100 Movie Challenge 2014 - # 62: Battleship

Director: Peter Berg
Genre: Action/ Science Fiction
Runtime: 131 minutes
Year: 2012
Starring: Taylor Kitsch, Liam Neeson, Alexander Skarsgård, Brooklyn Decker, Rihanna

Description: A fleet of ships is forced to do battle with an armada of unknown origins in order to discover and thwart their destructive goals.

Review: For director Peter Berg making “Battleship” is a dream come true, because of the long love he has for the American navy. The movie, named after the well-known board game, is the perfect movie for him.
In “Battleship” the earth is under the attack of aliens. The only ones who can stop them are the marines. The main character is Alex Hopper, who joined the marines because of the lack of discipline. When they are under attack, Alex needs to take over the leader role after the captain dies.
Not really much is expected from the cast. There are no interesting dialogues or intriguing characters. They are standard marines, tough guys and very uninspiring. It’s still a mystery why Liam Neeson is in this movie, because he’s a brilliant actor. Taylor Kitsch fits his role perfectly, because it doesn’t involve a lot of depth. And Brooklyn Decker should stick to modelling, acting is not for her.
Like the characters, the movie is missing depth. It’s pure action, filled with explosions, fight scenes and more explosions. There is nothing wrong with that, it is an action movie, but it gets a bit old. Especially when you look at the runtime of the movie. Over two hours is just way too long. The macho act, bad dialogues, it’s just not entertaining. It’s sad that the movie isn’t surprising on any level.
“Battleship” is nothing more than a tough action flick that, besides the impressive explosions and special effects, doesn’t have a lot to offer. An action movie can succeed with just that, but “Battleship” fails. I prefer the board game.

Rating: 1/ 5

100 Movie Challenge 2014 - # 57: Disconnect

Director: Henry-Alex Rubin
Genre: Drama/ Thriller
Runtime: 115 minutes
Year: 2012
Starring: Jason Bateman, Hope Davis, Frank Grillo, Michael Nyqvist, Paula Patton, Andrea Riseborough, Alexander Skarsgård, Colin Ford, Jonah Bobo, Max Thierot, Haley Ramm

Description: A drama centered on a group of people searching for human connections in today's wired world.

Review: Internet isn’t without any danger, that’s what “Disconnect” proofs. The movie follows different characters, who are all dealing with their own problem with the online world. Cindy and Derek are the victims of identity theft and lose all their money. Lawyer Rich Boyd is so caught up in his job, that he loses contact with his family. His son Ben is a target of cyberbullies and tries to commit suicide. One of the boys feels remorse while his father is a cop fighting cybercrimes. Then there is journalist Nina Dunham, who is trying to save a young boy from a human trafficker.
The style of the film reminds me of movies like “Traffic” or “Babel”. Different stories that intertwine and overlap at some points. I work with kids and I know the danger of the internet and social media. News travels fast while it’s on the net. This movie pictures it a bit like a horror scenario, but it’s all possible.
Because of the good cinematography, the audience will stay focused and will feel for the characters. The way it was shot adds tension to the film. And the excellent acting is also a positive note. The style is fantastic, the story sometimes feels a bit repetitive.
I don’t know if the moral and the dangers of the internet will teach the viewers something. Because the internet is shown to us a one big danger zone, it doesn’t show us how to use it in a more safe way. Even though it has some small critical notes, “Disconnect” is definitely a movie worth watching.

Rating: 3,5/ 5