The Heat

June 28, 2013March 23, 2015
The Film Freak

6/10

This film was a lot better than i thought it was going to be. With that said, it is nowhere near a great film though. It has a great first hour and then goes on to fizzle out towards the end of the film. Melissa Mccarthy plays the same character that she does in every film, but it works a lot better for an R rated comedy like this. Even though i enjoyed Identity Thief more than this film, i enjoyed Melissa more in this movie. I think one of the biggest things with this film is that it will reflect more on the female audience. i don’t know if the male crowd will like it unless they are die hard Melissa Mccarthy fans. This movie had some great laughs mixed in with some amazing supporting actors. Michael Mcdonald (Mad Tv), Marlon Wayans, Taran Killiam (SNL) and Michael Rappaport just to name a few, really help Melissa with a script that has a lot of holes. Sandra Bullock didn’t really do anything to add to the film. It seemed like she was on sleep mode for a lot of the film. Overall, i did enjoy this film and laughed as much as i would expect to for a free film. I definitely recommend it to the female readers of this page. If you are male, give it a look and let me know what you think. I am curious to hear the male’s perspective a little more on this one.

The Purge

June 7, 2013March 23, 2015
The Film Freak

6/10

First off, i didn’t like or hate this movie. The difference with this movie as opposed to The Lords of Salem is that this film had the potential to be great. During the first 70 minutes, it is a good film. It gives a great build-up right to the point of the bad people breaking into the house. From there, it’s like the writers didn’t know how to follow in the last 20 minutes. There is a twist ending that gives the film life again, but they abandon it for an ending that is both predictable and corny. This film is enriched with good performances by Ethan Hawke and the leader of the creepy outsiders, Rhys Wakefield. The movie oozes in symbolism for the way we do things in our current society just to prove a point. This isn’t one of the finer points of the film. Finally, i finished the film wondering how all criminals and murderers obide by rules made by our founding fathers. THEY ARE MURDERERS!!! THERE ARE NO RULES FOR THEM!!!! I would recommend this film if you have a dollar theater in your town. Other than that, i wouldn’t waste your time in theaters.

12 Rounds : Reloaded

June 4, 2013March 23, 2015
The Film Freak

6.5/10

I really enjoyed this film from the underwhelming WWE Studios. This is a sequel from the 2008 film starring John Cena. This film stars Randy Orton and doesn’t include any characters or storylines from the previous film. First off, Orton is great for this role. He is a MUCH better actor than Cena, and can bring out the best of dramatic emotions when he needs to. I also enjoyed the vilain in this film. With the exception of one twist towards the end that makes no sense, i felt like we could relate to him a lot for the reasons he is doing the things he is doing. The film almost feels like an early Die Hard movie with the scavenger hunt that Orton has to go on to save his girlfriend. The only critques i have for this film are the normal for WWE Studios. Some of the camera angles they use are terrible and not the best shots for capturing the action sequences. They also don’t always write the best of backstories for their characters. Orton’s character in particular suffers from lack of a past. We don’t really find out anything about his character, and i think that would add to the good storytelling. Overall, 12 Rounds 2 is a good film, and among the top 5 for WWE films. It’s definitely worth a one dollar Redbox rental, so give it a shot

Iron Man 3

May 3, 2013March 23, 2015
The Film Freak

6/10

Before i begin my review i would like to point out the reviewers who will give a lot of movies a 10/10. This is especially the case when they see a superhero movie. Just because they left the movie with a good feeling they will give it a perfect score. To me, there has only been between 10 and 15 perfect score movies ever. The less you give out perfect scores, the more it will mean to a movie when you do give it a 10/10. With that said, a lot of people will give this a 10/10, but this movie certainly has it’s flaws. I won’t get into too many spoilers but The Mandarin character was TOTALLY ruined by this movie. The Mandarin is supposed to be every bit as smart as Tony Stark and the biggest menace that he faces in the comics and they totally bitched this character out. It’s a shame because Ben Kingsley is easily the best actor on the set of this movie and he is nothing more than a joke. Don Cheadle is also on sleeping mode in this movie and doesn’t find a lot to do. This movie also didn’t do a lot with the 3D effects. I don’t really see a big reason to pay 13 dollars for a 3D experience. On the positive side, Guy Pearce was amazing as a ruthless businessman who proposes a dangerous experiment to Tony Stark. I really felt that he was the best part of this movie. The action was also the best of the three Iron Man films that included an incredible scene with the destruction of Tony Stark’s house. It was also pretty cool to see William Sadler and Miguel Ferrer as the president and vice president, respectively. Overall, i would recommend this film in theaters but not in 3D. It’s not something that is needed at all. I would rank this as the 2nd best Iron Man film behind the original.

GI Joe : Retaliation

March 29, 2013March 23, 2015
The Film Freak

6.5/10

Decent movie with a lot of great fight scenes. The Rock and Bruce Willis were decent additions to this sequel. The 3D wasn’t really necessary because there wasn’t a lot that really made the 3D stand out in this movie. My favorite scene is probably the entirety of the snow mountain scene. Very awesome martial arts used in that incredible fast paced scene. Some of the dialogue as well as the implausibility is what really took away from the movie for me. I recommend it for fans of the cartoon and comic, but i don’t think it’s a necessity that you see it in theaters.

