The Double: An unexpected direct to video treat

Rating:

****

By: Da'Mon Guy



In the last few years, the number of direct to video features has greatly increased. The rise in the production as well as the increase in the number of DVD’s that are purchased has paved the way for movie producers to create more venues for actors. These films often employ the use of A-List actors to attract viewers to them. However, the entertainment value of these features are often not up to par. Many of the film feature quality actors but have sub par stories that result in complete abuse of fan loyalty. The Double is one of those films that breaks that unfortunate but recurring situation. It’s a really good suspense that is complimented by two really good performances by two actors from different generations.

The Double is an engaging, suspense-filled happenstance that revolves around the attempted capture of a former Soviet hit man who now masks himself as a FBI agent. It is the another example of a direct to video feature that (employs) the use of good actors to solicit viewers. The film stars Richard Gere (Brooklyn‘s Finest), Topher Grace (Take Me Home Tonight), Martin Sheen (The Amazing Spiderman), Stephen Moyer (Priest), and Odette Yutsman (And Soon The Darkness).

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Ghost Recon: Alpha: A sucessful recreation of a popular video game

Rating:

****

By: Da'Mon Guy



The emergence of the popularity of video games have made them a prime resource for the development of films and cartons based on them. This new surging platform has afforded movie makers with a viable resource that comes with a devout, pre-existing fan base allowing for the media that is based on them to be extremely successful. One of the latest examples of this is displayed as the Ghost Recon franchise recently released a direct to video short that is based on the games.

Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon Alpha is an intense, adrenaline-inducing manifestation that successfully crosses the line from video game to live action. it’s a pragmatic recreation of the intense military game that has incurred a devout following. The film features the talents of Keith Gilmore(1st role), Ivan Vanir (Big Miracle), Chook Sibtain (Naacle London), Charles Venn (The Dark Knight), and Erick Redman (Captain America: The First Avenger).

Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon Alpha is a vigorous, innovative approach to film making that brings to life one of the more popular video games of the modern era. The film is a prequel to the video game that is entitled “Ghost Recon Future Soldier.” It is the latest example of this generations passion for technology.
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Lockout: A great example of the sad state of sci-fi

Rating:

***

By: Da'Mon Guy

The sci-fi genre is just does not offer what it once did. Once a upon a time, science fiction movies were a driving force in the movies. Film franchises like Star Wars and Star Trek help to define a generation but those days are nearly forgotten amongst today’s generation of up and coming movie lovers. This generation enjoys more reality based sci-fi with films like District 9 and Cowboys and Aliens. The larger than life out of this world space operas are nearly extinct. Lockout is a fairly decent combination of both, the larger than life sci-fi that is intermingled with some manner of a realistic twist to it. Lockout is an action oriented manifestation that epitomizes the modern state of action films. This is a film that is big on action and comes up extremely short on substance. It’s a promising premise in that is completely marred and utterly mishandled within its failed delivery. The film stars Guy Pierce (Prometheus), Maggie Q (Faster), Peter Stormare (Get The Gringo), Lennie James (Colombiana), Vincent Regan (Clash of the Titans 2010), and Joseph Gilgun (Harry Brown).

Lockout is mishandled, lackluster misfortune that moves a frenetic pace. It is the latest film to fall prey to approach that Hollywood has taken in order to accommodate today’s ADHD generation’s attention span when watching movies. It is jam packed with mindless action but it offers little to no sustenance.

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Anonymous: Great premise, good movie

Rating:

***1/2

By: Da'Mon Guy

Anonymous is a contemplative, artistic happenstance that offers an intriguing argument against one of the greatest historical figures. It creatively questions the integrity of the most performed playwright of all time, William Shakespere. The film stars Rhys Ifans (The Amazing Spiderman), Vanessa Redgrave (Cars 2), Sebastian Armesto (Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides) Joely Richardson (The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo), David Thewls (War Horse), Xavier Samuel (The Twilight Saga: Eclispe), and Rafe Spall (Prometheus). The film is directed by Roland Emmerich.

