Opinion as a Movie-freak

Genre : Action
Country: USA

Cast :
Arnold Schwarzenegger : Ray Breslin
Sylvester Stallone : Emil Rottmayer
Jim Caviezel : Hobbes

Regisseur :
Mikael Hafström

Summary
Ray Breslin is the world's foremost authority on structural security. After analyzing every high security prison and learning a vast array of survival skills so he can design escape-proof prisons, his skills are put to the test. He's framed and incarcerated in a master prison he designed himself. He needs to escape and find the person who put him behind bars.
My opinion
Heh heh. You hit like a vegetarian!

Now this was a movie to sit back and enjoy watching two old action veterans doing it all over again. Who thought these two gentlemen would be completely extinguished and only live on their well-deserved reputation of the past, was definitely wrong. Forget "The Expendables", "The Last Stand" and "Bullet to the head", and don't assume that this movie is comparable. Stallone and Schwarzenegger once again prove that they are still able to present a movie that’s entertaining, action-packed and dressed with a touch of humor. There is even a glimpse of a story. How is that possible ! Obviously you can see that some years have passed after they have been rolling their biceps frightfully in “Conan” and “Rambo”. But they still look tough enough and are able to kick some butt.Admittedly the topic "Escaping from a prison" isn't very original. The fact that Ray Breslin (Sly) is an expert in this field and volunteers to be locked into such facilities to find the weaknesses and always manages to escape , I found a brilliant idea. The ultimate test he has to take is on an unknown place for his team and turns out to be a hard mission to deal with . Emil Rottmayer (Arnie) is also locked up in this prison and eventually helps to ensure that Ray can escape and catch the person that set him up in the first place.
Stallone plays a convincing role as an expert and I'm sure he kept training hard in all these years since he still looks stunningly muscled. Schwarzenegger also still has rock hard muscles, only his facial features betray his upcoming retirement. To my surprise he tries a rather successful attempt at acting. It's not just a mumbled English with a heavy Austrian accent. No way. Sometimes there are full dialogues, sometimes surprisingly with a comedic twist. The moment he starts whining in his own mother tongue while in the isolation cell, is actually hilarious but also admirable convincing. The scene on the stairs where they make a snapshot made me laugh so hard I almost had tears in my eyes . I repeated that fragment probably five times ! The action part is similar to the better films in which both men have acted and not the plain dumb violence as used in “Commando” or the latest “Rambo” movie which apparently was intended to get the score of shot opponents as high as possible. I thought the end was perhaps a bit exaggerated and over the top. But that didn’t really bother me at all.

The supporting roles weren't that bad either. Jim Caviezel played convincingly the ice-cold prison director Hobbes . Even 50 Cent didn’t irritate me this time and wasn't that bad.


My rating 7 /10
Links : IMDB

Genre : Drama/Romantiek
Country: USA

Cast :
Leonardo DiCaprio : Jay Gatsby
Carey Mulligan : Daisy Buchanan
Tobey Maguire : Nick Carraway

Director :
Bza Luhrmann

Summary
An adaptation of F. Scott Fitzgerald's Long Island-set novel, where Midwesterner Nick Carraway is lured into the lavish world of his neighbor, Jay Gatsby. Soon enough, however, Carraway will see through the cracks of Gatsby's nouveau riche existence, where obsession, madness, and tragedy await.
My opinion
Reserving judgments is a matter of infinite hope.

