Review: Daybreakers (2009)

This time around the Vampires are the majority on Earth. Humans are being farmed for blood and are fast becoming extinct. They are now pushing fast on an alternative to human blood as feeding on another Vampire has dire consequences.

This movie plays on a big "what if?" scenario. It tells about an outbreak that cause most of earth's inhabitants to become vampires. Good thing is no more disease, they heal easily from minor injuries, and they live forever. Bad thing is, they are running out of humans to feed on. The writers thought out of ingenious ways to make the Vampires really live on. They thought of cars that could be used in brought daylight, the walkways underground, and how they farm the humans (ala Blade movie). Creators say that they had limited budget and it doesn't really show. They made a pretty good film and put it together real well. Not to mention the rebellious antics and thinking of Elvis (Willem Dafoe). What I didn't like about it is they don't have superhuman powers like running faster, agility, or being stronger that human athletes. I guess it would complicate the story but it could've made it a bit more exciting with action scenes.

Overall i'd give it a thumbs up for a good "what if?" scenario. Performances of the actors are great and the film was put together well making it levels away from being a B-movie.

Review: From Paris with Love (2010)

James Reese (Jonathan Ryhs Meyers) is a cool, calm, collected and logical agent assigned to the American Embassy in France. He has been applying to be an Special Ops Agent for the CIA for quite sometime till he has been given a chance to work with CIA's top operative, Charlie Wax (Travolta). Wax on the other hand is the complete opposite of Reese as he has unorthodox ways of stopping a lot (i mean A LOT!) of bad guys.

The movie itself starts as a regular cloak and dagger film with stealth, secret phone calls, bugs, and other secretive stuff. It picks up once Travolta comes in. From there on, bullets flew, bad guys shot (fell, had broken necks, kicked in the gut, among other things), cars exploded and a whole lot of dead bodies.

I liked this movie as this is the genre I usually go see. Action-Comedy which is fast paced with almost no dull moments. It had some weird moments but it's what I come to expect from Luc Besson's movies. I'd recommend this be watched in the theater or even get a DVD of it when it comes out. I'd like to watch it a couple more times (like what I still do with the Taxi series) sitting at home with a bowl full of popcorn and a cold soda.

Paul Blart: Mall Cop

For me, this movie had me laughing for almost the whole movie for its sheer stupidity with a mix of being naive of a perfectly good person. That person is Paul Blart: Mall Cop. The character is an aspiring cop who has failed a good number of times from exams, most probably from his condition: he has hyperglycemia. He has to have sugar or else he faints. A good hearted person but at times too good that it places him in funny situations.

It has good action scenes, thanks to the parkour boys and we have to give credit to Paul Blart's rise from the dead type of getting up (with the help of a Segway). This movie is best watched at home with popcorn, drinks sitting on a couch with your family.

G.I. Joe - Rise of the Cobra

This post has been long overdue. Been very busy lately with office stuff (and got addicted with Mafia Wars. haha). Anyways, this is the live-action version of one of the 80's hit cartoon about the real american heroes.

As usual, they tweaked the story and characters to make it more appealing and fit it into the limited time of a movie. Duke here is still the main character but here he is seen to be an elite soldier before going in with the Joe's. He has ripcord for a best bud and both were pulled into the world of the Joe's. Scarlet still has Snake Eyes for a love interest but instead of Duke to be a part of a love triangle, they swapped it to Ripcord. Dennis Quaid played Hawk pretty well, unfortunately for cover girl her stint was short lived. Baroness on the other hand was married to a Baron, which is how she got her nickname. The Baron was not Destro. Destro for the most part of the film has the face of a normal human not until the last part. Cobra Commander was a revelation to me. It provided a good twist but they sorta gave hints along the way.

As an kid who grew in the 80's this is somewhat a breathe of fresh air for the old series. The action and CGI scenes were great (minus the fact that the suits made them jump around like crazy monkeys). Story wise was good enough to give most of the characters back story and depth to their personality. The ending provided room to make a sequel so we might as well expect one (just like Transformers). Plus the costumes made the Baroness and Scarlet real hot!!

