Feeds:
Posts
Comments

Posts Tagged ‘Weekend Box office’

World War Z “Movie Review”

Posted in Fantasy literature, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , on June 23, 2013| Leave a Comment »

The Paramount Pictures production World War Z directed by Marc Forster, and starring Brad Pitt was not the zombie horror flick I thought it would be.
The film opens like most zombie films do, with people living their ordinary lives and going though with their daily routines.
As a family starts their day with preparing to go to school and work, everything is disrupted as a sudden unknown emergency sweeps the area of downtown Philadelphia.
Survival mode quickly settles over Gerry Lane(Brad Pitt) as he struggles to keep his family safe from the threat.
As an employee at the U.N., he is soon recruited by government officials to try and track down and identify the origin of the “So called zombie plague”.
Lane sets out on a global quest to learn the answers about what’s happening.

World War Z was based on a book by Max Brown(which I haven’t read yet) but according to what I already know about the book, the film is very different.
I thought the film was interesting, and had quite a few scenes that were intense, and very engaging. This is of course not the classic zombie flick, but the concept of killing them was traditional. The origin of where they come from is unknown, in the movie (they mention rabies’) and the zombies seem to be much more amplified than the “rage” filled 28 Days Later zombie. There wasn’t much zombie killing and gore like I like because I think they were just too darn fast, one of the major pit falls the movie has. The solution they came up with at the WHO was innovative and creative.
The effects were entertaining and the zombie makeup was awesome. I really appreciated the hard work and talent that went into that aspect of the film.
It’s hard to not compare the movie with other zombie films. I clearly understood what the writers and director was trying to go for but I don’t think their interpretation came off well. The last really good Zombie movie I saw was Dawn of the Dead.
I’m a big fan of Brad Pitt’s so I gave this movie 3 stars for overall good entertainment.
Enjoy L.L.

Read Full Post »

“The Man of Steel” Movie Review

Posted in Fantasy literature, tagged , , , , , , , , on June 17, 2013| Leave a Comment »

The Man of Steel directed by Zack Snyder was a Sci Fi thrill ride that will take you on a massive adventure between worlds.

Starring Henry Cavill, as Superman aka Kal-El. Henry is best known as the Tudors supporting actor and King Henry’s right hand man Charles Brandon.

The two and a half hour movie, features an all star cast in some of the most important roles the story has.
The movie opens with a spectacular scene as Jor-El played by Russell Crow and his wife Laura have a baby. As they quickly settle into parenthood, their happiness does not last long as they face the fate of a dying Krypton.
Jor-El meets with the leaders of the Council and tries to find out what they can do to save their people from extinction. The meeting is interrupted by General Zod played by Michael Shannon as he murders members of the Council and Jor-El in an effort to take over as the leader. He and his crew are captured and banished from the planet. Before Zod’s departure, he vows that he will find Kal as he witnesses Laura sending him to safety in an escape pod.
The secret to Krypton’s survival is within the genetic make up of Kal-El.
The planet explodes and with that no one survives.
As Kal adjusts to life on Planet Earth.
The movie then picks up with Clark as an adult, as he moves from one odd job to the next searching for his place in the world.
A strange and supernatural encounter in the Artic with a journalist sets off a chain of events that changes everything for the entire world.

I don’t want to give everything away but the storyline was indeed very complex and well thought out. The film was hard core Sci FI and not what you’d expect from a Superman movie.
The world created for the film was fitting for the story and the cast choices perfectly pulled everything together. My only concern with casting was Amy Adams as Lois. She was not a good choice. The effects were amazing and pulled you right into the adventure. I give this movie 5 Stars.

