Tag: 2008

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Movie Review

Madagacar Escape 2 Africa (2008) Movie Review

Escape 2 Africa – A Movie Review of the Madagascar Franchise

ABC Film Challenge – Franchises Movies – E (Escape 2 Africa) – Madagascar 2 – Movie Review

Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa – ABC Film Challenge – Franchises Movies – E (Escape 2 Africa) – Madagascar 2 - Movie Review

Director: Eric Darnell, Tom McGrath

Writer: Etan Cohen, Eric Darnell, Tom McGrath (Screenplay)

Cast (Voice Talents)

Plot: The Madagascar animals fly back to New York City, but crash-land on an African nature reserve in Kenya, where they meet others of their own kind, and Alex especially discovers his royal heritage as prince of a lion pride.

Runtime: 1 Hour 29 Minutes

There may be spoilers in the rest of the review

Story: Madagascar Escape 2 Africa starts when the escape animals Alex, Marty, Melman and Gloria look to return to New York City. However, their flight from their new home crash-lands in an African nature reserve. This sees Alex getting a reunion with his father, king of the reserve.

However, Alex isn’t used to the wildlife area, while the others get to meet other fellow animals of the same species. They all go on their own adventures, as Alex learns he has his own powers to help the animals in the reserve.

Verdict on Madagascar Escape 2 Africa

Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa is the sequel to the popular animated movie following the zoo animals adapting to the wild. This time we see them in an African nature reserve, but struggle to adapt. However, their alternative views on life help them learn to adapt and save the wildlife.

This is a fun sequel if you enjoyed the first one, it does feel like more of the same. The comedy works for what we get and even returns to old jokes that hit well. When it comes to the new animals, they fall into basic imaginations of what groups of the species would be like.

Where to Watch

JustWatch

Final Thoughts –Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa is a solid entertaining sequel.

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Movie Review

Riddles of the Sphinx (2008) Movie Review

Riddles of the Sphinx – Movie Review

Riddles of the Sphinx is an entertaining, globe-trotting film about treasure hunters battling a released deadly creature. Fun watch!

First Reaction – Riddles of the Sphinx is an entertaining late night movie.

Watch Riddles of the Sphinx on Tubi

Director: George Mendeluk

Writer: Brook Durham, Kevin Leeson (Screenplay)

Cast

Plot: An astronomer and a cryptographer uncover a series of ancient tunnels, unwittingly unleashing a deadly Sphinx. In order to trap the Sphinx back in its tomb and stop impending destruction, our explorers must solve a series of complicated and possibly deadly riddles.

Runtime: 1 Hour 28 Minutes 

There may be spoilers in the rest of the review

Story: Riddles of the Sphinx starts with Jessica’s (Meyer) team uncovering an ancient tunnel. Her team unwittingly unleashes a deadly sphinx. She turns to Robert (Munro) to help solve the mystery behind the item, and along with his teenage daughter Karen (Tennant), they look to solve the mystery.

The teams join forces with a specialist facility to stop the deadly creature before it takes over. However, the battle is much harder than they expected, and the creature’s powers chase them around the globe.

Verdict on Riddles of the Sphinx

Recap

The movie follows a group of treasure hunters trying to stop a deadly creature they unwittingly released. However, the creature chases them around the world and it becomes a race to stop the power from getting unleashed.

Best Parts

The movie gives us a good globe-trotting treasure hunt. It might not reach the levels of some of the elite treasure hunting movies, but it does have a sense of adventure. However, it does make for a fun late night movie and one which is easy to watch.

Worst Parts

The movie gets held back by the special effects and as previously stated, it doesn’t have the pure scope it desires.

Final Thoughts –Riddles of the Sphinx is a fun little late-night movie.

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Movie Review

The Escapist (2008) Movie Review

The Escapist – Movie Review

First Reaction – The Escapist is an edge of your seat thriller.

Watch The Escapist here.

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Director: Rupert Wyatt

Writer: Rupert Wyatt, Daniel Hardy (Screenplay)

Cast

Plot: Frank is 14 years into a life sentence when he decides to break out of the London prison to set things right with his ill junkie daughter. He plans an ingenious escape requiring 4 inmates with different skills.

