I Am Number Four (2011)

109 min, sci-fi, action, thriller

Director: D.J. Caruso
Writers: Alfred Gough, Miles Millar
Stars: Alex Pettyfer, Timothy Olyphant and Dianna Agron

Storyline:

Extraordinary teen John Smith (Pettyfer) is a fugitive on the run from ruthless enemies sent to destroy him. Changing his identity, moving from town to town with his guardian Henri (Olyphant), John is always the new kid with no ties to his past. In the small Ohio town he now calls home, John encounters unexpected, life-changing events-his first love (Agron), powerful new abilities and a connection to the others who share his incredible destiny.

Review:

Can wait for a sequel! And not just because there are many questions left unanswered, but because it is really good. Good story, great visuals, action scenes, pretty girl...What's not to like about this movie!? There is just nothing bad I could write about it. So if you haven't seen it yet, you should. Because it will be a movie you will not regret watching!

Rating: 8/10               Buy on Amazon: I Am Number Four (Three-Disc Blu-ray/DVD)

The Eagle (2011)

114 min, adventure, drama

Director: Kevin Macdonald
Writers: Jeremy Brock (screenplay), Rosemary Sutcliff (novel)
Stars: Channing Tatum, Jamie Bell and Donald Sutherland

Storyline:

In 140 AD, twenty years after the unexplained disappearance of the entire Ninth Legion in the mountains of Scotland, young centurion Marcus Aquila (Tatum) arrives from Rome to solve the mystery and restore the reputation of his father, the commander of the Ninth. Accompanied only by his British slave Esca (Bell), Marcus sets out across Hadrian's Wall into the uncharted highlands of Caledonia - to confront its savage tribes, make peace with his father's memory, and retrieve the lost legion's golden emblem, the Eagle of the Ninth.

Review:

Not really sure is this good or bad movie to me. It has a good opening, a dull middle where everything happens too fast and a predictable ending. It's not like we didn't know how it's gonna end. While Jamie Bell was perfect for the part of Esca, I didn't like Channing Tatum as Marcus. He should stick to movies like "GI Joe". The story? It's OK, but in my opinion when you have a good story you should be able to make a really good movie. It's a shame how filmmakers manage to take a good story and make a shitty movie. Oh,yes! When I'm watching a history movie I expect to see some swordplay and battles and not blurred and close up action where I can't see what's going on. You decide will you watch "The Eagle". You will probably watch it only once.

Rating: 5.8/10                                                              Buy on Amazon: The Eagle

Just Go With It (2011)

117 min, comedy, romance

Director: Dennis Dugan
Writers: Allan Loeb, Timothy Dowling
Stars: Adam Sandler, Jennifer Aniston and Brooklyn Decker

Storyline:

Danny is a successful plastic surgeon who pretends to be unhappily married to get women. When he finally meets a girl he believes to be the woman of his dreams, he doesn't use his method on her, but she soon finds the wedding band he uses. Afraid of telling her the truth, he tells her he's getting a divorce, to which she requests to meet his soon-to-be ex. He asks his office manager Katherine to pose as his wife in order to prove his story, but one lie turns into another that brings Katherine's children into his scheme, resulting in a trip to Hawaii that will change all their lives.

Review:

Haven't seen Jennifer Aniston look this good since "Friends". Really sexy. Especially in a bikini. Saying that, let's say something about the movie. It's an Adam Sandler movie. And it's the best one since "The Longest Yard". Adam Sandler and Jennifer Aniston have great chemistry in every scene, the kids are hilarious (especially the daughter with the fake English accent), and the best and the funniest is "Dolf Lungren". The only one I didn't like is Nicole Kidman. She just didn't belong in this one. It's a comedy, and it's a good one. Enjoy!

