Film Review: MACHETE (2010)

Directors: Ethan Maniquis, Robert Rodriguez
Writers: Robert Rodriguez, Álvaro Rodríguez
Running time: 105 mins (approx)
Certification (UK): 18

Genre: Action/Crime/Thriller
UK Release date: 26^th November 2010

Watched on Freeview PVR Saturday 19^th October 2013.

PLEASE NOTE: THERE MAY BE UNINTENTIONAL SPOILERS IN THIS REVIEW.

This one has been on my list for some time and I’ve had it on my PVR disc for a while now. Finally an opportune time-slot came up and I got the chance to give it a viewing. I have to say it was everything I had expected and more. A lot more humour in it than anticipated which was very welcome, with one particular set of scenes featuring our hero and the bodyguards of one of the bad guys that I found very amusing. I find that sometimes these films take themselves far too seriously and that is usually to their detriment; not the case here. Although not as polished as I would have expected, I still liked it despite the rough hewn edges to the production.

Decent performances all round with Danny Trejo doing a very decent job as the lead, Machete Cortez. Also on the good-guys side we had Jessica Alba as Satrana and Michelle Rodriguez as Luz, nice eye candy but without too much substance. Chief among the bad guys were; Robert De Niro as Senator John McLaughlin, Steven Seagal as Rogelio Torrez and Jeff Fahey as Michael Booth; the pick of these being Fahey, mainly because he had a lot more screen time. Over all I found it a very entertaining film that didn’t tax the little grey cells too much. It’s pretty gory so definitely not one for the squeamish; just remember to check your brain in at the door and I’m certain you’ll enjoy Machete.

SteelMonster’s verdict: RECOMMENDED

My score: 6.6/10.

IMDb Score: 6.7/10 (at the time of going to press).
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0985694/

MetaScore: 60/100: (at the time of going to press).

Rotten Tomatoes ‘Tomatometer’ Score: 73/100: (at the time of going to press).

Rotten Tomatoes ‘Audience’ Score: 63/100: (at the time of going to press).
http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/machete/

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http://facebook.com/andy.steel3

LINKS:
(Note: All were working at the time of going to press)
Trailer:

Film Review: RESIDENT EVIL: RETRIBUTION (2012)

Writer/Director: Paul W.S. Anderson
Running time: 92 mins (approx)
Certification (UK): 15

Genre: Action/Horror/Sci-Fi
UK Release date: 28^th September 2012

Watched on Sky+ Saturday 1^st June 2013.

PLEASE NOTE: THERE MAY BE UNINTENTIONAL SPOILERS IN THIS REVIEW.

Most of the time I watch films with a very critical eye; looking for what’s good, bad or even ugly. But just very occasionally I just go with it and see where it takes me. Now, having seen all the previous ‘Resident Evil’ films I knew this one wasn’t going to scale any artistic heights and so decided to just look at it purely from an entertainment perspective. I’ll give you my thoughts after this very brief summary.

Alice (Milla Jovovich) finds herself back in the hands of the Umbrella Corporation. They are keeping her in a facility in northern Russia; a former cold war submarine base. In charge of her interrogation is Jill Valentine (Sienna Guillory), but someone there is helping Alice escape. The security grid is turned off and she gets out of her cell. She is eventually met by Ada Wong (Bingbing Li), an agent working for the mysterious Albert Wesker (Shawn Roberts). Alice had come across him before. A team has been sent to meet them and take them out but they have to fight their way across several ‘zones’ before they reach their goal.

Very heavy on the CGI, which is all very well done by the way, I’m guessing a lot of green paint was used. I think just about every fight sequence was shot in slow motion; I’m not sure why but for me it didn’t add any excitement. Nobody will win any prizes for the performances, although I thought Michelle Rodriguez as Rain did a pretty good job. Okay, from an entertainment perspective, yes, it did its job; an easy to follow plot that has plenty of action and some very pretty ladies; this red blooded male was not disappointed on that front. On the down side; it does look like you’re watching someone else playing a first person shooter video game. It’s left wide open for another sequel (hopefully the last one), so I guess there will be more… And I will be watching.

SteelMonster’s verdict: RECOMMENDED (Purely for entertainment… If this is your sort of thing that is…)

My score: 5.7/10.

IMDb Score: 5.2/10 (based on 63,772 votes when this review was written).
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1855325/

MetaScore: 39/100: (Based on 17 critic reviews provided by Metacritic.com at the time of going to press).

