Film Review - The Sorcerer's Apprentice (2010)

The Sorcerer's Apprentice is the latest production from veteran producer Jerry Bruckheimer, the story here is that there were three apprentices to the ancient wizard Merlin, Balthazar (Nicolas Cage), Veronica (Monica Bellucci) and Horvath (Alfred Molina), throughout the centuries these three clashed against the evil sorceress Morgana, but in the end, there can be only one that is powerful enough to defeat her for good.

Now some of you might be surprised at the use of "There can be Only One" from the Highlander series, well not so good readers as this movie actually reminded me quite a bit of the first Highlander movie from 1986, I mean you have Nicolas Cage in the Ramirez role, Jay Baruchel (more on him later) in the Connor MacLeod slot, Alfred Molina in the Kurgan role (though he behaves more like General Katana from Highlander 2) and Teresa Palmer filling the Brenda role.

But why am I comparing the two exactly, mainly because this film like that one, had a real spirit and mythology that was interesting and worth following, unfortunately for this film though the potential to become a cult classic like Highlander doesn't quite get there mainly because of Baruchel, it's exactly the same problem I had with Michael Cera in Scott Pilgrim vs. The World, the centre of the film is a whiny little geek who whinges about anything and everything and would rather pine after a girl that in the real world would dismiss him completely then become a man who's destined for something greater, whatever happened to the good old days of movie heroes where the main leads were confident, self assured and willing to grab their task by the horns and do what's right.

I'll tell you where, it disappeared when Tobey Maguire did his little whinging act in the original Spider-Man movies and since those were mega buck box office hits, everyone since has gone "if we make the hero a nerd who's unassured about himself and lacking in self confidence, audiences will relate to him more" well that might have worked with some but not with me, I have really had enough of this and I wish it would stop, it's really hurting these action adventure movies to the point where it's hard to care about anything that's happening on screen.

But despite all that, this movie did have some real promise and it certainly held my interest enough to recommend it, thanks to Cage and Molina who hold their own well and the interesting sorcerer story, the love story and pimply little git that centres this movie, I could have lived without, at least in Highlander both of those elements were made important as well as the mythical stuff.

All right, time to wrap this review up, a promising fantasy movie that sadly doesn't quite feel the Quickening and live up to its full potential, 2 out of 5.

Film Review - Cobra (1986)

Cobra stars Sylvester Stallone as Lt. Marion 'Cobra' Cobretti, a cop who does things his way and annoys his superiors, but when a woman witnesses a murder by a group calling themselves "The New Order", Cobra finds himself in the fight of his life to protect her.

Cobra is in one way trying to do a Dirty Harry type film where not only do you have the violence extravaganza but also the commentary about violence in society as a whole, but this issue is only partially explored as Stallone's script prefers to go for the guns and blow everyone away with reckless abandon, now I did enjoy some of it as well as Andrew Robinson in a small role but the film's last act which I'm certain was inspired by the finale of the first Terminator film really got on my nerves due to its mindless action and lack of caring with the films characters or storyline up to that point.

In short, what could have been an interesting action picture with some good action and interesting villains and story just becomes another action picture that just leaves you bored by the end of it all, apparently this was what Stallone had in mind for the first Beverly Hills Cop film, thankfully Paramount had other ideas, just a 1 and a half out of 5.

Film Review - A Shock to the System (1990)

A Shock to the System stars Michael Caine as Graham Marshall, a marketing executive who is waiting for a big promotion, but when it's stolen from him by a young wheeler dealer type, he plots a sinister scheme to get what we wants.

A Shock to the System is a very funny but also very dark movie, effortlessly anchored by Caine, who captures the black comedy tone perfectly, making him an absolute joy to watch, Caine also narrates the film and it also is fun to listen to, I also enjoyed Elizabeth McGovern as Stella, the young woman who he tutors in "the magic" as well as the rest of the cast but this is easily Caine's movie through and through.

What else can I say really, I found this movie to be a real joy to watch, 3 and a half out of 5.

Film Review - When Harry Met Sally... (1989)

When Harry met Sally stars Billy Crystal as Harry and Meg Ryan as Sally, two people who first meet on a trip to New York sharing the driving together, they meet up throughout the years and become friends but can men and women really be just that?

I hadn't heard much good about this one and I was unconvinced whether it would be any good, but to my surprise I really enjoyed it, mainly because of the script by Nora Ephron and the four main actors, with Ryan surprisingly being the standout, creating a wonderful screen presence while Crystal does his cynical New Yorker attitude with both Bruno Kirby and Carrie Fisher providing adequate backup support.

All in all, a great entertainment, 4 out of 5.

Film Review - Freejack (1992)

Freejack is based off the book "Immortality Inc" and tells the tale of Alex Furlong played by Emilio Estevez who is an F1 driver that ends up dead after a fiery crash in his big race, but instead of being dead he's transported into the year 2009, where his body is worth big bucks, escaping a fire fight, he goes on the run, and the chase commences.

Well, in a better movie it would be an exciting chase with an interesting story behind it, instead this movie feels like a pastiche of Star Wars, Mad Max, The Terminator, Blade Runner and Avatar, the last one being ironic as Avatar was released in the same year this movie's central story takes place, not only that but the action is boring to watch and the story makes no sense, mainly because there's no explanation as to what happened between 1991 and 2009, so as a result you're left stranded in a movie that not only bores you but also leaves you with more questions than answers.

Please skip this one and watch the 5 movies mentioned above, they're much more worth your rental money, 1 out of 5.

Film Review - Rocky Balboa (2006)

Rocky Balboa is the sixth and final entry in the series and this time, his beloved wife Adrian has died and he now runs a restaurant in her name, but his family has split apart as his son doesn't want anything to do with him but when a computer simulation fight between Rocky in his prime and the current champion Mason "The Line" Dixon, it gets his thinking.

After the disaster that was Rocky 5, the series went away and Stallone faced an uphill battle to get this new one made and frankly, he delivers a knockout punch for this series, almost every note here is finely tuned, the direction, the script, the performances, the music, everything in this movie feels like it's from the heart, this isn't just another shallow sequel designed by studio executives wanting to triple their bank accounts but a sincere attempt to close off a popular film series and give the fans their rightful finale.

And hey, it certainly worked for me, as the heart and drive and determination that made the first four Rocky movies works returns here in spades, in fact in the last scene I couldn't help but get a little misty eyed myself.

Yo Adrian, He did it and this deserves nothing more than a 4 and a half out of 5, tied with Rocky II as the best of the series.