Carrie (2013)

October 18, 2013March 23, 2015
The Film Freak

6.5/10

Chloe Moretz and Julianne Moore star in this remake of the 1976 thriller about a girl with telekinetic powers. This film wasn’t as bad as i thought it was going to be. The dialogue was awful, the high school kids were a little over the top with their villain hatred, and it’s a little hard to believe Chloe Moretz in this role. Moretz is a great actress and a great pick for the role of the prom scene, but it’s every thing else that i have a problem with believing her in the role. Moretz is too beautiful to play a role that was described as an “Ugly duckling” in Stephen King’s book. The prom scene is pretty badass though. They modernized it to make some pretty gruesome deaths that much more interesting. Julianne Moore and Judy Doyle were amazing as the mother and gym teach of Carrie White, respectively. Moore is one of those actresses that can play any role you put her in. She is just that damn good. I sort of wish the film were a little longer than the 91 minute cut that we received. I can imagine there are some decent deleted scenes as there was a good chunk of the story left out. Still, Carrie isn’t a bad little film. I would recommend it for the dollar theater if you want to get out of the house. We don’t really learn anything new in the story, so the only reason to see it is to see the performances by the different actors at the helm.

Birth of the Living Dead

October 18, 2013March 23, 2015
The Film Freak

6.5/10

This documentary about George Romero’s original zombie masterpiece shows us the struggles of introducing the world to zombies. It’s hard to understand today just how much Romero went through with trying to get this film into theaters and drive ins because the world as we know it today loves zombies. What i loved about this film was all of the stuff i learned about the cast, what it took to purchase the equipment and the copyright mistake that led to a horror classic possibly losing millions of the take it brought in. This documentary gives us some great in depth interviews with Romero. The master of zombies tells us that no one wanted to give a first time 27 year old director a chance, and how that was his motivation to get the film released. The only thing i didn’t like about this film was how many films outside of the horror world that it took credit for. I don’t exactly think The Godfather trilogy was made because of the negative ending in Night of the Living Dead. It’s a bit of a stretch to claim many cinematic classics, but i see what they were going for. Check it out if you are like me, and a big fan of the Romero zombie epics

Machete Kills

October 11, 2013March 23, 2015
The Film Freak

6/10

A decent sequel from the same people who brought you the legendary original. This film lays the ground for a very unusual trilogy. I will not give much away about the upcoming third film, but this film gave what it always promises. It had great and goofy action scenes with a lot of blood. It had laughs that were a little few and far between, but still there. It had crazy characters played by some big time actors. The best of those performances are from Mel Gibson and Cuba Gooding JR. Cuba is only in the film for a few minutes, but his performance is one of my favorites just on the attitude he brings to the role he is playing. Gibson is great as the villain of the film. He creates a Star Wars-esque scenary (Yes you read that right) that creates an over the top finale. The things i didn’t like about the film were petty, but they were there. I have never been a fan of CGI blood when there are so many amazing special effects guys anymore. Hell, Tom Savini was starring in the movie, so there is absolutely no reason for this. I get that they might do it to make it look cheesy, but i think human effects would make it even funnier. I also didn’t like the ground work laid for the 3rd film. I will definitely go see it, but i am not looking too forward to it based on the scenery. These films are all about the goofy, but sometimes you can take it a little too far. I recommend Machete Kills if you want a good time at the movies. There isn’t anything wrong with waiting till dollar theaters though to see it.

Metallica : Through the Never

October 4, 2013March 23, 2015
The Film Freak

6/10

The worlds of music and film meet in this concert film with the story happening outside of a Metallica concert. First of all, the band still has it. They put on an epic 10 song performance that makes you feel like you are there in the live crowd. Shot with the beautiful Technicolor cameras, it makes for an amazing stage show that pushes the music even further. The other half of the film stars Dane Dehann as a stage hand who is caught in the middle of an apocalypse outside of the stadium. His job is to deliver a mysterious bag that we never find out what is inside. This part of the film we could have done without, but i understand why they did it. There are some beautiful symbolism shots that include a burning scene that had to be near impossible to shoot. We just never learn why this whole thing is going on and we know even less about why this bag is so important. There is no talking during this part of the film at all, and they just act as action and fighting scenes to play to the background of the music. To me, this film could be summarized as one giant 85 minute music video, but i think it’s a little more than that. I have seen concert films before and this one leaves you with a little extra. I do love Dehann as an actor and wish he could have gotten more character development here. This film only played for one weekend at Imax theaters and it’s understandable. It’s hard to categorize this as a film or a concert. It’s an experience that has to be seen by all Metallica fans. If you aren’t a fan of the band, it won’t mean anything to you.

