Blogcritics Author: Daniel Cummings

Movie Review: Ratatouille

Daniel Cummings — Sat, 27 Oct 2007 14:31:16 EDT

Those whiz kids at Disney/Pixar are back, it's time to stand up and applaud once again!
There is always a pleasant buzz surrounding the release of a Disney/Pixar movie. Expectations are high but that’s hardly surprising seeing as they always seem to deliver the goods. I think it is fair to call them a rare breed in today’s Hollywood – where so many films do indeed disappoint. With seven pictures already under their...

Movie Review: Hot Fuzz

Daniel Cummings — Sun, 14 Oct 2007 15:17:09 EDT

After delivering their excellent take on the zombie genre, Edgar Wright, Simon Pegg and Nick Frost return with their take on the action genre.
In 2004, director Edgar Wright and actors Simon Pegg and Nick Frost teamed up to deliver one of the finest films of the year, Shaun Of The Dead, a incredible homage to the zombie genre. Now in 2007 the British boys finally make their return to the silver screen, this time paying homage to the action genre.PC Nicholas Angel (Pegg) is a very good...

Movie Review: Disturbia

Daniel Cummings — Mon, 17 Sep 2007 13:47:20 EDT

It's Rear Window re-tooled for a new audience...
Alfred Hitchcock’s Rear Window is a classic thriller that was way ahead of its time with its subject matter. So director D.J. Caruso’s (Taking Lives, Two For The Money) re-tooling of the timeless film makes perfect sense with people’s obsession with voyeurism and paranoia in today’s world.In Rear Window James Stewart starred...

Movie Review: Death Sentence

Daniel Cummings — Mon, 3 Sep 2007 20:11:35 EDT

Kevin Bacon is out for revenge in this latest effort from director James Wan.
In 2004 writer/director James Wan created an original and fresh horror picture that put some life back into a dying genre. That film was Saw. Now in 2007 Wan returns to the screen with the revenge thriller, Death Sentence, this time behind the camera, leaving writing duties to first-timer Ian Jeffers.Nick Hume (Kevin Bacon), a hard working...

Movie Review: Rush Hour 3

Daniel Cummings — Sat, 1 Sep 2007 13:32:48 EDT

Chan & Tucker re-team for one final hour...
After not appearing in a single film since 2001's Rush Hour 2, Chris Tucker makes his return in, yes you guessed it, Rush Hour 3. Jackie Chan returns too, along with director Brett Ratner in what the promotional posters are calling "There finest hour yet." They must have not seen the movie for themselves.Chief Inspector Lee (Chan) and...

Announcement: Short-content feeds

Phillip Winn — Sun, 26 Aug 2007 12:00:00 EDT

Sunday, August 26, 2007, marks the switch of all Blogcritics.org article feeds from full-content to short-content. This is the result of several converging factors, and is unfortunately a permanent decision (as permanent as any decision can be on the web, that is). We are aware of all of the reasons that this is a Bad Idea, and we are aware that some of you will be quite upset about having to click on something to read the free content, and we're sorry. Unfortunately, despite great effort, full-content feeds are not currently economically viable. Two other factors are involved: full-content feeds have resulted in an unprecedented level of content theft, with BC content appearing on many websites, usually spam sites, without attribution or permission. This duplicate content causes a cascading set of problems, not the least of which is that search engines generally aren't favorable to duplicate content, and don't always guess correctly. Finally, our RSS advertising partner is strongly in favor of short-content feeds. We hope that you'll continue to subscribe to BC via RSS, and when an article grabs your eye, it's only a click away, still free on the BC website. Thank you for your understanding.

