Project X

Project X

2012

Comedy

Rated: R

Running Time: 88 minutes

Starring: Thomas Mann, Oliver Cooper, Jonathon Daniel Brown

Directed By: Nima Nourizadeh

Rating: 4.5 out of 10

Outline

3 nerds throw a party that quickly gets way out of control.

Review

Most people have been to a raging house party before. A party that gets a little out of hand due to crowd size or alcohol consumption. Whatever stories you tell on a daily, or monthly, or yearly basis about said party, will pale in comparison to the beast of a party thrown in this movie. Project X is the story of three unknown, and nerdy high school seniors. They decide to throw a party, and film it to put them on the social map. What starts off as a small party, soon balloons out of control into one of the craziest bashes known to mankind.

I feel I should lead with a couple of comments about why I arrived at my rating. This film may be one of the most pointless movies of all time. To call it a movie is even a stretch. The creators of this film are smart and knew they had a gold mine with people who enjoy a mindless watch. Listen, I am not saying this film isn't entertaining, nor am I saying it was hard to watch. What I am saying is that this is a terrible movie. The rating I gave this film was on pure entertainment value alone. If I was to rate it on quality, than it would be closer to a 1 out of 10. The film has a simple formula, and that is to make one of the craziest house parties known to man. The film starts off and you get to meet the three nerds leading this film. Tomas, Costa, and JB are a bunch of guys, looking to get noticed. Their buddy Dax, follows them around and captures everything unfolding, by recording it using a handheld camera. The movie really doesn’t start until a decent amount of people show up to Tomas’s house, and the music starts cranking. To go into detail about this film is pointless as it really just goes from a big party, to the party of the century with no character development whatsoever.

The acting is nothing to write home about but it is not terrible either. The roles are superficial, so the cast of unknowns seem to be able to pull it off. I was able to appreciate the movie more because of the simplistic roles these people needed to put forth. The character Costa, played by Oliver Cooper, was the only person that stood out negatively for me. He is too over the top, and that is coupled with his stupid tough guy personality traits. He will wear on your senses about 15 minutes into this film.

At the end of the day, you have an easy decision to make if you should watch this film or not. This film has a little a bit of everything you would expect from a party, to a lot of stuff you probably wouldn’t expect. Here is a list of things that take place. Fires, puking, heavy drug use, vandalism, small animal torture, sex, cops, angry neighbors, midgets, creepy dudes, kid bouncers, dj’s, and a host of other things I am having a hard time remembering. If these things appeal to you, then this movie will blow you away. If you need any ounce of story, or interesting characters, then stay away because there are none. What characters you will find are mostly naked girls swimming; naked girls in bouncy castles, and naked girls dancing to loud hip hop montages. The film has some fun and some laughs, and goes on an insane spiral that finishes in a crescendo of destruction that won’t disappoint. With so many random things happening in this film, I am surprised Matthew Broderick didn’t show up with a chimpanzee (See what I did right there with that reference. If you don’t watch many movies than this is not a shot at Sarah Jessica Parker, although that also would have been funny now that I think on it)

Director Nima Nourizadeh does a solid job with his directorial debut. He knows his audience and gives them what they want. That is a film with a party that is all rise. He splashes in a great soundtrack and ample montages of people dancing and celebrating to maximum effect. The film is way out there in terms of story but in line with his target audience. Even though this film did not work for me he did a great job, and the handheld camera shooting was a nice touch for added realism.

I cannot recommend this film, however if you are looking for a mindless watch that is very entertaining than this could work. This is a party everyone wants to be at but no one will want to watch.

T Factor + If you like mindless comedy than this could score higher on the rating scale.

T Factor – If you need any sense of a story than this could score way lower on the rating scale.

If you liked this film reel recommendations: Old School, The Hangover

A Perfect Getaway

A Perfect Getaway

2009

Drama (Thriller)

Rated: R
Running Time: 98 minutes

Starring: Steve Zahn, Milla Jovovich, Timothy Olyphant, Chris Hemsworth

Directed By: David Twohy

Rating: 4 out of 10

Outline

A newlywed couple vacationing in Hawaii is in the wrong place at the wrong time as someone is murdering tourists there.

Review

We have the movie Hostel to thank for the bevy of movies surrounding vacation murders. It seems the beautiful places of the world are now home to the most sadistic and terrible people on the planet. A Perfect Getaway is the story of Cliff and Cydney. They are on their honeymoon in Hawaii when they hear of a pair of brutal tourist murders not far from where they are. As they hike along a fairly secluded trail, they start meeting up with various hikers all of whom may be the killers.

This film never connected with me and took very predictable plot courses right through its entirety. It was too long of a buildup for an actually pretty decent ending. You are introduced to the honeymooners and they set off on their hike through the tropical landscape. The film actually reminded me of a teen flick even though the key players are decidedly older. The film instead of genuine scares boils down into a who is the killer type of film and it gets tiring. The film inundates you with a host of odd characters letting you decide who the killer might be. Without any sense of normalcy you quickly lose interest in the story. There are characters that give threatening lingering looks. There are characters that are hostile and confrontational. There is your not quite right in the head characters. In fact with so few normal characters in this film it seems Hawaii is the place to be for Crazies (yes intended Timothy Olyphant reference). Hawaii is a vibrant and beautiful location but the story about murder unfolding there was dry and stagnant.

Newlywed Cliff played by Steve Zahn and Cydney played by Milla Jovovich were hard to follow as the leads. Zahn should stick to doing comedy as he has this goofy delivery that is hard to take seriously. Jovovich’s voice for some reason got on my nerves also detracting from her performance. The two of them together are an odd on screen pair and bored me right through the movie.

