Ben Affleck has gotten a pretty raw deal over the past couple of years in Hollywood…his acting is almost routinely criticized, and that comes from not only some poor role choices, but also the fact that he is constantly compared to best friend Matt Damon. There is some silver-lining to this storm cloud though, because Affleck’s work behind the camera has been met with considerable positivity, especially 2007’s crime-drama, Gone Baby Gone. Now buzz was building for The Town, a crime-drama directed, written by, and starring Affleck…given the combination of the criticism for his work in front of the camera and the praise for his work behind the camera, many Hollywood analysts were intrigued. The Town was being billed as a combination of Heat and The Departed, two wildly popular films, and with the added acting talent of Jeremy Renner (who has been rising in prominence since 2009’s Oscar-winning The Hurt Locker); it looked like audiences were going to be in for a treat. Despite the criticism, I have always enjoyed Affleck as an actor, so when it came to The Town, I was willing to give him the benefit of the doubt.
Fortunately, The Town is a thrilling and thoroughly entertaining crime-drama with smart dialogue and acting, and which thoroughly showcases Ben Affleck’s talent as a director. Granted, the film did start off a little slow, but once the narrative hit its stride, the audience was fully engrossed in a story of action-packed bank robberies set against a character study of the residents of Boston, Massachusetts. In addition to sharp and smooth direction, Affleck also delivered on-screen, reminding audiences that he does have talent as an actor; but the real acting treat comes from Jeremy Renner, who play’s Affleck’s violent and thoroughly-psychotic partner-in-crime. When it comes to the actual heists, it’s pretty clear that Affleck’s brutal gang would easily wipe the floor with Paul Walker’s crew from Takers. With a blend of drama, action, and clever humor, all of which evoke memories of 2006’s Oscar-winning The Departed, The Town truly is one of the best films of the year.
For more information, please read the full review.
Overall Recommendation: Very High
Thursday, September 30, 2010
The Town: Full Review
The Town - (September 17th, 2010): R
Distributor: Warner Bros.
Opening Weekend Box-Office: #1 with $23,808,032
Domestic Box-Office Gross to-date: $48,692,072
Gross Revenue: $58,806,722
Budget: $37 million
Director: Ben Affleck
From a marketing perspective, the promotion for The Town was pretty straightforward, with trailers highlighting this newest crime-drama’s similarities to other classics, such as Heat or The Departed. Ben Affleck’s box-office draw has been pretty weak over the past few years, but after 2007’s Gone Baby Gone, industry reports raved about his ability as a director, generating comparisons to another highly-acclaimed actor-director, Clint Eastwood. Another significant draw for The Town came from the impressive supporting cast, which not only included Jeremy Renner (The Hurt Locker), but also Rebecca Hall (Vicky Cristina Barcelona), Jon Hamm (from AMC’s wildly popular Mad Men), and even Blake Lively (from CW’s Gossip Girl). As I said in my review for Takers, audiences love heist movies, and whether they were dressed as cops or nuns, Ben Affleck’s crew was sure to deliver considerable action. Early reviews were incredibly positive, so even though Ben Affleck’s acting track-record has been pretty weak lately, I was still excited for The Town.
Based off of Chuck Hogan’s novel Prince of Thieves and set in the Boston neighborhood of Charlestown, The Town follows lifelong friends Doug MacRay (Ben Affleck) and James “Jem” Coughlin (Jeremy Renner) as they operate as brutally efficient masked bank robbers. During the film’s opening heist, Doug’s crew takes bank manager Claire Keesey (Rebecca Hall) hostage, and even though they let her go, Doug finds himself attracted to her, and the two begin a relationship as she remains oblivious to the fact that Doug is responsible for her traumatic experience. It soon becomes clear that Doug wants to leave his life of crime, but between his loyalty to Jem and his obligations to local crime boss Fergie (Pete Postlethwaite), Doug is having trouble moving on with his life. Adding to the complications is FBI agent Frawley (Jon Hamm), who is chasing Doug’s crew with a shocking level of intensity. With all these different characters set against a volatile narrative, The Town is a truly inspired entry in the crime-drama genre that is sure to become a classic.
The most obvious positive aspect of The Town is its level of action and intensity during the heist scenes, which combine high-speed chases and brutal firefights to bring a sense of reality to the narrative…not that such robberies are an everyday occurrence, but that with enough planning, a crew such as Doug’s could pull it off. The acting is also surprisingly strong, whether it involves the chemistry between Affleck and Hall, the tenacity and determination of Hamm as the relentless FBI agent, or the subtly psychotic nature of Jeremy Renner, whose character has no qualms about solving his problems with a bullet. Ben Affleck also more than proves his talent as a director, smoothly combining all the scenes so that the narrative unfolds without effort, the cinematography complements the energy of the heists, and the dialogue helps audiences feel the emotional bonds of the characters and the rising tension between the crew as the FBI closes-in on their identities. And though The Town is primarily a drama, there are multiple instances of clever humor, which is more than enough to remind audiences of the humor that made The Departed so enjoyable. In the end, Ben Affleck’s newest film is surprisingly strong and definitely worth seeing.
The negative aspects of The Town are pretty trivial, but they are still worth noting. For instance, even though The Town ends up being a pretty engrossing film, it actually starts off pretty slow, which is strange when you consider that the opening scene is a heist…once the characters and setting are established though, you forget this weak point pretty quickly. And in terms of the Boston accents, some of the characters are pretty hard to understand, so I guarantee that I missed more than a few plot points. Some of the casting was also questionable…aside from Affleck and Renner, the film’s main crew is composed of unknown actors, which is pretty risky for a big Hollywood film, but to my surprise, it worked. As for Blake Lively, she was heavily promoted as a key part of the cast, but she’s not actually in the film that much, and even then, she only serves as little more than a background character…that’s just disappointing. However, in spite of these small criticisms, I still thoroughly enjoyed The Town and would recommend it to anyone.
From a box-office perspective, Ben Affleck more than proved his competency as a director, with The Town taking top spot its opening weekend with just under $24 million. Critics are still raving about The Town, and I expect its performance to remain strong for a while. With the summer movie season officially over, this newest drama proves that there is still more than enough draw for audiences to go to the theater. Notre Dame fans will also appreciate the subtle tribute to our beloved Fighting Irish…I know I sure as hell enjoyed it. Bottom line, don’t miss The Town, it is an absolute must-see
Overall Recommendation: Very High
Distributor: Warner Bros.
Opening Weekend Box-Office: #1 with $23,808,032
Domestic Box-Office Gross to-date: $48,692,072
Gross Revenue: $58,806,722
Budget: $37 million
Director: Ben Affleck
From a marketing perspective, the promotion for The Town was pretty straightforward, with trailers highlighting this newest crime-drama’s similarities to other classics, such as Heat or The Departed. Ben Affleck’s box-office draw has been pretty weak over the past few years, but after 2007’s Gone Baby Gone, industry reports raved about his ability as a director, generating comparisons to another highly-acclaimed actor-director, Clint Eastwood. Another significant draw for The Town came from the impressive supporting cast, which not only included Jeremy Renner (The Hurt Locker), but also Rebecca Hall (Vicky Cristina Barcelona), Jon Hamm (from AMC’s wildly popular Mad Men), and even Blake Lively (from CW’s Gossip Girl). As I said in my review for Takers, audiences love heist movies, and whether they were dressed as cops or nuns, Ben Affleck’s crew was sure to deliver considerable action. Early reviews were incredibly positive, so even though Ben Affleck’s acting track-record has been pretty weak lately, I was still excited for The Town.
Based off of Chuck Hogan’s novel Prince of Thieves and set in the Boston neighborhood of Charlestown, The Town follows lifelong friends Doug MacRay (Ben Affleck) and James “Jem” Coughlin (Jeremy Renner) as they operate as brutally efficient masked bank robbers. During the film’s opening heist, Doug’s crew takes bank manager Claire Keesey (Rebecca Hall) hostage, and even though they let her go, Doug finds himself attracted to her, and the two begin a relationship as she remains oblivious to the fact that Doug is responsible for her traumatic experience. It soon becomes clear that Doug wants to leave his life of crime, but between his loyalty to Jem and his obligations to local crime boss Fergie (Pete Postlethwaite), Doug is having trouble moving on with his life. Adding to the complications is FBI agent Frawley (Jon Hamm), who is chasing Doug’s crew with a shocking level of intensity. With all these different characters set against a volatile narrative, The Town is a truly inspired entry in the crime-drama genre that is sure to become a classic.
The most obvious positive aspect of The Town is its level of action and intensity during the heist scenes, which combine high-speed chases and brutal firefights to bring a sense of reality to the narrative…not that such robberies are an everyday occurrence, but that with enough planning, a crew such as Doug’s could pull it off. The acting is also surprisingly strong, whether it involves the chemistry between Affleck and Hall, the tenacity and determination of Hamm as the relentless FBI agent, or the subtly psychotic nature of Jeremy Renner, whose character has no qualms about solving his problems with a bullet. Ben Affleck also more than proves his talent as a director, smoothly combining all the scenes so that the narrative unfolds without effort, the cinematography complements the energy of the heists, and the dialogue helps audiences feel the emotional bonds of the characters and the rising tension between the crew as the FBI closes-in on their identities. And though The Town is primarily a drama, there are multiple instances of clever humor, which is more than enough to remind audiences of the humor that made The Departed so enjoyable. In the end, Ben Affleck’s newest film is surprisingly strong and definitely worth seeing.
