In what is both a simultaneous reboot and a sequel to the beloved Predator, Robert Rodriguez and Nimród Antal looked to breathe new life into the severely failing franchise. In short this was a return to the basics and what the series needed, however I was simply underwhelmed. It was a fun outing that I had with some fellow Predator fans, but honestly I was more entertained with the fake Arnold voice-over trailer for the film. PLOT: To me, so much of the film just screamed “fan boy film”. They say that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery and in that respect this was highly flattering. The drawback here…
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G-S-T Review…Get Him to the Greek
In this loose “follow-up” to Forgetting Sarah Marshall, Get Him to the Greek focuses on wild and eccentric Brit rocker Aldous Snow. Weird thing is, although the movie hints at being a continuation of the prior movie (including a cute TV commercial of “Sarah Marshall’s” newest prime-time show) Jonah Hill doesn’t play the infatuated Aldous/Infant Sorrow fan he did in FSM. Weird I know. However, that minor inconsistency didn’t keep me from enjoying the hell out of this movie. While FSM really surprised me, this was equally as entertaining. As this is, in part, a Judd Apatow film, the story came replete with tons of heart. Further, as expected, the raunchy humor was set…
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G-S-T Review…Robin Hood
In Hollywood circles, there’s been some constant actor director tag teams in the past, Johnny Depp,/Tim Burton, Nic Cage/Jerry Bruckheimer, DeNiro(and DiCaprio)/Scorsese to name a few. But if there’s one team that continues to impress, it’s the one, two punch of Ridley Scott and Russell Crowe. Well those two were at it again, this time to tell the story of Robin Hood. Despite years of saturation from the famous man in green tights, this was a different tale all together that is not the tale you think you’ve seen. But where shall I start? Maybe I’ll take a cue from the movie and start…at the beginning. Now as per a recent trend in Hollywood, prequels…
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G-S-T Review…Iron Man 2
I saw Iron Man 2 this Saturday and it has taken me a few days to collect my thoughts. The reason for the delay is that I didn’t want the glee of seeing this year’s eagerly awaited big comic book behemoth to keep me from giving a fair assessment. Well all that well-intentioned crap aside, I really enjoyed this sequel. Being that it was a follow-up to an equally successful film, this got the green light to go big, and so it did. PREMISE: Billionaire Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.), his identity no longer concealed from the world, faces pressure from the government, the press, and the public and receives tension and backlash…
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G-S-T Review…Kick-Ass
Not being very familiar with Kick-Ass, I was excited because of how the trailers looked and felt, but more importantly, the fact that this is directed by long time Guy Ritchie collaborator, Matthew Vaughn. So, knowing little to nothing about the “source material” I walked into the theater hoping for a ride as sweet as Red Mist‘s Mustang. In short, the movie didn’t live up to the trailers but was still an enjoyable time. PREMISE: Without any super powers to be found (or injected by radio-active insects) Dave Lizewski, after reading a few too many comic books, decides to become a real life superhero. Taking a fair amounts of knocks in his newfound profession…
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G-S-T Review…AVATAR
Walking into the theater to see a movie that was 14 years in the making, one has to ask, “how big is the hype on this?” and further, “how disappointed will I be if this isn’t anything great?” Well the good news is that this film definitely does well by my standards and gets my vote for one of the best movies of the decade. Cameron continues to push the boundaries of existing technology, create his own if what’s available is insufficient to materialize his dreams and finally resets the bar with every effort. I wasn’t a raving fanboy awaiting the “Final Coming of Cameron” but I was still pretty excited to see this.…
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G-S-T Review…Michael Jackson's "This is It"
Hey all, Rob (the resident JP editor) chiming in with a very rare post. Yes, I should contribute more, I know, but Marc writes so well! 😉 Ahem, today though I’d like to give a “mini-review” about Michael Jackson’s “This is It”. I say mini-review, because to tell the truth, I think to do a full GST review would not be fair to this movie due to a variety of reasons. 1. Most people going to see this movie are going to be biased. I mean, come on, it’s Michael Jackson, if you don’t like him, you won’t see it. 2. It’s a pseudo documentary as well, so to review…
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G-S-T Review…Couples Retreat
I went into Couples Retreat wanting to enjoy the allure, the fun and the humor advertised in the trailer. What I got was a disappointment which mirrored the on-screen let down that the characters of this film experienced when arriving at Eden Resort. I usually have a pretty good track record when it comes to judging the outcome of a movie based solely on the trailer. If the trailer seems too good to be true, then the film is probably going to be a let down. I thought for sure with the likes of Bateman, Bell, Vaughn & Favreau (also writing) and an appearance from Jean Reno, this movie would…
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G-S-T Review…Inglourious Basterds
Quentin Tarantino, of such great character films like Pulp Fiction and Kill Bill has completely re-written the Enzo G. Castellari story of the U.S. soldiers in WWII occupied France for his remake of the 1978 cult classic The Inglorious Bastards. Having little to do with the events of the original, QT wove one very well written and directed film that I have to say right off impressed me thoroughly. PREMISE: Brad Pitt leads a team of Jewish American soldiers in France to carry out one simple order: spread fear throughout the Third Reich by ” killin’ Nazis”. Teaming with members of the French resistance, they prepare to execute a secret…
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G-S-T Review…G.I. JOE: The Rise of Cobra
Out of all the animated series that made the 80’s one of the funnest times to be a kid, G.I JOE is the “real American Hero” and thanks to the efforts of Mr.Camp himself (Stephen Sommers) we are treated to a wild, live-action adaptation of Hasbro’s classic and beloved franchise. I think it was a globally understood fact that this film was just going to be a “check your brain at the door” Summer pop-corn flick. That said, along those lines, and aside from definite missteps and problems, I will say that the film still delivered the goods.