Review The Incredible Burt Wonderstone (2013)

Review 
The Incredible Burt Wonderstone (2013)

genre:comedy

Abracadabra It's Magic!

It is beyond me why this movie has slipped by people's radar. It easily is one of the best and funniest comedies I have seen this year so far. So what is the deal? One thing you have to realize this is not a comedy filled with slapstick comedy or where it is relatively unknown how it will end. You will know how it will end. No,it's a feel good comedy. Therefore it's goal is not to surprise you with eventful plot lines but simply to bring you on a short journey to deliver you that good feeling in the end. And it completely succeeds in doing that. Another thing that is important to make the viewing experience more fun is the magic.You have to love it otherwise the appeal will be lost on you. Tied to the profession of magic performed by the main characters is the moral and universal element how important it is to love and be passionate about your job. I am not sure if all jobs require that but in this case you can see it does make the difference. I need to mention Jim Carrey's role in this one. He is like a combination of Criss Angel and Jim Morrison with a heavy Jesus complex. It's a villain that is not that evil but evil enough to know he is up to no good. It's a perfect contrast to Burt Wonderstone played by Steve Carrel who is the good guy with some bad habits. To be honest I thought that the whole cast was enjoyable and did what they had to do. I was laughing throughout the movie at the sometimes silly and childish jokes but wasn't really expecting high level comedy in the first place. In my opinion an underrated comedy that deserves better recognition.

Review The Call (2013)

Review The Call (2013)

genre:thriller

The Call is a little predictable but effective thriller. There are very few surprises apart from the ending which I thought was a little out there and hilarious.It will make you scratch your head but it is one that will work in  favour of the movie. The Call is a fast paced thrill ride of tension and good performances by Halle Berry and Abigail Breslin. For once the teenage victim is not annoying to a point that you want her to get killed. In the short time we get to know her and Halle Berry's character the viewer is made to care about both. And that is all there is needed to stick glued to the screen. However at a certain time in the movie, I believe after 55 minutes or so the the movie loses some steam. But the pace is picked up again in the last fifteen minutes where we even get a small reveal to give a little depth to the killer. I thought it was a nice touch and is something other film makers in this genre should do more often. I dislike thrillers where promises are made and never made good on. Here no promises are made whatsoever and still you get rewarded.It also is a good example to explain the motive of the killer without elaborating or distracting too much from the action. In this case it even adds to the suspense. That being said don't expect too much though. Fans of the genre won't see nothing they haven't seen before. Overall The Call does what it supposed to do which is keep you thrilled and entertained as long as it lasts.

Review Spiderman: Web of Shadows (ps3)

Review Spiderman: Web of Shadows (ps3)

genre:action/adventure

For quite a long time I was under the impression that Web of Shadows was an inferior title because from the reviews I read people weren't really digging it. But I have to say that I was pleasantly surprised to find myself enjoying the game. That does not mean there aren't elements to be critical about because there are plenty. First of all the game wastes no time with bothering you with a story. From the get go it is obvious that New York is in big trouble and Spidey has to save the day. This can be a little confusing since I thought I accidentally skipped a prologue cut scene. However it puts you immediately into action. And then you get a little tutorial of how to control Spidey. And let me say this. Web slinging in this game is a lot of fun. Another great feature is the combat. In previous games Spidey always seemed a little weak to me and here they improved on that and for the first time I felt truly powerful. And with the available upgrades that feeling only increased. Soon I had a heavy deja vu feeling. A lot of the game play mechanics somehow were familiar to me. Then it dawned on me that Web of Shadows has a lot in common with Prototype. If you take a moment and think about it there are more similarities than differences. Now you could take this info as something good. If you loved Prototype 1 and 2 you will also love this one. But of course this could also be seen as a bad thing since some want variety in their games. Personally that did not bother me that much since the fun factor of this game is incredibly high. Although I must admit that in the final stages some missions get on your nerve because they are repetitive and only prolong length of gameplay artificially. I liked that Web of Shadows was set up as a random adventure that was very usual in Spiderman comics. The inclusion of several other Marvel characters only enhanced the pleasure. Now this game is more focused on combat than in previous Spiderman games and this might be one of the reasons why a lot of people found the game to be repetitive. Like I said for me this only happened in some of the final missions which is after a lot of epic events that more than compensate the flaws. Overall Web of Shadows is a title that deserves to be played and should not be overlooked because it is not nearly as repetitive as it is said to be.

Review Bullet to the head (2013)

Review Bullet to the head (2013)

genre:action

Stallone was already back but this might make me rethink if he should be !

"Disappointing"

Sylvester Stallone and Walter Hill seems like a match made in heaven. Both icons that represent the best of what the Eighties had to offer when it came to action. With the revival of the old school action film like The Expendables 1 and 2 you would think that Walter Hill and Sylvester Stallone both could provide even more fireworks. Sadly their team up feels lacklustre at best. The bar scene in the beginning where our hero and villain meet was one full of promise.And in the final action scene there was a glimpse of what could have been. But everything in between these two scenes was average to unimpressive. Nothing is done with the premise of cop (Sung Kang) partnering up with hitman (Sylvester Stallone). Here we could have had nice bits of comedy like in 48 hours between Eddie Murphy and Nick Nolte. And here you can see the main reason why Bulet to the Head was destined to fail. The movie takes itself far too seriously. Even some of the jokes didn't really register because of the serious tone. I hate to say it but even Stallone's Stop! Or my mom will shoot was a better buddy movie than Bullet to the Head and that is saying something. Jason Momoa stands out as baddie and it is always a joy to see him do his thing. Other than that all I can say is that I found the overall viewing experience to be very disappointing.  