The negative aspects of The Town are pretty trivial, but they are still worth noting. For instance, even though The Town ends up being a pretty engrossing film, it actually starts off pretty slow, which is strange when you consider that the opening scene is a heist…once the characters and setting are established though, you forget this weak point pretty quickly. And in terms of the Boston accents, some of the characters are pretty hard to understand, so I guarantee that I missed more than a few plot points. Some of the casting was also questionable…aside from Affleck and Renner, the film’s main crew is composed of unknown actors, which is pretty risky for a big Hollywood film, but to my surprise, it worked. As for Blake Lively, she was heavily promoted as a key part of the cast, but she’s not actually in the film that much, and even then, she only serves as little more than a background character…that’s just disappointing. However, in spite of these small criticisms, I still thoroughly enjoyed The Town and would recommend it to anyone.
From a box-office perspective, Ben Affleck more than proved his competency as a director, with The Town taking top spot its opening weekend with just under $24 million. Critics are still raving about The Town, and I expect its performance to remain strong for a while. With the summer movie season officially over, this newest drama proves that there is still more than enough draw for audiences to go to the theater. Notre Dame fans will also appreciate the subtle tribute to our beloved Fighting Irish…I know I sure as hell enjoyed it. Bottom line, don’t miss The Town, it is an absolute must-see
Overall Recommendation: Very High
2010 Summer Movie Season Review
After 33 films, I want to highlight some of the highs and lows of the 2010 Summer Movie Season. Thank you for all your support and please keep reading, Pantages’ Theater will continue bringing you as many reviews as possible.
1. Best Use of 3D: Resident Evil: Afterlife
Runner Up: Piranha 3D
: The growing popularity of the 3D format has sharply divided moviegoers, and while it’s true that a number of the “3D” releases have done little more for audiences than raise ticket prices, it’s a treat when a film makes excellent use of the technology. I still maintain that Resident Evil: Afterlife is the best use of 3D since Avatar, and though the runner-up wasn’t wildly popular with critics, there was still something horrifically entertaining about prehistoric piranha jumping out to the audience. Regardless of what you may think, the 3D format isn’t leaving audiences anytime soon, especially since LucasArts just announced that it plans to re-release all six Star Wars films over the next few years, with Return of the Jedi 3D hitting theaters in 2017 to commemorate the 40-year-anniversary of the first film.
2. Worst Movie: The American
Runner Up: The Last Airbender
: Well, there’s little surprise in this category. It’s no secret how much I hated The American (a train-wreck that only someone of Clooney’s fame can survive), and The Last Airbender was the brainchild of M. Night Shyamalan, who’s now trying to scare audiences by trapping people in an elevator. The American tried to be deep but was just boring, and The Last Airbender turned a popular cartoon series into a painfully embarrassing example of poor special effects. I saw 33 films over the summer movie season, and though I sat through some real pieces of trash, these two were by far the worst.
3. Most Overrated Movie: Scott Pilgrim vs. the World
Runner Up: Salt
: Critics absolutely raved about Scott Pilgrim, but although the graphics and special effects were uniquely impressive, the end result was still too weird to be enjoyable, even for a hardcore comic and videogame fan like myself. As for Salt, Angelina Jolie did give a good performance as a female super-spy, but I think her star power significantly overshadowed a mediocre and highly unbelievable plot. Don’t get me wrong, these two films definitely had redeeming qualities, but they in no way deserved the hype or accolades that they received.
4. Best Action Film: The Expendables
Runner Up: Iron Man 2
: The Expendables was a pure, testosterone and adrenaline-filled, guy film…audiences watch Sylvester Stallone and his team of badasses go from point-A to point-B and kill everything in sight, and it was awesome, regardless of whether or not the script made sense. Iron Man 2 was an easy second, with Robert Downey Jr. and Don Cheadle using their superhero armor to send any teenage male into nerd-overload…granted, Iron Man 2 wasn’t as good as the original, but it was more than enough to please fans of the series. Next summer’s winner is going to be a far tougher call, with four superhero movies coming down the pipe, including Chris Evans in Captain America: The First Avenger, Chris Hemsworth as Marvel’s favorite thunder god in Thor, Ryan Reynolds in Green Lantern, and a whole new group of mutants in the series reboot, X-men: First Class. Get excited.
5. Best Comedy: Dinner for Schmucks
Runner Up: Get Him to the Greek
: I know what most of you are thinking…where’s The Other Guys? However, aside from some funny lines from Ferrell and Wahlberg, The Other Guys really wasn’t that great of a comedy…it boiled down to a buddy-cop film that got a little too political. Dinner for Schmucks and Get Him to the Greek on the other hand, were consistently hysterical, whether Steve Carell was trying to speak Dutch or Russell Brand and Jonah Hill were running from an insane P. Diddy. I know that many will disagree with me on this one, but based on my sense of humor, these two films were the clear comedy champions of the summer.
6. Best Movie: Inception
Runner Up: The Kids are All Right
: This one was obvious…Chris Nolan’s pet project absolutely astounded audiences with a thrilling (albeit confusing) story, an all-star cast, jaw-droppingly epic special effects (seriously, how cool was the hallway fight scene?), and an ending that provoked countless debates. As for The Kids are All Right, Annette Bening and Julianne Moore delivered Oscar-worthy performances as a troubled couple, and had it not been for this indy-film’s limited appeal, I would have ranked it above Inception. Even casual movie fans owe it to themselves to see these two summer champions.
7. Breakthrough Performance of the summer: Jaden Smith in The Karate Kid
Runner Up: Zac Efron in Charlie St. Cloud
Honorable Mention: Sharlto Copley in The A-Team
: Hollywood is always on the lookout for growing talent, and this summer was filled with some impressive performances from unexpected sources. Jaden Smith successfully tackled an update to a classic film series, reminding audiences of his father and becoming an instant crowd pleaser. And like I said in my earlier review, Zac Efron actually made Charlie St. Cloud watchable and moved beyond his High School Musical roots. Even though I usually only name two films in a category, I can’t leave out Sharlto Copley, whose personification of the insane pilot Murdock was easily the best part of the disappointing A-team. Let’s see what these guys can deliver in the future.
8. Best Animated Film: Toy Story 3
Runner Up: Despicable Me
: Again, this category is no big surprise…Disney/Pixar struck gold again by returning to classic characters with a heartwarming tear-jerker that brought in more than one billion dollars in box-office revenue. Coming in at a close second is Despicable Me, thanks largely to clever humor, an impressive voice cast, and of course, the minions. Shrek tried his best, but he couldn’t come close to likes of a Spanish-speaking Buzz Lightyear or a moon-stealing Gru…I wonder, will The Smurfs (whose voice cast includes Neil Patrick Harris and Katy Perry) be able to take down Disney-Pixar as top animated film next summer?
9. Biggest Overall Disappointment: Jonah Hex
Runner Up: Knight and Day
: I had been weary about Jonah Hex leading up to its release, but even I couldn’t have predicted the near-epic failure of this comic book film…after less than 2 months in theaters, it only made just over $10 million, and was royally crucified by critics in terms of everything from a stupid story to the casting of Megan Fox…ouch. Then there was Knight and Day, which was seen by many as Tom Cruise’s last chance to redeem himself in Hollywood. The great tragedy is that Tom Cruise’s performance was actually good, but the movie itself sucked. Oh well, looks like we’ll just have to wait for Mission: Impossible 4 (Yes, they’re making another one…look for it in December 2011).
10. Top Distributor: Tie between Paramount and Disney
Runner Up: Sony
Paramount: Iron Man 2, Shrek Forever After, The Last Airbender
Disney: Toy Story 3, Prince of Persia, The Sorcerer’s Apprentice
Sony: The Karate Kid, Grown Ups, Salt, The Other Guys, Takers
: I’ve been analyzing the marketing and box-office performance of each of the biggest studios all summer, and when you consider the number of films released by the studios listed above and the subsequent success of those films, it’s obvious that each was able to turn a very nice profit.
Summer Box Office Champions (Source: Forbes; Numbers as of 8/24/10)
: Obviously, these numbers have changed since the initial reporting, but even with this cut-off, there is no way any other film is going to break into these top five. I had predicted either Toy Story 3 or Twilight: Eclipse as top-dog, and I’m very glad that animated toys dominated sparkly vampires. Hollywood has a lot to be proud of this summer.
1. Toy Story 3: $895 million
2. Shrek Forever After: $663 million
3. The Twilight Sage: Eclipse: $650 million
4. Iron Man 2: $622 million
5. Inception: $478 million
1. Best Use of 3D: Resident Evil: Afterlife
Runner Up: Piranha 3D
: The growing popularity of the 3D format has sharply divided moviegoers, and while it’s true that a number of the “3D” releases have done little more for audiences than raise ticket prices, it’s a treat when a film makes excellent use of the technology. I still maintain that Resident Evil: Afterlife is the best use of 3D since Avatar, and though the runner-up wasn’t wildly popular with critics, there was still something horrifically entertaining about prehistoric piranha jumping out to the audience. Regardless of what you may think, the 3D format isn’t leaving audiences anytime soon, especially since LucasArts just announced that it plans to re-release all six Star Wars films over the next few years, with Return of the Jedi 3D hitting theaters in 2017 to commemorate the 40-year-anniversary of the first film.
2. Worst Movie: The American
Runner Up: The Last Airbender
: Well, there’s little surprise in this category. It’s no secret how much I hated The American (a train-wreck that only someone of Clooney’s fame can survive), and The Last Airbender was the brainchild of M. Night Shyamalan, who’s now trying to scare audiences by trapping people in an elevator. The American tried to be deep but was just boring, and The Last Airbender turned a popular cartoon series into a painfully embarrassing example of poor special effects. I saw 33 films over the summer movie season, and though I sat through some real pieces of trash, these two were by far the worst.
