Thursday, December 31, 2009
Tuesday, December 29, 2009
Sherlock Holmes
Christmas Day was a time of joy for the nation this past Friday as presents were unwrapped, families came together, and many celebrated the meaning of Christmas which is the birth of Jesus Christ. Another thing that many families partook in was venturing to the nearest movie theater to watch the several new films that were released. There were mostly R rated films like the romantic comedy "It's Complicated", the musical "Nine", and George Clooney's new film, "Up In the Air." However, there was one film that was released that a larger variety of people could enjoy and it was Guy Ritchie's new film, "Sherlock Holmes."
In both literature and past films, the story of Sherlock Holmes has been told and retold several times. Robert Downey Jr. isn't the first to entertain us with the stories of Sherlock, Watson, and the evil Professor Moriarty(although he is baeley shown in this film since he was only used as a setup for the sequel) but in this new adaption of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's fictional series, Downey shows us a new kind of Holmes that will surly be remembered in the years to come.
The evil and seemingly magical Lord Blackwood(Marc Strong) is about to murder yet another innocent girl but is barely apprehended by the police with the help of detective Sherlock Holmes(Downey) and Dr. Watson(Jude Law). Right before Blackwood's hanging, he warns Holmes that something is coming that Holmes will have no control over and that he will rise from the dead and be more powerful than ever. So Blackwood dies, Sherlock is without a case for some time, Watson is preparing to marry, but then something horrible happens. A murder takes place and Holmes discovers that Blackwood has indeed returned from the dead. Now Holmes must ignore all things logical and real to unravel the mystery behind this evil magician.
Now right from the start of the film we realize that this portrayal of Holmes is much different than past versions. We realize that when we see Holmes take down half the criminals in Blackwood's lair. Yes this version of Holmes is stronger, more violent, and frankly more enjoyable than past portrayals. Of course he still has the intelligence we've always known but now he uses that brain of his to calculate what will happen in his next fight and then will do just what he planned faster than the victim can say, "I surrender." Watson is the man who is always there for Holmes and also has a fist of fury which can take care of business even quicker than Holmes. Also in past versions we would never see Sherlock get involved in a complicated romance with mysterious women such as Irene Adler(Rachel McAdams).
Things that are enjoyable about "Holmes" include the cinematography which beautifully shows us the city of London up close and afar. The city shots looks wonderful and many times they are shots of the city at night which does a good job of adding to the dark, more intense feeling of the film. The film's action and mystery of "Holmes" kept me on the edge of my seat for the whole two hours. There are several action sequences in the film that I just went gaga for. The best example is when we would see Holmes think out the fight in his head(while played in slow motion) then do exactly what he thought(in normal motion). That effect gave me chills. Of course aside from action "Holmes" also had a great deal of comedy. Not many scenes went by without the theater laughing at a characters actions, jokes, or sarcasm.
One of the most enjoyable things about "Sherlock Holmes" is the fantastic performance by Robert Downey Jr. In the past two years we've seen how great an actor Downey is in "Iron Man", "Tropic Thunder", and "The Soloist" and his skill shines bright in "Holmes." He plays the role perfectly. The way he acts is great, his facial expressions are both great and humorous, and he delivers his line perfectly. After seeing his performance, I am not surprised that he received a Golden Globe nomination for this film. Downey wasn't the only one with a strong performance. In fact every actor did great in this film.
"Sherlock Holmes" is a fantastic film that has retold the classic story in a more than average way. The action, story, and acting worked together to create a film that was a wonderful Christmas present and end to my day. 3 stars out of 4.
"Sherlock Holmes" has a running time of 134 minutes and is rated PG-13 for intense sequences of violence and action, some startling images and a scene of suggestive material.
In both literature and past films, the story of Sherlock Holmes has been told and retold several times. Robert Downey Jr. isn't the first to entertain us with the stories of Sherlock, Watson, and the evil Professor Moriarty(although he is baeley shown in this film since he was only used as a setup for the sequel) but in this new adaption of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's fictional series, Downey shows us a new kind of Holmes that will surly be remembered in the years to come.
The evil and seemingly magical Lord Blackwood(Marc Strong) is about to murder yet another innocent girl but is barely apprehended by the police with the help of detective Sherlock Holmes(Downey) and Dr. Watson(Jude Law). Right before Blackwood's hanging, he warns Holmes that something is coming that Holmes will have no control over and that he will rise from the dead and be more powerful than ever. So Blackwood dies, Sherlock is without a case for some time, Watson is preparing to marry, but then something horrible happens. A murder takes place and Holmes discovers that Blackwood has indeed returned from the dead. Now Holmes must ignore all things logical and real to unravel the mystery behind this evil magician.
Now right from the start of the film we realize that this portrayal of Holmes is much different than past versions. We realize that when we see Holmes take down half the criminals in Blackwood's lair. Yes this version of Holmes is stronger, more violent, and frankly more enjoyable than past portrayals. Of course he still has the intelligence we've always known but now he uses that brain of his to calculate what will happen in his next fight and then will do just what he planned faster than the victim can say, "I surrender." Watson is the man who is always there for Holmes and also has a fist of fury which can take care of business even quicker than Holmes. Also in past versions we would never see Sherlock get involved in a complicated romance with mysterious women such as Irene Adler(Rachel McAdams).
Things that are enjoyable about "Holmes" include the cinematography which beautifully shows us the city of London up close and afar. The city shots looks wonderful and many times they are shots of the city at night which does a good job of adding to the dark, more intense feeling of the film. The film's action and mystery of "Holmes" kept me on the edge of my seat for the whole two hours. There are several action sequences in the film that I just went gaga for. The best example is when we would see Holmes think out the fight in his head(while played in slow motion) then do exactly what he thought(in normal motion). That effect gave me chills. Of course aside from action "Holmes" also had a great deal of comedy. Not many scenes went by without the theater laughing at a characters actions, jokes, or sarcasm.
One of the most enjoyable things about "Sherlock Holmes" is the fantastic performance by Robert Downey Jr. In the past two years we've seen how great an actor Downey is in "Iron Man", "Tropic Thunder", and "The Soloist" and his skill shines bright in "Holmes." He plays the role perfectly. The way he acts is great, his facial expressions are both great and humorous, and he delivers his line perfectly. After seeing his performance, I am not surprised that he received a Golden Globe nomination for this film. Downey wasn't the only one with a strong performance. In fact every actor did great in this film.
"Sherlock Holmes" is a fantastic film that has retold the classic story in a more than average way. The action, story, and acting worked together to create a film that was a wonderful Christmas present and end to my day. 3 stars out of 4.
"Sherlock Holmes" has a running time of 134 minutes and is rated PG-13 for intense sequences of violence and action, some startling images and a scene of suggestive material.
Wednesday, December 23, 2009
Avatar
Director James Cameron has proven himself to be a fantastic director with past films like the first two "Terminator" films, "Aliens", and of course the ever so popular "Titanic" and it is clear that he would be worthy of taking on a project as complex as "Avatar". Well once again, Cameron has dazzled us with a brilliant piece of film making with his new action/drama that is "Avatar."
"Avatar" takes place in the year 2154 when humans are mining on the beautiful moon of Pandora for a mineral called unobtainuim that is incredibly valuable . The only problem with the humans mining there is that an alien race known as the Na'vi inhabit the moon and are considered very dangerous. Jake Sully(Sam Worthington), an ex-marine who is paralyzed from the waist down, volunteers to work on this moon and operate an avatar, an alien body mixed with both alien and human DNA, so that he can infiltrate the village and learn their ways(and to find out how to destroy their village.) However, when Jake meets a female Na'vi named Neytiri(Zoe Saldana) and enters their village, he starts to feel emotion for these aliens and begins on a journey of adventure, love, danger, and betrayal.
The most dazzling, truly wondrous element in this film is of course the CGI. Almost everything in this film is CGI from the aliens themselves, to the plants, to the animals. There is such a variety of animals in "Avatar" and each has it's own unique features, look, and all of them are of course strictly CGI. All of the plants move so gracefully side to side and move around when something touches them and it adds more wonder to this magical place. Pandora itself is presented beautifully with the floating mountains with waterfalls falling off the edges and the fog floating around them. I also think it's fascinating how they can create light that shines off all the plants and reflects around the scene to make it seem more real and mark my words EVERYTHING looks absolutely one hundred percent real. Everything moves swiftly and everything doesn't seem fake at all. This is without a doubt a new era of CGI that will hopefully begin to work its ways into more areas of cinema.
Now the story isn't exactly an original masterpiece and it is basically a futuristic version of "Dances with Wolves" with a few changes having to do with the climax. This is the only thing that took away from "Avatar" being a true movie masterpiece. However, themes placed in the story help the film from seeming unoriginal. In "Avatar" the aliens seem to be connected with everything on Pandora in a mystical connection that the humans can't grasp. Somehow the aliens connect with nature and it's creatures. This is actually sometimes literal because the aliens hair connects to the heads/hairs of the animals so that they can become one with each other. This adds to the fact that James Cameron is trying to show us that Pandora is a perfect world where everything connects and lives in harmony with each other. For Jake Sully, it is a world where, inside his avatar, he is free from the imperfections of life. It's a world where he can walk again and feel almost perfect which is a concept many can connect with and/or want.
The romance is captured perfectly in "Avatar" as it shows us the transformation of both of the main characters. Jake doesn't know what to expect from the alien tribe and is shown kindness by Neytiri who shows him their ways and teaches him how to act like a Na'vi. Throughout the film, Jake's love for the Na'vi's world and culture and for Neytiri herself grows and in the end, he is willing to fight and die for the aliens because he realizes that the humans are doing wrong to the world. Neytiri on the other hand doesn't care for Jake at all when she first meets him but decides to give him a chance to be a part of her village when her she feels like her goddess Eywa(who binds all things on the moon together) sends her a message. She too grows to feel for an eventually love Jake and in a way shows kindness to other humans because of the kindness shown to her by Jake.
Besides the slightly unoriginal plot, everything else is done close to perfection. The acting is great, the dialogue is great, and most of all...I think the music is fantastic. Music is one thing that I look for in films because for me it adds a great deal of heart to the film. This film has great music that flows with the film and adds even more to the masterpiece.
"Avatar" is a new piece of movie making that we've never seen before. It will surly dazzle all viewers who step into the theater(especially if you see it in 3-D or IMAX 3-D). James Cameron has shown us that he is still one of the top directors in the world and I can't wait till I get to see this film win some awards early next year. 4 stars out of 4.
Avatar has a running time of 161 minutes and is rated PG-13 for intense epic battle sequences and warfare, sensuality, language, and some smoking.
"Avatar" takes place in the year 2154 when humans are mining on the beautiful moon of Pandora for a mineral called unobtainuim that is incredibly valuable . The only problem with the humans mining there is that an alien race known as the Na'vi inhabit the moon and are considered very dangerous. Jake Sully(Sam Worthington), an ex-marine who is paralyzed from the waist down, volunteers to work on this moon and operate an avatar, an alien body mixed with both alien and human DNA, so that he can infiltrate the village and learn their ways(and to find out how to destroy their village.) However, when Jake meets a female Na'vi named Neytiri(Zoe Saldana) and enters their village, he starts to feel emotion for these aliens and begins on a journey of adventure, love, danger, and betrayal.
