Movie Review #12 - "The Wishing Tree (2012) -- TV Movie"
All right ... Before you get started on me for reviewing a TV Movie ... It was on Sunday morning ... I was half asleep at 6:30 AM when I got up ... After breakfast, I woke up and watched some other nameless "Hallmark Channel" Christmas Movie with Tammy (my wife) ... Then, I fell asleep again and started watching this Christmas Movie ...
Me, watching a Christmas movie before Thanksgiving ... That's almost sacrilegious ... But Tammy and I were watching it ....
On IMDB: "The Wishing Tree (2012) -- TV Movie"
Benny's Tabasco Rating: 1 / 10 Tabasco Peppers (I was close to 0 peppers .. but it allowed me to spend time with my wife.
Synopsis: First, this movie was on the "Hallmark Channel" ... So ... Don't expect much ... It's a story about a trio of rich prep school kids that are stuck on school grounds during the Christmas break ... Professor Evan Farnsworth (played by Jason Gedrick ... you know him from the 1st and 2nd Iron Eagle movies ... wait .. that's a long time ago ... Maybe his character role in "Backdraft" ... Wait, that's old too! ... He was on "Desperate Housewives" ... any better? ) is recovering from the death of his wife from two years ago and is stuck babysitting the trio of kids at the school ... Along comes "The Wishing Tree" ... It's a fundraiser for the little storybook town ... Long story short, Professor Farnsworth has dreams about his dead wife ... One of the three kids is a trouble rich kid ... One lacks confidence ... and the other is a kid who lacks acceptance by his classmates in general ... (I feel like I am writing a review for "The Wizard of Oz" (which, by the way, comes on TV on Sunday on TBS on your TV :) ...
Characters: Professor Evan Farnsworth is the lead character played by Jason Gedrick. The character is developed well, but it is SO PREDICTABLE ... You basically can do the dialog without the volume turned up. The three students, Andrew Breen (played by Richard Harmon ... who?) is the troubled rich kid searching for love from him parents, Juliet Espinoza (played by Emmalynn Estrada ... no relation to Erik Estrada) is the singer who lacks confidence, and Albert Nevins (played by Amatai Mamorstein) is the nerdy kid that no one likes but becomes a great leader, are SO laughable in the acting ... I giggled a lot at the "sad parts" ...
Writing: It's so predictable that you can look at the title and figure the movie at before watching ... Yes, it's that bad ... No offense to Michael J. Murray, the principal writer, but ... please ... make it interesting ... There are so many cliches in this movie that you have time to fix breakfast and not have missed a thing ....
Cinematography: Not awful. However, your personal video camera or the one on your phone could do just fine for this movie.
Location: Not bad for the film. Set design was decent ... But the writing just dragged the whole movie down.
Direction: I think that they should have fired both the writer and the director ... Direction was weak at best.
Overall Review: If it's a Sunday morning, you are half-asleep, and nothing else is on TV, please do the following:
- Change into your pajamas (if you were pajamas)
- Set the thermostat on your heater or air conditioning to the optimal level of comfort
- Dim the lights or close the curtains
- GO BACK TO SLEEP ...
This movie is not just bad ... It's like a bad dream ...
Movie Review #11 - "Olympus Has Fallen (2013)"
On IMDB: Olypmus Has Fallen (2013)
Benny's Tabasco Rating: 8 / 10
Synopsis: A terrorist has taken over the White House.
What? That's it? That's all you are going to say ...
No?
Cast: Gerard Butler. Aaron Eckhart, a small part for Ashley Judd, Morgan Freeman and ... Angela Bassett ...
The casting was pretty darn good for this movie ... Gerard Butler plays a Secret Service agent ... There's a lot of fighting, shoot'em up, and explosions ... Definitely a guy's film.
Aaron Eckhart plays the President of the United States ... Morgan Freeman, Speaker of the House ...
Mr. Eckhart was tolerable as the President, but seemed to be a little too ... well ... punchy ... Morgan Freeman ... I don't know if he was napping or acting ... He simply needs to retire .. His best work is light years beyond this performance ...
