Again, I know I took a long break here, but I was busy watching Scott Pilgrim another 5 times (no, I'm not kidding, go see the movie) and doing school work. Incidentally, the only new film I've seen since Scott Pilgrim was Piranha 3D, and chances are you already know if you're going to see that or not, but if for some reason anyone reading this is undecided, leave a comment on my facebook so I know to review it for you.
Category: Action-Adventure Mystery
Premise: ...really? Alright. Sherlock Holmes (Robert Downey, Jr.) and his steadfast companion Dr. Watson (Jude Law) are thrust into the fold of Lord Blackwood's (Mark Strong) plot to take over England using dark ritual practices.
Zer(o)verview:
First of all, I'd like to give a sincere thank you to Guy Ritchie for being his already excellent directing ability, (see Snatch and Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels) to mainstream films, especially in the "shadows of London" atmosphere that so fits Sherlock Holmes.
But, to the movie. From the first time I saw the preview, I knew I would like this movie. Not just because I love all 3 headliners (Downey Jr., Law, and McAdams) but because Guy Ritchie finally stopped portraying Sherlock as a good guy.
Have any of you read the stories that Sir Doyle wrote? Holmes is mad. He's a lunatic. He has deeply ingrained drug and alcohol problems, and although Ritchie only touches on the drugs briefly, he consistently brings up the alcoholism. Bravo! And Downey Jr. does an excellent job emulating this insanity on-screen.
Speaking of Downey on-screen, his chemistry with co-stars Law and McAdams is exemplary. Jude Law finally delivers the Watson I've wanted since I was young. Not a bumbling idiot that follows Holmes around and never really contributes. A Watson that balances out Holmes' insanity with sound logic and strong physical presence. For God's sake, Watson was a decorated military hero, why was he ever portrayed as a bumbling idiot? While Downey's Holmes is still the bread-winner here, Law's Watson is the example I would show directors who want to make a Sherlock Holmes film in the future.
Rachel McAdams plays Irene Adler, who, unless you are an avid Sir Arthur Conan Doyle reader, you probably have never heard of before since she's only mentioned in like 1 story. Ever. At all. But, I excuse this due to the fact that Guy Ritchie fleshed her out and made her story and the story of Moriarty more interesting (setting up for a sequel, no doubt), and the fact that he cast McAdams as the actress to play her. +1 for Mr. Ritchie. And she does a pretty good job to boot.
Mark Strong is the antagonist of the show, Lord Blackwood, an outcast British lord with ties to "The House of Four" which is essentially an Illuminati-esque organization in England and America. He is believed to have supernatural powers and uses them to exert control over England. To be honest, he was the weakest character out of all the leads, which is unfortunate, since the villain development is crucial to making the story believable and deep. Fortunately, with a director like Ritchie, villains are never the focus of the movie, the atmosphere and plot are.
Ritchie uses the "shadows of London" atmosphere brillantly, and has a compelling music score throughout. The real gems of the movie are still the interactions between Holmes and Watson, and the audience trying to deduce how Blackwood accomplished all the things he did before Holmes reveals all of it. On top of that, it's genuinely funny. The sub-plots, Watson's engagement to Mary, and Holmes and Adler's obvious sexual tension, aren't built up much at all, but again, they don't need to be, that's not the focus of the movie. It doesn't take away from the movie, but it doesn't add much to it either, except the Adler-Moriarty set up for the sequel.
GROUND ZERO: An excellent performance by Robert Downey Jr., Jude Law, and Rachel McAdams, combined with an interesting plot, captivating atmosphere and genuinely funny dialogue all guided by the direction of Snatch's Guy Ritchie make this a must-see for all mystery buffs.
5 out of 5.
Saturday, August 28, 2010
Saturday, August 14, 2010
Scott Pilgrim vs. the World
So, the short version: Scott Pilgrim is my favorite movie this year. Even if your movie taste isn't exactly like mine, the movie is still very fun and very enjoyable.
The long version incoming in 3, 2, 1...:
Category: Indie Music Action Comedy Drama, if you need a better description, think High Fidelity (the movie) meets No More Heroes (the Wii game).
Premise: Scott Pilgrim (Michael Cera) falls in love at first sight with Ramona Flowers (Mary Elizabeth Winstead) but must defeat her seven evil exes in order to secure his place in Ramona's love life.
Zer(o)verview:
So I already said this was my favorite movie this year, and for more reasons then just the style it was filmed. The movie is genuinely funny, the characters are interesting, and the battles are entertaining and fun. It's just a great movie altogether.
Some people may whine about it because they can't look past the geek factor of the filming style to connect with the characters, or they can look past that but don't understand why Scott needs a flaming katana to come out of his chest at one point (Yeah, that happens. Twice.).
Also, Scott isn't the typical "I'm super nice, why would you ever date those jerks instead of a nice guy like me" main character in a romance storyline, he's actually kind of a jerk in the beginning, but it works well. Scott milks his helplessness for female attention after his brutal break-up with superstar Envy Adams (Brie Larson) over a year ago. He sticks to dating high school girls until Ramona comes along, at which point, he doesn't even break up with the high school girl right away, he waits a few days. But I really think that adds dynamic to his character.
On the other side of the spectrum, Ramona Flowers is played pretty perfectly. I can't think of any way that Mary Elizabeth Winstead could've improved her except at 2 points. The fight with Roxy Richter when Ramona helps Scott, and the scene after Scott defeats Gideon Graves. Not the ending, she was excellent in that. I mean the scene right after the fight with Scott, Knives and Ramona while they're still in the Chaos Theatre.
The music track is INCREDIBLE. Music is the most important element of the movie essentially, and it's incorporated fantastically. There isn't a single time that I wish they had used a different song or sound.
As for the exes, I think that the director made the right decisions across the board. I'll do some bullets here to show you.
Matthew Patel-Satya Bhabba. I've never heard of this guy before.