3. Most Overrated Movie: Scott Pilgrim vs. the World
Runner Up: Salt
: Critics absolutely raved about Scott Pilgrim, but although the graphics and special effects were uniquely impressive, the end result was still too weird to be enjoyable, even for a hardcore comic and videogame fan like myself. As for Salt, Angelina Jolie did give a good performance as a female super-spy, but I think her star power significantly overshadowed a mediocre and highly unbelievable plot. Don’t get me wrong, these two films definitely had redeeming qualities, but they in no way deserved the hype or accolades that they received.
4. Best Action Film: The Expendables
Runner Up: Iron Man 2
: The Expendables was a pure, testosterone and adrenaline-filled, guy film…audiences watch Sylvester Stallone and his team of badasses go from point-A to point-B and kill everything in sight, and it was awesome, regardless of whether or not the script made sense. Iron Man 2 was an easy second, with Robert Downey Jr. and Don Cheadle using their superhero armor to send any teenage male into nerd-overload…granted, Iron Man 2 wasn’t as good as the original, but it was more than enough to please fans of the series. Next summer’s winner is going to be a far tougher call, with four superhero movies coming down the pipe, including Chris Evans in Captain America: The First Avenger, Chris Hemsworth as Marvel’s favorite thunder god in Thor, Ryan Reynolds in Green Lantern, and a whole new group of mutants in the series reboot, X-men: First Class. Get excited.
5. Best Comedy: Dinner for Schmucks
Runner Up: Get Him to the Greek
: I know what most of you are thinking…where’s The Other Guys? However, aside from some funny lines from Ferrell and Wahlberg, The Other Guys really wasn’t that great of a comedy…it boiled down to a buddy-cop film that got a little too political. Dinner for Schmucks and Get Him to the Greek on the other hand, were consistently hysterical, whether Steve Carell was trying to speak Dutch or Russell Brand and Jonah Hill were running from an insane P. Diddy. I know that many will disagree with me on this one, but based on my sense of humor, these two films were the clear comedy champions of the summer.
6. Best Movie: Inception
Runner Up: The Kids are All Right
: This one was obvious…Chris Nolan’s pet project absolutely astounded audiences with a thrilling (albeit confusing) story, an all-star cast, jaw-droppingly epic special effects (seriously, how cool was the hallway fight scene?), and an ending that provoked countless debates. As for The Kids are All Right, Annette Bening and Julianne Moore delivered Oscar-worthy performances as a troubled couple, and had it not been for this indy-film’s limited appeal, I would have ranked it above Inception. Even casual movie fans owe it to themselves to see these two summer champions.
7. Breakthrough Performance of the summer: Jaden Smith in The Karate Kid
Runner Up: Zac Efron in Charlie St. Cloud
Honorable Mention: Sharlto Copley in The A-Team
: Hollywood is always on the lookout for growing talent, and this summer was filled with some impressive performances from unexpected sources. Jaden Smith successfully tackled an update to a classic film series, reminding audiences of his father and becoming an instant crowd pleaser. And like I said in my earlier review, Zac Efron actually made Charlie St. Cloud watchable and moved beyond his High School Musical roots. Even though I usually only name two films in a category, I can’t leave out Sharlto Copley, whose personification of the insane pilot Murdock was easily the best part of the disappointing A-team. Let’s see what these guys can deliver in the future.
8. Best Animated Film: Toy Story 3
Runner Up: Despicable Me
: Again, this category is no big surprise…Disney/Pixar struck gold again by returning to classic characters with a heartwarming tear-jerker that brought in more than one billion dollars in box-office revenue. Coming in at a close second is Despicable Me, thanks largely to clever humor, an impressive voice cast, and of course, the minions. Shrek tried his best, but he couldn’t come close to likes of a Spanish-speaking Buzz Lightyear or a moon-stealing Gru…I wonder, will The Smurfs (whose voice cast includes Neil Patrick Harris and Katy Perry) be able to take down Disney-Pixar as top animated film next summer?
9. Biggest Overall Disappointment: Jonah Hex
Runner Up: Knight and Day
: I had been weary about Jonah Hex leading up to its release, but even I couldn’t have predicted the near-epic failure of this comic book film…after less than 2 months in theaters, it only made just over $10 million, and was royally crucified by critics in terms of everything from a stupid story to the casting of Megan Fox…ouch. Then there was Knight and Day, which was seen by many as Tom Cruise’s last chance to redeem himself in Hollywood. The great tragedy is that Tom Cruise’s performance was actually good, but the movie itself sucked. Oh well, looks like we’ll just have to wait for Mission: Impossible 4 (Yes, they’re making another one…look for it in December 2011).
10. Top Distributor: Tie between Paramount and Disney
Runner Up: Sony
Paramount: Iron Man 2, Shrek Forever After, The Last Airbender
Disney: Toy Story 3, Prince of Persia, The Sorcerer’s Apprentice
Sony: The Karate Kid, Grown Ups, Salt, The Other Guys, Takers
: I’ve been analyzing the marketing and box-office performance of each of the biggest studios all summer, and when you consider the number of films released by the studios listed above and the subsequent success of those films, it’s obvious that each was able to turn a very nice profit.
Summer Box Office Champions (Source: Forbes; Numbers as of 8/24/10)
: Obviously, these numbers have changed since the initial reporting, but even with this cut-off, there is no way any other film is going to break into these top five. I had predicted either Toy Story 3 or Twilight: Eclipse as top-dog, and I’m very glad that animated toys dominated sparkly vampires. Hollywood has a lot to be proud of this summer.
1. Toy Story 3: $895 million
2. Shrek Forever After: $663 million
3. The Twilight Sage: Eclipse: $650 million
4. Iron Man 2: $622 million
5. Inception: $478 million
Wednesday, September 22, 2010
Resident Evil: Afterlife - Short and Sweet
I’m not going to dance around it at all; I was extremely excited for Resident Evil: Afterlife. It’s no secret that horror films are usually pretty low on my preference list, but with its video game background and the inherent combination of action and suspense, I have actually been a huge fan of the franchise since the first Resident Evil was released in 2002. Not only has the Resident Evil film series been long regarded as one of the few successful video game adaptations, but it helped launch star Milla Jovovich as the premiere female action hero in Hollywood. Granted, the Resident Evil series is not for everyone, but with three previously successful entries, a sequel was no big surprise. What increased the appeal for Afterlife beyond the videogame fan boy base is the fact that it was the first film since Avatar to use James Cameron’s 3D Fusion Camera System. The summer movie season had been plagued with very weak uses of 3D technology, but audiences were promised that such would not be the case for Resident Evil: Afterlife.
Even though I thoroughly enjoyed Resident Evil: Afterlife, I have to acknowledge that it was painfully obvious that this film was made only for fans of the series. In relation to the three other Resident Evil films, Afterlife is by far the weakest in terms of story, as it assumes that viewers have seen and remember numerous details from all of the previous films. The only reason I was able to make sense of the story and forgive certain inconsistencies is because I’d seen all entries in the series numerous times. Fortunately, what Afterlife lacks in story it more than makes up for in its use of jaw-dropping 3D effects. With zombies jumping towards you and bullets flying past you almost constantly, I have no reservations about declaring Resident Evil: Afterlife the best use of 3D technology since Avatar. So even though Afterlife is a definite step backwards in terms of story development, it represents a quantum-leap forward for visual effects; if you can look past some of the weaker elements present, then this latest action-adventure entry is definitely worth seeing.
For more information, please read the full review.
Overall Recommendation: Medium
Even though I thoroughly enjoyed Resident Evil: Afterlife, I have to acknowledge that it was painfully obvious that this film was made only for fans of the series. In relation to the three other Resident Evil films, Afterlife is by far the weakest in terms of story, as it assumes that viewers have seen and remember numerous details from all of the previous films. The only reason I was able to make sense of the story and forgive certain inconsistencies is because I’d seen all entries in the series numerous times. Fortunately, what Afterlife lacks in story it more than makes up for in its use of jaw-dropping 3D effects. With zombies jumping towards you and bullets flying past you almost constantly, I have no reservations about declaring Resident Evil: Afterlife the best use of 3D technology since Avatar. So even though Afterlife is a definite step backwards in terms of story development, it represents a quantum-leap forward for visual effects; if you can look past some of the weaker elements present, then this latest action-adventure entry is definitely worth seeing.
For more information, please read the full review.
Overall Recommendation: Medium
Resident Evil: Afterlife - Full Review
Resident Evil : Afterlife - (September 10th, 2010): R
Distributor: Screen Gems
Opening Weekend Box-Office: #1 with $26,650,264
Domestic Box-Office Gross to-date: $43,893,958
Gross Revenue: $145,637,958
Budget: $60 million
Director: Paul W.S. Anderson
Video games are notoriously weak subject material for a Hollywood film (my review for Prince of Persia this past summer helps prove this sentiment), but fortunately, the Resident Evil series has time and again proven itself as a successful exception to the rule. Since the 2002 original, Milla Jovovich has been thrilling audiences as the deadly heroine Alice, who more than adequately defends herself against hordes of flesh-eating zombies. With two successful sequels (2004’s Resident Evil: Apocalypse and 2007’s Resident Evil: Extinction), Milla Jovovich has established herself as the top ass-kicking female in Hollywood (sorry Angelina), thereby developing an incredibly loyal fan-following within the video game world. So, needless to say, promotions for the film at San Diego Comic-Con International were a given, and fans of the film series were sure to line up for a new entry in the zombie genre. Even though Resident Evil: Afterlife was clearly targeted towards this limited fan boy segment, it was still generating considerable buzz for its use of 3D technology. I’ve commented on the unnecessary use of 3D in a number of Hollywood’s most recent films for months now, but if director Paul W.S. Anderson was going to be using the same camera technology that James Cameron used for Avatar, then maybe it would be worth it to shell out a few extra bucks for 3D glasses. The trailers released by Screen Gems promised that every frame and every bullet of Resident Evil: Afterlife was made for 3D, and when you combine that with the fact that I was already a fan of the series, then I couldn’t wait to head to the theater.
