Ok, i was a long term fan of M Night Shymalan..but like most.. felt seriously disappointed at his recent flops..and especially sad about how horrible the Last Airbender was.

BUT –to all of you that like me may have felt he lost it , and to all the people that now laugh at him (when the trailer for Devil played in the theater .i remember the crowd laughing)…GO SEE DEVIL.

I really really liked this movie. It had some good thrills..good twists..and really no slow parts.   You have fun the whole movie trying to guess which person the Devil is…and then there is a good twist. It feels like its the M Night of old..maybe he has his groove back!

I highly recommend this movie..its not super scary but more highly entertaining and full of thrills. 

Its the first of his Night chronicles series..and i hope the rest are this good!

Ninis

Ya know…it always surprises me when not only a sequel..but a 4th installment of any movie is even barely good…so i was REALLY happy that Resident Evil Afterlife was so good!  For fans of the franchise you wont be disappointed..awesome action and great fight scenes…but even for those newbies to the whole series, i think you’d like this.  Does a courtesy intro to the plot in the beginning and then you are off…

the effects were great! the 3D was really well done …the whole movie keeps you paying attention.   Its one of those movies you go to just to enjoy some great zombie killing action haha.

I only had two minor issues with the movie..first…they had this giant zombie with a giant axe…but never explained what it was..or why it was there.  and 2nd..not to spoil it for those of you that havent seen it..but they apparently take away her powers in the beginning..and for no real reason!  Its one of the coolest things about her character and the movie..i was hoping she’d get them back at some point.

Other than that i was glad to see Wentworth Miller back on the screen…sad that Prison Break ended with him not doing many projects after.   And of course Milla Jovavich is great in this..its her long time role…  

If you like these movies..and want some good ol action and zombie thrills..you should go see this and i highly recommend it in 3D

Ninis

FINALLY- Danny Trejo gets his own movie!  Ive been a fan of his for so long..he’s always been a supporting character playing a gangster mexican in movies like Con Air, Heat, and like a bunch of Steven Segal movies.  And he always gets killed fast!  

This movie was awesome–exactly what it promised over the top cheesy but very funny violence and laughs.   Robert Rodriguez knows how to make people laugh at a movie alongside the cast and how to really throw in some fun bloody action scenes.   I also love that Steven Seagal and Robert DeNiro were in this. 

The only problem i had with them movie was Lindsay lohan…not sure why they even gave her the role..but wow she CANNOT act!  not even a bit..all she had was maybe 3 lines the whole movie and it was sad how badly she delivered them..not even funny bad like the theme of the movie.  

Go see this movie if you were a fan of the Grindhouse films by Tarantino…or if you are in the mood for some laughs and violence..its a great movie

Ninis

Scott Pilgrim was a cool unique fun movie.  Lots of good laughs..but you gotta love the over the top video game style action.  It was great.  Scott Cera was the perfect choice for this role—he sticks to what he knows playing the same role in every movie..but he does it well!

If you’re up for a fast paced light hearted movie with some quirky fight scenes you will like this lots.    My favorite part of all (SPOILER– Do not read if you would rather be surprised)– the awesome cameo appearance by Hung’s Thomas Jane and Clifton Collins jr (you’ll recognize him from tons of supporting roles and Star Trek)..they were hilarious!!!!!

Go see it

Ninis

I was looking forward to the Expendables…all those action heroes ..tons of potential.  And i have to say from an action point it was great! the fight scenes were good..although a bit roughly shot..when the action did happen it was good.

My problem was the rest of the movie, Bruce Willis and Arnold had barely any role at all (feel like i was ripped off there), the musical score was bad! even during some of the fight scenes..just some cheesy repetitive music that didnt fit will. I found myself losing focus on the fighting and thinking about the music (thats a tell tale sign of the wrong music).  

A lot of the plot was cheese (now thats different than acceptable cheese in an over the top action movie like this)..and i think they completely mis-cast the latin woman.  Most of her scenes and incorporation in the story didnt make any sense and were really cheesy..expecially the odd closeup of her at the end with CGI water clearly behind her.

Jason Statham was great in it! They should have used Charisma Carpenter more, and im glad Terry Crews finally got to be in a regular action movie without being killed off or something  (im pretty sure he was just a dead body in Terminator Salvation). 

One clearly odd thing they did was try to explain Randy Coture’s cauliflower ears…they had him do some wierd dialogue about wrestling etc.  Its so random..people woudnt have cared if they left it out.

So im glad i saw it to see some action..but sad that it wasnt very good all together..

