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Battleship starring Taylor Kitsch, Liam Neeson, Rihanna, Brooklyn Decker & Alexander Skarsgard

Posted on August 10, 2012 Written by ripitup

Battleship movie poster - Battleship starring Taylor Kitsch, Liam Neeson, Brooklyn Decker & Alexander Skarsgard — Battleship starring Taylor Kitsch, Liam Neeson, Brooklyn Decker, Rihanna & Alexander Skarsgard. Also featuring Hamish Linklater & Peter MacNicol. Image via iceposter.com

Battleship Premise

Alex Hopper (Taylor Kitsch) is a 26-year-old guy with pretty much no ambition, to the annoyance of his older brother Stone (Alexander Skarsgård), who already has a prestigious rank in the navy. And when the broke Alex gets further into trouble trying to impress the gorgeous Samantha (Brooklyn Decker), Stone decides that Alex will join the navy and follow in his footsteps.

And while Alex is smart and talented, he keeps getting into trouble. It doesn’t help matters that his latest spectacle might end his career, and lose the chance to get accepted by his girlfriend Samantha’s father, Admiral Shane (Liam Neeson.)

But when aliens, responding to the signals sent to them a couple of years ago, arrive and start sinking ships, Alex will have no choice to grow up, fuel his energy in the right direction and try save not only Hawaii or America, but the rest of the world as well. The problem is, the aliens are far better- equipped and ready to destroy while Alex will have to do with lesser weapons, few men and the loss of people. It doesn’t help that they are shielded from the rest of the world so none can enter or exit the war zone.

So will Alex be able to pull it off without getting killed, losing more men and seeing the world fall to pieces?

Worth Watching?

Battleship is a fun action movie with really good effects. At 131 minutes, it could have been a little shorter. Especially right after the navy faces the presence of the alien ships/spacecrafts, the anticipation and reaction scenes are shot a bit too slowly for my liking.

But despite a couple of slow moments, the movie is quite entertaining whether you knew about the game it was based on or not. The beginning provides good comic relief as well a nice contrast to the man Alex is about to become.

I really like the supporting characters as well, especially the geeky, good-natured and perceptive scientist Cal Zapata (Hamish Linklater) who has to provide more balls than he ever had to in his life because scientists around him were too stupid to listen.

Brooklyn Decker also serves more than eye candy. In addition to being the admiral’s daughter, she is a physical therapist who finds herself right in the middle of the hot zone, thanks to her patient and gets some good ideas on her own to help the situation. And being the daughter of an admiral who is played by Liam Neeson, we don’t find it illogical that she doesn’t chicken out.

The aliens are also thankfully not green! Being from a planet with similar conditions to ours, they have some similar features so that’s a nice change.

All in all, despite being predictable in many parts, it still engages the audience in the war between humans and the aliens- which for the long part is mostly a war between Alex’s crew and the aliens.

Alex and crew got smarter and better with time, and the movie got better as time passed by. I had a good time, and started admiring the director even more. The movie is directed by actor/director Peter Berg, who I first saw as a guest actor on Alias, where he played Noah Hicks, Sydney’s (Jennifer Garner) old field-partner/ex-flame. He has acted in many good projects (e.g. Lions for Lambs), and directed quite a few. But he has definitely done a good job with the massive budget.

My complaint? Liam Neeson could have had more screen time, and kicked some alien butt, though he did say the coolest line in the movie.

Favorite line:

(Admiral Shane to the Secretary of Defense (Peter MacNicol)–angry that the secretary is barking orders despite the loss of men)

Shane: You want to send a plane? I’ll do it the second you come up here and put your ass on the co-pilot seat, sir!!

Highlights:

– The effects.

– The actors.

– The soundtrack. It’s all rock ‘n’ roll and I like it. They even played Thunderstruck from AC/DC.

– The latest strategy (ship) they use and how they use it.

– The one-liners and funny comments, as well as, humane reactions from several characters. and not just the lead.

– Battle putting the egos in check and turning them into a solid alliance.

– The setting: This has to be the alien movie with the best landscape ever! It is in Hawaii!.

Final Verdict:

See it. But of course if I have to make a list of recent expensive movies, this would be my order:

-The Dark Knight / The Avengers

– The Amazing Spider-Man

– Battleship.

Currently rated at 6.1 on IMDB. My vote: a solid 7.

Lockout starring Guy Pearce & Maggie Grace

Posted on August 1, 2012 Written by ripitup

Lockout starring Guy Pearce & Maggie Grace: Fun, Fast, Cool Action. Image via evrenselfilm.com.

Snow (Guy Pearce) is a highly efficient, smartass CIA agent who gets setup during his last operation. Secret Service agent (Peter Stormare) is convinced that he killed a fellow agent and was selling state secrets. Snow’s only ally is another agent, who seems to believe in his innocence. But Snow eventually gets sentenced to 30 years in prison.

