Kick-Ass 2 (2013)

You call that a kick? What an ass!

After the events of the first film, Dave Lizewski is apparently done being Kick-Ass and is living the normal life. Ironically, the world outside his bedroom has been so inspired by Kick-Ass that some normal citizens are now living their lives as superheroes. Meanwhile, Mindy Macready, Hitgirl, is still pursues crime fighting behind the back of her guardian Marcus. Dave approaches Mindy so that she can train him and proposes that they become a team. Reluctant at first, Mindy agrees to train Dave to become a better superhero. Eventually, Marcus finds out what Mindy's been up to and makes her promise to be a normal girl, to which she reluctantly agrees again. Dave now finds himself a member of a new team of superheroes he has inspired. Together, they fight crime and do charity in the idea of making the world a better place. On the other hand, Chris D'Amico, the son of Frank D'Amico, whom Kick-Ass killed in the previous film, is plotting his revenge on Kick-Ass and all his loves ones. 

One reason why this sequel didn't work is because it downgrades a lot of aspects that made the first film awesome and its upgrades which are supposed to be an asset to the film turns out to be a liability. 

What made the first film memorable and worthy of its name is the violence and cool action sequences it had. Sadly, this sequel is not able to live up to its predecessor's promise. Not only is the film less violent, it is also less funny and entertaining. The jokes are half-baked and the punchlines won't even hit you hard. With regards to the less violence, I'm not saying I'm a sadist or that I promote violence, but if I'm not mistaken, what made the comic book (yes, it's a comic book adaptation) so unique and unlike any others is the fact that it is realistic. The characters are normal people who decide to don the cape and mask and be vigilante heroes or villains out to save or destroy the city. The comic book tries to be realistic as possible and it can and will kill the hero if it has to, just to make it real. Now that I mentioned realistic, what can be more realistic than violent people out in the streets fighting one another. Just to be clear, I'm not a sadist, I'm just someone who's looking for the real essence that the comic book wanted to show. 

One thing I like from this movie is that they added more characters. It brings more joy and happiness to a geek's heart and soul. A whole new set of heroes and villains. Sadly, this is the upgrade I'm talking about that eventually becomes a liability. It became a liability and a burden to the film's character development area. So many characters and not enough time to give each and one of them the spotlight they deserve. There were so many things going on from one scene to another and you can barely keep track of who the protagonist is in contact with. In one scene, Hit-Girl is in high school and is stuck in a Mean Girls predicament, then the next scene would be with Kick-Ass in his own type of Justice League, and then we have The Motherfucker who is forming his own group of villains as well. Imagining these scenes seems so exciting but the film's execution of it is mediocre. Every scene is seems to be so focused on the main protagonist and antagonist that the other characters around him/her is overshadowed. An example would be of Mindy/Hit-Girl's high school life. She may be a complete bad-ass outside school but inside it, she finds herself dominated by the people around her. The question here is Why? Who are these people she meets in school that can intimidate her. Then again, she is in high school where everyone is evil, so I guess I can let that go. So on to another example, when Kick-Ass joins the hero group Justice Forever. It is in this part where the characterization drops miserably. For all we know Kick-Ass is the hero in the entire series but the moment we are introduced to the other heroes, we see that it is not all about him after all. But due to the poor characterization, you would feel no sympathy to the other heroes. You're just gonna be like, "Who are you? Where's Kick-Ass?" or "The hero-chick Kick-Ass is sleeping with is hot." Such a pity since those characters could have been utilized more for the film. One character I like from the Justice Forever is Colonel Stars and Stripes (Jim Carrey). He's an eccentric and extraordinary character that rises above the rest. It took me quite a while to appreciate him though since I thought of him as weird throughout the film until his demise. For the villain's side, I was sad since the film didn't really dwell much into the character of Mother Russia. All it wanted to show was that she was freakishly strong and freakishly huge. Javier, who became The Motherfucker's guardian, was supposed to add depth in The Motherfucker's character but it ended up being mediocre. I could go on about how the film lacks in the character development field but I would be digressing already and I'm sure you get the idea. 
However, I did like some of the technical things like the editing and the action choreography. I really like the scene where Hit-Girl used her adrenaline to defeat Mother Russia. It was like watching a video game and it was cool. Though I have mentioned that the jokes are not even funny, it can make you smile once in a while but that's the best it can do, at least for me. I personally like the arc of Hit-Girl in high school. We see a whole new side to her and it's more exciting, not knowing how she will handle her problems through normal means. Her story is more exciting than that of Kick-Ass to be honest. 