Read Full Post »

Summer Blockbuster Movies

Posted in Fantasy literature, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on June 12, 2013| Leave a Comment »

The official summer Blockbuster movie season kicked off with the release of Iron Man 3 this past May.
There is a long list of movies expected to be released this summer, but I have compiled a list of a few that I think will be worth watching.
I’m a big super hero fan, so the first movie on my list is
Man of Steel-June 14 starring Henry Cavill

World War Z- June 21 starring Brad Pitt

White House Down-June 28 starring Jamie Foxx

The Lone Ranger-July 3 starring Johnny Depp

The Conjuring-July 19 starring Patrick Wilson

Elysium-August 9 starring Matt Damon

I’ve seen all of the trailers to these films and feel that they will all take their audiences on a thrill ride of adventure.
I expect that they will do very well at the box office.
As I continue to search for summer movies I may add to my list in the near future.
Enjoy your weekend at the movies!
L.L

Read Full Post »

Ironman3 Movie Review

Posted in Fantasy literature, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , on May 5, 2013| Leave a Comment »

The Marvel Studios production, Ironman 3 starring Robert Downey Jr. and directed by Shane Black was a good film considering some of the negative reviews that have been written about the film. Black is fairly new to the directing scene and is known for writing for the popular 80’s action flicks Lethal Weapon, Lethal Weapon 2, and Lethal Weapon 3.
Ironman 3 picks up sometime after the Avengers have saved the world from an intergalactic alien invasion. A disturbed Tony Stark is in the process of trying to deal with the shock of knowing that other worlds and beings exist. He is also adjusting to being in a steady relationship with Pepper.
The normalcy of life quickly comes to a halt when Tony learns that the world is once again under attack by a terrorist. The Mandarin, played by Ben Kingsley. He is a vicious killer and will do anything to get what he wants. The government acts quickly and sends Colonel James Rhodes out on a mission to search for the terrorist. An old acquaintance of Tony’s surfaces Aldrich Killian, and makes Pepper an offer for Tony to be a partner in his DNA altering project. Pepper declines and little do they know that Killian has a more malicious agenda in mind. Tony calls out The Mandarin and soon his home is under attack. Barely making it out alive Tony and Pepper survive, but their home is destroyed. As Tony searches for The Mandarin he quickly learns that he is a fake, an actor and that his real enemy is Killian. Killian has developed a way to heal the physically disabled, but has changed them into heat resistant mutants. He has created these beings to destroy Stark and the world. His plan is to become the world’s most powerful terrorist. He kidnaps the President and Pepper and tries to use Tony’s love for her to get him to work for him.
Tony and Killian battle it out in the traditional fight between good vs evil.
Overall I thought that Ironman 3 was a good movie. The first two were better, but that still doesn’t take away from the film. Black was creative in his representation of Ironman. There were a lot of action pact scenes and creative concepts that haven’t been done before with Ironman. The effects were good, the score was disappointing.
I give this movie 3 1/2 stars.

Read Full Post »

Evil Dead: Movie Review

Posted in Fantasy literature, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on April 7, 2013| Leave a Comment »

Evil Dead, The most anticipated horror film in years was released in theaters this past Friday.
The Sony Pictures production was a re-make of the original 80’s version, but the film also brought something new to Sam Raimi’s creation.

The story follows a group of friends as they travel to a remote cabin in the woods to help Mia, get off drugs “cold turkey.” Among the group is her brother David,he joins them in hopes to support his sister, but they obviously have some issues they need to work out. The group quickly settles in and Eric finds something that interests him; The Book of the Dead.
Under the care of nurse Olivia, Mia starts the process of withdrawal, in the midst of everything going on Eric reads an incantation from the book. As Mia’s withdrawal becomes more intense she is soon possessed by a dark entity. One by one the group of friends are devoured by the entity. David takes on the leadership role and tries to abide by the rules of the book which is to cleanse or purify the possessed body. He saves his sister by burying her and bringing her back. As they each die horrific deaths David decides to burn his family’s cabin. The ritual is complete and now the dark entity is ready to consume Mia’s soul. Mia gains the strength to fight the demon, and in the process loses one of her hands. She becomes the new Ash, and sends the demon back to hell.
The new Evil Dead was produced by Sam Raimi and Bruce Campbell. This film was a great horror and very exciting to watch. There were some classic elements infused in the remake such as the necklace, the chainsaw, and the iconic scene in the woods when Mia was alone. New elements of the story included the history of the cabin which was very interesting and the obvious drug concept. This movie overall did not disappoint, and the gore and blood was over the top perfect. The special effects and makeup was done with a talented team. The sound effects and score brought movie goers into the film on a whole new level. As far as the actors, I think that the cast was a good choice and the fear they portrayed on camera was very realistic. I give this movie 4 stars
L.L

Read Full Post »

Evil Dead excitement!!!