Lucas Lee-Chris Evans. This is the mainstream star the director brings to the movie, except of course for Michael Cera.
Todd Ingram-Brandon Routh. People who watch the show "Chuck" might know him as Daniel Shaw, but he hasn't been in too many movies from what I know.
Roxy Richter-Mae Whitman. Reuniting Michael Cera with his girlfriend from Arrested Development was a smart move on the directors part I think. Mae Whitman played Ann Veal on the show, and also loans her voice to a slew of animated shows, namely Avatar: The Last Airbender, where she plays Katara.
The Katayanagi Brothers-Keita Saitou and Shota Saito. Again, never heard of these guys before.
Gideon Gordon Graves-Jason Schwartzman. Fans of indie movies should rejoice at this name. This is Max Fischer of Rushmore. That's right.
GROUND ZERO: I love this movie. I love this movie so much that I wanted to catch it again since it was showing 5 minutes after the one I went to see got out. But I had more pressing things to do, so I couldn't. This is easily my favorite movie this year, and it's in the running for my favorite movie of all time. It's fun, has a heartwarming story, funny, has interesting characters, and is filmed like No More Heroes. All winners in my book.
5 out of 5.
The long version incoming in 3, 2, 1...:
Category: Indie Music Action Comedy Drama, if you need a better description, think High Fidelity (the movie) meets No More Heroes (the Wii game).
Premise: Scott Pilgrim (Michael Cera) falls in love at first sight with Ramona Flowers (Mary Elizabeth Winstead) but must defeat her seven evil exes in order to secure his place in Ramona's love life.
Zer(o)verview:
So I already said this was my favorite movie this year, and for more reasons then just the style it was filmed. The movie is genuinely funny, the characters are interesting, and the battles are entertaining and fun. It's just a great movie altogether.
Some people may whine about it because they can't look past the geek factor of the filming style to connect with the characters, or they can look past that but don't understand why Scott needs a flaming katana to come out of his chest at one point (Yeah, that happens. Twice.).
Also, Scott isn't the typical "I'm super nice, why would you ever date those jerks instead of a nice guy like me" main character in a romance storyline, he's actually kind of a jerk in the beginning, but it works well. Scott milks his helplessness for female attention after his brutal break-up with superstar Envy Adams (Brie Larson) over a year ago. He sticks to dating high school girls until Ramona comes along, at which point, he doesn't even break up with the high school girl right away, he waits a few days. But I really think that adds dynamic to his character.
On the other side of the spectrum, Ramona Flowers is played pretty perfectly. I can't think of any way that Mary Elizabeth Winstead could've improved her except at 2 points. The fight with Roxy Richter when Ramona helps Scott, and the scene after Scott defeats Gideon Graves. Not the ending, she was excellent in that. I mean the scene right after the fight with Scott, Knives and Ramona while they're still in the Chaos Theatre.
The music track is INCREDIBLE. Music is the most important element of the movie essentially, and it's incorporated fantastically. There isn't a single time that I wish they had used a different song or sound.
As for the exes, I think that the director made the right decisions across the board. I'll do some bullets here to show you.
Matthew Patel-Satya Bhabba. I've never heard of this guy before.
Lucas Lee-Chris Evans. This is the mainstream star the director brings to the movie, except of course for Michael Cera.
Todd Ingram-Brandon Routh. People who watch the show "Chuck" might know him as Daniel Shaw, but he hasn't been in too many movies from what I know.
Roxy Richter-Mae Whitman. Reuniting Michael Cera with his girlfriend from Arrested Development was a smart move on the directors part I think. Mae Whitman played Ann Veal on the show, and also loans her voice to a slew of animated shows, namely Avatar: The Last Airbender, where she plays Katara.
The Katayanagi Brothers-Keita Saitou and Shota Saito. Again, never heard of these guys before.
Gideon Gordon Graves-Jason Schwartzman. Fans of indie movies should rejoice at this name. This is Max Fischer of Rushmore. That's right.
GROUND ZERO: I love this movie. I love this movie so much that I wanted to catch it again since it was showing 5 minutes after the one I went to see got out. But I had more pressing things to do, so I couldn't. This is easily my favorite movie this year, and it's in the running for my favorite movie of all time. It's fun, has a heartwarming story, funny, has interesting characters, and is filmed like No More Heroes. All winners in my book.
5 out of 5.
Friday, August 6, 2010
The Other Guys
After a break from Inception, I've finally been to the movies again to see The Other Guys.
Before any of you ask, no, I did not go see Dinner for Schmucks. I like Paul Rudd and I heard the movie was bad, so I didn't want my image of him to be downgraded.
Category: Comedy (Mainstream)
Premise: After two superstar cops, Highsmith (Samuel L. Jackson) and Danson (The Rock), are hailed time and time again by the city of New York, the desk-jockey duo detectives Allen Gamble and Terry Holtz (Will Ferrell and Mark Wahlberg) try to step into the limelight by taking on a high-profile case about shady investment banker David Ershon (Steve Coogan)
Zer(o)verview:
First off, let me preface this by saying that comedy is very difficult to review.
I'm sure everyone has heard a joke that ends with "You had to be there". That's what reviewing comedy is like. You can't always read a joke and find it funny. It's the delivery that really counts.
Anyway, to the review.
Mark Wahlberg and Will Ferrell make surprisingly dynamic leads, with Will Ferrell's ability to deliver ridiculous dialogue with extreme seriousness, and Mark Wahlberg's ability to take everything too seriously. No, really. Do you remember M. Night Shmalyan's "The Happening"? Remember Mark Wahlberg was the main character? Remember the scene in the greenhouse where he tries to make a truce with the plant? Yeah. The seriousness that Mark Wahlberg delivered in that particular scene carries throughout this entire movie, and that makes up for most of the jokes, in my opinion.