Director: Antoine Fuqua directs this one ... You might know him from "Shooter" with Mark Wahlberg and Michael Pena ... or "The Replacement Killers" with Mira Sorvino and Chow Yun-Fat ... I love this guy's style ... He's very on par with his previous work ... So, if you like "Shooter" or "The Replacement Killers", you will enjoy this one!
Writing / Story: I really enjoyed the writing even though it may seem ... well ... A lot over the top ...
North Korean terrorist gaining access to some of the US' super secret weapons much less a US Air Force Cargo Plane seemed a lot unrealistic ... Also, the response time was ... well ... too much delayed ...
Synopsis Part 2: It's a story about a Secret Service who early in the story, unfortunately, let's the President's wife die in a car crash. He's sent to the Treasury Department to work when ... BOOM! ... there's a terrorist attack on the White House ... Lots of death, gun fights, explosions, a little torture, and ... Watch the movie!
Overall Review: Lots of action ... Some language ... So, not for the kiddies ... But it's a good movie ...
It's now on Netflix ... Add this one to the queue ...
Movie Review #10 - "The Lifeguard (2013)"
So, over the past week or so, I have been waking up at weird hours of the night ... I usually try to find something on Cable to watch ... But lately, I have grown tired of Zip Removing Cream and the weird Knife Selling Channel ...
On IMDB: "The Lifeguard (2013)"
Benny's Tabasco Review: 5 / 10
Synopsis: A 29 year old writer for the Associated Press has basically a nervous breakdown and moves home to her parents in Connecticut. She meets up with old friends from High School and gets her old job back as a Lifeguard at a Condo Association Pool.
Story: I haven't written many of these parts in my reviews. However, this story is awful. It's tries to be like "Garden State" (great work Zach Braff), but it fails miserably. I found myself watching this movie thinking, "Do people really act this way?" I answered, "NO!'. Upon further reflection, I guess some people do they this way ...
The writing is interesting and disturbing ... Not that I am giving it all way (e.g. Spoiler), but the relationships in this movie are STRANGE!! (Well, at least to me).
Cast: First, let me say, I like Kristen Bell. She's played several roles you may be familiar with ... Like "Veronica Mars" or "Gossip Girl" ... I know her from "Heroes" ... I loved "Heroes" ... Primarily Season One ... Back to Kristen Bell. She is an outstanding actress who did a great job with this character ... The rest of the cast are pretty much unknown except for Amy Madigan (from "Field of Dreams ... Ray Kinsella's Wife) ... She played Kristen Bell's character's mother ... It was a nice job ...
Cinematography: Some shots were really awesome ... However, the shots lost their impact in the Edit Bay ... There is a wide expansive shot that really depicts Kristen's character's loneliness well ... Unfortunately, it's a 10 second shot at the longest ....
Overall Review: Hey ... It's Kristen Bell ... It's on Netflix so I didn't have to pay rental fees ... Not for kids ... And not as good as "Garden State" ... But if it's 3 AM and not else interests you, you might give it 30 minutes to decide ...
Movie Review: "The Sapphires (2012)"
On IMDB: "The Sapphires (2012)"
Benny's Tabasco Rating: 7 / 10
Synopsis: This movie is based on a true story (loosely based of course) about 4 Aboriginal Girls / Ladies from a hick town in Australia who can really sing ... However, the Aboriginals were discriminated just as bad as the African-Americans were during the 1700s - 1990s ... Or maybe even worse ... (I didn't study my Australian history prior to my review). They encounter a musician named Dave Lovelace (played by Chris O'Dowd) who becomes their manager ... The girls find an advertisement for singers in Vietnam during the Vietnam War. They go through there to sing to the U.S. Troops ... There are many twists and turns (not over the top) and end up telling a great story about music, racism, and love ...
