A Thousand Words (2012)

Jack McCall (Eddie Murphy) likes to lie his way through life. McCall works as a successful literary agent, and Jack is a master of his craft. He’s cocky, confident, and a great talker, but McCall’s meeting with a potential client could change his life. Dr. Sinja (Cliff Curtis) is a New Age guru, he’s the flavor of the month, and McCall wants to sign him to a deal, that will publish his new book. Jack is able to persuade Dr. Sinja, and a handshake officially closes the deal.

Although, Jack’s glorious moment doesn’t last too long, and his brief interaction with a magical Bodhi tree could be deadly. Jack suffers a lethal curse, when his blood stains the tree, and after his meeting with Dr. Sinja, this same tree appears in his backyard. The Bodhi tree contains 1,000 leaves, and the leaves share a bond with Jack’s most valuable weapon: his words. The tree will lose a leaf for every word Jack speaks, and when the tree runs out of leaves, Jack dies. Jack will have to choose his words carefully. He needs to communicate with his wife and the mother of his child. Caroline (Kerry Washington) is frustrated with Jack’s ego and behavior, and Jack’s voice is an essential tool for his job. Jack must work with Dr. Sinja, if he wants to save his life, because the magical tree continues to lose leaves at a quick pace, and Jack is running out of words.

The studios wanted to capitalize off of Murphy’s success in Tower Heist, and they saw an opportunity with A Thousand Words. Well, their little get-rich-quick scheme failed miserably, because A Thousand Words was an embarrassing box office flop.

I wanted to believe in a comeback run for Eddie Murphy, and Tower Heist did give me some hope, but this film might derail any successful future plans for Murphy‘s film career, because A Thousand Words just reminded me of Murphy’s LONG streak of awful films (the vast majority of his work over the past eighteen years). “THIS is why I try to avoid anything with Eddie Murphy now a days.” This is how I felt during this film, and A Thousand Words will only bring back some painful memories for any Eddie Murphy fan.

This film was shot in 2008, so you have to expect some dated material, when it comes to the jokes. For the most part, the 2008 material didn’t annoy me too much, but the “Lollipop” ringtone drove me nuts. Jack’s cell phone is a crucial tool for his job, and he uses Lil Wayne’s Lollipop as a ringtone (Tha Carter III was released in 2008). Yeah, I get it. McCall is supposed to be this cooperate businessman, but he uses a rapper’s song as a ringtone. They tried to force some laughs out of the audience with the Lollipop ringtone, but this wasn’t funny, and I couldn’t laugh. Using this ringtone ONE time for some cheap laughs might’ve worked, but they really ran the Lollipop ringtone gag into the ground here.

Also, DO NOT BELIEVE THE TRAILERS FOR THIS FILM. Dr. Sinja is the man, who cursed Jack McCall with the magical tree. This is what the trailers want you to believe, but this doesn’t happen in the film.

**SPOILERS**

McCall touches the magical tree, while visiting Dr. Sinja. Jack accidentally cuts himself on the tree, and his bloodstain fuels the curse. The magical tree mysteriously appears in Jack’s backyard, and he immediately accuses Dr. Sinja….but Sinja didn’t send the tree to McCall’s house? That’s right. Sinja didn’t send the tree to Jack’s house, and he didn’t place the curse on him. Sinja is innocent. Still, he does offer his help, and Sinja promises to find some answers.

You know something, Sinja sending the tree to Jack’s house would’ve made a lot more sense. After all, McCall is a habitual liar, who needs to be taught a lesson, and Sinja is a spiritual guru. They could’ve made a “Sonja cursed McCall” storyline work, and this would’ve been more believable than what actually happened in the film. A nice sized tree just randomly appears in Jack’s backyard with no real explanation? Are you serious? The magical tree’s journey to Jack’s backyard felt so incredibly far fetched and silly, and the Bodhi tree’s sudden appearance in Jack’s backyard did bring a laugh out of me, but not for good reasons, though.

**End spoilers**

The trailers for A Thousand Words are VERY misleading, and you really shouldn’t buy into the “Dr. Sinja cursed Jack McCall” stuff.

Eddie Murphy’s voice IS his greatest asset, and Eddie Murphy can be funny, if you give him a chance to talk, but the screenplay for A Thousand Words takes Murphy‘s best weapon away from him. You have to watch Murphy’s character play a very long and tiresome game of charades in this film, and his silent act just drove me nuts. After he learns about the serious nature of the curse, Murphy’s character does speak a few words here and there, but for the most part, Murphy doesn’t have any major dialogue after the curse begins take its effects. The Jack McCall character had some real potential, as the fast-talking and cocky literary agent, and Murphy was the PERFECT choice for this character. He could’ve easily pulled off another enjoyable and hilarious performance in this one, but A Thousand Words really dropped the ball with the “HE’LL DIE, IF HE TALKS TOO MUCH!“ stuff.

The acting in this film really isn’t bad at all, but still, A Thousand Words is a pretty awful film. A Thousand Words features a very formulaic story, and this film painfully goes through the motions the entire time. Murphy’s character needed closure. He had to let go of the past, he needed to reconnect with his family, and he eventually realizes what’s most important in life. But did Jack McCall really need a magical tree to figure all of this out? This is the big question I asked myself at the end of the film, because I couldn’t ignore A Thousand Words’ silly screenplay. This film is unfunny, predictable, and the REAL premise is incredibly stupid.

Also, Kerry Washington can be a very solid actress most of the time, but her talents are wasted in this film. Washington portrays the typical whiny housewife, who wants change, and her character can be annoying at times. I also like Clark Duke. He can be a funny guy sometimes, but he tried way too hard in this one. For some asinine reason, Clark’s character decides to develop this cocky hip hop persona during a business meeting. Aaron Wisenberger (Duke) has to fill in for McCall during this meeting, he wants to make an impression, and the hip hop persona was his best idea? Clark’s transformation in this scene might’ve worked for some people, but the “cool hip hop guy” couldn’t pull any laughs out of me.

And I really don’t want to see another Eddie Murphy/Brian Robbins collaboration. Robbins was the director for this film, and he also directed Norbit and Meet Dave. Both of these films also starred Murphy, and these two really don’t go well together. They’ve produced three atrocious films as a duo, and I hope they never feel the urge to work together again, because the final product will be something horrendous.

A Thousand Words wastes talent in the worst way, and this film is a waste of time. Tower Heist almost gave Eddie Murphy’s career a much needed boost, but A Thousand Words will just throw him right back into that deep hole of shit, he’s been in for years.


Final Rating: 1/10

Stephen King's Bag Of Bones (2011)

**This review contains spoilers**

Adapting a Stephen King novel into a film or a miniseries isn’t easy at all. It can always be tricky and risky project, because King’s stories are VERY complex and thought provoking, and his characters usually have a ton of depth. Creating a successful King adaptation can always be a hard mission, and I can only think of five high quality films/miniseries (Kubrick’s version of The Shining, Misery, Secret Window, The Langoliers, Pet Sematary). These films/miniseries were fun to watch, but the same thing can’t be said about Bag Of Bones, unfortunately. Condensing a Stephen King novel into a screenplay can be a tough task, and the success rate for King’s adaptation’s isn’t too high. Bag Of Bones starts out with some promise, but as time passes, this one eventually becomes a massive failure.

Bag Of Bones features an intriguing premise and a mysterious story. Pierce Brosnan delivers a solid performance as the lead man, and the rest of the acting is decent enough. But this story doesn’t become better with more time: “Wow! This could be something good, and I want to see where this goes!” This is how I felt during the early stages of this TV special, but as time progressed my feelings changed: “Oh God let this be over! Please just let it end!” Bag Of Bones can provide some nice spook moments, and this film can feel chilling and eerie most of the time, but Bag Of Bones slowly turns into one gigantic disappointment. This was a four hour special, so everything moves at a snail-like pace, as the mystery unravels. They actually do a decent job of building the tension, but everything just falls flat towards the end. The surprises felt so underwhelming, and the big twist at the end was an enormous disappointment. I guess they were trying to pull off one of those jaw-dropping mind fuck style endings, but the final moments of this special just left me with that “Really??? That’s it?!?!?” feeling. It felt like they were building towards something BIG here, but the ending didn’t provide that satisfying payoff I was looking for.

You can call this a TV miniseries, or you can call this another Stephen King “film” (because this one will be released as a “film” on DVD in the near future), but either way you look at it, four hours is a lot of time. There should’ve been a special payoff at the end of this long journey, or the ride to the end should have provided me with some kind of special experience, but Bag Of Bones does neither. Unfortunately, I caught A&E’s full four hour version, where they ran both specials back to back, so I didn’t have the chance to see both two hour specials separately. I didn’t take the break between both parts, and the lack of an extended break did drag this rating down for me, because sitting through anything for four hours can feel exhausting.

Bag Of Bones provides some spooky moments and a few jump scares. I’ll give this one some extra credit for the production values, because the production values do rise above the normal made for TV standard. Still, Bag Of Bones can be very dull most of the time, and this spooky ghost story does have some silly moments. Brosnan gets his ass handed to him by this elderly woman, and he struggles to defeat this VERY old woman during a laughable fight at the end of this special. And I can’t forget about Mike’s (Brosnan’s character) connection with his dead wife. Mike receives a lot of signals from his deceased wife, and he attempts to make a connection with her. Mike constantly tries to establish a bond with his dead wife, and these scenes were suppose to deliver the majority of the emotional moments here, but these scenes just provided some unintentional laughs for me.

