BP Film Review: Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol

(Image from Movieweb.com)

IMDB Plot Summery 
The IMF is shut down when it's implicated in the bombing of the Kremlin, causing Ethan Hunt and his new team to go rogue to clear their organization's name.

Expectations…
It’s kind of a funny thing. I’ve never really thought much of the Mission Impossible movies. I thought they were fun to a degree, but I always felt they were just a little too over-the-top, and just found it tough to take them seriously. But after several years of pretty much every action movie being over-the-top (each one trying desperately to out-top each other) I actually found myself looking forward to revisiting the franchise that, in my opinion, got the ridiculously-exaggerated-action-sequence ball rolling.

Entertainment Value…
Being that the days of expecting action heroes to stay relatively grounded in reality are gone, part of the appeal of the Mission Impossible movies will now mainly be seeing just how “impossible” (hence how visually amazing) the missions will get. As far as entertainment value, Ghost Protocol does not disappoint.

Overall…
Mission Impossible; Ghost Protocol is essentially a live-action animated movie. Everything about this film, from its world-destroying villain to the high tech toys, and elaborate action sequences seem to be taken straight out of a comic book plot (which is not necessarily a bad thing). As mentioned, I’m convinced all expectations for this, and future Mission Impossible films will now revolve around visuals and their overall “thrill ride” experience, which Ghost Protocol has plenty of. It was a nice change to see that a lot more attention is given to the rest of the members of the IMF team (IMF is the agency Super Agent Ethan Hunt works for) allowing for a little more emotional attachment to some of the character (but not much). Needless to say, the plot is pretty unextraordinary, a simple “stop the bad guy from destroying the world”, with a few twists introduced mainly to justify another action sequence. Overall, I would say a ticket buying audience accepting Ghost Protocol for what it is obviously intended to be ( a visual thrill ride), and not expecting much more (a grounded in reality spy thriller) will enjoy a very entertaining and amusing movie going experience.

The Good…
Ghost Protocol is a thrill ride featuring some pretty amazing visuals.

The Not So Good…
The Plot can be hard to follow due to several relatively unexplained twists, and confusing character motivations.

BP Film Review: The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

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IMDB Plot Summery 
Journalist Mikael Blomkvist is aided in his search for a woman who has been missing for forty years by Lisbeth Salander, a young computer hacker.

Expectations…
My Expectations for The Girl with The Dragon Tattoo (Dragon Girl) were pretty high. Director David Fincher has proven himself to be one of Hollywood’s most capable filmmakers, and stands as one of my all time favorite directors. (I’ll still try to be as objective as a can on this review)

Entertainment Value…
Judging the entertainment value of Dragon Girl is tough. Entertainment is pretty subjective. What some find funny, others may find extremely offensive. What some see as bold, and brave filmmaking, others may see as offensive, and disturbing. I doubt that anyone would consider much of the subject matter presented in Dragon Girl as entertaining. Judging the film’s entertainment value on a scale of triggering an emotional response however (some being unpleasant emotions) … then I would have to say the value is pretty high.

Overall…
For fans of filmmaking as an art/craft, I would almost regard Dragon Girl as required viewing. Aspiring filmmakers can learn volumes from virtually ever frame of this film from their composition alone. It also stands as a supreme example of how characters can present who they are by what they do rather than what they say. Anyone expecting this to be another “Kill Bill” type thriller however, will be very disappointed. Dragon Girl is almost entirely a character study of a very disturbed yet brilliant young “lady”. As a movie going experience Dragon Girl is never really boring but can feel very slow to develop. There are several very disturbing scenes, some can even be difficult to watch and emotionally overwhelming. These scenes aren’t so much disturbing by what is visually presented on-screen but rather by the essence of the subject matter.  Being that the film is, for the most part,  a character study the plot structure seems a little irrelevant, and the story is really more just a series of events set up to explore, the main character’s motivations. Overall, I believe Dragon Girl is mostly intended for fans of the novels and fans of cinema, but judging by the size of the audience in the theater I watched it in, not a movie for ticket buyers looking for a loud and exciting holiday season thrill ride.  

The Good…
The Girl with The Dragon Tattoo is unlike any of the movies distributed nation wide this year, and a must see for aspiring filmmakers.

The Not So Good…
It’s not an entertaining film in the traditional sense, some elements are disturbing, and not at all appropriate for a general audience.

