Short version: While more for the art-house crowd than mainstream audiences, JCVD shines a favorable light on both the man behind the image and the amazing actor we never knew Van Damme had in him.

Screen Rant’s Kofi Outlaw reviews JCVD

JCVD, the Jean-Claude Van Damme meta-movie from French filmmaker Mabrouk El Mechri, was one of two  films to make it into the prestigious final round of Screen Rant’s list of this year’s hot International Picks. (You can read a review of Screen Rant’s other international pick, Let The Right One In, here.)

Having now seen JCVD, I can congratulate myself for picking two very enjoyable movies. And JCVD is indeed a very enjoyable film–provided that you know what you’re getting into. I advise that you approach this film with the understanding that it is going to be more Being John Malkovich than it is Bloodsport, with a dash of Pulp Fiction thrown in for good measure.

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Short version: Eagle Eye starts out strong as an exciting action/suspense movie but eventually the implausibilities of the story catch up with it.

Screen Rant reviews Eagle Eye

I hate reviewing movies like this one because you just can’t win. Eagle Eye is one of those films that you can review three different ways from Sunday. You could say it’s “a gripping thrill ride,” “a ridiculous action film with delusions of grandeur,” or “a middle of the road action movie” all depending on your particular point of view or even the mood you’re in when you sit down in the theater.

This review has minor spoilers, but does not give away the ending. If you plan on seeing this I really encourage you to stay away from anything that might give it away including spoilerish reviews, radio talk show hosts, etc., if you don’t want the movie ruined for yourself!

Short Version: Don’t ask for more than what’s being offered and you will enjoy it.

Screen Rant reviews Death Race: Fast cars, big guns, hot chicks. As promised.

If there is one thing that can be said about Jason Statham, it’s that the man is an action star you can tell is hungry for success, willing to put life and limb on the line for your entertainment. And that effort usually shows in the finished product.

Death Race is no exception.

Click to continue "Death Race Review"

Short version: The best that can be said about this X-Files film is that it’s good to see Mulder and Scully on screen once again.

 As Screen Rant’s resident X-Files fan It came down to me to deliver a review for The X-Files: I Want To Believe. As I’m UK-based it took me a week to catch up with the film as it’s only just opened here.

Firstly the film has got some pretty bad reviews, and the opening weekend’s box office was only $10 million - a third of what X-Files: Fight The Future took 10 years ago.

So is the film any good?

Yes and no.

Short version: Hancock is not the light and fluffy comedy you may think it is - it’s dark and coarse, but well worth checking out.

Screen Rant’s Hancock review

Here’s what you need to know about Hancock:

1. Everything you’ve seen in trailers and TV commercials (well, up until this week) takes place in the first 10 minutes of the movie.

2. This is one coarse, crass movie - so much so that I don’t know how it garnered a PG-13 rating with all the foul language in it.

3. If you like Will Smith, and want to see an unconventional superhero movie - go see it. Just leave the kids at home.

Short version: While it definitely had its moments and plenty of nods to the fans, there was also more ridiculousness than we’ve ever seen in an Indiana Jones film.

Ok, I’d really like an easy movie to review for a change…

Reviewing the first Indiana Jones movie to be released in 20 years and directed by Steven Spielberg is not something I take lightly. It’s no secret that I haven’t exactly been fired up for this film or a big cheerleader for it (our writer Niall has taken that upon himself here at Screen Rant), but I truly hoped it would be great even if I didn’t think it would be.

So was it awful? Of course not. But was it great? Unfortunately, no.

What it was is pretty ridiculous in more than a couple of places - but oh, how it tried to be awesome… (BTW, I tried to keep this review as spoiler free as possible.)

Short version: Speed Racer is strictly for kids, big time nostalgia-feeling fans of the original series and perhaps video game addicts.

Considering all I’d heard about and seen via trailers and clips about Speed Racer, I was almost concerned about what it would be like to watch it on a gigantic IMAX screen. I thought perhaps it would give me a huge headache or perhaps induce some psychotic state in me, or worse - my daughter.

Ah, but 11 year olds brains are hardwired for this kind of stuff, so not to worry - she’s fine.

By Vic Holtreman

Short version: While The Ruins has virtually no plot, the characters aren’t cardboard cutouts and if you’re looking for a cringe-inducing horror movie you may actually enjoy it.

Yes, folks, you read that rating correctly: The Ruins is better than 10,000 B.C.

No, it wasn’t great, but it wasn’t terrible for this sort of movie. The saving grace here is a combination of the actors’ performances and the direction they were given by writer/director of the film Scott Smith.

I’m not saying they were Oscar-worthy, but I actually felt like they were people and not just stereotypical cannon fodder. By the time the bad stuff starts happening you can at least feel some sort of connection to them, as opposed to say, the disposable characters in Aliens vs Predator: Requiem.

Plot? One short sentence: A group of young, cornered American tourists try to survive man-eating plants.

By Brian Rentschler

Short version: Loosely based on real events, this movie has the potential to be powerful and poignant, but instead it settles for being a mildly entertaining popcorn flick. If you check your brain at the door and don’t mind style over substance, it’s good for a couple of hours of mindless entertainment.

When I first sat down to see this movie, the reality of my situation started to sink in. I was about to see a movie directed by Robert Luketic, the same guy who directed Legally Blonde, Win a Date with Tad Hamilton, and Monster-in-Law. Plus, one of the executive producers was Brett Ratner. Okay, so maybe I shouldn’t expect Citizen Kane here, but would it at least be enjoyable? To be fair, it is reasonably enjoyable, but it falls far short of its potential.

Before I go into much detail about the story, I should mention that the real standout in this movie is Jim Sturgess. The script doesn’t give him much in terms of character, but his acting ability seems to rise above the relative mediocrity of the script. Not only that, but he is a British actor doing an American accent, and I don’t recall a single slip-up in his American accent throughout the film. Granted, he is playing a guy from the East Coast, which makes it a little easier, but still… I thought he really stood out from the rest of the cast.

By Vic Holtreman

Short version: While the individual parts of the movie satisfy, In Bruges doesn’t really come together as a whole.

Back in November I posted the trailer to In Bruges and commented that it looked like a movie that would not be a hit with mainstream audiences but those that like indie movies would probably love it. Well I just watched it and I’m more certain than ever that my first reaction will turn out to be accurate.

Right from the opening frame of the movie it seems that the director is intent on keeping the audience off-balance. The camera pans across various landmarks and streets in the beautiful town of Bruges, Belgium with music that sounds like it comes from some French romance movie. But as this is happening, we get quick cuts to the two main characters, Ray (Colin Farrell) and Ken (Brendan Gleeson) making funny comments profusely laced with the F-bomb.

It wasn’t the F-word or the humor that struck me as odd, heck, I thought Superbad was really funny - it was the incongruity of the scenery and music against what the actors were saying and doing. On a side note, if profanity in films bothers you, this is SO not the movie for you…