It's not the end of the world...

So going into a Roland Emmerich film, the audience should pretty much know what to expect by now. The movie will feature, at some point: A rousing speech by a President; a dog that nearly perishes but winds up surviving in some daring way; a little bit of heart; a dash of humor; and lastly -- the utter destruction of several major cities rendered with state of the art special effects. I miss anything?

2012 is all of what I mentioned above, and somehow, it was still fun to watch. Emmerich's disaster epic features character development that is ultimately sub-par, but the adventure he takes us on makes that a flaw worth dismissing. 2012 is an event movie of disastrous proportions! Hey, I mean that in a good way.

The effects in this movie are insanely good. Specifically, the first few sequences in which we see the cities crumble are quite staggering to behold. It's as if Emmerich set out to outdo the mayhem he previously caused in all of his other movies combined for 2012. That there are government cover-ups, tragedies, humor and rekindling relationships is beside the point. This movie is geared strictly as a ride and there's nothing wrong with that. 2012 wasn't being pitched in any type of misleading way. Pretend you're going to a theme park instead of a movie theater and you'll have a better time. Trust me.

In the end, much like many Emmerich's other shows, 2012 isn't critic friendly. It won't capture the type of accolades that will lure viewers on the bubble into the theater. But I will tell you this -- flaws and all, this is an experience that packs a punch and earns its money. If you're a fan of sci-fi and adventure, don't pass this one up.

Is there really an EXTENDED cut of Red Cliff? Wow. Or do I mean, Woo.

After viewing 2 hours and 30 minutes of the "trimmed" down version, I couldn't envision a scenario in which I could shut it down for a 4 hour ride with John Woo's ambitious film. And lets face it, since I felt each of the Lord of the Rings movies were unbearable in length, Red Cliff really stood no chance with me. In fact, I broke down my viewing period to 2 intervals (I bought it via the "Same Day" release on my HD cable box) just to get through it.

Red Cliff stacks up like most of the foreign wanna-be epics I've suffered through in recent years; too many theatrics, too much planning, and all-too predictable with character development. The irony of it all, however, is that the film is beautifully made with spectacular sets, impeccable costume designs, and extremely stylish cinematography, all of which makes Red Cliff look like an epic on the surface. Drill down a little deeper, though, and you'll find a flawed movie at its core.

The catastrophic flaw about this film is that there is too much time wasted in it. While there are moments in which the picture picks up momentum, the energy is always countered by extended sequences that simply lag or return to ground we had already covered. Really, how many inspirational "last stand" speeches can we listen to in one movie? The plot became locked in a repetitive cycle for which Woo never seemed interested in breaking out of.

While it's not bad enough to make you jump off of one, Red Cliff certainly could have used even more editing to get it it within range of the type of movie I'd like to see.

7 out of 10
Tom Hoover

The Forecast Looks Good!

Finally, a movie that really is fun for all ages! Excluding Pixar's entries into this "category," most cgi/animated movies these days seem to entertain the younger audiences only, thus leaving parents a bit disconnected. Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs, however, is a welcome exception. It's clever, charming and versatile enough to grant everyone a good time, with or without the 3D goggles!

Based on a popular children's book, Cloudy tells the story of a young, down-and-out scientist, Flint Lockwood, who is looking to bring his ultimate invention to life: a food machine. If it worked, he could change the fortunes of the entire city, which was trying to recover from the diminished sardine trade, and it would also validate him as a success in his father's eyes, the latter a claim that seemed all too elusive. When the creation is finally launched, however, it takes on a life of it own and all types of messy, fun mayhem ensues.

Cloudy is a buffet line of entertainment. The story is creative enough to begin with but the design of the overall show lends quite a nice, imaginative brush stroke to it all. Really, this movie about giant food items hurling to the crowd is actually very pleasing to the eye! But the visuals would mean very little without characters to root for and this movie has that too.

This is a plucky and fun cast to enjoy, brought forward in good taste and with a big heart. If you have an appetite for an animated flick with characters that won't irritate you, you should look no further to this offering. You will also enjoy the chills and spills of their epic adventures, as the band of heroes tries to thwart the epic food storms and the tasty projectiles that are hurled at them. A little zany but fun!

Overall, Meatballs is an animated yarn that would do well with or without the 3D technology. That, my friends, is the sign of a good movie. It's one of the few movies I've seen recently that I wouldn't mind a second course of. Bon Apetit!

8.5 out of 10
Tom Hoover
ScoreNotes.com

Game Over

Gamer is a movie that had a viable, cinematic concept to showcase. It really did. However, this concept didn't stand a chance with the directorial visions that were behind this movie. In short, prep yourself for an extreme bout of nausea if you're to see this grimy, violent film.

In watching this movie, I was reminded of the early days of the first-person shooter, when games like Doom and Duke Nukem were causing such severe nausea and bouts motion sickness that even the most battle hardened gamers had to step away from their monitors and catch a breather. Well, I did the same thing with Gamer, only my breather consisted of me going back to the concession stand for another snack or two to escape the hand-held shakes. I had to. Even the still, "blocked" sequences resorted to the overused camera technique and it was just too much to process. Spielberg sure did create a monster when he stormed Normandy beach in 1998!

