My Review: Home of the Brave (4/10)

"Will, what happened over there?"

This was the last film directed by Academy Award winning producer Irwin Winkler who recently has gone back to doing what he does best: producing movies. Home of the Brave is an overly melodramatic war film that fails to connect with the audience despite its good intentions. The acting in this film is pretty bad, the script is absolutely terrible, and the direction felt too generic. The script, written by Mark Friedman, was very unsubtle, hammering us over the head with the PTSD suffered by the soldiers who returned home from Iraq. Several war films have dealt with these issues far better and in a more subtle manner than Home of the Brave does. Winkler has good intentions with this film, he doesn't try to send a political anti-war message or anything like that but rather focuses on the pain the soldiers have to face when they return home and how difficult adapting can become for them. Those noble intentions, didn't translate well into a film that was full of war cliches and terrible dialogues. It became too melodramatic and the characters were never developed realistically. It just rang false and it should've dealt with such a serious issue in a more complex manner. I couldn't connect with any of the characters in this film and was disappointed with Winkler's direction.

The story follows a group of soldiers in the Iraq War who are pleased to receive the news that their tour of duty is coming to an end in two weeks. As they make plans of what they will do when they return home, they are sent on a humanitarian mission to deliver some medical supplies at a nearby village. One of the convoys is driven by Vanessa Price (Jessica Biel), while another one is guarded by Tommy Yates (Brian Presley), his hometown best friend Jordan (Chad Michael Murray), and Jamal (50 Cent). A surgeon named Will Marsh (Samuel Jackson) also accompanies them on the mission. Upon arriving at the village the unit is ambushed and several lives are lost, while others suffer psychological traumas and physical injuries. The lives of these soldiers are changed forever and once they arrive home to their families they must learn how to adjust to their "normal" lives. We see how each one of these characters have difficulty doing so as they continue to be emotionally torn by the war, while some of them continue to cross each other's path back home in Washington.

Home of the Brave felt tremendously out dated despite it only being made 7 years ago. It probably has to do with the fact that this film was a bit lazy in the way they tried to tackle the subject matter. It is something we've seen in many other war movies recently that have had a much more subtle approach. This film just felt too repetitive and predictable. The performance from the cast also hurt this film tremendously and not even Samuel L Jackson could do enough to save this. There is a short cameo by Christina Ricci that really felt out of place, like many other moments in this film. The different stories didn't connect very well either and the characters were just presented in a very lazy manner. Home of the Brave has all the war cliches you can think of and doesn't present anything groundbreaking or original.

My Review: Playing for Keeps (5/10)

¨How do you get to meet so many hot women? –I have an accent.¨

Director Gabriele Muccino has been successful in the past (The Pursuit of Happyness and Seven Pounds), but in Playing for Keeps he seems to have lost his touch. Everything that can go wrong in a movie goes wrong here with a very formulaic and cliché script, a predictable story, and some over the top performances. Dennis Quaid seems to be playing the same role he played in What to Expect When Your Expecting with a very eccentric approach that hurts the movie even more and presents it in a very cartoonish way. Gerard Butler is another talented actor who seems to have lost his touch as well in the recent years with some bad films. Not even the beautiful and talented ladies (Catherine Zeta Jones, Jessica Biel, Uma Thurman, and Judy Greer) were enough to save this terrible movie. The main problem was its script which was written by Robbie Fox who hadn’t written a screenplay since 1994 (the terrible In The Army Now) and shouldn’t have even considered making a comeback. What I can say about this film is that despite not being funny it is tolerable. It is not one of those films that bore you to death; but it is completely predictable and cliché. I wouldn’t say this is completely a family friendly film despite the happy ending considering the main character is kind of a playboy. Despite the interesting cast this film is completely lazy and empty.

