Movie Reviews with halochief996: Fast & Furious 6 and The Hangover Part 3

I think I should start making it a habit to write my blogs during the summer.  I have so much free time, and not as much work.  Anyway biggest thing happened in gaming, the new xbox was announced.  Yes the Xbox One.  I have to say, I'm both excited yet doubtful about this console.  I mean it looks good, and looks like its going to be a great machine, but during that press conference they overemphasized too much on being an entertainment hub, and on top of that, they were very unclear about how used games and always online will work on the new Xbox.  I mean I love Xbox and microsoft, but they need to get their shit together and start answering the questions that matter to gamers like me.  Oh well hopefully they don't talk about this stuff again at E3, which means when I see E3, all I want to see are new games, and how gamers can benefit from buying the new Xbox.  Well enough gaming talk, lets talk movies.

Fast & Furious 6 

The Fast & Furious series has been a very interesting series to me.  Fast cars, hot chicks, and big heists.  I remember watching the first one and enjoying it.  The second was OK.  Ludacris was funny.  The third really went off track, but in a good way.  I like drifting.  The fourth went back to the original characters and was descent.  The fifth though really impressed me.  A really big heist.  All the characters from the previous 3 films including an awesome addition, Dwayne Johnson.  And really nice fast cars.  It was no surprise at the end of the fifth film, that a sixth one was coming.  And honestly after seeing all five films, I was really excited for the sixth film.  I have to say its definitely fast and furious.

Plot: The film takes place after the events of the fifth film.  Brian (Paul Walker) is becoming a father, and Toretto is enjoying his life of retirement from being a criminal.  Then Hobbs (Dwayne Johnson) comes in asking for Toretto's help.  Apparently Letty (Michelle Rodriguez) is alive, and part of a bad crew of professional vehicle-warfare drivers led by Shaw (Luke Evans).  Toretto's mission: bring back Letty to the "family," with the help of his crew (family).  Also help Hobbs catch Shaw.  Its no doubt that all the previous movies led to this point.  What I like is they make references to previous films, so the movie really honors its fanbase, and follows the story.  Even by the end, there is a connection between this film, and Tokyo Drift.  Recommendation watch after the credits.  Its a good story, that is told well.  If you haven't seen the previous films, you may be a little lost.

Genre: Like the previous films, the sixth one is an action film.  And they do not hold back.  From nice luxurious fast cars to tanks and to big planes, there is a lot of cool stunts and action scenes.  There definitely was a big budget for this film because there are so many awesome things that happen in this film.  The driving and racing looks awesome and cool.  From drifting in a crowded London city to dodging traffic while getting chased by a tank.  The fight scenes, well you are in for a treat.  If you know Gina Carano, from Haywire, (she is actually a fighter in real life), she pulls off some nice fight moves.  She is really a badass.  Her catfight with Rodriguez was pretty awesome.  Dwayne Johnson and Vin Diesal also pull of some nice fight moves as well.  The acting is good as well.  All the characters in the sixth film are a little bit more mature than previous films (especially the first 2), but still the acting looks natural.  Basically every actor knows his/her character well that the audience is able to connect with the characters.  To be honest in every fast and furious film, there was never a problem with acting.  And with each new film, the characters grow a lot.  The sixth one doesn't fail in this department.

Overall: I'm starting to fall in love with the Fast & Furious series.  They are solid action films with good morals about family and life.  If you haven't seen the previous films, watching this film may make you confused.  But for the most part if anything its a solid action film.  If you are a fan of the Fast & Furious series then you will definitely like this film.  And I have to say its as good as the fifth film, maybe even a little better.

9.5 out of 10

Hangover Part 3

 

The first Hangover film was hilarious.  It was one of my favorite films of 2009.  The second was basically the first one all over again, only in a different city, and they did even more crazier stuff.  In fact some stuff that you probably want to forget about.  Either way it seems we can't get enough of the wolfpack.  But at least its coming to an end (hopefully).

Plot:  The Hangover: Part 3 takes place after the events of the second film.  Mr. Chow (Ken Jeong) just escaped from prison.  Also Alan's (Zach Galifianakis) dad just died.  Along with that the rest of the wolfpack is planning an intervention for Alan, so that way he can be a "normal" person.  However the plan takes a detour, when Marshall (John Goodman), mentioned in the first film briefly, stops them, kidnaps Doug (Justin Bartha), and demands that the wolfpack bring him Chow, so that he can get the money owed to him.  Basically the story is like "Revenge of the Hangovers."  All the stuff that they did in parts 1 and 2, led them to this situation, and now the wolfpack has to pay for it.  Its a decent story.  I'm glad they didn't just repeat the same formula, and tried to do something new.  However this shift is not the best thing in the world.  I mean basically its not like the previous 2 Hangover movies where the wolfpack gets drunk, does some crazy things, something bad happens, and they have to fix it.  Instead the wolfpack is sober, something bad happens to them (because of all the stuff they did in the previous films), and they basically try to fix it.  Fans of the previous 2 films will probably be upset with the change in formula for this film.

