After more than four years, The Random Films is moving to a new home. The rebranded, restructured and refashioned blog will have new features such as First Peeks (trailers of upcoming movies) and TV Series (reviews of favorite television shows). Hope you support the new blog just the same. Please visit:MOVIEcracy
The Expendables is a 2010 action film directed by Sylvester Stallone. Along with Stallone, an array of action veterans like Dolph Lundgren, Eric Roberts, Mickey Rourke, Jet Li, Gary Daniels, Randy Couture, Jason Statham, Terry Crews, and Steve Austin make up the cast, as well as cameo roles of Bruce Willis and Arnold Schwarzenegger. The movie is distributed by Lionsgate.
REC or [·REC]2 is a 2009 sequel to the internationally-acclaimed 2007 Spanish horror film REC (see Random Film: REC). Jaume Balaguero and Paco Plaza still co-wrote and co-directed this second installment. It follows the events immediately after the events of REC, and hence, it still has that shaky camera and claustrophobic effect.
Plot. Dr. Owen, an official from the Ministry of Health, and a special group called GEO team are sent to the quarantined building to control the situation. Inside the building, they encounter the infected victims but Owen uses his rosary and religious mantra to drive them away. It turns out that Owen is actually a priest sent by the Vatican to acquire a blood sample from the Medeiros girl (the carrier of the virus which spread the demonic possession). They eventually reach the penthouse (owned by another priest in charge of her) and found the sample. However, it is set on fire while when they test it to confirm. The only option is to get a sample from the Medeiros girl herself.
Meanwhile, several other characters also surface. Jennifer’s father has come back after buying medicine for his child (the infected girl from REC who was thought to have tonsillitis only) and insists on entering the building. He convinces a firefighter and both go inside. Likewise, three teenagers – Tito, Mire, and Ori – manage to get inside the building via the sewage system. However, the police later seal the exit. Click here to read full review of "REC 2".
Rise of the Planet of the Apes is a 2011 science fiction film directed by Rupert Wyatt. It stars James Franco, Frieda Pinto, and Andy Serkis. It is a great addition to the Planet of the Apes series which actually tells the origin of the intelligent apes. The movie is distributed by 20th Century Fox.
Plot. Will Rodman (played by James Franco) is a pharmaceutical scientist who develops a drug to cure Alzheimer’s disease by testing them on chimpanzees. His drug mutates the chimps, giving them human level of intelligence. One of the most successful subjects is the chimp named Bright Eyes. Unknown to the Will and to his them, Bright Eyes has secretly given birth to a male baby. So during a presentation, Bright Eyes goes in a rampage, believing that she and the baby are threatened. Consequently, all the experimental chimps are killed except for the baby whom Will saves and takes home. Will’s father names the baby Caesar and Will raises him in his house. Caesar inherits his mother’s high intelligence and learns things very quickly. After eight years, Caesar has outgrown his environment and has become a highly intelligent ape.
One day, after seeing Will’s father being hurt by a neighbor, Caesar gets suddenly mad and attacks the person. Due to this incidence, Will is forced to surrender Caesar to San Bruno Sanctuary. There, Caesar meets several monkeys, chimps, and orangutan. It has been hard at the beginning but Caesar gently befriends them one by one and gains their respect and trust. However, Caesar is saddened by the fact the staff in the sanctuary are actually treating them bad.
Meanwhile, authorities now believe the efficacy of Will’s drug and so Will is directed to create more powerful drug. Experiments on a bonobo named Koba reveal that it strengthens the intelligence of the apes even further.
Later, Caesar escapes the ape facility and goes home to steal the canisters of drug created by Will. He then returns and releases it through the cage area, enhancing the intelligence of his fellow apes. In a unified decision, the apes break the facility and escape. They also liberated all the other apes in the city. With Caesar leading them all, they aim to cross over the Golden Gate Bridge and go to the redwood forest at Muir Woods National Monument.
After a hard-won battle against humans who desperate attempt to block them, the apes successfully enter the redwood forest. In the final heart-breaking scene, Caesar bids farewell to Will.
Commentary. I instantly love this film on first watch. And when was that moment? Just a week ago while riding a bus home. LOL! Yes, it was almost a three-hour travel and the film’s only one and a half hours. Got no entertainment on the bus and so the driver played the movie on DVD. It was excruciating watching it from my seat but it really got me. When I came home, I looked for a copy of the film and watched it all over again.
