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• The Grey (R, 2012)

  - by Chiefilms

  I was kind of disappointed, I had high expectations for some reason, the trailer was amazing. Simil... read morear to a lot of movies, the trailer made it seem like Liam Neeson was going to take on a pack of wolves and just simply own them. He was going to take his certain set of "skeels" from Taken and apply them in the wild. It was more like "The Edge" but with a less sophisticated script. Liam was great but he had no support, it would have been better if it were just him trying to survive in more of a Tom Hanks situation. I need to watch the film again because my judgement was sort of clouded due to feeling mislead by the trailer. In the movie, they made the wolves look like mythological beasts, not wolves. What a crotchety ending, leaves you with blue rocket balls.

• This Means War (PG-13, 2012)

  - by fb1526363679

  This Means War is a very weak film that takes great actors and puts them in some kind of weird genre... read more mix of action/comedy/romance. I will start off by saying that McG has made some crappy movies in his day, and this might be his worst so far. Its very hard to ruin this kind of film but somehow McG does it, I mean first of all, what man would want to have a relationship with a woman who is cheating on him? That is just one of the many huge flaws this film suffers from. These two best friends would really find the same woman out of 143.4 million woman in the Untied States and have to fight eachother for her affection, I mean come on what are the odds of meeting the same woman. There were many things that made me mad, but mainly it was a pathetic plot that have given some good actors some down points in their careers. This weird genre blend did not know what it was, and it suffers terribly because of it.
  
  The story follows two CIA agents, FDR (Chris Pine) and Tuck (Tom Hardy), who are best friends and work as partners for missions. FDR is a womanizer and Tuck is just trying to find the perfect woman. Lauren (Reese Witherspoon) is trying to just find a great guy and ends up meeting and liking both FDR and Tuck, who at first are oblivious that they are dating the same woman. FDR and Tuck soon discover they are both dating Lauren, and they decide to let the best man win and see who she will pick, and this starts these two men to go to war with each other witch may threaten their friendship.
  
  The plot is so mashed up with stupid characters and some weird storyline about a terrorist wanting revenge that as it just went on it got more and more ridiculous. This is the kind of movie where the average movie watcher will like this bgecause they do not realize how idiotic and dumb this is and how a horny teen who is making a YouTube video could do this but really shorter. But what really killed me were these characters who the writers just try really hard to make completely stupid. The character of Lauren, is by all means a whore if you ask me, and you don't make the main actress seem all nice but she is dating two guys like some kind of tease, its just pathetic. FDR and Tuck are just really terrible friends if they realy would go through all this trouble to screw each other over and why would they even want to chase after a girl who is cheating on them in the first place? I also really hated lauren's friend Trish who is just the pure meaning of cliche and offered some really pathetic laughs if you ask me. Overall this story is for the simple movie goer who just wants a stupid time.
  
  The cast is some pretty great actors actually, and they even do some pretty good acting in this film, but the problem is their characters drag them down badly. Chris Pine first came to my attention when I saw the 2009 Star Trek where he was incredible and funny, but here he is given a bad role that is not going to help his career at all and where he was just supposed to be a stupid boy toy CIA agent. Reese Witherspoon is a damn Oscar winner and she is taking roles in a movie like this, where she plays a whore................ I was very disappointed. Tom Hardy is everywhere lately, he was in my favorite movie Inception, he was in Warrior and Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, and he is soon going to be playing Bane in Nolans next film this summer, so why this new and great actor would take on a role in a weird movie like this I will never know. You can't ask me why these good actors chose to be in a McG movie, because I honestly do not know.
  
  This Means War is a movie that just made me lose IQ points because I just saw what I already predict to be one of the dumbest movie of 2012. It was predictable, dull, and uses some of the dumbest jokes you will ever see in a movie. One postive thing I got out of the film was the action, which was so ridiculous that it was the only positive thing about the movie I thought. Even i will admit that I chuckled at a few moments but it was only because I still like these actors and they are fun people even if they did choose to be in a dumb movie. McG is a bad director, I am just putting it out there now and if anyone disagrees with me then i encourage you to watch Charlie's Angels and the sequel. I still have hope that these cast members will make smarter choices in the future and I guess I cannot get too mad, I mean if Tom Hanks can be in Joe vs. The Volcano and Al Pacino can be in Jack and Jill then I guess I can get over these actors were in a McG movie. If you see this movie then I encourage you to bring a magazine or something because it was so dull that even i wished I had one.

• Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance (PG-13, 2012)

  - by fb674646753

  A fantastic movie no matter what critics may say! Full throttle action scenes and some fantastic act... read moreing. Some lines may be cheesy but hey, what the hell, its a superhero movie! This movie is definitely worth seeing, and a great opening to the Comic Book Movie season of 2012

• Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace (in 3D) (PG, 2012)

  - by sicard19

  First off the 3d was mostly disappointing, it looked good at times, the pod race etc. but most of th... read moree movie it was barley noticeable. Seeing as this was the main reason for the re-release it seems odd. As for the movie everyone had already seen it. The pod race and lightsaber battles are great but not much else. The trade and diplomacy plot seems even more ridiculous and out of place as ever. Jar Jar Binks is ridiculous but seems to be on screen way more then he should. Sure there can be a goofy sidekick but they seem to stick him in scenes that don't need any comic relief and these ruin the flow and tone of the film.The film is still star wars, and enjoyable but the plot seems lazy and the Gungan aliens (Jar Jar's tribe) ruin the movie with terrible dialogue and accents and lame fighting. Probably best to pass on the first three films going to be released and wait until the original trilogy comes to theaters, if only to see how a 70's movie converts to 3d.

