Thursday, August 28, 2014

S.W.A.T.: Fire Fight (2011)



Number Rolled: 98
Movie Name/Year: S.W.A.T.: Fire Fight (2011)
Genre: Action & Adventure
Length: 88 minutes
Rating: R
Affiliated Companies: Stage 6 Films, RCR Media Group, Original Film
Executive Producer: Rui Costa Reis, Eliad Josephson, Scott Putman
Director: Benny Boom
Writer: Reed Steiner, Randy Walker, Michael Albanese, Ed Arneson
Actors: Gabriel Macht, Robert Patrick, Carly Pope, Giancarlo Esposito, Kristanna Loken, Matt Bushell, Nicholas Gonzalez, Micah Hauptman, Shannon Kane, Gino Anthony Pesi, Kevin Phillips, Dennis North, Brad Bukauskas, Iris Frank, Tim Holmes, Ricky Wayne, Ele Bardha

Paul is a member of the Los Angeles S.W.A.T. team. In 10 years of service he’s never lost a hostage. When someone needs to be sent to Detroit for hostage-rescue training, there’s no one better for the job. Upon arriving in Detroit, Paul needs to prove himself to the team and gain their respect as he trains them to the best of his ability.

This sequel had the same issues the original S.W.A.T. movie had, and then some. Just like the first, the storyline was somewhat on the dumb and unbelievable side. With that being the only problem, it could have been redeemable. Unfortunately, it wasn’t.

Also like the first movie, S.W.A.T.: Fire Fight felt like it was patched together out of several television episodes instead of a single story. I get that the movies were based off a 1975 series, but that’s no excuse. There are plenty of movies based on TV shows that feel like actual movies, such as: Serenity, The A-Team, Charlie’s Angels, and so many others.

The end result of setting the movie up like a TV show instead of what it is? A mish-mash of bullshit.

S.W.A.T. at least had some seriously awesome acting. Where Gabriel Macht (Suits, The Recruit, The Spirit) and Robert Patrick (True Blood, Terminator 2: Judgment Day, Walk the Line) were pretty damn good in the sequel, it wasn’t enough to overshadow the rest of the crap-cast.

It comes down to one single thought: there are some sequels that are just plain unnecessary.

Rotten Tomatoes Critic Score – None
Rotten Tomatoes Audience Score – 35%

Netflix’s Prediction for Me – 3/5
Trust-the-Dice Score2/5

Movie Trailer: 

Monday, August 25, 2014

Dredd (2012)



Number Rolled: 68
Movie Name/Year: Dredd (2012)
Genre: Sci-Fi & Fantasy
Length: 95 minutes
Rating: R
Affiliated Companies: DNA Films, IM Global, Peach Trees, Reliance Big Pictures, Rena Film
Executive Producer: Stuart Ford, Michael Elson, Deepak Nayar, Adi Shankar
Director: Pete Travis
Writer: John Wagner, Carlos Ezquerra, Alex Garland
Actors: Karl Urban, Jason Cope, Olivia Thirlby, Rakie Ayola, Lena Headey, Tamer Burjaq, Warrick Grier, Wood Harris, Deobia Oparei, Domhnall Gleeson, Joe Vaz, Scott Sparrow, Nicole Bailey, Junior Singo, Luke Tyler, Langley Kirkwood, Edwin Perry, Karl Thaning, Michele Levin,

Mega City One is the backdrop of a chaotic post-apocalyptic reality. Within that chaos, only Judges work to try and enforce some kind of order. When Judge Dredd is forced to see how Prospective-Judge Anderson does in the field, he takes her on a routine homicide call in the slums. Things go wrong very quickly and they meet the villainous Ma-Ma in battle.

I enjoy this movie. I can’t really speak to how well it holds to the comics, but I’ve heard many fans state how happy they were that Karl Urban (Star Trek, Bourne Supremacy, Riddick) never took off the helmet. Apparently, Judge Dredd is always wearing it in the comics. I’ll have to take their word for it.

Dredd was visually incredible. I didn’t really like the way they portrayed the effects of the drug from a first-person stand-point, but I understand why they did it. Keep in mind; it’s not for the faint of heart, though. That kind of attention to the visual aspects paired with the intense amount of gore could be a little more than some people can handle.

My issues with the story are minor and barely worth mentioning.

The acting was outstanding, though I find the character of Ma-Ma significantly annoying and difficult to watch. It has nothing to do with Lena Headey (Game of Thrones, The Purge, 300), it’s the character itself. It makes me want to literally throw tomatoes at the screen.

It’s a good movie, in the long run. Great action and very entertaining.

Rotten Tomatoes Critic Score – 78%
Rotten Tomatoes Audience Score – 72%

Netflix’s Prediction for Me – 4.3/5
Trust-the-Dice Score4/5

Movie Trailer: