Top 10 Movies of 2010

Following the precedent set by my list of Top 10 movies for 2009, this year's list shall only consist of movies that are eligible for the 2010 Oscar and that I also saw in 2010, not just Oscar-eligible movies that I saw whenever or non Oscar-eligible movies that I saw in the last calendar year. Anyway, here is MadProfessah's list of Top 10 movies for 2010 (you can select film names to read my reviews):

10. The Town. This is Ben Affleck's second feature film that he has directed, following an excellent debut with Gone, Baby, Gone. This time he also co-wrote the screenplay and is the lead actor. Affleck wisely cast Jeremy Renner (The Hurt Locker) in the pivotal role as Affleck's character's childhood best friend. The Town features some broad Bostonian accents and some thrilling heist and chase sequences well-executed and well-directed. It is the love story at the heart of the film which makes an indelible impression, however.

9. The Fighter. Directed by David O. Russell and starring Mark Wahlberg and Christian Bale as brothers with Amy Adams and Melissa Leo as their girlfriend and mother, respectively. The Fighter at first glance would appear to be a quotidian example of yet-another boxing film attempting to ape Rocky, but it is energized by an incendiary performance by Bale as a quirky, crack-addicted, former boxing champ who is trying to train his older brother to a world title. Leo and Adams are also excellent in their somewhat confined roles, while Wahlberg is surprisingly very good indeed. And it's based on a true story!

7. True Grit. Who in their right mind would try and adapt an Oscar-winning classic Western and cast an unknown in their debut movie role in the film's central character? The Coen Brothers, of course! True Grit stars Jeff Bridges in the role which John Wayne won his Oscar and Matt Damon plays the second male lead. Introducing Hailee Steinfeld (remember that name) as the 14-year-old girl who wants revenge for the murder of her daddy and who gets more than she bargained for. The cinematography is stunning and the language of the original book the movie is based on is highlighted in a delightfully entertaining way.

7. The King's Speech. Appears to be genetically designed for Oscars: a period picture (London between World War I and II), more legendary British actors than you can shake a stick at, a lead character with a personal disability he needs to overcome in order to succeed at his job and a quirky supporting character who helps the lead character achieve his goal. Of course, "the job" Colin Firth has to succeed at is public speaking, because he is the King of England. And the quirky supporting character is played by the always delightful Geoffrey Rush. The film is bolstered by Firth's remarkable performance; he makes the audience feel sympathy for a monarch, never an easy task.

6. 127 Hours. This was the movie which had the most visceral impact on me during the entire year. How could it not? James Franco depicts the real story of a guy who got trapped for more than 5 days and nights in a canyon and hacked his own arm off (with a dull implement, no less) in order to surviver and have the movie of his life directed frenetically by the Oscar-winning director Danny Boyle. I admit that I looked away from the screen during those scenes but I defy you not to watch this film without your heart racing at some point.

5. The Kids Are All Right. Lesbian moms who watch gay porn as foreplay?Ohhhhh- kay. What really makes this surprisingly affecting film is the verisimilitude of the depiction of the relationships and mistakes the characters make as they deal with an emotionally fraught situation: teen-aged kids get in contact with the sperm donor their very different lesbian moms used to create their family. Annette Bening and Julianne Moore are equally wonderful as the two leads, but Mrs. Beatty is finally, deservedly, receiving the overdue acclaim (and possibly the statuette) that Hilary Swank has previously denied her (twice!).

4. Waiting for Superman. After seeing this documentary you will be enraged by the way we handle education in this country and the devastating impact this has on children and their (and our) future. The one time I cried in a movie theater all year was in despair realizing that a real person's potential was being disposed of right before my very eyes and there was nothing that I could do about it. Emotionally powerful filmmaking.

3. The Social Network. Film-making of the highest quality: every element just works. From Jesse Eisenberg's annoying "punk genius billionaire" persona, to David Fincher's suspenseful direction of Aaron Sorkin's incredible script punctuated by Trent Reznor's score, The Social Network was the film of the year for 2010. It seizes you from the opening scene and never lets you go.

