Review: Armored
Armored - On Blu-ray™ and DVD on May 31
Armored follows the story of Ty Hackett (Columbus Short – The Losers, Whiteout), an ex-Iraqi war vet trying to make a ends meet working as an armored van security guard, whilst also looking after his somewhat delinquent younger brother. His van crew consists of his godfather Mike Cochrone (Matt Dillon), Mike’s gun happy brother-in-law Baines (Laurence Fishburne), Quinn (Jean Reno), ex-con Palmer (Amaury Nolasco), and Dobbs (Skeet Ulrich).
Faced with the prospect of losing his house to the bank, and his brother to foster care, Hackett agrees to his godfather plan for him and the rest of the crew to fake a heist on their vehicle, ripping off $42 million. Cochrone promises Hackett that since there are no actual ‘bad guys’, there’s no issues with anyone getting hurt, just the bank being out of pocket… But as in any good heist movie, things don’t really go according to plan…
The actions starts off pretty slow, with some incredibly clunky ‘basil exposition’ set ups, but once things start to go wrong for the crew, director Nimród Antal (soon to be bringing us ‘Predators’) kicks things up a few gears, and it turns into a far more interesting movie. With the introduction of Milo Ventimiglia’s officer Eckehart, thinks start to take a turn for the ‘Reservoir Dogs’… Antal also manages to include the requisite action movie car chase, albeit rather more entertainingly using armored trucks!
Columbus Short
Out of all the cast, it’s really Short that shines through. This is the first movie of his i’ve seen, and he clearly managed to hold his own against the 3 Hollywood veterans – Dillion, Fishburne and Reno. That’s not to say there was anything wrong with their roles either. Dillion – the Faustian godfather, Fishburne – the slightly unhinged brother-in-law, and Reno – the… um… quiet Frenchman… But it’s Short that comes across as the leading force in the film.
Armored is very much a B action movie, but I don’t see anything wrong with that. Yes, there are a few plot holes, and yes, it’s a bit slow to get going, but overall it’s a perfectly enjoyable and interesting Saturday night DVD movie.
Armored is out on Blu-ray™ and DVD on May 31 2010.
7/10 – Perfectly decent Saturday night action movie.
Review: Kick-Ass
GeekTown got the opportunity to see a very early preview screening of Matthew Vaughn’s new film Kick-Ass and we have been dying to talk about it but promised to keep schtum til now…
Kick-Ass Review
Kick-Ass
Firstly don’t get put off by what you might read in the papers about offensive language and inappropriate values or by the questionable strap line – Shut up. Kick ass. This film is awesome! And I don’t use that word lightly (because I’m English and it sounds stupid when I say it…)
Based on Mark Millar’s violent comic book story of everyday heroes, the film follows Dave, an inconspicuous school nerd who questions why no-one has ever tried to become a superhero in real life. Armed with only a baseball bat, a death wish and a green wetsuit Dave, played by Aaron Johnson, embarks on a misguided pursuit to fight crime on the streets of America, naming himself Kick-Ass. Without giving too much of the story away, his alter ego gets wrapped up in an old vendetta between a prevalent drug baron and an ex cop turned lethal vigilante and his equally lethal 12 year old child. As Kick-Ass gets way out of Dave’s control, as does his personal life, the story unveils scene after scene of incredibly choreographed action. There are hardly any special effects so the battles are raw, exciting and diverse. Matrix style shoot outs, brawls, knives, bombs, martial arts, it’s got it all. Matthew Vaughn shot this film on a small budget and independently to keep it as loyal to the book as possible, so you know the intensity and energy comes simply from good filming and acting.
Hit Girl
Some of the best bone crunching action is delivered, no holds barred, by Chloe Moretz’s character Hit Girl/Mandy Macready. She is, dare I say it, iconic. Moretz’s performance as the foul mouthed cold blooded but tiny teeny assassin is outstanding without a hint of twee. Her doting father aka Big Daddy is Nicolas Cage’s best role in years. In fact the father/daughter combo bring with them, not only no morals violence, but comedy and a touching relationship that at times is quite sad, which comes as a surprise sandwiched between the slaughters.