I’ll admit, I haven’t read the novel this film was based on just yet, but Bag Of Bones just unraveled into a weak and disappointing mess as time progressed. The twists and surprises towards the end didn’t do anything for me, because the explanations for the secrets and the mysteries just felt so ludicrous and far-fetched. Pierce Brosnan gave his best effort here, but he couldn’t save this one, and Bag Of Bones was a painful and forgettable four hour experience for me.

Final Rating: 2/10

Men In Black 3 (2012)

After escaping the LunarMax prison on Earth’s moon, Boris The Animal (Jemaine Clement) targets Agent K (Tommy Lee Jones). Boris is a feared and dangerous intergalactic criminal, and he plans on using time travel for revenge against K. In 1969, Boris plans to hunt down and kill the young and unsuspecting version of Agent K (Josh Brolin), but Agent J (Will Smith) also travels to the year 1969. Agent J must save his partner, but stopping Boris proves to be a difficult task. J must convince the younger and more suspicious version of his partner, because if he succeeds in his mission, Boris’ sinister plans will have deadly ramifications for Earth’s future.

Honestly, I didn’t expect anything great from this, and unfortunately, Men In Black 3 lived up to my low expectation levels. As usual, Barry Sonnenfeld proved to be a solid choice for the director of another Men In Black film. And I did laugh a few times, but for the most part, Men In Black 3 couldn’t entertain me. The humor did become stale pretty fast, and most of the corny jokes didn’t do anything for me. Etan Cohen, David Koepp, Jeff Nathanson, and Michael Soccio (the writers for this film) delivered your usual quirky and eccentric Men In Black script, but the screenplay falls flat after a while. The unfunny jokes and dull humor couldn’t produce consistent laughs for me, and the lame attempts at providing some entertaining comedy just bored me.

Although, MIB 3 does deserve some credit for the acting. Will Smith delivered a solid performance, Tommy Lee Jones doesn’t receive too much screen time, but he was enjoyable during his limited role here, and Josh Brolin was excellent. Brolin was the perfect clone for a younger Agent K, and he did a great job of capturing Jones’ mannerisms. Brolin nailed Agent K’s serious and emotionless persona, and as far as acting goes, Brolin was the true star of this film.

As far as Men In Black villains go, Boris The Animal reminded me of Edgar The Bug (the main villian from the first film). Boris was a strange, oddball villain, but Jemaine Clement could showcase the evil and dangerous side of Boris’ personality. Still, Boris really annoyed me. Clement was a decent enough villain, but he tried wayyyy too hard most of the time, and I couldn’t escape this feeling throughout the film.

I wanted to give Men In Black 3 a lower score, but Josh Brolin and the touching, sentimental moment towards the end (you’ll know what I’m talking about, if you decide to take a chance on this) changed my mind. Men In Black 3 is an improvement over MIB 2, but still, the third installment of this franchise just feels like a mediocre film. A ten year wait is a long time for any film, and Men In Black 3 couldn’t provide a satisfying payoff for me. I didn't experience any memorable moments, and this one will earn a spot on my list of disappointing films for 2012, because MIB 3 could‘ve been a lot better.

So Will Smith returns to acting after a four year hiatus, and this was supposed to be his big comeback film? Really??? I’m sorry, but MIB 3 isn’t going to erase Seven Pounds from my memory (Smith’s last film before his four year hiatus), and Smith’s upcoming sci-fi/thriller doesn’t sound too promising. After Earth co-stars his son, Jaden (gee, I wonder how he landed that role), and M. Night fucking Shyamalan is the director for this film, and he’s also one of the writers for the screenplay. Shyamalan is a terrible writer, and he’s produced so many stinkers over the years. I guess Smith finally gave up on his quest for an Oscar, but teaming up with M. Night Shyamalan could provide the direct cause of career suicide for Hollywood’s biggest box office draw. Smith is a talented actor, but the quality of his films continues to decline, and I’m starting to lose hope for one of my favorites.

Final Rating: 5/10

House At The End Of The Street (2012)

**This review contains spoilers**

Divorced and trying to start a new life, Sarah (Elisabeth Shue) and her daughter, Elissa (Jennifer Lawrence) move to a small and quiet town. The snobbish behavior and cynicism from their new neighbors disgusts Elissa and Sarah, so they decide to keep to themselves, but Elissa shows some interest in Ryan Jacobson (Max Thieriot). Struggling to move on after his parent’s tragic death and Carrie Anne’s (Ryan’s younger sister) mysterious disappearance, Ryan lives in his childhood home alone, but as the new and understanding neighbor, Elissa befriends him. Eventually, Elissa develops feelings for Ryan, but the bizarre discovery of a wild and vicious girl changes everything.

Sorry, but ONE true jump scare isn’t enough, and director Mark Tonderai’s style is very bland. I enjoyed the suspenseful finale, but overall, House At The End Of The Street is horribly boring.

Jennifer Lawrence and Elisabeth Shue deliver a pair of solid performances, but the rest of the cast is mediocre at best, and the weak dialogue didn’t help anything.

For the most part, House At The End Of The Street features a very predictable and straightforward story, but there’s a nice twist at the end.

Okay, so we’re in the final moments, and Elissa protects Ryan from a group of angry bullies, who tried to burn down his house. Suspecting something fishy, Elissa searches through the garbage for clues. Elissa immediately panics after discovering a box of contact lenses, but Ryan captures her, and Elissa becomes a hostage. Frightened and tied up in the basement, Elissa finally learns the dark secret: Ryan’s parents weren’t murdered years go. Instead, his younger sister, Carrie Anne, died during an accident on a swing set. Ryan’s abusive parents forced him to look and act like Carrie Anne for the duration of his childhood life, becoming more strict during Carrie Anne’s “birthday parties.”  Trying to fill the void of his dead sister, Ryan continued to kidnap Carrie Anne look-a-likes, while holding them hostage in his basement. And if they didn’t fit the exact profile, Ryan would use anything (i.e. the contact lenses) to transform his victims into the perfect Carrie Anne imitation.

You know something, I’ll give House At The End Of The Street credit for this twist. Yes, it was genuinely shocking, and the “Ryan is the real psycho twist” added a much needed spark of intrigue for the lame story. Still, the final twist did have a strong too little, too late feeling. This twist wasn’t enough, because House At The End Of The Street had already bored me to death, and for me, nothing could save this film.

House At The End Of The Street is a boring and generic horror film. The story develops at an unbearable slow pace, and the lone jump scare isn’t something to remember. Jennifer Lawrence and Elisabeth Shue tried to save this one, but they couldn’t overcome a generic story, bland directing, and awful dialogue.

Final Rating: 1/10

Lockout (2012)

Set in the year 2079, Lockout follows the story of Snow (Guy Pearce), a cocky government agent, who’s about to do time for a crime he didn’t commit. Snow is blamed for the murder of a high profiled Colonel, and rescuing the President’s daughter from a hostile prison takeover could be his only shot at freedom. Emilie Warnock’s (Maggie Grace) goodwill mission at MS: One (the floating maximum security prison in outer space) was suppose to be a simple task, but when Hydell (one of the more psychotic prisoners on MS: One) steals a gun, things take a drastic turn for the worst. The prisoners are now in control of MS: One, Emilie is being used as hostage bait, and Snow must save the President’s daughter, if he wants to avoid a thirty year prison sentence.

Guy Pearce is the major highlight of this film. The most entertaining scenes involve his character, and everything does feel pretty bland and ordinary, when he’s not around. Pearce had the perfect look for an action hero, and he was very comfortable with his character throughout this film. Snow was an asshole, but he could still be a very likable character. Snow was smooth. He could fight, when the situation called for it, but Snow also had a sense of humor, and he does provide the bulk of the laughs here. Pearce brought so much charisma to this character, and his performance was just excellent.

I want to like Maggie Grace. I really do, but she hasn’t shown me anything special, since Lost ended. I’ll always see Shannon, when I look at her, because her performances in the movie world haven’t done anything for me. Grace just seems like an average actress, but she will continue to receive roles in Hollywood. She is a gorgeous woman, and she can always play the piece of eye candy, who may have some depth in her character. As far as Lockout goes, she was okay here. As usual, Grace didn’t blow me away with her performance, but she was decent enough. Grace barely did enough to convince me, but she was believable, as the innocent woman, who was trying to do the right thing, but eventually finds herself stuck in a deadly situation, with no possible escape.

Also, the Hydell character was kind of annoying. Yeah, I get it. He’s supposed to be a bloodthirsty lunatic, who can’t control his urges for killing, but Joseph Gilgun’s performance was so over the top. This character’s disfigured look didn’t feel intimidating, because Gilgun delivered too many unintentional funny moments. It felt like he was trying too hard, but Alex (Hydell’s brother) was a lot more tolerable. Alex (Vincent Regan) was the leader of the prison revolt, and he could control his temper. Alex was a smart antagonist. He wanted to come up with a strategy for the takeover, and Regan was convincing, because he really did look like the leader for the gang of prisoners. I just wish I could’ve seen more of Regan, and less of Gilgun.

Lockout could’ve been so much better, but unfortunately, they just settled for your typical Hollywood style sci-fi/thriller. The special effects look great, Stephen St. Leger and James Mather did a fine job with directing, and they were able to provide some excitement for Lockout. But the screenplay feels so formulaic and predictable. You can see everything coming from a mile away, and the obvious twists and turns were very disappointing. Still, Lockout can be an entertaining film. It’s an enjoyable sci-fi/thriller, the action sequences are fun to watch, and Lockout is loaded with some very impressive visuals.

