Author Archives: Brock Winspear
Hitchcock (2012)
Hitchcock (2012)
In Hitchcock Anthony Hopkins steps into the shoes of the Master of Suspense and they fit him quite well. In fact, he seemed so much like Alfred Hitchcock that at times I forgot it was actually Anthony Hopkins. They even have the same monogrammed towels, although, that’s merely a coincidence. Or is it?
Hitchcock is based off of Stephen Rebello’s non-fiction book Alfred Hitchcock and the Making of Psycho. The film gives you a behind-the-scenes look at the relationship that Alfred Hitchcock had with his wife and the struggle he went through to create his most popular beloved masterpiece, Psycho (1960).
I am a huge Hitchcock fan, and I was not familiar with a lot of the events that occurred in this story. The movie was a sort of tribute to the legendary genius film director. It was enlightening and very entertaining.
Just as Hitchcock was able to get tons of popular actors to act in his films, Hitchcock the movie is overrun with a number of great actors: Anthony Hopkins, Helen Mirren, Scarlett Johansson, Danny Huston, Jessica Biel, Toni Collette, Michael Stuhlbarg, Michael Wincott, James D’Arcy, Richard Portnow, Kurtwood Smith, Ralph Macchio, Wallace Langham, Currie Graham, Spencer Garrett, and Frank Collison. Sacha Gervasi directs the movie.
Helen Mirren is superb as Hitchcock’s wife Alma. The chemistry between Mirren and Hopkins on screen is perfect.
The filming of Psycho was very tastefully recreated in Hitchcock. Scarlett Johansson does an excellent job playing Janet Leigh. Jessica Biel is a great Vera Miles. I thought James D’Arcy was a pretty believable Anthony Perkins.
Anthony Hopkins did for Hitchcock what Daniel Day-Lewis did for Lincoln (2012). They didn’t just act the part. They became the part.
If you are an Alfred Hitchcock fan like I am, than you will most certainly enjoy Hitchcock.
I rate this movie a 9 on a scale of 1-10.
Buy, rent, or run? Buy.
Note: You might be wondering why the name Ralph Macchio sounds so familiar. He was the original Karate Kid (Daniel Larusso) in The Karate Kid (1984). Can you believe he is already 51 years old?
Arnold Schwarzenegger’s Impression of Jeff Dunham’s Walter Doll
I thought this was funny and I couldn’t resist posting it. Here is Arnold Schwarzenegger doing his best impression of famous ventriloquist Jeff Dunham‘s Walter doll. Do you see the resemblance?
Trailer for Grown Ups 2 (2013)
Grown Ups 2 (2013)
Can Adam Sandler do us all a favor and stop making unwatchable garbage. He has not made a good movie for years. Arguably his best movie in the last 7 years was Just Go with It (2011) and that is not saying much. Click (2006) was probably his last good movie. The majority of the movies that he made before Click were all hilarious in their own way. After Click, all of Sandler’s movies turned into pure excrement.
Was the first Grown Ups (2010) not bad enough? Do we really need to be subjected to a sequel?
In the first Grown Ups, Adam Sandler got all of his almost washed-up, aging comedian friends together (Kevin James, Chris Rock, David Spade, Rob Schneider, Tim Meadows, Dan Patrick, Colin Quinn, Maya Rudolph, Blake Clark, Norm MacDonald, Jonathan Loughran, and Dennis Dugan)to make a not so funny, not very family friendly, family comedy also with the likes of Salma Hayek, Maria Bello, Steve Buscemi, and Sandler’s wife Jackie Sandler and 2 daughters Sadie Sandler and Sunny Sandler.
So now 3 years later, he brought most of them all back together again and made a sequel. Is it safe to assume that they are all actually washed-up this time since they are back for more? He had to try to top the first one, so he added Taylor Lautner, Milo Ventimiglia, Andy Samberg, David Henrie, Alexander Ludwig, Steve Austin, Taran Killam, Nick Swardson, Shaquille O’Neal, Cheri Oteri, Erin Heatherton, and Melanie Hutsell to the mix.