The really refreshing thing about Kick-Ass is that at no point does the vulnerable hero eat, fall into or step on anything radioactive which means him gaining a real super power, in his attempts at crime fighting he really does kick some ass and it is all the more enjoyable. The Nowhere Boy actor Johnson is a natural lead in the film and hides his British roots astonishingly. In fact all the performances are great, even Dave’s stereotypical school mates made me laugh. Mark Strong in particular plays another superb bad guy as drug lord Frank D’Amico, which brings me onto the final hero wannabe. Christopher Mintz-Plasse (Role Models) plays Chris D’Amico who, desperate to be included in his father’s underhand dealings, joins forces with Kick-Ass as the flash Red Mist. He is not as cool, equally useless, definitely more recognisable and for me the weakest character but I guess that is the intention.
Kick-Ass
Based in a world where people don’t seem to bat an eyelid if you commit multiple murders in a wig I found the film staggeringly credible and real. Prepare yourself not ask questions like ‘wouldn’t they get into trouble for that?’, or ‘where has that guy’s wife gone?’, and just get totally sucked into the story. One word of warning, if you don’t get a chance to see the red band trailer, boy, it is violent… Jaw dropping is an understatement. But alongside brutal it is also original, funny and tender (and slightly controversial).
If you enjoy wincing your way through a seriously good action comedy, go and see this movie!
9/10 – Kick-Ass, kicks ass!
Review: Cloudy With A Chance Of Meatballs
How to describe Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs…
Weird. Wonderful. And covered in ice cream!
Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs
Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs is the latest animated feature from Sony, and is based on the 1978 children’s book by Judi and Ron Barrett. The movie follows the life of Flint Lockwood, genius (if rather accident prone) inventor, who lives on a tiny island in the Atlantic, and who’s main source of food is sardines.
Sick of the all fish diet, Flint’s invents a gadget is designed to make food out of water. After his first attempt fails, he takes the ‘logical step’ that it just needs more power… Hooking it up to the main power station, it shoots the machine up into the clouds only for it start to rain food, turning Flint into a celebrity and giving him the recognition he’s always wanted… That is until things start to go awry…
Rather than go for A list celebrity cameos directors Phil Lord & Chris Miller went for talent that just really suited the characters. Lockwood, voiced by Bill Hader (Saturday Night Live) has a great childlike enthusiasm, and Anna Faris (Scary Movie 1, 2 and 3) matches him voicing intern weather reporter & love interest Sam Sparks. James Caan turns in a great understated vocal as Flint’s long suffering father, and the legendary Bruce Campell provides the voice for the greedy mayor. The show stealing performance though comes from Mr. T. as the tough (but ultimately good hearted) small town cop Earl Devereaux.
Cloudy might not be right up there with the WALL-Es and UPs of computer-animated movies, but the animation is perfectly fine, and has an entertaining plot that moves along a great pace. It’s a charming, funny and brilliantly surreal tale that both kids and parents will love.
Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs is released on DVD and Blu-Ray, Monday 25th Jan 2010.
8/10
Star Trek Premiere UK – Film Review
After all yesterday’s excitement, it’s time to get down to the nuts and bolts of it… What’s the film like?
WARNING – This review may contain SPOILERS.
It’s Star Trek Jim, But Not As We Know It
When I heard about this movie, my first thoughts, like a lot of Trek fans, were “They’re going to do what?!”… However, JJ Abrams is a clever man, and made a very clever decision. How do you reboot a franchise which has such a rich and documented history in the movies, tv shows and books without trampling over all the existing material?… You use your story to change the history.
