‘The Punisher’ Download and Reviews

December 27, 2009 by Paul Wall  
Filed under Action, Crime, Drama

“The Punisher” Movie Details

The Punisher tagline: This Is Not Revenge. It’s Punishment!
The Punisher - DVD Cover

The Punisher DVD Cover

Actors:
  • Marcus Johns
  • Will Patton
    John Travolta
    Rebecca Romijn
    Roy Scheider
    A. Russell Andrews Jimmy Weeks
    Omar Avila Joe Toro
    James Carpinello Bobby Saint/John Saint
    Mark Collie Harry Heck
    Russ Comegys Tattooed Mike
    Antoni Corone T.J.
    Rick Elmhurst Bay News 9 Newscaster
    Laura Harring Livia Saint
    Ben Foster Spacker Dave
    Michael Reardon Toro Croupier
    Will Hasenzahl EMT
    Thomas Jane Frank Castle
    Eddie Jemison Micky Duka
    Marco St. John Police Chief Morris
    Will Castle
    Directors: Jonathan Hensleigh IMDB Rating: 6.4/10 out of 47,375 votes

    “The Punisher” Movie Review

    “The Punisher” Plot Summary

    After his wife and family are killed, G-Man Frank Castle takes it upon himself to distribute punishment to those responsible for the vendetta.

    GREAT MOVIE! vigilante-style justice done right

    ‘The Punisher’ is a shining example of revenge and vigilante-style justice done right. It’s also yet another comic book adaptation done properly. I thought this movie was one of the best I have seen in a long time. In the compendium of comic movies, this falls just shy of the two X-Men movies and Spider-Man but easily surpasses Batman, Batman Begins, Superman and The Hulk. The fact that it is an R-rated movie will kill any possible chance of decent box-office numbers, but it was a necessary step to take, and the quality of the movie just makes up for it. Hopefully this was Thomas Jane’s breakout role, as he was outstanding and has the potential to be a contender to Ben Affleck, Hugh Jackman, Colin Farrell, and Matt Damon as the next big action star. If you like action movies, check out this movie. If you like comic book adaptations, check out this movie. Heck, if you just like movies in general, The Punisher is two hours well-spent. Like Thomas Jane himself says, ‘Frank Castle is dead. Long live The Punisher.’

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    ‘Ghost Rider’ Download and Reviews

    November 12, 2009 by Paul Wall  
    Filed under Action, Fantasy, Horror

    “Ghost Rider” Movie Details

    Ghost Rider tagline: Long ago he made a deal to save someone he loved.
    Ghost Rider - DVD Cover

    Ghost Rider DVD Cover

    Actors:
    Matt Long Young Johnny Blaze
    Raquel Alessi Young Roxanne Simpson
    Brett Cullen Barton Blaze
    Peter Fonda Mephistopheles
    Nicolas Cage Johnny Blaze/Ghost Rider
    Donal Logue Mack
    Tony Ghosthawk Team Blaze #1
    Hugh Sexton Team Blaze #1
    Marcus Jones Blaze Team #3
    Matt Norman Team Blaze #4
    Lawrence Cameron Steele X Games Announcer
    Wes Bentley Blackheart
    Eddie Baroo Motorcycle Gang Member
    Jessica Napier Broken Spoke Waitress
    Laurence Breuls Gressil
    Directors: Mark Steven Johnson
    IMDB Rating: 5.2/10 out of 59,378 votes

    “Ghost Rider” Movie Review

    “Ghost Rider” Plot Summary

    Based on the Marvel character, stunt motorcyclist Johnny Blaze gives up his soul to become a hellblazing vigilante, to fight against power hungry Blackheart, the son of the devil himself.

    More than good enough to see – ignore the bad reviews

    Sometimes, I think critics and such miss the point of a comic book movie. A comic book movie is not about romance, or exploration of self or moral sermons or parodies of real life. Comic books are about imagination and they move fast while taking some things for granted to let you work out on your own. A comic book movie should be similar in my opinion. To me, Spiderman is the best comic book movie of all so I will compare to that a lot. The Dolph Lundgren Punisher (not to be confused with the more recent far superior Thomas Jane Punisher) was one of the worst

    What makes them different? In Spiderman, things happened and people just accepted them and it moved to the next frame. Some wonder but not a lot of long speeches and introspection. Oh, you can shoot webs and stick to buildings, cool. In the DL Punisher, everything had to be discussed and thought out and the motivations pointed out, etc. Leave aside that DL’s acting was bad and the other factors, it made for a boring slow story that even the critics hated. Spiderman snapped because it kept moving, made it points and left some things for people to just imagine or figure out on their own. Spend several scenes on making up believe that Uncle Ben loved Peter or just have Peter say it and assume we will take it at face value. You go with making the statement and keeping the movie moving. That is what a comic book would do. They would not spend an issue trying to develop a issue or emotion usually, just say it and then let it be motivation for the real story

