300: Rise of an Empire

Heellloooo! Its has certain been a bit since i have done a review, but the spring movies are starting and I'm here to review. Welcome to another edition of Phil Goes to the Movies, and today I am looking at the blockbuster 300: Rise of an Empire. Now, did it deliver a great movie like the first, or did it fall flat like a set of CGI abs? Lets dive in shall we:

300 Rise of an Empire- Ok, now i was a huge fan of the first 300 movie, and i found myself quoting many lines from it. I even went out and bought a copy of it as soon as it came out on dvd. Now, when i saw there was going to be a sequel, I was really excited to see how the story would continue from the death of Leonidas. Well, the first action scene opens up, with people being slaughtered by Greek soldiers wearing blue capes this time. Ok, the coordinated fight scenes were awesome, except one thing that kept distracting the hell out of me. It was the CGI blood! Every 12 seconds, i have to see all this fake ass digital blood, and yes, I am aware they don't use real blood in movies. Now, in this case it would've been better to see something more realistic, and not this computerized crap! I mean, every attack with a sword, literally caused an explosion of blood, which looked over the top and ridiculous... pretty much ruining the moment for me!

Now for the plot, well this time we follow, Themistocles, played by Sullivan Stapleton, he's attempting to reunite Greece to fight, as one country, against Xerxes. He says together they can defeat the god king, and for all of them to stop caring about their individual wants and needs. Themistocles even stands before the council insulting them, and telling them what he plans to do with or without their assistance. Swear to christ, i have seen something like this before... now, what was it? Oh, yeah thats right, its called Braveheart, where William Wallace did the exact same freaking thing. Except when Mel Gibson did it, he had a thing called charisma, and this new leading man, Mr. Stapleton, does not.

Plus, another thing that bugged me was how they said Spartans are the strongest and fiercest of all the Greek soldiers. Ok, but these guys weren't Spartans, and the feats of physical impossibilities they demonstrated contradicted everything said in the first film. Cause, hell one guy jumps off a cliff, about 20 feet high, onto a ship slashing a guy without breaking a leg. Then all of his buddies do the same thing. Then i watch them throw Persians around like rag dolls, where some fire fighters i know, personally, who are very strong men couldn't whip fully grown men around like this. So then, all Greeks are supermen? If that's the case then why would they need to ban together if they have super human powers... aka fucking dumb!

Anyway the movie tries to link the first and second films together by events taking place the same time the legendary 300 were at the hot gates. While doing all these flashbacks about characters and such... I don't freaking know! How about just telling me a story and stop trying to lean on the first movie as a crutch. I mean, making references are one thing, but I dunno... the plot sucks, there, I said it!

Now, we have a new villain added to the mix, this bad ass woman general, whose skills with a sword are unmatched to any man alive. This female general is played by Eva Green, and she's a tyrant in her ways of achieving victory. Now, after they spent literally, the whole movie building her up to be this bad ass. I was expecting more from her, than what she did. Basically, in a nut shell, she talks a big game then has an awkward sex scene with, Themistocles, and then some bullshit sword fight later on in the film. I felt like she was forcing the idea, she's "crazy" rather than just making it appear natural. Once again, another movie created another very forgettable villain. I always push the fact that an action movie needs two things right off the bat or it fails. A charismatic hero and a villain that stands out amongst the rest. Oops, they dropped the ball on both... like I dropped money to see this film.

Final Verdict- 4/10, It was barely average at best, honestly, it didn't deliver anywhere near on the same level as the first movie. The blood effects were annoying as hell, and characters I could careless about them! Do not see this in theaters save 10 dollars, yet if you must see it... then wait until dvd or any other way to watch the film.


Well, that's it for now boys and girls, I will return with more reviews as more and more blockbusters start releasing. This is Phil Goes to the Movies, so you don't have too!

American Hustle

Holy shit, its that time again to review another movie... welcome back to another edition of Phil Goes to the Movies. I had some extra time to check another movie, which came out during the holidays, so this review will finally close out the holiday season movie reviews. Then we go through that lull until the month of May, where big business, movie companies begin slamming us with all the summer block busters, and they seem to start earlier and earlier every year. I enjoy this because it means less of a lull, but I'm veering off and starting to ramble... Today, I want to look at the movie, "American Hustle", was it any good and worth the price? Or did this movie hustle me out of my money? Lets dive in....