Runtime: 1 Hour 42 Minutes 

There may be spoilers in the rest of the review

Story: The Escapist starts when prisoner Frank (Cox) learns his daughter has fallen into a world of drugs. He knows he doesn’t have much time to rescue her, so he puts together a plan to escape. Frank is joined by Lenny (Fiennes), Brodie (Cunningham) and others. However, his plan spreads and he is forced to bring loose cannons on the escape.

Verdict on The Escapist

Recap

The movie follows a prisoner who plans an escape from prison. He wants to save his family member but ends up putting together a team of loose cannons to complete the job. It becomes a question of whether he can get out before too many people know.

Best Parts

The movie creates a prison system of environment which forces them to search for a solution. It shows how the older resident knows the lay of the land and understands who to trust with his escape plan. We get brilliant performances from a cast who have all gone on to even bigger things. The suspense is brilliant and the way the story is told keeps us wondering what is really happening.

Final Thoughts –The Escapist is a brilliant thriller.

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Movie Review

Far Cry (2008) Movie Review

Far Cry – Movie Review

Discover the thrilling world of Far Cry in this movie review. Join a former soldier on a dangerous mission to uncover a top-secret military base.

ABC Film Challenge – Video Game Movies – F

Director: Uwe Boll (Alone in the Dark)

Writer: Michael Roesch, Peter Scheerer, Masaji Takei (Screenplay)

Cast

Plot: An ex-special forces soldier turned boatman is hired by a journalist to investigate a top-secret military base on a nearby island.

Runtime: 1 Hour 35 Minutes

There may be spoilers in the rest of the review

Story: Far Cry starts as scientist Dr Lucas Krieger (Kier) has been performing experiments on a remote island. He has been trying to create super soldiers for the government. Elsewhere, journalist Valerie Cardinal (Vaugier) has been contacted about the island for her latest story.

Valerie gets a rise to the island from the former military man Jack Carver (Schweiger) who has problems connecting with people. He accepts but once they reach the island, they find themselves targeted by Krieger and his super soldiers. It becomes a battle to survive the attack and expose the truth to the world.

Verdict on Far Cry

Far Cry is an action thriller following a former military man and journalist who must work together to take down a scientist. The scientist has been working on super soldiers and now they face a relentless enemy.

This movie is based on the games of the same name, with the strangest factor being the games blew up after this movie (not because of it). It seems to do the typical scientist trying to create elite soldiers at any cost. Think Universal Soldier and you get this movie being done at a lot less of a quality. The movie struggles to reach that level and ends up coming up extremely short and leaves us with a basic action movie.

Where to Watch

JustWatch

Final Thoughts – Far Cry is a basic late-night action movie.

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Movie Review

Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (2008) Movie Review

Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull – ABC Film Challenge – Action – K (Kingdom of the Crystal Skull) – Movie Review

Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull – ABC Film Challenge – Action – K (Kingdom of the Crystal Skull) - Movie Review

Director: Steven Spielberg

Writer: David Koepp (Screenplay)

Writer: George Lucas, Jeff Nathanson (Story)

Cast

Plot: In 1957, Indiana Jones becomes entangled in a Soviet plot to uncover the secret behind mysterious artifacts known as the Crystal Skulls.

Runtime: 2 Hours 2 Minutes

There may be spoilers in the rest of the review

Story: Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull starts when Indiana (Ford) finds himself forced into helping KGB agent Irina Spalko (Blanchett). He finds himself betrayed by his close friend Mac (Winstone) and loses his job.

Mutt Williams (LaBeouf) approaches Indiana with information about his mother and information that could lead to an artefact Indiana has been searching for. This leads to the pair heading to Peru and meeting up with old friends and old enemies along the way.

Verdict on Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull

Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull is the fourth adventure of Indiana Jones. It follows Indiana as he goes in search of a mysterious skull that contains great power. He faces up against a ruthless explorer and her army who want the power for themselves.

