Diamonds are Forever (1971) Review

After a disappointing first four films, You Only Live Twice was a nice surprise. And after a terrible turn by George Lazenby, Sean Connery returned to the screen with the second good bond. It delivered the action, the villains, the bond girls, and the quotable bond lines. I only hope Live and Let die is a fantastic sequel.
Movie Rating: B

The first seven bond films ranked:
1. You Only Live Twice
2. Diamonds are Forever
3. Dr. No
4. Thunderball
5. Goldfinger
6. On Her Majesty's Secret Service
7. From Russia with Love

 

 

Collateral (2004) Review

In a rare turn, Tom Cruise takes an role as a villain in Michael Mann's Collateral. He's not your average action villain, but instead a crime villain. So, in crime the villain would be the gangster. But, Collateral is one of the few movies that shows the point of view of someone working for a crime boss. A hitman. On an average night in nighttime L.A., Tom Cruise 's character, Vincent, has just another job to carry out. And Max the cab driver played by Jamie Foxx, drives him around to his targets. At first, Max thinks it's all fine, but Vincent's true nature is revealed when his first target falls onto the cab, alerting Max. The chemistry between Vincent and Max is already great due to good acting, smart dialogue, and good character development, but its the smallest part of the plot. Soon, the cops and crime leaders are all over Vincent, and even Max steps up. Collateral delivers all the thrills you expect from an action movie, while still being as smart as a crime mystery.
Movie Rating: B+

 

 

Non-Stop (2014) Review

Studios don't seem to make many hijacking movies. But they could have great potential. Most of them, such as air force one, are action pictures. But non-stop chooses a genre much smarter than action. What's smarter than action? Mystery. The entire plot of the movie focuses on finding out who the hijacker is.  With twists and turns and so much unknown information, the film captures your attention and holds it. The ending wasn't surprising, revealing, or satisfying and the characters aren't very strong out likeable, but the setup of the mystery is brilliant, and entertaining.
Movie Rating: B+

Knight and Day (2010) Review

Knight and Day changes constantly: from quick paced action scenes to more slow romantic moments, from country to country, and from really great movie moments to really awful movie moments, and vice versa. Knight and Day has a million flaws and stupid movie moments that make you compare its' quality to whatever trash Michael Bay this year, but it also has a million redeeming qualities. Those qualities could be compared to the best of the year. Those bad qualities are Cameron Diaz, or at least her character, who went from cool and funny to annoying and useless and changed greatly throughout the film. She seems to be enjoyable with Tom Cruise, but couldn't carry the movie on her own. Other mistakes were: awful villains, ridiculous plot (maybe not a mistake), far too much romance, really stupid moments, and a so-so conclusion. But, there's tom cruise and his awesome character to make up for that. Roy Miller may not be as awesome as Ethan Hunt, but he does his best to define cool. He spouts great dialogue, and makes great action. The film also offers a few laughs and cool score, not to mention it's entertainment. Most scenes are highly watchable.
Movie Rating: B+

Edge of Tomorrow (2014) Review

When was the last time Tom Cruise made a good film before this? In 2013, he struck out in a confusing sci-fi mystery oblivion, and he didn't meet much success in 2012 in a supporting role in the musical-comedy Rock of Ages or in the crime-thriller adaptation Jack Reacher. 2011 was his first hint that he isn't fading as he's aging with Mission: Impossible- Ghost Protocol. It was easily the best Mission: Impossible, and Tom Cruise couldn't have been more perfect in it. But, after three failures right off that success, maybe he was fading. But, despite bad trailers and doubtful thought, he had another comeback in 2014 with edge of tomorrow. Edge of Tomorrow was the summer shocker, but unlike Ghost Protocol, nearly everyone liked it. It blended action, sci-fi, mystery, and even some comedy into a smart, unique, entertaining masterpiece. It is easily director Doug Liman's best and Cruise will probably get into a roll with great movies, especially with Mission: Impossible V coming out in a few months.
Movie Rating: A

Sunshine (2007) Review

Not many people know that Chris Evans had decent roles outside of playing Captain America. While I think Snowpiercer is easily his best, Sunshine is one of his better pre-MCU performances. The cast is chosen with Cillian Murphy playing the lead, and Chris Evans as his co-star. The movie is extremely entertaining, but it ends up being too dark and without much meaning. At parts, it's too confusing and the ending wasn't the greatest.
Movie Rating: B

Life of Pi (2012) Review

Ang Lee proved himself a great director with such a successful book to film adaptation. And he got mostly everything right, with awesome effects, great acting, good storytelling, and entertaining adventure. It may be one of the few movies that's better than the book. But it's far from perfect. In the start, there are enough amusing characters to elevate pi's origin. And although the book is written that way, the movie dwells far too long on everything that we don't to see. We finally get to Pi's crash and solo adventure, but it's not exciting enough. There enough events happening for the movie to be somewhat interesting, but it never becomes extremely entertaining. And the killing flaw of the movie: it can't be great if every moment doesn't grab your attention.
Movie Rating: B