American Hustle- I wasn't sure about the movie's plot other than it had some big stars and was set in the 70's. I imagined with the word "hustle" in the title, there had to be some sort of douche baggery going on, and I'm assuming some betrayal between the cast of characters. Well, the movie opens up telling the story of Irving Rosenfeld, played by Christian Bale, and how he learned early in life how easy it is to hustle people out of their money. He later on meets up with a girl named, Sydney Prosser, played by the beautiful Amy Adams, she is a hustler as well by constantly changing her identities to get what she wants. These two characters refer to hustling people, or being con men to simply surviving or they are survivors. The chemistry between these two characters is real and genuine. Watching them take people for their money, was damn near poetic, but one day they try to take the wrong person. They are caught by FBI agent, Richie DiMaso, played by Bradley Cooper, and he pretty much forces them to work for him to take down crooked politicians.

That's the plot for the most hand, and it seems to just flow as you (person watching the film) get lost into this world of betrayal and deceit. The acting was amazing on all sides of the spectrum, and you really felt as though these characters were real. Christian Bale, yes he played a shitty batman, but this guy what he does with his body for a role is astounding. He lost all the muscle he gained from playing the dark knight, to a frumpy guy with a gut. Its obvious hes dedicated to any role he takes on, which is really respectable, and just shows the level he will go to play whatever role. Amy Adams, dear lord, can you say sex symbol? She was gorgeous! She had me confused the entire movie where her true motives lied, and you she was truly loyal too. Not to mention, Jennifer Lawrence, playing a completely different role from what I'm used to seeing her, where she plays a very ditzy woman, and she thinks everyone around her are the stupid ones. Sad thing is I know a few women like this in real life, sigh... they do exist!

Overall, I can't see any of these actors not getting some kind of rewards for this movie. I mean, their acting made all the characters seem true to life. There was some sex scenes,which they were done tastefully, leaving it to the imagination, but then again there was enough Amy Adams' side boob to last a life time!


Final Verdict- 9.5/10, The movie was a little slow at times, but the acting from all the actors made up for it. The characters were genuine and realistic! The only thing i wish it had was some more action at times to help the slow moments. Highly recommend to see this movie in theaters.

That's it, for now my friends... I am getting some requests lately to check certain movies out for people, and its kinda getting exciting where people actually give a shit what i think about a particular movie. I will try to review some of the requests soon, and if you have any requests feel free to contact me to ask either my opinion or to review a certain film for you. Until then, this is Phil Goes to the Movies, so you don't have too!

Anchorman 2

Hey, everyone welcome back to another edition of Phil Goes to the Movies, and I will be closing out the holiday season with this film. Yes, there are other movies out right now, but i can see them some other time. Plus, I'm limited on time to see the other films i wanted to review... oh well, lets focus on the movie at hand, "Anchorman 2". Was the movie hilarious? Or should this news team be canceled for good? Lets dive in shall we....

Anchorman 2- I was a big fan of the first film, and remember laughing my ass off when seeing it for the first time. Hell, i still laugh at the jokes to this day, and my friends and I still make movie references and quotes to one another. When I found out, there was going to be a sequel I was excited at the same time concerned. Here's why... It's extremely rare for a sequel, especially a comedy, to be as good as the original, so i went into the theater open minded and eager to see what was in store for me.

The plot seemed to make as much sense as any other Will Ferrell movie, and it appeared to have some thought put into this one. The movie did follow the number 1 rule for sequels, and that is to recast all of the actors and actresses from the first movie. Everyone returns to replay their characters, which i was very happy to see, and of course Steve Carell returns as Brick Tamland, my favorite of all them. The jokes were spot on as I laughed a lot during the film, but the one scene I was almost unable to catch my breath. The scene in the RV, where the news team is all sitting in the back talking about good times, and they realized cruise control doesn't steer only maintains speed. Use your imagination from there.... but it was my favorite scene of the movie!

Plus, there were far more cameos in this film, than the last first movie, and it was so over the top it was awesome. Hell, even the trident makes a return... great stuff!

The one main thing I didn't like about the film, was how they recycled many of the jokes from the first movie. Yes, they were funny! No where near as funny as they were the first time they were used. The Austin Power movies were guilty of this as well, and i guess they figure if it's not broken don't fix it. Now if there was an Anchorman 3, there better be newer jokes!

The movie also seemed to drag on at times with the story, yes it was funny, but it could've been sped up a bit. It was like this up and down feeling, when the movie was good it was good, and when it was bad, you get the point!