Rating: 8/10                                                           Buy on Amazon: Just Go With It

No Strings Attached (2011)

108 min, comedy, romance

Director: Ivan Reitman
Writers: Elizabeth Meriwether (screenplay), Michael Samonek (story)
Stars: Natalie Portman, Ashton Kutcher and Kevin Kline

Storyline:

In this comedy, Emma (Natalie Portman) and Adam (Ashton Kutcher) are life-long friends who almost ruin everything by having sex one morning. In order to protect their friendship, they make a pact to keep their relationship strictly “no strings attached.” “No strings” means no jealousy, no expectations, no fighting, no flowers, no baby voices. It means they can do whatever they want, whenever they want, in whatever public place they want, as long as they don’t fall in love. The question becomes – who’s going to fall first? And can their friendship survive?

Review:

It's a romantic comedy like many we've seen before. Girl and guy meet, in this case start having sex, fall in love, somebody mess is it up, after a while they make up, we have a happy end and that's it. I like those kind a film's. So, is this better then the rest of them? No. Is it worth watching? Yes. I had a couple a laughs, the cast was good (great chemistry between Portman and Kutcher), nice story...Enjoyable 110 min.

Rating: 7/10                                                       Buy on Amazon: No Strings Attached

The Dilemma (2011)

111 min, comedy, drama

Director: Ron Howard
Writer: Allan Loeb
Stars: Vince Vaughn, Kevin James, Jennifer Connelly and Winona Ryder

Storyline: 

A man finds out that what you don't say to a friend is just as important as what you do is this story of how far you can bend a brotherly bond before it snaps. Since college, confirmed bachelor Ronny (Vaughn) and happily married Nick (James) have been through thick and thin. Now partners in an auto design firm, the two pals are vying to land a dream project that would launch their company. Ronny's girlfriend, Beth (Connelly), and Nick's wife, Geneva (Ryder), are by their sides. But Ronny's world is turned upside down when he inadvertently sees Geneva out with another man and makes it his mission to get answers. As the amateur investigation dissolves into mayhem, he learns that Nick has a few secrets of his own. Now, with the clock ticking and pressure mounting on the biggest presentation of their careers, Ronny must decide what will happen if he reveals the truth to his best friend.

Review:

A comedy!? Not even close. We have two really good comedians, and yet, no comedy in the film. It's actually a drama, and quite a boring one. This could have been a good buddy-buddy comedy but something went wrong at the beginning. So instead of a comedy with really good actors, we got a drama with a lousy story and a great cast that is overacting (like Queen Latifah) or not acting at all (like Jennifer Connelly). It's a movie you will watch only once.That is, if you make it to the end.

Rating: 5/10                                                           Buy on Amazon: The Dilemma

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 (2010)

146 min, adventure, drama, fantasy

Director: David Yates
Writers: Steve Kloves (screenplay), J.K. Rowling (novel)
Stars: Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson and Rupert Grint

Storyline:

As Harry races against time and evil to destroy the Horcruxes, he uncovers the existence of three most powerful objects in the wizarding world: the Deathly Hallows.

Review:

Well, I haven't read the book so I can't compare it to the movie and say does the movie captures the book completely. It probably doesn't. I watched all seven of the Harry Potter movies and I'm a big fan of the first five. "The Half  Blood Prince" was kinda boring, and I expected more from "The Deathly Hallows". This is suppose to be a great finale but nothing yet happened and the movie is 145 min long. Maybe they should have made one movie instead of splitting it just to make more money. Hopefully " The Deathly Hallows: Part 2" will be the finale the Harry Potter fans deserve.

Rating: 6,5/10             Buy on Amazon: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 1

Unknown (2011)

113 min, drama, mystery, thriller

Director: Jaume Collet-Serra
Writers: Oliver Butcher, Stephen Cornwell
Stars: Liam Neeson, Diane Kruger and January Jones

Storyline:

Dr. Martin Harris awakens after a car accident in Berlin to discover that his wife suddenly doesn't recognize him and another man has assumed his identity. Ignored by disbelieving authorities and hunted by mysterious assassins, he finds himself alone, tired, and on the run.
Aided by an unlikely ally, Martin plunges headlong into a deadly mystery that will force him to question his sanity, his identity, and just how far he is willing to go to uncover the truth.

