The Amazing-Spider Man 2

In 2012, the first Spider-Man came out from the new reboot series and it came out in a very "out of the blue" way. I can't say I never did appreciate a Spider-Man film though because Spider-Man is for sure one of my favorite superheroes out there. Why though, would they create a Spider-Man series five years after the last film in the original series?

The Amazing Spider-Man of 2012 still was a positive even with all the hate I give it. It brought in new rising stars who we got to know and it played well in the summer market. The film got a new audience for this famous Marvel character and it generated sequels.

In this movie, following the events in last movie, Peter Parker (Andrew Garfield) is really up in the air (no pun intended) with his relationship with Gwen Stacy (Emma Stone) and a new villain, Electro (Jamie Fox) comes into the spotlight. Peter Parker also must deal with an old friend Harry Osborn (Dane DeHaan) who is now in charge of Oscorp and who's emotions turn him into the villain the Green Goblin. Parker is sure dealing with lot of tuff and it's starts to show.

Andrew Garfield is again likable which makes you wish he was around more often in films. He has very good chemistry with his co-star Emma Stone but the story of them trying to solve their relationship is surely past done by now. Still though, they make this film and I don't know where this film would be without the two of them together. Electro is nerdy and not a mentally stable guy and it's quite interesting for him to be in this film because he is not the most known villain in the Spider-Man universe which makes him original. The special effects with him are quite quirky and of a different vibe than what we have seen before but like the most characters in this film, his pacing is way off. Rising star, Dane DeHaan known for the forgotten but solid film Chronicle is just as silly as Electro but it's Dehaan himself who eventually who ruins this character for us. He can't develop the character himself making it a mundane character nor is his acting really up to a par. Even the usually lovable Sally Field as Aunt Jane is nowhere to be found and really adds nothing to film even when she is around.  

There also isn't much of a plot here. Sure, these characters do add something but a large portion of the film wanders around going nowhere and the movie has some really bad pacing. You would expect the typical long, action battle scenes to end the story and here the last battle scene sure does change the whole series. The main settings is New York City which it had to be but really you know what you are getting with this setting by now. It' a plot that has a lot to it but doesn't really go anywhere with it. I give the substance here a barely passing grade.

These are probably some reasons why this is movie is getting hated on after only one week at the top of the box office. You have wonder what Sony Pictures thinks of the future now for this series. This reboot continues to introduce us to new things to this character that we never thought would come to us but still fails to deliver the necessary stuff to make a really good Spider-Man film. I can't even say that I'm even looking forward to the likely sequels coming in the next few years and I never said this when the original sequels were coming. The Amazing Spider Man 2 and this whole reboot series  sure seems like a big question mark to me.

3/5

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Godzilla (1998)

In 1954, the new film "Godzilla" hit the theaters in Japan and made an impact that nobody foresaw or thought would have happened. Sure, in 1933 the famous King Kong was released but Godzilla was still an inspiration for many monster films to follow. These movies include the classic 1954 movie, "20,000 Leagues Under the Sea" and even more recent films including the 2006 South Korean film, "The Host" and "Cloverfield" from 2008. So many monster movies world-wide have been inspired by the original Godzilla movie.

In my mind, around the 1990's, we were long overdue for an American Godzilla film for many years. It is true that in 1956, there was an American production of Godzilla, King of the Monsters! but it had mostly the same footage from the original Godzilla to introduce the monster Godzilla to an American audience. It would seem that a new American version would surely find an audience in the States and create a new audience so to generate sequels.

In 1998, an American version of Godzilla was indeed released. It came with a risk because of the past history of Godzilla movies and it also needed a big budget to properly depict this large monster. In the end, this movie version of Godzilla is mostly hated but I was able to look past this.

After a sudden and mysterious attack on a Japanese vessel and  also some big footprints found in the Panamanian forests, Dr. Nick Tatopoulos (Matthew Broderick) is contacted by the U.S. State Department who discovered a giant mystery which a monster we later called Godzilla and who's main target for attack is the Big Apple, New York City. This is an attack that later turns into much more.

