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Parker (2013) Directed by Taylor Hackford



Jason Statham's career isn't really going anywhere, as long as he keeps doing movies like this. Basically he's currently nothing more but the Steven Seagal of some slightly more expensive action movies. It comes down to it that he not only keeps showing up in the same type of movies but he also continues the same type of roles. Oh well, it's definitely something you could make a career out of but it's still a real shame, since Statham showed so much more potential, at the start of his career.

No, it's not like this movie is a bad one but it happens to be a very generic one and there's nothing special about it really. As a matter of fact, in some regards this is even a lesser movie than the average, modern, genre attempt.

As weird as it may sound, the movie is a bit overwritten. This movie had all the potential in it to become a very simplistic and straightforward revenge flick but the way the revenge plays out is far from interesting or exciting to watch really. It tries to take things a bit too serious, by adding pointless and distracting layers and developments to the story. instead of having some fun, the movie wants to be too serious and tries to be more clever with its story than it in fact truly is.

Also the Jennifer Lopez character for instance. When given the right sort of role, she is fine as an actress and she also is doing just fine in this movie but did the movie even needed to have her character in it? Seriously, she doesn't even show up until halfway through the movie and the movie so easily could had done without her plot line and character.

She gets in the way of a lot of things and for instance takes away the screen time from the movie its villains, who are truly hardly present in this movie at all. It's weird how the villains basically only show up in the beginning and end of the movie and it's even weirder to see Nick Nolte in a small, throwaway role. You expect him to play a bigger and more important role toward the end of the movie but no, as it turns out his role is nothing more but an extended cameo, that basically could had been played by just about everybody.

Yet it's not a terrible movie by any means. It remains perfectly watchable, mostly due to its pace and it of course still has some nice action moments, even though they are incredibly formulaic (really, how many more guys are we going to see hanging from a balcony in movies, after a fight?).

It's not terribly exciting, not terribly surprising and not terribly impressive but at least the movie itself isn't terrible to watch!

6/10

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International trailer: Parker (2013)

A thief with a unique code of professional ethics is double-crossed by his crew and left for dead. Assuming a new disguise and forming an unlikely alliance with a woman on the inside, he looks to hijack the score of the crew's latest heist. From: IMDb.com

Directed by: Taylor Hackford
Starring: Jason Statham, Jennifer Lopez, Michael Chiklis and others
Current release date: January 25, 2013

Trailer: Parker (2013)

A thief lives by a code of honor that includes never stealing money from people who need it. From: IMDb.com

Directed by: Taylor Hackford
Starring: Jason Statham, Jennifer Lopez, Michael Chiklis and others
Current release date: January 25, 2013

Ice Age: Continental Drift (2012) Directed by Steve Martino & Mike Thurmeier



Man, I hadn't even realized that I am two movies behind in this series. As it turns out, I have only seen the first "Ice Age" movie and remember it being a simple but yet very warm and entertaining animated movie, that I truly liked watching. Guess a lot has happened in and to the series in between and I got a totally different vibe from this movie, which was not a very positive one, I should say.

You could definitely say that this movie is mostly being orientated towards young children. So you see lots of jumping around and characters stumbling and falling from high cliffs and unfortunately the movie doesn't become any more creative or more clever than that. The written visuals jokes and dialog aren't being all that funny or clever and original. So really, while kids might still like watching this movie, the adults accompanying them most likely won't have the best time. But hey, it apparently is mostly being a kids movie, so I won't hold that against the movie too much. It still serves its purpose but it remains such a big shame that there really isn't being anything truly creative or original about this movie.

One of the other things that annoyed me about the comedy of this movie was that it kept referencing modern stuff, while this clearly is a movie that is set in ice age. I know, I shouldn't take it all so seriously and I know it's just a movie and it's all for laughs and giggles but I just couldn't help but to be annoyed by it. Perhaps I have just seen too many animated movies that keep on doing this sort of stuff. Again, if only the movie was a bit more creative and original with some of its stuff, it would had made this such a better and far more pleasant watch.

The movie definitely has far too many different characters in it. What the movie could had used was one good and clear main character but instead we now have a whole bunch of them, constantly competing for screen time. And the movie just keeps on introducing new characters! The movie never manages to find a right balance between all of its different characters and their separate story lines.

And it also really doesn't have a very strong villain in it either. As great as Peter Dinklage is, he just isn't a very good villain, since he doesn't really seem to have a good motivation or a devious plan to let him take over the world or destroy it, or anything like that. He is just being evil for the sake of being evil.

And of course there is being an obligatory love story, that really doesn't work out at all and simply should had been left out of the movie. That way we also wouldn't had had Jennifer Lopez in this movie! I don't know what it is but I'm completely fed up with hearing Jennifer Lopez' voice, that just isn't made for acting roles.

