Archive for the 'Movie Reviews' Category
May 29th, 2012 by Aaron Neuwirth
Just to get it out of the way, I am a big fan of writer/director Wes Anderson’s work (Rushmore, The Royal Tenembaums, Fantastic Mr. Fox, etc.) and was already inclined to enjoy his latest film. The fact that I really enjoyed Moonrise Kingdom does not come from a bias however; it comes from recognizing a well-made feature that is full great things, which includes warmth, whimsy, and affecting moments. Anderson’s idiosyncratic filmmaking sensibilities have served him well here, providing a film that should play well to more than just the audience that already enjoys his films. It is the sense of innocence that is wrapped up inside a film that is frequently humorous and always alive with visual details that makes it a film worth seeking out. Continue reading ‘Behold The Outdoor Majesty Of ‘Moonrise Kingdom’’
May 26th, 2012 by Aaron Neuwirth
Everyone nod you heads, because the black suits have come back. Still protecting the earth from the scum of the universe, the Men In Black have returned, but most importantly, they have redeemed themselves with an enjoyable third entry that gets better as it goes along. It has been a while since the last ‘Big Willie Weekend’, but Will Smith and everyone involved have managed to come up with a film that outshines its overblown production troubles. A lot of the same wit and humor that made the first film so enjoyable is present here, along with the strong makeup/effects work that has been present throughout the series. While it does take some time to really get going, the strong finish is what truly makes Men In Black 3 a worthwhile summer sci-fi comedy. Continue reading ‘‘Men In Black’ In Time’
May 26th, 2012 by Sean Ferguson
In Men in Black III, Agents J (Will Smith) and K (Tommy Lee Jones) are back… in time. J has seen some inexplicable things in his 15 years with the Men in Black, but nothing, not even aliens, perplexes him as much as his wry, reticent partner. But when K’s life and the fate of the planet are put at stake, Agent J will have to travel back in time to put things right. J discovers that there are secrets to the universe that K never told him — secrets that will reveal themselves as he teams up with the young Agent K (Josh Brolin) to save his partner, the agency, and the future of humankind. Continue reading ‘Men in Black III (Movie Review)’
May 26th, 2012 by David Freedman
Aliens invade earth after receiving a signal from NASA. But the crew of the John Paul Jones and their comrades engage the attackers in a vicious sea battle. So the Americans and Japanese navies join forces in a fight for the survival of the human race. Directed by Peter Berg, this action Sci-Fi thriller stars Taylor Kitsch, Alexander Skarsgård, Brooklyn Decker, Rihanna, and Liam Neeson. The script was written by Erich Hoeber and Jon Hoeber and produced by Sarah Aubrey, Peter Berg, Brian Goldner, Duncan Henderson, and Bennett Schneir. Continue reading ‘Battleship – Just Seen It Movie Review’
May 26th, 2012 by David Freedman
Girls follows the live of four young women in their early 20s, living in New York City and trying to figure out work, relationships and friendship. This HBO drama is created by Lena Dunham and produced by Lena Dunham and Judd Apatow and stars Lena Dunham, Allison Williams, Jemima Kirke and Zosia Mamet. Continue reading ‘Girls – HBO Series Premiere – Just Seen It TV Review’
May 26th, 2012 by David Freedman
Suzy and Sam are pen pals that run away to elope. But when Sam’s scout master and Suzy’s parents discover they’re gone, they sound the alarm. Fleeing the authorities, they fight for their love as a hurricane approaches. This Wes Anderson directed romantic dramedy adventure stars Jared Gilman, Kara Hayward, Bruce Willis, Edward Norton, Bill Murray, and Frances McDormand. Written by Wes Anderson and Roman Coppola, it was produced by Wes Anderson, Jeremy Dawson, Steven M. Rales and Scott Rudin. Continue reading ‘Moonrise Kingdom – Just Seen It Move Review’
May 18th, 2012 by David Freedman
An evil Witch turns Barnabas Collins into a vampire and buries him. But after 200 years, he is freed only to find his descendants and estate in ruins. Confronted by the witch who cursed him, Barnabas must fight for his family and his new love. This dark and somewhat campy comedy stars Johnny Depp, Michelle Pfeiffer, Helena Bonham Carter and Eva Green. and was directed by Tim Burton. Written by Seth Grahame-Smith and John August and produced by Christi Dembrowski, Johnny Depp, Graham King, Richard Zanuck and David Kennedy. Continue reading ‘Dark Shadows – Just Seen It Movie Review’
May 18th, 2012 by David Freedman
Five couples are planning for the arrival of their first child. Whether pregnant or adopting, they all find the journey to parenthood a difficult one. But as the magical day arrives, they rejoice in the miracle of new life. This ensemble romantic comedy stars Cameron Diaz, Matthew Morrison, Dennis Quaid, Chris Rock, Jennifer Lopez and Elizabeth Bank. It is directed by Kirk Jones and written by Shauna Cross and Heather Hach. The producers are Mike Medavoy, Arnold Messer and David Thwaites. Continue reading ‘What to Expect When You’re Expecting – Just Seen It Movie Review’
