RoboCop (2014)

RoboCop is the new remake and redone version of the 1987 classic of the same title. The film is about a straight arrow cop of Alex Murphy (Joel Kinnamn) who gets nearly killed in the line of duty and this company OCI comes and gives a second chance and turns him into RoboCop.

To start off this film could have been really bad or really good. I know that sounds like a stupid statement, but this is a remake and with the market that is so chalk full of them and a lot not good this one has a lot to live up to. To begin the music in the film is actually really good and made me happy for one reason. They didn't change them theme song which put a huge smile on face. They updated the sound, but not the actual tune itself. Also I thought the acting in the film is really good. Gary Oldman is very good like he always and Abbie Cornish who plays Murphy's wife was very good. The CGI in the film is very cool and good looking.

Now where the film falls in my eyes is the script. It does a lot of things right, but it also does a lot of that works. I can tell the script has seen a lot of hands. First one thing it does right is characters themselves all are very good and very well done. Now I think the over all plot and storyline is were the film ultimately fails. There are points in the film that really could have been cut and it has this political message in the to the much more satire version of the original. Which I don't think really works at all in the film. So it really is a bad tone and pace for the film. The action that you see in the film is cool but not very gripping.

So for all those faults I still enjoyed watching the film over all but not enough for a fresh or a recommend to people. If you have seen the first one I would say stick with that one. It is a better film, but if you have time and you want to watch this you won't be crying by the end of it.

RATING
1.75 out of 4 Ticket Stubs

The Lego Movie

The Lego Movie is the newest WB animated film. It is about Legos. And when I say that it's about Legos, I mean it's just about Legos. This film is a blend of Stop Motion animation and CGI. It is about a normal everyday Joe named Emmet he finds something that makes him, as the movie puts it, "the special."

Let's start this film off right. Is it funny and good for kids? Oh yeah it is! This film starts off at a super fast pace and never stops that pace. I mean this film has so much energy. The jokes they start and they don't stop till the end of the film. They are also done with great pacing. Like, some jokes get set up and take the whole film to pay off. Then there are like, one sentence jokes that work perfectly and will have you laughing non-stop. Then they have all the in jokes, two of those said jokes I had to cover my mouth from laughing so much. The voice over work is perfect. Everyone does great and deserves big props. My personal favorites are Will Farrell as Lord Business and Will Arnett as Batman. Those are my favorites because they made me laugh the most. No one was better than the other. The story and overall theme of the film work perfectly. The themes are so good and everyone will get them including little kids. That part is what makes this film so great and what makes me love it.

Now with that being said I do have some problems with it. All though the Stop Motion and CGI work perfect over all there are some moments that it just doesn't blend the best. Still top notch work and should be seen. Also I think it runs a little long for younger kids, but once again, over all it is not at all a poorly paced film.

This film has set the bar for what is to come this year with animated films and with film in general. All the movies should be this good. It has set the bar very high for animation this year. Come Oscar season next year. I know who I will be rooting for.  Everything is Awesome!

RATING
3.75 out 4 Ticket Stubs

The Monuments Men

The Monuments Men is about a group of older soldiers in WWII that were tasked with finding and returning stolen art. It has a huge, amazingly talented cast but the thing that this film is going to be known for is the man in the director's chair. George Clooney is relatively new to the chair but I am sure you have heard that name before. The stars are Matt Damon, John Goodman, Bill Murray, and Cate Blanchett. I left a few names out but those four are the biggest names in my eyes.

This film was a odd one to say the least, and not a good odd. The pace and tone were just okay. The film clocks in at about 2 hours, it doesn't feel like two hours, but there is another problem with that that I will get to later. The tone was pretty well thought out in the film. It does lose itself at times, but isn't so bad that the normal viewer would be put off by it. The film was well shot.  I loved a lot of the shots and they were used very well in the film. It had a very classical way of telling the story which I really enjoyed.

Sadly, that is where my compliments end. The film is boring and very clichéd. Like I said above, the pace of the film is good, but it doesn't matter much. This film felt like Clooney was trying to make his version of Saving Private Ryan. It even steals the ending of the film to some degree. You never really get to know any of the characters, but the acting is good for what it is worth.  I will admit Bill Murray, John Goodman  and Cate Blanchett are doing a great job for what they have. The story about how we should look after our art is pretty good, but, as the viewer, you just don't care. This film is a huge disappointment in my eyes. It should have been very good and really could have been great, but misses the mark by a lot. For the first film that I am reviewing of 2014, this one made me sad so I am giving this film a

RATING
1 out 4 Ticket Stubs.