MOVIE REVIEW: As Above, So Below - 'Flamel’s Stone'

Director: John Erick Dowdle
Starring: Perdita Weeks, Ben Feldman, Edwin Hodge
Release Date: August 29, 2014

Get ready folks, we are just a little bit over two months away from Halloween which means Hollywood is going to begin their attempts at "scaring" movie-watchers around the world with, what they call, horror films. The first one for our viewing pleasure happens to be John Erick Dowdle's As Above, So Below. Dowdle is no stranger to the horror genre as his last three (four if you can find horror in The Dry Spell) films are all horrors or thrillers. Unfortunately, Dowdle's latest film will not be that above his other films and most likely below other horror/thrillers that will be released in the upcoming months.

Miles of twisting catacombs lie beneath the streets of Paris, the eternal home to countless souls. When a team of explorers ventures into the uncharted maze of bones, they uncover the dark secret that lies within this city of the dead. A journey into madness and terror, As Above, So Below reaches deep into the human psyche to reveal the personal demons that come back to haunt us all.

What selfies are to picture-taking, found-footage is to horror films and As Above, So Below is yet another found footage horror film. Scarlett (Perdita Weeks), leads her team on a journey in search for Flamel's Stone, the same stone that her father killed himself over looking for throughout his life. So there is a strong motive as to why Scarlett is on this expedition. Now as for the people on her team besides the cameraman, Benji (Edwin Hodge) whose role is sensible to her expedition, makes absolutely no sense or they lack commonsense. First there is George (Ben Feldman), a friend of Scarlett who ended up in a Turkish prison for a week in the past in search for Flamel's Stone. He made it clear as soon as he made his first appearance on screen that he wants nothing to do with Scarlett or her hunt but yet manipulates himself to enter the catacombs. As for the lack of commonsense, the other members of the team, 3 local pathfinders, ask or say the most illogical things. A stone ceiling starts to rift apart and one will ask, "Is that bad?" or after one gets injured by rockfall, "Are you hurt?" I mean there is no such thing as a stupid question, right? But there are such things as unnecessary questions.

The problem with As Above, So Below is that not once throughout the entire film was I at all frightened. But that I'm not upset about. Dowdle could have easily put a lot of cheesy one-time scares in the film with these six individuals exploring a cave filled with six million dead bodies with little knowledge of what is to appear when they make their next turn. There is only one thing I dislike more than a non-scary horror film and that is a horror film that relies nothing on one-time scares. Dowdle never intended to scare the viewers, as it seems he focused on scaring his characters more due to the fact that the objects placed throughout the film only scared one individual character at a time and it got to their psyche. The viewers never get that same level of fear that the characters felt. 

As Above, So Below foreshadows beautifully to their viewers what to expect in the film, in one part of the film the explorers enter a cave that had a sign above it saying, "Lasciate ogne speranza, voi ch'intrate" or "Abandon all hope, ye who enter here." Unfortunately for the viewers, that sign was not placed above the theater entrance. As Above, So Below might appeal to you if you do enjoy archaeologists' journeys but besides that this film is a total skip on all mediums. 

NETFLIX: Top-15 Musicals to Watch on Netflix Instant Play

Finding films on Netflix's Instant Play can be quite a difficult task. Netflix offers its users a wide range of options to pick from and at times you can stare at all their options for length of a movie and still have no idea what you want to watch. Luckily for you here at I Heard That Movie Was... we are going help you narrow their huge selection down to FIFTEEN musicals and we will be doing it for each genre. The list will be in no particular order but just 15 musicals we enjoy and we know you will enjoy as well. Let's go!

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ADVANCE SCREENING: Win Tickets to an Advance Screening of The Maze Runner

I Heard That Movie Was... is giving out a pair of tickets to the latest novel that has been turned into a featured film, The Maze Runner. The movie isn't set to hit theaters until September 19th but you and one guest will have the privilege of seeing the film on September 8th. I am no math expert but that is 11 whole days earlier AND you get to save money on two ticket prices!
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NETFLIX: Top-15 Horror Films to Watch on Netflix Instant Play

Finding films on Netflix's Instant Play can be quite a difficult task. Netflix offers its users a wide range of options to pick from and at times you can stare at all their options for length of a movie and still have no idea what you want to watch. Luckily for you here at I Heard That Movie Was... we are going help you narrow their huge selection down to FIFTEEN films and we will be doing it for each genre. The list will be in no particular order but just 15 films we enjoy and we know you will enjoy as well. Let's go!

