The Eagle Review

The Eagle Review By Jose Plot:

In 140 AD, twenty years after the unexplained disappearance of the entire Ninth Legion in the mountains of Scotland, young centurion Marcus Aquila (Tatum) arrives from Rome to solve the mystery and restore the reputation of his father, the commander of the Ninth. Accompanied only by his British slave Esca (Bell), Marcus sets out across Hadrian's Wall into the uncharted highlands of Caledonia - to confront its savage tribes, make peace with his father's memory, and retrieve the lost legion's golden emblem, the Eagle of the Ninth.

Review:
I tend to like movies that deal with medieval and ancient times. So I was already set to like The Eagle. And thankfully I was not disappointed. The movie opens with a rather ominous tone. With Marcus Aquila (Tantum) coming into a settlement in Rome occupied Britain, in order to take command there. Soon the base in attacked and we find Marcus sent to live with an uncle to recuperate after a serious injury. Soon happy and bad news come to him. The base and men he commanded gained a rank in the Roman army due to him, but he is honorably discharged due to injuries he sustained defending his men.
Soon meeting Esca at a gladiator fight and saving his life. Esca, played rather well by Jamie Bell, soon becomes the slave to Marcus. Later on they both head out to find the Eagle of the Ninth Legion.

The relationship between Marcus and Esca is where this movie shines. You see them build a love hate relationship, even though somewhat forced due to their individual standings. The friction between them throughout the movie really shines and carries the middle part of the film along. We get to know them as people instead of just characters going through the motions and eventually care for them and want then to succeed. The story of the film is brought out and told to us through this part of the movie and we learn what happened to the ninth Legion and the small glimer of hope that maybe some of them survived.

I really loved the switch in the slave/owner roles later in the film with the smaller Esca being the owner of Marcus. The little guy dominating or the bigger guy. Action in the movie takes place in the beginning and the end where we have the Seal tribe chasing after a wounded Marcus and Esca who found the eagle. And then a bit later with the surviving solider coming to help them defeat the Seal tribe hunters.

Final Thoughts:

The ending of the film leaves you smiling and happy that Esca and Marcus, together and as equals, found the eagle and brought it back to Roman hands even though they disregarded them and thought they were going on a suicide mission. He character building and care the film gave to show us that relationship while giving us the story was really great and something that filmmakers don’t do often. Great movie and great acting from Channing Tatum and Jamie Bell.
Ratings: 3.75 out of 5

Rango Review

By: Robert Acosta

Cast:
Johnny Depp as Rango
Isla Fisher as Beans
Abigail Breslin as Priscilla
Bill Nighy as Rattlesnake Jake

Plot: Rango, by no choice of his own, ends up in a town called Dirt. He makes a new life for himself, tries to create himself. But when the town begins to lose it's most precious resource, water, Rango must step into a role that he has never embraced before. Hero.

Review: Johnny Depp has played a shit load of characters. Most of them being extremely weird, and he has plays them well. Surprisingly, the Rango character is one of his more sane characters.

Rango is a chameleon that has a hard time blending in with his surroundings. He had been leading a life of loneliness, with aspirations of getting somewhere, being someone. When a freak accident occurs, Rango gets that chance. Just not exactly the way he saw it. He ends up in a town called Dirt, losing it's precious water. Being in a new town allows him to create a new person, an alter ego. He tries on the tough persona, which backfires quickly and often.

The movie is animated and isn't a Dreamworks picture or Pixar movie. It's straight from Nickolodeon. Yeah, they still make movies. So it would seem hard to give this movie a chance. But to be quite honest, it holds its ground. It doesn't reach the level of Pixar but I didn't expect that, nor do I think anyone else did.

It definitely features an underdog story that people can get behind, and obviously Rango is a likeable character. You wanna see this little ol' chameleon triumph in the end.

The animation is beautiful to say the least. At a few points in the film you honestly feel that some of these shots could have been actual, real life shots. Now are they? I don't think so. I think they went completely CGI on the film and they did it beautifully.

