Movie Reviews By Movie Reviews Pro

The Hurt Locker- Kathryn Bigelow

Rating:

Movie: The Hurt Locker (2009)

Studio : Kingsgate Films

Info : Click Here

Runtime : 130min

Website : thehurtlocker-movie.com

Trailer : http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x91vpy

Review:

The Hurt Locker is the story the Army’s elite Explosive Ordinance Disposal (EOD) squad and their call to missions in modern-day Iraq. The story focuses on the Bravo Company, specifically commissioned to handle IEDs or Improvised Explosive Devices. We follow this company—which comprises Staff Sergeant William James (Jeremy Renner), Sergeant J.T. Sanborn (Anthony Mackie), and Specialist Owen Eldridge (Brian Geraghty)—on their 39-day tour of Iraq. We watch as they weave through each mission with their lives on the line, and as they consistently escape death, the layers of their complicated emotions and intentions unfold right before us.

It doesn’t take very long to realize that the real star of this film is director Kathryn Bigelow. Although her claim to fame up to this point might be Point Break and being the mega-director James Cameron’s former better half, this movie should cement her as a serious and formidable new voice.

The amazingly authentic script by Mark Boal aids her vision. Much like In the Valley of Elah, Boal has researched a real story in order to create a compelling fictitious one. Here, Boal imbedded himself with an actual EOD squad and fashioned himself part-journalist, part-screenwriter. And upon the viewing of this film, it will be hard to deny that he has succeeded exceptionally as both.

Jeremy Renner as Sergeant James does a commendable job of turning his performance into a bona-fide character study. As the most complex character, he gives an appropriately understated performance while maintaining a certain amount of bravura, making him fascinating to watch.

There’s a noticeable dip in the quality of the action at the end of the second act where a particular soldier goes AWOL. It’s the only part of the movie that feels a little “Hollywood.” Nevertheless, it doesn’t take away from the overall excellence of the film, and fortunately, it gets back on track shortly thereafter.

However, there is a major oversight that does affect the overall impression of this film: Although directed by a female, it is mysteriously devoid of female soldiers. For a film that’s committed to being so real and so true, it’s an unfortunate critique for a film that is otherwise virtually flawless.
 
The crux of this film lies within its final 5-10 minutes. And it’s these minutes that catapult it from being a run-of-the-mill war story to modern parable.

-Sam Henderson

Action, Drama, In Theaters, Thriller, War Action, Drama, hurt locker, Thriller, War

Angels & Demons - Tom Hanks

Rating:

Movie: Angels & Demons (2009)

Studio : Imagine Entertainment; Columbia Pictures

Info : Click Here

Runtime : 138min

Website : angelsanddemons.com

Trailer :
http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x799zs

Review:

The action starts in the Vatican after the sudden death of the Pope; simultaneously, the Hadron Collider in Switzerland successfully generates anti-matter. Shortly after this remarkable scientific achievement, one of the vials of antimatter is stolen by a mysterious stranger. After four Cardinals are kidnapped, a mysterious ransom video and note show up brandishing the word Illuminati, an ancient group infamous for opposing the Catholic Church in the 1600’s. Harvard symbologist professor Robert Langdon (Tom Hanks) and his team of investigators urgently seek meaning behind the Illuminati’s cryptic clues, in order to save not only the lives of the kidnapped Cardinals, but everybody in Rome as well.

Bits of history are sporadically spoon-fed to the audience about the Church/Illuminati strife, as well as each party involved; this method allows for viewers who have not read the Dan Brown novels to closely follow along. The movie is quite suspenseful, as each discovery the team makes only leads to yet another shrouded clue in the web of Illuminati references. This, however, gets a bit tiresome as it serves for the basic architecture for the entire two hours: the result being a lot of talk and sparse action.

The recurring theme acts as a metaphor for hot-button topics of today, issues that mostly boil down to religious vs. scientific beliefs. Within the movie are characters of vacillating mentalities, such as staunch Catholic priests in addition to more progressive-minded ministers. These sorts of characters essentially bridge the gap between religion and science, in an attempt to prove how each side has its utility.

Even if you do not follow the series of novels religiously (pun intended), Angels & Demons is guaranteed to deliver as thorough entertainment with remarkable suspense. It opened worldwide on May 15 with $152 million in earnings, and is now playing in theaters.

-Daniel S.

Drama, In Theaters, Thriller Angels & Demons, Angels and Demons, Drama, Thriller, Tom Hanks

Star Trek - Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto

Rating:

Movie: Star Trek (2009)

Studio : Paramount Pictures

Info : Click Here

Runtime : 127min

Website : startrek.com

Trailer :
http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x7grwn

Review:

There is little to say about Star Trek. The movie in two words: Absolutely Amazing. The new Star Trek not only brings in great actors who played the parts perfectly but it was by far one of the best sequels of the film world to date. I personally have not seen any Star Trek movies or episodes in the past by any means. With that in mind; this movie really shocked me!

I cannot believe how intense a situation can get onboard a starship! Is captain Kirk really that much of a controlling character in the original series? Aside from that fact, I really liked the creative scenes that were put together involving both Kirk(Chris Spine) and Spock(Zachary Quinto)!

Throughout the beginning of the film they were fighting to be the man in control but they both accepted each other through their own way and are working together as possibly the best duo tandem this film industry has ever seen.

The new Star Trek promises glorious action, exacerbate drama, enormous laughter, and diabolical intelligence all wrapped into a two hour film. Star Trek is one of the best movies on the market right now so don’t miss your chance to see it!

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-Trent M.

Action, Adventure, Drama, In Theaters, Sci-Fi Action, Adventure, chris pine, Drama, James T. Kirk, sci-fi, Spock, Star Trek, zachary quinto

State of Play - Russell Crowe, Ben Affleck

Rating:

Movie: State of Play (2009)

Studio : Universal Pictures

Info : Click Here

Runtime : 127min

Website : stateofplaymovie.net

Trailer :

http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x7tyba

Review:

Featuring a star-studded roster of critically acclaimed actors, State of Play is the film adaptation of a British 6-part mini-series of the same name. The story follows an investigative journalist named Cal McAffrey (Russell Crowe) as he attempts to unearth the truth behind the mysterious death of Congressman Stephen Collins’ (Ben Affleck) mistress. Initially ruled as a suicide, Cal unexpectedly finds himself waist-deep in a quagmire of political and corporate conspiracy, a secretive web with potentially lethal repercussions for anybody that stumbles upon it. Faced with this discovery, Cal must choose between preserving his firmly-rooted friendship with Collins or risk everything to unveil one of the biggest scandals of the century.

Set in the nation’s capital, the complex yet sensible plot is particularly intriguing given that its embedded in current affairs; in this case, a lucrative military contractor is facing political opposition. However, the pace seems to drag a bit at times, as the finer details require more time to be fully ironed-out. But this isn’t an entirely bad situation, because these instances of plot development precipitate occasions of unnerving suspense.

Throughout the screening I found myself briefly wondering what sort of twist could come next, while simultaneously watching along in an unending stupor of fascination, the sort of infatuated yet vegetative mental state that only a thorough storyline could evoke.

Rarely does Hollywood produce such a tremendous work of film, where plot development, performance, and suspense are all top-notch. State of Play is more than just a political thriller, as it exposes the workings of the dying newspaper industry, their sporadic collusion with politicians, and their cooperation with law enforcement. It successfully delivers an elaborate while discernible storyline guaranteed to consume film fanatics and average movie-goers alike, thus it comes highly recommended.

– Daniel S. Edited by: Trent M.

Drama, In Theaters, Thriller crime, Drama, police, russell crowe, state of play, suspense, Thriller