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NETFLIX: Top-15 Action Films to Watch on Netflix Instant Play

Finding films on Netflix's Instant Play can be quite a difficult task. Netflix offers its users a wide range of options to pick from and at times you can stare at all their options for length of a movie and still have no idea what you want to watch. Luckily for you here at I Heard That Movie Was... we are going help you narrow their huge selection down to FIFTEEN films and we will be doing it for each genre. The list will be in no particular order but just 15 films we enjoy and we know you will enjoy as well. Let's go!

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MOVIE REVIEW: The Giver - 'You May Lie'

Director: Phillip Noyce
Starring: Brenton Thwaites, Jeff Bridges, Meryl Streep
Release Date: August 15, 2014

Dystopian civilizations are the latest trend in Hollywood with films like The Hunger Games, The Purge, and Divergent gracing the big screen in the last couple of years. The latest film to join the list is The Giver which is based on Lois Lowry's novel of the same name. The novel starts off as an Utopian society but it soon becomes obvious that the citizens are living in a dystopia world. Lowry's novel went on to win the Newbry Medal, an award given to the author of "the most distinguished contribution to American literature for children." Jeff Bridges approached Lowry eighteen years ago to make her novel into a feature film but looking forward at the final project, Bridges, Noyce and the rest of the team that put this film together has done just as much justice to the book that is beloved nation-wide, even if it was eighteen years later.

The haunting story of The Giver centers on Jonas (Brenton Thwaites), a young man who lives in a seemingly ideal, if colorless, world of conformity and contentment. Yet as he begins to spend time with The Giver (Jeff Bridges), who is the sole keeper of all the community's memories, Jonas quickly begins to discover the dark and deadly truths of his community's secret past. With this new found power of knowledge, he realizes that the stakes are higher than imagined - a matter of life and death for himself and those he loves most. At extreme odds, Jonas knows that he must escape their world to protect them all - a challenge that no one has ever succeeded at before.

Like with the majority of films that are based on a book, things are usually left out for the sake of time. Whatever does not develop the main character or get them to the end is usually left out of the film. That is also true for The Giver but things are also changed from its original source material. In the book, Jonas is 12 years old but in the film Jonas and the rest of the graduates are 16. The Chief Elder (Meryl Streep) plays a bigger role in the film than she does in the book. Another thing that was altered for the film was the love connection between Jonas and Fiona (Odeya Rush); in the book it was portrayed as flirtatious but in the movie it becomes way more serious. Nonetheless, readers should not worry at all as Lowry worked with the producers to make sure her novel was brought to life the way she always imagined it.

The visuals of the film were simply beautiful. The film starts off in black and white due the story's "sameness". Everyone is the same, no one stands outs and as Jonas progresses throughout the film and gains more knowledge, the amount of colors he sees changes as well. But as soon as the film focuses on another character so does the amount of color shown. The color scheme was not the only thing beautifully depicted. From the Giver's house to the cloud bank that surrounds the area passed "The Edge" that covered "Elsewhere" was not only beautifully constructed but also how you would imagine it while reading the novel.

One can go on and talk about the visuals but by far the truest highlight of the film was the acting. Thwaites delivers his best performance of the year thus far as he also had roles in The Signal and Maleficent. The wide-eyed Thwaites was very believable in his role as an individual who is being introduced to so many elementary concepts. Bridges played the titled character, The Giver, and even though Bridges does not have the physical characteristics as the illustrations of the character on the book cover, Bridges has the demeanor and wisdom to make up for it. Streep's Chief Elder is nothing extraordinary at first but as the film progresses towards its climax, she becomes colder and more intense. Streep and Bridges' characters share a very emotional and intellectual dialogue towards the end of the film which is used as the emotional hammer of the film. Note: many might go see this film for their love for Taylor Swift who plays Rosemary over their love for the book but her role is very minor and isn't on screen as often as fans would want.

Overall, if you're a fan of the novel than you will be a fan of the film as well and if the film does succeed than you can expect to see the sequels in theaters too, but hopefully fans don't need to wait another eighteen years. The Giver does not end with the energy that was needed as Jonas escapes his world and heads towards "The Edge" but the dialogue between The Giver and Chief Elder that was mentioned before saves that temporarily. As the summer blockbuster season comes to an end, The Giver is one of the best acting films we have received. I totally recommend going to theaters to see this film but not on opening weekend as it is something you can wait on.

NETFLIX: Top-15 Romance Films to Watch on Netflix Instant Play

Finding films on Netflix's Instant Play can be quite a difficult task. Netflix offers its users a wide range of options to pick from and at times you can stare at all their options for length of a movie and still have no idea what you want to watch. Luckily for you here at I Heard That Movie Was... we are going help you narrow their huge selection down to FIFTEEN films and we will be doing it for each genre. The list will be in no particular order but just 15 films we enjoy and we know you will enjoy as well. Let's go!

