Movie Reviews By Movie Reviews Pro

The Soloist - Jamie Foxx, Robert Downey Jr.

Rating:

Movie: The Soloist (2009)

Studio : Working Title Films; DreamWorks Pictures

Info : Click Here

Runtime : 117min

Website : soloistmovie.com

Trailer :
http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x6q7js

Review:

The story centers around Steve Lopez (Robert Downey Jr.), a middle-aged writer for the Los Angeles Times, who decides to write a series of articles about a schizophrenic homeless man named Nathaniel Ayers (Jamie Foxx). Lopez first notices Ayers as he is playing the violin; he later learns Nathaniel is a Juliard-trained musician. Based on true events, the movie follows Lopez’s evolving relationship with Ayers, as it transforms from one of strictly professional endeavors to a heartwarming tale of friendship.

Present-time scenes are spliced by brief flashbacks to Ayers’ past, such as his first cello lessons and his subsequent withdrawal from Juliard. Through this method, the viewer gets a more complete perception of Ayers’ collegiate downfall as well as his mental unraveling. Scene by scene, Lopez attempts to crack the next layer of Nathaniel’s trust to not only get more information for his articles, but to learn more about Nathaniel himself.

The story itself is incredibly touching and seems almost too good to be true, the sort of perfectly-aligned elements aimed at tugging your heartstrings that could only be manufactured by Hollywood. Unfortunately, the pace of the film seems to drag throughout which takes away from the plot. These factors melded with a pedestrian execution by director Joe Wright results in a heavy-handed display that does not match the emotional evocations of Nathaniel’s story.

Robert Downey Jr. once again delivers a stellar performance, as his nonchalant attitude paves the way for a seemingly effortless execution of flawless acting. Jamie Foxx also brings his A-game, assuming a role with a much higher, and somewhat unrealistic, standard of perfection. Playing a character with a heavy onset of mental instability is by no means a simple task, and although it was fairly unconvincing, Foxx’s wholehearted effort should not be overlooked. Despite the directorial shortcomings of the movie, the superb acting and touching story are worth the price of admission alone.

-Daniel S. Edited By: Trent M.

Drama, In Theaters, Music Drama, jamie foxx, Music, robert downey jr, soloist, the soloist

Obsessed - Idris Elba, Beyonce Knowles

Rating:

Movie: Obsessed(2009)

Studio: Screen Gems

Info: Click Here

Runtime: 108min

Website: areyouobsessed.com

Trailer:http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x8ro58

Review :

Obsessed was an excellent movie! As I always say, “In every movie there is a lesson to be learned.” In this particular movie the lesson was to trust your spouse. What I was most surprised about in this movie was how sync it was with its trailer. Lately a lot of movie trailers have been misleading the quality and purpose of the movie yet this movie really stayed on topic.

The movie was great with grabbing my attention by making every scene vital to the movie’s purpose. Beyonce does a great job creating the emotion in a lot of the scenes cracking tears and yelling at a high frequency. Idris (main character) is great with his confused looks and sad reactions as well as his emotional aspect. Meanwhile Ali (plays the obsessed female) dropped my jaw with her forceful actions and impressive acting.

On top of everything I was really sitting on the edge of my seat throughout the entire film. I was really impressed by the thrill this movie had in every scene. I couldn’t wait another minute to find out what was going to happen. Each stressful scene just edged me wanting to know more!

Overall I can’t really say much about this movie without spoiling a bit of it therefore I am going to stop before I ruin the movie for you potential viewers out there! See this movie!

-Trent M.