The movie is a great variation of the many “The Planet of the Apes” versions. Instead of having supernatural apes or apes from other planets, we see common apes made extraordinary by human technology. And for that, I could say that this is one of the most creative and intelligent movies I have ever seen.
What is special about the film is the sentimentality involved. We have seen countless movies about animal cruelty, but this one has added “voice” and “heart” to the animals in a unique way. The main ape, after having exposed with certain drugs, has adapted the ways of man which he later uses to save his kind. That was the most dramatic part, when the apes rise to defend themselves. Their revolt is not vengeance at all – they simply want to go “home.” Without doubt, the movie succeeds in conveying its message of anti-exploitation of our environment and natural resources.
Aside from its beautiful theme, the movie also succeeds in achieving visual and cinematic excellence also.
Reception. Rise of the Planet of the Apes is both financial and critical success. From its budget of roughly $93 million, it grossed to almost $400 million. It also received mostly positive reviews. Rotten Tomatoes gave it an 82% “Certified Fresh Rating” while Metacritic awards it a score of 68.
Law Abiding Citizen is a 2009 thriller, starring Jamie Foxx and Gerard Butler. Directed by F. Gary Gray, the movie was distributed by Overture Films.
Plot. Set in Philadelphia, the movie is the story of one man’s vengeance to the killer who murdered his family, and to the criminal justice system which freed the killer.
The movie begins with the tragedy in the home of an engineer named Clyde Shelton. Several persons invaded his home and raped and killed his wife and daughter before his eyes. During the trial, prosecutor Nick Rice informs Clyde that his case against the suspect, Clarence Darby, is weak due to botched forensic evidence and that Clyde’s testimony alone is insufficient to prove either suspect’s guilt. Due to the uncertainty of the case and with his desire to maintain his conviction rates, Nick strikes a deal with the suspect: Darby gives a testimony that will send his accomplice Rupert Ames to death row, and in exchange, Nick allows Darby to plead guilty to third-degree murder, for which he will only serve three years imprisonment. The plan is pushed through, leaving Clyde feeling betrayed by both Nick and the justice system.
Ten years later, Rupert suffers a slow death and agonizing death due to tampering in his lethal injection. Also, DVD of Clarence Darby being tortured to death and dismembered spread. Clyde is arrested for the murder who confesses to both crimes. All the those years, Clyde has studied the justice system and now in prison, he plays with them. He holds so much information and in exchange for them, he trades for some luxuries like soft mattress in prison, a grand meal, and his iPod. Failure to comply with his demands means death for many people involved, like the judge, a cellmate, and many members of the legal staff. It is Clyde’s ultimate revenge against the rotten justice system.
In the end, Nick discovers all his secrets – that he has dug a tunnel through his prison cell. Nick has outwitted Clyde who dies from his own plot. However, Clyde accomplishes his true mission – to teach Nick never to deal with murderers anymore.
Commentary. Law Abiding Citizen is a well-thought movie. It is one of those movies we cannot easily forget due to the simplicity of its plot and the complexity of the details that built the plot. Basically, it is the story of vengeance out of helplessness. But it is a well-calculated revenge, a series of tragedy planned for years. The victim has now become the hunter, and the prize is a painful and overwhelming lesson for the hunter and his victims.
Ironically, I cheered for the hunter, awed and wowed by him. I find it hard to condemn the man whose rage sprang out of sever grief and disappointment. Still, the end does not justify the means and in the last part, he once again becomes the victim, the sacrificial lamb to get the messages across.
Actor. Gerard Butler as Clyde Shelton is beyond excellence. He truly portrayed the grieving and avenging man. All throughout the film, he exuded an air of mystery and hunger. Jamie Foxx as Nick Rice also deserves high praises. His performance earned him a nomination for Outstanding Actor by the NAACP Image Awards.
Unforgettable scene. The simultaneous bombing of the cars of the legal staff would be the most unforgettable for me. I find that part overwhelmingly heart-breaking.