Transformers 2: Revenge of the Fallen

*may contain spoilers

I watched it yesterday and was hoping to be blown away. Well, i was almost blown away. I was amazed at how they made the fight scenes between the autobots and the decepticons. It was great! Not only was it amazing but they actually slowed it down so we could actually follow what was happening. Megan Fox got even hotter and thanks to slow mo she went sizzling. I also liked the fact that John Tuturo was still in the movie. He added that weird comedy vibe. In the other hand, almost everything in the movie was tweaked (story and characters) but if you didn't grow up during the 80's it was a good sci-fi robot movie.

Although it had great moments, there will always be a "what the?" moments. What the hell is up with the terminator-ish villain they sent to get Sam?! For a couple of minutes there I though I was watching a Terminator movie. Next is the two autobots who talk like they are rap stars? It's bad enough that whites and asians copy the way rap stars talk but robot aliens from outerspace? That is just bad! Next up is Sam's mom. What the heck were they thinking when they made her act like that? It was just insane! There was a scene they made her eat "magic brownies" and made her all wacky. I just didn'y know what the writers were thinking when they wrote down the character. I didn't really find it that much amusing. There was also the issue regarding the matrix. In the original story, Optimus became Prime because of the Matrix not because he was the decendant of the Primes. I'm a bit so-so about what they did with it but it looked good in the movie (plus the matrix was smaller in the movie). Lastly, I could barely tell who is which became what. I mean, none of them looked like their original forms. Bumblebee became a Camaro, Iron Hide became a Pick-up Truck at least Arcee still is a motorbike albeit an earth type motorbike. Let's not forget Devastator, he became a huge pet monster! I still liked it if he just became a giant robot like before. Although he still destoyed everything in sight, a big huge a$$ robot like before is what I would prefer.

Eye candy wise, it was full of it. The tweaking of the story blended well with the prior movie. And eventhough I could hardly tell the decepticons and what the other autbots turned into it was a good enough sci-fi alien robot flick.

Movie Review - Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li

It's not the best movie to date but I watched it anyway. Yes, you guessed it. Kristin Kreuk was there. I was hooked with this chick since smallville and snow white. Enough with the chit chat. The movie started with Chun-Li as a kid and was taught how to be a great concert pianist and at the same time martial arts by his father. Until one night, Bison, with the help of Balrog, kidnapped Chun-Li's father for unknown reasons and fast forward Chun-Li is now a well known pianist her mother is now sickly and a strange letter arrives for her. She then travels to Bangkok to find Gen. On the flip side Charlie Nash is hot on the trail of Bison and ends up also in Bangkok since triad leaders are found dead, killed by Vega. Chun-Li's trained by Gen, paths crossed, trouble ensues, final battle with Chun-Li and Bison and of course Chun-Li wins.

Like I said before, movie was not that great. It was like a B-movie much like the previous live-action Street Fighter flicks (e.g. the one with JCVD) but this one is a notch higher and has a more serious tone unlike the campy old ones. This movie also deviated from the original storyline of the Character. Bison killed Chun-Li's father prior to joining the tournament and she joined the tournament to kill/get revenge on Bison not prior.

Anyways, i'd still place it as a B-rated movie because it has that vibe. If it wasn't for Kristin Kreuk i'd probably rate this lower. Props to Michael Clark Duncan he fit the role of Balrog (minus the gold tooth and weird haircut ala Mike Tyson). hahaha!!

*pic borrowed from wiki

Watchmen (2009)

Ok. It's one of the comic books that the 80's kid (including me) grew up with that turned to a movie. The watchmen is a story about masked heroes that were forced to retire because they were outlawed. But because one of them was brutally murdered, they were forced to don their masks and find out who was behind it and at the same time prevent World War III from breaking out.

They did a great job (for me) in recreating the 80's vibe. The tv shows were there, clothes, how people interacted, how people looked, and everything else in between. Their interpreation of the story and how they squeezed most of the info within 2 and a half hours is impressive since this was a graphic novel and this was a very long story. The fight scenes were pretty good without the help of too much CGI and looks like some were wire work while some looked liked they were done by very good stunt doubles.

