Kingsman: The Secret Service (2014)

Kingsman: The Secret Service (2014)

7/10

Starring

Colin Firth

Samuel L. Jackson

Mark Strong

Taron Egerton

Michael Caine

Directed by Matthew Vaughn

Spending time watching Kingsman: The Secret Service might seem like a colossal mistake to some because many scenes feel off, and the whole James Bond rip-off vibe can be a turnoff. But Kingsman is totally fun to watch—you have to see it.

The movie has a way of taking the normal and making it high-tech and funny at the same time.

The movie keeps you guessing about the villain’s motives. We know he’s the bad guy, but what the hell is he up to? The movie’s intense violence (especially the church scene) is captivating. Some might see it as filler, but to me, the violence was fun to watch, and the choreographed fights were memorable.

Based on The Secret Service by Mark Millar and Dave Gibbons, first published in 2012, the movie introduces our leads as they try to foil a Middle East attack. A death leads to the introduction of Eggsy and Harry Hart (Colin Firth), who, along with a few others, must prove themselves worthy to join the Kingsman Secret Service. Kingsman is an independent secret service organization free from government control or political ambition.

A professor named James Arnold is kidnapped by billionaire Richmond Valentine (Samuel L. Jackson). In an attempt to save him, one of Hart’s comrades, "Lancelot," is killed by Valentine’s henchwoman, Gazelle.

The Kingsman group now investigates Valentine’s plans, while around the world, many prominent people and celebrities go missing. Valentine takes his plot further by releasing a SIM card that gives users free internet and calls.

The Kingsman must find a way to stop Valentine while dealing with a mole in their organization. 

The movie is fun and stylish, but it leans so much on exaggerated action and humor that the stakes don’t always feel real. The villain’s plan also takes too long to fully unfold, dragging out certain parts of the movie.

Spoiler Alert:
Colin Firth’s death in the movie is painful and shocking. It adds to the fun, but when you watch a movie like this, hoping for a sequel or even a trilogy, the death of one of the main actors—and the coolest guy in the film—makes you wish the writers had thought ahead.

But if there’s going to be a part two and they find a way to bring him back to life, it’s forgivable, no matter how crazy or silly it might be.

If you haven’t seen this financial success and one of the best movies of last year, please stop reading this and go watch it.

The way the movie has been accepted, is probably going to lead to it becoming a franchise, and I expect to see sequels soon.

Scarface (1983)

Scarface (1983)

7/10

Starring

Al Pacino

Steven Bauer

Michelle Pfeiffer

Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio

Directed by Brian De Palma

Here’s a movie that sets the mood for gangster films to follow. It’s based on the 1932 version of the same name, which was itself based on a 1929 novel by Armitage Trail.

Director Brian De Palma (The Untouchables (1987) and Mission: Impossible (1996)) took a screenplay by Oliver Stone (Platoon (1986)) and created a masterpiece filled with characters that will stick in your mind for years to come. Together, the director and writer delivered a film that set the trend for others to follow. Running close to three hours, the movie doesn’t waste time filling spaces with clichés. Instead, it features short monologues by the loveable bad guy Tony Montana (Al Pacino) to further explore his mental state—and trust me, you’ll love his lines.

On its initial release, the movie was met with mixed reactions, largely due to its excessive violence and frequent cursing (the word "FUCK" was used 226 times), which I must agree is very excessive. Also, the pacing is a bit of a struggle though, especially with its nearly three-hour runtime.

The movie has a way of showing you the level of disconnect between Tony and the real world without diving deep into making you feel sorry for him.

The plot follows Cuban refugee Tony Montana, who arrives in Miami and is sent to a refugee camp with his best friend, Manny. From there, Tony takes on a job that gets both of them out of the camp and into the streets, working for a small-time drug lord named Frank. Tony, wanting control and the lavish life he’s always dreamed of, breaks away from Frank and starts his own operation. This doesn’t sit well with Frank, who tries to take Tony out—a mistake that leads to Tony taking full control of the drug business Frank once ran, elevating it to heights Frank never imagined.

All this, plus taking Frank’s girl as his wife, doesn’t make Tony’s rise to the top smooth. His need for control and his over-possessive love for his sister ultimately lead to his downfall.

