Odd Thomas (2013)

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Genre : Mystery / Thriller
Country : USA

Cast :
Anton Yelchin : Odd Thomas
Willem Dafoe : Wyatt Porter
Nico Tortorella : Simon Varner
Addison Timlin : Stormy

Director :
Stephen Sommers

Summary
Small-town fry cook Odd Thomas is an ordinary guy with a paranormal secret: he sees dead people, everywhere. When a creepy stranger shows-up with an entourage of ghostly bodachs - predators who feed on pain and portend mass destruction - Odd knows that his town is in serious trouble. Teaming up with his sweetheart Stormy and the local sheriff , Odd plunges into an epic battle of good vs evil to try to stop a disaster of apocalyptic proportions.

My opinion
“I  may see dead people, but then, by God,  I do something about it .”

I am a big fan of Koontz's books. However, I can't really remember myself reading "Odd Thomas". The fact that I devour a lot of books has something to do with that I guess. The qualities Koontz has and excels in, are the cadence of his stories, the quick storyline which sucks you as it were into the story and haunts you. The masterful dialogues which are built up with short sentences, provided with subtle humor and packed with witty quips, is a feature Koontz uses and which I've always appreciated.

And all of this you'll find in this movie. It's a mixture of crime, thriller and horror (there's one scary moment after which my wife almost jumped against the ceiling). The solving of a crime case by using the supernatural. The fact that there are relatives who are aware of his gift, gives it a different turn than most films. The minimal special effects that were used for the Bodach's, aren't groundbreaking, but they fit perfectly with the whole.

Odd (Anton Yelchin) seemingly is a dead normal boy (despite his unusual name) who has lived all his life in this unsightly small dusty town called Pico Mundo. His name was the result of an error during the registration at the town hall and his name should normally be Todd, claims his mother. His father on the other hand claims that he got that name on purpose because he really was weird already since his childhood. Odd is a master in baking hamburgers and has a sweet-looking girlfriend Stormy (Addison Timlin). So he's actually an ordinary teenager, were it not that Odd also has a gift. He can see deceased people. "I see dead people" immediately comes to your mind. The classic movie quote. This gift has become as obvious to Odd as making sure the burgers are nicely brown fried on both sides. He makes use of this gift to solve certain crimes and at the same time he also gets a little bit of help from police officer Wyatt (Willem Dafoe). Wyatt and Stormy are also the only one who know about his gift. Suddenly Odd sees an awful lot of Bodach's, which feed from the suffering and pain of a future victim, and he realizes that his little town is in big trouble. The whole story then degenerates into an epic battle between good and evil.

Just as Cole Sear in "The Sixth Sense", Odd helps the restless souls of the deceased to the other side by clearing up unresolved issues for them. The way he does that looks a bit more violent and action-packed as in "The Sixth Sense". Yelchin is perfect as Odd and knows how to charm you with his sarcastic humor. Addison Timlin, who recently played in the less successful (to me) comedy "That awkward moment", is a cute appearance who fits perfectly with the absurd character of Odd. She's that type of girlfriend who has the flair to handle a weirdo like Odd and feels that all-encompassing love for him. And also she looks stunning in that pink lingerie ... Together they form an endearing couple who, despite their limited experience, manage to support the complete film. 

"Odd Thomas" is an entertaining film. The special effects aren't exactly overwhelming and groundbreaking, but the film on its own makes you feel as if you're riding a roller coaster. A series of action-packed scenes interspersed with fairly humorous dialogues. Like many other film versions of a book, it will be criticized by fans of the original book. This is what I've read on the internet about it (since I haven't read the book). The film doesn't differ that much from the book, but it goes forward in such a rapid pace that most profundity is lost. Apparently, some interesting side figures who appear in the book, are omitted. And the bond between Odd and Stormy is worked out broader in book form and rather superficial in the film. However, it doesn't matter for those who haven't read the book. The film guarantees a relaxing hour filled with supernatural action, supported by an impressive sound. The end was even for me moving and emotionally portrayed.