Considering that the plot for Resident Evil: Afterlife assumes that viewers have seen all the previous Resident Evil films, I’m going to offer a little background. Within the Resident Evil universe, the evil Umbrella Corporation created a biological weapon known as the t-virus, which was designed to reanimate deceased biological tissue, effectively bringing the dead back to life. Unfortunately, the virus escaped, trigging an apocalypse that turned most of humanity into flesh-eating zombies…those unaffected simply try to survive. Series protagonist Alice (Milla Jovovich) is the one human to have successfully bonded with the t-virus, which granted her super-human abilities and made her a key target for Umbrella scientists. The newest entry in the series, Afterlife, follows Alice as she searches for survivors in Los Angeles, battles hordes of zombies, and teams up with siblings Chris (Prison Break’s Wentworth Miller) and Claire (Ali Larter, of Heroes fame) Redfield to take down the Chairman of the Umbrella Corporation, Albert Wesker (Shawn Roberts). With the resulting gun battles and explosions required in a survival horror setting, there was more than enough potential for impressive 3D effects.
Well, Resident Evil: Afterlife promised plenty of eye-popping action, and I am pleased to report that it more than delivered, and all with considerable style and energy. For example, the opening scene involves an army of Alice clones (which were created in Resident Evil: Extinction) attacking an Umbrella base, and they lay waste to hundreds of henchman with gloriously gratuitous 3D violence. Throughout the film, everything from ninja stars and katana swords to shotgun shells and grenade shrapnel fly at the audience, satisfying even the pickiest action junky…most “3D” flicks have one or two effects, but Afterlife makes almost constant use of this impressive technology. Another positive is the fact that Resident Evil: Afterlife’s soundtrack is dominated by heavy-metal rock, so hearing guitars strum up as the film’s heroes prepare for battle just adds an energy that the audience can’t help but feed off; the bathroom battle between Alice, Claire, and Umbrella’s newest zombie that was highlighted in the previews was easily my favorite part of the film. As a longtime fan of the Resident Evil franchise, I was thoroughly entertained with this latest chapter in the story and its use of cutting-edge visual effects.
Unfortunately, beyond some flashy effects and action, Resident Evil: Afterlife doesn’t have much to offer to those who aren’t dedicated fans of the franchise. The plot picks up almost immediately after the last film, but if you don’t remember what happened last time you’re out of luck, because the writers simply assumed that audience members would draw on prior knowledge of the franchise to fill in any plot holes or to answer new questions. For instance, if you didn’t know that Alice was cloned in the third movie, then the opening scene is confusing as hell, and a post-credits scene brings back a character from the second film, but that means nothing if you don’t remember her role in the story six years ago. Milla Jovovich once again delivers as the battle-weary Alice, but in terms of supporting cast, the Resident Evil movies have usually put together interesting characters for Alice’s fellow survivors and allies; but this time around, with the exception of Ali Larter and Wentworth Miller, no one is memorable or able to connect with the audience. Even Larter and Miller weren’t given that much to work with; Chris and Claire Redfield are main characters in the Resident Evil video game series, but the lack of background and character development they were given in this film is just insulting to the core material.
Another big error in Resident Evil: Afterlife involves the absence of a key element of the franchise…the zombies themselves. Resident Evil is all about survival horror, and the chief appeal of the films has always been watching the characters run for their lives and battle zombies. Sadly, in Afterlife, the zombies are largely relegated to the background in favor of human villains, and any of the more interesting zombie varieties simple seem thrown into the script. To clarify, the Resident Evil films have always cleverly incorporated some of the boss characters from the video games into the story (such as the Nemesis and Tyrant zombies), and explained their presence as a mutation of the t-virus. But this time around, the Executioner zombie (the guy hurling the axe at the audience in the previews) just appears with no explanation. Why would the writers have downplayed characters that have been so successful in the past?
In terms of box-office performance, Resident Evil: Afterlife was in a very unique position its opening weekend, being released the first weekend after the end of the summer movie season with no other new competitors. Still, even during a historically slow weekend, an opening performance of nearly $27 million is highly impressive and likely attributable to a loyal fan following. Unfortunately, critics have not been kind in their criticism, and such a reaction seemed to be reflected in Afterlife’s second weekend performance, with a 62.5% drop in revenue. Though this would normally be a point of concern, Resident Evil: Afterlife is dominating the international box-office, even toppling Inception as top overseas film, so Screen Gems will likely turn a nice profit and be motivated to release a sequel. Bottom line, fans of the series should not miss Resident Evil: Afterlife, but for everyone else, there is little offered beyond action, and really the only motivation for going to the theater involves the impressive 3D effects showcased.
Overall Recommendation: Medium
Distributor: Screen Gems
Opening Weekend Box-Office: #1 with $26,650,264
Domestic Box-Office Gross to-date: $43,893,958
Gross Revenue: $145,637,958
Budget: $60 million
Director: Paul W.S. Anderson
Video games are notoriously weak subject material for a Hollywood film (my review for Prince of Persia this past summer helps prove this sentiment), but fortunately, the Resident Evil series has time and again proven itself as a successful exception to the rule. Since the 2002 original, Milla Jovovich has been thrilling audiences as the deadly heroine Alice, who more than adequately defends herself against hordes of flesh-eating zombies. With two successful sequels (2004’s Resident Evil: Apocalypse and 2007’s Resident Evil: Extinction), Milla Jovovich has established herself as the top ass-kicking female in Hollywood (sorry Angelina), thereby developing an incredibly loyal fan-following within the video game world. So, needless to say, promotions for the film at San Diego Comic-Con International were a given, and fans of the film series were sure to line up for a new entry in the zombie genre. Even though Resident Evil: Afterlife was clearly targeted towards this limited fan boy segment, it was still generating considerable buzz for its use of 3D technology. I’ve commented on the unnecessary use of 3D in a number of Hollywood’s most recent films for months now, but if director Paul W.S. Anderson was going to be using the same camera technology that James Cameron used for Avatar, then maybe it would be worth it to shell out a few extra bucks for 3D glasses. The trailers released by Screen Gems promised that every frame and every bullet of Resident Evil: Afterlife was made for 3D, and when you combine that with the fact that I was already a fan of the series, then I couldn’t wait to head to the theater.
Considering that the plot for Resident Evil: Afterlife assumes that viewers have seen all the previous Resident Evil films, I’m going to offer a little background. Within the Resident Evil universe, the evil Umbrella Corporation created a biological weapon known as the t-virus, which was designed to reanimate deceased biological tissue, effectively bringing the dead back to life. Unfortunately, the virus escaped, trigging an apocalypse that turned most of humanity into flesh-eating zombies…those unaffected simply try to survive. Series protagonist Alice (Milla Jovovich) is the one human to have successfully bonded with the t-virus, which granted her super-human abilities and made her a key target for Umbrella scientists. The newest entry in the series, Afterlife, follows Alice as she searches for survivors in Los Angeles, battles hordes of zombies, and teams up with siblings Chris (Prison Break’s Wentworth Miller) and Claire (Ali Larter, of Heroes fame) Redfield to take down the Chairman of the Umbrella Corporation, Albert Wesker (Shawn Roberts). With the resulting gun battles and explosions required in a survival horror setting, there was more than enough potential for impressive 3D effects.
Well, Resident Evil: Afterlife promised plenty of eye-popping action, and I am pleased to report that it more than delivered, and all with considerable style and energy. For example, the opening scene involves an army of Alice clones (which were created in Resident Evil: Extinction) attacking an Umbrella base, and they lay waste to hundreds of henchman with gloriously gratuitous 3D violence. Throughout the film, everything from ninja stars and katana swords to shotgun shells and grenade shrapnel fly at the audience, satisfying even the pickiest action junky…most “3D” flicks have one or two effects, but Afterlife makes almost constant use of this impressive technology. Another positive is the fact that Resident Evil: Afterlife’s soundtrack is dominated by heavy-metal rock, so hearing guitars strum up as the film’s heroes prepare for battle just adds an energy that the audience can’t help but feed off; the bathroom battle between Alice, Claire, and Umbrella’s newest zombie that was highlighted in the previews was easily my favorite part of the film. As a longtime fan of the Resident Evil franchise, I was thoroughly entertained with this latest chapter in the story and its use of cutting-edge visual effects.
Unfortunately, beyond some flashy effects and action, Resident Evil: Afterlife doesn’t have much to offer to those who aren’t dedicated fans of the franchise. The plot picks up almost immediately after the last film, but if you don’t remember what happened last time you’re out of luck, because the writers simply assumed that audience members would draw on prior knowledge of the franchise to fill in any plot holes or to answer new questions. For instance, if you didn’t know that Alice was cloned in the third movie, then the opening scene is confusing as hell, and a post-credits scene brings back a character from the second film, but that means nothing if you don’t remember her role in the story six years ago. Milla Jovovich once again delivers as the battle-weary Alice, but in terms of supporting cast, the Resident Evil movies have usually put together interesting characters for Alice’s fellow survivors and allies; but this time around, with the exception of Ali Larter and Wentworth Miller, no one is memorable or able to connect with the audience. Even Larter and Miller weren’t given that much to work with; Chris and Claire Redfield are main characters in the Resident Evil video game series, but the lack of background and character development they were given in this film is just insulting to the core material.
