Carrie review

CARRIE:

WHILE NOT AS CHILLING AS THE 1976 ORIGINAL, IT’S STILL A DECENT REMAKE…BLOODY TOO!

By Nico Beland
Movie Review: *** out of 4

MGM/SCREEN GEMS

Chloe Grace Moretz as Carrie

            In the years of modern remakes to classic horror films, some can be considered decent like the recent Evil Dead or The Fly, but most of the others seem unnecessary like The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Friday the 13^th, and A Nightmare on Elm Street. But as far as remakes go, the new film adaption of Stephen King’s best-selling novel, Carrie, directed by Kimberly Peirce (Boys Don’t Cry, Stop-Loss), was pretty decent; it had a lot of the elements from the novel and the 1976 Sissy Spacek classic movie, and added a new twist to the story.

            Carrie White (Chloe Grace Moretz-Kick-Ass, Hugo, Dark Shadows) is an average teenage girl with an overprotective, overly religious mother (Julianne Moore-The Forgotten, Crazy Stupid Love, The Fugitive) and an extraordinary gift; she has telekinetic powers and can move things with her mind. Sounds cool right? Well, not so much, Carrie is an outcast in high school and all the kids like to pull mean pranks and make fun of her, completely unaware of her secret.

            One of the girls in her school named Sue Snell (Gabriella Wilde) realizes that what they’re doing to Carrie is wrong and she distances herself from the rest of the kids, and helps Carrie get a date for the senior prom, so she can be happy. Sue hooks Carrie up with her boyfriend, Tommy Ross, the most popular guy in school, for prom night.

            At prom night, Carrie and Tommy are having the time of their lives…until two jealous classmates decide to pull a prank on Carrie, by having a bucket of blood dangle above the stage and drop on her, when she and Tommy are pronounced king and queen of the prom.

            Everyone’s dream suddenly turns into a nightmare when the blood is dumped all over Carrie, she then goes crazy and starts killing everyone and destroying everything in sight with her powers. And, you already know what happens next.

            Overall Carrie was a good re-telling of the classic Stephen King story. The cast was very good and they really captured the characters they were portraying, Chloe is great as Carrie and Julianne Moore is perfect as the mother, and the direction wasn’t bad, Kimberly Peirce really knew how to capture King and Brian De Palma’s visions of the story, even though Brian’s film was a little more suspenseful.

            I did get a kick out of Chloe’s performance as Carrie, but I would have to say Sissy Spacek is still the definitive Carrie White. I just thought Spacek was a little more intimidating; still both versions of the character are portrayed well.

            Carrie is one of those horror stories that prove not all title horror characters are monsters or evil psychos, she’s one of those characters that you actually feel pretty bad for, being bullied and having a crazy mother, it’s more sad than it is scary. The kids who made fun of her are the true monsters when you really look at it.

            If you’ve been disappointed with horror remakes recently, hopefully you’ll find Carrie tolerable; just don’t forget to bring an umbrella.

Captain Phillips review

CAPTAIN PHILLIPS:

AN INTENSE, GRITTY, AND ENTERTAINING DRAMA WITH CHILLS AND THRILLS!

By Nico Beland

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

COLUMBIA PICTURES

Tom Hanks as Captain Richard Phillips in Captain Phillips

            Tom Hanks (Apollo 13, Saving Private Ryan, Cast Away) and director Paul Greengrass (The Bourne Supremacy, The Bourne Ultimatum, Green Zone) have teamed up to bring the true story of the 2009 hijacking of the Maersk, Alabama container ship by Somali pirates to the screen in their latest drama/thriller, Captain Phillips. The film as a whole is a Hollywood biopic done correctly; it’s filled with intense action and powerful drama, with enough accuracy to the original events.

            Captain Rich Phillips (Tom Hanks) is a commanding officer of a US container ship Maersk, Alabama, whose ship is hijacked by a group of Somali pirates; led by Somali captain, Muse (Barkhad Abodi). The film focuses on the relationship between Captain Phillips and Muse, when they take him hostage in a lifeboat.

            Shortly after Muse’s crew captures Phillips, they are set on a collision course when Muse and his crew set a target on Captain Phillips’ unarmed ship, in the ensuring standoff, 145 miles off the Somali coast. Both of them will find themselves at the mercy of forces beyond their control.

