Author Archives: filmtoppings

07.24.14
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Hercules

My rating: ratings4

Having completed his twelve labors, Hercules, accompanied by his team, his hired by the King of Thrace to defeat a tyrannical warlord who threatens the people of Thrace. But soon Hercules relaizes that this war isn’t what it seems.

From the trailers, this movie looked bad. I didn’t think it would be good mainly because I don’t trust the director (Breet Ratner, director of movies that haven’t been good, including X-Men: The Last Stand), but this time, Ratner surprised me. I found myself enjoying this movie from the beginning to the end. The action scenes managed to enteratain me a lot. Dwayne Johnson (AKA The Rock) does what he’s best at: kicking ass. And when the Rock kicks ass, he’s an awesome action star.

When I saw the first trailer of this movie, I was thinking, “Not another Legend of Hercules!” The Legend of Hercules was dumb, had terrible acting and visuals, and felt more like a B-movie than a Hollywood movie. This Hercules flick is nothing like that. This one is actually entertaining, the actors are well-casted, and this time, it doesn’t fail to tell the epic legend of Hercules.

In conclusion, this movie is fun, entertaining, and has great charcters and action scenes. Brett Ratner has finally found himslef a good job.

Hercules (2014 film).jpg

07.22.14
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The Fault in our Stars

My rating: ratings4

Hazel and Gus are two extraordinary teenagers who share an acerbic wit, a disdain for the conventional, and a love that sweeps them – and us – on a unforgettable journey.

I saw this movie after reading the book. I wasn’t disappointed at all. Nothing from the book was messed up or left out. Hazel and Gus are a great couple just like in the book and the duo who played them were great. I also really liked the actor who played Isaac, Augustus’ best friend who lost his eyes to cancer. I also liked the humor in this movie. It makes you laugh in a way than other comedies don’t.

The end was very sad and emotional and I cried a little bit. You’ll probably see it coming but this movie made me emotional more than any movie I’ve ever seen. In conclusion, fans of the book will not be disappointed by this movie, because of it’s accuracy to the book, it’s acting, and it’s humor. So if you’ve read the book and haven’t seen the movie yet, then you should go ahead and do it! If you haven’t read the book, no problem! You would enjoy it anyway. I would recommend it for ages 13 and up.

Movie poster featuring Shailene Woodley and Ansel Elgort in character

07.17.14
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Dawn of the Planet of the Apes

My rating: ratings4

A decade after the virus created by the apes killed most of humanity, the remaining humans and the apes find themselves at the brink of a war that will determine who will become Earth’s dominate species.

This film is absolutely awesome. The CGI of the apes looked very realistic (I could tell they weren’t real apes becuase the director would never be able to get real apes to do those stuff, but the CGI looked pretty real). Some scenes were very emotional and made me almost cry (not really cry, but feel very emotional inside). I really liked the story between the humans and the apes, and it kept me interested and excited the whole time.

I loved Andy Serkis’ performance as Caesar, and I think it’ s his best performance yet. He definetley deseves an Oscar nod for this role. I also really liked Jason Clarke as Malcolm. He had the heart that James Franco had in the previous installment. He was a good choice to play the role. Gary Oldman’s character was great, although it was a very small role, but with a very important position. I think whoever played Koba was awesome. Koba is bascially this very tough ape who holds a grudge against humans for his mistreatment. Koba will do anything to take down the humans and he will make any ape unwilling to follow him pay for it. Overall, the cast is great and nobody in this movie does a bad job.

Here’s my conclusion: This movie has amzing visual effects, awesome action scenes, great acting (especially Andy Serkis), and and it has a great plot that keeps you excited and interested the entire time.  I would recommend it for anyone 12 and up!

A chimp brandishes an automatic rifle while astride a rearing horse.