Another big error in Resident Evil: Afterlife involves the absence of a key element of the franchise…the zombies themselves. Resident Evil is all about survival horror, and the chief appeal of the films has always been watching the characters run for their lives and battle zombies. Sadly, in Afterlife, the zombies are largely relegated to the background in favor of human villains, and any of the more interesting zombie varieties simple seem thrown into the script. To clarify, the Resident Evil films have always cleverly incorporated some of the boss characters from the video games into the story (such as the Nemesis and Tyrant zombies), and explained their presence as a mutation of the t-virus. But this time around, the Executioner zombie (the guy hurling the axe at the audience in the previews) just appears with no explanation. Why would the writers have downplayed characters that have been so successful in the past?
In terms of box-office performance, Resident Evil: Afterlife was in a very unique position its opening weekend, being released the first weekend after the end of the summer movie season with no other new competitors. Still, even during a historically slow weekend, an opening performance of nearly $27 million is highly impressive and likely attributable to a loyal fan following. Unfortunately, critics have not been kind in their criticism, and such a reaction seemed to be reflected in Afterlife’s second weekend performance, with a 62.5% drop in revenue. Though this would normally be a point of concern, Resident Evil: Afterlife is dominating the international box-office, even toppling Inception as top overseas film, so Screen Gems will likely turn a nice profit and be motivated to release a sequel. Bottom line, fans of the series should not miss Resident Evil: Afterlife, but for everyone else, there is little offered beyond action, and really the only motivation for going to the theater involves the impressive 3D effects showcased.
Overall Recommendation: Medium
Thursday, September 9, 2010
Machete: Short and Sweet
Given the sheer number of his collaborations with Quentin Tarantino and his work on such films like Sin City, Death Proof, and Planet Terror, this newest film from director Robert Rodriguez seemed like a very appropriate project. With the core film content revolving around the issue of illegal-immigration, early buzz was a little controversial, especially when a fake trailer was released in early May through the website, Ain’t It Cool News. Still, the official trailer was released in July and attached to such films as Predators (which Rodriguez produced) and The Expendables, and with a cast that included Michelle Rodriguez, Jessica Alba, Cheech Marin, Steven Seagal, and Robert De Niro, Machete just kept looking better and better. The biggest question mark involved the casting of Danny Trejo as the lead; though far from unknown, as a character actor, Trejo has never headlined his own blockbuster. With a well-known cast, a director with an offbeat track-record, and a first-time leading man, I knew I had to see Machete out of sheer curiosity.
I’m really not sure how to describe Machete…at times its silly, downright ridiculous, and a little bit racist, but at the same time, I still found it entertaining. Danny Trejo is a convincing enough Mexican badass, but his character is just so stoic and one-dimensional that it is hard to feel any kind of any connection or feel supportive of the supposed “hero.” The real appeal lies in the supporting cast, who bring to life some downright ludicrous characters that are just shamelessly entertaining, my personal favorite being Cheech Marin as Machete’s brother, a crude priest who’s not above using a shotgun to prove his point. To truly enjoy this film, you just can’t take it too seriously; hell, I doubt the production crew took the movie seriously, because there are definite moments where Machete just seems to be making fun of itself. I do wish that the controversial subject matter had been handled with a little bit more care, as I constantly questioning whether a joke or a line of dialogue was clever, or just intentionally controversial and overly political. If you’re looking for some stupid fun and gratuitous violence, then you are sure to enjoy Machete.
For more information, please read the full review.
Overall Recommendation: Medium
I’m really not sure how to describe Machete…at times its silly, downright ridiculous, and a little bit racist, but at the same time, I still found it entertaining. Danny Trejo is a convincing enough Mexican badass, but his character is just so stoic and one-dimensional that it is hard to feel any kind of any connection or feel supportive of the supposed “hero.” The real appeal lies in the supporting cast, who bring to life some downright ludicrous characters that are just shamelessly entertaining, my personal favorite being Cheech Marin as Machete’s brother, a crude priest who’s not above using a shotgun to prove his point. To truly enjoy this film, you just can’t take it too seriously; hell, I doubt the production crew took the movie seriously, because there are definite moments where Machete just seems to be making fun of itself. I do wish that the controversial subject matter had been handled with a little bit more care, as I constantly questioning whether a joke or a line of dialogue was clever, or just intentionally controversial and overly political. If you’re looking for some stupid fun and gratuitous violence, then you are sure to enjoy Machete.
For more information, please read the full review.
Overall Recommendation: Medium
Machete: Full Review
Machete: (September 3rd, 2010): R
Distributor: 20th Century Fox
Opening Weekend Box-Office: #2 with $14,102,888
Domestic Box-Office Gross to-date: $14,102,888
Gross Revenue: $15,115,484
Budget: $20 million
Director: Robert Rodriguez and Ethan Maniquis
Though many have mistakenly assumed that Danny Trejo is an unknown Hollywood name, as a character actor, I guarantee that you’ve seen him in a movie or television show before; my personal favorite Trejo character is the convict Johnny-23 from Con Air. Having made an appearance in a number of Rodriguez and Tarantino’s films, it was only a matter of time before Trejo was bumped up to a title character. Between the humor and violence detailed in the trailers, the one element that stood out involved the promise that Machete would be unlike anything audiences have ever seen before; and with a cast that ranged from Lindsay Lohan to Robert De Niro that promise seemed pretty solid. Rodriguez’ films can usually be described as offbeat, and I was positive that this newest entry wouldn’t be any different. Sure, I wasn’t expecting solid performances or a completely believable plot, but I was curious to see what Rodriguez and Trejo could accomplish with Machete.
Danny Trejo plays Machete, a former Mexican Federale whose family is brutally murdered by a ruthless drug lord, Torrez (Steven Seagal); fast-forward five years and Machete is now performing day-labor in Texas. After witnessing Machete win a street fight, local businessman Michael Booth (Jeff Fahey) offers to pay Machete $150,000 to assassinate the corrupt and bigoted Senator McLaughlin (Robert De Niro), whose platform is strongly anti-immigrant. Though Machete agrees, he is double-crossed and wounded, and now, with the help of local revolutionary leader Shé (Michelle Rodriguez) and his religious brother Padre (Cheech Marin), Machete works to gain revenge on those who betrayed him. Along the way, Machete is confronted by immigrations officer Sartana Rivera (Jessica Alba), and together they uncover a conspiracy that involves Senator McLaughlin, Torrez, Booth, and the twisted border patrol vigilante, Von Jackson (Don Johnson). With such a diverse group of characters, the film paves the way for considerable action, humor, and violence.
As the end-credits began to roll, I couldn’t help but shake my head and laugh, because even though Machete is a ludicrous film, it’s still just a fun adventure. The diverse cast of characters are surprisingly entertaining and humorous, whether Michelle Rodriguez is leading a group of revolutionaries from a taco truck, Cheech Marin is defending his church with sawed-off shotguns, or Robert De Niro is hobbling around as a bigoted senator who has just been shot in the leg. Another humorous surprise involved Lindsay Lohan, who plays Michael Booth’s daughter, a drug-addicted train-wreck who delights in posting nude pictures of herself online…oh how art imitates life. If this didn’t provide enough material to continue to mock Lohan for years, there is one point in the film where she dresses like a nun and fires a machine gun…enjoy. For action junkies, there is also plenty of gratuitous violence, as Danny Trejo not only makes full use of his machete, but he also fits a rail-gun on his motorcycle, replaces the filaments on his Weedwhacker with Bowie Knives, and uses a henchman’s small-intestines to rappel out of a hospital window. In the end, Machete is just one of those films where you have to turn off your brain, sit back, and watch the mayhem.
Considering that I expected Machete to be ridiculous, I was pretty forgiving of the negative aspects, but there are still plenty of things wrong with Robert Rodriguez’ newest film. As a character, Machete is a pretty convincing tough-guy, but there are times when he’s so quiet and expressionless that it’s a little difficult to root for him. And for an action hero, Trejo is in his mid-60’s and looks like he was beaten with an ugly stick, so it’s a little unbelievable when every female character jumps into bed with him almost instantaneously. I also acknowledged that Machete makes fun of itself quite a bit, but with the controversial subject material of illegal immigration and border patrol, there are times where the film gets a little too political and offensive. Despite the almost constant use of racial slurs, here are a few other examples: during the climatic final battle between the Mexican immigrants and border patrol, the immigrants arrive in low-riders (except for the one in the back pushing the ice cream cart) and use the hydraulics to crush their attackers…can’t be sure if that’s a clever social commentary or just racist. I’m anything but a prude, but I was still a little uncomfortable with the amount of liberties that Machete took with the core material.
With new releases Machete, The American, and Going the Distance, the Labor Day weekend box-office was full of R-rated choices, which makes the fact that each one of them cleared over $8 million impressive. And when you consider that Danny Trejo took second place when facing off against box-office veterans George Clooney and Drew Barrymore, then Machete just continues to defy expectations. Critical reviews have been almost consistently positive, and I think that has to do with critics acknowledging the ridiculous fun and humor of this newest action film. I guarantee that audiences have never seen anything like Machete, and though its far from perfect, there is still a good chance that you’ll find some part of it to enjoy.
Overall Recommendation: Medium
Distributor: 20th Century Fox
Opening Weekend Box-Office: #2 with $14,102,888
Domestic Box-Office Gross to-date: $14,102,888
Gross Revenue: $15,115,484
Budget: $20 million
Director: Robert Rodriguez and Ethan Maniquis
Though many have mistakenly assumed that Danny Trejo is an unknown Hollywood name, as a character actor, I guarantee that you’ve seen him in a movie or television show before; my personal favorite Trejo character is the convict Johnny-23 from Con Air. Having made an appearance in a number of Rodriguez and Tarantino’s films, it was only a matter of time before Trejo was bumped up to a title character. Between the humor and violence detailed in the trailers, the one element that stood out involved the promise that Machete would be unlike anything audiences have ever seen before; and with a cast that ranged from Lindsay Lohan to Robert De Niro that promise seemed pretty solid. Rodriguez’ films can usually be described as offbeat, and I was positive that this newest entry wouldn’t be any different. Sure, I wasn’t expecting solid performances or a completely believable plot, but I was curious to see what Rodriguez and Trejo could accomplish with Machete.
