Olympus Has Fallen REVIEW

The Motion Picture Buff would like to present a review for the film starring Gerard Butler, Aaron Eckhart, and Morgan Freeman, called, Olympus Has Fallen. In this movie Gerard plays a disgraced former Presidential Guard. After an attack on the white house, he uses his skill and knowledge from his previous job to try and save the president from bend kidnapped by North Korean terrorists.

Well well well . . . I want to start of this review by saying that this movie is an enjoyable action movie, but it has nothing else going for it. The cast is good yes, but they aren't great. They just make the film able to watch. Before I get into the acting involved in this movie though, I want to talk about the main bad thing this movie had, and that would 100% have to be the special effects. Oh my goodness, the effects in this movie were just absolutely terrible. Now this movie came out back on March of this year, 2013. So personally I do not understand why the graphics would be that bad, because the special effects of today have progressed immensely. There wasn't one scene in this movie where I wasn't saying, well thats fake. My guess is that the budget of this film was wasted on the well-known actors in this movie that they couldn't pay for the great special effects, because honestly they were just terrible. The effects in this poster I have above are better than the whole movie. I just wanted to mention that because that was the main negative throughout the whole thing.

Moving on I want to talk a little about the acting in this movie. Olympus Has Fallen, has some pretty well known actors in it. As mentioned earlier, Gerard Butler, Aaron Eckhart, and Morgan Freeman, are all in this movie and they do a good job. They don't do anything special though. Its not like they were giving a performance of their career. I would have to say that Gerard Butler's performance I enjoyed the most because he just seemed more believable in this situation. Gerard has kind of taken over Bruce Willis in the roles that Bruce used to perform in.

Which brings me into the screenplay of this movie, or the story I suppose. What I want to mention is the fact that it is a little bit predictable. You know what is going to happen, you know they aren't going to let something happen that they are trying to trick you into thinking happened. The story is your basic and generic disaster/action film that you have seen countless times before. You still enjoy the ride which makes this movie a great popcorn movie night movie, which is what it became for me when I watched it.

Now wrapping up this review I want to say that Olympus Has Fallen, is an enjoyable film that serves a good purpose. That purpose is to be a good popcorn movie night film. It works perfect for a rental movie and thats what I did with it, so that is the recommendation I will give it. Only rent this movie, it really isn't worth a buy. You are going to enjoy it once and then there will be no need to watch it again. Anytime you are trying to think of a movie to rent for a popcorn night with a girlfriend, group of friends, or anytime, this movie gets my recommendation for that. I will also say that this movie gets a 5/10 star rating.

Well I am hoping that you have enjoyed this review of Olympus Has Fallen. Tonight will be a post about why The Lego Movie trailer is this week's TRAILER OF THE WEEK, so you are going to want to stay tuned for that. There are also more movies to be reviewed, so stay tuned for more . . . coming soon.

Noah Mark Bitney

Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest

Continuing with the series here is my review of Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest. In this film Captian Jack Sparrow must race to get Davy Jones's heart to avoid being sucked into giving service to Davy Jones. This quest brings all other friends and foes together on the quest to see who will control the ruler of the sea, Davy Jones.

Well starting out this review I want to mention that the cast again is still fantastic. From the first film the return the cast and everyone does a great job. Johnny Depp really is the perfect Captian Jack Sparrow. As I mentioned in the review of the first film, the cast does a really good job at portraying their characters perfectly. There could be no one better to play each one of these characters. A couple new characters are introduced in this movie though. As mentioned above the character Davy Jones is in this film and he is played by Bill Nighy. Bill Nighy seriously does a fantastic job as the bad guy in this movie. Sure there is a lot of CGI when it comes to the character, but Bill Nighy has the greatest voice for this character along with just the look in his eyes. I know that is a weird thing to say, but you can just see the emotions in his eyes. Now the other character I want to mention is Lord Cutler Beckett, who is portrayed by Tom Hallander. Tom doesn't have a huge role in this movie, but in the next Pirates film he will. As for his performance, you have just got to love it. His posture is perfect. The character is a huge prude and Tom Hallander plays the part perfectly.