2. Toy Story 3. Pixar again! Now they are really just ****ing with the rest of Hollywood. Not satisfied with a string of unprecedented successes (11 and counting!) Pixar is now showing that they can make sequels of sequels and they will still be better than 99% of the what the rest of the industry produces.Toy Story 3 in my estimation, is actually the best of the Toy Story films and is in the very top tier of all Pixar films (The Incredibles is still #1 in my book). Even though it is is "just" cartoons, the film's story pack an incredible wallop which allows all members of the audience to either remember their own childhood and the joy of playing with toys, or to experience the film as a delightful romp of toys coming to life. How they are able to repeatedly, unerringly come up with brilliant stories, impeccably executed is one of the wonders of the world. All you can really do is sit back and enjoy the ride for as long as it lasts.

1. Inception. Christopher Nolan is my favorite director, and has been since his feature film debut with Memento. Most of the world knows him for his fantastical box-office success with Batman Begins and The Dark Knight but I love his films (like The Prestige) for the brilliant puzzles, spectacular direction and always, ingenious originality he brings to every endeavor. Even with his reputation I was still dazzled by Inception. A dream within a dream within a dream? A triple ticking-time bomb? Are you kidding me? Inception has all the brilliant film-making of elements of The Social Network and then combines it with a visual feast and a mind-bending screenplay that significant fractions of the tens of millions of people who have seen the film still do not understand. My question is, do you think the top stopped spinning?

The most important (final) scene in Inception

Honorable Mentions: Shutter Island, Kick Ass, How To Train Your Dragon, Winter's Bone.

Oscar Contenders Not Seen in 2010: Black Swan, Inside Job, Carlos, Biutiful. 

For Your Consideration: "Inception"

The campaigns for the 2010 Best Picture Oscar have begun in earnest.... Here is the promotional trailer for Christopher Nolan's Inception

VIDEO: Inception vs Toy Story 3

MOVIE REVIEW: Inception

MadProfessah and The Other Half saw the latest film from Christopher Nolan, the director of Memento, Insomnia, Batman Begins, The Dark Knight and now Inception. Memento is one of my favorite films of all time, and Nolan is one of my favorite film directors. I have seen and enjoyed all of his films to date.

We saw Inception at the new(ish) Arclight Cinemas in Pasadena on opening day, Friday July 16th. We generally avoided most of the reviews, which were mostly (but not overwhelmingly) positive. The current rottentomatoes.com rating for the film is 86%.

Inception is a fiendishly complicated story that revolves around the premise that there exists technology which allows multiple individuals to share and participate in each others' dreams. Usually this procedure is used to steal secrets from an individual's subconscious by accessing it in their dreams. The concept of "inception" in this context is the notion that one can insert an idea into the dreaming individual, in such a way that they believe that the idea is actually self-generated.

Leonardo Dicaprio, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Ellen Page, Dileep Rao and Tom Hardy all play members of a team led by DiCaprio's Dom Cobb who is being hired by Ken Watanabe's character to place an idea in Cillian Murphy's character's head. Got it? The basic idea of the film is not that complicated, but the successful execution of "inception" requires Murphy's character to be taken into a dream within a dream within a dream. As one reviewer mentioned, this device allows director Nolan to have not one but three ticking clock scenarios for the audience to watch and, in my opinion, raises the level of suspense to a fever-pitch.

The story is further complicated by Cobb's subconscious, which features his ex-wife Mal Cobb, played magnificently by Oscar winner Marion Cotillard. She is infiltrating his dreamscape and doing her best to foil his plans. Other important supporting characters are played by Pete Postlethwaite (Murphy's near-death father), a near unrecognizable Tom Berenger (Murphy's right-hand man) and 2-time Oscar winner Michael Caine as Cobb's father-in-law and mentor.

Nolan gets immense respect from me for writing and directing such an ambitious piece of film-making that can be also be successfully marketed as summer blockbuster popcorn entertainment.

Running Time: 2 hours, 28 minutes. MPAA Rating: PG-13 for sequences of violence and action throughout.

Plot: A+.
Acting: A.
Visuals: A+.
Impact: A.

Overall Grade: A+/A (4.167/4.0).

'Avatar' Breaks $400m Domestic Box-Office Total

Avatar has now grossed $429 million dollars, domestically, and $1.35 billion worldwide. It reached the $400 million barrier domestically in 23 days, slightly slower than The Dark Knight's 18 days in 2008. Christopher Nolan's movie ended with a gross of $533 million domestic, $1 billion worldwide.

