Splice

Splice

Running Time: 104 minutes

Summary: Elsa and Clive, two young rebellious scientists, defy legal and ethical boundaries and forge ahead with a dangerous experiment: splicing together human and animal DNA to create a new organism. Named "Dren", the creature rapidly develops from a deformed female infant into a beautiful but dangerous winged human-chimera, who forges a bond with both of her creators - only to have that bond turn deadly.

Review: I am an avid reader of imdb.com and check it pretty much every day. I caught a glimpse of some of the screenshots from Splice there a couple months ago and was anxiously awaiting it's release, even to a point where I considered going to the theatre to check it out (a rarity for me). I love Sarah Polley and although Adrian Brody's nostrils creep me out, he is a very talented man, throw in a dash of sci-fi and I was hooked.

Although Splice had many components that made it very appealing to me, it failed to do anything to me other than make me feel dirty and wrong.

In light of so many sequels and reimagining of stories that have been previously told, I will concede that it was a novel idea, a couple of scientists try to create a new organism for financial gain, public notoriety and simply to "prove that they could do it". The characters are well thought out and Sarah Polley and Adrian Brody do not disappoint, but it's not enough.

The movie goes to a dark, dirty and wrong place in a way that leave you covering your eyes because you don't want to admit that it's happening. The killer part is that it just keeps happening!*!@!!@#!!!! Unless you want to have a complex about sex, skip this one.

Rating: 3.5/10 nest-ability

Predators

Predators

Running Time: 107 minutes

Summary: Chosen for their ability to kill without conscience, a group of killers, some trained and some who are not, must endeavour the alien race of predators that have set out to target them as prey. Dropped into the vast jungle of a distant world, these human predators must learn just who, or what, they are up against, and that their ability, knowledge and wits are tested to the limits in the battle of survival of kill or be killed.

Review: This movie kicked some serious predator ass. If you were a fan of the original predator movie, this is an absolute DO NOT MISS. I will full admit to not going into this movie with very high expectations. I mean, Adrian Brody in an action movie? Not exactly the guy you image in a predator movie, right?

Those who loved the original predator will know the specific brand of fear that the movie cultivates, the panic that comes from not being able to see your enemy, the horror when you realize what your enemy really is. This brilliant offering from a director named Nimod fully encompasses these emotions. I cannot wait to go back and watch it again to see where the Predator is hiding in all of the scenes.

They introduce a little bit of a twist on the Predator character which is very interesting. I plays up some of the ideas presented in movies like Alien vs Predator and does what that crap movie was not able to. It delivers.

I will say that there are some lame bits to the movie. Topher Grace and Laurence Fishburne both have a couple random plot points with their characters, but even this does not take away from the bad-ass-ness of this Predator movie.

Best Quote: Stans - "Man let me tell you, if I get out of here... I'm going to do so much fucking cocaine. I'm gonna rape so many bitches... Yeah, it's after 5:00? Time to do some coke and rape some fine bitches. You know what I'm saying?"

Edwin - "Oh yeah, totally 5 o'clock Bitch raping time."
 
Rating: 9/10 action movie nest-ability

Iron Man 2

Iron Man 2

Running Time: 125 minutes

Summary: With the world now aware of his dual life as the armored superhero Iron Man, billionaire inventor Tony Stark faces pressure from the government, the press, and the public to share his technology with the military. Unwilling to let go of his invention, Stark, along with Pepper Potts, and James "Rhodey" Rhodes at his side, must forge new alliances - and confront powerful enemies.

Review: When Iron Man came out it was like somebody let the air back into the room, once again my love for big budget superhero movies was rekindled. I immediately fell in love with Tony Stark's (and consequently Robert Downey Jr.'s) bad boy/genius image. I loved the rapid-fire tirades that he was able to pull off, the chemistry between him and Pepper (the first time that I have seen Gwenyth Paltrow have chemistry with anyone), solid storyline and the kick-ass action sequences.

In true sequel style, this film attempts to capitalize on the success of it's better done predecessor by recycling the same sort of jokes and introducing some completely unnecessary new characters. I understand that Marvel Studios utilized this film as a tie in for the upcoming Avengers and Captain America movies, but really?

The story is too complicated for an action movie, too much is going on. If they had simply focused on developing Mickey Rourke's Ivan Vanko instead of weaving their tangle mess of subplots, I may have been able to get through it without looking at the clock every 15 minutes.

Sidebar: Is it just me or is it really difficult to watch anything with Mickey Rourke in it without flashbacks to 9 1/2 Weeks?

Best Quote: Justin Hammer - "I'd love to leave my door unlocked at night, but this ain't Canada."

Rating: 6.5/10 nest-ability