            Overall, Captain Phillips is a great thriller and a well-told tale of the 2009 ship hijacking, it’s intense, entertaining, the directing is very good, the acting is powerful, and the film is just as informative as it is entertaining. Tom Hanks’ portrayal of Captain Phillips is enjoyable, Barkhad Abodi is great as the Somali captain, give him an Oscar, you can tell just by looking at him, Barkhad means business and he’ll kill anyone in his way.

            I’m not sure whether or not the film is better than Greengrass’ Bourne Supremacy or Bourne Ultimatum, two of my favorite action movies of all time. Well, better or not, Captain Phillips has plenty of nail-biting thrills, chilling drama, a well-written screenplay, and powerhouse performances by Tom Hanks and the rest of the cast.

            Another one of the best films of the year, alongside Gravity and Rush, thanks to the epic filmmaking of Paul Greengrass, the amazing performances by Tom Hanks, Barkhad Abodi, and the rest of the cast members, the over the top action and drama, and it’s very accurate to what actually happened during the 2009 ship hijacking. Captain Phillips is definitely a film that’s worth checking out and hopefully it’ll be worth an Oscar or two.

Gravity review

GRAVITY:

ONE CHILLING, INTENSE, AND HIGHLY ENTERTAINING RIDE THAT’S DEFINITELY WORTH ADMISSION!

By Nico Beland

Movie Review: **** out of 4

WARNER BROS. PICTURES

Sandra Bullock drifting off course in Gravity

            Director Alfonso Cuarón (Children of Men, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban) brings a haunting vision of survival in space to the screen in his latest sci-fi thriller, Gravity. The film may remind people of movies like 2001: A Space Odyssey, the Alien franchise, or Duncan Jones’ Moon, but it offers plenty of intense surprises and twists to keep the audience engaged.

            Besides all the suspenseful moments with explosions and destruction, the subtle scenes in escape pods and shuttles look great, where all the equipment is flying around the place, 3D is the definitive way to experience the film.

            Sandra Bullock (The Heat, Miss Congeniality, The Blind Side) plays Dr. Ryan Stone, a medical engineer who is on her first shuttle mission in space with veteran astronaut, Matt Kowalsky (George Clooney-The Descendants, The Ides of March, Burn After Reading). Just as progress was being made, a freak accident occurs, which causes the shuttle to get destroyed, all the astronauts are dead, and Stone and Kowalsky are floating through space, with no way to escape.

            While Gravity’s plot is pretty basic, the movie as a whole is not, everything looks big, epic, and filled with chilling suspense. The opening scene where the shuttle gets destroyed and everything’s flying around will deliver chills, even the quiet moments where Bullock and Clooney are maneuvering through space, trying to make their way to the escape pod or when Sandra’s activating the escape pod and calling mission control can send shivers and make the audience repeatedly think in their head “Something bad is going to happen!”

            Like Avatar, Prometheus, and several IMAX space documentaries, the 3D scenes are very impressive and really immerse the audience into the movie; it’s sort of like an IMAX 3D space documentary…on STEROIDS! The 3D, while amazing, I’m not sure whether or not it’s better than films like Avatar or Prometheus, that’s usually a good sign that the extra 3D charge was worth it.

            I enjoyed Gravity as a whole, but my only issue with the film is they didn’t explain exactly what happened to George Clooney near the end, perhaps a little more detail on that would make the movie a little stronger, but that’s the only problem I seem to have with the flick. So, I say buy a 3D ticket, go into “Gravity”, and experience it for yourself. 

Metallica: Through the Never review

METALLICA: THROUGH THE NEVER:

SOUNDS LIKE A CONCERT, FEELS LIKE ECSTASY!

By Nico Beland

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

PICTUREHOUSE

Trip the kid in Metallica: Through the Never

FINALLY!!!…

            A 3D concert movie for me to enjoy that ISN”T Hannah Montana, Jonas Brothers, Justin Bieber, or One Direction, instead it’s a big and loud IMAX 3D concert experience, featuring one of the most popular rock bands of all time, Metallica. I’ve seen other concert films in the past like Led Zeppelin: The Song Remains The Same and Michael Jackson’s This Is It, but what makes Metallica: Through the Never stand out is how surreal the overall movie is.