Movie Review: Evan Almighty

Daniel Cummings — Wed, 15 Aug 2007 18:59:29 EDT

They’re at it again in Hollywood. Evan Almighty is the latest follow-up to a Jim Carrey vehicle without the funny man; Dumb And Dumberer and Son Of The Mask were already forced upon us in recent years. Both of which proved to be a disaster. So now we have a sequel to Jim’s runaway hit Bruce Almighty…With Carrey out of the picture, Steve Carell steps into the lead role reprising his news-reading character Evan Baxter from the first outing. Only Evan has now become a Congressman and after praying to God (Morgan Freeman) that he can live up to his new responsibilities by changing the world, God appears to Evan and tasks him to build an Ark.Yes it doesn’t really get much more complicated than that. Evan Almighty basically takes what was originally a more mature adult comedy and turns it into a more kiddie-friendly family outing, which naturally results in a lot less laughs.Steve Carell isn’t on top form but he hardly needs to be. He is pretty much in cruise control throughout the picture, bursting into life every now and then providing a few laugh-out-loud moments. At the end of the day Carell is a lot, lot better than this; see The 40 Year-Old Virgin or Little Miss Sunshine for proof.Morgan Freeman returns and much like Carell, mostly goes through the motions but is charming and likable. The rest of the supporting cast don’t really offer much including John Goodman, who again is much better than this. However Jonah Hill pops up in a small role and scores laughs every time he’s in frame. Look out for Superbad coming very soon, which should make him a star.Evan Almighty has become the most expensive comedy ever made with an estimated end cost of nearly 200 Million dollars and despite a strong opening weekend it is now struggling to break even. So once again a sequel is made because of its predecessor's box office takings but fails to take the same kind of money.Kids will have a good time watching Evan Almighty especially with the animal jokes. Adults though wont really take much notice. However the scenes with the animals helping build the ark will raise a smile to everybody’s face. Also stick around for the fun credits where all the cast and crew join in with Carell’s dance.Overall Evan Almighty is one for the kids to lap up and adults to occasionally laugh and smile at. Hopefully in the future sequels like this wont so easily be given the green light… ah who am I kidding?

This writer loves watching films and collecting DVDs. His favourite film of all time is The Shawshank Redemption. He also enjoys playing sports and spending time with his girlfriend.

Movie Review: The Simpsons Movie

Daniel Cummings — Sat, 11 Aug 2007 10:18:35 EDT

It’s taken Simpsons creator Matt Groening almost eighteen years to bring his beloved dysfunctional family to the big screen, after the series first aired back in 1989. Luckily though, The Simpsons hasn’t outstayed its welcome, remaining a consistently funny show.The story finds the town of Springfield encased in a huge dome by the Environmental Protection Agency after Homer Simpson pollutes the town’s lake and natural water supply. The Simpson family manage to escape the dome and are declared fugitives.The genius writers behind this classic show have pulled off easily one of the coups of the summer; all things considered, The Simpsons Movie is as good as it possibly could have been. Okay, there is no denying that if the film came to cinemas ten years ago it more than likely would have been the funniest film ever; so funniest film of the year will just have to do.The film kicks off with a fantastic gag about environmental issues that includes the band Green Day and a spoof of the movie Titanic. And from there the gags come thick and fast, with the first half of the picture recording at least one gag per minute. Naturally that rate does let up a little in the second half; once the story leaves Springfield you do find yourself missing the other brilliant characters.So my only real niggle about the film would be the fact that some of the characters (there are so many great ones) don’t get as much screen time as they deserve. For once I really would have liked a film to last longer than it did.The Simpsons has always been a brilliant satire so it's no surprise the writers chose to lampoon the current state of emergency the world finds itself in regarding the environment. It may not be a great story but as I said before, after eighteen years, it’s not bad at all really.There are so many hilarious jokes here that I could talk all day about them but I wont. I suggest you go check out the film yourself to laugh along with them. But don’t forget you are paying to see something you can easily watch for free on TV, as Homer himself points out in the riotous opening credits.If you have never seen an episode of The Simpsons (where the hell have you been for the past eighteen years if you haven’t, by the way) then The Simpsons Movie is actually a great place to start; it is after all basically a feature length episode.The Simpsons have finally made it to the big screen and in the end I am glad to be able to say it has been worth the wait. The Simpsons legacy is now firmly sealed.

This writer loves watching films and collecting DVDs. His favourite film of all time is The Shawshank Redemption. He also enjoys playing sports and spending time with his girlfriend.

