Jack Boom's 2009 Summer Movie Review (Part 1)

Well it's Labour Day weekend which can only mean one thing...summer is FUCKIN'OVER!!! All I can is boo to the shitty ass cold weather that's going to bestow us within the next few months. This summer has been very good to me on a personal level, very fun one indeed that'll be remembered for a long time. The movies of summer 2009 however have been pretty mixed and doesn't stack up to last year's lineup so without further ado here is part 1 of my 2009 summer movie review that covers the May and June releases.


X-MEN ORIGINS: WOLVERINE

Hugh Jackman in my opinion is one of the best actors working in Hollywood today and to see him return to the role that made him a movie star in the first place, I had my expectations set pretty high and in the end was left with disappointment. Now first of all it has nothing to do with the actors, Hugh Jackman is just as a badass as Wolverine this time around like he was in the previous X-Men films but the problem with the Wolverine film is that it felt like a rush job. The special effects were only so-so given the big budget for this film ($130 million!?!), the new characters from the X-Men universe that are introduced in this film are not developed well and just become filler for the plot which was pretty weak also. Given that this is Wolverine’s origin film a lot of the story was told much better in Bryan Singer’s far superior X2, overall I would only recommend this film based on Hugh Jackman’s performance but you’re better off watching X2 again.

The BOOM Verdict: 2.5 out of 5


STAR TREK

Now I wasn’t a fan of the Star Trek series to begin with mainly because I grew up more on Star Wars as a kid and the Star Trek series wasn’t that appealing to me compared to George Lucas’s sci-fi creation. JJ Abrams (Lost, Mission: Impossible III) has not only hit every note right out of the park in this modern retelling of the Star Trek origin, he has also made me a Trekkie fan and I guarantee you that whether you are a Star Trek fan or not you’ll appreciate everything that is shown on that big screen. Beautifully shot, great booming soundtrack, plenty of wonderful special effects and a wonderful young cast just made this film such a treat to watch. It has all the makings of a true summer flick and I left the theatre with a big nerdy smile on my face.

The BOOM Verdict: 4.5 out of 5


ANGELS & DEMONS

Alright just to let everyone know I never read the book for Angels & Demons and I never read the book for The Da Vinci Code until after I saw the film, a film that many hated by I actually enjoyed it and Angels & Demons is no different. Tom Hanks is back as symbologist Robert Langdon (minus the ridiculous hair he had in the first film) who is called on to solving the murder of The Pope and prevent a terrorist attack on the Vatican. Tom Hanks is one of my favourite actors and I think he can do any role with the exception of an action star, Angels & Demons for the most part is Tom Hanks running place to place for a good chunk of the film and that sort of got tedious after a while but the plot kept my eyes glued to the screen and stopped me from throwing stuff so I would recommend this film if you’re not into the usual hi-tech special effects and explosions most summer films offer.

The BOOM Verdict: 3 out of 5


TERMINATOR SALVATION

I’m a fan of the Terminator franchise, Terminator 2 is easily one of my favourite films of all time but after witnessing the wackiness of Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines I kind of gave up hope on this franchise and thought it should be put to bed. However Warner Bros. decided to reboot the franchise into a new direction and without its star from the previous films, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger. So how did this new Terminator pan out...it was meh! I think Christian Bale is a fine actor but in this film he wasn’t very charismatic, I couldn’t find anything to like with his portrayal of John Connor. The special effects were pretty good, the action was decent and the soundtrack is just booming loud but missing the original Terminator theme which kind of bummed me out a bit. Terminator Salvation was a shot in a bleaker tone compared to the other films yet in all honesty I don’t know where else you can go with this franchise now, it's hit a dead end in my opinion.

The BOOM Verdict: 2.5 out of 5


UP

Man I think Disney and Pixar are just going to win best animated film at the Oscars every year because there’s one thing we know about them, they know how not to make bad films. The beginning of UP is very emotional and uses very little dialogue but gets its point across so well it made a lot of people in the theatre shed some tears, something I haven’t seen so far in a Pixar film. Animation is just incredible as always from Pixar although I was a little disappointed in the 3D because this film didn’t really push the 3D effects for the audience but rather made up for it in wonderful storytelling.