Anonymous is a devious, shrewd tale of wickedness and treachery. It’s a creative tale that romanticizes the validity of the claim of one of the greatest writers ever. This alternative outlook on the rise to glory of William Shakespeare. This argumentative narrative accuses the writer of being a fraud and then offers an argument to support the challenge validity of his claim to the groundbreaking creative works of art. The story of writer whose creative voiced was silenced but finds new life through the guise of a failing actor, William Shakespeare. This outlook on history deems Shakespeare as a charlatan who becomes the envy of the writers as he rises in popularity through the theft of the writings of the Earl of South Hampton.

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Goon: Beats the laughs out of you

Rating:

***1/2

By: Da'Mon Guy

The story of the underdog is a great way to get movie lovers into a film. Society loves the story of the person who overcomes the odds the succeed in the end. Movies about sports and the underdog story are some of the best. Films like Rocky, Miracle, and even Dodgeball have a way of giving fans that motivation to stand and cheer as your oddballs and outcasts rise to the occasion. There are great sports movies then there’s Goon. Goon is a humorously violent take on the world of hockey. The movie is laced with an insane amount of brutal violence, vulgarities, and obscenities. The film stars Sean William Scott (American Reunion), Leiv Schribber (Salt), Eugene Levy (American Reunion), and Jay Buschel (She’s Out of my League).

Goon is an outrageous, jocular debuachery that takes an unusual approach to the often told underdog story. This is a brutal humorous approach to the sport of hockey. It’s a direct to video film that debuted in 2012. It focuses on the one of the more essential but less honorable aspects of hockey. The fights that occur in the sport of hockey as nearly as integral to the sport as pucks and sticks. Goon shifts its focus to the more notorious aspects of the sport. Goon puts the punches, blood, and carnage in the forefront as it concentrates on this dynamic for the basis for this story. The brutality is as essential to the sport as pucks and skates.

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The Adventures of Tin Tin: A great updating of a classic character

Rating:

***1/2

By: Da'Mon Guy



The Adventures of Tin Tin is a stunning, daring adventure that unfolds through the implementation of great visual imagery. It’s an exciting modernized reintroduction that breathes life into one of the famous characters of yesteryear. The film is blessed with the voice talents of an all star cast that features the likes of Jamie Bell (Man On A Ledge), Andy Serkis (Rise of the Planet of the Apes), Daniel Craig (Dream House), Toby Jones (Snow White and the Huntsman), and Nick Frost (Paul).
The Adventures of Tin Tin is an excellent intersection of modern day, cutting edge animation and old school story telling. ntriguing mystery that is intertwined with great convergence of action, adventure, and humor. It is the creative collaborative culmination of two of the bigger names that work behind the camera.

The Adventures of Tin Tin is directed by Steven Speilberg and produced by Peter Jackson. It’s a film that is based on the once popular character of the same name that appeared in a French newspaper, Le Petit Vingtieme in 1929. The character of Tin Tin was created by Belgian artist George Remi.

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American Reunion: Another slice of everyone's favorite pie

Rating:

****

By: Da'Mon Guy

There are very few franchises that can equal the success of The American Pie series of films. With three major motion pictures and five direct to video additions, the American Pie franchise has had more films in the last 10 years than any other franchise in recent years. It attempts to continue the success of the first three films in the series with the return of the original cast that endeared the high school misfits to the American public. American Reunion is a mildly humorous, nostalgic farce that comically continues a franchise as it embellishes on the transition of life. The film intertwines a high level of sexual innuendo with some insanely awkward situation in an attempt to recapture the magic of a modern day franchise. The movie stars Jason Biggs (My Best Friend's Girl), Allyson Hannigan (Love, Wedding, Marriage), Sean William Scott (Goon), Tara Reid (American Pie 2), Eugene Levy (Goon), and Chris Klien (Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li).



American Reunion is the latest addition to the American Pie franchise that returns the Class of 99 to the screen for the first time since the third film in the series. The film invokes nostalgia from its opening moments with an all too familiar scene that is nearly synonymous with the American Pie series of films.

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http://www.examiner.com/review/dvd-review-american-reunion?cid=db_articles