• The Woman in Black (PG-13, 2012)

  - by fb100001050230219

  ''The Woman in Black'' is a decent horror film. Nothing more, nothing less. I had a fun time while w... read moreatching it, but I know that I'm never gonna watch it again, because it doesn't have the creative scares or the entertainment value of other horror films. Daniel Radcliffe is solid in this film, proving himself to be a seriously talented actor. Ciaran Hinds is also awesome. James Watkins does create some great atmosphere in the first half of the film and there are a number of effective scares. The film also has a gorgeous look to it. However, ''The Woman in Black'' is rather uneventful at times, leaving you waiting for something interesting or truly terrifying to occur. There also some really clichà (C)d scares and the third act left me rather cold. ''The Woman in Black'' is nothing more than a watchable and at times mildly entertaining flick.

• Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace (in 3D) (PG, 2012)

  - by shawnewing92

  It's really easy to criticize the first prequel to the legendary star wars trilogy because the origi... read morenal star wars films were absolutely amazing. The few positives about this film are the visuals and the pod racing scene.
  
  The visuals in this movie are fantastic, and are a big leap from the last star wars films. The space scenes and epic battles look stunning with all the dazzling effects. The few action scenes such as the pod racing bring the film to life. There is so much excitement during the pod race with all the fast shots of racing space cars. The thrills of the pods making near misses and seeing the pods make wrong turns and exploding into shrapnel are a lot of fun to watch.
  
  Apart from the visuals and action scenes, the plot and character development are disappointing. The use of unnecessary goofy characters seems more annoying than funny. The always clumsy Jar Jar Binks character is the films attempt to reach a younger audience which seems unfitting in a Star Wars film. Even through this films flaws, the film is still plenty watchable with it's appealing visuals and fun nature.

• The Vow (PG-13, 2012)

  - by fb1526363679

  The Vow is not a romantic movie, its a tragic movie. This movie tries to pass off as a romantic fil... read morem but the whole time I just pity these two people, real romance movies like The Notebook or Titanic were at least about two people in love, but these two people are trying to fall back in love and that really depresses me in a way. I mean come on, we get to see two happy souls who fall in love and after her accident all they do is argue and bicker and we wonder if it is even a good thing if they stay together, like I said, that is not romantic, it's depressing. The characters however were what saved the film, they are such good hearted people except for a few jerks but the two main characters were really kind which was made it even harder to watch them go through all that pain and sufferering. This film does have a few good things going for it, but overall it was a very depressing movie and a huge disappointment.
  
  The story follows a married couple, Paige (Rachel McAdams) and Leo (Channing Tatum), who suffer a tragedy after Paige gets amnesia after a car accident. She only remembers a last memory from a couple years back when she was dating anither man and this causes trouble for the married couple. Leo plans to win her heart all over again by trying to do everything he did the first time.
  
  The plot (like I said) was very depressing and made me feel more sad then happy to see them together. These are such good people and they spend most of their time crying and trying to live with a complete stranger rather than enjoy there company and learn to love again. I mean you have to be made of stone to not enjoy these characters because of how many few flaws they have but its still just the way they tell the story with how she can't even remember her husband but she decides to live with him, how her parents are the cliche parental jerks that you see in these movies, and how they have those stupid friends who give really crappy advice and are just really dull characters. Speaking of the characters, the inly ones worth a watch are Paige and Leo mainly because they are the only ones having anything going on, nobody in this film besides them has anything interesting about them which is not a big complaint but I am just noting that don't expect to remember anyone besides them. Overall a very sad movie that is more drama hen romance (if this is what passes for romance).
  
  The cast stars two pretty big actors who are becoming some pretty big names in Hollywood. Rachel McAdams has impressed me with her roles such as Sherlock Holmes, The Notebook, and even Mean Girls and she can play a very good part. Here I can honestly say I enjoyed her acting once more, she has an innocence about her that made her tragedy much more able to understand and pity her more, and I can even say her and Taum have some chemistry but they story focuses too much on making them complete strangers. Channing Tatum is not a bad actor, he has proved that to me in Fighting and Public Enemies, and here he also is just a kind guy who lovesthis woman and he pulled it off very well, even if the director at times tries hard to make him a sex symbol. The other cast members are not even worth mentioning because they are not given a role important enough to even talk about, but I did enjoy these two stars.
  
