Quick Cut Review - "What To Expect When You're Expecting"

Directed by:  Kirk Jones
Starring: Elizabeth Banks, Jennifer Lopez, Cameron Diaz and Anna Kendrick
Rated: PG-13
Runtime: 1 hour 50 minutes  
Release Date: May 18, 2012

Generally speaking, large ensemble cast movies just don't work, or more to the point, large ensemble cast ROMANCE movies just don't work. Cramming a couple dozen actors (usually a collection of past Oscar winners and the hot young crowd of actors) into a 2 hour frame and attempting to give them all equal amounts of screen time is ridiculous. You run the risk of either spreading all your actors too thin and making their roles nothing more than cameos in their own movie or more likely, the cast is so large and diverse that it is impossible to create a target audience simply because each audience member is being targeted by a different celebrity who only has 10 to 15 minutes of screen time, thus forcing audiences to sit through an hour or so of film filled with other actors they may not care for and with no real story to be had, it makes the experience extremely numbing.

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Quick Cut Review - "The Hunter"

Directed by:  Daniel Nettheim
Starring: Willem Dafoe, Sam Neil and Frances O'Connor
Rated: R
Runtime: 1 hour 40 minutes  
Release Date: October 6, 2011

There is only one reason to see The Hunter, and that reason is Willem Dafoe. Sure, the story of a mythical tiger long thought extinct living in Tasmania Australia seems intriguing, but this unnecessarily mysterious film only succeeds because of the standout performance by Dafoe who plays the hunter hired by some evil corporation to hunt and catch the elusive Tasmanian Tiger in order to obtain its biological secrets.

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"The Hunger Games: Catching Fire" Review: A Much More Exciting And Gripping Film Than Its Predecessor

The first Hunger Games film came along and hit like a 2 hundred ton freight train. Seemingly out of nowhere, this film based on a modestly successful book had become the hottest thing to hit since Twilight. But unlike that eternally dreadful film series, The Hunger Games had a glimmer of hope by landing a rising star in its lead role who could actually act and by introducing a unique world that captured the imaginations of fans across the globe.

While that first film certainly had its share of problems (the world was poorly constructed, the games themselves were underwhelming and besides our lead heroine, the characters were unmemorable), it showed promise for something much grander than what the finished product presented to us. So, with its sequel, Catching Fire, the franchise has finally hit its stride with a film that is not only superior to its predecessor in every possible way, but also sets the stage for a final chapter that promises to be every bit as exciting as one could hope for. Read the full review after the break.

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Quick Cut Review - "Upstream Color"

Directed by:  Shane Carruth
Starring: Amy Seimetz, Frank Mosley and Shane Carruth
Rated: Unrated
Runtime: 1 hour 36 minutes  
Release Date: May 7, 2013

Shane Carruth's debut 2004 film Primer was a revelation. In a world filled with so many fantastical time travel films, Carruth's film was one of the first to take a real scientific approach with the premise of traveling through time. It's budgetary concerns and amatuer cast were easily over looked for the intellectual script that actually made you believe that someone could actually create a device to travel through time with. Well, if you could understand all the technical talk and not get lost along the way that is.

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"The Wind Rises" Review: Miyazaki's Final Film Carries A Heavy Heart Along With Studio Ghibli's Usual 2D Artistry

If you were to look through Hayao Miyazaki's entire filmography you will find there is one common theme that makes those films uniquely his, and that is the majesty of flight. If it wasn't a witch on a broomstick flying through the sky or a giant Totoro gliding on the wind, it was a giant floating castle in the sky. The list could go on and on, but the point is that Miyazaki's love for all things that fly carried over to every single one of his works in some form or another.

So it seems almost fitting that Miyazaki's reportedly final feature film as director The Wind Rises is not only a biographical look at the life and times of Jiro Horikoshi, the man who was responsible for Japan's aeronautical revolution just before World War 2, but it is also the first film from the renowned director that feels deeply personal on a level unseen before now. Read the full review after the break.

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Quick Cut Review - "Planet Hulk"

Directed by:  Sam Liu
Starring: Rick D. Wasserman, Lisa Ann Beley and Mark Hildreth
Rated: N/A   
Runtime: 1 hour 21 minutes  
Release Date: February 2, 2010

After last year's smash blockbuster hit The Avengers came and went, there was a huge clamoring from fans for another stand alone film featuring the big green guy, The Hulk. With two films already dedicated to Hulk, the lame 2003 film starring Eric Bana and the significantly better 2008 film starring Edward Norton, chances were slim we would see him again until the next Avengers came around. But fear not loyal Hulk fans, for Marvel has released another Hulk-centric film for us to once again get our Hulk on, although not in the form you might be expecting.

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"Thor: The Dark World" Review: Thor Brings The Thunder In His Latest Adventure But Loki Steals The Show

There is a hard truth that must be accepted at this point in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, which is that unless you were there from the beginning, you have a whole lot of catching up to do if you hope to get as much out of this or any of Marvel's upcoming films. At this point, each Marvel film is barely a stand alone entry into the Marvel canon. They continue where the last film left off and lead directly into the next with no regard for those who may have missed a movie here or there.