The most dazzling, truly wondrous element in this film is of course the CGI. Almost everything in this film is CGI from the aliens themselves, to the plants, to the animals. There is such a variety of animals in "Avatar" and each has it's own unique features, look, and all of them are of course strictly CGI. All of the plants move so gracefully side to side and move around when something touches them and it adds more wonder to this magical place. Pandora itself is presented beautifully with the floating mountains with waterfalls falling off the edges and the fog floating around them. I also think it's fascinating how they can create light that shines off all the plants and reflects around the scene to make it seem more real and mark my words EVERYTHING looks absolutely one hundred percent real. Everything moves swiftly and everything doesn't seem fake at all. This is without a doubt a new era of CGI that will hopefully begin to work its ways into more areas of cinema.
Now the story isn't exactly an original masterpiece and it is basically a futuristic version of "Dances with Wolves" with a few changes having to do with the climax. This is the only thing that took away from "Avatar" being a true movie masterpiece. However, themes placed in the story help the film from seeming unoriginal. In "Avatar" the aliens seem to be connected with everything on Pandora in a mystical connection that the humans can't grasp. Somehow the aliens connect with nature and it's creatures. This is actually sometimes literal because the aliens hair connects to the heads/hairs of the animals so that they can become one with each other. This adds to the fact that James Cameron is trying to show us that Pandora is a perfect world where everything connects and lives in harmony with each other. For Jake Sully, it is a world where, inside his avatar, he is free from the imperfections of life. It's a world where he can walk again and feel almost perfect which is a concept many can connect with and/or want.
The romance is captured perfectly in "Avatar" as it shows us the transformation of both of the main characters. Jake doesn't know what to expect from the alien tribe and is shown kindness by Neytiri who shows him their ways and teaches him how to act like a Na'vi. Throughout the film, Jake's love for the Na'vi's world and culture and for Neytiri herself grows and in the end, he is willing to fight and die for the aliens because he realizes that the humans are doing wrong to the world. Neytiri on the other hand doesn't care for Jake at all when she first meets him but decides to give him a chance to be a part of her village when her she feels like her goddess Eywa(who binds all things on the moon together) sends her a message. She too grows to feel for an eventually love Jake and in a way shows kindness to other humans because of the kindness shown to her by Jake.
Besides the slightly unoriginal plot, everything else is done close to perfection. The acting is great, the dialogue is great, and most of all...I think the music is fantastic. Music is one thing that I look for in films because for me it adds a great deal of heart to the film. This film has great music that flows with the film and adds even more to the masterpiece.
"Avatar" is a new piece of movie making that we've never seen before. It will surly dazzle all viewers who step into the theater(especially if you see it in 3-D or IMAX 3-D). James Cameron has shown us that he is still one of the top directors in the world and I can't wait till I get to see this film win some awards early next year. 4 stars out of 4.
Avatar has a running time of 161 minutes and is rated PG-13 for intense epic battle sequences and warfare, sensuality, language, and some smoking.
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
Invictus
Once again we find ourselves in the most wonderful time of the year. Of course we have Christmas coming up soon and the end of the year...but now is also the time that Academy Award winning films tend to be released. Now, first let me say that I usually don't agree with what the Academy thinks about films (for instance the fact that comic book films "cough Dark Knight cough" NEVER get nominated for a decent award...with the exception of Heath Ledger) and most of the time I don't find the acclaimed films appealing. However, there are some Oscar films that I do enjoy greatly and a perfect example of this is Clint Eastwood's new drama, "Invictus."
"Invictus" is the story of Nelson Mandela (Morgan Freeman) who has just been released from prison and soon after becomes president of South Africa. Mandela's goal is to put an end to the country's apartheid policies and unite blacks and whites to form a stronger nation. An opportunity arises when Mandela observes a Rugby match for South Africa's team, the Springboks. The country is disgraced by the Springboks but Mandela has faith and summons team captain Francois Pienaar (Matt Damon) to have tea with him in his office. Mandela encourages Pienaar to get inspiration to improve his team and have a chance at winning the world cup. Mandela hopes that by doing this the country can also be inspired and come together as a great nation once again.
Now even before I went to see this film I knew I was going to be impressed. If the fact that award-winning actor, writer, and director Clint Eastwood doesn't get your attention, maybe the two award-winning actors that starred in the film will. Let me repeat....AWARD WINNING! This film is done by some of the best in the business and, mark my words, their reputation precedes them in "Invictus." Morgan Freeman plays his role brilliantly as the man who wanted peace, unity, and fellowship. I could feel the emotion, charisma, and attitude coming from Freeman as he played his role. Matt Damon also does a great job and Clint Eastwood's experience and talent shines through all aspects of "Invictus."
As in all sports related films, the makers of the movie have to find an attractive, entertaining way to shoot the sports scenes so that movie-goers will be entertained. "Invictus" is a great example of well shot cinematography. The rugby scenes are entertaining and are one of the things I looked forward to seeing the most as the film went on. The rugby sequences kept me on the edge of my seat and are filled with inspiration.
Others aspects of "Invictus" such as character development, pacing, dialogue, etc. are also carried out greatly. The dialogue is fantastic and I walked out with several quotes that I loved. Morgan Freeman once again delivers his lines greatly and adds even more to the enjoyment of the film. The film does a great job of showing how the characters, primarily Matt Damon's, transform throughout the film. We get to see how the personalities of many people are changed for the better.
One of the most important things a movie can have is a good message and Clint Eastwood tried hard (and succeeded) in getting many messages across in "Invictus." I felt that the main message is the importance of unity and fellowship. Throughout the film we see how Mandela dreamed that South Africa could be a better nation if they had the inspiration to do so. Mandela goes out of his way to make this dream a reality by the principles of fellowship, responsibility, and most importantly forgiveness. A quote in this film stuck out to me. It is when Mandela tells his assistant, "Now is also the time for forgiveness. Forgiveness takes away hatred. It removes fear. That is why it is such a powerful weapon." Indeed forgiveness is something all of us need to embrace in order to grow in our relationship with others.
"Invictus" is a remarkable film about perseverance, forgiveness, and second chances that will surely pack a large punch of inspiration into almost every viewer. Matt Damon, Morgan Freeman, and Clint Eastwood have given us a wonderful film that will undoubtedly win big when award season comes around. Three and a half stars out of four.
"Invictus" has a running time of 134 minutes and is rated PG-13 for brief strong language.
"Invictus" is the story of Nelson Mandela (Morgan Freeman) who has just been released from prison and soon after becomes president of South Africa. Mandela's goal is to put an end to the country's apartheid policies and unite blacks and whites to form a stronger nation. An opportunity arises when Mandela observes a Rugby match for South Africa's team, the Springboks. The country is disgraced by the Springboks but Mandela has faith and summons team captain Francois Pienaar (Matt Damon) to have tea with him in his office. Mandela encourages Pienaar to get inspiration to improve his team and have a chance at winning the world cup. Mandela hopes that by doing this the country can also be inspired and come together as a great nation once again.
Now even before I went to see this film I knew I was going to be impressed. If the fact that award-winning actor, writer, and director Clint Eastwood doesn't get your attention, maybe the two award-winning actors that starred in the film will. Let me repeat....AWARD WINNING! This film is done by some of the best in the business and, mark my words, their reputation precedes them in "Invictus." Morgan Freeman plays his role brilliantly as the man who wanted peace, unity, and fellowship. I could feel the emotion, charisma, and attitude coming from Freeman as he played his role. Matt Damon also does a great job and Clint Eastwood's experience and talent shines through all aspects of "Invictus."
As in all sports related films, the makers of the movie have to find an attractive, entertaining way to shoot the sports scenes so that movie-goers will be entertained. "Invictus" is a great example of well shot cinematography. The rugby scenes are entertaining and are one of the things I looked forward to seeing the most as the film went on. The rugby sequences kept me on the edge of my seat and are filled with inspiration.
Others aspects of "Invictus" such as character development, pacing, dialogue, etc. are also carried out greatly. The dialogue is fantastic and I walked out with several quotes that I loved. Morgan Freeman once again delivers his lines greatly and adds even more to the enjoyment of the film. The film does a great job of showing how the characters, primarily Matt Damon's, transform throughout the film. We get to see how the personalities of many people are changed for the better.
One of the most important things a movie can have is a good message and Clint Eastwood tried hard (and succeeded) in getting many messages across in "Invictus." I felt that the main message is the importance of unity and fellowship. Throughout the film we see how Mandela dreamed that South Africa could be a better nation if they had the inspiration to do so. Mandela goes out of his way to make this dream a reality by the principles of fellowship, responsibility, and most importantly forgiveness. A quote in this film stuck out to me. It is when Mandela tells his assistant, "Now is also the time for forgiveness. Forgiveness takes away hatred. It removes fear. That is why it is such a powerful weapon." Indeed forgiveness is something all of us need to embrace in order to grow in our relationship with others.
"Invictus" is a remarkable film about perseverance, forgiveness, and second chances that will surely pack a large punch of inspiration into almost every viewer. Matt Damon, Morgan Freeman, and Clint Eastwood have given us a wonderful film that will undoubtedly win big when award season comes around. Three and a half stars out of four.
"Invictus" has a running time of 134 minutes and is rated PG-13 for brief strong language.
Tuesday, December 8, 2009
Weekly Update
-One of the biggest films of the 2009 winter movie season will be released next week("Avatar") and it is already getting some Golden Globe/Oscar buzz. Apparently there was a Hollywood screening this week and while none of the critics are allowed to write on the film. There is word that all writers were highly impressed with director James Cameron's(Terminator 1 and 2, Titanic) new visual masterpiece. The film is already in the running for best picture for a drama and best director for the Golden Globes and might be in the top ten list for best film in the Oscars. "Avatar" opens next Friday the 18th.
-For those of you who positively loved the zombie killing film known as "Zombieland", get excited because a sequel is already in production and this time it will be in 3D. The film is expected to be released 2011/2012.
-Peter Jackson told sources last week that the long awaited "Hobbit" films(which will be told in a two part series) will probably meet the big screen in 2012 and 2013. "The Hobbit" tells the story of Bilbo Baggins before Frodo was in his life. Actors Hugo Weaving and Ian Mckellen are confirmed to reprise their roles.
-Big news for Potter fans today besides the fact the Half Blood Prince was relased is that a sneak peak for the upcoming two-part "Deathly Hallows" film was released along with the film. The preview consists of several interviews and a teaser trailer for thew films. It is pretty exciting to watch. Just stroll over to http://youtube,com to catch a look at it. "Deathly Hallows" part one comes out November of next year followed by part to in July of 2011.
-For those of you who positively loved the zombie killing film known as "Zombieland", get excited because a sequel is already in production and this time it will be in 3D. The film is expected to be released 2011/2012.
-Peter Jackson told sources last week that the long awaited "Hobbit" films(which will be told in a two part series) will probably meet the big screen in 2012 and 2013. "The Hobbit" tells the story of Bilbo Baggins before Frodo was in his life. Actors Hugo Weaving and Ian Mckellen are confirmed to reprise their roles.
-Big news for Potter fans today besides the fact the Half Blood Prince was relased is that a sneak peak for the upcoming two-part "Deathly Hallows" film was released along with the film. The preview consists of several interviews and a teaser trailer for thew films. It is pretty exciting to watch. Just stroll over to http://youtube,com to catch a look at it. "Deathly Hallows" part one comes out November of next year followed by part to in July of 2011.
Monday, November 30, 2009
Old Dogs
This Thanksgiving there were not that many options for films since many of them released were either R rated or on limited release. However, there was one flick that was released that didn't include depression("The Road") or blood everywhere("Ninja Assassin") and that was the John Travolta/Robin Williams comedy, "Old Dogs."