 Now I don’t want to get into much of the odd assortment of characters as to give a hint as to who the killers may be. What I have already said was the multitude of strange personalities that marches through this film will leave you dizzy. About halfway through I stopped caring about who the killers might be and started rooting for them to go on a rampage and end this film. The supporting cast did a decent job with what they were given to work with. One thing I will point out though was Timothy Olyphant seemed to be channeling Bill Paxton's laugh from Weird Science for most of this film and it was kind of comical.

The film dredges its way from one disappointing encounter to the next. Never scaring or intriguing the viewer in any degree. The film is a painful watch until a great ending scene (I am not saying I agree with the ending only it was done well). The ending has many facets to it which includes interesting camera work and black and white shots. If more creativenesses were used like this for the whole film it might have worked. At the end of the day though the script was below par and the thriller aspect was almost nonexistent. Although to be fair there is one of the worst hand injuries I have ever seen in this film. 

Director David Twohy known most for his alien work in such films as Pitch Black and Chronicles of Riddick shows he should keep his sights to the skies. This film with its odd cast and even odder characters was off from the start. The story was a mess and besides the ending the film is hardly worth mentioning. Hopefully he will get back on track with his next film.

I cannot recommend this film and while people say this story was genius and shocking I say it was boring and forced. The movie title claims perfection all I saw was below average.

T Factor + If you like stories with many twists and turns this could score higher on the rating scale.

T Factor – If you like lots of frights in your movies this could score lower on the rating scale.

If you liked this film reel recommendations: Kiss the Girls, Turistas

Prometheus

Prometheus

2012

Action (Sci Fi)

Rated R

Running Time: 124 minutes

Starring: Charlize Theron, Guy Pearce, Idris Elba, Michael Fassbender, Noomi Rapace

Directed By: Ridley Scott

Rating: 6 out of 10

Outline

A team of explorers heads to a distant planet looking for the answer of humanity’s origins.

Review

So I thought long and hard after watching this movie trying to decide if I liked it or not. It sat right on the fence for me but I finally decided the combination of some spectacular visuals and Michael Fassbender’s acting won me over to tell you to give it a view. The movie Prometheus is the futuristic tale of a group of explorers trying to discover the origins of humanity on earth. It leads them to a planet in the far reaches of space where they find out some questions are better left unanswered.

I am going to start out by saying I am not going to get into a nerdy in depth discussion regarding where this movie fits into the whole Alien franchise. After watching this film it is pretty clear to me it is a prequel to Ridley Scott's film Alien. The whole semantics of it being a standalone film but based in the same Alien universe really is incidental when it comes right down to it. Be warned though this film resembles the first Alien film the most. It is a well built up drama relying on suspense and origin story to win the viewer over. So if you are looking for more action driven story lines like the Aliens films numbered 2 through 4 you will be sadly disappointed. I am a huge fan of the first two Alien films so I was pretty stoked to see this film. While it was not what I expected I found I was totally wrapped up in this pretty cool prequel. The first thing you will notice is the visuals in this film. Everything from the distant planet they travel to, and the spaceship they are on called Prometheus are just crisp and at times stunning. The films camera work is clearly a homage to the first Alien film. The coloring and texture are grainy and tinted, especially on the spaceship making the film look like it was shot years ago which I thought was a neat touch. The film is a well thought up story but has too many unexplained layers to be thoroughly enjoyed in my mind. Now they may clear this up if they have a sequel to this film but it will leave a sense of unfinished business by films end. 

The characters in this film are pretty varied and interesting. I would be remiss if I didn’t start with Michael Fassbender playing the Android David. In a world where all roles should be appreciated at the Academy Awards this portrayal might have been nominated. He is excellent and he steals the show. He has such a grasp of what this character should be that it is hard to believe he isn’t a robot. The leading lady Elizabeth Shaw played by Noomi Rapace is no Sigourney Weaver and yet she is not out of place in this film. She holds her own in this movie and without giving away the scene is involved in one the creepiest moments this franchise has ever had (That includes chest bursting aliens). The film has a solid supporting cast which includes Charlize Theron, Guy Pearce, and Idris Elba. While good in their respective roles I felt the movie did not or use the cast nearly enough. It is hard to care about a character when so many of them have limited screen time.

The film does a good job in always keeping the viewer on its toes. As the team looks for answers on this foreign planet there is always a lingering tension that things are not what they seem. As more questions get answered the more hectic and frantic the feel of the film gets. The film however is very slow and because the crew of Prometheus is too big it is hard to fully invest in its characters. It also does not have enough outright scenes of blood and violence for my taste to break up the slow points.  When the ending arrives the film instead of feeling natural seems rushed and unfulfilled.

It is hard to criticize Ridley Scott as a director but he failed in some key aspects in this film. The story is all over the place and the ending is unsatisfying. The pacing while adding tension also seems stretched detracting from the overall feel of this film. What he did well was the look and style of this film. He knows his original audience and delivers a decent sci fi flick. Although he could have used more scenes of action and or horror they are fantastic when they do occur. His casting is solid if not perfect and he utilizes the best characters to maximum potential.

I am going to give this movie a recommendation but remember it is clearly meant for fans of the first Alien film or dramatic sci fi lovers.

T Factor + If you like the Alien Franchise this could score higher on the rating scale.

T Factor – If you like your films with intense scenes of violence and action this could score lower on the rating scale.

If you liked this film reel recommendations: Event Horizon, Alien