Reception. The movie premiered second on its opening weekend, behind Where the Wild Things Are. However, the movie received mostly negative reviews from critics. Rotten Tomatoes reported that 25% of critics gave it a positive review, with an average score of 4.4/10. Meanwhile, Metacritic gave it a rating of 34%.
Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief is a 2010 fantasy-adventure film based loosely on The Lightning Thief, the first novel in the Percy Jackson & The Olympians series by Rick Riordan. Logan Lerman played the major role as Percy Jackson, Brandon T. Jackson as Grover Underwood (a satyr), and Alexandra Daddario as Annabeth Chase (daughter of Athena), with appearances of great Hollywood stars like Kevin McKidd as Poseidon, Sean Bean as Zeus, Pierce Brosnan as Chiron, and Uma Thurman as Medusa. It was directed by Chris Columbus and distributed by 20th Century Fox. It was released to theaters on February 12, 2010 with much success.
Plot. The movie begins with a scene on top of the Empire State Building where Olympian gods Zeus and Poseidon meet. Zeus reveals that his mater lightning bolt has been stolen and that Poseidon’s demigod son Percy Jackson is accused of the stealth. Poseidon reminds him that Percy is unaware of his true identity. However, Zeus insists that the lightning bolt be returned before the next summer solstice, and if not, war will be waged.
Percy Jackson is a seventeen-year-old teenager who has the ability to stay underwater for a long time. While on a school trip to a local museum, Percy is chased by a Fury and is only saved by his bestfriend Grover and Latin teacher Mr. Brunner. Despite Percy’s confusion, Mr. Brunner has Grover take him and his mother Sally out to Camp Half-Blood. However, they are attacked by a minotaur who appears to kill Sally since she is unable to enter the camp. Percy fights and kills the minotaur, and then faints from shock.
Three days later, Percy wakes up in the camp and soon learns that he is the son of Poseidon. He also discovers the true identity of his bestfriend and Mr. Brunner. In the camp, he learns combat skills and meets and befriends Annabeth Chase and Luke Castellan, son of Hermes. During a team exercise, Hades appears and reveals that Sally is with him in the Underworld and he will return her safely if Percy hands over the lightning bolt. Despite orders not to go, Percy plans to go to the Underworld, joined by Grover and Annabeth. They visit Luke who gives them an old shield, a pair of winged sneakers, and a map where three of Persephone’s pearl are found which they can use to escape the Underworld.
Over the next days, the trio heads to great adventures as they look for the pearls and fight other mythical figures like Medusa, Hydra, and the Lotus-Eaters. After having possession of the pearls, they meet Hades and his wife Persephone in the Underworld. After a fight, Hades finds the bold hidden inside the shield, revealing that Luke is actually the lightning thief. However, Persephone knocks out Hades with the bolt to avoid spending eternity with him, and hands the bolt to Percy. Since there are only three pearls, Grover chooses to stay behind with Persephone.
Percy, Annabeth and Sally are teleported to the Empire State Building. Luke attacks them and tells that he wants to destroy Mount Olympus so that the demigods can become the new rulers of the gods. Percy fights hard with Luke, and after defeating him, he returns the bolt to Zeus. Percy is forgiven and is allowed to speak briefly with Poseidon.
In the end, Percy and Annabeth returns to the camp and is reunited with Grover.
Commentary. Before I had seen the movie, I was not attracted to it since fantasy films are not my type of movies. It strikes me as another Harry-Potter-like production which is not my liking. A student recommended it to me, and incidentally, I was able to watch it on Cable some time later.
Bravo! I find it really exciting and wonderful. It is not as original as Harry Potter but it is as refreshing and creative. The concept of integrating ancient mythology to contemporary world is brilliant, as learning a part of this classic literature becomes fun and thrilling. The familiar characters are twisted that they seem so real, especially Medusa and Hades who appears like a rock star. Being a viewer, it made me wish to be a demigod as well. LOL!
The movie takes on a fast pace, avoiding being dry, dull and uninteresting. It has a very clear plot that there are no loose ends in its story line. With regards to its special effects, I can only be amazed and gaped. For me, this is a good movie overall.
Reception. There are mixed reviews for the movie. In Metacritic, it received an average score of 47 out of 100, while 50% of reviews in Rotten Tomatoes were positive.
