"The Mechanic" Red Band Trailer. Thank you Jason Statham!

As if the guy hasn't given us enough action gems! Now Jason Statham brings us The Mechanic. It's an action thriller co-starring Ben "I'm always mad" Foster. Statham has been very consistent in his career. He stars in satisfying action movies like The Transporter and Crank. It's a red band trailer so there's a bunch of adult content, beware. Check out the trailer below for his latest... The Mechanic.

"The Fighter" Review. Brilliant.

It's awards season. Its the time when all the Oscar contenders come to the forefront for all to see. There are always 4 or 5 movies that get a lot of attention before the awards. One of those movies is The Fighter.

In a rare case where the trailer actually WAS an indicator of the movie, I looked forward to this one for a few months now. I have a lot to say so I'm going to jump right into my review. I'll go over a few things I like and what little I didn't like about the movie.

What I liked about the movie:
The Cast
From the first scene, you will see the brilliant performances turned in for the movie. Let's start right away with a bold prediction. Christian Bale WILL receive AT LEAST an Oscar nomination for this movie. Bale plays Dicky Eklund, a washed up former boxer who now resorts to crack to feel better. He is the older brother of Mark Wahlberg's character, "Irish" Micky Ward.

Bale turns in the kind of performance where an actor gets lost in the character. He accurately depicts the way addiction to crack, can mentally and physically break you down. Bale lost a lot of weight for the film, much like his role in The Machinist. The way he couldn't sit still or hold a thought was amazing. He's living in the past. Using his past accomplishments as a mediocre boxer to earn respect among his friends in his tiny neighborhood of Lowell, Massachusetts. He was truly lost in the character. A brilliant performance I feel lucky to have seen!

Mark Wahlberg did very well in the film. His performance will be overshadowed by Bale though (interesting because Heath Ledger's turn as The Joker overshadowed Bale's wonderful performance in The Dark Knight). Wahlberg had a difficult task of physically being prepared, and emotionally he had to bring his A-game. There are several scenes where Wahlberg doesn't speak at all, yet he conveys how confused and misguided he is. Great job!

Then there's Amy Adams, who plays Wahlberg's girlfriend. She played an emotionally destroyed young woman who is trying to reinvent herself. She's a college drop out that made nothing of her track and field career. She bar tends to pay the rent and has no aspirations for more. She plays a tough girl who stands up to Wahlberg's family after they give her crap for helping to change his mind about something important. Great performance from the fiery red head which is sure to land her her third Oscar nomination.

The rest of the family is played by people you know you've seen, but don't know their names. Wahlberg's sisters and parents round out the supporting cast which makes for some great laughs during the movie. The movie is really funny during arguments amongst the family members. This was a great break from the serious drama.

The Director

I never thought I'd say this, but David O. Russell did an outstanding job of directing this film. I did enjoy his previous film co-starring Wahlberg though, Three Kings. Personally I didn't like any of the rest of his films. It's ok, he's planning to re-team with Wahlberg for a third time in the video game adaptation, Uncharted.

Russell did everything well in this film. His choice of setting, actors, costume, lighting, etc. All of it made for one of the most realistic feelings I ever got from watching a movie. Most of the film takes place in the early 1990's and everything is reflective of that. All the way down to Wahlberg's hideous shirts. The script was great, it was written by Scott Silver, Paul Tamasy and Eric Johnson. But the story came to life and separated itself from other sports-themed movies because of Russell.

The Story
I usually list this as my first "like" when I review a movie I enjoyed. This time, it gets third. The story is amazing, a true "underdog" becoming something more. Other than Russell, what separated the film from other boxing movies, or sports-themed movies in general was, it's about the family. It's about the people involved. The boxing is a metaphor for the struggle. The family sticking together is what makes the prize worth winning. One thing that the Rocky franchise gets a lot of credit for was the fact that it focused on the man, not the sport. The Fighter is no exception, it made us care about the people before it made us care about the sport.


