DVD Releases for Feb. 12, 2013

 Rating: 61/100Dave’s 3-Word Review:Maybe for GamersMovies based on video games can get quite a bit of criticism from reviews because, well, most critics won’t understand the world of video games if they are busy reviewing movies all day. One more interesting approach with movie adaptations is on horror video games like “Resident Evil” or “Silent Hill”. Resident Evil is more loosely based on the video games than the Silent Hill films. This is why “Silent Hill: Revelation” feels too much like a video game for its own good.This film starts off years after the first film took place. Sean Bean’s character, Harry, has been taking care of Heather (Adelaide Clemens), his adopted daughter. Every night, Heather continues to have nightmares of a town called “Silent Hill”, slowly forcing her back into the cursed town. Her father continually tells her not to go there, and the two keep moving to different towns and changing their names when private investigators seem to know a little too much about her life and the town cloaked in shadows. When Harry disappears, Heather must return to Silent Hill to save him and the town from Alessa, a demon that haunts the city.I want to first point out that this is a direct sequel, which does carry on from the first film, answering questions left open by the end of the first (one of the best parts of the first film). This means if you have not seen the first movie, you will be utterly confused. It cannot be seen as a standalone movie in any regards. You will be able to understand it a little better having seen the first film, but even so, the movie is all over the place, continuing the theme of confusion. Basically, the writing was messed up from all aspects. They had too much of a focus of trying to make it look like a video game.While the first movie had a chilling, intriguing, and mysterious introduction, this film took a more direct approach, showing new and grotesque creatures right off the bat. These creatures are shown to us to obviously churn our stomachs, but it instead confuses us if we haven’t seen the first one, or have played the video games that explained what these creatures are.There was far too many obvious 3D pop out moments that come off as gimmicky and over-the-top. It makes sense for horror and kids movies to implement extreme 3D shots, but other movies have since gotten the hint that these shots are stereotypical, and they hurt your eyes more often than not. Even though  this is the first sequel in the series, and even though it hints at more coming, it feels too much like a later sequel, maybe even a sixth film. Often times with horror films that gain an impossible amount of sequels, they usually lose track of all of the writing by the sixth film, and instead decide to be flashy with the gore and CGI effects.  The same can be said about “Silent Hill: Revelation”. The writing is almost nonexistent, and the entire thing as a whole looks and feels like a video game, and only a video game. The first movie felt more like an authentic movie production, while this just felt like you are playing a game.The one good thing about this film is the acting. The acting wasn’t bad at all if you really think about it. These actors were trying there hardest to pull their role off. It isn’t their fault if you didn’t enjoy the movie, so don’t say the acting is horrid, as it isn’t. The CGI effects, of course, are also very well done, but remind you way too much of the video game source. So, it does actually look very nice and very professional, but anyone will be able to tell that the writing is just not there.“Silent Hill: Revelation” comes to Blu-Ray and DVD on Feb. 12! Rating: 84/100Dave’s 3-Word ReviewRelatable and SincereIn the most basic definition of a coming-of-age story or film, it is the transition of a young person from childhood to adulthood. Of course, there can be different forms of this category of film because not everything is ever going to be exactly the same as the last, but for “The Perks of Being a Wallflower”, it matches that basic definition pretty closely all on its own. For those of you that aren’t fans of coming-of-age like me, fear not, for this movie somehow did a lot of it right.Logan Lerman, formally seen as Percy Jackson, plays Charlie, our main character in this tale about life. He is a bit of a loner. He has no friends, doesn’t have any real drive to make an impression in school, and continually counts down the days he has left until he graduates from school. He is very intelligent, but his past traumas and low self-confidence hinder him from growing the way he should. That’s when he befriends Patrick (Ezra Miller) and his step sister Sam (Emma Watson). All three of these teens have different personalities, but Charlie is fascinated and wildly attracted to Sam, who helps him learn more about the joys in life and the importance of taste in music.The movie is a coming-of-age film in every sense of the word. There really is no goal other than trying to see if this kid can finally be happy with life or if he is doomed to be in that debilitating state of sadness. That’s the thing about these kinds of films, it’s not the