Final Verdict- 7.5/10, The movie was good, and it was great to see all the characters again up to all new shenanigans. Unfortunately, I say wait to see this film on DVD, I mean it was good, but not worth 10 bucks to see it.

Well, that's it for now ladies and gentlemen, stay tuned for more reviews coming your way. There are a lot of good movies coming this year, and I will be here to review them for you all... For now, this is Phil Goes to the Movies, so you don't have too!

47 Ronin

Hey, hey, hey, welcome back to another addition of Phil Goes to the Movies, and I am here to review some of the last films of the holiday season. Then we have that long break until the summer season, where i will review all of those block buster movies as well, but lets get to the movie at hand. Did "47 Ronin", impress me? Or did make me wanna find the nearest, sharpest object and plunge it into my eyes? Lets dive in:


47 Ronin- After watching the coming attractions for this film, I was blown away by the beautiful cinematography. The landscapes with its luscious and rich forests and grasslands, seemed to really stand out. The colors chosen for all the costuming, for the characters, really seemed to pop for my eyes to bask in it. At this point, you understand I'm pushing how great the movie was visually. Now a movie needs to be more than just eye candy, right? Well, this movie delivers more than just a pretty face... First off, the action sequences were really well done, and yes, there weren't many of them. However, when it was time for a fight, I was not disappointed. The fight scenes were fast pace and choreographed very well. The opening scene, where the samurai were battling this magical, beast of burden, and it was very appealing to the senses. The special effects were really top notch in this film... lately movies have become lazy with CGI making way too noticeable, but this movie pulled it off no problem.

The actors and actresses chosen for this movie did an amazing job, the characters really felt genuine and deep. The emotions of pain, loss, and anger were really delivered well in their whole hearted performances. Of course, they had some familiar faces, such as Hiroyuki Sanada, who played the captain of the samurai in "The Last Samurai". Weird, how he returned to play another bad ass captain of the samurai in this film.... what can we say, give this guy a blade and he will kick some ass. Then of course we have, which shocked me, Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa, you might remember him from his role as, Shang Tsung, in "Mortal Kombat", playing the Emperor.

Now for the 500 pound gorilla in the room, Keanu Reeves, playing the role of a white male ronin in an all Asian cast. Ok, first off, he really didn't do that bad, in fact, he was great for the character he portrayed. The story explained he was the child of an interracial relationship, and he was considered a half bred by the people around him. This character didn't steal the show making him the sole hero, which i really thought was a great way going about it, and he shared the position of hero with the other characters. Unlike, in "The Last Samurai", where the white guy was the last remaining hero, which caused a lot of controversy when it was in theaters, and I thought it was funny how people were offended by the ending. Even though, it was titled "The Last Samurai", starring Tom Cruise.... what the hell did you think was going to happen?

Now with all that said, I would have to say, my favorite character in the film had to be the shape shifting witch, played by Rinko Kikuchi. She was sexy as she was creepy, and she really stole each scene in my opinion. They gave her two color eyes, and she became a white tailed fox one scene, and in the other she merely a dress blowing in the wind. A great villain for the film.



Final Verdict- 7/10, I really enjoyed the film as a whole, but if i were hanging with some friends and they wanted to watch a movie. The choices were random others and this film, it would depend on the other choices. I'm not saying this movie is terrible by no means. I'm just saying it was better than the average action movie, and seeing it once was good enough for me! If it was on HBO, i wouldn't turn it off, but i wouldn't go out of my way to watch it again.

That's all for now, I have a few more films i want to review before closing the doors on the holiday movie season. Until then, this is Phil Goes to the Movies, so you don't have too!

The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug

Hey, everyone and welcome to another edition of Phil Goes to the Movies, and this holiday season we have journeyed together through most of the big block buster movies. This time around we are looking at the second installment of the Hobbit... Did this movie hold up and entertain me to the fullest or did it make me want to choke myself with the one ring to rule them all? Lets dive in:



The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug- Ok, where to begin, where to begin? Well, the movie starts off "Pulp Fiction" style, with a quick flash back how Gandalf first meets Thorin. After this scene we get back to the main story line with our heroes still running across the country side. Never understood why some of these dwarves are fat, because they are freaking constantly running, so i dunno maybe I'm looking too far into that. Luckily, the movie throws action at the audience right away, with a fight with giant spiders, which can speak, and thats the most creepy freaking thing i have ever seen. Why, you might ask? Because now, the spider can tell me how to go fuck myself as it bites me!