Emilie (Maggie Grace) is the president’s daughter on a humanitarian mission, visiting the world’s most secure prison-the first and only prison in space.

It holds the most dangerous criminals, who are kept in a sleeping state. She thinks that this increases aggression and can even cause dementia, but the guards just can’t wait to send her back off after giving her an interview with one of the criminals. But when the interview goes awry and the criminal manages to break out, she finds herself held hostage with the other employees and her one guard.

Of course there is only one guy who is good enough to get her out of there alive, and it is Snow. Not that he is willing to risk his own butt to fight against a prsion full of psychos, bu he accepts it when he learns his partner Mace has been sent there. And hey, it is the only way to get around his own sentence.

From that moment on, Snow uses all his skills to save himself and Emilie, and find Mace- while teaching a her a few thing or two about being tough. And both Snow and Emilie find out that there might be more to the other one that meets the eye…

Unfortunately, the Secret Service just might be more concerned about saving the world from an infiltration of convicts than saving one woman, even though she is the first daughter…

Lockout is one of the funniest, most entertaining and exciting sci-fi/action movies out there. Actually, a part the prison is the only sci-fi element, but then again, it doesn’t seem that much of a stretch for 2079. And it is not funny because there is comedy, but because Snow delivers hilarious oneliners with perfect timing. And it is fun to see your well-built, effective and attractive agent deliver all the comedy with a straight face.

See Lockout- it is fun action at its best, and was co-written by Luc Besson. Make the action here Guy Pearce and you have a cool movie at your best, without an unneccessary love story attached.

Also on Guy Pearce:

Guy Pearce Trivia

The King’s Speech starring Colin Firth, Geoffrey Rush & Guy Pearce

Also on Peter Stormare

The Killing Room starring Timothy Hutton & Peter Stormare

The Vow starring Channing Tatum, Rachel McAdams and Jessica Lange

Posted on July 11, 2012 Written by ripitup

The-Vow-Movie-Poster with Channing Tatum and Rachel McAdams. Image via disneydreaming.

The Vow is Worth Seeing: Feat. Channing Tatum, Rachel McAdams, Scott Speedman & Jessica Lange

The Premise

Sculptor Paige (Rachel McAdams) and record studio owner Leo (Channing Tatum) are happily married and deeply in love – until they have a car accident that gives Paige selective amnesia- the last 5 years of her life are completely gone, all of 5 years in which she met and has been with Leo. Leo does his best to help, but things get complicated when Paige’s parents (Sam Neill and Jessica Lange), who she hasn’t spoken to in 5 years, show up and want to make a fresh start by taking advantage of her lost memories (and anger towards them.) Leo somewhat manages to persuade Paige to come back with him, but whatever he does seem to either upset or annoy Paige so she decides to stay with her parents for a while.

And not only she doesn’t remember Leo at all, the last thing she remembers is being in love with her ex-fiancé, Jeremy (Scott Speedman)- who is more than willing to take her back as he was never really over her in the first place.

We are given lovely flashbacks to how their relationship has been like, making us root for her and Leo- with or without her regaining her memory.

Can Leo make her fall in love with her again? Can he really handle that his wife only seems to be developing a crush towards him when he is madly in love with her? Will Paige’s memory ever come back, and how long can Leo hang on before having to let go?

I Loved It, but I’d Planned on Hating It.

I was so ready to find The Vow mediocre, yet I loved it. OK, for me to find it bad would have been strange – given that I love Rachel McAdams and can’t resist a good-looking lead, in this case Channing Tatum, who plays a very romantic character.

But come on. Amnesia and the question whether true love could conquer that? It sounded like a Nicholas Sparks novel. But then again, had he written it, either Rachel’s or Channing’s character would probably end up dead. They don’t die, so consider this one a very positive and needed “spoiler.”

But The Vow, especially for the diehard romantics, is touching and heartwarming. While it has more clichés than we can count, it makes them work and at the end of the day, it is all that matters.

The Clichés: Good and Bad

-Two beautiful people deeply in love. Oh, and not an ounce of fat or flaw on either of them.

– A great cast (Jessica Lange, Sam Neill as parents. And I like McAdams too), with many pretty actors: Channing Tatum, Rachel McAdams, Scott Speedman (Underworld, Underworld Evolution, 24th Day), Dillon Casey (Nikita), Lucas Bryant (Haven).

-Amnesia.

-The compromising mother who just accepts everything because……Nah. See the movie. But if I had a dime every time the married got away with what he did….

The Vow: The Perks

– Good soundtrack

– Great emotional/entertaining moments.

– A happy ending that is quite realistic that is based on a true story.

– The ex wasn’t a cheater and/or a jackass.

Why It Can Win You Over – despite the clichés

The Vow won me over. Because as typical as the storyline was, it was still hard not to feel empathy for all the characters (apart from maybe Jessica Lange and Sam Neill’s-at least until towards the end.)

