LATE REVIEW!: The World's End review

The World’s End:

More crude, silly, and entertaining gold by the Pegg and Frost duo!

By Nico Beland

Movie Review: *** 1/2 out of 4

FOCUS FEATURES

Simon Pegg, Nick Frost, and their comedic drinking crew surviving an alcoholic apocalypse in The World’s End

            British comedy duo, Simon Pegg and Nick Frost are a hilariously amusing team, bringing such comedies as the hit zombie comedy, Shaun of the Dead, and the hysterical buddy cop film, Hot Fuzz. Now Pegg and Frost are stuck in a drunken apocalypse in their latest comedy, The World’s End, and just like Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz, The World’s End is just as entertaining as it is hilarious, filled to the bone with wise cracking jokes, hilarious slapstick, and over the top special effects, and once again very good direction by Edgar Wright (Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz, Scott Pilgrim VS The World).

            Accompanying Pegg and Frost in this apocalyptic comedy are Martin Freeman (The Hobbit), Eddie Marsan (Sherlock Holmes, Mission: Impossible III, Jack the Giant Slayer), Paddy Considine (The Bourne Ultimatum), and Rosamund Pike (An Education, Pride & Prejudice, Jack Reacher), along with an outrageous army of ink-filled robots, disguised as humans.

            After twenty years of attempting an epic pub-crawl, five childhood friends are re-united when one of them becomes hellbent on giving their drinking marathon another go, where they travel to twelve different pubs and find their way to the big goal, known as The World’s End.

            During their drinking frenzy, they notice strange activities occurring, everyone they know is now an ink-filled robot and they’re trying to annihilate the “Five Musketeers” and prevent them from making it to their goal. So the five friends must fight off the robots, make it to The World’s End, and finish what they started twenty years ago, or they will die trying.

            Overall The World’s End is a very funny apocalyptic comedy, while the plot isn’t very original, the humor and creativity certainly is, much like the apocalyptic comedy that came out back in June, This is the End. The comedy is top notch, the characters, while selfish smartasses at times, are very likable and fun to watch, every battle with the robots will leave you in stitches, just a head’s up, and the visual effects are surprisingly pretty impressive.

            While it drags a little at the beginning, once the apocalyptic elements and robots show up, the movie will grab your attention very quickly and keep you laughing and entertained all the way through. Definitely one of the best comedies of the summer, that’s for sure, alongside The Heat and This is the End, enjoy the end of the summer with The World’s End, and have a drink while you’re at it.

LATE REVIEW!: Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters review

PERCY JACKSON: SEA OF MONSTERS:

ACTION PACKED AND BEAUTIFUL VISUALS, BUT IT’S NO HARRY POTTER!

By Nico Beland

Movie Review: ** 1/2 out of 4

20^TH CENTURY FOX

Percy Jackson and his Half-Blood companions protecting the world in Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters

            Percy Jackson is a decent concept, not gonna lie, a kid who finds out he’s the son of the Greek God, Poseidon and has extraordinary powers. It’s a unique idea that spawned a popular series of books, a movie in 2010 titled Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief, and a sequel, Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters and while I forgot a majority of the plot from the first movie, I can say, the sequel is entertaining, nothing special, not great but not terrible either, just average.

            Logan Lerman (The Perks of Being a Wallflower) reprises his role as Percy Jackson, along with Brandon T. Jackson (Tropic Thunder), Alexandra Daddario, Jake Abel, and many other familiar faces, plus some new ones like Leven Rambin (The Hunger Games) as Clarisse La Rue, demigod of Ares, Douglas Smith as Percy’s Cyclops half-brother, Tyson, and Anthony Head, taking on the role as Percy’s mentor, Chrion from Pierce Brosnan, who played the character in the first movie. The characters are still just as likable as they were in The Lightning Thief, also the new characters are all very unique and enjoyable to watch.

            After the events of The Lightning Thief we find Percy Jackson (Logan Lerman), son of Poseidon, meeting his half-brother, Tyson (Douglas Smith), who happens to be a Cyclops (Yeah, I don’t get it either!) at Camp Half-Blood, home of the Greek Gods’ children. Tyson is recruited with Percy and his friends, Grover (Brandon T. Jackson) and Annabeth to set off on an incredible journey to the Sea of Monsters and locate the Golden Fleece, which happens to have the power of life, before Luke (Jake Abel) acquires it and succeeds in his evil plan to destroy Mount Olympus and resurrect his demonic grandfather.