The Spectacular Now

March 24, 2013March 23, 2015
The Film Freak

6.5/10

Miles Teller and Shailene Woodley give a good performance to an otherwise empty script. I did like this film for the things it did do right. It represents teens from the way they talk and act to a perfect tee. Some of the conversations in this film are some of the same ones i see on Facebook today. It’s because of the two leads that this film receives a passing grade from me. Teller stars as an alcoholic teenager on the verge of graduation when he takes a chance on an unpopular girl at school (Woodley). The two surprise each other and share such a connection to one another that takes them through the rest of the school year. This film represents alcoholism in the light that it needs to be shown. It’s a real life problem with teenagers, and this film has the guts to make it a focal point for most of the film. The problem i have with it is that it’s predictable where it’s going and what is going to happen for the last half hour of this film. I actually accurately predicted the horrible event that would shake up their relationship by the end of the film. Another weird thing is that this film has some extreme fast forward scenes. We don’t hear much talk or see much preparation for Prom and then BOOM, it cuts to prom out of nowhere. We find out Teller needs a C to pass a class or he doesn’t graduate and then BOOM, it cuts to graduation. These are big events that need more screen time. The ending left me with good and bad feelings. Good because he confronts the problems within himself that have hurt his chances at a bright future. Bad because there are so many questions left unanswered. The Spectacular Now is a decent film that should be seen for it’s examples of the decisions we make having severe consequences. I just think for the most part that the audience who will enjoy this film the most is ages 16-21

The Call

March 15, 2013March 23, 2015
The Film Freak

6/10

Actually a lot better than i thought it was going to be. I really enjoyed all of the things the movie taught me about Emergency Operators. It’s crazy to think of all the things they go through in a typical day. This movie had a lot of action and decent dialogue, but the acting could have been better. I hated Abigail Breslin and found myself actually rooting for the killer because she was a beyond annoying teenager. The ending is kind of an anti-climax and cost this film a point in my review. I felt the movie would’ve been a lot better if Halle Berry stayed at the call center instead of going after the killer. I recommend it from a $1 Redbox, but i wouldn’t waste time on seeing it in theaters. Nothing special.

21 and Over

March 1, 2013March 23, 2015
The Film Freak

6/10

The biggest problem with this movie is it’s unoriginality. It’s a movie that tries to take parts from The Hangover, Sex Drive and Eurotrip, but never quite succeeds at it. There were a couple of good laughs in the film and the dialogue definitely sets a precedent for the future of profane comedy, but overall it is just too inconsistent to carry the comedy torch with the movies it tries to take from. The two main characters aren’t even original. One is a mixture of Vince Vaughn, Shia Lebouf and Stiffler from American Pie. The other one has to be Justin Long’s brother because he mocks him to a tee. If you do see this movie, one part in particular made me cross my legs in pain. The main guy gets a teddy bear……..well you know what? Figure it out for yourself.

Parker

January 25, 2013March 23, 2015
The Film Freak

6/10

Parker is a movie i really enjoyed. The biggest problem with this movie however is the fact that it suffers from -TJS (Typical Jason Statham). I like Jason as an actor, but his movies are the same scenario in every movie. If you have seen one of his films, then you have seen them all. Another big problem was the fact that this movie may have had the WORST editing i have ever seen in any film. Good notes – Jennifer Lopez continues to show why i adore her more in film than music. She has a way to trigger the emotions that you wouldn’t think she could do. I recommend to give this movie a look if you are a Statham fan. If not, stay away from it

Jack Reacher

January 1, 2013March 23, 2015
The Film Freak

6.5/10

Tom Cruise is back as a special forces soldier who is called upon to investigate an army soldier who he kept dibs on in Iraq. Reacher (Cruise) is basically a ghost to the world. No credit, no identification and no set location. He is a man who travels the world and prefers to stay a mystery. The Reacher character is certainly one of the brightest points of this film. He’s smart, cool and most of all, dangerous. This film starts off great in the first hour as it creates a different kind of film for Tom Cruise. Yes, some of his dialogue is annoying, and he plays the character too cool to ever take a bad guy seriously. But it’s the investigation into the Iraq soldier that makes this film really smart and clever. One of the things it does is look into five shooting victims that happens in the opening scene of the film. Through flashbacks, it shows us the events that led to the victims being in the crime scene area that day. That is something that rarely ever happens in murder mysteries like this. The characters stories usually don’t matter because they are dead at this point, and that is where this film is different. We learn that it was no odd coincidence that anyone was in front of the gun that day. The problem with Jack Reacher is that it peters out in the final 70 minutes of the film. 130 minutes is FAR too long for a film like this. Some scenes drag out way too long with dialogue that is represented just to make for funny scenes. Robert Duvall makes a cameo as a gun store owner who strikes up a friendship with Cruise. Is this friendship needed? Not really. Duvall is wasted here playing the same old man character that he always plays. The ending falls back into that cliche world of Tom Cruise films that some either love or hate. Jack Reacher is the best effort from Tom Cruise in a long time. With that said, it’s safe to give this film a chance by renting it through Redbox. It’s a long film, but i am willing to bet that everyone will find something they like about it. Cruise fans will love that Tom is back to his hip and cool style.