I'd watch the film a few more times just because I enjoyed it and mostly it was a well put movie. Not to mention that it was a super hero flick.

Movie Review: Dragonball Evolution

Well.... We could say that it's based on the graphic novel by Akira Toriyama but almost none are identical or faithful to the novel. I guess they made a different version to prevent it from being compared to the original story. Basic elements were there, Piccolo is the enemy, (Dragonball series), Goku likes Chi-chi (the actress they got to play her looks pretty good also helps), Bulma is an inventor, Yamcha is there but a different character (and he has a nose!!), Master Roshi is not a balding old man and only trains Goku on a few techniques. Anyhow these are the base characters in the Dragonball world apart from the Red Ribbon Army.

The movie itself isn't bad. Just think of it as a sci-fi and never compare it to the original novel because it will just dissapoint you.

Movie Review: Transporter 3

Of course i'd watch it! I like the Transporter series, pretty straight forward and usually involves a nice car and his character could always beat up a ton of guys. He still has his trusty Audi A8 with a huge w12 engine. His french police chief reprises his role and they are back in Europe. This time around he was forced to do the job because they had his life on the line. But as always he's a tough nut to crack and fought his way back causing mayhem and not your typical chase scenes.

I still prefer the original (maybe because it had Shu Qi...) but it's always to see Frank Martin in a mess.

Review: Monsters vs Aliens

I like the simplicity of the film. It's really a child friendly movie with lots of comedy and less things to understand about the movie. It's a sit back and enjoy type of movie. Another thing that I liked about it is it did not go dragging itself to make the movie long but it allowed to be in a pace wherein you could get a grasp of the whole movie with little to no dull moments.

I also liked the character of the President of the US. It was hilarious, playing new wave to try and make contact with the aliens and some of his ideas will make you say "ooookkkaaayyy....??". The sense of humor of the film was very child friendly too and kids in grade school will easily get.

Fast and the Furious 4

Or it could also be called FnF 2 and 1/2 since the movie takes place in between FnF 2 and Tokyo Drift. The movie was overall an action movie and patches of hot cars, chicks, and racing thrown into the mix. And never forget the cheesy lines that they make Vin Diesel say in films. Most of the events here are identical to the things done in the original. If you've watched the first one you'll find them.

A thing that a bit disappointed me is the story line that includes Han. I thought that it would be a lot longer since he is such a cool, calm and collected character. Sad thing is I think he did less than 10 mins screen time.

Overall i'd still buy this movie on DVD since more short stories that will tie up loose ends will probably be there.

Movie Review: Eagle Eye

Been very busy this past few weeks so posts have been shelved and now I have a lot of backlog. Anyways, this is a sci-fi movie conceptualized a few years back and when it finally got a go signal the technology sort of caught up so some aspects of the movie are not so far fetched. For an action movie this was great! A lot of chase scenes, stunts, freak events, explosions, the whole shebang. But basically this is a sci-fi movie so involves technology, and for this they needed an AI that began thinking for itself. It took matters into its own hands and that's when the trouble starts.

Although I could give high praises for this movie but it still is not without glitches. Some of the things/parts/events were so far fetched like remote operated machinery on the public network, control of power lines on the public network, and almost all of the cctv cameras were on a public network? Aside from this, if you slightly tone down your reality meter this movie will live you in awe. Overall the movie is up there for action and sci-fi flicks, plot was good, story was good, acting was great, even the effects were great. Shia LaBeouf could really pull-off an action/sci-fi movie and goes to show he's on the road of being one of the great actors out there!

Movie Review: Disaster Movie

Just as the title says, it is a disaster movie! It's just one incoherent, unintelligent, pushing the envelope type of movie. National Lampoons it ain't. They were good parts but not a lot. Mostly they just jump from one scene to another, there is no fluidity. It's like they just suddenly thought of squeezing some bits here and there out of the blue. I guess it's due to the fact that they wanted to squeeze as much parody or spoof of someone or some movie. I did a short list of spoofs and impersonations they did and it turned out to be a long one.

