G.I. Joe: Retaliation - oh Flint!

 

the Plot:



Duke (Channing Tatum) becomes the leader of the G.I. Joe unit, which is framed for stealing nuclear warheads from Pakistan by Zartan (Arnold Vosloo), who is impersonating the President of the United States (Jonathan Pryce).
 

The majority of the unit is subsequently eliminated in a military air strike with Duke among the casualties.

love the visor, Girl!

The only survivors are Roadblock (Dwayne Johnson), Flint (D.J. Cotrona) and Lady Jaye (Adrianne Palicki).

fearsome much?

Meanwhile, Storm Shadow (Byung-hun Lee) and ex-Joe Firefly (Ray Stevenson) rescue Cobra Commander (Luke Bracey) from an underground maximum-security prison in Germany, who in turn abandons Destro.

 

Storm Shadow is injured during the escape and retreats to a temple in the Himalayas to recover. Upon learning that he is alive, the Blind Master (RZA), leader of the Arashikage Clan, sends Snake Eyes (Ray Park) and his apprentice Jinx (Elodie Yung), Storm Shadow's cousin, to capture Storm Shadow so he can answer for the murder of his uncle the Hard Master, and help unravel the Cobras' plans.



Roadblock, Flint, and Lady Jaye return to the United States where they set up a base of operations in a rundown gym.

 
After Zartan announces that Cobra will replace the Joes as America's main protective unit, Lady Jaye deduces that someone is impersonating the President, and Roadblock leads them to General Joseph Colton (Bruce Willis), who provides them with weapons and rallies the old Joes to help the mission.


 


The 3 Joes later infiltrate a fundraising event that the President will be attending. Lady Jaye steals a sample of the President's DNA and confirms that he is Zartan. They escape after a brief confrontation with Firefly and Zandar (Matt Gerald), the head of the Presidential Detail and a member of Cobra.



Snake Eyes and Jinx locate and capture Storm Shadow after a battle with ninjas and take him back to Japan, where during questioning by the Blind Master, it is revealed that Storm Shadow was innocent of killing the Hard Master and in fact it was Zartan who murdered him and gained most as Storm Shadow joined Cobra to avenge those he thought believed him guilty. Storm Shadow then accompanies Snake Eyes and Jinx as they join the Joes' efforts to stop Cobra.



Zartan invites the world leaders to a summit, where he blackmails them into disabling their nuclear arsenals, and reveals that he has created Project Zeus: seven orbital kinetic bombardment weapons of mass destruction at his command. He destroys central London to prove his superiority, and threatens to destroy other capitals if the countries don't submit to Cobra. Storm Shadow betrays Cobra Commander and kills Zartan, revealing Cobra's deception to the world leaders. While Snake Eyes, Jinx, and Flint fight Cobra's soldiers, Cobra Commander activates the remaining six weapons and instructs Firefly to protect the launch device. Firefly is killed in combat by Roadblock, who deactivates and destroys the orbital weapons. Meanwhile, Colton and Lady Jaye rescue the President.



Cobra Commander escapes during the battle and Storm Shadow disappears after killing Zartan.

The real President addresses the nation at a ceremony where Roadblock, Lady Jaye, Flint, Jinx, and Snake Eyes are commemorated as heroes. Colton salutes each of them, and presents Roadblock with an M1911 pistol that belonged to General George S. Patton, to use when he finally finds Cobra Commander and to avenge Duke. Roadblock proudly raises the weapon and lets out a single shot in honor of his fallen comrades.

the Review:
i downloaded this movie long ago and didn't give it much thought until last weekend. and i fell in love with Flint. he was understated, like a boy in need of a lady ruffling his hair somewhat. i read the back story on him and i guess no wonder there was that awkwardness between him and Lady Jaye. i mean, he was respectful but being a guy, oh well, can't resist a peek. i mean, that undie is INDEED something :grins:



Duke is dead. does that make Joes worth watching? i mean, left with only 4 Joes (not including recently added Jinx and former Joes though), perhaps in the upcoming sequel, we'll get to see them regroup. Ripcord, Scarlett and General Hawk, to name a few is conspicuously missing. not that i'm saying Roadblock, Flint and Lady Jaye are not entertaining, it's just that it gets lonely, that GI Joes enthusiasts shall be feeling something's missing.

