This Blog Is Now Closed

For those of you who may have come across this site by Google or follow my primary blog at prestonmedia.blogspot.com ; please note that this blog will no longer be in use.  I don't want to get into too much detail as to why, but basically I felt that this would take up time unnecessarily.  As much as I love movies and love writing, the amount of time I spend on writing a review could be spent on other priorities right now.

I am not closing the blog yet, as I figured some of you may come across the site by Googling a specific movie.  And I don't want the 3 movie reviews I have written to go to waste, so at least they will remain recorded in cyberspace.

I also may come back to writing reviews in the future.  Until then, there are other priorities I need to focus on.  Thanks for reading, and please visit me at my primary blog James Preston Online or follow me on Twitter.

God's richest blessings on you!

James

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Super 8 - 91%

From the moment I watched the Bonus Features of "Lost" season 1, I became an avid JJ Abrams fan.  He has a unique and incredibly talented movie mind like very few in today's industry.  He thinks on the same level and wavelength as such greats as George Lucas, Peter Jackson and Steven Spielberg.  And when I saw the teaser trailer of Super 8 and who was behind the film, I knew it was going to be special.  I wasn't disappointed.

Interestingly, Steven Spielberg got involved in the movie as well, at the request of JJ Abrams it would seem. Along with assistants and friends Matt Reeves and Larry Fong, the partnership makes for a masterpiece.

Super 8 is just that, a masterpiece.  And will go gladly be notched as a star on Spielberg's already remarkable repertoire.  While Abrams continues to grow an impressive filmography.

While a number of regular movie goers may find it an average movie, it is not.  Only average movie goers would say such a thing.  Anyone with half an interest in movies and how they are made would recognise the brilliance that is Super 8.

It is a family, sci-fi action thriller.  Almost like a "scarier" version of ET.  It would seem Abrams wanted a picture that would appeal to a wide audience, including family viewers, while keeping strong elements of suspense, action and thrill.  He does this brilliantly by weaving the entire film around the story of 6 young teenagers making a movie on their Super 8 camera.  The movie is more about these 6 innocent kids than it is the sci-fi alien action.  The audience are drawn into their story, sympathising with them, which alleviates the anxiety and suspense of an alien terrorising the town.

But that's just one aspect that makes this movie brilliant.  I could go on forever about the way in which Abrams' explores the emotions of love, loss, bitterness, sympathy, friendship and ambition.  Coupled with brilliant suspense scenes and action sequences, remarkable special effects, stunning cinematography and perfectly cast actors, this movie has to be one my favourites of 2011.  So far, it is leading the race for my "Film of 2011".

If you love movies for what movies are made for, you will love Super 8.  A classic that will remembered for a long time to come.

Super 8:

91%  (A++)

F-Count:  1  (Uses of the F-Word below 3)  (I remember 2 uses, with only 1 being prominent)

Written by:  JJ Abrams

Directed by:  JJ Abrams

Produced by:  JJ Abrams and Steven Spielberg

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The Town - 60%

Now here is a film with the strongest language I have heard in a while... The Town. Written, directed and starred by Ben Affleck, it is promising on all counts. The cast, the story, the production team. But like Affleck's other directing success, "Gone Baby Gone", it is based in Boston and comes with the city's back-alley language.

I rented the movie with some friends of mine, and like most guys, we're not too affected by strong language (even the continuous use of the F-Word). But like most ladies, my wife wasn't at all pleased, and while trying to read in her bedroom, she politely asked us to turn the volume down on account of the language.

This is unfortunate. The screenplay that is. Because it is typically a good movie. I know there has been some debate surrounding the use of the F-Word in Hollywood (not enough in my opinion) but I just wish there were some way to overcome the obstacle for so many movie lovers like me.

Take a Blu-Ray disc for example. I now hire mostly Blu-Rays, and they can hold 50gb of data! They often have additional languages as options in the menu for international audiences. So why can't an additional language be with the F-Word dubbed out? It can't be that hard! It would make the viewing experience that much more pleasing and I am sure would increase disc rentals.

Like Affleck's other directing credit "Gone Baby Gone", "The Town" is set in Boston and is a crime thriller. The cast is all star, with some outstanding performances, particularly from Affleck, Jeremy Renner (Hurt Locker) and Rebecca Hall (The Prestige). The cinematography, sound editing and action sequences are all stunning and give an audio and visual feast throughout the film. The story keeps one guessing and on the edge of one's seat right to the final crescendo shoot out. But then kind of drops off weakly. I guess most people enjoy their happy endings and stories to be tied up nicely, which The Town doesn't necessarily do. It leaves a lot for the viewer to complete themselves. Which is far more artistic than is stomached by our "feed me" society unfortunately.

Had the movie not used such realistic Boston language, I would have given it a B, about 75%. But because I am such a protected little boy (and proud of it), I wouldn't watch it again, and unfortunately, in my books it has to go down as a C- at 60%. Just scraping into the C's by virtue of it being a darn well produced film.

Affleck is a gifted writer and director. I look forward to seeing more of his work in the future, hopefully for wider audiences.

