Godzilla (2014)

Overall: 6

Entertainment: 2
I know. How could I enjoy Pacific Rim (it got an 11 on my review rubric) and dislike Godzilla? In a nutshell, Godzilla had an inferior plot, less engaging main character, less attractive visuals, and it made the mistake of taking itself too seriously.

That last point is important. Like a comic movie, a monster movie needs to balance how it presents itself versus how seriously it takes itself. Godzilla's failure to be truly scary (really...there was not a seriously scary/suspenseful moment in two hours) made taking itself seriously kind of silly. As a result, I couldn't suspend my disbelief, and was fairly bored during most of the movie.

Writing: 1
Since I assume you are not going to watch this monstrosity of a movie (see what I did there  :) after reading this highly credible review, I'm going to pitch a few spoilers out there for this section only. Just FYI.

One of the primary flaws in the writing is the use of impersonal villains (giant monsters "MUTOs" that don't really care whether or not they harm civilization). Godzilla was no different. He lumbered around hunting the MUTOs and was kind of the hero...sorta...but also the villain. The truth is that monsters only work as villains when people are the real prey--think of the velociraptors and people in Jurassic Park. It turns out when the monsters don't care about eating the characters in the monster movie, they aren't that interesting and the show isn't fun.

There is plenty more I could tear into, like a limited plot, a main character who was dull, logical flaws designed only to forward the plot, etc., but I think you have the idea.

Presentation: 3
Many will say the visuals were very good, and they were to some extent. However, I did not enjoy the overly-cluttered, almost 70s flair of the movie. The destruction looked pretty good, but destruction is only good in a movie where you care if characters get hurt; and, as I mentioned previously, you don't care about anyone in this movie despite usable acting.

Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014)

Overall: 17

Entertainment: 6
Stronger than the first installment of Captain America, with better writing, better visuals, and more heart. The real aspect that sets this movie apart, however, is it's story. It stays true to Steve Rogers (Capt. America) personality, and does a great job of giving him a moral dilemma without changing him into a flawed hero (yes I am tired of that cliche at this moment). It is also nice that this movie stays as pro-America as it's hero--it gets tiring to only be reminded of our defects as a country--despite recognition of some individual and governmental failings. You don't have to be a comic movie fan to enjoy watching this upbeat action-thriller; it is definitely worth your time!

Writing: 6
The Winter Soldier easily handles being a stand-alone movie for those who have not seen the first installment (or any of the other Marvel movies for that matter), while having tons of tie-ins to the overall Marvel world in a way that doesn't feel forced or contrived. The other aspect that I really enjoy is that this film is as much thriller as action (read: it actually has a captivating story between punches, or maybe it has some great punches within the story  :).

Presentation: 5
Overall good visually, but movie does not get too creative or out there with what it displays. It fits right with the rest of the Marvel films, and the action is acrobatic and attractive. The strong writing is well delivered, especially by Chris Evans (Capt. America) who does a great job of making an honorable character more than a caricature.

Divergent (2014)

Overall: 13

Entertainment: 5
Divergent is one of those movies critics love to hate--I am often a rough critic myself--but this film surprised me by being a really enjoyable watch. There is some items that involved real suspension of disbelief, but I think those were holdovers from the book that did not translate well onto the big screen (read jumping off moving trains as standard practice, etc.). Still, I had a good time watching this one.

Writing: 4
I can see where the critics complain that this story is like all other teen movies right now. The movie is set in a dystopian future, the teen protagonist (Tris) is angsting about who she is and who she should be, and there is an obligatory love story element. However, I agree with the argument that there are really no new stories anymore. Most are about the same age-old problems involved in the human condition. The differences are largely setting, timing, and stylistic in nature.

Again, don't listen to the critics. Divergent is both a decent love story and an interesting coming of age story as well.

Presentation: 4
Mixed bag here. The visuals look fairly decent, but don't always add up (e.g. future Chicago with turbines all over the buildings?).

The acting and look of Shailene Woodley (Tris) and Theo James (Four), however, come across very well on screen. They sold their characters well, and I found myself rooting for them throughout the movie.

Robocop (2014)

Overall: 12
Robocop has quite a bit going for it--good acting from big names, decent writing, enough budget for some usable visual effects--but this movie was only at the like level for me. It never quite fully drew me into its world entirely. I do appreciate, however, that the movie stepped away from the campiness of the 1987 version, and also avoided the excessive violence of its predecessor as well.

Entertainment: 4
The movie is entertaining, but is more a story of a man's personal journey through a bad experience than it is a fast-pace, action flick. So don't watch it expecting only fight scenes with awesome visuals and close calls. In a way the movie held to reality much more than I expected, but that is also part of the problem. When watching a movie about a man who loses everything and clings to life as a robot, I don't know if I want to see reality. I'd probably rather see the just (as in justice) revenge. Don't get me wrong. This is an enjoyable movie that has some hard hitting emotion at times, and some good action in between.

