It’s been awhile since my last movie review. But this weekend I went to cinema and so my blog get’s another movie post.

The movie to be reviewed is Red Riding Hood. It’s about a village terrorized by a werewolf and a girl in a red cape that seems to be the main target of the wolf. All in all the story is a modernized version of the fairy tale Little Red Cap of the Brothers Grimm.

Red Riding Hood
Thrill
The thrill of the movie is moderate. There were some scenes I was curious about what is going on but all in all the movie is not as thrilling as I hoped it to be.
Special Effects/Stunts
As there are no real werewolfs on this world (at least I don't know about) obviously some special effects had been necessary. Would it be possible to domesticate and train a werewolf actually? I don't think so. In some scenes the special effects were not that good. E.g. at the beginning there is a dolly shot moving above the village and the forest surrounding it. I could clearly recognize that both the village and the forest had been created by means of computers. Also the werewolf is not animated perfectly but he/it is as creepy as necessary. However the stunts were ok. They were not that spectacular but they suited the movie.
Story
The story is one of the good parts of the movie. I could not figure out who's the werewolf till the end. Granted I'm not really Sherlock Holmes but you have to be very vigilant to get the hints you need to figure it out for yourself. I also think that the modernization of the original fairy tale worked well. But some elements and phrases taken from it seemed a little bit strange in the context given. I reduce my rating by 0.5 because of the love triangle in the movie (entirely unnecessary).
Cast/Acting
At least I knew some faces of the cast. That means the cast is not that famous. The girl in the red cape is portrayed by Amanda Seyfried. I know her best as Veronica Mars' best friend. Also Gary Oldman and eventually Billy Burke should be known to you. There are some other actresses and actors that might be known to you but most of them are not that famous. Nevertheless they all did a good job.

Overall

So what else can I tell you about the movie. It's a modernized fairly tale, not more or less. I'm not part of the target audience (way to old ;)). And the look and feel was a little bit like Twilight (not surprisingly as it's the work of the same director). Decide for yourself if you want to spent your time with a moderate movie. It's not a bad one but in my opinion you won't miss anything if you will never see it.

ys Roland

Today I would like to review the new masterpiece of director Zack Snyder who is also well known for being director of movies like Watchmen and 300. Sucker Punch tells the story about a girl being admitted to a mental institution by her abusive stepfather. She wants to escape and develops a plan. To cope with the situation she creates an alternative reality in her mind. The execution of the escape plan is told within this reality.

Sucker Punch
Thrill
Sucker Punch thrilled me from start to finish. Supported by the music the movie starts with a very intense prologue introducing the viewer to the story of the abused girl. The intensity of this prologue is kept throughout the whole movie and I always continued to be curious about what will come next. So this category deserves nothing less than a perfect rating.
Special Effects/Stunts
Simply wow. Instead of telling you something about the special effects I should tell you that the whole movie is a special effect. Everybody knowing and loving the visual style of Zack Snyder's movies is served well. The movie is a real eye candy. And also the stunts are great. Is there anybody that would give this category something different than the full point rating? Maybe there is but not me ;)
Story
As you can imagine the story of Sucker Punch is not really an intellectual challenge. It's mainly an action movie. But for an action movie the story has a great emotional depth. I reckon the idea of telling the story within an alternative reality where everything seems possible. And of course the story is part of the thrill of the movie. In this regard it works very well.
Cast/Acting
I'm sure you already know at least the movie poster of Sucker Punch. So it should not be surprising if I tell you that the cast is just sexy. To be precise: The female cast is sexy. Actresses like Emily Browning, Abbie Cornish, Jena Malone, Vanessa Hudgens, Jamie Chung and Carla Gugino make the movie a real eye catcher. On the male side actors like Oscar Isaac, Scott Glenn and Jon Hamm step up to give the ladies something to fight against (ok, Scott Glenn actually supports them). Apart from looking well the performance of the whole cast is great. I want to especially honor the work of Emily Browning who plays the character named Babydoll. She did a very good job in performing the balancing act between the innocent abused girl and the strong gladiatorial woman. She also interprets three songs of the movie's soundtrack.
Music
I add this category when the music of a movie is rather good or rather bad. In this case the music is perfect. On the soundtrack there are ingenious remixes and mash-ups of great masterpieces like Where is my mind (Pixies), Army of me (Bjork) and Sweet Dreams (Eurythmics) being interpreted by e.g. Skunk Anansie and Emily Browning. The music is very important for the intensity of a movie and I felt this movie to be very intense. In my opinion it's a must-have soundtrack on your shelf (and/or mp3 player ;)).

Overall

As you can see from my ratings I really love this movie. I gave 4 of 5 categories the full point rating. This is strange as there might be movies that are (or will be) better in some respects. I know that but from my current point of view each category deserves the rating. So I want to summarize my review with the following sentence: Sucker Punch might not be the best movie ever but it is a really good movie with great music, great visual style, a thrilling story and a great cast. Hope you'll agree.

ys Roland

Today I would like to review the The Plan. It’s a movie about a man and a woman between the force of destiny and the power of love. The interesting part of it: Destiny is not so abstract in this case.

The Plan
Romance
As The Plan is mainly a romantic movie I chose Romance as the first category to be rated. It could have also been Thrill but I had to decide. So is this movie romantic? Yes, it is. But it's not that kind of romance you would cry about if you are a softhearted person. I enjoyed the feelings prompted by watching it. But it's clearly not meant for fans of movies like Gone With The Wind.
Story
The story has really cast a spell over me. The balance between action and romance is awesome. There is everything you need for spending a good time: fun, romance, action and mystery. To be honest: At some moments I had a slight feeling of stagnation but these moments were sparse and did not harm the atmosphere. Nevertheless I reduce my rating by half of a star for this flaw.
Cast/Acting
A good romantic movie always strongly depends on the cast. And in this case everything has been done right. The couple the whole story is all about is cast by Emily Blunt and Matt Damon. Their play was just convincing and I never had a doubt about their feelings and intentions. Also the supporting cast suited the story very well. Just to name a few: John Slattery (also known as the bon vivant in Mad Men), Terence Stamp and Anthony Mackie. I would like to give this category a perfect rating as I don't have anything to cavil about.

Overall

Regarding to my category ratings the movie must be very well. But I would like to weaken the overall rating a little bit. Don't get me wrong. It's a must-see movie for fans of romantic movies with a touch of mystery and action. And it's also a must-see movie for fans of Matt Damon. I simply would like to mention: It might depend on the expectations you cherish for it and on the mood you are in when watching it if our opinions will match. I would really like to have your comments.

It only remains for me to add that you should take your girl-/boyfriend by the hand, go to cinema and watch The Plan ;)

ys Roland