Drama, Just left Theaters, Thriller affair, beyonce, beyonce knowles, cheating, crazy, Fantasy, idris elba, obsessed, psycho, scary, Thriller

Fast & Furious - Paul Walker, Vin Diesel

Rating:

Movie: Fast and Furious(2009)

Studio: Relativity Media, Universal Pictures

Info: Click Here

Runtime: 107min

Website: fastandfuriousmovie.net

Trailer:http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x84xhi

Review :

As the fourth & final installment of The Fast & The Furious film series, Fast & Furious (known as Fast & Furious 4 in certain countries) returns to the streets of Los Angeles with the crew of the original film. Taking place five years after the original and chronologically in between 2Fast 2Furious and Tokyo Drift, F&F4 reunites with Dominic Toretto (Vin Diesel) as he and Brian O’Connor (Paul Walker) team-up to take down the notorious kingpin of a heroin cartel named Arturo Braga.

Bonded by their common necessity for information, Dom (seeking revenge) and Brian (seeking justice) go down their separate paths in search of any possible lead, when they happen to stumble upon the same suspect that gives them both what they are looking for. They learn of a certain street race that will guarantee them positions as drivers in Braga’s operation to run heroin across the Mexican/American border, thus setting the stage for their individual yet similar adventures in search of the truth.

Most fans of the series will agree that the original was the best film, and because F&F4 returns to the same setting with the same characters, it naturally needs to live up to certain expectations. Unfortunately, the premiere of The Fast & The Furious was during a time when street racing was at its pinnacle of popularity, a trend that was new and exciting for viewers of all ages.

Now, however, that trend has essentially died, or at least significantly decreased in popularity, thus stacking the cards against a positive reception of F&F4. Despite this unfortunate circumstance, Fast & Furious has risen to the challenge, with a better than acceptable response from critics and customers alike.

Notwithstanding the formulaic storyline, underwhelming acting and borderline hysterical cliché-ridden dialogue, F&F4 most definitely delivers for its genre: action. From the opening scene to the end credits, this movie is absolutely packed with over-the-top driving stunts, elaborate fight & chase scenes, and a plethora of pyrotechnical masterpieces. That being said, if you appreciate this series for its mindless action scenes and excessive stunts, then you will not be disappointed.

Fast & Furious posted $71 million in ticket sales on opening weekend, and is now playing in theaters nationwide.

-Daniel S.

Action, Just left Theaters Action, cars, fast & furious, fast and furious, pual walker, racing, vin diesel

12 Rounds - John Cena

Rating:

Movie: 12 Rounds(2009)

Studio: Twentieth Century Fox

Info: Click Here

Runtime: 108min

Website: 12rounds.net

Trailer:http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x82uw9

Review :

12 Rounds is a revenge saga with a crime/gangster/cop backdrop. The two main characters are, Danny Fisher a New Orleans police officer, and Miles, a thief. The movie begins with Miles planning a multi-million dollar heist. He smartly pulls the heist and then decides to flee with the money. Danny, who is in pursuit of Miles, succeeds in capturing him. Unfortunately, in the heat of the moment, Miles’s girlfriend dies. Miles, as expected, is not someone to sit and lick his wounds.

Once out of prison, Miles plots revenge against Danny and gives him a 12 round puzzle to solve. These are very mysterious and nearly impossible to crack but solving these is Danny’s only chance to save his fiancée from Miles’s clutches. Obviously, Miles keeps increasing the difficulty as the puzzle progresses.

The movie, crisply edited, and some of the dialogues are refreshing. Daniel Kunka’s screenplay, and Renny Harlin’s direction impose a new style of cine-show and the cinematic pace will blow the audience. Renny Harlin is a trendsetter and this movie speaks in volumes of his true talent.

John Cena gives an above par performance as Danny Fisher. Cena displayed various nuances of thespian skills. His cold rage, agony, morbidity and resolve are all too real to believe. We can easily put ourselves in his place and feel that we would be giving exactly the same reactions. Aidan Gillen as Miles Jackson is equally convincing though he tends to take the game overboard at times.

The movie, filmed mostly in New Orleans, with various other shots taken in Louisiana, It is due on March 27, 2009. 20th Century Fox is the distributor.

Here is to hoping that the movie registers true box office success on its release!

-Edited by Robert G, David S, Trent M.

Action, Just left Theaters, Thriller 12 rounds, Action, guns, Thriller, thrillers