Actor Logan Lerman received nominations from 2010 MTV Movie Awards, Teen Choice Awards, and 37th Saturn Awards for his portrayal of Percy Jackson.
Rating: Four half stars for this movie.This is a movie with great storyline but it only succeeds in being entertaining. Hope it had more depth.
Alice in Wonderland is a 2010 animated film directed by Tim Burton and released by Walt Disney. It has a powerhouse cast, mainly composing of Mia Wasikowska as Alice, Johnny Depp, Helena Bonham Carter, and Anne Hathaway. The film is inspired by Lewis Carroll’s 1865 novel Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and its 1871 sequel Through the Looking-Glass, and What Alice Found There. In the movie, the now nineteen-year-old Alice, 13 years after her last visit, returns to Wonderland as a young woman and with a new mission.
Plot. In a garden party, nineteen-year-old Alice Kingsleigh is suddenly confronted with a marriage proposal. Confused, she runs away and encounters a rabbit in a blue waistcoat. She chases after it and then accidentally falls into a large rabbit hole. Alice is transported to a world called Underland. There, she meets the White Rabbit, the Dormouse, the Dodo, and Tweedledum and Tweedledee. The strangers argue whether she is “the right Alice” who is bound to slay the Red Queen’s monster called Jabberwocky and restore the White Queen to power. The group is found and then chased by a group of playing-card soldiers led by the Knaves of Hearts. However, Alice escapes into the woods.
The Knaves of Heart tells the Red Queen about Alice, and immediately, she orders the soldiers to find Alice. Meanwhile, Alice finds Mad Hatter who is consequently seized by the enemies when protecting her. Instead of going to the White Queen, she proceeds to the Red Queen’s castle and pretends to be a servant named “Um”. She learns that the only weapon that can kill the Jabberwocky is the Vorpal Sword which is locked away inside the Bandersnatch’s den. After befriending the monster, Alice escapes the castle and delivers the sword to the White Queen. Yet, the Queen gives her the sword for only “Alice” can fulfill the destiny. To clarify her confusions, Alice meets with Absolem the Catterpillar and is reminded of her past visit to Underland, which she mistakenly called “Wonderland” at the time. With her memories returned, Alice finally takes courage. Also, the Hatter is saved by the Cheshire Cat from execution and then calls for a rebellion against the Red Queen.
When the Frabjous Day arrives, both the White and Red Queens meet on a chessboard-like battlefield and from their armies, they send forth their chosen champions – Alice and the Jabberwocky. After a difficult battle, Alice wins the battle. As a punishment, the Red Queen and the Knaves of Heart are banished to the Outlands. The White Queen gives Alive a vial of the Jabberwocky’s blood which can take her home. Alice bids farewell to Underland with a promise to return.
Alice goes home. She then stands up for her family and vows to live her own life.
Commentary.Alice in Wonderland is a unique and refreshing version of a favorite children’s tale. Here, Alice has grown up and returns to a dull, chaotic, and dark Wonderland. Compared with the tale, the movie has less adventures but more drama. The young woman Alice finds her true self in the Wonderland, while fulfilling a great prophecy. Despite the dark atmosphere of the setting, the characters are very delightful, humorous, witty, and engaging. It is really feels great to see the familiar characters, yet now in Computer-Generated Imagery (CGI). It is nostalgic and dramatic at the same time. Though the images are really plausible, the movie is not very different from other such films which have better visuals than plot.
Actors. The actors in the film have done well, especially Johnny Depp (though the design and look of his character here is reminiscent of his other roles) and Anne Hathaway. I guess they all fit perfectly well into CGI.
Reception. Alice in Wonderland is a huge commercial success, becoming the second highest-grossing film of 2010 worldwide (behind Toy Story), and the sixth highest-grossing film of all time worldwide. It is also director Tim Burton’s highest-grossing film, as well as the highest-grossing children’s book adaptation.
Critically, the film received mixed reviews. Rotten Tomatoes gave it an average score of 5.7 out of 10. In Metacritic, it received a rating score of 53 out of 100.
Rating.Alice in Wonderland is visually excellent but the whole movie itself rests on ordinariness. So I would have to give it two and a half stars out of five.