The movie starts off extremely strong (there's a particularly funny speech about lions and tuna that almost made me blow Dr. Pepper all over myself) but bottoms out about 20 minutes in and never really picks back up. Sure, there are funny moments here and there, but nothing so hilarious that people will remember it for the rest of the year.
As I said earlier, comedy is really hard to review because it's the delivery of the jokes that counts. Unfortunately for The Other Guys, most of the jokes are predictable, and therefore fall flat before they have a chance to grow (again, in the beginning, this doesn't happen). In fact, the beginning may have set my expectations too high for the movie. The opening had a lot of really funny moments that made me think that the entire movie was going to be hilarious, and aside from a few kind of funny moments here and there, it really wasn't.
If you're looking for the best comedy this year, it won't even come close to the mark. There aren't even any hilarious quotes that I intend to overuse to death, which is extremely unfortunate. But, I'll concede and say that it's worth the going to a $5 matinee or whatever they have where you live to go see it.
GROUND ZERO:
I didn't expect the greatest comedy since Anchorman (and yes, Anchorman is one of the best comedies of all time, I don't care what any of you say) walking into this, but I expected more then I got, especially after an extremely solid exposition to the movie. Like I said, it's worth matinee price, but you wouldn't be losing out on much even if you waited to rent it from Red Box in a few months. Overall, it's funny, but I didn't laugh as much as I hoped.
3 out of 5 (I would give it a 3.5, but I'm not gonna start using decimals and it wasn't good enough to merit a 4, so consider it a 3 1/2 out of 5 if the number of stars it gets is a big deal-breaker for you)
Before any of you ask, no, I did not go see Dinner for Schmucks. I like Paul Rudd and I heard the movie was bad, so I didn't want my image of him to be downgraded.
Category: Comedy (Mainstream)
Premise: After two superstar cops, Highsmith (Samuel L. Jackson) and Danson (The Rock), are hailed time and time again by the city of New York, the desk-jockey duo detectives Allen Gamble and Terry Holtz (Will Ferrell and Mark Wahlberg) try to step into the limelight by taking on a high-profile case about shady investment banker David Ershon (Steve Coogan)
Zer(o)verview:
First off, let me preface this by saying that comedy is very difficult to review.
I'm sure everyone has heard a joke that ends with "You had to be there". That's what reviewing comedy is like. You can't always read a joke and find it funny. It's the delivery that really counts.
Anyway, to the review.
Mark Wahlberg and Will Ferrell make surprisingly dynamic leads, with Will Ferrell's ability to deliver ridiculous dialogue with extreme seriousness, and Mark Wahlberg's ability to take everything too seriously. No, really. Do you remember M. Night Shmalyan's "The Happening"? Remember Mark Wahlberg was the main character? Remember the scene in the greenhouse where he tries to make a truce with the plant? Yeah. The seriousness that Mark Wahlberg delivered in that particular scene carries throughout this entire movie, and that makes up for most of the jokes, in my opinion.
The movie starts off extremely strong (there's a particularly funny speech about lions and tuna that almost made me blow Dr. Pepper all over myself) but bottoms out about 20 minutes in and never really picks back up. Sure, there are funny moments here and there, but nothing so hilarious that people will remember it for the rest of the year.
As I said earlier, comedy is really hard to review because it's the delivery of the jokes that counts. Unfortunately for The Other Guys, most of the jokes are predictable, and therefore fall flat before they have a chance to grow (again, in the beginning, this doesn't happen). In fact, the beginning may have set my expectations too high for the movie. The opening had a lot of really funny moments that made me think that the entire movie was going to be hilarious, and aside from a few kind of funny moments here and there, it really wasn't.
If you're looking for the best comedy this year, it won't even come close to the mark. There aren't even any hilarious quotes that I intend to overuse to death, which is extremely unfortunate. But, I'll concede and say that it's worth the going to a $5 matinee or whatever they have where you live to go see it.
GROUND ZERO:
I didn't expect the greatest comedy since Anchorman (and yes, Anchorman is one of the best comedies of all time, I don't care what any of you say) walking into this, but I expected more then I got, especially after an extremely solid exposition to the movie. Like I said, it's worth matinee price, but you wouldn't be losing out on much even if you waited to rent it from Red Box in a few months. Overall, it's funny, but I didn't laugh as much as I hoped.
3 out of 5 (I would give it a 3.5, but I'm not gonna start using decimals and it wasn't good enough to merit a 4, so consider it a 3 1/2 out of 5 if the number of stars it gets is a big deal-breaker for you)
Friday, July 16, 2010
Inception
To take a break from what I hope to be a mostly professional review:
OH MY GOD THIS MOVIE IS AMAZING.
That is all.
Category: Science Fiction Action Drama
Premise: Cobb (Leonardo DiCaprio) and Arthur (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) are experienced extractors, thieves that enter your mind by entering your psyche through a chemically-induced shared-consciousness dreamstate. After a botched extraction job, Cobb and Arthur are offered a chance to perform an inception, where instead of stealing information during the dreamstate, they must plant an idea into their target. After assembling a talented team, Cobb and his crew face the difficult task of planting an idea into someone's mind and making them believe it is their own.
To be honest, the premise is extremely hard to explain, but you should GO SEE THIS MOVIE.
Zer(o)verview:
Again, this movie is incredible, and exceeds all expectations I had for it (which were extremely high to begin with).
Christopher Nolan, director of the critically-acclaimed Batman: The Dark Knight starring Christian Bale and Heath Ledger, now gifts the world with Inception, a surreal, gripping action drama set within the subconscious of the characters involved.
Right off the bat, the audio cues and visual effects are breath-taking. You thought James Cameron's Avatar was aesthetically impressive? Wait until you see the dreamscapes that Ellen Page, DiCaprio and Gordon-Levitt create for the characters to traverse.
As I said before, the movie is very difficult to review without giving too much away, and it's absolutely thrilling to watch. I'll do my best to review it without giving any spoilers.
