Movie Reviews, Digital HD Reviews, and Television Reviews

Reviews By Marco Chacon

Here at FlickDirect, our goal is to provide up-to-date reviews on theatrical, home entertainment, and television series. Check out the scoop on upcoming films or programming, and even our take on the classsics from our critics and Rotten Tomatoes Approved, Allison Rose.

Taken

(Marco Chacon) 2/10/2009 6:17 PM EDT
The trailer for Taken has Liam Neeson on the phone with his daughter who is in a hotel. She has just witnessed some thugs grab her friend, and as her father tells her to hide under the bed, we get the impression he is pretty cool-headed for someone who is going to lose his little girl to kidnappers. When she hides under the bed, h... Read More

Coraline

(Marco Chacon) 2/9/2009 4:12 PM EDT
Only one hour, 40 minutes long, Coraline did not set out to be the world's longest stop-motion movie. The plan was to switch from real models to computer animation in the other-world the same way that The Wizard of Oz went from black and white to color. However, when this was tried, it was found that the full-of-life other-world came ou... Read More

Underworld: Rise of the Lycans

(Marco Chacon) 1/26/2009 7:22 PM EDT
The idea of vampires vs. werewolves isn't exactly new, but the Underworld franchise does the cinematic vision of it pretty well. The vampires dress in black leather, the Lycan(thropes) wolf-out and eat people, and the first movie was all gritty urban warfare. The third takes place in the distant past where, in events referred to in the ... Read More

Gran Torino

(Marco Chacon) 1/12/2009 7:26 PM EDT
Eastwood, at 78, is a living-film legend. He personifies power, manliness, determination, and grit. He is a rare breed of star who proves as comfortable behind a camera as in front of it; and if the passage of time makes it likely that we really are seeing the last of his acting career, coming off Gran Torino, I think I can say we... Read More

The Day the Earth Stood Still

(Marco Chacon) 12/21/2008 12:42 PM EDT
When making a remake there are usually a few options. From what I understand, Gus Van Sant's, Psycho, was almost shot-for-shot. We have also seen general updates (Ocean's 11 or The Italian Job) where a classic is re-imagined for a more modern context. We have seen The Hulk's 'reboot', where the opening of a franchise is simply giv... Read More

Transporter 3

(Marco Chacon) 12/4/2008 2:42 PM EDT
Although you have to judge a movie by its pedigree, there also has to be a line at which you stop. Thrillers need to at least have moderately smart plots; action needs to actually be exciting, and so on. When going up against Transporter 3, I really was not sure where to draw the "base line". I was not that impressed with the fi... Read More

Bolt

(Marco Chacon) 12/1/2008 12:27 PM EDT
Kid's movies walk a fine line; they have to keep children entertained, so they require a story that is very basic, drama that is extremely explicit and "universal" (and not 'adult'), and they must be exciting without being tragic or overly violent. They also have to keep the grown-ups engaged, so they have to have something to work "... Read More

Quantum of Solace

(Marco Chacon) 11/28/2008 10:22 AM EDT
EON Productions is methodically remaking the Bond franchise. Starting with Casino Royale, they moved it more along the Bourne axis into gritty action and away from the suave super-spy that Roger Moore personified -- to the point where Moore, at 80, felt the new Bond franchise was over-violent ... and under-sexed. Like a living org... Read More

Twilight

(Marco Chacon) 11/23/2008 9:24 PM EDT
In judging a movie, you have to make allownaces for the type of movie it is. If it is derived from a much beloved book, that is one thing. If it's a high school flick, that is another. A vampire movie -- still more baggage! Twilight, coming from a populr book series by Stephanie Meyer, is all of these. Trying to judge ... Read More

Pride and Glory

(Marco Chacon) 10/31/2008 3:49 PM EDT
The police-drama, as an art-form, usually centers on family and betrayal. The world of a police officer is a pressure cooker of low wages, an absolute code of honor, and danger. The occupation also tends to follow heredity -- at least in the movies -- and we've seen any number of these where a younger officer's stoic father is a retired... Read More