Movie Review: 300

Daniel Cummings — Thu, 2 Aug 2007 22:05:04 EDT

In 2005, Frank Miller's graphic novel Sin City was adapted to the screen via director Robert Rodriguez. By using green screen he was able to literally lift Miller’s source material right off the page onto the silver screen. The finished result was arguably the truest comic book adapt ever made. Now two years on and another one of Miller’s novels has been adapted to film. This time Zack Snyder, director of 2004’s fantastic re-make of Dawn Of The Dead, is at the helm.300 addresses the battle of Thermopylae which took place in 480 B.C. where King Leonidas (Gerard Butler) of Sparta led a legion of 300 Spartans against a Persian army consisting of over one hundred thousand men.Essentially that is the basic plot for the film. Much like Sin City the material has been lifted straight from the pages onto the big screen. So once again it’s a very accurate adaptation and the green screen technology used gives the picture a unique look that is visually stunning. So despite there not being much of a story, the film is beautiful to look at.Don’t worry, there is more to 300; the battle sequences are an amazing spectacle. The Spartans take no prisoners and this is portrayed to devastating effect throughout as Persian after Persian falls. The violence and gore never let up with heads being chopped clean off among other blood-soaked deaths. This is aided by some delicious slow motion shots that really help capture the brutality of battle.Unfortunately there isn’t much character development for, well anyone, really. However this doesn’t prevent a couple of very strong performances shining through the mayhem, the first one being Gerard Butler’s stellar display as King Leonidas. Every time he is on screen he completely commands your attention as he motivates his men with some delightful dialogue; "This is where we fight! This is where they die!" I think his performance combined with the box-office success 300 is enjoying will finally throttle Butler onto the Hollywood A-list.I also liked Lena Headey’s portrayal of King Leonidas’s wife and Queen. Despite not having much screen time or a fully fleshed out character I felt she really gave depth and bought genuine emotion to the role.Because of what 300 is - a faithful comic-book adaptation - you have to accept it for just that. The film contains a lot of clichés because of this and therefore there are no real surprises or twists along the way. I didn’t think this made the film any less enjoyable but it does mean there isn’t enough to make you really care too much for what’s going to happen. With that said overall I found 300 to be a bloodthirsty guilty pleasure that just isn’t in the same league of the superior Sin City.

This writer loves watching films and collecting DVDs. His favourite film of all time is The Shawshank Redemption. He also enjoys playing sports and spending time with his girlfriend.

Movie Review: The Number 23

Daniel Cummings — Wed, 1 Aug 2007 13:52:41 EDT

Jim Carrey’s latest vehicle finds the former stand-up comedian tackling the thriller genre in director Joel Schumacher’s The Number 23. The film has so far received awful reviews from most critics, which is a shame.Carrey plays Walter Sparrow, happily married to Agatha (Virginia Madsen), with one child, Robin (Logan Lerman). Agatha comes across a book titled The Number 23 and buys it for Walter. As Walter gets deeper and deeper into the book, he begins to become obsessed with 23 and discerns several similarities between the characters in the novel and his own life.Please dismiss the dreadful reviews this film has received and give it a chance. It really isn’t that bad, I have seen (and I am sure you will agree) a lot worse in this seemingly plagued genre. I must admit despite the intriguing idea behind the film of a number referring to everything in someone's life and therefore driving them insane, the script and eventual plot twists offer nothing new or particularly thrilling. Not that I am saying I knew what was going to happen; the twist certainly surprised me, but it didn’t leave me in complete awe.However whilst the main plot of the film gradually nosedives into ‘all too familiar’ territory, the film's biggest positive develops from the story within the, err, story. As Walter reads the book, director Joel Schumacher shows us what is actually happening in the novel. The scenes are beautifully shot and lit to create a unique look, perfectly separating it from the rest of the picture.With the two stories commencing we get two doses of Carrey and Madsen as they also portray characters in the book. Carrey is solid anyway as Sparrow, delivering a very subtle performance as the number slowly obsesses his character. But it is his turn as the lead character in the novel, Detective Fingerling, where he really shines and shows just how far he has come as an actor. As for Madsen, she doesn’t really get enough screen time to fully develop both her characters but it is her character Fabrizia in the novel that she is clearly relishing playing.So okay, I will admit that The Number 23 is an average thriller at best, but still there are positives to help counter the negatives. If you are a fan of Mr. Carrey you most certainly should check out The Number 23; and even if you aren’t, don’t be completely put off by the way the movie has been received, see for yourself. And after you have watched it, I almost guarantee you will be searching for that number one way or the other.

