[9.25/10] Guardians of the Galaxy [3D] (2014)

Guardians of the Galaxy [3D] (2014)

Quick Review: Having every right to be considered the "Star Wars" of all Marvel flicks, "Guardians of the Galaxy" is an endlessly spectacular, and excitingly action-packed visual splendor of a movie, that delivers as many thrill as laughs, thanks to its engrossing story, energetic pacing, and witty sense of humor. Add to all of that a bunch of cool characters, nostalgic music score, and high-end CGIs, and what you get is the hit of the summer, if not year!

Editor's Note: CineMarvellous' 5th Anniversary!

Dear friends, fans, and readers of CineMarvellous!,

I'm happy to announce, that on August 13, 2014, my precious blog celebrates its fifth birthday! Can you imagine that? I'm part of the cool, ginormous blogosphere for fifth year in a roll now, and I couldn't be happier about the fact, that CineMarvellous! continues to have lots of readers and visitors. I'm doing all this for you, guys! :)

Last year CineMarvellous! was in a stand-by mode for about 9 months, or so, because I was extremely busy with other stuff, and literally had no time to watch, let alone review films. Thank God, I managed to come back last December, and even to catch up on all movies released after March 2013. Still have to post my top 20 best-reviewed movie of the last year, though. The list is coming real soon, so stay tuned!

With the beginning of 2014, I decided to write only one-two sentence 'quick reviews', that are always short and sweet, and straight to-the-point, because I prefer to review as many films I see as possible, instead of fully review just a few of them. I hope you're enjoying the new format -- it's quicker and easier to read, at the end of the day. 

Last month, I finally decided to create a Facebook page of my blog, something I should have done years ago. If you still haven't checked it out, please do, and click the LIKE button for me. The page received 200 likes in less than half a month, and that is promising indeed. Also, CineMarvellous' Twitter account now has the impressive 1,053 followers, which I consider as some sort of an achievement.

Now it's time for the usual statistics: 

So far, I've reviewed fully, briefly, or quickly exactly 935 movies! Since 13.08.2009, my blog has been visited exactly 335,521 times by 61,719 unique visitors from 187 different countries. That's overwhelming! I would like to thank to all my regular readers and visitors, as well as my dearest blog friends I'm more than glad to know, and those are:

Alex @ Alex J. Cavanaugh

Mel @ Melissa's Imaginarium 

Drew [Grimm] @ Grimm Revewz

HorrO @ HorrO's Gory Reviews & Promote Horror 

Jason @ Horror Filmz 4 You

Brian [venoms5] @ Cool Ass Cinema

Freddie @ Full Moon Reviews

Matty @ FilmMattic

[7.00/10] Mr. Peabody & Sherman (2014)

Mr. Peabody & Sherman (2014)

Quick Review: Not only it has a cute, vibrant and colorful animation that will catch your eye for sure, but "Mr. Peabody and Sherman" is a very entertaining and briskly-paced feature with a complexly-structured, compelling, and adventurous story, dealing with crazy time-traveling. It will also make you fall in love with its delightfully likeable title characters, and their absolutely adorable, often heart-warming 'dogfather' – adapted human son relationship.

[7.25/10] Chef (2014)

Chef (2014)

Quick Review: Cheerful, uplifting, lively,  and often inspiring, “Chef” is, as its title suggests, about love for food and cooking, while at the same time explores the endearing father- son relationship between the two protagonists, which becomes more engaging as the movie progresses. Metaphorically said, “Chef” is like a well-seasoned meal with some spicy Cuban flavors added to it, that will make your mouth water, and also will fulfill your big cinematic appetite for something refreshing.

[4.50/10] Under the Skin (2014)

Under the Skin (2014)

Quick Review: Ironically enough, “Under the Skin” fails miserably to get under you skin, simply because it’s a lazy, tedious, and pretentious film with no clear direction, thinking its peculiar-ness will make it special. It does not, and not even Scarlett Johansson’s hypnotic performance manages to save it from monotony. Visually, it looks and feels morbid and unattractive, and the camera work consists of long, boring, static shots, and overextended sequences of soulless nothingness. 

[7.75/10] Belle (2014)

Belle (2014)

Quick Review: Just as intelligently-written and powerfully-acted as its beautifully-filmed and aesthetic in a subtle, yet appealing way, “Belle” is profound and emotionally resonant based-on-a-true-story period drama that is a much about slavery, greed and human prejudices, as it is about equality, open-mindedness, tru' love and rebellious determination, and director Amma Asante blends all of that smoothly into one gripping story that will engage all your senses for 103 min, and then some.

[5.50/10] At the Devil's Door (2014)

At the Devil's Door (2014)

Quick Review: It's a step down form director's strong debut effort, "The Pact", since the story ain't half as accomplished despite its intricate complexity, nor the direction is as neat and focused. That being said, "At the Devil's Door" is a reasonably watchable satanic horror movie with some frightening moments, spooky images, and eerie atmosphere, and changeable protagonists, that try to unveil a deep mystery that is both intriguing and quietly suspenseful, if not at all so memorable.

[5.75/10] The Purge: Anarchy (2014)

The Purge: Anarchy (2014)

Quick Review: The suspense is higher, the violence is more graphic, the characters are easier to connect with, the production is slicker, and the direction is much more in control this time around – in other words, “Anarchy” is slightly superior to the original. Why just slightly? Because, much like its predecessor, it lacks something and that something is credibility – a very important factor for a movie with such a provocative, unsettling subject matter.