Writing: 4
The story is mostly clean and more focused on the realities of the main characters experience than I would have expected for a Robocop reboot. It has strong emotional connection at times as well. However, there are a couple of things that kept me from liking it better. First, this character and writing are largely joyless. Second, the anti-war sentiment reaches preachy levels at times. I think everyone already knows that war is not glamorous or the option of first choice. Finally, some things that happen just don't make sense (e.g. Robocop's wall jump).

Presentation: 4
The visuals were hit and miss for me. I'm not an expert on this front, but some of the visuals felt wrong. The wall jump mentioned earlier is a perfect example. It is one of many visuals that almost looked really good, but did not quite make it to amazing. The acting is good, but nobody made a name for themselves with this one.

The Lego Movie (2014)

Overall: 15
Kids and adults will enjoy this over-the-top comedy filled with action, comedy, love, loads of one-liners, superheros, and one very ordinary Lego man. At least, my twin boys (7 years old) loved it, and I had a great time too.

Entertainment: 5
The Lego Movie is ludicrously silly, fast-paced, fun. I could not help laughing out loud on multiple occasions for excellent one-liners that were funny on their own, while poking fun at all things Lego universe. I really liked this film, and almost loved it save for a few aspects.

Writing: 5
The story is clever and engaging. The silliness of the the dialog and story are well matched with the Lego universe. If I had felt more connected to the protagonist, I would have loved the writing; unfortunately, there was no moment in the film where I had more than sympathy for the main character. Don't get me wrong though. This is a great story that also has some heart.

Presentation: 5
For the sake of brevity, the acting is over-the-top and wonderful. Now for a bit of long-winded discussion on the visuals.

Please note, I did NOT see this movie in 3D, and I think it would have benefitted the visuals in this case--though I am on the fence as to my love of 3D films.

Overall, scenes were expansive (in Lego terms) and wild, but never slowed down for me to enjoy what was being displayed. Undoubtedly many people will disagree with me here, but the movie felt like a half stop motion, half digital animation mutant played at 1.5 speed (I honestly don't know how the film was actually made; this is just how it looked to me). The result was a very frantic set of images constantly rushing by. It was wonderful in many ways, but I did not quite love it.

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The Legend is Born: Ip Man (2010)

Overall: 13
This prequel to the Ip Man films is not on the same level as the Donnie Yen variety (see my review of Ip Man here), but it is worth watching for you martial arts fans out there.

The martial arts is good--though not on the same level as in Donnie Yen's portrayal--and the story is campy but decent. I enjoyed watching, though I wish it were a little more tightly written, realistic on the martial arts, and focused on Ip. By the way, you may want to watch this in Mandarin. The acting is good, but the English dubbing is sub-par.

Entertainment: 5
Not perfect, but I really enjoyed the action and story of this film.

Writing: 4
The story is not significantly deep, but does enough right. However, be warned that the B plot is a love story where the love interest is less convincing.

Presentation: 4
The acting is good, and the visuals are decent too. The presentation is a bit campy overall, but nothing in it is a deal-breaker.

The Grandmaster (2013)

Overall: 7
The are several great movies inspired by the life of Yip Man, the martial artist who was one of Bruce Lee's mentors. This is unfortunately not one of them. I am not exceptionally knowledgeable about Chinese culture or history, but I am not completely ignorant on this front either.

I felt like this movie was modeled after some kind of Chinese opera; it seemed more like a series of loosely connected events in one man's life than an actual story. The result was a less than captivating experience. Please note, I have not read any reviews on this movie, and perhaps other's thoughts and historical insights would have helped me more fully appreciate what this film intended to accomplish.

Entertainment: 2
An unengaging protagonist combined with an incomprehensible story and less entertaining fight scenes to create a low entertainment environment.

Writing: 2
The writing had various beautiful points in individual lines, but was overall disjointed.

Presentation: 3
This movie is often beautiful in style, but spent way too many moments watching feet slide across the flooring, etc. The acting was generally flat for me, though perhaps the cultural gap led me to miss the point. That said, I have watched many films in Mandarin before, and good acting generally shines through despite the language gap.

The Hunger Games: Catching Fire (2013)

Overall: 15
Catching fire is even better than The Hunger Games, with a tighter script, better visuals, and a rare place of privilege having a sequel exceed the original.

Entertainment: 5
As with the first, the movie keeps your interest despite a dour, post apocalyptic setting. It wisely avoids the excessive gore that could have made it unpalatable for many (like myself), and sticks to the stylized action violence we have all come to know and love. The movie may not be deep, but it is not all fluff and lights either. It has a decent story to carry it through.