What I didn't like about the movie:
The Length
You're probably going to think I wanted less right? That it was too long right? Nope, it wasn't long ENOUGH! It comes in right at 2 hours, and I'm telling you guys, it's not long enough. There's more to it, which is this... the movie is a low-budget film, maybe there wasn't any money left, maybe they didn't fill out the script, I don't know. But there are a couple of scenes that were rushed just to tie up some loose ends. I didn't enjoy that. I wish more time would have been dedicated to the training of the last fight, or even the way Wahlberg and his mother worked out their issues. Again, things I would have loved more of.

The Fighter is truly one of the best sport-themed films I have ever seen. The story of brothers. The story of the underdog. The story of a small town community. Family squabble, drug abuse, the media and its affect on America, money and its affect on people... the list goes on and on. All in 2 hours mind you. I've been wanting to see this movie for a few months, and now that I have, I want to see it again. I will root for it during awards season and hope that Bale wins his first of several Academy Awards. Thumbs up Russell for making a hater of your work, love you.

FattMatt: "True Grit" Review

31 years after the original True Grit, the Coen Brothers decide to put out a remake with the same name. Well, its not really a remake. The new film is based on the same novel that the older film is also based on, True Grit by Charles Portis. That's the reason that I didn't bother watching the original film yet before writing this review.

The story centers around Mattie Ross, a 14-year-old girl who is out to find Tom Chaney, the man that murdered her father, and bring him to justice. To help her, she enlists U.S. Marshall 'Rooster' Cogburn, an old, one-eyed drunk that she has heard is the best man for the job. A man that has true grit.
Let's dig in.


What I liked about the film:
The Acting
14-year-old actress Hailee Steinfeld is just great in this film. She stars as Mattie Ross, a character who is also only 14 years old, but is quite mature for her age. She takes on the task of hiring a U.S. Marshall to hunt down the man who killed her father because her mother is basically too much of a girl to do it. Mattie is independent and smart, and can hold a conversation like a grown woman.
I haven't seen Steinfeld act in anything before, but I think she was just right in this role. I can't wait to see what types of projects will be thrown at her from now on.

Jeff Bridges takes on the role of U.S. Marshall Reuben J. 'Rooster' Cogburn. He's a drunk and only has one good eye, wearing an eye patch over the other. He's the one man that Mattie has heard has 'true grit,' and so gets hired for the job.
Bridges does a fantastic job in this role. I think he was just perfect and I can't wait to compare him to John Wayne, who played Rooster in the older film and won his only acting Oscar for it. Bridges really shows us why he has that Oscar, perfectly spitting out that one-liner to get a laugh at just the right tone, and showing us his talent when it comes to darker situations. The man reminds me of Al Pacino in that he can act without saying a word, just using his eyes, or, eye in this case.

Matt Damon does a fine job in the role of LaBoeuf, a Texas Ranger who's been pursuing Tom Chaney for months for the murder of a senator. I have a little problem with Matt Damon trying to look older by just wearing a mustache, (I also have the same problem with Leo DiCaprio and Matt Broderick). I think Damon's talent, however, eventually makes me forget what he looks like. He really pulls me into the character later on in the film when he has to talk with a lisp for reasons I won't spoil here. Great job.

Josh Brolin has a much smaller role in the film than I imagined he would, playing the murderous Tom Chaney that everyone is after. He does a fine job, along with Barry Pepper as Lucky Ned, the head of the gang that Chaney ties in with.

The Story
The story is just awesome. I love revenge stories, and this is a great one. It's also just a straight forward Western, which I think is quite unusual of the Coens, who usually tend to experiment a bit more with their films. Although seeing as how they wanted to stick very close to the novel, it's a very tight story that plays out like a good book. Great adaptation.

The Cinematography
Roger Deakins has been with the Coens for most of their films, and once again does a fantastic job portraying the old west, at a few times reminding me of Rio Bravo and other classics. Overall, this is a beautiful movie with perfect shots and gorgeous scenes.

The Soundtrack
The music in the film is done by Carter Burwell, another long-time Coens collaborator. It is based on 19th century church hymns. Typical of the Coens, it wasn't used over-abundantly, but rather just at a few places to emphasize the situation. It sounded strong and hard, not uplifting, but also not sad or depressing.