characters that have a goal, it is the people behind the camera. They are the ones trying to convey a message, and for the most part, movies like this are iffy to critics like me. However, I truly believe they did this one right. The reason why I think it did so well is because of the characters.The characters were very well written. From the start of the movie, audience members everywhere will find it incredibly easy to connect with his character. Too many of us have felt alone and isolated from the world, seemingly watching it as it zooms past us, never thinking we’d ever catch up, doomed to remain in the same state for eternity. They were able to capture that in Charlie’s character so well. As for the friendship with Sam and Patrick, that was also written intelligently. Too many times do we have friendships forming in movies that are simply a reflection of the personality of the main character. This movie showed us that people can have their own personalities that seem to be polar opposites, and it proved that friendships can exist anywhere with anyone. It seemed more real in that regards.Don’t forget that a good majority of the shots in the movie were expertly filmed. It looked fantastic most of the time, with some scenes that stuck out among the rest. Whoever was in charge of cinematography knew precisely how to capture the idea of the movie into the look of the film. It works in almost every sense. The acting was phenomenal from every actor, specifically from Logan Lerman, who has acted miles around his performance as Percy Jackson just three years ago. Ezra Miller did a great job playing a genuine gay male, and the message that the movie spread about his life and what he personally goes through is beautiful and true to life. It is always nice when a movie throws in a side story that may not be perfectly needed for the overall plot, but adds to it nicely when it is there.It is hard to even say very many bad things about the movie, but if you try, you may end up saying that maybe the movie felt slow, maybe others won’t connect with it as much as you did, maybe they will find a lot of clichés in the film that you didn’t catch. Maybe it just won’t mean anything to others, but in the end…professionally speaking, this film was done very well, and it at least deserves to be rented.“The Perks of Being a Wallflower” comes to Blu-Ray and DVD on Feb. 12! Rating: 89/100Dave’s 3-Word Review:For Mature AudiencesThe Superbowl may be over with this year, but we still have the Academy Awards to look forward to. Sure, they may be two very distinct and different things, but essentially, we do the same thing for both. We pick a team, and root for them throughout. Among the extensive grab bag of Oscar nominees is “The Sessions”. Is this nomination enough to win an award on the twenty-fourth? It depends on who you are.John Hawkes plays Mark O’Brien in this true story about a man practically paralyzed and imprisoned in a machine that helps him breathe called the iron lung. He was told long ago that he was supposed to die at a much younger age, but at the age of thirty-eight, the reality of his life ending seems to be more true than not and his reflection of life is starting to be diminishing his self-confidence. As a virgin, and as a practically helpless individual, he wants to at least experience losing his virginity, and he asks Father Brendan (William H. Macy) if it would be a sin to hire a sex surrogate in order to do so. The priest seems reluctant, but thinks God would give him a free pass after hearing his story. So Mark hires Cheryl (Helen Hunt), a middle-aged sex surrogate that helps him achieve one of his last goals on his bucket list.There is no escaping it; this movie is graphic, in more ways than one. Not only is it graphic in its nudity, but it is also graphic in the dialogue. This film will never be shown on television unless the station playing it was a paid channel like HBO or Showtime. However, it is in very good taste. Everything that is graphic about the movie can be seen as beautiful if the viewer watching it is mature and can take a movie like this seriously. Many people may argue that the same story can be told without the nudity or the extent of the dialogue, but its blunt nature is really what makes the movie solid. It is very real and honest about itself, and you can tell there is an extreme amount of confidence in not only the actors’ faces, but also the filmmakers who worked on the film. This is a professional film, and should only be seen as such.This is a story of human connection and interaction. Sexuality has a huge role to play in the movie, sure, but sexuality isn’t something we should cower away from. It is a natural part of the human psyche, and a natural desire to want, especially if one is about to die in the unforeseen future. Too many movies either ignore sexuality or they use it distastefully, “The Sessions” really brings out the reality of how sexuality should be in its most sincere light. Will it offend people, yes it probably will, but it shouldn’t.It is also a true story, which heightens the level of realism that the film already conveyed. Sometimes true stories don’t have the best