Ninis

Dinner for Schmucks was very odd..and ill be honest there were a few good funny parts…but i wasnt in love with it. Its is absolutely meant for those people that love "dumb" funny.  Also if you are big fan of Steve Carrell.   For me his movies are hit or miss lately.  But hey the people in the theater were laughing lots..i dont know maybe i dont respond super well to dumb humor as much as others..my friends liked it enough.  I enjoyed watching it but wouldnt see it again.

So i have to go middle of the road on this one..if you are  Steve carrel..dumb humor person..you will like it..go see it.  Otherwise wait for rental

Ninis

If you liked any of the Bourne movies..you will love Salt.  It was really great non stop action ..with Angelina Jolie.  Whats really interesting to me about the movie and plot..is that it actually is like real life…last month they caught those 10 russian spies here in the US.  Its odd why the studio didnt use that to their advantage in their marketing …because so much of it connects in the movie

If you’re lookin for some great spy thriller action and fight scenes…you will like this

Ninis

Inception was an amazing movie.  It was extremely deep and complex but at the same time easy to follow if you pay attention.  The acting was impeccable…and something you know i love–the soundtrack was not only right..it really had some emotion to it.

I am amazed at Christopher Nolan.  To not only do such an amazing job with Batman and Dark Knight..but in the same vein, how he was able to come up with inception and write it so well as well

You need to go see this movie now! and twice!  The ending is great too..and frustrating in a good way

Ninis

Knight and Day was very much a so so kind of movie.  Was not amazing..but was somewhat entertaining in terms of action and a few minor laughs

I dont know..maybe Tom Cruise really has lost the appeal?  some of the action scenes were really good…but in general i left the movie really not super happy but not disappointed.

Result- dont bother watching it unless its on TV or free.  But if you’re in the mood for some random spy type action its good for that

ninis

Ok ..seriously…Predators was GOOOD!  Im one of those that grew up loving the original Predators movies.  I had high expectations for Nimrod Antal and Robert Rodriguez’s reboot.  It totally lived up to it.

First of all..the cast was amazing..lots of great talent.  I was really impressed with Adrian Brody..not only did he pull of the tough guy act..but really buffed up to play the part.  The action was also really great….fight and chase scenes rocked.  My favorite was the yakuza sword fight with the predator..really an amazing scene.

One of the best parts about the movie..the stayed so true to the original…same music and drum beats…and even the closing credits song.  Those kinds of things really make me happy when it comes to honoring an original version.

Go see this now..go see it twice!

Ninis

In general i tend to like supernatural movies..especially vampire/werewolf movies.  Twilight has always been an odd series for me because it has so much of the romance in it..but I have to admit i liked Eclipse (and i generally liked the previous ones).  The movies seem to really be picking up on more action to even out some of the romantic cheese.

To me this movie stood out for a few reasons.  1. A lot more vampire fighting and power use  2. More werewolf action and fighting  3. Some actual dialogue from characters other than Edward and Bella!  Go Figure!

It feels like the first time in the whole series that we actually get even a handful of dialogue from the other vampire characters!  There was some decent flashback/background story on each which i liked

Anyway..if you’re a fan of the series you will love this of course…but if you are someone who may think they are too cheesy…id say you might like Eclipse because of the focus on a fight/battle.

Ninis

I REALLY REALLY wanted M Night Shyamalan to finally get a break from all the critics that kill his movies.  And i thought Avatar Last Airbender was going to be it.  I mean..i watched the cartoon series after i saw the amazing movie trailer for it…and loved the series.  Plus..i really wanted to like this because my friends at Paramount are marketing it.

BUT WOW- this movie was plain bad.  Those of you that know me and my reviews..know that i rarely have to say that.

I dont even know where to begin.

1. Incorrect Music/Bad Score and lack of proper sound effects- the soundtrack to the movie was completely and utterly wrong!  There was no emphasis to any of the emotional scenes or any of the fighting.  It made the acting seem completely cheesy and corny (will get to that part).  There were scenes that had random generic light hearted fantasy music..when it was supposed to be a fight/war scene!  It was ridiculous .  Also the sound effects during fights etc..were so lightly used it was like kids fighting.

2. Narration/Fast forward of the story- This was extremely annoying for me as a fan of the original series, and im sure very confusing and odd for those not familiar with it.  Instead of taking time to explain the relationships and what was going on..he used one of the characters as a narrator to fast forward through things and just flat out explain stuff rather than show it.  There were so many things totally skipped over and not explained it made no sense half the time.

