Hugo (2011)
I actually just wrote up a more detailed review about this, but keyboard quick keys just fucked me and wiped it all away. :mad::mad:
In short:
Great movie. Loved it. Defied my expectations - Movie took a turn from the story I was expecting it to be (the story of a lonely little kid) to be much, much more. It's magical and a true love story of the cinema - For those of you who love cinema, definitely see this in the theater.
Pros:
The adult casting was superb, right down from the antics of Sacha Baron Cohen (whom I wish would take more of these roles; loved him in Sweeney Todd as well), to Christopher Lee, Ben Kingsly, and Helen McCrory. The direction was incredibly well-done and the sets were truly magical.
Cons:
The kid casting was terrible - Asa Butterfield as Hugo was pale, uninteresting, and clearly forcing lines, while Chloë Grace Moretz really just sucks. I hated her in Kick-ass (with the exception of action scenes) and I hated her here too. She is not a great actress at all. Luckily this movie wasn't about the kids, though. Like I said, much, much more.
Also, not really sure why it needed to be in 3-D. Didn't necessarily take advantage of the technology.
4/5.
...
Attack the Block (2011)
Maybe I had high hopes for this movie because folks on here liked it, but I have to be honest, I was really disappointed.
What truly bothered me was this: Don't slap some sort of sociopolitical statement about slumdog thugs being constantly pigeon-holed and wrongfully fingered by police WHEN THE MOVIE STARTS OUT WITH THE FUCKERS PULLING A KNIFE ON A WOMAN.
I mean - COME ON - You want me to like these kids? You want me to sympathize with them? You want me to cheer them on when they turn from thugs to heroes?! DON'T START THE MOVIE WITH THEM PULLING A HEINOUS CRIME. Honestly, if, say, the alien had attacked her and she fingered the kids instead - THAT would have been a better statement about racial and socioeconomic profiling - But don't try to sell me on it when our anti-heroes start off by mugging a woman AT KNIFEPOINT.
So, really, in short:
I hated our characters. I really did. From the onset I wanted them to get their comeuppance. Not to mention, they're fairly 2-dimensional... Want to make a statement about THUGS NOT BEING THUGS? Well, maybe add some character development in there outside of MUGGING A WOMAN. Seriously. Want to show me that these kids aren't ACTUALLY bad? How about DON'T SHOW ME THEM MUGGING A WOMAN IN THE FIRST SCENE. Fuck your socio-political commentary. Do I understand that people of certain races and socioeconomic standing get pigeonholed and wrongfully fingered by the police? Absolutely! However, if I see a person committing a crime, I WANT THEM PUNISHED FOR IT! There is no punishment here - In fact they're hailed as HEROES even though, ultimately, it's their own hubris that caused the entire fiasco to occur at all (AAAAAAAAAARGH).
The last movie that I was annoyed about hating the main characters was The Horde, but the difference between the two is that The Horde is a significantly better movie, with significantly more tension and action and some truly nail-biting scenes. Attack the Block simply did not have that. Just horrible people who I wanted to see get gobbled by space aliens.
Disappointed.
2.75/5.