Alex's Movie Reviews

The Adventures of Tintin

2012-01-29T17:01:00.000-08:00

3.5/5

I was really excited to see this movie and afterwards, I left feeling a little let down. I think this film has a lot of good things going for it but it also has a lot of flaws as well. In the end, I think this is a decent "motion capture" film but it could have been a lot better.

The film is a complicated story about a journalist named Tintin (voiced by Jamie Bell) and his dog named Snowy who go an adventure with Captain Haddock (voiced by Andy Serkis)to stop a pirate and capture some gold.

The main highlight of this movie is the motion capture. It is well done, looks good and quite real. The motion capture also includes some beautiful shots of oceans and deserts.

Another highlight is Jamie Bell who voices Tintin. He really helps move the film along and the character is very likeable due to him. Without him, I don't believe the film would be as good.

Another fun thing about this film is the action scenes. The action scenes are put together really well, are very fun to watch and of course the motion capture is spectacular.

The main flaw in this film is lot of things go unexplained. In many action scenes, Snowy the dog at times, will somehow get away from a villain and end up on a boat or something. Everyone of those scenes is ridiculous and quite unrealistic and it is no doubt a downfall of the film. I like the dog in this film but he really runs rampant and he appears to be way too smart for just a dog. He's seems to go everywhere including apartments and with him being so smart, he just does not seem like a real dog. Just like the dog, the plot is okay but it is hard to follow and I don't see any kid understanding it.

The Adventures of Tintin is film that has some nice motion capture and some nice voice work but really there are too much flaws to completely enjoy it. Overall, the film is a fun ride and has nice things there are some flaws so it is not really a "must see".

Seven

2012-01-27T16:04:00.000-08:00

4.5/5

I must say that I always really enjoyed the director of this film, David Fincher. He made the good serial killer film "Zodiac" and then two years ago made one of the best films of the decade "The Social Network". "Seven" was one of his earliest films and you can really tell he is inspired by other serial killer films like "Silence of the Lambs" but in the end it doesn't matter. Along with "Silence of the Lambs", "Seven" is one of the best films of the 90's and one of the best serial killer films out there.

The film is about two detectives (Brad Pitt, Morgan Freeman) who are investigating a serial killer who kills people on seven deadly sins: gluttony, greed, sloth, pride, envy and wrath.

Morgan Freeman is really good here. He does a nice job and I like how he plays his role. His character is mellow, lonely, calm and collected.

What I like about most horror films is the "kill" scenes but in this one, there isn't one. Usually I wouldn't like that but the shots of the victims makes up for it. They are unsettling, done well and are definitely some of the best scenes in this film.

Another neat thing about this film is how it combines religion and horror. It is quite an interesting idea and quite original. It couldn't have been done better.

Kevin Spacey is wonderful playing the serial killer. He is extremely creepy and very believable.

The main highlight of the film is the ending. The best way to describe the ending is it is jaw dropping and quite surprising. It is definitely one of the best endings I've seen in a film. After I finished watching this film, I could not stop thinking about it which shows how powerful it is and how touched I was by it.

One of the main things I don't like in this film is how there are some interesting ideas but they are never really developed. In one scene, Morgan Freeman tells the story of how his girlfriend got pregnant. That is all we are really told but I think it would have been better if this was developed further and we could learn more about the character. There were also quite a few "rainy" scenes. Usually I am fine with this but here, it seemed like overkill.

Seven is a powerful horror film that has one of the best endings you will ever see. It also has some great acting and is a horror film that you will not soon forget.

Rushmore

2012-01-25T13:55:00.000-08:00

3/5

Rushmore is one of those films that I knew from the beginning was going to be a weird idea for a film. From the plot and also the film poster, I thought it was going to be a hard film to pull off. After watching it, it was just how I thought it would be. Rushmore is a useless film that is really pointless. It never really goes anywhere but at the same time it's not all that bad and also kind of fun to watch just to experience the weirdness.

