie Review Archive

Special Features - True Blood: Try a sip, you might like it

Sean Guard sinks his teeth into the popular US vampire series True Blood...

Unless you happen to be dead yourself, you should know about the undead craze that is blanketing our planet. By undead I by no means am speaking of anything that slid out of the creative mind of one George A. Romero. I am, however, referring to a certain race of supernatural beings that are called vampires. Yes, the other undead. They are immortal, super-strong, very fast, drink blood, have skin that literally pales in comparison to a humans, and can apparently fly in some story variations.

Perhaps my most fondest memories of the fanged blood-lusters are from one of my most coveted television series, Buffy the Vampire Slayer. I mean yeah, I initially watched it because of the high degree of hotness that was Sarah Michelle Gellar. I thought she was extremely “purty”. But the drama powered storylines as well as the comic relief and surprising relation to real life teenage angst despite the fictitious characters forced me to continue coming back for more. I then gravitated on over to Angel, its spin-off, when it finally debuted. Joss Whedon happens to be something of a genius. Since those very classic good times, different ideas and variations of vampires have been slung upon us to hopefully accept and eventually love.

After somewhat ignoring a small plea from a friend to use my ever so valuable time to peruse the third season of a particular show titled True Blood, I accidentally found myself watching it along with my aunt. I also found myself incorrect in thinking that it was only for the younger demographic. I’m sure my aunt won’t appreciate being called old so I will take time to say that I am not doing that. But I was a little shocked that she watched the show, consistently. I must have caught the last 20 minutes of an episode towards the end of the season and saw nothing but blood, sex, guts, male-on-male sex, and then more blood. I thought to myself, “there’s a storyline somewhere in here?”

After giving in and watching the first season, I discovered that the answer to my question was a definitive “yes”. The series created by Alan Ball is based upon a series of novels authored by Charlaine Harris. Entitled The Southern Vampire Mysteries or The Sookie Stackhouse Chronicles, the series currently has a total of 10 books with three more slated for the future. The show, which airs on HBO and rightfully so with the amount of blood and “nudy-parts”, has finished its third season as of last summer and has been confirmed to return for a fourth during this years’ hot month period.

Anna Paquin plays our main character of Ms. Sookie Stackhouse. You can tell she’s a southern raised lady who has absolutely no problem about sharing what’s on her mind. This makes her character quite annoying at times but she’s a determined female that needs to be heard. She’s a hottie, no doubt about that, but she’s also a virgin. Patiently waiting for that special, and deserving, guy who earns the right to nestle within that untouched haven she keeps to herself.

This of course all changes when she meets Bill Compton, an old vampire also from the south who has made his way to the fictional town of Bon Temps, LA to settle down. He takes up residence in a house that belonged to his family while he was still human. When Sookie’s eyes fall upon Bill, the sense of instant attraction is there and they soon find themselves carrying on a relationship. Sookie’s best friend, Tara, is one of the few African-American characters on the show who, like Sookie, loves to say what’s on her mind. Only her dialogue is usually laced with a cuss word or thirty. She doesn’t trust any men and has a crippling relationship with her mother which gives the audience the sense that she’s about to severely break at any second.

Sookie has a brother, Jason, who is the town playboy. On the prowl for a different girl almost every night, he has little trouble finding himself in a lot of it. Tara’s cousin Lafayette makes up the flamboyant population of homosexuals within the town. He sells drugs and works as a cook at a restaurant/bar called Merlotte’s owned by one Sam Merlotte. A nice guy but whom you can tell has some secrets, he has a pretty deep crush on Sookie who also works at his restaurant as a waitress. The rest of the character roster is rounded out by town citizens, disrespected police officers, more vampires and tons of other supernatural creatures who seem to pop into the story when you least expect it.

True Blood’s story is fueled by a team of writers who concentrate the screenplay around the written novels. So each season is based upon a certain book within the series of novels. I was amazed at the popularity that this show grew upon before I actually watched any specific episodes. Also prior to embarking on my True Blood journey I was told by some fans of the show that it progressively becomes a little worse as the seasons go by. Now that I am all caught up and at the level that everyone else is, I would have to say that I agree.

