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NivekJ
NivekJ's stats
- Review count5
- Helpfulness votes1
- First reviewMarch 27, 2010
- Last reviewJune 20, 2011
- Featured reviews0
- Average rating3.8
NivekJ's Reviews
Overall rating
1
/
5
I Left My Heart on Oa
PostedJune 20, 2011
NivekJ
from Los Angeles, CA
Spoiler Alert: Screw this movie.
I say that as a former reader of DC's Green Lantern, Green Lantern Corps, and even my dad's old issues of Green Arrow/Green Lantern. Decades of rich storytelling, cosmic mythology, and intergalactic heroics ruined in two hours of franchise-building, quadrant-pandering, and story-by-committee.
I could literally hear the different timbre of multiple keyboards being struck by the writers. That's how much of a mash this movie is. No piece fits with the other. No piece is strong in and of itself. It tries to be all things to all audiences, and fails. Like a cinematic equivalent of Hershey's Take 5. Instead of being a good adventure movie, it's a date movie, a douche a-hole buddy comedy, a Cronenberg body horror flick, and a Spielbergian sci-fi extravaganza. Each one of these movies suck.
Hal Jordan's biggest moments in this movie are disrupted and undercut. Even the key realization of overcoming fear being more important than feigned fearlessness is made by Carol Ferris, not Hal Jordan himself. The flashback scenes are bungled to the point of absurdity. Hal crashes a plane because he can't stop thinking about his dad, who died in a crash decades prior. Why does he think about his dad? Because he looks at a picture of him in his cockpit. It's a wonder he doesn't crash his plane every time he flies, because all he has to do is LOOK AT THE PICTURE AGAIN.
Things happen in this movie for no reason. People say things for no reason. It really hurts me to slam this movie, THIS MOVIE, as if it's a bad joke. I've enjoyed these comics ever since I was a kid, back when I swore they would never make a film based on Green Lantern. Not even Daredevil was this bad, but at least "Daredevil" didn't feel like Daredevil. "Green Lantern" is a Green Lantern movie through and through, steeped in the mythology and storyline. And it makes a vomit sandwich out of it all.
It would have been better if this movie had never been made. Forget about Guy Gardner, or John Stewart, or the rebirth of the Corps, or Blackest Night, or even the Justice League. All that is over and done with. This film validates skipping the so-called B-list characters. It justifies the fatigue and cynicism that audiences have with superheroes, and with summer movies. It justifies waiting for video, waiting for Netflix, and flat-out avoidance of comic books in general. Screw this movie.
No, I do not recommend this movie.
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Overall rating
5
/
5
Best Fifthquel Ever
PostedApril 30, 2011
NivekJ
from Los Angeles, CA
Fast Five is better than it has any right to be. It seeks to entertain, and it does every single minute. Octane and bullets is what this flick is serving up, and you'll want seconds.
Vin Diesel and Paul Walker steady the crew's shenanigans in Rio, while director Justin Lin applies a deft hand to the action scenes, and a keen eye to the city and the cars. A talented cast keeps even the most mundane scenes lively, to the point they're no longer mundane.
Special mention goes to Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson for energizing for could have been a weak entry into a long-running franchise. He's the series' most interesting adversary, at times threatening to steal the movie from Diesel and Walker on more than one occasion.
Accept the ridiculousness, and have a blast. The bigger the crowd, the better; this is a film that pays off in a packed theater. Do yourself a favor, and stay after the credits.
Yes, I recommend this movie.
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Overall rating
4
/
5
I Love It When A Franchise Comes Together
PostedJune 12, 2010
NivekJ
from Los Angeles, CA
Joe Carnahan's "The A-Team" does what JJ Abrams' "Star Trek" did last summer: infuse a TV franchise of yesteryear with a charismatic cast and a zippy enthusiasm. "A-Team" pulls off the requisite origin story that most recent remakes and reboots take an entire film to go through, in the blink of an eye. Characters are reintroduced, and a moment later, reinvented. The plot makes as much sense as the ingredient list of a Big Mac sandwich. But what a Big Mac!
You'll be having too much fun to notice the plot holes the size of Nebraska. Carnahan is smart enough to know who his hitters are (Neeson and Cooper), and who not to ask too much of (Copley and Jackson, who are fine enough). If you ever wondered what Carnahan's Mission Impossible 3 would have been like, the answer is probably like this, but "A-Team" is way, WAY more fun than any of the M:I films.
It's fitting that both franchises have a memorable theme (a toss-up between which one's greater), but Alan Silvestri doesn't use the theme for a foundation as much as Giacchino did in M:I-3. Instead, he takes Giacchino's approach in "Star Trek," for the most part, saving the theme for the end, save a few background cues. It feels like he recycled his G.I. Joe score and simply played the A-Team theme in the beginning and the end, though his arrangement of it is stirring.
Too much CGI at the end, where this throwback to the 80s calls for a more analog approach, and too much shaky-cam during pivotal fight scenes keep this film from being a classic in the pantheon of action cinema, but it's still one fun ride. See it as loud and bright as you possibly can!
Yes, I recommend this movie.
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Overall rating
4
/
5
Get Him to the Diddy
PostedJune 4, 2010
NivekJ
from Los Angeles, CA
I couldn't believe how on fire this entire cast was, but the gold ring has to go to one Sean "Diddy" Combs. He's this year's Jonah Hill, this year's Russell Brand, the breakout comic performance that everybody talks about. It's hard to say more without ruining the experience, so know this: the less you know, the better you will be. The less prepared you are, the funnier the film is. Just go with it. It's partying with a rock star, after all. Not recommend for the weak stomached.
Yes, I recommend this movie.
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Overall rating
5
/
5
Disney Awakened
PostedMarch 27, 2010
NivekJ
from Los Angeles, CA
This clear and startling look at the Disney empire from the early 80's to late 90's, during its Renaissance era, never loses its heart. In the midst of the egos, strong personalities, unique artists, and changing tides, the tale of the animators being thrust into greatness is an enthralling one.
The untold story of the sheer toll that producing these films took on these people is as thrilling, tragic and Shakespearean as any one of Walt's classics. Don Hahn narrates the tale, utilizing extensive archival footage, insightful caricatures from the animators themselves, and recorded audio interviews.
This allows us to sit right at the tables in the meetings, stand beside them at the podiums, and stare onto a blank cel after another until they culminate into movement and color. The sheer amount of material lends the viewer a level of engagement only seen in the best of documentaries.
And since we are in the hands of Disney legends, the filmmakers never once forget to entertain as they enlighten us of their ordeals. I wholeheartedly recommend this film to any Disney fan or lover of animation. 'Waking Sleeping Beauty' deserves a spot right next to your favorite Disney films.
Yes, I recommend this movie.
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