BP Film Review: Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows

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IMDB Plot Summery 
Sherlock Holmes and his sidekick Dr. Watson join forces to outwit and bring down their fiercest adversary, Professor Moriarty.

By Christian Salinas
Expectations...
I really enjoyed the first film (or the most recent modern adaptation). Plus, I've always been fascinated by the character of Sherlock Holmes,  so I had some pretty high expectations for Game of Shadows. I can't say I was disappointed, but I wouldn't exactly say this film met all my expectations.

Entertainment Value...
The entertainment value of Game of Shadows is a little tricky to gauge, but it's pretty high if you're a fan of the legend of Sherlock Holmes. Being that it's a modern action adventure, most of the action sequences are fast, loud, but visually exciting. I also found the scenes between the action sequences (or the rest of the movie) just as entertaining. The characters were all interesting in their own individual way, and  I really appreciated the “look” of the entire production, from the grittiness of of 19th century London to the elaborateness of all costume design.

Overall...
Speaking (or writing) as part of a general movie audience, Game of Shadows can feel a little long at times. I'm sure it's part of trying to maintain authenticity, but the characters heavy English accent makes some of the dialog hard to understand, and some of the action sequences are a little too fast, so much so that they can be hard keep up with. There was more than one fight sequence in which I kept asking myself “Didn't they just kill that guy?”. The overall plot can also be tough to follow if you don't pay close attention to everything happening in the film, even the slightest details. Again, I'm sure this is also intentional to maintain authenticity being that the entire movie is based on a character famous for his powers of deduction. In spite of all of that however, I would still recommend this film because, it has a some pretty cool elements lacking from most modern action films such as a great thought-provoking story , very well developed characters, and health balance of action sequences.  Speaking as a fan of literary Sherlock Holmes however, Game of Shadows is a little frustrating. Everyone knows what makes Holmes the world greatest detective is his uncanny power of deduction. It also also well known that his greatest nemesis is Professor James Moriarty. Both the professor and Holmes' deductive reasoning are featured in the film, but nowhere near the levels that they dominate the original stories. The entire plot of the film may revolve around the conflict between Holmes and Moriarty, but with so many twists and turns in the story, it just doesn't “feel” that way.

The Good...
Game of Shadows is a very well made film featuring interesting characters, visually amazing action sequences, and great production design.

The Not So Good...
The movie can feel long at times, some of the dialog is tough to understand, and the plot can be tough to follow.

BP Film Review: The Sitter

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IMDB Plot Summery 
A comedy about a college student on suspension who is coaxed into babysitting the kids next door, though he is fully unprepared for the wild night ahead of him.

Expectations...
I wasn't at all expecting anything substantial from The Sitter. I walked into the theater expecting a thin storyline featuring one ridiculous scenario after another, and I was fine with that. That's what these movies are and any flaws in story and structure can be completely overlooked as long as the movie is genuinely funny. That's what I was expecting; a funny movie that didn't take itself seriously... I was exactly half right.

Entertainment...
Again, everything about this movie is completely dependent on its level of humor, especially its entertainment value. I can't imagine any other reason why anyone would go to see a Jonah Hill movie other than to sit back and crack-up to his now famous brand of foul-mouthed, edgy humor. Unfortunately this film has very little of that, and the amount that is featured just isn't up to what we know to be Jonah Hill's level. Talk show interviews he's done to promote The Sitter were literally much more funny than the film itself.

Overall...
As I mentioned, flaws in the technique or “rules” of filmmaking can be easily overlooked in comedy films as long as we as the audience are just way too busy laughing to even notice them. When you're not distracted by the comedy however, flaws are very, very noticeable. In The Sitter, it's hard to feel sympathy or attachment for any of the main characters because none of them are very likable. The plot is very thin and filled with unbelievable (even by far-out-comedy standards) situations that are not just unrealistic, but most importantly, they just aren't funny. As has been the case with many recent comedies, I just don't understand who the intended audience is. A lot of the “humor” in the film is silly “Home Alone” type gags, but with it's “R” rating, The Sitter is obviously not a family movie, and I don't think the “edgy-adult-humor” featured in the film is at a level that will hold the attention of a teenage/young-adult audience. There are many other shortcomings I could point out, but I just don't see the need to. Overall, the sitter is a comedy that is just not funny.

The Good...
It's an alternative to the only other film with a wide release this weekend; New Year's Eve.

The Not So Good...
Not as funny as you would expect from a Jonah Hill film.