Rotten Tomatoes ‘Tomatometer’ Score: 30/100 (based on 63 reviews counted at the time of going to press).

Rotten Tomatoes ‘Audience’ Score: 51/100 (based on 234,696 user ratings counted at the time of going to press).
http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/resident_evil_retribution/

If you’re crazy enough… You can find me on Facebook at:
http://facebook.com/andy.steel3

LINKS:
(Note: All were working at the time of going to press)
Official Twitter: https://twitter.com/residentevil
Official Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ResidentEvilMovie
Official Site: http://www.residentevil-movie.com/
Trailer:

Film Review: AVATAR (2009) - Revisited

Writer/Director: James Cameron
Running time: 162 mins (approx)
Certification (UK): 12A

Genre: Action/Drama/Sci-Fi
UK Release date: 23^rd March 2012

Watched on Sky+ Saturday 1^st April 2012.

PLEASE NOTE: THERE MAY BE SPOILERS IN THIS REVIEW.

I first saw this film when it came out in the cinemas back in 2009, you’ll find my original review here. It made its network TV debut in the last week and so I decided to cast my eye over it again to see how it’s fared. Well, I can say it’s still quite stunning to look at and the CGI is still top-notch (even in two dimensions!). I will tell you more after this brief summary.

Jake Sully is an ex-marine whose twin brother had trained to control an Avatar on the wild distant moon of Pandora. Unfortunately Jake’s brother was killed and Jake, himself a paraplegic, was persuaded to take his place, given he has the same genetic make-up. The program is run by Dr. Grace Augustine and Jake takes to controlling the Avatar very easily. A group of them venture into the forest where an accident leaves Jake stranded there at night where he meets Neytiri, a native Na’vi. Gaining her trust, he is taken back to the tribal village where Neytiri is tasked with teaching him the ways of her people. Now, as an ex-marine, Jake is persuaded by Colonel Miles Quaritch to find out as much about the Na’vi as he can in order to give the military an advantage. At first he does this willingly, but as he learns more about them he comes to appreciate their way of life and he also falls for Neytiri. This makes it harder for him to betray his new friends, but the Colonel has ways of finding out what Jake has learned. Having found the biggest deposits of Unobtanium (stupid name, I know), a very valuable ore, are to be found under their village, Parker Selfridge, the representative for the Resources Development Administration orders the troops into Na’vi territory. I’ll leave my short summary here, there is a lot I’ve missed out and a lot more to come, but the Spoiler Police (James Cameron Division) will be suing me for every penny I haven’t earned yet if I say any more.

Although I did find the story a little predictable, I still loved the experience of watching this film. It’s still quite stunning to look at. The CGI and much of the world created by Cameron is beautifully done, although I’m not too sure about the look if the Na’vi. All of the cast did a decent job, Sam Worthington as Jake Scully, Zoe Saldana as Neytiri, Sigourney Weaver as Dr. Grace Augustine, Stephen Lang as Colonel Miles Quaritch, Michelle Rodriguez as Trudy Chacon, Giovanni Ribisi as Parker Selfridge, Joel Moore as Norm Spellman, CCH Pounder as Moat and Wes Studi as Eytukan.

‘Pocahontas in Space’, ‘Fern Gully meets Terminator’, these are just two of the comments I’ve heard about this film since its release. I can see why it has attracted such ‘derisory’ comments, but I can also see (from a second viewing) just what Cameron was trying to do. Yes, the story is predictable and, for the most part, we’ve seen it all before in another guise. But there is an underlying message about greed that seems to get missed my many reviewers. It is all a bit too ‘touchy, feely’ for some, but personally I didn’t mind it all that much. At the end of the day I did find it entertaining (if a little schmaltzy in places), but even so, still well worth a look… Still Recommended (if with a slightly lower score).

My score: 7.9/10

IMDb Score: 8.0/10 (based on 423,897 votes when this review was written).
http://uk.imdb.com/title/tt0499549/

Rotten Tomatoes ‘Tomatometer’ Score: 83/100 (based on 283 reviews counted at the time of going to press).

Rotten Tomatoes ‘Audience’ Score: 92/100 (based on 622,949 user ratings counted at the time of going to press).
http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/avatar/

If you’re crazy enough… You can find me on Facebook at:
http://facebook.com/andy.steel3

FAVOURITE QUOTES:
[first lines]
Jake Sully: [Narrating] When I was lying in the V.A. hospital with a big hole blown through the middle of my life, I started having these dreams of flying. I was free. But sooner or later, you always have to wake up.

