Public Enemies

Public Enemies promises a slew of A-List stars to entice viewers. Everyone from Johnny Depp to a cameo by Channing Tatum. The film follows the exploits of bank robber John Dillinger, played by Johnny Depp, as he is arrested, escapes prison, robs banks, and is arrested again. The movie portrays him as a "good guy" or the bad guy you want to win.

The film was downright boring. I can't get over my disapointment. I fully expected a nice Depression era gangster film, but was given a confusing, slow paced, i don't know what. Sure it had the right ingridients for a film of this genre. There were beautiful women, fast cars, loads of money, and most importantly guns...lots and lots of guns. But what failed was the pace that the movie was set at. I'm not sure if the director just thought the movie needed to be rich with detail, or if he was trying to show another side to this type of film, but either way it was just too long. It lost my attention about two thirds of the way through. I'm sad to say that I am not even sure how it ended.

I can't place all of the blame on Redbox however, Hollywood in general can take some of the credit. Just because you put respectable actors in a film does not automatically make it a hit. In fact that can often spell disaster when the studios, directors, producers, or even actors themselves choose to coast on a good name rather than good work. Now I'm not saying thats the case here, but we have all seen movies that seem to examplify this very problem.

But then again maybe its my own fault, maybe I need to do more research into what I watch before I watch it. Maybe I need to just put up the $8 it costs for a regular movie ticket...On second thought I think I'll stick to Redbox.

Carriers

Carriers stars Chris Pine and Piper Perabo, they along with two other companions are traveling cross country in search of an old motel on the ocean where Danny(Chris Pine) and his younger brother (Lou Taylor Pucci) spent their summers as children. They hope to take refuge there from a virus that has spread through most of the population causing them to turn into zombie like decaying versions of what they once were. Along the way they meet many people and see the death and destruction caused by the disease. We also learn of their pasts and how easily bonds can be broken when your survival is at stake.

So the premise to this movie sounded appealing, like a serious version of Zombieland. I'm very much into science fiction/end of the world/ zombie movies, and I really enjoyed Chris Pine in the remake of Star Trek. I had previously seen previews for it on IMDB (Internet Movie Database) and wanted to see it, but then forgot about it because I didn't see anything else for it. I'm not even sure if it came to theaters, or if it was a straight to DVD release. Either way Redbox chose to advertise it as though it was a box office hit! It looked like I couldn't go wrong with this pick. Oh how wrong that assumption was.

The movie lacked a lot of key elements. A flowing plot, for example, would have been nice. And utilizing the acting talent you have to their full ability would have also been a refreshing change from the sad one liners and dreary dialogue. The sequence of events that took place felt pointless and as though they were only included to serve as a way to transition characters out of the movie.I found myself struggling to stay awake, while my boyfriend quickly gave up the fight and fell asleep not long into the movie. I think he made the smarter choice.

In the end the movie itself felt like it was made to get one point across to its viewers. Any bond, no matter how strong, can and will be broken. Thanks a lot Redbox.

Whats the deal?

Redboxes are the newest thing in movie rentals. They're available at all sorts of locations from your local gas station, McDonalds and Walmarts all across the nation. They have a wide selection of new releases, older films, and some more indie/straight to DVD options. This all sounds great doesn't it? But is Redbox really helping you out? Sure its convinient but does it really help you view the "best" the film industry has to offer? I'm going to test this by renting several movies over the course of the semester and analyzing them. I'll compare them to whats available at other rental sources such as Netflix and Blockbuster, and compare whats available at different Redboxes around town.