Season one slowly begins with the all too familiar concept of vampire loves girl. But it builds upon that with the introduction of other complex characters and how they all interact with each other. Hostility, gripes, sex, love, passion, concern for each other’s well-being and mutual sex buddy relationships are formed. All of this revolves around the main plotline in that vampires have decided to make themselves known to the world and try to convince humans that all they want are equal rights. Trying to help their plight is Japanese-created synthetic blood bottled as a drink and dubbed with the name Tru Blood. Wait, I’ve heard that name before somewhere.

Of course there are some who love them, want to be them and then some who want to see all of them burned in one huge vampire bon-fire. Throw into the mix a series of mysterious murders and the story takes off running. When one episode ends, you immediately want to watch the next one to find out what happens. Engaging and entertaining, season one was definitely one of the better first season debuts for a television show that I can remember.

Season two; oh what can I say about this wild and very much over the top second season. It’s far-fetched, weird, sometimes frustrating and filled with just about every mortal sin you could possibly think of. One of those sins, in the form of super orgy’s, are all over this second helping. The gang encounters a supernatural creature in the form of a woman, Maryann (Michelle Forbes), who turns the town upside down by allowing them to completely indulge in their every forbidden desire. Then they wake up the next day and can’t remember a thing. It’s a crazy one that’s for sure, I found myself asking the question of “what the f***?” countless times but…wasn’t able to turn away. Nor did I find a suitable reason to stop watching all together, so I pressed onward.

Enter season three, the most recent having aired last summer and not as insane as the second one. Now the introduction of werewolves comes into play. I couldn’t prevent myself from making the gut-obvious realization here. Vampires…werewolves, where, oh where have I seen this before? I would be declaring that you are not smart enough to have any idea what I may be talking about. So I won’t even mention what quartet of books and movies this addition of people who could change into wolves automatically compared this show to. I thought this was going to do it for me, I would surely be done. But yet again, I wasn’t. I finished the entire season and yes, still not as good as the first but made a little more sense than the second, I found it interesting.

Now I haven’t made up my mind if I am actually looking forward to the fourth season or not but I will definitely check it out to see if it too can continue to grab my attention and keep it. But I have made a conscious decision to at least come back to get another look at dear Tara; very attractive but so much more than just eye-candy. The end of the third season left many characters acting out of the norm and set-up some decent foreshadowing for the next installment. Hopefully this go-round will live up to the hype and anticipation of all hardcore True Blood fans everywhere. I give The Blood that is True (as I call it) an overall “3 sets of fang marks left behind out of 5”. Those are usually left in the neck unless of course you prefer the succulent femoral artery, oooh oh so tasty.

“Pam: To Arlene's children: You make me so happy I never had any of you.” “Eric Northman: No, c'mon Pam, they're funny. They're like humans, but miniature. 'Teacup humans'.”

What are your opinions of the heralded True Blood series? Favorite character? Best Season? True fans unite and make your voices heard. Now go forth and Do Bad Things.

Sean Guard
Follow me on Twitter @SilentScribbler

Movie Review - Battle: Los Angeles (2011)

Battle: Los Angeles, 2011.



Directed by Jonathan Liebesman.

Starring Aaron Eckhart, Michelle Rodriguez, Bridget Moynahan, Ramon Rodriguez, Cory Hardrict, Michael Peña, Ne-Yo, Nzinga Blake and Will Rothhaar.





SYNOPSIS:



Los Angeles becomes a battleground as a platoon of U.S. Marines make a desperate last stand against invading extra-terrestrial forces.





