A Merry Christmas for "Mission Impossible 4: Ghost Protocol"...Bah-Humbug for "The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo"!!

 

Tom Cruise showed that his Mission Impossible character of Ethan Hunt still knows how to entertain an audience by eliminating the Christmas opening day contender, 'The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo'. Even with 'Dragon Tattoo' having a big European following and having Daniel "James Bond" Craig himself in the film, watching Cruise show that he's still able to entertain us with a wonderfully action-packed movie totally overshadows a depressing remake that the Swedish have made much better.

Seeing Ethan Hunt disappear into the fog in the final scene makes one wish that MI:5 gets a green light. The huge box office that 'Ghost Protocol' is making almost guarantees that we will see Ethan Hunt on another mission...if he should choose to accept it.

And now, a quick Behind the Scenes look at Tom Cruise on one of the film's great scenes...

*Feature Presentation* Movie Review: "Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows" (2011)

Guy Ritchie (director of the first film) really takes this film and story to a whole new level. Complete with action, drama, turns and unexpected surprises - this film has action, adventure and humor mixed with a great mystery story and a very cool villain!

Robert Downey, Jr. (`Iron Man', Chaplin') and Jude Law (`Alfie', `RepoMen') are back again - as Sherlock Holmes and Dr. John Watson who through a series of `mis-haps' are drawn together the week of the good doctor's wedding to his lovely wife, Irene. The story then becomes clear that someone is basically `toying' with Holmes and murdering for a devious scheme that he cannot seem clear to figure out. Rachel McAdams reprises her role from the previous film as Holmes's "love" interest (if you call setting Holmes up to be attacked by four rough thugs a thing a love interest would do). In a limited cameo that ends up being a pivotal and emotional turn for Holmes.




He realizes that it turns out to be the plans of his mortal enemy Dr. James Moriarty (Played brilliantly by Jarred Harris of `Fringe', "Mad men'). From that moment on the movie is about clues, mysteries and unexplained deaths that lead Watson and Holmes around the world to discover Moriarty's true objective!


The music of the film is intense and visceral as well as the fighting sequences. The style is the same of the first film in that Holmes can see events as they `should' happen given the circumstances surrounding him. Using `bullet time' type photography and editing (more sophisticated than used originally in `The Matrix'), the action sequences are mind-blowing. They are detailed and make Downey, Jr. look like a real super hero (And he doesn't need that palladium-using arc reactor in his chest to do so either!) . The wittiness of Holmes and Watson as a team to literally solve and conquer most obstacles and move past the ones they can't is invigorating. 

There are other rich performances by Noomie Repace (Swedish version of 'The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo') as a gypsy card reader and the reason the entire story begins - not to underplay one of the funniest characters - Holmes's very own brother Mycroft Holmes (played by Stephen Fry `Aice in Wonderland', `Bones') who seems to be the only person who actually understand Sherlock and his mind. (To some degree that is.)









There are some great dialogue scenes with Moriarty and Holmes bantering their both self-proclaimed genius on their individual demises is some of the cleverest dialogue I have seen in a while. The best part is you always get to `see' what Holmes is thinking as he verbalizes it in his head. That's a credit to director Ritchie for letting the audience know what goes on in Sherlock Holmes' head.


Just a great fun adventure, with action and with an amazing story and great performances by all its lead actors coupled with a great score and a mystery that will surprise you till the very end that leaves you applauding as some of us did .. Family fun for the entire age range of viewers! Don't miss this one! And as Holmes himself questions in the final scene...The End? If rumors that the next film will have Holmes going up against Jack the Ripper are true...Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson will return and I for one...welcome it! 

Thanks to my nephew Richard for his heartfelt opinion on this amazing film. 


The Cinema Balcony Rating: 4 Tubs of Hot Buttery Popcorn w/ Lg Cherry Coke

"What your opinion?...We'd like to know....

Coming Summer 2012

Now Showing...At A Theater Near You!

                                                                           In Theaters!!

Now Showing...At A Theater Near You!

                                                                                  In Theaters!!

*Feature Presentation* Movie Review: "Paranormal Activity 3" (2011)

                                                                                                                    

*Warning: May Contain Spoilers*

When the "Movie-Man" thinks of Paranormal Activity 3, two words come to mind...FALSE ADVERTISING! On this review of the third installment of the popular Paranormal Activity franchise, I will vent why I think that many (I'm talking to you TIME Magazine and Entertainment Weekly!) have oversold this exercise in redundancy as a hit movie! This movie is a prequel and after my delight with the recently reviewed "The Thing", I was game for another prequel. I'm starting to like them for the simple reason that I can then go back and watch the originals and put 2 + 2 together and further enjoy my movie watching experience. This was NOT the case with PA3. It raised more questions than it provided answers. In movies, the purpose of a "prequel", by definition, should answer any previous questions, not leave you scratching your head!

While I'd like to state that PA3 was, by no means, a terrible movie, many in attendance and I were left baffled as to why the producers saw it fit to show a film that was almost entirely different from the TV spots that have been in heavy rotation on television and online. Although the movie did suffer from the same formula as parts 1 and 2 of the action ("really good parts") coming to light in the final 10-15 minutes of a nearly 90 minute film, that didn't bother me per se. I like this franchise and believed that we were going to see something more than what we did the last two times. Especially after the most recent trailer quotes Ain't It Cool's Aaron Morgan stating that "the final 15 minutes...will mess you up for life. ...not the case in this movie!

In fact, when comparing the final segments between all three movies, Katie and Micah's final scenes in the first film still gives me the creeps. This one left me thinking "Oh great...I have to wait until #4?!!!"  Seeing Katie and Kristi as little girls (great performances by Chloe Csengery and Jessica Tyler Brown) was good for the story. Writer Christopher B. Landon and producer-writer Oren Peli return with some good addition to the story arc but it was mediocre in the execution of the material.

Don't look for either one of these scenes...they not in the current release!

                                                             

Also, one of the series' great concept of not truly knowing where all this started has been revealed and to involve a group of old hag witches led by..."surprise"... Katie and Kristi's grandmother is somewhat of a let down. I was intrigued by the whole unknown"entity/ghost" format but after seeing PA3 it's now known that it is actually a demon named "Toby" that wants or needs to "marry" little Kristi...what???

In closing, I would recommend those who have yet to see it to wait until the blu-ray/DVD "extended cut" version that is sure to come out to further milk this "had potential" series. Now, with that in mind, I present the following two trailers. Play them and then decide which movie you would like to see. The omitted footage, in my opinion, was more shocking, frightening and, above all else... entertaining.

Now, go into a dark room and say "Bloody Mary" three times and see what happens. 

Actual scenes in the theatrical release:

Scenes that were omitted from the theatrical release:

The directors Henry Joost and Ariel Schulman should be ashamed for cutting out all of the good scenes as depicted in this trailer. The paying public was short changed in what was obviously a more tantalizing film.

C & K Rating: 2 Tubs of Popcorn w/ Sm. Diet Coke

"What your opinion?...We'd like to know."