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MOVIE REVIEW: Let's Be Cops - 'Patrolman'

Director: Luke Greenfield
Starring: Jake Johnson, Damon Wayans Jr., Rob Riggle
Release Date: August 13, 2014

Buddy cop films are starting to reemerge as a Hollywood favorite with films such as The Heat, 21 Jump Street and Ride Along hitting the big screen over the past couple of years, with sequels either already being made or are in the process of being made for both 21 Jump Street and Ride Along. So it's no surprise that director Luke Greenfield decided to take a stab at it with Let's Be Cops. The two films mentioned earlier were lucky enough to attract A-list stars for each film as Kevin Hart, Ice Cube, Jonah Hill and Channing Tatum were casted for their respected roles. Greenfield's film on the other hand, was not as fortunate with the A-listers but he managed to get a member of one of the most successful Hollywood families in the business, a Wayans. Damon Wayans Jr. is a regular on FOX's New Girl and is ready to bring his TV success to the big screen. Unfortunately, Let's Be Cops will have you filing a warrant search for more laughs.

When two best friends, Justin (Damon Wayans Jr.) and Ryan (Jake Johnson) dress as police officers for a costume party, they become instantly famous in the neighborhood. However, these non-cops soon find themselves tangled in the real life world of crime, mobsters and dirty cops.

The biggest highlight of the film happens to be the chemistry between co-stars Damon Wayans Jr. and Jake Johnson, which is no surprise since the two both star in New Girl. The personality they bring to their characters is very enjoyable and dense. However, the whole direction Greenfield went with the impersonation of cops was very, very underused. Jake Johnson's Ryan was very ballsy in his decisions after "becoming a cop" such as buying a police vehicle on eBay, taking real police calls and upgrading his uniform to a sergeant's rank, but the film fails to use its imagination to the fullest. Then, adding a lot of coincidences to develop the film doesn't benefit the film either as Justin's new crush, Josie (Nina Dobrev), happens to be former lovers with mobster Mossi (James D'Arcy) and Justin and Ryan's favorite restaurant happens to be connected to the Mossi's drug hideout. Imagination was truly missed, causing a dragged out second act.

The film had a few chuckles when the duo was only taking their new "careers" semi-serious but as soon as Ryan loses controls and starts making some pretty risky decisions the laughs start picking up. It shines especially when the pair of fake cops get an informant, Pupa (Keegan-Michael Key). Pupa is by far the funniest character in the film. He is the only one who demands laughter whenever he is on the screen and the leads feed off his energy as well. Natasha Leggero plays Annie, a crazed sex-addict, and even though she's in only one scene, that scene is the craziest one in the movie.

The third act will surprise you as viewers are finally greeted with the action part of the film. Prior, Greenfield did a great job for the most part (minus the scene when Justin had a group of mobsters dance like fools) of balancing the right amount of comedy and action to develop our characters but Greenfield throws that combination out completely and focuses on just the action, which works for the film completely.

Overall, Let's Be Cops is not the best of what Wayans and Johnson have put out like in their show New Girl but their chemistry sure does out shine that. The pacing and lack of imagination kills a lot of the momentum causing the film to be the least enjoyable of the other buddy cop films that have been released this year like Ride Along and 22 Jump Street. I look forward to seeing the two team up again one day on the big screen, but you should see their first pairing on the big screen from the comfort of your home either On Demand or Netflix.

NETFLIX: Top-15 Comedy Films to Watch on Netflix Instant Play

Finding films on Netflix's Instant Play can be quite a difficult task. Netflix offers its users a wide range of options to pick from and at times you can stare at all their options for length of a movie and still have no idea what you want to watch. Luckily for you here at I Heard That Movie Was... we are going help you narrow their huge selection down to FIFTEEN films and we will be doing it for each genre. The list will be in no particular order but just 15 films we enjoy and we know you will enjoy as well. Let's go!

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MOVIE REVIEW: The Expendables 3 - 'The Past Meets The Future'

Director: Patrick Hughes
Starring: Sylvester Stallone, Jason Statham, Harrison Ford, Mel Gibson, Wesley Snipes
Release Date: August 15, 2014

Sylvester Stallone is back with another installation of The Expendables and just like the first two films, Stallone gathers a handful of action stars from the past and teams up to do what they do best on the big screen, kick some butt. The first two films felt very similar due to the plot points and dialogue being recycled. But for the third installation, Stallone decided to change it up a bit - bringing in a new generation of action stars. Kellan Lutz, Ronda Rousey, Victor Ortiz, and Glen Powell all join the team of old-timers. A brilliant idea from writer Stallone indeed because I'm not so sure how many more films he can make with just the same team. Unfortunately, new faces were the only new and refreshing addition to this trilogy, repeated dialogue and plot points are used once again.