Disaster movies almost always become instant blockbuster hits. The suspense and the breathe-taking special effects are some of their impressive elements that audiences love to watch them again and again. Some of these films deal with the extinction of humanity, and one style of ending the world is through the random actions of the universe and of nature. With their unpredictable and unstoppable rage, forces from outside and within Earth break loose. Here are five movies about the destructive force of the universe and nature.
Deep Impact
Deep Impact was released in May 8, 1998 by Paramount Pictures and DreamWorks. It was directed by Mimi Leder and stars Elijah Wood, Morgan Freeman, Téa Leoni and Robert Duvall.
The movie follows the effort of humanity to destroy a comet due to strike Earth. It begins with teenage amateur astronomer Leo Biederman, and consequently professional astronomer Marcus Wolf, discovering an unusual object, which is actually a comet, near the stars Mizar and Alcor. A year later, the President of the USA announces that a 7-mile-wide comet named Wolf-Biederman is approaching Earth and it is large and strong enough to end humanity. The USA and Russia launches the spacecraft Messiah with a mission to destroy the comet with a nuclear weapon. The mission failed and the comet is instead split in two smaller rocks – Biederman (1.5 miles wide) and Wolf (6 miles wide). With this failure, governments around the world established building underground shelters.
The smaller rock, Biederman, impact Atlantic Ocean, creating megatsunamis and devastating Atlantic coasts of many countries. The bigger rock, Wolf, would impact western Canada and create a cloud of dust that will block out the sun for two years, enough to destroy all remaining life. With their last ounce of courage, crew of the Messiah undertakes a suicide mission and saves the world.
Deep Impact opened with an overwhelming success, grossing at least $349 million overall on a $75 million production budget. In Rotten Tomatoes, 46% of critics enjoyed the film, giving the film a rating of 5.7/10. On the other hand, Metacritic gave it a score of 40 out of 100.
Armageddon
Two and a half months after Deep Impact opened, Armageddon was released in cinemas. It is directed by Michael Bay, produced by Jerry Bruckheimer, and released by Disney’s Touchstone Pictures. The movie has an amazing casts, featuring Bruce Willis, Ben Affleck, Owen Wilson, Billy Bob Thornton, Liv Tyler, and many others.
The movie opens with a meteor shower destroying a space shuttle and parts of New York City. Immediately, NASA finds outs that a huge asteroid will collide with Earth in 18 days. NASA then plans to implant a nuclear device 800 feet inside the asteroid which, when ignited, will divide the asteroid in two that will fly past the Earth. To accomplish this, NASA hires Harry Stamper, the best deep-sea oil driller in the world, and his team. They undergo training and then deployed inside the shuttles Independence and Freedom. After one shuttle fails and an inaccurate landing on the asteroid, they realize they lose their entire driller. Meanwhile on Earth, fragments of the asteroid destroy Shanghai and Paris. The team is left with a backup plan – to ignite a nuclear weapon on the surface of the asteroid. But the triggering mechanism is damaged, and in a heart-breaking ending, team leader Harry Stamper takes a last bold step to detonate the bomb and split the asteroid.
Armageddon is deemed to have more scientific inaccuracies than Deep Impact, just like the idea that NASA can really do something about a major catastrophe like that in a very short time. However, Armageddon bested the other in the box office. With its budget of $140 million, it grossed a total of at least $553 million, making it as the highest-grossing film of 1998. It received a rating of 41% on Rotten Tomatoes and a score of 42 on Metacritic.
Knowing
Knowing is a science fiction directed by Alex Proyas and stars Nicolas Cage, Rose Byrne, Chandler Canterbury, and Lara Robinson. It was released in 2009 by Escape Artists and Summit Entertainment.