The story centers on George (Gerard Butler) a successful soccer player who played in important clubs across Europe and ended his career in the MLS. He hasn´t had the same success in his retirement and has failed in a couple of business enterprises. George decides to move to Virginia where his ex-wife, Stacie (Jessica Biel), lives along with their young son Lewis (Noah Lomax). He wants to be a better father and therefore moves close to their home so he can spend some more time with him. Stacie is living with her fiancé, Matt (James Tupper), and they both agree that George be closer to Lewis. While George is trying to find a job as a sports anchor, he begins coaching his son´s soccer team. Since he was a well known player all the parents agree he should coach the team and they are all exited that he has decided to be involved, especially the moms which include Patti (Uma Thurman), Denise (Catherine Zeta Jones), and Barb (Judy Greer). Barb is an emotional recently divorced mother, Denise is a former successful TV anchor who offers to help George in achieving his goal, and Patti is a seductive woman who is married to the rich, but manic, Carl (Dennis Quaid). George´s soccer career might be over, but he finds quite a local fan base as a coach. His success with the ladies continues, but he doesn’t want that to be a distraction as he becomes more and more involved in the life of his son. He also discovers that he has feelings for Stacie, and we all know where this film is heading from there.

There is not much more I can say about this extremely formulaic film. Don’t be fooled by this family friendly film because it is kind of creepy in a way with the main character having all these moms stocking him. The impressive cast isn’t enough to save this film since it has a terrible script and the performances were really lazy. Jessica Biel received a Razzie nomination for her performance in this film along with her work in Total Recall, but who I think was really terrible here was Dennis Quaid. The only believable thing about the film was the soccer choreographies which were done really well. They didn’t seem as fake as in some other soccer movies. This is a very forgettable film, but it was tolerable and some of my family members had a good time.

  

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My Review: Hitchcock (7/10)

¨That, my dear, is why they call me the Master of Suspense¨

Biographical films can be tricky because you can enjoy the movie based solely on your love or passion for the person which the film is based on. I knew it was going to be hard for me not to like Hitchcock because I am a huge fan of his work and love to hear every small detail about his life. Hitchcock was one of the most influential filmmakers in the history of cinema, and Psycho is considered to be one of the best horror films of all time so I was excited about this project. I really enjoyed this movie, but I can´t say if someone who isn’t a fan of Hitchcock´s work might enjoy this film or not. Hitchcock was directed by Sacha Gervasi, who also happened to direct one of my favorite documentaries: Anvil: The Story of Anvil; and the screenplay was adapted from Stephen Rebello´s book ¨Alfred Hitchcock and the Making of Psycho.¨ You can´t possibly go wrong with a movie dealing with such an influential director on the making of one of his masterpieces. It is part of the Hollywood history, and everyone who enjoys films will probably appreciate this work for at least trying to give us a glimpse of Hitchcock´s mind. The film might not be as deep as other recent biographical films, but it is a pleasant experience. The major complain most people had is that it didn’t spend as much time on the set of Psycho as it did dealing with his relationship with his wife, Alma. We would have all enjoyed this film a little more if more emphasis was placed on the making of Psycho rather on his disputes with his wife. What I did love about this film is how they focused on the huge risk that Hitchcock was taking by making this movie on his own despite being a well known figure. He decided to step out of his comfort zone and try something new. You are never too old to take risks and follow your heart and that is exactly what Hitchcock did when he decided to make Psycho.

If you can learn one thing from Hitchcock´s life is that the phrase ¨behind every great man there is a great woman¨ is completely true for Alfred and Alma. The story centers on the period of Hitchcock´s (Anthony Hopkins) life when he was coming up with the idea of filming Psycho. It was 1959 and he had recently had success with North by Northwest, but some questions about whether or not he was ready to retire began to creep in his mind. It was time to try something different and when he got his hands around a novel titled Psycho, he knew it would be his following picture. This horror novel seemed impossible to adapt at the time considering all the tight regulations being placed, but Hitchcock took this as his next challenge. Paramount isn’t happy about this risky move so Alfred decides to finance the film on his own with the support of his wife Alma (Helen Mirren). Alma on the other hand begins to collaborate with a friend named Whitfield (Danny Huston) on a screenplay that Alfred has decided to overlook at the moment. Alfred was known for his controlling habits over his lead lady´s and productions, and this being a film financed by him made the tension even worse. He decides to hire Janet Leigh (Scarlett Johansson) for the leading role after Alma´s recommendation and Anthony Perkins (James D´Arcy) to play the psychotic Norman Bates. His former lead lady, Vera Miles (Jessica Biel), was set to play the secondary role. Thus the challenge began for Alfred as he had to manage his personal life with his professional one.