At the time of the movies release, director Roland Emmerich was coming off the huge success of Independence Day and there was much hype surround this film because of that. He brought Matthew Broderick in for the lead role but I believe Broderick is a questionable lead because he has never been the action film actor and his inexperience in this genre shows in this movie. Emmerich also casts popular television actor Hank Azaria as Victor Palotti as a funny guy but he mostly meanders around and is not very funny. Maria Pitillo is the love interest of Dr. Tatopoulos but her acting here is a mess and she gives some clear reasons as to why she's not around in films any more.

 
At first glance, it seems like this is a simple plot but the plot does have some substance. Even though New York City comes off as a simple setting, the film does give us many interesting shots of the city during it's action scenes. The action scenes don't really stand out and the ending is tiresome but the action here is enough to get by. Popular actor Jean Reno plays an very interesting French secret agent which adds a foreign spy angle to this new Godzilla.

What's becomes even more interesting about this American remake is the Godzilla creature itself. Godzilla sure looks like a dinosaur and that maybe is understandable considering this film was made  during the heights of the popularity of Jurassic Park. The special effects here are hit or miss. The film does sets itself up perfectly for sequels but these were late canceled due to the poor audience reaction to this movie. There is also a baby element which later turns into a type of biology lesson that involves asexual reproduction. As you can see, the substance of this movie is kind of all over the place but it sure does add some elements to a film that could have easily been too simple.

In the end, this is a somewhat standard Roland Emmerich film. The movie is very dumb at times and has many problems but in the end Godzilla works in a cheesy kind of way. This was a  silly action film from the 90's that I wish had found it's audience. This is "guilty pleasure" fun indeed.

3/5

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Heaven is for Real

Every year, there are a certain amount of Christian films released. You could say that they are unnoticed or that people forget about them because studios don't seem to have confidence in them to make a profit. No doubt though there have been some religious films that have made their mark on the film industry including The Passion of the Christ in 2004, Jonah: Veggie Tales in 2002 and the famous The Ten Commandments in 1956.

Twenty years down the road, when we look back to the films of 2014, you could say that religion was a theme in some of the films. Even though panned by most people and based off a mini series, Son of God about the life of Jesus was a profitable movie. Noah the Ark with Darren Aronofsky and Russell Crowe about of course the story of Noah the Ark was a blockbuster. The year 2015 will bring us a film about the life of Mary, and also Exodus: Gods and Kings that is in post-production. Only time will tell if there will be more films about religion down the road.

Based off the best selling novel of the same name, Heaven for Real is the true story of Colton Burpo who went through emergency surgery in 2003 and went on a magical journey through heaven during it. It is a journey that left a family in wonder and a small town in Nebraska in a media frenzy .

Even though looked at as a small market film, this film very includes big names. Greg Kinnear plays father and pastor Todd Burpo who is mystified but excited about Colton's experience. Kelly Reilly plays the mother Sonia who takes a more of an emotional approach to the Colton story. Big name actor Thomas Haden Church plays family friend Jay Olson who we can like but really adds nothing to the story.The center of attention to the story is of course Colton with acting by young actor by Connor Corum which is hit or miss and a character that you feel is out of his head. His sister Cassie is played by Lane Style who is given nothing to do and is a character that doesn't add anything to the story. Overall, the cast is kind of a mess.  

This film eventually fails because of it's lack of attention to detail. It just mopes around, gives us no secondary ideas and has a very repetitive in plot. You are left to wonder to as what's more to this story and if this film was a just marketing campaign for the book. You literally leave the theater knowing as much as you did coming in.                                                      

 

Maybe this movie found its audience and I would think most religious people would like it but Heaven for Real is lousy beyond belief. It has an interesting plot to work off of but doesn't do much with it. This is a film with not a lot to it and not for me.

2/5

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