Avatar is now the #2 all-time box-office champ, behind James Cameron's previous blockbuster, Titanic, which grossed $600 million domestically and $1.8 billion worldwide. It is doubtful to surpass that number but it has a decent chance of reaching $500 million and perhaps beating The Dark Knight, depending on the upcoming Oscar race.

My Favorite Films of the Decade 2000-2009

Here is my Top 10 list of my favorite films seen in the last decade, from January 1, 2000 to December 31, 2009.

1. The Lord of the Rings. The pure cinematic achievement of Peter Jackson's adaptation of J.R.R. Tolkien's classic fantasy novel The Lord of the Rings is absolutely stunning. The films were box-office blockbusters and universally critically acclaimed, even by people who had never read the book(s). I first read the book(s) at the age of 9 and loved these perfect filmic realizations even more than the original(s). Director: Peter Jackson. Released: 2001, 2002, 2003.
   
2. Memento. I still remember the sense of wonder and amazement I felt during and after watching Christopher Nolan's debut feature film. My mind was blown but I knew that I wanted to see it again, and that I would make sure to see everything this director would ever release in the future (The Dark Knight, The Prestige, Batman Returns, Insomnia). Director: Christopher Nolan. Released: 2001.
   
3. Avatar. Yes, believe the hype! James Cameron confounded all the doubters who refused to believe that the director of Aliens and Titanic could (again!) reinvent the cinematic experience with an(other) original story. I saw the film twice in the first weekend of release and know that I will see it again several times. This is the current generation's Star Wars: a film which restores the sense of wonder to cinema. Director: James Cameron. Released: 2009.
4. The Incredibles. From the director of the instant classic The Iron Giant and the wizards at Pixar came this incredibly poignant and action-filled story of a family of superheroes. The Incredibles, like Finding Nemo, Up, WALL-E and Ratatouille demonstrate that animation can be as emotionally powerful as live-action. Whenever I see this film on TV I must stop what I'm doing and watch it all the way to the end. If I believed in God, I'd pray for a sequel! Director: Brad Bird. Released: 2004.
5. Tell No One (Ne Le Dis A Personne). An innocuous little French thriller that grabs your attention from the first scene and leaves you breathless at its satisfying conclusion. The story is adapted from Harlan Coben's thriller "Tell No One." It also does a very good job of illustrating contemporary life in Paris, subtly challenging preconceptions that ideal living standards must be American. Director: Guillaume Canet. Released: 2006 (France), 2008 (United States).
6. House of Flying Daggers. Although Ang Lee's Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon was more widely acclaimed (winning the 2000 Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film and being nominated for Best Picture) I think that this film is the more amazing cinematic achievement, although this is admittedly a very close and somewhat arbitrary call. Together with this director's Hero, this trio of films (all featuring the incredible Zhang Ziyi) are must watching for anyone who likes martial arts and gorgeous spectacle. Director: Zhang Yimou. Released: 2005.
7. Dreamgirls. Who said the musical was dead? Openly gay writer-director Bill Condon achieved the impossible by adapting the thinly veiled 80s-era musical about the 60s supergroup The Supremes and finding someone who could handle the tsunami posing as a song "(And I'm Telling You) I'm Not Going." Jennifer Hudson won a well-deserved Oscar in her debut movie role and Beyoncé showed that she was born to inhabit the role of Miss Diana Ross. Director: Bill Condon. Released: 2006.
8. Spirited Away. This is not a Disney cartoon! Any serious student of film in general and animation in particular knows the name of Miyazaki. The Japanese filmmaker makes emotionally resonant films with curious stories that contain heart-stoppingly strange and beautiful images that are hard tp forget. In Spirited Away Miyazaki is at the top of his game and we are all the richer for it. Director: Hayao Miyazaki. Released: 2004.
9. Far From Heaven. Written and directed by Todd Haynes but animated by Julianne Moore's heart-wrenching performance as a 1950s-era wife married to a man with a secret played by a surprisingly good Dennis Quaid, this film is like a nearly perfect confection: short and sweet and leaves you wanting more. Director: Todd Haynes. Released: 2002.
10. Brokeback Mountain. The first film to have millions of gay men leave the theater shattered at finally seeing an emotionally true depiction of homosexuality in a major motion film. The relationship between Heath Ledger's Ennis Delmar and Jake Gyllenhaal's Jack Twist is the core of the film but it is the story and beautiful direction that really twists the knife. And, yes, I'm still bitter it didn't win Best Picture! Director: Ang Lee. Released: 2005.

