Posts Tagged ‘franchise film’
Tuesday, May 11th, 2010
Review:
After the success of the first Iron Man film, a sequel was quickly produced, once more attempting to create a mixture of light-hearted, comedic entertainment and a gritty action film, which means that the film is on the middle ground and doesn’t really work as either. This time around Robert Downey Jr., who plays the narcissistic Tony Stark with his usual charm, thus easily being the best thing in the film, sadly has to surrender some screen time to villain Mickey Rourke and a large big-name supporting cast. Through all this, he develops a self-destructive streak that simply doesn’t fit with the tone of the film, thus creating a film that never manages to truly pull the viewer in. The film is often funny and the special effects sequences (that which used to be action set pieces before everything became CGI) are solid, so watching the film is not a waste of time, but it’s also hardly more.
Random Observations:
Iron Man 2 at the IMDb
Don Cheadle replaced Terrence Howard as Iron Man’s sidekick, supposedly over a contract (i.e. money) disagreement.
Some other illustrious cast names: Gwyneth Paltrow, Scarlett Johansson and Samuel L. Jackson as well as director Jon Favreau.
Marvel is really pushing that whole “one gigantic franchise” thing. The film references several of their other comic book superheroes, all in the set-up for the 2012 release of The Avengers.
Tags: 2010, action movie, adventure movie, American Film, Clark Gregg, comic book movie, Don Cheadle, Don Heck, english, franchise film, Garry Shandling, Gwyneth Paltrow, Iron Man, Iron Man 2, Jack Kirby, John Slattery, Jon Favreau, Justin Theroux, Kate Mara, Larry Lieber, Leslie Bibb, Mickey Rourke, minute movie review, movie review, Movies, Paul Bettany, Robert Downey Jr., Sam Rockwell, Samuel L. Jackson, Scarlett Johansson, sequel, Stan Lee, Terrence Howard, Thriller
Posted in Minute Movie Reviews, Movie Reviews, Movies | No Comments »
Monday, March 22nd, 2010
Review:
Ten years after the events of The Mummy, the two heroes, now married and with a son, are at it again. Once more, the destruction of the world is threatened and once more they save the day. And that is basically all the film is: more of the same. There is nothing original here, which means that aside from the typical sequel offerings (i.e. sillier villains, stupid mythology, unaccounted changes, sillier set-pieces) the film is still just entertaining enough to be passable. The CGI here is horrible, but if you can see beyond that and the other shortcomings, you will be able to watch the film without expressing either anger or sadly much joy.
Random Observations:
The Mummy Returns at the IMDb
The main characters are supposed to have matured significantly since the last film, which in the case of female lead Rachel Weisz mostly means opting for much more revealing outfits.
Films like these always border on being completely campy and silly. But despite the fact that the film crossed the border repeatedly, I was still able to enjoy a good portion of it. I guess the viewer’s mood really decides the matter here.
Tags: 2001, action movie, Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje, adventure movie, Aharon Ipalé, Alun Armstrong, American Film, Arnold Vosloo, Brendan Fraser, Bruce Byron, Donna Air, Dwayne Johnson, english, fantasy movie, franchise film, Freddie Boath, horror movie, Joe Dixon, John Hannah, minute movie review, movie review, Movies, Oded Fehr, Patricia Velasquez, Rachel Weisz, sequel, Shaun Parkes, Stephen Sommers, The Mummy, The Mummy Returns, The Rock, Tom Fisher, Trevor Lovell
Posted in Minute Movie Reviews, Movie Reviews, Movies | No Comments »
Thursday, February 25th, 2010
Review:
Sixteen years after his last outing, Rocky returns once more to wrap up the “saga”. This time around, it’s all about the three-quarter-life crisis and the need of every famous athlete for a comeback, one more chance to prove himself. So even though he’s pushing sixty, Rocky trains harder than ever for a match-up against the reigning heavy-weight champion. Along the way he reconnects with his somewhat estranged son and mourns the loss of his wife, while being an all-around nice guy. Wishful thinking probably describes this film best. It’s solidly made, with a plot that, while unrealistic, at least foregoes the silliness of the previous instalments in the franchise. This is the second best Rocky film after the original, but still not a very good movie.