I found it funny how in a couple scenes they brought up the failure of Vertigo, which is now considered to be Hitchcock´s masterpiece. Criticism for that movie wasn’t well received, which shows us how ahead of his time Hitchcock really was. He could have continued to listen to the big production companies and made the same films over and over again, but he decided to face and challenge them bringing something unique and new to the table. This serves as a modern criticism towards Hollywood which continues to make the same films over again without wanting to take any risks. If it weren’t for people like Hitchcock who stood up to these corporate giants we wouldn’t have had films like Psycho. There are some directors today who have been influenced by Alfred and continue to take risks, but for the most part most continue to bend over to the big Hollywood producers. Hitchcock, the movie, doesn’t seem to take any big risks and plays it safe with this biography, but it works thanks to some strong performances from Hopkins and Mirren. Scarlett Johansson, James D´Arcy, and Jessica Biel all share unique resemblance to the original actors. Credit has to be given to the makeup and hairstyling artists who rightfully earned the only Oscar nomination this film received. This was a pleasant experience although the superficial biopic wasn’t groundbreaking; the story was still worth it.

  

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My Review: Total Recall (5/10)

¨The past is a construct of the mind. It blinds us. It fools us into believing it. But the heart wants to live in the present. Look there. You'll find your answer.¨

This new version of Total Recall is better than the original, but that`s not saying much considering I wasn`t very fond of that one either. This remake shares sort of the same problems that the original had considering there is a whole lot of action going around, but hardly any time for character development. The entire movie feels like one big chase scene and by the end instead of feeling the climax you are wishing it would end already. The movie isn`t that long, but it feels like it. What I liked better about this film was the look of it. The dark futuristic vision of the world was engaging and some of my favorite scenes involved this imagery and brilliant futuristic designs. This movie has a much better look and it was also a plus that it took place entirely on Earth instead of Mars like in the original. I also think Colin Farrell is a much better actor than Arnold, but when it comes to action scenes Arnold was the best and in this film Farrell doesn’t have much to work with besides running around from one action scene to another. The action scenes have gotten repetitive and there isn’t anything unique about them in this movie either; director Len Wiseman could have come up with a better plot to engage the audience and not focus as much as he did with the action scenes. The setting was the highlight of the movie for me and I enjoyed some of the devices they imagined in this futuristic world but that was about it. Wiseman, who is better known for directing the Underworld franchise, also hired Kate Beckinsale to play the role Sharon Stone did in the original. I had no problem with the casting, which for me was good, but I wished the characters were given more meat.

Sometime in the future only two countries exist: The United Federation of Britain and the Colony. It is a dark time where most people live in poverty in the Colony and have to travel across the world to Britain to work. There is very few habitable space for the people as a Chemical warfare has destroyed most of the planet. Cohaagen (Bryan Cranston) is the Chancellor of UFB who is dealing with a rebellious group from the Colony under the leadership of Matthias (Bill Nighy). Times are unstable and the future doesn’t look bright for the residents of Earth. Douglas Quaid (Colin Farrell) seems to be living a normal life as a factory worker with a beautiful wife named Lori (Kate Beckinsale), but he feels like escaping from the routine of work and decides to pay a visit to Rekall, a company that specializes in implanting brain memories. At Rekall he asks for an escape from his everyday life and he chooses the option of becoming a spy. Before they implant the memory something goes wrong and Quaid realizes that he is not who he thinks he is. He has special abilities and even his wife seems to turn against him. Quaid suffers an identity crisis and begins picking up clues about his past which involve him working as a spy for the resistance movement. He immediately begins to be chased by Lori and Cohaagen`s people and meets Melina (Jessica Biel) who claims to know him from the past, but with another name. Quaid will have to try to discover whether what he`s experiencing is real or if it`s just a fantasy implanted on him from Rekall.