plots, or have character-driven stories, but this one had a clear goal from Mark, and that was to gain self-confidence and lose his virginity before he dies, and the connections he makes along the way are just too pure to ignore.John Hawkes was phenomenal in the movie when it came to acting. You really feel as if he truly was in this position and that this was about him rather than this Mark fellow he is portraying. William H. Macy was also very good, even though his character did little in the movie, he played an important role. Helen Hunt was also incredibly professional with her role, and she was able to play a very human and caring person for this film. The acting was great across the board here. Not only was the acting great, but the writing was also unbelievable, some of the dialogue spoken in the movie feel real, not rehearsed, and for a lot of viewers, the movie may touch them.Overall, this really is a beautiful film that captures a subject that isn’t always spoken about in movies for fear of criticism or offending others. This film remained true to itself, and didn’t care what others thought about it, which I truly believe helped them receive a nomination for Helen Hunt’s performance. You just need to watch the film with an open mind and mature mindset, and you will enjoy “The Sessions” when it comes to Blu-Ray and DVD on Feb. 12!View the list »
Rating: 97/100Dave’s 3-Word ReviewBest Bond EverIn 2006, Daniel Craig dawned the tuxedo fit for James Bond for the first time in “Casino Royale“. Around the time of the Writer’s Guild Strike, “Quantum of Solace” was released in 2008, and that generated a much lower score than its predecessor. The underlining reasons for the decline in rating was because of the Writer’s Guild Strike, there could only be one draft of the screenplay before they started filming. Regardless, a lot of Bond fans were displeased and worried about the franchise. This year, Daniel Craig reprises his role in “Skyfall“. The question is if it could be brought out of the muck it was left in, let’s find out.As with all of the other James Bond films, “Skyfall” started out with a tense, heart-pounding action sequence. From a amazingly-choreographed motorcycle chase on rooftops, to a fist fight on top of a speeding train, the action would not let up. Working with Eve (Naomie Harris), the first Bond girl of the film, James Bond (Craig) was after a list of NATO agents, a list that was imperative to obtain. Among all the ruckus, Bond could not retrieve the data, and was shot off of the train, presumed dead. In reality, he was on an island, enjoying death and boozing it up. When the life of M (Judi Dench) is threatened by a terrorist hacker named Silva (Javier Bardem), Bond must find him and put an end to the madness. However, that may prove more difficult than previously imagined, as after getting shot, Bond was off of his a-game for once in Bond history. He couldn’t shoot straight, nor manage to do more than five or six pull-ups. Even though he failed his re-entry physical exam, M gave him another shot, trusting the man she knows to be the best agent in the field, which goes far beyond a simple physical exam.Daniel Craig’s 007 series is becoming increasingly famous for creating absolutely brand new concepts for James Bond, while still maintaining the respect to the classic Bond by throwing shout-outs to memorable James Bond lines, cars, and women. “Skyfall” is a perfect example of what makes James Bond classic while being modern at the same time. After the horrid reviews of “Quantum of Solace“, “Skyfall” has redeemed the series ten-fold and more. When it comes to the writing, this was hands down one of the best written James Bond films in existence, if not the best. There was so many things attributed to the storyline that went so smoothly, and so amazing that it would take a long while to list them all. Visually the film hit a new level, and it will be difficult for any Bond film to beat the visuals in this. Every single scene in this film was filled with visually stunning, captivating, and beautiful scenes. Even the theme song performed by Adele could be first on the list of best written Bond songs.When it comes to acting, Daniel Craig put on another stellar performance, and allowed the audience to become familiar with a lesser-known Bond persona, and utilized his abilities in making Bond look vulnerable, and capable of dying. That is relatively new, and was presented in a whole new way. Javier Bardem did an absolutely incredible job portraying Silva. In fact, this villain was one of the most memorable and maniacal villains James Bond has ever faced. He was calm, calculated, funny in parts, and he was not afraid to step into MI6′s radar. Javier Bardem is not unknown to be an incredible actor, and he once again proved himself. There was once again two Bond girls in this film, like the others, but this time around the focus was more towards storytelling. They wanted to make sure that this time around their story was exceptional, and it was.“Skyfall” will having you begging for more, and you may even throw in more money to watch it more in theater. Check out “Skyfall” on Blu-Ray and DVD on Feb. 12!

