Kickass Review:

Kickass

    The past decade has offered many successful comic adaptations, which not only nail the feel of the comic, but also entertain fans and audiences alike. In 2008 we were given “The Dark Knight” which is undoubtedly the most successful comic adaptation of all time, but the newest adaptation “Kickass” could very well be held to “The Dark Knight’s” standards.

     Kickass is a well made, hilarious, and highly entertaining comic adaptation that grabs the viewer in and doesn’t let them go till the credits roll. The acting is excellent and the visuals are stunning, but the best part about “Kickass” is it’s well told and well executed story.

     “Kickass” tells the story of a teenager named Dave Lizewski who dreams of being a superhero and eventually sets out to be one, throughout the film he meets more vigilantes, such as “Big Daddy” and “Red Mist”, but the most memorable of these heroes is “Hit Girl”, due to her excellent acting and hilarious dialogue. Eventually things get out of hand and it’s up to our heroes in order to save the day. The story gets more complex as you unravel each characters back story and the intentions of the villains. Much like past films like “Watchmen” the best part about the film is the characters backgrounds. Each character is given a decent enough back story that both keeps you intrigued and immersed into the characters, especially Nicholas Cage’s character “Big Daddy”.

Actors such as Nicholas Cage (no he doesn’t mess this up like “Ghost Rider”) actually make the film more enjoyable and well worth the ticket fee. Aaron Jackson does a great job in the lead role and Christopher Mintz-Plasse/McLovin is hilarious as “Red Mist”.  Chloe Moretz is the star of the show by far, but if you don’t like little girls killing bad guys and cursing throughout, than Kickass isn’t for you.

The film is violent, but not to the point of being unnecessary. Every fight scene is well executed and the film always has a signature style that helps it stand out. Kickass is definitely a comic adaptation for the books; it nails the comic’s feel, along with giving great performances and action sequences. It rises to fame, much like the “The Dark Knight” rather than plummeting like “Ghost Rider” (Sorry Nicholas Cage). Kickass is by far one of the best comic movies of all time, and all though a sequel is likely, I highly doubt that Matthew Vaughn  (Director) can top this. I recommend Kickass to anyone who wants a solid movie with great action, and dialogue that will surely be remembered. Hopefully Iron Man 2 will succeed like this.

4 out of 4 stars.

La Vie En Rose Review:

La Vie En Rose

La Vie En Rose is a fascinating and deeply moving, depiction of the famous French singer Edith Piaf. The film chronicles the life of Edith Piaf as you see her life change from living in the slums, all the way to her rise to fame. The film starts out with Edith as a little girl as you see of how hard her life was with her father joining the circus and her mother neglecting her. The film than takes a turn showing Edith as a young woman, along with giving an overview of how her talent was discovered. The film than concludes with the fall of Edith as you see her character fall apart due to a heroine addiction. The movie becomes more and more engaging as you see the beginning of Edith’s life become a depressing and dark future. Edith Piaf is portrayed by Marion Cotillard whose mesmerizing performance helps bring La Vie En Rose to life. Throughout the 2 ½ hour runtime, the film becomes more and more fascinating and moving as you see the rise and fall of the highly successful singer. The film never loses steam and is always a mesmerizing experience. The set design and pacing are impressive, but the biggest achievement is Marion Cotillard’s performance mostly due to the immersion that she puts into the character. The film has very few short comings that mostly include the lack of depth in the other characters in the movie, yet they are saved by the films excellent pacing. La Vie En Rose is a landmark in character immersion and is a fascinating portrayal of Edith Piaf life.
4 out of 4 stars

Zombieland Review:

