Movie Review: Vantage Point - Starring Dennis Quaid, Matthew Fox & Forest Whitaker
Movie: Vantage Point (PG-13)
Released: February 22nd, 2008
Runtime: 1 hr. 30 min.
Ticket Price: $7.50 Matinee
Refreshments: None
Starring: Dennis Quaid, Matthew Fox, Forest Whitaker, Sigourney Weaver & William Hurt
Director: Pete Travis
Rating: Worth a Rental
Synopsis: Over the period of 23 minutes a plot is unfolding, a plot to get the President of the United States by a group of terrorists. Pieces of those 23 minutes are shown from six different points of view, the media, the secret service agent, the local cop, the tourist and then the bad guys. Can you figure out what is going on before they show it to you?
Review: Vantage Point is the same story told from six points of view with a large and recognizable cast. When it is finished showing you one vantage point, it rewinds and shows you the next one. This storytelling device is used well for the most part.
But, it has three major problems, one because you know too much going in, if you have seen the trailer, two because something is too obvious too soon and lastly, the way things come together at the end. If you haven’t seen the trailer, or the movie, you may not want to continue reading, as a clean viewing would’ve made this movie better.
The first problem is that you know there is a presidential double going in, as it is given away in the trailer. That could’ve been a great reveal, but it doesn’t do much when you already know. The presidential segment is very anti-climatic, for the most part.
Two, one of the good guys is obviously in on the plot and you know who it is long before you should. While the reasoning behind the involvement is left until later, you still already know. When it is revealed during the final point of view, it falls a bit flat.
Lastly, when they rewind for the last time and show the sixth point of view, it departs from the formula used up until that point. You get a multi-person perspective all at once, where you see it from the ringleader and the rest of the people in on the plot and a few others. But, once you get used to that and things start to converge to the ultimate conclusion, it ends on a sort of bizarre happenstance. You would’ve liked it to be more solid, where one of the good guys actually did something to end the threat.
Even with those problems though, it’s still a good time and worth a rental down the road.
Well, that’s the view from my vantage point, what did you think?
Movie Review: Jumper - Starring Hayden Christensen & Samuel L. Jackson
Released: February 14th, 2008
Watched: February 15th, 2008
Runtime: 1 hr. 30 min.
Ticket Price: $7.50 Matinee
Refreshments: None
Starring: Hayden Christensen, Samuel L. Jackson, Rachel Bilson & Diane Lane
Director: Doug Liman
Rating: Wait for the Rental, if Not Longer
Synopsis: A kid, whose mother left when he was five, grows up with an abusive father. One day during high school he gets trapped under the ice, when he falls through a frozen lake and teleports himself to the city library to escape. He decides to leave town and moves to New York. He grows up there thinking he is the only one that can do what he does, but there are people tracking his kind and he is not alone. Once he pops up on their radar, the girl he loves ends up in danger. He does whatever it takes to save her from those that will use anyone and anything to kill him for what he is.
Review: Jumper’s tagline says, “Anywhere is possible.” Too bad they didn’t go someplace then, as the film goes absolutely nowhere. Actually, there is just no there, there. It’s all sizzle, read special f/x, and no steak, read story. Given the 90-minute runtime, there was plenty of opportunity to add some heft, or some depth, to what is an interesting premise, without making the movie too long.
Jumper is based on the Steven Gould novel of the same name
Director Doug Liman helmed the first
More time was needed to develop the main character of David Rice, played by Hayden Christensen (Factory Girl, Star Wars: Episode II & III). Why more movies can’t introduce the hero like was done in the first Spider-Man
Speaking of needing more development, how about giving us a bit more about Griffin, played by Jaime Bell (Flags of Our Fathers, King Kong). What’s his story, I guess you have to read the book
And, while we’re on the subject of needing more, how about a bit more of why there is a group tracking and killing their kind. How about something, anything, as to why Roland, a member of that group, played by Samuel L. Jackson (Snakes on a Plane, Coach Carter), is so hell bent on putting an end to them.
If this was an attempt at kicking off a new series of Jumper movies, it doesn’t do a very good job. In a movie series, each individual movie should be able to stand on its own, while moving the overall story along. Yet, so much is glossed over or left out of this possible first installment that it’s as wobbly as Bambi trying to walk on the frozen pond. Although, given that, maybe they should make a sequel, cause there sure is plenty of untold story left to fill it with.