The BOOM Verdict: 4 out of 5


DRAG ME TO HELL

True horror has finally returned! After seeing Hollywood churning out remakes of old or foreign horror films, I’m glad to see something original, scary and fun. Sam Raimi is a director I am very fond of and most people know him for doing all the Spider-Man films but I remember him for his holy Evil Dead trilogy, the man knows how to make an audience jump. The story is about a loan officer who is ordered to evict an old gypsy woman from her home and finds herself cursed by the old woman, which turns her life into a living hell and has 3 days to get rid of the curse before she gets dragged into hell literally. Don’t be fooled by the PG-13 rating people, this film is gross out and creepy with a good mix of humour infused into the story...you're gonna get a fun ride out of Drag Me To Hell.

The BOOM Verdict: 3.5 out of 5


THE HANGOVER

Every summer there’s always that one comedy that wins everyone’s hearts with balls out laughter, this year that crown goes to The Hangover. Four friends go to Las Vegas for a bachelor party, get absolutely smashed and lose their friend who’s supposed to get married in a couple of days and must find him. Although I have never been to Las Vegas, this is a film that I enjoyed immensely due to its raunchy and outrageous humour plus the fact that I can relate to these guys and I know most of you have had crazy drunken nights as well. The Hangover is the best comedy of the summer.

The BOOM Verdict: 4 out of 5


TRANSFORMERS: REVENGE OF THE FALLEN

First and foremost, I am a fanboy when it comes to stuff like Transformers and I don’t understand how many people hated on this film because I had a blast watching it like I did the first film 2 years ago. Sure I still prefer the first film over this one but Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen is still fun escapist entertainment that has all the essentials a summer action blockbuster requires: lots of explosions, battles, car chases, crazy special effects and a good looking cast. Although the story was a bit thin and a bulk of the running time was spent on Labeouf and Fox arguing at each other, the action made up for it when it was there (which I felt wasn not enough) not to mention Megan Fox looks hot throughout the entire film lol. Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen is summer fun no matter how dumb you think it is but it's also not a great film either.

The BOOM Verdict: 3 out of 5


THE HURT LOCKER

We’re halfway through this year and I felt I haven’t seen anything that’s blown me away as far as story, action and strong characters. Well look no further because The Hurt Locker is right now my favourite film of 2009 (for now). After losing their team leader to a roadside bomb, a U.S. Army explosive disposal unit, brings in a replacement to help continue the job of diffusing many explosive devices throughout Iraq. The replacement is an adrenaline junkie who has a more gung ho style of diffusing bombs and isn’t afraid of danger thus putting the rest of his team at a huge risk. I’m not a big fan of these war films because a lot of them are preachy, they get melodramatic and end with some happy bullshit Hollywood ending, The Hurt Locker has none of that. The main character is straight up bad ass and likeable and the film is edgy, suspenseful and realistic. The filmmakers didn’t try to preach some political message to us; rather they are telling a well written story that’ll keep you on the edge of your seat. A MUST SEE!

The BOOM Verdict: 5 out of 5

...there you have the reviews for May/June, part 2 of the summer movie review shall be arriving shortly so stay tuned!

Blog, You've Been Neglected Long Enough!

Alright I am ashamed that I haven't posted anything since April??? It has been a busy summer of work and just enjoying the sun whether it's the parties, patios, or festivals the great city of Toronto has to offer but now as the summer is winding down and I become more of a hermit it is safe to say that I'm back on this thing. I wanted to talk about the crazy but good offseason the Toronto Raptors been having, can you say WOW!!! Now mind you BC (Bryan Colangelo) doesn't like to lose and from the complete roster overhaul he's done I can honestly say that this team will make it past the first round of the playoffs this year and hopefully that's enough encouragement to our star Chris Bosh to re-sign with the Raps because honestly I don't want him to leave this team...he works hard, has a great offensive game, a consummate professional and probably one of the nicest guys in the NBA today. Our draft pick in 2009,Demar Derozan, is going to be a superstar, mark my words...the man has flash! Hedo Turkoglu will provide experience for this young team, Jarrett Jack is a solid guard that can play the 1 or 2 and now we got the Italian Stallions of Bargnani and Belinelli that'll make it rain all game long...I can't wait for the NBA season to start...GO RAPTORS!!!