Knowing blends science fiction and popular religious beliefs. It begins in year 1959 and young Lucinda Emery, a lonely girl who hears whispers, writes a page full of random numbers and places it inside a “time capsule” designed by the school. The capsule is buried underground, to be opened only after fifty years. Later, Lucinda is found in a closet with her hands bloody from scratching the numbers into the door. Fifty years hence, 2009, the time capsule is opened and sketches are given arbitrarily to all students. Professor of astrophysics at MIT Jonathan Koestler is there in the ceremony whose son Caleb happens to receive Lucinda’s page of numbers. Jonathan notices the number sequence 911012996 on the page and realizes it refers to the date and number of deaths from the September 11, 2001 attacks. Jonathan further makes similar discoveries with the other numbers – all reference to major disasters in the world. Jonathan looks for Lucinda and founds out she has died from a drug overdose. Instead, he meets Lucinda’s daughter Diana and granddaughter Abby, who like Lucinda and Caleb, also hears whispers. With the predictions in the page, Jonathan bears witness to two disasters. And what is more shocking is that the world will end by October 19. In his laboratory, Jonathan discovers that a massive solar flare will soon reach Earth and burn everyone else. As the movie ends, the voices that the children hear are actually “angels”. Along with the other “chosen ones” Caleb and Abby are taken into a beautiful and safe new world, while Jonathan and the rest of the world face the final disaster.
The movie received mixed to negative reviews. 33% of critics in Rotten Tomatoes gave a positive review with an average score of 4.7 out of 10. Similarly, Metacritic gave it a score of 41 out of 100. Though the movie is not a critical success, it was a huge box office hit as it opens #1 in March, 2009. (See full review)
The Day After Tomorrow
The Day After Tomorrow is a 2004 science fiction disaster film. It stars Dennis Quaid, Emmy Rossum, Iam Holm, Jake Gyllenhaal, and many more. The movie explores the deadly effects of global warming which will consequently lead to a new ice age.
While drilling for ice core samples on an expedition in Antarctica, paleoclimatologist Jack Hall and his colleagues Frank and Jason makes a startling discovery. Later, he presents his findings on global warming at a United Nations conference, but several diplomats are unconvinced with this. However, Professor Terry Rapson of the Hedland Climate Research Center in Scotland believes in Jack’s theories after he observes a massive drop in the ocean temperatures. He contacts Jack whose weather model show climate changes caused the first Ice Age and can predict what will happen. Sadly, their model shows global freezing in seven to ten days. In the following days across the world, violent weather cause mass destruction, including a massive snowstorm in New Delhi, a hailstorm destroying Tokyo, Japan, and a series of devastating tornadoes in Los Angeles. Worse, a huge system spanning the northern hemisphere develops into three massive hurricane-like superstorms, with their eyes holding super-cooled air that instantly freezes anything it comes in contact with. Knee-deep floods in a mix of rainwater, saltwater, and sewage drowned many urban cities in the northern hemisphere, including New York City. It is a deep freeze and lead characters survived by taking shelters in abandoned spots. In the end, most of the northern hemisphere is covered in ice and snow.
The Day After Tomorrow is a huge blockbuster hit, becoming the sixth highest grossing movie not to be #1 in the US box office. However, Rotten Tomatoes rated the movie only at 45%, with an average rating of 5.3/10. Moreover, Yahoo! Movies listed the film as one of the Top 10 Scientifically Inaccurate Movies in 2008. It was criticized for its idea of a series of catastrophic atmospheric occurring over a course of hours, instead of several decades or centuries.
2012
2012 is a 2009 science fiction disaster film directed by Roland Emmerich and distributed by Columbia Pictures. It stars John Cusack, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Amanda Peet, Oliver Platt, and many others.
The movie starts in 2009 with some scientists discovering that neutrinos from a massive solar flare are causing the temperature of the Earth’s core to increase. In 2010, international leaders begin a secret project to guarantee humanity’s survival. Approximately 400,000 people are chosen to board “arks” constructed at Cho Ming, Tibet, in the Himalayas. In 2012, Jackson Curtis, a science fiction writer in Los Angeles, takes his children Noah and Lilly camping in Yellowstone National Park. There Jackson meets a radio show host who tells him that the theory of polar shifts and the Mesoamerican Long Count Calendar predict that the 2012 phenomenon will occur. He also learns about the ark project. The family returns home as seismic activity increases along the west coast of the United States. After surviving the earthquakes and eruption of the Yellowstone Caldera, the family, along with some friends and people they meet along the way, manages to arrive at the arks in Tibet. They stow away on the ark, and soon, megatsunamis approach the site. There is chaos as the ark’s gate fails to close up, rendering the ship unable to start its engines. Some of them are killed, while others emerge as heroes. In the end, as the floodwaters from the tsunami recede, the arks journey to the Cape of Good Hope in South Africa.