At any rate, if you are thinking of going to see Jumper, you should probably just wait for the rental, if not longer. The special f/x are pretty good, but not good enough to overcome its other faults and make it a worthwhile experience to see it on the big screen.
What did you think of Jumper?
Movie Review: Welcome Home Roscoe Jenkins - Starring Martin Lawrence, Cedric the Entertainer, Nicole Ari Parker & James Earl Jones
Released: February 8th, 2008
Runtime: 1 hr. 54 min.
Ticket Price: $7.50 Matinee
Refreshments: Gummy Bears
Starring: Martin Lawrence, Cedric the Entertainer, Joy Bryant, Nicole Ari Parker, Mo’Nique, Michael Clark Duncan, Mike Epps, Margaret Avery & James Earl Jones
Director: Malcolm D. Lee
Rating: Worth an Early Matinee
Synopsis: A guy who was the brunt of jokes as a kid, but is now a successful talk-show host, is returning home for his parents anniversary. Nothing ever seemed to workout for him as a kid. Now, he wants to show his family and everyone else back home that he is not the scrawny kid that used to get beat by his cousin at everything. Things don’t go as he had planned upon returning home and having to deal with his relatives.
Review: Welcome Home Roscoe Jenkins is a slightly above average comedy with bits of family drama thrown in. Yet, there is nothing here you haven’t seen before. That isn’t always a bad thing, if it is exceptionally well done or packaged in a new way. For the most part though, that is not the case here.
Too much of the comedy dwells upon mismatched dog sex, getting sprayed by a skunk, and the free-swinging joke stylings of Mike Epps (The Honeymooners, Next Friday). Of course he hits one out of the park occasionally, but strikes out way more often than he ever makes contact. Yet, while the comedy can push the taste boundaries, there are plenty of laughs throughout. Many of which, actually didn’t appear in the trailer or commercials.
For a movie that is almost two hours long, they zip you right through introducing you to Martin Lawrence’s (Big Momma’s House, Bad Boys) successful talk show host and his beautiful Survivor winning fiancée, with an Access Hollywood profile about their recent engagement. This seems to be a movie and TV staple, as a similar type intro was used on last night’s series premiere of Lipstick Jungle on NBC. Wish sometimes that they would take a little more time with the intros, instead of rushing into the main story so quickly.
Overall, Welcome Home Roscoe Jenkins is a decent time at the theater. Although, after the last week’s trek into the Strange Wilderness, almost anything would probably seem that way. Oh, and when the credits start to roll, don’t rush out, as there is still a little fun to be had.
What did you think of Welcome Home Roscoe Jenkins?
Movie Review: Strange Wilderness - Starring Steve Zahn & Ashley Scott
Movie: Strange Wilderness (R)
Released: February 1st, 2008
Runtime: 1 hr. 27 min.
Ticket Price: $7.50 Matinee
Refreshments: Gummy Bears
Starring: Steve Zahn, Allen Covert, Jonah Hill, Kevin Heffernan & Ashley Scott
Director: Fred Wolf
Rating: Don’t Even Bother
Synopsis: The popular host of a top wildlife TV show dies and his son takes over the show. Unfortunately, he is a bumbling, blathering, imbecile that thinks he is as talented as his father. He throws in useless bits of knowledge that don’t make sense or are completely made up and the show starts sinking in the ratings. His father’s old filming partner happens upon a map to what is supposed to be the cave of Bigfoot. He decides to take his crew on the hunt of the elusive beast in Central America and disaster after disaster befalls them.
Review: Strange Wilderness is one of the worst movies I have ever seen. In a weekend of pick your poison releases like The Eye and Over Her Dead Body, it looks like I picked the one that would result in the slowest and most painful death possible. It makes last year’s worst, Good Luck Chuck, look positively brilliant by comparison. I mean, a guy in front of me left about halfway through and never came back.
Strange Wilderness is just a jumbled up pile of gross-out and shock humor attempts, almost all of which fail. It is shoddily thrown together and looks as though they came up with a loose story idea and went the improvisation route to fill things in. Unfortunately, it is the slow route to nowhere and should be taken at your own peril.
Out of 55 movies watched last year, only one got a rating of Don’t Even Bother, the aforementioned Chuck. This year we didn’t waste anytime, as last month’s One Missed Call got the first one out of the way early. Yet, sitting through a 24-hour Call/Chuck double feature marathon would be preferable to the comedic agony and visual torment that is Strange Wilderness.
How about you, have you seen Strange Wilderness? If you haven’t, then by all means don’t. But, if you have, what did you think of it?
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