Die Hard will forever be remembered as one of the best action films of all time. It had the 3 Cs: perfect characterisation, coordination and above all charisma. Man on a Ledge has 50% of the before-mentioned values.
Man on a Ledge's concept is about the same as Bruce Willis's Die Hard. An ex-cop and fugitive (Sam Worthington) stands on the ledge of a high-rise building as negotiator (Elizabeth Banks) tries to convince him not to jump. Secrets are revealed during the process and the police must hurry up to find out what made the man jump to such heights. The plot is intriguing, and Banks along with the protagonist played by Ed Harris (The Rock) acted well. The direction well not as good as Die Hard's John McTiernan is above average. The first half is plastered with flashbacks revealing the background story.
However, the film has many cons. Mainly Worthington is not at all convincing as a man on the ledge of such a high building. He is one of the stone-faced actors of H-town. So it's not surprising he was cast in Terminator: Salvation as a cyborg. Even The Rock is a better actor than him having the ironic stage name. Worthington could be filmed standing on the rooftop of Burj Khalifa without an expression on his face. With such an almost-unique storyline it is depressing that such a followthrough was written. The audience and critics would've expected witty conversations between Banks and Worthington but all we get is wry humour. Action scenes are not worth mentioning to friends and the people watching the scene from the streets seem like wax figures. Where are the gasps? Ironic comments? The direction is a non-thrilling and non-realistic depiction of post-tragedy in New York City. And the motion picture becomes predictable after the first hour of its 102 mins length.
The film is directed by Asger Leth and written by Pablo F. Fenjves whose a TV movie writer this being his 1st feature-length film and it comes as no surprise. He has potential to become great but for the present a mediocre screen-author. It opened at 8th on the US Box Office (Jan 27, 2012) earning a total global gross of just above its $42m budget as deserved. Man on a Ledge is a good thriller and entertaining for a one-time watch. But in the end we realise that this was not worth comparing with Die Hard.
IMDB: 6.7/10.
Rotten Tomatoes: 31%.
Box Office 101: 2/4.
April 20, 2012
Samuel L. Jackson has starred in both big budget features (The cult classic Pulp Fiction garnering an Oscar nomination, 3 prequels of Star W...
Samuel L. Jackson has starred in both big budget features (The cult classic Pulp Fiction garnering an Oscar nomination, 3 prequels of Star Wars, Lakeview Terrace and ) and low-budget mainstream flicks (Meeting Evil). As of October 011, he is the higest-grossing actor of all time. He's one of my favourite H-wood performers and my favourite African-American thespian. The Samaritan is one where his credentials shouldn't have been.
The movie consists of Foley (L. Jackson) finishing with 20 years in prison and looking for an end to life as a grifter (con artist). But things start leading to a relapse after he hooks up with a young lady Iris (Ruth Negga). The premise is simple, the direction satisfactory, and the movie is boring. Predictability is high in this neo-noir crime thriller. For those who've watched loads of crime thrillers, please skip this one. For Jackson fans I ask of the same. And the general audience will be delivered with the same. Except the starting quote, ''Nothing changes unless you make it change'', rest of the dialogues are dry. A bad script reigns over a super-cliched background plot. Although you would've like Jackson's character mentioning some intimidating one-liners.
However, there are pros, although few. The acting by all, especially Jackson is at the highest degree. They breathe life into their characters - sadly what the writers failed to do. The films kicks off well with suspense after 45 minutes. One top critic quoted that a feature-length has to draw viewers in 20 minutes.
Directed by David Weaver with a script by him and Elan Mastai - The Samaritan is hardly even a onetime watch. And for a better Jackson watch there's the early 2012 released Meeting Evil. With a 3/4 from Box Office 101.
This comedy film is based on a true story. And it seems so as the characterisation is top notch. This one was released at Video on Demand in the US and also filmed at the Toronto Film Festival.
The film stars none other than Sean William Scott. He's most renowned for starring in the first 3 theatrically released American Pie films. He has also starred in other films like Evolution and the underrated The Rundown with Dwyane 'The Rock' Johnson. His upcoming feature is the 4th cinematic American Reunion reviving his role as the cult favourite Steve Stifler.
Reunion looks awesome. I loved the 3rd - every scene was laughable. This time, as the title suggests, all the original characters come together again so it's gonna be a blast! It's got 42% from Rotten Tomatoes and was released on April 6 in North America.
Now for Goon. The story follows a bouncer (W. Scott) becoming an enforcer for a small-time Ice Hockey League and eventually moving up the ranks. The story is kind of original and better than most sports flicks. The acting by W. Scott and Liev Schreiber is well-suited for their roles. The action scenes in the film are catchy. And even a minority of the dialogues make you LOL. Especially between the two actors mentioned.
On the other hand, though the film has a newer concept most of the scenes aren't so laughable. You'll get through most of the film's funny parts but the drama seems as if it were forced upon. The romantic intimacy between Scott and the female lead (Alison Pill) isn't convincing.
The film is directed by Michael Dowse and written by Evan Goldberg and Jay Baruchel (who also co-stars). Baruchel is a bad actor he was OK in this though as if he finally found a role that suited him. Which is ironic as he must've constructed him himself. Eugene Levy is cast as Doug Glatt (Scott)'s dad. Levy is also best-known for being in the AP franchise having starred in all 8 films. To sum up, the characterisation and story make up most of the positiveness, but with useless dramatic scenes and also a predictable watch after the first 45 minutes, this is not to be included in Scott's best-movies list.
The Hunger Games still making audiences crave for more in its 4th week. The Three Stooges - based on a legendary American comedy trio enters at no.2 with just above $17m. Surprise as it was forecast by the co. to open at 10. The Cabin in the Woods (a LionsGate horror feature) enters at 3rd place. I actually thought it would beat Stooges but anything can happen in H-wood.
Titanic 3D going good in the US and way better internationally. It has become the 2nd movie to gross 2 billion after 2009's Avatar - both directed by James Cameron. American Reunion would've been at 1st last weekend if The Hunger Games hadn't released. AR has made $80m internationally off $50m.
(Figures from Box Office Mojo).
Battleship ranked no.2 in Malaysia behind Titanic and was released internationally on April 11. It will make its debut in the US and Canada on May 18. Taylore Kitsch (ill-famed John Carter), Alexander Skarsgard, Rihanna and Liam Neeson star.
Wrath of the Titans didn't gain much in American but made a global cumulative of approximately $260m off $150m in 3 weeks. Another sequel is up for grabs. Warner Bros. gonna be swimming in the money.
April 12, 2012
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....
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.