The movie is a great financial success. In 2009, it became the 5th highest grossing film in that year and the 35th highest grossing film of all time worldwide. However, Rotten Tomatoes gave the movie an average rating of 6.1/10 with 39% of its critics giving positive review. In Metacritic, it only received a score of 49 out of 100.
Cloverfield is a 2008 disaster film produced by J. J. Abrams and directed by Matt Reeves. It stars young Hollywood stars Michael Stahl-David, Mike Vogel, T. J. Miller, Odette Yustman, Jessica Lucas, Lizzy Caplan, and Ben Feldman. The movie is distributed by Paramount Pictures.
Plot. The film begins with a disclaimer that the footage is from a case called “Cloverfield” and was found in the area “formerly known as Central Park.” Hence, what the audience will see is a video segment from a personal camera recovered by the United States Department of Defense. The video consists of the events taped on the night of May 22 and the morning of May 23. Occasionally, flashes from the older video dated April 27 is seen as those new segments are actually taped over the older one.
On the night of May 22, Rob’s brother Jason and his girlfriend Lily prepare a farewell party for Rob who will be moving to Japan. A friend named Hud uses the camera to film testimonials for Rob. There in the party, the main casts for the movie are introduced. After an argument, Rob’s girlfriend Beth leaves the party. Then suddenly, an apparent earthquake strikes and New York City suffers a brief power outage.
A devastating explosion ensues and the party-goers immediately evacuate the building. The head of the Statue of Liberty crashes in a nearby street. Amidst the dusts, Hud records what appears to be a giant hand of a creature several blocks away. Jason, Rob, Lily, Hud and Marlena attempt to escape the city on the Brooklyn Bridge. A huge tail then destroys the center of the bridge and many people are killed, including Jason. The rest are forced to flee back to Manhattan.
Rob finds out from a call that Beth is trapped in her apartment and unable to move. The four then sets out to rescue Beth. Along the way, they encounter several small spider-like creatures in a subway. Marlena is wounded and consequently dies as her body inflates and explodes. The three soon find Beth’s apartment and then free her from the rubbles that trap her. The four make their way to Grand Central Station where they meet the gigantic monster again. There are military forces around and Lily is raced into a departing helicopter. Rob, Beth and Hud then embark another helicopter and while in air, they witness U.S. Air Force bomb the monster. Suddenly, the monster attacks their helicopter and crashes into a grassy clearing in Central Park.
The three survives the crash and the film restarts in the morning of May 23. From the helicopter’s radio, it is announced that Hammerdown protocol will begin in 15 minutes and that anyone who hears the siren is within the blast zone. The three hurry up, but when Hud returns to recover the camera, he encounters the monster again and attacks and kills him. Rob and Beth grab the still-recording camera and take shelter under Greyshot Arch in Central Park as air raid sirens begin to blare and bombers to blast. Rob and Beth take turns in recording their last testimonials of that day as the bridge crumbles and debris covers the camera.
Review. Cloverfield is a very suspenseful disaster film. Unlike others, the film gives more personal feeling to the audience. It is like picking up a camcorder along the street and viewing somebody else’s footage on it. It is very crude, and though we do not know the persons inside the film, we feel their terror and helplessness. We breathe with them, flee with them, and even seem to “die” with them. With this accept, Cloverfield has achieved believability, originality, and creativity.
The movie also succeeds in its desire to create another memorable monster in the movies. Cloverfield monster is not like King Kong or Godzilla which many love. It is the exact opposite; we dread and fear this gigantic monster and wish to end its menace and evil.
Reception. Cloverfield is both commercial and critical success. It was the first film in 2008 to gross over $100 million. Rotten Tomatoes reported that 76% of its critics gave a positive review. In Metacritic, the film received a rating of 64 out of 100.
Rating. Overall, I find the movie to be very fresh and exciting. Though it lacks good moral lessons to teach, it succeeds in gaining deep emotional attachment to viewers as suspense and drama are built wonderfully throughout the film. For this, I will give the move four stars out of five.
How to Train Your Dragon is a computer-animated fantasy film released by DreamWorks Animation and Paramount Pictures in 2010. It is loosely based on a 2003 book of the same name. The movie features the voices of Jay Baruchel, Gerard Butler, America Ferrera, Craig Ferguson, Jonah Hill, and Christopher Mintz-Plasse.