The main idea is very similar to the original film, except for the fact that the resistance movement is in Earth and not in Mars, although it is a very different planet by now. Colin Farrell plays the same role Arnold did, Kate plays Stone`s role although Kate gets much more screen time as she`s also the main persecutor as well, and Biel plays the role of the heroin who helps unlock Quaid`s past. This film has a better cast in my opinion, but the plot is equally as poor developed. At least in the original version we had some funny one liners (what Arnold did best), but here the film is much darker and serious. I enjoyed this version a little more, but I still didn’t enjoy it very much. Maybe if the final action scene were a little shorter I could`ve enjoyed it a little more. Total Recall shouldn’t of been remade it, it just isn’t that remarkable of a film in my opinion.

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My Review: New Year`s Eve (5/10)

¨It only happens once a year: New Year`s Eve. It`s a time where the hopeless can be romantic.¨

New Year`s Eve is director Garry Marshall`s follow up to Valentine`s Day. It has a very similar premise where you have a series of romantic stories that over the course of the film intertwine with each other, although this time the story takes place in New York instead of Los Angeles. Marshall worked once again with screenwriter Katherine Fugate and also teamed up with Ashton Kutcher, Jessica Biel, and Hector Elizondo who also worked with him in the previous film along with several other A-list actors such as Robert de Niro, Michelle Pfeiffer, Zac Efron, Halle Berry, Seth Meyers, Katherine Heigl, Sofia Vergara, John Lithgow, Sarah Jessica Parker, Abigail Breslin, Hillary Swank, Josh Duhamel, and rock star Jon Bon Jovi among others. It`s probably easier to mention who isn`t in this movie. Despite having so many great actors the story falls flat because it`s just impossible to follow all the different stories in such a short period of time. It`s like if Marshall was trying to jam in several romantic movies all into one and we never get to fully relate with any of the characters. There is no time to get inside any of the character`s skin and know what they are thinking, they are all one dimensional. There were just too many stories and things going on, that the movie really lacks depth. There are some strong emotional moments and good dialogue scenes, but they are just too far spread out in a multi storyline. Some of the stories are interesting and would`ve been a much better movie on their own, but instead Marshall seems to take us from one story to another right when we were getting interested in the first one. It`s too bad because there is a whole lot of talent involved in this project.

  

It`s the last day of the year in New York and everybody`s eyes are on the NY Times square ball which will drop at midnight to announce the arrival of the new year. Hillary Swank plays Claire Morgan, the vice president of the event and she`s in charge of making sure the ball falls on time. She is a little nervous, but very excited because she always looks forward to this night. Her good friend Brendan (Ludicrous) is by her side making sure she remains calm as head of the police security personnel. They do experience some setbacks however when the ball gets jammed halfway up the pole. The only person who can help is Kominsky (Hector Elizondo), who they recently fired a few weeks ago. There are seven other stories going around that in some way or another connect with each other. There is Ingrid (Michelle Pfeiffer) who decides to quit her job in order to fulfill her New Year`s resolution. She enlists the help of a messenger named Paul (Zac Efron) who decides to help her in exchange for exclusive tickets for a special party. Then there is Paul`s roommate, Randy (Ashton Kutcher) who could care less about all the hype of New Year`s, but ends up getting stuck in the elevator with his new neighbor Elise (Lea Michele) who has to rush to work because she`s a backup singer for pop star sensation Jensen (Jon Bon Jovi). Jensen has a gig that night and is trying to make amends with an ex fiancée who he ran away from: Laura (Katherine Heigl) who happens to be in charge of the food catering in that same party. There are several other stories as well involving a couple expecting at a hospital (Seth Meyers and Jessica Biel), a man lying in his deathbed wishing he can see the ball drop one last time (Robert de Niro), another trying to make it in time to New York for a speech he has to give and a girl he might meet (Josh Duhamel), and a single mother (Sarah Jessica Parker) who wants to spend the night with her 15 year old daughter (Abigail Breslin) when all she wants is to go out with a boy from school she`s interested in.