[0.50/10] A Haunted House 2 (2014)

A Haunted House 2 (2014)

Quick Review: Spoofs used to be made to make fun of horror movies that take themselves too seriously. Wittily. Well, not anymore. This truly horrendous sequel dares to deride contemporary horror classics like "Sinister" and "The Conjuring", and does it in the most moronic, idiotic, and crude way possible! There's not a single funny moment or a laugh in "A Haunted House 2", since all the supposed-to-be-jokes are offensive, the humor flat, and the whole film is just plain dumb as sh*t.

[5.25/10] Tammy (2014)

Tammy (2014)

Quick Review: No one can deny Melissa McCarthy's comedic talent and acting abilities -- she is funny even when she doesn't speak, but the problem with "Tammy" lies in the not particularly witty screenplay, she wrote along with the director, which alternates solid laughs with mostly uninspired gags, and the end result is a female-driven mixed bag of a comedy, that is worth checking out only for the good chemistry between McCarthy and  Sarandon, who make it somewhat watchable.

[4.75/10] Animal (2014)

 Animal (2014)

Quick Review: It' is far from truly terrible, there are, fortunately, a couple of likeable characters you wouldn't want to get killed, and the practical creature effects are really surprisingly good, with the 'animal' itself being very well-designed and executed, but on the other hand "Animal" is way too formulaic and unoriginal to be able to stand out from the countless monster flicks out there, and it often doesn't work even as a B-grade fun, let alone as a proper horror movie.

[5.00/10] Transcendence (2014)

Transcendence (2014)

Quick Review: As expected, being directed by a cinematographer, the movie has a stylish look, indeed, but sadly, it turns out that's Pfister's only strength. "Transcendence" does fail to live up to its enthusiastic premise, offering its audience a technology- inspired story, devoid of any humor and thrills, that is supposed to feel pretty futuristic, but ends up being sort of old-fashioned instead. This film also struggles to handle its own ideas, just like the cast can't handle the over-thought script.

[6.75/10] Lucy (2014)

Lucy (2014)

Quick Review: Call it ludicrous, call it pseudoscience, call it ambitious, or whatever you like, but aside from the weak final act that feels rather forced, and the fact that it should have had a little bit more action, "Lucy" is a sheer entertainment on steroids, that will surely glue you to the screen even in its silliest and most absurd moments, thanks to the Luc Besson's vigorous direction, and the fierce performance by Johansson, who carries the movie with confidence and appeal, proving she's very good at acting.

[4.50/10] Life After Beth (2014)

Life After Beth (2014) 

Quick Review: Despite the finely-chosen cast, and Plaza's sometimes pretty funny lead performance, "Life After Beth" is a strangely uninspired zom-rom-com, that is neither truly romantic, nor particularly hilarious to watch, nor even remotely scary, let alone a balanced blend of all three. On the top of that, the movie looks cheaper than a third-rate TV movie, due to the insipid cinematography, amateurish camera work, and awful make-up effects. The surprising lack of gore also disappoints.

[6.50/10] The Calling (2014)

The Calling (2014)

Quick Review: It’s no “Zodiac”, but “The Calling” is a bleak and silently suspense-filled serial killer thriller, executed with high precision in an old-fashioned, yet appealing in its simplicity filming style. Although we all know who the killer is from quite early on, there’s enough sense of mystery to the story to keep you engaged, and more then a couple of strong performances to draw you further in, especially the central one from Sarandon, who does own each moment she’s on screen.

[4.75/10] The Signal (2014)

The Signal (2014)

Quick Review: A bit geeky, a bit artsy, a bit dreamy, a bit high-tech, but confusing most of the time, “The Signal” is a mid-budget sci-fi feature crafted with style, that tries too hard to be different and original, but falls in its own trap of odd senselessness instead, sadly offering its viewers a rather unsatisfying experience. And not even the mesmerizing musical score and solid performances from pretty much everyone involved can turn this cinematic experiment into a relatively successful one.

CM's TOP 20 Best-Reviewed Movies of 2013 is coming soon...

Dear friends and readers of CineMarvellous,
 

Later on this month our TOP 20 Best-Reviewed Movies of 2013 list will be finally posted on the site. Why so late in the year you ask? Well, as some of you probably know we took a big break last year, and we were missing from the blogosphere for about 9 months (March till December, 2013), therefore we had to catch up as quickly as possible, but in the end, it took us about 7 months to do that. Anyway, we finally watched, analyzed, and reviewed all the 2013 movies we wanted to --- about 140 of them, and we can't wait to reveal our top 20 of 2013! We're also eagerly looking forward to your feedback, but keep in mind that this list will be 100% subjective. Our No. 1 may surprise many, if not all of you...

[4.25/10] The Damned (2014)

The Damned (2014)

Quick Review: Set in Columbia for a change, "The Damned" kicks-off intriguingly enough, managing to catch the viewer's attention from the very beginning. That being said, as soon as the so-called terror starts to emerge, the film completely falls apart, and instantly ruins its decent potential. Sure, there are a couple of good ideas behind the 'you kill her, you die' premise, but it's the lack of memorable scares and poor execution, that stand on its way to deliver what it promises.