Random Observations:
Rocky Balboa at the IMDb
The film tries so hard to show what a great guy Rocky is that it becomes almost painful.
Sixth and final Rocky film made. I am glad that I have now seen them all and can turn once more to quality entertainment instead. I hear the new Adam Sandler film is awesome!
Tags: 2006, A.J. Benza, Adam Sandler, American Film, Ana Gerena, Antonio Tarver, Burt Young, Drama, english, franchise film, Geraldine Hughes, Henry G. Sanders, James Francis Kelly III, Lou DiBella, Mike Tyson, Milo Ventimiglia, minute movie review, movie review, Movies, Pedro Lovell, Rocky, Rocky Balboa, sequel, sports movie, Sylvester Stallone, Tony Burton
Posted in Minute Movie Reviews, Movie Reviews, Movies | No Comments »
Friday, February 19th, 2010
Review:
In the fifth Rocky outing, he has become so beaten up that he will actually stay retired this time around, even though he has lost all his money and is challenged repeatedly. Instead he focuses on a promising young boxer whom he trains while neglecting his son who can’t deal with school and parental neglect. When the protégé betrays him and runs over to a promoter only interested in making money, the film ends with the two of them exchanging blows on the street. There are a few good ideas in the script, but they are so poorly executed and the film is staged so frighteningly badly (by returning director John G. Avildsen) that one just hopes for it all to be over.
Random Observations:
Rocky V at the IMDb
In the original script, Rocky was supposed to die at the end. This would certainly have changed the tone of the film somewhat - and surely not for the worse.
Rocky’s son is played by Stallone’s son, who looks nothing like his father.
The film is supposed to pick up a few days after the previous one ended, but everyone, including the son, has aged five years.
The opening titles are set not to exact last minutes of the previous film this time around, but to a recut of the final scenes. Still a cheap trick.
On a personal note: This is the 500th post written for this blog.
Tags: 1990, American Film, Burgess Meredith, Burt Young, Delia Sheppard, Drama, Elisebeth Peters, english, franchise film, Hayes Swope, John G. Avildsen, Kevin Connolly, Michael Sheehan, Michael Williams, minute movie review, movie review, Movies, Richard Gant, Rocky, Rocky V, Sage Stallone, sequel, sports movie, Sylvester Stallone, Talia Shire, Tommy Morrison, Tony Burton
Posted in Minute Movie Reviews, Movie Reviews, Movies | 1 Comment »
Friday, February 19th, 2010
Review:
The third Rocky sequel has more of the same: recurring characters, a predictable plot, training montages, a big final fight, and so on - there is no new idea here. Except for one: a political message that is about as subtle as a hammer in the face. This time around, Rocky boxes against the Soviet amateur champion and teaches the broadly drawn Soviet stereotypes all about the power of love, also known as American supremacy. The film is not just bad, it is actually so filled with hate that it is painful to watch. Avoid at all cost.
Random Observations:
Rocky IV at the IMDb
The film filled me with so much anger that it took me six days to cool down enough to be able to write a somewhat coherent review.
Tags: 1985, American Film, Brigitte Nielsen, Burt Young, Carl Weathers, Dolph Lundgren, Dominic Barto, english, franchise film, James Brown, Michael Pataki, minute movie review, movie review, Movies, Rocky, Rocky IV, sequel, sports movie, Stu Nahan, Sylvester Stallone, Sylvia Meals, Talia Shire, Tony Burton, unintentional comedy
Posted in Minute Movie Reviews, Movie Reviews, Movies | No Comments »
Thursday, February 11th, 2010
Review:
After the success of Paris, je t’aime, it was only a matter of time before another film consisting of several love stories all set in one city would be made. Now that film has arrived, set in the wondrous city of New York. But while the first film assembled a host of talented filmmakers, this second instalment of what is to become a franchise suffers from a slew of inexperienced, overtaxed or, quite simply, bad directors. Add to that stories that are largely unoriginal and the few good parts of the film are all but forgotten. But worst of all is the overall inconsistency. Where Paris, je t’aime was ordered, this film is utter chaos, with the episodes blending into one another, making it hard to follow them when you never get closure on any storyline. The film might have been a nice idea, but the execution ruined it.