i guess that what's made critics panning this movie down. but it has performed well in the box office.

in a way, i guess the plot in this movie is too simplistic. a bit toned down as compared to the first movie, full of action and all that. though i do appreciate more scenes given to storm Shadow. BHL is superb!

being a nitpick auntie, i wonder why didn't Cobras put the remaining Joes on surveillance? i mean, those 3 are literally everywhere. now that POTUS declared them criminals, perpetrator of war and all that, why didn't they got pick up? it's not they are wearing disguises or anything. i mean, Roadblock would be hard enough to be missed, right?

this hulk of a person wouldn't be hard to spot. really.

plus, the security detail at the summit is laughable. it made the lives of the world leaders so cheap, don't you think? this is a Nuclear Summit kot. plus, it seems a lot easier to jack off one's nuclear missiles and a mere button to cancel it out. for real? man, we should be afraid, real afraid. and the evacuation details of dem world leaders are so laughable as much as there are non-existent. no Pakistani, North Korean leaders would ever agree into coming on the US soil given this rather shoddy security detail, i tell you. not in million years.

i was also wondering why on earth they spent that much money, space, technology and effort into keeping Commander Cobra, Destro and the criminals alive? why not just give them a bullet and let the world be much safer? why drill into the earth and make them suffer just by looking at a pair of swords? stupid! waste of people's money, this.

anyway, Lady Jaye serves well as the only gal on the team. with a RIDONKULOUS body, i think she must be fearsome enough to escape unruly attention. plus, there is that Patton's chauvinistic treatment of her. melampau sih.

me = ENVY

oh well, i love this movie for Flint. DJC may not acted in many films or tv shows  but as Flint, he scores.

yummeyh from the very beginning :)

can't wait for the next movie. :doublegrins:

Looper: a confounding stuff really!

the Poster:

the Trailer:


the Plot:
In the year 2044, 25-year-old Joseph "Joe" Simmons (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) works for a crime syndicate in Kansas City as a "looper". Led by a man sent from the future named Abe ( JeffDaniels), loopers kill and dispose of victims sent back in time, and are paid with bars of silver strapped to the target, whose face is hidden by a bag. the reason of the process was that in the future, it is impossible to do killings without being prosecuted for it.

However, there is a downside to the whole deal as to when a looper is retired, the looper's future self is sent back exactly thirty years as his target, but with gold bars. This event is referred to as "closing the loop". Not carrying out the killing is punishable by death.

One night, Seth (Dano), Joe's best friend and fellow looper, tells him that he has failed to close his own loop, and that his future self warned him of a mysterious person called the Rainmaker, who has somehow overthrown the five major crime bosses all by himself and is busy ending all of the loopers' contracts in 2074. Joe reluctantly hides Seth in his apartment's secret floor safe, but the place is searched and he is taken to Abe by Kid Blue (Segan).

Given the choice of revealing Seth's hiding place or forfeiting half of the silver he has hoarded, Joe betrays Seth. The syndicate start mutilating him, knowing that the injuries will be propagated to his older self. They cut an address into Seth's arm, then begin removing parts of his body, causing the older Seth to go to the address, where he is killed.

Joe's next target is late. When he does arrive, he is unbound and his head is bare. It is Joe's older self (Willis). Before Joe shoots, the man turns around so the bullet strikes the gold bars strapped to his back. Old Joe throws a bar, then knocks the younger man out and escapes.

Soon, an alternate future is shown. This time, Joe does close his loop, his older self's head being covered by a bag. He retires to Shanghai, China, where he falls in love and marries. After his 30 years elapse, Joe is taken to close the loop, but his wife is killed in the process. Overpowering his captors, Joe sends himself back to 2044.

Later, meeting his younger self, old Joe explains he is going to kill the Rainmaker as a child to change the future and save his wife. Joe tries but fails to close his loop. Then Kid Blue and other men working for Abe show up, and a gunfight ensues. Young Joe ends up with old Joe's map, which contains three locations circled on the map and a number.

Young Joe heads to one of the marked places, a farm where Sara (Blunt) and her young son Cid (Gagnon) live. Sara distrusts him at first, but gradually warms to him. When Joe shows Sara the map, she recognizes the number as Cid's birthday along with the code of the hospital where he was born. Joe guesses old Joe is going to kill all three boys born that day, not knowing which one will become the Rainmaker. Joe decides to wait at the farm for his older self.

