5-IN-1 MINI REVIEWS (PART-6)

UNKNOWN (2011) - I AM NUMBER FOUR (2011) - BATTLE: LOS ANGELES (2011) - THE LINCOLN LAWYER (2011) - PAUL (2011)



BATTLE: LOS ANGELES (2011)

MyRating: YY1/2

Director: Jonathan Liebesman
Cast: Aaron Eckhart, Ramon Rodriguez, Michelle Rodriguez, Ne-Yo, Bridget Moynahan, Michael Pena
MPAA: Rated PG-13 for sustained and intense sequences of war violence and destruction, and for language

Our existence is being invaded by aliens when thousands of meteors suddenly crash into the Earth's oceans. The meteors turn out to be extraterrestrial spacecrafts and they begin to ruin and kill everyone in sight. In the centre of the chaos, a platoon of U.S. Marines in Los Angeles is assigned on a deputation to deliver some civilians trapped within a police station. But they get to finish the mission fast within 3 hours and get out, before the U.S. Air Force bombs the territory. As the soldiers step into the alien hunting ground on their mission, they are being ambushed mercilessly by the foreign forces. And that hunting ground soon will turn their burial ground.

A bright and intriguing premise is not enough without a proper script and execution, and this film was the prove. Despite quite good special effects, this movie ends up to turn an average sci-fi movie. A patent and turn one, despite the noisiness that this movie created with men shot aliens and aliens shot men back, and machine guns bombarding in the ground and men shouting all over the place, orchestrated the hell out of a fight, in a big mess. As shortly as the film began, it battled till the end. But without a proper story, the film was simply not engaging and involving enough, and the not enough character developments made the audience didn't worry much on who will die. It was too hard to tell one soldier from another, as there were many characters involved but all but see the like in the battle. They died before we still got to recognize them better, or perhaps we lost on who really has only died. The aliens themselves were not more than war machines and robots. It's like Terminator Salvation meets Black Hawk Down. This is not a completely bad and unwatchable movie, as we may even love the combat and the messy fights. For me, it was simply not memorable. Next time when aliens plan to fire our world again, remember to tell them that 'all actions and no story' is never enough. (MJ)

I AM NUMBER FOUR (2011)


MyRating: YYY

Director: D.J. Caruso
Cast: Alex Pettyfer, Timothy Olyphant, Teresa Palmer, Dianna Agron, Callan McAuliffe, Kevin Durand, Jake Abel
MPAA: Rated PG-13 for intense sequences of force and action, and for language

A film based on the new written by Jobie Hughes and James Fre with the same title, about John Smith (Alex Pettyfer), a teenaged boy came from planet Lorien, who finds himself following in contrast to be killed, after three of his kinds were being murdered by the enemies who run them since they were toddlers. He is Number Four. Living in runaway all his living with his guardian Henri (Timothy Olyphant), they proceed from one town to another and changing their identities each time. When they go to a little township in Ohio, John feels that it's time to fall down as he falls in love with Sarah (Dianna Agron). But it's just merely a subject of time before his ruthless enemies will lead him down to his latest place. Before that happens, he has to determine whether he has to run again or stay, while he has to focus his powerful new abilities. And when he meets with Number Six (Teresa Palmer), John realizes that they get bigger risk to remain alive by joining force together.

A fun enough teen action sci-fi movie. It has a decent script to support the story, while the action sequences were quite cool, especially the last conflict between Number Four, Number Six and the Mogadorians. Watching these super teenage fighting while launching lights from his men to fire the enemies can work out to be gratifying to watch. There was also beast versus beast scene, it may seem clumsy, some may look ridiculous, but it was there as the division of the thin-paper light story. For teen girls, Alex Pettyfer maybe hot, but for guys, there were the very beautiful and refreshing Dianna Agron (the daughter from Glee) and Teresa Palmer. Don't have this picture too seriously (it was not a cloth to be praised out loud, but at the same time easy to mock). I was fair having some good time and I don't remember the tale was bad. Don't mind at all if they retain the story. (MJ)

UNKNOWN (2011)

MyRating: YYYY

Director: Jaume Collet-Serra
Cast: Liam Neeson, Diane Kruger, January Jones, Aidan Quinn, Bruno Ganz, Frank Langella
MPAA: Rated PG-13 for some intense sequences of force and action, and brief sexual content

Dr. Martin Harris (Liam Neeson) wakes up from a coma after an accident in Berlin, only to get out that his identity has been stolen by another man. No one recognizes him, including his beautiful wife (January Jones). Desperately wants to show that he is 'him' and he is not insane, Martin suddenly finds himself becoming a mark of some people who wish to defeat him. Trying to stay alive, and with the service of a woman (Diane Kruger), the just somebody who seems to believe him, he slowly discovers that there is still a major grand plan behind his amnesia and release of identity. But why him?