A long time ago every Saturday afternoon you could see an old movie on Flemish television. John Wayne , Danny Kaye, Charlie Chaplin, Spencer Tracy, Mickey Rooney, Clint Eastwood etc. were seen weekly in a black and white or in those faded 60’s Technicolor color movie. Regularly they played the old dance movies and musicals with well-known stars such as Fred Astaire, Ginger Rogers, Rita Hayworth , Gene Kelly, Samy Davis Jr. . and many others . All situated in the 20's with men in tuxedos and women who float around in expensive evening gowns and overloaded with glitzy jewelry. A paragon of wealth and decadence which was reserved for some at that time. So I saw a lot of them passing by on the screen while dancing the Foxtrot. My hate and disgust for anything that smells like musical , is grown in that period. I skip each musical or dance film purely for the fact that they always start to sing or spontaneously start dancing for every trivial fact. Pancakes are made and you can expect there is a serenade on this baking process. Or there is some ordinary shopping done in a local supermarket , and before you know it, everyone dances a waltz in between the vegetables. Pfffft , nothing for me .
"The Great Gatsby" itself is not exactly a true musical or dance film, but the decadent parties that Gatsby is organizing are dangerously close to it. I expected every moment an alignment of women dressed in swimsuits, extremely precise in a row, making a jump in sequential order and with deadly precision into Gatsby's enormous garden fountain. And yet I didn’t like the choice of music. It didn’t really fit the whole of this movie. The beginning of the song by Jay Z (I thought it was him) mixed with images of New York and the display of wealth that some people possess , I found successful. But the music does not fit with the swirling parties afterwards . In some way it clashed with the picture what you got in mind. And personally I thought that the interpretation of "Back and Black" was a blatant violation of the sublime song of Amy Whinehouse despite that Beyonce has a beautiful voice.
I haven't seen any previous films directed by Baz Luhrmann. I only know Moulin Rouge and i obviously haven’t seen that for the well-known reasons that I already described above. It took some effort to get used to that airborne camera images in the beginning, but on the whole, his approach is sometimes grotesque. It looked all magical and fairy-like. Several times it had such an effect that was used in ancient times to emphasize a love scene or some magical moments. Those hazy and shimmering shadows around certain images. It reminded me sometimes of the first "Wizard of Oz" movie. The imposing and monstrous looking mansion of Gatsby looked like it was in a direct competition with the castle you can admire in Disneyland. So exaggerated. So it all looks decent and is terribly perfectly portrayed. The glamour of those days splashes of the screen, but at the same time, it all looks so fake . The computer animation department clearly had to do an extra effort. In terms of costumes for the characters, this film is matchless. Ditto for the props that can be admired throughout the film. From the Oldsmobiles that drive around until the furniture. In one word: masterful .
Tobey Maguire I think is the biggest flaw in this movie. The fact that he’s a person who has to get over his alcohol problem and tells his story about Gatsby to a psychiatrist or physician, and at the same time has the appearance of a pubescent student, makes the whole rendition of Carraway totally unbelievable. By the way, I still think that his acting ability is limited to the sometimes silly staring into nothing, with such a moronic smile on his face . DiCaprio also looks too young for his portrayal as Gatsby . In fact you may well expect that he would have a face that shows how difficult his live has been. But I think Leo does an excellent performance as the mysterious and extravagant billionaire . Maybe a bit too melodramatic . And the phrase "Old sport" does not fit completely with him. Besides it really started to get on my nerves after a while hearing him saying that over and over again. A disadvantage is that it takes a while before he comes into the picture and then Maguire needs to carry the complete movie. And that failed miserably . For me, Joel Edgerton , who played Tom Buchanan, was the best actor in this film . The bravado and arrogance that he displayed was beautiful to watch.
I don't think I've ever read Fitzgerald's book. The content is actually a plain simple love story . The run-up to the meeting with Gatsby, I liked the most in this movie when Maguire moves into the small house overshadowed by the immense castle of the mysterious Gatsby. Once this is over , it's really only a dull and ordinary love story and Maguire is relegated to a pathetic spectator of the flirting between Gatsby and Dais.

Actually I expected more from "The Great Gatsby". It’s is a damn long, boring and sad movie. I had problems keeping my eyes open. Nothing much happens in it. And if you’re planning to have a fun time watching a happy movie, you better look further. 


