The Heat is mixing up the buddy cop genre by having women taking the spotlight this time around. It does not really revolutionize the genre but it got one key element right that made The Heat a hoot to watch.
Aiming for a promotion, straight-laced and methodical FBI agent Sarah Ashburn (Sandra Bullock) is on a mission to track a ruthless drug lord in Boston. But this mission will not be easy as she is forced to team up with Shannon Mullins (Melissa McCarthy), a well-meaning but brash undercover street cop who puts off a lot of people around her. The duo must find a way to work together despite their contrasting personalities.
There’s nothing groundbreaking with the plot, it’s standard “catch the criminal” story with two clashing personalities forced to work together. We all know that trouble will ensue before the characters bond and eventually friends. The Heat could have been a bore as we already know what to expect but the movie nailed the very important element to make this type of movie work: Casting the right people.
The first few scenes of The Heat struggled to set the tone right. McCarthy was just doing a version of her breakthrough role in Bridesmaids while Bullock felt like she was just phoning it in. But when the two finally got a scene together, it got better and funnier. The chemistry between McCarthy and Bullock is terrific that watching them do just about anything together is pure joy. There are a lot of been-there-done-that jokes and setups but the two actresses make it work.
The movie is Rated R-13 and even without the excessive profane language, the rating is justified as the movie is quite violent. You would be surprised of the amount of blood that you would see here and there were some scenes that may upset squeamish people. Some of those scenes have comedic bent on it while some are of the procedural kind. Unfortunately, there are those scenes that don’t have a purpose but to shock viewers just for the sake of it (watch out for the choking scene which for me was a bit too much). I do like that the case they were working on has real meat on it and not just an excuse to see our heroines in action and do silly fun stuff together.
The Heat undeniably follows a template and there are parts that don’t work or were just too long to make a biting punchline but one thing to the movie’s advantage is that it never loses momentum. If one comedic setup does not work it will be followed by one hilarious moment after another that the aftertaste of weak spots will not linger on. Yes, The Heat is nothing special overall but it’s a movie that will make you laugh ‘til your hearts content.
Rating: 7/10
Cast: Sandra Bullock, Melissa McCarthy
Director: Paul Feig
The Heat is now showing in theaters nationwide!
Discuss the movie at The Heat thread at Pinoyexchange.com/Movies
Thursday, June 27, 2013
Review: The Heat
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Wednesday, June 26, 2013
Review: Monsters University
A prequel to the 2001 hit Monsters, Inc., Monsters University faces
a lot of pressure to live up to its beloved predecessor. While it does
not tell a unique story like the first film, Monsters University still
succeeds in taking the viewers to a fun-filled ride with characters we
all love to root for.
Ever since Mike Wazowski (Billy Crystal) was little, he has always dreamed of becoming a Scarer. Mike knows that the best way to make this dream a reality is to go to the school where the best Scarers come from - Monsters University (MU). But during his first semester at MU, Mike's plans are derailed when he clashes with natural-born scarer James “Sulley” P. Sullivan (John Goodman). Their conflict eventually gets them kicked out of MU's elite Scare Program. But Mike hatches a plan to get back his dream by joining the annual Scare Games where he made a deal with Dean Hardscrabble (Helen Mirren) that if he wins, she will let him back in the program. But it will not be easy for Mike as he is forced to work with a bunch of misfits and, worst of all, rival Sculley to win the competition.
For what is worth, there's a minor continuity error from Monsters, Inc. in Monsters University. The first film had a line that implies that Mike and Sulley first met when they were young and not in college. To be fair, Pixar itself acknowledged it and said that it is something that they have to set aside in favor of the story they mapped out for the prequel Personally, it's not a big deal but somehow it does tell that there's a level of disconnection between the first film and the prequel. It may not be fair but it's unavoidable to compare Monsters University to Monsters, Inc and truth be told this prequel does not really enrich the very imaginative world created in the first film. The story is just not fresh as it is basically a standard story of stereotype clashes and the unlikely friendship that eventually blossoms. It's not really a bad thing as long as the storytelling does not feel tired and Monsters University does not feel tired at all despite a “regular” plot thanks to it brisk pace and lively energy.