Final conclusion: I really should read that book. And for those who like a "Hardy Boys"-like story interwoven with a bit of "Ghost", this movie is highly recommended. Yet there was the predominant feeling as if it was just a pilot episode of a new television series.

Het verdict 8/10
Links : IMDB , Moviemeter 

Drag Me to Hell (2009)

Summary
Christine Brown is a loans officer at a bank but is worried about her lot in life. She's in competition with a competent colleague for an assistant manager position and isn't too sure about her status with a boyfriend. Worried that her boss will think less of her if she shows weakness, she refuses a time extension on a loan to an old woman, Mrs. Ganush, who now faces foreclosure and the loss of her house. In retaliation, the old woman place a curse on her which, she subsequently learns, will result in her being taken to hell in a few days time.

Genre : Horror
Country : USA

Cast :
Alison Lohman  : Christine Brown
Justin Long : Clay Dalton
Lorna Raver : Mevr. Ganush

Director :
Sam Raimi

My opinion

Woehaa, I got a flash back here for a minute. It reminded me of the old days when I used to hire VHS tapes from the local video store with totally unknown, strange, low budget horror movies. Everything you could see in those movies occurs in this flick ... the tilting filming at critical moments (yep also used in "Evil Dead"! The mother of all horror movies for me), the meat maggots, the whirling autumn leaves, the plopping eyes, puking a dead cat, the arm penetrating a mouth.... etc.

Some scenes are just slapstick material: the scene in the car where old Mrs. Ganush loses her false teeth and then lies drooling on the lower jaw of Christine ... magnificent. Death Mrs.Ganush tumbling out of her coffin in such a way that the putrid drool runs over Christine's her face and she starts gagging ... masterful. The fly that causes a terrible nosebleed ... irresistible. 

Yes, I've seen it all before. All these scary moments are used a zillion times before. And the ending was so predictable. But nowadays a real horror/scary movie (small nuance) are sparse. It's always some found footage film and paranormal nonsense. "Drag Me to Hell" is a fresh wind in horror-land and a guarantee for a raunchy evening of shuddering and chuckling.

I really had to laugh when Rham Jas proposes to make an animal sacrifice after which Christine starts protesting in a bewildered way, saying : "I'm a vegetarian ... " Hehehehe priceless.

Conclusion: Every horror enthusiast should see this one. Pure nostalgia.

My rating 8/10

Links : IMDB

Django Unchained (2012)

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Genre : Western/Action
Country : USA

Cast :
Jamie Foxx : Django
Christoph Waltz : Dr. King Schultz
Leonardo DiCaprio : Calvin Candie

Director :
Quitin Tarantino

Summary
Former dentist, Dr. King Schultz, buys the freedom of a slave, Django, and trains him with the intent to make him his deputy bounty hunter. Instead, he is led to the site of Django's wife who is under the hands of Calvin Candie, a ruthless plantation owner.

My opinion

"How do you like the bounty hunting business?
Kill white people and get paid for it? What's not to like?"

Is there actually a genre Tarantino can't take to a higher level? As a true Tarantino fan I knew, even though I'm not a western fan, this film would be enjoyable again. Indeed, it's a superb movie. Non of the 160 minutes were boring or monotonous. Every single aspect was spot on. The music, the actors (main and supporting roles), the interpretation, the action, the dialogues, the excessive bloodshed,  humor ......

 
The beginning already throws you back into the past and equals the famous spaghetti westerns from the past. A bit of Morricone and a small cameo for Clint Eastwood would make it complete. Foxx as Django is sublime. A slave without a future who turns into a sadistic cold-blooded bounty hunter who has no problem to put a white person in place. Waltz is sublime as the German dentist Dr. King Schultz. An eloquent gentleman who lives from payements he get for turning in outlaws, alive or (mostly) dead. And then there's Di Caprio ... In my opinion this is the most successful performance in this movie and one of his best performances up to now.