Now the other main thing I want to talk about story of the film. This is actually a huge negative for the film in my opinion. Do not get me wrong I really did enjoy this film, but I want to mention how choppy and slow this film is. There are scenes within this film that seriously make no sense on why they would be in the film. They just seem like added pieces to increase screen time, so I think they could have cut out quite a few scenes in this movie. You sit there in the film wondering, "Why is this important to the film?" Then there are also parts of the film where the order of things really does not make sense in the slightest. Like why is that there, when it should be there. Basically in my opinion the screenplay could have been written way better. Sure it is an interesting story but there are parts that could be touched up, rewritten, and taken out.

Now the last few things I want to mention are the special effects, the cinematography, and the music. So firstly I want to talk about the special effects in this movie. Actually this movie had won an Oscar in 2007 for it's visual effects. They are pretty darn good in my opinion as well, because the Kraken in this film is spectacular. Its hard to believe how good and real everything looks even though this movie was made in 2006. Next I want to mention the cinematography which I always appreciate in a movie. This movie does a great job with its direction of photography who was done by Dariusz Wolski. He has done some great work in the past and now future as well in, Prometheus. In my review for that film I mention how good he does, and with the Pirates series he also does very well. Now lastly I want to mention the musical score of this film, which for this film is under the hands of Hans Zimmer, instead of Klaus Badelt who did the first film. Hans Zimmer is seriously a great composer right alongside of John Williams. He takes some songs from the original score from the first film and gives it his own spin. He does a great job with the score and in my opinion it is worth a buy. I always have a thing for the musical score's of movies.

Summing up this review I will say that Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest, is a seriously enjoyable return to the world of Captian Jack Sparrow. We get all our favorite characters back along with a few new enjoyable ones. Sure it has its flaws but it is seriously a good movie. It is not great but it is good. As for the ratings I will still give this film a must-see rating because the Pirates trilogy are a classic film that everyone should see. I will say that it is worth a buy on Blu-Ray, but there is not need if you do not have the money or technology. It is just as good on DVD. The visuals will just look better with Blu-Ray. It also makes a perfect popcorn movie night. Sometimes I get together with friends for a Pirates of the Caribbean movie marathon. Now for the rating out of 10 stars I will give it a 7/10 star rating. 

Well I hope you have enjoyed this review of Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest. Sure it is not perfect but I hope you enjoyed it all the same. I will try and take some more time out of my days to make good quality reviews. Later today I will have the post about this week's trailer of the week. So stay tuned for more . . . coming soon.

Noah Mark Bitney

This is the End REVIEW

As promised the Motion Picture Buff would like to present another review today. This second review is of the 2013 comedy starring James Franco, Jonah Hill, Seth Rogan, Jay Baruchel, Danny McBride, and Craig Robinson, This is the End. In this film James Franco is hosting a party that everyone is invited to. While attending the party the end of the world begins, and these comedy lords must learn how to live together and find a way to live in this demon infested world.

Now usually I am not a huge fan of comedy. I hate pointless stupid comedies, but This is the End is not a pointless comedy. This movie was so enjoyable I was laughing the whole way through. Comedies are usually overdone and just literally not funny. In This is the End, the comedy was enjoyable and it actually made me laugh and smile. Normally I hate 50% of the cast in this movie, but actually I did not hate one person in this movie. I enjoyed each one of their performances. It might be because they were making fun of themselves instead of trying to be funny in another way. Each actor/actress in this film is playing themselves instead of a certain character, this makes the film so freaking funny. Micheal Cera plays a complete douché in this film. It makes it funny because when seeing the roles he plays you would never guess that it would be how Micheal Cera acts. I am sure that it isn't how he acts in real life, but it helps the movie be more funny. One last thing about the cast I would like to mention is that they all have amazing chemistry together. I can really see all these guys hanging out in real life, it really works for this movie.

Moving on in this review is the story. The premise behind the movie is great, and the storyline works for a movie of this comedy. I mean sure there are plot holes in the movie and sure it isn't like Oscar worthy, but the plot works for this movie. The nice thing about comedies is that it doesn't have to be a perfect story, it just works for what it is. The other thing I wanted to mention about the story is that I like how it sort of centers around Jay Baruchel and Seth Rogan's relationship. You would never expect it and throughout the whole movie it makes it even funnier.