The greatest strength of Monsters University is undoubtedly the humor. There are no cheap shots made here as the film wisely maximizes its animated world with terrific sight gags and visual puns. It also utilizes the college setting to set up clever jokes. While the movie is mostly predictably funny, the third act elevates as it somewhat deviates from what is normally expected with this type of story. It's not a groundbreaking twist or anything but I like the message it sends that acknowledging your weakness will not totally hinder you from achieving a dream.
The chemistry of the voice actors certainly help things further as the banters are sharp while the one-liners hits the spot every single time. They maybe in their senior years but Goodman and Crystal could still convincingly portray younger versions of their characters. The animation remains as sophisticated as every Pixar film has although seeing it 3D does not really add anything spectacular.
We could say that Monsters University is an unnecessary prequel but if we look at it as a standalone movie, it's a competent production that delivers at all fronts. Sure, at its core Monsters University is just another campus comedy where we root for the underdogs to prevail but the excellent craftsmanship and witty storytelling is more than enough to make this a pleasurable movie-going experience.
Rating: 8 / 10
Ever since Mike Wazowski (Billy Crystal) was little, he has always dreamed of becoming a Scarer. Mike knows that the best way to make this dream a reality is to go to the school where the best Scarers come from - Monsters University (MU). But during his first semester at MU, Mike's plans are derailed when he clashes with natural-born scarer James “Sulley” P. Sullivan (John Goodman). Their conflict eventually gets them kicked out of MU's elite Scare Program. But Mike hatches a plan to get back his dream by joining the annual Scare Games where he made a deal with Dean Hardscrabble (Helen Mirren) that if he wins, she will let him back in the program. But it will not be easy for Mike as he is forced to work with a bunch of misfits and, worst of all, rival Sculley to win the competition.
For what is worth, there's a minor continuity error from Monsters, Inc. in Monsters University. The first film had a line that implies that Mike and Sulley first met when they were young and not in college. To be fair, Pixar itself acknowledged it and said that it is something that they have to set aside in favor of the story they mapped out for the prequel Personally, it's not a big deal but somehow it does tell that there's a level of disconnection between the first film and the prequel. It may not be fair but it's unavoidable to compare Monsters University to Monsters, Inc and truth be told this prequel does not really enrich the very imaginative world created in the first film. The story is just not fresh as it is basically a standard story of stereotype clashes and the unlikely friendship that eventually blossoms. It's not really a bad thing as long as the storytelling does not feel tired and Monsters University does not feel tired at all despite a “regular” plot thanks to it brisk pace and lively energy.
The greatest strength of Monsters University is undoubtedly the humor. There are no cheap shots made here as the film wisely maximizes its animated world with terrific sight gags and visual puns. It also utilizes the college setting to set up clever jokes. While the movie is mostly predictably funny, the third act elevates as it somewhat deviates from what is normally expected with this type of story. It's not a groundbreaking twist or anything but I like the message it sends that acknowledging your weakness will not totally hinder you from achieving a dream.
The chemistry of the voice actors certainly help things further as the banters are sharp while the one-liners hits the spot every single time. They maybe in their senior years but Goodman and Crystal could still convincingly portray younger versions of their characters. The animation remains as sophisticated as every Pixar film has although seeing it 3D does not really add anything spectacular.
We could say that Monsters University is an unnecessary prequel but if we look at it as a standalone movie, it's a competent production that delivers at all fronts. Sure, at its core Monsters University is just another campus comedy where we root for the underdogs to prevail but the excellent craftsmanship and witty storytelling is more than enough to make this a pleasurable movie-going experience.
Rating: 8 / 10
Labels:
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Monday, June 17, 2013
Hiatus
Hi guys!
Sorry for the lack of updates for the past month. I have been very busy lately. I will update by next week in one swoop so stay tuned :)
Chart Recap will also have a new home soon so watch out for it :)
Thanks,
forg
Sorry for the lack of updates for the past month. I have been very busy lately. I will update by next week in one swoop so stay tuned :)
Chart Recap will also have a new home soon so watch out for it :)
Thanks,
forg
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