Col. Quaritch: You are not in Kansas anymore. You are on Pandora, ladies and gentlemen. Respect that fact every second of every day. If there is a Hell, you might wanna go there for some R & R after a tour on Pandora. Out there beyond that fence every living thing that crawls, flies, or squats in the mud wants to kill you and eat your eyes for jujubes. We have an indigenous population of humanoids called the Na'vi. They're fond of arrows dipped in a neurotoxin that will stop your heart in one minute - and they have bones reinforced with naturally occurring carbon fibre. They are very hard to kill. As head of security, it is my job to keep you alive. I will not succeed. Not with all of you. If you wish to survive, you need to cultivate a strong, mental aptitude. You got to obey the rules: Pandora rules. Rule number one...

Jake Sully: Everything is backwards now, like out there is the true world, and in here is the dream.

Dr. Grace Augustine: Is the avatar safe?
Jake Sully: Yeah, Doc, it's safe, and you are not gonna believe where I am!

Neytiri: To become "taronyu" hunter, you must choose your own Ikran and he must choose you.
Jake Sully: When?
Neytiri: When you are ready.
[makes a whooping sound as she flies off on her Ikran]

LINKS:
Official Site: http://www.avatarmovie.com/
Trailer:

Film Review: BATTLE LOS ANGELES (2011)

Director: Jonathan Liebesman
Writer: Christopher Bertolini
Running time: 112 mins (approx)
Certification (UK): 12

Genre: Action/Adventure/Sci-Fi
UK Release date: 11^th March 2011

Watched on Sky+ Saturday 11^th February 2012.

PLEASE NOTE: THERE MAY BE SPOILERS IN THIS REVIEW.

I remember seeing trailers for this and thinking it looked interesting; but then it got released and was slammed by the critics so I put it on the “Watch when it lands on TV” list. Well, it finally landed on TV and I have to say it was nothing like as bad as I was expecting it to be. It is far far batter than the other film of this ilk that came out around the same time “Skyline”, which I gave the lowest score I’ve ever given to by the way. I will tell you more about this one after this brief summary.

When strange meteors begin falling into earth’s oceans it seems a little odd at first that they weren’t detected. But when scientists realise that they are slowing down before they hit; they soon discover that the earth is under attack. Of course the film focuses on the battle for Los Angeles and in particular efforts of the platoon led by 2nd Lt. William Martinez who has the veteran Sgt. Michael Nantz as his stand-in second in command. They are tasked with reaching a police station in an occupied zone where it is believed several civilians are trapped. To add to the tension, an air strike is due to hit in less than three hours. After some fierce fighting with the alien invaders they finally reach their objective, only to find that a helicopter evacuation is impossible after the aliens bring in their own air support. These are controlled by a central hub that the marines make their next target. I will leave it there or the Spoiler Police (Alien Invasions Division) will have me probed (again).

A very well made film with some really excellent CGI and special effects. The aliens, in particular were very well thought out. As far as performances go, well I thought Aaron Eckhart did an excellent job as Sgt. Michael Nantz; as did Ramon Rodriguez as 2nd Lt. William Martinez, neither part was as cliché as they might have been. Also worthy of note were; Michelle Rodriguez as TSgt. Elena Santos, Will Rothhaar as Cpl. Lee Imlay, Cory Hardrict as Cpl. Jason Lockett, Jim Parrack as LCpl. Peter Kerns, Gino Anthony Pesi as Cpl. Nick Stavrou, Ne-Yo as Cpl. Kevin Harris, Bridget Moynahan as Michelle and Michael Peña as Joe Rincon.

The filmmakers begin with a section that, not only, sets the scene, but also introduces and gives a little back-story to some of the characters. I quite liked this because it gave the audience a little something extra that they might draw upon when these characters were in danger. And, believe me, there’s an awful lot of danger out there! The film does suffer a little from, what I call, ‘First Person Shooter Syndrome’ during some of the action sequences. That is, it’s kind of like watching someone else playing a First Person Shooter video game. The use of hand-held cameras during these sequences just adds to the effect I’m afraid. As a whole, though, I quite enjoyed this film; not entirely original, I could see many parallels with ‘Independence Day’ here, but then again, that’s not so bad. I could easily see myself watching this one again someday… Recommended.

My score: 6.8/10.