Review:

It's a kind of movie that is slow and somewhat boring till near the end, making us wonder and guess what the hell is going on. Then we get all the answers to all the questions we had during the movie and we conclude that it's a good movie. Despite the first hour of the movie. "Unknown" is good, but far from excellent. For example, "The Tourist" was much better to me. And if you're looking for an excellent Liam Neeson movie I would rather watch "Taken".

Rating: 7/10                                                         Buy on Amazon: Unknown: A Novel

The Fighter (2010)

115 min, biography, drama, sport

Director: David O. Russell
Writers: Scott Silver, Paul Tamasy
Stars: Mark Wahlberg, Christian Bale, Amy Adams

Storyline:

The Fighter, is a drama about boxer "Irish" Micky Ward's unlikely road to the world light welterweight title. His Rocky-like rise was shepherded by half-brother Dicky, a boxer-turned-trainer who rebounded in life after nearly being KO'd by drugs and crime.

Review:

A truly inspiring movie. It's a kind a movie that makes you believe you can do anything you want, achieve any goal if you believe in it. Sure, there are a lot of sport films where the underdog ends up winning, but what makes this so much better is that this is a true story about a real person and the problems and obstacles he must overcome till his final triumph. Great characters played by a great cast. With all do respect to Mark Wahlberg, Amy Adams, Melissa Leo and others the best performance was that of Christian Bale as Dicky Eklund. Absolutely brilliant. Be sure to watch it!

Rating: 8/10         Buy on Amazon: The Fighter (Blu-ray/DVD Combo + Digital Copy)

Source Code (2011)

93 min, action, mystery, romance

Director: Duncan Jones 
Writer: Ben Ripley
Stars: Jake Gyllenhaal, Michelle Monaghan and Vera Farmiga

Storyline:

Colter Stevens an American Army helicopter pilot whose last memory is flying in Afgasnistan, wakes up on a commuter train. But he discovers he has assumed the identity of another man. 8 minutes later the train explodes and Stevens finds himself in some kind of pod. He then talks to someone named Goodwin who tells him he has to go back and find who the bomber is. He is sent back and is going through the whole thing again and tries to find who the bomber is but fails and the bomb goes off and he is back in the pod. He is sent back again and still can't find out anything. When he comes back he asks what is going on, Goodwin and Rutledge, the scientist in charge tells him he is part of a project that can put someone in another person's consciousness during the last 8 minutes of their life. Stevens says why doesn't he just stop the bomb, he is then told that he is not going back in time but placed in the moment so he can find out who the bomber is and if there are any other targets...

Review:

As you may have read this is action, mystery, romance movie. It is also sci-fi and thriller. And it really is all that. I must say, I didn't expected "Source Code" to be this good. But it was even better. There are no big action scenes,but there is plenty of action, there are no love scenes, but it has romance, there is time travel which makes it sci-fi. But most of all this is a thriller that will keep you interested till the end. With a great story and an excellent performance from all the actors this is a movie you do not want to miss.

Rating: 8/10                                                                  Buy at Amazon: Source Code

The Time Traveler's Wife (2009)

107 min, drama, fantasy, mystery

Director: Robert Schwentke
Writer: Bruce Joel Rubin
Stars:  Eric Bana, Rachel McAdams, Ron Livingston

Storyline:

A Chicago librarian suffers from a rare genetic disorder that sends him hurtling through time whenever he is under extreme duress; despite the fact that he vanishes at inordinately frequent and lengthy intervals, he attempts to build a stable future with the beautiful young heiress he loves. 

Review:

This is an adaptation of the novel "The time traveler's wife". Even I haven't read the book, I must suggest: "Read the book first." If a movie is based on a book, I usually read the book first for one obvious reason: Book's are better. I don't know what's the book like, but I know the movie is really good. Basically it's a heart-warming love story, a romantic chick flick, so if you are an action movie fan this is not for you. Everybody else enjoy the film.

