Well, it's full of holes and preposterous situations, it's got lots of bad dialogue and you can predict pretty much the entire story within the first 15 minutes... but man, I still had fun. Brainless fun, obviously, that relied entirely on the frenetic action sequences and entertaining banter between the two main characters (mostly Travolta's lines), but fun nonetheless.

However, it isn't even close to being as good as Taken; despite sharing many of the same flaws, none of Taken's positives are here, except for some well-shot action. Also, when I mentioned holes, I meant it: I don't think there's a single situation or plot point that didn't make me think "wait, what?". Seriously, it's ridiculous. But also badass, in a cliché kind of way.

As per custom, this is a review of the Single Player only. Now, the obvious comparison here is to stack this up against Modern Warfare 2, as this was created specifically as EA's answer to that game. In that respect, I think Activision has just found itself a very worthy competitor. Instead of simply building on what Call of Duty gets right, this game creates its own style with its own advantages and disadvantages, while keeping the tried and true aspects like regenerating health. Most obvious is the destructible environments, a feature which really does redefine combat as advertised. But the much more open level design, better graphics, more original game mechanics and different enemy types all play a big part in making this feel fresh as well.

The big thing this game has that Call of Duty doesn't, however, is a good story with actual characters. I think this is where the game really worked for me, as the characters quip silly remarks or have existential conversations during and between firefights, poking fun at MW2 a few times as well. The main intrigue, turning around an Indiana Jones-like mysterious device, is built up wonderfully, with a truly mysterious atmosphere in the right parts. The game does resort to a Call of Duty-style worldwide hunt for one big bad guy, but it's handled well and concluded in a really badass way.

Here's where Call of Duty still has a huge lead: immersion. Bad Company 2 abusively resorts to jarring cutscenes, at times when Call of Duty would instead go for a mindblowing first-person cinematic. If DICE can just get the hang of keeping things immersive, or at the very least properly transitioning between cut-scene and gameplay, then the series would take a gigantic leap forward.

So basically, while Modern Warfare 2 is far more polished and generally better designed, Bad Company 2 is the slightly rougher game with a personality, taking big risks that end up paying off enough for me to actually prefer it.

For a while at the beginning, I was seriously considering giving this a 0 star rating; it is the very definition of jumping the shark, which is something that is very hard to do when your whole franchise is based on crazy, over-the-top antics and situations. Then, as it progressed and got through its obsessive pornographic phase, it started to get a little better. By the end, I'd seen a few decently entertaining situations and enough character to give it a 1.

But man, this isn't even close to being as good as the first film. It's clear the writers had no clue what to write, as they just go crazy and throw stupid stuff at you the whole time (not even clever stupid or even funny stupid like in the first; here you'll see characters randomly jumping out of planes with no parachute for no sensical reason other than just killing him off). Plus, large sections of the film are pornographic, with lingering and often random shots thrown in just for shock value. Then, it abruptly turns sentimental near the end, and concludes in a very unsatisfactory way.

This is a crap movie, even if you just want to have fun watching it. I guess you can laugh at it, but otherwise it's ridiculously uninspired.

In a sentence:

Soulless, disjointed, random, factory produced crap that is only saved by Cho, Penn and NPH. Basically an insult to the first film.

I was hugely surprised by how entertaining this film was. I fully expected it to be just your basic road trip movie with lots of vulgarity, crazy characters, wild situations and stupidity, and... well, I was right. It turns out, though, that this is one of those rare ones that are full of life and feel genuinely fun. It's hard to describe where, exactly, this movie goes right, but it does. From beginning to end, you never lose interest, and the movie ends at just the right time on just the right note.

It's not the most original thing in the world, but it is one of the most entertaining road trip movies I can remember seeing.

I watched this thinking it was a beloved but somewhat obscure little film, and I actually had no trouble believing that. The acting was fantastic all around (Robin Williams and Edward Norton both being borderline genius), the story and writing were both extremely clever dark comedy, and the whole thing was just generally hilarious. It was with a bit of surprise, then, that I learned that this was actually a big-budget film that flopped atrociously at the box office, receiving a fair dose of negative reviews. 

Admittedly, a lot more could have been done with the premise, and in hindsight the film did feel a bit lost at times, but to me that didn't take away from it very much. "To me" are the important words in that sentence, though; I can definitely see how this film wouldn't appeal to many people. It's a dark comedy, a genre which only works with a very specific type of person. Anyone else would find it loud, vulgar, unfunny, dramatic or even confusing. If you're that type of person, you will hate this film. If, like me, you can enjoy dark comedies, this is a great and underrated one that I definitely recommend.

I think I liked this documentary enough to say it is a must-watch in this economic and political climate. However, as with all Moore flicks, you should take it with a grain of salt. Although his portrayal and surprisingly excellent analysis of capitalist vs democratic society are great, his theatrical stunts at the doors of various banks fall a bit flat. It always worked pretty well in his previous movies as a sort of attention-grabbing PR stunt, but this time he just ends up looking a bit foolish. Still, the points he makes are very interesting, and certainly very pertinent.

Well, it's obvious from the get-go that visual appeal is the best aspect of this film. Nearly every scene that takes place in "Underland" is beautifully designed and shot. The superposition of actors' faces onto CG creatures, or the modification of their features really give this a visual edge. It's not Avatar, but it's definitely in the same vein (albeit along with a lot more craziness). However, the acting is also of note, with some great performances by Johnny Depp and Crispin Glover, and an outstanding one by Helena Bonham Carter.

Story-wise, though, it's fairly lacking. While there are some very good ideas and some very good parts (the Tea Party comes to mind), the whole thing ends up feeling a little disjointed. Alice takes a back seat as a cavalcade of characters tell her what to do, all building up to an end that starts out pretty well, only to be totally and hopelessly ruined by breakdancing. Yes, breakdancing. The very second Depp starts his strange dance, the movie loses all steam, which I guess might work in its favour, as we're so confused by it that we almost end up not noticing how conveniently everything just fixes itself in the very end. They even throw in a small encore by Alice, just to be sure we lose our focus. 

Nonetheless, the movie remains enjoyable. While it's nowhere near the potential a Tim Burton Alice in Wonderland movie with this cast had, it's still a fun two hours. 

Durr, huh? This was one of the strangest, most pointless and dullest films I've seen in a long while. Now, I think that was all on purpose, mainly for stylistic reasons (but also because this is from the Coen bros., who don't generally do things by accident). Still, I didn't get any of it, other than a few really hidden metaphors. The basic point of the movie is that life is hard, and it only gets harder. Also, some Jewish stuff that's hard to understand. Then it ends abruptly.

Now, for some good points: the cinematography, as expected, is fairly superb. Acting is also wonderful, with Michael Stuhlbarg displaying the perfect mix of confusion, good will and disbelief. There are also some subtly funny moments that feel pretty clever.

Generally, though, I really feel like I didn't take anything out of watching this movie.