Now that I've listed all my positives for the movie, I'm going to tell you that I really didn't have any strong dislikes!
The only thing I had trouble with every now-and-then was the editing. It felt forced at some points and didn't really flow well. But only at a few points. Most of the film was fine.


Overall, this film was fantastic. Now, I love the Coens and have seen every one of their films. So it's true that I might have a little bias when it comes to watching this film, but let me just say that it was not exactly what I had thought it would be.
It is very unlike their films in many ways, yet it still felt like a Coens film. Although it has some severe and violent moments, it's not a severe or violent film. It doesn't feel like you're watching a Coen Brothers film until it ends and you reflect upon it. It's hard to explain it. You'll just have to see it for yourself.

"Tron: Legacy" Review, Too Bad, Too Too Bad.

Didn't mean to give away the review with the title there, but oh well. The movie is Tron: Legacy and is the sequel to the original Tron which was released 28 years ago. So we know that Disney has been hyping up this movie for 3 years now. We know the hype created at Comic-Con this past summer. We know that Jeff Bridges is back and we know the special effects are supposed to be incredible in 3D. Let's get started.


What I liked about the movie:
Special Effects
I know it's expected, but director Joseph Kosinski did a magnificent job with the special effects (that's about all he did right). The digital world he's created is a far cry from the "state of the art" special effects in the original film. Dazzling colors and amazing digital settings create a world that we know is not our own.

Same goes for the much talked about, much hyped light cycle battles. The battles are amazing and deliver on the promise made by the trailers.

SPOILER ALERT
If you thought that was cool, wait until you see the battle in the air. Our heroes and villains fight it out in a true dog fight in the air.
END SPOILER



What I didn't like about the movie:
The Story
The Oscar for ripping off other movies goes to... Tron: Legacy. 30 years ago, Tron was ahead of its time. I'm not just talking about special effects, I'm talking about story as well. In the sequel, I felt like I was watching a mash-up of Star Wars, The Matrix and Inception all in one. The story was contrived and forced and had no real direction.

Son (played by Garrett Hedlund) searching to find dad. Son runs into evil version of dad. Son finds real dad. Son tries to escape with dad. That's about the sophistication level of the story. There's viruses in the digital world, enter Oliva Wilde, who was absolutely useless in this film (but I'll get to that in a minute). There's a loony bar tender/Elton John impersonator (played by the usually awesome Michael Sheen). A hot robot escort thing and a bunch of henchmen. I'm not over exaggerating any of this, the story was just so stupid I was done about 45 minutes into the movie just after the light cycle battle.

The Acting

Oh me oh my. How the hell does Jeff Bridges go from winning the Oscar for Best Actor in 2009 to the performance he supplied in Tron: Legacy in 2010? He's like this overgrown Yoda figure with about as much personality as a snail. And it doesn't end there.

The newcomer Garrett Hedlund is terrible. Oldie but goodie Bridges was terrible. Then there's the aforementioned Wilde whose sole purpose is to look good and hopefully encourage prepubescent little boys to buy tickets to this movie. I mean come on. A little heart, a little passion for what you do folks. I couldn't care less about the characters these actors were playing. Seriously, by the end of the film, I just hoped they were all killed off so the chances of a sequel died with them. Yeah... THAT bad.

Action/Climax

I know what you're thinking. The trailer looked awesome right? How on earth could they screw up the action? They found a way to do so. The light cycle sequences are incredible, but way too short. Those scenes only make up a small portion of the film. The hand to hand combat is so pathetic I've seen student films with better action. Same goes for the climax of the film. Wait. What? That was it? That's how the movie peaks? See for yourself and let me know what you think.

Here is my final thought on the film. I have to be honest, about an hour into the movie I wanted to walk out. If it weren't for my 15 dollar ticket to watch this crap in 3D, I would have. So I have to be honest with you and myself, I was bias towards the end of the movie. I couldn't wait for it to be over. I did see it in 3D because I THOUGHT it was all filmed in 3D. Much to my surprise, a disclaimer pops up at the beginning of the movie saying 'there are portions of the film in 2D because they were intended that way'. Yeah right. The entire first act is in 2D making me want a third of my money back! Just another BS ploy to get more money.

