March '13 Movies Digest

It started low...but it finished quite nicely.

Premium Rush

Acting: 3.5/5
Story: 2.5/5
Perception: 3/5
Rating: 3/5

There are a few things that are good about this movie: the slightly original premise, the high pace, JGL and some editing tweaks. But there are bad parts as well, the over exaggerated clichés and plot parts and the ludicrousness of the antagonist, especially. In conclusion it is an almost decent popcorn flick, but not more.

Cosmopolis

Acting: 2.5/5
Story: 1.5/5
Perception: 1/5
Rating: 1.5/5

One of the, if not the weirdest film I've seen. I know that the purpose was to tackle the current socioeconomic situation in a very unconventional and complex way. Personally I enjoy movies where you have scratch your head more than a bit, but this one is so twisted that I could bang it against a wall and still not understand why things were happening and where the story was going (besides from 'getting a haircut'). So, if you have any explanation feel free to jump in.

Oz the Great and Powerful

Acting: 3.5/5
Story: 3.5/5
Perception: 4/5
Rating: 3.5/5

This movie offers a good time, it is highly aesthetic and quite catchy. But I was very disappointed by Glinda, and some of the thrills were a bit too much. Luckily, Franco does a top notch job and Zach Braff is always a welcomed presence.

Rise of the Guardians

Acting: 3.5/5
Story: 4/5
Perception: 3.5/5
Rating: 3.5/5

Visually, to the date,  this movie is on the average side on a 2D screen, with its very choppy design. But it has a lot of heart, and will reach out deep for the kid inside of you. And, thanks to Jude Law, it probably has one of the best voiced negative characters.

Cloud Atlas

Acting: 4.5/5
Story: 4.5/5
Perception: 4/5
Rating: 4.5/5

A highly entwined story, through characters, locations and centuries, that reminded my a bit of The Fountain. But this one is more complex, and you might need to be fully concentrated the whole time, in order to catch all the details between the story-line jumps. At first the movie may seem long, but in the end with the whole six plots, there's just enough time for everything to develop. The multifaceted characters are very well interpreted; small personal gripe: very few of them show different character traits from one age to another. On a similar note, the make-up team did an impressive job creating a small game of 'Where's Waldo', probably with the exception of the Neo Seoul segment where things seem a bit forced.

Serenity

Acting: 4/5
Story: 4.5/5
Perception: 4.5/5
Rating: 4.5/5

This movie is the consolation prize for all the Firefly fans. And it does things very well. The crew kept their chemistry, the witty comebacks are still on the menu and the story has a neat pace. Maybe the camera actions had a couple of tweaks, plus, personally I was emotionally disappointed by some events, and some of the questions still remained unanswered, but it's almost the best that could be done in 2 hours. A sequel maybe?

February '13 Movie Digest

A little bit of this, some more of that...

Seven Psychopaths

Acting: 4/5
Story: 4/5
Perception: 2.5/5
Rating: 3.5/5

I was a bit disappointed by this one. The story and the cast have a positive craziness potential to make the movie more than interesting, but there is something in the filming which is not appealing to my taste. There are several long-winded moments that in the purpose of creating a artsy tension, slow everything down

Lincoln

Acting: 5/5
Story: 4/5
Perception: 4/5
Rating: 4/5

Historic movies are not my usual thing, but this one was definitely worth it. It has good dynamics, witty dialogues and the actors delivery is close to perfection. The fact that the plot was focused on the political aspects behind the passing of the 13th amendment was a good choice in my opinion. Besides the dynamics is well sustained mainly through the political debate, which impressively replaces the physical dynamics.

Silver Linings Playbook

Acting: 4/5
Story: 3.5/5
Perception: 4/5
Rating: 4/5

A rom-dramedy that has a couple of additional layers. Adding the good acting, you get a more than enjoyable movie (with some small unexplained/undeveloped details). By the way, Jennifer Lawrence found her trademark in the emotionally challenged characters.

Hotel Transylvania

Wits: 3.5/5
Story: 3/5
Perception: 3.5/5
Rating: 3.5/5

A wannabe but not so uncommon setup for an animated teen movie, but in the end it was quite fun.

Gangster Squad

Acting: 3.5/5
Story: 3/5
Perception: 3/5
Rating: 3/5

The movie seems to be a comic strip, with brief shots and short dialogues. On top of that, the slo-mo scenes were not that useful, with a couple of cool exceptions. If you add the acting which is just ok, when it could have been a lot more and the plot shortcuts, it doesn't come out that well. Luckily the action is intense enough and there are some sweet moments and some witty comebacks to save it.

Burn Notice: The Fall of Sam Axe

Acting: 3/5
Story: 3/5
Perception: 3/5
Rating: 3/5

A film mostly intended for Burn Notice aficionados. The entire picture is done in a 'Sam Axe' style, which at times can be humorously forced. But in the end it isn't that bad.