We Missed Robert Langdon So Much and His Very Normal Challenges in Life

It comes as no surprise that a celebrated movie character from an acclaimed series of mystery novels to suffer so much each and every time we see him on the big screen. We thought he had it with car chases, psycho-killers and shooting all over iconic cities but no; it’s not enough for him that he needed memory loss, head lacerations and well, a plague. 

The movie was chaotic, literally chaotic, and halfway through I realized that it was set up that way, as our hero was on chaos; he doesn’t know where he is, no idea on what happened, and he’s in bad shape. A group of individuals decided to create a virus that could eliminate half the population on earth in days, and Professor Robert Langdon is unaware of which side he is in the battle. 

I’m not sure yet on whether the Langdon formula has worn out on me. Mystery plus hot girl partner plus half the world chasing after him; that was all we’ve seen from The Da Vinci Code, Angels and Demons, and The Lost Symbol which by the way I’m not sure why it was skipped. We have the same director, studio, producers, and musical scorer, but Inferno is less dramatic. Less emphasis on statues, less religion, less everything we’ve come to know from a movie with Robert Langdon in it, and sorry for not being helpful but I’m not sure as well if that’s a good thing or not. All I know is we missed Tom Hanks on a suspense, thriller film and I was just thankful about that. 

The movie picks up quickly, it doesn’t pause. It gives the audience no time to comprehend on what’s happening, you’ve got to figure it out the same time the character does, and if you haven’t read the book, like me, surprises are on the way. 

Hans Zimmer at first I thought under-performed again, but I realized that he is an exemplary musical genius and now I realized that his material can only be as great as the material it’s scoring. Safe to say that Inferno is not half as good as Angels and Demons, or half as moving as The Da Vinci Code. But Inferno has great shots, fluid pacing and great casting. 

Line up Inferno to the the Robert Langdon film franchise, and though not as powerful as the previous two films, we want to see more of this. 

Grade: 3 Stars

Whatever Happened to Tim Burton I Don’t Even Wanna Know

Well it must be his divorce from Helena Bonham Carter otherwise he has completely lost his touch. This movie is a living testament that some books should remain books and not meant on the silver screen. 

The whole thing is a complete dull and not even Eva Green, Eva Green, could save it. The only consolation was the gorgeous cinematography from Bruno Delbonnel and the genuis that is Coleen Atwood. 
The whole thing is confused on whether it wants to be Twilight or Harry Potter infused with X-Men, it’s a mess. It doesn’t even feel like Tim Burton was there, like there is some struggling Hollywood debut director somewhere in the time-traveling mess.  
I’m out of words for this movie, and after all the hype it ended up being a big disappointment to book and non-book fans alike. Don’t see it. 
Grade: 2 stars

Dan Rad with a Gun is Better than Dan Rad With a Wand.

DanRad on the big screen is always a delight, and him playing an undercover FBI agent up against white elitists is such a movie experience. 

I always knew that Dan is a terrific actor and he’s very serious about the whole thing. My concern initially was, how believable Dan could be as an FBI agent? Well he was pretty believable but more so was how unbelievably impressive it was for him to pretending a white supremacist with all that tattoos and racial slurs. 

Simply put, we all should watch out for him as he continues to conquer Hollywood. 
The movie takes no time in bullshit. It puts you at the edge of your seat; anxious on what will happen next, makes you look at the other side of the racial fence, and makes you question your own. Solid acting from everyone but especially from Dan and Toni Colette. 

Imperium is one hell of investigative thriller with a spectacular performance from Daniel Radcliffe. 

Grade: 4 stars

Sully’s a Dull

Interestingly enough, I find Sully impressively dull. It tries so hard to be the new American Ultimate Hero movie but fails abysmally. 

Though based from real events and the narrative is pretty straightforward; the true story behind the miracle in the Hudson, though saved lives, should’ve remained on the news instead of making it a movie adaptation from the actual pilot himself. Yes yes he did an amazing job through his quick wits and his experience but that wasn’t enough justification to have it on the big screen. 

It doesn’t even warrant a nomination for Tom Hanks, it’s not his fault; the whole thing is not enough for Hanks to give us an exemplary performance. 

And it’s pretty clear that Clint Eastwood has a thing going on right now that forces all of us to admire Americans in all their American glory and it’s starting to make me feel sick. 

It has all the right intentions but no, we didn’t ask for this movie. 
Grade: 3 Stars