Milla Jovovich Resident Evil: Retrebution

          Resident Evil: Retrebution

                 1 1/2 stars of 5

In the Sci-Fi thriller “Resident Evil: Retribution” Alice is back, and more deadly than ever. After being captured by Umbrella, Alice wakes up in their massive underwater T-virus testing facility. When someone turns off Umbrellas security, Alice seizes her opportunity and begins planning her escape, however countless T-virus simulators the size of warehouses stuffed with the undead lie between Alice and her way out. Can Alice shoot her way out of her seemingly impenetrable prison and stop T-virus from wiping out mankind?

The summary may seem short and simple, that’s because it is. I was very disappointed with “Resident Evil: Retribution”. Mainly because it had next to no story line, the whole film was just Milla Jovovich dismembering the undead, nothing more, really. I didn’t enjoy the previous “Resident Evil” films, but I thought that this one might turn things around. Wrong. Same old, same old, Alice whipping out her infinite ammo hand cannons and blasting the daylights out of something that belongs in Harry Potter.  The special effects were impressive, however they didn't really serve a purpose and were kind of “meh” because most of them don’t make the slightest bit of sense. The acting, too, was impressive especially by Milla Jovovich. Being a post-apocalyptic film fanatic, “Resident Evil: Retribution” really had me pumped up, (though I’m not sure why seeing as I hated the previous “Resident Evil” installations) there were gore, zombies, guns, zombies, fights, and zombies all to look forward to.  However I sadly learned that no matter how good the action is, it can’t stand on its

Lawless 

                Lawless

             5 of 5 stars

When the law becomes corrupt, outlaws become heroes. Set during Prohibition and the tail end of the Depression, lifelong friends Forrest Bondurant (Tom Hardy) and Cricket Pate (Dane Dehaan) make a living bootlegging raw moonshine to their neighbors and the mob; all while struggling to stay one step ahead of the law and keep a sense of ethics and pride. With Forrest’s brutal defiance paired with Crickets’s brilliance at brewing moonshine, the pair’s business quickly raises above all the other Franklin bootleggers. Just when all seems to be running fine, Franklin County law enforcement gets a new special deputy, Charlie Rakes (Guy Pierce), determined to stop Franklins flow of moonshine and kill its brewers. One by one Franklin’s thugs are tortured or killed by Rakes and his crew of crooked cops, until Cricket and Forrest are all that’s left. In need of extra help, Forrest lets his timid little brother Jack (Shia LeBeouf) in on the moonshining business. By dumb luck, Forrest gets severely wounded just as Rakes begins closing in on the Bondurant brother’s operation, forcing tentative Jack to somehow take his place for the time being. Can Jack fill Forrest’s shoes? Or will Rakes shutdown the Bondurant’s whole operation and kill them both?

I didn’t walk into the theater with very high hopes for “Lawless”, it just seemed too cliché, Like the usual western pair punching their way through the law, little did I know my mind was about to be blown. Based on the 2009 novel “The Wettest County in the World” authored by Forrest’s grandson, “Lawless” is flawless. I’m not very familiar with director John Hillcoat, but he did a terrific job. Rarely is there a film that caries itself as well as “Lawless”, the intensity doesn’t let up one bit, its completely unpredictable. The acting too, was flawless. I was excited for Guy Pierce and Tom Hardy, however I didn’t think there was any way Shia LeBeouf would pull of hard-core bootlegger Jack Bondurant due to his long line of disappointing recent releases and acing. But I stand corrected; he pulled it off with flying colors. Despite LeBeouf’s stunning performance, Tom Hardy stole the spotlight 100%. I was excited for Hardy but I never guessed he would give us such as mind boggling performance. I could almost taste the filthy, emotionally scarred, poverty

Joseph Gordon-Levitt - Premium Rush

        Premium Rush

           2 Stars of 5

The average package in Manhattan takes a minimum of one day to be delivered- Wilee (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) can do it in less than an hour. Risking life and limb every day, Wilee and his gang of action junkie bike messengers fly through the streets of New York topping speeds of 20 miles an hour, all for a few bucks a day. Wilee meets danger head on almost daily, but one afternoon he gets more than he’s bargaining for when a dirty cop shows a little too much interest in one of his packages and demands Wilee give it to him. What’s in Wilee’s mystery package and why does his new friend want it so bad?