Final Rating: 6/10

Joyful Noise (2012)

During the performance of a church choir from a small town, the choir director, Bernard Sparrow (Kris Kristofferson) suffers a sudden heart attack. Bernard dies shortly after the performance. Pastor Dale (Courtney B. Vance) chooses Vi Rose Hill (Queen Latifah) as the new choir director, and this doesn’t sit well with Bernard’s widow, G.G. Sparrow (Dolly Parton). G.G. desperately wants the honor of becoming choir director, but Pastor Dale doesn’t approve of her hip and cool style. G.G. and Vi don’t get along at all, but they’ll have to put their differences aside. The “Joyful Noise” gospel choir competition is in full swing., and another loss could cause a lot of trouble for the town choir. The future of the choir is in serious jeopardy, and Pastor Dale will pull the plug, if the choir suffers another loss in the big competition. Entering the competition costs money, and the small town choir has built up a noticeable losing streak. Pastor Dale has lost faith in them, and constantly spending money on a losing effort is starting to hurt the church. G.G. and Vi must work together and put aside their differences, if they want to win the competition and save the choir‘s chances to compete in the future.

I couldn’t get into this at all. I really tried, but I quickly began to lose interest in this film. Dolly Parton and Queen Latifah did share some good chemistry, and their bitter rivalry throughout this film was very believable. Also, the musical performances are enjoyable, especially towards the end, but I just can’t give this film a positive score.

Keke Palmer (Olivia Hill) has always showed some promise as one of Hollywood’s young actresses, but she was very disappointing in this film. Her performance felt so contrived, and she just went through the motions the entire time. I’ll give Queen Latifah the credit she deserves here, because she did deliver a very dedicated and convincing performance in this film. Latifah was very believable as the strict and overbearing mother, and most of the time, she carried this film on her back. Dolly Parton was okay at best, but her rivalry with Latifah helped make her presence tolerable, because her acting didn’t help elevate this film in any way.

Queen Latifah and the musical performances are the only few highlights of this film, unfortunately. Overall, the acting is VERY mediocre, and the story is so dull. Joyful Noise is a very bland and predictable film, and this one painfully goes through the motions the entire time. The emotional moments do feel overwhelmingly cheesy. The sentimental and touching moments feel so forced, and I couldn’t buy into any of the “heartwarming” scenes in this film. Joyful Noise could’ve worked as a respectable feel-good family friendly film, but they really dropped the ball with this one.

Joyful Noise should’ve debuted on the Lifetime or Hallmark channel, VH1, or ABC Family (yeah, it’s not even worthy of the main network), because this film didn’t deserve a run in theaters at all.

Also, Dolly Parton needs to lay off the plastic surgery. Parton’s character mocks her real life cosmetic surgeries. "Who cares if I've had a few nips and tucks? God didn't make plastic surgeons so they could starve!." She actually said this during an argument with the Vi Rose character, and I couldn’t laugh. Parton’s attempt to make fun of her plastic surgeries just brought this “Wow. You can’t be serious.” reaction out of me. Parton looks like a mangled wax figure. Her tits didn’t help take the focus off of her face, and they couldn’t cause the much needed distraction for me. Please lay off the surgeries, Dolly, because the constant procedures really aren’t helping anymore.

Final Rating: 2/10

Man On A Ledge (2012)

Nick Cassidy (Sam Worthington) is an ex-policeman, who is looking for justice, and he will do anything to clear his name. Nick was framed for a crime he didn’t commit. David Englander (Ed Harris) is the wealthy and ruthless businessman, who set him up. Financially, Englander had fallen on hard times, he wanted more money, and he didn’t want to lose his powerful and respected image. Englander hatched a plan to steal his own $40 million diamond, because Englander could easily return to prominence, once he collected the insurance money. Unfortunately, Nick was chosen as the fall guy. Nick’s career and reputation were ruined. He became the disgraced cop, who nobody wanted to trust. But one day, Nick managed to escape police custody during his father’s “funeral.” Nick has become a fugitive on the run, and Nick only has a select few allies that are trustworthy.

Nick didn’t have any luck in courts, so he comes up with a plan of his own. Nick decides to create a massive diversion, as he teases a suicide jump, while standing on the ledge of a hotel. Meanwhile, his brother, Joey (Jamie Bell) and his girlfriend, Angie (Génesis Rodríguez) break into Englander’s jewelry vault across the street. Angie and Joey try to steal the “stolen” diamond, but finding it won’t be easy, because Englander went through extraordinary measures to conceal his prized possession. While on the ledge, Nick desperately tries to gain the trust of Lydia Mercer (Elizabeth Banks). Lydia is a troubled negotiator, but she could be Nick’s only hope. Angie and Joey must steal the $40 million diamond, if they want to clear Nick’s name, and falirue is not an option, because this is Nick’s last shot at freedom.

I wanted to get into this, but Man On Ledge really did disappointment me. I wasn’t expecting anything great here, but I thought Man On Ledge could be a solid suspense/thriller. Well, I was wrong.

Suspension of disbelief is something you must have before you prepare to watch certain films. “Well, this IS a movie, so I guess anything could happen.” This is the mentality most of us have, when we see something ridiculously over the top on-screen (wild car chases, presumed dead characters, who come back to life, flashy final showdowns between the main characters, etc.) Well, I tried to have this mentality with Man On A Ledge, but they pushed everything way past the limit.

I actually laughed out loud a few times, as Angie and Joey tried to steal the precious 40$ diamond. Engladner is supposed to have this state of the art security system, and nobody should have a realistic shot of breaking into his concealed jewelery vault. Yeah, I get it. Angie and Joey are supposed to be these highly skilled and crafty thieves, they’ve studied Englander’s vault, and they know how to work around the advanced and elaborate security systems. Still, I couldn’t feel the tension during the robbery scenes at the jewelry vault, because I couldn’t buy into the elaborate heist. At one point in the film, Joey actually covers himself in a white sheet, while gliding across a skateboard. Joey needed to sneak past the cameras without being seen, and this was his best plan. I wanted to facepalm during this scene, but the ridiculous and unbelievable material didn’t stop here. Joey and Angie needed to sneak past a bunch of heat sensors, so they decide to spray them with a fire extinguisher. Joey sprays the heat sensors, and the happy couple runs past the last set of hurdles before they reach the grand prize (Engladner’s jewelry room).

I’m sorry, but the scenes that involved Angie and Joey just felt so far fetched and unrealistic, and I couldn’t loose myself in this particular fantasy world. Englander’s vault is supposed to have one of THE most high tech security systems around, and Angie and Joey are able to break through it with a few strokes of luck? Please. Also, I can’t forget about Sam Worthington’s “leap of faith.”

**SPOILERS**

Towards the end of the film, Nick has ran out of options, and Englader has regained his precious diamond. Nick needs to retrieve the diamond, if he wants to regain his freedom, so he decides to leap off of the hotel building. Nick actually runs across a different ledge on the hotel, and he miraculously lands on an air mattress, that was set up by police earlier in the film. Nick fights his way through a large crowd of people and police, but the cops eventually catch up to him. Engladner begins to taunt Nick, but Nick’s chances of freedom are still alive, because he receives help from a crazy homeless man? That’s right, a crazy homeless man, who is shown throughout the film helps Nick, and Nick eventually grabs the diamond from Englander. Nick clears his name, and he becomes a free man again.

Yeah, I wish I could’ve made that whole story up, but this actually happens in the film. Worthington’s character takes this impossible leap off of the hotel building, and he PERFECTLY lands on the air mattress. The jump on to the air mattress was bad enough, but they took everything to another level, when they decided to give Nick an assist from the unknown and crazy homeless man.

**End spoilers**

Having suspension of disbelief is one thing, but everything will start to feel ridiculous and silly, when you decide to push the envelope too far, and Man On A Ledge really didn’t have any limits, when it came to unrealistic and far fetched plotlines.

Solid acting saved this one from a lower score, because the majority of the cast did deliver some very solid performances here. I’m not a fan of Sam Worthington, but he was believable, as the man, who desperately wanted one last chance, and I really wanted to feel for his character. And Ed Harris was just excellent as the main antagonist in this film. Englander was the cold and ruthless businessman, who was willing to do anything to stay on top, and Harris did provide the necessary convincing performance. Elizabeth Banks and Jamie Bell also deserve a good amount of credit for the solid acting in this film. Anthony Mackie was another nice addition to the cast, and he was able to provide a decent performance. As far as Génesis Rodríguez goes, It’s hard for me to say anything positive about her. Rodríguez was able to shed a few tears here, but overall her acting really didn’t help elevate this film at all, and she was just eye candy for the most part. Hopefully, she’ll do better in Casa de Mi Padre.

I thought Eagle Eye was the most far fetched suspense/thriller I’ve seen over the past couple of years, but I was wrong. Man On A Ledge is a preposterous suspense/thriller, and I just couldn’t take this film seriously most of the time. This film painfully goes through the motions the entire time, and I always believed Worthington’s character would get the last laugh here. The lame swerves didn’t fool me at all, and the laughable conclusion for this film was just awful. “Hey let’s see how many ticks we can pull out of are asses! The audience probably won’t care or notice, because after all, this is a movie!” This had to be the mentality of the writers, directors, and producers for this film. As I said before, they really took advantage of the “this is suppose to be a fantasy world” stuff. The very solid acting really is the only real highlight of this film, but I was expecting more excitement from this one. This was supposed to be a suspense/thriller, but Man On A Ledge can feel very boring most of the time.