            Along the way they run into a crazy trio of Taxi drivers with no eyes, other demigods and Half-Bloods, giant Cyclops monsters, and so on, pretty much all the typical fantasy story creatures.

            While inferior to its predecessor, Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters is at least watchable and entertaining. Plenty of exciting fantasy action, beautiful visual effects and 3D, and unique characters, however my big issues with the film were these plot elements that I felt were a little unnecessary, also it felt a little lacking in character development, a good example would be when Percy meets his half-brother, I think they should have gone deeper into the character and explain why he’s a Cyclops and Percy isn’t, that’s what I think would have made the film a little stronger.

            But for what I got, Sea of Monsters was an okay sequel, could have been better but it’s passable. It kept me entertained all the way through with its exciting action, special effects, and the metallic bull at the beginning of the movie, which was just plain awesome.

            If you’re looking for a great summer blockbuster, I’d say go to Elysium instead, it’ll be well worth your time and money. But if you’re a fan of the books or the first movie, check this flick out, you won’t be disappointed.

Kick-Ass 2 review

KICK-ASS 2:

STILL KICKS ASS, JUST LIKE ITS PREDECESSOR, WITH CLASSIC COMIC BOOK SATIRE, RAUNCHY COMEDY, AND VIOLENCE!

By Nico Beland

Movie Review: *** out of 4

UNIVERSAL PICTURES

(From left to right) Col. Stars & Stripes, Hit-Girl, Kick-Ass, and The Mother Fucker in Kick-Ass 2

            I’ve been waiting for a sequel to the 2010 action comedy, Kick-Ass for quite some time now, I loved how bizarre, violent, and surprisingly funny it was, plus it had a colorful cast of costumed characters who really took superhero movies to a new level.

            Three years later, I finally got my sequel, Kick-Ass 2, which is still just as violent and crude as the first film, but I felt the plot for the sequel was slightly better than the predecessor. Aaron Taylor-Johnson (Nowhere Boy), Chloe Grace-Moretz (Hugo, Dark Shadows, Carrie), and Christopher Mintz-Plasse (Superbad, Pitch Perfect) reprise their roles as Dave Lizewski/Kick-Ass, Mindy McCready/Hit-Girl, and Chris D’Amico, plus they added some newcomers like the always hilarious, Jim Carrey (Ace Ventura: Pet Detective, The Mask, The Incredible Burt Wonderstone) as Colonel Stars & Stripes, Donald Faison (Scrubs) as Dr. Gravity, Lindy Booth as Night Bitch, Augustus Prew, taking on the role as Dave’s friend, Todd from Evan Peters, and many others.

            It’s been about four years since the events of the first Kick-Ass movie, and we find Mindy McCready (Chloe Grace-Moretz) at the age of 15, trying to live a normal life and not out fighting crime as her alter ego, Hit-Girl, as requested by her caretaker, Marcus, after the death of her father, Big Daddy, Dave Lizewski (Aaron Taylor-Johnson) is missing the good old days protecting the city as Kick-Ass. Dave really wants to learn how to be a better hero, so he asks Mindy for help in a series of comedically ridiculous scenarios involving martial-arts and gunfire, behind Marcus’ back.

            Meanwhile Chris D’Amico (Christopher Mintz-Plasse) is seeking revenge on Kick-Ass for blasting his dad, Frank D’Amico (the antagonist from the first film) with a bazooka, so he puts away his Red-Mist tights and becomes the new supervillain in town, The Mother Fucker. He plots to kill Kick-Ass publicly and set New York in flames, with the help of an evil army he assembled, consisting of Black Death, Mother Russia, The Tumor, and many other menacing faces.

            Kick-Ass also joins an underground team of heroes known as Justice Forever, to fight crime on a nightly basis, led by born-again Christian, Colonel Stars & Stripes (Jim Carrey), while there he comes across many heroic figures (Dr. Gravity, Night Bitch, the super-parents duo, Remembering Tommy, etc.). It turns out his old friend, Marty (Clark Duke-The Office, Hot Tub Time Machine) is a member of Justice Forever, his alter ego is Battle Guy, which is basically a Captain America knockoff, Dave’s other friend, Todd also creates an alter ego for himself, The Ass-Kicker, pretty much the same costume as Kick-Ass, except the colors are reversed.

