Breathlessly fast, edge-of-your-seat action isn't exactly a rarity in Hollywood, but very rarely is it ever this good. It's one of those action movies that has more than one layer, giving the audience a proper reason to want the characters to survive and the train to stop. Obviously, it does fall to some stereotypes, but the direction here is strong enough to make this one of the better action movies of this type in a long time.
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While this movie was better than I thought it would be, and while it raised some very interesting and very pertinent points about teen apathy, I think it was ultimately brought down by its overly optimistic tone and reliance on completely unrealistic events to tie the plot together. While the movie is based on a very important discourse, the actual events that unfold are caricatured and simplistic, with no trace of nuance. It's like they wanted to achieve a Ferris Bueller-like tone, but they completely missed the mark. The character here is unlikeable and would have been completely ignored and a complete failure in real life. The actors do a good job of propping this up in a way that makes it looks somewhat plausible, but a deeper look causes the whole thing to collapse upon itself.
I suppose the thought exercise is worth watching this for, though - why are kids these days so apathetic?
Fascinating look at the JFK-era Secretary of Defence's take on his legacy. It's brilliantly put together, and offers an intriguing blend of understanding and critique, which helps us understand where McNamara is coming from without necessarily knowing everything. The 11 "lessons" that he gives out are definitely worth hearing.
This was obviously very similar to Call of Duty in gameplay, but surprisingly different in tone. Whereas games like Modern Warfare 2 go all-out with crazy situations and over-the-top action, this game went for a more subdued, but more realistic and subtle approach to the military. Obviously it's still unrealistic in that a single squad takes down hundreds of foes, but at least they don't spawn infinitely. The situations you'll find yourself in are basically hyperboles of real-life ones, which makes you feel like a precise and effective soldier rather than Rambo. Weapons feel FANTASTIC, like they have proper weight behind them as they take down the enemies with animations far superior to CoD's, and the graphics that back up the game manage to make the desert wastelands and large mountain ranges look amazing. Basically, the whole thing is like Call of Duty, but with subtlety and a footing in reality.
I would say the only real downside that I found was when the game took control of the camera from you, instead of allowing you to look around during cutscenes like Call of Duty does. This really takes you out of the game and harms immersion, so I hope they don't resort to this for the next game.
In a sentence:
A more realistic and nuanced take on the Call of Duty formula that is a blast to play through but is over far too quickly.
This movie is definitely very very dated, and is the sort of thing you catch on some random Cable channel in the evening. It's very easygoing though, with some nice CIA evasion type of stuff. Plus, the fact that it really takes its time means that this is was a calm and relaxing little movie to watch - it's just that I wouldn't recommend watching it on purpose, really.
The epitome of predictability and cerebral lightness, with basically nothing at all even remotely close to being original at all. The two leads have a bit of interesting chemistry, but really this is the sort of movie you will only enjoy if you're looking for a simple, easygoing and forgettable movie to pass the time.
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- I watch a ton of movies and TV Shows and play a ton of games, which is rather unproductive. So, I have decided to review as many things as I can, to at least get something that might be useful to others out of it. Sorry if I end up bashing a movie you like, as I'm in critic mode when I write here. In reality, I can enjoy every movie, even zero star ones! Hope you enjoy the site!
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