I didn’t really expect “Premium Rush’’ to be very good, it seemed cliché, and after all how good could a film about bicycle riding be? Sadly “Premium Rush” didn’t exceed my expectations. Perhaps the biggest letdown of all was Joseph Gordon-Levitt. I really enjoyed his performance in “The DarkKnight Rises”, as well as “Inception” a few years back, and I was very excited to see him playing a lead role. Unfortunately he was terrible. I don’t think it was Joseph Gordon-Levitt’s fault, just that he didn’t seem to match the role of Wilee the young and energetic bike rider even the least bit; and with a bad performance by the lead role it’s almost impossible for a film to redeem itself and be even half good. Another thing that I was disappointed about “Premium Rush” was the lack of an even half decent storyline. The only thing that I liked about “Premium Rush” were the bicycle actions scenes where Joseph Gordon-Levitt was being chased by the NYDP and the bad guys, however even adrenaline rushing chase scenes get old after an hour strait of weaving through traffic without a plot; after the first hour or so “Premium Rush” quickly turned to “Premium watching-Joseph Gordon-Levitt-go-for-a-bike-ride”. Needless to say I was very disappointed, “Premium Rush” was one of my most anticipated films of the summer, but sadly ended up in my bottom five of the summer. On a scale of evening price, matinee price, wait for it on DVD, and skip it; I rate it “wait for it on DVD” and give it 2 stars out of 5.

"The Expendables 2"

       The Expendables 2

                  4 of 5 stars

Barney Ross (Sylvester Stallone) and his tough-as-nails team of mercenaries are back (Jason Statham, Jet Li, Terry Crews, Liam Hemsworth,Rand Couture, Nan Yu, and Dolph Lundgren); and this time it’s personal. After being cornered by an old friend in need of a favor, Barney signs his team up for another job. Their latest mission consists of tracking down a wrecked aircraft, and extracting an unknown package from a hidden safe; a walk in the park for Barney’s team. However once they retrieve their package, company shows up and robs them of their mystery package and brutally murders one of their team members. Their objective quickly shifts from their original assignment to revenge for their friends murder. With all odds stacked against them, can they avenge their fallen comrade, or will they end up  like their deceased buddy?

What I really enjoyed about “The Expendables 2” was the constant action. Every time one brutal fight scene ended, another was only a few minutes around the corner; and that’s what made “The Expendables 2” a blast. I walked into the theater with about moderate expectations, I didn’t really expect much of a plot, or all that great of a storyline, I just knew I could count on brutal fight scenes and engaging action scenes too. “The Expendables 2” actually hit home with me… by a lot. There was just something awesome about so many legendary action stars all on the same set tearing the bad guys to shreds, and there was just enough humor sprinkled in to lighten the mood. There were crazy stunts, stunning explosions, and even a few Chuck Norris

Will Ferrell and Zach Galifanakis - "The Campaign"

                

                  The Campaign

                  3 1/2 stars of 5

Immoral and dishonest Cam Brady (Will Ferrell) is about to serve his fifth straight term in congress for district 14 of North Carolina; only thanks to the fact that he’s never had an opponent. However, once his approval rating tanks after an explicit sexual phone call to one of his supporters leaks, two wealthy businessmen seize the opportunity and enter a candidate of their own in hopes of having a pawn in congress to control district 14 in their favor in hopes of selling it to China for a massive profit. Their pick? Socially awkward and uncanny Marty Huggins (Zach Galifanakis). With a position in the U.S. congress and control over district 14 on the line, stakes couldn’t be higher. At first Cam’s opponent seems more like a joke than anything else, but as he begins to appeal to the district 14’s citizens and climb in the polls, it turns into an all-out, no-holds bared match between Brady and Higgins; doing whatever it takes to sink their opponent and win the election. Who will win? Will district 14 be sold to China?