Anyway, though the movie moves, what seems like a rapid pace, at the same time, it really drags on and on at times.... For example, our heroes are captured by the elves and imprisoned, but don't worry plot will allow you to escape equally as fast. Then again we are forced to watch for about 45 minutes about how much of a dick the elf king is... yeah, i can tell that by looking at him, so lets move this shit along. I mean, the movie seemed to speed up the things that should count, and waste time on other shit that doesn't.

Then of course, we come to the barrel scene, this scene was ridiculous and made the movie, in my honest opinion. The main reason was because, I have never seen anything like it before, and it was like twelve minutes long of awesomeness. I mean you have the dwarves riding inside barrels down the white water rapids as Orc warriors are trying to kill them with throwing knives and arrows. They were even jumping onto the barrels getting into fist fights with the dwarves, and the same time the elves are killing the Orcs. The scene at the right balance of humor and action.

Then we see Gandalf doing his own thing, where he battles a mysterious new necromancer, and the special effects were pretty good. Before journeying into the ruins to face the necromancer, Gandalf meets up with Radagast, the Brown. We are now in the second movie, and no one and i mean no one has told this poor schmuck, that he has BIRD SHIT ON THE SIDE OF HIS FACE!!! Gandalf, don't be that guy, tell him he literally has white, encrusted shit on his face....jesus christ!

Now, the elves.... oh the elves, I really liked the new bad ass female elf, Tauriel, but it got really old really fast for me for some reason... like no Orc can beat these guys! Finally, Legolas got his ass beat by an Orc general, but still wasn't that bad of a beating. The things the elves did were cool, but like I said after awhile, ok, enough already we get it, you guys are awesome, defying the laws of physics... whatever... maybe I'm judging too harshly.

 So, thats it for now for Phil Goes to.... oh wait, theres a dragon in this movie, my most favorite magical creature of all time! I forgot about much like the movie did too.... it was literally 2 hours and a half hours into the movie and no dragon! FINALLY! We see the thing that the title of the movie was based....the dragon, named Smaug. Now, I will admit this dragon was very well done, from the way it looked, moved, and the voice they used was perfect. The type of character of being an arrogant, pompous, which if you think about it if you couldn't be killed normal weapons, you would be too. I enjoyed every moment Smaug was on the big scene.... I wish I could have seen more of him!

Final Verdict- 8/10 The movie was good, with enjoyable characters, and some really amazing action sequences, like the barrel scene, but it is extremely obvious they are stretching the plot out. I understand, because the source material was one book with 300 pages, but come on, I guess they are going to milk this cash cow, until its dead. Then Gollum will get his own spin off movie!

Well, thats it for now, there are a few more movies coming out, and I will be there to review all the holiday movies. This is Phil Goes to the Movies, so you don't have too!

Frozen

Hey, boys and girls guess where i went on this extremely cold December night! Yes, its true i went to the movies.... i know, i know it wasn't hard to figure out, but welcome to another edition of Phil Goes to the Movies! This time around i dive into the newest Disney animated feature, and the question did it hold up to all the other Disney animated features before it? Or was it left out in the cold? Lets dive in shall we:


Frozen- I went to this movie not really sure what to expect to be completely honest, so i was open to see what disney had in store for me. First off, I want to say this movie was by far one of the most beautiful eye candy animated films i have seen in a long time. The way the ice appeared as if it was real, and the back grounds were jaw dropping. Disney seemed to stick with its roots with this feature, because the music was extremely emotional, and the women they cast to sing were astounding. The one song, "Let it go" you could just literally feel, the passion of a young girl allowing herself to be truly free after years of fearing her magical powers. The characters were all extremely likeable, ranging from the sisters to Christoph and his reindeer, and of course the loveable snow man, Olaf.

Unfortunately, heres where disney done fucked up... the movie felt extremely rushed. Nothing was really explained! Here's one thing i think should have been explained, WHERE THE HELL DID THE MAGICAL ICE POWERS COME FROM? This is never explained at all, you are just suppose to except it, and this young princess has to carry this heavy burden of these powers. After nearly killing her younger sister, the ice princess must live in seclusion, away from her younger sister and the world fearing what havoc her powers might inflict.