06.30.14
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Transformers: Age of Extinction

My rating: ratings2

In Michael Bay’s new Transformers film, Mark Wahlberg plays Cade Yeager, a struggling mechanic and single father who, along with his best friend Lucas (T.J. Miller), finds a truck which they later find out isn’t a truck at all: It’s Optimus Prime. Cade, his daughter Tessa (Nicola Peltz), and her boyfriend Shane (Jack Reynor) find themselves caught in a war between the remaining Autobots and a new army of Decepticons, led by Galvatron, who Optimus soon discovers has a dark secret. The Autobots soon find out that the Decepticons aren’t the only threat to their kind: An organization called the Cemetry Wind, led by a paranoid CIA agent (Kelsey Grammer), are hunting down the Autobots with the help of Joshua Joyce (Stanley Tucci), a scientist who is building his own Decepticons to destroy the Autobots.

At first I decided not to see this movie because I did not like the first three movies, as they were all huge disappointments, but later I decided to give it a try, anyway. But now I realize that the next Transformers movies will not improve on their predecessors at all, becuase that is what has been happening for the last three sequels (except the third movie was better than the second one, because the second one is the worst). Age of Extinction is just like all the others: Dumb characters you can’t ever give a crap about, a needless huge length (this one is almost three hours long), and jokes that only make you laugh because they’re so stupid. The acting in this movie is terrible, especially T.J. Miller, who was really annoying becuase he kept cracking dumb jokes. Mark Wahlberg, who is my favorite actor of all time, was the only person who did a good job acting  in the movie (Stanley Tucci was fine too, but not as good as Wahlberg was). All the other main actors did pretty bad (Kelsey Grammer was the worst actor in this movie other than T.J. Miller). I expected the Dinobots to be a big part of the movie, but they’re only in the last 20 minutes! The action scenes in this movie are great, but they’re really the only thing that makes this movie good! Do not expect this movie to be any better than the other Transfomers movies (but don’t expect it to be as bad as Revenge of the Fallen, of course). I think this movie is appropriate for kids 12 and up, because there as a lot of explosions and some language.

Transformers Age of Extinction Poster.jpeg

06.22.14
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Edge of Tomorrow

My rating: ratings4

A race of aliens called Mimics have taken over continental Europe. Their ability to reset the day after getting killed and then being able to mimic human battle strategy makes them unstoppable. Major Bill Cage (Tom Cruise), who has never been in battle before, is drafted into the UDF (United Defense Force), led by Sergeant Rita Vrataski (Emily Blunt), to fight against the Mimics, which is practically a suicide mission. Cage is killed within minutes, but only after killing a rare species of Mimics, called the Alpha, the ones with the ability to reset time. As the Alpha dies, it’s blood spills on Cage, killing him, but then he wakes up the day before the invasion. He hasn’t realized it yet but he has gained the Alpha’s power to reset time when killed. As he dies over and over again, his skill increases. As Cage and Rita (who later reveals to him that she once had his power) take the fight to the aliens, each repeated encounter gets them one step closer to defeating the enemy.

Edge of Tomorrow is funny, well-acted, thrilling, and has amazing visual effects. The script is great, so is the cast and the humor, and best of all, the movie is very original. The movie is filled with suspense, and while you’re watching it, you have absolutely no idea what’s about to happen. The visuals are amazing, especially the Mimics, and the action is very fun to watch. Edge of Tomorrow is better than all of Tom Cruise’s other recent sci-fi movies (including Mission Impossible and Oblivion) because what the others lacked were suspense, humor, and fun. I look forward to more great Tom Cruise movies like this one. I would recommend this movie for anyone 13 and up who loves action, science fiction, and/or Tom Cruise.

Below are the film’s trailer, as well as a hilarious clip from the movie.

 

06.17.14
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How to Train Your Dragon 2

My rating: ratings4

How to Train Your Dragon 2 takes place five years after the events of How to Train Your Dragon: The citizens of the island of Berk now domesticate dragons instead of hunting them; Hiccup and his friends are now adults rather than teens (he’s 20); and he and Astrid are engaged. One day, while exploring new territories, Hiccup and his dragon bestie, Toothless, and Astrid and her dragon, Stormfly, discover both a fort covered in ice and, later, a dragon hunter named Eret, who accuses them of being the “dragon rider” who’s letting his dragon captives go. Hiccup and Astrid get away but soon discover that Eret’s maniacal boss, Drago, plans to declare war on Berk and steal all of the island’s dragons. Meanwhile, Hiccup makes an even bigger discovery: The “dragon rider” is actually none other than his presumed-dead mother, Valka, now a recluse who lives with dragons who are all commanded by a protective alpha. Against all odds, Hiccup and his crew must stand against Drago’s army and hope their dragons can resist the pull of the bloodthirsty alpha dragon under the warmonger’s control.