And since I couldn't just mention only 10, here are ten more (not in any order) that should not be forgotten.

Honorable Mentions: Pan's Labyrinth, Wallace & Gromit: Curse of the Were-Rabbit, The Prestige, Finding Nemo, Juno, Slumdog Millionaire, Kill Bill, United 93, Milk and Moulin Rouge!

2009 Oscars: MadProfessah's Final Picks

BEST PICTURE
“The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”
“Frost/Nixon”
“Milk”
"The Reader”
“Slumdog Millionaire”

SHOULD WIN: “Slumdog Millionaire”

WILL WIN: “Slumdog Millionaire”

BEST DIRECTOR
David Fincher, “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”
Ron Howard, “Frost/Nixon”
Gus Van Sant, “Milk”
“Stephen Daldry, “The Reader”
Danny Boyle, “Slumdog Millionaire”
SHOULD WIN: Danny Boyle, “Slumdog Millionaire”
WILL WIN: Danny Boyle, “Slumdog Millionaire”

BEST ACTOR
Richard Jenkins, “The Visitor”
Frank Langella, “Frost/Nixon”
Sean Penn, “Milk”
Brad Pitt, “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”
Mickey Rourke, “The Wrestler”
SHOULD WIN: Sean Penn, “Milk”
WILL WIN: Sean Penn, “Milk”

BEST ACTRESS
Anne Hathaway, “Rachel Getting Married”
Angelina Jolie, “Changeling”
Melissa Leo, “Frozen River”
Meryl Streep, “Doubt”
Kate Winslet, “The Reader”
SHOULD WIN: Meryl Streep, “Doubt”
WILL WIN: Kate Winslet, “The Reader”

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Josh Brolin, “Milk”
Robert Downey Jr., “Tropic Thunder”
Phillip Seymour Hoffman, “Doubt”
Heath Ledger, “The Dark Knight”
Michael Shannon, “Revolutionary Road”
SHOULD WIN: Heath Ledger, “The Dark Knight”
WILL WIN: Heath Ledger, “The Dark Knight”

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Amy Adams, “Doubt”
Penelope Cruz, “Vicky Cristina Barcelona”
Viola Davis, “Doubt”
Taraji P. Henson, “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”
Marisa Tomei, “The Wrestler”
SHOULD WIN: Amy Adams, “Doubt”

WILL WIN: Penelope Cruz, “Vicky Cristina Barcelona”

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
“The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”
“Doubt”
“Frost/Nixon”
“The Reader”
“Slumdog Millionaire”
SHOULD WIN: “Slumdog Millionaire”
WILL WIN: “Slumdog Millionaire”

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
“Frozen River”
“Happy-Go-Lucky”
“In Bruges”
“Milk”
“WALL-E"
SHOULD WIN: “Milk”

WILL WIN: “Milk”

The Dark Knight Breaks $500m Barrier (in 45 Days)

Nikki Finke is reporting that The Dark Knight has broken the $500 million barrier in a record 45 days this past weekend. It now owns 14 box-office records:

1. LARGEST NUMBER OF OPENING THEATRES WITH 4,366 (MORE THAN THE 4,362 DEBUT THEATRES OF PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: AT WORLD'S END IN 2007).

2. BIGGEST MIDNIGHT PREVIEW GROSS WITH $18.489 MILLION IN 3,040 THEATRES (THIS BEATS STAR WARS EPISODE III: REVENGE OF THE SITH AT $16.9 MILLION IN 2,915 THEATRES IN 2005).

3. BIGGEST IMAX MIDNIGHT PREVIEWS SET AN NEW RECORD WITH $640,000 (THIS AMOUNT WAS APPROPRIATELY INCLUDED IN THE $18.489 MILLION PREVIEW NUMBER).

4. BIGGEST SINGLE-DAY GROSS IN BOX-OFFICE HISTORY WITH $67,165,092 (THIS BEATS THE $59,841,919 SET BY SPIDER-MAN 3 IN 2007).

5. BIGGEST OPENING WEEKEND GROSS IN BOX-OFFICE HISTORY WITH $158,411,483 MILLION (THIS BEATS THE $151,116,516 SET BY SPIDER-MAN 3 IN 2007).