    Well, that is a lot of how Ghost Rider (GR) is. Critics complain because too much is just assumed. Johnny Blaze gets bad news about his father yet barely reacts other than going to work on his bike. Johnny makes a deal with the devil and his dad is miraculously healed only to have an accident. It all happens quickly and is more of a matter of fact type situation without prolonged examination about the emotions. That is what it should be! A comic book would keep moving and so should (and does) this movie. No wondering that there is a devil, that the devil wants to make deals, etc. It just is what it is and the story keeps going. Just like a comic book

    Having said all of that, I actually liked this movie. I did not plan to like it but it was a lot like the Thomas Jane Punisher. It was clear, superficial and stayed in line with most of the comic book. Sure, in the comic there is more of the tortured soul but there was just not enough time for that in the movie so they fineesed it. There was a lot of flack about how in the Spiderman movie, Spidey’s web was natural whereas in the comic it is a webshooter he made which showcased his incredible science talent. That is an important point in the comics because Spidey relies on his brain as much as his brawn usually but the movie saw that the time it would take to highlight the creation of the webshooter was just not worth the trade-off so ditched it in favor of natural ones. It maintained the crucial part (webshooter) while keeping the story moving and that is what GR does in many points. I would like to have seen more development of how he struggled with the curse, with having to try to gain control of the demon aspect and how if he relies on his power too much, the demon part gains strength but that will hopefully be for a sequel to explore. With so much to cover and only 1 movie to do it, many things have to be glossed over

    The visual effects are not incredible but they are perfectly acceptable. I did not like the thought of Nicholas Cage in the movie but he did fine. There are complaints about Eva Mendes doing poor acting but she was not hired to act in this one. She is eye candy and she does that really well just as the female love interest in a comic book would do. This is not Cannes and this film is not trying for an Oscar or critical acclaim. I would not want to see such a movie anyway. I wanted to see the Ghost Rider like I remembered reading when I was growing up in the 70s. I wanted the cool motorcycle (really a chopper). I got that. I got the visual effects I wanted and the story that made me remember the comic books. I was not inspired to save the world, to protest oil drilling or to volunteer for political duty but that is NOT what a movie like this is about. This is about the wonder of a comic book and the critics seem to be unable to understand that. I have it an 8 out of 10 only because it might have had some better scenes but I feel like I got my money’s worth and to me, that is the real merit of any movie

    See this movie if you liked comic books. If you want art, go see Babel or The Queen or whatever and save yourself the frustration but leave the fun mindless movies to those of us who do enjoy them.

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    ‘Space Jam’ Download and Reviews

    October 10, 2009 by Paul Wall  
    Filed under Adventure, Animation, Comedy

    “Space Jam” Movie Details

    Space Jam tagline: Get ready to jam
    Space Jam - DVD Cover

    Space Jam DVD Cover

    Actors:
  • Maurice LaMarche
  • Michael Jordan Himself
    Wayne Knight Stan Podolak
    Billy West Bugs Bunny/Elmer Fudd
    Dee Bradley Baker Daffy Duck/Tazmanian Devil/Bull
    Theresa Randle Juanita Jordan
    Danny DeVito Mr. Swackhammer
    Manner Washington Jeffrey Jordan
    Bob Bergen Bertie/Herbie/Marvin Martian/Porcine “Porky” Pig/Tweety Bird
    Eric Gordon Marcus Jordan
    Bill Farmer Sylvester/Yosemite Sam/Foghorn Leghorn
    Penny Bae Bridges Jasmine Jordan
    Brandon Hammond Michael Jordan at 10
    June Foray Granny
    Larry Bird Himself
    Pepe le Pew
    Directors: Joe Pytka IMDB Rating: 5.5/10 out of 27,001 votes

    “Space Jam” Movie Review

    “Space Jam” Plot Summary

    Michael Jordan agrees to help the Looney Toons play a basketball game vs. alien slavers to determine their freedom. add synopsis

    Good movie!

    This movie deserves so much more then 5.2 ! This movie is a classic for those who likes funny and animated movies. I saw this film when i was maybe about 8-10 years old, and i thought it was so freaking good, i could see it 2-3 times EACH day! I haven’t seen this film for the last couple of years now..(15 now) I intend to see it again tonight, i don’t think that i would change my point of view on this movie. I think its really good. Well thats about all i have to say. But you know the IMDb people, they insist that you write 10 lines :-) so i guess i just have to figure something out with the last lines here. My final words: you should probably see this movie..thats all. Cya

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    ‘Is Anybody There?’ Download and Reviews

    October 10, 2009 by Paul Wall  
    Filed under Drama

    “Is Anybody There?” Movie Details

    Is Anybody There? tagline:
    Is Anybody There? - DVD Cover

    Is Anybody There? DVD Cover

    Actors:
    Michael Caine Clarence
    Bill Milner Edward
    Anne-Marie Duff Mum
    David Morrissey Dad
    Charli Janeway Guy Who Walks
    Adam Drinkall Stuart
    Garrick Hagon Douglas
    Keith Hargreaves Bus driver
    William Ilkley Barry’s Dad
    Ralph Ineson Mr. Kelly
    Karl Johnson Arthur
    Miles Jupp Vicar
    Michael Keogh Paramedic
    Leslie Phillips Reg
    Ralph Riach Clive
    Directors: John Crowley
    IMDB Rating: 6.9/10 out of 1,441 votes