Hidden within this wretched cinematography is a decent story. The concept of controlling humans in a real time game setting takes The Running Man concept to the next level and updates it for this tech savvy audience to good effect. Gerard Butler also lends a sorely needed natural toughness through his character and further cements himself as the action star of the future, at least in my eyes. Had there been any shred of discipline in how this film was shot, I think the critics would be praising his performance instead of balling it up in a disposable package. But I can't blame the naysayers; this is a graphic, brutally designed film that will push you to the limits of what you can tolerate on the big screen. And that, my friends, is not what going to the movies is all about.

5.5 out of 10

Tom Hoover
ScoreNotes.com

Destination Disaster!

It's mop up duty time in theaters as the summer leftovers are now starting to fill the cinemas. One such movie is the fourth installment in the Final Destination franchise, creatively titled, The Final Destination. I wonder how many brainstorming meetings were required to come up with that?

Presented in 3D, The Final Destination mercifully has an extremely brief running time (about 75 mins if you factor out Opening and Closing Titles) so the pain of this picture is not as excruciating as it could have been. That's pretty much the only praise I can offer this formulaic exercise, which in some sense can be billed as a "Faces of Death" experience where a violent demise is the only angle that the story is interested in. There is no other agenda than the killing, forget the story or acting. Stock cardboard characters have never been more stiff, in fact, when you get a hold of this lot here. If I said they were one-dimensional, than that would be offering undeserved compliment to the cast. That's the scale of their wretchedness.

I suppose I misled you when I stated that the short length of this picture is the only compliment I can pay it. The unintentional humor was not too bad nor were some of the 3D effects, particularly during the opening race track sequence where sharp objects and tires are flung directly at the viewer during this action packed sequence. There is little else I can say about this poorly made production, the type of installment that will make you think of the first Final Destination as a superlative classic. Now that took some doing!

2/10
Tom Hoover

No so glorious...

I wish Quentin Tarantino would get to the point already. With Inglorious Basterds, he takes what is essentially a 90 minute picture and draws it out over a pain staking 2 hours and 30 minutes. One would think that with such a bountiful running time that there would be enough room for some of the action that the trailers hinted at. Well, if your definition of "action" is made up of tedious, half-tense dialogue exchanges, than this one's a Thunderdome!

However, allow me to digress. The film is well made and has its moments, particularly when Tarantino's warped sense of humor grabs hold of the scenes and the actors play in them. The spaghetti western inspirations were also welcome (even though the film only tantalized us with it in its opening scenes). The absurdity of this film's length is what hampers it, though, and it's a flaw that I couldn't overcome.

For some reason, Tarantino has a need to over-indulge in drawn out, extended dialogue sequences that build to a climactic end. It may work once or twice in a film, but after a while, it becomes a predictable formula and simply becomes annoying. I felt this sense of annoyance with Inglorious Basterds. I also didn't get a sense of what this movie was aimed at. Is it a war movie? A comedy? A pop culture "B" movie? I guess it was all of those classifications and that proved to be too much for me.

I noticed that the film critics have blessed this film with unusually high marks. Not sure where they are coming from. For me, the pacing and absurdity of Inglorious Basterds trumps any positives it can offer, thereby making it a tarnished cinematic experience for me. Cut it down by an hour and I might be reporting a different outcome.

7/10

Tom Hoover

District 9 is safe to enter...

District 9 gained a lot of momentum the deeper into the summer we went. I bought into the wave of anticipation and was nearly rewarded for it. I liked District 9 but felt as though some chips were left on the table.

The film functions through an original sci-fi story arc. While the premise of alien invasions is hardly novel, the manner in which D9 tells its story is. I fully enjoyed the blend of documentary style cinematography coupled with high-end special effects. More to that -- there is also enough of a cinematic touch in the way D9 was shot so that it didn't feel like a small screen venture. In short, it's rather unique, fully watchable film.

There are genuine high points in D9, especially with the script. The human/alien co-existence was written with a social message in mind and with the film's location, one can make a direct connection to what happened in South Africa with apertheid. Specifically, the lack of tolerance within our society affects the stranded aliens in District 9 and it was compelling enough to buy into. The shifting anti-hero status of the lead character was also effectively written and his motivations seemed plausible at each turn. Best yet, though, was the father and son alien tandem that became key characters later in the film. The direction was touching as far as their story is concerned.

D9 fell short in a couple of areas for me. The gun battles within the District itself came across a bit too frenzied and lacked strong direction at times. The stock paramilitary villain in the picture also didn't add any value to the proceedings. He seemed to have been included simply as a tool...as a necessary addition to the script's formula. I think a bit of care in handling this antagonist's role would have added a needed boost to the story.

The last shortcoming is the failed delivery of a sci-fi climax. D9 builds its way toward a payoff in this regard but one never really materialized. For instance, the finale of the movie would have been best served had they included a couple of shots (not many) in space (I don't want to be too specific so as not to reveal any spoilers). Would the money shots have been formulaic? Maybe. Would it have served as a perfect clincher? Absolutely.

In all, I enjoyed District 9 but feel as though the details I listed above kept it from capturing a status of excellence.

8 out of 10

Tom Hoover