So there are a few more things about this movie I would like to mention these would include, the cameo's, the music, and the special effects. For starters then . . . the cameo's. In this movie there are a bunch of famous actor/actress's in this film. The main part of the film centers around the six mentioned in the script above. Other than those six there are a few people who really stand out though. I mentioned one above which is Micheal Cera. I absolutely LOVE Emma Watson in this movie. It is hilarious after seeing her play Hermione Granger in the Harry Potter films. The last cameo I want to mention is Channing Tatum in this film. I do not want to spoil to much more about Channing Tatum's role in this film, but I will say when you see him . . . you will laugh your ASS off. Next I wanted to mention that the music choices for this movie added to the comedy. Near the end the one song was seriously the GREATEST choice ever! So finally I wanted to mention the special effects in this movie. Lets just say this movie probably didn't have a huge budget for special effects. The special effects were SO fake, but actually in a way it did work for the film. It is hard to explain but the bad speical effects for some reason added something to the movie I just cannot describe.

Now summing up this review I have got to say that this film is HILARIOUS in ever single way. I was not irritated in anyway, which I usually am with comedies. This is the End was for sure the funniest movie of 2013 so far. It is a MUST-SEE film for sure as well. This is the End for surely would be an absolute perfect popcorn movie night film. Need a funny movie to watch some night? This movie works perfectly, and if you have seen it before it still works because it is just that funny. When buying this movie though . . . make sure you buy it on Blu-Ray, it is worth the money. As for the rating, This is the End, deserves a strong 9/10 star rating.

Well I hope you have enjoyed this review of This is the End. It is a good movie and I give my recommendation. Have you been enjoying my blogs so far? Please leave your comments in the comments section below. Thanks again everyone for reading. I promise to continue my reviews. So make sure you stay tuned for more . . . coming soon.

Noah Mark Bitney

Iron Man 3 REVIEW

To catch up with all the currently released Avenger films, the Motion Picture Buff would like to present his review of Iron Man 3. In this film Tony Stark's world is torn apart when he threatens the terrorist, the Mandarin. He has to build himself from the ground up to try and stop this merciless villain.

As so of you might know, I am a huge Iron Man fan. I loved the first film, was a little disappointed with the second, and The Avengers is one of my favorite movies of all time. Now back in May, Iron Man 3, hit theaters and I absolutely was thrilled with this movie. I saw this film at midnight and in IMAX 3D, so it was pretty darn epic. Since then though I have seen the movie countless times, since it is now out on Blu-Ray and DVD. Why was I so thrilled with this movie? Well that is easy because it was a nice and extremely enjoyable ride back to Tony Stark's story and just Tony's story. Robert Downey Jr. is one of my favorite actors out there right now, and he just kills it again as cocky badass Tony Stark. In every film Robert Downey Jr. is in he really just consumes himself into his role. I don't see Robert Downey Jr. being a quite awkward person, I see him as Tony Stark. This makes him perfect for the role. The other actor/actresses in this film like, Guy Pearce, Don Cheadle, Ben Kingsley, Gwyneth Paltrow, Rebecca Hall, and others did a great job. This film has a great cast and makes the film so much more enjoyable. Even the child star in this film did a good job, and I usually hate the little kid actors within films like this.

Now there are a few things I want to touch on in this review. The first being director Shane Black. Jon Favreau directed the first two Iron Man films. In this film Shane Black brought something to Iron Man that I just absolutely loved to be honest. There was a darker tone to it, and the way he told this story was just great. I was very happy with Shane Black's direction for Iron Man 3. I will be honest I was nervous before the movie, but now having seen the movie I can't complain.

Moving on I do want to talk about the story of this film. A lot of people have gripes saying that it is a lot like Pixar's The Incredibles, what I have to say to this is that a lot of movies are like a lot of other movies out there. Its hard not to have some similarities to other movies now a days. There are just so many movies out there. The next thing with the story is there is a point half-way through the film where the movie takes a direction that most would advise against. Most people hate what they did, but personally I absolutely loved it. I would have never seen it coming, and I love when a movie completely throws you for a loop. It just made the movie so much more enjoyable.

Next I would like to talk about  the special effects in the movie. In some scenes they were really good, and in others they weren't the best. I noticed that when they were battling scenes between the suits and Killian's army, the special effects excelled. When the helicopter is blowing up Tony's house though, there are a few times were everything looks CGI and extremely fake. I felt it took away from the experience a little bit. In talking about the suits though I do want to say the end fight was probably the most badass Iron Man scene ever, I freaking loved it. I was entertaining and extremely enjoyable. The last 30 minutes of this movie is just complete awesomeness. If you didn't or don't like it, something is seriously wrong with you.

