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.

Warrior (2011)

 

An ex-Marine Tommy (Tom Hardy) returns home for the first time in fourteen years to enlist the help of his father (Nick Nolte) to train for SPARTA, the biggest winner-takes-all event in mixed martial arts history. His brother Brendan (Joel Edgerton), also join the event in order to save his home from foreclosure. This is SPARTA where brothers can be adversaries and finally, the two brothers must confront each other to earn the five million dollar prize.

For more than one hour, the film focus more on the drama, we will be shown each character’s background and motives; a mysterious war hero with his own hidden agenda, a science teacher returns to the ring in a desperate attempt to save his family from financial ruin and a father who has been seeking for redemption. Although the drama part is little bit boring, but I have to admit, it helps prepare us for the ultimate climax. The fight scenes are incredible. It will blow you away. Each are choreographed and shot with great energy, even the musical background is perfect, as if we are sitting in front row of a boxing match. One of the best thing about Warrior is we don't want to see either fighter lose.  We feel touch by their motives and sympathyze for them, even for Tommy because behind all those brutal actions and rude behavior, eventually he’s still the man with the golden heart. But in the end, there can be only one winner, but the winner doesn’t  take all.

Bridesmaids (2011)

 

 

Usually, I don’t watch chick flick. But something tells me I should watch this one. Okay, that something is Judd Apatow, the producer. I like his films because he offers more than just average comedy. His films are realistic, energetic and full with comical improvised dialogue. So here comes Annie (Kristen Wiig), the woman who just hit rock bottom, her Milwaukee bakery shop has just gone bust, have to share rooms with a surpassingly peculiar British brother and sister, treated badly by Ted (Jon Hamm) who only thinks of her as a fuck buddy and to make her life worse, her BFF, Lillian (Maya Rudolph), is getting married and the trophy wife of the groom's boss, Helen (Rose Byrne) try to steal Annie's thunder. The other bridesmaids, Rita (Wendi McLendon-Covey), Becca (Ellie Kemper) and Megan (Melissa McCarthy) are caught in the middle.

What I like most about Bridesmaids is the casts. Although large, each of them is unique and has an important role in the development of the story. There is real depth to the characterizations and friendships. But still, the stand out from the crowd is Kristen Wiig. She’s a goddess of comedy. As co-writer and lead actress, she plays a huge part in the film's success. I hope she does more work like this. The director Paul Feig also managed to keep the pace alive so you won’t feel bored. I think Bridesmaids is the female version of The Hangover and Wedding Crashers. It’s hilarious, rude and gross sometimes. But it’s also a moving drama and painfully real. It can happen to anyone anywhere at a certain point of time. For me, Bridesmaids is a strong candidate for best comedy of 2011. So what are you waiting for? Just GO SEE THE MOVIE (even if you’re dudes).

Colombiana (2011)

 

 

A little girl witnessed her parents killed in front of her eyes. She fled to US soil, trained by her uncle to be a professional killer. And now, she’s ready. The hunted becomes the hunter. She’s hunting down and getting revenge on the mobster responsible for her parents' deaths. Vengeance is beautiful. But the film is far from it. Poorly directed by Olivier Megaton, the movie suffers from the boring action, lack of suspense and horrible plot. The performances are also flat, but you can't fully blame the performers. The dialogue needed a writer to come in and blow it up. So in my opinion, just skip the movie, unless you’re a huge fan of Zoe Saldana.

Bunraku (2011)

A samurai without a sword. A cowboy without a gun. A lover without a woman. They all share one thing in common; personal vendetta against Nicola the Woodcutter, the most powerful man east of the Atlantic. But in order to defeat him, they must face nine highly skilled and deadly assassins, plus the deadly Red Gang. The title Bunraku is derived from a 400-year-old form of traditional Japanese puppet theater, a style of storytelling that uses puppets with highly detailed heads, each operated by several puppeteers who blend into the background wearing black robes and hoods. The movie follows the same concept, combine with Spaghetti Western and samurai story. The result is you’ll be entertained by its lavish and unique visual style. But I’m afraid that’s the only thing you will enjoy. The fight scenes are too long, the narrator’s voice is annoying, the pace is off-balance and the characters are like puppets.