This might well be the weakest of all of the original four Indiana Jones movies, but you can still have a lot of fun with it. The jokes about the age work on some levels, despite us getting another movie nearly another 15 years later. While the adventure itself is filled with clues, hints and mystery. It offers everything you want from an adventure movie and keeps us wanting more. The bigger named cast gets to have a lot of fun on the adventure too.

Final Thoughts – Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull keeps the adventure going.

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Movie Review

Twilight (2008) Movie Review

Twilight – Movie Review

Twilight

Director: Catherine Hardwicke

Writer: Melissa Rosenberg (Screenplay)

Writer: Stephenie Meyer (Novel)

Cast

  • Kristen Stewart (Spencer)
  • Robert Pattinson (The Batman)
  • Billy Burke (Drive Angry)
  • Sarah Clarke (24)
  • Taylor Lautner (Abduction)

Plot: When Bella Swan moves to a small town in the Pacific Northwest, she falls in love with Edward Cullen, a mysterious classmate who reveals himself to be a 108-year-old vampire.

Runtime: 2 Hours 2 Minutes

There may be spoilers in the rest of the review

Story: Twilight starts when Bella (Stewart) moves to a new small town to live with her father Charlie (Burke). She must get used to a new school and meets the different residents including the mysterious Cullen family.

As Bella starts to get to know Edward Cullen (Pattinson), a romance starts to blossom. However, she is surprised to learn that he is part of a family of vampires who live in peace. When a rival vampire gang arrives in the area, the Cullens must do everything they can to move them out and protect the humans, including Bella.

Verdict on Twilight

Twilight is the start of the fantasy romance juggernaut that took over the world. It follows a new girl in a small town that finds herself getting caught up in the middle of a battle between vampires. She falls in love with one another and learns how much they will do to help save them.

The easiest way to describe this movie is Romeo and Juliet with vampires. A forbidden love story between a human and a vampire that spirals out of control. This does create the typical high school dynamics and ends up going down a path of wanting to live in a world where high school romance is the best you will ever have. Outside of the high school side of things, we see the supernatural battle between vampires in the world.

Final Thoughts – Twilight is an entertaining high school vampire romance movie.

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Movie Review

Revolutionary Road (2008) Movie Review

Revolutionary Road – ABC Film Challenge – Oscar Nomination – K (Kate Winslet) – Revolutionary Road – Movie Review

Revolutionary Road

Director: Sam Mendes

Writer: Justin Haythe (Screenplay)

Writer: Richard Yates (Novel)

Cast

Plot: A young couple living in a Connecticut suburb during the mid-1950s struggle to come to terms with their personal problems while trying to raise their two children.

Runtime: 1 Hour 59 Minutes

There may be spoilers in the rest of the review

Story: Revolutionary Road starts as we meet a young couple April (Winslet) and Frank (DiCaprio). They started their own family and set up the perfect 1950s life in Connecticut. The couple agrees to pack up and move to Paris to start a fresh life until Frank gets a new offer to stay.

When the plan hits an obstacle, their marriage is put to the test and the pair show their true feelings about it. This shows how difficult married life has become for the two.

Verdict on Revolutionary Road

Revolutionary Road is a drama that explores suburban life in 1950s Connecticut. It follows a couple that sees their lives getting more complicated as their marriage is tested through a big change in the future.

This is a drama that is hard-hitting and wonderfully acted. It holds back any major moments in life, showing the everyday routine and how it makes people become strained with life. This might not be for everyone, but it should get a lot of praise for the acting alone.

Final Thoughts – Revolutionary Road is a hard-hitting reflection to life in America.

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Movie Review

The Duchess (2008) Movie Review

The Duchess – ABC Film Challenge – Oscar Nominations -D – The Duchess – Movie Review

Duchess

Director: Saul Dibb

Writer: Jeffrey Hatcher, Anders Thomas Jensen, Saul Dibb (Screenplay)

Writer: Amanda Foreman (Book)

Cast

  • Keira Knightley (Atonement)
  • Ralph Fiennes (The Menu)
  • Charlotte Rampling (45 Years)
  • Dominic Cooper (Warcraft)
  • Hayley Atwell (Captain American First Avenger)

Plot: A chronicle of the life of 18th-century aristocrat Georgiana, Duchess of Devonshire, who was reviled for her extravagant political and personal life.

