Jack the Giant Slayer - 3D (2013)

When it's over, Fee Fye Foe Fumm, the giants, here they come. The giants get a bad wrap. They're unmannerly, uncivilized, and ill-tempered, and the kids will love their grossly bad habits, including their booger-eating and flatulent ways. But despite their unruly persona, they are the main attraction in this fractured fairy tale about a farm boy named Jack (Nicholas Hoult), who accidentally opens the doorway between two worlds. The special effects on the giants are wonderful  and believable in a mythical sort of way. I like how each giant has their own distinct personality, making them relatable on a human level despite their size and barbarity. There is a princess, a king, knights, and a love story that inevitably ends happily every after. There isn't much character development, but that doesn't seem to hurt the overall entertainment value. The story offers enough info about each character, including the giants, for the viewer to know who represents what in the context of the story, such as the comic relief, the baddie who gets what he deserves, the king's loyal subject, the defiant one, the trader, the ambitious one,  etc. It is standard fairy tale fare, where the story is completely linear and requires no deep pondering. There is plenty of action to propel the story forward, while amassing a large body count, including humans being eaten, but all of it is shown without any graphic detail or blood. I would consider this a family adventure film, but do not recommend it for very young viewers.

My rating: 3.5 out of 5  

A Knight's Tale (2001)

When it's over, one of the most creative approaches to telling a story in the middle ages. It didn't have the grand display as big-budget period films, but it had originality, making this film timeless. A young peasant squire (Heath Ledger) impersonates a knight in order to fulfill his dream of jousting in tournaments. Told through a select roster of music and unique costumes, A Knight's Tale seemed strange at first, but quickly wins you over. The soundtrack played a huge role in the film's overall appeal. I mean, it was hard to dismiss such songs like David Bowie's "Golden Years," or Queen's "We Will Rock You" and "We Are the Champions," and AC/DC's "You Shook Me All Night Long." These songs, combined with jousting and plenty of anachronisms, made the film feel like a rock and roll fable. Ledger embodied all the characteristics his character demanded - innocence, courage, passion, and ambition.  I would consider this his breakout role, establishing his marketability in Hollywood. His early death was unfortunate, but he leaves behind a legacy of memorable performances, including Joker, Ennis Del Mar (Brokeback Mountain - 2005), Gabriel Martin (The Patriot - 2000), and Sonny Grotowski (Monster's Ball - 2001).

My rating: 4 out of 5

End of Watch (2012)

When it's over, Writer/Director David Ayer (Harsh Times, Training Day, Dark Blue) holds me spellbound, yet again. End of Watch lingers long after the credits roll. Brian (Jake Gyllenhaal) and Mike (Michael Pena) are two partners, who are like brothers, patrolling the mean streets of South Central, Los Angeles. When they accidentally disrupt the business of a Mexican cartel, they become targets. Gyllenhaal and Pena are amazingly believable, due more to talent than casting. Their chemistry is palpable. I completely believe they are the best of friends. The film is shot in documentary style, which adds to the effectiveness of the daily grind that the two men endure. The jerky camera movements and odd angles give the viewer a sense of being right there, in the moment, with the two men, whether it's in their patrol cars, in the locker room, or at a crime scene. Every scene just pulls me in, and I want to know more. Ayer's story is fantastic, tightly written and expertly told. I love the dialogue, because it captures the way people communicate - the street lingo, cop jargon, and F bombs - all contribute to the sculpting of a place, a time, and a certain attitude among the characters. No matter how frantic the scenes become, the story stays on target, always coming back to the two best friends.

My rating: 4.5 out of 5

Warm Bodies (2013)

When it's over, cute, sweet, warm and fuzzy. These are the words that best describe the feelings I got from watching Warm Bodies. When R (Nicholas Hoult), the zombie, meets Julie (Theresa Palmer), the human, during a feeding frenzy, R's need to protect Julie starts a chain of events, which offers humanity a second chance. The film had wit and charm, and much of that manifested through R's thoughts and Hoult's portrayal of a lonely corpse longing for companionship. The idea of a zombie love story seemed ridiculous, but weeks prior to the film's release, my feelings toward  it changed. I was actually wondering how the story would evolve. The concept became intriguing. I haven't read Issac Marion's book, which the film was based on, but I think Marion was quite smart when he used zombies as a metaphor for people with illnesses in our present day. The idea of a cure deriving from something as basic as friendship and understanding was a unique approach at curing the zombie plague as well as a direct commentary on our society's stigma on illnesses. Definitely, the intelligence of the story kept me interested as I kept finding parallels between the film and real life. There were essentially three groups of characters - the Bonies (in relation to the real world - the crazies who have completely lost their grounding in society), the Corpses (in relation to the real world - the people with illnesses who just want to be understood) and the Humans (in relation to the real world - the paranoid and closed minded people who fear what they don't understand). Overall, I found the film entertaining, fresh, and insightful. I wish there was more back story on the characters, especially the Bonies and what triggered them to become Bonies. The unexpected popularity of Warm Bodies has prompted Marion to start writing a prequel and a sequel, which will answer questions about the origins of the plague and the future of mankind. 

My rating: 3.5 our of 5

Seeking Justice (2011)

When it's over, Seeking Justice is Death Wish (1974) with a conscience. Nicholas Cage stars as Will Gerard, a man set on vengeance when his wife (January Jones) is assaulted.Will enlists the help of Simon (Guy Pierce), a member of a vigilante group, to kill the offender.In return, Will is required to perform certain favors.What begins as a decision made out of anger and pain turns into a fight for his life as one double-cross leads to another. There are two aspects going for this film - a good cast and a straightforward story that moves quickly without confusing the viewer. Cage surprises me with a solid performance, leading me to believe he still has what it takes to keep the audience engaged.  Jones is believable as the paranoid wife, and Pierce continues to earn an "A" in his choice of "baddie" roles. I like how the film tackles the issues of vigilante justice and the consequences of taking the law into one's own hands without getting philosophical. After all, the film is an action thriller, not an Oscar contender. The story flows nicely with just the right amount of drama and action.  It does not lag or stagnate, but pushes forward at an escalating pace. 

My rating: 3.5 out of 5