Category: 5 stars

Not films, but jewels. I’ve had great pleasure watching each and every one of these films. Most of them made me think about something I’d probably not otherwise. They opened my eyes. They changed me. Or, at the very least, they provided a heck of entertainment. I’ve watched most of these more than once. I have many of them on DVD or some other media. I probably want to watch them all again some time.

The Expendables

“The Expendables” – movie that I have been waiting for for so long didn’t disappoint me at all.  In fact, it was quite the opposite.  I enjoyed each and every bit of it.  It was everything I wanted it to be – a moderately paced, funny action movie with very simple story and lots of fighting, shooting, chasing, exploding, etc.

It was very well positioned in its genre.  In such a way even that makes it easy to excuse any shortcomings, be they holes in the story or acting or special effects. I’m not saying there were any, if there were any.  I’m just saying that even if you notice something that you don’t like, you’ll probably forget about it within a second.  There’s plenty to enjoy.

Of course I’ll rate this movie as 5 out of 5.  That’s both for nostalgic reasons and for a historical moment of all three superstars – Sylvester Stallone, Bruce Willis and Arnold Schwarzenegger – appearing in the same scene together.  And there was so much more …

Toy Story 3

Pretty much every Pixar animation release is an event for our family.  This time it was even a bigger one than usual.   “Toy Story 3” was the first 3D for Maxim.  All three of us went together – Olga, Maxim, and myself.  While Maxim can sit through a full length feature with no problem, we were worried a bit that he could get distracted by the glasses a lot.  So we went for the both parents combo, just in case.  Gladly, we were able to enjoy it from beginning to end with no interruptions.  Maxim did experimented with the glasses for a bit, putting them on and off, but eventually he settled and started watching.

We were actually waiting for this movie to come out.  Maxim is a big fan of the previous two parts, which we have on DVD, and which he watched more than a trillion times by now.  He also owns at least Buzz Lightyear toys, one Woody toy, and a bunch of other accessories.  And, of course, he quotes both animations quite a bit.

As with many other Pixar works, this one was even better than we expected.  Even with raised expectations. Everything was awesome – the story, the animation, the score, the voices, the attention to each and every tiny detail.  As always, there was a good combination of action, comedy, and morale, engaging both kids and adults.

The 3D was great!  Unlike other 3D titles which flood the movie industry these days, this one is an animation.  Which means that it can be rendered to quality 3D much easier, than re-shooting the film.

Overall, all three of us enjoyed it quite a bit, and I am sure this is not the last time we saw it.  So I’ll give it a 5 out of 5.  This is a must see family entertainment.

P.S.: Traditionally, Pixar opens its features with a short animation.  This time it was “Day & Night” and it was awesome too!

Apocalypse Now

The last time I saw “Apocalypse Now” was probably back in high-school, and it was with the Russian translation.  So I think it’s fair to say that I haven’t seen this movie until now.  I saw parodies, some scenes, and heard a lot, but I never actually sat down and watched it from beginning to end.  Until yesterday.

What can I say?  There’s probably nothing that I can say that haven’t been said about this movie already.  It is, after all, a classic.  And it’s even better in the version that I watched – digitally remastered director’s cut, lasting 3 hours and 22 minutes.

Two things that I liked about watching old films are actors and music.  Who even remembers any actors from this film, except for the Martin Sheen, who plays the main character?  He wasn’t alone there, was he?  Of course not.  Marlon Brando, Robert Duvall, Harrison Ford, and even a very young Laurence Fishburne are there as well.

As for the music, it was an interesting contrast.  Some pieces sound as good now as they did back then.  These include tracks by The Doors and The Rolling Stones.  Others, mostly background loops and orchestrated pieces, stand out and awake you from the view, reminding that many years passed since it was released, and that things are done differently now.

Surprisingly, the special effects, costumes, and the make-up stuff still looks nice.  There is not much action in this film, so maybe that’s why those background explosions and shooting don’t attract too much attention.

Overall, as I said, the film is a classic and a must see for anyone interested in great actors and directors, movie history, or the genre of war drama.  5 out of 5.

The A-Team

A few weeks ago I went to the cinema to watch the movie re-make of the 1983 TV series – “The A-Team“.  I haven’t seen the original, but I’ve heard a lot about it.  As for the new movie – I only saw the trailer, and I was hooked.  It seemed like my kind of action movie.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kM0ypzvuphg]

And it turned out to be even better than I expected.  From the first few moments, the film sets the mood and establishes itself as an entertainment-only flick.  What follows a non-stop waterfall of action and witty humor.  As far as action comedy goes, I think it’s one of the best films in the last few years.  Sure, “Iron Man” had its share of jokes, but “The A-Team” took it way beyond.  Just the scene of the A-Team using the tank to fight while falling down from the airplane is worth the money for the ticket.  But there is so much more!

Highly recommended for a fun Friday evening.  5 out of 5.

Harry Brown

Yesterday I watched “Harry Brown“.  It is a very dramatic crime movie with Michael Caine playing the main character.  If I were to describe this film in the shortest possible way, I’d say it is an English version of the American movie “Grand Torino” with Clint Eastwood.  It is not the same – the story is different, the circumstances are different, the outcome is different.  But they have the same theme – an old man, retired decorated veteran, taking measures in their own hands, after the younger generation going nuts and the rest of the world not paying any attention to it or not being able to control it.

While I really did enjoy “Grand Torino” – only now I realized that I haven’t reviewed it, which I will correct shortly – I think that “Harry Brown” is a better movie on this particular subject.  It is more dramatic, it shows the problem better, and it is not as much drag to watch.  There is some and much needed action in it too, unlike “Grand Torino”, which is purely a drama movie.

Even though both films seem to be shot on a low budget, at least compared to current Hollywood budgets, neither one of them looks cheap.   But this type of movies are not there for their special effects.  They illustrate the problems with the society.  They make you think.  And they also make you enjoy the acting.  Excellent acting is the backbone of “Harry Brown”.  Each and every character in this film is full and complete.  Each and every character is as realistic as it gets.  And in case of the young criminals and drug addicts maybe a tiny bit too realistic.  Some of the worst scumbags are shown as they are – the point where you think it’s OK to bypass the whole institution of criminal law and head directly to the right and wrong approach.

Overall, a very strong movie which gives both something to think about and something to experience.  Highly recommended.  5 out of 5.