I've been busy over the past week with Christmas and catching up with my friends that are home from college. Also during that time, I saw 4 films towards my goal for 2011 films. Instead of giving them separate posts, I figured I would knock them all out in one post and not procrastinate in writing full posts about each of them. Without further ado, here the reviews.
Larry Crowne: Tom Hanks and Julia Roberts reteam in this bland romantic comedy/drama. This is the type of film you have seen a million times before (inspirational story about a guy who is down on his luck, but then he finds something that makes him feel better again) and it doesn't do anything to add any enjoyment to this familiar concept. Hanks and Roberts both do a fine job acting and that's about the only bright spot in this film. The rest is just extremely mediocre. Not terrible, but it's just so mind-numbingly average that it's not worth the watch.
2.5/5 Stars
Columbiana: You would think a great action writer like Luc Besson could do better than this? Despite a promising beginning, Columbiana soon becomes a subpar action flick that doesn't really go anywhere and takes a long time to do it. Zoe Saldana does a pretty good job in the lead. I would like to see her do more action flicks in the future, she definitely has the chops for it. The only thing that really pissed me off about this film was the ending. It could not have a worse ending if they had tried. Besides the solid beginning and awful ending, I am completely indifferent on Columbiana.
2.5/5 Stars
Rise Of The Planet Of The Apes: After watching the two previously mentioned mediocre films, I was delighted that a film that I didn't want to see was actually very good. I didn't enjoy it quite as much as a lot of people did, but it's still a great film. Caesar, the ape, is one of the most compelling characters of 2011. You grow a strong emotional bond with the character throughout the film. Very well done by the writers humanizing an ape and making the audience sympathize for him. I wasn't a big fan of the last 25 minutes or so, but the rest of the film is very well-made so I can't complain too much. Great film and definitely wouldn't mind seeing more of this series. Kudos to Rupert Wyatt for reviving the Planet Of The Apes franchise.
4/5 Stars
Warrior: Holy shit, this was awesome. I didn't even come close to expecting how good this film would be. I am not a fan of UFC or MMA at all, but you don't need to be to enjoy this film. It's more a story about family and redemption, it just happens to involve MMA. It's brilliantly-acted by the entire cast, extremely compelling, deeply emotional, and incredibly entertaining (It's 2-hour plus runtime flys by). It's a shame that this was overlooked by audiences. I beg anyone who reads this to see this film if they haven't already. It's the epitome of a hidden gem film. It packs a serious punch (no pun intended) and is amongst the best films of 2011.
4.5/5 Stars
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