The film is about a kid named Max(Jason Schwartzman)who goes to Rushmore Academy. He's one of those kids who tries his hardest in school but still ends up failing. One day a new first grade teacher named Rosemary Cross(Olivia Williams)comes to Rushmore and Max falls for her. Herman Blume(Bill Murray)who is an industrialist comes also to the attention to her and the whole movie is them basically them fighting for her.

I really did like Jason Schwartzman's character. His character is very unique and original. Jason gives a good performance and this is a character we've never really seen before in a film. Bill Murray's character is also a nice character and he also does a good job. Both characters also have good chemisry with Olivia Williams' character and they both seem to really like her.

Like I said before, Jason Schwartmzan plays a very unique character but what comes along is some very unrealistic parts. He smokes and drinks and does a lot of other dumb things. I really don't see the point of the drinking and smoking and there is no way the school would allow that. I also love one scene where Max tries to build an aquarium and somehow he gets the contractors out. There no way that's going to happen and no contractor is going to listen to a 15 year old kid.

The film also wanders and has a bad ending. The film really goes nowhere and nothing is added to the film. The ending also is one of those endings where the film just ends and really adds nothing to the film. If this film had a decent ending added to the good acting and the cool characters, this would no doubt be a better film.

When it's all said and done, Rushmore is unrealistic and a somewhat dumb 90's comedy but at the same time it is somewhat good due to originality of the plot and the characters and the fine acting.

Dark Water

2012-01-10T18:25:00.001-08:00

4/5

Dark Water is one of those horror films that a lot of people say is underrated and was even was on some critics' list of best horror films of the decade. The film also has the talented Jennifer Connelly in it and this is definitely a good thing. I think Dark Water is a forgotten horror film that definitely is a must pickup even if you are not a horror fan.

The film is a remake of a Japanese film of the same name. The film is about Dahlia (Connelly) who moves her daughter to an apartment in Roosevelt Island after a divorce with her husband. After moving in, weird stuff starts happening all around the apartment. She thinks it might be the troublemaker kids that live in the apartment or her ex-husband. What she doesn't know is that she might be doing this to herself.

What really made this film so great is the atmosphere of the film. The film has a cool kind of out-of-date feel and kind of has the same feel of the first "Spiderman" movie. The film is also outstanding due to the actors from Connelly to even the cool John C. Reilly. Also Ariel Gade does an amazing job as the young girl in the film. She really moves the film and considering her age, her acting is really top-notch.

Another great thing about this film is it is always moving. Sadly a lot of films now have a lot of slow parts and sometimes the films don't really pick up until near the end. This film is not like that and there never is a dull moment. There is a twist which is another highlight of this film. During the whole film, you are really wondering what the twist is and once it does come, you are left with a good feeling.

What I didn't like in this film is some of the actions of Connelly character. While she trying to figure out what's going on in the apartment, she wanders into other people's apartments and then she's walks out like there is nothing wrong with that. Also with the twist, there are hints about what is to come, but everything is thrown to the side even though everything is still a mystery.

Asides from some flaws, Dark Water is really a good film due to an interesting twist, good acting and a nice atmosphere. Sadly this film fell of the face of the earth and is not really remembered. If you can find this movie, pick it up.

Insidious

2012-01-08T18:19:00.000-08:00

4/5

Insidious is one of those horror films that sadly I missed at the theaters and I finally picked it up for my birthday. Insidious has little originality in it but the film is still done really well and is a fun ride in many ways.

The film is about a family who move into a house and one day one of the children slips into a coma. After that, the house is different with weird noises and sometimes people just showing up. The family finds themself in utter chaos but what they don't know is that they might be doing this to themselves.

All actors put together a really good performances together especially Lin Shaye. She does a wonderful job and she can be pretty creepy at times.

The ending scene was so hard to put together but they did so well with it, making it seem so real and so realistic. Also, for a film that is only PG-13, the film can be pretty intense at times.

The ghost and the monsters in this are very cool, very well done and are very realistic. They can also be pretty creepy. I also really enjoyed the music and at times it can be pretty intense. The twist at end was really good and fine way to end this movie.

