[5.25/10] Extraterrestrial (2012)

Extraterrestrial (2012)

QuickRating: An odd, yet original combination of sci-fi, comedy and romance, the Spanish hybrid of a film is possibly the first-ever alien invasion movie, that is all about the characters and their relationships and not about the aliens at all. The characters themselves are flawed, yet charming and likable, and the movie is filled with tons of amusing situations, but sadly, in its second half, "Extraterrestrial" gets totally lost in its own quirkiness.

[5.25/10] Journey 2: The Mysterious Island [3D] (2012)

Journey 2:
The Mysterious Island [3D] (2012)

Brief review: This sequel to 2008's "Journey to the Center of the Earth" provides some mindless entertainment and has a mildly witty script with a couple of clever jokes and funny dialogues in it, but sadly, it feels rushed and forced from the very beginning, the execution is sub-par, and Brad Peyton's direction leaves a lot to be desired. Also, for a kids' adventure, the movie offers enough entertaining and nicely-shot action scenes, but it's not necessarily action-packed, nor is very exciting to watch. At least, "Journey 2" is pretty to look at. The island's CGI scenery is colorful and nothing short of breathtaking, with a very unique flora that features lush plants, bright, peculiar flowers and oversized fruits, and an even more bizarre fauna consisting of dwarf elephants, enormous bees and gigantic lizards. That being said, some of the sets look a bit too fake and don't really blend well with the stunning CGI background. The special effects range from super-cheesy to very impressive, and the 3D, while far from spectacular, works in the film's favor most of the time. The acting is by no means great, but the cast compensates with charm and charisma. Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson is engaging and likable as usual, Michael Caine can do no wrong, Josh Hutcherson does an okay job as Sean, Luis Guzmán's over-the-top performance is kinda funny, but annoying at the same time, and Miss Vanessa Hudgens is mediocre at best.

Overall summary: Forced, brainless, and full of many plot holes, yet fairly enjoyable, "Journey 2: The Mysterious Island" offers a charming cast, some vivid, eye-candy visuals, passable 3D effects and amusing dialogues, but falls flat in terms of storytelling and execution.

[5.25/10] Horrible Bosses (2011)

Horrible Bosses (2011)

QuickRating: The premise is clever and potentially interesting, it brings a couple of good laughs along the way, and the wonderfully-assembled cast deliver, with Jennifer Aniston being particularly hilarious as the naughty 'maneater' Dr. Julia Harris, but it's Seth Gordon's dull, lackluster direction and the mildly funny script that let the film down. "Horrible Bosses" is watchable, but sadly, it's not nearly as amusing, witty and original as it was supposed to be.

Numerous QuickRatings PART 9: Poor-to-Decent 2011 Movies

The Dilemma (2011)

QuickRating: The movie mostly relies on its talented A-list cast, but a couple of decent performances can't compensate for the lack of ideas, originality and laughs, and as a result, "The Dilemma" ends up as yet another uninspired, unfunny and instantly forgettable comedy, that shouldn't been made at all.

My Rating: 4.25/10




Exorcismus (2011)

QuickRating: Although it features some truly creepy and disturbing images, and a believable and more-than-convincing performance by the promising young actress Sophie Vavasseur, at the end of the day, "Exorcismus" offers nothing new or even remotely original to distinguish itself from all the other exorcism-related horror flicks.

My Rating: 5.25/10

The Eagle (2011)

QuickRating: "The Eagle" boasts plenty of gorgeous settings and impressive visuals, but unfortunately, the film is neither as spectacular, nor nearly as epic as expected, plus, it's let down by Channing Tatum's unsurprisingly dull performance and Kevin Macdonald's unimaginative and somewhat unsteady direction.

My Rating: 5.25/10




From Prada to Nada (2011)

QuickRating: This modern-day interpretation of "Sense and Sensibility" may be slightly ridiculous, and full of tired cliches, but "From Prada to Nada" compensates with an amusing script, enjoyable story, and likable characters, and manages to turn itself into a guilty pleasure type of chick flick that many girls (and boys) would enjoy.

My Rating: 6.00/10

[5.25/10] Scream 4 (2011)

Scream 4 (2011)

Brief review: In this fourth installment of the 'Scream' franchise, Ghostface returns for Sidney Prescott, who has put herself back together after many years, and is now an author of a self-help book. Although it plays out like a remake of its predecessors, "Scream 4" never feels new or refreshing, as instead of taking the franchise to another level, director Wes Craven uses the same tired plot formula and the same old twist gimmicks, and as a result, this third sequel offers nothing, but more of the same. The kills themselves are graphic and gory, yet too standard, and devoid of imagination or originality. On a positive note, "Scre4m" has its moments of nail-biting suspense and intensity, and its keeps you guessing who the killer is till the very end, and yet the conclusion, though unpredictable, is so hardly believable, it ends up being more ridiculous than shocking. Craven's direction is typically solid, and the editing is polished enough, but other than that, the movie can't boast with other technical qualities. The acting ranges from decent to mediocre, with Neve Campbell being dull and overly serious as she always is, and the beautiful Emma Roberts being the only real standout. Courteney Cox also delivers, though her screen time is very limited.