Thanks For Sharing

September 20, 2013March 23, 2015
The Film Freak

6/10

If Judd Apatow directed a film about sex addiction and the toxic traits that come with it, this would be the film he would make. Thanks for Sharing follows a couple of people in a group (Mark Ruffalo, Tim Robbins, Pink and Josh Gad) who struggle with the real disease known as sex addiction. This film does do a lot of good in opening the eyes of the world, and getting the word out there. It does have a lot wrong with it at the same time. For one, Mark Ruffalo just doesn’t feel right in this role. He comes off as a smarter man in all of his films and is quite good at playing the stereotypical genius character. That is why someone like The Hulk is perfect for him, because he is the side of Bruce Banner that is the scientist. In this role though, it just doesn’t work. He shares no on screen chemistry with his girlfriend in the movie (Gwyneth Paltrow) and that really hurts the scenes. Ruffalo is a great actor, but there are just some films that certain actors shouldn’t do. Tim Robbins however, was born to play this role. He plays a father whose own son is a drug addict. He struggles between the responsibility of leading a group and being a positive role model for his own child. Pink is also a breath of fresh air. For this being her first big role in a film, she really nails it. She brings such a deep sense of comfort and paranoia at the same time in her role as Dede. The scenes in this film were shot very well, but don’t take many risks. It’s a pretty safe movie with some real touching moments. There were just a couple of parts in particular that really took me out of the film. You can see some things coming from a mile away, and i think that is truly one of the film’s biggest weaknesses. Overall, the film is just OK, but should probably still be seen by anyone who is into films like these and 28 Days. As for sex addiction, i would stick with 2011’s Shame. It polarizes the disease in a more life altering nature.

The Family

September 13, 2013March 23, 2015
The Film Freak

6/10

I enjoyed this dark comedy about a mobster family who tries to start their lives over after their father is exposed. The thing that i had a problem with in this film is that it sometimes has problems identifying itself with the kind of film it wants to be. There are points that make you think this is a kickass action comedy along the lines of Red and Red 2, but then there are points that make you think this is a dark mafia film to the likes of Goodfellas. The first third of the film is the weakest part of the movie for me. It’s slow in transition and doesn’t tell you the things we need to know about the characters for the struggles they will face later on. The other 2/3 of the film is very strong when we start to see these characters settle into their environment. I really enjoyed the work of everyone in the family. Michelle Pfeiffer is starting to be similar with all of her movie roles, but she’s not terrible. Robert De Niro and Tommy Lee Jones have amazing on screen chemistry that really lights it up during the arguments that they have. They are best friends who really hate each other and it’s gold. I really enjoyed the final ten minutes of the film, but i wish they would’ve cut out some other stuff earlier and made this sequence about ten minutes longer. Overall, a decent film that i think warrants a dollar theater checkout. I don’t think i would pay the full price at a theater to see the film

Kick Ass 2

August 16, 2013March 23, 2015
The Film Freak

6/10

I have to say, i was expecting much worse after reading the critics reviews. First of all lets get it out of the way, this film is nowhere near as good as the original. I consider the original Kick Ass the child of the series. Kick Ass 2 would be the teenage version as there are a lot of hormones and teenage problems in this one. More on that later. If there is a Kick Ass 3, it would be the full evolution of these characters as they have now taken on the adult superhero role. My biggest problems with this film were the dialogue which isn’t funny at all. I laughed a couple of times, but they were more about the situation. I was a little disappointed that the best character in the film (Hit Girl) is nothing more than a “Mean Girls” storyline for 3/4 of the film. Chloe Moretz is great again as the purple haired warrior. Christopher Mintz Plasse also does a great job as the super villain Motherfucker. He provided the only laughs of the film for me. I also didn’t like the setting of this film. I know that seems like something stupid to complain about, but the first Kick – Ass had such beautiful coloring and cinematography that just isn’t present here. It still maintains that comic book feel which is nice, but the whole aura isn’t there. John Leguizamo and Jim Carrey were great in their roles for the 10 minutes each of screen time they received, but they were mostly wasted in this film. Nicolas Cage didn’t have much more screen time in the first film, and still made the most of it. I definitely think some fans will be disappointed with this film because it doesn’t pack the punch that the first one did. I am part of the crowd that thinks it is good but not great. I would recommend this film when it comes to dollar theaters. I think it definitely warrants a silver screen showing from some of the action scenes, and the Hit Girl Vs Mother Russia fight scene is definitely not to be missed

Planes

August 9, 2013March 23, 2015
The Film Freak

6/10

This movie had a lot of similarities to Dreamworks Turbo. Both films take place in a race where the little athlete that couldn’t has to overcome the big bad villain to win the race. Along the way, both films have side characters that tell the lead that they can’t win. This all leads me to wonder how many more times they can pull off the same premise. Cars was kind of similar as well, but Cars is my favorite of the three films by far. Planes isn’t a bad little movie, but it isn’t very original. As i said before, this premise has been done so many times that it’s completely predictable by this point. With that said, i did enjoy this film that had some great voice over work by Brad Garrett, Stacy Keach and Sinbad. Dane Cook wasn’t terrible as Dusty Crophopper, but his storyline wasn’t very exciting to me. The film is already planning for a sequel in 2014 and i hope it brings a little more with it. The animated world has been very blessed the last couple of years with Despicable Me (1 and 2), Wreck it Ralph, 9, Paranorman and many others. So it’s easy for a film like Planes to fall into the forgettable category. Clocking in at 82 minutes, it is a very short film. I think they could have taken more time to develop the story and make it a little different. I recommend this film to kids because they will love it, but i would pass for adults. It’s not a film that warrants more than a Redbox rental.