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There was a number of films that came out today (Feb. 12, 2013), but which ones do you think you will be in the mood to watch? The movies released today can be found below:

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  1. Man with the Iron Fists
  2. Perks of being a Wallfower, The
  3. Sessions, The
  4. Silent Hill: Revelation
  5. Silver Linings Playbook
  6. Skyfall

Look at the list for reviews on each of these films to help you decide on which movies you should check out...if any.

View the list
  • Rating: 97/100Dave’s 3-Word ReviewBest Bond EverIn 2006, Daniel Craig dawned the tuxedo fit for James Bond for the first time in “Casino Royale“. Around the time of the Writer’s Guild Strike, “Quantum of Solace” was released in 2008, and that generated a much lower score than its predecessor. The underlining reasons for the decline in rating was because of the Writer’s Guild Strike, there could only be one draft of the screenplay before they started filming. Regardless, a lot of Bond fans were displeased and worried about the franchise. This year, Daniel Craig reprises his role in “Skyfall“. The question is if it could be brought out of the muck it was left in, let’s find out.As with all of the other James Bond films, “Skyfall” started out with a tense, heart-pounding action sequence. From a amazingly-choreographed motorcycle chase on rooftops, to a fist fight on top of a speeding train, the action would not let up. Working with Eve (Naomie Harris), the first Bond girl of the film, James Bond (Craig) was after a list of NATO agents, a list that was imperative to obtain. Among all the ruckus, Bond could not retrieve the data, and was shot off of the train, presumed dead. In reality, he was on an island, enjoying death and boozing it up. When the life of M (Judi Dench) is threatened by a terrorist hacker named Silva (Javier Bardem), Bond must find him and put an end to the madness. However, that may prove more difficult than previously imagined, as after getting shot, Bond was off of his a-game for once in Bond history. He couldn’t shoot straight, nor manage to do more than five or six pull-ups. Even though he failed his re-entry physical exam, M gave him another shot, trusting the man she knows to be the best agent in the field, which goes far beyond a simple physical exam.Daniel Craig’s 007 series is becoming increasingly famous for creating absolutely brand new concepts for James Bond, while still maintaining the respect to the classic Bond by throwing shout-outs to memorable James Bond lines, cars, and women. “Skyfall” is a perfect example of what makes James Bond classic while being modern at the same time. After the horrid reviews of “Quantum of Solace“, “Skyfall” has redeemed the series ten-fold and more. When it comes to the writing, this was hands down one of the best written James Bond films in existence, if not the best. There was so many things attributed to the storyline that went so smoothly, and so amazing that it would take a long while to list them all. Visually the film hit a new level, and it will be difficult for any Bond film to beat the visuals in this. Every single scene in this film was filled with visually stunning, captivating, and beautiful scenes. Even the theme song performed by Adele could be first on the list of best written Bond songs.When it comes to acting, Daniel Craig put on another stellar performance, and allowed the audience to become familiar with a lesser-known Bond persona, and utilized his abilities in making Bond look vulnerable, and capable of dying. That is relatively new, and was presented in a whole new way. Javier Bardem did an absolutely incredible job portraying Silva. In fact, this villain was one of the most memorable and maniacal villains James Bond has ever faced. He was calm, calculated, funny in parts, and he was not afraid to step into MI6′s radar. Javier Bardem is not unknown to be an incredible actor, and he once again proved himself. There was once again two Bond girls in this film, like the others, but this time around the focus was more towards storytelling. They wanted to make sure that this time around their story was exceptional, and it was.“Skyfall” will having you begging for more, and you may even throw in more money to watch it more in theater. Check out “Skyfall” on Blu-Ray and DVD on Feb. 12!