It's not impossible to keep track of what is happening in the latest film in the MCU, Thor: The Dark World, but it's hard to imagine anyone fully enjoying it without knowing key details from the previous films. That is not a fault of this or any film in the MCU, it is a whole new way to approach a franchise and if Thor's latest adventure is anything to go by, they are doing just about everything right. Read the full review after the break.

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"Blue Is The Warmest Color" Review: An Erotically Charged And Passionate Love Story For The Ages

Why is it whenever a film gets released that deals with the sexual lives of adolescents having sex on screen that it immediately gets surrounded by controversy?  While its true that the new French film Blue is the Warmest Color (aka The Life of Adele: Chapters 1 & 2) features very explicit and intense sex scenes between its two primary female cast members, one barely of age and the other a slightly older woman, seeing the film and or condemning it solely for that reason alone is doing the film and its extremely talented leading ladies an extreme disservice. Read the full review after the break.

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"About Time" Review: Its Clever Use Of Time Travel Turns This Ordinary Romance Into Something Extraordinary

With most recently released films either being based on hotly debated subjects (Captain Phillips), intense survival action (Gravity/All is Lost), controversial sexual content (Blue is the Warmest Color), historical stories about America's tattered past (12 Years a Slave) and political whistle blowers (The Fifth Estate), it felt like the perfect time to see something a little more light hearted. Something a little more easy going, fun and above all else, something that leaves you smiling as you leave the theater.

Enter the aptly titled romantic/time-travel/comedy About Time. Sometimes all those intense movies just make you yearn to see something that makes us just feel all warm and fuzzy inside. If you are looking for a departure from those more serious (but astoundingly good) films and just want something that will put a stupid grin on your face for two hours, well About Time is your ticket. Read the full review after the break.

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"Ender's Game" Review: Ender's Journey Isn't Perfect, But The Ends Certainly Justifies The Means

There was a time when authors could unabashedly label their works of fiction as unfilmable. That time was before the digital era of filmmaking came along though, and now that label seems to be more of a challenge for modern day filmmakers than just a simple fact. Watchmen, Life of Pi and Cloud Atlas are some of the best examples of unfilmable novels that made it to the big screen in a form that may have not pleased everyone, but proved that what was once considered unfilmable, was now fair game.

Now we have the revered children's novel by author Orson Scott Card, Ender's Game. A book series that was also said (by its author) that a film adaptation would not work due to the method in which he tells his story. Writer/director Gavin Hood decided to take Card up on that challenge and has brought Ender's Game to the big screen after a near 3 decade wait. How it made the translation is another matter entirely. Read the full review after the break.

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"Man Of Tai Chi" Review: Keanu Reeves' Directorial Debut Is A Whole Lot Of Fun Hard Hitting Martial Arts Action

It took 5 long years for Man of Tai Chi to come to fruition. Directed and starring Keanu Reeves, featuring his long time friend and stunt man Tiger Hu Chen in the lead role and combining a mixture of oldschool and new age filmmaking philosphies, this is clearly a passion project for all those involved. How did Reeves' Martial Arts epic turn out?  Read the full review after the break.

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Quick Cut Review - "The Road (2009)"

Directed by:  John Hillcoat
Starring: Viggo Mortensen, Kodi Smit-McPhee, Charlize Theron, Robert Duvall and Guy Pearce
Rated: R  
Runtime: 1 hour 51 minutes  
Release Date: November 25, 2009

Director John Hillcoat's film adaptation of the novel The Road written by acclaimed author Cormac McCarthy is a film filled with immense hopelessness and despair. It's depiction of a world rotting away after a mysterious cataclysmic event is of a bleak and often extremely disturbing nature. There is little to no hope in its desolate wasteland filled with fractured memories of a way of  a life that seems almost like a distant dream. This nightmarish world will test your limits on how much you are willing to take before simply succumbing to its harsh and bitter reality.

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"All Is Lost" Review: Robert Redford Versus The Forces Of Nature Proves To Be A Powerful Cinematic Experience

What is it about survival stories that captivates us? Is it to somehow remind us that in our darkest hour there is still hope? Is it a way to celebrate the endurance of the human spirit? Is it to immortalize the few who are able to survive such harsh and hopeless conditions?  Maybe it is our fascination with stories wrought with danger and peril at every turn and discovering ourselves through the process?

Perhaps it is all of those combined, but one thing is for sure, the new film from writer/director J.C. Chandor, All is Lost, contains a little bit of all those elements while featuring a captivating low key performance by the legendary Robert Redford. Together, both director and actor combine to take the simple concept of a man and his boat and turn it into one of the most engrossing theatrical experiences of the year. Read the full review after the break.

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"Curse of Chucky" Review: Chucky Ditches The Humor And Goes Back To The Basics For His Latest Killing Spree

Over the course of the past 25 years, Chucky has solidified himself as a true horror icon. Despite his height issues, Chucky is able to stand proud next to fellow iconic slashers such as Freddy, Jason, Leatherface, Pinhead and even his fellow knee high friend, the Leprechaun. But over the years, like most horror franchises, his films slowly turned from horror into self aware comedies and much of the little guy's bite from the original film was lost and forgotten as legions of fans began laughing instead of cringing. 