My rating 5 /10
Links : IMDB

Genre : Crime
Country: USA

Cast :
John T. Woods : Paul Boxer
Paulie Rojas : Olivia Ivarra
Ross Marquand : Henry Langlois

Director :
Zak Forsman

Summary
Paul Boxer is the most inventive and principled smuggler in the trade, and has never needed to carry a gun. When violent mid-level traffickers coerce him into designing a foolproof plan to bring several kilos of cocaine across the México border, he maneuvers to rid himself of their hold over him once and for all.
My opinion
You can classify  D & D safely between Dante 's Peak , The Perfect Storm , The Impossible , The Day After Tomorrow and Twister. So it’s a disaster movie ! The action is a disaster . The script is a disaster . And the performances are even a bigger disaster . Don’t let yourself be fooled by the trailer, because it looks flashy and slick . There are a few slogans fired at you that sound promising. As there are : "Down and Dangerous looks like the sh*t" , "One bad mother of a movie" and "This is gonna be a bad film ." That's almost correct. I see it more as "Down and Dangerous looks like sh*t" , " One motherf*cking bad movie" and "This is gonna be a very sad movie ."
The action is weak and boring . A series of fist fights . Ah yes, because Paul ( John T. Woods ) handles a golden rule, namely, that he never uses any firearms , but rather his fists ( even after it was severely beaten with a heavy hammer ) . Even if he has a gun in his hands , he ostentatiously takes the bullets out and throws himself in a man to man fight with bare hands . The excellent  shooting part is performed by Henry ( Ross Marquand ). Apparently, a DEA agent who has received a medal for some heroic deed . Now he clearly didn’t get that medal for his shooting talent cause he really sucks at that. I’ve never seen such bad aiming in my life before .
The script is confusing and illogical . The film seems to lead somewhere but I don't have a clue where it tries to lead to. Obviously it's a low-budget film sponsored by family and admirers. The images are sometimes good but the execution is downright lousy. Hopefully this is not a sign of how future "independent" movies are going to look like. The weakest link for me was Paulie Rojas . A wonderful appearance with those Bambi-eyes that look at you in a tempting way. Besides the fact that she has an anorexic appearance, her acting is just awful. Completely amateurish and her dialogues sound as if she's constantly aided by a prompter. The scene where she explains the complete procedure of producing drugs, looks so incredibly unreal. It's like she is just reading it directly from a paper. If I was the guy who was selling the drugs , I had her executed on the spot. The (obviously predictable) love affair that she restarts with Paul has absolutely no meaningful contribution to the film and feels so contrived and numb. There's more emotion in a jar of pudding than these brief romantic moments that are used to fill up the movie. And don't get me started about that terribly heavy Mexican accent . The would-be Mexican drug lord Rafael Garza is also a joke . He runs a family business with incredibly stupid relatives. He tries to keep up the image of being a tough and violent gangster. But when the suitcase with his precious drugs ends up in the pool , he jumps after it as a toddler. A tough gangster would have kicked that girls ass into the water to retrieve the suitcase, I guess.

Anyway , a terribly bad movie and painful to watch. Keep a far distance from this one. You have been warned !

My rating 1 /10
Links : IMDB

Genre : Comedy
Land : USA

Cast :
Morgan Freeman : Archie
Robert De Niro : Paddy
Michael Douglas : Billy
Kevin Kline : Sam

