wolfclaws22

Before going into this film my professor mentioned it in class and showed a small clip and I was hooked. With only two days of screenings left I went in while reading up on the director. He is a young guy and was given the label of a young up and comer. I didn't hate the film but I also didn't like it much. You have to really look at the good and bad with a film like this.

The film was shot on a RED One. A very expensive digital camera that was used for other indie films like Monster. There seemed to be moments in the film where the director had no idea how the RED One worked with focus issues and color correction just being all wrong. The film just came off as very amateurish even though this is not his first film.

Another issue I had was the amazingly slow beginning. The first thirty minutes is really hard to watch. The camera work is terrible at times as shots are so shaky like the director of photography was having seizures. Plus chasing someone that is running and having the camera bounce all over the place just looks bad.

The ending is also out of no where and leaves a lot to the viewer. It honestly just stops with all of the story unresolved. You expect a loose end in a bad film but nothing was really resolved at all.

But I don't want to bash this film because there is some good though. When the director starts to learn how to use the camera shots look great and the RED One's capabilities are really shown. Also when the actual thriller/mystery portion starts the film is awesome. The pacing becomes great, the characters begin to become more fleshed out, and its fun to see how far the story goes.

I can't really recommend this film since the bad just over shadows the few good moments. It may be harsh to say but if a film like this gets so much buzz from SxSW then I feel like anyone can get in. If you want a solid modern noir then watch Brick, Give 'em Hell Malone, or ever Assassination of A High School President. This one doesn't just miss the mark, it also hits someone in the audience.

Never Back Down was maybe the surprise movie of 08 for me. I went into it not exactly expecting much from it. Now to get it out of the way it is basically Karate Kid with a fresh coat of paint on it. But what made me enjoy it was the focus on MMA and how well its transitioned. Also unlike Karate Kid the hero in this case actually seems to be able to hold his own in fight. There was no way Daniel-San should have beat a legit black belt and he should have actually left in a body bag...at least a stretcher. any way onto the Goods.

I love MMA and they paid so much attention on showing the moves and techniques correctly. The story may not have been strong but there are plenty of fights that tell a story without any words being said at all. Especially the end fights which many seem to be overlooked by many. Pacing was just great as there are buildups that make sense. No big fights immediately but a great payoff. The acting by all the leads (Hounsou, Faris and Gigandet) were great and played their characters well.

The bad...the soundtrack, very generic mainstream stuff (Green Day, Gym Class Heroes, and Travis Barker mixes). The script could of used some work although I did love the line "that old school boxing **** doesn't cut it anymore...ya gotta mix it up." A line that speaks volumes. The camera work seems to be amateur at times. Very odd zooms at pan shots and all the acting by supporting cast was just hit or miss mostly on the miss side.

Overall it was a good flick. Lots of fun and although it wont make you run out and join a MMA team it does accomplish its goal of being a flick you can enjoy. Its finally getting looped on TV so if its on i highly recommend it.

Wanted in short was really good, for a comic book movie it was good anyway. Some cheesy parts but the lead played by McAvoy was great. You can tell a lot of effort was put into development of his character. His acting was easily the best, Jolie has acting skills for sure but it wasn't seen in this film. Freeman as always does well but seems he dialed it in with this one. i have read the graphic novel and the ending is fine because it was similar to the book. The middle isn't like the book at all but don't let that put you off it was still good. It is just so weird how only 20% was from the book but thats Hollywood for you right. The comedy was good an the script was decent an its 2hrs so you get your moneys worth. The action is the drawing point but honestly it was bittersweet. Yes it was bloody an fun but it came with some problems here and there. I say this now the opening action scene took me out of the movie an will confuse some people for the rest of the film. Also there were points were it was unrealistic. yes its a comic book movie an yes its over the top at times but seriously there are scenes where it just doesn't fit at all. Pacing was OK but should have taken a bit of more focus, the last twenty minutes were good an the big final shootout is really fun and a spin on what you have already seen. overall its fun and even with some gripes here and there there is a lot to be enjoyed.