Independence Day, Cloverfield, The Day the Earth Stood Still, District 9, War of the Worlds; yes it would seem that we have a certain curiosity for life that is otherworldly. Heck even flicks like Predator, Men in Black and Superman are all alien related. From UFOs to flying saucers to Martian Manhunters, we would all love to know if there is other life out there. Furthermore, we would love to know if it’s friendly. Until we receive some hardcore evidence of both, we have our books, television shows, independent YouTube video directors and by far, we have our movies. The latest and perhaps, yes, in my opinion one of the greatest to hit movie houses and midnight releases filled with patrons who apparently have no jobs to go to the next day is Battle: Los Angeles.



Aaron “Two-Face” Eckhart plays our main hero, Staff Sergeant Michael Nantz of the US Marine Corp. On the very verge of retirement, he is ordered to fall in with a group of young Marines sent to retrieve a small cluster of civilians who have been trapped by the unexpected attack of extra-terrestrials. I couldn’t help but wonder if he was thinking to himself, “FML” when he got the word he was going back into combat. What looks to be his last “Hoo-rah” takes place in, shocker, L.A. Looks like Kobe and the Lake show won’t be getting another chance to go for a title. Before you begin to think the aliens are Celtic fans, they have also invaded other major countries around the world. All of these places falling heavily and taking major losses at the hands, or whatever they use as hands, of these invaders.



The Marine platoon is led by 2nd Lieutenant William Martinez (Ramon Rodriguez), first in his class out of officer candidate school and without any real field experience. He tries his best but it can be seen that he wants to look to Nantz for guidance, who had 20 years of dedicated service but also lost men in his last skirmish with hostiles. The rest of his platoon, Corporal Kevin Harris (Ne-Yo), Air Force Technical Sergeant Elena Santos (Michelle Rodriguez), who got picked up along the way and Corporal Jason Lockett (Cory Hardict), whose brother was among the men Nantz lost, and other Marines all fall in behind their two higher-ranking members ready to fight while trying to grasp the gravity of the situation. To make matters worse, they are all on a time crunch during their rescue mission; they have 2 hours to complete their objective before the Air Force deploys bombs that will wipe out the city of angels.



The cast playing the Marine troop whom we get to follow through the deserted streets of L.A. went through 3 weeks of boot camp training to prepare for their roles. In my opinion, it did them good. Very believable as a squad of tightly knit Marines, the cast move, communicate, strategize and take orders like in any other war/military movie. The mood and tone of the film also generates a sense of pride and dedication as they go about their unpredictable mission.



With this certain “unique” aspect brought into an invasion/sci-fi film, it somewhat sets itself apart from other films with similar plotlines. Instead of watching an alien movie with Earth’s occupants trying to defend it, it was like watching a war movie with aliens in it. The camera and film editing was pieced together in an in-your-face, part of the battle perspective as caught in most films containing military battles. Think movies like Saving Private Ryan, Tears of the Sun or The Kingdom. Director Jonathan Liebesman seemed to be going for a documentary type of feel with his camera direction and captured it at the right spots with an easy-to-be sucked-in screenplay written by Chris Bertolini.



The aliens themselves were a little different than those contained in other sci-fi films. The audience doesn’t get a direct view of them at first, no doubt to build up some suspense, but it works. Their attack units seemed very similar to that our Marine platoon sent in to do battle with them. They moved, took cover, backed each other up and fought just like our military does. They performed reconnaissance and arrived with different factions to perform their very effective attack on the cities of Earth. As a matter of fact, it would seem that the only thing different about them was that they weren’t human.



With many of the aliens and their vehicles created with CGI, the debate over superb special effects comes up. I feel the effects weren’t of the quality as say maybe ID4 but I also feel that they really didn’t have to be. The main point of this film was the way the main characters banded together and tried to combat their enemies. The overall appearance of the alien ships and arsenal were enough for my approval. It didn't rely on the proverbial green screen crutch to make it or break it. The amount of action contained in this film was the real star.



Originally brought to the attention of filmmakers, Greg and his brother Colin Strause, for them to input their special effect skills, by Sony, this film did just great without them. Their own flop Skyline which has a “coincidentally” very comparable plot, story as well as location would hit the canvas hard in the first round if these films were released on the same weekend.