In this film, we meet Dan(Williams) and Charlie(Travolta) who have been lifelong best friends and successful business partners. We are quickly told the story of how, after Dan's divorce, Charlie takes Dan to "live the life." During this "living the life" moment Dan meets a girl named Vicki(Kelly Preston) and they have a one night stand. After that, they leave each other and Dan has had his second divorce in two weeks(you should already be picking up that this isn't a "family" film as it was marketed).
Seven years later, the two men are about to make the most important deal of their life and just when it's about to happen...Vicki is back in town. But, oh no, Vicki doesn't only say "nice to see you" but drops two surprise bombs on him. Bomb number one is that she is going to jail for two weeks. Bomb number two is that Dan has two kids and he needs to take care of them while she's in jail (this decision comes after Dan injures the babysitter). So now Dan, along with his pal Charlie, have to work together to help take care of the two kids because as Charlie says to Dan , " You're allergic to anything under four feet."
Sadly this film has more bad elements then good so to make this easier I'll get all of the bad out of the way. As you might have told yourself already, the films plot is completely unbelievable and just random. Let me quickly restate the plot in a different way: A guy and girl have one night together, leave for seven years, meet again, discus they have kids, and eventually the girl leaves her kids with basically a total stranger. Also, Dan is already deeply in love with Vicki when he hasn't seen her in forever and offers to take kids when he knows full well that he can't raise them. Does this sound like it could really happen? Only in cinema my friends.
The other thing with the plot is that it is unoriginal. This type of film is mostly seen in romantic comedies. The characters(in this case Dan and Vicki with her kids) meet, They don't know/trust each other at first but soon they adore each other. This has been seen countless times and is also unbelievable. No mother would leave her children with a stranger(unless they were on the crazy side).
"Old Dogs" is just below 90 minutes and today that is considered a short film. What makes this weird is that it seems as if they try to cram everything into the 90 minutes. The actors deliver their lines quickly, the scenes go by quickly, the events and actors themselves literally move quickly and it just comes across as weird. It was apparent that the editing is sloppy when you see the camera flashing back and forth several times in ten seconds of film.
Now I believe their is only one thing that makes this film a little enjoyable. "Old Dogs" is marketed as a comedy and it is indeed pretty funny. The main thing in this film is slapstick comedy. People getting hit, injured, and ran into is the kind of humor that "Old Dogs" relies on. Some of the lines are funny, events that took place are humorous, and pretty much the whole film kept me laughing and it keeps the film from being downright horrible.
"Old Dogs" is just not the most entertaining film that has been released this year. OK script, OK acting, bad plot, bad pacing, and finally good comedy. Sadly you saw that there was only one "good" element in the film and that's why "Old Dogs" gets a one and a half stars out of four.
"Old Dogs" had a running time of 88 minutes and is rated PG for some mild rude humor.
In this film, we meet Dan(Williams) and Charlie(Travolta) who have been lifelong best friends and successful business partners. We are quickly told the story of how, after Dan's divorce, Charlie takes Dan to "live the life." During this "living the life" moment Dan meets a girl named Vicki(Kelly Preston) and they have a one night stand. After that, they leave each other and Dan has had his second divorce in two weeks(you should already be picking up that this isn't a "family" film as it was marketed).
Seven years later, the two men are about to make the most important deal of their life and just when it's about to happen...Vicki is back in town. But, oh no, Vicki doesn't only say "nice to see you" but drops two surprise bombs on him. Bomb number one is that she is going to jail for two weeks. Bomb number two is that Dan has two kids and he needs to take care of them while she's in jail (this decision comes after Dan injures the babysitter). So now Dan, along with his pal Charlie, have to work together to help take care of the two kids because as Charlie says to Dan , " You're allergic to anything under four feet."
Sadly this film has more bad elements then good so to make this easier I'll get all of the bad out of the way. As you might have told yourself already, the films plot is completely unbelievable and just random. Let me quickly restate the plot in a different way: A guy and girl have one night together, leave for seven years, meet again, discus they have kids, and eventually the girl leaves her kids with basically a total stranger. Also, Dan is already deeply in love with Vicki when he hasn't seen her in forever and offers to take kids when he knows full well that he can't raise them. Does this sound like it could really happen? Only in cinema my friends.
The other thing with the plot is that it is unoriginal. This type of film is mostly seen in romantic comedies. The characters(in this case Dan and Vicki with her kids) meet, They don't know/trust each other at first but soon they adore each other. This has been seen countless times and is also unbelievable. No mother would leave her children with a stranger(unless they were on the crazy side).
"Old Dogs" is just below 90 minutes and today that is considered a short film. What makes this weird is that it seems as if they try to cram everything into the 90 minutes. The actors deliver their lines quickly, the scenes go by quickly, the events and actors themselves literally move quickly and it just comes across as weird. It was apparent that the editing is sloppy when you see the camera flashing back and forth several times in ten seconds of film.
Now I believe their is only one thing that makes this film a little enjoyable. "Old Dogs" is marketed as a comedy and it is indeed pretty funny. The main thing in this film is slapstick comedy. People getting hit, injured, and ran into is the kind of humor that "Old Dogs" relies on. Some of the lines are funny, events that took place are humorous, and pretty much the whole film kept me laughing and it keeps the film from being downright horrible.
"Old Dogs" is just not the most entertaining film that has been released this year. OK script, OK acting, bad plot, bad pacing, and finally good comedy. Sadly you saw that there was only one "good" element in the film and that's why "Old Dogs" gets a one and a half stars out of four.
"Old Dogs" had a running time of 88 minutes and is rated PG for some mild rude humor.
Thursday, November 26, 2009
Happy Thanksgiving
Hello to all and Happy Thanksgiving. I hope everyone has a great holiday weekend. As for films action junkies can check out "Ninja Assassin", families can check out "Old Dogs"(although I heard that it was HORRIBLE!! However, I will still review it if time allows), and there are a few other films on limited release like "The Road", "Me and Orson Welles"(see this if you can), and "Fantastic Mr. Fox" is now playing everywhere. Have a great week!
Monday, November 23, 2009
The Twilight Saga: New Moon
Last November the vampire phenomena "Twilight"(based on Stephenie Meyer's hit book series) was released in theaters. Many teens loved it, critics hated it, I for one thought it to be one of the most poorly done films ever; but a guilty pleasure more or less. Now a year later, the sequel to the hit film was released and I thought it was going to be a tad better than the first but still nothing special. Well I was pleasantly surprised for what was shown to me in this action packed sequel, "The Twilight Saga: New Moon."
In the film we return to the town of Forks, Washington where Bella Swan(the human played by Kristen Stewart) and Edward Cullen(the vampire played by Robert Pattinson) continue to live their happy lives together. We also see Jacob(the soon to be werewolf played by Taylor Lautner) who is still trying to win Bella's affection but for now is just sitting on the side as a friend. It's Bella's birthday and she travels over to the Cullen's home for her party where she accidentally cuts her finger. The blood causes one of Edward's brothers to attack her but Edward makes sure she isn't harmed. The next day Edward makes the decision to leave Bella so that she will stay safe from harm. Heartbroken, Bella falls into depression and cuts herself off from life until she decides to start visiting and eventually falling for her old friend, Jacob. This is where the movie truly begins.
Right off the bat I can say that almost every element in "New Moon" surpassed "Twilight" from the music, to the acting, to the CGI. While the three main actors, Stewart, Pattinson, and Lautner, still have a ways to go in acting, their performances have improved and are good enough to carry on the film. The best acting comes in the climax of the film where Bella and Edward meet the self-proclaimed vampire rulers know as the Volturi. These characters(who are presented as the antagonists) have the best lines and best scenes in the film. Actors/actresses that were cast as these roles included Michael Sheen as Aro, the main leader, Dakota Fanning as Jane, a guard that can torture others with illusions of pain, and Jamie Campbell Bower as Caius, one of the leaders. Theses actors also acted as "scene savers". For instance, when someone says something cheesy or if something awkward would happen, these characters save the scene from being bad.
"New Moon is packed with action which was something "Twilight" didn't have. Of course with the bringing in of werewolves you have to have several fights scenes showing what they can do. There are several fight/chase sequences with the wolves in which they fight vampires and even sometimes themselves. The CGI for the wolves is impressive however I would have enjoyed it more if the showed a little more detail in their transformation. However, when in their full form, they look very cool and add another interesting realm of fantasy to the film.
The CGI as already stated above was a large step up from the first film. In "Twilight" everything looked blurry, messy, and cheap(which it was). In "New Moon" you can tell that more money was put into this film. From the vampires to the werewolves everything looks better, however there is still plenty of room for improvement.
The only thing that is barely better than "Twilight" was the cheesy dialogue. Unfortunately the film is still stained with bad lines and awkward situations. Now as I stated this film is very good with saving the scenes that include bad lines. Most of the time when something cheesy happens, something cool or surprising would distract me. Another thing that would happen is when a character would say something that sounds much better than the line before it(this is the case in the Volturi scene). So because of this, the dialogue doesn't ruin the film.
"The Twilight Saga" is an action packed film that will surely please fans of the book and many other teens/young adults. As for adults, I'm not sure I can say the same. My parents personally enjoyed the film but said it wasn't truly special. For the most part this is probably a film that the young will enjoy. None the less, "New Moon" has good acting, action, CGI, and romance that gets me excited for the next film in the series. Two and a half stars out of four.
"The Twilight Saga: New Moon" has a running time of two hours and ten minutes and is rated PG-13 for some violence and action.
In the film we return to the town of Forks, Washington where Bella Swan(the human played by Kristen Stewart) and Edward Cullen(the vampire played by Robert Pattinson) continue to live their happy lives together. We also see Jacob(the soon to be werewolf played by Taylor Lautner) who is still trying to win Bella's affection but for now is just sitting on the side as a friend. It's Bella's birthday and she travels over to the Cullen's home for her party where she accidentally cuts her finger. The blood causes one of Edward's brothers to attack her but Edward makes sure she isn't harmed. The next day Edward makes the decision to leave Bella so that she will stay safe from harm. Heartbroken, Bella falls into depression and cuts herself off from life until she decides to start visiting and eventually falling for her old friend, Jacob. This is where the movie truly begins.
Right off the bat I can say that almost every element in "New Moon" surpassed "Twilight" from the music, to the acting, to the CGI. While the three main actors, Stewart, Pattinson, and Lautner, still have a ways to go in acting, their performances have improved and are good enough to carry on the film. The best acting comes in the climax of the film where Bella and Edward meet the self-proclaimed vampire rulers know as the Volturi. These characters(who are presented as the antagonists) have the best lines and best scenes in the film. Actors/actresses that were cast as these roles included Michael Sheen as Aro, the main leader, Dakota Fanning as Jane, a guard that can torture others with illusions of pain, and Jamie Campbell Bower as Caius, one of the leaders. Theses actors also acted as "scene savers". For instance, when someone says something cheesy or if something awkward would happen, these characters save the scene from being bad.
"New Moon is packed with action which was something "Twilight" didn't have. Of course with the bringing in of werewolves you have to have several fights scenes showing what they can do. There are several fight/chase sequences with the wolves in which they fight vampires and even sometimes themselves. The CGI for the wolves is impressive however I would have enjoyed it more if the showed a little more detail in their transformation. However, when in their full form, they look very cool and add another interesting realm of fantasy to the film.
The CGI as already stated above was a large step up from the first film. In "Twilight" everything looked blurry, messy, and cheap(which it was). In "New Moon" you can tell that more money was put into this film. From the vampires to the werewolves everything looks better, however there is still plenty of room for improvement.