  •  Rating: 89/100Dave’s 3-Word Review:For Mature AudiencesThe Superbowl may be over with this year, but we still have the Academy Awards to look forward to. Sure, they may be two very distinct and different things, but essentially, we do the same thing for both. We pick a team, and root for them throughout. Among the extensive grab bag of Oscar nominees is “The Sessions”. Is this nomination enough to win an award on the twenty-fourth? It depends on who you are.John Hawkes plays Mark O’Brien in this true story about a man practically paralyzed and imprisoned in a machine that helps him breathe called the iron lung. He was told long ago that he was supposed to die at a much younger age, but at the age of thirty-eight, the reality of his life ending seems to be more true than not and his reflection of life is starting to be diminishing his self-confidence. As a virgin, and as a practically helpless individual, he wants to at least experience losing his virginity, and he asks Father Brendan (William H. Macy) if it would be a sin to hire a sex surrogate in order to do so. The priest seems reluctant, but thinks God would give him a free pass after hearing his story. So Mark hires Cheryl (Helen Hunt), a middle-aged sex surrogate that helps him achieve one of his last goals on his bucket list.There is no escaping it; this movie is graphic, in more ways than one. Not only is it graphic in its nudity, but it is also graphic in the dialogue. This film will never be shown on television unless the station playing it was a paid channel like HBO or Showtime. However, it is in very good taste. Everything that is graphic about the movie can be seen as beautiful if the viewer watching it is mature and can take a movie like this seriously. Many people may argue that the same story can be told without the nudity or the extent of the dialogue, but its blunt nature is really what makes the movie solid. It is very real and honest about itself, and you can tell there is an extreme amount of confidence in not only the actors’ faces, but also the filmmakers who worked on the film. This is a professional film, and should only be seen as such.This is a story of human connection and interaction. Sexuality has a huge role to play in the movie, sure, but sexuality isn’t something we should cower away from. It is a natural part of the human psyche, and a natural desire to want, especially if one is about to die in the unforeseen future. Too many movies either ignore sexuality or they use it distastefully, “The Sessions” really brings out the reality of how sexuality should be in its most sincere light. Will it offend people, yes it probably will, but it shouldn’t.It is also a true story, which heightens the level of realism that the film already conveyed. Sometimes true stories don’t have the best plots, or have character-driven stories, but this one had a clear goal from Mark, and that was to gain self-confidence and lose his virginity before he dies, and the connections he makes along the way are just too pure to ignore.John Hawkes was phenomenal in the movie when it came to acting. You really feel as if he truly was in this position and that this was about him rather than this Mark fellow he is portraying. William H. Macy was also very good, even though his character did little in the movie, he played an important role. Helen Hunt was also incredibly professional with her role, and she was able to play a very human and caring person for this film. The acting was great across the board here. Not only was the acting great, but the writing was also unbelievable, some of the dialogue spoken in the movie feel real, not rehearsed, and for a lot of viewers, the movie may touch them.Overall, this really is a beautiful film that captures a subject that isn’t always spoken about in movies for fear of criticism or offending others. This film remained true to itself, and didn’t care what others thought about it, which I truly believe helped them receive a nomination for Helen Hunt’s performance. You just need to watch the film with an open mind and mature mindset, and you will enjoy “The Sessions” when it comes to Blu-Ray and DVD on Feb. 12!
  •  Rating: 84/100Dave’s 3-Word ReviewRelatable and SincereIn the most basic definition of a coming-of-age story or film, it is the transition of a young person from childhood to adulthood. Of course, there can be different forms of this category of film because not everything is ever going to be exactly the same as the last, but for “The Perks of Being a Wallflower”, it matches that basic definition pretty closely all on its own. For those of you that aren’t fans of coming-of-age like me, fear not, for this movie somehow did a lot of it right.Logan Lerman, formally seen as Percy Jackson, plays Charlie, our main character in this tale about life. He is a bit of a loner. He has no friends, doesn’t have any real drive to make an impression in school, and continually counts down the days he has left until he graduates from school. He is very intelligent, but his past traumas and low self-confidence hinder him from growing the way he should. That’s when he befriends Patrick (Ezra Miller) and his step sister Sam (Emma Watson). All three of these teens have different personalities, but Charlie is fascinated and wildly attracted to Sam, who helps him learn more about the joys in life and the importance of taste in music.The movie is a coming-of-age film in every sense of the word. There really is no goal other than trying to see if this kid can finally be happy with life or if he is doomed to be in that debilitating state of sadness. That’s the thing about these kinds of films, it’s not the characters that have a goal, it is the people behind the camera. They are the ones trying to convey a message, and for the most part, movies like this are iffy to critics like me. However, I