So I saw a shitload of flicks recently, here's a breakdown:
The Ghost Writer:
This is already one of the best films to come out this year. Everything about it is very well done. While it doesn't rank up to Chinatown, Repulsion, or Rosemary's Baby, it still ranks to The Pianist. Even though Polanski is going through some shit now, he can still make a damn good movie.
Overall Grade: A-
The Runaways:
I was somewhat surprised by this one, while it's not a in-depth look of the history of the band, it sure got the music down. Kristen Stewart does a pretty good job as Joan Jett, Dakota Fanning on the other hand, was not good. She got on my nerves, she also can't sing like Currie either. The highlight belongs to Michael Shannon, he shined everytime he was on screen. Overall, not a bad as I expected, but still not very good either.
Overall Grade: C+
Hot Tub Time Machine:
This is basically the spring's answer to The Hangover. Both movies are indeed funny. Rob Corddry is simply comedy gold anytime he was on screen. The rest of the cast was good too, especially the running gag with Crispin Glover. Would I call it the funniest movie of all time, no, but is it worth checking out, certainly.
Overall Grade: B
Survival Of The Dead:
This is the 6th entry of the Dead series. You'd think that Romero would run out of steam, while he is starting to reach that territory, there is still good moments in the last couple Dead flick. This is one is tied along with Diary Of The Dead. The story isn't anything groundbreaking, but there is still some good deaths for zombie lovers like myself.
Overall Grade: B-
Defendor:
Woody Harrelson has been on a roll recently, and this is keeping the wheel rolling. Harrelson is perfect for this role and does a great job with it. The film perfectly blends comedy and drama quite well. While I think the ending has it's flaws, this one is definetly worth your time.
Overall Grade: B+
Alice In Wonderland:
Want further proof that Tim Burton is overrated, this film will validate my argument. While this is technically a sequel, it doesn't have the feel of the original animated movie. Burton doesn't do a good job with the material, the 3-D was pointless, it seemed like they wanted to throw in the 3-D at the last minute in order to compete with Avatar. Depp got on my nerves in this one, he changes his voice every 5 minutes, this movie reminded me of Speed Racer due to the fact that it seems like they want to throw in some visual tricks to distract us from the pedestrian story. Do yourself a favor, and avoid this one.
Overall Grade: F
Green Zone:
So basically this is just a 4th Bourne movie, except based on actual events and came too late. I can't stand Greengrass' documentary style directing, he over does in the Bourne movies and with this one too. The camera movements were giving me a headache. This movie is just Matt Damon trying to find WMD's, with Bourne directing. Once you get to the "twist", you feel completely unsatisfied cause the audience knew how it was gonna turn out.
Overall Grade: C-
Repo Men:
This movie had a somewhat interesting story, but I was only looking forward to see this for the violence. The film has a good start and good end, but a pretty lousy middle. There was a sub-plot involving Jude Law's family and it was completely uninteresting. Forest Whitaker delivers an enjoyable laughable performance, and he does some badass shit. This could have been a good movie if they tried to flesh out a better story.
Overall Grade: C+
A Prophet:
Very well done prison mobster flick. Very-directed, great performances, and quite gritty. Check this one out as soon as possible.
Overall Grade: A
Kick-Ass is the latest highly anticipated adaptation of a popular comic book, while the ending is different and leans toward the typical happy ending. Kick-Ass is still Kick-Ass.