The only thing that is barely better than "Twilight" was the cheesy dialogue. Unfortunately the film is still stained with bad lines and awkward situations. Now as I stated this film is very good with saving the scenes that include bad lines. Most of the time when something cheesy happens, something cool or surprising would distract me. Another thing that would happen is when a character would say something that sounds much better than the line before it(this is the case in the Volturi scene). So because of this, the dialogue doesn't ruin the film.
"The Twilight Saga" is an action packed film that will surely please fans of the book and many other teens/young adults. As for adults, I'm not sure I can say the same. My parents personally enjoyed the film but said it wasn't truly special. For the most part this is probably a film that the young will enjoy. None the less, "New Moon" has good acting, action, CGI, and romance that gets me excited for the next film in the series. Two and a half stars out of four.
"The Twilight Saga: New Moon" has a running time of two hours and ten minutes and is rated PG-13 for some violence and action.
Saturday, November 21, 2009
2012 In A Nutshell
OK, so most people know that disaster films tend to suck right? Well I walked into the theater expecting nothing but special effects and death but fortunately came out happier than I expected.
In "2012" a father and his kids take a trip together to Yellowstone National Park(which is rumored to soon blow up). At the same time, it just so happens that the Earth's crust is breaking apart and people fear that the apocalypse is at hand. Because of this the government tries to devise a plan to keep everyone safe from harm by building giant ships that can hold hundreds of people and animals. Meanwhile, while the government is sorting out their plan, the innocent family at Yellowstone starts to witness signs of the destruction. This then leads to a number of disaster sequences that include thousands of people dieing and countless cities getting destroyed.
Now of course the special effects were sweet and were basically what made up the film. Other things I wasn't expecting included good acting, comedy, and heart. Sacrifice is immense in "2012". One of the not so swell aspects included the cheesy dialogue and situations. For example, the main character is in a RV that is about to plummet down deep into the Earth but at the last second...we see him crawl out of the giant crevice with no harm done. Bottom line, "2012" is probably worth seeing if you want a fun filled action film with kick-butt CGI. 2 stars out of 4.
In "2012" a father and his kids take a trip together to Yellowstone National Park(which is rumored to soon blow up). At the same time, it just so happens that the Earth's crust is breaking apart and people fear that the apocalypse is at hand. Because of this the government tries to devise a plan to keep everyone safe from harm by building giant ships that can hold hundreds of people and animals. Meanwhile, while the government is sorting out their plan, the innocent family at Yellowstone starts to witness signs of the destruction. This then leads to a number of disaster sequences that include thousands of people dieing and countless cities getting destroyed.
Now of course the special effects were sweet and were basically what made up the film. Other things I wasn't expecting included good acting, comedy, and heart. Sacrifice is immense in "2012". One of the not so swell aspects included the cheesy dialogue and situations. For example, the main character is in a RV that is about to plummet down deep into the Earth but at the last second...we see him crawl out of the giant crevice with no harm done. Bottom line, "2012" is probably worth seeing if you want a fun filled action film with kick-butt CGI. 2 stars out of 4.
Monday, November 9, 2009
A Christmas Carol
Charles Dickens's world famous novella has been retold and remade time and time again throughout the years. Famous actors have portrayed him such as George C. Scott, Patrick Stewart, and now Jim Carrey gets to add his name to the long list. This time however, this film has taken a new turn into the new world of CGI. So, once again, we get to be told the wonderful story that is, "Disney's A Christmas Carol."
First of all, if you don't know the story of Ebenezer Scrooge then I would highly recommend you going to the bookstore and buying a copy since it's one of the most famous Christmas stories of all time. But just to refresh your memory, "A Christmas Story" is a tale about a grouchy, greedy old man named Ebenezer Scrooge(Jim Carrey). Scrooge, after the loss of his business partner name Jacob Marley(Gary Oldman) works his counting house with no other thoughts in mind but money, greed, and more money. The only other man he has to work with is his underpaid clerk Bob Cratchit(also played by Gary Oldman) who Scrooge treats like filth. Scrooge hates just about everything in life but one of the things he hates most is Christmas. This hatred eventually comes back to haunt him(no pun intended) when he is visited by the ghost of Jacob Marley. Jacob has been forced to carry around chains in the afterlife because of his greed and selfishness he had in his life on earth. Jacob tells Scrooge that a way to avoid this fate is to be haunted by three spirits in order to help him realize his faults and to embrace the spirit of Christmas.
Director Robert Zemeckis has been famous for his animation in which the actors actually act out their roles in CGI suits which allows the makers to create the CGI around them. This has been seen in past films like "The Polar Express" and "Beowulf". The same thing is seen in this film and the animation is astounding. First of all, Jim Carrey doesn't only play old Scrooge, but young Scrooge, and all three of the ghosts that haunt him. Garry Oldman also plays several parts that include Jacob Marley, Bob Cratchit, and even Tiny Tim. This is one of the factors that attributes to the creativity of this kind of CGI. It is very interesting to watch these two actors play the different characters. The animation was beautiful , descriptive and wonderfully detailed.
Now most versions of "A Christmas Carol" aren't too dark or scary but that's not the case with this new film. This remake is much more dark and frightening then all the others and actually made me jump in couple scenes(most would call them cheap thrills). I was imagining a young six year old going to see this film. Sure the kid's parents would say its a fun Christmas story but if I was that young, I'd have nightmares for weeks. With all of this said this telling of "A Christmas Carol" is definitely not for the young ones. I was very surprised at the cheap thrills, scary content, and dark thematic elements that this film included.
Out of the several "Christmas Carol" renderings I've seen, it seemed to me like this one was most like the book in terms of what happened and the dialogue. Most of the script seemed like it was taken straight from the book and placed into the film from start to finish. Also, some of the ways that events happened in the film reminded me more of how the book described them. For example, the way the spirits were portrayed(preferably Jacob Marley and the ghost of Christmas past) seemed like a more accurate portrayal then what other films have tried to show(This also means that some of the traits/actions of the spirits are a little creepier then we've seen before). There were only a few scenes included in the movie that the writers took artistic license on. For example, to add a little action to the film, there was a chase sequence shown where Scrooge tries desperately to flee from the ghost of Christmas yet to come(the more demonic of the three) where we see zombie-like creatures rising from the ground trying to slow Scrooge down. While scenes like this one added a little excitement to the film, other scenes included pointless action that I could have done without.
"Disney's A Christmas Carol" is a delightful tale of a hard-hearted man who gets taught the lessons of repentance and humility and in the end it becomes a story of a wonderful transformation that is sure to warm the hearts of all movie goers. Robert Zemeckis has created a visual piece of art that makes the classic story feel more magical than it's predecessors and welcomes us warmly to the upcoming holiday season. Two and a half stars out of four.
"Disney's A Christmas Carol" has a running time of 95 minutes and is rated PG for scary sequences and images.
First of all, if you don't know the story of Ebenezer Scrooge then I would highly recommend you going to the bookstore and buying a copy since it's one of the most famous Christmas stories of all time. But just to refresh your memory, "A Christmas Story" is a tale about a grouchy, greedy old man named Ebenezer Scrooge(Jim Carrey). Scrooge, after the loss of his business partner name Jacob Marley(Gary Oldman) works his counting house with no other thoughts in mind but money, greed, and more money. The only other man he has to work with is his underpaid clerk Bob Cratchit(also played by Gary Oldman) who Scrooge treats like filth. Scrooge hates just about everything in life but one of the things he hates most is Christmas. This hatred eventually comes back to haunt him(no pun intended) when he is visited by the ghost of Jacob Marley. Jacob has been forced to carry around chains in the afterlife because of his greed and selfishness he had in his life on earth. Jacob tells Scrooge that a way to avoid this fate is to be haunted by three spirits in order to help him realize his faults and to embrace the spirit of Christmas.
Director Robert Zemeckis has been famous for his animation in which the actors actually act out their roles in CGI suits which allows the makers to create the CGI around them. This has been seen in past films like "The Polar Express" and "Beowulf". The same thing is seen in this film and the animation is astounding. First of all, Jim Carrey doesn't only play old Scrooge, but young Scrooge, and all three of the ghosts that haunt him. Garry Oldman also plays several parts that include Jacob Marley, Bob Cratchit, and even Tiny Tim. This is one of the factors that attributes to the creativity of this kind of CGI. It is very interesting to watch these two actors play the different characters. The animation was beautiful , descriptive and wonderfully detailed.
Now most versions of "A Christmas Carol" aren't too dark or scary but that's not the case with this new film. This remake is much more dark and frightening then all the others and actually made me jump in couple scenes(most would call them cheap thrills). I was imagining a young six year old going to see this film. Sure the kid's parents would say its a fun Christmas story but if I was that young, I'd have nightmares for weeks. With all of this said this telling of "A Christmas Carol" is definitely not for the young ones. I was very surprised at the cheap thrills, scary content, and dark thematic elements that this film included.
Out of the several "Christmas Carol" renderings I've seen, it seemed to me like this one was most like the book in terms of what happened and the dialogue. Most of the script seemed like it was taken straight from the book and placed into the film from start to finish. Also, some of the ways that events happened in the film reminded me more of how the book described them. For example, the way the spirits were portrayed(preferably Jacob Marley and the ghost of Christmas past) seemed like a more accurate portrayal then what other films have tried to show(This also means that some of the traits/actions of the spirits are a little creepier then we've seen before). There were only a few scenes included in the movie that the writers took artistic license on. For example, to add a little action to the film, there was a chase sequence shown where Scrooge tries desperately to flee from the ghost of Christmas yet to come(the more demonic of the three) where we see zombie-like creatures rising from the ground trying to slow Scrooge down. While scenes like this one added a little excitement to the film, other scenes included pointless action that I could have done without.
"Disney's A Christmas Carol" is a delightful tale of a hard-hearted man who gets taught the lessons of repentance and humility and in the end it becomes a story of a wonderful transformation that is sure to warm the hearts of all movie goers. Robert Zemeckis has created a visual piece of art that makes the classic story feel more magical than it's predecessors and welcomes us warmly to the upcoming holiday season. Two and a half stars out of four.
"Disney's A Christmas Carol" has a running time of 95 minutes and is rated PG for scary sequences and images.
Thursday, November 5, 2009
Weekly Update
-It was announced this week that the incredibly popular Terminator franchise will be auctioned off this month. Several studious both big and small have stated their interest in buying the extremely popular sci-fi saga. Whoever owns the franchise will control new films, TV shows, etc. that can be made. The rights to the films are being sold by Halcyon who produced the most recent installment Terminator Salvation. It seems that at the moment we won't be seeing any sequels to the saga for a while. It also seems like...I couldn't care less.
-Big news for the Marvel comic movies this week. It was announced that actor Anthony Hopkins(who's been in too many films to list) will be staring in Thor, a new film about the Norse god of thunder. Hopkins will star as Odin, the father of Thor and Loki(the antagonist). Chris Hemsworth(Star Trek) is set to play Thor, Tom Hiddleston will play Loki, and Natalie Portman(the first three Star Wars films) will play Jane Foster, Thor's love interest. Thor will be released May 20, 2011 which is the same summer as Spider-Man 4 and The First Avenger: Captain America.
-Big news for the Marvel comic movies this week. It was announced that actor Anthony Hopkins(who's been in too many films to list) will be staring in Thor, a new film about the Norse god of thunder. Hopkins will star as Odin, the father of Thor and Loki(the antagonist). Chris Hemsworth(Star Trek) is set to play Thor, Tom Hiddleston will play Loki, and Natalie Portman(the first three Star Wars films) will play Jane Foster, Thor's love interest. Thor will be released May 20, 2011 which is the same summer as Spider-Man 4 and The First Avenger: Captain America.