truly believe they did this one right. The reason why I think it did so well is because of the characters.The characters were very well written. From the start of the movie, audience members everywhere will find it incredibly easy to connect with his character. Too many of us have felt alone and isolated from the world, seemingly watching it as it zooms past us, never thinking we’d ever catch up, doomed to remain in the same state for eternity. They were able to capture that in Charlie’s character so well. As for the friendship with Sam and Patrick, that was also written intelligently. Too many times do we have friendships forming in movies that are simply a reflection of the personality of the main character. This movie showed us that people can have their own personalities that seem to be polar opposites, and it proved that friendships can exist anywhere with anyone. It seemed more real in that regards.Don’t forget that a good majority of the shots in the movie were expertly filmed. It looked fantastic most of the time, with some scenes that stuck out among the rest. Whoever was in charge of cinematography knew precisely how to capture the idea of the movie into the look of the film. It works in almost every sense. The acting was phenomenal from every actor, specifically from Logan Lerman, who has acted miles around his performance as Percy Jackson just three years ago. Ezra Miller did a great job playing a genuine gay male, and the message that the movie spread about his life and what he personally goes through is beautiful and true to life. It is always nice when a movie throws in a side story that may not be perfectly needed for the overall plot, but adds to it nicely when it is there.It is hard to even say very many bad things about the movie, but if you try, you may end up saying that maybe the movie felt slow, maybe others won’t connect with it as much as you did, maybe they will find a lot of clichés in the film that you didn’t catch. Maybe it just won’t mean anything to others, but in the end…professionally speaking, this film was done very well, and it at least deserves to be rented.“The Perks of Being a Wallflower” comes to Blu-Ray and DVD on Feb. 12!
  •  Rating: 61/100Dave’s 3-Word Review:Maybe for GamersMovies based on video games can get quite a bit of criticism from reviews because, well, most critics won’t understand the world of video games if they are busy reviewing movies all day. One more interesting approach with movie adaptations is on horror video games like “Resident Evil” or “Silent Hill”. Resident Evil is more loosely based on the video games than the Silent Hill films. This is why “Silent Hill: Revelation” feels too much like a video game for its own good.This film starts off years after the first film took place. Sean Bean’s character, Harry, has been taking care of Heather (Adelaide Clemens), his adopted daughter. Every night, Heather continues to have nightmares of a town called “Silent Hill”, slowly forcing her back into the cursed town. Her father continually tells her not to go there, and the two keep moving to different towns and changing their names when private investigators seem to know a little too much about her life and the town cloaked in shadows. When Harry disappears, Heather must return to Silent Hill to save him and the town from Alessa, a demon that haunts the city.I want to first point out that this is a direct sequel, which does carry on from the first film, answering questions left open by the end of the first (one of the best parts of the first film). This means if you have not seen the first movie, you will be utterly confused. It cannot be seen as a standalone movie in any regards. You will be able to understand it a little better having seen the first film, but even so, the movie is all over the place, continuing the theme of confusion. Basically, the writing was messed up from all aspects. They had too much of a focus of trying to make it look like a video game.While the first movie had a chilling, intriguing, and mysterious introduction, this film took a more direct approach, showing new and grotesque creatures right off the bat. These creatures are shown to us to obviously churn our stomachs, but it instead confuses us if we haven’t seen the first one, or have played the video games that explained what these creatures are.There was far too many obvious 3D pop out moments that come off as gimmicky and over-the-top. It makes sense for horror and kids movies to implement extreme 3D shots, but other movies have since gotten the hint that these shots are stereotypical, and they hurt your eyes more often than not. Even though  this is the first sequel in the series, and even though it hints at more coming, it feels too much like a later sequel, maybe even a sixth film. Often times with horror films that gain an impossible amount of sequels, they usually lose track of all of the writing by the sixth film, and instead decide to be flashy with the gore and CGI effects.  The same can be said about “Silent Hill: Revelation”. The writing is almost nonexistent, and the entire thing as a whole looks and feels like a video game, and only a video game. The first movie felt more like an authentic movie production, while this just felt like you are playing a game.The one good thing about this film is the acting. The acting wasn’t bad at all if you really think about it. These actors were trying there hardest to pull their role off. It isn’t their fault if you didn’t enjoy the movie, so don’t say the acting is horrid, as it isn’t. The CGI effects, of course, are also very well done, but remind you way too much of the video game source. So, it does actually look very nice and very professional, but anyone will be able to tell that the writing is just not there.“Silent Hill: Revelation” comes to Blu-Ray and DVD on Feb. 12!