Sam Worthington should desperately cling to his one hit wonder fame from Avatar, because he isn’t the type of guy, who can carry a film on his back, as the lead man. He just doesn’t have that attraction as a true lead star in Hollywood. He couldn’t stand out in Clash Of Titans, he had a lot of help from Christian Bale in Terminator: Salvation, and he couldn’t carry Man On A Ledge as the leading actor, because he did have a good amount of help (Elizabeth Banks, Ed Harris, Jamie Bell, Titus Welliver, Edward Burns) in this film.

Final Rating: 3/10

Contraband (2012)

Chris Farraday (Mark Wahlberg) was a crafty smuggler, but Chris eventually left the “life” behind him. He decided to become a family man, who installs security alarms. He married Kate (Kate Beckinsale), and they have two children together. Chris enjoys his quiet and calm life, but Kate’s brother, Andy (Caleb Landry Jones) changes everything. Andy tries to smuggle drugs for Tim Briggs (Giovanni Ribisi). Briggs is a dangerous gangster, and Andy is supposed to deliver the drugs without any problems. But Andy runs into some trouble (a surprise inspection by US customs) during the drug run. Andy doesn’t want to go to jail, so he decides to dump the drugs in the water. Briggs gives Andy a deadline, and Andy is forced to pay up, because Briggs will kill him, if he doesn’t receive the payment. Chris must do one more job as a smuggler to save Andy, but his wife and his two sons quickly become targets, and Briggs won’t hesitate to pull the trigger, if he doesn’t receive his money on time.

Ugh, I am so tired of the “I have to do one last job” storyline. It’s been done to death, I’ve seen it in so many other Hollywood crime/action thrillers, and the story ALWAYS goes through the same motions: The main character must do one last job to save someone else, something ALWAYS goes wrong during the “job,” the main character is forced back into his illegal and risky lifestyle, the main character must clean up the mess, and eventually, they return to their normal life. I usually despise action/thrillers, that feature this storyline. The entire movie will feel incredibly tiresome, because as I said before, this same type of storyline has been done to death. Well, Contraband does follow this pattern, and the lame swerves in the “I have to do one last job” story didn’t fool me at all, but still, Contraband wasn't a horrible film.

The action scenes are very enjoyable, and the story moves at a nice pace. Wahlberg and Ribisi provided the two most enjoyable performances, and they were very convincing throughout this film. Contraband isn’t anything to remember. I could see the “happy ending” coming from a mile away, and Contraband will land on a long list of forgettable films this year. This isn’t the best Mark Wahlberg film. Hell, it doesn’t deserve a spot in his top ten, but Contraband delivers as the standard Hollywood action thriller. Although, don’t expect anything epic or mind-blowing, because you will be very disappointed.

Final Rating: 5/10

Apollo 18 (2011)

Ugh, I guess I’ll have to add this to my list of big disappointments for 2011. Apollo 18 does have a very intriguing premise, but this film can be so BORING. I struggled to stay awake during the first half of the film, because everything felt so dull and lifeless. Everything picks up, when the aliens come into play, but this film didn’t do it for me. Yeah, Apollo 18 does provide a few jump scares every now and then, and the found-footage style of filmmaking does give this one a strong realistic feeling, but for the most part Apollo 18 doesn’t deliver.

The jump scares are okay, but I couldn't feel the tension. The audience must suffer through a series of long conversations between the two main characters (Warren Christie and Lloyd Owen), and certain conversations just drag. They try to make up for the unbelievable boredom towards the end. They do throw in some decent suspense, as the astronauts try to escape from the moon, but it was already too late. Apollo 18 had already sunk deep into the shitter, and nothing could save this film.

Also, I had trouble buying into the story here. Am I really supposed to believe aliens are secretly living on the moon? Some of the aliens are huge, so how could they hide for so long? The story wants you to believe the government pulled the “cover up” card, but why would they want to hide dangerous and vicious aliens on the moon? Why haven’t the aliens tried to come to Earth yet? The aliens who are hiding on the moon aren’t friendly at all. They obviously don’t like humans, so why haven’t they tried to attack Earth? The American astronauts find the dead body of a cosmonaut. Of course, he ran into the aliens, and things didn’t go too well for him. His operational spaceship is STILL on the moon, so why doesn’t anyone else know about the cosmonaut’s death? Yeah, I know, they were trying to play “the government conspiracy” card here, but I couldn’t believe it. Russia sent a man to space, he is killed by aliens, and then the Americans send men to space as guinea pigs, so they can find out what happened? Aliens, who could bring harm to the planet Earth are killing men in space, and the governments want to keep this a secret?!?!? Yeah, right.

You might enjoy this, if you’re into government conspiracies and found-footage horror films, but I thought Apollo 18 was pretty awful. This film provided plenty of facepalming moments for me, and this has to be one of the most boring and uninteresting films I’ve ever seen. The short run time doesn’t help (1hr. and 26min.), because Apollo 18 was doomed for failure from the start.

Final Rating: 1/10

The Master (2012)

Trying to adjust to his new life in the real world, ex-sailor Freddie Quell (Joaquin Phoenix) returns home after World War II. A severe case of post-traumatic stress disorder complicates Freddie’s life, and after attacking a customer, Freddie loses his job as a photographer at a department store.

After a night of drinking, Freddie sneaks aboard the yacht of Lancaster Dodd (Phillip Seymour Hoffman) as a stowaway. Dodd is the leader of  The Cause (a philosophical movement), and he enjoys Freddie’s homemade alcohol. Dodd provides shelter, and through his methods of teaching and rehabilitation, Dodd develops a bond with Freddie.

Director/screenwriter Paul Thomas Anderson adds to his reputation as the most talented American filmmaker with The Master. Anderson’s work behind the camera is potent and precise, creating beautiful scenery along the way. The story is puzzling and thought-provoking, and Anderson provides a good set of rich characters.

Phillip Seymour Hoffman’s performance as Lancaster Dodd is superb. Dodd is a benevolent man, who tries to lend Freddie a helping hand, but at times, Dodd can be a pompous and arrogant cult leader. Amy Adams really nailed the Peggy Dodd character. Peggy is a strict and loyal housewife, and Adams’ believable performance is the driving force behind this character.

But Joaquin Phoenix is the true star of this cast. Freddie Quell is a broken man, who’s struggling to adapt to a normal life in the real world. Phoenix provides a powerful and dedicated performance, and Phoenix’s remarkable ability to display a wide range of emotions is mesmerizing. Freddie is torn apart by anger, sadness, frustration, and confusion. You can sympathize with Freddie’s internal struggle, and Phoenix should be the front-runner for Best Actor at the 2013 Academy Awards. I know it’s early, but Phoenix’s powerhouse performance deserves recognition, and as of right now, he’s the clear-cut choice for the Best Actor award.

The Master is a thought-provoking and compelling drama. The student/teacher relationship between Hoffman and Phoenix packs a powerful emotional punch, and The Master is loaded with top notch acting. The scientology controversy shouldn’t  damage The Master‘s reputation in the long run, because this film deserves more than one Oscar nomination next year.

Final Rating: 10/10

Dredd 3D (2012)

**This review contains spoilers**

In the future, Judges police Mega-City One, a violent and unruly metropolis, containing eight-hundred million people. Having the power of judge, jury, and executioner, the Judges try to control the endless outbreaks of carnage. One day, in an attempt to bring down the vicious drug lord known as Ma-Ma (Lena Headey), Judge Dredd (Karl Urban) infiltrates a slum apartment building with the help of a rookie Judge. Judge Cassandra Anderson (Olivia Thirlby) is a mutant, who possesses psychic powers, but her lack of experience as a Judge becomes a problem.

Dredd and Anderson try to secure one of  Ma-Ma’s more important gang members. Kay (Wood Harris) is one of Ma-Ma’s trusted clansman. Dredd and Anderson prepare to leave with Kay, but they run into some unexpected trouble. Ma-Ma locks the Judges inside the apartment building, and she instantly orders a hit. Ma-Ma controls the distribution of Slo-Mo, an addictive drug that provides a powerful slow motion experience for the user, and Kay’s testimony could destroy her empire. Ma-Ma will do anything to kill Dredd and Anderson, so the two Judges will have to fight their way through the apartment building, and survive relentless attacks from Ma-Ma‘s henchmen and other residents.

I couldn’t stand Vantage Point, but Pete Travis’ directing for Dredd is outstanding. His style is raw and gritty, and Travis creates the perfect desolate atmosphere for this film. And the 3D effects are simply amazing. The effects from the Slo-Mo drug are breathtaking in 3D, and Dredd is loaded with impressive visuals.

Karl Urban’s serious and straightforward performance as Dredd is enjoyable. Plus, leaving the helmet on for the entire film was a nice touch, because the helmet adds more mystique to the Dredd character. Olivia Thirlbly and Wood Harris provide a pair of solid performances, but I have mixed feelings for Lena Headey’s Ma-Ma. Headey’s physical appearance (the scars, the scruffy hairdo, the tattoos, her dirty teeth) is more intimidating than her actual performance. I LOVE Headey, but she’s kind of dull as the primary antagonist.

Dredd is an action-packed thrill ride. Dredd is brutal, violent, gruesome, and the 3D effects are incredible. Dredd 3D is an exciting action/sci-fi film, and yes, it‘s better than Judge Dredd 1995.

Initially, Dredd received overwhelming amounts of praise. But when Dredd hit the US, the high rating on Rotten Tomatoes (I think it was 95%) took a huge hit, and Dredd 3D was a massive box office flop. Dredd  is outstanding, and some people (mainly internet movie geeks like myself) can’t understand the disappointing box office numbers. Well, Dredd’s failure at the box office is easy to understand for a few reasons.

