Kate Beckinsale is Back-in-Sales. She has had a rocking year with Underworld Awakening being the first film of 2012 to cross the $100m mark. And her 2nd film Contraband also topped the US box office just making over $90m off a budget of $25m. It's a remake of the Icelandic almost unpronounceable film Reykjavik-Rotterdam and this time around the main actor in that film directed the American version.
The film follows Chris Farraday (Mark Wahlberg) an ex-smuggler saving his brother-in-law's (Caleb Landry Jones) life from a drug dealer by going to Panama to score millions of dollars in counterfeit bills. Jason Statham has a forte for one-last-job features but he doesn't look like a family man. So Wahlberg's OK here plus he's a good actor (The Other Guys, The Fighter). Beckinsale also pulls up the fed-up-with-criminal-antics-of-family wife. The film co-stars Ben Foster as Wahlberg's best friend and Giovanni Ribisi as the protagonist where everyone is a criminal.
The latter 2's performances were Oscar worthy but sadly you can't say that for the film. Contraband is an above average film. Good but not great. It has a lot of energy and the plot is good and story fast-paced with decent action sequences. But the main problems are with the lack of characterisation and the way the plot was carried out. The plot unfolds boringly and it seems as if it copied sequences from other robbery films (Oceans Eleven) yet did not have the potential to outdo them. The film also reminds you of the 3rd season of Prison Break being set in Panama.
It's written by Aaron Guzikowski adapted from the screenplay by Arnaldur Indriason and Oskar Jonasson who wrote the original. The shooting was top notch but writing, not so much. Hope he improves his skillset in the future. Like Roger Ebert commented, ''Contraband involves a lot of energy''. I agree and give the film 2.5/4.
April 12, 2012
Both thrillers released in 2012. Though different in the overview. Let us start with the former. Amanda Seyfried is not the prettiest o...
Both thrillers released in 2012. Though different in the overview. Let us start with the former.
Amanda Seyfried is not the prettiest of them all. But the kicking-ass tomboyish role suited her unlike the glamorous princess-like role in the 0/4 movie In Time.
The film follows teenager Jill (Seyfried) convinced that her sister has been abducted from the person who kidnapped her 2 years ago. The plot is simple but I liked how the movie progressed in a quick way. The acting was good. Other members of the cast couldn't even spare some emotions. The story gets predictable after every 15 mins but that's typical for average thrillers with such a mediocre story. Still it's a good popcorn crunch and you will not be bored.
The film is directed by Brazilian filmmaker Heitor Dhalia and written by Allison Burnett, co-written Untraceable (2008) and Underworld Awakening. It co-stars Jennifer Carpenter, Wes Bentley and Daniel Sunjata who is also starring in The Dark Knight Rises. The film was a bomb earning only $12m from a $22m budget but it deserved to at least cover it. A 2/4 from me.
Meeting Evil stars one of my favourite low-budget feature actor Luke Wilson (Idiocracy, Middle Men). Now for the awesome news - Samuel L. Jackson stars as the protagonist.
The thriller is Lakeview Terrace meeting Halloween. L. Jackson acts even more evil in this one. If they made Hollywood version of the Indian-produced Don then this guy would be in first place for the lead.
The trailer makes the movie seem a little slower. But it gets really fast-paced after the first half-hour. Luke Wilson acts to the character. I'm amazed he hasn't reached worldwide recognition yet being a better actor than his more famous elder brother Owen. The premise: family man Jon (Wilson) is taken on a wild murder-fuelled ride with a mysterious stranger (Jackson) and the film depends upon Wilson's antics to what to do next. The film co-stars hottie Leslie Bibb (The Midnight Meat Train) as Wilson's wife and she plays the country wife good. This film should've been internationally released. It had the potential to release the top 3.
Again, the film has many plot holes in between and it seems Jackson is somewhat immortals. But in terms of a low-buget direct-to-DVD and Blu-ray it's a great thriller. Trust me, worth a one-time watch and with Jackson you're in for the murder-fuelled ride of a lifetime. Also, the dialogues between Wilson and Jackson are memorable. They have an amazing I-want-to-kill-the-other-guy onscreen chemistry. Jackson's dialogue delivery is unmatched.
Meeting Evil is written and directed by mostly TV series filmmaker Chris Fisher (episodes for Cold Case, Warehouse 13). Hope he writes and directs more chillers in the future.
A 3/4...