You have a couple of funny characters, starting with main characters Rango and Beans and continuing on to some of the smaller characters such as the mariachi band of owls.

Overall, there isn't a lot to report here. It isn't the gold standard for animated movies, but it also wasn't terrible either. Fun for the kids, fun for adults. A very good movie that will please the audience.

Rating: 3.5 out of 5

The Adjustment Bureau Review

By: Robert Acosta

Cast:
Matt Damon as David Norris
Emily Blunt as Elsie Sellas
Anthony Mackie as Harry Mitchell

Plot: Politician David Norris (Damon) tries to make it to the big time. Along the way he meets the girl of his dreams (Blunt) but he soon finds out he was being watched by the "Adjustment Bureau". The bureau puts a halt to their love but Norris is hell bent on keeping their love going.

Review: March is already looking like one hell of a month for movies. Well, at least on paper it's looking great, I really haven't seen most of the movies in March. The Adjustment Bureau puts in more than a strong effort to start off a great month.

In its basics, The Adjustment Bureau follows Matt Damn as David Norris. Norris is a politician looking to get into the big picture. After his failed attempt to become the senator of NY, he meets a woman (Blunt) who he has a deep conversation with. They end up falling in love and they must fight to keep their love alive because they are being watched. Watched by the Adjustment Bureau. A group of men (presumably) that have been around for centuries making sure people stay on the path planned out for them.

So already you can see, this movie tests a lot of things. It will test a person's morals. It will test a person's religion. It will test a person's faith. The way the movie handles the subject matter is a plus as well. We're dealing with the ideas of free will, choice, love and all of the above. Had they made a mockery, somehow, of these themes than this movie would have sucked. But it's in your face the whole time, not holding back.

One of my favorite things about the movie is the chemistry between Matt Damon and Emily Blunt. It is one of the best on screen romances that i've seen in quite some time and I think it had to be. The movie would have fell flat on its face had this romance been weak in any sort.

Something that struck me, maybe as its only flaw, is the Adjustment Bureau themselves. The group of guys that look over everyone can seem like a bunch of bad-asses. I mean they control everything! In trailers you see them walking through doors and ending up in a completely new place. You see them move objects that no man should have the power to move. Yet, the explanation as to why their powers work is because of the hats they wear? It sounds comical. It is comical. What happened here? A big part of the story gets barely any attention? It just didn't add up for me.

Overall, The Adjustment Bureau is a great movie. A philosophical movie, that will get you thinking. It's a fantastic movie, with great acting. But damn, that lack of logic in story kind of brings it down. Not by much though, Adjustment Bureau is a must see.

Rating: 4 out of 5

Coming Soon: The Adjustment Bureau

Coming Soon: The Adjustment Bureau


The affair between a politician and a ballerina is affected by mysterious forces keeping the lovers apart.


Starring: Matt Damon, Emily Blunt, Anthony Mackie, Terrence Stamp

Release Date: March 4th, 2011

Take Me Home Tonight Review

By: Robert Acosta

Cast:
Topher Grace as Matt Franklin
Anna Faris as Wendy Franklin
Teresa Palmer as Tori Frederking
Dan Fogler as Barry Nathan

Plot: The idea of growing up, becoming an adult has become a problem for four people, really trying to find their calling in life.

Review: The 80's. Filled with partying, fun music and indecisiveness. Not sure about that last word, but if you lived in the 80's then you know better than I do. I just thought that the 80's as a whole was much better than it was represented in this movie.

There is a lot wrong with Take Me Home Tonight. I'll be honest, for the 30-45 minutes I just wanted to leave. There was nothing funny about it, nothing interesting about it. I smirked every now and then, a chuckle here and a chuckle there. Nothing I would write home about and nothing i'm going to write here, that's for sure.

It sucks that I had to write that. I enjoy Topher Grace's work, I think he is a very lively, funny actor. It sucks that he had to be a part of a mostly trash movie. He brings as much to the table as he possibly could, but even he seemed to come off as lame and dry. Teresa Palmer has a bright future in Hollywood. She's young, beautiful, and a very good actress. Terribly, she gets sucked into a project that may hurt her credibility.