            After a chain of events, Dave and Mindy are reunited as Kick-Ass and Hit-Girl and assemble with the Justice Forever team to defeat The Mother Fucker’s army of “Toxic Megacunts!” and save the day before the city is destroyed.

            Overall Kick-Ass 2 is a pretty good sequel to its predecessor, it’s still just as silly, violent, and entertaining as the first movie, plus they threw in plenty of surprises and laughably implausible moments. Dave is still the likable dweeb we all remember from the first flick, Mindy is still just as badass as she was in the predecessor and she now has more awesome gadgets and weapons, Jim Carrey is great as Colonel Stars & Stripes, probably one of his greatest performances in a while, and The Mother Fucker is probably one of the greatest villains of all time, not because he’s a threat and not because he’s menacingly evil, no he sucks at being a villain so much, that he’s just awesome…and pretty funny at times.

            For the most part, I enjoyed Kick-Ass 2, but I wouldn’t exactly consider it better than the first movie. I’m not entirely sure why, the premise was a little better in the sequel and there were more heroes and villains, but I guess the main reason why I liked the first Kick-Ass a little more was because I’ve never seen a superhero movie like it before at the time.

            Don’t get me wrong, I did see violent comic book movies before Kick-Ass like the Blade trilogy, The Punisher movies, V for Vendetta, and Watchmen, but not with this kind of premise about regular people dressing up as superheroes, and fighting crime. Even so, this was a pretty “Kick-Ass” sequel, enough violence, crude comedy, and goofy superhero costumes to satisfy fans of the comic books and people looking for a silly, Tarantino-like time watching a superhero flick. 

REVIEW’S OVER MOTHERFUCKERS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 

LATE REVIEW!: 2 Guns review

2 GUNS:

GOOFY, CLICHÉ, AND FILLED TO THE BONE WITH ACTION!

By Nico Beland

Movie Review: *** out of 4

UNIVERSAL PICTURES

Denzel Washington (left) and Mark Wahlberg (right) locked and loaded in 2 Guns

            You gotta love goofy buddy action movies, like the successful Lethal Weapon franchise, Quentin Tarantino’s Pulp Fiction, and the 2010 action comedy, The Other Guys. With their cheesy dialogue, over the top action, and silly one-liners, there’s a charm to them that cannot be outmatched, and the new movie, 2 Guns is certainly no exception, it’s clichéd action movie material at its finest, that’s filled with intense shootouts, silly puns and one-liners, and a likable gun-slinging duo.

            Denzel Washington (Flight, Unstoppable, The Taking of Pelham 123) and Mark Wahlberg (Ted, The Fighter, The Other Guys) play DEA agent, Bobby Trench and naval intelligence officer, Marcus Stigman “Stig”, two crooked undercover officers, working together on one mission, infiltrate a drug cartel and acquire their money. During their Joyride, they encounter CIA agents (led by Bill Paxton-Aliens, Tombstone, Twister) who want them dead (and their money), insane kidnappers, a ruthless drug lord (played by Edward James Olmos-Battlestar Galactica, Blade Runner, Stand and Deliver), and torture-happy drug dealers.

            Bobby and Stig must put their heads together and make everything right before all those crazy CIA agents and drug dealers take away their loved ones and destroy their lives, through marathons of over the top car chases, gunfire, and typical action movie elements.

            Overall, 2 Guns is an enjoyable action flick, especially for fans of movies like the Lethal Weapon or Die Hard franchises. With its over the top action, goofy dialogue and puns, bloody gun shootouts, and very good performances by Washington and Wahlberg.

            The film is heavy on action and has a decent amount of comedy in there, but what it’s lacking is originality. We’ve seen movies like this before, examples include Oliver Stone’s Savages from last year, Ruben Fleischer’s Gangster Squad, and some episodes of Reno 911, but while it lacks in originality, the rest of the movie makes up for it.