Random Observations:
New York, I Love You at the IMDb
Two more segments have been filmed and were included in the first showings at film festivals, but were cut for the theatrical release.
Very few of the stories actually deal with love. Many more just deal with sex.
There were a few fun segments, namely the first (by Jiang Wen) and the last (by Joshua Marston), but for the most part the film didn’t even manage to entertain.
The best segment might have been Fatih Akin’s, although it ultimately had very little pay-off.
The best actor in the film was Ethan Hawke, trying to pick up a woman while standing outside smoking.
Having Bradley Cooper repeatedly get in the cabs of people from different segments was a nice touch, but ultimately meaningless because it was not employed throughout and the joke never had a punchline.
Tags: 2009, Alexandra Cassavetes, Allen Hughes, American Film, Andy Garcia, Anthony Minghella, Anton Yelchin, Blake Lively, Bradley Cooper, Brett Ratner, Burt Young, Chris Cooper, Christina Ricci, Cloris Leachman, Drama, Drea de Matteo, Eli Wallach, Emilie Ohana, Emmanuel Benbihy, english, Ethan Hawke, Eva Amurri, Fatih Akin, franchise film, Hall Powell, Hayden Christensen, Hu Hong, Irrfan Khan, Israel Horovitz, Jacinda Barrett, James C. Strouse, James Caan, je t'aime, Jeff Nathanson, John Hurt, Joshua Marston, Julie Christie, Justin Bartha, Maggie Q, minute movie review, Mira Nair, movie review, Movies, Natalie Portman, New York I Love You, Olivia Thirlby, Olivier Lécot, Orlando Bloom, Paris, Qi Shu, Rachel Bilson, Randall Balsmeyer, Robin Wright Penn, romance, Shekhar Kapur, Shia LaBeouf, short film, Shunji Iwai, Stephen Winter, Suketu Mehta, Taylor Geare, Tristan Carné, Ugur Yücel, Wen Jiang, Yao Meng, Yvan Attal
Posted in Minute Movie Reviews, Movie Reviews, Movies | No Comments »
Tuesday, February 9th, 2010
Review:
When I first read that Guy Ritchie, the guy behind the vastly overrated gangster comedies Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels and Snatch, was making a Sherlock Holmes movie that would focus on the action hero aspect of the character, I expected something terrible. But due to great casting (Robert Downey Jr., Jude Law AND Mark Strong? You wouldn’t even need to add Rachel McAdams, I’m in!) and good advance word, I actually wanted to see this film. A big mistake. The film is every bit as horrible as expected, a generic action thriller with nary a good moment. Holmes detecting mostly consists of smelling stuff, hitting men bigger than him and being outsmarted by every second person in the film. There are 60 original Holmes stories, so there really was no reason for the film to create some crazy conspiracy story that barely makes sense and is riddled with plot holes. That Ritchie’s directing is at best mediocre I expected, but it was actually painful to watch how he managed to reduce the great cast to horrible actors. No matter how you feel about the real Sherlock Holmes, avoid this film. How it ever came to be successful is a mystery that would have even intrigued the great detective.
Random Observations:
Sherlock Holmes at the IMDb
Hans Zimmer’s score is nominated for an Oscar. It was certainly very effective in calling attention to itself, but I wouldn’t consider that a good thing. If you notice that the music does not fit the scene, you are taken out of it. Also: who the hell thought that some Irish folk music would be good for the end credits?
I have to admit that there was one redeeming factor to the film: the exchanges between Holmes and Watson were often quite entertaining. But that was not nearly enough to save the film from being horrible.
There are many more bad things about this film I want to address, but I fear that I might have a heartache if I continue thinking about the film. So for now, be warned to stay away.