USS Kelvin
The action starts aboard the USS Kelvin, under the command of Captain Richard Robau, with First Officer George Kirk. The Kelvin is attacked by our resident Romulan bad guy Nero (Eric Bana), who appears to be searching for an ‘Ambassador Spock’. A firefight ensues, and George heroically fends off Nero giving the crew chance to escape in shuttle crafts. A crew that includes his wife, and new born son James Tiberius Kirk.
Jump forward a few years and we see various glimpses of Kirk and Spock’s early lives, including the bar fight which results in Kirk enlisting in Starfleet, and him cheating his way through the kobayashi maru test. This culminates in us seeing Kirk, Spock, Bones, Uhura, Sulu, Chekhov, and later Scotty, on board the Enterprise.
Although all the key players are there, due to Nero’s interference altering the timeline, what we’re seeing is a changed reality to standard Star Trek canon. What JJ and writers Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman have done is shifted the action to a new timeline leaving all the original Star Trek canon intact, whilst giving themselves a fairly blank sheet of paper to work with.
Crew of the Enterprise
The cast work extremely well together. You get the feel of them being a young crew, but they still have the essence of the original characters. Chris Pine works brilliantly, keeping Kirk’s swagger and bravado without falling into the trap of impersonating Shatner, while Zachary Quinto is the pure embodiment of a younger, arrogant Spock. John Cho (Sulu), Zoë Saldana (Uhura), and Anton Yelchin (Chekov) all come over well in their respective roles, as does Simon Pegg providing comic relief as Scotty. Also a special mention has to go to Karl Urban‘s portrayal of the dry, cynical Lenard ‘Bones’ McCoy which was absolutely superb, and it was a great shame he wasn’t used more. I think it’s a testament to the cast that I didn’t find myself comparing them to their original counterparts, and really felt this was the crew of the Enterprise.
Enterprise Bridge
The Enterprise itself has been given a whole new interior decor, but the pure white look i think works well with the traditional primary colours of the uniforms. The exterior has been tweaked, but is still very much the ship we know and love. The bridge is still recognisable as the Enterprise bridge with the iconic captain’s chair in the centre. We do actually get to see the first moment take the captains seat… only to be orders out of it seconds later by his commanding officer. 
The music was fine and worked well as an accompaniment, although not particularly memorable until the iconic Star Trek theme over the end credits.
Final Thoughts
It’s a fine line they are having to walk with this film, between alienating old fans and bringing in new ones, but i think they manage to pull it off in spectacular style.
Unlike Original, or even Next Gen Trek, the action moves along at a break neck speed, and the changes JJ has made has given the Star Trek franchise a reboot it severely needed. It pays homage to the original source material, without mocking it, and the appearance of Leonard Nimoy as old Spock helps cement the film as being a ‘passing of the baton’ to a new generation.
Yes, there are elements that didn’t work. There’s a scene in the engine room involving water pipes which came across as slightly too slapstick and jarred a bit for me. However overall I really loved the film. There are rumours that the cast have been signed up for 2 more films, and I would love to see more adventures aboard this starship Enterprise, exploring strange new worlds, boldly going where no one has gone before.
GT Rating: 9/10
WALL-E Movie Review
Well, yesterday I rushed to the cinema to see the highly anticipated Wall-E, Pixars latest movie, starring the cutest robot since Johnny 5. Once again Pixar has made a masterpiece of a movie, beautiful animation that really stuns the viewer, coupled with an immersive fast paced story that keeps you involved right until the end. I won’t go into details of the story, as too many review sites give away plots, but I will say that his movie is worth the hype, and more. As with all Pixar movies, a short animated story opens the movie, and if you can watch that without laughing till your popcorn shoots outta your mouth and hits the poor people sitting in front of you, then I’d be amazed!
I loved this movie so much, that today I even found myself buying this (see image below). A Wall-E figure that compacts to his box form and with a button push or two pops up lol. First real big summer movie for me, I look forward to getting the Blu-Ray when its released.