Genre: Its a comedy film like the previous 2 films.  There are some hilarious jokes, and some of the situations that the wolfpack gets in with Chow is hilarious.  I mean I laughed through the entire film.  There were so many funny jokes, scenes, and stunts.  All the actors did a great job.  They all have a great sense of humor and they really stuck to portraying their characters well.  Zach still plays the retarded 40 year old.  Cooper still plays the fun, party-going Phil, and Helms still plays the overprotective, oversensitive, and crazy doctor...I mean dentist lol.  If you want a good laugh this film has plenty of them.  I will warn though, there are some parts that may gross some people out.

Overall:  The Hangover Part 3 is a funny film.  A solid ending to the trilogy.  Its not really a great film, and definitely not the funniest film (especially compared to the first two), but its still funny.  The change in the story formula is great, but its just not a Hangover movie.  Its a "The Revenge of the Hangovers" movie.  If you are fan of the first two, don't go into this film expecting a lot.  Just have a good laugh and then probably forget about this film.

6.8 out of 10 

Asian Star of the Week

Im Soo Yeon 임수연

Dam she is cute.  Her name is pretty funny too (Im Soo Yeon = I'm So Young).  Well I have to admit she looks really young and cute.

Images from redflava.com.  Definitely check out their site if you want to see more pictures.  Thanks for reading!!!! :)

Movie Reviews with halochief996: A Good Day to DIE HARD

Well its been 3 weeks since I made another blog.  Lets just say I've been busy with Dead Space 3



and some other games.  Along with that school work.  I did see movies, just didn't have time to write blog posts of them (also I was a little lazy).  But I'm trying to keep this blog alive, so enough of me talking lets get to it.

A Good Day to DIE HARD

Remember those old action films with Bruce Willis where he kicked ass, killed bad guys, and didn't give a $%!# about what everybody said.  Yes it was the DIE HARD series.  Those were some great films, and some of my favorite action films (all of them 1, 2, 3, and even the PG-13 movie number 4).  They were awesome and enjoyable.  Bruce Willis had hair back in those days (except for number 4).  Anyway when I heard they were going make a 5th Die Hard film, I was super excited.  I was really hyped up for this film.  I couldn't wait to go tell my friends the next day, that I saw Die Hard 5 opening night.  After wasting 11 bucks, and coming home at 2 AM, knowing I am going to wake up the next day at 7 AM, I have to say (as a Die Hard fan) I'm disappointed with number 5.

Plot: The story is a simple mess.  John McClane goes to Russia because he finds out that his son is in a Russian prison.  As he tries to go see his son in a Russian courthouse, an attack occurs.  McClane just happens to be at the wrong place at the wrong time again basically.  However he find out his son is in the CIA.  The 007 from New Jersey.  Anyway there are bad guys that are dealing with Uranium from Chernobyl and selling it to bad people.  Yeah its up to the McClane's to stop them by killing every single bad guy and blowing stuff up.  Now this story would've been good, if it was told properly.  Unlike the previous four films, you may get confused about the story in this film.  Parts of the story are just rushed, and not well told.  Script writing could've been better.  Also characters aren't really fully developed especially the villains.

Genre: Its supposed to be an awesome action film with cursing, violence, and John McClane being a badass.  Here we get a below average action film.  I mean seriously there are not that many good action scenes.  Yeah sure there are a few gun fights and a car scene involving a utility van, Mercedes SUV, and a Armored Truck.  But that's it.  No big brawls.  McClane has a few one liners but mostly his son is taking on the lead role.  I mean in Die Hard 3 and 4, McClane had a sidekick, but they didn't overshadow John McClane.  They had enough of an important role to be there but not take the lead.  McClane shouts out a few funny one liners and does some crazy and funny stuff.  Other than that (as a Die Hard fan), Die Hard 4 had more action this Die Hard.  Now I checked the plot summary, and it says that McClane says his signature cowboy line, Yippee Ki-yay Motha$%&*#@.  However when I watched the movie, I don't remember him saying it.  And I was mad when I left the theater when he didn't say it. When I buy I will check.  But if I find out that McClane didn't say his signature line.  Well somebody is going to get my Yippe Ki Yay.