To perform a successful extraction or inception, you need these key things:
An Extractor: Cobb (Leonardo DiCaprio) is the most skilled extractor in the world (so he claims, and lives up to his reputation throughout the movie). He was extradited from America after some legal trouble (What kind of trouble is a HEAVY SPOILER), and he's been working freelance with his Point Man.
A Point Man: Arthur (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) plays the Point Man, a type of extractor that, during multi-layered dreamstates, specializes in delaying subconscious security and convincing the target that they are not in a dream if they are abruptly kicked out of the lower dream layers. That sounds extremely confusing, but you'll understand when you watch the film. Arthur utilizes paradoxical architecture, improvisational 'kick' and combat tactics, and other methods to deter the target's subconscious security from converging and rooting out the extractors or inceptors.
An Architect: Ariadne (Ellen Page), pronounced Air-e-ad-knee, is the architect, the member of the inception team that constructs the dream world that the dreamers experience. She develops a constantly evolving, changing, labyrinthine environment meant to delay subconscious security and allow the inception team to navigate the subject's mind more efficiently.
A Forger: Eames (Tom Hardy), is the forger, the team member that impersonates a figure that the subject trusts in order to make them more susceptible to coercion. A Forger must memorize mannerisms, diction, and all physical discrepancies.
A Chemist: Yusuf (Dileep Rao) is the chemist, the team member that mixes the sedative that keeps the dreamers in the continuous dream-state even during circumstances that would normally wake people up.
A Subject: Fischer (Cillian Murphy) is the subject, the target for inception.
Some terms you'll want to familiarize yourself with:
Kick- A way to abruptly end the dream-state, usually associated with falling or water.
Totem- A trinket that only you know the precise features of, to know whether you are still in someone else's dream or not.
Now, to the review.
All the characters do a spectacular job in their roles, and everyone performs at or above expectations, which were already very high. I already mentioned the breath-taking CGI and visual effects, along with well-placed, vivid audio cues (since there isn't much of a music track to speak of). As it takes place mainly the dreamscape of the heir of a powerful corporation, I can't really say anything without spoiling it, so I won't. I may have said too much already, to be honest.
GROUND ZERO:
A mesmerizing new film from Christopher Nolan, Inception delivers, and then some, on all levels. I saw it twice in one day. TWICE IN ONE DAY. That should say something. The cast is brillant and compelling, the plot is full of intrigue and never gets boring, the CGI and sound is spectacular, I really have nothing bad to say about it at all.
But please.
Please Christopher Nolan.
DON'T MAKE A SEQUEL. You may get hate mail from people who were confused by your ending, but I thought it was brillant.
DO NOT MAKE A SEQUEL. YOU HAVE A MASTERPIECE, DON'T RUIN IT.
5 out of 5.
OH MY GOD THIS MOVIE IS AMAZING.
That is all.
Category: Science Fiction Action Drama
Premise: Cobb (Leonardo DiCaprio) and Arthur (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) are experienced extractors, thieves that enter your mind by entering your psyche through a chemically-induced shared-consciousness dreamstate. After a botched extraction job, Cobb and Arthur are offered a chance to perform an inception, where instead of stealing information during the dreamstate, they must plant an idea into their target. After assembling a talented team, Cobb and his crew face the difficult task of planting an idea into someone's mind and making them believe it is their own.
To be honest, the premise is extremely hard to explain, but you should GO SEE THIS MOVIE.
Zer(o)verview:
Again, this movie is incredible, and exceeds all expectations I had for it (which were extremely high to begin with).
Christopher Nolan, director of the critically-acclaimed Batman: The Dark Knight starring Christian Bale and Heath Ledger, now gifts the world with Inception, a surreal, gripping action drama set within the subconscious of the characters involved.
Right off the bat, the audio cues and visual effects are breath-taking. You thought James Cameron's Avatar was aesthetically impressive? Wait until you see the dreamscapes that Ellen Page, DiCaprio and Gordon-Levitt create for the characters to traverse.
As I said before, the movie is very difficult to review without giving too much away, and it's absolutely thrilling to watch. I'll do my best to review it without giving any spoilers.
To perform a successful extraction or inception, you need these key things:
An Extractor: Cobb (Leonardo DiCaprio) is the most skilled extractor in the world (so he claims, and lives up to his reputation throughout the movie). He was extradited from America after some legal trouble (What kind of trouble is a HEAVY SPOILER), and he's been working freelance with his Point Man.
A Point Man: Arthur (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) plays the Point Man, a type of extractor that, during multi-layered dreamstates, specializes in delaying subconscious security and convincing the target that they are not in a dream if they are abruptly kicked out of the lower dream layers. That sounds extremely confusing, but you'll understand when you watch the film. Arthur utilizes paradoxical architecture, improvisational 'kick' and combat tactics, and other methods to deter the target's subconscious security from converging and rooting out the extractors or inceptors.
An Architect: Ariadne (Ellen Page), pronounced Air-e-ad-knee, is the architect, the member of the inception team that constructs the dream world that the dreamers experience. She develops a constantly evolving, changing, labyrinthine environment meant to delay subconscious security and allow the inception team to navigate the subject's mind more efficiently.
A Forger: Eames (Tom Hardy), is the forger, the team member that impersonates a figure that the subject trusts in order to make them more susceptible to coercion. A Forger must memorize mannerisms, diction, and all physical discrepancies.
A Chemist: Yusuf (Dileep Rao) is the chemist, the team member that mixes the sedative that keeps the dreamers in the continuous dream-state even during circumstances that would normally wake people up.
A Subject: Fischer (Cillian Murphy) is the subject, the target for inception.
Some terms you'll want to familiarize yourself with:
Kick- A way to abruptly end the dream-state, usually associated with falling or water.
Totem- A trinket that only you know the precise features of, to know whether you are still in someone else's dream or not.
Now, to the review.