Cinematography: I was a little disappointed since a portion of the film occurs in Australia. I was hoping to see more wide-angle camera shots of the landscape, but I was sorely disappointed. The shots in "Vietnam" were OK ... I did appreciate the tight camera work during the performances. It's a common technique that film makers use when they don't have a lot of budget for extras or there's a lack of extras.
Acting: Chris O'Dowd steals the movie hands-down. My first experience with Chris O'Dowd was on the British Comedy Show, "The IT Crowd". Being a geek, I loved the show ... Not only that, the comedy sketches are really funny...
A big surprise was by Deborah Mailman who plays "Gail". Her character was developed well and her acting was surprising for my first "running into a film with her".
Overall Rating:
I liked this movie. In fact, I have watched it 4 times now. There's a good bit of singing which I like a lot. Also, I really didn't understand how poorly the Aboriginal People of Australia were treated. I've been to Australia and enjoyed my time there. However, racism is still here ...
I was going to rent this from Redbox. Instead, I received an email from Netflix telling me it was available with my subscription...
It's pretty good for a seemingly low-budget Indie style film. And it's free with your Netflix subscription.
Movie Review #8 - "Jedi Junkies" (Documentary - 2010)
Well ... Movie fans ... This is my first review of a documentary ... And I was extremely disappointed with this one ...
On IMDB: Jedi Junkies (2010)
Benny's Rating: 1 / 10 Tabasco Peppers:
Synopsis:
Don't worry, it's short. This documentary filmmaker based out of NYC interviews "Star Wars" fans and collectors about their "obsession" and views about Star Wars. They tell the stories of fan who are "die-hard" Star Wars fans, Fan Filmmakers, and extreme collectors.
It's a bone-headed look into the world of "Star Wars".
Interviews:
My God, the director didn't have a clue ... The interview several people, most who seem to be on the fringes of normalcy. Don't get me wrong, I liked the Star Wars movies. However, some of the "cats" in this documentary would scare me in real life.
One of the collectors has so much Star Wars collectibles that his family sleeps on air mattresses in his house. I have a major problem with that ... When you take your hard-earned money and spend on collectables instead of a bed, I have an issue with that person.
Please. It's just a movie. Some of them are better than others. But really, dedicating your life to Star Wars seems a lot out there for me ... And I'm pretty out there at times ...
Cinematography:
I don't know what kind of equipment that Director of Photography used, but I think my old Sony Personal Camcorder would have been better. It's really atrocious in the quality and changing of HD shots to non-HD shots ...
Overall Recommendations:
Well, I have been to a Star Wars theme-wedding in person. The couple who got married ROCKED!! The costumes, light sabers, and several wedding attendees dressed up. It was visually stunning. So stunning that it was shown on one of the Weddings Shows on TLC.
Please do you self a favor. Don't watch this. Hopefully, my friends will post a link to their wedding. It was way cool.
It's on Netflix if you are really bored and have absolutely nothing to do ...
Movie Review #7 - "Redemption" (2013)
On IMDB: Redemption (2013)
Benny's Rating: 7 / 10 Tabasco Peppers
Synopsis:
A British soldier from the war in Afghanistan becomes down and out and hits bottom. He meets up with a young girl on the streets and takes care of her. He's a drunk, loser, and basically "scum of the earth". Enter Sister Cristina, the nun who feeds the homeless and provides medication for those who want to remain anonymous.
Joey Smith (played by Jason Statham) is the soldier in this 100 minute film. Joey gets his butt kicked on the street and ends up falling into a gentleman's apartment that is vacant. He finds an ATM card and begins to work himself back into "normalcy". He gets connected with the Chinese Mafia in London and becomes a bag man. While this sounds like a typical Statham film, it's not. He actually acts in it ... More of that later ...
Eventually, the young girl goes missing into a world of slavery (sex slavery). Joey tries to find her via the Chinese Mafia connection. The nun, in essence, becomes his human side. There is compassion, love (in the purest sense), and rage.
This could almost be a "chick flick" if it wasn't for the typical Statham fighting scenes we have become used to.
