my brief thoughts on.... 'Predators' (2010)

as long as the 'Predator' has existed on celluloid, the debate about 'Aliens' or 'Predators' has existed.... and me personally, i have always been an 'Aliens' guy.... but i've watched all of the 'Predator' movies and even both of the 'Alien vs. Predator' movies as well.... it's not that i hated the 'Predator'.... i dug all the movies.... (except 'Alien vs. Predator: Requiem'.... nobody liked that movie.).... but when i heard that Robert Rodriguez had finally got the green light for his version of the 'Predator' that he'd been pitching for years, i was excited.... even though he ended up only producing the movie and not actually writing or directing it, i was sure it would still have his stamp on it.... the cast kind of threw me a bit.... who's ever heard of Adrian Brody as a lead in an action movie....? i had my doubts.... despite all of my reservations about the movie and whether it might be good or not, i went into it with an open mind and a bit of excitement....

the nice thing about this movie was that right off the bat they were going for a new twist on an old theme.... it opened with our heros in freefall and just waking up from being knocked out.... once they've "landed" on the ground, the fun begins.... all of the people that survived the freefall begin to run into each other and eventually band together.... as they try to figure out where they are and why.... each of them has a weapon or two, but no memory of how they got there.... soon they realize that they're being hunted and a few other surprises and then the fun begins....
the end result of this re-boot or 3rd installment in the 'Predators' catalogue was a good one.... the plot is simple enough, but fills you up.... Adrian Brody stepped up and played the hero quite well.... he kind of channeled his inner Christian Bale ala 'Batman' persona.... the action was good.... the 'Predators' were well done and took me back to the first movie.... and that excitement i had watching this new lifeform hunt Aronld in the jungle.... i came to the conclusion that even with how much i enjoyed this little sci-fi/action romp, it still only added up to a 3 out of 5 star outing.... it was such a simple and straight forward story that could have expanded the 'Predator' universe a bit more, but instead just relyed on a steady diet of action and aliens.... you'll have to rent this movie if you want to see it.... but if you're already a fan of the 'Predator' or this is your first experience with them, it's a winner either way.... this is a nice little slice of bloody goey goodness.

if you like this, also watch: 'Predator' (1987), 'Alien vs. Predator', and 'Predator 2'

my thoughts on.... 'Rampage'

i'm not a fan of Uwe Boll.... but i'm not alone.... there are a lot of folks out there that feel the same way or worse.... people violently hate this director.... but this movie had an interesting premise and i read many reviews which had positive things to say.... so i took a chance.... and last night on Netflix OnDemand i watched it.... and let me just say............ i didn't hate it.... as a matter of fact it was quite the opposite.... this movie hit me on many different levels and reminded me a lot of the Gus Van Zant film 'Elephant', only not based on a true story.... but it did contain a lot of hand held camerawork and mostly improvisational dialogue.... which made it a bit more believable and more interesting for some reason.... i really hate to even admit what i just did.... but i'll give credit where credit is due.

the storyline follows Brendan Fletcher, who plays a young man still living with his parents and has no real direction.... his parents ask him to move out.... and he is hesitant to do so as he has gotten very comfortable in his lifestlye.... we find that he works at a auto repair shop.... he has a conspiracy nut best friend.... and he's building a suit made entirely of kevlar so he can go on the largest killing spree in history.... he lives in a small town and no one sees it coming or expects it.... nor do his parents, friends or anyone else....
the plot is simple, but well done.... the dialogue is real.... the violence is intense and excessive.... the main character is played excellently by Brendan Fletcher.... he made him come to life.... i was shocked at the amount of death and destruction in this movie.... i figured it would be violent, but not nearly this much.... he literally goes on a mass killing spree.... not the kind you see normally in a Hollywood film, but something with more of an independant vibe.... i think that's what makes this so enjoyable.... it's not Hollywood.... and that's probably due in part to it being directed by Uwe Boll.... the most hated director in America.... perhaps it has something with the fact that he is trying to prove to his detractors that he can produce, write and direct something worthwhile....

i actually gave this 4 out of 5 stars and would probably add it to my DVD collection.... that's how much i enjoyed it.... it was interesting from the beginning to the end.... and granted the end might be a little far fetched, but not so much that you can't suspend disbelief to enjoy the triumphs of our anti-hero.... i would recommend this to people who are fans of ultra violent films and serial killer type movies.... basically, anything with an insane amount of killing for no real reason at all.... catch it while it's OnDemand, becuase it's one of the few movies you can't rent the real deal.... enjoy....!