I think Tron: Legacy had a lot of things wrong with it, some of which had nothing to do with the actual movie itself. First off, it's a sequel about 25 years late. Second, it's 2010. Directors have come and gone with stories like this. The Wachowski brothers made us think 'Tron who' with their Matrix films. Then there's Disney's unrelenting marketing of the film. Estimated anywhere between 50 to 100 million dollars, they've been force feeding us posters, trailers, teasers for 3+ years, only to deliver this utter crap.

In the title I said it, and I'll say it again, too bad, it's just too too bad. The movie COULD have been so much more than what it was. The director, Joseph Kosinski, ruined the movie and any potential for a franchise (the movie opened and continues to play very weak at the theaters). Any other director would have noticed the flaws in the script, built a better story and executed a better plan. Advice to the studios, don't let a first time director who comes from a music video background take over a 300 million dollar project. Know that! I'm out.

Robert De Niro Chases a "Limitless" Bradley Cooper In This New Trailer

It's rare, but it happens... a Hollywood plot I haven't really seen before. Bradley Cooper plays a guy who just found a way to use the entire power of his brain. Imagine that for a second. The average human uses something like 10%, what if that were 100%? This trailer shows us what happens. Enjoy Robert De Niro chasing Bradley Cooper in this Limitless trailer. The film hits theaters in March of 2011.

"The A-Team," "Despicable Me," "The Town" DVD Reviews

It was a big week on DVD and Blu-Ray. Three movies I really enjoyed in theater, all available this week to own. Let's start with The A-Team. For my theater review, click here. As far as the Blu-Ray goes, there's some cool stuff. You get an extended cut for starters. One of things I touched on in my review was that there were 5 significant action scenes in the film, rather than the standard 3. The Blu-Ray offers up one more, just for good measure!

There's also some cool behind-the-scenes material, along with deleted scenes and a gag reel. Here's all the details from Amazon.com:

The Devil's in the Details: Inside the Action with Joe Carnahan

Deleted Scenes

Gag Reel

A-Team Theme Mash-Up Montage

Plan of Attack

Character Chronicles

Visual Effects Before and After with Commentary by Visual Effects Supervisor James E. Price

Theatrical Trailer

The next big movie to hit video shelves this week was Despicable Me. The movie was sooo good. I was really looking forward to getting the Blu-Ray on this one. In my original review, I mentioned how visually stunning the movie is, the Blu-Ray is out-stand-ing. A ton of goodies, including 3 mini movies featuring the adorable Minions. There are a lot of extras that are a bit different from what you're used to. There's games and recipes, as well as the standard making of footage. Below is the full detail from Amazon.com:

Disc 1 (Blu-ray)

Exclusive on Blu-ray and Double-Pack DVD: 3 All-New Mini-Movies Featuring the Minions

The World of Despicable Me

Despicable Beats

Gru's Rocket Builder

A Global Effort

Despicable Me Game Previews

Commentary with Directors Chris Renaud & Pierre Coffin Featuring the Minions

The Voices of Despicable Me

Super Silly Fun Land

Blu-ray Exclusive Features

Gru-Control - see the making of the film with behind-the-scenes footage and cast interviews with a PIP window

Miss Hattie's Top Secret Cookie Recipe

pocket BLU - featuring the 'Minion Me' and 'Minion Dominion' apps for iPhone & iPad

uHear - Never miss another line of dialogue when you're watching Despicable Me with this feature that instantly skips back a few seconds on your Blu-ray disc and turns on the subtitles

Disc 2 (DVD)

DVD of Despicable Me

Disc 3 (DVD)

Digital Copy of Despicable Me (expires 12/31/11)

Finally we have The Town. From the first time I saw the trailer, I was hooked. Then I watched it and reviewed it, and then I sat and waited for the Blu-Ray. The extras here are nice, but I really wanted more to be honest. There is an extended cut of the film, which is great. But I don't know if this happens to you, but I usually can't remember the original cut frame by frame to notice the extras. But there is SOME behind the scenes stuff. One cool feature is "Ben's Boston" where there's a lot of talk about the various locations in the film.