Hopefully, the sequel would do better and close the series in a good note.

Rating: 2/5

The Purge (2013)

Who would you kill first when this happens?

In the year 2022, the United States is a nation reborn. The economy is good. Employment rates are up and crime rates are way down low. This is all because the government has approved a law called The Purge, wherein for 12 hours, all criminal activity is legal. The Purge acts as a way for the people to cleanse themselves of all the hatred and negative emotions in their hearts. All the victims of the Purge are then given thanks for sacrificing their lives for the betterment of the country.

The very first thing I like about this film is the concept that fuels it. Though the thought of it alone is highly improbable, one really can't help but think of what they will do if they are in the shoes of the characters in the film. More than its genre of being a thriller, it is a film that challenges society's value and morals. The thought of the purge may be very unlikely now but one will never know if it can really happen in the future. The establishing sequence of the film which is a series of CCTV footage of various crimes and murders alone is gruesome enough that one may actually consider the purge as a solution to the problems of society. The film questions the morals of man: would you be a realist or an idealist?

The film, aside from being thematically driven, is character driven as well. It offers a variety of different characters that have their different beliefs and perspectives with the concept of the Purge. James Sandin (Ethan Hawke) is a successful security developer that has gotten wealthy thanks to his sales of home security systems designed for the purge. His character is stuck in reality and is thinking of the practicality and logic of things. He is married to Mary Sandin who is the closeted idealist in the family. She follows what her husband says because she trusts him and she believes that it is the best for the family. They have two children, one of them is Charlie whose conscience and ideals have set the film in motion. It is this little dude that opened the door for the bloody strangers that is being hunted down. In a world inhabited by human beings, Charlie is the only character that is humane in it. Though his actions and decisions may be the cause of annoyance from the audience, it further shows his idealistic nature and humanity, in contrast to the people around him. The film has good characterization and character development. As the film progress, the characters that are initially blind and naive are shown to have learned what they needed to learn. The characters' attitude and personality have deeply changed by the end of the film. There is great contrast in their characteristics from the film's beginning until the end.

However, the film is mediocre in the field of thriller and horror. Though the concept may be new, it still relies on heavy cliches and old-fashion tricks and scares that fail to deliver. The film is actually a reminder of the thriller film The Strangers. Though they may differ in concept, the execution and technique is very similar. So zero points for originality right there. Not to mention, it was very anticlimactic. The build-up could have been better but it was good enough for a one hell of a ride climax, but instead it offers us cold and stale performances of the antagonists. I can't blame you if you would expect so much by the third part since you have been led to believe in the beginning that the villains are a force to be reckoned with. There is too much anticipation for nothing. There is a twist at the latter part of the film but that as well is only a slight improvement from its previous problem. 

Overall, the crazy concept of the film is the only interesting thing to see here. Don't expect to be blown away with its so-called thrills and horror. It's such a pity for an interesting concept to go to waste. Could have definitely been executed better. High hopes for the sequel perhaps? But do expect a good performance from Ethan Hawke though. The guy just knows how to do it.

Rating: 2/5

The Place Beyond the Pines (2013)

This movie is beyond me! I cannot even...

Explaining the synopsis of the movie without spoiling you is very difficult but I would try nonetheless. The film tells three different stories but are all connected to each other. The first story is all about a motorcyclist named Luke (Ryan Gosling) who finds out he has a son from his former lover Romina (Eva Mendes). He starts robbing series of banks in order to provide for his son and somehow be a part of the family he once left. The second story is about a police officer named Avery (Bradley Cooper) who crosses paths with Luke. Avery has some troubles of his own as he struggles with the corruption inside the police department. The third story is about two troubled teenagers who become friends after sharing similarities but are unaware of something greater that connects the two of them.