One of the main flaws is the coma scenes in the film. The characters are never with the kid that has the coma and they basically leave him alone. I've never known anyone that has been in a coma but I'm pretty sure that you always have to be around that person with the coma and that person always has to be in someone's sight. Also, one of the smaller characters in this was really annoying and cracks a lot of bad jokes.

The film does have "Poltergeist", "Exorcist" and many other horror classics in it but the film is a thumbs up ecause of the cool characters, the interesting story and the great twist at the end.

Real Steel

2011-12-31T18:18:00.001-08:00

2/5

When I first heard of the idea of Real Steel, I thought it sounded pretty interesting but would be hard to pull off. I finally decided to check it out and I must have say Real Steel does have promise but falls just short.

Real Steel is about Charlie Kenton (Hugh Jackman) who is a former boxer who now fights Robots so to get his son Max through a financial deal with his Max's uncle after Max's mother and his former wife dies. He has three weeks with his son Max before he has to give him back to Max's aunt and uncle who go off on a trip. During the three weeks, his son finds an odd robot which changes his life dramatically.

First, I think the highlight of the film is Max played by Dakota Goyo. He does a very good job and hopefully he will get more roles because of this. The robots are very well done and realistic. The action scenes are put together real well and they are very fun to watch. Hugh Jackman's character is a very big problem though. Jackman's acting is fine but his character is not likeable at all. He is mad at everything and it seems he wants a different life.Even though the action scenes are pretty awesome, there are very few. I know you need to develop the plot but there are only three big action scenes in two hours.

The robots were cool but how they found the main one was ridiculous. They find it on a cliff in a junkyard. In all my fifteen years of living, I never heard of a junkyard with a cliff in it and I would have to believe that would break some type of safety standard. Real Steel has moments of fun and some great action scenes but has bad direction and some bad moves ruin this film.

Paranormal Activity 2

2011-12-31T18:04:00.000-08:00

3/5

I remember watching the first Paranormal Activity in my early teens and I remember loving it. I remember watching it in the afternoon and was still was scared by it. I was so excited for this one and I waited for over a year for it and I have to say this Paranormal Activity 2 is fun and some great new characters but for most part this film is useless and really lacks a lot of things.

Paranormal Activity 2 is a prequel to the first one and is set two weeks before the first one. The film is about a new family who have a new baby and the next day a robber breaks into the family house. They put security cameras all over in hopes of finding this robber. It turns out they are dealing with something that is more than a robber and something that's not human. The new characters are quite enjoyable and very down to earth and help the film in many ways. The baby and and a dog are very well used in this. I think the director does a very good job of moving them around and putting them in the right positions.

The first movie was so good due to the scares. They were well done and there are different scares in this but very few. The best scares were a scene of pots flying and a women being forced down the stairs. Most of scares we've seen before. For the most part, the scares are a door opening or closing or a noise. I think the ending is okay and it does set it up for interesting sequel.One of the main flaws of is the development of this film. The film just takes too long to get going and just wanders around in every direction. Some of the surveillance footage is also ridiculous. Sometimes it will show the pool or the kitchen and nothing will happen or nothing is there. What is the point of showing it, if nothing gonna to happen? Also there is a useless boyfriend character. He is basically just kind of there and he is really annoying at times.Paranormal Activity 2 lacks the scares, the charm and fun from the first movie but I think this series has just enough for one or two more sequels.

Arthur Christmas

2011-12-31T17:47:00.000-08:00

3/5

I really only went to see this film because I had nothing to do and also I really didn't want to do my homework and I think this film has promise but at the same time the film has a lots of flaws and really don't see myself watching this film ever again.The film is about Santa's son Arthur (voiced by James McAvory) who is going on a run in the early morning to deliver one last Christmas present to a young child who Santa and his team forgot to deliver a present to. It is now Arthur who has to save Christmas for the world and the child.I really did not like the Arthur character. He's really annoying, clumsy and he's someone you would lose in a heartbeat.