Overall: This is the most disappointing movie of 2013 for me.  I had high hopes for this one, but in the end it failed.  From the messy unorganized story, to the average action.  This film really is a disappointment to all Die Hard fans.  If you are a Die Hard fan, don't watch this film (or don't pay money to watch this film; torrent it).  If you have never seen any of the Die Hard films.  Watch the first four, and skip number 5.  Because trust me, Die Hards 1-4 are so much better than number 5.  Heck I don't know why they put an R rating on it.  Its really not as violent as its predecessors and there is not as much cussing as its predecessors.

4.5 out of 10


These next films will be short.

A good take on the old fairy tale.  Imaginative and pretty cool.  A little bloody, so don't bring your kids, and the action is a little average.  But it was still entertaining, special effects were cool, and its a good take on the fairy tale.

7 out of 10


After Schwarzenegger, comes Stallone.  This action film is full of violence, and Stallone acting like a tough guy.  Interesting story full of mystery and twists.  Action is not bad.  About the same as The Last Stand (kind of like this one more than The Last Stand) .

7  out of 10

Aliens: Colonial Marines

I know this is a video game, but according to Gearbox and SEGA, this video game is supposed to be a true sequel to the movie Aliens.  Also I really need to rant about this game.  First off as you know I'm a big fan of video games.  In fact this blog series started in a video game website.  Heck I even share my video game experience within this blog.  Now I love the Alien franchise/series.  Those movies are one of the best sci-fi horror films out there.  Aliens is one my favorite out of all the movies because of the COLONIAL MARINES!!!! When I heard Gearbox was making a game based off the franchise, I was excited.  I really had high hopes for this game.  I saw the E3 footage, and I was amazed at what they had done.  It seemed they really put a lot of thought into the game.  See link:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rBIpUEjFFHA

Instead we have a game that is crap. Basically Call of Duty with Aliens.  I mean what the hell happened?  First Die Hard now this.  I mean come on enough of the disappointments for god sake.  I haven't played really deep into the game yet, but so far I'm pretty disappointed.  First off the graphics aren't that great (not like the E3 demo), second the AI is stupid, third the story is confusing so far.  I haven't finished it yet, but I hope it really makes sense in the end.  I don't know what happened, but after seeing this game, I think Gearbox needs to stick with Borderlands 2, or perhaps do something to appease the Alien fans that they disappointed.  Because I'm not paying 40 bucks for the season pass of DLC.  I'll save my money thank you.  I really hope somebody can make a good Aliens game.  I really do.  As a gamer and movie/franchise lover of the Alien series, I want a better a game.  Hopefully next time there will be a good Aliens game.  Hopefully, but after seeing this game, I don't know what the future hold for the Alien franchise.

Asian Star of the Week

Zhang Jing You, 张瀞尤

DAMMMM!  A beautiful and cute girl from China.  She is known as Miss U from China.  Either way she is hot.








Images from RedFlava.com.  Check out their website if you want to see more pictures.  Thank you for reading, and I hope you all had a wonderful Valentine's Day.

Movie Reviews with halochief996: The Last Stand and others

Whats up everybody.  Well school has started, and its back into the grind.  I've been busy working and preparing, but its good to be back in the swing of things.  Got sucked in watching season 4 of the Mentalist



And playing a lot of video games especially from the Steam sale.  Anyway I got some reviews of some movies.  One new and two old.  So lets get to it.

The Last Stand

Well after being the governor of California, Arnold Schwarzenegger is getting back into films.  Trying to reprise his roles as an action hero/badass, even though he is old (like Stallone).  Its a good change of pace, and I support him all the way.  He was awesome in The Expendables 2.  Now he stars in his own action film, and it has a pretty bang.


Plot: Schwarzenegger plays Sheriff Ray Owens.  He lives in a quiet town, and is trying to enjoy his day off.  Meanwhile back in Las Vegas, an evil cartel boss named Gabriel Cortez is being transported to death row, but escapes in a Corvette C6 ZR1.  A very fast car that goes faster than a helicopter.  He is on his way back to Mexico, and the only thing standing in his way is Sheriff Owens' town.  Its up to Sheriff Owens to make a stand and stop Cortez from escaping.  The story is really simple and not really ment to wow people.  Pretty much its there as a backdrop.