Director:
Jon Turteltaub

Summary
Billy, Paddy, Archie and Sam are best friends since childhood. When Billy finally proposes to his very young girlfriend, he invites them all to join him in Las Vegas and forget about their old age and relive their glory days.  While preparing the bachelor party they realise that old wounds haven't yet been healed in all these years.
My opinion
With such a star cast you could assume that this would never go wrong. And indeed , " Last Vegas " is a funny and entertaining feel-good movie . It has some real funny moments that makes you laugh, but has to rely on the humorous one-liners and sometimes hilarious situations. Once again finally straightforward humor . No absurd situations or vulgar nonsense . A gang of retired men organizing a bachelor party in Las Vegas , with all the obvious consequences.
De Niro , Freeman , Douglas and Kline are 4 top actors and already for a long time famous in Hollywood. And once again they show what they are capable off and also the fact they can handle any movie genre . Ok , it is sometimes corny and hugely predictable. That Kline didn’t need the blue pill , you saw that coming a mile away. But they do it in such a natural way and apparently it looks like they enjoyed to play in this movie. The complications that occurred were not that original. That each of them had difficulties as a result of their old age was to be expected .
Kline is in a stage where he sees himself surrounded with even older people than himself . The opening scene in the pool was already an indication of what level the film would be . They used a few thigh-slappers here but thanks to Klines facial expressions and intonation they turned out perfectly and were absolutely hilarious . Freeman had a mild heart attack and is pampered in an exaggerating manner by his son. He’s only permitted to sit in front of the television and meticulously take his pills. De Niro is languishing in his apartment after the death of the love of his life, and only gets occasionally a visit from his neighbor who brings him her soup (unforgettable conversation between these two). The only well conserved one is Douglas and he’s about to marry a much younger person , which in turn leads to teasing witticisms of the three closest friends . Together they formed "The Flatbush Four" and they are best friends for 60 years already . A friendship that was disturbed by a misunderstanding , that is going to be resolved in the end.
Morgan Freeman has surprised me the most as Archie with his witty remarks . My favorite scene is the one where they are in the nightclub and enjoy a Vodka Red Bull amongst younger people. The way Freeman explains how he’s getting drunk and still feels as if he is full of energy , is sublime . I have played this scene repeatedly because I think it’s a strong piece of acting and seeing the reactions of the other guys, it seems to me there was a lot of improvisation by Freeman. It seemed like a really comical gathering among good friends .
I'm glad I haven’t seen the trailer because apparently there were a lot of the most funny moments in it. " Last Vegas " is a comic drama that really wants to show the eternal friendship and the fact that seniors can still enjoy a bit of fun. No Oscars will be awarded for this picture , but it gets a personal nomination from me as best comedy of all the comedies I saw lately (They made me cry more than laugh). And I hope that I have such vitality and joy of life like these old timers , when I reach the same blessed age .

My Rating 8 /10
Links : IMDB

Genre : Drama/Crime
Land : USA/Canada/France

Cast :
Jessica Biel : Julia Denning
Stephen McHattie : Lt. Dodd
William B. Davis : Sheriff Chestnut

Director :
Pascal Laugier

Also known as: The Secret

Summary
Cold Rock, USA. Over the years children have disappeared without a clue or any witness. Superstitious people talk about "The tall man," a legendary, mysterious figure who takes children who are never seen again. Julia Denning, a nurse at Cold Rock, doesn't believe in that legend. Until one night She wakes up with an eerie feeling. When she goes to the bedroom of her son, she discovers that he is gone. She runs down and is suddenly stiffened: a large, dark figure is standing in her doorway with her ​​son David in his hands ...
My opinion
The system is broken, it doesn't work.