Posted in Fantasy literature, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , on April 3, 2013| 1 Comment »

The new Sony production Evil Dead will be released in theaters this Friday. The movie tells the story of a group of friends that go to a cabin in the woods to help one of their friends quit drugs cold turkey.
That part of the story is very different from the original, but there are many elements that are the same. The same concept of possession is the foundation of the storyline. This movie doesn’t seem to have any elements of comedy like the original, which makes me very happy.
One by one the friends become victims of possession, as a consequence of reading the book of the dead.
Blood,gore, body dismemberment all make up the basis of an excellent, horror movie experience.
I was surprised to hear that Bruce Campbell wasn’t going to make an appearance, but learned that he would have a role behind the scenes as one of the producers. I am so excited about this movie, and my husband just purchased the first tickets for Saturday night’s showing!! Enjoy everyone, and my review will be coming soon.
L.L.

Read Full Post »

Evil Dead remake:Horror Anticipation

Posted in Fantasy literature, tagged , , , , , , on April 2, 2013| Leave a Comment »

http://movies.nytimes.com/movie/16251/The-Evil-Dead-Movie-/overview

Read Full Post »

Oz The Great and Powerful:Movie review

Posted in Fantasy literature, tagged , , , , , , , , on March 11, 2013| Leave a Comment »

oz poster

Oz The Great and Powerful:movie review
Oz The Great and Powerful directed by the talented and creative Sam Raimi and starring James Franco tells how the origin of the Wizard of Oz came to be. Franco plays a struggling magician part of a traveling circus. A good man at heart, unfortunately Oscar learns how to live his life by tricking the people around him in order to make ends meet. After a day of creating illusions for a show Oscar is swept away in a hot air balloon when he is caught in a tornado.
(The introduction of the movie starts out in black and white just like the original Wizard of Oz.)
Oscar prays that if his life is spared he will change. And suddenly everything stops and he enters another world, Oz. From there on the movie is (shot in color.)
Oscar is memorized by the magic and uniqueness of this place. He soon meets a beautiful woman (Mila Kunis) that admits she is a witch and charms her just like he charms every beauty that walks into his life. In no time Oscar learns that this beautiful land is in trouble and is in search for the one that will save the people of Oz from the wrath of a wicked witch. Oscar quickly makes the people believe that he is the Great Wizard that the prophecy predicted. He uses his charms,wit and ability to create illusions to claim a throne of riches and fame that does not truly belong to him. Once he learns that he is in the middle of a great battle for power among three powerful witches (Rachel Weisz and Mila Kunis and Michelle Williams) he backs out trying to turn his back on the people and the mission to save the land. Forced to demonstrate his true nature of good he soon teams up with Glina the good witch and utilizes his trickster ways to create the ultimate illusion to defeat the two witches.
This movie is actually a prequel to the Judy Garland original. Sam Raimi did an excellent job directing this epic adventure. It was different than the classic Sam Raimi films that his fans know so well but he did not disappoint. The movie was filled with special effects. The effects were created with skill but there were times that I felt I was in Tim Burton’s world. Overall the movie was very entertaining and thrilling. The 3D version of this film did not enhance the cinematic experience for movie goers. That component was pointless. I would not recommend spending the extra money to see this film in 3D. The writing was creative and the make up was artistically developed. Mila Kunis’ makeup as the wicked witch was over the top with added laytex and construction considering the original witch had an elongated nose, warts and green face paint. The costume design was another element that added to the magic of this film. My goal for this review was not be long and obviously I did not meet that goal. ( LOL) The movie is a must see for adults and children to enjoy. I give this movie four stars.
Happy Reading!
L.L

Read Full Post »

“The Hobbit” Movie review

Posted in Fantasy literature, tagged , , , , , , , , , on December 16, 2012| 1 Comment »

