Man of Steel

June 14, 2013March 23, 2015
The Film Freak

7.5/10

Such a beautiful film with a cast that really hits a home run. Zach Snyder is back with another amazing piece of cinematography. As a fan of Watchman and the beauty of Sucker Punch (Cause not much else was great about that film), this movie only improved my opinion on Mr. Snyder. This is the film that every Superman fan has been waiting decades for. In my opinion, this is the greatest Superman film of all time. Great acting performances are handed in by Kevin Costner, Russell Crowe, Laurence Fishbourne and of course the amazing Michael Shannon. I didn’t really like Amy Adams as Lois Lane, but she is a football field better than Kate Bosworth. It also took some time for me to adjust to Henry Cavill as the man with the cape. I am not fully in his camp yet, and it may take another Superman movie to see what he can do when he is deeper under fire. The problem with making a Superman film and why nearly no one has been able to do it is because he is the strongest and fastest superhero on the planet. It’s hard to put someone up against him and make him seem defeated and vulnerable. Zod is an excellent choice to put up some adversity, but i had a couple other villains who i would’ve preferred. I absolutely loved the action and destruction in this film. After being slightly disappointed with Iron Man 3, Man of Steel redeems my faith in the superhero genre. My favorite part of the film was definitely the epic showdown between Superman and Zod which goes through buildings and streets like they are wallpaper. I longed for more scenes on Krypton as i felt they were some of the best of the movie. Overall, i definitely recommend this film and would like to hear your opinions on where it ranks among the original four Superman Movies and the 2005 Superman Returns

Hello Herman

June 7, 2013March 23, 2015
The Film Freak

4/10

Herman is a boy who shoots up his high school after years of abuse and torture. This film’s biggest problem (aside from it’s editing, sound, terrible acting and length of time) is it’s story progression. With a movie synopsis like the one i described, you know a story can’t go much further. Example – Boy shoots up school, boy either dies or goes to prison, Boy is put to death if he is sent to prison…..THE END. There isn’t anything about this film that makes you go WOW, or sets up a difference in the shootings we have had in our country. This film does offer a look into the mind of one of these children who are picked on, but it’s stuff we already know. It’s pretty much assumed that a child doesn’t just snap for the hell of it. There has to be a building up of tension and terror in a child’s life for them to let it all out. This film is just an anatomy of that. Norman Reedus does give a decent performance and has some shadows of his own, but that is definitely not enough to save this film. The movie was so generic that the news channel was called “American News”, i am not kidding. The news anchor and the governor are so overdone that it’s ridiculous. We are supposed to sit there and believe that they would get away with the things they say about Herman on TV? Even killers cannot be trashed like they are doing. Overall, i don’t recommend this film to anyone. It’s a decent look at a hate crime, but it doesn’t give you anything new to put yourself through 85 minutes of this slop

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

After Earth

May 31, 2013March 23, 2015
The Film Freak

7/10

I was very surprised with how much better this movie was than i thought it would be. Will and Jaden Smith are father and son (Big stretch i know) who crash land on Earth 50 years after it is deemed unlivable. From there, the movie tells a tale of boy becomes man in the form of Jaden Smith stepping out and making this movie his own. I was really surprised that Will took a backseat on this one. This is clearly Jaden’s movie and you know it from the opening 5 minutes. This film featured a lot of excellent fighting scenes with the creatures that inhabit the earth. The only negative i really had for this film was the annoyance of the accents that the main characters had and the lack of acting from Jaden Smith. I know he is a teenager, but he doesn’t even come close to inheriting his father’s range. Overall, a good movie that i would recommend to anyone who liked Will’s 90’s films.