What a mediocre story ! If you assume that you're going to get some horror then you'll be quite disappointed. The beginning had a little presumption that it goes in that direction. Eventually, we end up in the middle of a story where a moralistic and child-friendly organizations main objective is to improve the world. I saw on IMDb that this film got as labeling the genres crime, drama and mystery . I saw already in the beginning that it’s about crime with those police cars speeding around with the sirens on and an older guy in a long trench coat , which is usually the cliche equipment of a special agent of some federal organization . I don’t know where i can find the drama or the mystery. The end was kind of a drama (not in a positive way) and it’s a mystery to me how I could watch it till the end. I saw that it was directed by Pascal Laugier , the creator of the controversial film "Martyrs", and others say there are similarities with this movie. I still need to watch "Martyrs", but to be honest I don’t dare to, after reading several reviews and warnings about the extreme and explicit images. I’m used to a lot, but I keep postponing it to watch it. Hopefully "Martyrs" isn't by far like this movie otherwise it also will be a disappointment.
Once again, the start was promising . Cold Rock has first of all a creepy atmosphere . A kind of "Twin Peaks" village , with rather dark and creepy people. Morale has reached a low point by the closure of the mine causing unemployment and poverty . Additionally there’s the disappearing of the children. According to rumors, this is all the fault of a certain "Tall Man" . A myth apparently. The beginning, the 30 hours flashback and then back to the starting point, I thought was an extremely smart job. The part with the pursuit of Julia after the (alleged) “Tall Man” , was entertaining and exciting. As the chase lasted, her injuries were more and more serious and bloody. Now I expected a story change. But then the plot twists start and everything and everybody is now a suspect.
Before you know it, you're looking totally disoriented at the screen, completely astray and lost. I realized at a certain time I didn’t have the faintest idea what it was about. First there is the kidnapping by the "Tall Man". Then you think the whole retarded, by inbred dying community, is on the same team as the “Tall Man”. Then the real mother of the kid appears and gives a plausible explanation.Then Julia is the suspect and seems to be the one behind all the kidnapping. And suddenly there is a huge cave system which you can enter through her basement. Subsequently a teenage girl disappears again while Julia is in custody. Duhuh ?? And at the end you get a clearer picture and it turns out to be a "Mother Theresa" kind of organization that wants to take care of disadvantaged, abused and neglected kids to have a better life So many twists in the story, it would make even the most experienced merry go round operator nauseous and dizzy.
Technically, not everything was bad. Jessica Biel showed a decent performance. It was stunning to see how her emotional personality changed dramatically from one moment to another. Jodelle Ferland has a key role but, as her personage, there’s not much to say about her. Stephen McHattie played his familiar role as a lawman and occurred a few times in the movie. The Photographic part looked groomed and clearly. Even the night shots were accurate and watchable. Mostly those images are an annoyance for me in most movies .
Conclusion : not many thrills, absolutely no horror or any frights, a terribly vague and confusing story with twists and a totally ambiguous and unreal end. Only positive thing about the end is that everything eventually becomes clear. For me, a complete disappointment.

Genre : Drama/Thriller
Country: USA

Cast :
Tom Hanks : Richard Phillips
Barkhad Abdi : Muse
Catherine Keener : Andrea Phillips

Director:
Paul Greengrass

Summary
Captain Phillips is a realistic adaptation of the hijacking of the cargo ship Maersk Alabama by a gang of Somali pirates. The film focuses on the relationship between Captain Richard Phillips and the Somali leader Muse.
My opinion
They're not here to fish.

An interpretation that fits Tom Hanks as a glove. He brings along his bag of tricks to show a whole range of emotions in this movie. An autobiographical movie based on the book by Captain Richard Philips : A Captain's Duty : Somali Pirates, Navy SEALs, and Dangerous Days at Sea. A raw and emotional report about the hijacking of a cargo ship off the Somali coast by pirates and the subsequent hostage of Philips .
Tom Hanks shows different facets of the Captain. He's an ordinary family man on his way to do a routine job, a dutiful captain who strictly adhere to the rules and can rely on many years of experience, a devious man with cunning and strategic ingenuity trying to shake of the pirates and afterwards to keep them on a leash, a scared person who fears for his life and still looks for a way out of this dangerous situation and as apotheosis a broken person who realizes that he escaped a life-threatening situation. In those last minutes Hanks shows what a brilliant actor he is. Every emotional stage he plays is as if he has experienced it for real. The severe dutiful glance, the fear in his eyes and combative look. Each is believable put down and you feel involved .
The interpretation of the Somali pirates was terrifyingly real. Especially Barkhad Abdi was brilliant as Muse. A Somali who's forced to get money for his tribe and puts together a group to engage in hijacking a ship and ask for ransom. He was a character that showed a mix of thoughtfulness and determination to achieve this. He’s also a leader who was able to calm down his team which walked around half-drugged all the time. With their wide open eyes and ferociously waving their machine guns .
Despite the limited locations that could be used in this film, it’s a very tense movie and you see the situation escalate to a dangerous and violent claustrophobic journey in a lifeboat .