Now, with so much time having passed since the last film (Seed of Chucky came out 9 years ago!), both the filmmakers and Universal have seen fit to bring Chucky back and reintroduce him to the public in a new film, Curse of Chucky. Functioning as both a reboot and a sequel to the other films (a requel), his latest film returns serial killer child's doll back to his most primal, his most basic with surprisingly strong results. Read the full review after the break.

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"Carrie (2013)" Review: Necessary Or Not, This Update To The Classic Stephen King Story May Surprise You

The 1976 Brian DePalma directed classic Carrie, based on a short story by horror icon Stephen King is widely considered a landmark film for the genre. Fabled film geek and revered filmmaker Quentin Tarantino named the film as one of his top 10 films ever made. Accolades have been showered upon the film for decades now, so when it was announced they were remaking the film, it was met with an audible groan from horror and film geeks alike.

Truth be told, no matter what your feelings on remakes are, there comes a time when enough is enough. When studios start digging out classics such as Carrie to repackage and sell to a new generation of teenagers, it is hard to think of it as anything other than a quick money grab. However, MGM got a lot of talent to helm this remake and if they were going to retell any classic, Carrie is the one story that could benefit from some modern day updates. Read the full review after the break.

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Quick Cut Review - "Project X"

Directed by:  Nima Nourizadeh
Starring: Thomas Mann, Oliver Cooper and Jonathon Daniel Brown
Rated: R  
Runtime: 1 hour 28 minutes  
Release Date: March 2, 2012

The "found footage" and "frat party" movie genres aren't exactly known for their class or high art sensibilities, but they can be fun if done right, which by the way hardly ever happens. By making a found footage/frat party movie hybrid, the people responsible for this poor excuse for a comedy have literally lowered the possibility of their film to be anything other than a passing curiosity at best and a total s**t show at worst. Guess which end of the spectrum their "project" ended up at?

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"The Penny Dreadful Picture Show" Review: Penny Is The Main Attraction Inside This House Of Horrors

Penny Dreadful has opened up her old movie theater to put on a show for a number of suitors whom she hopes will deliver her true loves first kiss. Her entertainment of choice? An anthology of horror delights of course!

As with any horror anthology, The Penny Dreadful Picture Show is full of ups and downs when it comes to its content, but thanks to our dreadfully delightful host Penny, the film comes together rather nicely to deliver a unique set of film experiences that will leave your hunger for horror pleasantly satisfied. Read the full review after the break.

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"Machete Kills" Review: Machete Don't Fail And Neither Does His New Movie

In 2010, Director Robert Rodriguez and star Danny Trejo made Machete, a film based off a single trailer that was made as a joke and played before the film Grindhouse. That film had its share of problems, but the 1970's exploitation style and aesthetics (not to mention its excessive over the top violence), as well as very tongue-in-cheek tone to the mayhem made the film a lot of fun. At the very end of that film we were then promised two more films featuring everyones favorite machete wielding ex-Federali, turned day laborer, turned vigilante, turned secret agent.

Making good on the promise (whether you wanted them to or not), Rodriguez and Trejo are back with Machete Kills. This time ditching a lot of the political commentary (but certainly not all of it) in favor of a much more stream-lined and general audience friendly spy/espionage framework. How does this new look fit Matchete? Read the full review after the break.

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"Metallica: Through The Never" Review: The Must See Theatrical Concert Event Of The Year

 

Concerts are meant to be seen in person. When either televised, shown live via satellite or presented on the big screen (or the big big screen with IMAX), it just can't beat watching the performance live and in person. The problem has been and always shall be the overbearing feeling that you are just watching an elaborate and overlong music video that lacks the spontaneity and excitement shared by thousands of fans who are all watching the same exact performance you are at the same exact time.

When it was announced that the legendary thrash metal band Metallica was going to attempt to create a concert film that would merge a traditional stage performance with a narrative based movie, the word skeptical came to mind. The results of this concert/movie hybrid are interesting to say the least and if you are a Metallica fan, you will likely have very little to complain about. Read the full review after the break.

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"Captain Phillips" Review: A Harrowing Tale Of Heroism And Fearlessness In The Face Of Adversity

In April of 2009, the merchant trade ship Alabama was boarded by a small group of Somali pirates. Once on board, they attempted to overtake the crew and pilot the vessel themselves, however the crew of the Alabama and its Captain, Richard Phillips, thwarted their attempts which resulted in Phillips putting himself in harms way to save his crew and ship. What followed would become national news as Phillips himself was taken hostage by his Somali pirate invaders and held for ransom.

Director Paul Greengrass is no stranger to bringing frightening real world events to life on the big screen. His anti-war film Greenzone tackled the debacle of the WMD searches prior to 2003 invasion of Iraq and his film United 93 was a film of startling power and emotion that to this day stands as the one film to truly capture the horror we all experienced on September 11th, 2001. With a track record like that, it’s no surprise that his new film Captain Phillips once again pits him face to face with yet another story of extraordinary courage in the face of adversity. Read the full review after the break.

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