LEAP YEAR (2010), TOOTH FAIRY (2010), LEGION (2010), WHEN IN ROME (2010), THE LOSERS (2010)
MyRating: YY1/2Cast: Amy Adams, Matthew Goode, Adam Scott, John Lithgow
MPAA: Rated PG for sensuality and language
US Gross: US$ 25.9 Million
Worldwide Gross: US$ 31.7 Million
The lovely Amy Adams stars in this romantic comedy about a woman who decides to propose her boyfriend on Leap Day, an old Irish folklore tradition from the Fifth Century, where women can propose to men on every February 29th, which only happens once every four years. She decides to fly to Dublin to meet her boyfriend. However, due to bad weather, her plane is forced to land in Wales instead. Cannot find another connecting flight, and in order to catch her boyfriend in time, Adams decides to hire an unfriendly innkeeper, Matthew Goode, to drive her to Dublin. They embark a cross-country adventure together. However, many other incidents keep delaying their journey. And in that journey, they learn to know each other, in a way that they do not expect. But they still have to go to Dublin, and will she get there on time before the day of the 29th is over?
This was supposed to be one sweet rom-com, but the result was not that sweet. One main reason, there was not good enough chemistry between Amy Adams and Matthew Goode, as the two main leads. They just didn't seem to be a perfect match. The script was also very predictable, as we already knew what will happen to them at the end (isn't every rom-com predictable?). And some of the humors were dry and not so funny. The movie still attracted me though because of Adams, one of my favorite actresses nowadays. She was sweet, as usual. It was also nice to see the countryside of Ireland and take a sniff of fresh air with them in their cross-country adventure. (MJ)
TOOTH FAIRY (2010)
MyRating: YY1/2
Director: Michael Lembeck
Director: Michael Lembeck
Cast: Dwayne Johnson, Ashley Judd, Julie Andrews, Stephen Merchant, Seth MacFarlane
MPAA: Rated PG for mild language, some rude humor and sports action
US Gross: US$ 60.0 MillionMPAA: Rated PG for mild language, some rude humor and sports action
Worldwide Gross: US$ 112.3 Million
Dwayne Johnson was ridiculous as a hockey player who is punished to become a tooth fairy for one week by Julie Andrews, the tooth fairy godmother, as a punishment for him banishing a kid's dreams, complete with his wings, magic wand and his laughable tutu outfit. Struggling at first, to do what the tooth fairies have to do, he finally finds peace and the meaning of his new role, as he discovers his own buried childhood dreams.
What was Johnson thinking when choosing this role? He seems prefering to choose the same 'safe' roles in mediocre family movies for some years now. He needs to be back on track as an action star, if he wants people to look at his career seriously, because that is what he does best. When other 'muscle' actors have done a movie called 'The Expendables', it is just not good for Johnson to get stuck in these kind of roles. Anyway, the story was enjoyable though. It was funny and has its touching moments. Quite a satisfactory and entertaining family movie. And kids will definitely love this. (MJ)
LEGION (2010)
MyRating: YYY
Director: Scott Charles Stewart
Cast: Paul Bettany, Dennis Quaid, Lucas Black, Tyrese Gibson, Adrianne Palicki, Willa Holland, Kevin Durand, Charles S. Dutton
MPAA: Rated R for strong bloody violence, and language
US Gross: US$ 40.2 Million
Worldwide Gross: US$ 67.9 Million
The fights between the angels will never be this interesting. When God loses his faith towards mankind, he sends the Archangel Michael, played by Paul Bettany, and a legion of other angels to bring the Apocalypse to Earth and destroy the human race. Feeling pity with the humans, Michael disobeys the order and decides to help the mankind. But the other angels still have to execute the order from their master, and their pursuit somehow aim to one diner in the middle of nowhere, where Dennis Quaid and a bunch of people are trapped inside. Being siege by the wrath of angels outside the building, the humans have to defend their lives and fight back, with the help of Michael. Soon, the diner becomes the bloody battleground between the angels and the humans.