Popeye's Runs Out of Chicken!!!

I know the world is goin through a recession right now but I mean come on, Popeye's Chicken runs out of chicken one day and people fuckin lose it like it's the only food in the world available. What's ironic about this news report is that it played the stereotype to its fullest, notice only black folks were interviewed...some might be offended by what this station did. Whatever I say, I wanted to tell these people that I'm sure there are other fried chicken spots in Rochester. I almost pissed my pants laughin at the woman cussing at the drive thru order machine. Retarded is all I gotta say 'bout this.

***UPDATE***
Here's another news report I found that just validates the stereotype even further and more laughing ensues, only this time the Popeye's in Minnesota refuses to honour the nationwide special...black folks are crazy for chicken!!!

Raps on a 4 game win streak?!?

Yes it is true, the Toronto Raptors are finally winning when it doesn't matter but at least they are showing some pride and trying to please not only themselves but us fans as well. The game against the Bulls this afternoon was probably the best ball I've seen the Raps played all season even though they blew an 18 point lead going into the 4th. Things should be looking up come next season, I'm sure whatever draft pick we get plus free agency will convince Bosh to maybe stay a bit longer cause I don't want dood to leave the team, I think Bosh and Bargnani click well together and with Calderon at 100% plus a hopefully upgraded nucleus (mainly at the 2 and 3 positions) we can compete in the playoff race next season. Oh and to our GM Mr. Colangelo...RE-SIGN POPS MENSAH BONSU!!!!!

Damn! That's A Lot of Breakfast Cereal.

Oh Canada!?! Why the hell can't you carry some wholesome sugary goodness on our grocery store shelves like our American counterparts? Why does our cereal suck so bad down here nowadays in this health conscious society that everything has to be lacking taste and moral fiber (although you get plenty of bland regular fiber in that bowl). I've been an avid eater of sugary breakfast cereal since I was born and the 80s and early 90s were my glory years of what I felt was a tasty, nutritious breakfast. Now back in October 2008 myself and a couple of friends made the trip to Buffalo, New York to go shopping, they shopped for clothing and housewares and I shopped for American junk food. I was so glad to come back home with my 3 boxes of sugary, not-so-good for you cereal (Apple Jacks, Cookie Crisp, and Fruity Pebbles) that I had to crack open that box of Cookie Crisp right away and let me tell you...I was in FUCKIN HEAVEN LOL! I remember eating Cookie Crisp as a kid back in the early 90s, the only place in Western Canada that carried it was chain of cheap department stores known as BiWay. I was hooked immediately and BiWay also had a variety of different flavored cereals that featured the Looney Tunes characters on the boxes that also kicked ass growing up but when BiWay went out of business, so to did the sugary cereals in Canada. Yeah I've been eating some free leftover Kashi cereal I got from Red Flag Deals (thanx Darrin!) but this shit just isn't the same so hopefully when the weather warms up here I'm gonna go for that junk food run across the border for a weekend and away from the evil, bland tasting, so-called healthy cereal for sugary, good tasting, cavity filling pastures. For all you cereal lovers out there like myself here's an interesting link I found called Topher's Breakfast Cereal Character Guide and basically is a historic timeline of all the cereals and it's company mascots released throughout the years...who the fuck knew Gremlins, Bill & Ted and Hot Wheels had their own cereals?!?! Bring back Mr. T cereal!!!!

THE POWER GLOVE!!!!

Man tonight as I was digging through some boxes I have in the garage that have a bunch of discs and other crap I found my DVD of The Wizard. The Wizard for those that don't know is a film that came out in the late 80s or early 90s starring Fred Savage and basically all it was is an hour and a half of product placement for Nintendo. One scene in particular that I remember when I first saw it as a kid was the Power Glove scene and my reaction then hasn't changed the slightest bit almost 20 years later...GAY!!! Sure am glad I didn't buy that piece of crap.