Dan Fogler is not funny. I want to put that out there. 95% of what he said and did in the film was not funny. And not just to me, but the audience mostly did not respond to him all too much. He may be the biggest problem in the movie as he just tries way too hard to be funny, when I don't think he is naturally funny.

Like most Rom Coms, Take Me Home Tonight is predictable to the bone. I even think that some ideas were recycled from other Rom Coms. You got "the penis game" taken out of 500 Days of Summer and the wardrobe that looks like it came right out of a John Hughes movie. Personally, i'm tired of seeing the same movie played out over and over. All these writers seem to be doing is taking new actors and pinning them with the same script.

The only thing that seemed to work was the chemistry between Topher Grace and Teresa Palmer. It's the only thing that made the movie even the slightest bit watchable. It's a nice one, filled with some "aww" moments and all in all, is fun to watch.

What can I say that I haven't already said? I would do my best to avoid this movie at all costs. Maybe catch it when it hits network television, but even then, there will be more productive things to do with your life.

Rating: 1.5 out of 5

Coming Soon: Rango

Coming Soon: Rango


A chameleon that aspires to be a swashbuckling hero finds himself in a Western town plagued by bandits and is forced to literally play the role in order to protect it.


Starring/Voices: Johnny Depp, Isla Fisher, Abigail Breslin, Bill Nighy, Stephen Root, Ray Winstone, Beth Grant, Ned Beatty, Harry Dean Stanton, Alfred Molina
Release Date: March 4th, 2011

March Movie Madness!!

28 days later and February is gone. Good movie reference? It'll do.

Nothing too eventful came out of February, some good movies came along but with not too much lasting impact. March seeks to change that, and I think it has a good chance of doing so. Let's jump right in:

NOTE: (x) = Limited Release

March 4th

• The Adjustment Bureau
• Rango
• Take Me Home Tonight
• Beastly
• Red State (x)
• Happythankyoumoreplease (x)
• Abel(x)

March 11th

• Battle: Los Angeles
• Jane Eyre
• Red Riding Hood
• Mars Needs Moms
• Kill The Irishman (x)
• Black Death (x- NYC)

March 18th

• Paul
• Limitless
• The Lincoln Lawyer
• Win Win (x)

March 25th

• Sucker Punch
• Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules
• Miral (x) 

Robert Acosta
So this month is looking extra packed, and that excites me. First week includes lots of great movies that we've seen that are just fantastic. This coming Friday, be sure to check out The Adjustment Bureau and Rango. Definitely two strong movies. Beastly looks to be pleading for more of an audience but may not get one. And Take Me Home Tonight is an OK movie that could be skipped, and patiently waited for on DVD.

2nd week brings one hell of an action film, what i'm predicting to be the best action of the year. Premature? Of course, but it looks damn good. Red Riding Hood is shaping up to be a serviceable telling of the classic story, though questions remain. Mars Needs Moms looks like a fan animated movie with a good story to tell, just will it appeal to more than just kids?

The 3rd week features a couple of "dump" movies but it also features a movie with a good potential, and a phenomenal limited release film. Paul has good potential. Simon Pegg and Nick Frost are two hilarious men, especially when paired together. But Seth Rogen throws me off a bit. I believe famous actors with voices that people can recognize should not be featured in any animation role. I personally can't picture the character anymore, all I see is the actor. That takes a lot away from the movie for me. Win Win on the other hand is a movie that has to be seen. Great dramatic, story telling that people can relate to.

Finally, the last week of March brings us Sucker Punch. Lots of insanely hot chicks kicking ass. Got my male point of view out. Now as for the movie, it looks like it could bring a lot of over the top action, not sure how it will fare in other categories such as story, special effects and etc.

Jose Diaz
February departs as fast as it arrived. March is upon us and with it’s arrival brings a rather good selection of movies.