Scarface features some incredible acting, especially from Al Pacino, but honestly, all the actors deliver memorable performances. While Tony Montana’s rise is interesting, the film sometimes oversimplifies his character development in favor of spectacle.

Scarface is now a classic. The American Film Institute ranks it as the tenth-best gangster film of all time. Tony Montana’s iconic line, "Say hello to my little friend!" landed 61st place on AFI’s 100 Years... 100 Movie Quotes list, and Tony himself was nominated as a villain on AFI’s list of 100 Heroes & Villains.

This is a classic movie you should definitely have in your archive.

She’s All That (1999)

She’s All That (1999)

7/10

Starring

Freddie Prinze, Jr.

Rachael Leigh Cook

Matthew Lillard

Paul Walker

Directed by Robert Iscove

There’s no way you could have survived the 90s without seeing She’s All That. The movie is, in its own right, the classic teen movie of the 90s. After She’s All That, every other teen movie tried to be just like it, but they never quite got there—not even 10 Things I Hate About You (1999) with Julia Stiles and the late Heath Ledger wished it could be this good.

So, what does She’s All That boast of?

A charming cast. The cast of the movie is what made it the hit it was in the 90s. The reality, though, is that the movie’s high level of predictability takes away some of the fun of surprise.

She’s All That is about prom. The most popular boy in school, Zach (Freddie Prinze Jr.), and the most popular girl, Taylor (Jodi Lyn O’Keefe), are sure to come out as prom king and queen this year—if everything goes as planned. To top it off, they’re dating.

The movie kicks off with a shake-up: Taylor dumps Zach for a reality TV star, and Zach makes a bet with his friend that he can take any girl in school and turn her into the prom queen, defeating Taylor.

The girl selected for his experiment is Laney (Rachael Leigh Cook). The bet goes well at first, but things get complicated when Zach falls for Laney and finds it harder to keep lying to her.

Enough about the plot—the cast, for me, carried the movie and took it to the next level. This is where I was introduced to future stars like Freddie Prinze Jr., Dulé Hill, the late Paul Walker, Rachael Leigh Cook, and Gabrielle Union.

The directing, though, can be criticized for being too plain, simple, and predictable to the core. That said, if the director or writers had changed the way the movie went, I wonder if it would still have come out as the 90s classic it is today.

Spoiler Alert
The first time I watched it, I thought Laney would win prom queen, but the writers decided to throw a monkey wrench into the works by adding a twist right at the end.

In the end, I really enjoyed revisiting this movie—it’s a feel-good film to the bone.

Keep an eye out for Takbir Bashir, an underground rapper from Styles of Beyond, rapping a She’s All That song in the middle of the movie. Also, look out for Sarah Michelle Gellar, who plays a girl in the cafeteria whom Laney’s brother, Simon (Kieran Culkin), offers pepper to.

I’ll definitely be keeping a copy of this movie in my archive.

The Parent Trap (1998)

The Parent Trap (1998)

7/10

Starring

Lindsay Lohan

Dennis Quaid

Natasha Richardson

Directed by Nancy Meyers

The Parent Trap is a joyful film and one of my guilty pleasures, thanks to the cuteness of Lindsay Lohan in the movie. Her presence in this film is felt throughout, as she owned every scene she was in. Lindsay Lohan was the soul of the movie, and this performance, along with her role in Freaky Friday (2003), remains her best and most memorable.

Her portrayal of two different characters is something to be celebrated. I recall seeing this movie way back in 1998 and thinking, at the time, that I was watching two different people—all because Lindsay Lohan was just that amazing. That said, she’s no Hayley Mills, who did the same thing in the 1961 version. Mills, in her portrayal of dual roles, set a standard and placed the bar way too high for even Lohan’s incredible performance to reach.

The movie is all fun, with references made in songs and dialogue to the 1961 Disney original. The late Natasha Richardson was fantastic in this movie as the girls’ mother, and I’ll always look back at this film in remembrance of her. This 1998 rom-com was directed by Nancy Meyers, who also produced and wrote one of my favorite comedies, Father of the Bride (1991), and its sequel in 1995.