Overall summary: Passably watchable and mildly funny, yet too old-fashioned, somewhat pointless, not particularly scary and utterly ineffective, "Scre4am" ends up being nothing more than just another mediocre entry into to the extremely overrated "Scream" franchise.

Numerous QuickRatings PART 6: 2010 Foreign Horror Thrillers

Agnosia (2010)

QuickRating: Though this Spanish supernatural thriller has a truly original premise, gorgeously authentic production design, and an exquisite cinematography, the film itself suffers form 'agnosia' - it struggles in its attempt to bring plot, acting , directing and visuals together, and as a result, its execution seems as 'blurry' as its main character's eyesight.

My Rating: 5.25/10

Spiderhole (2010)

QuickRating: Often creepy and utterly claustrophobic, yet hardly scary or suspenseful, this Irish slasher boasts some eerie and chilling settings, a good twist in the end, and a couple of good death scenes, but its lack of originality, so-so direction, and stupid characters reduce the film to the 'common' level of mediocre horror film-making.

My Rating: 5.50/10


We Are What We Are

(2010)

QuickRating: Intentionally cheap-looking and lacking in production values, "We Are What We Are" is a gruesome and disturbing story about modern day cannibalism, that shocks the viewer with its uncompromising harshness and extreme violence, but as a whole, the film is not nearly as effective and frightening as it thinks it is.

My Rating: 5.50/10


La Meute a.k.a.
The Pack (2010)

QuickRating: This old-school French horror flick may not have the most unique plot ever or a first-rate execution, but it's a twisted, atmospheric and bizarre experience, that compensates with buckets of gore, some truly creepy looking creatures, a couple of really good scares and plenty of murky visuals. Its oddness is its strength.

My Rating: 6.00/10

[5.25/10] Haunted Changi (2010)

Haunted Changi (2010)

Brief review: "Haunted Changi" is yet another 'found footage' horror flick, this time coming from Singapore, done in the same fashion as "The Blair Witch Project", and although it has quite an intriguing premise, this moc-doc is lacking a bit in execution, and is way less scary and effective than most movies of this genre. While nothing particularly interesting happens in the first half, as it mostly consists of random shots of Changi and fake black and white documentary sequences, the second half and especially the finale are much more tense, thrilling and entertaining to watch. The 'secret tunnel' scene deserves a special mention, as it's utterly claustrophobic and quite chilling. The hand-held camera produces jerky and unsteady images that create a sense of authenticity, but this technique is rather necessary for this type of film, and it could be already considered as clichéd. On a positive note, "Haunted Changi" is quite atmospheric, visually. The grim and filthy setting of the abandoned Changi hospital is creepy as hell, but it barely increases the scare factor of the story. Furthermore, the film offers some passable performances from the cast involved, but none of the characters is particularly memorable or at least likable.

Overall summary: More creepy rather than scary, "Haunted Changi" offers some dark, ominous settings, and a couple of tense moments, but it does pretty much nothing else to distinguish itself from every other POV / Found Footage horror film.

[5.25/10] The Tourist (2010)

The Tourist (2010)

