Ed's Review Dot Com

H2F Entertainment, Mid Atlantic Films, Moving Picture Company (MPC),

Keanu Reeves, Hiroyuki Sanada, Ko Shibasaki, Tadanobu Asano, Min Tanaka, Jin Akanishi, Masayoshi Haneda, Hiroshi Sogabe, Rinko Kikuchi, Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa, Yorick van Wageningen, Tanroh Ishida, Junichi Kajioka

Lord Asano (Min Tanaka) of Ako is out hunting when he finds a half-breed Boy, Kai (Keanu Reeves) who is nearly dead. Instead of killing him, he brings him home and raises him as an outcast. But though life is hard for Kai, when the Shogun arrives, Lord Asano is bewitched and attempts to kill rival Lord Kira (Tadanobu Asano) of a nearby kingdom. Under the orders of the Shogun, Asano is forced to take his own life in order to preserve his honor and keep the kingdom from falling into the hands of Lord Kira. The Samurai of Ako are cast outs, and become Ronin (leaderless ex-samurai) and are disgraced and cast out. But with the help of Kia and 46 of the other Ronin, they bide their time until they are able to attempt the hopeless mission of exacting revenge for the death of Lord Asano.

This movie is based on the legend of the 47 Ronin and is probably based on a number of facts. The actual graves of the 47 Ronin are still there, and a celebration happens every year to celebrate the heroes. Not everyone agrees with the stories or that they are really heroes, but this is based upon the most prevalent legends that have been passed down. When I first heard of this film, I heard that Keanu Reeves plays a Japanese Samurai Warrior and I thought it would ultimately be really stupid. But actually he was very well fit for the part. Used to being outcast and therefore living alone and not speaking much, none of Bill and Ted’s Adventure peeked through in the dialog, and Keanu actually did an excellent job in the lead role. But he was surrounded by excellent actors and actresses and a really interesting story that filled the movie with audio and visual thrills. It’s a very well made film that really pulls you in from the very beginning and all the way through the stunning ending. Immediately after finishing this film, I immediately went to the internet to research the true story because I was so fascinated by the movie. It is hard for us as a westerner to understand the culture of ancient Japan, much of which has been passed on until today. This movie is beautiful in the setting and the views, rich in storyline, full of action and suspense, a half way decent love story, and simply very well done. I was very surprised with how well done this film was, and I can recommend it to anyone interested in some far east culture and a good action tale.

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Emperor Classic Films, Emperor Dragon Movies, Emperor Motion Pictures,

Jackie Chan, Sang-woo Kwon, Xingtong Yao, Laura Weissbecker, Zhang Lanxin, Fan Liao, Oliver Platt, Vincent

Asian Hawk (Jackie Chan) is some kind of ringleader of a gang of treasure hunters, but he’s really focused on recovering 12 bronze statues representing the signs of the Chinese Zodiak animal heads. Globally, there’s a huge market for stolen artwork from many different countries on the black market, but Asian Hawk wants to return them to China where they belong. He travels all over the world tracking down leads and putting the slip on the bad guys as he tries his best to recover them one by one.

This is a Jackie Chan movie from start to finish. Sometimes he’s just not satisfied with the roles he gets in Hollywood and the battles over the stunts that he loves to do, but give the hot shot investors who risk millions on Hollywood Blockbusters and can’t bear the risk of Jackie Chan hurting himself seriously. So Chan is the producer, director, and star in this film. He has lots of help, but his head is in the amazing stunts, and there are dozens and dozens of unreal scenes that match all the stuff he has ever done. The story is a bit weak, but nobody cares in the least about the story in a Jackie Chan movie. It’s a simple enough plot, find the statues and recover them one by one. But he runs across some unusual people and a lot of bad guys who don’t want to give them up. There are so many really highly choreographed fights in this film that it’s unbelievable. This is also a small budget film, made in Hong Kong, and barely available in the US, so you may have to look for this. But it’s certainly worth the effort to track this down to see Jackie Chan at his best with no restrictions. It’s no wonder there have been so many false rumors about his death in Cyberspace. He has hurt himself, sometimes badly, doing these stunts, but he still is a swift and nimble as ever. If you go for the DVD version, there are the usual perks of funny outtakes and failed stunts at the end of the film, but also an interview where he talks about some of the times he has really hurt himself. All in all this was a fun evening of great gymnastic stunts and tricks and choreographed fights that made it really fun to watch.