My Top 10 Films and Albums of 2008

***note*** - this was taken off my Facebook page, I did this list in January but totally forgot to post it here, enjoy bitches!!!

Alright I'm bored so I figure I would share with y'all my favourite films and albums of the past year. 2008 was decent as far as music goes but films were pretty much lacking something this past year. Anyways here ya go, read on, enjoy and let's hope for great things to come in 2009.

FAVE FILMS

10. LET THE RIGHT ONE IN
-Very interesting vampire film that hooked me in with the main characters' unlikely friendship and a story that has layers not like that teenybopper crap known as Twilight (yes I drink the Haterade to the fullest).

9. MORE THAN A GAME
-Wonderful documentary following the lives of Lebron James and his best friends from childhood to the present. Sports fans will dig it.

8. GRAN TORINO
-Clint Eastwood is more badass than ever in what is supposed to be his last acting performance, if so he goes out with a bang! Great performance.

7. THE WACKNESS
-Good coming of age film with an awesome cast and a classic hip hop soundtrack that'll keep everyone bobbin their heads.

6. JCVD
-Van Damme's comeback film, although not typical Van Damme fare. A comedy/drama that makes fun of JCVD himself, shows his acting rage and gives a poignant monologue that makes the film worth watching.

5. WALL-E
-Pixar gives us another great animated flick, a fun watch that made me smile at the end.

4. IRON MAN
Robert Downey Jr. rules and now the whole world knows it. One of the best superhero flicks made, the pressure is on for the sequel.

3. SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE
-a compelling film that doesn't shy away from harsh realities but also has many layers and shows both the dark and light sides of lives of its characters. SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE is an excellent film to say the least.

2. THE WRESTLER
-Mickey Rourke is the main reason this film is a must see, glad to see the man back in the limelight in such a touching yet simple film.

1. THE DARK KNIGHT
-What more has to be said that hasn't already been said. Sad to see Heath Ledger go as his iconic performance as The Joker will be one to be remembered, simply put it cannot be replaced. A sequel that surpasses the original and looking forward to seeing more of my favourite superhero.

Other flicks I dug but didn't make that glorious top 10:
The Incredible Hulk, Zack and Miri Make A Porno, Forgetting Sarah Marshall, Rambo, Death Race, Speed Racer, Pineapple Express, In Bruges, The Bank Job, Miracle at St. Anna, Son of Rambow, Wanted, Ip Man, Public Enemy Number One (Part 1), Kung Fu Panda, American Teen, Tropic Thunder, Vicky Cristina Barcelona, Traitor, Burn After Reading, Rocknrolla, Punisher War Zone, Quantum of Solace, Sexykiller

Avoid: THE HAPPENING (this movie absolutely blows)

FAVE ALBUMS

10. LIL WAYNE - Tha Carter III
9. ERYKAH BADU - New Amerykah Part 1: 4th World War
8. COLDPLAY - Viva La Vida
7. ESTELLE - Shine
6. T.I. - Paper Trail
5. N.E.R.D. - Seeing Sounds
4. RAPHAEL SAADIQ - The Way I See It
3. NAS - Untitled
2. SANTOGOLD - Santogold
1. Q-TIP - The Renaissance

Honorable Mentions:
Alicia Keys - As I Am, Kanye West - 808s and Heartbreak, Ludacris - Theater of the Mind, Keyshia Cole - A Different Me, Musiq Soulchild - Onmyradio, Anthony Hamilton - Point Of It All, John Legend - Evolver, Gnarls Barkley - The Odd Couple, Ice Cube - Raw Footage, MGMT - Oracular Spectacular, The Cool Kids - Bake Sale EP, Portishead - Third, The Roots - Rising Down, Young Jeezy - The Recession, Ne-Yo - Year of the Gentleman

Avoid: LL Cool J - Exit 13 and Common - Universal Mind Control (Common and party tracks just don't mix, disappointing; LL needs to just stick to acting from now on cuz rap is no longer in his future after the wackness of Exit 13.)