IMDb Score: 5.9/10 (based on 73,299 votes at the time of going to press).
http://uk.imdb.com/title/tt1217613/

Rotten Tomatoes ‘Tomatometer’ Score: 35/100 (based on 193 reviews counted at the time of going to press).

Rotten Tomatoes ‘Audience’ Score: 49/100 (based on 81,598 user ratings counted at the time of going to press).
http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/battle-los-angeles/

If you’re crazy enough… You can find me on Facebook at:
http://facebook.com/andy.steel3

FAVOURITE QUOTES:
Sgt. Major: At 14:46 Pacific Standard Time, 12 different locations around the world were breached, in what appears to be a coordinated attack by an unknown enemy. All breaches were along the coastline, in what is a campaign of rapid dominance. This is a textbook military invasion. There are massive casualties in New York, defensive lines are being setup in Boston, and at 13:15 Zulu Time we lost communications with San Francisco and San Diego, their status is unknown. What we do know is that we are the LAST offensive force on the west coast, we can NOT lose Los Angeles.

SSgt. Michael Nantz: Stavro, Harris, the lieutenant needs recon on a bus. If it runs, bring it back here... Either of you know how to hotwire a bus?
Cpl. Kevin Harris: Um, Stvrou can. He's from Jersey, sir.

Cpl. Lee Imlay: [looking at map] This map shows where all the units were deployed... what do all these red marks mean?
[map is covered with red X's]
SSgt. Michael Nantz: It means they're gone.
Cpl. Lee Imlay: You mean the units got moved...
SSgt. Michael Nantz: Wiped out.
Cpl. Lee Imlay: All of them?
SSgt. Michael Nantz: All of them.

LINKS:
(Note: All were working at the time of going to press)
Official Site: http://www.sonypictures.com/homevideo/battlela/
Trailer:

Film Review: FAST & FURIOUS (2009)

Director: Justin Lin
Running time: 107 mins (approx)
Certificate (UK): 12

UK Release Date: 10th April 2009

Watched on Sky+ Sunday 4th April 2010.

PLEASE NOTE: POSSIBLE SPOILERS IN THIS REVIEW.

I have seen all of the previous films in this series on TV, I’m not a huge fan and so I won’t go out of my way to watch them. I am, however, a bit of a fan of Vin Diesel, he seems to ooze that certain charisma a film star should have. He appeared in the first of these films, took a bit of a sabbatical for the second and came back for a brief cameo in the third. So it was with some anticipation that I watched the return of his character, Dominic Toretto in this, the fourth instalment.

Dom and his gang are in the Dominican Republic and up to no good; they are hijacking fuel trucks to sell the fuel for a profit. Included in the gang is Dom’s long time girlfriend Letty. Having just pulled a job they get word that the police are onto them and Dom decides it’s best for them to all go their separate ways for a while. They do this until the day Dom gets a call from his sister, Mia, telling him that Letty has been killed. Meanwhile, FBI agent Brian O’Conner, who was featured in the fist two of these films, is investigating notorious drugs dealer named Braga. It seems Braga is using drivers to smuggle drugs across the Mexican border and it was while working for him that Letty was killed. So both Dom and Brian have reason to get in with Braga, Dom, for revenge and Brian, for justice. They both try out as drivers and succeed by one means or another. It’s now a case of how do they get to the illusive Braga. I’ll leave my little summary there or I’ll give the whole plot away!

This is a pretty well made film with lots of car stunts and quite a lot of CGI work that is pretty well done, but does, at times, look a bit like a video game. You’ll know what I mean when you see the tunnel chase near the end of the film. As ever Vin Diesel was very good as Dominic Toretto, as was Paul Walker as Brian O’Conner. Honourable mentions go to Jordana Brewster as Mia Toretto, Michelle Rodriguez as Letty and John Ortiz as Campos.

I’ll admit it’s not the best film I’ve ever seen and so it won’t be making any of my top tens at the end of the year. But it does what it says on the tin, it’s got lots of car chases and there’s plenty of testosterone flying about. The chases were exciting and well executed, when they didn’t use too much CGI. I can’t recommend it very highly, but it is entertaining and it won’t tax the grey cells too much.

My score: 5.4/10

LINKS:
IMDb Site: http://uk.imdb.com/title/tt1013752/
Official Site: http://www.fastandfuriousmovie.net/
Trailer: http://uk.imdb.com/rg/VIDEO_PLAY/LINK/video/imdb/vi2299986713/