All the characters do a spectacular job in their roles, and everyone performs at or above expectations, which were already very high. I already mentioned the breath-taking CGI and visual effects, along with well-placed, vivid audio cues (since there isn't much of a music track to speak of). As it takes place mainly the dreamscape of the heir of a powerful corporation, I can't really say anything without spoiling it, so I won't. I may have said too much already, to be honest.
GROUND ZERO:
A mesmerizing new film from Christopher Nolan, Inception delivers, and then some, on all levels. I saw it twice in one day. TWICE IN ONE DAY. That should say something. The cast is brillant and compelling, the plot is full of intrigue and never gets boring, the CGI and sound is spectacular, I really have nothing bad to say about it at all.
But please.
Please Christopher Nolan.
DON'T MAKE A SEQUEL. You may get hate mail from people who were confused by your ending, but I thought it was brillant.
DO NOT MAKE A SEQUEL. YOU HAVE A MASTERPIECE, DON'T RUIN IT.
5 out of 5.
Wednesday, July 14, 2010
Predators (2010)
As per my promise to review the movies I see in theatres, I start with Predators, starring Adrien Brody plus several unknown actors since all the action movie stars were busy making the Expendables.
Category: Pulp Action Science Fiction
Premise: A group of elite warriors are dropped into an unknown location and are hunted by members of a merciless alien race known as Predators. That pretty much sums it up.
Zer(o)verview:
Since all the A-List action stars were too busy huffing steroids working on The Expendables to do any other films, the director of Predators was faced with the no doubt difficult task of hiring a group of B-List action stars and unknown actors to play a group of elite, no-holds-barred warriors, chief of which is a man who goes unnamed until the very last scene in the movie (Spoiler Alert: His name is Royce) played by Adrien Brody, who avid movie watchers may know recently for his role as Clive in the 2010 indie film, Splice.
Well, Brody decided to man up and grow a pair after getting pushed around by Elsa all the time, and he's pretty ripped in this movie. To be honest though, it's kind of hard to take Adrien Brody seriously as an action hero after seeing him so recently in a film like Splice. That's not to say he doesn't do a good job. He stays committed to his character, the lone wolf mercenary who quickly adapts and knows his way out of every situation. As much as it sounds like I'm heckling him, I actually enjoyed his portrayal of the character.
Laurence Fishburne is in the movie for all of 10-15 minutes, so don't get too excited about seeing Morpheus kick Predator ass like I was. I was pretty disappointed about that. His character was kind of an unnecessary segway from the introduction to the climax build-up, but it was kind of cool to see Morpheus even crazier then the Matrix made him. Overall, I was pretty disappointed that he didn't get more screen time though.
Other actors include Danny Trejo, who plays "The Mexican (Seriously, I don't think I ever heard his name); Alice Braga (Remember her from I Am Legend? Neither did I until my roommate mentioned it. Shoutout to Matt Fenelon.) stars as "The Girl" (Again, you don't hear her name until the last scene of the movie; SPOILER ALERT: It's Isabelle); and Topher Grace, as in Topher Grace from That 70's Show, stars as "The Doctor", the only one of the elite warrior group that isn't actually a warrior. His character gets more interesting after the short Fishburne segway, but isn't built up as much as it could've been.
In fact, that kinda sums up the whole movie. I enjoyed it as a B-level action movie, but I feel like they could've made it more then a fight-run-repeat, especially with the potential for character backstories. And if you're only gonna throw Fishburne in there for 10 minutes, make the damn thing into a TV show instead of a movie so I can at least see him for 3-4 episodes. FFS.
Actually, yeah! Directors, if you're reading this, this would've been a fantastic TV show. You could've developed characters, made the Predator threat more suspenseful rather then in your face, and done a whole lot more with the "Game Preserve Planet" concept.
Pitch it as the new Lost! Actually, a girl I went to see it with said the initial scene in the movie made her feel like she was watching Lost. (Shoutout to Olga Lembersky for that one.)
Overall, Predators was much better then the sequels to the original, but the original was way better. I was definitely worth the $5 I paid to see it, and it was a pretty good B-level action movie. But again, TV SHOW WOULD'VE MADE BILLIONS IN MY OPINION.
GROUND ZERO: The girls I went to see it with (sans Emma and Dana Needham since I didn't hear their opinions) hated it, but the guys pretty much loved it (especially the Yakuza). Don't bring a date, but then again, I'd hope you know what to expect when you walk into a theatre to see a Predator movie. You're there to see Predators kill people. And they do.
3 out of 5. (TV Show probably would've been 5 out of 5. DO YOU HEAR ME NBC, CBS AND ABC?)
Category: Pulp Action Science Fiction
Premise: A group of elite warriors are dropped into an unknown location and are hunted by members of a merciless alien race known as Predators. That pretty much sums it up.
Zer(o)verview:
Since all the A-List action stars were too busy huffing steroids working on The Expendables to do any other films, the director of Predators was faced with the no doubt difficult task of hiring a group of B-List action stars and unknown actors to play a group of elite, no-holds-barred warriors, chief of which is a man who goes unnamed until the very last scene in the movie (Spoiler Alert: His name is Royce) played by Adrien Brody, who avid movie watchers may know recently for his role as Clive in the 2010 indie film, Splice.
Well, Brody decided to man up and grow a pair after getting pushed around by Elsa all the time, and he's pretty ripped in this movie. To be honest though, it's kind of hard to take Adrien Brody seriously as an action hero after seeing him so recently in a film like Splice. That's not to say he doesn't do a good job. He stays committed to his character, the lone wolf mercenary who quickly adapts and knows his way out of every situation. As much as it sounds like I'm heckling him, I actually enjoyed his portrayal of the character.
Laurence Fishburne is in the movie for all of 10-15 minutes, so don't get too excited about seeing Morpheus kick Predator ass like I was. I was pretty disappointed about that. His character was kind of an unnecessary segway from the introduction to the climax build-up, but it was kind of cool to see Morpheus even crazier then the Matrix made him. Overall, I was pretty disappointed that he didn't get more screen time though.