Review Spinter Cell 3D (3DS)

Review Splinter Cell 3D (3DS)

genre:stealth,action/adventure

The Splinter Cell franchise offers stealth gaming at it's best. It requires patience and some creativity to reach certain objectives. While you can play it as a shooter in some sections it is something I advise against because Sam Fisher is at his deadliest when he is surrounded by darkness. He is basically a ninja that is most effective when not seen. And frankly not really equipped to be played like characters in shooters even when that option is given. On the consoles and PC Splinter Cell already offered and still is offering the best gameplay one can imagine when it comes to stealth but on the handheld it failed to do so. Splinter Cell Essentials on the psp looked promising but after only playing for a few minutes I was fed up with it. The controls made it unplayable. Then I discovered Splinter Cell 3D on the 3DS. Basically a remake of Chaos Theory one of the most appreciated parts in the franchise.

And how is Splinter Cell 3D?

First off you can't really compare it to the console or pc games because for that a handheld of course lacks the hardware. But honestly this game in the franchise is exactly what I hoped it to be on a portable device. The lack of superior graphics are compensated by the 3D effect which is not that strong but still is very nice to look at.  The controls are smooth and is integrated extremely well with the touch screen. Some sections of the game were altered and tweaked to make it work on the 3DS which was very welcome but may make it easier for the more experienced player. However you still are required to play Sam Fischer as he is supposed to. Which means old school style like you had to play him in the first two parts. Chaos Theory had added a lot of options and gave you more freedom and ways to reach your goal. On the 3DS you are a little limited but I was surprised to see that there were still alternative ways present if for some reason you could not pass a certain point. Example: In the Battery mission there was a camera near an elevator that for some reason I could not get through without activating alerts. I tried several ways and each way resulted in the same. Very frustrating. But then I saw on a playthrough it was possible to avoid that camera entirely by jumping up in the room next to the eleavator and follow an alternate route. Then I realized that a lot of these missions were offering multiple routes. So for people thinking that the 3DS version is not deep enough think again. Of course there were times that the enemies could hear or see you even when they weren't near but those moments are more exception to the rule and are also present in the console versions. I only noticed one glitch that was a little freaky. Two guys I put down before a save suddenly appeared again standing however still very much dead after I loaded that save. Not once did I get the feeling that this game was rushed or not had been paid enough attention it deserved. I read a lot of reviews that felt like it was or that this game was far inferior to the original. And all I can say that I think that is not the case. If you play beyond the earlier levels a you feel just as immersed as you would on the consoles or PC. This is one of the few handheld that kept my interest through and through. And that is saying something because most titles on handhelds bore me after a while. One thing has to be said. You do have to like stealth and the mechanics that come with it. Definitely worth playing !

       

Review A Good Day to Die Hard (2013)

 Review A Good Day to Die Hard (2013)
 genre:action

"Odd duck in the franchise but still fun"

Die Hard and later sequels were examples of the more smarter action movies. Most of the action was enjoyable because of the likeability of the main character John McClane and thrilling plot lines full of little twists and turns. A Good Day to Die Hard is an example where those elements are almost completely removed. Bruce Willis tries his hardest (or simply not giving a damn and refuses to take it seriously) to compensate this by treating this latest part as a parody. He is making fun of his own character and what he is about. Once you get that you can't but help laugh with him and enjoy all the silliness that you will come across. I mean from all the previous movies in this franchise this has got to be the most illogical,nonsensical and stupid plot there is. Bruce Willis realizes this and treats this like an unofficial sequel. With this in mindset this latest part becomes a blast. The action is hard hitting and over the top but nicely done. It's an improvement for Director John Moore. But honestly he is not suited to make action films like these. He does not seem to grasp what makes the action intense and exciting. Even Michael Bay understands that....(having a Transformers Dark Side of the moon flashback)......scrap that understood that with Bad Boys and The Rock. You should put the characters in impossible and difficult situations where it is very unlikely for them to get out alive and on top. And then have those characters do get out of those situations in the most noble and heroic ways ever. It does not work if the main characters themselves go looking for trouble or acting as idiots. My advice is treat this as a parody and you will have a lot of fun watching.    

Review The Last Stand (2013)

Review The Last Stand (2013)

genre:action,modern day western

He said he will be back in many of his movies but after his adventure as the Governator it seemed he would not meet that promise. But apparently politic life wasn't exactly what he had hoped for. Begs the question IS HE BACK? As much I would like to say yes it's not easy to say it. Problem is that if the goal was to impress the world that Schwarzenegger has still got that magic that made him so enjoyable to watch him then I am not entirely convinced. Sure there were enough scenes with those typical Schwarzenegger one liners and humour but there were barely action scenes of him kicking ass which is something that made him so memorable in the first place.Now I do know that Schwarzenegger has become to old for these kinds of role and you can't expect that much from him. But the first trailer I saw hinted at an "I am too old for this shit" take on what we are used from him and that would have been awesome. A parody like that could have elevated the The Last Stand into more than it is. Except from a few comedic moments mainly provided by the supporting cast the movie takes it self too seriously. And that is never good when the story is simple and predictable and the acting by main star barely tolerable.There were moments where it looked like Schwarzenegger had forgotten how to act. (Yes,I am one of the few who does think that he could do so before in the genre that made him big). It looked like Arnold was a little lost. I hear you thinking. Who does this guy think he is talking about acting in an action movie, what about the action? The action that is present is solid and enjoyable but pretty tame and mediocre especially compared to Schwarzenegger's older stuff. But most of  the hard hitting kind is more or less there in the terrific finale. While this was enough for me to enjoy the The Last Stand I can't hide my disappointment and saying that this has to be one of the worst movies Schwarzenegger has starred in. And not because it was that bad. More because it pales in comparison to what he is known for. Which is something you can't brush off like that. Overall it is all about lowering expectations and not too get hung about what once was.