The movie follows the story of a couple, Nick (Dennis Quaid) and Elizabeth (Natasha Richardson), who decide to divorce after having twin girls. Their arrangement is that each parent will keep one girl as they go their separate ways—Nick to California, USA, and Elizabeth to London, England.

Ironically, and unknown to both parents, they send their daughters to the same all-girls camp, where the girls, Annie and Hallie (both played by Lindsay Lohan), meet. The girls spend enough time together to discover that they’re sisters and decide to switch places, doing everything they can to get their family back together.

Shot in both London and San Francisco with a budget of $15.5 million, the movie was a financial success, earning over $92 million at the box office. The film won Lohan a Young Artist Award for Best Performance in a Feature Film. The movie is a fun and charming, but it’s not without its flaws. The plot is pretty predictable, and sometimes the humor feels a bit forced, leaning more on Lindsay Lohan’s charisma than actual depth. The pacing can drag at times, and the character development feels shallow, especially when compared to the original.

Here’s a fun fact: Joanna Barnes, who plays Meredith Blake’s mother, also played the role of Vicki Robinson—the Meredith of the 1961 original. The movie also makes references to 101 Dalmatians (1961 animation), calling Meredith “Cruella de Vil.”

This is the second Walt Disney adaptation of Erich Kästner’s German novel Lottie and Lisa (Das doppelte Lottchen). The movie is very similar to its predecessor, but the actors found a way to make it their own. This version is more than 80% similar to the original, whose screenplay was written by David Swift.

This is a movie to see and enjoy with your family.

The Fox and The Hound (1981)

The Fox and The Hound (1981)

7/10

Starring the voice of

Mickey Rooney

Kurt Russell

Jack Albertson

Pearl Bailey

Sandy Duncan

Directed by Ted Berman, Richard Rich and Art Stevens

The animation The Fox and the Hound drifts away from the usual "they lived happily ever after" tune we’re used to in Disney movies before it. Not only did the movie stray from the happily-ever-after theme, but it also introduced a more mature story. We get to see how two individuals struggle to remain friends, even though society and their natural instincts work against it.

There was a time when Disney was not hooked on getting everyone to like them, they were more interested in making animations that were different and pushed the mind, this was one of them.

When I first saw this movie, I was expecting the fox and the hound to have a grand reunion at the end. But, like Bambi, who met a girl and left everything else behind, so did the fox. On the other hand, the movie also showed something even we adults can learn from. When a friend-turned-enemy turns their back on your friendship, you don’t have to do the same. The fox’s choice not to repay evil with evil was almost Christ-like in nature.

At the time of its release, this 24th film in the Walt Disney Animated Classics series was the most expensive animated film produced to date, costing $12 million. It went on to make over $63 million at the box office.

The Fox and the Hound is based on a novel of the same name by Daniel P. Mannix, published in 1967. The movie tells the story of two unlikely friends: a red fox named Tod (who was found by and lives with an old lady, Widow Tweed) and a hound dog named Copper, who belongs to Widow Tweed’s neighbor.

As pups, Tod and Copper’s friendship was innocent and enjoyable for both. But as they grew, Copper was trained to hunt game, while Tod still hoped their friendship meant more to Copper than his master’s choice to use him as a hunting dog.

Things changed for both when Copper’s mentor, a dog named Chief, got hurt while chasing Tod. Now hell-bent on getting revenge for his mentor’s injury, Copper and his master began plotting to catch and skin Tod.

While The Fox and the Hound takes a mature approach to friendship and loyalty, it has its flaws. The pacing drags at times, and Copper’s shift from friend to enemy feels rushed and underdeveloped. The bold themes are compelling, but they might not resonate as strongly with younger audiences.

With a production time spanning over four years, the movie saw the departure of some of Disney’s animators and the introduction of new ones. The Nine Old Men began the production, which newer, younger animators finished.

The movie had a sequel released 15 years later, which was a direct-to-video production.

Blade Runner (1982)

Blade Runner (1982)

6/10

Starring

Harrison Ford

Rutger Hauer

Sean Young

Edward James Olmos

Directed by Ridley Scott

Finally, I took the time to see the cult classic Blade Runner, which was set four years from now—2019. The movie is as captivating in its visual adaptation of the future as critics said it would be. The fun I had watching this movie isn’t in the expected action you’d anticipate from a manhunt, but in the complex story and screenplay, which keeps you guessing about the direction the movie will take.