I had no idea that those measures were taken by the U.S. military in such a situation. At one point I had the idea that this had to be a very special Captain and thus the great resources were deployed. Three military vessels were deployed and a platoon Navy SEALS been rounded up to do the job. Extremely professionally filmed and unnerving exciting moments. I didn't know what the outcome of the film would be, but there isn’t much choice: either survive this trip to hell or don’t. It's that simple .
I hope that cargo ships are now allowed to arm themselves as they float in these waters, so that they can stop such an attack by a primitive motor boat. And otherwise just send an undercover team and pretend to be a reporting team that wants to interview them, after which they can be arrested. This actually worked at the airport in Brussels.

My rating 8 /10
Links : IMDB

Genre : Horror/SF
Country : USA

Cast :
Shannyn Sossamon : Shannon
Dominic Monaghan : Rick
Shawn Ashmore : Adam
Ashley Bell : Mary

Director :
Douglas Aarniokoski

Summary
A group of five people working to stay alive in a post-apocalyptic future discover what they think is a safe, abandoned farmhouse, but they soon find themselves fighting to stay alive as a gang of bloodthirsty predators attack.

Genre : SF
Country: USA

Cast :
Vin Diesel : Riddick
Matt Nable : Johns
Katee Sackhoff : Dahl

Director :
David Twohy

Summary
Betrayed by his own kind and left for dead on a desolate planet, Riddick fights for survival against alien predators and becomes more powerful and dangerous than ever before. Soon bounty hunters from throughout the galaxy descend on Riddick only to find themselves pawns in his greater scheme for revenge. With his enemies right where he wants them, Riddick unleashes a vicious attack of vengeance before returning to his home planet of Furya to save it from destruction.

Genre : Comedy/Romance/SF
Country: USA

Cast :
Domhnall Gleeson : Tim
Rachel McAdams : Mary
Bill Nighy : De vader

Director:
Richard Curtis

Summary
At the age of 21, Tim Lake discovers he can travel in time... The night after another unsatisfactory New Year party, Tim's father tells his son that the men in his family have always had the ability to travel through time. Tim can't change history, but he can change what happens and has happened in his own life-so he decides to make his world a better place...by getting a girlfriend. Sadly, that turns out not to be as easy as you might think.

Genre : SF
Country: USA

Cast :
Sandra Bullock : Ryan Stone
George Clooney : Matt Kowalsky
Ed Harris : stem vanuit Houston

Director:
Alfonso Cuaron

Summary
Dr. Ryan Stone is a brilliant medical engineer on her first shuttle mission, with veteran astronaut Matt Kowalsky in command of his last flight before retiring. But on a seemingly routine spacewalk, disaster strikes. The shuttle is destroyed, leaving Stone and Kowalsky completely alone - tethered to nothing but each other and spiraling out into the blackness.

Genre : Thriller
Country: USA

Cast :
Samuel L. Jackson : Richie
Luke Wilson : John
Leslie Bibb : Joanie

Director:
Chris Fisher

Summary
The real estate agent John is down on his luck: he has been just fired from his job; his home has been sent into foreclosure; and his marriage is going downhill. On his birthday, his wife Joanie has an argument with him and she takes their children walking. Out of the blue, stranger Richie knocks on his front door and asks for help, since his car is not starting. John helps to push the car but hurts his leg, and Richie offers to take him to the hospital. Richie is inconvenient and along their journey, John realizes that the man is a psychopath killer that commits a spree killing everywhere they go.

Genre : Crime/Thriller
Country: USA

Cast :
Justin Timberlake : Richie Furst
Ben Affleck : Ivan Block
Gemma Arterton : Rebecca Shafran

Director :
Brad Furman

Summary
Princeton grad student Richie, believing he's been swindled, travels to Costa Rica to confront online gambling tycoon Ivan Block. Richie is seduced by Block's promise of immense wealth, until he learns the disturbing truth about his benefactor. When the FBI tries to coerce Richie to help bring down Block, Richie faces his biggest gamble ever: attempting to outmaneuver the two forces closing in on him.