I thought this movie was bad when seeing many critics banishing it. But after watching it, I found myself to like and enjoy it. It was a good movie, if not the best one. I liked the mystery and the thriller of the movie. The tension was also well made, as I felt as if I was in there with them, trapped in that diner. And it chilled me. As I love horror movies, I find it easy to like this movie, which has some horror parts in it. The fight between Michael and Gabriel, another Archangel, at the end of the movie may look a bit ridiculous, but one of the purpose of this movie was to make them fight at the end. The fight scene itself was quite interesting though. If you like fantasy thriller, with a little bit of horror, then just go try this one. It was not as bad as they said. (MJ)
MyRating: YYYDirector: Scott Charles Stewart
Cast: Paul Bettany, Dennis Quaid, Lucas Black, Tyrese Gibson, Adrianne Palicki, Willa Holland, Kevin Durand, Charles S. Dutton
MPAA: Rated R for strong bloody violence, and language
US Gross: US$ 40.2 Million
Worldwide Gross: US$ 67.9 Million
The fights between the angels will never be this interesting. When God loses his faith towards mankind, he sends the Archangel Michael, played by Paul Bettany, and a legion of other angels to bring the Apocalypse to Earth and destroy the human race. Feeling pity with the humans, Michael disobeys the order and decides to help the mankind. But the other angels still have to execute the order from their master, and their pursuit somehow aim to one diner in the middle of nowhere, where Dennis Quaid and a bunch of people are trapped inside. Being siege by the wrath of angels outside the building, the humans have to defend their lives and fight back, with the help of Michael. Soon, the diner becomes the bloody battleground between the angels and the humans.
I thought this movie was bad when seeing many critics banishing it. But after watching it, I found myself to like and enjoy it. It was a good movie, if not the best one. I liked the mystery and the thriller of the movie. The tension was also well made, as I felt as if I was in there with them, trapped in that diner. And it chilled me. As I love horror movies, I find it easy to like this movie, which has some horror parts in it. The fight between Michael and Gabriel, another Archangel, at the end of the movie may look a bit ridiculous, but one of the purpose of this movie was to make them fight at the end. The fight scene itself was quite interesting though. If you like fantasy thriller, with a little bit of horror, then just go try this one. It was not as bad as they said. (MJ)
WHEN IN ROME (2010)
MyRating: Y1/2
Director: Mark Steven Johnson
Cast: Kristen Bell, Josh Duhamel, Anjelica Huston, Danny DeVito, Will Arnett, John Heder, Dax Shepard
MPAA: Rated PG-13 for some suggestive content
US Gross: US$ 32.7 Million
Worldwide Gross: US$ 43.0 Million
Everything seemed to be wrong in this unfunny and 'trying too hard' romantic comedy about Kristen Bell, a young career woman, whose love life is sinking when her boyfriend left her. When she goes to Rome to attend her sister's wedding, she meets with another man, Josh Duhamel, the best man of the wedding, and quickly feels attracted to him. But after one unfortunate event when she picked up some coins from the 'Fountain of Love' while she was drunk, she suddenly finds herself being chased by four unknown men, plus Duhamel who seems to also begin attracted to her. The legend said that if you take a coin from the 'fountain', then the person who threw it in will fall in love with you. And the situation soon becomes out of control as all these guys force to get her love. Bell knows that she has to find a way to break the curse. But will it also destroy the love of the man, whom she just met and fallen in love with? Did she also have picked up his 'coin'?
This movie was a mess. The script was lame. The comedy was too force. Duhamel did not possess the charisma of a good lead actor in a rom-com. And most of the supporting actors, especially John Heder, were annoying in their roles. Even in a scene that was supposedly to be funny, when Bell has to break a vase in the wedding ceremony, it still could not provoke me to laugh. This movie was a bad vehicle for the beautiful Kristen Bell. (MJ)
THE LOSERS (2010)
MyRating: YY
Director: Sylvain White
Cast: Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Zoe Saldana, Chris Evans, Idris Elba, Columbus Short, Óscar Jaenada, Jason Patric
MPAA: Rated PG-13 for sequences of intense action and violence, a scene of sensuality and language
US Gross: US$ 23.6 Million
Worldwide Gross: US$ 29.0 Million
This is another movie that didn't work for me. It is about an elite U.S. Special Forces sent into a search and destroy mission in the Bolivian jungle, but find themselves being double crossed by someone powerful inside the organization. The group, led by Jeffrey Dean Morgan, is then presumed dead in the mission. But they don't want to accept the defeat and just disappear forever. And when they meet with Zoe Saldana, a beautiful agent with a hidden agenda of her own, they work together to bring down the enemy and his organization. This time, they come back with a vengeance.