Blade Runner is a dystopian science fiction film directed by Ridley Scott. His directing style might come off as slow-paced in this modified adaptation of the 1968 novel Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? by Philip K. Dick. The screenplay adaptation was done by Hampton Fancher and David Peoples.

The movie is set in Los Angeles in November 2019, where genetically engineered replicants—adult humans identical to real humans—are manufactured to be used in places outside Earth. Replicants are banned from visiting Earth, and those who defy this ban are hunted down and "retired," which is a nice way of saying killed. Special police operatives known as "Blade Runners" carry out the hunting and retiring of these replicants.

In the movie, four replicants of the Nexus-6 models have escaped from the Tyrell Corporation and made their way back to Earth. A retired Blade Runner named Rick Deckard (Harrison Ford) is called back into service to hunt down these four replicants. They are violent, dangerous, and willing to do whatever it takes to achieve their goals.

The fun of the movie lies in its twists and turns, which Scott delivers without losing the audience as the story unfolds. One of the main reasons to watch Blade Runner is the special effects, which were groundbreaking for 1982, a time when today’s digital technology didn’t exist. The movie used matte paintings, models, and innovative camera techniques like multipass exposures to create its stunning visuals.

When it comes to acting, Harrison Ford’s performance is wonderful, as are the performances of the supporting cast. The movie won the Hugo Award for Best Dramatic Presentation, three BAFTA awards (Best Cinematography, Best Costume Design, and Best Production Design/Art Direction), and an Academy Award for its visual effects.

Upon its initial release, the movie performed poorly at the box office and was initially panned by critics. However, over time, it has become an all-time classic.

If you haven’t seen this movie or are trying to recall the wonderful cinematic experience you had watching it back then, I highly recommend grabbing the DVD.

Batman vs Robin (2015)

Batman vs Robin (2015)

6/10

Starring the voice of

Jason O'Mara

Stuart Allan

Sean Maher

Jeremy Sisto

Directed by Jay Oliva

To be honest, the idea that Batman could have been Owlman if things had turned out differently fascinates me. I watched this movie not expecting much from the Damian and Bruce (father and son) dynamic, but it turned out to be fantastic. The screenplay and animation were on point, and the voice acting as you would expect was impressive.

Batman vs. Robin is a 2015 direct-to-video superhero animated film, based partially on the Batman: The Court of Owls story arc written by Scott Snyder. This movie serves as a sequel to 2014’s Son of Batman, where we were introduced to Damian, the son of Bruce Wayne and Talia al Ghul. The comic book story cuts across various issues and was the first major crossover event in The New 52, published across the Batman family titles.

In the movie, the whole story was merged into one, where we see Batman, Nightwing, and Robin (Damian) take on The Court of Owls. For me, the idea that Batman and Nightwing could take Damian in a fight but then couldn’t stand up to the Court of Owls’ top assassin and leader of the Talons was a bit annoying. I felt they downplayed the strengths of Dick and Bruce to make Damian the one to stop the Court of Owls’ top assassin. Plus, I also felt the animation's pacing slowed down in some areas that did not add to the needed fun.

The movie’s story starts with Bruce and Damian not getting along, as Damian wants to be treated as an equal and allowed to make his own decisions. His rebellious attitude leads him down a path where he’s noticed by the Court of Owls’ top assassin, who wants to recruit Damian as his apprentice. The Court of Owls also tries to recruit Bruce Wayne (as Bruce, not Batman), but his rejection of their invitation leads them to decide to take him out. Meanwhile, Batman has been investigating the Court of Owls, and he, Dick Grayson (Nightwing), and Damian Wayne (Robin) decide to take them down.

Spoiler Alert
The movie has its twists too. I enjoyed the surprise of finding out that the woman with the Court of Owls’ top assassin was also the head of the group. Damian’s actions also kept me guessing—I was wondering if he knew what he was doing. At first, I thought he was setting up the Court of Owls’ top assassin and infiltrating the group, only to be surprised when I realized he was actually sold on their ideas and considering joining them.

What a great Batman movie this is—definitely one for the collection. It’s worth watching again when I find the time.