Another thing is, where was the villain in this movie? If you seen the movie, yes, we know who the villain is, but by the time that character is introduced to be the villain the movie is nearly over! In the beginning of the movie, they seemed to hint towards, the ice princess would become evil or she might unlock something evil with her powers. Unfortunately, nothing like that came up or remotely close to it, and it could have opened a whole another spectrum on the movie.

When the movie would actually try to push some character development or actual plot, it would explode into another song. Ok, the songs are performed amazingly, but they don't mean dick after they are done and the movie hasn't gone anywhere. Stop singing and tell me a freaking story... try explaining to me like i dunno... where the ice powers came from? How did the king know the rock trolls? Why didn't the rock trolls remember, the sister when she revisited them again later in years? Honestly, nothing is explained, its like you sit in a roller coaster, and you just fly through the movie.

"Hi, i have some questions for you, Movie," said Phil

"No, time! Lets sing!" replied the Movie.

"No, seriously, stop for a second!" Phil demands,"Where did the ice powers come from?"

"Here, look a funny snow man," says the Movie,"Listen to me sing again."

"Sigh, fuck it! Sure, sing again i guess."

Now, heres where some people are going to be like, "Really, Phil?" The snow man, Olaf, I liked the character he was funny and extremely likeable, BUT he didn't really add anything to the story. Honestly, the movie would have been fine without him... i mean don't get me wrong, the idea of the little guy melting made me want to jump in the movie and save him, myself.

Final Verdict- 7/10- The visuals and songs were unforgettable and breath taking, but the movie lacked a lot of things. Yes, it did show the empowerment of women and the sisters' love for one another. The movie felt like it was written by a 14 year old girl, that left out a lot explanations about plot points. I still say to go see the movie to experience on the big screen and stereo sound, but go during the day for the matinee.

This is it for now, next time i am going to conqueror and review the newest installment of the Hobbit coming out next week... This is Phil Goes to the Movies, so you don't have too!

The Hunger Games: Catching Fire

So, your favorite movie critic is back again, with another review of the movie block busters for this holiday season. I went with some friends on this cold November night, to see the second installment of the Hunger Games series. Did it hold up to the first movie, or did it crap out like may sequels have in the past?....well here we go!



The Hunger Games: Catching Fire- The movie does a great job with following the golden rules of a successful sequel, by having all the original actors returning to play their roles. The story follows up right where the first movie left off, with Katniss, played by Jennifer Lawrence, and Peeta, played by Josh Hutcherson, living their lives after their experiences in the hunger games. You watch them attempt to put things back together and live normally. While, Katniss is hunting, she fires an arrow from her bow, to have a flash back of killing a young man from the previous hunger games. She completely freaks out, as she has what appears to be a panic attack.

Right off the bat, the movie does a great job capturing the human element here, for these characters, and it shows the after effects someone would have enduring the tribulations Katniss and Peeta did. I mean, I think when we watch the first movie, do we really think about what the main characters really went through, mentally? I mean, think about it, you are fighting for your lives... these aren't psychopaths who enjoy killing. There are young people ranging from the ages of 9 to 18, forced into an unimaginable situation, and the only way to come out is to kill. Regardless the movie, does a great job capturing that aspect.

The acting was really well done, such emotion in many scenes, and it makes sense since these poor people are basically, slaves. Katniss now becoming a beacon of hope for the mass of people in the districts... i was always confused why Peeta wasn't also considered one as well, but nonetheless people begin rioting more and more. Donald Sutherland plays the president, and I tell you these Sutherlands can play evil sons of bitches when they want too. If you want to see Donald's son, Kiefer Sutherland, play an evil fucker watch the movie, "Eye for an Eye", and see what I'm talking about... this father and son really know how to make an audience hate a character.

There wasn't as much violence as there was in the original movie, but regardless the fight scenes were still done very well. Hell, the environment was scarier the people fighting in the hunger games, which ranged from poisonous fog, freak lightning, tsunamis, and large flesh eating baboons!

I really enjoyed the film, and yes it was definitely worth the 10 dollars it costs to get into the movie theaters nowadays. It made you cry, laugh, and actually feel sorry for the poor people.... then hate the capital!


Final Verdict 8.5/10- The characters seemed real, with emotion and depth to them, and overall it kept you on the seat of your pants waiting to see how the characters will survive. Plus, each character when on the scene, really seemed to bring something to the table.

Thats it for now, catch me next time when i review the next big one, the second installment of the Hobbit. Until then, this is Phil Goes to the Movies, so you don't have too!