The story doesn't have the typical guy from the gutter rises out it to become the hero. It's actually kind of strange. You want Joey to succeed, but you know he can't.
Screenwriting:
I was very pleased that the typical Statham movie cliches were not present. This movie is dark. It deals with some very difficult subjects. For example, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, Sex Slavery, Human Slavery, Sexuality between the Church and man. It was really quite impressive and not what I expected. Was it "Chariots of Fire" or "Ben Hur", probably not. Better than "The Italian Job" or "Crank" or "The Transporter Series", heck yeah.
Cinematography:
There is nothing in this film that really stood out from others. There is good use of the overheads and some of the darker shots. Apart from that, I didn't care for the framing of the rest of the movie. The shots seemed "convenient" and lighting was too bright in some places and too dark in others.
Acting:
By far, this is one of Statham's best work. It actually showed that he can act and act very well. The make-up artist should be commended on the initial scenes with Joey. That really got me interested.
Sister Cristina played by Agata Buzek was not exactly what I thought or wanted her to be. Her character was very dimensional. However, I wish she would have shown a little more facial expression. Her wardrobe (the nun's habit) and moves were not illustrative enough for me to really care about her. It wasn't horrible, but I wanted to see more.
Overall Recommendation:
If you are looking for the "Fighting Statham" like in the "The Transporter Series" or "Crank Series", you will be very disappointed. If you are looking for a good film with real acting and the occasional fight scene, you'll like it.
It's on Netflix (free with your subscription), but I don't recommend this for the youngsters.
Movie Review #6 - 3 Idiots (2009)
Before you start, this movie doesn't refer to any of my friends, past, present or future ... If you know, you would know that I truly love a good Bollywood film ... And this is one of them ... It's also one of my favorite films ...
On IMDB: 3 Idiots
Benny's Tabasco Peppers Review: 9 / 10 Tabasco Peppers
Synopsis:
This is a great story, did I mention that yet? It's a story about three friends who to college in India and study engineering. But, that's the real story ... The story begins with a phone call to one (Farhjan) of the 3 Idiots who is on a plane leaving India. He finds a way to get off the plane (really funny) and goes to get one of the other Idiots (Raju). Then, 2 of the 3 Idiots meet up at the University who another classmate (Chatur) who's more concerned about how much he has, the trophy wife, etc. Long story short. the 3rd Idiot is not there ... So, they begin to travel looking for him.
The movie flashes back to their days at the University. It tells a fantastic story about learning as told through the eyes of "Rancho" (the 3rd Idiot). Rancho is focused on learning and not the typical Indian ways of old were everything was memorization and no imagination.
The highlights are many as Rancho, Chatur, and the Director of Engineering get into twists and turns. Chatur is also known as "The Silencer" because he takes so many energy pills and farts a lot of "Silent But Deadly" ...
There is a love interest between Rancho and Pia (The Director of Engineering's daughter). I don't want to spoil this movie, but let's just say that this movie moves forward in Bollywood cinema for male/female contact (not sex).
Great One-Liners:
While the movie switches back and forth between Hindi and English, there is one line that sticks out. "Aal izz Well" (in English - "All is Well") ... The line is carried through out the movie and sticks with you (in a good way).
The Negatives:
Most of my American friends will probably not like subtitles. It gets a little confusing when the words on the screen in subtitles doesn't match the English that they are speaking.
Another weak point is some of the music. Like in any other Bollywood film, there is song and dance. There is one song (you'll know it) with Pia and Rancho that made me wonder "Who wrote that and why is that in here?"
Of Interest:
Chatur is the antagonist of the film and became quite popular in India. The interesting thing is that "Chatur" is Omi Vaidya who's from CALIFORNIA. Before the film, he didn't speak Hindi. It's evident in the film, but the screenwriter and director play off of that ...
Overall Recommendation:
Rent it. Buy It. Borrow It. It's available for streaming on Amazon (Amazon - 3 Idiots). I highly recommend it!!!