1. 3D. Attaching 3D to the title off this film wasn't a good idea, especially when you put so much emphasis on the 3D effects. A lot of moviegoers won't spend the extra cash, and you can't ignore the declining profits for 3D films.

2. Stallone’s Judge Dredd is an infamous turkey. The casual moviegoer isn’t going to search the internet for the truth: Dredd is an unrelated adaptation to Stallone’s Dredd. “A remake of that awful Sylvester Stallone movie? I’m not going to spend my money on that piece of trash.” After watching the trailer, this had to be the first thought in any causal moviegoer’s mind.

3. The marketing campaign was shit. Lionsgate pushed the trailers and TV spots, but why should everyone else care about Dredd? Flooding the internet with trailers, and pushing the TV spots sounds like a good idea, but everything just felt so vague. Was Lionsgate seriously expecting to coast off of a 95% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, and favorable reviews from the Toronto and San Diego Comic-Con International Film Festivals?

4. This ties in with part three, but Dredd doesn’t have mass appeal. A female antagonist isn’t enough, and most women aren’t going to watch a bloody and violent action film. Plus, Dredd 3D isn’t kid-friendly at all.

Final Rating: 8/10 

Resident Evil: Retribution (2012)

After the conclusion of Resident Evil Afterlife, Alice (Milla Jovoich) barely survives a raid from the Umbrella Corporation. Led by Alice’s former friend and ally, Jill Valentine (Sieanna Guillory) and Umbrella soldiers exterminate any living survivors aboard Arcadia, a freighter/prison for survivors of the T-Virus outbreak. Jill and the Umbrella soldiers eventually capture Alice after a shootout, and Alice is taken to an underground Umbrella Base.

At the same underground Umbrella base, a cloned version of Alice is married to Todd (Oded Fehr), and with her deaf daughter, Becky (Aryana Engineer), Alice lives a normal life in an alternate reality. But a sudden zombie attack disrupts her calm and quiet suburban lifestyle.

Eventually, the real Alice awakens in an Umbrella holding cell. Here, Alice is tortured and questioned by a brainwashed Jill…until Ada Wong (Li Bingbing) rescues her. Ada Wong is Albert Wesker’s (Shawn Roberts) trusted associate, so naturally, Alice is hesitant to accept her help. Confused and angry, Alice demands answers, so Ada explains the dire situation: the computer program known as the Red Queen is controlling the Umbrella Corporation, and the Red Queen corrupted Jill’s mind. Alice is torn between an alternate reality and real life. Alice develops feelings for her cloned daughter, but Alice will have to trust Ada, fight familiar faces from her past, and escape Umbrella’s underground base alive.

Director Paul W. S. Anderson provides some of the best 3D effects you’ll ever see. The 3D for Resident Evil: Retribution is mesmerizing, but Anderson’s usage of 3D never reaches the point of overkill. It’s a nice bonus attraction, and Anderson is one of the few directors, who knows how to use 3D properly.

The 3D is wonderful, but the praises for Anderson’s directing stop here. Throughout Retribution, I constantly asked myself two questions: “How is it possible? How can one movie feature so many extravagant and breathtaking set pieces, and still be so fucking boring?” Anderson tries to deliver stylish and slick action sequences, but the action side of this film lacks excitement and thrills. Anderson tries to produce crafty action, but the final result is an endless barrage of lifeless battles and chases. Seriously,  it’s mind-boggling. Retribution features some great eye candy, the backdrops are just perfect, but the action is incredibly dull, and the repeated usage of slow motion didn’t help anything.

Anderson also wrote the screenplay for this film, and the story is beyond confusing. The constant shifts between the alternate reality and the real world are bad enough, and Anderson constantly blurs the line between Alice’s real life and her cloned life as the suburban housewife.

The introduction of the clones almost gave me headache. With the exception of Jill Valentine, characters from previous films return as clones, but there‘s a catch. Unable to realize the differences between both Alices, Good Rain (Michelle Rodriguez) becomes one of Alice’s (the real Alice) trusted allies in the fight against Umbrella, and Good Carlos (Oded Fehr) is cloned Alice’s husband. But Umbrella also produces evil versions of the clones? That’s right, and under orders from Umbrella, Evil Carlos and Evil Rain carry out a hunt and kill mission for the real Alice. Why the fuck would Umbrella produce two sets of clones? Umbrella controls most of the post-apocalyptic world, so why would they create two sets of clones for two Alices?

During the intro, Anderson provides a short highlight reel and summary for the entire Resident Evil franchise. Well, this could’ve been a nice reminder, but Retribution’s confusing story really defeats the purpose of the flashback intro. 

Plus, Anderson blatantly copies the mother-daughter dynamic between Ellen Ripley and Newt from Aliens. I’m not the only, who noticed this, right? It’s the ass-kicking female heroin risking her life to save a strange little girl she just met, and if you watch Retribution, you will sense some strong similarities to the relationship between Ripley and Newt. Yeah, I know, storylines are reused and recycled all the time. Well, if the movie is entertaining, I usually look the other way, but Retribution wasn’t a good movie.   

The story is a mess, but the ending is unbelievable.

**SPOILERS**

So the real Alice escapes ANOTHER Umbrella assassination attempt. Alice takes a trip to the White House, the base for the remaining survivors, and the sight of the last stand for non-infected humans. And guess who’s in the Oval Office? Albert Wesker! That’s right, if Alice wants to defeat Umbrella once and for all, she’ll have to join forces with US soldiers, other resistance fighters, and  her arch-nemesis. But wait it gets better! Wesker needs all the help he can get, so he injects Alice with the T-Virus? So Alice regains her superpowers from the same man, who took them away in the previous film? Okay then. Oh, and according to Wesker, the fight against Umbrella is far from over. Right, that’s why we’ve been hearing the “it’s far from over” stuff since Resident Evil Extinction (2007).

**End spoilers**

Overall, the acting is decent. Jovoich is still sharp as Alice, Li Bingbing was believable, as Alice’s lethal partner, and Michelle Rodriguez provides enjoyable performances, as Good and Evil Rain. But the rest of the cast didn’t bring anything special to the table, and Sieanna Guillory is just awful. She’s fucking terrible, and Guillory’s atrocious performance destroys the quality of this cast. 

It’s the same shit all over again. Umbrella is STILL trying to take over the world, Umbrella is trying to kill Alice, and Alice has to battle the evil corporation…..AGAIN.  Resident Evil: Retribution is an incoherent and convoluted mess, that features dull and boring action sequences. Yes, the 3D is superb, but top notch 3D effects can’t save this film. The 3D version will pull some “oooh and ahhhh” reactions out of you, but the extra cash isn’t worth it. Save your money to buy a better a movie, or use the cash to pig out at McDonlad’s. A sixth Resident Evil film is coming. The ending just gives it away, but I hope it’ll be the last Resident Evil film, because this franchise  needs to die, and  Milla Jovoich needs to move on to something else.

Final Rating: 2/10   

The Perks Of Being A Wallflower (2012)

Nervous and scared, Charlie (Logan Lerman) prepares to start his first day of high school. As a reclusive outcast, Charlie is relentlessly bullied and picked-on, and Charlie can’t escape flashbacks of his aunt’s tragic death. Charlie receives some encouragement from his English teacher,  Mr. Anderson (Paul Rudd), and when two seniors befriend him, Charlie slowly breaks out of his shell. Sam (Emma Watson) and her wild step-brother, Patrick (Ezra Miller) invite Charlie into their circle of friends, but a series of bizarre setbacks and changes sends Charlie into a downward spiral.

Stephen Chbosky is the author for The Perks Of Being A Wallflower, he wrote the adapted screenplay, and he‘s the director for this film. As a director, Stephen Chbosky’s style is pretty basic. Chbosky‘s directing is nothing special, but The Perks Of Being A Wallflower deserves credit for impressive visuals, because the gloomy cinemotragphy is simply mesmerizing.

Logan Lerman is a solid leading man. Charlie is a troubled and lonely outcast searching for acceptance, and Lerman provides a believable performance for this character. Erza Miller is hilarious as Patrick. Patrick is easily the most confident character in this film, but at times, Patrick is vulnerable, and Miller adapted to Patrick’s emotional side. Emma Watson showed signs of talent here. Watching a non-Hermione Granger performance from Watson feels weird, but Watson is convincing as Sam.

The Perks Of Being A Wallflower is a sincere film about high school life. Wallflower highlights the ups and downs of the teenage years, while providing emotional stories of self-discovery. It’s a heartfelt drama, and the young cast delivers a nice set of strong performances (especially Miller and Lerman). Plus, Wallflower is more than capable of providing some nostalgia, as you reminisce about the good old days in high school. 

Final Rating: 8/10

The Cabin In The Woods (2012)

Trying to recover from her break-up with a professor, Dana (Kristen Connolly) reluctantly agrees to go on a vacation with three of her friends. Curt (Chris Hemsowrth) leads the trip to his cousin’s cabin in the woods. As a best friend, Curt’s girlfriend, Jules (Anna Hutchison) encourages Dana to hook up with  the newcomer, Holden (Jesse Williams). And Marty (Fran Kranz) is the paranoid pot head.

Initially, Marty’s suspicions of ongoing experiments conducted by Big Brother are ignored, but the college students receive an unpleasant surprise one night. The group of friends must survive a zombie invasion, and mysterious traps prevent their escape from the countryside. Struggling  to comprehend the bizarre nature of their dire situation, the remaining survivors realize the abnormal convenience of the attacks and traps, which leads them to one puzzling question: Who’s watching?

