New Movie Reviews: Captain Phillips, Machete Kills, Ghost Team One
- Details
- Category: Commentary
- Published: Friday, 11 October 2013 12:56
- Written by iRate Chick
There’s a wide range of movie choices and genres for the weekend of October 11th. Robert Rodriguez’s MACHETE KILLS takes the action genre into the ridiculous, but fun zone while GHOST TEAM ONE does the same for the horror genre. On the opposite end of the spectrum, Tom Hanks’s Oscar worthy performance in CAPTAIN PHILLIPS keeps you at the edge of your seat.
MACHETE KILLS
You want outrages, you go see a Robert Rodriguez flick. At this point, no one expects a masterpiece from the filmmaker, but you can expect a good time. Just knowing that Charlie Sheen is president of the United States informs you not to take the sequel starring Danny Trejo too seriously.MACHETE KILLS comes out of the gate strong, than lags in the middle, but soon picks up at the end when Machete goes mano a mano with Mel Gibson’s Voz.
You’ll especially enjoy MACHETE KILLS if you’re a Star Wars fan and a movie buff in general with various film references in the third act. Apart from his weapon of choice, Machete has a lot more toys and gadgets to play with in this follow-up including a light saber machete. MACHETE KILLS also has a James Bond-esque quality to it, or better yet, Austin Powers minus the funny with some homage to the spy genre.
And speaking of Austin Powers, Mel Gibson plays a sort of Dr. Evil as Voz in MACHETE KILLS. MACHETE KILLS sets up for a third movie in which Machete goes into space. As in Grindhouse fashion, Rodriguez teases the audience with a space fight between a man in a mask and Machete as a preview before the movie. In the movie, Mel Gibson is set up as this crazy billionaire and science fiction nut with plans to destroy Washington and colonize space. Seeing Gibson in a Star Trekkie outfit with a cape is hilarious, and he sure can play up the nutty.
The cast reads like a guest list from the People’s Choice Awards with various famous faces like Lady Gaga, Vanessa Hudgens, Cuba Gooding, Jr., Antonio Banderas, Amber Heard, Demien Bichir, Sofia Vergara and too many more to name. Other famous names are only mentioned and then killed off. One in particular that had the audience rolling was Justin Bieber.
As in usual Robert Rodriguez fashion, his one-line social commentaries are a hoot. MACHETE KILLS is certainly Rodriguez’s most ambitious film to date. More on MACHETE KILLS.
GHOST TEAM ONE Review
Continuing the ridiculous fun, the indie horror comedy, GHOST TEAM ONE offers more of the same type of irreverence and silliness in the horror genre. Shot in documentary-style, the cast boasts three Latinos in the role as victims of a horny ghost haunting their home. Carlos Santos, Fernanda Romero and J.R. Villarreal start documenting the haunting and try to lure the ghost out, and when it does, all hell breaks loose with it climaxing in a hilarious and gory scene.
Actor J.R. Villareal is one to watch for with a performance that made the film worth sitting through. GHOST TEAM ONE is playing in select movie theaters, but also available on video on-demand and digital platforms. Watch red band trailer.
CAPTAIN PHILLIPS Review
If this movie wasn’t based on the true story of the hijacking of the American cargo ship in 2009, it would be hard to fathom how only 4 skinny Somali pirates managed to overtake a ship with a 30 man crew.
We expect a top-notch performance from Tom Hanks and he delivers on that front, although the Boston accent was a little distracting. His role is interesting in that he saves the day not by going into action Jackson mode, but through manipulation.
Directed by the man behind the Jason Bourne franchise and the compelling United 93, Paul Greengrass takes this real-life event and places you on the edge of your seat for the whole movie. Tom Hank’s Captain Phillips is presented as a real person without the heroics although he manipulates the situation and captors to thwart their plans to hold them ransom.
The actors playing the Somali pirates were also excellent and their characters are humanized in such as way that you understand this is a choice that has been forced on them out of desperation. At times you feel sorry for their situation, but then you’re hating on them equally. The leader of the pirates, Barkhad Abdi gives a convincing performance and holds his own up against the veteran Hollywood star.
CAPTAIN PHILLIPS certainly deserves the award talk, but I want to know how much that rescue bill from the Navy cost the shipping company. Watch Trailer.