Tuesday, March 11, 2014

Riddick (2013)


Riddick is the most recent installment in The Chronicles of Riddick franchise. Of the three major films, Pitch Black (2000), The Chronicels of Riddick (2004), and Riddick (2013), this most recent is definitely the one that needs the most viewer knowledge from previous movies. In other words, RIDDICK MARATHON! Watch the others before this one, it will make much more sense if you do.

The first 20 minutes of this movie is lonely. It's almost too long and you begin to wonder if any other human is going to join the party.

Riddick plays out like a Resident Evil movie. It's given leeway on the quality of the script so long as it progresses our beloved storyline. This script however, relies too heavily on that notion. Which brings me to those cheesy lines. Aw lawd the cheese is abundant in this one. Some of the lines are just down right perplexing. David Twohy does a fine job directing, but he should have definitely had someone else revamp his script. It reads like a draft instead of a final product.

It's not my favorite Riddick movie, but I still enjoyed it and look forward to the next.

The trailer below is edited really well and is a good introduction to the movie; especially if you haven't seen the previous ones.


http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1411250/?ref_=ttfc_fc_tt

Runner Runner (2013)



Runner Runner is about the dirty underbelly of the online gaming community. It's entertaining and you don't have to be familiar with poker to understand what's going on; however, it helps to be familiar with it to grasp its entirety. I happen to find the evolution of online gaming fascinating, so I found many more redeeming qualities about this movie than it probably deserves.

The bones are there, but Runner Runner misses by a few feet. It's categorized as an "American crime thriller," and it almost is. There isn't enough suspense for me to call it a "thriller." This could have been the new generation The Firm (1993) ala Tom Cruise, but the writing and editing butcher it. The storyline is sloppily put together, there's weak cohesion, and most of all a lack of character and relationship development.

Ben Affleck as Ivan Block is surprisingly good, but it's toward the end of the movie where he shines. The one time he raises his voice and the crocodile scenes are ones to watch. This Affleck kid is growing on me.

Justin Timberlake as Richie Furst, is like the movie...almost good. He's getting there, but his timing and energy still needs some polishing. The hardest thing about this film is that Timberlake doesn't let you sympathize with Richie, so there's really no one you're rooting for.

Gemma Arterton plays Rebecca Shafran. Unfortunately, her role is typical female support/love interest. Although, for this movie being so male dominated, she brings a great amount of sultry confidence. She does however dwarf Timberlake's abilities and it's unconvincing that she finds such a weak presence so endearing. This is only the second film I have seen Arterton, the first being Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters (2013). I have to admit, I'm fangirling her a little and she will be a deciding factor in whether to watch any particular movie in the future.

The great version of this movie lives in my head. In the meantime, this one is decently entertaining.





http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2364841/?ref_=rvi_tt