Fast and Furious Six

May 24, 2013March 23, 2015
The Film Freak

7/10

A very fun movie that will make for a good time in any friend group. The movie had a lot of great qualities including non-stop action. It also featured great comedic turns by Tyreese and Ludacris. The biggest shining moment in my opinion for the acting was that of big time up and coming actor Luke Evans. He had a great role as the smart villain Owen Shaw. Some of the things i didn’t like about this movie were the way some things weren’t explained well within the plans. Also, some of the characters don’t have much to do or say because it is such a large ensemble. The biggest problem with this movie however, is the INSANE and illogical stunts. I understand that this is a Fast and Furious movie and most people will think i am whining for a bad reason, but this was unbelievable even for Fast and Furious standards. Just a total new definition of gravity portrayed in this film. Overall, i recommend it because it is one fast paced action thrill ride that doesn’t need cheap 3D effects to pull of a good film. Fun for everyone

Star Trek : Into Darkness

May 16, 2013March 23, 2015
The Film Freak

8/10

This sequel to the reboot explores the crew of the Enterprise as they lock horns with the great Khan. First of all, i am no Trekie by any means what so ever, but these films are more entertaining than the originals (to me) for a multitude of reasons. The characters are more human and can be related to in this film because they make the same mistakes that humans make everyday. This great cast is led by great performances from Chris Pine, Karl Urban, Simon Pegg and especially from Spock himself, Zachary Quinto. I personally think Spock is the best thing about these new films because he is played to a tighter friendship with Captain Kirk. Into Darkness circles that theory even further as it shows the tight bond between the two men and how they would do anything to help the other. This film is also fast pace and exciting. It has amazing battle scenes that you would have never seen in the original films. I get that technology has come a long way in 40 years, but when comparing the originals to this, you get to different sets of films. Clocking in at slightly over two hours, this film doesn’t drag at all. It keeps the audience entertained while revealing a lot about the character of Khan. I would have to say that i enjoyed this film even more than the first one and i look forward to the future of this franchise. I recommend this film to everyone because if i liked it, there is a chance that anyone will.

Mud

May 10, 2013March 23, 2015
The Film Freak

7/10

Matthew McConaughey stars in this coming of age tale about a man on the run and living on an island when he befriends two children. To be honest, i didn’t really know what to expect when i saw the trailers for this film. I knew i definitely wanted to see it because of the amazing cast (Reese Witherspoon, Michael Shannon and Sarah Paulson to name a few), but i didn’t know if it would be any good or not. My answer is that this is a pretty good film that tells a good story. The problem with that story is that it drags out at times and has pacing problems while getting to the big conclusion. The film runs in at 2 hours and 10 minutes, and really has no reason to be that long. Other than that, my only other problem with the film was the concentrating on some of the outside storylines. I would’ve appreciated a better telling of the stuff outside of Mud trying to get off of the island. This film is packed with good things though. This includes amazing performances by the two little boys (Tye Sheridan and Jacob Lofland, respectively). They give the movie a “Stand By Me” kind of feel with the great bond the two boys share. All they want is an adventure to get them away from their less than thrilling lives and they found it in this stranger who shows up out of nowhere. I also enjoyed the settings of this small town where the youths wonder what adult to trust, if any. Overall, i recommend this film when it comes out on DVD next week. If Mcconaughey doesn’t bother you too much, then give it a shot. It’s a little long, but a lot better than most of the theater releases that have come out lately.

