TheMovieRhino's stats
- Review count647
- Helpfulness votes412
- First reviewNovember 16, 2008
- Last reviewMay 26, 2012
- Featured reviews0
- Average rating3.9
Overall rating
4
/
5
Super is not Super BUT it is a good dark comedy...
PostedMay 21, 2011
... "super hero" movie. Know, going in, that "Super" will appeal to aficionados that like dark comedy, suspense, violent action movies with loads of grittiness. It is not for everybody ..... likely it is not for many. That said - I liked it. It is quirky, unusual, unpredictable fare - not only in plot and substance - but also in it's characters and environments. Kudos to the production people and director Gunn for gathering some really top-notch actors together for this weird "little" movie - Kevin Bacon, Liv Tyler, Nathan Fillion, Ellen Page and, of course, the irrepressible Rainn Wilson. The movie is shot "2-dimesionally" with 3D emotional underpinnings. We "flicker" in and out of Frank's mind and inner turmoil - sometimes empathizing, sometimes confused and almost always "aghast". The violence is real and we are shocked to see it played out with the passion and detachment as if "it should be" like a comic book - sanitized, clean and perhaps not so permanent. Super does not reach super movie status but ... for it's specific niche genre ... it gets pretty close! One pipe wrench shaped rhino horn up.
Yes, I recommend this movie.
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+2points
2of 2voted this as helpful.
Overall rating
5
/
5
STOP! See Everything Must GO! Ferrell Surprises...
PostedMay 15, 2011
... us all with a dramatic turn - laced with dark humor. A well-told tale about certain aspects and tendencies of the human condition: addictive behavior, living lies, facing reality, taking people/blessings for granted, misplaced priorities, finding oneself, smelling the roses, starting over. I've probably left out some of the important life lessons that can be found in this film ... as there are many. We all have to deal with "clutter" in our lives sooner or later - and in "Everything Must Go" Will Ferrell's character not only is forced to deal with multiple types of clutter (physical, spiritual, emotional, etc.) but he ends up entrenched and living in all of his life's clutter on his front lawn. The life metaphors are endless - sprinklers coming on, neighbor's hypocritical ogling, seeking trusted friends and support, cravings for "pain-killers", looking back towards simpler and more innocent times, etc. which all lead to levels of introspection. Sparse dialogue, great cinematography, well-acted and edited - this one will make you laugh and think at the same time. Will Ferrel needs to "break out of his box" more often. He is very good here as is the rest of the excellent cast. You must go to see "Everything Must Go"! A "priced to sell" rhino horn up!
Yes, I recommend this movie.
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+4points
4of 4voted this as helpful.
Overall rating
4
/
5
Confession - I Really Enjoyed Priest 3D!
PostedMay 15, 2011
First off - I should confess that I have a bias for apocalyptic, dark, brooding, mysterious, action-adventure, mono-chromatic, sci-fi tales of daring-do set in the far future (even the ones that seem like the future but end up actually being set in the past). I simply enjoy them - often even the bad ones. Priest 3D is an above-average movie of this ilk. I liked the actors and the acting .... the cinematography .... the plot and dialogue .... the action and the suspense .... and the few twist and turns that the story takes along the way. My only real negative criticism is that the film would have been better if it was a bout 20 minutes longer and in that 20 minutes the writers and director had focused on character background, detail and development. I think that the drubbing that main stream critics are laying on "Priest" is a bit of "piling on" and an over-reaction .... but that's just me. The ending implied a Priest II could be in the future and I hope so. A "cross-tatoo'd" dusty rhino horn up.
Yes, I recommend this movie.
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+2points
2of 2voted this as helpful.
Overall rating
5
/
5
Say "I do" to Bridesmaids! In a word - FUNNY!
PostedMay 15, 2011
I was half-expecting the same old "twaddle" that often accompanies "Saturday Night" players and alumni onto the big screen .... but what a pleasant surprise to see that "Bridesmaids" delivers the laughs - and then some! All of the cast is spot on and they are all very funny. The scene after the girls eat Mexican and then try on their white wedding dresses - that scene alone - would be more than worth the price of a movie ticket! Literally laughed until I cried multiple times. What more can you ask from a modern era movie comedy? Not a chick flick on any level .... but chicks and guys - who like a little "raunch" with their comedy film fare - will love this one. High marks. Every bit as hilarious as "The Hangover"! We can only hope for a Bridesmaids II. Kudos to all involved. A big, juicy rhino horn up! Don't miss it!
Yes, I recommend this movie.
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+2points
2of 2voted this as helpful.
Overall rating
2
/
5
Something Borrowed is Not Worth The Investment...
PostedMay 8, 2011
... of your time or movie money. The only lingering thought most will have as we leave the theater is "thank God I am not a directionless, spoiled 30 something" that "summers" at my parent's beach home in the Hamptons. I think most of us crave something redeeming in a movie of this ilk but you would be hard pressed to find it here. Frankly this would be a one star flick if not for the character portrayed by and the acting of John Krasinski and about 10 minutes (once the movie is filtered and concentrated) total of funniness. One last thing - why do the horrendous and unnecessary thing that they did at the very end regarding the relationship between the characters portrayed by Krasinski and Goodwin? Very disappointing and really sums up a movie that is way too amoral and rudderless. A two-timing double rhino horn down.
