I wrote some of these reviews last week, but just haven’t got around to posting ’em. I haven’t got much time to write reviews lately, as I’d rather devote my time to my script. But at the same time, I do have something to say about some of the movies I saw, so why not write about ’em, right?
So here we go:
Hitman: AGENT 47 (2015)
I quite enjoyed this but I realize it’s an easy target for critics who probably expected too much from this video-game adaptation. It’s a popcorn action flick, something that doesn’t demand much from you intellectually, so just sit back and enjoy it for what it is. I had a low expectation but I thought the story was pretty decent and at 96-min-long, it moved along pretty swiftly.
I quite like Hannah Ware whom I’ve never seen before. Nice to see that her character is actually the heart of the movie. Style-wise it’s got plenty, I mean you watch this kind of movie to see the high octane shoot-em-ups, so I wasn’t disappointed. Rupert Friend makes for a pretty efficient, if not wholly-charismatic killing machine, but I think he fits the role well. Zachary Quinto is pretty much playing a similar character to Sylar in the Heroes series, but he’s watchable enough. I actually like this one overall than the previous Hitman movie, so definitely NOT as horrible as critics made it out to be.
Seeking A Friend For the End of the World (2012)
I was mostly curious to see this for the pairing of Steve Carell and Keira Knightley and on that front I enjoyed this quirky comedy/drama. As the title says, an asteroid threatens an apocalypse and a man (Carell) whose just been jilted by his wife decides to take a road trip to reunite with his high school sweetheart, Knightley plays the neighbor who somehow ends up tagging along.
The two surprisingly have an interesting chemistry, but the movie is kind of uneven and at times I couldn’t really get into the story. Fortunately the ending is pretty sweet and it wasn’t as predictable as I had dreaded. So overall, it’s worth a look for the cast and the fact that it breaks the stereotypes in terms of casting, not just the two leads but some of the characters they meet along the way.
The Last Flight/Le dernier vol (2009)
This is another film I was curious about because of the pairing of the actors, Marion Cotillard and her real life partner Guillaume Canet. I LOVE Cotillard, she’s one of those actresses I’d watch in practically anything. Here she plays an aviator Marie Vallières de Beaumont who goes on a journey to find her lover after his plane disappears in the Sahara. In her quest, she encountered a French lieutenant Antoine Chauvet who loves the Tuareg people and even speak their language and has a Tuareg lover. In the course of their arduous journey, they develop feelings for each other.
Now, the story is VERY loosely based on a real life adventure of British aviator Bill Lancaster, but they pretty much only used his name and a small part of his life for this film, the rest are fiction. I wish they had actually adapted Lancaster’s real story, it’s far more compelling and has more drama! Sometimes truth IS stranger (and more interesting) than fiction.
This French film has gorgeous visuals of the desert landscape, filmed in Morocco. Director Karim Dridi seem to be a big fan of Lawrence of Arabia as some shots look like an homage to that David Lean classic. But the pace is s-l-o-w and the story doesn’t seem to go anywhere and a little bit of the intense pieces seem disjointed from the rest of the film. If it hadn’t been for the performance of the two leads, I might’ve turned this off halfway through. There’s a line from the film that says “I’m afraid I’ve taken you nowhere.” Well, the same could be said for the film itself. I don’t regret watching this one, but still I wish it were a lot better.
So have you seen any of these? Let me know what you think!
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FLIXCHATTER FILM BLOG 
I like your mini-reviews. I have not seen any of them! I have a crush on Zachary Quinto, so could watch it for him. But probably won’t. I have so little time, it’s amazing how picky I am to commit to a two hour time frame.
Hello Cindy! Ahah yeah, best to watch Star Trek again than seeing Zachary here, though he does look good. He has like the most amazing eyebrows. I’m getting more picky too w/ what to watch, but I do love a fun shoot-em-up and even better when it’s free 🙂
I’ll probably watch Hitman when it’s on Netflix and like you I won’t have any expectations for it. I mean it can’t be any worst than the last one. Don’t think I want to see the other two flicks though.
Hi Ted! I think it’s a pretty fun flick, I mean it’s no Shakespeare but at least I wasn’t bored by it. I actually like the style of this one more than the first Hitman movie, and I actually like the girl in this one too.
I missed Hitman, but I’m glad you finally watched Seeking A Friend and got the chemistry.
Hi Paskalis! Hitman is not bad really, I don’t know what’s the hate from the critics. ‘Seeking a Friend’ is cute, I like the pairing of Carell and Knightley.
I need to check it later in home cinema since it’s nowhere to find now. Yeah, love Seeking A Friend, too, despite of the worn-off third act.
I’ve seen the second movie which I think was quite alright. Don’t remember too much of it, but know I thought it was better than I expected.
Nice to see you liking Hitman…with all the negative reviews I decided not to see it until it’s out on VOD, but this might make me want to give it a shot…
Hi Nostra! Given your penchant for action flicks, I’d say give Agent 47 a shot (no pun intended). I enjoyed it, it’s a popcorn action movie that doesn’t pretend to be anything else.
I’ve only seen Seeking a Friend and agree with your assessment. Carrell is definitely making some intersting choices! I love Cotillard as well. I haven’t seent his and probably won’t since you didn’t care for it, but I otherwise trust in her catalogue.
Hi Jay! I love Cotillard so much, but even she couldn’t save The Last Flight. Still worth a look if you REALLY love her though, she looks so fetching in this film.
I haven’t seen The Last Flight, but I’ve always wanted to based on Cotillard’s own disdain for it. She said in one of those THR interviews that the experience she had shooting the film was awful and that the director had no idea what he wanted to do with it and that it made her appreciate working with good directors. Apparently, the French press were not happy with her comments, and they’ve goaded her for it, but she speaks her mind and apparently her comments had merit.
Hi Drew! The Last Flight is worth a look for Cotillard, and the cinematography IS gorgeous. But yeah, it’s apparent the director has no idea what to do w/ the story, which is a shame as it could’ve been a good one. I’m glad she spoke her mind, I hate it when people are ostracized for speaking the truth!
Surprised that Hitman got three stars. I’ve heard *very* bad things about this…
Ahah well, I don’t always agree w/ critics. I enjoyed the movie, so yeah, I stand by the 3 stars for Hitman 🙂
Fair dues!
Although I didn’t like Agent 47 or Seeking a Friend for the End of the World much, I did like the former more than the latter.
Hi, Ruth:
Tim Olyphant (‘Justified’) in 2007’s ‘Hitman’ will always be Agent 47. This latest foray is nothing more than “CGI Chop Socky~Gunkhana”.
Never got the hang of Marion Cottilard. Mediocre talents and skill wrapped around mediocre looks.
Ahah, I couldn’t disagree more on both fronts, Kevin. Esp in regards to Cotillard whom I admire dearly.
Yeah, Seeking a Friend… was uneven, and, though I was a little disappointed, I did enjoy the chemistry between Carell and Knightley.
Like Drew, I want to see The Last Flight based on Cotillard’s comments. It looks like an intriguing failure.