Danny Trejo plays Machete, a former Mexican Federale whose family is brutally murdered by a ruthless drug lord, Torrez (Steven Seagal); fast-forward five years and Machete is now performing day-labor in Texas. After witnessing Machete win a street fight, local businessman Michael Booth (Jeff Fahey) offers to pay Machete $150,000 to assassinate the corrupt and bigoted Senator McLaughlin (Robert De Niro), whose platform is strongly anti-immigrant. Though Machete agrees, he is double-crossed and wounded, and now, with the help of local revolutionary leader Shé (Michelle Rodriguez) and his religious brother Padre (Cheech Marin), Machete works to gain revenge on those who betrayed him. Along the way, Machete is confronted by immigrations officer Sartana Rivera (Jessica Alba), and together they uncover a conspiracy that involves Senator McLaughlin, Torrez, Booth, and the twisted border patrol vigilante, Von Jackson (Don Johnson). With such a diverse group of characters, the film paves the way for considerable action, humor, and violence.
As the end-credits began to roll, I couldn’t help but shake my head and laugh, because even though Machete is a ludicrous film, it’s still just a fun adventure. The diverse cast of characters are surprisingly entertaining and humorous, whether Michelle Rodriguez is leading a group of revolutionaries from a taco truck, Cheech Marin is defending his church with sawed-off shotguns, or Robert De Niro is hobbling around as a bigoted senator who has just been shot in the leg. Another humorous surprise involved Lindsay Lohan, who plays Michael Booth’s daughter, a drug-addicted train-wreck who delights in posting nude pictures of herself online…oh how art imitates life. If this didn’t provide enough material to continue to mock Lohan for years, there is one point in the film where she dresses like a nun and fires a machine gun…enjoy. For action junkies, there is also plenty of gratuitous violence, as Danny Trejo not only makes full use of his machete, but he also fits a rail-gun on his motorcycle, replaces the filaments on his Weedwhacker with Bowie Knives, and uses a henchman’s small-intestines to rappel out of a hospital window. In the end, Machete is just one of those films where you have to turn off your brain, sit back, and watch the mayhem.
Considering that I expected Machete to be ridiculous, I was pretty forgiving of the negative aspects, but there are still plenty of things wrong with Robert Rodriguez’ newest film. As a character, Machete is a pretty convincing tough-guy, but there are times when he’s so quiet and expressionless that it’s a little difficult to root for him. And for an action hero, Trejo is in his mid-60’s and looks like he was beaten with an ugly stick, so it’s a little unbelievable when every female character jumps into bed with him almost instantaneously. I also acknowledged that Machete makes fun of itself quite a bit, but with the controversial subject material of illegal immigration and border patrol, there are times where the film gets a little too political and offensive. Despite the almost constant use of racial slurs, here are a few other examples: during the climatic final battle between the Mexican immigrants and border patrol, the immigrants arrive in low-riders (except for the one in the back pushing the ice cream cart) and use the hydraulics to crush their attackers…can’t be sure if that’s a clever social commentary or just racist. I’m anything but a prude, but I was still a little uncomfortable with the amount of liberties that Machete took with the core material.
With new releases Machete, The American, and Going the Distance, the Labor Day weekend box-office was full of R-rated choices, which makes the fact that each one of them cleared over $8 million impressive. And when you consider that Danny Trejo took second place when facing off against box-office veterans George Clooney and Drew Barrymore, then Machete just continues to defy expectations. Critical reviews have been almost consistently positive, and I think that has to do with critics acknowledging the ridiculous fun and humor of this newest action film. I guarantee that audiences have never seen anything like Machete, and though its far from perfect, there is still a good chance that you’ll find some part of it to enjoy.
Overall Recommendation: Medium
The American: Short and Sweet
Despite a lead actor who is at the absolute top of the A-list, The American was largely able to fly under the radar for most of the summer. The first poster was released in mid-June and the earliest trailers were attached to both Jonah Hex and Inception, but beyond that, there was still very little promotion for The American. Still, buzz was spreading like wildfire…George Clooney was going to be playing a spy/assassin in Europe, so associations with the Bourne Trilogy and 2008’s surprise hit Taken were skyrocketing. Early critical reviews were immensely positive, Roger Ebert going as far as to claim that The American represented George Clooney’s best performance to date. Simply put, going to see The American was a no-brainer.
Given my expectations, watching The American was nothing short of a slap in the face…it is, hands-down, the worst movie I have ever seen, and trust me, I’ve seen a lot of crap over the years. I cannot process how critics have been giving The American anything close to positive reviews. The film is slow, boring, and offers almost no characters, dialogue, or story; I just sat in the theater, constantly checking my watch to see when this epic failure was going to end. To be fair, I can’t criticize George Clooney’s performance, and that’s simply because there wasn’t one…The American was almost two hours of Clooney just walking around on the screen. I kept waiting for something to happen, hoping and praying that the film would get better. The one saving grace I have that could justify my seeing this travesty is that I can hopefully prevent others from wasting their time and money. George Clooney once publicly apologized for his performance in Batman & Robin and offered to reimburse anyone who had a ticket stub; well, I saved my stub for The American, because I want my money back!
For more information, please read the full review.
Overall Recommendation: Very Low
Given my expectations, watching The American was nothing short of a slap in the face…it is, hands-down, the worst movie I have ever seen, and trust me, I’ve seen a lot of crap over the years. I cannot process how critics have been giving The American anything close to positive reviews. The film is slow, boring, and offers almost no characters, dialogue, or story; I just sat in the theater, constantly checking my watch to see when this epic failure was going to end. To be fair, I can’t criticize George Clooney’s performance, and that’s simply because there wasn’t one…The American was almost two hours of Clooney just walking around on the screen. I kept waiting for something to happen, hoping and praying that the film would get better. The one saving grace I have that could justify my seeing this travesty is that I can hopefully prevent others from wasting their time and money. George Clooney once publicly apologized for his performance in Batman & Robin and offered to reimburse anyone who had a ticket stub; well, I saved my stub for The American, because I want my money back!
For more information, please read the full review.
Overall Recommendation: Very Low
The American: Full Review
The American: (September 1st, 2010): R
Distributor: Focus Features
Opening Weekend Box-Office: #1 with $16,662,333
Domestic Box-Office Gross to-date: $19,806,118
Gross Revenue: $19,806,118
Budget: $20 million
Director: Anton Corbijn
Considering the popularity and box-office draw of George Clooney, Focus Features had potential box-office gold on its hands with this newest spy drama. The idea of an aging spy/assassin in a secluded foreign setting provoked audiences to think of George Clooney’s newest character as an older Jason Bourne. A second strong association generated by the trailers involved 20th Century Fox’s 2008 surprise-hit, Taken. If Liam Neeson could tear-apart some foreign villains while looking for his daughter, thereby cementing a reputation as an action star, why couldn’t George Clooney do something similar? The American is actually an adaptation of Martin Booth’s 1990 novel, “A Very Private Gentleman,” and even though I wasn’t familiar with the source material, the marketing campaign and early critical reviews still seemed to promise an engaging thriller.
The film opens with a couple vacationing in a remote cabin in Sweden; while walking they are suddenly attacked by tactical shooters, and the man, Jack (George Clooney), kills all of them with surprising efficiency. When the woman questions why they were attacked, a suspicious Jack does not hesitate to execute her as well. Jack then flees to a small Italian town, where he confides to an associate that he is being chased by Swedish assassins, so he decides to hide out in the secluded town. While there, Jack befriends an elderly priest (Paolo Bonacelli) and finds romance with a young escort, Carla (Violante Placido), reveling in his newfound solitude. However, Jack is soon approached by a mysterious young woman (Thekla Reuten) and contracted to construct a special rifle that will be used in an assassination. As he tries to build a new life, Jack struggles to escape his pursuers and forget his mysterious past.
Well, if that plot description sounded a little boring, your instincts are dead-on; I was expecting a thrilling drama, unfortunately all The American delivers is a slow and painfully dull film. The opening scene is infuriatingly deceitful, because when you see Clooney kill four people within the first two minutes, you expect that the rest of the film will be just as exciting. Sadly, the rest of the movie’s nearly two-hour run time primarily consists of watching George Clooney walk around, have meaningless conversations with the locals, and eventually construct a rifle. Clooney is usually a pretty charming and entertaining as an actor, but there is no room in this script for him to do anything; he doesn’t interact with interesting characters, solve any kind of conflict, or show any range of emotion… again, he just walks around, looks paranoid, occasionally defends himself, and delivers only a few lines of dialogue during the entire film! And if you thought a good story might save this failed Clooney character; think again; instead of explaining what is going on, all the story does is generate more questions. It is never revealed whether Jack is an assassin or a gunsmith, who he works for, who is chasing him, or why he is being chased; the audience is left to make assumptions about Jack’s past to try and fill in the plot holes; and even with the most imaginative guesses, the end-result is still shockingly boring.