I walked into the theater with low expectations for “The Campaign”, the trailer looked hilarious, but most all raunchy comedies aren’t very good; the sexual humor usually dries up about halfway through, and then you’re left with a terrible drama laced with awful jokes. I was quite surprised though, “The Campaign” exceeded my expectations by quite a lot. It wasn’t all just lazy sex jokes, there was also a lot of original slapstick comedy to laugh at. I could say I got at least 25 good laughs out of “The Campaign”. With the presidential election right around the corner in November, this was the prime time to release “The Campaign”, especially with all of the jabs our candidates are taking at each other seemingly daily. There were two things I disliked about

Collin Farrell - "Total Recall"

            Total Recall

            3 stars of 5

A nuclear war at the turn of the 21^st century leaves most of Earth uninhabitable, only two livable settlements remain-the UFB and The Colony.  The rich and powerful UFB have been The Colony since the birth of the two territories. The underprivileged citizens of The Colony live in poverty stricken cities and terrible housing while the UFB is quite the opposite; a resistance is mounting against the UFB. For factory worker and lifetime citizen of The Colony, Douglas Quaid (Colin Farrell), his boring and repetitive life starts to seem… well, boring and repetitive so he takes a trip to Rekall; a company that can provide its clients with a false memory of their choice. Douglas chooses a secret agent memory, however once he is hooked up to the Rekall machine; something goes horribly wrong when the shop is raided by UFB Special Forces. Swarmed with lies and unanswered questions, Douglas then begins to suspect that he is a secret agent working with the resistance to bring down the repressive UFB’s hold over The Colony. Is Douglas who he suspects? If so can he save The Colony?

To be honest, I didn't walk into the theater with very high hopes for “Total Recall”. It seemed like

Vaughn, Stiller, Hill, and Ayoade- The Neighborhood Watch

           The Watch                 
 1 and 1/2 stars of 5

Evan Trautwig (Ben Stiller) is your average Joe and outstanding citizen devoted to the welfare of Glenview. Evan is the founder of the neighborhood running club and a handful of other community activities. After one of his work colleges, Antonio (Joe Nunez), is found murdered, and the dumb-as-bricks local law enforcement refuses to pursue the case; Evan takes it upon himself to form a neighborhood watch to find Antonio’s killer and protect Glenview’s citizens. Contrary to Evans hopes of a big turnout of concerned residents, only three corny middle aged men (Vince Vaughn, Jonah Hill, and Richard Ayoade) are willing to join the watch. Unfortunately, Evans recruits are more focused on drinking and catching some break time from their everyday family lives rather than protecting Glenview. Once Evan’s watch does some investigating, they discover the person who killed Antonio isn’t a person at all: it’s an alien. Can “The Watch” capture their out-of-this-world murder suspect and unearth the truth to why aliens are invading Glenview?

I walked into the movie theater with high hopes for “The Watch” despite the fact it is a comedy centered around uncovering an alien plot. After all it had an all-star cast of Jonah Hill, Ben Stiller, and Vince Vaughn; some of the biggest names in the film industry (only to be rivaled by “The Expendables”). I couldn’t have been more wrong. It had maybe two instances where I

The Dark Knight Rises

 Christan Bale as The Batman

 4 and 1/2 stars of 5
After Commissioner Gordon (Gary Oldman) is pulled from the Gotham sewers barely alive, he tells of a horrifying discovery. He had uncovered an underground army commanded by the masked villain Bane (Tom Hardy) who like Bruce, is a member of the League Of Shadows; who claims he is “Gotham’s reckoning”.  After hearing the news, Bruce Wayne (Christian Bale) A.K.A “The Batman”, resurfaces after disappearing for nearly eight years to protect Gotham from the masked foe; despite the city labeling him an enemy after taking the blame for Harvey Dents crimes. Bruce turns over some rocks, and locates Bane in his hideout, the sewers, and attempts to kill him. However unlike Bruce’s past opponents, Bane is far more physically superior to Bruce. After Bane hammers on Bruce, he imprisons him in “Hell on Earth” where the only escape is a nearly impossible vertical climb; which only one man has ever completed and survived - Bane. Shortly after imprisoning The Batman, Bane seals off all means off commute out of Gotham and places a nuclear bomb in a roaming vehicle somewhere in Gotham. The bomb is programmed to self-detonate in 23 hours, unless The Batman can escape "Hell On Earth", find it and transport it back to the Wayne Manor where Fox (MorganFreeman) can deactivate the device. Can The Batman Escape his seemingly impenetrable prison, or will Bane strike him down along with Gotham’s only hope for survival?


What really stood out to me about “The Dark Knight Rises” is the phenomenal acting from the entire cast. The entire cast’s performance was near perfect; something rarely seen in cinema, there wasn't a single weak link. To be honest, initially I couldn't see Tom Hardy filling the role of

Weekly Friday reviews beginning 7/20 with 'The Dark Knight Rises'. Thank you for visiting Nick's Flicks and have a good day!
-Nick