Genre: Its an Action film, and I can say there is action, but nothing really amazing.  Compared to most other action films (like Expendables 2), there is nothing really explosive or amazing.  Its fun to see a couple of rookie cops with old fashion weapons take on trained mercenaries with advanced gear.  Plus Arnold is a badass for the most part, but he is getting old.  The weapons were also not handled and portrayed realistically.  So if you know your weapons then you are definitely going to call BS on some of the stuff that is said and done.  Other than that the acting was OK.  I felt the characters were not portrayed well enough.  There are different characters with different personalities, but there is not enough that is done to really bring out the characters and make us feel for them.  Especially Johnny Knoxville's character.  I wished we could see more of him and see his character fully develop.  Because he is pretty funny.  The only thing we can do is just say go kick the bad guys ass.  Oh yeah the cars are awesome.

Overall: Its a shallow action film.  The characters aren't really memorable, but the action for the most part is passable.  I enjoyed the film, but for people who expected more out of this film, you may be disappointed   If you need a good action film with a shallow story and shallow characters, check this film out.

7 out of 10



Gangster Squad

I'll be honest.  I really don't like Sean Penn.  I'm not a fan.  I do enjoy good action police films though.  And Emma Stone is hot.  Anyway when I first saw the trailer for this film, I was pretty excited and interested.  It just had its own style and looked sophisticated.  And its set in the late 1940s and early 1950s.  Reminded me of an interesting video game I played called L.A. Noire.  Like the video game it was impressive.

Plot: So this is based on a true story about a gangster named Mickey Cohen (Sean Penn).  Cohen is about to take over LA, and make it his own city.  The government and LAPD are corrupt and powerless against his occupation.  A elite squad is formed by the LAPD to put a stop to his crimes (Josh Brolin, Ryan Gosling and others).  Its up to them to stop Mickey Cohen's organized crime operations before LA becomes a corrupt city owned by the powerful organized crime bosses.  The story is a take on historical events.  A little bit exaggerated and maybe some truths are not properly presented, but its still interesting.

Genre: Its an action film with some suspense.  Its set during late 1940s/early 1950s, so I can't really say there lots of big explosions.  But there are some cool shootouts with Thompsons, and fist brawls.  There is plenty of action and it keeps the story flowing.  All the characters look and act like they are from the 1940s, and the sets and special effects make the world believable.  Like I said it has its own style and flare.  Even though its based on a true story, there are some parts that I feel didn't happen, but it makes for a good movie, and it would be cool if that happened.  Either way good action, good acting, and good set pieces.  The movie does a good job immersing you in its world.

Overall: Its a well made action film.  Enjoyable and cool to watch.  Although it does exaggerate some of the truth, you get a pretty good idea of what happened for the most part.  A good story with plenty of old fashion action.

8 out of 10



Zero Dark Thirty

I remember that day.  It was a sad day.  And you probably know what day I'm talking.  It was a really sad for America.  Then one day I heard on the news we got the SOB that did it, and I was happy.  He got what he deserved. Revenge never felt good.  So of coarse they are probably going to make a movie about this (I know one day in the next Call of Duty there is going to be a mission like this).  The same person who did The Hurt Locker has wowed me again.

Plot: The story is simple.  The hunt for Osama bin Laden, the man responsible for the 9/11 attacks.  It follows the story of how the CIA tracked him down, all the way up to the attack on his compound.  There is a lot of CIA interrogations.  Deducing who are targets and who is telling the truth.  Think NCIS, CSI, or Criminal Minds only its the CIA and the US government.  Its a good story and the way its presented is great.  Its not very technical of documentary style, its more suspenseful.

Genre: Its an action, thriller documentary.  I mean for the most part everything seems correct and real.  I mean sure there are some things hidden and classified because I highly doubt the CIA or the US government is going to release everything about this operation.  But for the most part we get the idea.  The acting is great and feels real.  Kudos to the actors.  There are some scenes involving torture, so if you don't like those parts, you may want to close your eyes, but like I said everything is pretty real and not BS.  Seriously Kathryn Bigelow and Mark Boal know how to make real true to life military movies.  There are some statements that can make some political people vocal (republicans and democrats alike), but for the most part the movie does a good job focusing on the people who tracked the biggest scumbag in history (up there with Hitler), and how they dealed with the bureaucratic BS in order to track and kill him.  Great authenticity.

Overall: A really good film.  I wish I got to see this during Christmas, but I'm glad they released it again in theaters.  Its a good film, you have to go see it.  It makes you feel good about our country for the most part.  An authentic documentary on how we got the SOB. Kathryn Bigelow and Mark Boal score again.

10 out of 10




Asian Star of the Week

Mai Oshima

Dam a hot girl from Japan.  She is a singer and a model.  She used to be part of the popular Japanese Pop group AKB48.  They were Asian Stars of the Week.  But anyway she is cute.








Images from Redflava.com.  If you want to see more images, check out their website.  Well that's it for this weeks blog.  I hoped you enjoyed.  Until then see you later.