  The Vow is that movie you will drag your boyfriend to or you are the boyfriend being dragged into watching it, and I cannot tell you what you will think but I can tell you it certainly will not be the romance moviue you hoped for. Now if you want a sad movie, you need to check this out right away but you cannot make a trailer that looks so romantic and then give us a movie that is just an hour and forty minutes of depression. This is inspired by a true couple who went through something like this but I can tell you right now that it was most likely nothing like this. This has just some of those Hollywood romance moments that get girls to come and watch so they can gaze at Channing Tatum, which ruins this good actors career in a way since he is seen as a sex symbol. Just like Robert pattinson, Harry Potter and Water for Elephants showed me he is capable of some good acting but Twilight ruins it for him. This movie may be great for those who loved Dear John or The Holiday (two films I dislike) but as for me I will stick with romantic films that have a emotional payoff and still feel romantic. So overall do not see this i you are hoping for the next big romantic film of the year.

• The Secret World of Arrietty (G, 2012)

  - by kiriyamakazou

  This was stunning. I saw it just days after going to the Ghibli Museum in Japan, and it was breathta... read moreking. I'm glad since I loathed the last Ghibli film I saw (Pom Poko). Arriety is the exact cure needed for such loud and obnoxious 3D CGI movies that come out every other week. It's quiet and full of soul. There are moments here that you wouldn't even get in a live action movie. Subtle moments of life and nature, that the animators could have saved time and money by not including them. Luckily for us, the details are all present. A shot lingers just long enough for a ladybird to take flight, or the mother to stir her tea after a conversation. What Ghibli understand, more than anyone, is that kids don't need bright/crass/non stop films. The quiet nature of Arriety is so relaxing, with gorgeous music from Cecile Corbel. First time director Yonebayashi shows that Ghibli has much more life and talent to give.
  
  I was very familiar with The Borrowers, and was a bit disappointed I was getting something original from Ghibli. I'd already seen the excellent TV Mini-series and the over-the-top American film wih Goodman. Ghibli have taken everything great about the story, and toned down the designs and motives, making this a realistic and engaging fantasy. The father is stoic and caring. Arriety is adventurous, but never annoying. Her heart is in the right place, but she doesn't get into a ridiculous amount of trouble. Being Ghibli we get a lovely little cat character, Niya. The designs are ace, and the world of the borrowers and the human beans merge beautifully.

• The Secret World of Arrietty (G, 2012)

  - by fb535316333

  Maybe I'm just desensitized by the genre or the studio's work in general but this film tries way too... read more hard to channel the "classic resonance" of previous works without the substance to carry it.
  
  It also felt like the animated direction and overall story boarding wasn't all too impressive. Maybe it's cause I have an artist's background or maybe because I expect a lot from the company but the film never really fully grasped the fact that it was animated, the film just... cruises along though it's painted backgrounds with visual lifelessness!
  
  It also very much ignores its supporting cast who end up playing minor if not no role at all near the final acts of the film's story. This being the case I'm left wondering why they didn't spend more time developing the relationship between Arrietty and Sho.
  
  Also, I'm really tired of Ghibli's ever outdated "classic" character archetypes. They're so BORING. Especially the heroine who lacked any emotional dynamism or defining character quirks. Sho channels the "innocent, gentle, sophisticated but young" appropriately with his health situation but even with that he had an awfully reserved reaction to the whole ordeal of "little people"
  
  It's a quiet, subtle adventure of a dying boy's encounter. Entertaining? Sorta. Beautiful? Not as much as it thinks it is. Exciting? Not really.

• Chronicle (PG-13, 2012)

  - by phubbs1

  Very dull slow take off for this comicbook type film as we see a bunch of teens just messing around ... read moreand talking crap whilst not much else is going on. The first half of the film is shown through 'Andrews' camera as he goes around filming everything and its damn annoying, of course its building characters but to be frank it doesn't seem that way as its really uninteresting.
  
  The way in which the three young males find the 'unknown object' in a deep dark hole after simply climbing down into it is a bit silly methinks, as if you would do that.  The object looks a bit like the spiky crystal like pod in which 'Superman' travels to earth in from the 78 film, anyway they all get infected or transformed or sick from the object and thusly gain telekinetic super powers...for some reason.
  
  The film is really quite boring until 'Andrew' starts to get a little warped with his ways and begins using his powers for 'evil' or bad as it were. From that point on it perks up allot with much more tension and some reasonably good special effects consisting of average cgi and average bluescreen work but some nice telekinetic movement work on people in places.
  
  There is a slight feeling of 'X-Men' as the sparks fly along with cars and chunks of building, almost a more realistic take with proper teen angst issues tossed in. The stress caused by family issues, school life and their increasing powers is well played out by the actor trio. The point where 'Andrew' finally decides he is now pretty much a more evolved human being and capable of anything he wants, a newly evolved 'apex predator', does add some great moments of edge of your seat thrills as you simply don't know what he will do next, he no longer cares for anyone including his super powered friends.
  
  Filmed almost entirely with handheld cams, or CCTV in some sequences, does add realism to the action but it also annoying too, like other films in this _b_style it can be hard to follow action as the camera jerks all over the show.
  
  So the first half of the film is dull and slightly rushed maybe but it gets much better once 'Andrew' loses it, its almost like a male version of 'Carrie' really, Dane DeHaan does portray the breakdown and instability of his character very well. Overall some nice sequences like the boys trying their new powers as they develop them, strong moments of family feuding and a good finale.