In this remake of the French thriller "Anthony Zimmer", Frank unexpectedly finds himself in a flirtatious encounter with Elise, an extraordinary woman who deliberately crosses his path, during an impromptu trip to Europe to mend his broken heart. Against the breathtaking backdrop of Paris and Venice, their whirlwind romance quickly evolves as they find themselves unwittingly thrust into a deadly game of cat and mouse. Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck first full-length film, "The Lives of Others", was well received by both critics and audience, but same can't be said for his latest espionage thriller "The Tourist", as it fails to deliver both, high entertainment value and money at the box office. "The Tourist" suffers from preposterous plot, inadequate direction and uneven pacing, and although it offers a passable entertainment, the film never lives up to its full potential. Moreover, the twist in the end is pretty ridiculous and almost ruins this otherwise passable cinematic experience. "The Tourist" relies mainly on its two leads and beautiful stars, Angelina Jolie and Johnny Depp, and its stunning scenery, and these are the areas where the film succeeds mostly. Angelina Jolie is definitely the best thing about this movie. She not only looks breathtakingly exquisite as always, but she's absolutely seductive and thoroughly captivating as Elise - an unpredictable and mysterious woman, that looks tough on the outside, but is very sensitive on the inside. Well, her British accent is pretty terrible, but other than that she does a pretty good job. Johnny Depp, on the other hand, is quite disappointing. He gives a surprisingly flat and stiff performance as Frank, as he hardly conveys any real emotion, which is kinda shocking, since Depp is one of the most gifted actors in history of cinema. Throughout the whole time, he looks really bored, and like he doesn't want to be there, which affects his performance. The chemistry between Jolie and Depp is almost lacking, probably due to the fact that Johnny Depp had issues with his long-time girlfriend Vanessa Paradis, who wanted him to quit this film, because she didn't want him to shoot a steamy sex scenes with Jolie. Although that obviously didn't happen, Depp looks quite uncomfortable and wooden during the love scenes with Angelina. Paul Bettany typically good as Inspector Acheson, and he does his best with the material he's given, and Steven Berkoff beyond convincing as the intimidating gang boss, Reginald Shaw. Visually though, "The Tourist" never fails to fascinate the audience with its incredibly beautiful Italian scenery. Oscar-winning director Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck captures beautifully the essence of Venice, providing us with some truly mesmerizing shots and splendid images. The action scenes, while few and far between, as well-shot and entertaining to watch. The boat chase deserves a special mention, as it's probably the most exciting part in the entire movie. Although it offers some gorgeous settings and a few moderately thrilling action sequences, "The Tourist" disappoints with a lackluster performance by Johnny Depp, incoherent pacing, and ludicrous ending.

• My Rating: 5.25/10
• Rotten Tomatoes: 21% (4.3/10)
• IMDb: 6.0/10

[5.25/10] From Time to Time (2010)

From Time to Time (2010)

Premiered at last year's London Film Festival, but wide released this fall, "From Time to Time" follows Tolly, who while staying at his grandmother's house, is magically transported back in time to appear as a ghost to solve his family’s dramatic and mysterious past. Although this film is labeled as "a haunting ghost story", in fact there's nothing haunting or spooky about it, as it's just too juvenile and too shallow to be called a proper ghost story. It's more pre-teen-oriented, as it uses silly time-travel gimmicks and completely lacks scares and thrills. The story is moderately intriguing, but the film itself suffers from a mediocre execution. In terms of visuals, "From Time to Time" is very atmospheric, as it has a very authentic production design and nice cinematography. Unexplainably, the scenes from the past and the flashbacks are presented in very bright and vivid colors, while for present-day scenes, the cinematographer uses a pallete of bleached pale tones, in order to distinct the two vastly different eras. The cast includes many well-known British actors, who all give terrific performances. Alex Etel, mostly known for his role as Damian in Danny Boyle's "Millions" gives an adequate performance as the main protagonist, Tolly, who grieves for his missing father, and tries to solve the mystery behind his family's past. He's absolutely adorable, yet kinda bland and a bit stiff in front of the camera, and if I have to be honest, he was way more natural and a much better actor when he was younger. Maggie Smith is undoubtedly one the most talented and likable English actresses of all time, and she can do no wrong. She delivers yet another excellent performance as Tolly's "granny", Linnet. However, it's Carice van Houten's performance that outshines everyone else's. She's Dutch, but her English speaking skills are so incredible, you'd never guess she's a foreigner. Carice lightens up the screen in every scene she appears, and while she's not as amazing as she was in Paul Verhoeven's "Black Book", she does a fantastic job. Dominic West plays a hardly likable character, yet he's still very good at what he does. All the supporting actors give great performances as well. While "From Time to Time" has a great cast and some nice visuals, its childish nature makes it too predictable and unexciting experience, that would hardly be entertaining for an older audience.

• My Rating: 5.25/10
• Rotten Tomatoes: N/A
• IMDb: 6.1/10

[5.25/10] Damned by Dawn (2010)

Damned by Dawn (2010)