Before The American was released, I would have declared The Last Airbender the worst film of the summer, but now, not only has George Clooney saved M. Night Shyamalan from receiving that dubious honor, he also has a contender for the worst movie ever made. Think of the worst movie you have ever seen…if it had any kind of story or was able to hold your attention for more than 30-seconds, I guarantee that it’s still better than The American. In my wildest dreams, I cannot fathom how this travesty has a 61% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes or how any critic who gave The American a positive review can sleep at night. Don’t get me wrong, I like a good drama film and can be forgiving if it get’s boring from time to time, but when there is no story, dialogue, or acting for that matter, then that film is beyond redemption. Even the attempted romance between Jack and local prostitute felt forced and awkward. The American could have been about a spy/assassin trying to lead a normal life while being haunted by his past, but when the audience is given no indication of that character’s past, then there is nothing left to hold anyone’s attention. On top of all that, the production crew also chose the most boring areas of Italy to film…the setting wasn’t exotic, it was just depressing. If you think I’m being too critical, go see it yourself, and I defy you to find any redeeming qualities within The American.
When I saw the opening weekend numbers for The American, I was sure that I was going to be sick…my emotions could best be described as a mixture of nausea and rage. Granted, Clooney was opening against a Robert Rodriguez film and a Drew Barrymore romantic comedy, so competition wasn’t that stiff, but it just isn’t fair that a piece of crap like this made any kind of money, let alone nearly $17 million. Through it’s close to recovering its production budget, I’m hoping that word of mouth from audience members will drown out those Clooney ass-kissing critics and prevent anyone else from seeing this piece of trash. I’ll put it to you this way, when I was in the theater, when the end credits began to roll, all I heard from the rest of the audience were boos and profanity. George Clooney, your star-status and track-record will help you survive this disaster, but still, what in the hell were you thinking? Short of going to theaters and pulling fire alarms to stop people from sitting down, I cannot emphasize it enough…DO NOT waste your time, dignity, money, or sanity, with The American!
Overall Recommendation: Very Low
Distributor: Focus Features
Opening Weekend Box-Office: #1 with $16,662,333
Domestic Box-Office Gross to-date: $19,806,118
Gross Revenue: $19,806,118
Budget: $20 million
Director: Anton Corbijn
Considering the popularity and box-office draw of George Clooney, Focus Features had potential box-office gold on its hands with this newest spy drama. The idea of an aging spy/assassin in a secluded foreign setting provoked audiences to think of George Clooney’s newest character as an older Jason Bourne. A second strong association generated by the trailers involved 20th Century Fox’s 2008 surprise-hit, Taken. If Liam Neeson could tear-apart some foreign villains while looking for his daughter, thereby cementing a reputation as an action star, why couldn’t George Clooney do something similar? The American is actually an adaptation of Martin Booth’s 1990 novel, “A Very Private Gentleman,” and even though I wasn’t familiar with the source material, the marketing campaign and early critical reviews still seemed to promise an engaging thriller.
The film opens with a couple vacationing in a remote cabin in Sweden; while walking they are suddenly attacked by tactical shooters, and the man, Jack (George Clooney), kills all of them with surprising efficiency. When the woman questions why they were attacked, a suspicious Jack does not hesitate to execute her as well. Jack then flees to a small Italian town, where he confides to an associate that he is being chased by Swedish assassins, so he decides to hide out in the secluded town. While there, Jack befriends an elderly priest (Paolo Bonacelli) and finds romance with a young escort, Carla (Violante Placido), reveling in his newfound solitude. However, Jack is soon approached by a mysterious young woman (Thekla Reuten) and contracted to construct a special rifle that will be used in an assassination. As he tries to build a new life, Jack struggles to escape his pursuers and forget his mysterious past.
Well, if that plot description sounded a little boring, your instincts are dead-on; I was expecting a thrilling drama, unfortunately all The American delivers is a slow and painfully dull film. The opening scene is infuriatingly deceitful, because when you see Clooney kill four people within the first two minutes, you expect that the rest of the film will be just as exciting. Sadly, the rest of the movie’s nearly two-hour run time primarily consists of watching George Clooney walk around, have meaningless conversations with the locals, and eventually construct a rifle. Clooney is usually a pretty charming and entertaining as an actor, but there is no room in this script for him to do anything; he doesn’t interact with interesting characters, solve any kind of conflict, or show any range of emotion… again, he just walks around, looks paranoid, occasionally defends himself, and delivers only a few lines of dialogue during the entire film! And if you thought a good story might save this failed Clooney character; think again; instead of explaining what is going on, all the story does is generate more questions. It is never revealed whether Jack is an assassin or a gunsmith, who he works for, who is chasing him, or why he is being chased; the audience is left to make assumptions about Jack’s past to try and fill in the plot holes; and even with the most imaginative guesses, the end-result is still shockingly boring.
Before The American was released, I would have declared The Last Airbender the worst film of the summer, but now, not only has George Clooney saved M. Night Shyamalan from receiving that dubious honor, he also has a contender for the worst movie ever made. Think of the worst movie you have ever seen…if it had any kind of story or was able to hold your attention for more than 30-seconds, I guarantee that it’s still better than The American. In my wildest dreams, I cannot fathom how this travesty has a 61% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes or how any critic who gave The American a positive review can sleep at night. Don’t get me wrong, I like a good drama film and can be forgiving if it get’s boring from time to time, but when there is no story, dialogue, or acting for that matter, then that film is beyond redemption. Even the attempted romance between Jack and local prostitute felt forced and awkward. The American could have been about a spy/assassin trying to lead a normal life while being haunted by his past, but when the audience is given no indication of that character’s past, then there is nothing left to hold anyone’s attention. On top of all that, the production crew also chose the most boring areas of Italy to film…the setting wasn’t exotic, it was just depressing. If you think I’m being too critical, go see it yourself, and I defy you to find any redeeming qualities within The American.
When I saw the opening weekend numbers for The American, I was sure that I was going to be sick…my emotions could best be described as a mixture of nausea and rage. Granted, Clooney was opening against a Robert Rodriguez film and a Drew Barrymore romantic comedy, so competition wasn’t that stiff, but it just isn’t fair that a piece of crap like this made any kind of money, let alone nearly $17 million. Through it’s close to recovering its production budget, I’m hoping that word of mouth from audience members will drown out those Clooney ass-kissing critics and prevent anyone else from seeing this piece of trash. I’ll put it to you this way, when I was in the theater, when the end credits began to roll, all I heard from the rest of the audience were boos and profanity. George Clooney, your star-status and track-record will help you survive this disaster, but still, what in the hell were you thinking? Short of going to theaters and pulling fire alarms to stop people from sitting down, I cannot emphasize it enough…DO NOT waste your time, dignity, money, or sanity, with The American!
Overall Recommendation: Very Low
Wednesday, September 8, 2010
Takers: Short and Sweet
Even with the impressive number of films released in the past three months, I couldn’t help but feel like something was missing from the summer box-office in terms of variety…luckily, with a stylish heist thriller composed of an ensemble cast, Takers was able to ensure that Hollywood covered as many genres as possible during this movie season. Admittedly, I wasn’t thrilled when I first saw the cast listing; despite the controversy surrounding Chris Brown. I’m sure that his presence, combined with that of T.I., was more than enough to create a draw for music fans. No, my biggest gripe involved the presence of Paul Walker and Hayden Christensen; Walker has been in some good movies, but against the rest of the cast he just felt out of place…and then there’s Christensen, who was easily the worst part of Star Wars prequel trilogy. Regardless of some questionable casting, Screen Gems still promoted the hell out of Takers, with trailers all over television and billboards on nearly every street corner. While this clearly wasn’t going to be the next Ocean’s Eleven or The Italian Job, Takers still seemed like it could be pretty enjoyable.
What Takers lacks in charm or originality it makes up for in style…at times it is painfully obvious that the plot borrows heavily from classic heist films, but it is done in such a way that the audience forgets that they have seen such elements before. The cast is almost instantaneously likable, and even though the individual characters are a little simplistic and generic, they all work incredibly well together. Paul Walker was anything but memorable, but T.I. played a convincing villain and Hayden Christensen’s performance was surprisingly enjoyable. Reviews have been shockingly critical for Takers, many complaining about the unoriginal aspects of the movie, and while I agree with the criticism, I still found the film engaging and entertaining. Bottom line, Takers is far from original, as I guarantee audiences will be able to identify where they have seen elements from the film in past heist movies, but it is still offers enough style and entertainment to fully justify having taken the top spot its opening weekend.
For more information, please read the full review.
Overall Recommendation: Medium
What Takers lacks in charm or originality it makes up for in style…at times it is painfully obvious that the plot borrows heavily from classic heist films, but it is done in such a way that the audience forgets that they have seen such elements before. The cast is almost instantaneously likable, and even though the individual characters are a little simplistic and generic, they all work incredibly well together. Paul Walker was anything but memorable, but T.I. played a convincing villain and Hayden Christensen’s performance was surprisingly enjoyable. Reviews have been shockingly critical for Takers, many complaining about the unoriginal aspects of the movie, and while I agree with the criticism, I still found the film engaging and entertaining. Bottom line, Takers is far from original, as I guarantee audiences will be able to identify where they have seen elements from the film in past heist movies, but it is still offers enough style and entertainment to fully justify having taken the top spot its opening weekend.
For more information, please read the full review.