EdG – EdsReview Dot Com – A Movie Review Blog

Warner Bros., Legendary Pictures, Disruption Entertainment,

Bryan Cranston, Elizabeth Olsen, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Juliette Binoche, Sally Hawkins, Ken Watanabe, David Strathairn, Victor Rasuk, CJ Adams, Patrick Sabongui

Godzilla has been hanging out at the bottom of the ocean since the last battle with humans in 1954 didn’t work out so well. But when people wake up a couple alien monsters, things don’t look good for humanity. But Godzilla is back, working for the humans to take on these horrible aliens that feed on radiation and have their heart set on destroying San Francisco on their way to conquering the planet. This is a brand new 3D tribute remake to the original Godzilla.

As soon as this movie came out, in fact, even a little before, there was lots of hate. Then it turned into everybody I saw loving it. I figured I had to go out and buy a ticket to find out for myself. I think I figured this one out.

First, the CGI segments are spectacular. We have all been waiting for 60 years waiting for the technology to catch up so that we can really see Godzilla. The time has come. Secondly, this story is not about Godzilla. It’s not about aliens wanting to destroy the earth. It’s a statement (in respect to the original) on science gone too far, and the price we have to pay. And though we treated Gozilla badly, he is still willing to help us out. Here’s the rub for some people. There is only a little Godzilla vs. the aliens footage. Many people came to the theater hoping to see two hours of CGI monster battles. But there is a story, perhaps not the strongest story. There are lots of holes and places where you have to suspend belief. But there are real characters here. So those who came to see the epic monster battles go away hating it, but those who can enjoy the spectacle and the spectacular special effects will find it well worth the time. It’s a beautifully filmed movie. I think the same thing has happened before. Those that hated Peal Harbor were looking for a movie with nothing but battle scenes and Kamikaze pilots. They were put off by the love story that they got instead. Basically it’s the same thing here. Those who went looking for dinosaur battles are coming away disappointed. But if you’re looking for more, I think you’ll enjoy this movie. I really enjoyed it, and after the Matthew Broderick disaster in 1998, this movie is a thousand times better.

EdG – EdsReview Dot Com – A Movie Review Blog

DreamWorks SKG, Touchstone Pictures,

Vince Vaughn, Chris Pratt, Cobie Smulders, Britt Robertson, Jack Reynor, Bobby Moynihan

David Wozniak (Vince Vaughn) is a loser. He’s never been able to pull it together. His girlfriend, Emma (Cobie Smulders) tells him she if pregnant, but she’s willing to do it all alone because he just can’t be counted on. But a lawyer approaches him and tells him the 20 years ago he was a sperm donor and he has over 500 children. 142 of them have filed a lawsuit to force the courts to identify their father, even though they signed a paper agreeing that it would be anonymous. The lawyer assures David he will win the case, hands down, but David just can’t help being curious and decides to secretly meet some of these children that are biologically his without divulging his identity.

I really enjoyed Vince in this film. I was a bit surprised that it wasn’t outrageously funny, as I expected it to be. Instead, it was very heartwarming. Vince can play this guy too, who can crack you up one moment, and make you cry the next. I think this character is probably closest to Fred Claus, another film where Vince plays a lovable loser who finds his good side. I was really impressed with his performance here. This is a touching story about failure and redemption, and though it’s probably obvious where it’s going to end up, it’s not the destination, but the journey that is the fun in this film. I recommend it.

EdG – EdsReview Dot Com – A Movie Review Blog

Salt Company International, The, Pimienta, 120dB Films,

Adam Brody, Jean-Claude Van Damme, Rob Huebel, Kristen Schaal, Megan Boone, Eric Edelstein, Dennis Haysbert

When the team from the office is sent to a team building exercise on a deserted island, things go horribly awry. The team breaks into two groups who declare war on each other. Led by a shady survival expert played by Jean-Claude Van Damme, who turns out to be no help at all, the office workers have to find their own methods to survive until help can come.

This is a rather slapstick comedy. It’s reminiscent of the Scream or Naked Gun movies where most of the humor is full of puns and lowbrow humor, but Jean-Claude’s character is a hoot. The big rivalry in the office ends up being magnified many times in the jungle as one team takes the right way, while the other takes the lazy way out. It all falls apart pretty quickly. All the usual ethnic jokes prevail, and the humor is rather juvenile, but I do enjoy these kinds of movies from time to time. This is truly brainless, and a complete waste of time, except for the doggone humor. This is a great diversion, and if you are looking for chuckles, Harold and Kumar style, this is a great movie to lift your spirits. Everything that can go wrong, does, and it’s hysterical.

EdG – EdsReview Dot Com – A Movie Review Blog