I loved the little details such as how Leo won his sister-in-love over with the made-up Thom Yorke (front man of Radiohead) story, and how the story pretty much ended on a better note for everyone (except for one- you can guess who.)

And in the end, it is the right amount of cheesy yet heartfelt romance. What if it is a chick flick? It is a darn good one. If you want to cut down romance and see a different kind of film from McAdams, watch The Lucky Ones or Red Eye. If you want the romance to be a background device and comedy in the center, watch Morning Glory.

Hell, if you want Scott Speedman winning the girl’s heart, watch Underworld Evolution. It’s filled with vampires and werewolves and Speedman plays a hybrid. And I do prefer him with long hair anyway.

But as far as romantic escapism goes, it is a pretty good one.

The Criticisms

Audiences love oversimplifying things. Some people are calling Paige a bitch, whereas some find Leo a stupid, insensitive jerk. Guess what? They are all right. And all wrong. Because they both needed help, and they just needed to empathize a bit more. And where was the therapy?

Leo and Paige needed therapy, you just can’t deal with something on your own – especially when no one involved can be impartial. Yeah- and a separate therapy session for her family please.

But people make mistakes, hurt each other and if there is a way to come back from it, they do. Whether the relationship is worth it makes all the difference. Theirs was.

Recommended for:

All fans of the cast. Although if you are watching solely for Sam Neill you are better off watching Alcatraz as he is the main character, who incidentally has a long-lost love who is/was in a coma. For Dillon Casey, who plays the sister’s fiancé, you can always tune in to Nikita’s second season.

Chick flick fans. And I am a romantic chick, so I am not using the term condescendingly.

Those who think Nicholas Sparks could write some happy endings.

For those who compare it to The Notebook (also starring Rachel McAdams), I will write a compare/contrast post just like I did for Keith and A Walk to Remember.

Rated 6.6 on IMDB, a 7 from me. My love rate? 8/10. Enjoy!

The Adjustment Bureau with Matt Damon & Emily Blunt

Posted on July 7, 2012 Written by ripitup

the_adustment_bureau_movie_poster_ — The Adjustment Bureau starring Matt Damon & Emily Blunt. Image: collider.com

The Adjustment Bureau starring Matt Damon & Emily Blunt

Dave Norris (Matt Damon) is a promising senate candidate for New York until a past college moment comes out and kills his chances. While he’s preparing for his defeat speech, he runs into the beautiful and interesting Elise, who has been hiding in the men’s bathroom from the security because she crashed a wedding.

Elise and Dave hit it off, with instant chemistry and compatibility. Their magical moment is cut short when David needs to the speech and she has to outrun the security. When he sees her by chance one morning on the bus, the magic is still there and now he has her phone number.

Unfortunately, fate has other plans. Literally. Agents of Fate, or The Adjustment Bureau as they call themselves, have already decided on Dave’s fate- it is to get elected in the next election- and keep getting elected until he becomes the president. They believe Elise is a distraction and he would never be that politically ambitious if they happen to get together. So they intervene-by kidnapping Dave and explaining the situation.

While David is determined to keep his free will, they take away Elise’s phone number and threaten to reset him, meaning they’ll erase his memories (and everything that makes him him.) if he happens to tell anyone about them. Disappointed and upset, Dave doesn’t seem to have much choice…That’s until he coincidentally runs into Elise three years later, and explains to her why he hasn’t called…

Of course it will be hard to maintain a relationship when the agents are determined to keep them apart. And it all comes down to one question: Which is stronger- free will or fate?

Do you believe in fate? If you don’t believe in fate…even just a little bit, the movie’s point might be obsolete for you. The movie isn’t for the 100% fatalists either. Agents represent the events we can’t control, coincidences are events even they can’t control, and then there is the freewill and the question of how strong it can be.

I believe in making our own paths, but I can’t claim that it is all my own doing. There’re many things that I can’t control or change, but I try not to stray from the path I’ve chosen for myself. And in that, I identified a lot with Dave. He’s honest, idealistic, passionate and a true romantic. He believes in fighting for what he believes in-no matter what the odds are.

The movie has shown a fun yet frustrating portrayal of things we choose vs. things we can’t, and overall it has a very positive message of what we can do with our lives if we want it enough.

I loved the movie, but why shouldn’t I? I’m a dreamer, a romantic and a stubborn writer who’s determined to make all her dreams come true. Oh, and I’ve always liked Matt Damon and Emily Blunt.

Written and directed by George Nolfi – based on Philip K. Dick’s short story Adjustment Team.

7 on IMDB. 8 for the entertainment value.

Other Emily Blunt Movies Featured

Salmon Fishing in the Yemen starring Ewan McGregor & Emily Blunt

Wind Chill starring Emily Blunt & Ashton Holmes

The Jane Austen Book Club feat. Blunt, Hugh Dancy, Maria Bello& Kevin Zegers

Other Matt Damon Movies Featured

The Good Shepherd