The Town:
60% (C-)
F-Count: 3 (Strong use of the F-Word)
Written by:  Ben Affleck, Peter Craig and Aaron Stockard
Directed by:  Ben Affleck
Produced by:  Graham King and Basil Iwanyk

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Source Code - 83%

The movie is much more a Science Fiction exploration of Quantum Physics than it is an action thriller.  And that's why I enjoyed it so much.

I can't say I was expecting much from Source Code.  Maybe some good action, clever special effects and interesting characters.  I was pleasantly surprised.  The movie is so much more than just another action film.  The producers and writers put a lot of thought into the story, characters, relationships and science.  And I appreciate that.

Jake Gyllenhaal is a tough actor to nail down.  He was part of the reason I wasn't expecting much.  I am yet to see Jarhead, Zodiac or Brokeback Mountain, so I guess I don't have much material to base my expectation on.  But The Day After Tomorrow (about a 65%) stereotyped Jake Gyllenhaal for me, and I am glad that the stereotype is broken.

Source Code has every aspect nailed to make it a quality movie.  Stunning cinematography (including magnificent sweeping shots of Chicago), well written plot, outstanding acting, heartfelt characters, interesting science theories and thrilling action.  And the destination the movie ends at is both unexpected and satisfying, and leaves one pondering the theories of Quantum Physics.  A like-minded friend is helpful with whom you can talk out your theories with after.  Some great conversation points are created in the movie.  It is this that gives Source Code an "A" in my books.

Some thought-provoking movies let themselves down with poor acting or weak cinematography or special effects.  Source Code has most of it to support the quality screenplay.

Critics may have their words about some of the acting, particularly Jeffrey Wright who plays the inventing Doctor of the technology, DR Rutledge.  But I am not sure if that was Wright's acting or the way in which Rutledge was written.  Either way, I found him to be a splinter in the midst of a quality production.  Don't get me wrong, he's a great actor, but the way DR Rutledge was portrayed didn't fit the movie, unfortunately.

Overall, a great movie.  A great HD experience and great thought-provoking material, too.  It's also fantastic for family audiences as well.

Source Code
83% (A-)
F-Count: 1 (Uses of the F-Word below 3)
Written by:  Ben Ripley
Directed by:  Duncan Jones
Produced by:  Mark Gordon,  Jordan Wynn and Philippe Rousselet

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Limitless - 90%

It is not often I watch a movie that I would give 90%. It's just the nature of the film industry, there are not enough movie produced that are that good. Look, I don't think I watch as many movies as some people do (I average about 1 a week), but you would think that it would be possible to watch a 90% movie at the rate of about 1 in 4. That's not the case. I find it's more like 1 in 10. That's poor, isn't it? It could have a lot to do with the fact that my choice of movies is based on pop culture, but you would think that pop culture would produce quality produce at least 20% of the time! They don't. And that's why when a really good movie hits you, it's that much more noticeable.

I have noticed that a lot of the reviews didn't quite share the same enthusiasm as me toward "Limitless". The benchmark of reviews such as Rotten Tomatoes and Roger Ebert found the movie average. That made me think, "what made me enjoy the movie so much?" Was it the fact that I hadn't seen a good movie in a long time? Perhaps it was the fact that I had never heard of the movie and had no expectations on it. I don't really know. What I do know is, after seeing other reviews about the film, I am not reducing my rating.

Limitless is astounding. "Dark Fields", the novel it is based on, is a fantastic concept. And it deserved to hit the big screen. And I couldn't think of a better cast to bring it life, particularly Bradley Cooper and Robert de Niro. Bradley Cooper comes into his own in this non-stop action thriller.

That's exactly what it is, a non-stop action thriller. It is an adventurous roller-coaster ride from start to finish. Following the life of Eddie Morra, a washed out writer with not much hope in life, who comes across a drug that taps into the brain's full potential. Eddie becomes brilliant in every sense of the word, in every way. He takes back his life, and in a matter of days moves beyond what he could ever have dreamed of. Of course, it doesn't come without its consequences.

What made the movie so good? Overall, the screenplay. The story from start to finish was simply breathtaking. It really was epic. But going a long way in supporting such a fantastic screenplay was the production... with stunning cinematography (I particularly liked a new method of employing the fish-eye lens each time Eddie took the drug), brilliant action sequences and some great acting.

I hadn't heard of Limitless at all until I saw it on the shelf of my movie rental store. I saw the cast, read the story and thought "that looks really good". It could well have been my low expectations of the film that gave it such a high rating, but that's the way I like it. Watching a movie without any expectations.

Whatever the reason, the film was downright brilliant in almost all senses. It gets one of only a few 90's I give away in 2011. And deservedly so. If you haven't seen "Limitless" yet, do yourself a favour.

Limitless:
90% (A++)
F-Count: 1 (Use of the F-Word below 3)
Written by:  Leslie Dixon
Directed by:  Neil Burger
Produced by:  Leslie Dixon, Ryan Kavanaugh and Scott Kroopf

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