Runtime: 1 Hour 50 Minutes

There may be spoilers in the rest of the review

Story: The Duchess starts when lady Georgiana (Knightley) gets married to the Duke of Devonshire (Fiennes). Their marriage sees Georgiana being simply used to make him an heir, something that creates a cold relationship between the two.

As Georgiana gets tired of her husband’s lack of interest and affairs. She gets involved in politics becoming known as a welcoming party host to the upper class in the area. However, this comes to a difficult stage in her life, where she discovers more.

Verdict on The Duchess

The Duchess is a drama following the life of a young woman who became a Duchess but never felt loved by her husband. She refused to accept just being the person to give him a son and started making waves in society to be more accepted.

This is a drama that shows us a different life that women for the time would never have been allowed to have.  The men were known to have affairs, while women were never accepted for doing the same. It shows the cold relationship a married high society couple had, which only caused more problems. The performances in the film are great. Keira Knightley in the leading roles shines the most though.

Final Thoughts – The Duchess is an entertaining historical drama, where Keira Knightley shines.

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Movie Review

Bronson (2008) Movie Review

Bronson – Movie Review

Bronson

Director: Nicolas Winding Refn

Writer: Nicolas Winding Refn, Brock Norman Brock (Screenplay)

Starring: Tom Hardy, Mark King, Kelly Adams, Juliet Oldfield, Amanda Burton, James Lance, Jonathan Phillips

 

Plot: A young man who was sentenced to seven years in prison for robbing a post office ends up spending three decades in solitary confinement. During this time, his own personality is supplanted by his alter-ego, Charles Bronson.


Tagline – 34 Years in prison. 30 in solitary confinement. Loving every minute.

Runtime: 1 Hour 32 Minutes

 

There may be spoilers in the rest of the review

 

Verdict: Needless Violent

 

Story: Bronson starts as we meet Michael Peterson (Hardy) who wants to be known a Charlie Bronson, he is telling us his story to why he is locked up in prison, we get to see just how troublesome he was growing up and how he didn’t care about breaking the law even in a violent way.

We see how Michael goes through solitary confinement believing he is an entertainer in the most extravagate way possible, though he never killed anyone. Even when he gets time out of prison he spends it fighting for Paul Daniels (King) giving him a chance to channel his anger.

 

Thoughts on Bronson

Characters – Michael Peterson is a violent man, he has spent 34 years in prison for his violent action. Though he never killed anyone, he takes the persona of Charles Bronson and makes himself feel like an entertainer. We mostly see him fighting or acting aggressively towards people, even the ones that want to help him. We really don’t meet many other cast members for long enough to get to know them, we do have an underground fight promoter that gives Michael a chance, a woman he falls in love with and his parents.

Performances – Tom Hardy is fantastic in the leading role, it is easily one of the most committed performance you will see from any actor in recent years, one that put him firmly on the map. The rest of the cast are ok, they don’t get enough time to do much as we jump through so many different years.

Story

The story here follows the time of Michael Peterson in prison. We jump around the timeline a lot, for example we learn how he got his alter ego Charles Bronson and the different moments where he went too far either inside of outside of prison. The question here remains, does his man deserve to have his story told. He clearly is a waste of space for the planet and giving him a chance to have his story told. Like it’s a hero’s journey against the people trying to keep people safe is a complete joke.

Action/Crime/Biopic – The action we follow is seeing how people tried to control this violent prisoner, we get a lot of just violent fight scenes, this mixes with the crimes he commits when he is on the outside and leaves us wondering why this man deserves a film about his life.

Settings – The film leaves us in and around the prison system, showing us just where Michael has spent his life and what he creates in his head.


Scene of the Movie – Hardy’s commitment is what needs praising the most here.

That Moment That Annoyed Me – Did we need a film about this man?

Final Thoughts – This is a film that shows how committed an actor can go for his craft even if the story is messy and about a person we shouldn’t be giving our time too.

 

Overall: Hardy shines, the rest is messy.

Rating