Something that's certainly necessary in a Tarantino movie is humor. And there was enough humor in "Django Unchained". The KKK scene was so hilarious, I had to watch it a few times. The moment Django could choose what clothes to wear and you see him riding in a bright blue almost medieval suit with white fringes, I got tears in my eyes from laughing.

And secondly, of course there must be hard violence, a lot of blood shedding and cursing in a Tarantino flick. And there was enough of this also. When somebody got shot, it was accompanied by gushing blood and flesh flying around. The final part is an accumulation of these attributes.

This Tarantino movie is a worthy successor to "Reservoir Dogs", "Pulp Fiction" and "From Dusk till Dawn". Hopefully there'll be someday a real Tarantino SF.

My rating 9/10
Links : IMDB

Contraband (2012)

Genre : Action/Thriller
Country : USA

Cast :
Mark Wahlberg : Chris Faraday
Kate Beckinsale : Kate Faraday
Ben Foster : Sebastian Abney
Giovanni Ribisi : Tim Briggs

Director :
Baltasar Kormakur

Summary
Chris Faraday once smuggled illegal items or contraband into the country on freighters. He left that life behind, got married has a family and went legit. But when his brother-in-law got involved with Briggs, a drug dealer and when he blew a deal, Briggs demands restitution which he can't deliver. So Chris offers to find a way to pay him but the he threatens Chris' family if he doesn't deliver. So he gets on a freighter destined for Panama and he sets out to bring back some counterfeit currency. Briggs "goes to see" Chris' family. When Chris learns of this he asks his friend Sebastian to take care of them which he does. He tells Chris that it would be better to bring drugs instead of the cash.

My opinion

Wahlberg at his best. Magnificent crime film with smuggling as main theme. Excellent casted actors including Ribisi. A great role and with a nervous demeanor as always. It always looks as if they pumped his veins full with some kind of synthetic drug.

The basic idea is a bit stolen from "Gone in 60 Seconds", namely an ex-criminal who was on the right path, going back to his old habit to help a family ... Bwah ... I can live with that.
The action scenes are top notch and the atmosphere in the film remains exciting.
Great movie for all I care!

My rating 6/10
Links : IMDB

Dragon Eyes (2012)

Genre : Action/Crime
Country : USA

Cast :
Cung Le : Hong
Peter Weller : Mister V
Jean-Claude Van Damme : Tiano

Director :
John Hyams

Summary
St. Jude Square is a neighborhood living in fear and despair. The dueling gangs of local kingpins Dash and Antuan terrorize the streets and the citizens live without a shred of hope... until mysterious stranger Ryan Hong arrives in town. He begins to play one gang against the other using his unparalleled martial arts skills, and by calling on the teachings of his brilliant mentor Tiano  to find the strength to battle back.

My opinion

I had a lot of fun watching this martial art film. Some clever fight scenes and a simple storyline. But ... I assumed that it would be a JCVD movie, but that was like a huge letdown. He had a minimal roll.
 

And that Chung Le guy is a real blabbermouth. The first 40 minutes I'm sure he didn't speak more then 30 words. Amazing......

Conclusion: nice fight scenes - a flash of JCVD and a taciturn asian fellow ...

My rating 4/10
Links : IMDB

Flight (2012)

Genre : Drama
Country : USA

Cast :
Denzel Washington : Whip Whitaker
Kelly Reilly : Nicole
Don Cheadle : Hugh Lang
John Goodman : Harling Mays

Director :
Robert Zemeckis

Summary
Whip Whitaker is a commuter airline pilot. While on a flight from Orlando to Atlanta something goes wrong and the plane starts to fly erratically. With little choice Whip crashes the plane and saves almost all on board. When he wakes up in the hospital, his friend from the airline union introduces him to a lawyer who tells him there's a chance he could face criminal charges because his blood test reveals that he is intoxicated with alcohol and cocaine. He denies being impaired, so while an investigation is underway, he is told to keep his act together. However, letting go of his addiction is not as easy as it seems...