  •  Rating: 55/100Dave’s 3-Word Review:Cluttered and UnoriginalMartial arts films have often been the subject of debate. Many believe they are weak attempts at a film, as they have little to no real story development more often than not. Others don’t really care so much about the story as they do the action. In their world, it is just a bloody good time. It depends on your preference, and how serious you take the movie as a whole. With that being said, how does RZA’s latest kung-fu movie, “The Man with the Iron Fists” hold up to your expectations?RZA plays a blacksmith in a local Chinese village, who makes a living making incredible weaponry. Somewhere on the other edge of town lives a man who has just found out that his father has been murdered, so of course he must avenge him. On another side of town, we are introduced to Mr. Knife (Russell Crowe), who doesn’t seem to serve a real purpose for a great deal of the film. Finally, we have Brass Body (Dave Bautista), who for some reason or another can turn into solid brass at will. All of these characters are written around the idea that the emperor’s stash of gold has been stolen, and to retain balance to the town, they must retrieve that gold.The story for this film will almost immediately confuse you. You will understand what it is going for pretty early on in the movie, but you will forget it once the fighting begins, and the stories interact with each other. What you will remember and take from the movie is probably something they didn’t intend on, which is how stereotypical the movie gets. The movie has a young man avenging his father’s death and then almost a nonstop display of martial arts and unbelievably over-the-top blood and gore. The rest of the story will all blend together in a mess of a plot.It makes practically no sense why RZA is even in this Chinese village. They do explain it near the end, but it just feels like a cop out. If you decide to watch this film, you will realize that this man cannot act if his life depended on it. He was terrible in the movie. When it came to his scenes when he had to fight, you can tell he was nearly busting out laughing when doing the fight, not only this, but whoever choreographed his moves could have done the same to a blind four year-old. The absurdity does not end here, either. RZA also wrote and directed this film, now those two combined usually amounts to a respectful film, but the man can’t act or write.Just look at how unoriginal everything in the movie is, and how cluttered everything seems. It’s almost impossible to even state positives, but there definitely are positives, which I will get to in a second. First, I want to point out what should have been easy to write, which was the characters names. You can see just how unoriginal of a writer RZA is when you have names like Brass Body – the guy whose body turns into brass. Next, we have Mr. Knife, the man with the fancy knife. Of course our main character…Blacksmith…a black smith…it never gets old. There are also obvious names throughout the film that just seem like lazy attempts. So how in the world could any good come from this?Martial arts films in general never really have that great of a story. Some do, but in most cases, they really don’t. So even though the story is so badly written, it is more understanding under the context of martial arts. The fighting was also very well done for the most part, Lucy Liu reminded us of why we loved her back in “Kill Bill”. Also, let’s not forget that the overall look of the movie was beautiful, it looks perfect. In every way, shape, and form, this movie has the look of a genuine martial arts film. However, we have to go into the title.Our blacksmith is the man with the iron fists talked about in the title; however those iron fists don’t show up till much later. That’s okay, as long as they make him an epic character once he dawns the fists. Was he? As mentioned above, his character was terrible all around, including and especially when he wore the fists. It was underwhelming simply because RZA was the worst fighter in the entire movie by a landslide. Russell Crowe was probably the best actor in the movie, but it begs to question why he even chose the role to begin with?This movie is for martial arts lovers. Even then, they will realize that this movie was done pretty improperly, and could have used a great deal of help, but as long as they don’t try to fixate on what the story of the movie is, and just want to see some good fights, they should at least semi-enjoy this film.“The Man with the Iron Fists” comes to Blu-Ray and DVD on Feb. 12!
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, South Bend Movie Examiner

David Gilleand (24) is a film enthusiast and an established movie critic that has been featured on video sites such as Veoh.com and Nudia.tv. He has directly worked with names like Clifton Armstrong who worked as an Assistant Editor for "Jon & Kate Plus 8" as well as Jay Glatfelter from the...

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