Multi-Movie Netflix Roundup

Here's a bunch of reviews of movies I watched on Netflix this month.

THE LAST DAYS ON MARS (2013)

Pretty good low budget space zombies movie. Good action. A-list actors. But a story we've seen before. It was done quite a bit better than previous iterations however. Not on the quality level of a Prometheus or anything. But an entertaining evening nonetheless.
6/10.

AGE OF TOMORROW (2014)

Couldn't get past the first 5 minutes of this direct to video garbage. Horrid acting. Just horrid.
2/10.

WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT KEVIN (2011)

Took this one up on a friend's recommendation. Turned it off after an hour. Waaay too artsy for me. Straight narrative is not involved in this film. Jumps all around. No subtlety.
3/10.

IN THE NAME OF THE KING 2: TWO WORLDS (2011)

Thought I'd give Uwe Boll a chance despite my better judgement. Dolph Lundgren gets transported back in time to medieval ages. Horrid. Couldn't get past the first 20 minutes. Bad acting. Shaky camera work. Bad all around.
2/10.

AGE OF UPRISING: THE LEGEND OF MICHAEL KOHLHAAS (2013)
(French w/ English Subtitles)

Wonderful! A Quiet, somewhat slow film about a merchant in 1500's France who rebels against the local Barony. The authenticity really transports you into the time period. Mads Mikkelson is always great, especially in Medieval stuff like this (think Valhalla Rising). My only beef with the film is about midway through with the appearance of a priest the dialog and story turns allegorical, which I imagine the entire film is supposed to be. Good and evil, rule of law, etc. etc. All those big ideas that men wrestle with through the ages. This film is different from the usual fare. High caliber.
8/10.

WORLD WITHOUT END (2012)
(8 Episode Miniseries)

Based on Ken Follet's novel which was itself a sequel to his Pillars Of The Earth. This miniseries doesn't disappoint. Not Game of Thrones Level, but it is good drama, intrigue and action nonetheless. It basically follows the happenings of the Late Medieval city of Kingsbridge, England against the backdrop of the 100 Years War. I've read that the characters were written with a much more liberal socio-political mindset than people at the time, but it keeps you rooting for certain characters against others. I would really recommend this to any GoT fan who is waiting for the next season of that show to start.
7/10.

FULL METAL JACKET (1987)

Up until this point I never had seen this film all the way through! Only the first half set at boot camp, which is frankly, the best part of the film. Basically a Vietnam War movie, it follows Matthew Modine from getting drafted and into the war. I'd consider this one of director Stanley Kubrick's weaker films, because it doesn't really hold itself together through the entire length consistently. Kind of meanders in the second half. Still, it's a classic for R. Lee Ermey's performance alone. Fun trivia: when writing the film, Kubrick sat down with Ermey and had him spout dialogue he would have used during his tenure as an actual drill instructor. Most of his resulting film dialog is simple transcription.
6/10.

TWELVE O'CLOCK HIGH (1949)

Classic WWII movie starring Gregory Peck as bomber pilot general. Couldn't finish it. Too jingoistic and old way of thinking for me. Stopped it after an hour.
4/10.

POLICE STORY: LOCKDOWN (2013)
(Chinese w/ English subtitles)

Jackie Chan action/drama. But not his usual style. Likely due to a different director helming the film. Jackie plays a serious police captain who gets held hostage by a psychotic club owner with the rest of his patrons. Had more of an Oldboy feel to it, rather than Rumble In The Bronx. Mostly psychological mind games, but plenty of kung-fu action too. It was a pretty enjoyable film. Good lazy Saturday fare.
8/10.