One last thing I did want to touch on is that the music/score of this film is perfect. Brian Taylor did a great job with coming up of a theme for this movie. I can find myself humming it long after I have finished the movie. It is going to be one of those soundtracks I will have to buy.

Summing up this review (dragged on a bit) I would say that Iron Man 3 is a solid addition to the Iron Man films. It has a good story to it, with amazing actors to help portray some awesome characters. IT has all the twists and action you could ever hope for. You had better buy this film on Blu-Ray when you decided to watch it because it is a must-see film! It is also a perfect popcorn movie night film, so keep that in mind. For the rating I will give Iron Man 3, a solid 8/10 star rating.

Well I hope you have enjoyed this review of Iron Man 3. For my review of other Avenger films click there names HERE: Iron Man, Iron Man 2, Thor, Captian America: The First Avenger, and The Avengers. Well stay tuned for more . . . coming soon.

Noah Mark Bitney

The Core REVIEW

The Motion Picture Buff would like the present a review for the motion picture, The Core. This movie came out in November of 2002. It is about how inside of the core of our planet has stopped spinning. Without it spinning the world will come to an end and soon. They must go into the Earth's crust to save all of us. 

First of I want to say that I really did enjoy this movie quite a darn bit. It was intriguing and I LOVED the premise behind it. It was very interesting and I honestly could not take my eyes off the screen. Movies about the end of the world have always gave me some interest because it is just kind of cool to think of all the different things that could happen one day. The acting in the movie was decent. I am not going to say great because there were some points where each one of the actors could have done a little bit better with their performances. The actors and actresses who are in this movie include: Aaron Eckhart, Hilary Swank, Stanley Tucci, Richard Jenkins, and many more. They all do okay for what the movie is. I found it to be an enjoyable disaster movie. There are a lot of disaster movies out there, but I would have to say this would definitely hit some of my top ten disaster movies. The action keeps you on your toes and there is a part of you that actually does care about the characters that you learn about. I loved the science behind it. I mean yeah sure it probably isn't at all truthful but I still enjoyed it. 

Now what did I hate about this movie . . . well for starters the special effects sucked! For a movie from 2002 I still did not expect them to be that bad, but they were just absolutely terrible. Everything thing looked fake. The acting wasn't great either. Aaron Eckhart wasn't the best with the really emotional parts. I didn't believe it when he was sad, it just wasn't good. He just didn't seem real enough. All the actors in this movie could have done better, but they weren't terrible. Now the story in this movie of course is choppy and ridiculous, but remember it is a disaster movie. 

All-in-all this movie is a pretty darn enjoyable for what it is. I would say it is a perfect popcorn movie night movie. It was perfect for that last night when I watched it. I wouldn't buy it on blu-ray, but it is DVD buy worthy. Out of a ten rating I would have to give it a 7/10 rating. It was pretty darn good. 

Well I hope you have enjoyed this review of The Core. Go check the movie out one night when you need a good enjoyable disaster film. Stay tuned here for more reviews coming. Thanks for reading everyone!

Noah Mark Bitney 

Die Another Day REVIEW

The "Motion Picture Buff" would like to present his second review of his reviews of the James Bond franchise. Here he reviews 2002's "Die Another Day." In this Bond film, James is sent to find out about the connection between a North Korean terrorist and a diamond mogul who is funding the development of a international space weapon.

Well lets begin with the negatives for this movie shall we? First things first, I am going to have to say that in this Bond film there were a lot of pointless explosions that really made no sense at all. Car would hit a house . . . BOOM bursts into flames. Next thing is next that this Bond film just doesn't feel like a Bond film at all. It doesn't really have that spy feel to it. Maybe it is the fact that I don't think Pierce Brosnan is really a good choice for James Bond, or maybe the studio lost the feel of what Bond really was about.