To be perfectly honest, by the time I finished watching this movie, I seriously did not know how to feel about it. It has a simple storyline but it can be complex at the same time. I feel like watching Cloud Atlas all over again but this time on a smaller time frame involved and less CGI.

My favorite part of the movie is probably the first one. This is the most exciting yet presented in a very subtle tone. We see how Luke badly wants to provide and be with his son even though he has so much little to work with. But at the same time, we see his happy moments where he can be with his son and trying to patch things up with his former lover Romina. The character development of Gosling's character is very well done. We see from a being a famous motorcyclist in a circus to a bank-robbing daddy. The former, though it sounds more appealing, he had nothing to live for. He was living a routine that didn't seem to cut out for him despite his God-given motorcycling skills. The latter however, though he may have gone downhill and his job isn't exactly legal, he lives for something greater than himself. 

The second part of the movie is okay for me. Cooper's character is ambitious and luck for him, his character gets what he wants. But as soon as his fifteen minutes of fame is over, he is faced with the reality of how dirty the world is even when you are inside the police department. Cooper's character, Avery, is well portrayed and we feel the emotions of the character as he faces numerous decisions that can either make or break his life. What I didn't like about the second part though is that it was starting to get a bit predictable. You would be able to easily guess what's going to happen next and it definitely lacks the suspense that the first one had. Nevertheless, it was still good.

The third story was when the predictability in the second story is quite noticeable. It's really sad though since this can be considered as the climax of the story yet we are given something that could have been thought of as a fan fiction. What only makes the last part interesting is the decisions that the character has to make in order to reach the ending. Two possible ending but we are given only one. I actually like the ending but it left me hanging somewhere and I don't even know where.

Decisions, decisions, decisions. Basically this movie runs on a theme-driven plot and if you watch it by heart, you might actually learn a thing or two. Lots of themes but the one that struck me the most would probably be about the decisions we make. Our decisions would greatly affect other people even if we are long gone and sometimes, they would even come back and haunt us in the future.

In conclusion, you can either hate this film or love it. People may have different opinion from mine but that's what makes life thrilling.

Rating: 3/5

Now You See Me: The Closer I Looked, The Less I Saw

Just say the magic word. 

Whatever that word is and no matter how many times I say it, I just don't see the magic happen in this movie. It had an interesting premise, but it failed to deliver the final act into something magical and memorable.

The movie is about four magicians who call themselves "The Four Horsemen" who sets up a series of bank heist and give all the money they get to their audience. Not everything is as easy as it seems though since they now find themselves in a game of cat and mouse against the FBI. The Four Horsemen must now always stay one step ahead in order to complete their mission and avoid getting caught.

Although the movie did not satisfy until the very end, it was not all that bad. The movie's star-studded cast was one of the things worth praising. The different actors and actresses who made a name for themselves in Hollywood didn't fail to deliver with their acting despite having cardboard cutout characters to portray. They managed to bring life to the story of the movie and were definitely not overshadowed by the special effects which were also magical. The special effects used were extraordinary and above normal for the average tricks of your magicians. The editing were good as well and didn't disappoint. These things are actually given and expected especially from a movie with magic as its gimmick, so it was a job well done for them to have executed it nicely. 

With regards to the plot of the movie, it actually showed great potential and could have been a great movie if not for its problematic ending. What makes a mystery thriller film like this one work is its buildup of clues throughout the film which encourages the audience to throw in their guesses for the big surprise. In addition to this, the surprise must not only make complete sense by the end but it should also bring conclusion to all doubts and questions by the audience. Sadly, the movie's final trick failed to mesmerize the audience. Technically speaking, the big surprise did make sense if you look back but it doesn't give justice to the story. Rather than feeling awe and wonder after this magic ride, you'll actually feel like you've been cheated. All those magic, action and story, wasted into something trivial and petty.

Now You See Me is a movie that I'm not exactly thrilled to see twice. Their famous line in the film is "The closer you look, the less you actually see." Forgive me for looking closer and trying to see depth and meaning in an otherwise shallow movie but even the farther I go, I still don't see much from it.


Rating: 3/5