herbatienen Reviews

Maximum Conviction (2012)

Seagal still can make a movie you'd wanna watch

[7/10 · 12 September 2013]

I would have given this one also a 7 1/2 rating as well. It is good to see Seagal getting back into action in a decent B-action movie. Especially after all the crap he's been making over the last couple of years. But it is hard not to see that the years of good living, eating and drinking have taken their toll on Seagal, he really looks old and out of shape, and no matter what they try to do with long and wide clothes, it is pretty clear the guy is fat.

None the less this movie is exactly delivering what you're expecting, action, funny one-liners and huge amount of martial arts scenes, and some decent hand to hand combat scenes from Austin, and even a new upcoming guy is allowed to show off his kicks and punches. Bren Foster actually reminded me of the protégé of Van Damme , named Scott Adkins, and I hope we will get some movies off this guy coming out soon.

So if you like this kind of movie, you wanna see some decent action sequences and you don't mind the gaps in the script, then is a must see for you, otherwise, stay away from it.

Bullet to the Head (2012)

Stallone delivers with Bullet to the Head.

[7/10 · 2 September 2013]

Well not Stallone alone off course, the director and the whole crew are delivering on this movie. Even Jason Momoa, who we all know as the barbarian Khal Drogo in Games of Thrones, or as the new Conan The Barbarian (allthough we might wanna forget that performance real fast).

Anyway Stallone does in this film what he does best, giving witty one- liners, and show his muscular body around and since the expendables he has a thing with tattoo's also now, but all in all it works nicely and Stallone has loads of experience, so if he is portraying a violent ruthless hit-man, then he's pretty credible. That gives you another clue to this movie, yes there's violence, and not just a bit, quite some bit to be honest. But it is never to much, it gets close, but it never goes over the top, and that is due to the comic relief we get in this movie between Stallone and Suang Kang (who is mostly known for his performance as Han in the FF franchise). Both actors have a great timing for action and more importantly comedy. The pacing of the story is very well done, and the director clearly wants to keep it close to the original comic book. Probably also why all characters are so black and white. The movie needs to keep that connection to the comic book cuz only then, this works. And only one man could pull this off at the helm, Walter Hill, the man that gave us 48 hours and another 48 hours, which launched Eddy Murphy's career. But the list is so long of classic movies in which he was involved either as a director or a producer. The fact remains that the man knows how to make a movie and tell a story. And bringing a comic book to the big screen is a piece of cake for Hill. That being said off course, do I think this movie deserved a big screen release? To be honest : no, absolutely not. Don't get me wrong it's a great movie, but there is no added value on seeing this picture on the big screen. If it would have been straight to DVD, then it would be on top of its game. Now sadly it flopped, only because they wanted to cash in on the presence of Stallone, which could have been also through a straight to DVD release. Now that said, I hope it becomes very successful on VOD and DVD, as it is a must see for every Stallone fan and action fan. It is what it is, a thrill ride with some really funny moments in it, so get your popcorn out and sit back and enjoy this movie, cuz it is very much worth it.

Warm Bodies (2013)

Witty, romantic and actually just plain hilarious

[8/10 · 30 August 2013]

Well that sums it up actually. The movie is great fun and top of the shelf entertainment, that is for sure. And the top it off , it is quite original for a zombie-story.

We are getting treated to a bona fide romance between a zombie boy and a living girl. But the real catch in this movie is the voice-over from lead actor Nicholas Hoult (you know the boy in the Hugh Grant hit 'About a boy' and Beast in the new X-men franchise) for his own character R. As audience we're privileged to listen in on a zombies mind and what happens inside the brain (much more apparently then we ever thought) and that is just what makes this movie stand out. Especially the monologues he is having with himself, they're priceless. I don't wanna give out to much from the plot, but the opening sequence is one not to miss, even if you're not a horror or zombie fan.

Nicholas Hoult and Teresa Palmer (She was the Alien protector in I am Number 4) have a great chemistry going on here. The storyline is quite thin off course, and one can wonder at first why Malkovich is in this movie, but you can clearly see he's having fun as the dad and ruthless zombie-killer. The level of gore is OK, but not even close as to how much a normal horror movie would have. The focus is much more on the romance and situational comedy and witty one-liners, and it works perfectly here.

So Kudos to Jonathan Levine, who wrote and directed this movie. Great make-up and most importantly he knows how to tell a story and keep the pace in the movie. Although he's not without experience as he gave us the more then average 'Everybody Loves Mandy Lane' and the excellent '50/50'.

So I would highly recommend this movie.

Elysium (I) (2013)

Neil Blomkamp does it again, after District 9 he delivers us Elysium.

[9/10 · 29 August 2013]

We went to see this movie last night, I have to admit one thing when leaving the theater, that Blomkamp surely knows how to make an entertaining movie, that sticks in your head and that makes you discuss and debate social and moral issues. And that is what makes a movie strong for me, the mere fact that when the movie is over, the discussion is still on.

Yes I can agree with comments that this movie isn't up to par with D-9, but it is also a different kind of movie, it is a new story. The only similarity I could find, is that Blomkamp has a love for depicting a black/white society, just as he did in D-9. He takes on the moral high ground when it comes to poor vs rich, adequate health care for the rich and the more improvised inadequate system for all others. That is quite clear from the get go, but I don't mind that, cuz if you want the bring something into the public eye you need to go to the extremes, and that is what he is doing in this movie, there's no gray area. You either belong to the elite, or you don't and you will do anything to be part off it.

And it is exactly this premise that is the building foundation of this movie. The characterization is building on a slow pace in the beginning, and yes it could have been done slightly different to give it a more easy pace for watching, but in the end you do realize why Neil has chosen this approach. In the whole of things, the build up of characters, the slow pacing in the plot, the flashback back and forth all nicely come together and give this movie quite a high credibility and an understanding in why Damon's character does what he does and the decisions he makes in the end. We witness how Max (Matt Damon) transitions from being an irresponsible joker and gangster into the anti-hero he becomes at the end. I hear people complaining about the fact that Damon wasn't Bourne enough (for the fighting scenes) but that would be completely laughable as Max isn't a military man, he comes from the streets, he is a survivalist, someone who will only fight to survive. If Blomkamp would have given him unmatched fighting skills that only well trained military would have, it just would have destroyed the whole character. No this guy, lives and thrives on emotions and on his wits on solving a problem, and that is just exactly how he fights, which is a very good thing and it works perfectly.

Scharlto Copley on the other hand, makes a perfect villain, my god is this guy good. He was great in the A-team, sublime in D-9 and does he nail the bad guy in Elysium, this guy one to watch for the future. As Agent Kruger he sets down a very great villain, a psychopathic killer on a leach by a corrupt government Secretary (A very good and convincing Jodie Foster). But Kruger (Copley) undergoes a transition just as Max, only it is in the opposite way, he sees a chance to get rid off the government leach and gain the ultimate power through Max, and it is that where the whole movie is building up to. These 2 guys, both with a destiny to fulfill, only it's inevitable that they wouldn't duel as they cross paths right before they reach their goal.

Without giving to much away from the plot, the ending and final sequence and scene is quite fitting and it ties the whole story together, and leaves you (the audience) with some serious moral issues to think over and to discuss with your friends.

I know I have enjoyed this movie very much, and I am looking forward to see more work of Neil Blomkamp and Sharlto Copley. And in final a big cheer for the magnificent work from the WETA workshop for the special effects and the decors, they're truly breathtaking.