Even though many people liked this movie, for me, it was boring. The story did not work for me. The jokes did not work for me. And the over-the-top actions didn't work for me either. I remember yawning in my tiredness while watching this movie, didn't feel entertained, and hoped it to end soon. However, as the two main leads, I have to say that Jeffrey Dean Morgan gave a good performance and possessed a good charisma as the leader, and Zoe Saldana also gave a convincing performance. Again in overall, it was the script that didn't work for my taste. (MJ)
MyRating: Y1/2Director: Mark Steven Johnson
Cast: Kristen Bell, Josh Duhamel, Anjelica Huston, Danny DeVito, Will Arnett, John Heder, Dax Shepard
MPAA: Rated PG-13 for some suggestive content
US Gross: US$ 32.7 Million
Worldwide Gross: US$ 43.0 Million
Everything seemed to be wrong in this unfunny and 'trying too hard' romantic comedy about Kristen Bell, a young career woman, whose love life is sinking when her boyfriend left her. When she goes to Rome to attend her sister's wedding, she meets with another man, Josh Duhamel, the best man of the wedding, and quickly feels attracted to him. But after one unfortunate event when she picked up some coins from the 'Fountain of Love' while she was drunk, she suddenly finds herself being chased by four unknown men, plus Duhamel who seems to also begin attracted to her. The legend said that if you take a coin from the 'fountain', then the person who threw it in will fall in love with you. And the situation soon becomes out of control as all these guys force to get her love. Bell knows that she has to find a way to break the curse. But will it also destroy the love of the man, whom she just met and fallen in love with? Did she also have picked up his 'coin'?
This movie was a mess. The script was lame. The comedy was too force. Duhamel did not possess the charisma of a good lead actor in a rom-com. And most of the supporting actors, especially John Heder, were annoying in their roles. Even in a scene that was supposedly to be funny, when Bell has to break a vase in the wedding ceremony, it still could not provoke me to laugh. This movie was a bad vehicle for the beautiful Kristen Bell. (MJ)
THE LOSERS (2010)
MyRating: YYDirector: Sylvain White
Cast: Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Zoe Saldana, Chris Evans, Idris Elba, Columbus Short, Óscar Jaenada, Jason Patric
MPAA: Rated PG-13 for sequences of intense action and violence, a scene of sensuality and language
US Gross: US$ 23.6 Million
Worldwide Gross: US$ 29.0 Million
This is another movie that didn't work for me. It is about an elite U.S. Special Forces sent into a search and destroy mission in the Bolivian jungle, but find themselves being double crossed by someone powerful inside the organization. The group, led by Jeffrey Dean Morgan, is then presumed dead in the mission. But they don't want to accept the defeat and just disappear forever. And when they meet with Zoe Saldana, a beautiful agent with a hidden agenda of her own, they work together to bring down the enemy and his organization. This time, they come back with a vengeance.
Even though many people liked this movie, for me, it was boring. The story did not work for me. The jokes did not work for me. And the over-the-top actions didn't work for me either. I remember yawning in my tiredness while watching this movie, didn't feel entertained, and hoped it to end soon. However, as the two main leads, I have to say that Jeffrey Dean Morgan gave a good performance and possessed a good charisma as the leader, and Zoe Saldana also gave a convincing performance. Again in overall, it was the script that didn't work for my taste. (MJ)
MYMOVIE CRITIC - REVIEWING MOVIES FROM THE AUDIENCE'S STANDPOINT