Drew Goddard is the director for this film, and he also co-wrote the screenplay with Joss Whedon. Goddard provides a few good jump scares as director, and The Cabin In The Woods is loaded with brutal gore and graphic violence. Plus, Goddard creates the perfect spooky nighttime atmosphere for this film.

What an incredible year for Joss Whedon. The Avengers lived up to the enormous hype, and The Cabin In The Woods will surely become a cult classic over time. The Cabin In The Woods is a unique satire of predictable horror clichés (mainly from the slasher genre), and the shocking conclusion provides an explanation for the routine stupid mistakes. As the experiment progresses, the true nature of The Director’s diabolical plan unfolds, and the constant twists and turns hooked me into the story. Goddard and Whedon provide the perfect balance of spooky horror and comical satire, so The Cabin In The Woods never reaches a “too silly point” where you can’t take the story seriously.

The entire cast is very solid, and everyone really nails the intentional stereotypes for their characters. Fran Kranz is hilarious, but Kristen Connolly delivers the strongest performance here. Chris Hemsowrth is a believable meathead/jock, Anna Hutchison is spot on as “The Whore,” and Jesse Williams is a convincing nerdy scholar. Plus, Richard Jenkins and Bradley Whitford provide some good comic relief.

The Cabin In The Woods is a must-see for true horror fans. You’ll see the graphic and disgusting gore of a splatter film (especially during the bloody grand finale), and the comical satire of horror clichés raises some thought-provoking questions. It’s a total mind-fuck from beginning to end, and the puzzling story is loaded with shocking curveballs.

Final Rating: 10/10

God Bless America (2012)

Frank Murdoch (Joel Murray) wants to make a change. Divorced, jobless, and suffering from a potentially fatal brain tumor, Frank decides to go on a nationwide killing spree. And with the help of his teenage accomplice Roxy (Tara Lynne Barr), Frank plans to cleanse the filth in America’s society.

Director Bobcat Goldthwait delivers endless amounts of bloody brutality, and Goldthwait’s provides the essential lighthearted approach for the comical violence in this film.

Joel Murray is a solid leading man, and Tara Lynne Barr provides an enjoyable performance. The relationship between Roxy and Frank provides some laughs, but their Bonnie & Clyde partnership feels inappropriate at times. Roxy is obviously attracted to Frank. But storyline wise, she’s a young teenage girl, so Roxy and Frank‘s bonding experience causes some genuine awkward moments.

All in all, God Bless America features a nice set of comedic performances, and the entire cast provides some good laughs.

I don’t have any complaints about Goldthwait’s directing, but his screenplay sends out too many mixed messages. Frank is obviously disgusted by the current state of America’s society. Reality shows are just a poor excuse to poke fun at inept contestants, no-name reality show personalities become celebrities, religious protestors, who persecute homosexuals are raging assholes, and mean talk show hosts receive praise as antiheros.

You’ll see some parodies for popular American shows throughout this film. American Superstarz is an obvious parody of American Idol. And Steven Clark, a horrible singer/contestant, who continues to receive a spot on the show, because people enjoy mocking his awfulness, is an American version of William Hung. Also, the Michael Fuller character clearly spoofs Bill O’ Reilly and The O’Reilly factor, and the similarities are very obvious.

Plus, you can’t forget about the pesky and inconsiderate American citizens, who take up more than one parking space, and noisy jackasses, who feel the need to talk out-loud during a movie at the theater.

Frank and Roxy are tired of cruelty and the outbreak of min-numbing stupidity in America, so they decide to kill all of the “bad people.” The Frank character (and occasionally Roxy) provide a lot of valid points throughout this film, but still, you can’t just wake up and decide to kill random “mean people.”
If I follow God Bless America’s  rationale, then after some random driver cuts me off, it’s okay for me to pull over, grab a shotgun from my trunk, and blow their fucking head off. If someone cuts in line at the grocery store, then it’s okay for me to pull out a knife, and slit their throat. It’s okay if I decide to blow-up the Fox News studio. And in an attempt to stamp out stupidity, I should exterminate the Kardashians.

If you literally take God Bless America’s message to heart, then the solution for America’s social problems are simple: just kill the troublemakers. Mass murder won’t solve anything, it’ll just create more outrage and controversy.

It’s a tough call, but I decided to go with a reluctant positive rating here. The social commentary is suffocated by an asinine message (kill the bad people!), but the laughs are consistent, and love it or hate it, you have to give God Bless America credit for being an ambitious dark comedy. The clichéd and predictable shoot-out ending is kind of corny, but God Bless America earned a spot on my list of unforgettable 2012 films, for good and bad reasons.

Final Rating: 6/10

Bucky Larson: Born To Be A Star (2011)

Really? Adam Sandler, Nick Swardson, and Allen Covert are responsible for the screenplay, and they should take a lot of heat for this one. I guess you were all high on crack cocaine, or some other type of illegal drug, when you wrote this screenplay, because this was one the worst comedies I’ve ever seen.

I’ve said this before, and I’ll say it again, I don’t have a problem with raunchy gross-out comedies, but the vulgarity should be delivered in small doses, because the jokes and humor will lose their steam, when you go too over the top, and Bucky Larson is a prime example of some serious overkill. Okay, we get it. Bucky (Nick Swardson) has awkward and horrendous beaver teeth. You don’t need to point this out in every other scene. Bucky’s teeth were obviously abnormal. You could tell by just looking at them, but they ran the “Bucky has ugly teeth!” joke into the ground here. Bucky has a very, very small dick. This isn’t funny, but they wouldn’t stop mentioning Bucky’s misfortunes down below. Also, Bucky’s “porn talent” left me speechless. I wasn’t in awe of “Bucky’s porn talent.” I couldn’t believe what I was seeing on the screen, and his talent did cause a couple of facepalms. I can’t go into details about Bucky’s talent, but I will say this, it wasn’t funny at all. It was incredibly stupid and creepy, and they wouldn’t stop forcing this throughout the film. Oh, and I couldn't understand the “Bucky has a funny accent joke” in this film. Bucky sounds like a goofball throughout the film, but he doesn't have an accent.

The humor in this film is absolutely dreadful, and I just couldn’t laugh. They were trying to present the Bucky character as an inspiration for men here. He was the goofy and awkward guy, who could score hot and attractive women like his girlfriend in the movie. Kathy (Christina Ricci) was the attractive love interest here, and she wanted to like Bucky for who he was. She accepted his extremely nerdy personality. Bucky was supposed to be the hero for the Average Joe or awkward nerd, who could never pick up a hot woman. “Bucky gives me hope! I can do it!” That was the idea, and they really try to push the “be yourself” message throughout the film. I’m sorry, but the Bucky character in this film is way too over the top. They wanted Bucky to be the loveable geek in this film, but Swardson’s character was so damn annoying. I didn’t want to root for him, and I didn’t want to feel for Bucky. I just wanted him to disappear from the movie, because Bucky Larson drove me nuts the entire time. I can get behind the awkward nerdy character, IF he undergoes some changes in his personality, but I saw the same Bucky Larson at the very end of the film. Bucky didn’t have that one moment of redemption, and he didn’t change. I saw the same Bucky Larson throughout the entire film, and this is one of the many reasons why I couldn’t stand this character.

Dick Shadow (Stephen Dorff) was supposed to be Bucky’s rival, but I couldn’t buy into their feud, or lack thereof. Shadow is the cocky and popular big shot male porn star, and Bucky is the goofy nerd, who threatens his throne. Shadow obviously hates Larson, because he doesn’t see him as a problem at first, but Larson starts to become popular, and he steals the show at a porn film award show. Dorff can be a real jerk in this film. He does humiliate and taunt Bucky every now and then, but his feud with Bucky feels so pointless and random. Dick Shadow doesn’t do anything to derail Bucky’s porn career or personal life. He just comes off as this random asshole, who wants to poke fun at Bucky every now and then. I guess they were trying to build a feud, but nothing happens between these two, Shadow’s antics don’t affect Bucky’s life at all, and Dorff’s presence felt so meaningless.

Bucky Larson: Born To Be A Star is one awful, awful comedy, and Nick Swardson is one of the bigger problems in this film. Don’t get me wrong, I actually like the guy, but he is not a star. Swardson isn’t capable of carrying a film as the lead man. He can be funny as a supporting character or sidekick/lackey, but he was awful as the main character in this film. Swardson doesn’t deserve all of the blame, because the Bucky character was horrendous, but in the end, Swardson couldn’t deliver. He didn’t elevate this film in any way, and having a shitty character didn’t help. Swardson should stick with the supporting roles, because he really drags this film down most of the time.

I will always love Christiana Ricci, but the majority of her films are just horrendous. Some of them are borderline unwatchable, and Bucky Larson: Born To Be A Star is one atrocious comedy. This is a film about porn, so there are a good amount of attractive women here, but the eye candy isn’t enough. The over the top and raunchy humor drove me nuts. It wasn’t funny at all, and the jokes lose their steam very quickly. Plus, the overwhelming mediocre acting didn’t help anything. I hated Creature with a passion, but Bucky Larson is a strong contender for the worst film in 2011.

