THE MOVIE COLLECTOR

MOVIE REVIEW: GHOST RIDER

2008-11-14T13:17:00.000-08:00

REVIEW: GHOST RIDER

- There has been a lot of comic book super hero movies that have come out since the major successes of the X-men and Spider-man series. Some have done well with both critics and in the box office, eg. Iron man and Batman Begins, and some have done much poorer, eg. Daredevil and the original Hulk movie. Ghost Rider unfortunately falls closer to the later rather than the former. Ghost Rider is not a flat out bad movie, but it makes so many obvious mistakes that you begin to wonder what kind of movie that it could have been. For starters, Nicholas Cage as Jonny Blaze just doesn’t seem to work. Ghost Rider, as far as I know, is a very dark character, but Cage’s performance, in addition to the script, gives the movie a very light hearted and less serious tone that doesn’t naturally fit what you would expect from this story. While I own this movie, I would not recommend that people go out and buy this movie at full price unless they are major fans of the character.

MOVIE REVIEW: FORGETTING SARAH MARSHALL

2008-11-13T09:14:00.000-08:00

MOVIE REVIEW: FORGETING SARAH MARSHALL

For me, this movie falls within the second-tier of good comedy movies. It’s not one of those movies that has you falling to the floor laughing or makes you laughs so hard that you start to cry, but it does have some pretty hilarious moments. In addition, some scenes at first don’t seem all that funny, but they make you chuckle when thinking back on the movie. From the guys who brought us “The 40 year old Virgin” and “Knocked up” this movie defiantly has some of the same type of humor and smart dialogue. If you loved those movies, then I’m willing to bet that you will also enjoy this. The cast was great including both the main and supporting stars. While there were some scenes that dragged on or seemed unnecessary, the over all movie did not disappoint.

My current top 5 comic book superhero movies in my collection

2008-11-12T13:30:00.000-08:00

My Current top five comic book superhero movies in my collection:

1) X-men (the series) - As a whole the X-men trilogy has been my favorite comic-to-movie franchise of all time. I saw all three in theaters and walked away always yearning for the next adaptation in the series. While I don’t know of any X-men 4 being planned, I am extremely excited about the new Wolverine movie coming to theaters.

2) Batman Begins – Mention in a previous top five list (check top five action movie) this movie surpassed all expectation. The movie really captured the dark mystique of the dark night and the city of Gotham. While some might argue, I felt that Christian Bale is by far the best Batman.
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3) Iron man – As the first movie that was developed by Marvel comics itself I was hoping for a lot going into this movie. Fortunately it did not disappoint. The blend of humor and action along with a strong supporting cast made this movie one of the most fun to watch in years. Robert Downing Jr. played the role of Tony Stark so well that I couldn’t imagine any one else filling the role.
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4) Spider-man (the series) – While I never was as big of a fan of the spider-man movies as some, I still felt that the series (especially spider-man 2) did the comic book story justice. While Toby McGuire as Peter Parker seemed to fit, Kirsten Dunst as the supposedly smoking hot Mary Jane never seemed to fit well with me.

5) The Punisher – This movie didn’t nearly do as well in the box-office or with critics as the above movies, but I still thought it was one of the best action/comic hero movies out there. While I don’t necessarily agree with all of the plot or casting choices (especially John Travolta) but in the end I was still extremely entertained and really, isn’t that all that matters?

MOVIE REVIEW: HANCOCK

2008-11-10T16:28:00.000-08:00

MOVIE REVIEW: HANCOCK

Will Smith's most recent blockbuster, Hancock, which had generated a lot of hype, fell short of expectations with poor reviews and disappointing box office revenues. While I wasn't as greatly entertained by this movie as I was with the likes of Independence day, I Robot, Hitch and Pursuit of Happiness, I still feel it was worth the price of admission. One problem I had was that this movie just wasn't as funny as many of Smith's action comedies have been in the past. There were too few laugh-out-loud jokes to be a successful comedy but was also too silly to be genuine dramatic or action flick. While I doubt very few people would ever put this on there top five movies list (even top five Will Smith Movies) I still feel that this movie is worth a rental when it comes out on November 25, 2008.

My current top 5 fight movies (in my collection)

2008-11-07T12:39:00.000-08:00

These are my current top 5 fight movies that are currently in my collection.

I have always enjoyed a good violent and senseless fight movie. Something about guys getting together and beating each other to a pulp that really appeals to my barbaric nature.

1) Blood sport - This was probably the first fight movie that I saw growing up as a kid. I spent the next few weeks practicing my punches and kicks in pursue of a underground fighting championship. Needless to say that career didn't work out.

2) The Quest - Another Van Dame movie. I found this movie very easy going and fun because it took the best fighters from around the world and placed them in the ring in a one lost elimination tournament. While the story was shallow, the different styles of fighting from the various countries was extremely entertaining.

3) Fight club - This is probably the only movie on this list that has an actual story. The fighting in this movie was simple yet more realistic and brutal. The acting was superb which was needed to begin to believe that a skinny Edward Norton could ever make it in an underground fight club.

4) Ong Bak - Probably the best movie on this list in terms of actual fight scenes. Several times throughout the movie my jaw dropped. Tony Ja pulled off stunts that Jackie Chan could only dream of. The scene were he jumps over the car still blows my mind.

5) Best of the Best - Another older movie that I first saw as a kid. This revolves around a tournament that puts a five man team from the US against a five man team from Korea. While the fight scenes are extremely outdated compared to today's standards, the overall movie is still very entertaining.

MY CURRENT TOP FIVE ACTION MOVIES (in my collection)

2008-11-06T10:46:00.000-08:00

My personal top five favorite action movies that are in my collection. I'm sure that my list would look a little bit different as I continue to add movies to my collection.

1) 300 - I saw this movie in the theater when it first came out and I was blown away by the action and artistic style of the bloody fight scenes. I only have two blu-ray movies at this time (both gifts) but plan to make 300 on blu-ray one of my first BR purchases.

2) Batman, The Dark Knight - I also saw this movie in theater when it first came out and extremely entertained. I wasn't expecting a whole lot because the previous string of Batman movies had made me start to lose faith in the series. However, the new darker and realistic approach that this movie took has rejuvenated the series.

3) Die Hard 3 - While the first two were great testosterone fueled action movies, the third installment took it to another level. The addition of Samuel L Jackson was great as he often has his best performances in supporting roles. This was great edge of your seat action.

4) Blade - Wesley Snipes as Blade was a perfect fit. All three movies were great but the first one impressed me the most. Seeing Snipes wipe the floor with Vampires for an hour and a half was well worth the price of admission.

5) Face/Off - Not only was the acting by Nicolas Cage and John Travolta incredible, but the shoot-out senses reminded me of a arThis was director John Woo at his finest.