April 12, 2012
I've watched two Arab-oriented films in the last two years: Prince of Persia and The Devil's Double (both a 3.5/4). And to add to th...
I've watched two Arab-oriented films in the last two years: Prince of Persia and The Devil's Double (both a 3.5/4). And to add to that group I recently saw Black Gold.
I didn't even see the trailer and didn't expect much from such an unknown feature. But the storyline was mesmerising. And I wondered why this film didn't garner the recognition it deserved. The plot follows a young Prince torn between his conservative father and liberal father-in-law during the 1930s following an oil boom. The pros are the unique storylineline, the characterisation and the superb acting by Antonio Banderas and Mark Strong. To continue that, it seemed the ambitious Arab ruler role was destined for him. I haven't seen much of his films but this is the best I've seen from him. You can't tell who's Mark Strong in the best. He got so well adapted to his role much like in Sherlock Holmes and Green Lantern. He could even play Andy Garcia (lookalike) in his biopic. Plus the film showed respect for the Islamic religion pinpointing to what Middle-Eastern folk think about it and how their cultures properly reflect it.
Also, the action is incredible.. The film is a screen adventure and you won't want to leave your seat. Of course you would expect such things being the most expensive Arab film backed by a one on a Middle-Eastern subject - $55m.
However, there are many plotholes and many critics have been angered on the account for not expanding the plot well enough. Also, Freida Pinto's role as a princess was too far-fetched. Making her an Arab is like making a black woman a white (no offence). Though her presence in Rise of the Apes and Immortals 2011 did not stop them from shredding the box office. And I'm sure she only starred in Immortals as the beautiful Oracle due to its director being Indian. But a bunch of screentime will be wasted on her in this.
Finally, excluding the heroine and the not so well adapted story, the movie is totally fun and has purposeful motive. It's worth watching more than once. It ranks 3 in Middle-Eastern based films after The Devil's Double and Prince of Persia. The film is directed by Jean Jacques-Annaud (The Name of the Rose, Enemy at the Gates), who has co-written with Menno Meyjes and Alian Godard. Based on the novel South of the Heart: a novel of Modern Arabia by Swiss writer Hans Ruesch.
A 3.5/4 as deserved.
April 12, 2012
TW LW Title (click to view) Studio Weekend Gross % Change Theater Count / Change Average Total Gross Budget* Week # 1 1 The Hunger Games...
Out all the surprises last weekend the Bollywood movie Housefull 2 reaches no.9 at the US Box Office. The film is directed by Sajid Khan, brother of ace director Farah Khan. The film stars Akshay Kumar and Riteish Deshmukh (only 2 originals from the first part). New faces are seen with John Abraham, Asin, Shreyas Talpade and a few others. Veteran actors Mithun Chakraborty, Randhir Kapoor, Rishi Kapoor and Boman Irani feature in supporting roles. There is also an item song by Malaika-Arora Khan.
The Hunger Games reaches the $300m mark in 3 weeks. And I'm sure audiences are hungry for more. Worldwide the film has made just above $466m at a budget of only $78m.
I'm surprised I didn't expect such a film to have a $847,132 opening in the US but anything is possible nowadays. John Carter continues its flop reign in the US with a total of just a little close to $68m off a mega budget of $250m. Globally, it has made just a little over $260. Although crossing its budget the mega-financed film is now a mega disappointment for Disney. But I have to see for myself if the film is as suckish as believed, many disliked the company's Prince of Persia which was a blast.
Two more movies opened last weekend. American Reunion, the 4th theatrically released film with all of the major characters from the original trio, has surprisingly failed to beat The Hunger Games. It debuts at number 2. Titanic 3D enters at no.3 - another big surprise as I had predicted it would land straight at the top. It has made a global cumulative of $61m (budget of only $18m for the 3-D conversion). So definitely this will be the 2nd film to reach 2 billion after Avatar. Salmon Fishing in the Yemen is at no.8. The film stars one of my favourites Ewan Mcgregor (Star Wars), and actress Emily Blunt. It is a drama film about a British man with Asperger Syndrome and how he stars gaining faith for a business idea after meeting his dreamgirl. I expect it to feature high class acting from Mcgregor as always.
And finally Journey 2 has left the office making just about $99m domestically.
April 07, 2012
This comedy seems that it borrowed a lot of cheesy one-liners from a multitude of other funny films. The film is directed by David Gordon Gr...
This comedy seems that it borrowed a lot of cheesy one-liners from a multitude of other funny films. The film is directed by David Gordon Green best-known for Pineapple Express (2008) which you can actually called laughable. I expected the same from this one. The film follows a college dropout having to babysit three kids for one evening.
