Caro the Movie Critic

Josh Brolin as Dwight.  Sequels. Sequels. Any filmmaker would want to create something different from its predecessor to establish himself or herself as a person who does not want to go over the top with his style. But, Robert Rodriguez, the director, is more of a visual director than a storyteller. He creates other worlds that are redundant in our minds and psyche that no one can possibly imagine. He has been floundering with his "style-over-substance" process in his recent films, but this movie does not improve. Like the first movie, this movie has a sub-story device that places each story out of order so I'm just going to simply give you the synopsis of the story as simply as possible. Marv (Mickey Rourke) is thrown at the curb from a vehicle and he is amnesiac from the experience. He cannot remember what has happened in the previous night as he recalls walking in Basin City where he was born and raised and he goes to a strip club at Kadie's glancing at Nan...

Douglas and Keaton having a charming time at dinner.  Oh, boy. It's very obvious where this is going, so I should myself some time to write about what it is really about despite the formula and generic title. Oren Little (Michael Douglas) is a curmudgeonly grumpy real estate worker who seems to not care anybody in his life. He is a careless hag. His neighbor, Leah (Diane Keaton), is a lounge singer who is saddened and grievous about her husband's passing, even though it is not intended for laughs. They bicker and bicker and then all of a sudden it never takes off and it goes to show that you do not care whether or not Douglas or Keaton will get together in the end. It is a boring script that even the Heimlich maneuver cannot save this movie. Sterling Jerins who plays Oren's sons' daughter, Sarah, is the only bright character in the film that convinces us to follow her as she is in the middle of questioning her grandfather about his motives. But, she is not given...

Chloë Grace Moretz dead, but will she stay dead? What happens when a person dies? Does he or she go to heaven or hell or stay in limbo? It really depends on the person's ego and the person's reputation as to whether he or she did good deeds or horrible things. It's almost a one-way ticket to your final destination. But there's a question as to why a person is stuck in limbo. I cannot fully explain that in reality, but, looking at other afterlife movies such as Ghost , Hereafter, and The Sixth Sense , it seems to me that all movies have a theme of redemption. This movie does not quite have that theme, but, it is not an awful self-parody of the genre. However, I was somewhat pleased that this movie is not formulaic as it seems to be, but the movie seems too manipulated into stirring my emotions and their lives do not seem to be realistic. Mia Hall (Chloë Grace Moretz) want to pursue to become a skilled cellist in Oregon where she lives with her parents, Danny and Ka...

Who are you going to call? Ghostbusters. Let's not beat around the bush, many people know the "Ghostbusters" song or the riff or rhythm of the song. Even though it's kind of outdated in the prime '80s, the song and the movie are still a fun classic. However, we have been a long way since the prime movies of supernatural occurrences and ghost stories. Some were dramatic and some were comedic, such as, this movie. To be fair and honest, I have seen this movie for the first time ever and must I say, it was a very fun time getting to know the characters and seeing the joy of filmmaking an original concept. You know the story. Three professors, Peter Venkman (Bill Murray), Raymond Stantz (Dan Aykroyd), and Epon Spengler (Harold Ramis) are called to investigate a ghost encounter at a library where it turns out to be a ghost of a dead librarian. The ghost turns into a horrible monster. After they lose their jobs at Columbia University, the three misfit people for...

Ever since my first blog entry and movie review of Jobs , I knew that I could write just more than a review but also entitling to my opinions and methodology regarding the director's work, other related movies and themes. But now 100+ movie reviews later, I am so blessed that I am writing these movie reviews and giving you my opinion of any movie that has come out or wanted to review. I have seen great masterpieces, good movies, bad movies, and garbage, but either way, I love to write about what I saw and whether or not I agree with the majority or minority or just simply alone to just recommend or not recommend the movie in the minority. All in all, I am glad and privileged to entertain you with my movie reviews and here's to another year and more. Here's my first review on my blog: Jobs .  http://joncaro24.blogspot.com/2013/08/jobs-pg-13.html

Here it is, the end of the summer where anybody complains that we have get to back to normal and the movies get a bit dull, but, the fall and holiday season (Oscar season) is around the corner. And, since we're about halfway through August, I think it is a good idea to post my anticipated list. There's just one movie that's clearly my most anticipated movie that I definitely want to see, but, the rest looks interesting. So, here are my top 10 most anticipated films of fall and winter 2014: 10. The Interview (Dec. 25) Maybe it is the controversy that makes me want to go see this comedy. Seth Rogen and James Franco being assigned to assassinate Kim Jong-Un. The only thing that kind of hesitates me of wanting to see it is if they become too political in their jokes. Will it be a kind of goofy entertainment or a failed mishap? 9. The Hobbit: The Battle of Five Armies (Dec. 12) The only reason I'm putting this movie in top anticipated films is because the seco...

Johnson and Wayans Jr. laughing, but are we? Is it breaking the law when civilians are impersonating police officers? Yes, in reality. But, not in the world of Hollywood. If executives in Hollywood would want to create a buddy-cop comedy, now, they have to depend on talent and most importantly, the screenplay. For example, The Naked Gun movies and 21  and 22 Jump Street  had brilliantly executed films that had jokes and talent almost in every scene. The Other Guys is sort an underrated comedy that also had jokes that brought laugh-out-loud moments. However, this latest film of this hit-or-miss genre is an embarrassment to the genre and does not emphasize the humor or connection between the two characters at all. Ryan (Jake Johnson) and Justin (Damon Wayans Jr.) are living in L.A., depressed and call themselves losers as Ryan is unemployed and Justin is unhappy with his job as a video game developer's assistant. Justin also has a crush on a waitress, Josie (Nina Dobrev), ...