Sometimes it’s hard to enjoy sequels more than the original, especially if it’s an animated movies, since most animated sequels were pointless and dumb. But How to Train Your Dragon 2 is very enjoyable and makes us think more about the rest of the trilogy (most animated sequels have been crappy enough that the filmmakers decide not to continue the series). Unlike other animated movies, this one doesn’t have any humor, but that’s not what you need to look for in in this movie. The movie is filled with heart, has a great soundtrack and visuals. Dragons 2 feels like the Dark Knight of animated trilogies. It seems likely that Dragons will soon become an unforgettable movie trilogy, just like may others (X-Men, Hobbit, etc.).

Unlike animated rip-offs that have been only targeted for little kids (such as Rio 2 or Epic), Dragons 2 also includes themes that adults can relate to, like a mother-and-son relationship subplot. The fact that adults can enjoy this movie and not just kids makes this movie so much better to watch. From this movie, I can conclude one thing: DreamWorks will never stop making great movies.

How to Train Your Dragon 2 poster.jpg

06.16.14
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Blended

My rating: ratings3

After a disastrous blind date, single parents Jim (Adam Sandler) and Lauren (Drew Barrymore) agree on only one thing: they never want to see each other again. But when they each sign up separately for a fabulous family vacation with their kids, they are all stuck sharing a suite at a luxurious African safari resort for a week, where their attraction grows as their respective kids benefit from the burgeoning relationship.

You might agree with my that most of Adam Sandler’s recent comedies are just plain dumb. Most of them had terrible jokes and failed to make me laugh while also having some heart. Blended is more like last year’s comedy The Internship (which did not involve Adam Sandler at all, for your information), which had a lot of heart and comedy at the same time, and felt like a fun feel-good comedy, than Adam Sandler’s last project, Grown Ups 2. Grown Ups 2 had too much slapstick comedy and eventually started to get dumb. Blended is funny, has a good plot, and isn’t much like any of those dumb recent Sandler movies. Some parts of the movie did remind me of a comedy I saw a very long time ago called Parental Guidance. Here’s why: First of all, one character named Espn (Jim named her after his favorite channel) has an imaginary friend, who is her deceased mother. That reminded me of a character from Parental Guidance named Barker, who had an imaginary kangaroo friend named Carl. Blended also had some weird family traditions like Parental Guidance. 

In conclusion, Blended is a feel-good comedy that is fun to watch and it cracked me up. I would recommend this movie for any comedy fans.

Blended (2014) Poster.jpg

06.08.14
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Godzilla

My rating: ratings4

When two creatures known as “MUTOs” (Massive Unidentified Terrestrial Organisms) awaken and threaten our existence, the huge beast Godzilla must restore balance as humanity is left defenseless. The movies stars Aaron Taylor-Johnson as Lieutenant Ford Brody, Ken Watanabe and Sally Hawkins as two scientists, Elizabeth Olsen as Ford’s wife, and Bryan Cranston as Joe, a scientist who is Ford’s dad.

This movie is filled with action, destruction, and awesome monster fight scenes. Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Bryan Cranston both did a great job acting, and Bryan Cranston did have a few emotional scenes. The visual effects and the soundtrack are both great. The most exciting parts are the first hour and the last half-hour, which is the boss fight between Godzilla and the MUTOs. The half-hour between those two parts isn’t as interesting, but once Ken Watanabe says, “Let them fight,” everything starts to warm up again. Godzilla feels very similar to last year’s blockbuster Pacific Rim, with all the monster battles and city destruction (especially San Francisco), but Godzilla feels more realistic and exciting, and the scenes before Godzilla first arrives on screen are still interesting. The best scene of the entire movie is when Ford and a couple other soldiers enter skydive into the city, just as the final battle between the monsters begins.