Wednesday, November 4, 2009
Prince of Persia
A full weekly update will be up tomorrow but until then, the trailer for one of the biggest movies of next summer had just been released. It's for Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time. The film is based off of a huge video game saga.
NOTE: There seems to be a reoccurring problem with the trailer bar when it defaults to a list of videos. I'm trying my best to fix this problem.
NOTE: Sorry but the video bar seems to be not working at the moment. I will try to contact Blogger but until then http://rottentomatoes.com has the Prince of Perisa trailer on their front page.
NOTE: There seems to be a reoccurring problem with the trailer bar when it defaults to a list of videos. I'm trying my best to fix this problem.
NOTE: Sorry but the video bar seems to be not working at the moment. I will try to contact Blogger but until then http://rottentomatoes.com has the Prince of Perisa trailer on their front page.
Monday, November 2, 2009
Michael Jackson's This Is It
It has been twelve years since the King of Pop had gone on a world tour and since then, some thought he had lost his touch, some thought he still had it, and some thought he was just weird due to cases alleging child abuse back in 2005. At the beginning of this year however, Michael announced a comeback tour. Michael stated that, "This is the final curtain call," knowing that this would be his final shot to gain back his fame. Sadly, those words turned out to be more true then anyone would have thought. Michael never intended to have the concert shown on the big screen but after his death in June, it was decided that people needed to see what he worked on with all his energy and will by showing clips of his rehearsals. "Michael Jackson's This Is It" did not disappoint.
The film not only shows us clips of Michael singing 24 of his famous songs(Black or White, Billy Jean, and of course Thriller were my favorites) but also shows us glimpses of backstage work, sound checks, video shooting(for visual parts of the show), and several interviews with those who worked with Michael. Let me say before going on that this combination of greatly organized shots came together to create an amazing documentary that was dazzling to witness. The King of Pop hadn't lost any of his talent. He still had a great voice and of course his sweet set of dance moves which he used from start to end with the same energy people remember from years ago.
It seems that Michael's vision for the show wasn't only a concert, but part film, part concert, part Broadway, and part visual awe. For several songs including Thriller, Michael basically recreated his world famous music-video in which they shot a video of the undead crawling from their tombs in 3-D. After Michael sings the first verse of the song, the zombies jump out and they perform the dance everyone wanted to learn back in the 80s. Other songs like Black or White, have added on portions(which happens in most concerts). In this song's case, two incredibly talented guitarists come forward and perform about two minutes of guitar solo madness. Visual aspects like fire, sparks, lighting, and wind were highly integrated throughout the show.
One thing that I enjoyed seeing was how Michael interacted with the band, other workers, and director Kenny Ortega who directed the "High School Musical" films. It seemed to me that everyone included Kenny treated Michael like a god by making sure all of his needs and wants for the show were taken care of. Don't take this the wrong way, Michael didn't seem full of himself at all in this film and also seemed very grateful and compassionate towards all of his co-workers.
Of course all Jackson fans will probably feel sad as they watch Michael sing, perform, and put his all into his show. I personally felt bad that everyone else couldn't see this masterpiece which would have no doubt given him the fame and success he wanted. I was amazed at the work that all of the people put into this show and I came out of the theater a true Jackson fan. Michael wanted to once again touch the world with his music and spread the message of love to all. Near the end of the film, the crew came together and Michael gave a speech which ended with the words, "Love is important, love each other, we're all one."
"This Is It" was truly magnificent and would have been the most amazing stage show/concert ever put on by an artist. My only regret seeing this film is that fans will never be able to see it in it's entirety. Michael showed us that he still had it all and he poured out all his strength so that he could dazzle us all with his lyrics. I was impressed 100% with this concert film. R.I.P. Michael...you did well. 5 stars out of 5.
"Michael Jackson's This Is It" has a running time of 112 minutes. It is rated PG for some suggestive choreography and scary images.
The film not only shows us clips of Michael singing 24 of his famous songs(Black or White, Billy Jean, and of course Thriller were my favorites) but also shows us glimpses of backstage work, sound checks, video shooting(for visual parts of the show), and several interviews with those who worked with Michael. Let me say before going on that this combination of greatly organized shots came together to create an amazing documentary that was dazzling to witness. The King of Pop hadn't lost any of his talent. He still had a great voice and of course his sweet set of dance moves which he used from start to end with the same energy people remember from years ago.
It seems that Michael's vision for the show wasn't only a concert, but part film, part concert, part Broadway, and part visual awe. For several songs including Thriller, Michael basically recreated his world famous music-video in which they shot a video of the undead crawling from their tombs in 3-D. After Michael sings the first verse of the song, the zombies jump out and they perform the dance everyone wanted to learn back in the 80s. Other songs like Black or White, have added on portions(which happens in most concerts). In this song's case, two incredibly talented guitarists come forward and perform about two minutes of guitar solo madness. Visual aspects like fire, sparks, lighting, and wind were highly integrated throughout the show.
One thing that I enjoyed seeing was how Michael interacted with the band, other workers, and director Kenny Ortega who directed the "High School Musical" films. It seemed to me that everyone included Kenny treated Michael like a god by making sure all of his needs and wants for the show were taken care of. Don't take this the wrong way, Michael didn't seem full of himself at all in this film and also seemed very grateful and compassionate towards all of his co-workers.
Of course all Jackson fans will probably feel sad as they watch Michael sing, perform, and put his all into his show. I personally felt bad that everyone else couldn't see this masterpiece which would have no doubt given him the fame and success he wanted. I was amazed at the work that all of the people put into this show and I came out of the theater a true Jackson fan. Michael wanted to once again touch the world with his music and spread the message of love to all. Near the end of the film, the crew came together and Michael gave a speech which ended with the words, "Love is important, love each other, we're all one."
"This Is It" was truly magnificent and would have been the most amazing stage show/concert ever put on by an artist. My only regret seeing this film is that fans will never be able to see it in it's entirety. Michael showed us that he still had it all and he poured out all his strength so that he could dazzle us all with his lyrics. I was impressed 100% with this concert film. R.I.P. Michael...you did well. 5 stars out of 5.
"Michael Jackson's This Is It" has a running time of 112 minutes. It is rated PG for some suggestive choreography and scary images.
Monday, October 26, 2009
The Vampire's Assistant
It seems that in the past couple of years vampires have become popular in our pop culture once again. Now we have the Twilight saga, numerous books, a TV show, and a new saga based on a book called Cirque Du Freak. Now, in my opinion, there's also another trend with these vampire shows/films...they STINK! Sorry Twilight fans but "Twilight" was one of the worst movies ever made. Well this trend continues on with John C. Reilly's new film, "Cirque Du Freak: The Vampire's Assistant."
At the start of the film we see teenager Daren(Chris Massoglia) who has a great life and parents that seem to have his life all planned out for him. Then there's Steve his best friend who's the exact opposite. Steve is a bad influence that doesn't really care about his life and tries to drag Daren down with him. Soon the two friends receive a flier for a freak show coming to their town. At the show they see all kinds of weird people including a vampire named Larten Crepsley(John C. Reilly). After the show Daren steals Crepsely's spider which results in several things. Steve gets bitten which results in Daren pleading for help from Crepsley which results in Crepsely making a deal: The antidote in exchange for Daren becoming his assistant. This means that Daren must become a half-vampire. Soon after Daren embarks on a mysterious journey with Crepsley to find out his destiny.
As you might see from the paragraph above, the story itself is very interesting and has potential but instead it ends up being confusing and all over the place. Too many characters, though creative and unique, are introduced throughout this film and make it all the more hard to follow. It seems like there were too many things we have to comprehend in the film and everything was scattered. The main plot and concept of the whole saga isn't really revealed until three/fourths through the film so basically, "Vampire's Assistant" is setting itself up for a sequel. We see set-ups like this many times mostly in comic book films (X-Men, Spider-Man) where the first film is devoted to the back stories and origins of the main characters (the set-up film) and the sequel gets right to the action. That is the proper way to do set-up films. This film does it the wrong way focusing more on plot rather than character development and that is a large problem for the film.
That being said, the story for "Vampire's Assistant" is an interesting one and it is fun to see all of the "freaks" the are created for this story. Each one is creative with their shape, size, and even their personalities(an example of this is a teen who looks like a lizard, despite his deformity, he wants to be a rock star and tries to sell records at the shows). Like most vampire stories, we see several new powers the vampires posses like super spit and knock-out gas. All together, these things combine to show us a new world that is fun to see on screen.
Sadly, what helps bring this film down is the dialogue. The movie was filled with unneeded cursing, bad dialogue, and awkward moments which prevented the movie from being an entertaining action film. Also, the names of the characters are kind of disappointing and just plain weird. Some of the names are Mr. Tall, Mr. Tiny, the snake boy, etc.
The acting wasn't anything truly special, although I was impressed at how well John C. Reilly played his part. The action scenes were entertaining but the thing is, the things that I just mentioned only make up about half of what a good movie should include. Things like character development, plot, dialogue were absent in "Vampire's Assistant" and so this is what I have to say: "Cirque Du Freak"...a freak show indeed. I give it two stars out of five.
"Cirque Du Freak: The Vampire's Assistant" has a running time of 108 minutes. The film is rated PG-13 for sequences of intense supernatural violence and action, disturbing images, thematic elements, and some language.
At the start of the film we see teenager Daren(Chris Massoglia) who has a great life and parents that seem to have his life all planned out for him. Then there's Steve his best friend who's the exact opposite. Steve is a bad influence that doesn't really care about his life and tries to drag Daren down with him. Soon the two friends receive a flier for a freak show coming to their town. At the show they see all kinds of weird people including a vampire named Larten Crepsley(John C. Reilly). After the show Daren steals Crepsely's spider which results in several things. Steve gets bitten which results in Daren pleading for help from Crepsley which results in Crepsely making a deal: The antidote in exchange for Daren becoming his assistant. This means that Daren must become a half-vampire. Soon after Daren embarks on a mysterious journey with Crepsley to find out his destiny.
As you might see from the paragraph above, the story itself is very interesting and has potential but instead it ends up being confusing and all over the place. Too many characters, though creative and unique, are introduced throughout this film and make it all the more hard to follow. It seems like there were too many things we have to comprehend in the film and everything was scattered. The main plot and concept of the whole saga isn't really revealed until three/fourths through the film so basically, "Vampire's Assistant" is setting itself up for a sequel. We see set-ups like this many times mostly in comic book films (X-Men, Spider-Man) where the first film is devoted to the back stories and origins of the main characters (the set-up film) and the sequel gets right to the action. That is the proper way to do set-up films. This film does it the wrong way focusing more on plot rather than character development and that is a large problem for the film.
That being said, the story for "Vampire's Assistant" is an interesting one and it is fun to see all of the "freaks" the are created for this story. Each one is creative with their shape, size, and even their personalities(an example of this is a teen who looks like a lizard, despite his deformity, he wants to be a rock star and tries to sell records at the shows). Like most vampire stories, we see several new powers the vampires posses like super spit and knock-out gas. All together, these things combine to show us a new world that is fun to see on screen.
Sadly, what helps bring this film down is the dialogue. The movie was filled with unneeded cursing, bad dialogue, and awkward moments which prevented the movie from being an entertaining action film. Also, the names of the characters are kind of disappointing and just plain weird. Some of the names are Mr. Tall, Mr. Tiny, the snake boy, etc.