            It isn’t about the inspiration and influence of the band like most concert flicks are, instead director Nimrod Antal (Predators) created a fictional story around the Metallica concert, which is actually very unique.

            As Metallica (James Hetfield, Lars Ulrich, Kirk Hammett, and Robert Trujillo) rocks out at a sold out concert event, a young roadie kid named Trip (Dane DeHaan-True Blood, Chronicle, Lawless) is sent on an important mission to meet an abandoned truck and receive a particular item, though we are never explained what it is. It doesn’t take long for Trip’s objective to transform into a game of survival when his van is hit by another vehicle and he finds himself battling a death-dealing horseman (Don’t worry, this time he has a head!).

            As Trip flees through the demolished streets, he must use his wits and skills in order to avoid the horseman and deliver Metallica’s cargo.

            Where do I begin with this movie? Metallica: Through the Never is an unbelievable experience, the choreography is absolutely breathtaking, if not a little trippy, Metallica’s tunes go very well with all the scenes involving Trip, and the songs as a whole are irresistibly catchy and I mean it, it’s so hard to resist “Head-Banging” to these songs. Overall I really enjoyed this film, but there is one small problem I have with it, while the Metallica concert footage is very entertaining to watch, it can get a little distracting when it shifts between Trip’s scenes and the concert, but that’s a very small issue I have with it.

            More concert movies should be made like this, Michael Jackson had some bizarre moments in This Is It, but it was mostly the typical concert movie style, where they talk about the mechanics and concert execution. Metallica, on the other hand, took chances and created something completely different from other music experiences, give them credit for that.

            The IMAX 3D quality of the movie is mind-blowing, the crystal clear projection, 12,000-watt sound system, and the giant screen will look, sound, and feel like you’re in a front row seat of a Metallica concert…and in the middle of a battle of life and death.

            So throw One Direction: This Is Us in a garbage chute and experience a REAL 3D concert experience with Metallica: Through the Never. 

Rush review

RUSH:

FUEL POWERED RACING ACTION, EMOTIONAL DRAMA, AND OUTSTANDING ACTING DESERVE AN OSCAR!

By Nico Beland

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

UNIVERSAL PICTURES

Chris Hemsworth as James Hunt in Rush

            Director Ron Howard (Apollo 13, Frost/Nixon, A Beautiful Mind) brings the incredible true story of Formula One racing rivals; James Hunt and Niki Lauda and the rivalry that made them champions to the big screen in his latest film, Rush. With gripping racing action, strong performances by the film’s cast, powerful emotional drama, and outstanding filmmaking, it really showed Howard threw everything he got into the film.

            Formula One drivers James Hunt (Chris Hemsworth-Thor, The Avengers, The Cabin in the Woods) and Niki Lauda (Daniel Brühl-The Bourne Ultimatum, Inglourious Basterds) have developed a fierce rivalry in the 1976 Formula One Racing season.           During the races, Hunt and Lauda transformed the competition into an epic duel between the two of them, like clashing titans battling each other to be rewarded, over time their hatred towards one another made them the champions people remember today.  

            With the support of Hunt and Lauda’s wives Suzy Miller (Olivia Wilde-Tron: Legacy, Cowboys & Aliens, In Time) and Marlene Knaus (Alexandra Maria Lara-The Reader), their racing supporters, and their legions of screaming fans, they’ll do whatever it takes to see this racing duel to the end.

            Rush overall is an incredible movie, the story is executed perfectly, Hemsworth and Brühl’s performances as Hunt and Lauda are phenomenal, the racing action is exciting, and the emotional drama is all done very well. Chris Hemsworth was great as James Hunt and was a ton of fun to watch, but I’d have to say Daniel Brühl’s performance as Niki Lauda was a little better, it seemed like his portrayal of Lauda was much more emotional and a little more interesting than Hemsworth, but still they both did fantastic.

            Besides Hemsworth and Brühl, Olivia Wilde’s performance as Suzy was very surreal, since the character has an accent, and I wouldn’t have imagined Wilde to pull it off that well. Like most of Ron Howard’s films, his vision of the story is absolutely breathtaking, The mood of the film is perfect and builds atmosphere, the sets are big and epic, enjoyable characters, and wonderful music by Hans Zimmer, it’s totally worth “Rushing” to your local movie theater and paying the eight dollars to experience a thrilling and emotional sports flick that will most likely be a strong Oscar® contender.