For the most part, the animation is fine but the animals are off in the film. They don't look right and they really don't seem real.I'm also surprised that the present was not damaged at the end of this film. It is thrown around so much and it really makes no sense why it is in perfect condition at the end.I think the main highlight is the character Grand-Santa (voiced by Bill Nighy). The character adds a nice comic relief and it's also voiced really good.For the most part, the animation is nice and it's also really nice to look at.

I did like the plot and I think it's a very interesting idea but the flaws overpower it and make the story less interesting most of the times.Arthur Christmas is a Christmas film that does not put you in the Christmas spirit but has some nice animation and an interesting story keep this thing from being terrible.

Hey, I am back!

2011-12-29T19:53:00.000-08:00

Over the last nine months, I have been reviewing movies and I put up a couple hundred reviews on the Rotten Tomatoes site. I have had a lot of fun doing this but I thought it might be better to start putting reviews up on my own site so that is what I am going to do now.

I might start by transferring over some of my most recent reviews from the Rotten Tomatoes site and I can add to those with new movies that I see and review.

Reviews coming soon!

Gulliver's Travels

2011-03-05T11:41:00.001-08:00

I saw Gulliver's Travels a couple Sundays ago. The film is about a guy named Gulliver [Jack Black] who goes to the Bermuda Triangle for work. He was then kidnapped by little people who's name we do not know because it was not explained.

There were a lot of bad jokes, bad acting and I didn't like the story. I do not know why Jack Black would take a role like this. He couldn't really be funny.

I also don't know why the movie was in 3-D. There seemed to be no reason why it was in 3-D.

Of all the movies I have seen in 2010, this is near the bottom of the list.

Rating: 1/5

True Grit

2011-01-16T09:19:00.003-08:00

After wanting to see it for a couple of weeks, I saw True Grit. The movie is about a girl in the 1800's named Maddie Ross (Hailee Steinfeld) who takes revenge on Tom Chaney for killing her father. She hires a U.S Marshall named Rooster (Jeff Bridges) to help her track Chaney down and kill him.

I am not a big fan of Westerns but this movie really opened my eyes. This movie was great. Jeff Bridges and Haile Steinfeld do wonderful jobs. It was also very funny. There was also very nice and beautiful scenery of the Arkansas area. It was kind unrealistic at times, a bad joke here and there but that is ok because it was still really good.

What the Coen Brothers who made the movie did was put two different actors; one who is very experienced (Bridges) and one who has never been in a movie before (Steinfeld) together very well. This should definitely be up for an Academy Award along with The Social Network. It is a must see.

My rating: 4.5 out of 5

Yogi Bear

2011-01-12T18:41:00.000-08:00

I saw Yogi Bear the other day.

Where to start? Yogi Bear is about two bears, Yogi (Dan Aykroyd} and Boo-Boo (Justin Timberlake) who live in Jellystone Park. The park is facing financial problems and now is going to be shut down if they can't raise some money. Wow we have never seen this before? A lot of jokes fail but some do work.

Some characters are really not needed. One guy is Ranger Jones and his performance is horrific. He wants to be the top ranger and that is all he cares about. No one cares. Some other bad things are a scene where people are walking across a tree limb which is not realistic. Another strange scene is that they had a big fireworks display planned and they just brought a bunch of shooting rockets and planned to shoot them off themselves.

This movie seems cheap. It was set mostly in a forest and once they went into the town, there appeared to be some very cheap sets. The movie had some very good actors and but they did not seem to be used very well here. For the people that did not see this movie, you are lucky. Do not go buy it new on dvd because it will be in the 5 dollar bin real soon. I guarantee you.

My rating: 1/5

Cursed

2011-01-01T10:34:00.000-08:00

This is Wes Craven's werewolf movie. Christina Ricci and Jesse Eisenberg are the lead actors. It should been great but it was so bad.

A girl name Elle [Christina Ricci] and her bother Jimmy [Jesse Eisenberg] are attacked one night by a werewolf. They are cursed by the wolf and then there are problems. The movie then fails completely. The twist at the end was so bad it was hurtful.