Other than that I really enjoyed this 007 movie! Why do I really enjoy this one? Well the plot behind it is actually very interesting and it seems to make sense. Everything just clicks and it creates a good story that keeps you on the edge of your seat wanting more. Neal Purvis and Robert Wade were the screenwriters for this film, and I think they did a good job with this Bond. Director Lee Tamahori was at the helm of this film and I think he did a good job with it. The action sequences are engaging and exciting. You will enjoy them for sure. The score is good and fits along with the action, and of course the James Bond theme is just as good as ever. Now for the acting well I may not like Pierce as James bond, but he is does a decent job with this film. He keeps the action cool and enjoyable. Halle Berry is awesome in this film, she could be a spy in real life and you would never even know it. Toby Stephens plays one of the bad guys in this film and let me just say his performance in this film I enjoyed the most. He really played a bad guy extremely well. He had that look in his face throughout the film that just helped his performance I thought. There were of course other actors/actresses in this film and I think everyone did a good job and helped create a enjoyable addition to the James Bond franchise.

So all-in-all a good addition to the Bond franchise that just has good action and a good point to it. For the ratings I will give it a popcorn flick for sure. Good film to kick back with some buddies and watch. It will get a Blu-ray buy worthy rating, but still don't think this bond is even worthy of a must-see rating. Just not that good yet. As for the rating out of five, "Die Another Day" will get a 3.5/5 rating.

Well thanks for reading and I hope you enjoyed this review. To see my first review of the first James Bond film CLICK HERE. I also want to mention that you can follow the "Motion Picture Buff" on Twitter HERE. So thanks again and make sure you stay tuned for more . . . coming soon.

The Motion Picture Buff

Avatar REVIEW

The "Motion Picture Buff" would like to present his 100th post as a review for the critically acclaimed motion picture, "Avatar." In this film a disabled Marine is sent to the moon, Pandora, to fill in for his brothers absence because of his death. Here Jake Sully, has a unique mission, but yet he is torn between following orders, and protecting the world he now calls home.

So shall we get the nasty negatives out of he way first? Well I guess I am going to have to say the predictability of the film. It is a little obvious with some parts the way the movie is going to play out. Its not so original as it claims to be, but yet there is some twists.

Besides that this movie is a TRUE masterpiece. Lets begin with the most obvious thing that this movie has to offer. The special effects in this film are just ground-breakingly amazing. Everything just looks so real, and it is just sometimes impossible to believe that mostly all of this film is computer generated. The cinematography too is just amazing for this film. The whole film just looks absolutely beautiful. James Horner is the composer for this film's score, and let me just say I have seen this film at least 100 times and I just hum along to the music. Some of the lyrics I even memorize. Truly a must purchase score for movie music fans, I know I have it! Now one of the other cool thing about this is that this whole world was created from the imagination of the great James Cameron. Its amazing to think that he though of this entire world when he wrote this script. So of course I have to give him credit for that. James Cameron also directed this film and let me just say he definitely does an incredible job with it. Your engaged into the film right from the very start. You can't pull your eyes away even for a second. You just want to know whats going to happen. I will mention here that the last 30 minutes are just amazing and it just makes me love the film even more. Moving back onto the topic of the world he created though, I did want to mention that whoever was in charge for creating the creatures did an incredible job as well. They looked amazing realistic and not just some silly creatures. They looked like somewhere in reality that they could be out there. The costumes and look for the Nav'i were also well done. I do want to say thanks to everyone involved with this film for creating an amazing film that is truly engaging from minute one. Now the acting. Sam Worthington, Zoë Saldana, Stephen Lang, Sigourney Weaver, Michelle Rodriguez, Joel David Moore, Giovanni Ribisi, and many others were included in the cast for this film. They all gave a good performance for this film. If I had to pick a favorite though, I am going to have to say that it was Zoë Saldana's performance as Neytiri. Though I will say well done to everyone. Thanks again for such an amazing film that I enjoy every time I watch it.

So all-in-all a visual pleasure to the eyes film. It is just one of those movies that for certain will go down in history as one of the greats! For the ratings it is going to get a must-see film rating. Well of course it would, it is number nine on my "TOP TEN FILMS" list. The only way to watch this film is on Blu-ray, so of course a Blu-ray buy worthy. I will give it a popcorn flick rating as well. As for the rating out of five, "Avatar" will receive a worthy 4.5/5 rating.

So why is this movie special to make it as the 100th post? Well after seeing this movie on its opening night on December 18th, 2009, I fell in love with what movies brought to my world. Films are an escape for me, an escape from the real world and into a completely different world. I then decided I wanted to pursue a career in the film industry. This is why this film is special to me.

Well thank you for staying 100 posts with me, and I hope you stay for more way beyond 100 posts! So stay tuned for more . . . coming soon.

The Motion Picture Buff