I can’t believe Sandler pulled it off, but this movie looks worse than the first one. I will most certainly skip this film in the theatre and I won’t even waste my money at the Redbox. It would have to be free for me to watch this, and even that will be risky.
Dennis Dugan directed both Grown Ups movies.
The trash will be picked up on, I mean the movie will release on 7/12/13.
Trailer for Elysium (2013)
Elysium (2013)(click on the title for my full review)
Sci-Fi lovers rejoice. Elysium is coming.
Elysium takes place in the year 2154. The rich live on a space station and the poor live on Earth, but the Earth is in shambles. The rich are trying to protect their way of life, but the poor want in.
With an estimated $100,000,000 budget, the filmmakers are banking on Matt Damon and Jodie Foster to make Elysium a monster summer blockbuster.
It is written and directed by Neill Blomkamp who is most known for directing District 9 (2009).
The movie also stars William Fichtner, Jose Pablo Cantillo, Alice Braga, Diego Luna, Michael Shanks, Sharlto Copley, Talisa Soto, Ona Grauer, Terry Chen, Wagner Moura, Johnny Cicco, and Faran Tahir.
The film looks like it will be rich with special effects and action. This one looks like a must-see.
The movie is set to release on 8/9/13.
Trailer for Redemption (2013) Also Known As Hummingbird (2013)
Redemption (2013) (also known as Hummingbird (2013))
Jason Statham has been stuck making a lot of very similar movies lately. Hummingbird seems slightly out of the norm for him. The movie looks like it has a little bit more of a story to it and a little bit more heart in it. Although I could be completely wrong, that is just what I gather from the preview.
A man (Statham) assumes a different man’s identity in order to hide from the law.
The film also stars Vicky McClure, Lee Asquith-Coe, Benedict Wong, Ian Pirie, Agata Buzek, Ger Ryan, and Lee Nicholas Harris.
The movie is written and directed by Steven Knight.
I’m not sure that this movie would be worth seeing in the theatre. I’m also not sure if it will even get wide release in the U.S. or go straight to DVD. Either way, it looks like it would be worth seeing when it finally does come out on DVD.
I can’t find a U.S. release date on this one, but it is supposed to be sometime this year.
Trailer for The Purge (2013)
The Purge (2013) (click on the title for my full review)
I’m not sure that I agree with this concept, but it will definitely be a controversial movie. It will be interesting to see how this movie pans out. How could you end a movie like this?
The film looks like it will probably be pretty brutal. It would really be a scary world to live in if all crime was legal for one day out of the year. I don’t think that would solve any of the world’s problems.
I’m not sure if this would be classified as a horror movie or a thriller. Probably a thriller.
Ethan Hawke continues to choose eerie and gritty roles.
The movie looks intense, but I’ll totally have to see it.
Lena Headey co-stars. You might recognize her as the bad woman from Dredd (2012)
The rest of the cast is hardly worth noting. It seems like the majority of the cast includes actors who have had very small roles in movies and are not popular. You probably would not know who I am talking about if I listed anybody else in this movie.
It is written and directed by James DeMonaco and produced by the people that brought you Paranormal Activity (2007) and Sinister (2012).
The film is set to release on 5/31/13.
R.I.P. Roger Ebert
RIP Roger Ebert. June 8th, 1942 – April 4th, 2013.
The famous film critic died today in Chicago due to complications from cancer. He was 70.
A thumbs up to you sir!
Trailer for White House Down (2013)
White House Down (2013) (click on the title for my full review)
It never ceases to amaze me how often very similar movies release in theatres just a few months apart from each other. White House Down appears to be basically the same story as Olympus Has Fallen (2013). Is it a coincidence how both movies have titles that are so alike?
White House Down is directed by Roland Emmerich who is known for directing The Day After Tomorrow (2004), The Patriot (2000), and Independence Day (1996).
White House Down stars Channing Tatum, Jamie Foxx, Jason Clarke, Joey King, Maggie Gyllenhaal, James Woods, Richard Jenkins, Rachelle Lefevre, Jimmi Simpson, Lance Reddick, Garcelle Beauvais, Peter Jacobson, and Matt Craven.