6. BIGGEST OPENING WEEKEND GROSS FOR AN IMAX RELEASE IN BOX-OFFICE HISTORY WITH $6,214,061 MILLION IN 94 THEATRES ($66,107 PER-THEATRE!) (THIS BEATS THE $4.7 MILLION SET BY SPIDER-MAN 3 IN 2007) - IMAX SHOWING AT FULL CAPACITY $1.9 MILLION ON SATURDAY ALONE.

7. BIGGEST SINGLE-DAY SUNDAY GROSS WITH $43,596,151 (THIS BEATS THE $39,937,865 SET BY SPIDER-MAN 3 ON ITS DEBUT WEEKEND).

8. FASTEST SPRINT TO $200 MILLION DOMESTICALLY IN JUST FIVE DAYS (BEATING PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: DEAD MAN’S CHEST, SPIDER-MAN 2, AND STAR WARS EPISODE III: REVENGE OF THE SITH WHICH EACH TOOK 8 DAYS TO REACH $200 MILLION).

9. POSTS THE BEST SECOND WEEKEND GROSS EVER AT $75,166,446 (BEATING SHREK 2 AND ITS $72,170,363 SECOND WEEKEND GROSS).

10. CROSSES THE $300 MILLION MARK IN JUST 10 DAYS (BEATING 2006's PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: DEAD MAN'S CHEST WHICH TOOK 16 DAYS).

11. THE FILM IN IMAX WORLDWIDE CROSSED THE $20 MILLION MARK IN JUST 11 DAYS (BEATING HARRY POTTER 5 WHICH TOOK 16 DAYS).

12. THE FILM CROSSED THE $400 MILLION MARK IN JUST 18 DAYS (BEATS SHREK 2 WHICH TOOK 43 DAYS TO DO IT)

13. BECAME THE SECOND-HIGHEST GROSSING FILM OF ALL-TIME DOMESTICALLY IN JUST 30 DAYS OF RELEASE SURPASSING THE ORIGINAL STAR WARS ON SATURDAY, AUGUST 16, 2008 (ON THAT DAY IT HIT $466,365,174 BEATING STAR WARS ($461 MILLION)

Of course many of these records are silly because Hollywood doesn't adjust box-office records for inflation. So, Titanic's $600 million domestic gross from 1997-1998 is significantly more than that amount in 2008 dollars. But, still, $500 million is still a LOT of money, even in Hollywood.

I wonder how long it takes before we start hearing about fights between Christopher Nolan (and/or his brother) who wrote, produced and directed the movie and Warner Brothers over a fair share of the profits? 1, 2, 3, 4, ....

The Dark Knight Becomes 2nd Highest Grossing Film Of All Time

The Dark Knight has continued its record-breaking box-office performance by hitting $471 million, eclipsing Star Wars (1977) which has grossed $461 million for the #2 position on the all-time list, behind Titantic (1997) at $600.2 million.

It is unlikely that The Dark Knight will break Titantic's total, but it has a very good chance of breaking the $500 million barrier, according to most models. In fact, Warners Bros. is so happy about its 2008 box-office prospects it has moved one of its potential big hits, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (the sixth movie in the franchise) to July 2009 from its Thanksgiving 2008 release date. The final Harry Potter book will be split into two movies that will be released in late 2010 and 2011.

REVIEW: The Dark Knight

Saw The Dark Knight this weekend. Since it's release at 12:01am Friday July 18th the film has been repeatedly breaking box-office records, and as of this writing has grossed $312 million(!) in 10 days putting it a mere $2 million behind the box-office champ for 2008: Iron Man (MadProfessah's review). Some industry observers are predicting a $500 million final gross and say that Titanic's $1.8 billion worldwide gross may be in jeopardy (I doubt that).

The movie is directed by one of my favorite directors, Christopher Nolan, who made Memento and The Prestige (see MadProfessah's review), two of my favorite films of all time. In fact, in my opinion, Christopher Nolan (who co-writes and also produces his films) has yet to make a bad movie in the six feature films in his oeuvre so far: The Dark Knight, The Prestige, Batman Begins, Insomnia and Memento.

The Dark Knight is a fitting member of this club. Although it is not as intellectually satisfying as Memento or The Prestige it is another example of damned good film-making similar to Batman Begins but it is better than that movie.