The Sitter stars teen comedy star actor, producer and screenwriter Jonah Hill famous for Superbad and 21 Jump Street. So in comparison to Superbad this is a major disappointment. To star with the pros: the kids acted superbly. Their roles were distinct from each other so you expect some comic genius after the 1st half hour. New flash - you don't get it. The story is cliched and it seems Jonah Hill could've written it better even though he is 28 years old. Landry Bender acted the best of the three little musketeers and Sam Rockwell's role as a drug dealer was worth noting. Both roles outshined Hill's.
Now for more cons: only some parts make you laugh - a great minority. Most of the film borrowed ingredients from other teen coms but ended up with damaging the formula. Seriously, in some parts you can't figure out whether to smile or frown. Limited released ones have done it better.
The films also gets super predictable after the first half hour. Veteran comedy viewers won't like this although it will be OK for newer watchers. Still, it's just a time-pass film as nothing more. The film made just above $34m on a budget of $25m and deserving such The screenplay by Brain Gatewood and Alessandro Tanaka is too weak. Hope for more originality from both the writer, and a better choice of films to direct for Green. Micheal De Luca also produced one of the worst comedies ever The Love Guru 2009 and one of the modern greats Fright Night 2011. Here, he has produced a combination of the two.
1.5/4...
Rotten Tomatoes 22%.
IMDB 5.6/10.
April 06, 2012
Willem Dafoe is probably best known to international audiences for playing the comic book villain Green Goblin in the Spider-man series of f...
Willem Dafoe is probably best known to international audiences for playing the comic book villain Green Goblin in the Spider-man series of films and also the Americans for Antichrist and Daybreakers. All in all he is a terrific versatile actor.
The film is Australian. It's been filmed entirely in Tasmania. The story follows hunter Martin (Dafoe) assigned to find the seemingly extinct Tasmanian Tiger for a company. This eco-thriller would've been done better with a stronger screenplay. The directing on the other hand is top notch and many will be distracted by the scenery captured in most scenes. Still, it does not distract viewers from the slowness of the plot. Character development is strong but worthless as there is so less thrill and more drama. Adventure is not even strongly felt for the audiences that want it.
The Hunter fills in the non-suspense modes with mountain footage instead of progressing the plot further. Dramatic scenes bring a feel-good atmosphere but more emphasis should've been made on the hunter's search. The Grey relied on thrill over drama and rightfully so.
Dafoe is great as always but not as Oscar worthy as Liam Neeson's in The Grey. Sam Neil has a strong screen presence. Seems he likes to star in films with a fossilised history (starred in all 3 Jurassic Parks). The beautiful Frances O'Connor stars as the female lead. But I think her role was not that necessary,
The film was released to the Aussie public on 29 Sept 2011. It is directed by Daniel Neitheim with a screenplay by Alice Addison adapting the novel of Julia Leigh with the same title.
A 2.5/5 from me.
Rotten Tomatoes: 76%.
IMDB: 6.7/19.
April 06, 2012
Action dramas don't always stand out in the mainstream. They either have too little action or too much drama. An exception is Drive (201...
Action dramas don't always stand out in the mainstream. They either have too little action or too much drama. An exception is Drive (2011).
The film has already gained cult status. The plot follows as the unnamed Driver (Ryan Gosling) moonlighting as a getaway driver and how his relationship with his next door neighbour Irene played by Oscar nominee Carey Mulligan affects his dual life.
Gosling is elegantly bad-boyish in the lead. It seems that he was destined for this role. Mulligan also suited the unhappy wife with one son act but there's no sizzling chemistry between the two stars. The driving scenes stand out from most car films. This could give Fast and Furious a run for their money. The story seems cliched in the first half hour but boils into a superb mystery afterwards. The story is carried out greatly. Ron Perlman's role may be the best he has had ever since his debut. Although, it does get too slow in some parts, action lovers still get a taste of what they want.
The movie has made a total of just a little over $75m on a budget of only $15m. Great work by Danish director (who is famous in Europe for his Pusher films) and screenwriter Hossein Amini who adapts the novel by James Sallis not only for the screen but as a work of art. It achieved a standing ovation at Cannes as well.The film also stars Albert Brooks, Oscar Isaac and Christina Hendricks.
3 stars out of 4.
Rotten Tomatoes: 93%.
IMDB: 8.0/10.