The director, Gareth Edwards, clearly knows how to make a great movie (this is his first blockbuster movie, his other movie was the low-budget Monsters) and I hope he makes a lot of great movies in the future (including a Star Wars spin-off that he is set to direct). The movie is very well-done, including the cinematography, visual effects, and casting, and it’s very exciting. I think anybody 12 or over would love this movie and will have a great time watching it.

05.29.14
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X-Men: Days of Future Past

My rating: ratings5

In the near future, the sentinels have taken over earth in search for mutants, and have destroyed most of the planet. The only survivors are mutants that include Storm (Halle Berry), Wolverine (Hugh Jackman), and Magneto (Ian McKellen), as well as their leader, Charles Xavier (Patrick Stewart). They decide to send Wolverine back half a century to stop Mystique (Jennifer Lawrence), who’s plan to assassinate Bolivar Trask (Peter Dinklage), the sentinels’ creator, took a dark turn when she was captured and her DNA was used to upgrade the sentinels. Wolverine wakes up in his 1973 body, and he teams up with a young Charles Xavier (James McAvoy), Hank McCoy/Beast (Nicholas Hoult), Quicksilver (Evan Peters), and a young Erik Lehnsherr/Magneto (Michael Fassbender), to stop Mystique from killing Trask.

This movie is very well done. Everybody does a great job acting, especially Evan Peters, who steals every scene he’s in, and Jennifer Lawrence, who does an amazing job playing Mystique. The movie is so well written, and so clever, that it’s probably the best X-Men movie yet, and maybe even one of the best comic book movies I’ve ever seen! All of the action scenes kept me on the edge of my seat, and I never knew what would happen, because it is filled with lots of twists!  The movie never stops entertaining, and is not too short or too long. The movie is very original, and has great visual effects. Everything in the movie makes a lot of sense, and you don’t go out of the theater wondering anything weird about the movie except, “What’s next for the X-Men movies?” (which isn’t actually a weird thing). The ending of the movie gives you nothing about the rest of the movies, which has made me even more anticipated for the next X-Men movie, which will come out in about 2 years. X-Men, by far, is my favorite superhero franchise other than the Marvel Cinematic Universe, except for the fact that X-Men: The Last Stand and X-Men Origins: Wolverine were both huge disappointments. X-Men: Days of Future Past was my most anticipated movie of the entire year, and it might also be the best one. Here’s my conclusion: Please, watch this movie. It’s very original, smart, well-acted, visually amazing, and makes a lot of sense. It is, by far, the best X-Men movie, and maybe one of my favorite superhero movies ever.

X-Men Days of Future Past poster.jpg

05.04.14
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The Amazing Spider-Man 2

My rating: ratings3

In this Spider-Man installment, Peter finds himself battling Electro, an Oscorp electrician who becomes a living electric generator after being attacked by electric eels, as well as Green Goblin (AKA Harry Osborn), Peter’s boyhood friend who becomes a weird goblin creature after trying to get Spider-Man’s blood (to prevent dying from an illness), and Rhino, a weird-looking Russian mobster who becomes equipped with a mechanical rhino suit. Peter also must deal with his promise to Gwen’s late father (who was killed in the first film by The Lizard), if he must keep it or not, and what the consequences might be.

This movie was great but disappointing. It has a messy script and narrative and way too much is going on. The villains are dumb and underwritten, and the ending is bad and predictable. But the action and main cast are fine.

The plot surprisingly went very deep into the Spider-Man universe, but that is a major problem. This movie doesn’t only focus on the Spider-Man fighting the film’s antagonists, but also his relationship with Gwen, which the first film didn’t have enough of, which I liked. The first film also didn’t go deep enough into the trilogy, since Curt Connors/The Lizard is a very minor villain in the Spider-Man universe. The second film, on the other hand, does go deep enough into the franchise, with Spider-Man facing a very big villain, the Green Goblin. But there are too many stupid subplots and it could have been shortened by a lot (this movie was actually longer than The Avengers!). Unfortunately the two movies in the Amazing Spider-Man franchise have not been so successful and the franchise might be dead.

This movie kept me at the edge of my seat at many parts and definitely managed to entertain me a lot, but I have to say, it has a lot to live up to. I would recommend it for anybody 12 or up.

Spider-Man upside down on the side of the OsCorp tower.