Prometheus (2012)

Prometheus was one of the biggest summer disappointments that I saw in theaters. As prequel to the Aliens franchise directed by Ridley Scott, I expected a film that would do the series justice. Instead, I got a film that asked too many questions and had too few answers.

Prometheus is the name of a ship headed by a crew searching for the answers of human origin. No xenomorph in this plot, so I can accept the Scott's claim that this is not exactly a prequel to the Aliens films. So why is it that they find some huge white guy who is supposed to be the ancestor to humans IN the same spaceship that had the Alien. 

On the surface, it seems like a different franchise, but it might be the same. There is a little identity crisis, but it doesn't have to ruin the film. So as it turns out, these large white people are storing weapons in their ships. Still no Alien. These weapons are organic and can develop around their surroundings. Still no Alien. Eventually, a worm gets into one of the main male characters before he impregnates the main female character. She then gives birth to a gigantic face hugger. Still no Alien. The face hugger then latches onto the large white guy. Bam. Alien out of his chest. So I guess Aliens, xenomorphs, the horrific acid bleeding monsters with mouth-tongues come from humans. Makes sense I guess.

The movie has a cliffhanger as the female protagonist leaves for the home planet of the large white people and the alien is left on the deserted planet. So there is a possibility of a sequel; however, this prequel didn't provide any answers, just assumptions and questions. If Scott does intend on creating a prequel trilogy, I may look back on this film more forgivingly. However, as of now, I am an unsatisfied viewer. Conclusion: Disappointing

Rating: 6.75/10

21 Jump Street (2012)

I have never seen the TV show that 21 Jump Street, but that didn't hinder my enjoyment in this film as it had several great laughs, tapping into Jonah Hill and Channing Tatum's comic ability and potential. 

The story follows Schmidt and Jenko, polar opposite cops who have become great friends through circumstance. As younger looking cops, the two get promoted to an undercover mission to infiltrate a high school as fake students. The two both experience the ups and downs of reliving high school, delving with the nerds and cool kids. 

Along the way, there are several hilarious scenes. My favorite, which I think is the most memorable, is the stages of high scene. Watching the entire movie is worth it to just get to that scene because it's ridiculous but also alarmingly relatable.

In the end, the two find their niche, but not in the sense that we may presuppose and suspect. That being said, the film's story rides its inevitable waves and returns safely to shore with an intriguing story to tell. I think this movie will appeal to any teenager watching it as it's loaded with crude humor, but I think it's quite an enjoyable comedic experience. Conclusion: Worth A Watch

Rating: 7/10

Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close (2011)

Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close is one of the most touching films released in 2011. I am thoroughly puzzled as to why such an emotional story and well made film garnered a 6.9/10 rating on IMDb. The only thing sadder than parts of this film is that rating.

The story follows Oskar, a young boy with autism. Oskar's father just passed away during the September 11th terrorist attacks, so in order to keep the memory of his father alive, Oskar goes on a quest throughout New York to find the keyhole of a key his father left behind. Through this quest, Oskar is assisted by the renter, a mute who happens to be his grandfather. In the end, Oskar is forced to realize that not everything is an adventure and that not everything has a meaning.

Well this film had meaning. Beautifully directed by Stephen Daldry, emotions run high in this film as the audience is drawn to sympathize with this troubled character. The poor kid was exposed to real life in an unrelenting, forceful manner and we can't help but sympathize. Conclusion: Worth A Watch

Rating: 8.5/10

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (2011)

Dragon Tattoo is a brutal and unrelenting film that stays true to the book. That being said, this film was nearly identical to the original adaptation, making this movie nothing special at all.

The plot to this film is complex and disturbing as a journalist is aided by a young computer hacker in search for the whereabouts of a girl who disappeared 40 years ago. Daniel Craig's performance in this film was better than most anything he has displayed on screen before. Rooney Mara, a newcomer on the scene, may have had better fortune if she had a different early role. Nonetheless, she performed extremely well, delivering an equally convincing performance compared to Noomi Rapace as Lisbeth Salander.

This film is not for everyone. It is dark and has its moments of extreme brutality. If you can put up with that, the film has an intriguing plot that is different and original. So if you don't like subtitles (I actually like them) and want to see what all the fuss is about with the book series, I'd suggest this film. Conclusion: Worth A Watch

Rating: 7.75/10

Real Steel (2011)

Real Steel was honestly a lot better than I had expected. I thought it would be an interesting action movie about fighting robots. It actually turned out to be a feel good story about a man down on his luck who seeks redemption and ultimately attains retribution. Okay, maybe the film wasn't that deep, but the point is that it was better than I thought it'd be. 