My opinion

A top, excellent, brilliant, beautiful movie about the struggle of a person who fights against his addiction. The plane crash is actually not the main subject in this film. That's only used to attract people to the theater because it looks so spectacular. In a way it's just for satisfying our tendency to have a peek at disasters. And it gave the SE department the opportunity to flex its muscles. If that's the only thing that excites you, you'll be disappointed about the rest of the movie.

But the strength of this film and the admirable performance of Denzel is the realistic portray of the archetype of an alcoholic. For people who have been in such a stage of their life, there are many points that are so characteristic and recognizable. Others will call it a fake alcoholic or acting a bit pathetic about an addiction.

But Denzel shows what such a person has to endure : the shame, the profligate, the awareness of having a problem, feeling helpless and missing the strength to get over it and to resist the urge. There are a few small things that indicate that Denzel has studied it thoroughly. Such as knowing up to the minute how long he's been sober, the guilty and ashamed feeling at an AA meeting and then leaving with such an air as if that's only for suckers to go there and the hand that comes back into the picture to take that bottle.
At the funeral of a colleague he asks another colleague to lie a little about his problem. That shows how low a person can go when being addicted to something.

The fact he's a pilot and he was able to prevent a plane crashing in such a severe way that there would be more victims, is only a way that leads to the unveiling of his alcohol problem for years. He might as well been driving a tricycle against a lamppost to achieve the same result, but the images wouldn't be so spectacular. And trust me, the end is not as moralizing as I read here and there but shows how someone who can make that click in his life also ensures that his life and environment changes dramatically.

My rating 9/10
Links : IMDB

Live Free or Die Hard (2007)

Genre : Action
Country : USA

Cast :
Bruce Willis : John McClane
Justin Long : Matt Farell
Timothy Olyphant : Thomas Gabriel

Director :
Len Wiseman

Summary
When someone hacks into the computers at the FBI's Cyber Crime Division; the Director decides to round up all the hackers who could have done this. When he's told that because it's the 4th of July most of their agents are not around so they might have trouble getting people to get the hackers. So he instructs them to get local PD'S to take care of it. And one of the cops they ask is John McClane who is tasked with bringing a hacker named Farrell to the FBI. But as soon as he gets there someone starts shooting at them. McClane manages to get them out but they're still being pursued. And it's just when McClane arrives in Washington that the whole system breaks down and chaos ensues.

My opinion

As excited as I was about the first three parts, so deeply disappointed I was about this weak part in the Die Hard saga. The first three films were great because of the tension, the clever action scenes and the cool hard McClane with his snappy one-liners and dry cynical humor.

The latter is still in this film, but the action is soooooooo exaggerated, I could sigh at the sight of it alone.

The first comment I had, and I've also read on IMDB, was that they were blocking all streets in DC except those streets where the chase would happen. That chase ended in a tunnel (admittedly irresistible scenes) and when the lights were turned off by the bad-guys, I couldn't help thinking: Euh , I would at least put on my lights. Nobody did ...

But the most irritating part for me was the one where McClane is driving a truck over a bridge and being chased by a fighter jet. This was so grotesque, so superhero-ish. This belonged in The Avengers or another over the top superhero movie ... but not in Die Hard.

Bruce Willis = Die Hard. But it's really easy to cast him and then put on the movie poster "Die Hard: blablablablabla ...". Success guaranteed.

Timothy Olyphant plays the would-be-bad-guy. An expressionless face. He still needs to go a long way until he's as crazy as the 3 bad-asses from the first three parts.

Justin Long acted very convincing as the youthful computer nerd who was almost wetting his pants with all that violence around him.

My rating 5/10
Links : IMDB