Premiered last year at the 'Screamfest Horror Film Festival', but wide released in 2010, "Damned by Dawn" is a spooky Aussie horror flick, where a supernatural force holds a chilling grip over a remote, primitive farming community where Claire arrives to visit her ailing grandmother. On her deathbed, the old woman warns Claire about the cost of interfering with a powerful spirit coming to claim her soul, and when the rest of the family fails to heed these ancient traditions, the dead are called up from their graves for a bloody night of retribution that leaves carnage and monstrous mayhem in its wake. "Damned by Dawn" is clearly inspired by Sam Raimi's "Evil Dead" series, and while it's a good campy fun, the film is, sadly, not on par with the popular horror franchise, as it's only mildly scary and at times pretty cheesy. However, if it weren't the silly looking flying skeletons and the super-lame special effects, "Damned by Dawn" could have been a great little horror gem. Despite the obvious low budget, the film has pretty slick visuals and decent production values. The wood scenery is highly atmospneric, especially during night scenes, and the dark, muted colors of the visuals set quite a grim mood. Plus, the cave sequence is thoroughly chilling and truly claustrophobic. Having said that, the smoke effects are a bit overdone and overused, which isn't really necessary, because the film looks good enough without them. "Damned by Dawn"is certainly not scary, and yet it's truly creepy. The 'Mother of Sorrow' looks pretty terrifying and her insane screaming totally gave me the chills. The acting in this film ranges from mediocre to decent. Renee Willner as the main character, Claire, gives a an above average performance, if a bit over-the-top - she does a good job overall, and the fear is written all over her face constantly. Dawn Klingberg as Claire's grandma, Nana, also deliver a good performance - she looks pretty spooky here, and she's completely convincing throughout the film. The acting from the supporting cast is just mediocre and pretty unmemorable. Overall, "Damned by Dawn" is visually-striking, creepy and fairly entertaining, but it's hugely let down by its cheesiness.

• My Rating: 5.25/10
• Rotten Tomatoes: N/A
• IMDb: 4.2/10

[5.25/10] The Switch (2010)

The Switch (2010)

"The Switch" centers on a neurotic and insecure man, who finds out his best friend wants to have a child through artificial insemination. He surreptitiously replaces her donor's semen with his own and is then forced to live with the secret that he is the child's real father. Unfortunately, the latest 'dramedy' starring Jennifer Aniston and Jason Bateman is nothing special. Despite it has a good premise, sympathetic characters and engaging cast, "The Switch" falls short, as it suffers from cliche-ridden, alsmost joyless script and weird humor that rarely works. Jason Bateman delivers an above average performance as the insecure, confused and oddly charming Wally, though I like him much better as a dramatic actor rather as a comedian, because I've always thought that as a comedian he's either mildly funny or not funny at all. Thankfully, his performance here skilfully blends comedy with drama, and the result is rather satisfying. Jennifer Aniston is sweet as always and she turns out a decent performance as Kassie, though her role in this film isn't very major or very important. Sadly, there isn't any real chemistry between Aniston and Bateman, and don't make a believable couple. Thomas Robinson's character Sebastian is my favorite - he's adorable, smart and delightfully weird, and the relationship between him and Wally feels absolutely sincere. Juliette Lewis is cute, funny and eccentric as usual, and she steals the show everytime she's on screen. Technically, "The Switch" is average at best - the pacing is smooth, the editing is finely done and, Gordon and Speck's direction is good, though a bit unimpressive. By-the-numbers and occasionally entertaining, yet well-acted and pretty watchable, "The Switch" is an okay hybrid of comedy and drama, that certainly has its moments, but it lacks big laughs and comedic value.

• My Rating: 5.25/10
• Rotten Tomatoes: 51% (5.5/10)
• IMDb: 5.9/10

[5.25/10] The Runaways (2010)

The Runaways (2010)

"The Runaways" is a coming of age biopic, set in the 70's, that tell the story of Joan Jett and Cherie Currie, two rebellious teenagers from Southern California, who become the front women for The Runaways - the now-legendary group that paved the way for future generations of female rockers. Under the Svengali-like influence of impresario Kim Fowley, the band becomes a huge success, with Joan as the band's hard-rocking heart, and Cherie as the sex kitten. But the teens' stormy relationship threatens the band's future. Since I'm not a huge rock music fan, I suspected that this film won't be exactly my cup of tea. Nevertheless, I decided to give it a shot, and left a somewhat bad taste in my mouth. While visually "The Runaways" looks very authentic, as it depicts the period of 1970s quite well, it suffers from lack of likable characters, poor story structure and muddled unimpressive direction. The script is compendium of rock clichés, characters are a bit flat, and the plot feels forced and often incoherent. On the top of that, the music is pretty horrible. Acting-wise, "The Runaways" is mediocre. Kristen Stewart tries her best here, and while her acting is much much better than in "Twilight", she gives yet another dry and unemotional performance. Stewart has this bland expression on her face and there's this stiffness about her, that makes her uncomfortable to watch. It seems to me that she struggles to overcome that. And it shows. Dakota Fanning is also disappointing as Cherie, the moody lead singer of the group. She fails to evoke sympathy and to deliver a likable character. Michael Shannon's acting is over-the-top, he's mostly annoying to watch. Watchable, yet hardly engaging, "The Runaways" represents the cliché 'sex, drugs and rock'n'roll' quite well, but it just doesn't deliver much more than that.