March 4th sees the release of Beastly, Rango, The Adjustment Bureau, and the crappy looking Take Me Home Tonight. The first three being the hits of this week. Rango, which we have already seen, is going to be a hit with kids as much as adults. It is crazy and fun. Beastly being a retelling of Beauty and The Beast but in modern “teen”-age. Looks like it will be a cute little romantic movie. Expect reviews fro Rango and The Adjustment Bureau this week.

March 11th has the great action alien movie Battle: Los Angeles and another retelling of a classic fairy tale Red Riding Hood. Red Riding Hood also is aiming for the teen demographic with a pretty cast. Looks interesting to say the least. We also see the odd movie Mars Needs Moms and Source Code.

March 18th we get a comedy starring an alien with Simon Pegg and Nick Frost who find an alien. Paul looks to give us a decent comedy this month. Lincoln Lawyer and Limitless are coming out this week as well.

March 25th finally sees three good selections that cater to different demographics. Win Win, Diary of a Wimpy Kid part 2, and the awesome looking Sucker Punch.

Coming Soon: Beastly

Coming Soon: Beastly


A modern-day take on the "Beauty and the Beast" tale where a New York teen is transformed into a hideous monster in order to find true love.

Starring: Alex Pettyfer, Vanessa Hudgens, Mary Kate Olsen, Neil Patrick Harris
Release Date: March 4, 2011

The Spot News: Oscar Results

By: Robert Acosta

I saw a headline today that read: "Younger Audience Still Eludes the Oscar's." Which lead me to react with: "No shit, the Oscar's have nothing to do with movies that people have actually seen." Now, maybe that comment is a bit premature cause I know lots of people went to go see The Fighter and Black Swan. But then again, who actually saw The King's Speech or Winter's Bone? And at the same time, the Oscar's tend to have awards that make no sense or value no importance to anyone. Best Sound Mixing? Best Original Song?

Nonetheless, the Oscar's did happen last night. For those who saw, why are you even reading this?! For those who didn't, here is a list of winners and losers:

CATEGORIES LISTED IN BOLD, WINNERS IN BOLD AND ITALICS

BEST PICTURE
127 HOURS
BLACK SWAN
THE FIGHTER
INCEPTION
THE KING'S SPEECH
THE KIDS ARE ALL RIGHT
THE SOCIAL NETWORK
TOY STORY 3
TRUE GRIT
WINTER'S BONE

BEST DIRECTOR
Darren Aronofsky - BLACK SWAN
David Fincher - THE SOCIAL NETWORK
David O. Russell - THE FIGHTER
Joel Coen and Ethan Coen - TRUE GRIT
Tom Hooper - THE KING'S SPEECH

BEST ACTRESS
Natalie Portman, BLACK SWAN
Annette Bening, THE KIDS ARE ALL RIGHT
Michelle Williams - BLUE VALENTINE
Nicole Kidman - THE RABBIT HOLE
Jennifer Lawrence - WINTER'S BONE

BEST ACTOR
Colin Firth - THE KING'S SPEECH
Jesse Eisenberg - THE SOCIAL NETWORK
James Franco - 127 HOURS
Jeff Bridges - TRUE GRIT
Javier Bardem - BIUTIFUL

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Melissa Leo - THE FIGHTER
Hailee Steinfeld - TRUE GRIT
Helena Bonham Carter - THE KING'S SPEECH
Amy Adams - THE FIGHTER
Jacki Weaver - ANIMAL KINGDOM

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Christian Bale - THE FIGHTER
Geoffrey Rush, THE KING'S SPEECH
Jeremy Renner, THE TOWN
John Hawkes - WINTER'S BONE
Mark Ruffalo, THE KIDS ARE ALL RIGHT

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
Danny Boyle and Simon Beaufoy - 127 HOURS
Aaron Sorkin - THE SOCIAL NETWORK
Michael Arndt - TOY STORY 3
Joel Coen and Ethan Coen - TRUE GRIT
Debra Granik and Anne Rosselini - WINTER'S BONE