Final Rating: 0/10

This Means War (2012)

FDR Foster (Chris Pine) and Tuck Henson (Tom Hardy) are best friends, and both men work together, as highly skilled and dangerous CIA agents. Henson and FDR are sent to Hong Kong on a mission, because they must stop a powerful and feared international criminal. Heinrich (Til Schweiger) wants to acquire a deadly weapon of mass destruction, and after a secret meeting at a party, he almost walks away with the powerful weapon. But Henson and Foster spring into action, and Heinrich loses his deadly weapon. Henson and Foster derail Heinrich’s sinister plans, the weapon of mass destruction won’t cause any damage, but during the chaos, Heinrich’s brother, Jonas dies. Heinrich blames the death of his brother on Henson and Foster. He wants revenge in the worst way, and Heinrich will stop at nothing to kill Henson and Foster.

Foster and Henson eventually return to the US, but Heinrich isn’t their main focus anymore. Both men are infatuated with Lauren Scott (Reese Witherspoon), but Lauren begins to date both men at the same time, and this causes some obvious problems. Lauren is a perky product testing executive, who wants to give up on dating, but Tuck and FDR change everything. Neither man is willing to back down, and both agents are willing to fight for Lauren, as they engage in a deadly “Who’s the better man?” battle.

Ugh, I really wanted to like this film, but I can’t give This Means War a positive score. Hardy and Pine do form a very likeable duo, and Reese Witherspoon does provide an enjoyable performance, but This Means War fails miserably as a romantic action comedy film.

This Means War tries to be one of those awfully good movies, that are fun to watch, but there’s one huge problem: This Means War IS awful, but for the most part, this film is not fun to watch. This Means War is a very preposterous film. Tuck and FDR constantly abuse their powers, as they try to gather more information about Lauren’s life, and both men will do anything to sabotage each other’s dates with Lauren. Tuck and FDR constantly use CIA technology (wiretaps, surveillance cameras, etc.) to track Lauren, and somehow their boss, Collins (Angela Bassett) NEVER notices any of this. This Means War is loaded with a good amount of far fetched scenarios, that caused a few facepalms for me, but everything just gets worse towards the end.

**SPOILERS**

Towards the end of the film, Lauren is stuck in a tricky situation. She’s having lunch with Tuck, but FDR shows up, because Heinrich was recently spotted in the US. Tuck and FDR know their dating the same woman, but Lauren isn’t aware of their friendship. Lauren starts to panic, but she goes to the bathroom to calm down, and she tries to figure out an exit strategy. Meanwhile, Tuck and FDR start throwing insults at each other, and eventually, they get into a fight. Tuck and FDR completely destroy the restaurant during their fight, and they actually cause a fire. Lauren walks in after the fight, and she accidentally learns the truth about Tuck and FDR’s relationship. Lauren now knows both men are friends, and for some asinine reason, this upsets her, as she leaves the restaurant? Ummm, YOU are dating two guys at the same time, but that’s okay? The Lauren character has no right to pull the morality card, and she really can’t point the finger at anyone, because she’s just as bad as Tuck and FDR. Oh, and Lauren’s character is completely oblivious to her surroundings in this scene. The restaurant is in ruins, there’s a small fire behind her, but she doesn’t seem to notice any of this, because she’s still upset about the whole “two friends dating her at the same time” stuff.

**End spoilers**

The restaurant scene is bad enough, but things get worse during the final showdown with Heinrich.

**SPOILERS**

Heinrich has taken Lauren and her friend, Trish (Chelsea Handler) hostage. During a car chase, FDR manages to free Trish, as he shoots one of the tires on her car, and Trish’s car miraculously lands in a lake afterwards. Trish is safe, Tuck and FDR quickly rescue Lauren, but Heinrich still wants revenge for his brother’s death. Tuck, FDR, and Lauren are stuck at the end of an unfinished highway. They’re out of road, there’s nowhere to run, and Heinrich is speeding towards them with his car. Death seems inevitable, but the very knowledgeable product testing executive has one solution: shoot out the headlights? Lauren recognizes the model of the car, and damaged headlights will trigger the airbags. Tuck and FDR shoot out the headlights, the airbags deploy, Heinrich’s car flies off of the highway, and he dies in a fiery explosion.

This Means War features way too many over the top moments, but the final showdown was just ridiculous. The bad guy is about to get his revenge, but headlights cause Heinrich’s downfall? Are you serious? The big battle at the end was incredibly lame and silly, and I just couldn’t get into it.

**End spoilers**

Having suspension of disbelief is one thing, but This Means War doesn’t know when to let up. They pushed everything too far, and the far fetched and over the top moments just get worse, as this film progresses.

Also, the plot for this film can feel confusing. Are Tuck and FDR actually trying to locate and capture Heinrich? Or is this film supposed to be about a whacky and wild love triangle? They really don’t put any focus on the “we need to stop Heinrich” storyline, and Schweiger’s character just becomes an afterthought, as the story progresses. Heinrich is supposed to be this cold-blooded and dangerous criminal, and he is trying to kill Tuck and FDR, but they put so much focus on the Lauren situation, and I actually forgot about this character at one point. Heinrich is supposed to be an important piece of the puzzle here, and he was the main antagonist in this film, but this character didn’t receive enough screen time. The Heinrich character is mentioned every now and then, but still, the love triangle gets an overwhelming majority of focus here, and this storyline really did overshadow Heinrich. Were they actually trying to make the audience forget about Heinrich? I couldn’t escape this feeling, and the story for this film is a complete mess.

This Means War wanted to be that fun and mindless romantic action comedy, but this film didn’t provide any fun for me. This Means War is a ridiculous mess, and the over the top action scenes almost gave me a headache. Hardy, Pine, and Witherspoon did deliver some very solid performances, and they did bring some laughs out of me, but they couldn’t save this film. It’s a shame, because their performances did provide the majority of the highlights in this film. And Chelsea Handler deserves her fair share of credit, because she was hilarious, as Lauren’s pushy and obnoxious best friend. As far as Til Schweiger goes, he wasn’t bad, but Heinrich is just your typical foreign villain with a heavy accent.

I thought This Means War could be something unique. Well, I was wrong. Very wrong.

Final Rating: 3/10

The Expendables 2 (2012)

After the sudden death of a teammate, Barney Ross (Sylvester Stallone) and the rest of The Expendables embark on a mission to track down and kill Vilain (Jean-Claude Van Damme), an international criminal and arms dealer. Driven by revenge, The Expendables plan to take down Vilain and his army, and stop Vilain‘s attempted transactions for large amounts of plutonium. Maggie Chan (Yu Nan) joins the team, and Barney receives help from Trench (Arnold Schwarzenegger) and Mr. Church (Bruce Willis).

Con-Air is still my favorite Simon West film, but West’s explosive and action-packed style is a perfect fit for The Expendables 2. As director, Simon West provides a thrilling opening action sequence, and the brutal grand finale is just great. Hopefully, Simon West will return for The Expendables 3, because he proved himself as the perfect choice to direct any future installments.  

As usual, the old-timers provide some good nostalgia. Chuck Norris’ role is limited, but his brief appearances are enjoyable. Arnold and Willis receive more screen time this around, which is a good thing. Watching Arnold, Stallone, Norris, and Willis fight side-by-side during the final battle should provide an unforgettable moment for any die-hard action fan.

Sylvester Stallone brings the strong presence of a leader for the starring role. The supporting cast is solid as usual, and Dolph Lundgren provides some great comic relief. I hardly know anything about Yu Nan, but she’s believable, as the lone female member of the group, who is more than capable of holding her own.

Also, I really enjoyed Jean-Claude Van Damme as the main antagonist. He plays the typical foreign bad guy, but Van Damme is entertaining, and he can still deliver the goods. Plus, it’s refreshing to see Van Damme return to a high profiled role, especially after all of those shitty Universal Soldier films and other forgettable straight-to-video releases.   

The Expendables 2 is a dream come true for action junkies. It’s a hard-hitting and brutal popcorn flick, that features the most popular action icons of all-time. The Expendables 2 fully embraces its status as a mindless action blockbuster, and I loved every minute of this film. Brutal violence, cheesy one-liners from Arnold, and a physical final showdown between Van Damme and Stallone. What else could you ask for? The Expendables 2 packs a powerful punch, and The Expendables continues to gain momentum as one of the more popular modern-day film series.

Final Rating: 7/10

The Woman In Black (2012)

Arthur Kipps (Daniel Radcliffe) is a young lawyer, who is forced into a tough situation. His wife, Stella (Sophie Stuckey) died shortly after giving birth to their young son, Joesph (Misha Handley). Although, Kipps doesn’t have to raise Joesph alone, because he does receive some help from the nanny. But the overdue bills start piling up fast, Kipp’s job is in danger, and he needs to make more money. Arthur must leave Joesph behind for a short time, as he travels to another town to handle the estate of Alice Drablow. Arthur isn’t welcomed by the townspeople. They want him to leave, but Arthur decides to stay, because he NEEDS to keep his job. But Arthur might regret his decision soon enough, because Alice’s ghost begins to reek havoc. Arthur freaks out, as the old house begins to show signs of a haunting, and Kipps slowly learns about the mysterious legend of The Woman In Black. Alice’s (The Woman In Black) “son” died in a tragic accident years ago, and her ghost terrorizes the other kids in town. This is her way of seeking vengeance. The young children begin to die in a series of gruesome suicides, and the ghost of Alice could be the cause of the tragic deaths, that continue to plague the quiet little town. Arthur is running out of time. His son Joesph is traveling to meet him, but Arthur tries to stop his son’s arrival, because Joesph could be the next target of The Woman In Black.