Neeson is second with another action thriller after the successful Taken (2008), and this is another good one. A suspenseful movie with an interesting mystery and intrigue, as we also tried to guess and get out what was really happening to him. A respectable helping of actions add up to the good thriller. Neeson was large and he looked comfortable in this sort of role. And don't mess with him, even when he is having an amnesia. He was tough, resourceful in critical situations, and he definitely kicked asses. The floor gave a wrench at the end, not totally unpredictable, but it was a well one. The film may not be totally plausible, but it was a good fun and entertaining that will save you on your seat. (MJ)

PAUL (2011)

MyRating: YYY

Director: Greg Mottola

Cast: Simon Pegg, Nick Frost, Seth Rogen (voice of Paul), Kristen Wiig, Jason Bateman, Bill Hader, Joe Lo Truglio, Jane Lynch, Sigourney Weaver, Blythe Danner
MPAA: Rated R for language including sexual references, and some drug use

The dynamic duo is back. After horror (Shaun of the Dead, 2004) and action (Hot Fuzz, 2007), this time these two funny men, Simon Pegg and Nick Frost, took the sci-fi genre in a comedic way (like their first two movies), as they give to take Paul (voiced by Seth Rogen), an unknown who has stuck on land for more than 60 years, back to his mother ship. As two English comic book and sci-fi nerds, Graeme Willy (Pegg) and Clive Gollings (Frost), taking a road trip in their rented RV to America, their last encounter with Paul also has crashed their domain with incredible and crazy adventure, as not but they now recognize that the extraterrestrials do exist, but the alien also causes them to be pursued by FBI agents and a religiously fanatic founder of a new woman that they accidentally kidnap.

A decent film by Pegg & Frost (who also wrote the script), but the humors were inferior as compare to their first two movies. The missing of Edgar Wright in the president of director as well as the co-writer proved that the movie, even though starred by the same guys, was not the like without him. Something is missing. If Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz made me laugh hilariously, I hardly laughed or see something really curious to be laughed in this movie. The book and the dialogues were simply not as funny, especially if you hold high hopes to laughter as often as their two earlier movies. I assure you, it leave not. But I believe both Simon Pegg and Nick Frost appeared well in their ignorant trademark. They are comic and the ones who made this movie still worked (maybe one, no, two of the funniest comedians nowadays), they were simply not really supported by their own hand to do continuous laugh bombs. This made the movie fall short as a completely satisfying comedy, but it even has its funny moments. And scorn the high expectations, the report was really quite enjoyable. I wish the back half better than the first half (the 2nd half was also funnier), when it gets to the following scenes and I started to assume that this picture was not in the same glory with the beginning two. The film was closed with a cliche, but yet a serious enough ending. Now, what made me like still this movie despite the below expectation that I got? Pegg & Frost. (MJ)

THE LINCOLN LAWYER (2011)

MyRating: YYY1/2

Director: Brad Furman

Cast: Matthew McConaughey, Marisa Tomei, Ryan Phillippe, William H. Macy, Josh Lucas, John Leguizamo, Michael Pena
MPAA: Rated R for some violence, sexual content and language

Matthew McConaughey is second in his top class in this crime thriller, adapted from Michael Connelly's best selling novel, about Mickey Haller (McC), a crafty and successful criminal defense lawyer operates around Los Angeles in a Lincoln Town Car, who receives a cause to oppose Louis Roulet (Ryan Phillippe), a son of a flush and powerful real estate mogul, accused of brutally beating and raping a prostitute. As Haller studies the evidence against his client, he finds out that the subject may not be as uncomplicated as it seems. And when he further investigates the face as his ethical conscience being knocked, he discovers that his actions may just put him and his home in great danger.

McConaughey was the real charmer here. He was marvelous and convincing as the wise and cocky lawyer, who puts 'right' and 'wrong' next to each other in a really thin line. He shined and sparked on screen with his fun to learn acting. He is so a serious actor and this is one of his best performances, after straying away for so long in many roles that did not really bounce his career into the next level. Another good performance surprisingly came from Ryan Phillippe as the innocent client, who also pulled his part out in a right way. The script was well written and executed, even though I take to say that it was not exactly perfect and thither were times when the story slightly lose its focus. But overall, a serious and satisfying court room thriller with a performance to be remembered. (MJ)

MYMOVIE CRITIC - REVIEWING MOVIES FROM THE AUDIENCE'S STANDPOINT