Tags: 2009, action movie, American Film, Anthony Peckham, Arthur Conan Doyle, based on previously published material, British Film, Comedy, Eddie Marsan, english, franchise film, Geraldine James, Guy Ritchie, Hans Matheson, Hans Zimmer, James Fox, Jude Law, Kelly Reilly, Lionel Wigram, Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels, Mark Strong, Michael Robert Johnson, minute movie review, movie review, Movies, Oscar, Rachel McAdams, Robert Downey Jr., Robert Maillet, Sherlock Holmes, Simon Kinberg, Snatch, Thriller, William Hope, William Houston
Posted in Minute Movie Reviews, Movie Reviews, Movies | No Comments »
Thursday, February 4th, 2010
Review:
Once more Rocky returns for an unnecessary sequel, this time around as the defending World Champion challenged by a mean guy called Mr. T (I forgot his character’s name - it was something subtle like Mr. Clobber), who beats the old man soundly. So once more Rocky has to buckle up, train, overcome adversity, only to win in the end. It’s all been there and yet it’s slightly more entertaining than the second time around. The film is faster paced, allowing less time for the clichés to really sink in, and while the villain of the film is almost exactly the same as the one in II, at least here he seems somewhat believable. The film is a waste of time, but at least an entertaining one.
Random Observations:
Rocky III at the IMDb
This time around, the clichés are not just in the pictures and the words, they are even mentioned in the dialogue. Sadly, not in any ironical fashion.
It was kind of nice to see Carl Weathers return as the former opponent, even if his behaviour here only follows the character from the first film, not the complete turn-around from the second.
Three down, three to go. I fear things will get worse before they get better.
Tags: 1982, Al Silvani, American Film, Burgess Meredith, Burt Young, Carl Weathers, english, franchise film, Hulk Hogan, Ian Fried, minute movie review, movie review, Movies, Mr. T, Rocky, Rocky III, sequel, sports movie, Sylvester Stallone, Talia Shire, Tony Burton
Posted in Minute Movie Reviews, Movie Reviews, Movies | No Comments »
Tuesday, February 2nd, 2010
Review:
You know what a good indicator for a bad sequel is? Starting the film off with the last five minutes of the previous film. Which is what writer, star and now turned director Sylvester Stallone does with this film. For five minutes, you get the ending of the first film - and after that, you get almost two hours that are more predictable than any other film I have ever seen - and I have seen a good portion of Michael Bay’s oeuvre. Rocky retires, wants to spend time with his wife, is goaded back into fighting because it’s the only thing he can do and, surprise, surprise, wins in the end. In addition, the film rehashes just about every scene from the first film, only this time with a much larger budget. And to think that there are another four sequels…
Random Observations:
Rocky II at the IMDb
The entire cast from the first film returned as well. I hope they were adequately compensated.
I think I expressed my disdain for boxing before, but I was really reminded why that sport sucks here. Two men hitting each other, what excitement.
The “upset” win in the title fight at the end was simply ridiculous. For fourteen rounds Rocky gets slapped around, never even covering his face, and yet he still emerges victorious in the last round.
Apparently, the final dramatic scene - both fighters trying to get up before being counted out (can you imagine the excitement?) - is also contrary to boxing regulations, since one of them slipped and thus didn’t have to get up in time. Now that’s drama - changing the rules to make sure the boring climax works!
Tags: 1979, Al Silvani, American Film, Bill Baldwin, Burgess Meredith, Burt Young, Carl Weathers, english, franchise film, Frank McRae, Joe Spinell, John Pleshette, Leonard Gaines, minute movie review, movie review, Movies, Rocky, Rocky II, sequel, sports movie, Stu Nahan, Sylvester Stallone, Sylvia Meals, Talia Shire, Tony Burton
Posted in Minute Movie Reviews, Movie Reviews, Movies | No Comments »
Tuesday, December 22nd, 2009
Click the link to open the twenty-second door. Klick auf den Link, um das zweiundzwanzigste Türchen zu öffnen.
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Tags: 2006, Adventskalender, book adaptation, British Film, Comedy, David Jason, David Warner, deutsch, Discworld, Drama, english, fantasy movie, franchise film, Hogfather, made for tv movie, Marc Warren, Michelle Dockery, movie review, Movies, Nigel Planer, Night Watch, Terry Pratchett, Tony Robinson, Vadim Jean
Posted in Adventskalender, Adventskalender 2009, Movie Reviews, Movies | No Comments »
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