- Miley Cyrus/Hannah Montana
- Alvin & the Chipmunks
- Get Smart
- Dr. Phil
- The Hottie and the Nottie
- Iron Man / Hulk / Hell Boy
- High School Musical
- Juno
- Cloverfield
- Ella Enchanted
- Step Up 2
- Jumper
- 10,000 B.C.
- American Gladiators
- Sex & the City
- Amy Winehouse
- Justin Timberlake
- Jessica Simpson
- Batman (The new one)
- Indiana Jones
- Speed Racer
- Wanted
- Women of Wrestling
- Michael Jackson
- Night at the Museum
- Beowulf
- Kung Fu Panda
- Narnia's Prince Caspian
- Love Guru
- Hancock

Whew! Well that's mostly the things I noticed. And there's the guy that keeps on flipping the coin when he decides. I can't seem to think where they got him. Plus I thought Juno was annoying enough, they raised it a few more notches and what they did was way more irritating! (good job!) Lastly, what the heck was the thing with the dropping cows?

Movie Review: Babylon A.D.

A Sci-Fi movie set decades in the future, Thoorop (Vin Diesel), a mercenary accepts a job from Gorsky to escort a young woman named Aurora (Mélanie Thierry) and her guardian Sister Rebeka (Michelle Yeoh) from Russia to New York City. Through the journey Thoorop discovers that Aurora has a hidden secret that even she doesn't know. All the while, Aurora was created for an elaborate scheme made by Noelite, a religious organization, to control the world.

The actors were good, the stunts were great, the action scenes were okay (albeit short and sometimes confusing) but the sequence of events and tension were a bust. It was all just mindless violence. The storyline was a bit confusing, the climax was a little so-so and the ending will leave you with just a bug "huh??!" moment. It's just not spectacular enough. I did not enjoy the movie at all. Not even the fact that Vin Diesel and Michelle Yeoh was there and could make up for this flop. If you want to see this movie i'd recommend to just go rent it out. It's not worth the money.

"Babylon A.D. is a 2008 science fiction film based on the novel Babylon Babies by Maurice Georges Dantec. The film was directed by Mathieu Kassovitz and stars Vin Diesel, Mélanie Thierry, Michelle Yeoh and Lambert Wilson. It was released on August 29, 2008 in the United States." - wikipedia

Movie Review: Bangkok Dangerous

Hitman Joe (Nick Cage) is a hitman for hire. Doing 4 jobs in a country and lives by 4 rules. He goes to Bangkok for another set of hits but slowly breaks his own rules and puts him in a crossroad in his life.

This is a Hollywood remake of the original Bangkok Dangerous shown around 1999. This time, instead of the lead character being a deaf-mute the leading lady is the one playing a deaf-mute. The remake is not that good. The story is a little bland. Not enough punch to keep you on the edge of your seat. The ending is not what I expected but suits the movie to a degree. If I would rate it, I´d give it 2 out of 5.

Movie Review: Death Race

A remake of the film Death Race 2000. Set in the year 2012 where US economy plummeted, crime is rampant, and private companies handle the prisons. Ames (Jason Statham) was set-up for the crime of killing his wife the same day the factory he had been working on closed down. Six months has passed and he was coerced by the warden Hennessy (Joan Allen) to replace her champion Frankenstein, who was presumably killed by Machine Gun Joe (Tyrese Gibson) from the prior race Race. Upon joining Death race, a reality show based race wherein you kill to survive while winning the race, he finds out who killed her wife and who set him up. Once Ames knew that he was never going to be released from prison, he devised a scheme to escape prison and find his daughter to live together again.

Much of the old characters and basically the same plot from the original was really used but this time the theme and popularity of the reality based shows were used. The races was brutal and exciting but aside from that nothing much. Jason Statham is a powerful actor but whenever he delivers his lines is like listening to an old man, he sort of whispers that you can´t hear much what he was saying. So if your a fan of Carmaggedon, this is will most likely tickle your fancy. Plus Natalie Martinez is true eye candy.

