misaligned.net » Movie Reviews

Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull

Fweeb — Mon, 26 May 2008 18:02:29 +0000

I really wanted to like this movie.Â I take that back… I did enjoy this movie.Â However, I believe that this is also the final confirmation that George Lucas has gone completely off the reservation.Â I mean, the Indy movies have always relied on a certain level fantasy, but the leap to sci-fi is a bit much.Â Also, part of the appeal of the other movies is the ambiguity of character backstories… there was not a whole lot of that going on here.

That said, Harrison Ford was certainly up for the role and played it well, as did the rest of the cast.Â I enjoyed the movie in chunks, but I’m not a fan over the overall story arc.Â So it was fun… I don’t think it was a waste of money to watch, but I do think it could’ve been better.

Iron Man

Fweeb — Mon, 05 May 2008 01:53:00 +0000

I’m quite pleased to announce that this movie did, in fact, not suck.Â Acting was strong across the board.Â The suit is freaking awesome.Â I can forgive some back-story modifications and the fact that his robots and home AI could probably pass the Turing test.Â And you can’t imagine how many times throughout this movie, I was either thinking (or saying aloud), “I want that.”

See this movie.Â You won’t be disappointed.

Street Kings

Fweeb — Tue, 29 Apr 2008 17:48:28 +0000

Well… I’m surprised.Â I really like this movie.Â It’s gritty and graphic and there are very few characters worthy of empathy.Â It’s well shot and there are strong performances by Forrest Whittaker and Keanu Reeves (surprisingly… he’s gotten better over the years).Â There’s not too much special about the story, but I haven’t watched a movie in the genre in a while, so it was pretty refreshing.

Go watch it.

21

Fweeb — Mon, 28 Apr 2008 19:51:50 +0000

Good to watch. Sure, it’s a tad predictable and some of the characters are underdeveloped, but the acting is strong and the editing really carries this film.Â I like that, even though their names are heavy on the marketing for this, Kevin Spacey and Laurence Fishbourne aren’t the only things that make this movie worth watching. There are also a couple nice bursts of nerdiness that might resonate well [or work as dreadful reminders] for geeks (like me!). I’d say it was worth the matinee price.

District B13

Fweeb — Tue, 22 Apr 2008 06:04:08 +0000

Fun action flick… this thing got released 4 years ago and I just now got around to watching it. The parkour sequences are particularly well shot and performed. Of course, the acting is relatively flat and the story is cliche… but hey, it’s good to have on for a little bit of mindless fun.

The Forbidden Kingdom

Fweeb — Tue, 22 Apr 2008 06:03:31 +0000

Fluff… largely forgettable. Yeah, it’s got both Jackie Chan and Jet Li in it and the fight choreography and cinematography are pretty well done. But there’s not a whole lot to sink your teeth into. It’s fun for an afternoon matinee.

Battle Royale

Fweeb — Fri, 04 Apr 2008 06:02:58 +0000

I can’t believe I’ve been sitting on this one for so long. Japanese movies can be so incredibly awesome. Think Lord of the Flies… but not an accident. A class of 8th/9th-grade students are brought to an island, given various armaments, and told that they have to fight until there’s only one left. Bad ass.

Persepolis

Fweeb — Fri, 04 Apr 2008 06:02:11 +0000

This film definitely deserved the Oscar nomination that it got. Very intense and engaging story. The animation is smooth, flowing, and appropriate. And while the story is a serious one, there are very excellent moments of levity throughout, thankfully preventing it from leaning overly political or preachy. It’s a shame this movie didn’t get wider distribution.

No Country for Old Men

Fweeb — Thu, 03 Apr 2008 06:01:47 +0000

I really liked this. Very strong acting on all fronts and it kept me interested the entire time. I really enjoy the subtly of a lot of the dialog and the heavy reliance on the visual elements of this movie. I mean, for as long as it is, it’s probably got less dialog than some movies which are half its length.

See it if you haven’t already.

Horton Hears a Who

Fweeb — Wed, 19 Mar 2008 06:01:02 +0000

This movie was friggin’ beautiful. And it was very funny. I don’t recall the original story having such heavy religious overtones and the musical number at the end seemed to be a touch out of line with the feel of the rest of the film. However, that said, it was quite an enjoyable movie, visually strong and the voice work and characterization really helped to drive it. I’d say it’s very worth seeing.

10,000 BC

Fweeb — Mon, 10 Mar 2008 06:00:24 +0000

Well… it didn’t completely suck. Anachronisms and inaccuracies aside, the movie is a fun one if you turn your brain off and try to allow yourself to simply be entertained. And the CG/effects work is really well done. Of course, it’s still pretty thin and probably wasn’t worth what they spent to produce it.

Cloverfield

Fweeb — Tue, 29 Jan 2008 05:59:59 +0000

Worth the watching. Strong acting, strong effects. The handheld camera thing didn’t bother me at all. Go see it.

Shoot ‘Em Up

Fweeb — Tue, 08 Jan 2008 05:59:37 +0000

Disappointing… and I wasn’t expecting all that much to begin with.

Futurama: Bender’s Big Score

Fweeb — Thu, 20 Dec 2007 05:59:11 +0000

It’s awesome. Buy it and watch it.

I Am Legend

Fweeb — Sun, 16 Dec 2007 05:57:42 +0000

I like it! It might not be what most people expect, but I really enjoyed watching this one. I still have questions about parts of the story, but I think that was by design. Acting was very solid and the parts were stitched together quite well. The only thing that bugged me (nitpick really) is the use of shaky camera work during a few scenes. I actually liked the way it looked, but I think there’s an inherent problem with using a hand-held shooting style when the content consists of the last living human. If he’s the last living human, then who’s the person hand-holding the camera? Again, that’s really just a nitpick, but I figured I’d include it.

Go watch this.