So there you had the extensive plot which deals with so many storylines that it seems a lifetime just to get to introduce each one. That is my major complaint about this movie which could have been better if dealing with two or three less storylines. Some of the performances were alright, but nothing memorable. I had a decent time with this movie, sometimes it`s just fun to see all these stars together but with so many things going on it wasn`t really worth it. The ending wasn`t really what I was expecting either. Whereas in Valentine`s Day I was surprised at the end with who one of the main characters was expecting to hook up with, in this one it just didn`t really make much sense who Josh Duhamel`s character was waiting all along for. Marshall should not get too preoccupied about enlisting so many actors for his next film, and just worry about recreating a good, strong story. It`s too bad because I actually found some of the lines in the film quite heartwarming, like when Hillary Swank gives her televised speech. A forgettable movie, but perhaps the ladies will enjoy it since there are so many great actors involved.

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My Review: Valentine`s Day (5/10)

¨There you have it, folks. Young love. Full of promise, full of hope, ignorant of reality. ¨

This romantic comedy is exactly what Valentine`s Day is all about: commercialization. First of all you have Garry Marshall involved in the project, who has directed many hits such as Pretty Woman, Frankie and Jhonny, Beaches, The Princess Diaries, among many others. He gets the dream team of actors to get involved as well: Ashton Kutcher, Taylor Lautner, Julia Roberts, Emma Roberts, Taylor Swift, Jessica Biel, Jessica Alba, Anne Hathaway, Topher Grace, Bradley Cooper, Patrick Dempsey, Jamie Foxx, Jennifer Garner, George Lopez, Hector Elizondo, and Shirley MacLaine. With all these names there is no reason why someone wouldn`t want to go see this film, we all at least like someone in this movie (if not all), it`s a cast of All-Stars; between them they have more than 15 Oscar nominations combined. There is one major problem however: the movie is a huge disapointment. The screenplay, written by Katherine Fugate, doesn`t seem to work and it gave me the sense of being in a crowded room because it introduces one character after another without allowing for any character development or attachment on the part of the viewer with any one of them. This movie tries really hard to be Love Actually, which was a very successful romantic British comedy that also had a star cast, but the difference was that Love Actually was actually a good movie and Valentine`s Day isn`t. I didn`t have problems with the performances as much as I did with the predictable stories and cliches. Out of the more than ten different stories that are told here only one really caught me off guard, and if you`ve seen this movie then you probably know which one I am talking about.

The stories all take place in Los Angeles on Valentine`s Day. Reed (Ashton Kutcher) is a florist who wakes up next to his girlfriend Morley (Jessica Alba) and proposes to her. She says yes, and he goes to work excited on the busiest day of the year for him. His bestfriend is Julia (Jennifer Garner) who is having an affair with Dr. Harrison (Patrick Dempsey), although she really doesn`t know he is married. One of Julia`s students from school, Edison (Bryce Robinson) claims to be in love, and he lives with his grandparents Edgar (Hector Elizondo) and Estelle (Shirley MacLaine) who have been married for years and have been faithful to each other all their lives, or at least that was what Edgar thought. Since Edgar and Estella are going out on a date, Grace (Emma Roberts) is going to babysit Edison. She is planning on having sex for the first time with her High School sweetheart Alex (Carter Jenkins). Willy (Taylor Lautner), the School jock, gives Alex some advice. He is dating Felicia (Taylor Swift) and they are interviewed by a reporter who is covering a story about the most romantic day of the year. Kelvin (Jamie Foxx) is the sports reporter who is covering the story, but abandons it to cover the story on Sean Jackson (Eric Dane), a veteran QB who is giving a press conference about his next career move. That is where Kelvin meets his PR agent, Kara (Jessica Biel). Jason (Topher Grace) also wakes up next to his girlfriend Liz (Anne Hathaway) who he has just begun dating. Two strangers travel on a plane back to LA together: Holden (Bradley Cooper) and Captain Hazeltine (Julia Roberts).