No, I do not recommend this movie.
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+2points
2of 2voted this as helpful.
Overall rating
5
/
5
THORoughly Enjoyed Thor! A Thunderous Success!
PostedMay 8, 2011
One of the best comic book movies of all time. Ranks up there with The Dark Knight Returns, Iron Man and Spider-man. It is truly amazing how much of the original Stan Lee / Jack Kirby mythos Kenneth Branagh was able to translate onto the big screen .... and with such clarity, power, humor, suspense, romance, action and colorfulness! The perfect "all-director" for Thor leads a perfect cast of actors that all embody, to a tee, their characters! Rare that TheMovieRhino feels compelled to see the same film twice on the same weekend ... but Thor is that good. Saw it in 2D at the Cine Capri which is Arizona's largest screen and in large scale 3D. 3D seemed better for Asgardian scenes while the rest of the movie is about the same 2D or 3D. Stay for the very end as you will get a further Avengers tease. Thor "hammers home" that a comic book movie done right, with the right director and cast, and enough money can be astonishingly good and will, deservedly, earn "blockbuster status" in moviedom! Marvel films are getting it right! Don't wait, mount your steed, hurry along the rainbow bridge to a theater of your choice and see Thor now!
Yes, I recommend this movie.
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+2points
2of 2voted this as helpful.
Overall rating
5
/
5
It Would Be a Crime to Miss "Henry's Crime"!
PostedMay 1, 2011
Henry's Crime is a spider web of a movie that will ensnare you in it's charms - if you let it. This is similar to the trap that Henry himself finds himself enmeshed in at the heart of the tale. James Caan is perfectly cast in this movie and adds seasoning and depth in his finest movie role in the past 20 years. Farmiga and Reeves - and the rest of the cast - are several notches above average and do not detract form the richness of the story. Kudos to them all and director Venville. An adult film with very little profanity, very little violence and very little "rolling in the sack" activity. Without spoiling the ending we can say that it "appears" to end the way most of us would hope ... and the rest .... is left up to the vagaries of our imaginations. For me it is the happiest of all possible outcomes. Henry's crime is that he almost didn't try to commit one! We are along to aid and abet! A big old Russian rhino horn up!
Yes, I recommend this movie.
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+1point
1of 1voted this as helpful.
Overall rating
2
/
5
Dylan Dog Barks up the Wrong Tree....
PostedMay 1, 2011
Could have, should have, would have .... kept rolling around in my mind while watching Dylan Dog. The other thought was .... "where's Buffy"? If not for the occasional "not yet allowed on TV profanity" this would have seemed like an average "Buffy The Vampire Slayer" episode. There are some humorous and interesting "genre"scenes (about 10 minutes total when you add them all up) that push it to 2 stars .... just not enough here to make it a "must see" .... or even a "must rent". If you must then do the $1 Redbox thing or a Netflix thing in about 2 months. A pasty, zombie-colored rhino horn down.
No, I do not recommend this movie.
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0points
1of 2voted this as helpful.
Overall rating
5
/
5
High Octane, Burning Rubber Action in Fast Five!
PostedMay 1, 2011
Sidewall to sidewall action in Fast Five will have you entrenched in all of your white knuckled glory! Forget "realism" - it is just not needed here. Director Lin keeps the peddle to the metal from beginning to end. I didn't hear that anyone died in the filming of this move - that alone is amazing! The movie is either CGI-less or CGI seamless which adds to the visual empathy. Pulse pounding action, car races, car chases, car thefts, bank vault stealing, chasing after people and being chased by people .... all capped off with a mano y mano bash fest between "The Rock" and Diesel - what could be better? Fast Five rates a 10 for the genre and is by far the best in the series! Bodes well for 2011 summer action movies if Fast Five is "just the beginning"! Sets a high marker for the action flicks coming up next - and we are still in April! A big, rip-snorting rhino horn up!
Yes, I recommend this movie.
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+3points
3of 3voted this as helpful.
Overall rating
5
/
5
Kill the Irishman is a Powerhouse!
PostedApril 24, 2011
What a great movie! Ray Stevenson is amazing. I had no idea Stevenson could perform at this level. He IS Danny Green in this well-told tale of thuggery, violence, mobs and gangs in 1970's Cleveland Ohio! Who knew?! It takes a lot of skill (along with some good dialogue, scripting and directing) to create deep empathy for a character like Danny Green. Stevenson nails it! Not maudlin or contrived as it so easily could have been. Val Kilmer has put on some pounds but he can still act .... as can Paul Sorvino and Christopher Walken. Great cast, writing, dialogue, pacing, perfect cinematography, excellent musical score .... a really nice job on telling the true tale of Danny Green. Hope it gets wider distribution - but if not - seek it out. You will thank TheMovieRhino later! A shamrock spotted rhino horn up. Not to be missed!
Yes, I recommend this movie.
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+3points
3of 3voted this as helpful.