Joe soon learns that Sara is telekinetic (as is about 10% of the population), and that Sara gave Cid to her sister to raise until she was accidentally killed by Cid.

One morning, Jesse (Dillahunt), one of Abe's thugs, comes looking for both Joes. He returns later and threatens Sara. Cid falls down the stairs and becomes angry, which triggers an extraordinarily powerful telekinetic blast that kills Jesse, revealing that he is the future Rainmaker.

Meanwhile, Kid Blue captures old Joe and takes him to Abe. Old Joe breaks free and kills Abe and many of his men, though Kid Blue is only wounded. Then old Joe heads to Sara's place. While young Joe shoots it out with Kid Blue, old Joe pursues Sara and Cid. Cid creates another telekinetic blast, but before he can kill old Joe (suspended in mid-air), Sara manages to calm him down. Then, telling Cid to run into the cane field, Sara stands in old Joe's line of sight to shield her son. Young Joe realizes that his older self will shoot Sara and fill Cid with the anger which will mold him into the Rainmaker. Too far away to prevent it, he instead kills himself, thus erasing old Joe.

the Riviu:
i'm nursing a headache, trying to figure out how to fit the story into a congruent understandable timeline. i mean, who was shot in place of old Joe? and the prosthetic put on JGL's face so he resembles BW (not!) was so annoyingly fake, and at times, not helping at all.

the basis of the looper's existence is that killers cannot possibly flee from justice in the future, yet Joe did so much killings left and right as he grew old that this defies the very purpose. what? no law abiding enforcers in China? nada? then why in the world send them back into the past? send them to China instead!

there are also the dancer part. which is to me serves no purpose at all other than scintillating the minds of the viewers, what with the frontal nudity by miss Perabo. hah, don't go looking for the scene, it's pointless and yes, serve no purpose! and joining that scene to my further distaste was the scene of Sara hooking up with Joe. what for eh? is there even any sparks of attraction resulting in chemistry here, or did i miss it? no reason. at all. as if the director/scriptwriter doing a list of things to keep viewers' interest. imagine this:

• time travel crap that even BW won't waste time explaining - check
• unnecessary frontal nudity - check
• even more unnecessary violence - check
• sex scenes - check
• substance abuse - check
• kid with extra special powers - check
• apa lagi ek?

i get extra headache thinking the list up, huh.

to JGL's credit however, his acting is faultless. he even successfully adopts BW mannerisms to a tee. but his future fashion and hairstyles suck!

and why do these loopers keep using that eye drops that though get them high yet it cause them to be short-sighted. oii, that's not good for your profession really!

most of the time, i agreed with CinemaSin here. sigh. i wish i could go out and shoot the script down before it even got made!

RED: Retired, Extremely Dangerous

i've watched this at cinema and fell in love instantly. and as i watched it again, in the comfort of my home, still, i find myself enjoying the movie immensely.

it is about the life lead by handfuls of ex CIA operatives when they retire. the main character, Frank Moses, one of the best agents in the fields, led his life alone and content himself only by monthly phone calls made to Sarah, a worker at the Pension Dept. he's smitten with her and when his house was ambushed one night by rampaging shooters, he just got to get Sarah before his attackers find, and kill her too.

En route to uncovering why he is on the hit list, he called for his friends' help, retired agents like him also. he is also pursued by the CIA agent, William Cooper who was sent to get him without any reason given.

along the trail and clues left by a murdered reporter, they pieced the clues together to point out that it was the Vice President of America's doing that put them on the hit list. So, Frank retaliated by capturing the VP for an exchange of Sarah who was captured during their mission to uncover the truth.

as Frank had passed some of the clues to Cooper, the younger agent began to doubt the rationality behind the order of his superior to kill Frank and his friends. during the shootout, the identity of the culprit ordering the hits was revealed. with Cooper's help, Frank cleared his name and escaped with his friends.

and Sarah finally reciprocated Frank's feeling and become his gf.

now, what i like most about this movie is the chemistry between all the characters. even JM is a delight in his eccentricities. Sarah's glee as she joined the mission to infiltrate CIA's headquarters. and Frank's bashful admission of romantic feelings for Sarah.

all in all, i really enjoyed this movie. both BW and KU were such a delight!