There were many characters that were not really needed. Most of the film did not deal with the wolf. It deals with Jimmy's girl issues and Elle's problems with her boyfiend. It was not really scary. It was kind of boring. Most of it was just talking. It is sad to see Wez Craven put this out. He has done some great work but then he puts this out?

Please do not watch this. If you a horror fan like me I think you will be disappointed.

My rating: 1/5

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

2010-12-19T10:15:00.001-08:00

I saw the new Harry Potter movie, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows after wanting to see it for a couple of weeks. It stars Daniel Radcliffe as Harry, Emma Watson as Hermione and Rubert Grin as Ron.

In this new film in this series, Voldemort has taken over the wizarding word and now it is up to Harry and friends to stop him. For the most part it was pretty good. I was hoping for more action and maybe less talking. The last half is very boring. It is not best movie in the series or the worst. For the most part it was good but I left the theater wanting a little more.

Rating: 3.5/5

Alex's movie reviews of 2010

2010-12-04T10:23:00.000-08:00

After knowing about the Rotten Tomatoes site and seeing the good reviews, I went to see The Social Network. The movie is about a guy named Mark Zuckerberg making a site called "the facebook" [at the time] and the problems that came along with it. Jesse Eisenberg and Justin Timberlake do great jobs in the film. The best thing about the film is that you don't need to know anything about facebook or even be on the site to understand it.

The only thing that I didn't like was one special effects scene. It's at a rowing event and looks sad, like a lego set. Why do you even need it? It's probably was taken from the Stause brothers who made the movie Skyline which is another story. It ticks me off a little.

This film was so cool and I do not know how you can not like it. It shows how little things turn into big things. The director, David Fincher and everybody involved in the film should be very proud. It is of the best of the year and if you love facebook this is for you.

My rating: 4.5 out of 5

Little Caesars Pizza Bowl

2009-12-27T14:39:00.000-08:00

My brother, my dad and I went to the Little Caesars Pizza Bowl at Ford Field on Saturday.

The Ohio Bobcats were playing the Marshall Thundering Herd.

It was a very good game and very entertaining. Marshall won 21-17.

Since 2004, we have gone every year and this was my brother, Louis' second year at the game.

Here are some pictures of the game and one of my brother Louis.

Do you know what kind of pizza is served at the Little Caesars Pizza Bowl?

Hungry Howies.

P.S. I am having a hard time posting the photos and getting them the right size so this is the best I can do.

Home Run Derby Predictions

2009-07-13T15:57:00.000-07:00

Here are my predictions for the Home Run Derby tonight.

1. Albert Pujols
2. Prince Fielder
3. Ryan Howard
4. Adrian Gonzalez
5. Carlos Pena
6. Joe Mauer
7. Nelson Cruz
8. Brandon Inge

Let's see how I do.

I am back!

2009-06-30T18:48:00.000-07:00

Now that school is over, I am back.

My OHL hockey team, the Whalers lost in the second round of the playoffs to the Windsor Spitfires who won the Memorial Cup. We will be waiting for them next year.

Jon and Kate plus 8 is my favorite show. As you know they are getting a divorce. That means no more Kate for Jon.

My favorite team, the Detroit Tigers are doing well. They are 42-34. I think their hitting is doing well but their pitching is not good. They play the A's tonight and our pitcher is Armando Galaragga who's era is 5.60. Ouch! My next game will be the Tigers playing the Mariners. I been to 2 already. My family has season tickets that we share with other people and have great seats in Section 126. I have a picture from our seats above. I saw Dontrelle Willis throw a 1 hitter and I also saw them play the Brewers. My dad has taken my brother, Louis to other games too.

Go Tigers!

Wild night at Compuware Arena

2009-04-05T08:57:00.000-07:00

The Whalers lost 9-2 in game 2 of the second round. In first period we looked all right. We were losing 2-1 after the first period and then things got out of control and Windsor took over the game. The crowd was half Windsor people and half Whaler people. The Windsor fans were wild and some were drunk and yelling at Whaler fans. Security was throwing out Windsor fans and they would show it on the big screen and the Whaler fans were cheering.

