Ted [2012]

I was expecting a full-blown comedy but then it seems the studio wants to put some serious tone in it, which really isn't needed and in turn, drags the entertainment value down for this flick. I am in the mood to laugh(especially when the trailer is so full of fun scenes, I guess you just can't trust trailer at all). They should just make the film light-hearted from the first second till the end, I mean...it has a freaking bear toy that talks, how serious can it be?

Instead, they choose to follow Hollywood 101, add some "lesson" thing in the end, one shall grow up and not stick with childhood bla bla bla and bla. That entire subplot by the second half of the movie just isn't needed, it takes away from the comedy atmosphere(and also the primary plot which is the relationship), they should just utilize the bear more and go for a full-out comedy, something closer to the like of The Hangover. I would say the "tone jump" or "mood switch" whatever worked well for Click IMO, not Ted.

Two thumbs in the middle, 6/10

The Expendables 2 [2012]

I didn't expect much(I was dragged by my friends to watch those if you are wondering why I watch this despite not expecting too much of it), but this turns out to be better than the first one. The first one is just...lacking in action and just makes them up with a lot of explosions. Yeah, I know explosions is an element in action film but literally a ton of them is just overdo, I might as well just youtube some explosion video and loop it over and over if that is what I seek.

This sequel has better action scenes, nice cameo and just better executed than the first one.

One thumb up because it's better than the first one, 6.5/10

21 Jump Street [2012]

Not sure how to describe this but it is a fun one for me. I didn't feel much about it on my first watch but the second watch-through is much more interesting. I find a lot of the scenes funny in this one and I don't even give a sh!t to Channing Tatum until I watch this. Good dialogues on some part and I think it shows the generation gap and changes in schools quite well.

Two thumbs up for a 8/10.

So, typical popcorn movie? Or slightly better than average popcorn standard?

I assume you mean the cinematography?

Johnny English Reborn - 7/10(biased, cuz I like Rowan Atkinson)

Just what you expect, a movie merely to pass your time. Rowan Atkinson is still brilliant and carried this one.

The Dictator - 5/10

I don't find it offensive personally since I am too chilled out and I ain't an American. However, I don't find it too funny(still funny on some parts) and some parts are not well-shot for me.

This post has been edited by Goliath764: Dec 31 2012, 12:58 AM

The Last Stand - 7.5/10

I like the first half of this actually. While mostly consider this as kind of a mindless action flick, I do think the first half set up the story quite well on its own. The second half though...not as grand as I expect it to be. Of course, there are some good moments once in a while but there's equal amount of lame moments and mediocre jokes. So my line is pretty high at first...then it's an up and down roller coaster ride throughout the middle till the end. And seriously, I guess the Hollywood rule is that in every action movie, there must be at least a kiss scene or else, bad thing happens?!...as they sure find a way to make one. The final fight is also not-so-great but I do like that they utilizes some proper ground fighting skills there. As a MMA fan, I can't help but like that sort of thing when they are in a movie.

One thing I like a lot is the car scenes in this one, they are freaking awesome. I usually don't give much of a crap about car scenes but this one is just above standard.

The Other Guys(2010)

Exceptional first 15 minutes...but the quaility just drops from there. Both protagonists are not really likable to me. Terry(Mark Wahlberg) is a gigantic d*** throughout the entire movie and Allen(Will Ferrell) is just annoying at times. Well, at least Allen has some depth as a character but Terry is just...meh. Mark Wehlberg's acting in this one also doesn't click with me, I am not sure if it's the character but he just feels weird to me in this one.

There are some scenes that are just dull to me. There are two possibilities I can think of: 1) The idea is funny on paper but not when it's on screen and 2) it's yet another "he thinks he's funny but he is not" situation. Either way, some dull scenes that are trying to be funny but fail to and most of them involve Terry so it's really hard to see him being a good protagonist in this one.

The story is also lacking. There's just...not enough going on. While the film has all the "key beats" in a movie to make the entire story looks connected as one but it's ultimately uninteresting. The climax is also pretty mediocre for what it is. Overall, it's too long for its purpose, being slightly shorter might help this one.

Rating: 3.5/10

This post has been edited by Goliath764: Sep 12 2013, 12:04 AM

Silver Lining Playbook(2012)

I have high expectation of this since it's regarded as one of the best of 2012 and has an Oscar(plus tons of other wins). Going in, the movie doesn't disappoint me at all. The mental disorder is interesting in the movie, I know mental disorder's no joke in real life, but it is interesting in this movie. Personally, I consider this a light drama about a guy with bipolar disorder looking to work his way back to proper life.

The most interesting segments of this movie to me is probably the first half of the middle part(or act 2 in screenplay term) when Pat(Bradley Cooper) and Tiffany(Jennifer Lawrence) are still new to each other as they try to accommodate each other into their life. The constant snapping, the amount of content, just great. The second half of the middle are more focused on the dance training though, which is fine(and needed to progress the story) but not as interesting as the first half to me. The actual dance scene is hot though, darn good scene.