The acting wasn't anything truly special, although I was impressed at how well John C. Reilly played his part. The action scenes were entertaining but the thing is, the things that I just mentioned only make up about half of what a good movie should include. Things like character development, plot, dialogue were absent in "Vampire's Assistant" and so this is what I have to say: "Cirque Du Freak"...a freak show indeed. I give it two stars out of five.
"Cirque Du Freak: The Vampire's Assistant" has a running time of 108 minutes. The film is rated PG-13 for sequences of intense supernatural violence and action, disturbing images, thematic elements, and some language.
Friday, October 16, 2009
Zombieland in a Nutshell.
Occasionally, if I see a movie a week or two after it comes out I'll do what I'm calling a nutshell review which means that it will only be one or two paragraphs summarizing the film. My first nutshell review is the R-rated zombie flick, Zombieland.
Within the first five seconds of the film you see a zombie tear out a piece of human flesh and start devouring the person's insides. Then it flashes to all kinds of cannibalism with people being eaten, zombies being shot, people getting thrown out of their cars and splattering on the road...and that's just in the first five minutes. Yes, Zombieland is defiantly the most disgusting movie I've ever seen. But it had plenty of laughs, loads of great action and showed us a crazy world where in order to survive you have to "nut up or shut up."
In Zombieland we see two characters, Columbus and Tallahassee, who, we find out later on, are both looking for a family to not feel as alone in the apocalyptic world. However, at first, Tallahassee doesn't show it. Instead, he does all he can to kill all the zombies he can find in a number of different ways. Soon the two find two other girls that are on their way to California and eventually they decide to team up. Together they travel across the country fighting zombies and growing closer to each other and becoming a family. One of the last lines of the film were, "We had hope, we had each other."
This film had plenty of laughs throughout the entire film both physical and verbal. This film also featured the best actor cameos and one of the funniest scenes I've seen all year. The action was amazing. It was a truly fun film to watch. Just to give you a little taste...Most of you know the swing rides they have at all the fairs where you get into a chair, it lifts you up, and it swings you around right? Well in the climax, Tallahassee runs up, jumps on this ride holding on with one hand, and shooting zombies with a machine gun with the other. AMAZING!
The only downsides to this film to me was that, since I don't have a strong stomach, I felt disgusted with the first ten minutes of the film. Also, the movie was decorated with f-bombs and other cursing that was unnecessary. However, Zombieland was a great film that I won't mind spending money on when it comes out on DVD. 2 stars out of 4.
Zombieland is rated R for horror/violence, gore, and language. It has a running time of about 80 minutes.
Within the first five seconds of the film you see a zombie tear out a piece of human flesh and start devouring the person's insides. Then it flashes to all kinds of cannibalism with people being eaten, zombies being shot, people getting thrown out of their cars and splattering on the road...and that's just in the first five minutes. Yes, Zombieland is defiantly the most disgusting movie I've ever seen. But it had plenty of laughs, loads of great action and showed us a crazy world where in order to survive you have to "nut up or shut up."
In Zombieland we see two characters, Columbus and Tallahassee, who, we find out later on, are both looking for a family to not feel as alone in the apocalyptic world. However, at first, Tallahassee doesn't show it. Instead, he does all he can to kill all the zombies he can find in a number of different ways. Soon the two find two other girls that are on their way to California and eventually they decide to team up. Together they travel across the country fighting zombies and growing closer to each other and becoming a family. One of the last lines of the film were, "We had hope, we had each other."
This film had plenty of laughs throughout the entire film both physical and verbal. This film also featured the best actor cameos and one of the funniest scenes I've seen all year. The action was amazing. It was a truly fun film to watch. Just to give you a little taste...Most of you know the swing rides they have at all the fairs where you get into a chair, it lifts you up, and it swings you around right? Well in the climax, Tallahassee runs up, jumps on this ride holding on with one hand, and shooting zombies with a machine gun with the other. AMAZING!
The only downsides to this film to me was that, since I don't have a strong stomach, I felt disgusted with the first ten minutes of the film. Also, the movie was decorated with f-bombs and other cursing that was unnecessary. However, Zombieland was a great film that I won't mind spending money on when it comes out on DVD. 2 stars out of 4.
Zombieland is rated R for horror/violence, gore, and language. It has a running time of about 80 minutes.
Saturday, October 3, 2009
Weekly Update
-Director Michael Bay announced yesterday on his website that Transformers 3 is now in production. Bay stated that they now have a story and that the film will be released in the summer of 2011. http://Rottentomatoes.com/, a popular movie site stated that this piece of news is their "Rotten Idea of the Week.) Hmm, I wonder why, OH YEAH...BECAUSE TRANSFORMERS 2 WASN'T THAT GREAT! Now don't get me wrong it wasn't a horrible movie but I don't think a 3rd film is necessary frankly because I think they've done all they can do with giant talking robots.
-There has been a great deal of Marvel Comic films announced in the past month that already are, or soon will be going into production. Plans are already made to make a second Wolverine film and a X-Men First Class movie, which will be based on the mutants when they were younger. Producer Laura Donner also said that an X4 could possibly be coming in the next few years which I don't think anyone expected. Other films that we will see in the upcoming years are Ghost Rider 2 and maybe even a film based on the popular Spider-Man villain Venom. Right now Venom has a writer and is in production so it will be interesting to see what Marvel does with this character. I think it's safe to say that Marvel is nowhere near done with their comic book films.
-There has been a great deal of Marvel Comic films announced in the past month that already are, or soon will be going into production. Plans are already made to make a second Wolverine film and a X-Men First Class movie, which will be based on the mutants when they were younger. Producer Laura Donner also said that an X4 could possibly be coming in the next few years which I don't think anyone expected. Other films that we will see in the upcoming years are Ghost Rider 2 and maybe even a film based on the popular Spider-Man villain Venom. Right now Venom has a writer and is in production so it will be interesting to see what Marvel does with this character. I think it's safe to say that Marvel is nowhere near done with their comic book films.
Sunday, September 27, 2009
Surrogates
A world without limitations or boundaries; that's what the people are entitled to when they are plugged in to a robot that lives their lives for them. But, are the machines safe? That question is answered in Bruce Willis' new sci-fi action film, Surrogates.
Right off the bat we see that almost everyone uses a surrogate that they designed to live their life from the safety of their home. The function of a surrogate? Well, they can do anything that a human being can except for the fact that their strength and agility are perfect, allowing superhuman physical abilities such as the ability to jump off high places and endure large amounts of damage. If a surrogate is destroyed, the operator can simply get up and call in for another with no damage done to him/her. For this reason, there have been no homicides in years until a boy, who happens to be related to the son of the inventor of Surrogates(James Cromwell), dies when his Surrogate gets fried by a new kind of weapon. FBI agents Tom Greer(Bruce Willis) and Agent Peters(Radha Mitchell) are brought in to investigate this new danger. As more and more humans die due to this dangerous weapon, Greer must find out who is behind this plot before the lives of all surrogate users are threatened.
Surrogates is a movie that doesn't give much to talk about as far as CGI, script, action, etc. goes. The story is in most ways original even though it is a lot like both The Matrix and I Robot(in fact the man who played the inventor of the machines in I Robot played the same role in this film.) The script and acting in the movie is nothing special, the pacing is good, but overall most of the elements in Surrogates are mediocre. The good thing is the action and suspense, which seems to move the film along, kept me interested throughout the film. Bruce Willis has once again entertained moviegoers by letting them watch as he beats the crap-ola out of all the bad guys.
The main thing that set Surrogates apart from other sci-fi action films is that it does a great job of teaching us a message. Humans very often tend to hide behind our "masks" and try our best to conceal our past or who we really are so that others can't judge us. In Surrogates, the same thing happens but it's actually even worse. People choose to hide in their machine and become addicted to it to the point where they never want to leave their home so that the world can never see their real face and real personality. Throughout the movie we learn that we need to be strong and brave enough to let the world except us the way we are and not be afraid to be judged. This is the main reason why I liked Surrogates because it has a big moral that is easy to see and makes the film better all around.
Surrogates is a passable sci-fi action film that presents us with fun action and a great theme. The only thing is as I said before, the concept of Surrogates has been seen before in other films so the originality just isn't there. With that said, If I went to a movie rental store, this one would probably not be the one I decide to check out. 1.5 stars out of 4.
Surrogates is rated PG-13 for intense sequences of violence, disturbing images, language, sexuality, and a drug-related scene. The film has a running time of 89 minutes.
Right off the bat we see that almost everyone uses a surrogate that they designed to live their life from the safety of their home. The function of a surrogate? Well, they can do anything that a human being can except for the fact that their strength and agility are perfect, allowing superhuman physical abilities such as the ability to jump off high places and endure large amounts of damage. If a surrogate is destroyed, the operator can simply get up and call in for another with no damage done to him/her. For this reason, there have been no homicides in years until a boy, who happens to be related to the son of the inventor of Surrogates(James Cromwell), dies when his Surrogate gets fried by a new kind of weapon. FBI agents Tom Greer(Bruce Willis) and Agent Peters(Radha Mitchell) are brought in to investigate this new danger. As more and more humans die due to this dangerous weapon, Greer must find out who is behind this plot before the lives of all surrogate users are threatened.
Surrogates is a movie that doesn't give much to talk about as far as CGI, script, action, etc. goes. The story is in most ways original even though it is a lot like both The Matrix and I Robot(in fact the man who played the inventor of the machines in I Robot played the same role in this film.) The script and acting in the movie is nothing special, the pacing is good, but overall most of the elements in Surrogates are mediocre. The good thing is the action and suspense, which seems to move the film along, kept me interested throughout the film. Bruce Willis has once again entertained moviegoers by letting them watch as he beats the crap-ola out of all the bad guys.
The main thing that set Surrogates apart from other sci-fi action films is that it does a great job of teaching us a message. Humans very often tend to hide behind our "masks" and try our best to conceal our past or who we really are so that others can't judge us. In Surrogates, the same thing happens but it's actually even worse. People choose to hide in their machine and become addicted to it to the point where they never want to leave their home so that the world can never see their real face and real personality. Throughout the movie we learn that we need to be strong and brave enough to let the world except us the way we are and not be afraid to be judged. This is the main reason why I liked Surrogates because it has a big moral that is easy to see and makes the film better all around.
Surrogates is a passable sci-fi action film that presents us with fun action and a great theme. The only thing is as I said before, the concept of Surrogates has been seen before in other films so the originality just isn't there. With that said, If I went to a movie rental store, this one would probably not be the one I decide to check out. 1.5 stars out of 4.
Surrogates is rated PG-13 for intense sequences of violence, disturbing images, language, sexuality, and a drug-related scene. The film has a running time of 89 minutes.
Saturday, September 19, 2009
Weekly Update
There isn't that much exciting news this week as far as movies go but there are a couple of small things that you might like to hear.
-First of all...a brand new New Moon trailer premiered last week on the MTV VMA awards(the one where Kayne interrupted Taylor's thank-you speech) and oh boy was it cool. This film already looks so much better than Twilight. You can find it at the bottom of the page!
-Many fans who saw X-Men Origins: Wolverine were disappointed that Ryan Reynolds(who played Wade Wilson/Deadpoole) didn't have that much screen time and that the character swayed away from the comics. Producer of the films Lauren Donner said that the new spin off film titled, X-Men Origins: Deadpool, will be going back to the comics and will be a complete reboot. The only thing that won't change is that Ryan Reynold will be returning despite his current involvement on Green Lantern.
That's all I have this time around that is remotely interesting. Hopefully as the winter movie season grows closer there will be more interesting news. Also, come back this weekend to read my review of Surrogates.