As you can see the movie just tries to juggle all these different stories in a very short time and there is no room for character development. The actors don`t have enough screen time to build their characters or work any chemistry between them. The movie also is a bit long for a romantic comedy and by the end you are left expecting much more from this all star cast. The film had the potential to be great and I don`t know how they managed to get all these actors into the film with such a mediocre script. No matter what I say about this film you are probably going to see it anyway because there is a good chance one of your favorite actors is in this movie. I just wished they could`ve done more with such a great cast. Taking your date to this movie might end up being a much more expensive gift then you should of wished for.

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My Review: The A-Team (8/10)

¨They are the best, and they specialize in the ridiculous.¨

This movie is ridiculous yes, but it is also ridiculously funny and entertaining because the characters are simply the best. The A-Team was my favorite TV series growing up as a kid and it was a fun time to see them on the big screen again; different actors but the same characters. I was really looking forward to this movie and I wasn`t disappointed. It took me awhile to get into the movie and get used to the new actors, but after the first 15 minutes I began to enjoy it more and more. The A-Team is not a smart film and the plot is very absurd, but it is a very entertaining film mixing comedy with action and sticking to the main characteristics which made the TV series such a hit. This is a movie which doesn`t take itself seriously and neither should the viewer, but it does promise a lot of action and comedy. If you never saw the series then you might not enjoy this movie as much as I did, but if you were a fan then this is a movie you won`t want to miss because it will bring back some good memories. Just being able to hear Hannibal saying his famous ¨I love it when a plan comes together¨ line while putting the Cuban cigar on his mouth, laughing at Baracus`s fear of flying, at Murdock`s impersonations, or at Face for getting into trouble with the ladies brought back so many fond memories of the series. The performances were also good and I am glad the writers stuck with the main idea of the series. Director Joe Carnahan (who also directed the very entertaining Smokin` Aces) did a very good job at making this a highly entertaining and light action comedy.

The movie serves as a sort of prequel to the TV series as we get to know how each member of the A-Team meets and how they are later betrayed and turned into fugitives. It picks off in Mexico where Col. John Hannibal Smith (Liam Neeson from Taken) is trying to save his partner Lt. Templeton Faceman Peck (Bradley Cooper from The Hangover) who seems to have got himself into trouble for sleeping with a criminal`s wife. While trying to save Face, Hannibal runs into Sgt. Bosco B.A. Baracus (Quinton Jackson) and after realizing they served in the same war together, Baracus decides to help him saving Face. Once they rescue Face, they search for a pilot who can take them back to the States and that is where they meet Capt. Howling Mad Murdock (Sharlto Copley from District 9). Together they form an elite team and are sent to the War in Iraq where they are betrayed and later imprisoned. With the help of a CIA agent named Lynch (Patrick Wilson) the A-Team escape and try to clear their name by finding the man who betrayed them: Pike (Brian Bloom).  Capt. Charisa Sosa (Jessica Biel) is in charge of bringing the fugitives back to prison although she has a past with Face. The plot is not the most attractive thing about this film, which takes itself very lightly.

I really loved the cast in this film. Bradley Cooper was great as Face, Jackson wasn´t bad either playing Baracus, Liam Neeson was great as always playing Hannibal, but the true star of this film in my opinion was District 9 star, Sharlto Copley, who once again nailed his role and got the most laughs out of me. He was just terrific. The movie doesn`t try to take itself seriously and it works because it serves as a sort of homage to the TV series. I was highly entertained and found this movie funnier than what I expected. I recommend this movie, although I don`t know if you will enjoy it as much if you weren`t familiar with the television series, but fans will definitely have a good time at the movies. 

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