The coaches got in a fight and the Whalers coach got ejected and all the Windsor coaches got ejected and Windsor had to call somebody from the press box down to run their team. A lot fights on the ice too.

They play today in Windsor for game 3.

Whalers beat Sting in first round of playoffs

2009-04-04T13:34:00.000-07:00

The Whalers advanced to the second round. They beat the Sarnia Sting 8-1 in Game 5 to win the series. They will now play the Windsor Spitfires. They will be the underdog because Windsor only lost 10 times all year and are the best team in the OHL but the good news is that the Whalers have already won Game 1 of this series winning 6-3 in the first game.

Game 2 is tonight and we are going.

Go Whalers!

Whalers Game 3

2009-03-27T18:46:00.001-07:00

Tuesday, me and dad went to see the Whalers in Game 3 against the Sarnia Sting. In Game 2 in Sarnia, the Whalers won 3-2 so the series was tied 1-1. In Game 3, the Whalers won 5-1. Sarnia did not play well and let easy goals in. One went right through the goalie's legs. There was a fight right in front of us and the Sarnia guy was bleeding a lot and the refs had to scrape the blood off the ice. We did not bring Louis because dad said he cannot stay out late during the week because there could be overtime periods in the playoffs. People in our section missed him because they wanted to know where the little guy was.

The Whalers then played Game 4 in Sarnia and won 5-0 so they lead the series 3 to 1. The next game is Saturday at Compuware but I am not going.

Go Whalers!

Louis post

2009-03-22T06:31:00.000-07:00

This is Louis.

They should have won. We got no goals from our star, Chris Terry, #20 last night.

They did have two for one pucks in the Pro Shop last night which was good.

Let's go Whalers!

Whalers playoffs

2009-03-22T05:45:00.000-07:00

I was at the Plymouth Whalers game last night. They are our team in the Ontario Hockey League.

I was very disappointed because they lost 2-0 to the Sarnia Sting in the first round playoff game. It was Game 1. The Whalers outshot the Sting 52 t0 33 but they could not score. After one period. it was 1-0. In the second period the Whalers looked terrible but the Sting did not score so we were still in it. In the end, the Sting scored on an empty net to make it 2-0 when time ran out. Every Whalers fan was mad.

My younger brother Louis brought his special Whaler playoff towel that he waives after Whalers goals and he did not get to waive it one time.

They play in Sarnia tonight. I will be there Tuesday for Game 3. Go Whalers!

Jon & Kate Plus Eight

2009-03-17T16:54:00.000-07:00

I have a new favorite show that is called Jon and Kate Plus Eight. It is on the Learning Channel.

Jon and Kate have 8 kids. Wow! They have two kids that are 6 years old and 6 kids that are three years old. The father Jon is very laid back. Cool! The mother is not laid back at all. She gets on the father a lot. The kids actually seem well behaved but it is hard for the parents to take care of them all.

I just started watching so I do not have too much to say and I am just get used to the show but for now, I like it.

North Dakota State Is Going Dancing

2009-03-11T14:32:00.000-07:00

North Dakota State, yes they are in Division I, in their first year of eligibility are going to the big dance. They beat Oakland U 66-64 and are going to the tournament. Good luck to North Dakota State.

Remember the Final Four is in Detroit this year.

Books

2009-03-10T18:13:00.000-07:00

If you have not figured out by now, I'm a kid !

I like to read. My favorite books are by Stephen King. I read mostly all his popular books like Cujo, Pet Sematary, Christine, Firestarter, Misery and The Girl Who loved Tom Gordon. I have seen one Stephen King movie. It was Misery. I thought it was just okay. The only problem was the plot was a lot different from the book. I also read the Twilight series. The best one was the first one and also Eclipse. I also like the The Lightning Thief series. I have just started a Jurassic Park book It is great so far. When I am done, I will say how I like it.

I like sports too and go to baseball and hockey games but that is enough for now and I will talk about that later.

Bye!