Oscars 2009

Alright it's that time of year for the Oscars again, I personally don't see the big fuss why people care what suits or dresses the celebs wear every year because in the end aren't we suppose to focus on the important thing about the Oscars: film. Anyways I don't plan on sitting through the entire ordeal because it's just so bleeding boring and for 3 hours I could be watching two decent flicks in that timeframe instead of 3+ hours of boring speeches and celebrity jib-jab. Here's my predictions for this year's Oscars:

-Slumdog Millionaire wins best picture and deservedly so but I did enjoy Milk. Why the hell is The Reader nominated? God that movie sucks!

-Heath Ledger will win for best supporting actor but I wouldn't be mad if Robert Downey Jr. won for Tropic Thunder lol!

-Mickey Rourke wins best actor.

-I think Anne Hathaway should win best actress but the award will most likely go to Kate Winslet for The Reader; a movie I didn't enjoy at all (it was boring as hell) and can't believe is up for a best picture nomination.

-Penelope Cruz gets here supporting actress Oscar easily.

-Danny Boyle should get best director in a field full of very good directors, then again I think Slumdog Millionaire is going to runaway with a majority of the awards tonight.

-Pixar's Wall-E will take best animated movie like they do every other year.

-I've only seen one film nominated for best foreign language film and that was Waltz With Bashir which was pretty awesome in the animation department so my vote goes to that flick.

-Man On Wire should get best documentary but more than likely won't.

Review: CHOCOLATE (2007)

The TIFF crew with Chocolate director Prachya Pinkaew


The only martial arts film I got to see at the Toronto International Film Festival 2008 and also the closing film of the festival and let’s just say it ended the festival off with a bang. From the director of Ong Bak and starring a new 23 year old female action protégé who goes by the name of Jeeja (probably spelled wrong) that has the same fierceness and commanding presence that Tony Jaa had in ONG BAK, CHOCOLATE is just an ass kicking good time. After a slow first half hour and a weak story, the film kicked it into top gear with its insane stunts and strong fight choreography. Fight fans rejoice and stay for the end credits to see the mishaps on set of making this film, Thai stuntmen and stuntwomen are crazy. Pick this one up on DVD which is available right now from Magnet Releasing.

The Boom Verdict: 4 out of 5

Review: FRIDAY THE 13TH PART VI: JASON LIVES (1986)

With the remake coming out this year I felt I had to revisit my favorite Jason flick in this incredibly long running series. Yes this is the Frankenstein Jason in this movie as he is brought back to life by electricity during a storm and man he's pissed. I enjoyed this one a lot because not only is it violent as hell as Jason does his usual business but also it seems like the filmmakers actually gave a damn about this sequel and injected some humor into this entry, something that hasn't been explored in this series. If you haven't seen any of these Friday the 13th films don't start with the first one, watch this one instead. Review of the remake (or re-imagining, whatever you want to call it) coming soon!

The Boom Verdict: 4 out of 5

Review: MAX PAYNE (2008)

What a disappointment! Considering that I enjoyed the games very much when they first came out I think Hollywood sucked it hard with this film adaptation. I didn't have a problem with Mark Wahlberg and the cool looking cinematography however it was the laughable dialogue and bland plot that dragged the film down so much that by the time the action rolls in the movie is almost over, this is freakin Max Payne for crying out loud give me lots of crazy action not some Law and Order interrogation bullshit for 90% of the film...Weak sauce to say the least, a great looking piece of shit.

The Boom Verdict: 1.5 out of 5

Review: NICK AND NORAH'S INFINITE PLAYLIST (2008)

A teenage comedy aimed for the hipster crowd that works on some levels and I wished there was more development for the two lead characters. Good hip indie rock soundtrack that goes well with the film, Michael Cera and Kat Dennings seem to have good chemistry together but my gripe was that I felt they didn't go all the way with it and some of the humor in the film just didn't fit well. This film had the potential to be great but just ends up playing it safe, I still liked it though.

The Boom Verdict: 3.5 out of 5