Zombieland

Zombieland is a creative and hilarious movie that keeps you laughing throughout the entire duration. The movie does a great job of blending comedy with horror, but unlike some films such as “Jennifer’s Body” it gives you a clear understanding that it’s a comedy with horror elements, while “Jennifer’s Body” couldn’t decide which genre it was. The film feels a lot like past zombie comedy/horror movies such as “Shaun of the Dead”,but has enough ideas and comedic elements to help it standout. As far as plot the movie tells the tale of Columbus (Jesse Eisenberg) who is a paranoid teen who and bases his survival tactics on a list of rules that are explained throughout the film. Throughout the film Columbus meets different characters such as Tallahassee (Woody Harrelson) who is one of the brighter points in the film due to his hilarious portrayal of the character. He also meets Wichita and Little Rock (Emma Stone and Abigail Breslin) whose personalities are interesting due to their motives and goals. Each character has their own distinct personalities and skills that help them overcome the obstacles that range form a zombie horde to zombie clowns. The films pacing is flawless and it never leaves you bored or uninterested. The Characters are all well portrayed and the overall plot keeps you entertained. Overall Zombieland offers up plenty of laughs and gore that will keep both horror fans and comedy fans entertained. Although the film does lose some of its humor towards the end compared to the beginning it is still a movie worth seeing.

A well deserved
3 ½ out 4

Clash of the Titans

    Remakes are hit or miss, but for the most part they are miss. Their are a few occasion where the directer actually nails what made the original so memorable, yet "Clash of the Titans" does the exact opposite. Rather than keeping the story from the first clash, this sequel adds more characters and subplots that not only add numerous plot holes, but also stray away from the original too much. Clash focus's more on the poorly executed 3-d sequences and visual special effects than remaining to the lore and story.
The acting is hardly passable due to a wooden performance from Sam Worthington, which is disappointing because of his entertaining performance in "Avatar". Sam can hardly led the movie due to the flawed script and the overwhelming C-G effects, in all honesty sams performance is almost as bad as Hayden Christensen's in "Jumper"(maybe not that bad).
   The film missed its mark, by a long shot and could of succeeded if the movie kept the plot from the original rather than leaving it for a more action oriented script. Liam Nessen can't even save this film. The acting is horrible, but with a few exceptions such as Ralph Fieenes who plays Hades. Ralph' brings a surprising amount of sadness to the film and actually makes you feel sorry for the lord of the underworld, but even a solid performance like his cant save the film.
   In conclusion the Acting is terrible, the plot is overflowed with subplots and the ending is as unsatisfying as the last "Transformers". The only thing keeping clash from no stars is that it was still entertaining at some points, Medusa's lair was by far the most well executed scene in the film, but the special effects were really the selling point for the film and it shows due to the underdeveloped plot. My advice would be to watch the original rather than wasting your money on a mediocre film, especially with so many good films just around the corner,such as Kickass and Iron Man 2. Clash of the Titans will only be remembered for being one of the worst remakes thus far.
1 1/2 stars out of 4

Avatar Review:

AVATAR

     After a decade of anticipation, Avatar has hit theaters both living up to its hype and being a box office smash. Avatar tells the tale of a paraplegic veteran named Jack Sully, who ventures to the planet of Pandora in 2154, but is soon torn between siding with his people or the natives of the planet. As the movie continues, you find out the reason for the human occupation, but you are given an even more insightful look at the native people and why they fight for their homeland.
    The film does a superb job of establishing its narrative and conflict, but at points felt like a revamped “Dancing with the Wolves.” The films narrative features a typical romance, but also an endearing back-story that helps make the conclusion all the more intense. Avatar has also received high praise for its technical aspects, mostly due to the photorealistic characters interacting with the live action characters. The visuals are breathtaking due to the terrific 3-D technology, which literally makes you feel like you have entered the world of Pandora. James Cameron puts a lot of detail and back story surrounding each character which makes them all engaging, and the world all the more stunning, but toward the end many of the plot twists are predictable and make the film feel cliché.
    All in all, Avatar is a war movie chronicling a final battle between humans and the natives, but without falling into the category of “Pocahontas-In-Space.” The action is intense, but never feels out of place like most films of the genre. Avatar is a perfect film for friends and family, but is the one movie that you have to see in order to get the full 3-D experience.  Avatar is a cinematic landmark and is truly deserving of all the praise that it has received.

3 ½ out of 4