Barney (Sylvester Stallone), Christmas (Jason Statham) and the rest of the team comes face-to-face with Conrad Stonebanks (Mel Gibson), who years ago co-founded The Expendables with Barney. Stonebanks subsequently became a ruthless arms trader and someone who Barney was forced to kill… or so he thought. Stonebanks, who eluded death once before, now is making it his mission to end The Expendables — but Barney has other plans. Barney decides that he has to fight old blood with new blood, and brings in a new era of Expendables team members, recruiting individuals who are younger, faster and more tech-savvy. The latest mission becomes a clash of classic old-school style versus high-tech expertise in the Expendables’ most personal battle yet.

The movie starts off with a bang as Barney, Christmas, Gunner (Dolph Lundgren), Road (Randy Couture) all save a former Expendable Doc (Wesley Snipes), from an armored prison located on a train. Who wouldn't want an action film to start any other way? This pre-credit sequence gets you ready for what is to come from the rest of the film. Unfortunately, things don't pick up much right after. Stallone and the other writers on board gives us similar trends we saw in past films but instead of Church (Bruce Willis) giving out the missions a new CIA agent does, Drummer (Harrison Ford). 

Nevertheless, Ford replacing Willis in the film was not the only thing new in The Expendables 3. After an ugly incident that ended with Caesar (Terry Crews) getting fatally injured, Barney suggests that the crew retires and that it may be time for some new and young blood. This is something I believe to be a beautiful concept because the first two films gave younger audiences a glimpse of the action stars that older generations enjoyed and now in the third installment, audiences are gifted with a glimpse of what actions stars are going to be gracing the big screen in the years to come. I am especially happy with the addition of UFC star Ronda Rousey, who will give young girls around the world a role model that isn't a Disney princess. Unfortunately, their screen time is limited as the new comers are well, still new to the game and get caught after their first mission resulting in the old-timers coming out of their brief retirement. Hopefully, Stallone brings back the young guys for the fourth installment, which has already been confirmed. 

There is one final thing that is different about The Expendables 3 and that's the rating. The first two films were both rated R, yet the latest installment got a rating of PG-13. A rating that changed the vibe of the movie for the sure because there was less blood and less heads being blown off than we were given previously. Are those things necessary for the film? No. But if Stallone wants to keep true to his 1980's action roots than it is. But where the action dipped, the laughs made up for it. Warning, if you don't know much of the actor's past work than the jokes will go right over your head. As jokes were made about Snipes' recent jail time, Willis' departure from the film, Li's height, Statham's accent and Schwarzenegger's famous 'Get to the CHOPPER!' line.

Overall, The Expendables 3 was a very fun time to watch even though you get the feeling you have seen it all before if you saw any of the previous films. The action sequences were not up to par as the past and the new-comers didn't bring the big impression that they should of but the jokes made and chemistry between the actors made up for it. With that being said, you should totally skip this film on all formats and wait for it to be on Netflix or On Demand. If Stallone indeed does get the bad guy he wants for The Expendables 4, Dwayne Johnson, brings back the new-comers and has the rating go back to R than maybe, just maybe the fourth installment will be the best one yet. 

NETFLIX: Top-15 Sports Films to Watch on Netflix Instant Play

Finding films on Netflix's Instant Play can be quite a difficult task. Netflix offers its users a wide range of options to pick from and at times you can stare at all their options for length of a movie and still have no idea what you want to watch. Luckily for you here at I Heard That Movie Was... we are going help you narrow their huge selection down to FIFTEEN films and we will be doing it for each genre. The list will be in no particular order but just 15 films we enjoy and we know you will enjoy as well. Let's go!

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CONTEST: Win a $30 Gift Card from Fandago

I Heard That Movie Was... took a mini-vacation, leaving you without movie reviews for approximately three weeks. As a way to make up for any missed time we are giving a $30 gift card from Fandago which is good for two tickets! So if we didn't review the movie and you did not enjoy it, the next movie is on us!
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NETFLIX: Top-20 Television Series to Watch on Netflix Instant Play

Finding films on Netflix's Instant Play can be quite a difficult task. Netflix offers its users a wide range of options to pick from and at times you can stare at all their options for length of a movie and still have no idea what you want to watch. Luckily for you here at I Heard That Movie Was... we are going help you narrow their huge selection down to TWENTY TV shows and we will be doing it for each genre. The list will be in no particular order but just 20 TV shows we enjoy and we know you will enjoy as well. Let's go!