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
Mike Leigh - ANOTHER YEAR
Scott Silver, Paul Tamasy and Eric Johnson - THE FIGHTER
Christopher Nolan, INCEPTION
Lisa Cholodenko and Stuart Blumberg - THE KIDS ARE ALL RIGHT
David Seidler, THE KING'S SPEECH

BEST ART DIRECTION
ALICE IN WONDERLAND
HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS, PART 1
INCEPTION
THE KING'S SPEECH
TRUE GRIT

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
BLACK SWAN
INCEPTION
THE KING'S SPEECH
THE SOCIAL NETWORK
TRUE GRIT

BEST ANIMATED SHORT
"Day & Night"
"The Gruffalo"
"Let's Pollute"
"The Lost Thing"
"Madagascar, A Journey Diary"

BEST ANIMATED FILM
TOY STORY 3
HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON
THE ILLUSIONIST

BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM
BIUTIFUL
DOGTOOTH
IN A BETTER WORLD
INCENDIES
OUTSIDE THE LAW

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE
HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON
INCEPTION
THE KING'S SPEECH
127 HOURS
THE SOCIAL NETWORKBEST SOUND MIXING
INCEPTION
THE KING'S SPEECH
SALT
THE SOCIAL NETWORK
TRUE GRIT

BEST SOUND EDITING
INCEPTION
TOY STORY 3
TRON: LEGACY
TRUE GRIT
UNSTOPPABLE

BEST MAKEUP
BARNEY'S VERSION
THE WAY BACK
THE WOLFMAN

BEST COSTUME DESIGN
ALICE IN WONDERLAND
I AM LOVE
THE KING'S SPEECH
THE TEMPEST
TRUE GRIT

BEST DOCUMENTARY SHORT

"Killing in the Name"
"Poster Girl"
"Strangers No More"
"Sun Come Up"
"The Warriors of Quigang"

BEST LIVE-ACTION SHORT
"The Confession"
"The Crush"
"God of Love"
"Na Wewe"
"Wish 143"

BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE
EXIT THROUGH THE GIFT SHOP
GASLAND
INSIDE JOB
RESTREPO
WASTE LAND

BEST VISUAL EFFECTS
ALICE IN WONDERLAND
HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS, PART 1
HEREAFTER
INCEPTION
IRON MAN 2

BEST EDITING
BLACK SWAN
THE FIGHTER
THE KING'S SPEECH
127 HOURS
THE SOCIAL NETWORK


BEST ORIGINAL SONG
"Coming Home" - COUNTRY STRONG
"I See The Light" - TANGLED
"If I Rise" - 127 HOURS
"We Belong Together" - TOY STORY 3

Weekend Box Office Numbers February 25th-27th

By: Robert Acosta

It's a sad week when an uninspired family animation movie takes the top spot in the weekend box office. Especially over two movies that got enough promotion to grab people's attention. I mean cmon, have you not seen the constant posters of Hall Pass in the train stations? Or the trailer, lame as it is, for Drive Angry 3D all over the place?

Let's just take a look:

1. Gnomeo & Juliet   $14.2 Million
2. Hall Pass   $13.2 Million
3. Unknown   $12.4 Million
4. Just Go With It   $11.1 Million
5. I Am Number Four   $11 Million
6. Justin Bieber: Never Say Never   $9.2 Million
7. The King's Speech   $7.6 Million
8. Big Momma's House   $7.6 Million
9. Drive Angry   $5.1 Million
10. The Roommate   $2.1 Million

Did you now see what I'm disappointed about? Didn't care for Drive Angry, so I could care less about the "disappointment" in terms of money.

Hall Pass managed to take the runner up spot, while really not sporting a good look with money either.

And finally, after winning the Best Picture award, The King's Speech is still hanging around the top 10.

Next week we won't be disappointed as March's movies begin, and it's going to be a good month. Adjustment Bureau and Rango hit the big screen next week and we at The Movie Spot have already seen them and are reviewing them as you read this. Expect reviews on Wednesday and Thursday.