3. Acting- wow, nearly all the acting (including Dev Patel who was so amazing in Slumdog) comes across as extremely cheesy and corny…I attribute a big part  of this to the bad score of each scene which really makes a difference..because im sure all of them are capable actors.  The kid they have playing Avatar looks like he’s gonna cry half the time.  Argh..i just dont understand how Shyamalan, and the producers didnt see how bad it was before they released it..they could have changed and fixed so much of this

4. G rated fight scenes/bad costumes- My friends and i couldnt help but noticed the low quality production value of the sets and costumes. The fire nation warriors seemed like they were wearing cheap walmart costumes…i think part of this was a lighting issue, part just not taking the time to make them look and "feel" like the mean force they were supposed to be in the movie.  Plus the fight scenes completely lacked any real punch!!  every fight was dulled..every punch weak.  When powers were used there was no sound effect that made it feel strong..the scenes were slow and weak.  The powers are supposed to me much more powerful than were shown.  AND in the cartoon it didnt take like a ton of random movements to get one bit of power showing…half the time in the movie they are overdoing the kungfu movements weakening the image of the element bending

Im SO disappointed to have to write all this…im so annoyed that Shyamalan not only got a bad wrap (unnecessarily ) in the past but now just let every critic and person who doubted him have a reason to feel they were right to question his talent. I feel bad for my paramount friends that are having to market this movie

I have to say..Dont see it..u will thank me

Ninis

A-Team was awesome..so funny..and great action.  I gotta say the cast was perfect…even Rampage as Mr. T..he’s got some acting chops, which anyone would expect if you watched him on the Ultimate Fighter..he’s pretty funny.   Liked everything about this movie…it had great laughs..and some very cool action scenes.  It also was over the top without coming off as cheesy.  There were almost no slow parts.  Liam Neeson is always great..Brad Cooper was good too..but Sharlto Copely was a standout.. hilarious as the crazy guy (murdock)

I recommend you go see this now before it leaves theaters and be ready to buy or rent it on DVD

Ninis

Grown Ups looked SO funny from the trailers…i thought it would be great..with that kind of cast.  But wow..i was disappointed. ANYONE that sees this movie will agree.  First of all..half of the jokes werent funny at all..but instead of moving past those jokes..the director would literally make you watch the reaction and laughs of other characters.  So imaging a theater full of people not laughing cuz its not funny..but the people on screen laughing at themselves.  It was AWKWARD.  There were also some VERY unnecesary scenes..the whole movie could have been cut down by at least a full 30 mins.  Everytime you think the movie was over…it took a slow crawl and all of a sudden something more would happen.

It ends up being way too long, not very funny..and really awkward.   I think these days you gotta keep comedy on a bit of an edge..and they didnt get it right.  There were a few solid laughs..but all the extra scenes and length of inaction killed this movie for me

Ninis

Splice was a quiet release, and I almost missed it before it left theaters..but im glad i saw it.  I love sci fi movies..so a human/animal genetics movie with Adrian Brody sounded good.  I gotta say ..the movie keeps you interested the whole way..are rarely any slow points..but let me warn you it does get pretty wierd and twisted in there.   It was good..but def not a fell good family fun movie..it gets a bit wierd when u are watching a part human animal..its stuff thats eerily possible these days..and the movie makes you really wonder about this stuff and what could happen.

If thats your cup of tea..you’ll like this movie..good action too

Ninis

Karate Kid was good..yes..the remake..yes…i know its not even about karate.  But i gotta say..i went in not thinking i would like this.  But wow..it was good.  First of all..Jaden Smith has some real acting chops..he’s very natural…and its pretty much like watching a mini Will Smith..his facial expressions..all like his dad.

Jacki Chan was good as usual..but in this role it was nice that he was more serious..not that comedy role he always plays.  

My only complaint is that it was a pretty slow start…but i definitely hope you go see it..and hope they make some sequels

Ninis

Get Him To The Greek was pretty funny!  I had quite a few laugh out loud moments…and i gotta say ..its the first movie to make me actually like Russel Brand.  I gotta admit i couldnt stand him for a while..but he’s got some great acting/comedy/singing chops.

The movie was great on lots of levels..one..i loved that it tied to the same characters in Forgetting Sarah Marshal, another– Pdiddy..he was actually pretty funny in this…im surprised he’s not in more movies…but he did alright.

I think this is definitely something you should see for a good laugh go check it out

Ninis

I really wanted to like Prince of Persia more than i did.  It was decent in terms of keeping my attention..i liked some of the action, and the time stopping stuff. 
BUT they really should have made it just a slight bit darker–with harder hitting fight scenes…and some of the moves/flips/jumps that Jake Gylennhal’s character does are just plain over the top..too much like the video game.  It reminded me too much of the cheesy fight scenes in the Mummy…think Brendan Frazer jumping and balancing on poles etc.