I wish there was a bit more detail and discussion about the characters and what their various motivations were. Especially Jon Hamm and Chris Cooper's characters! Here is the rest of the goodies from Amazon.com:

Includes theatrical version
Extended cut not seen in theaters
Commentary on both versions by Ben Affleck
Ben's Boston
Segments include: The Cathedral of Boston; Nuns with Guns: Filming in the North End; Pulling Off the Perfect Heist; The Town and more.


Three great movies, three great Blu-Ray discs. I spent some serious money this week and next week should be no different. That's when Salt comes out on Blu-Ray and the third chapter in the Family Guy Star Wars parody. Til then, keep your DVD players on and watch some behind the scenes awesomeness.

"Tangled" Review

It's been a while and I may be rusty, and I know I'm about 2 weeks late on this film, but let's get started. I am a male, and didn't really grow up knowing this fairy tale. I knew Tangled was originally titled "Rapunzel" though. Disney attributed the failure of The Princess & The Frog to one thing; little boys didn't want to see it. I enjoyed the that film, but could see where little boys had no desire to watch it. So Disney quickly changed it's title and marketing scheme; showcase the male character! And so the adventure began.


What I liked about the movie:
The Animation
Pixar gets a lot of credit for their films, as well they should. Dreamworks has always been in second place with their films. Disney's in-house animation doesn't get the credit it deserves though. They now have three successful films in a row (Chicken Little & Bolt).

This is probably the last time I'm going to list this on my "likes" list. The quality of the animation SHOULD be spectacular. The animators have no boundaries to make these films look amazing. Tangled does not let us down. From the different settings to all the various characters and of course, Rapunzel's insanely long hair. There are a few fight sequences that stand out in my mind that showcase the animation. There is one involving Rapunzel and the other involves the male lead character, Flynn Ryder, awesome!

The Voice Acting
This is going to be a tough pill to swallow folks; but Mandy Moore did a great job as Rapunzel. There I said, don't make me say it again. So you know why that was tough... I can't STAND Mandy Moore's acting. This is sort of a nice fit for her though. She started as a singer and this movie showcases that "talent".

Zachary Levi from "Chuck" is a great lead. His character, Flynn Ryder, is funny, and this is due to Levi's delivery. The character has to be witty, charming and sarcastic, Levi conveyed all of those things. Ron Perlman, Jeffrey Tambor and Brad Garrett round out the supporting cast who are great.

The Story/Heart
This is pretty cheesy to talk about, considering I'm almost 30 years old, but hey, it's true. Disney has always done well in this department. Their stories can be summarized into one sentence and this movie is no different; its about an innocent girl eager to learn more about the world. There is one scene in particular that has no dialogue that had my wife and I reaching for tissues. You'll know it when you see it, as most of the people in our theater were teared up (it was a packed house by the way).


What I didn't like about the movie:
The Settings
One thing Pixar does so well is create a larger than life experience in their films. Whether its Nemo in the ocean or Woody and Buzz in a daycare, they create these amazing worlds for the characters. Tangled didn't offer up the same. Most of the movie takes place in the tower where Rapunzel is being held captive. When our characters do venture out into the world, it's not very far. There's the woods, a bar and the tiny village. It didn't have the scope of other Disney films like Aladdin for example. With Aladdin, you felt how big Agrabah was, the marketplace, the palace, etc.



There really wasn't too much else I didn't like. I wish there was just a bit more humor to appeal to adults, but overall I was very entertained the entire time. The cast was great, the story was solid and the execution was there. The songs were very fitting on the story and that's always nice, unlike some B movies out there. I would recommend this movie to young and old, but keep in mind it's very G Rated. My wife and I watched in 2D and believe me, it was just fine that way. Save your money and avoid the 3D version, I just don't see it adding much to the experience. Other than that, be a kid for 2 hours, go see Tangled, and you wont regret it.