Overall Recommendation: Medium
Takers: Full Review
Takers: (August 27th, 2010): PG-13
Distributor: Screen Gems
Opening Weekend Box-Office: #1 with $20,512,304
Domestic Box-Office Gross to-date: $39,986,817
Gross Revenue: $39,986,817
Budget: $32 million
Director: John Luessenhop
There are very few foundational truths within the Hollywood film industry, but perhaps the most basic is that audiences love heist films. Think about it, Ocean’s Eleven, Heat, The Italian Job, Gone in 60 Seconds…the list just goes on and on; there is something about watching a cast of diverse personalities come together to break the law in a complex manner that we all love. From a marketing perspective, Screen Gems was more than aware of this fact as it introduced a diverse new group of thieves to audiences. Now, I had said in the “Short and Sweet” review that Takers represents the sole heist thriller that we had seen at the box-office this summer, and even though Inception could technically be classified as a heist film (though many would agree that it belongs in a entirely new classification all on its own), I still maintain that Takers better embodies the classic heist film that audiences have grown to love over the years. Though it’s a bit of a stretch to say that Takers has an all-star cast, the presence of such names like Paul Walker, Hayden Christensen, T.I., Matt Dillon, Zoë Saldaña, and Chris Brown is more than enough to draw a large and diverse crowd, both music and film fan alike, to the theater. In the end, Takers seemed to promise a high level of entertainment to adequately close out the summer movie season.
As can be expected from the title, Takers follows a group of professional thieves who feel free to “take” whatever they desire. The crew is composed of leader Gordon Cozier (Idris Elba), second-in-command John Rahway (Paul Walker), demolitions expert A.J. (Hayden Christensen), and brothers Jake (Michael Ealy) and Jesse (Chris Brown) Attica. After pulling off a daring bank heist, the team is approached by former team member Ghost (T.I.), who was arrested after being caught during a robbery five years ago. Newly paroled and apparently harboring no grudge for having been imprisoned, Ghost insists that the team complete one more job together, after which he will take his money and go his separate way. Though hesitant to trust Ghost, the rest of the team agrees to the heist, which they must complete with two hardened detectives (Matt Dillon and Jay Hernandez) on their trail. Though not entirely original, the plot does offer an engaging story and likable characters, which translates into a thrilling entry in the heist genre that is thoroughly entertaining.
I was very surprised by how much I actually enjoyed Takers; I had been hesitant about some of the casting choices, but together, all the actors end up bringing a considerable amount of style to the film. Whether the audience is watching the team of thieves plan and execute a heist or simply kick back and enjoy each other’s company, you can’t help but feel that these guys are just downright cool. Among the original team of “takers”, Idris Elba and Hayden Christensen give the standout performances; between leading a team of thieves and caring for his drug-addict sister, Elba’s character is by far the deepest and most sympathetic. As for Hayden Christensen, his presence on the team was surprisingly badass, which helps audiences forget that he is best known for playing a moody Jedi who whined and pouted his way to becoming Darth Vader. Finally, rounding out the cast by playing the former team member that no one is sure they can trust, T.I. makes a convincing villain…on the backs of these performances and a thrilling heist plot, Takers comes in as a stylish and completely acceptable entry in the immensely popular heist film genre.
Despite my enjoying the film, I still found plenty of elements to criticize within Takers…I may sound like a broken record at this point, but there are just to many plot elements within the film that are completely unoriginal, and what’s worse, the other heist movies that the script borrows from executed those same plot elements in a much better way. The idea of a crew planning one last job, joined by a member that they cannot trust, all while being chased by relentless detectives just on the verge of catching them, is so generic you’d think the writers were following a “how to” book when penning the script. In trying to diversify from this core outline, Takers borrows from other popular heist films. Forgetting that one of the heist scenes is almost identical to the climax of 2003’s The Italian Job, some of the plans that this team executes are complicated enough to make the Ocean’s Eleven crew jealous…the problem is that the audience is never shown enough planning or preparation for these plans to appreciate or believe that this group was actually able to pull it off. And even though there were some high points in terms of acting, there were also disappointments; not only did Paul Walker feel out of place in the cast, but he also brought nothing memorable to his role, so any other actor could have replaced him with little change. I also expected more from Matt Dillon and Jay Hernandez, but then again, they didn’t have much to work with in terms of character development. So, the film is far from perfect, but the main question that arises is this: will die-hard heist film fans be bothered by an unoriginal entry if it was able to keep them engaged and entertained?
Judging from its opening weekend box-office and current level of revenue, the unoriginal nature of Takers didn’t seem to bother audiences al all. Taking the top spot its opening weekend with just over $20 million in box-office receipts, even though such a performance barely edged out the new horror entry, The Last Exorcism, is still impressive for this newest heist thriller. With nearly $40 million in revenue in its 2 weeks in theaters, Takers has already recovered its modest production budget…it looks like Screen Gems’ aggressive marketing campaign paid off. This is far from the first time that music stars have made a transition to the silver screen, and even though it has failed many times, T.I. (who also had executive producer credits) and Chris Brown can count this attempt as a success. I enjoyed Takers, but it’s up to my readers to weigh the positives and negatives and see whether they want to give this stylish group of thieves a chance.
Overall Recommendation: Medium
Distributor: Screen Gems
Opening Weekend Box-Office: #1 with $20,512,304
Domestic Box-Office Gross to-date: $39,986,817
Gross Revenue: $39,986,817
Budget: $32 million
Director: John Luessenhop
There are very few foundational truths within the Hollywood film industry, but perhaps the most basic is that audiences love heist films. Think about it, Ocean’s Eleven, Heat, The Italian Job, Gone in 60 Seconds…the list just goes on and on; there is something about watching a cast of diverse personalities come together to break the law in a complex manner that we all love. From a marketing perspective, Screen Gems was more than aware of this fact as it introduced a diverse new group of thieves to audiences. Now, I had said in the “Short and Sweet” review that Takers represents the sole heist thriller that we had seen at the box-office this summer, and even though Inception could technically be classified as a heist film (though many would agree that it belongs in a entirely new classification all on its own), I still maintain that Takers better embodies the classic heist film that audiences have grown to love over the years. Though it’s a bit of a stretch to say that Takers has an all-star cast, the presence of such names like Paul Walker, Hayden Christensen, T.I., Matt Dillon, Zoë Saldaña, and Chris Brown is more than enough to draw a large and diverse crowd, both music and film fan alike, to the theater. In the end, Takers seemed to promise a high level of entertainment to adequately close out the summer movie season.
As can be expected from the title, Takers follows a group of professional thieves who feel free to “take” whatever they desire. The crew is composed of leader Gordon Cozier (Idris Elba), second-in-command John Rahway (Paul Walker), demolitions expert A.J. (Hayden Christensen), and brothers Jake (Michael Ealy) and Jesse (Chris Brown) Attica. After pulling off a daring bank heist, the team is approached by former team member Ghost (T.I.), who was arrested after being caught during a robbery five years ago. Newly paroled and apparently harboring no grudge for having been imprisoned, Ghost insists that the team complete one more job together, after which he will take his money and go his separate way. Though hesitant to trust Ghost, the rest of the team agrees to the heist, which they must complete with two hardened detectives (Matt Dillon and Jay Hernandez) on their trail. Though not entirely original, the plot does offer an engaging story and likable characters, which translates into a thrilling entry in the heist genre that is thoroughly entertaining.
I was very surprised by how much I actually enjoyed Takers; I had been hesitant about some of the casting choices, but together, all the actors end up bringing a considerable amount of style to the film. Whether the audience is watching the team of thieves plan and execute a heist or simply kick back and enjoy each other’s company, you can’t help but feel that these guys are just downright cool. Among the original team of “takers”, Idris Elba and Hayden Christensen give the standout performances; between leading a team of thieves and caring for his drug-addict sister, Elba’s character is by far the deepest and most sympathetic. As for Hayden Christensen, his presence on the team was surprisingly badass, which helps audiences forget that he is best known for playing a moody Jedi who whined and pouted his way to becoming Darth Vader. Finally, rounding out the cast by playing the former team member that no one is sure they can trust, T.I. makes a convincing villain…on the backs of these performances and a thrilling heist plot, Takers comes in as a stylish and completely acceptable entry in the immensely popular heist film genre.
Despite my enjoying the film, I still found plenty of elements to criticize within Takers…I may sound like a broken record at this point, but there are just to many plot elements within the film that are completely unoriginal, and what’s worse, the other heist movies that the script borrows from executed those same plot elements in a much better way. The idea of a crew planning one last job, joined by a member that they cannot trust, all while being chased by relentless detectives just on the verge of catching them, is so generic you’d think the writers were following a “how to” book when penning the script. In trying to diversify from this core outline, Takers borrows from other popular heist films. Forgetting that one of the heist scenes is almost identical to the climax of 2003’s The Italian Job, some of the plans that this team executes are complicated enough to make the Ocean’s Eleven crew jealous…the problem is that the audience is never shown enough planning or preparation for these plans to appreciate or believe that this group was actually able to pull it off. And even though there were some high points in terms of acting, there were also disappointments; not only did Paul Walker feel out of place in the cast, but he also brought nothing memorable to his role, so any other actor could have replaced him with little change. I also expected more from Matt Dillon and Jay Hernandez, but then again, they didn’t have much to work with in terms of character development. So, the film is far from perfect, but the main question that arises is this: will die-hard heist film fans be bothered by an unoriginal entry if it was able to keep them engaged and entertained?
Judging from its opening weekend box-office and current level of revenue, the unoriginal nature of Takers didn’t seem to bother audiences al all. Taking the top spot its opening weekend with just over $20 million in box-office receipts, even though such a performance barely edged out the new horror entry, The Last Exorcism, is still impressive for this newest heist thriller. With nearly $40 million in revenue in its 2 weeks in theaters, Takers has already recovered its modest production budget…it looks like Screen Gems’ aggressive marketing campaign paid off. This is far from the first time that music stars have made a transition to the silver screen, and even though it has failed many times, T.I. (who also had executive producer credits) and Chris Brown can count this attempt as a success. I enjoyed Takers, but it’s up to my readers to weigh the positives and negatives and see whether they want to give this stylish group of thieves a chance.
Overall Recommendation: Medium
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