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MOVIE REVIEW: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles - 'Cowabunga'

Director: Jonathan Liebesman
Starring: Megan Fox, Will Arnett, William Fichtner
Release Date: August 8, 2014

The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles made their splash into our lives in 1984 via a comic book published by Mirage Studios. The original concept was just a joke at first but little would the creators know, they just created four heroes that would soon be loved by people all over the world. The turtles have went through many transformations since '84 and producer Michael Bay and director Jonathan Liebesman transformed the turtles once again. Originally they planned to have the turtles lose their 'teenage' and 'mutant' titles and just have them be Ninja Turtles... from space. But that idea was thrown out the window and instead they decided to give them a new look and somewhat of a new story. Unfortunately that wouldn't be enough to save Liebesman from putting out just an average film.

Darkness has settled over New York City as Shredder (Tohoru Masamune) and his evil Foot Clan have an iron grip on everything from the police to the politicians. The future is grim until four unlikely outcast brothers rise from the sewers and discover their destiny as Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.

If you're planning on watching TMNT with hopes of seeing the same turtles you saw growing up than abort mission now and don't waste your money. If you want to give this film an open mind than you'll enjoy a... decent film. Like I said previously, TMNT has been through many changes throughout it's history so no one should be surprised that Bay, Liebesman and their team decided to change the pizza eating ninjas once again. I personally grew up with the Foot Clan being ninjas, and some might have been fans of the Foot Clan members who were robots. But change is constant, and this time the Foot Clan are a paramilitary force.

When the word ninja comes up, I automatically think of lean, quick and fairly small fighting machines. In their latest adaptation, the turtles are no longer small but HUGE and STRONG. Yes, we see the turtles show off their martial arts skills with their weapons of choice but when it comes to fighting their opponents, we lose the martial arts and get more brute force that would be personally the only thing I have against the physical changes that the turtles went through. As for other changes, their story took a minor change that was too big for me to accept. For some odd reason, superhero films love to connect their characters together. April O'Neal, her deceased father, and his boss Eric Sachs all have a connection with the creation of the turtles. This addition to the story is unnecessary and creates a huge coincidence that O'Neal was the one who discovered the turtles which makes the film distasteful.

If you didn't love TMNT because of the action then you were definitely like myself and loved the franchise due to the relationship and interaction between Michelangelo (Noel Fisher), Donatello (Jeremy Howard), Leonardo (Johnny Knoxville) and Raphael (Alan Ritchson). As soon as the four turtles get some screen time, your love for the franchise will finally appear. Director Liebesman does a great job portraying the first 'T' in TMNT throughout the film which is 'Teenage.' You're drowned by humor and even though adolescents and children are the targeted demographic, adults will let go of a few chuckles. The interaction between our favorite pizza eating ninjas wasn't the only thing that was hit right on the nail. The characteristics of each turtle was perfectly demonstrated as well. With Michelangelo being the star of the film with his laid back personality and a very humorous crush on O'Neal. Perhaps Donatello's nerd level could have been toned down a few notches. Splinter (Tony Shalhoub) on the other hand gets more shine than he has in other mediums as we are shown how and who taught the turtles everything they know. As for the humans, they are pretty sub par in the film.

Overall, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles met some expectations but not enough for it to be a solid movie. I wouldn't consider it an awful film due to it perfectly capturing the brotherly love between the four turtles, which is something I enjoyed the most. Liebesman took an odd direction when it was decided to make the turtles into huge monstrous fighting machines which totally disregarded the 'Ninja' in TMNT but the last 'T', 'Turtle', was used beautifully and often in the film. Especially with the fight scene that took place in the snowy scenery. There were enough parts to make this film really good but the film does not carry the entertainment throughout. The movie truly becomes dull when the turtles are not on the screen. Overall, I would only suggest you add this film to your DVD collection as a nice modern homage to your childhood.

NETFLIX: Top-15 Drama Films to Watch on Netflix Instant Play

Finding films on Netflix's Instant Play can be quite a difficult task. Netflix offers its users a wide range of options to pick from and at times you can stare at all their options for length of a movie and still have no idea what you want to watch. Luckily for you here at I Heard That Movie Was... we are going help you narrow their huge selection down to FIFTEEN films and we will be doing it for each genre. The list will be in no particular order but just 15 films we enjoy and we know you will enjoy as well. Let's go!

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