Reviews
The Lincoln Lawyer (2011)
Surprisingly great.
The reason I say surprisingly great is because McConaughey has been making watered-down fluff for the past several years. I almost forgot that he could actually act.
The acting is great from everyone here. There are plenty of recognizable faces in the film. The directing is also great. The film has a very striking look to it, particularly during the flashbacks. It's also nice to see a director who knows when to use shaky-cam and when to leave it alone.
I can imagine how some people would have issues with the pacing. The movie moves along at a very fast speed. If you can pay attention and digest all of the information quickly, you'll enjoy it even more.
The best thing about the film for me is that it's a great film for grown- ups. This isn't watered-down PG-13 garbage. The characters aren't always nice to each other(boo-hoo), and it actually requires you to think. For that, I loved it.
Unknown (2011)
Should have been better.
I find it odd that this was advertised as being an action film, considering there is hardly any action in it. I actually didn't mind that. About half an hour into this, I realized that it was mostly a suspense thriller. It worked very well, the acting was good(expect January Jones, more details later), the suspense was there, and it unraveled at a good pace.
However, the closer this film came to ending, the more it fell apart. The clichés started coming in and Liam Neeson turned into Rambo. The movie built up so much suspense and most of it was wasted. Oddly enough, during the climax, the movie turned into what it was advertised as: an action film. How was the action? Meh. There's a good car chase scene and some stupid shaky-cam fighting. Liam Neeson saying cheesy one-liners also comes off as very cheesy. Next years Razzie awards should give worst actress to January Jones for her robotic performance here. Some people say "the part needed it" Haha... No. Even when she should show emotion, she doesn't, the Terminator showed more emotion.
Despite the cheesy climax, I still think the film is worth a watch. There is definitely a good thriller during the first hour.
Time Bandits (1981)
Amazing fantasy film.
Its important to understand that despite the director and a few cast members, this is NOT a Monty Python movie. There are many funny moments here, but this is mostly a fantasy film. I think this is the kind of movie that kids would adore because the imagination here is amazing.
First things first, this is a Terry Gilliam movie, don't expect anything normal. There is time travel, a band of thieving dwarfs, a very memorable villain, the Titanic, and Sean Connery. There are plenty of thrilling moments here. The set design in incredible, its amazing how much work went into this film. Every character is memorable. You'll become very attached to the main character and the band of dwarfs. For me, the film was almost perfect, except for the divisive ending. This seems to a huge factor for many people in whether they simply liked or loved the movie. Judge it for yourself.
Le professionnel (1981)
Really good thriller.
The plot is pretty typical by now. A spy is betrayed by his country and now seeks revenge. We've all seen this stuff before. However, the way this movie is executed is fantastic. This has pretty much everything a spy flick needs. It's got a great lead actor, hot French women, political intrigue, and a car chase scene. It also has a great soundtrack by Ennio Morricone. Fans of Belmondo should be pleased. I've never seen his other movies but he's definitely an entertaining actor. Oddly enough, he does physical comedy really well. Action movie fans should also be pleased. Watching Belmondo beat people up never gets old. I wouldn't be surprised if The Bourne Identity took some ideas from this movie.
Halloween II (1981)
Good enough.
Right from the intro, its easy to see that this sequel won't stray too far from its roots. In this case, that's definitely a good thing. The movie is well-directed, very slick. It retains much of the same feeling and mood as the first one. The acting is good for what it is. The movie is definitely suspenseful, it doesn't rely on gore for scares.
Unfortunately, the movie starts to drag during the last half hour. It turns into a long game of hide and seek, I found myself checking the time a lot during the last half hour. At that point, it also starts to use a lot of horror movie clichés, which cheapens it.
If you're a Halloween fan, you should enjoy this one, especially if you're a fan of the first one. Slasher fans expecting lots of violence and sex might be disappointed with this one. This entry is definitely more old- school horror than the rest.
Tropa de Elite 2: O Inimigo Agora é Outro (2010)
Wow.
I'll say one thing right off the bat, this movie is incredible. I saw it in a packed theater at the Sundance film festival and I've never heard louder applause from an audience. I would recommend watching the first film, just because its also very good and introduces all the characters. However, this film stands on its own. The director sought to make this stand out from the first film and he succeeded. This has fantastic action, great dialogue, and some hilarious dark humor. But most of all, its intelligent, its extremely well made, it's not plagued with any awkward or out of place moments. For some viewers, this film might actually be a learning experience. If you want to see an action film that isn't 90% action and 10% plot. If you want something that's hardcore, fearless, and has a message, this is it. Check it out, you won't be disappointed.