The cast (like in the original) is quite impressive and uniformly excellent: Christian Bale, Heath Ledger, Gary Oldman, Michael Caine, Morgan Freeman, Aaron Eckhart, Maggie Gyllenhaal with even minor roles filled with excellent actors like Nestor Carbonell (The Mayor of Gotham City) and Anthony Michael Hall (an important cop) and Eric Roberts (an important gangster).

A little over half-way through the film I whispered to The Other Half "How much did this film cost?!" It looks incredible and you really can't believe all the things they were able to do on-screen, even with the magic of computerized visual effects.

The film does have a significant flaw: the film is simply too long. It is his longest film to date, and I think it's because he wanted to give the fans a summer entertainment where they feel they got their money's worth. Well, he had me after the first hour. The running time could really be anywhere between 15-30 minutes shorter. There's simply too much plot for a popcorn movie (how often does say that about a summer blockbuster?) which leads to a sense of enervated appreciation by the end.

The strengths of the film are many and much celebrated at this point, with the most significant being the performance of Heath Ledger as The Joker. He is absolutely riveting to watch, at times terrifying, funny and violent. It is an Oscar-calibre performance for which he will almost certainly win year-end acting awards posthumously (personally I would not vote for him for Best Supporting Academy Award if it were up to me because I think living actors should benefit from the exposure of winning the film industry's highest honor but there's no question it is one of the strongest supprting performances by a male actor in any film this year so far).

Unsurprisingly, Oscar-winners Morgan Freeman and Michael Caine are also incredibly strong in their supporting roles, as is Aaron Eckhart as the politically ambitious District Attorney Harvey Dent. Gary Oldman is almost unrecognizable in his Sir Albert Finney-like disappearance into his character. The only slight weakness in the top tier talent is Maggie Gyllenhaal's although I do think she was an improvement on Katie Holmes who originated the role of Bruce Wayne's love interest Rachel Dawes in Batman Begins.

Christian Bale as Bruce Wayne (he doesn't really get to do any acting as Batman) is solid and I found it signficant that there are almost no scenes of Bale's incredible body shirtless--in fact there is almost no sexuality whatever in the film.

The film, instead seems to be more about the puzzle of vigilante-ism and the nature of the body politic of a city, as well as the nature of madness and criminality and how far "the good guys" will go to stop the "bad guys" from getting their way, even if that means the line between good and bad get blurred. But, ultimately, it is an incredibly entertaining way to spend almost 3 hours in the dark.

OVERALL GRADE: A-.

ACTING: A+.
IMAGERY: A-.
PLOT: A-.
IMPACT: B+.

MOVIE REVIEW: Hellboy 2

Saw Guillermo del Toro's Hellboy 2: The Golden Army this weekend while Christopher Nolan's The Dark Knight was crushing box-office records.

The sequel to the 2004 Hellboy has been received relatively warmly by critics and the public in general (87% critics and 80% users at rottentomatoes.com).

As usual, the sequels to sucessful films that become summer blockbusters become bigger, louder and longer. Actually, Hellboy 2 is a few minutes shorter than the original's two-hour running time but seems much longer.


del Toro is clearly an extremely talented director and the images he includes in the film are truly breath-taking, even more imaginative than the amazing creations that appeared in his Oscar-winning Pan's Labyrinth (MadProfessah's review). This is one of the reason's he has been tapped to take on what is probably the #1 directing job in the world today, the adaptation of J.R.R. Tolkien's The Hobbit.


However, Hellboy 2 is a good example of the importance of a good script and being faithful to the internal consistencies of a fantastical world. In Hellboy 2, the entire plot revolves around the prevention of the activation of an indestructible, unstoppable Golden Army. When the question of whether the Golden Army will be stopped is resolved, one of the characters grabs the device which controls the activation of the Golden Army and completely destroys it in a few seconds. WTF? If the character ccould have demolished the key device at any point in time, what was the point of the last 90 minutes of the film? This is a fatal flaw and basically ruined the film for me. And my attention was already starting to flag because right before this point the action had become extremely frenetic and appeared to be unending. However, at no point does the film look bad, and overall, the action scenes were well-paced throughout the running time of the film.

OVERALL GRADE: B.

IMAGERY: A+.
ACTING: A-.
PLOT: D.
IMPACT: B-.