Movie Review: Beowulf

Released in 2007, it´s a full motion capture film directed by Robert Zemeckis (Back to the Future, Forest Gump). A cross of the original epic poem and the one starring Christopher Lambert a few years ago.

What I like about it is some of the scenes ad shots are very much life-like that I sometimes forget that this is not a live action movie. Next is the Angelina Jolie capture (wonder how they scanned her body?), another serving please. The chosen voice actors really fit the part. Rey Winstone really gave Beowulf soul and I happily give two thumbs up for John Malkovich (as Unther), the character really felt conceited.

I really don´t like this sort of films (motion capture) but they are really looking good, almost life-like and very believable but I hope this doesn´t go mainstream. I still want to see real actors playing characters.

Movie Review: Hellboy 2 - The Golden Army

One of my anticipated films since the trailer came out. Looked to be one helluva an action packed movie with a twist of witty remarks and a lot of humor. As expected, all three were present. But there was an odd feeling that I was watching an M.I.B. (Men in Black) movie rather than a Hellboy sequel. It looked to me that the creatures that they made looked more like aliens rather than mythical beings. One example was the guy with a talking tumor that looked like a baby. Looked like it was straight out of an M.I.B. series. Another thing that I was looking for was when was Hellboy be transformed to his true devil self to unleash his power to save everyone from death kind of scene. I very much liked that part on the first movie. But this time around, he just went bashing away in his normal half-horned self. Anyway, if I was to rate this movie i´d give it 3 out of 5 stars (it could´ve been higher if his devil self made an appearance).

Review: Taken

No, it´s not the one by Steven Speilberg. This one is written by Luc Besson of the French ¨Taxi¨ series.

It´s about a retired CIA ¨preventer¨ Brian (Liam Neeson) making more time for her daughter after being away for the government. After which her daughter asks his permission to go to Paris to allegedly see museums but really follow a band on tour. Reluctantly, he agrees and her daughter goes to France. After a few hours on arriving on France her daughter and friend were kidnapped and will be sold off for sex slaves. Brian, pulling out his resources flies to France to find his daughter´s captors and save her within 96 hours before she disappears forever.

During the first few minutes the movie was boring. I was eagerly waiting for something to happen. But once the location moves to Paris it steadily went to overdrive. There was a lot of hand to hand combat ala Jason Bourne but not like the use-anything-you-grab as a weapon type of thing but almost to that extent. Car chase was long enough but could´ve used more in my opinion (i´m a sucker for great car chase scenes ala Ronin and the Bourne series). I also liked it when he got a little hurt when he jumped from the bridge to the boat. It makes it a little more believable that you could get hurt from jumping from that height. Only wish the Audi from the last part was used as in a car chase seen. The sound from the car was awesome. Overall, I really liked the film. It goes to show that Neeson still has the ¨force¨ in him for action. Good Job!

Review: The Mummy 3: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor

*may contain spoilers

Well, it´s the third installment of ¨The Mummy¨ series. This time they go to china where Alex, Rick and Evelyn O´Connells´ son, has uncovered the tomb of the first emperor of China known as the Dragon Emperor. One thing leads to another. A Mummy has been awakened, his army, then all hell breaks loose.

I noticed that Jet Li´s character, the dragon emperor, was unbelievably strong in all aspects. He could control the five elements (earth, water, fire, wood, metal). When he became immortal, he could shape shift into anything he wanted. Above this, he is a superb martial artist. Now, my question is how the heck did Rick (Branden Fraiser´s character) defeated Jet Li in a fist fight? Wherein the first part of the movie Jet Li defeated 3, count them three, trained assassins without breaking a sweat. They could have thought of somehow to bring him down to mortal status or disable some part of him to make it believable. Here, a mortal with above human strength defeats a superb martial artist? I guess that is Hollywood. Anythings possible.

*picture came from wikipedia