Other actors include Danny Trejo, who plays "The Mexican (Seriously, I don't think I ever heard his name); Alice Braga (Remember her from I Am Legend? Neither did I until my roommate mentioned it. Shoutout to Matt Fenelon.) stars as "The Girl" (Again, you don't hear her name until the last scene of the movie; SPOILER ALERT: It's Isabelle); and Topher Grace, as in Topher Grace from That 70's Show, stars as "The Doctor", the only one of the elite warrior group that isn't actually a warrior. His character gets more interesting after the short Fishburne segway, but isn't built up as much as it could've been.
In fact, that kinda sums up the whole movie. I enjoyed it as a B-level action movie, but I feel like they could've made it more then a fight-run-repeat, especially with the potential for character backstories. And if you're only gonna throw Fishburne in there for 10 minutes, make the damn thing into a TV show instead of a movie so I can at least see him for 3-4 episodes. FFS.
Actually, yeah! Directors, if you're reading this, this would've been a fantastic TV show. You could've developed characters, made the Predator threat more suspenseful rather then in your face, and done a whole lot more with the "Game Preserve Planet" concept.
Pitch it as the new Lost! Actually, a girl I went to see it with said the initial scene in the movie made her feel like she was watching Lost. (Shoutout to Olga Lembersky for that one.)
Overall, Predators was much better then the sequels to the original, but the original was way better. I was definitely worth the $5 I paid to see it, and it was a pretty good B-level action movie. But again, TV SHOW WOULD'VE MADE BILLIONS IN MY OPINION.
GROUND ZERO: The girls I went to see it with (sans Emma and Dana Needham since I didn't hear their opinions) hated it, but the guys pretty much loved it (especially the Yakuza). Don't bring a date, but then again, I'd hope you know what to expect when you walk into a theatre to see a Predator movie. You're there to see Predators kill people. And they do.
3 out of 5. (TV Show probably would've been 5 out of 5. DO YOU HEAR ME NBC, CBS AND ABC?)
Monday, July 12, 2010
Eternal Sunshine on the Spotless Mind
In keeping with my indie theme so far, I'm going to review the 2004 indie film, Eternal Sunshine on the Spotless Mind, starring Jim Carrey.
Category: Indie Romantic Drama
Premise: Joel Barish (Jim Carrey), an emotionally-withdrawn man, is heartbroken that his girlfriend Clementine (Kate Winslet) has voluntarily had a micro-lobotomy to erase their relationship from her memory, so he decides to have the same procedure done to him. However, as he watches the memories fade away during the course of the service, he realizes that he still loves her, and tries to stop the erasure before he forgets her entirely.
Zer(o)verview:
This low-budget indie romantic drama has quite a star-studded cast for it's time, and the two leads, as well as the two main supporting actors, perform beyond expectations and above their considerable talent.
After failing to show dramatic talent in Man on the Moon and the Majestic, Jim Carrey delivers a convincing and commanding performance in the lead role of Joel Barish, a relatively-normal guy who stays isolated when it comes to talking about his true feelings, except within the confines of his journal. His quiet personality is jarred when he meets Clementine, a spunky, extroverted free-thinker who Joel becomes captivated with. Kate Winslet portrays Clementine opposite Carrey's Barish, and their on-screen chemistry compliments each other perfectly, even though the character are intended to be polar opposites. But that's part of the charm of the movie, I think; the directors and screenwriters are trying to show that it's not what's right in front of you that should define a relationship, it's the memories and experiences of the two individuals involved.
As for the supporting cast, Elijah Wood, in his first role outside of the Lord of the Rings franchise (to my knowledge; this is 2004 mind you), plays Patrick, one of the erasers working for the doctor that perfected the micro-lobotomy procedure. He becomes enamored with Clementine, and attempts to duplicate the memories she experienced with Joel in an effort to make her fall in love with him. While you're supposed to despise his method of coercing a woman into falling in love with him, you can't help but feel bad for the guy when it never works out, Clementine always feels like something is wrong or gets a sense of deja vu. Kirsten Dunst supports the leads as Mary, another employee of the good doctor's, who functions as a secretary/eraser/gatekeeper (mainly a gatekeeper) who helps and hinders Joel in his journey to stop the memory wipe before it's too late.
Bear in mind that a good chunk of the movie takes place in Joel's house, in his bed, while he's sleeping. The procedure sort-of invades his dreams and makes his memories skip from one place to another, but he can communicate with the people he sees in his dreams (somewhat); watch it, it'll make more sense then me trying to explain it.
Overall, Sunshine is a brilliantly executed, cute, interesting movie that is laden with great talent and charming message.
GROUND ZERO: In my opinion, Eternal Sunshine on the Spotless Mind is the best indie movie of 2004, and it's definitely worth watching, especially if you're a guy looking for an interesting, charming movie to see with a date that won't bore you to death. I mean, I love this movie stand-alone, I don't need a girl as an excuse to watch it; it's that good.
5 out of 5
Category: Indie Romantic Drama
Premise: Joel Barish (Jim Carrey), an emotionally-withdrawn man, is heartbroken that his girlfriend Clementine (Kate Winslet) has voluntarily had a micro-lobotomy to erase their relationship from her memory, so he decides to have the same procedure done to him. However, as he watches the memories fade away during the course of the service, he realizes that he still loves her, and tries to stop the erasure before he forgets her entirely.
Zer(o)verview:
This low-budget indie romantic drama has quite a star-studded cast for it's time, and the two leads, as well as the two main supporting actors, perform beyond expectations and above their considerable talent.