May 18th, 2012 by Brian White
When I first heard they were making a live adaptation of the infamous Parker Bros. (now owned by Hasbro since 1991) game, Battleship, I thought oh my, what a huge naval epic it could be. The possibilities were endless, in my opinion. A grand scale naval adventure hasn’t seen success on the silver screen in many years now. So bring it on! But wait! Two things instantly ruined my anticipation of this onscreen adaptation. First there was the inclusion of Rihanna. Really? Come on! Why not include Brittany Spears and maybe even someone old school like Tiffany too? And then…there was this reveal of the film’s plot…ALIENS! Really?! I don’t exactly remember saying watch out for that alien ship when I sunk my dad’s battleship on A5. I only have one word to describe my feelings about all this…W-H-A-T-E-V-E-R. Continue reading ‘Battleship (Movie Review): Iron Man Meets John Carter in the Navy’
May 18th, 2012 by Jami Ferguson
When you see theaters advertising a Thursday midnight showing, you know the studios think they have a blockbuster on their hands. The latest summer blockbuster–to-be is Battleship. Being a Hasbro film, it made me a little nervous about it since I generally don’t like movies made (in part) by toy companies like G.I. Joe – The Rise of Cobra . Not having played with G.I. Joe dolls as a child I wondered if I was missing a certain nostalgia that would have increased my enjoyment of the film. To be fair, I did like the first Transformers movie but the other two lost my interest. Thinking of other board games that became movies, I did love the movie of Clue when it came out, although almost any murder mystery in a big house, is basically a game of Clue. Speaking of board games, I did play Battleship and I wasn’t sure how they were going to approach this movie since the game has two people sitting on opposite sides of a plastic game board putting pegs in sunken ships which doesn’t really sound like a great movie plot. I figured two warring nations would be engrossed in naval warfare, but that might get a little old. Battleship chose to go a different route and instead it’s everyone (multiple nations) battling alien invaders.
Continue reading ‘Battleship – A Hit and a Miss! (Movie Review)’
May 18th, 2012 by Aaron Neuwirth
The trickiest thing about writing a review for Battleship, the film based on the popular board game, which now pits Tim Riggins of Mars against a fleet of aliens that challenge the Navy to deadly war games…or something, is capturing why I did not really care for the film as much as I did other, similar films. It is a loud, $200 million, alien invasion flick, with lots of stuff that goes boom throughout its 2-hour runtime. It is perfectly suitable for the summertime, yet I did not have that much fun as I would have liked with it. Having recently seen New York get toppled (The Avengers), Chicago get blasted (Transformers: Dark of the Moon), and Los Angeles become a blown out war zone (Battle: LA), I think I am just a little tired of this. Battleship does not attempt to do anything new with this kind of film and aside from having a higher appreciation for the military, director Peter Berg does little to make this film really stand ahead of Michael “Boom Boom” Bay’s alien robot adventures. Battleship is less a terrible film and more a film that seems to be hitting me at a point where its type fatigues me. Continue reading ‘‘Battleship’: The Most Explosive Board Game Of The Year’
May 17th, 2012 by Aaron Neuwirth
I am really looking forward to seeing Sacha Baron Cohen tackle more serious and dramatic work. I saw a hint of it in Hugo and, as is generally the case, comedic actors seem work just as well in a dramatic environment. I start out this way because I like Sacha Baron Cohen in general, but the movies that involve him trying being as offensive as possible do little for me. I chuckle at them, sometimes I laugh much harder, but when they finish, I am fine enough with what I saw and have no real desire to watch the film again. I have seen Borat once; I have seen Bruno once; and now I have seen The Dictator, but I do not really have any real lingering thoughts about any of these films that make me want to reflect on these crazy characters that Cohen has played (with vigorous and committed enthusiasm). Chances are people will generally enjoy this movie more than Bruno, but I am basically indifferent. Continue reading ‘‘The Dictator’ Seizes Comedy, Whether You Like It Or Not’
May 17th, 2012 by Gregg Senko
Most people I know are only familiar with Sacha Baron Cohen’s work on the Borat and Bruno level. My first exposure to him was 11 years ago in a boring Biloxi, Mississippi apartment with time to kill. There it was. The Ali G Show. Cohen displayed comedic brilliance in the role of the suburban Brit gangsta-wannabe, which of course also included Kazakhi tourist Borat and gay Austrian fashion journalist, Bruno. Fast forward those 11 years and here we are with Cohen’s latest incarnation as Admiral General Aladeen. My, how the mighty have fallen.