Plot. The film follows the adventures of a boy named Hiccup as he struggles to befriend and trains a dragon. It is set in a mythical Viking world on an island called Berk. Over time, the Vikings have been frequently attacked by dragons which raid their livestocks and destroy their homes. They have attempted to find the dragons’ lair but are unsuccessful.
Hiccup is the talkative, bright son of Stoick, chief of a Viking clan. Being small compared to the other Viking kids, Hiccup makes up for his size by building contraptions to kill dragons, especially the Night fury, the most dangerous dragon known. He does this to gain the admiration of his father and of the girl he has eyes for – the competent and aggressive Astrid.
Like other kids, Hiccup is under training for “killing dragons” and in between lessons, he explores the nearby woods and checks on his inventions. One day, his contraption has caught a Night Fury whose tailwing is damaged. Hiccup tries to kill dragon, but cannot get himself to do it. Instead, he frees the dragon. Afterwards, he discovers that the dragon cannot fly due to its injury. Summoning all his courage, Hiccup befriends the dragon and successfully helps it fly again. The two establishes a bond and becomes friend, and Hiccup names the dragon “Toothless.”
Astrid soon finds out Hiccup’s secret. But Hiccup convinces her otherwise, and they both ride Toothless and explore the land. Incidentally, they reach a volcanic-like island where the dragons live. Inside, they find that the dragons do not eat the livestock itself but instead give it to a giant dragon (a Seadragonus Giganticus Maximus) which also feeds off the other dragons. Astrid assumes that the dragons are forced to serve the giant beast.
The next day, Hiccup’s secret is revealed to the community as he fails the final test. Consequently, Toothless is caught and made to lead the soldiers to the lair of the dragons. Left behind, Hiccup assembles the children in the island and teaches them to befriend the training dragons. Ultimately, the group sets off and helps the Viking fleet. It is a long and hard battle as Hiccup fights to prove to the Vikings that the dragons are friends. In the end, Hiccup and Toothless successfully defeat the giant beast.
Some time later, Hiccup wakes up in their island to find that he has lost his foot, replaced by an artificial limb. Despite this, Hiccup is celebrated as the hero of the village. Toothless and also all the other dragons are there, living in harmony with all the people.
Review. How to Train Your Dragon is a beautiful coming-of-age animated fantasy film. It is vibrant with colorful graphics and exciting fight scenes. It is full of wit as evident in its meaty dialogues and heart-warming storyline. It is very engaging, suspenseful, and lovable.
But more than the technical brilliance of the film is its underlying message. The movie teaches about change and the openness and willingness to embrace it. In the film, we see a boy trained to kill dragons, but when confronted with one, he turns soft and feels compassion for it that he befriends it. On the other hand, the community chooses to stay blind to the various potentials of having dragons around them. And even though faced with resistance, the boy redeems himself and shows the worth of the dragons. As in real life, we grow up with traditions and culture vested on us. When new possibilities come our way, we suddenly become afraid to take risks and choose to remain with where we are. We are contented with the security of status quo and let go the fruits and joys of taking chances, even it has been really a mistake in the end.
Reception.How to Train Your Dragon received both critical and commercial success. In Rotten Tomatoes, 98% of its critics gave a positive review with an overall rating of 8.0 out of 10. In Metacritic, the film received a rating score of 74 out of 100. In the box office, the movie is one of DreamWorks highest-grossing films, trailing behind the Shrek film series. Accordingly, part two of the film will be released by 2013.
Rating. I would willingly let kids watch this film. It is fun and not violent despite the fight scenes. It also has good moral lessons to teach. So five stars out of five for this movie.
Deep Impact was released in May 8, 1998 by Paramount Pictures and DreamWorks. It was directed by Mimi Leder and stars Elijah Wood, Morgan Freeman, Téa Leoni and Robert Duvall.
Two and a half months after Deep Impact opened, Armageddon was released in cinemas. It is directed by Michael Bay, produced by Jerry Bruckheimer, and released by Disney’s Touchstone Pictures. The movie has an amazing casts, featuring Bruce Willis, Ben Affleck, Owen Wilson, Billy Bob Thornton, Liv Tyler, and many others.