After failing to show dramatic talent in Man on the Moon and the Majestic, Jim Carrey delivers a convincing and commanding performance in the lead role of Joel Barish, a relatively-normal guy who stays isolated when it comes to talking about his true feelings, except within the confines of his journal. His quiet personality is jarred when he meets Clementine, a spunky, extroverted free-thinker who Joel becomes captivated with. Kate Winslet portrays Clementine opposite Carrey's Barish, and their on-screen chemistry compliments each other perfectly, even though the character are intended to be polar opposites. But that's part of the charm of the movie, I think; the directors and screenwriters are trying to show that it's not what's right in front of you that should define a relationship, it's the memories and experiences of the two individuals involved.
As for the supporting cast, Elijah Wood, in his first role outside of the Lord of the Rings franchise (to my knowledge; this is 2004 mind you), plays Patrick, one of the erasers working for the doctor that perfected the micro-lobotomy procedure. He becomes enamored with Clementine, and attempts to duplicate the memories she experienced with Joel in an effort to make her fall in love with him. While you're supposed to despise his method of coercing a woman into falling in love with him, you can't help but feel bad for the guy when it never works out, Clementine always feels like something is wrong or gets a sense of deja vu. Kirsten Dunst supports the leads as Mary, another employee of the good doctor's, who functions as a secretary/eraser/gatekeeper (mainly a gatekeeper) who helps and hinders Joel in his journey to stop the memory wipe before it's too late.
Bear in mind that a good chunk of the movie takes place in Joel's house, in his bed, while he's sleeping. The procedure sort-of invades his dreams and makes his memories skip from one place to another, but he can communicate with the people he sees in his dreams (somewhat); watch it, it'll make more sense then me trying to explain it.
Overall, Sunshine is a brilliantly executed, cute, interesting movie that is laden with great talent and charming message.
GROUND ZERO: In my opinion, Eternal Sunshine on the Spotless Mind is the best indie movie of 2004, and it's definitely worth watching, especially if you're a guy looking for an interesting, charming movie to see with a date that won't bore you to death. I mean, I love this movie stand-alone, I don't need a girl as an excuse to watch it; it's that good.
5 out of 5
The Chain Game
Some of you reading this may be familiar with the Chain Game. A verbal game where one person starts with a movie or TV show, then the next person replies with an actor or actress in that movie or TV show, then the next person replies with a different movie that actor or actress is in, and so on and so forth; formatting something like this.
Movie #1 relates to Actor/Actress #1, Actor/Actress #1 relates to Movie #2, Movie #2 relates to Actor/Actress #2, etc.
The objective is to have no repeats.
In an effort to show how the game works, and to demonstrate my impressive knowledge of movies and the fine people who make them for a living (yes, my humility is astounding), I'll chain A Night In Paris (Paris Hilton's risque video) to the geek comedy Fanboys. Fitting, no?
A Night In Paris
Paris Hilton
Repo! the Genetic Opera
Anthony Stewart Head
Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Sarah Michelle Gellar
Scooby Doo
Freddie Prince Jr.
She's All That
Courtney Cox
Friends
Matthew Perry
The Whole Nine Yards
Bruce Willis
Unbreakable
Samuel L. Jackson
Iron Man
Robert Downey Jr.
Natural Born Killers
Woody Harrelson
After the Sunset
Pierce Brosnan
Mamma Mia!
Amanda Seyfried
Jennifer's Body
Megan Fox
Transformers
Shia LaBeouf
Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull
Harrison Ford
Star Wars
Mark Hamill
Fanboys
Yes. I've seen way too many movies.
Movie #1 relates to Actor/Actress #1, Actor/Actress #1 relates to Movie #2, Movie #2 relates to Actor/Actress #2, etc.
The objective is to have no repeats.
In an effort to show how the game works, and to demonstrate my impressive knowledge of movies and the fine people who make them for a living (yes, my humility is astounding), I'll chain A Night In Paris (Paris Hilton's risque video) to the geek comedy Fanboys. Fitting, no?
A Night In Paris
Paris Hilton
Repo! the Genetic Opera
Anthony Stewart Head
Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Sarah Michelle Gellar
Scooby Doo
Freddie Prince Jr.
She's All That
Courtney Cox
Friends
Matthew Perry
The Whole Nine Yards
Bruce Willis
Unbreakable
Samuel L. Jackson
Iron Man
Robert Downey Jr.
Natural Born Killers
Woody Harrelson
After the Sunset
Pierce Brosnan
Mamma Mia!
Amanda Seyfried
Jennifer's Body
Megan Fox
Transformers
Shia LaBeouf
Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull
Harrison Ford
Star Wars
Mark Hamill
Fanboys
Yes. I've seen way too many movies.
Sunday, July 11, 2010
District 9
Widely regarded as the best indie movie of 2009, District 9 is the brainchild of rookie director and story writer Neill Blomkamp; under the guidance and supervision of the Lord of the Rings' famed Peter Jackson.
Both directors were originally contracted to film a Halo movie, but after the project was canned, Neill Blomkamp pushed his original screenplay District 9 onto the indie scene.
In 1982, a massive star ship bearing an alien population, nicknamed "Prawns," appeared over Johannesburg, South Africa. Twenty-eight years later, the initial welcome by the human population has been worn out. The refugee camp where the aliens were located has deteriorated into a militarized ghetto called District 9, where they are confined and exploited. In 2010, Multi-National United, a munitions dealer disguised as a social reconciliation group, is contracted to forcibly evict the population under the direction of the newly promoted Wikus van der Merwe (Sharlto Copley).
And I'M NOT GIVING ANY MORE OF THE PLOT AWAY. Seriously, watch the movie instead. You'll enjoy it much more if you experience everything that Wikus goes through as you are watching him go through it.
In District 9, the only character given an extreme amount of depth is Wikus van der Merwe (Sharlto Copley). The 2 other 'main' characters (if you can call them that) are Christopher Johnson, who, as a Prawn, must deal with the pre-conceived tension between himself and the human population; and the antagonist, Koobus Venter, a special forces soldier who is hired by M.N.U. to exterminate any Prawns that do not co-operate with the M.N.U. relocation.