Continue reading ‘‘The Dictator’ Commands Few Laughs’
May 16th, 2012 by Aaron Neuwirth
I have seen and heard a lot of Bobcat Goldthwait lately, as he has been promoting his newest film, God Bless America. Having retired from stand-up comedy nearly a decade ago, with his eyes set on being a filmmaker, he’s since made some interesting (and quite good) dark comedies; including Sleeping Dogs Lie and World’s Greatest Dad (Robin Williams is great in that movie). I like Bobcat Goldthwait. Listening to him now, he is very honest, funny, and brash in a good sort of way. It is unfortunate that God Bless America is not a better film. It certainly has a lot on its mind in regards to the state of America’s fascination with reality television, among other things, but the film does not come together as strongly as it could. There are enough good bits in it overall to make it something worth checking out for a person that wants to enjoy a decent dark comedy/satire, it just could have been more. Continue reading ‘‘God Bless America’: A Road Trip/Killing Spree Comedy’
May 15th, 2012 by Aaron Neuwirth
Dark Shadows is a movie that has everything it needs to be a lot of fun, but ends up being too hit or miss to fully succeed in the end. The film has a great cast, some very impressive production values (fitting for a Tim Burton film), and an initial setup for a story that could have lead to some interesting places. The setup is strong, yes, but the film ends up being too messy in regards to handling all of its many subplots and characters. This would not be all too bad a thing if the film was at least constantly entertaining, but unfortunately, there are also various problems with how well established the characters are and how well the comedy works. Johnny Depp certainly tries hard, but the film is too messy and unfocused to really amount to much more than a forgettable, gothic jaunt. Continue reading ‘Dark Shadows Linger With Mixed Results’
May 14th, 2012 by David Freedman
Batman is now a criminal after taking the blame for Harvey Dent’s murders. But he discovers that a new villain is planning to destroy Gotham City. Together with both allies new and old, he fights against murderous Bane. This final movie in the trilogy stars Christian Bale, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Tom Hardy and Gary Oldman and is once again directed by Christopher Nolan. Jonathan Nolan and Christopher Nolan wrote the screenplay and produced it along with Charles Roven and Emma Thomas. Continue reading ‘The Dark Knight Rises – Just Seen It Preview Review’
May 12th, 2012 by Aaron Neuwirth
Remember what happened to action movies after Die Hard came out? A lot of action films were made that basically amounted to things like “It’s Die Hard on a boat” or “It’s Die Hard on a train” to varied levels of success, but one thing was for sure, Die Hard changed how a lot of people and studios wanted to make action films. That has somewhat subsided in favor of other types of action cinema, ranging from the slow-mo escapades of John Woo-like films to the bombastic extravaganzas of Michael Bay features, or the shakiness inspired by Paul Greengrass’s work on the Bourne series. Sleepless Night is a French thriller that feels like a call back to the Die Hard days, placing an ordinary man in incredibly tense, violent, and stressful situations within a nightclub. It is well made from an impressively complex level rather than a stylish one and features action bits that feel very natural. Some minor plot flaws aside, the film is solid.
Continue reading ‘‘Sleepless Night’ Rests For No One’
May 11th, 2012 by David Freedman
General Aladeen, ruthless dictator of Wadiya, travels to NY to speak at the UN. But after he escapes a kidnapping attempt, no one in the Big Apple believes who he really is. So he risks his life to ensure that democracy never comes to the country he so lovingly oppresses. This comedy stars Sacha Baron Cohen, Anna Faris, Ben Kingsley and John C. Reilly. Its directed by Larry Charles and written by Sacha Baron Cohen and Alec Berg. Sacha Baron Cohen, Alec Berg, Scott Rudin and Jeff Schaffer produced this broad comedy. Check out all our reviews at www.justseenit.com Continue reading ‘The Dictator – Just Seen It Movie Review’
Just to get it out of the way, I am a big fan of writer/director Wes Anderson’s work (Rushmore, The Royal Tenembaums, Fantastic Mr. Fox, etc.) and was already inclined to enjoy his latest film. The fact that I really enjoyed Moonrise Kingdom does not come from a bias however; it comes from recognizing a well-made feature that is full great things, which includes warmth, whimsy, and affecting moments. Anderson’s idiosyncratic filmmaking sensibilities have served him well here, providing a film that should play well to more than just the audience that already enjoys his films. It is the sense of innocence that is wrapped up inside a film that is frequently humorous and always alive with visual details that makes it a film worth seeking out. Continue reading ‘Behold The Outdoor Majesty Of ‘Moonrise Kingdom’’