• My Rating: 5.25/10
• Rotten Tomatoes: 68% (6.2/10)
• IMDb: 6.7/10

[5.25/10] Villmark a.k.a. Dark Woods (2003)

Villmark

a.k.a.

Dark Woods (2003)

Short review: "Villmark" is yet another Norwegian horror flick, that follows a cast of "Real TV", as they're haunted by an evil presence in the wilderness. In order to prepare for a reality show, intense television producer Gunnar requires his four subjects to spend a week in his secluded cabin. They start to encounter strange things leading up to the discovery of a dead body and the eventual disbanding of their crew. Yep, same old hackneyed scenario, but moved to a different location. Despite its creepy dark northern wood scenery and a promising first half, "Villmark" fails to deliever any thrills or real scares. What started as a promising Blair Witch-type of story, ended up as a ridiculously messy slasher with a touch of mystery, an unintriguing one, and disappointingly unsatisfying climax. The film also suffers from weak writing and undeveloped characters. The acting is average at best from all the actors involved, and the characters are far more sympathetic than your typical 'American slasher' characters, yet they consistantly make stupid illogical decisions, which a classic case in this genre. The direction is nothing-to-write-home-about, except for a couple of good shots and passable edting. Although nicely-shot and decently-acted, "Villmark" is just another formulaic horror flick, that struggles to provide enough chills and genuine scares to its audience.

• My Rating: 5.25/10
• Rotten Tomatoes: N/A
• IMDb: 6.6/10

[5.25/10] Princess Ka'iulani (2009)

Princess Ka'iulani (2009)

Short review: "Princess Ka'iulani" is the true story of a Hawaiian princess' attempts to maintain the independence of the island against the threat of American colonization. The film entertains as well as informs, but it feels like a made-for-TV production, due to its average script, mediocre direction and other technical weaknesses. Although most of us are pretty unfamiliar with this story, it's actually strictly by-the-numbers, and sadly, it often doesn't really seem like a true story. Q'Orianka Kilcher's performance is tense and emotional, but her badly-behaved and spoiled princess character doesn't make her very likable, at least for most of time. Shaun Evans as princess' beloved, Clive, is pretty stiff and uninteresting to watch. The supporting cast does a good job overall, but with not any real standouts. The romantic subplot between the princess and Clive is contrived, unnatural and rather unnecessary. Visually, "Princess Ka'iulani" is a marvel! Hawaiian scenery is breathtakingly gorgeous and very fairy tale-like. The scenes from 19th century England are also beautiful to watch, as are the costumes. Overall, "Princess Ka'iulani" is magical at times and very dull at others. It offers decent story and some nice visuals, but nothing much else.

• My Rating: 5.25/10
• Rotten Tomatoes: 21% (4.6/10)
• IMDb: 5.4/10

[5.25/10] The Other Guys (2010)

The Other Guys (2010)

Basically, "The Other Guys" derides and makes travesty of pretty much everything - from stupid cocky cops that take themselves too seriously to popular celebrities and singers, but unfortunately it does in in the stupidest possible way. The film delivers in terms of action, but and it's not as funny as it thinks it is, and the the comedy is really hit and miss. "The Other Guys" also feels a bit too long and it lacks laugh-out-loud moments. The setting in Manhattan is nice, although nothing spectacular, and the camera workand direction are pretty average. Ferrell and Wahlberg play a couple of police desk drones who live in the shadow of two badass hero cops who the city worships. When an unfortunate accident occurs, frustrated tough guy Wahlberg convinces Ferrell to join him in trying to take their place. What follows is an endless stream of gags and rarely funny one-liners. The script is uneven, with a plot unsure of how to progress and seemingly secondary to the banter between Ferrell and Wahlberg, who failed to capture any real chemistry as partners, although I have to admit that they get quite a few good laughs out of their contrasting personalities. Eva Mendes is the sexy wife who gets nothing to do but be the good looking woman of the film. Samuel L. Jackson, Dwayne Johnson, Michael Keaton, and Steve Coogan deliver decent supporting roles. The action and explosion sequences are surprisingly well-shot, though a bit over-the-top. All in all, buddy-cop comedy sub-genre certainly isn't my cup of tea, and I found "The Other Guys" to be mildly enjoyable and a bit overdone mess of a movie, that I loved as much as I hated.

• My Rating: 5.25/10
• Rotten Tomatoes: 77% (6.8/10)
• IMDb: 7.0/10