The at-this-time-unknown Sharlto Copley does a brillant characterization of Wikus, portraying him at first as an intelligent, albeit socially awkward, member of the M.N.U. who has a strong devotion to his wife and a desire to impress his father-in-law, a high-ranking board member of M.N.U. Due to the nature of the plot, I can't really reveal how his character progresses, but Sharlto Copley transitions the character at a believable, seamless pace and deserves a lot of recognition as an actor for his performance in this role.
Again, due to the nature of the plot, I can't reveal much about the characters of Christopher Johnson or Koobus Venter, but Venter is the archetypical military black ops man with a penchant for murder and Christopher Johnson plays the father trying to teach his son tolerance and racial pride.
The movie's main focus is a social commentary on racism and tolerance of people, or in this case, creatures, that have similar values as far as family and social structure goes. It has asides to gang violence, organized crime and corporate-government exploitation, but it never looks sight of it's original purpose, a good science fiction movie with an underlying message about unity.
GROUND ZERO: I didn't call it the best indie movie of 2009 for nothing. Everyone should watch this movie at least once to know what people were talking about for all those months is was really popular. Sharlto Copley is by far and away one of the most talented new actors to emerge in recent years, and while the movie may be a bit dark at times (not for me, but for the younger people who are maybe reading this), the story, satire, dark humor, and masterful use of CGI by Peter Jackson make it worth watching. All that, plus impeccable acting by Copley, all on just a $30 million budget. If there were more films like this, the world would be a better place all around.
5 out of 5
Both directors were originally contracted to film a Halo movie, but after the project was canned, Neill Blomkamp pushed his original screenplay District 9 onto the indie scene.
In 1982, a massive star ship bearing an alien population, nicknamed "Prawns," appeared over Johannesburg, South Africa. Twenty-eight years later, the initial welcome by the human population has been worn out. The refugee camp where the aliens were located has deteriorated into a militarized ghetto called District 9, where they are confined and exploited. In 2010, Multi-National United, a munitions dealer disguised as a social reconciliation group, is contracted to forcibly evict the population under the direction of the newly promoted Wikus van der Merwe (Sharlto Copley).
And I'M NOT GIVING ANY MORE OF THE PLOT AWAY. Seriously, watch the movie instead. You'll enjoy it much more if you experience everything that Wikus goes through as you are watching him go through it.
In District 9, the only character given an extreme amount of depth is Wikus van der Merwe (Sharlto Copley). The 2 other 'main' characters (if you can call them that) are Christopher Johnson, who, as a Prawn, must deal with the pre-conceived tension between himself and the human population; and the antagonist, Koobus Venter, a special forces soldier who is hired by M.N.U. to exterminate any Prawns that do not co-operate with the M.N.U. relocation.
The at-this-time-unknown Sharlto Copley does a brillant characterization of Wikus, portraying him at first as an intelligent, albeit socially awkward, member of the M.N.U. who has a strong devotion to his wife and a desire to impress his father-in-law, a high-ranking board member of M.N.U. Due to the nature of the plot, I can't really reveal how his character progresses, but Sharlto Copley transitions the character at a believable, seamless pace and deserves a lot of recognition as an actor for his performance in this role.
Again, due to the nature of the plot, I can't reveal much about the characters of Christopher Johnson or Koobus Venter, but Venter is the archetypical military black ops man with a penchant for murder and Christopher Johnson plays the father trying to teach his son tolerance and racial pride.
The movie's main focus is a social commentary on racism and tolerance of people, or in this case, creatures, that have similar values as far as family and social structure goes. It has asides to gang violence, organized crime and corporate-government exploitation, but it never looks sight of it's original purpose, a good science fiction movie with an underlying message about unity.
GROUND ZERO: I didn't call it the best indie movie of 2009 for nothing. Everyone should watch this movie at least once to know what people were talking about for all those months is was really popular. Sharlto Copley is by far and away one of the most talented new actors to emerge in recent years, and while the movie may be a bit dark at times (not for me, but for the younger people who are maybe reading this), the story, satire, dark humor, and masterful use of CGI by Peter Jackson make it worth watching. All that, plus impeccable acting by Copley, all on just a $30 million budget. If there were more films like this, the world would be a better place all around.
5 out of 5
Hit the Ground Running
Hey guys!
Here's the way I plan to review movies, so just you all have an understanding of the way I think is the best way to do it.
The 5 star scale is nice, and I'll probably do it, but I prefer to give a more detailed explanation of whether or not you should see it based on what kind of movies you like, etc etc.
My judgment will be based on the following factors: Plot Progression, Character Development, Acting Ability, Soundtrack/Music Score Choices and Tone, Atmosphere/Ambiance/Aesthetics. I will take into consideration the budget of the movie for the technical categories like Sound and Aesthetics.
DISCLAIMER: There are a lot of things in movies that I hate. Michael Bay in particular. But I will do my best to be fair with every movie I review. Whenever I see a new movie in the theatre, I'll post a review on it. Every other day or two, I'll review a movie that I own as well (I'm like a one-man RedBox.)
Here's the way I plan to review movies, so just you all have an understanding of the way I think is the best way to do it.
The 5 star scale is nice, and I'll probably do it, but I prefer to give a more detailed explanation of whether or not you should see it based on what kind of movies you like, etc etc.
My judgment will be based on the following factors: Plot Progression, Character Development, Acting Ability, Soundtrack/Music Score Choices and Tone, Atmosphere/Ambiance/Aesthetics. I will take into consideration the budget of the movie for the technical categories like Sound and Aesthetics.
DISCLAIMER: There are a lot of things in movies that I hate. Michael Bay in particular. But I will do my best to be fair with every movie I review. Whenever I see a new movie in the theatre, I'll post a review on it. Every other day or two, I'll review a movie that I own as well (I'm like a one-man RedBox.)
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