Writing: 5
The script for Catching Fire was stronger than The Hunger Games. It managed to tie up its plots and subplots, while developing characters and relationships. It was really good, though it still did not win me over to loving Katniss--even with Jennifer Lawrence playing her. (I obviously still have a crush on JL at this point.) As a character I just find Katniss hard to connect with.

Presentation: 5
There were several beautiful moments visually in this film, and the acting is very good too. You probably won't feel let down on this front, though Lawrence's portrayal of Katniss was a little weepy for my taste.

The Hunger Games (2012)

Overall: 13
A surprisingly enjoyable film that manages to do a lot with less budget than many blockbuster type films. While not perfect, I would recommend this movie to those who liked the book, and to those who never read it.

Entertainment: 5
This movie was the kind of film that I really liked watching it, but it was not so amazing that I felt interested in seeing it again.

Writing: 4
The script was generally good, but a few issues kept me from loving it. For one, the movie missed several obvious opportunities to show the games from the perspective of the Capital. It also did not come full circle with some issues raised in the film. For example, Katniss goes on about how strong Peeta is supposed to be, yet he does not use that strength for anything. He could easily have used it to help Katniss defeat Cato on the cornucopia. Also, the muttations (wolves at the end) really did not make any sense (honestly, this was a goofy part of the book too). Let's just say the not all the hits were clean in the writing, but it held its own.

Presentation: 4
The visuals were pretty good, although in one or two spots they had the feeling of a low budget film trying to be bigger than it is. The acting was also fairly decent--don't hate me for saying that, because I have a crush on Jennifer Lawrence just like the rest of you. Nevertheless, nothing in the acting or the presentation blew me away. There should be a "wow" moment or two in a true blockbuster.

The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug (2013)

Overall: 14
This is a fun movie that does not stray from the high fantasy novel genre. It is as beautiful and detailed as the The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, though not quite as well written as far as the story arc is concerned--by that I mean the movie was not translated from book into a movie story arc as cleanly as the first movie.

Overall I liked this movie, and it is definitely worth watching.

Entertainment: 4
Of your average watchers (i.e. people who are not into all things Lord of the Rings), some people will probably love the Desolation of Smaug, but for me it was solidly in the like range. It was a little meandering in style (even for a fantasy movie), without that feeling of intensity that accompanied the previous film. This is also a darker, sadder period of the story, which can dampen the effect of the entertainment in a fantasy adventure. Despite all that, there are great and enjoyable scenes throughout. The issues that keep me from a higher range are not about the individual parts, just a few of the ties that bind them.

Writing: 4
As mentioned above, the writing in this movie did not capture the arc a movie plot should have as well as the previous film. Some will complain that I am being to harsh here, and that the second movie in a trilogy always suffers from story positioning. However, I will note that many movies have managed to accomplish this goal in a sequel (e.g. X-Men 2, The Empire Strikes Back, The Dark Knight, etc.).

Presentation: 6
As with all the Lord of the Rings movies, this film is fantastically beautiful. The visuals and audio are breathtaking, and the acting is wonderful.

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey (2012)

Overall: 16
A fantastic first installment to The Hobbit. Some have complained that the movie adds elements and story lines that were not in the book, but my feeling is that The Hobbit should not be looked at as a prequel to The Lord of the Rings books. Rather, it should be considered as a prequel to the LotR movies. In that regard it is wonderful, and I fully enjoyed it.

Entertainment: 5
This movie is another fantastic trip to Middle Earth with action, history, excitement, and beauty in every frame.

Writing: 5
The writing is very good, with the additions to the book giving the movie a better plot arc than it otherwise would have had if held more strictly to Tolkien's text.

Presentation: 6
As with all Peter Jackson movies, this film is fantastically beautiful. The visuals and audio are breathtaking. This movie is made to be seen. Also, the acting is excellent. Particularly, Martin Freeman's portrayal of Bilbo really makes the character shine while being true to the text.

Frozen (2013)

Overall: 15
I'll keep this brief. Do you like Disney? Do you like broadway? Then you will very likely love Frozen. My kids all loved it, and I thought it was excellent too.

Entertainment: 5
Frozen is a brave story in a way the movie Brave never was. It is thoughtful in that it addresses the standard princess love story without following the same old script. I also enjoyed most of the music.

Writing: 5
The writing in this is mostly strong, and were it not for the almost extraneous snowman character (and his songs/problems), along with a few lack-of-character-development issues for the prince(s), I would have given this a 6 on writing. Still, a very strong showing, as the writers reconsidered standard Disney assumptions about love and heroism.

Presentation: 5
The presentation is beautiful, clean, and creative--though there was no moment where I was blown away. The voice acting was wonderful, and the singing exceptionally talented.