I really tried to get into this, but for the most part, I just couldn’t. The scare tactics did become tiresome very quickly, and after a while, the spook moments really didn’t do anything for me. “Hey! Let’s just have The Woman In Black randomly appear out of nowhere, because it’ll be SCARY!” Well, this formula could’ve worked, but they really went overboard with the “surprise” appearances from the main ghost in this film. The first couple of appearances from The Woman In Black can provide a few jump scares, but the pattern of having her randomly appear, while screaming does become very predictable as time goes on. The Woman In Black quickly loses her shock value in this film, because you can clearly see her “unexpected” appearances coming from a mile away. “The Woman In Black should pop up out of nowhere. It’s going to happen any minute now…again.” This is the feeling I had halfway through the film, and the constant pop up appearances from The Woman In Black do become very annoying after a while. You’ll also see a bunch of dead children/ghosts, who appear out of nowhere, and these moments did bring a few facepalms out of me. The having “dead people stand around with emotionless looks on their faces” routine didn’t provide any scares for me. In fact, this routine just becomes boring after a while. Again, this sort of scare tactic loses its shock value QUICKLY, when you overdo it, and they did run this particular routine into the ground. For fuck’s sake, a group of flying pigeons provided a better and more unpredictable jump scare than the dead people/ghosts in this film, and that can’t be looked at as a good sign.

As this film progressed, The Woman In Black really couldn’t provide anymore scares for me, but this wasn’t a horrible film. The acting is pretty solid, and this film did feature some good tension at times. Also, Eel Marsh (the haunted house of The Woman In Black) did provide a creepy and chilling atmosphere. Eel Marsh did have this genuine spooky feeling, and the scenes that featured the haunted house could provide some nail biting moments. The Woman In Black isn’t anything to brag about, but this was a decent enough horror flick. They do show a little blood here, and you will see a few dead bodies, but overall, the gory stuff in this film is very tamed. Although, this was a PG-13 film, so you can’t expect a gruesome and bloody horror flick. This is not a memorable film by any means, and this one does have its dull moments, but you might enjoy this, if you lower expectation levels for anything good or great.

The Woman In Black is average, but Daniel Radcliffe wasn’t bad as the lead man. His post Harry Potter career is in full swing, and this was an okay start for him. Radcliffe did give a good effort here, and he did provide a solid enough performance. Radcliffe is still very young, so he has plenty of time left. Most people will always think of the heroic young wizard, when they look at Radcliffe, and he could suffer an identity crisis for some time. But Radcliffe did receive a lot of exposure from the Potter films, and he is still young, so he does have plenty of time to emerge from Harry Potter’s shadow.

Final Rating: 5/10

Take Shelter (2011)

Curtis LaForche (Michael Shannon) can’t escape the haunting visions of an approaching apocalyptic storm. During his dreams, Curtis is threatened and attacked by people, who are close to him, and Curtis’ strange behavior in real life begins to raise some serious questions. Fearing the worst, Curtis frantically begins to work on a storm shelter in his backyard. Curtis wants to protect his family, but his wife, Samantha (Jessica Chastain) doesn’t like the idea of “wasting money on a stupid tornado shelter.” Curtis seeks psychiatric help, but at the same time, he continues to gather supplies (canned foods, gas masks, lanterns, etc.), because in Curtis’ mind, the threat of the devastating storm is still a realistic possibility. Ensuring the safety of his wife and their young, deaf daughter, Hannah (Tova Stewart) is Curtis’ main priority. Curtis will risk everything for their protection, but first, he must convince Samantha to believe the serious nature of his dreams.

I had some high expectations for this film, and Take Shelter did deliver. Taker Shelter provides an excellent mixture of terror and drama, and you can really feel the impending doom throughout this film. This film delivers a powerful emotional punch, the awe-inspiring visuals are breathtaking, and Take Shelter is easily one of the best films in 2011.

The acting in this film is superb, and Michael Shannon was fantastic as the lead man. I first noticed Michael Shannon in Revolutionary Road, and I’ve been a big fan of his work ever since. Michael Shannon is one of the most underrated actors in Hollywood, and his outstanding performance really was the driving force behind this film. Curtis LaForche is a disturbed man, who’s losing his mind. Curtis was alone. Nobody wanted to believe his warnings of the dangerous storm. Curtis was afraid of what might happen, if the storm actually hit. He was afraid of himself, and his fears destroyed the relationships with those closest to him. Curtis endures a serious downward spiral, and I really wanted to feel for this character, because he didn’t have any control over his terrifying dreams and hallucinations. Curtis might have lost his grip on reality, but you could also see a caring father, who wanted to protect his daughter, and Curtis didn’t want to lose Samantha. And Shannon was able to bring intensity to this character, and he was able to show some real rage during his temper tantrum towards the end of this film. Curtis’ internal struggle was the focal point of Take Shelter, and Shannon was very convincing here.

Also, I can’t forget about Jessica Chastain. Chastain delivered another very solid performance in this film, and this woman should’ve won some sort of award for the best breakout star in 2011. Chastain received an Oscar nomination for her work in The Help, and Chastain did deliver a handful of impressive performances last year. Chastain continues to surprise me, because she seemingly came out of nowhere. Chastain has become a recognizable face, she’s one of Hollywood’s more talented young actresses, and she does have a very bright future.

The cast did a fine job with the acting, and Jeff Nichols directing was just great. Nichols also wrote the screenplay for Take Shelter, and he was able to provide the perfect unsettling atmosphere for this film. Nichols was able to enhance the dread and terror, and his precise directing did provide some excellent tension and intensity for this film. I’ll admit, I’m not familiar with Jeff Nichols, and this is the first film I’ve seen from him. But I loved every second of Take Shelter, and I will follow this man’s work from now on.

Also, and I don’t usually do this, but David Wingo deserves his fair share of recognition for Take Shelter’s soundtrack. Wingo did create some outstanding scores for this film, but the main score used throughout this film is just amazing. The main score for Take Shelter can bring out feelings of wonder, and this score did make every other scene feel more captivating. The “Take Shelter” score is frequently used throughout this film, but it never annoyed me. The moods constantly change, but the “Take Shelter” score always fits within the context of the different scenes in this film. Wingo did create a memorable score for Take Shelter, and this score has been stuck in my head for days:

The Academy gave Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close a Best Picture nomination, but they snubbed this? Really??? Take Shelter was more than worthy for a spot in the Best Picture category, and Nichols wouldn’t have been a bad choice for the Best Director category. And no Best Actor nominations for Michael Shannon? As I said before, Shannon is one of the most underrated actors in Hollywood, and he did deliver a great performance in this film. I won’t complain about a Jessica Chastain snub, because she did receive recognition at the Oscars for her work in The Help. She nailed the Celia Foote character, and she did deliver the better performance in this film, so there’s nothing to complain about. Still, Take Shelter deserved a few Oscar nominations. I might have been able to understand a few snubs here and there, but Take Shelter didn’t receive ANY Oscar nominations. Not one. It’s asinine, and Take Shelter deserved better. Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close was not an Oscar worthy film, but this melodramatic piece of trash became a sentimental favorite for a lot of critics. Take Shelter could’ve been a legit Best Picture contender, and Michael Shannon could’ve provided some serious competition in the Best Actor category. I have a short list of films that didn’t deserve the snub treatment at the Oscars last year, and Take Shelter is one of them.

Final Rating: 10/10

Big Miracle (2011)

This story takes place in 1988. Adam Carlson (John Krasinski) is a struggling TV news reporter from a small town in Alaska, and he’s looking for a big story to jump start his career. Adam reluctantly agrees to help a young friend one day, and he accidentally finds the big story he’s been looking for. Three California grey whales are trapped underneath the ice of the Arctic Circle. Adam’s big break quickly gains international attention, and dozens of news stations flock to the small town to cover the story. Rachel Kramer (Drew Barrymore) is a fearless and passionate environmental activist, who helps lead the rescue mission for the whales. She’s also Adam’s ex-girlfriend, and there’s still some bad blood between these two. Adam‘s news career slowly starts to take off, and he quickly joins forces with a more successful news reporter. Jill Jerard (Kristen Bell) does have a nice amount of popularity, Adam has a huge crush on her, so he’s more than willing to form a team with Jerard.

Rescuing the whales should be the main priority, but Rachel is the only one, who remains focused and determined, and she will do anything for the safety of the whales. But the massive amount of publicity brings a lot of unwanted attention from politicians, who have their own personal agendas, a shady oil executive, and Jill will stop at nothing to further her own career. Everyone wants to capitalize off of the whales, but time is running it out, as the ice continues to harden and freeze over, and the massive thick wall of ice, that blocks their path to freedom must be cleared. The rescue efforts from the US National Guard fail, but will the US accept some last minute help from Russia?

Big Miracle is very predictable, and this film just goes through the motions the entire time, but still, I enjoyed this one. Big Miracle does feature some genuine heartwarming moments, and the entire cast did provide some very believable performances. Also, Big Miracle didn’t go too over the top with the sappy stuff, and I really did enjoy this approach. They didn’t try to force the drama in this film, and I never got the “This is just wayyyy too cheesy” feeling.

Big Miracle might have a strong simplistic feel to it, but this can still be a very satisfying, feel-good family friendly film. The acting is solid, Big Miracle features some very likeable characters, who you can root for, and Drew Barrymore did deliver a dedicated performance. She did put a good amount effort into her character, you can really see it, and she was very convincing here. Also, this film does feature some good humor. Rob Riggle and Michael Gaston were hilarious, and Big Miracle did provide plenty of laughs for me. Big Miracle doesn’t set the bar for family friendly dramas, but this wasn’t a bad film at all, and I really enjoyed this one.

Final Rating: 6/10