    “Is Anybody There?” Movie Review

    “Is Anybody There?” Plot Summary

    Set in 1980s seaside England, this is the story of Edward, an unusual ten year old boy growing up in an old people’s home run by his parents…

    Caine at his most able

    I heard this film was moving so I prepared myself for some spillage. Within ten minutes, I was teary – not hose-pipe teary – but I became aware that the tap of emotion was being slowly turned on by the gentle yet persistent hand of pathos. It was during the second scene, when Michael Caine’s eyes spewed forth the wretchedness of despair like an urn pours forth water, that I realised that this performance was Caine at his most able; I fumbled for my hanky and decided to ignore the prickle of anguish just for the privilege of seeing his performance

    If Michael Caine was a piece of jewellery, he would be a 24-carat-gold antique ring encrusted with rubies, diamonds, sapphires and emeralds; each element perfectly contrasting with its neighbour; a unique mixture of the most precious and luminous stones; never losing their appeal yet probably taken a bit for granted; and only really appreciated by few

    In this role, the subtle yet overwhelming brilliance of Caine’s portrayal of a man suffering with dementia allows all the dimensions of his talent to shine. This film is the jeweller and his cloth, and Caine is the multi-talented gemstone, in all his mournful glory, at the heart of it

    There’s no denying that the story is grim. The characters are sad; there is death, decay and dementia in equal measure. It is a bleak yet compelling landscape. The background to the landscape is equally dreary. It’s the 80s in an unremarkable backwater outside Hull; the weather is dull; 90 per cent of the film is set in an old people’s home; our protagonist has dementia; and his best friend is obsessed with the afterlife (to the extent of recording the dying wheezes of the clients). Not really a crowd pleaser, eh? But believe it or not, this film has a lot of humour running through it. Okay, so it’s blacker than Newgate’s knocker but it’s there in spades. Caine’s best mate, Edward, a 10-year-old oddball is as compelling to watch as His Majesty as his hose-pipe gets turned on more than once, and very effectively indeed. He sensitively portrays a maudlin misfit not that dissimilar to the talent bud, Nicholas Hoult’s Marcus in ‘About a Boy’.This film is a really great example of British film-making at its finest – a good script and fine talent – nothing more nothing less. It is also a great reminder that a low budget does not mean you have to compromise on enjoyment. With this film, you get two superb beacons of light radiating out from a good support cast and a true-to-life story about the reality of old age and all the regret that can accompany it. Powerful stuff.

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    ‘Bringing Out the Dead’ Download and Reviews

    September 27, 2009 by Paul Wall  
    Filed under Drama, Thriller

    “Bringing Out the Dead” Movie Details

    Bringing Out the Dead tagline:
    Bringing Out the Dead - DVD Cover

    Bringing Out the Dead DVD Cover

    Actors:
  • Jesus A. Del Rosario Jr.
  • Nicolas Cage Frank Pierce
    John Goodman Larry
    Ving Rhames Marcus
    Tom Sizemore Tom Wolls
    Marc Anthony Noel
    Cliff Curtis Cy Coates
    Nestor Serrano Dr. Hazmat
    Afemo Omilami Griss
    Cullen O. Johnson Mr. Burke
    Arthur J. Nascarella Captain Barney
    Martin Scorsese Dispatcher
    Tom Riis Farrell John Burke
    Aleks Shaklin Arguing Russian
    Leonid Citer Arguing Russian
    Man with Bloody Foot
    Directors: Martin Scorsese IMDB Rating: 6.8/10 out of 29,664 votes

    “Bringing Out the Dead” Movie Review

    “Bringing Out the Dead” Plot Summary

    Frank Pierce is a paramedic working Gotham’s Hell’s Kitchen. He’s become burned out and haunted by visions of the people he’s tried to save. add synopsis

    Good once it finds its rhythm

    After reading the novel by Joe Connelly this movie is based on(by the way, the title is a reference to MONTY PYTHON AND THE HOLY GRAIL), it seemed a perfect fit for director Martin Scorsese, writer Paul Schraeder, and star Nicolas Cage. After all, this is the mean streets of New York, this is about trying to find salvation and redemption in the pits of despair, and it features a character on the edge. But when things start out, I was disappointed. It seems like all three of them, Scorsese, Schraeder, and Cage, were straining to get the effect of the novel, and it felt disjointed. The narration by Cage seems to be covering up for what’s not being shown, which always means trouble

    In lesser hands, this might have been a problem. However, Scorsese has the craft to match his passion, and he soon finds the rhythm. The narration is used less and less as the movie goes on, and Cage is gradually able to show his grief, rather than just talk about it. We still don’t feel the impact of the story as much as we do in the novel, but we do feel something, thanks to Cage and Patricia Arquette(as the daughter of a patient he saves). Once it gets going, the black humor, courtesy of Ving Rhames and Tom Sizemore as fellow paramedics and Scorsese and Queen Latifah as dispatchers, helps fuel the picture as well. This isn’t quite as good as Scorsese’s other New York stories, but it is a worthy addition to his canon.

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