Can't say many bad things about the animation. It's funny, I still mostly have the first movie in my mind, which most definitely wasn't the best looking animated movie. This movie however is just as good looking as any other modern computer animated movie. It's not better looking than any other modern genre movie but also most definitely not any worse.

But really, the more I am thinking about this movie, the less I am liking it. I was actually at first going to rate it a 6 because I thought that it served it's purpose well enough, as a kids movie. However, there is just no excuse for the lack of true creativity and originality and we really shouldn't let these type of movies get away with that! Animated movies always need to keep pushing the envelope, not just animation-wise, or else it becomes just another genre that has reached its peak and is on its way down. This movie just feels like lazy filmmaking and just a way to cash in some more on a successful franchise and to sell even some more new toys and other merchandise. I say; no more! Unless they start coming up with something truly great, fun and original again.

5/10

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Jersey Girl (2004) Directed by Kevin Smith



Well, I guess the good news is that I didn't hated this movie and it's definitely not a horrible movie to watch but the bad news is that that's about the most positive thing I can say about this movie.

I can definitely see and understand what they were going for with this movie; a sweet and charming family drama, with some comedy elements in it. The only problem with all of it is that the drama doesn't ever feel very realistic. The way certain characters were handling certain situations and the way certain things progressed, all made this movie feel very fabricated and often things got put on too thick, causing the story and its main premise to never really work out well. I never felt emotional connected to anything or anyone in this movie. Besides, it's all being some very predictable stuff, in the way that you always know what is going to happen next and how the movie shall eventually end. It makes the movie even somewhat annoying in parts and definitely make it feel like a redundant one as well. You can real easily do without ever seeing this movie.

The movie is also still from the period that Ben Affleck wasn't exactly being one of the best actors around. He had a real hard time handling the emotional and more dramatic elements of this movie and obviously felt far more at ease handling its fun and comedy elements. So his performance is really being a bit of a mixed bag, though bottom line is that he simply got miscast in this movie. It has still has some good acting in it though but the movie its emphasis is mostly being put on the Affleck character and his daughter, who both unfortunately are being the weakest actors out of the movie.

The movie still has some moments and its stronger points. I can see how someone can still enjoy this movie for what it is and till some extend I also did just that but that doesn't make this a great movie as well, or one that fully succeeded at what it attempted to achieve.

In my opinion it's a failed attempt at blending drama with comedy elements but it still remains a watchable enough and harmless little film.

6/10

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Trailer #2: Ice Age: Continental Drift (2012)

Manny, Diego, and Sid embark upon another adventure after their continent is set adrift. Using an iceberg as a ship, they encounter sea creatures and battle pirates as they explore a new world. From: IMDb.com

Directed by: Steve Martino & Mike Thurmeier
Starring: Ray Romano, Denis Leary, John Leguizamo and others
Current release date: July 13, 2012

Blood and Wine (1996) Directed by Bob Rafelson



(Review originally written at 15 July 2007)

This movie leaves a totally pointless impression. It adds noting new or original to the genre and on top of that the movie is just not a well made one.

They desperately tried to make things more interesting with its script but the movie in fact remains nothing more but a generic genre movie, that unnecessarily makes things hard on itself with its script and redundant characters.

The story also doesn't always flow, which is due to some bad pacing and editing. At times it feels like sequences are missing and things occur too fast after each other. The story lacks proper back-story for the characters and when the movie tries to put in some emotions they work out blank and come over as artificial and forced and completely unrealistic or believable. You can also blame the director for this. I'll bet the movie would had been way better if it didn't took itself as serious as it did. Some more 'fun' wouldn't had damaged the movie.

Because of the failed script not much works out in the movie. It's not tense, it's not mysterious, it's not surprising. The action feels lame and the love-story misplaced and unrealistic. Some of the dialog is horrendous and it makes the characters at times seem like dumb Neanderthalers. A real offense to the viewer's intelligence.

Despite the fact that the movie is filled with stars, the movie still is miscast. In all fairness, I think Jennifer Lopez is a good actress but it just doesn't show in this movie, in which she plays a character with a thick Cuban accent, who is supposed to be the love interest of the movie of the two main characters. Stephen Dorff feels out of place since he's only ever real good and convincing as an actor when he plays a villain, which is mostly due to his looks. Still it's interesting to see Jack Nicholson and Michael Caine as partners in crime. Especially Nicholson makes the movie worthwhile at times and his character is perhaps the only real good and enjoyable one of the movie. Though Caine is also good at times but mostly when he acts as a different person in the movie.

A movie to forget really fast.

4/10

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