The ending though, I feel it to be too "Hollywoodish". It's too...simple, there should be more uncontrollably stuff from Tiffany IMO instead of her being so calm all of a sudden, you know, to make it more SLPish than the typical and generic ending which is fine but not unique at all. The ending is fine, no need to change that but I am expecting a more SLP execution there.

Performance-wise, while great, I am not sure if Jennifer Lawrence's performance in here warrants an Oscar. It's great but I am not sure if it's really Oscar-worthy. Some don't like the casting of Bradley Cooper, I find it to be fine. The rating should have been higher but the ending feels rushed and with flawed execution and that dragged the score down a little bit. This might be 8++ if not for "one of the best of 2012", I have a higher expectation because of that and the ending falls short.

Rating: 7.5/10

3:10 to Yuma(2007)

I don't really talk much about the story(avoiding spoiler and also, I don't think re-telling the story is going to be helpful to readers) but the basic premise for this is that a rancher(Christian Bale) has to deliver an outlaw(Russell Crowe) to the Yuma prison by train and the movie covers the journey to Yuma.

A remake of a 1957 movie, this is actually my first western movie so I am not sure if I can grasp the elements of it. I am generally interested in the western genre, perhaps more curious than interested, but I went with it. I am pretty impressed with Russell Crowe in this one, he's just freaking darn good in his role and provide the necessary depth and subtlety to what I consider the most subtle character of this movie. I find him pretty impressive throughout the movie but more so on the first half. Christian Bale isn't too bad but perhaps I just don't like his character that much and that makes me a bit biased about judging his performance. He is better in the whole finale(or act 3 of a film) to me.

I didn't pick up several things in my first watch but I get plenty of them now after some reading and googling(which I always do for good films) and I am pretty amazed by the depth of this film, it's definitely not shallow. There are some pretty basic logical mistakes though, which I don't like so much, and I understand every movie is going to have them anyway, so it's not a huge concern.

The movie dragged a little in the middle to me but the beginning and finale are top notch. I especially liked many of the action shots in the finale, just awesome. Overall, I would say the character interaction between the two main characters are the gold of this movie while the journey to Yuma is just to get them two together. A movie that features solid characters, easy-to-understand story(on the surface, there's more on the deep) and solid performances, I believe many can find this entertaining or at least, well-made.

I would say this is 8/10.

Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa(2008)

My friend has always liked animation, it's simple, relaxing and fun at the same time. I can see that line of thinking but I am not sure if I would enjoy simple movie as much as he did but I decided to just watch this anyway for discussion purpose because discussion is fun. I have watched Madagascar 1 and that's a long time ago, and I didn't like it too much and going with the typical fashion of "the sequel is likely to be worst than the original", I really didn't expect too much from Madagascar 2.

It turned out to be better than expected actually, nothing really groundbreaking here but it's decent I guess. Sadly, it's too simple at times and I just hate some of the characters in this one, namely the lion Alex and the grandma. The middle part is also a bit too dull for my taste, mostly due to its simplicity I guess. I understand and appreciate it's simplicity but it just doesn't get me enough. It's not really the film's fault but my own.

The final 30 minutes is pretty solid though except for one part that the grandma comes out again. Heck, I just hate her so much. I liked the different subplots of each of the main 4 characters in this film and it's really decent all in all so I guess I will give it a 6.5. I would say this is a very good movie for family.

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Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted(2012)

Madagascar 3, well, since I have already watched one and two, might as well get the third one done. Madagascar 3 is supposed to be the best one of the three as apparently the Madagascar franchise is improving on every sequel, which is impressive on its own because most of the Hollywood franchise get worst and worst the more they do it. To reverse this trend is a feat on its own.

In my opinion, Madagascar 3 has a very fun beginning, the first 30 minute is top solid yet it gets dull at the middle. I am not sure why, it's just a natural that I just feel boring at the middle part. Of course, there are some good part in the middle, especially going into the second half of the movie but I wish it could be all fun. The visual on one of the scenes(you are likely going to know which if you did watch it in the past or future) is simply insane and that's awesome. I also liked the soundtrack of this one except that one song related to Afro, other songs are all solid. Darn it Hans Zimmer, you sure are one heck of a composer.

Aside from the slight lag in the middle part, the importance of the main characters seem negated in this one. In Madagascar 2, most of them have their own subplot and you can see the story being personally to them but at some part of Mada 3, I just feel that they are there because they are the main characters but there's no concrete reason of needing them there.

Still, it's the best Madagascar out there and I think I actually laughed in this one so I am going to give it a 7.5. An awesome pick of a family film and if you only want to watch just one of the Madagascar franchise, then you should definitely get this one. There's no question about that.