Rating: 7/10                                            Buy on Amazon: The Time Traveler's Wife

Sucker Punch (2011)

110 min, action, adventure, fantasy

Director: Zack Snyder
Writers: Zack Snyder, Steve Shibuya
Stars:  Emily Browning, Vanessa Hudgens, Abbie Cornish

Storyline:

A young girl (Baby Doll) is locked away in a mental asylum by her abusive stepfather where she will undergo a lobotomy in five days time. Faced with unimaginable odds, she retreats to a fantastical world in her imagination where she and four other female inmates at the asylum, plot to escape the facility. The lines between reality and fantasy blur as Baby Doll and her four companions, as well as a mysterious guide, fight to retrieve the five items they need that will allow them to break free from their captors before it's too late... 

Review:

Let's keep this short!
What's good: the story, the action scenes, incredible visuals, it has dragons, samurai's and swordplay,killer robots, sexy girls, great sountrack...
What's bad: nothing that I could see!
If you liked Zack Snyder's "300" you will like "Sucker Punch" as well!

Rating: 8,5/10                                     Buy at Amazon: Sucker Punch - Soundtrack

Battle: Los Angeles (2011)

116 min, action, sci-fi, thriller

Director: Jonathan Liebesman
Writer: Christopher Bertolini
Stars:  Aaron Eckhart, Michelle Rodriguez, Bridget Moynahan

Storyline:

For years, there have been documented cases of UFO sightings around the world – Buenos Aires, Seoul, France, Germany, China. But in 2011, what were once just sightings will become a terrifying reality when Earth is attacked by unknown forces. As people everywhere watch the world’s great cities fall, Los Angeles becomes the last stand for mankind in a battle no one expected. It’s up to a Marine staff sergeant (Aaron Eckhart) and his new platoon to draw a line in the sand as they take on an enemy unlike any they’ve ever encountered before.

Review:

If you're expecting that "Battle:LA" is the new "Independence day", you couldn't be more wrong. All though the story is similar (alien invasion, couple of marines fight against them and finally triumph), "Independence day" is a master piece compared to this. Here is what bothered me about this movie: aliens came but it was never explained why did they come (except to kill humans), what do they want, I never saw one alien clearly, the special effects are not what I expected, to many close up's, especially during fighting...And the worst thing of all is the shaky camera!!! What's up with that!? You get the impression that the cameraman was afraid he might get shut too. So, to me this was disappointing!

Rating: 5,5/10                                                    Buy at Amazon: Battle: Los Angeles

Takers (2010)

107 min, action, crime, thriller

Director: John Luessenhop
Writers:  Peter Allen, Gabriel Casseus
Stars: Matt Dillon, Paul Walker, Hayden Christensen

Storyline:

A seasoned team of bank robbers, including Gordon Jennings (Idris Elba), John Rahway (Paul Walker), A.J. (Hayden Christensen), and brothers Jake (Michael Ealy) and Jesse Attica (Chris Brown) successfully complete their latest heist and lead a life of luxury while planning their next job. When Ghost (Tip T.I. Harris), a former member of their team, is released from prison he convinces the group to strike an armored car carrying $20 million. As the "takers" carefully plot out their strategy and draw nearer to exacting the grand heist, a reckless police officer (Matt Dillon) inches closer to apprehending the criminals.

Review:

First of all, this is a good movie. Could have it been better? Yes. This movie has a good story, but to make it better than a numerous movies with the same or similar story it  needed something more. Maybe more action, an A-list actors, director with more experience...I don't know. But there is something missing. Now, after reading this you must be wondering is this worth watching. Yes, it is. Because if you like a good old fashioned action movie you will enjoyed it.

Rating: 6,5/10                                                                 Buy on Amazon: Takers