Wednesday, March 24, 2010

Beowulf & Grendel more like Beofail & Grendull...



The magnificent and heroic story of Beowulf has never hit the big screen with wild renown. Beowulf & Grendel lacks a vivacity that should keep you fully engaged in this heroic tale. Sturla Gunnarsson's version of Beowulf is simply wimpy. The film struggles with continuity in editing. F-bombs are thrown in on occasion and are so awkward that some scenes mirror a high school lunch cafeteria.

The film has an R rating which is a bit much for how pathetic the violence and sexuality is portrayed. Gunnarsson films scenes of violence and action in such a tight shot that you can't see what's going on. Aftermath's of massacres with headless bodies on the floor are shot so wide open that you can barely make out what chaos really went down. The one sex scene is about 7 seconds long with all individuals fully clothed. I want to know who fell asleep while rating this one. I gotta tell you The Dark Knight is far more violent than this film and it is rated PG-13.

To tell you the truth the DVD menu was far more interesting accompanied by the one nice piece of music played throughout the entire film.

2 out of 5 stars easy. Don't even bother.

Wednesday, March 17, 2010

The Signal...What?


The city of Terminus has been exposed to a mysterious signal that is being transmitted through television, cell phones and radio broadcasts. This signal causes people to kill each other in a jealous rage. Studded with comic relief and bouts of horror this film is difficult to place in a single genre, fitting in with films like Inglourious Basterds and Sean Of The Dead.

The Directors David Bruckner and Dan Bush constantly make you wonder what is going on truly keeping you on your toes the all the way to the end. The unique way the films timeline unfolds holds your attention to the end. Sadly we never figure out where the signal is coming from and why.

Very creative and Formalistic. I give it a 4 out of 5 stars.

Wednesday, March 03, 2010

Valkyrie is just plain and dull.


Brian Singer fails to produce a gripping film. This proves that not all movies based on true events are exciting. Truthfully, how many Americans are going to care about a plot against Hitler that failed miserably. Are we supposed to feel bad for them? Are we supposed to relate to the fact that not all Nazi soldiers agreed with Hitler's oath? If this is what we are supposed to feel then Singer is just not convincing enough.

Singer has nothing of value accredited to him since his direction of The Usual Suspects

2 out of 5 stars. Don't waste money renting Valkyrie from a store. Get it from your library if you must watch it.

Monday, March 01, 2010

Avatar hardly worth the hype...


James Cameron shows the world how to spend millions of dollars on special effects and sound by saving money on a weak script and recycled storyline. Avatar, hyped up to be best film of the year quality, is full of colorful scenery, noisy explosions and nothing more. The plot and theme, similar Disney’s Pocahontas, mirror the treatment of Native Americans during the colonization of North America, nothing new.

It took over $400 million dollars to make Avatar. The problem is none of that seemed to be spent on development.

4 out of 5 Stars. Worth seeing only in IMAX 3D but hardly worth the hype.