I guess if you are going for a safe, family fun action movie..sure this is a safe bet.  But i dont think its got enough steam to be a franchise unless it loses a few bits of the cheese factor…because if it was just a tad more serious it could really be good!

If you go see it, lower expectations…and you’ll enjoy it a bit.

Ninis

You get what you expected with Shrek 4- Shrek Forever after.  Essentially just like all the other movies, great graphics…a few minor laughs, and if you are a fan of the series, you’ll probably enjoy it.  Unlike the first Shrek that was such an amazing feat graphically..and really really funny…its not going to blow your mind.

But if you go in with expectations of the usual Shrek type experience of the sequels etc..you’ll be ok.   Honestly though, i suggest just waiting for DVD on this one, dont pay full theater price if you can avoid it.

Ninis

I liked Robin Hood, i seriously just dont get critics sometimes.  It was a bit like Gladiator with bows and arrows..which to me is a good thing!   Russell Crowe and Cate Blanchett were great in it …there was decent action…and a few funny moments.

Mark Strong- one of my new favorite actors was in it too..sporting his Sherlock Holmes shaved head.  A couple of things that i liked that some may have missed.

If you saw Kingdom of Heaven (one of the best and most underrated films ever from Ridley Scott), you remember at the end Richard the Lion heart shows up…well this Robin Hood is the story that kicks off when he returns to England..its the backstory of Robin Hood really before he becomes the outlaw.

The cast was great..although William Hurt was completely underrused..he is always great..and could have used more screen time.

My only real critque is that in the beginning part, its a bit hard to follow between the jumps to diff cities..and following the early part of the story due to the text narrative etc.

Go see it..enjoy…forget about the critics

Ninis

Its too bad that the new Nightmare on Elm Street wasnt good…i really like that they tried to remake it..and really liked Jackie Earle Heely as freddy…BUT  it simply was NOT scary.  I remember these movies from back in the day scaring the crap out of my and my brother and sister…Freddy was the reason so many of us were scared of the dark.

So maybe i had high hopes for this movie..or maybe its meant for people that never saw the original…frankly this version was really just a bunch of jumps and some slashing/killing..but i didnt find any of it scary at all.

They also wasted Connie Briton in the cast..she’s great in Friday night Lights…

Dont waste your time seeing this one..not worth it

Ninis

The whole team of guys action/comedy genre is a tough one.  Its hard to balance the right amount of action..with the right amount of actual comedy.

The Losers suffered from this.  They tried too hard to go to comedy a few times..but that comedy wasnt edgy and wasnt funny…even at the end when they randomly add some footage.you walk away like "why did they add that at the credits ..it wasnt even funny"

Some of the action is good…and Chris Evans did his quirky human torch personality from Fantastic Four well….but quite a few of the explosion scenes and action came off a bit cheesy.

Wait for the DVD..and go watch A-team and The Expendables..lets hope they know how to pull off the "team of guys" action flick a bit better.

Ninis

IronMan 2 was great!  And NO– dont listen to the critics.  So what if its not as great as the first one..of course i wouldnt expect it to be like any sequel..but it was still really really good. 

The action was really good..i loved the addition of more bad guys..and Mickey Rourke was great in his role!  Im glad he’s revived his acting career.

I have to say ..Don Cheadle was great as he always is..but i still feel bad for Terrance Howard…he should have stayed in the role.

Sam Rockwell was the only part of the movie that i really didnt like..either he badly played the role..or it was written badly..or both.  I really respect him as an actor..was great in Moon ..but it seemed like he tried to hard to make Justin Hammer quirky and funny like Tony Stark..and just came off not as cool/hip or funny.   Sometimes it was just slightly awkward..its like watching someone who’s not naturally funny.try to be "that guy" thats really funny

Anyways..I loved it…and am lookin forward to num 3 and the Avengers.

BTW make sure to stay after the credits !

Im a fan of Tina Fey and Steve Carrel for sure…which is why i went to see Date Night (that and the showing of Losers i wanted to go to was sold out 🙂 ). 

The cast was actually pretty good too. a bit underused..but good, ..Common..Ray Liota, and a randomly shirtless Mark Wahlberg which was kinda funny.  This is one of those "safe" movies..you know the ones that families and young kids can go to and avoid any over the top jokes or anything really risky…so if you want a light hearted movie with a couple of laughs here and there..you’ll enjoy this.

Nin