Some of the newly assembled Expendables. The testosterone level has increased again with a new Expendables film. Any fan of the robust hard-core action genre will be looking forward to this latest installment to the franchise. However, this hard-core action genre does not concentrate on logic or story. It concentrates on style and action sequences that will entertain the audience with surprise and sometimes laughs due to the cheesy action lines or the sometimes-silly fighting. But, many people, men mostly, look up and be entertained by the action heroes that can stop the villains from destroying the world or something like that. The first movie was a guilty pleasure, the second one was a good action flick, but, third time is not the charm due to the endless violence with no explanation and the predictable and dull affection for our heroes. The movie begins as The Expendables crew as Barney Ross (Sylvester Stallone), Lee Christmas (Jason Statham), Gunner Jensen (Dolph Lundgren), a...

Tom Hardy getting stressed while driving. Anything can change over a course of a stressful day. Anything can come up over a course of a stressful day. No matter because life is unpredictable as to one's decision of how to resolve an issue or matter when stressed of what to do that could impact his life. Is he going to be blissful or remorseful whether he makes the decision or not? The decision all takes place in a car during the night with just one actor driving throughout the whole movie. This process has not been done before and it is a riveting success. Construction worker Ivan Locke (Tom Hardy) has to make a decision before the day he has to supervise a concrete pour in Birmingham. What we learn is that Locke has had a one-night stand with a co-worker that is going into premature labor. The decision is whether or not he has to leave behind his family and job to be with Bethan during childbirth in London. He gets frustrated, sarcastically comforting at times, and simply ha...

Robin Williams was a great talent in not just the Hollywood industry but in the canon of true comedians. He was one of the very few who can just make me laugh louder and harder than ever by showcasing us his talent. Sadly, he died at the age of 63. There will never be another comedian like him and never will and many fans including myself are devastated by his loss. In his body of work, it was truly difficult to find just 5 great performances that defined him as a true comedian and a true artist as an actor both comedically and dramatically. Here are my 5 favorite performances from Mr. Williams: Dead Poets Society (1989) This is one of my favorite movies and one of my favorite performances even though the young actors, including Robert Sean Leonard and Ethan Hawke, took more screen time than him. This is one of the first roles that showed his dramatic range and showcased not just his comic talents, but also his vulnerable state witnessed in one scene after a tragic event. It i...

They are all running away from the tornado.  Tornadoes are unpredictable only if meteorologists do not do their job properly as to where the tornadoes will be striking at any minute. But, Twister, a movie mainly focused from the storm chasers' point of view, is an entertaining movie with a few memorable characters from very good actors. This movie, however, feels like an overstuffed TV movie with no memorable characters and dialogue that is so silly that it needed another run in the computer or the typewriter. The movie begins when four kids are hanging out in a car at night and witnessing transformers going out and hearing a clap of thunder and when one of the kids gets out of the car to record the catastrophe, they yell at him to get back in the car until the tornado descends on them, killing them. We meet two groups of people. One group consists of Pete (Matt Walsh, the memorable doctor from The Hangover ), Lucas (Lee Whitaker) and Jacob (Jeremy Sumpter). Pete is annoyed...

The Turtles and Megan Fox.  Leonardo, the rebellious one. Donatello, the turtle with brains. Raphael, the rebel. Michelangelo, the joker. The comic books associated with the turtles has persuaded fans to embrace their joy with the stories and the quotes to just repeat in their lifetime. It is so infamous that producers from TV and film backgrounds made their own cartoon series and movies. I was not really a fan of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles because all I saw was just turtles joking around and fighting with criminals that somehow do not always click. I did see the earlier movies, which I thought was okay, but this movie is just pure garbage compared to the earlier movies that I think I should save my time writing it is all I about because who would care about the plot. A Batman-type story begins with a criminal organization known as the Foot Clan are running New York City and Shredder is behind it. Rat master Master Splinter (Danny Woodburn) are training his four sons to...

Chadwick Boseman as James Brown.  James Brown: "The Godfather of Soul". I have listened to his music and most of his songs still have fire and spunk that can drive you to dance. But some of his songs, you just have the pleasure to listen because of his lyrics and maybe picture him dancing with his iconic voice and movements on stage. We had James Brown, Led Zeppelin, The Rolling Stones, Stevie Wonder, you name it. These musicians and entertainers would be definitely on a list to study in a music course and learn what made them iconic. The movie, however, shows the biographical aspect of the musical standout as diligently as possible and it tries, but there's one performance that stole the spotlight from the story itself. The movie is not organized as a linear narrative structure, so bear with me. James Brown (Chadwick Boseman) lands in Vietnam during the 1960s to support the black troops fighting for their country. Angered by his plane's right propeller gettin...

The Guardians of the Galaxy.  "They call themselves the Guardians of the Galaxy." "What a bunch of A-holes." From the moment I saw the first trailer of this film, I knew that this was going to be a different and wacky superhero sci-fi flick. Marvel Studios has been having a very good year with their movies with the latest Captain America flick and the X-Men sequel excluding The Amazing Spider-Man 2 , which had some good moments but was a forgettable movie. To take a mismatched group such as these troublemaking nitwits and put them in an irreverent funny movie can create a special superhero film in the canon of Marvel superhero flicks. This movie does pay off with all the characters trying to get along and make a fun summer superhero flick. The adventure begins with Peter Quill, aka "Starlord" (Chris Pratt), looking for a mysterious Orb on the planet Morag. As he finds and retrieves the Orb, he is found by Korath (Djimon Hounsou) and his henchmen ...