The movie does look good. I will probably have to check it out in the theatre.
The film is set to release on 6/28/13.
Olympus Has Fallen (2013)
Olympus Has Fallen (2013)
Olympus Has Fallen fell short slightly of my expectations. A few events that took place in the film were so unrealistic that is took away from my suspension of disbelief. Parts of the movie were pretty predictable and other parts were almost laughably over the top. With all of that being said, it was an action movie and most action movies have at least a couple of scenes that are a bit much and a little hard to believe. It is all meant to entertain and this movie is filled with enough action that it does just that.
Antoine Fuqua is known for directing very raw and darkly intense films with good casts and Olympus Has Fallen falls in that category.
After the White House is overrun by terrorists and the President (Aaron Eckhart) is taken hostage, an ex-secret service agent (Gerard Butler) does all that he can to try to get the President back alive and help to retake the White House.
This is Gerard Butler’s best movie since Law Abiding Citizen (2009).
Aaron Eckhart gives a pretty decent performance as per usual.
Besides The Campaign (2012), I have not seen Dylan McDermott in anything good for a very long time, so his role in this film was pretty refreshing.
I have also not seen Ashley Judd in anything for a long time, so it was nice to see her in this movie.
Morgan Freeman has looked very old for a long time, but in this film he really looks ancient. He seems so old that his character is almost unrealistic. I have noticed that he is popping up in everything lately. It’s almost like he is trying to go out with a bang.
Rounding out the rest of the solid cast is Rick Yune, Angela Bassett, Melissa Leo, Radha Mitchell, Cole Hauser, and Robert Forster.
Overall, the movie is enjoyable and worth seeing. If you want to see something that is action-packed throughout, then Olympus Has Fallen will fill the bill.
I rate this movie a 7.5 on a scale of 1-10.
Buy, rent, or run? Rent.
If you liked Olympus Has Fallen (2013), then you will most likely enjoy White House Down (2013).
Oz the Great and Powerful (2013)
Oz the Great and Powerful (2013)
Oz is bursting with great visuals and powerful special effects so stunning that they are beautiful works of art by themselves. The film is full of crisp, vibrant colors that help to contribute in transporting you to another world; the Land of Oz to be exact.
Upon hearing rumors many months ago that this movie was going into production, I was extremely skeptical. Why doesn’t Hollywood leave well enough alone? Why do they insist on fixing something that is not broken? The original film (The Wizard of Oz (1939) is a timeless classic. It is one of the most famous and beloved movies ever made. Even 74 years later, the film could never be made better. Why try to even compete?
I found out that this new movie was going to be a prequel. I was still just as skeptical. I forgot about it for a while until I finally saw a preview for it. The preview was intriguing enough for me to want to see it.
Oz the Great and Powerful was very tastefully written and filmed. It did not try to compete with the original, and it never could. I was impressed by how the Land of Oz was recreated. No, it was not the same as the Oz that we all know and love, but it was a nice tribute to that Oz. The scenes in black and white were reminiscent to the scenes in Kansas that we all grew up watching. Not the same, but entertaining to watch.
The movie was a fun take on what happened in Oz before Dorothy got there. It tells the tale of how Oz himself ended up there. You get to see how the wicked witch became wicked and who her sister was long before she gets a house dropped on her. Glinda the good witch is there and so are the munchkins.
The movie is filled with capable actors like James Franco, Mila Kunis, Rachel Weisz, Michelle Williams, Zach Braff, Bill Cobbs, Tony Cox, Bruce Campbell, and Ted Raimi. They all give decent, likable performances. Nobody really stands out, but that’s okay.
I can’t imagine how much pressure Sam Raimi was under when he directed this movie. There are big shoes that he could never fill.
The film does not try to intertwine with the original and that is what strongly works in its favor. It is a whole different story and a whole different movie. If you don’t expect it to actually be the original, then you might actually enjoy it like I did.
I rate this movie an 8 on a scale of 1-10.
Buy, rent, or run? Buy.
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