I thoroughly enjoyed this film with everything from action to drama to action to comedy to the will of survival and back to action again. With its diverseness, it attracts sci-fi fans, alien fans and war movie fans alike. I may have to rethink my decision of attending midnight releases from now on however. It seems all of the rather rambunctious moviegoers come out at that time; people tossing (more like shooting) popcorn into each other’s mouths pre-movie, talking during the previews, allowing a balloon to float up on the screen towards the end of the film and a very hearty “F**k You aliens!” during the credits all found their way into my movie-going experience. Can’t wait to one day have my own private theater.



But all of that did not take away from a great film. I give Battle: Los Angeles “4.5 inspirational looks at our fighting military or one very long advertisement for the Marine Corp, however you choose to look at it out of 5”.



-“Who knows how to hot-wire a bus?”

-“Stavrou does Sir, he’s from New Jersey”

Sean Guard

Follow me on Twitter @SilentScribbler



Movie Review Archive

Thoughts on... Blue Valentine (2010)

Blue Valentine, 2010.



Directed by Derek Cianfrance.

Starring Ryan Gosling and Michelle Williams.





SYNOPSIS:



The story of love found and love lost told through past and present moments in time.





During the 26th Annual Sundance Film Festival, many films were introduced to the world. Many films that went on to do well among public audiences. Films such as Winter’s Bone, Waiting for Superman & Happythankyoumoreplease. Another film, directed by Derek Cianfrance, entitled Blue Valentine also seemed to get a lot of attention due to its deep drama induced story about a married couple played by Ryan Gosling and Michelle Williams. After a good showing at Sundance as well as other festivals, Blue Valentine finally found its way into theaters nationwide.



The story begins with the couples’ daughter Frankie (Faith Wladyka) looking for her dog, Megan, who has gotten out of the yard. After not finding her, she wakes up her father, Dean (Ryan Gosling) who playfully disturbs the slumber of his wife, Cindy (Michelle Williams). The audience is then introduced to the occupation of both; Cindy is a nurse while Dean is a painter. Like every other married couple, they go through their trials and tribulations as we are taken through a routine day in their life. The story is filmed in such a way that shows the two as they are in the present while flashing back to tell the origin of how they came to be.



The road that they traveled on to come to be together was not an easy one. From the time that they met they were tested by serious occurrences and major life decisions. One coming in the form of an unexpected pregnancy after a bad break-up between Cindy and a former boyfriend right before she met Dean. A chance encounter between Cindy and that same ex-boyfriend in the present brings up some bad memories and adds to an already seemingly growing rift between her and Dean. Now as the past is revisited, they must make more tough choices about their relationship, little girl and future together.



The script for this film was actually written back in 2006 and won the Chrysler Film Project award. Co-written by Derek Cianfrance, Cami Delavigne and Joey Curtis, the story begins sort of slow but aids the growth of intrigue from the audience as it flows along. I actually think the slow and usually steady pace adds to the realness of the film. It relates to real life issues and problems encountered by everyday couples, not just those who are married.



The performances by Ryan Gosling and Michelle Williams went along with the intentions of the story very well. Intentions which seemed to be meant for the audience to feel as if they were the characters in the film going through their drama. The pair of actors actually rented a home, brought their own belongings and staged out arguments in order to prepare for their roles. It seemed to have worked because they were pretty believable as two people who have been married for quite some time.



Blue Valentine was released in Australia before making its American debut in December of 2010. Not knowing quite much about this film, I wasn’t sure what to expect going into it but am glad that I spent the time to watch it. The only real grievance that I might have with it is that it seems to have an inconclusiveness to it on some aspects. But I won’t dive into that area not wanting to give anything away. I’m sure it can be assumed that it was shot that way purposely to add even more to the authenticity of the movie. Another detail I can attest to is that it definitely earns its R rating, but in a romantic way, if you know what I mean. I give Blue Valentine “4 love & marriage-induced arguments out of 5”.



“In my experience, the prettier a girl is, the more nuts she is, which makes you insane.”

Sean Guard

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