Horrible Bosses (2011)

 

 

Horrible Bosses is about three horrible bosses (Kevin Spacey, Jennifer Aniston, Colin Farrell) and three employees (Jason Bateman, Charlie Day, Jason Sudeikis) who vow to kill their bosses for different reasons. It involves murder, car chases, affair, conspiracy, blackmail and revenge. The talented casts are the reason why the movie works. The lively chemistry between Nick, Kurt and Dale are joyful to watch. But the real star is the supporting casts. Kevin Spacey, Jennifer Aniston and Colin Farrell are superb. The script on the other hand, is very thin. The writers just wanted this movie to be another dirty slapstick comedy with absolutely no purpose. Horrible Bosses is not a horrible film, it has its crazy laugh moments and fun. But it doesn’t live up to the expectation and certainly can’t be consider as a great comedy.

Green Lantern (2011)

 

 

A dying alien named Abin Sur, whose spaceship crashed on Earth, gave the the power ring and battery (lantern) to an individual who was "utterly honest and born without fear" Hal Jordan (Ryan Reynolds) and then he became a member of the Green Lantern Corps, an interstellar organization of police overseen by the Guardians of the Universe. Later, Hal Jordan must face Parallax, a super-powerful being who feeds on fear. Ryan Reynolds has tried his best, delivering his usual charming and character to the Silver Age Green Lantern. Peter Sarsgaard gives Hector Hammond a new dimension of villain. But the weak script, poor editing and flaw directing by Martin Campbell are total mayhem. The movie could have been so much better. This is an example of comic book movie that fails to deliver. In our darkest hour, there will be light. But Green Lantern shall escape my sight.

Cars 2 (2011)

 

 

The cars are back! Lightning McQueen and his crew are now heading overseas to compete in the first World Grand Prix race to determine the world's fastest car. While Lightning McQueen is busy preparing for the ultimate race, his BFF Mater accidentally stumble upon a top-secret mission orchestrated by master British super spy Finn McMissile and the stunning spy-in-training Holley Shiftwell.

I personally think the writers (Ben Queen, John Lasseter, Brad Lewis, Dan Fogelman) have done a great job. The decision to expand the story, involving international espionage and gives Mater a chance to stardom is absolutely correct. It enriches the experience and makes it more enjoyable and entertaining. It improves the storyline by adding new story and new characters outside the racing line. I mean, let's face it, if the story only sticked on Lightning McQueen and World Grand Prix, the film would be crossing the finish line in 30 minutes or so and the storyline would be pretty much the same as the first instalment. Like other Pixar / Disney movies, we are dazzled and amazed with its visual and state-of-the-art animation. The film also teaches us that friendship is a joy to behold. It's not always a fun ride, but it’s worth fighting for. Cars 2 probably isn't as good as The Incredibles, WALL-E, Up, Finding Nemo and the Toy Story trilogy, but the film is totally better than its predecessor and a welcome addition to the franchise. It has good story, fills with humor, high-tech animation and heart.

The Three Musketeers (2011)

Yes, it’s another remake based on Alexandre Dumas’ famous novel. And yes, the story still follows the adventures of a young man named D'Artagnan (Logan Lerman) in his quest to become one of the Musketeers of the Guard. He is not one of the musketeers; his friends are. Athos, Porthos, and Aramis (Matthew Macfadyen, Ray Stevenson, Luke Evans), inseparable friends who live by the motto “one for all, all for one.” They are still fighting the same enemies; Cardinal Richelieu (Christoph Waltz), Rochefort (Mads Mikkelsen), Duke of Buckingham (Orlando Bloom) and a beautiful double agent Milady de Winter (Milla Jovovich).

So, what’s the difference between Paul W.S. Anderson’s and other adaptations? Anderson’s version is more like a steampunk-influenced reinterpretation, one might think it’s a parody of remakes, considering the film fills with tons of jokes. There are airships and colourful wardrobes. The fight scenes are great. But the film also has flaws. The script is awful, an array of baffling accents and some performances that would not look out of place at the pantomime. That’s a shame considering all the talented casts available. Even Christoph Waltz can’t save the movie from lack of character development. So if you somehow can ignore all those flaws, you’ll find the movie entertaining. Honestly, this is definitely not the best adaption of The Three Musketeers, but I enjoyed watching it. A popcorn movie.

Stake Land (2011)

 

 

Post-apocalyptic America. A vampire epidemic has struck and transformed human into vicious, feral beasts. The remaining survivors are now living together in rural pockets, fearful of nightfall. When his family is slaughtered, young Martin (Connor Paolo) is taken under the wing of a grizzled, wayward hunter Mister (Nick Damici) whose new prey is the Undead. Together, they are traveling across America's heartland, searching for a better place called New Eden. Along the way, they take down any bloodsuckers that cross their path, meet and recruit other survivors and face challenge from The Brotherhood, a fundamentalist militia that interprets the plague as the Lord's work.

I have to admit, Stake Land is surprisingly good, it exceed all my expectations. I thought this was gonna be about bloodletting action and explosions of gore. But turns out, the film is beyond that. Stake Land is more restrained, it’s about the bond that holds humanity together. It offers not only terror and brutal actions, but also relationship, hope and focus more on the characters. Vampires are just doing their job, the have no choice but killing and killing. But human has a choice and in this film, we are shown what we are really capable of in an extreme situation and desperate times. We learn to adapt, but how we adapt is another matter. Some choose to do good things, while others choose to do bad things. All the credit must go to the director Jim Mickle. He successfully crafted a film that works well as a whole: the eerie cinematography, quiet despair atmosphere, bleak soundtrack, decent acting, pace and above average storyline. Stake Land is a drama horror that deserves a better treatment in cinema business and surely bigger audiences.

Killer Elite (2011)

Based on Sir Ranulph Fiennes's novel "The Feather Men," the film follows Danny (Jason Statham), an ex-special ops agent and hired assassin is forced by oil sheik to come out from his retirement in order to save his longtime mentor, Hunter (Robert De Niro). The sheik wants revenge against the killers of his sons, four SAS men. Danny's assignment is tricky: He is to kill them, but make it look like each death is accidental, so no one will suspect the sheik. Spike (Clive Owen) on the other hand, leads a shadowy group known as the Feather Men, whose mission is to protect ex-SAS men from retaliation. Their task is to shield the four targets from Danny and his boys.
 

Actually, Killer Elite is a promising thriller. The story focus more on the characters than on action. That’s why the decision to put Robert De Niro and Clive Owen is definitely a good call. They are great actors and have proven track records. But you still need an actor who can play action sequences, that’s where Jason Statham comes in. He is one of the most explosive martial arts star today. The plot is rather sophisticated involving kidnapping, revenge, secret group and unexpected double crosses. One thing I dislike is the pace. There seems to be lack of balance between the complicated plot and action scenes. The result, although the movie is somewhat satisfactory, I think it can be better considering all the talented casts and good script at Gary McKendry’s disposal.