The Great Gatsby

May 10, 2013March 23, 2015
The Film Freak

8.5/10

Really amazing remake that surpasses a lot of the things in the Robert Redford version. The performance of Joel Edgarton as Mr Buchanan was simply amazing. I loved the arrogance that he really mastered in that part. Leonard Dicaprio deserves an Oscar nomination. I am not sure if he should win, but a nomination at the very least. I also really enjoyed the 3D in the fact that it presented many beautiful landscapes. The 3D was subtle and not over done at all like you see in some movies. Some of the things that bothered me was the soundtrack. It’s kind of weird to see a film set in 1922 with Jay Z, Kanye West, Amy Winehouse and Beyonce playing. I don’t care if director Baz Luhrman likes to modernize all of his pictures, it just doesn’t work. I also didn’t like the performance of Tobey Mcguire. I thought he was a little overdone and a little old for the character of Nick Carradine. I prefer Sam Waterston in this role. They also took a couple of things and made them different from the novel; which i liked. The film does come in at 2 hours and 20 minutes, and is a little long. But i don’t really see a scene they could’ve cut and still gotten the effect out of each scene. The film has to be that long, and if the viewer doesn’t understand that then they have never read the book. Overall, i recommend this film on the grounds that it is another beautiful masterpiece by Baz Luhrman. It will be on DVD within a couple weeks, but it’s definitely worth a couple bucks at the dollar theater. I was glad i finally was able to see this film as it was one of the most anticipated for me of the summer.

The Iceman

May 3, 2013March 23, 2015
The Film Freak

8.5/10

Such an amazing and impacting telling of the famous mob hit man known as Richard Kuklinski. Michael Shannon gives an Oscar worthy performance as the man who is stone cold when killing over 100 people. This film is definitely one of the best films of the year and deserves a look by everyone. It’s got an amazing cast that includes Winona Ryder, Ray Liotta (As badass as ever), Chris Evans, James Franco, Stephen Dorff and David Schwimmer. It was great to see into the mind of such a notorious killer for doing the things that he does. This is a 100 minute movie that keeps you entertained every minute of it, and that is something very hard to do. The only thing i would’ve done to improve the film is to show a little bit of Richard’s early life before he became a killer. It does show an abusive relationship with his father, but nothing much more than that. I recommend this film to everyone when it comes out next week. Definitely worth a look.

Oblivion

April 19, 2013March 23, 2015
The Film Freak

7/10

Overall a pretty good movie that could’ve been a lot better. I went into this film with very low expectations and i think that is why it paid off well. Tom Cruise is part of a cleanup crew that is trying to pick up the pieces after an extinction war with aliens in 2077. I am not usually a Tom Cruise fan, but i feel like he brought a lot to a good character that i legitimately cared about. This movie has great action, well written characters and great cinematography that creates a beautiful film to look at. This movie could’ve easily fallen into the disaster of other Cruise films like Minority Report, but this movie had the genius that is Morgan Freeman and Melissa Leo giving a decent performance as the leader of the alien race. I don’t want to give too much away, but one of the things i didn’t like was the last two minutes of the movie. The ending (at least the one you thought) would have been a pretty damn good way to end it, and i probably would’ve given this film a 7.5 if it ended there. But the last two minutes are completely implausible and it leaves you with a bad taste in your mouth. I really had a fun time watching this film and was well entertained with the 2 hour run time. I recommend this film to sci-fi fans, but for anyone else i am not so sure. I could easily see people not agreeing with me on this film, so for non sci-fi fans i will say check it out on DVD.

42

April 12, 2013March 23, 2015
The Film Freak

8.5/10

It’s funny to go from my earlier review to this because this is one of my favorite films of the year so far. This film shows the struggles that Jackie Robinson went through in his rookie year in pro baseball. One of the things i loved about this film was the fact that it didn’t just show the struggles of Jackie, but the struggles of his family, friends and even his teammates. It was great to see this team come together as a band of brothers who had each others backs when they realized Jackie is their teammate. The only minor criticism i had for the movie was that it only covers his rookie year. I would’ve liked to have seen this story span over the first seven years of his career to the point of him beating the Yankees in the World Series in 1955. I felt that if you even had to make it a 2 and a half hour movie to get to that point that it would’ve been entertaining enough to keep up through that length. Other than that, it’s a film that i highly recommend to any sports or non-sports fan. The performances of Chadwick Boseman as Jackie and Harrison Ford as Branch Rickey are incredible enough to give this film a gander. I also really thought the cinematography of Ebbits Field was amazing. They got everything down perfectly to a tee with the stadium design of a stadium that has been gone for over 50 years