The story follows Charlie Kenton, an ex-boxer who now undertakes underground robot fighting. He is a loser who is eventually brought back to his son who despises him. The two then find a scrappy dummy robot in a scrapyard that can take a beating. So essentially, this movie is kind of like Warrior: down on his luck underground fighter, poor father-son relationship, main fighting tactic is to take a beating. Anyhow, that is besides the point.

As in all feel-good stories, the underdog emerges victorious. However, one thing that separates this film from other fighting films is that it does not focus much on the actual fighter. Instead, the two people in the corner are the true focus on the film. This takes away some of the emotional connection with the fighter, but it also draws more attention to Charlie and his son.

If you can get over the excessive product placement and a healthy dosage of cheese, this film is an enjoyable action, feel-good, underdog tale. Conclusion: Worth A Watch

Rating: 7.25/10

Moneyball (2011)

Moneyball, a film loosely adapted from the Michael Lewis book of the same name, tells the story of the Oakland Athletics baseball team under the reigns of General Manager Billy Beane during the 2001 offseason and 2002 regular season. The Athletics, one of the lowest market teams, had enjoyed regular season success before failing to win a championship in the postseason after falling to the cash-strapped New York Yankees. While Oakland's play was admirable, no one remembers unless you win a championship. Beane, played by Brad Pitt, realizes this fact of sports. He also realizes the fact of life that it is an unfair game we play. How do you win an unfair game?

After being gutted by a handful of the richer teams in baseball, Oakland is left with large holes to fill. This is when "thinking outside of the box" is necessary; however, it is the ultimate boom or bust scenario. Only when a man is pushed into a corner will they result in such drastic measures. In the film, Beane's drastic measure was hiring Peter Brand, played by Jonah Hill, as the Assistant General Manager. The new strategy to gain talent and win games comes through technology and number crunching. What wins games? Scoring more runs. How do you score runs? By getting people on bases.  Voila. You have the seemingly obvious recipe to success. However, what Brand realized is that baseball (to that point) is driven by medieval thinking. Thinking otherwise and you'd be outcast as a leper. In that case, Beane and Brand gave each other leprosy and as a result, they put together the longest winning streak in Major League Baseball history. 

But they didn't win a championship.

So what does this movie tell us? It gives us a partial solution to winning an unfair game. Now what? While the ending is not rewarding by any means, it is important to realize that no matter how valiant Beane's efforts were to win with what he had, he could only possibly come up just short. Given this story and that this film was adapted from a book intended to spread information and not a story, it was very well directed. In my opinion, as a cinephile and sports fan, I think that this film managed to combine the aspects of sports into a story intended for the screen in one of the best ways ever executed. Bennett Miller's directorial hand manages to weave sports, statistics, and an intriguing underdog story into one well made film. If you are a sports fan, more specifically a baseball fan, you should definitely watch this movie. Conclusion: Watch It

Rating: 8.5/10

Warrior (2011)

I watched Warrior on the recommendation of some of my football teammates. A feel-good, bro movie was the impression that I got when watching the trailer and hearing what my friends had to say about it. That's pretty much all this film is. It's not bad, but the conclusion to its plot is obvious the whole movie and the poor familial relationship that has the characters realize family is worth fighting for seems a little overdone.

The Conlon brothers are two men hoping for their luck to turn. Both were abandoned by their alcoholic father after a childhood of competitive fighting and familial conflict. Brandon, the older brother, chose to stay with his father due to his girlfriend at home while Tommy, the younger brother, chose to leave with his ill mother. The film picks up when Tommy comes back home as a mysterious grown man, hardened by circumstance. When he fights, it is obvious that he unleashes all of his pent up anger. His style is the exact opposite of his brother's fighting style. Brandon on the other hand takes a beating from the opponent in order to tire them out before he pins them. This recipe of brothers with opposite personalities sets these two characters on the obvious crash course of a high stakes fight.

You can guess who wins (hint: Brandon is older and has a family, Tommy has nothing but a crap attitude). After watching this movie, I did sense the feel good aspects, but I didn't necessarily feel good. In the end, it is still a story of a damaged family and a cash prize to one of the brothers shouldn't have the ability to fix any of that. Conclusion: Pass On It

Rating: 7/10