            As entertaining this movie may be, it is not an intelligently crafted film, if you’re looking for a movie with a very well executed plot and character development, I’d say do Elysium, but if stupid action movie dialogue and clichés don’t bother you much, it should keep you entertained and hopefully you’ll have a great time at the movies. There’s plenty of violence, dumb comedy, and insane car chases and explosions to satisfy fans of classic action.

Planes review

PLANES:

IT’S CARS BUT IN THE AIR, REALLY NOTHING SPECIAL, BUT IT’S FUNNY AND CUTE ENOUGH FOR THE KIDS!

By Nico Beland

Movie Review: ** 1/2 out of 4

DISNEY

Dusty (middle), Ripslinger (left), and El Chupacabra (right) soaring in Planes

            Disney just can’t leave the Cars world alone, can they? Well I can admit I thought the first Cars was okay, despite its ridiculous concept, the 2011 sequel on the other hand, while a hit at the box office, it opened to negative reception, becoming Pixar’s first dud movie. Disney decided to make a spinoff of Cars, Planes, which was originally going to be a straight to DVD feature, but Disney decided to change their mind and release the movie in theaters, and…it was cute, I wouldn't say it's awful, but I wouldn't call it good either, it's a passable diversion for your kids and it does a fine job at being that.

            Like the Cars movies, Planes still has that dumb concept where everyone is a vehicle, also the plot of the movie is very similar to the first Cars but in reverse as it's about an underdog who enters a big race and comes out on top. Despite the lacking in originality and the ridiculous concept, the animation is fun to watch, the characters are likable, the 3D soars around you, and the voice acting is actually pretty good.

            The film is about a Crop-Duster named Dusty (voiced by Comedy Central’s Dane Cook-Dan In Real Life) who dreams of becoming an air racer plane, there’s just one tiny problem…he’s afraid of heights. So with some help from his friends, Dottie (voiced by Teri Hatcher-Spy Kids, Desperate Housewives, Coraline) the forklift, Chug (voiced by Brad Garrett), a fuel truck, and a former Navy war plane, Skipper (voiced by Stacy Keach), Dusty will do whatever it takes to become an air racer and race along with some of the greatest racing planes in the world.

            While all the other planes are either very excited or raising their eyebrows (or windshield wipers) about a Crop-Duster entering the race, one will stop at nothing to prevent Dusty from winning, a plane named Ripslinger (voiced by Roger Craig Smith-Sonic the Hedgehog, Wreck-It Ralph) becomes Dusty’s rival during the competition and orders his two goons to do his dirty work and make sure Dusty doesn’t win. Dusty also meets a Mexican plane named El Chupacabra (voiced by Carlos Alazraqui), a French-Canadian racer named Rochelle (voiced by Julia Louis-Dreyfus-Seinfeld), a female racing plane known as Ishani (voiced by Priyanka Chopra), who is Dusty’s love interest in the movie, a British racer who he reluctantly saves his life named Bulldog (voiced by John Cleese-Monty Python’s Flying Circus, Rat Race, Shrek 2-4), and several other colorful characters.

            While Planes isn’t exactly a movie for me, it’s a decent flick to show to your kids, much like The Smurfs 2, it’s one of those movies you pop into your DVD player for your young kids to watch, except there is a little more charm in this movie than in The Smurfs 2. If you’re looking for something fun to see as a family, I’d say go to Monsters University, Despicable Me 2, or Turbo, and then maybe this movie, I didn’t think the movie is a terrible movie to see with your family, but there are much better family films out to see.

            I’m glad Planes wasn’t released through Pixar, so I won’t have to blame them for the concept and lacking of originality. But to be honest, Planes wasn’t quite as bad as I thought at first, sure it’s nothing special or impressive, but it’s cute, funny, has a colorful cast of characters, and some very good voice talents, even though Roger Craig Smith was one of the main reasons I went to see this movie, Val Kilmer (Heat, Top Gun, Batman Forever), Cedric the Entertainer, Gabriel Iglesias, Anthony Edwards, Sinbad, and many other talented stars all provide voices in this film, so quite a bit of good came out of seeing this movie.

            If you’re a fan of the other Cars movies, there’s definitely a chance you’ll find some amusement in this flick, it isn’t for everyone, I’ll tell you that now, but overall it’s a fine kids movie.