The hobbit

Peter Jackson’s The Hobbit starring Martin Freeman is the spectacular genesis of an epic adventure that follows a small hobbit a young “Bilbo Baggins” as he sets off on a journey to help a clan of dwarves reclaim their homeland at the Lonely Mountain which was stolen from them by a fierce dragon called Smaug. Recruited by the great wizard Gandalf, Bilbo is approached by the dwarves and their King Thorin to assist in their efforts. Labeled as a “thief” Bilbo is Reluctant to leave the comforts of home and branch off into the world. As the dwarves try to convince Bilbo to take on the task, he continues to let his fears of the outside world get the best of him.
Once the dwarves make way out the Shire, Bilbo soon decides that he will not be a product of his own fears and sets off on “an unexpected journey.”
Bilbo’s travels open him up to a vast array of possibilities that Middle Earth has to offer including the most important aspect of his journey which is his encounter with the creature Gollum and finding “The Ring of Power.” Bilbo and the dwarves encounter trolls, orcs, and even battles goblins on the journey to recapture the dwarf land.
The opening of the film was just wonderful. Bilbo starts off as the Bilbo we know and love in The Lord of the Rings Trilogy. He and Frodo (yes Elijah Wood makes an appearance!) are preparing for Bilbo’s birthday party. Bilbo is in the process of writing his book An Unexpected Journey.
This movie is the most perfect prequel that I have ever seen. I was looking at this movie as if I hadn’t seen the others. We learn more about the character that makes up Bilbo, as well as the relationship between Gandalf, Saruman, Elrond and Galadriel. It amazing how well Jackson tells this story.
Without giving away anything else, this movie is a must see and fans will be in awe once again over this cinematic experience.
The cast was stunning in their collective performance which included Ian Holm, Martin Freeman, Richard Armitage, Ian Mckellen, Elijah Wood, Cate Blanchett, Andy Serkis, and Christopher Lee. Howard Shore graced the musical scene for The Hobbit and Jackson’s team of creatures and makeup artists ultimately created a film of sensational measure.
I give “The Hobbit” five stars.
L.L

Read Full Post »

Paranormal Activity 4 Movie Review

Posted in Fantasy literature, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , on October 21, 2012| Leave a Comment »

Paranormal Activity 4 directed by Henry Joost and starring Katie Featherston takes place five years after Katie kills her family and kidnaps her nephew baby Hunter.  Hunter now known as Robbie, along with Katie are the new residents of a neighborhood in Nevada.  The moment Katie and Robbie move in across the street, Alice the teen that notices that Robbie is strange begins to experience paranormal events in her home.

The subtle noises in the night become elevated when Robbie is forced to stay a few days with Alice and her family.  Her friend Ben encourages Alice to video record all the strange activity.  Alice feels that Robbie is a bad influence on her brother Wyatt.  After viewing the tapes of recorded footage the teen is convinced that something maybe after her and her brother.  Alice ties to confront her mother about her findings, but her mother continues to not listen and ignore the signs.

Alice eventually discovers that Robbie may be linked to a coven of witches and a demonic force.  By the time she learns this information it is too late for her and her family.

The fast moving movie really was pointless and did not answer any of the questions franchise fans want to know concerning Katie and Kristi’s past that involve the demonic creature.  The movie was done the same way as the others.  A bump here, a crash there, then suddenly Katie pops into the home and randomly kills everyone.  Katie makes a statement at the end of movie telling the possessed Wyatt that “he will be ready soon.”

For those of you who still plan to see the movie, I will not give any more away, but to tell you the truth, I should have gone to see Taken 2, which I am three weeks late seeing.  I am not going to go over special effects or score, because this movie did not bring anything new to the franchise at all.  This movie should have gone straight to DVD and Netflix.  I cannot believe that the production company wasted money to release a movie like this.  I give Paranormal Activity 4 two stars.  I hope they do not make another one for next Halloween.

As a horror fan, I was disappointed and screamed only once.

Happy Reading!!

L.L

Read Full Post »

« Newer Posts - Older Posts »