This writer loves watching films and collecting DVDs. His favourite film of all time is The Shawshank Redemption. He also enjoys playing sports and spending time with his girlfriend.

Movie Review: Live Free or Die Hard

Daniel Cummings — Fri, 13 Jul 2007 20:04:15 EDT

There is no denying the huge contribution that Arnold Schwarzenegger and Sylvester Stallone made to the action genre in the eighties. But it was a certain Bruce Willis who came along in 1988 and completely re-defined the genre starring as New York cop John McClane in Die Hard. The film was a huge success at the box office and naturally two sequels followed in 1990 (Die Hard 2) and 1995 (Die Hard With A Vengeance). Now in 2007 Willis returns as McClane in Live Free or Die Hard.Thomas Gabriel (Timothy Olyphant) and Mai Lihn (Maggie Q) set in motion a devastating plot to completely take down the computer and technological structure that supports the United States economy. A group of unknowing hackers aid his operation and are killed off one by one apart from Matt Farrell (Justin Long), who is inadvertently saved by Detective John McClane after he is called to pick up the young hacker. Now McClane, aided by Farrell, must track down Gabriel and stop his operation.Die Hard is still very much the quintessential action picture; if you only own one it has to be that one. Looking at the genre since Die Hard was released, there are a few standout films that come close: John Woo’s Hard Boiled and Face Off, Jan de Bont’s Speed, Simon West’s Con Air, Michael Bay’s The Rock, and James Cameron’s True Lies.All of those above movies contained the key elements to a great action picture: likable and believable leading man backed up by likable and convincing supporting characters. An over-the-top, menacing, sometimes hammed-up villain. Entertaining and engaging action sequences with spectacular stunt work, occasional use of CGI if need be. Also, witty one-liners from the principal character are a must.Die Hard 2 and Die Hard With A Vengeance stuck to the above rules, so now does Live Free or Die Hard keep up the tradition? I am glad to report that it certainly does in general. Like most action films, in places it does get a little ridiculous; for example Maggie Q’s character apparently has nine lives. Her fight scene with Willis is very brutal though; Bruce actually ended up with 43 stitches in his head after filming it -- ouch.Overall, the action scenes are highly entertaining and I happily smiled through every one of them. The stunts are fantastic and CGI was only used once to aid the deliciously over-the-top finale. One scene in particular finds McClane out of bullets; the answer? He accelerates a car up to a ramp, dives out at the last minute leaving the car to propel airborne into a helicopter causing it to explode, and they really did perform this stunt with no CGI (now, that’s old skool).Justin Long comes across as a very likable nerd perfectly playing off Willis’s tough guy. Timothy Olyphant hams it up just enough and is convincing but not very menacing; not surprisingly, he can’t hold a candle to Alan Rickman’s villain in the original Die Hard. Kevin Smith also pops up in a cameo role as a super-hacker known as the Warlock; it could have been cheesy but Smith plays it straight and is very funny.Willis slips back into character with ease and is clearly enjoying every single second of the movie. The one-liners are aplenty and full of humour with Bruce delivering them straight as an arrow. Willis brings back all of McClane’s mannerisms including his tendency to rant to himself. And yes, he still looks the part.I must give credit to director Len Wiseman who delivers easily his best film to date. He handles the action sequences very adeptly, keeping the thrills coming throughout the two-hour runtime.Whilst Live Free or Die Hard never manages to hit the brilliant highs of the original (can’t really say I expected it too, either) it is still a worthy sequel much like parts two and three. Going back to what makes a great action film, this comes very close with the likable lead already firmly in place, and the bottom line is this: the main reason to watch Live Free or Die Hard is Mr. Willis as he expertly drives this very entertaining action vehicle. Yippee-ki-yay!

This writer loves watching films and collecting DVDs. His favourite film of all time is The Shawshank Redemption. He also enjoys playing sports and spending time with his girlfriend.