2 Guns

August 2, 2013March 23, 2015
The Film Freak

6.5/10

Honestly, i was a little disappointed in this film. It’s good, but it doesn’t have a lot of substance. The trailer pretty much tells you everything about the film, and you can tell the direction it is heading with all of the predictions in the first 15 minutes of it. I really enjoyed the team of Mark Wahlberg (stole the movie) and Denzel Washington, and you can tell they had a lot of fun shooting this film. The action is pretty good, the storyline reminds me of 1996’s Bulletproof, and they even manage to throw some great comedic humor into it. I guess i was disappointed because nothing out of the ordinary happened. Like i said, if you have seen the trailer then you have already seen 90% of this film. Bill Paxton is great as the bad guy. He is typically someone i am not a fan of, but he certainly fit well as a C.I.A agent searching for his 43 million dollars. I would only recommend this film at the dollar theater or to wait till DVD. It’s not something that would require you to put ahead of other (better) films that are currently playing.

Drinking Buddies

July 25, 2013March 23, 2015
The Film Freak

6/10

Not a bad little film, but i felt like the ending left something to be desired. Drinking Buddies is a film about two couples who go on vacation together and cheat on each other. The results are one relationship ends while the other continues until the truth is revealed. When i saw the trailer for this film, it screamed comedy. That is a very wrong representation. This film reminded me of a Kevin Smith Chasing Amy kind of drama. It stars a great cast of Olivia Wilde, Ron Livingston, Jake Johnson (Nick from Tv’s New Girl), Anna Kendrick and Jason Sudeikas. It’s funny that this film has Johnson in it because this film plays off as an episode of New Girl. It waits and waits and waits for Johnson and Wilde to hook up, and even dragging it out for the better part of the 90 minute run time. That was probably my biggest problem with the film; it was just incomplete. It drags in the middle while trying to bring these two together, and then the ending doesn’t even give you a definitive closure on all of the characters. I really think they could’ve invested more time in the dialogue and made these characters more presentable to the audience, but what you get is a film that seems like dragging even in only 90 minutes. One thing i liked about the film was the representation of alcoholism as Wilde and Johnson work at a brewing factory. Wilde’s character can definitely be described as an alcoholic and we see her life spiral down in shambles because of bad decisions. I recommend this film now that it’s out on DVD because you will only be spending a buck or two. I definitely feel it’s worth those dollars, but you will finish the movie wondering why you wasted 90 minutes on this film instead of something much better. There are definitely MUCH better dramadies that have come out in recent years

R.I.P.D

July 19, 2013March 23, 2015
The Film Freak

6/10

This film really surprised me a lot by how much i liked it. First of all, Jeff Bridges is phenominal in this movie. Had it not been for him, i probably would’ve knocked this film down to a 6. That is how important he is to this film. Aside from Bridges, you can just tell that everyone had fun making this picture. It radiates from some of the cheesiest dialogue of the year as they do it with a smile. This film did remind me A LOT of Men In Black. Infact, i could probably write a paper describing the similarities, but i would rather not. I also enjoyed the great action and some of the ugliest monsters i have ever seen. Some of the things i didn’t like were just two big questions i had. 1. If Ryan Reynolds isn’t allowed to say his name, then why doesn’t he just say the name of the killer? There is no rule what so ever about that, and even if his wife doesn’t know it’s Ryan Reynolds telling her, she at least knows who is responsible for his death. 2. Why don’t the mirrors reflect their avatar identities? It would be impossible for the mirrors in the car or in the bathrooms to show Jeff Bridges or Ryan Reynolds unless they were dead too. Last time i checked, mirrors don’t have lives, so it will always be a mystery. This film got a lot of criticism and is considered the biggest box office bomb of the summer. To be completely honest, i don’t understand it. With films like Grown Ups 2 and The Smurfs 2, i can’t imagine how this film does worse. I don’t feel that it is for everyone, and only 50% of the audience (maybe less) will like it, but i recommend it for having a good time at the movies. Above all else, Jeff Bridges kicks total ass AGAIN.

Turbo

July 17, 2013March 23, 2015
The Film Freak

6/10

This was a decent film, but is very unbelievable even for an animated Dreamworks film. Turbo is about a snail who receives magic powers that make him go fast. With these powers, he enters the Indy 500 to race alongside him longtime hero. The way the snail receives the powers and the way he does 226 MPH without even damaging his texture is what amazes me. The ending is comedic for all of the wrong reasons when the Indy 500 becomes a foot race. Things i liked about this film was the amazing cast which included Ryan Reynolds, Paul Giamatti, Samuel L Jackson and Michelle Rodriguez. I enjoyed the animation as Dreamworks is always on top of their game with great 3D and visual effects. In the end, i think this film is definitely geared for ages 9 and younger. Unlike Shrek, Despicable Me and Toy Story, i can’t imagine many teenagers or young adults getting an enjoyment from this. Overall, i recommend this film if you are bored and looking to get out of the house. I would honestly wait till the dollar theater shows it, but to each their own.