-First of all...a brand new New Moon trailer premiered last week on the MTV VMA awards(the one where Kayne interrupted Taylor's thank-you speech) and oh boy was it cool. This film already looks so much better than Twilight. You can find it at the bottom of the page!
-Many fans who saw X-Men Origins: Wolverine were disappointed that Ryan Reynolds(who played Wade Wilson/Deadpoole) didn't have that much screen time and that the character swayed away from the comics. Producer of the films Lauren Donner said that the new spin off film titled, X-Men Origins: Deadpool, will be going back to the comics and will be a complete reboot. The only thing that won't change is that Ryan Reynold will be returning despite his current involvement on Green Lantern.
That's all I have this time around that is remotely interesting. Hopefully as the winter movie season grows closer there will be more interesting news. Also, come back this weekend to read my review of Surrogates.
Thursday, September 10, 2009
9
On the 9th day of the ninth month of 2009, I saw a film that had nine characters, whose protagonist's name was nine, a movie in which there were nine heroes, and the film was called "9". What is the deal with all these 9's? I guess it's just marketing because there was nothing about it in the film. Anyways, director Shane Acker has given us a whole new realm of animation in his post-apocalyptic animated film, 9.
At the start of the movie, we see a scientist who is sowing together a stitchpunk(named by the director of the film) whom he named 9(voiced by Elijah Wood). Then quickly, before we see anything else, the scene flashes to when 9 wakes up and all human life has been dimolished. 9 then walks out into the broken world and soon finds another like him whose name is 2. "2" explains that the world has been taken over by machines and that the stitchpunks are the only things left to destroy them. Soon 9 finds the other 7 of his kind and embarks on his journey to finish the mission that the scientist created him to do.
Let me say that 9 isn't the film you want to take your young children to see. This movie is both dark and violent despite the fact that it's animated. The machines themselves are very menacing and frightening and they do their best to cut up, capture, and kill the stitchpunks and many times they succeed. While the film has no blood because they're all machines, there is still tons of violence and several deaths in which the stitchpunks get they're souls sucked out by machines.
What stunk for the film is that it's a little under an hour and a half so there isn't much time to explain the plot or get to know the characters. We get to see a little about each stitchpunk's personality but the movie doesn't have much time for that so it immediately gets going into the action. But, while the machines taking over the world isn't original, the fact that sown up rag dolls are trying to destroy them is and for that the makers of the film get brownie points.
The main accomplishment with "9" is that the film is visually amazing. The texture and detail that is seen in this film does a great job of throwing the viewer into the world of "9". No surprise there because almost everything with Tim Burton's name has great and unique animation. A few other things that added to my enjoyment of this film were the script and the music. I usually don't expect things like that to be in an animated film so I was pleasantly surprised.
"9" is an impressive film to watch but in the end...the plot just doesn't make sense. The stitchpunks were created in order to "protect" the future and keep civilization going but the things themselves have no reason to fight. So what if they do or don't destroy the machines, either way there will still be no humans when all is said and done. Why must the stitchpunks fight for a lost cause? That was the question that never got answered. However, "9" shown us a new kind of animated feature and had just enough spark to keep me interested till the end. 2 stars out of 4. "9" has a running time of 1 hour and 19 minutes and is rated PG-13 for violence and scary images.
At the start of the movie, we see a scientist who is sowing together a stitchpunk(named by the director of the film) whom he named 9(voiced by Elijah Wood). Then quickly, before we see anything else, the scene flashes to when 9 wakes up and all human life has been dimolished. 9 then walks out into the broken world and soon finds another like him whose name is 2. "2" explains that the world has been taken over by machines and that the stitchpunks are the only things left to destroy them. Soon 9 finds the other 7 of his kind and embarks on his journey to finish the mission that the scientist created him to do.
Let me say that 9 isn't the film you want to take your young children to see. This movie is both dark and violent despite the fact that it's animated. The machines themselves are very menacing and frightening and they do their best to cut up, capture, and kill the stitchpunks and many times they succeed. While the film has no blood because they're all machines, there is still tons of violence and several deaths in which the stitchpunks get they're souls sucked out by machines.
What stunk for the film is that it's a little under an hour and a half so there isn't much time to explain the plot or get to know the characters. We get to see a little about each stitchpunk's personality but the movie doesn't have much time for that so it immediately gets going into the action. But, while the machines taking over the world isn't original, the fact that sown up rag dolls are trying to destroy them is and for that the makers of the film get brownie points.
The main accomplishment with "9" is that the film is visually amazing. The texture and detail that is seen in this film does a great job of throwing the viewer into the world of "9". No surprise there because almost everything with Tim Burton's name has great and unique animation. A few other things that added to my enjoyment of this film were the script and the music. I usually don't expect things like that to be in an animated film so I was pleasantly surprised.
"9" is an impressive film to watch but in the end...the plot just doesn't make sense. The stitchpunks were created in order to "protect" the future and keep civilization going but the things themselves have no reason to fight. So what if they do or don't destroy the machines, either way there will still be no humans when all is said and done. Why must the stitchpunks fight for a lost cause? That was the question that never got answered. However, "9" shown us a new kind of animated feature and had just enough spark to keep me interested till the end. 2 stars out of 4. "9" has a running time of 1 hour and 19 minutes and is rated PG-13 for violence and scary images.
Tuesday, September 1, 2009
The Big Deal
UPDATE: I just had a thought...I think one of the reasons Disney did this is because of the new Harry Potter world at Islands of Adventure. Maybe Disney's afraid of not getting visitors and needs to think of some new rides.
It was confirmed yesterday that Disney has bought Marvel for the huge sum of FOUR BILLION DOLLARS( Hey Marvels worth it.) As many of you know, Marvel is the company that as made comic books, video games, TV shows, and huge blockbuster movies based on our favorite super heroes like Spider-Man and The X-Men. This means that Disney can immediately add Marvel hero's to their theme parks across the world. The only park this excludes is Walt Disney World in Orlando because of the existing deal between Marvel and Universal(Islands of Adventure.) I read that the Island of Adventure theme park has a perpetual deal with Marvel for the Amazing Spider-Man ride and the Incredible Hulk coaster so we will never see those attractions leave that park(Thank God.) Right now it seems that the biggest changes will be in advertising, merchandise, and television. The Disney cable channels(preferably Disney XD) will now probably develop more TV shows based on Marvel characters. Besides that, we will probably see more Disney adds in upcoming comic books. Right now it seems that the deal is not effecting the upcoming films being made by Marvel in any way.
It was confirmed yesterday that Disney has bought Marvel for the huge sum of FOUR BILLION DOLLARS( Hey Marvels worth it.) As many of you know, Marvel is the company that as made comic books, video games, TV shows, and huge blockbuster movies based on our favorite super heroes like Spider-Man and The X-Men. This means that Disney can immediately add Marvel hero's to their theme parks across the world. The only park this excludes is Walt Disney World in Orlando because of the existing deal between Marvel and Universal(Islands of Adventure.) I read that the Island of Adventure theme park has a perpetual deal with Marvel for the Amazing Spider-Man ride and the Incredible Hulk coaster so we will never see those attractions leave that park(Thank God.) Right now it seems that the biggest changes will be in advertising, merchandise, and television. The Disney cable channels(preferably Disney XD) will now probably develop more TV shows based on Marvel characters. Besides that, we will probably see more Disney adds in upcoming comic books. Right now it seems that the deal is not effecting the upcoming films being made by Marvel in any way.
Monday, August 24, 2009
Weekly Update for August 24th
UPDATE: Unfortunately I was unable to get the Wolfman trailer on the site without including other videos that had nothing to do with the film.
Now that the summer has come to an end, and movie reviews will be slowing down, I'm going back to a regular routine of weekly updates about upcoming films and box office reports. Here it this past weekend's box office.
Now that the summer has come to an end, and movie reviews will be slowing down, I'm going back to a regular routine of weekly updates about upcoming films and box office reports. Here it this past weekend's box office.
- Inglorious Basterds-37.6M
- District 9-18.9M
- G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra-12.5M
- Time Traveler's Wife-10.0M
- Julia and Julia-9.0M
Some may have heard that a Spider-Man 4 is in the works for a 2011 release. The first facts were that a fourth and fifth film would be filmed together and have an ongoing story. It turns out, I don't think director Sam Raimi liked his work. So instead, Marvel has said yes to a FIFTH AND SIXTH FILM and the writer that Raimi gave the boot to will be writing the script for this one. Now I'm ok with a fourth film but I think five and six would be serious overkill especially because I'm almost positive that Sam Raimi, Tobey Maguire(Spider-Man), and Kirsten Dunst(Mary Jane) wouldn't be returning.
Last week, an actor from the Harry Potter series told fans where the spilt separating the final two films would be located. According to Josuhua Herdam(Goyle), the first film will end when the snatchers capture the trio right before the big Malfoy Mansion action scene. If this is true, we're in for a heck of a cliff-hanger. However, the director and producer said that the plan could change in the future but for now, this is where the split will be.
Also, two sweet movie trailers have just been released. One is for Wolfman hitting theaters in February and the other is for James Cameron's(Titanic) new film, Avatar. Both of these films look amazing and you can find the trailers at the bottom of the page.
Tuesday, August 18, 2009
The Summer Rap-Up
As we all know, school has started and the summer has sadly come to a close. NOOOO. This also means that the series of great movies has also left us for this year and we will most likely have to wait until November to see some good movies again. Like I did last year I am going to list my favorite movies of the summer. It's hard to put these in order because I actually like all of the movies on this list but some were better than others.
7. Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen: We're dealing with the same thing as Terminator here...great CGI, lots of robots, and an ok story line. This film was too long and it got a little repetitive with the robots fighting the entire film.
5. Star Trek: I never watched any of the old TV series but the movie was great. This film had just about everything including action, suspense, drama, romance, and heart. The script and pacing of the film was also well done.
3. Angels and Demons: I never saw The Da Vinci Code but from what I've heard, Angels and Demons was a lot better. This film 
2. Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince: You have to love the Harry Potter films. This one was probably my second favorite and it had the best acting and script in all the films. What the sixth installment of the series managed to do was balance the darkness, romance, and comedy so that there was a perfect amount of each in this movie. There could have been a little more action in the end though. 
10. Night At The Museum: Battle of The Smithsonian: This film was on the borderline of enjoyable and not good. There were hardly any laughs and it didn't have the fun that the first one had.
9. The Proposal: This was a fun romantic comedy(best one I saw this summer) with plenty of laughs and good acting but it just was not as impressive as some of the other films this year.
8. Terminator Salvation: This was a very fun action film, sweet effects and an ok story. The problem with this film was that it didn't have much heart, but I'll still probably buy the movie if I have extra cash
7. Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen: We're dealing with the same thing as Terminator here...great CGI, lots of robots, and an ok story line. This film was too long and it got a little repetitive with the robots fighting the entire film.
6. Up: Once again Pixar has thrilled critics with another great animated film with comedy, great animation, and heart. This film had such a creative and fun story and a heartwarming message which is...watch the film and you'll find out.
5. Star Trek: I never watched any of the old TV series but the movie was great. This film had just about everything including action, suspense, drama, romance, and heart. The script and pacing of the film was also well done.
4. G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra: Watching this last action film for the season(for me) was a great way to end the summer. The script and character development could have been better but I still really enjoyed this one. It would probably be in my top three if I had a..."Top Movies to Wacth with my Friends" list.
was so suspenseful, fun, and had great twists that kept me guessing the whole movie. I also thought that the score for this
film was amazing as well.
2. Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince: You have to love the Harry Potter films. This one was probably my second favorite and it had the best acting and script in all the films. What the sixth installment of the series managed to do was balance the darkness, romance, and comedy so that there was a perfect amount of each in this movie. There could have been a little more action in the end though.
1. X-Men Origins: Wolverine: I don't care if you think I'm crazy but I've loved Wolverine and the comic book world since I was five and this film only pushed my love of the genre to a greater level. I loved this movie and it had the best action than all of the other films this summer. I was siked for this one and I was not disappointed. BEST FILM OF THE SUMMER.
Monday, August 17, 2009
Bandslam
When I first saw the posters and trailers for Bandslam, I saw that it had two Disney Channel actresses and that the film was made by Disney. The only thought going through my head was, "Oh no, another cheesy musical." After the film was released on Friday, I was hearing positive things about the film from friends and other critics so I decided to give it a chance. Little did I know that I was in for a pleasant surprise.
Bandslam is about a crazy David Bowie fan named Will Burton(Gaelan Connel)who is mocked at his school and has no friends. Soon his mother(Lisa Kudrow) gives him the happy news that they are moving to New Jersey. Now Will has the chance to start over and make friends at his new school, and he gets off to a great start when he meets Charlotte Banks(Alyson Michalka.) Charlotte soon learns of Will's vast knowledge of music and recruits him to be the manager of her rock band. The romantic side of the film appears when Will meets Sam(Vanessa Hudgens) and they are paired together for a class project in which they need to learn as much about each other as they can. Now Will must balance spending time with Sam and preparing his band for the biggest competition in his new town, the battle of the bands.
One of the reasons I liked this film is because of the way that the scenes and the pacing of the film was presented. To me, the first half of the film seemed almost like a documentary with a kid following Will around with a camera. Because of this, the movie does a good job of letting us get to know the main characters. The movie tells us about Will's personality and as the film goes on we get to know his past as well. The movie also develops the other two, Sam and Charlotte, and overall the writers do a great job with character development. Now that we know the characters, the second half of the film shifts towards the dramatic and romantic side. Bandslam shows us what kind problems and obstacles high school students face through Will and Charlotte. Surprisingly, this film becomes serious at times when dealing with some of Will and Charlotte's issues and/or past and also shows us that these three young-adults can act.
While this film isn't a musical it does include a few songs and they are actually pretty enjoyable. The film doesn't drown us with the pop music found in High School Musical but instead shows us a sound that isn't found in films as much and that sound is "ska." The final song of the film includes an enjoyable mix a guitars, trumpets, piano, and even a cello which form together to make a song that I didn't laugh at when it was said and done.
Bandslam is a film that includes drama, romance, and a lot of laughs while avoiding other negative elements like sex, language, or crass humor making it a great one for the family. I walked out of the theater surprised at the good acting, good music, and good story that Bandslam included. 3.5 out of 5.
Bandslam has a running time of 1 hour and 51 minuets and is rated PG for some thematic elements and mild language.
Bandslam is about a crazy David Bowie fan named Will Burton(Gaelan Connel)who is mocked at his school and has no friends. Soon his mother(Lisa Kudrow) gives him the happy news that they are moving to New Jersey. Now Will has the chance to start over and make friends at his new school, and he gets off to a great start when he meets Charlotte Banks(Alyson Michalka.) Charlotte soon learns of Will's vast knowledge of music and recruits him to be the manager of her rock band. The romantic side of the film appears when Will meets Sam(Vanessa Hudgens) and they are paired together for a class project in which they need to learn as much about each other as they can. Now Will must balance spending time with Sam and preparing his band for the biggest competition in his new town, the battle of the bands.
One of the reasons I liked this film is because of the way that the scenes and the pacing of the film was presented. To me, the first half of the film seemed almost like a documentary with a kid following Will around with a camera. Because of this, the movie does a good job of letting us get to know the main characters. The movie tells us about Will's personality and as the film goes on we get to know his past as well. The movie also develops the other two, Sam and Charlotte, and overall the writers do a great job with character development. Now that we know the characters, the second half of the film shifts towards the dramatic and romantic side. Bandslam shows us what kind problems and obstacles high school students face through Will and Charlotte. Surprisingly, this film becomes serious at times when dealing with some of Will and Charlotte's issues and/or past and also shows us that these three young-adults can act.
While this film isn't a musical it does include a few songs and they are actually pretty enjoyable. The film doesn't drown us with the pop music found in High School Musical but instead shows us a sound that isn't found in films as much and that sound is "ska." The final song of the film includes an enjoyable mix a guitars, trumpets, piano, and even a cello which form together to make a song that I didn't laugh at when it was said and done.
Bandslam is a film that includes drama, romance, and a lot of laughs while avoiding other negative elements like sex, language, or crass humor making it a great one for the family. I walked out of the theater surprised at the good acting, good music, and good story that Bandslam included. 3.5 out of 5.
Bandslam has a running time of 1 hour and 51 minuets and is rated PG for some thematic elements and mild language.
Monday, August 10, 2009
G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra
G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra is what I consider the last action film of the 2009 summer season(that I will be able to see anyway.) I didn't go into this movie with high expectations like I did with X-Men or Harry Potter earlier this year but I was looking forward to crazy action and visual effects...my expectations were met. G.I. Joe is a wild ride of action sequences that join together to make a great popcorn flick. However, when you're done raving about the action, there are some other things to consider that weren't as swell.
The film is titled, The Rise of Cobra, and when the credits roll that's exactly what the viewers have just seen. The story tells of how the secret organization of Cobra gets started and the evolution of two members into Cobra Commander and Destro. In the beginning we see James McCullen, head of the weapons company M.A.R.S., who has just developed nanotechnology-based weapons which can destroy anything including entire cities. Four of these nano-warheads are then needed to be delivered by the U.S. Army. In the group are Duke(Channing Tatum) and Wallace Weems/Ripcord(Marlon Wayans) who try to keep the weapons in good hands only to get attacked by Cobra and The Baroness(Sienna Miller.) After the two men are saved by a secret organization named G.I. Joe, they are recruited by General Hawk(Dennis Quaid) to help bring down Cobra.
Director Stephen Sommers seemed to be the perfect director for a fast-paced action film when we look at his past works which include the first two Mummy films and Van Helsing. Interestingly enough, there were four actors in G.I. Joe that had previously acted in the Mummy franchise including Brendan Fraser and Arnold Vosloo. Sommers did what he does best in G.I. Joe because the action was jaw-dropping. The action ranged from gun shooting, to chase scenes, to two Ninjas(one of them played by Ray Parks) going at it with fists and swords. If nothing else, you have to love the action because it is the film's greatest factor. Meaning that if it wasn't there, my enjoyment of the movie would have been diminished.
On action's cake, there can be no other icing than visual effects and oh my that icing is SWEET. Just like the cartoon, there are underwater bases, futuristic weapons, and nanites being injected into people and eating them alive(wait...that wasn't into the cartoon.) Many people probably remember that in the trailer there is a scene where the Eiffel Tower collapses and in the film, it is truly amazing how real that scene looks. One thing that others including my father struggled to push aside is that parts of G.I Joe are just over the top. The reason I didn't have a problem with that is because, as I said before, it's based on a cartoon so of course it's over the top at times. The cartoon was that way so why shouldn't the film adaptation be that way?
Action is the element that dominates the film and it almost doesn't stop which from a critic's perspective can actually be a bad thing. Other things like dialogue and character development are pushed away to make way for the fights. The dialogue at times is cheesy and made me cringe on the inside at times. It wasn't to the point were I was laughing but...it could have been better. As far as character development goes, there are only three of the many characters that we get to really know due to the flashbacks that are provided about Duke and the two ninjas, Snake Eyes and Storm Shadow. As for the rest of the characters...you find out there name's and go straight to the action.
G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra is a great flick for those who want to see top-notch action. However, if you are looking for a movie with great dialogue and an equal amount of other important elements like drama or character development then this isn't the one for you. I went in wanting action and that's what I got. Stephen Sommers has added a great addition to his works and I have high hopes for the sequels. 3 stars out of 5.
G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra has a running time of 118 minutes. The film is rated PG-13 for strong sequences of action violence and mayhem throughout.
The film is titled, The Rise of Cobra, and when the credits roll that's exactly what the viewers have just seen. The story tells of how the secret organization of Cobra gets started and the evolution of two members into Cobra Commander and Destro. In the beginning we see James McCullen, head of the weapons company M.A.R.S., who has just developed nanotechnology-based weapons which can destroy anything including entire cities. Four of these nano-warheads are then needed to be delivered by the U.S. Army. In the group are Duke(Channing Tatum) and Wallace Weems/Ripcord(Marlon Wayans) who try to keep the weapons in good hands only to get attacked by Cobra and The Baroness(Sienna Miller.) After the two men are saved by a secret organization named G.I. Joe, they are recruited by General Hawk(Dennis Quaid) to help bring down Cobra.
Director Stephen Sommers seemed to be the perfect director for a fast-paced action film when we look at his past works which include the first two Mummy films and Van Helsing. Interestingly enough, there were four actors in G.I. Joe that had previously acted in the Mummy franchise including Brendan Fraser and Arnold Vosloo. Sommers did what he does best in G.I. Joe because the action was jaw-dropping. The action ranged from gun shooting, to chase scenes, to two Ninjas(one of them played by Ray Parks) going at it with fists and swords. If nothing else, you have to love the action because it is the film's greatest factor. Meaning that if it wasn't there, my enjoyment of the movie would have been diminished.
On action's cake, there can be no other icing than visual effects and oh my that icing is SWEET. Just like the cartoon, there are underwater bases, futuristic weapons, and nanites being injected into people and eating them alive(wait...that wasn't into the cartoon.) Many people probably remember that in the trailer there is a scene where the Eiffel Tower collapses and in the film, it is truly amazing how real that scene looks. One thing that others including my father struggled to push aside is that parts of G.I Joe are just over the top. The reason I didn't have a problem with that is because, as I said before, it's based on a cartoon so of course it's over the top at times. The cartoon was that way so why shouldn't the film adaptation be that way?
Action is the element that dominates the film and it almost doesn't stop which from a critic's perspective can actually be a bad thing. Other things like dialogue and character development are pushed away to make way for the fights. The dialogue at times is cheesy and made me cringe on the inside at times. It wasn't to the point were I was laughing but...it could have been better. As far as character development goes, there are only three of the many characters that we get to really know due to the flashbacks that are provided about Duke and the two ninjas, Snake Eyes and Storm Shadow. As for the rest of the characters...you find out there name's and go straight to the action.
G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra is a great flick for those who want to see top-notch action. However, if you are looking for a movie with great dialogue and an equal amount of other important elements like drama or character development then this isn't the one for you. I went in wanting action and that's what I got. Stephen Sommers has added a great addition to his works and I have high hopes for the sequels. 3 stars out of 5.
G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra has a running time of 118 minutes. The film is rated PG-13 for strong sequences of action violence and mayhem throughout.
Friday, July 31, 2009
One Year!
I think it is important to say that it has now been one year since I first created my blog site cashmoneymovies. I will now thank my family who helped motivate me to make the site, my friends who visit it, and the Citrus County Chronicle for giving me the opportunity to write for the newspaper because it has greatly improved the popularity of my site. Thanks to everyone and keep come back because as the school year stars and vacation ends I will start doing weekly news updates instead of movie reviews(reviews will be thrown in there every now and then as well.)
Thursday, July 30, 2009
Harry Potter The Exhibition
Last week my family and I had the great experience of going on vacation to Chicago. There are skyscrapers, great restaurants, and many museums but the highlight of our trip was visiting the Museum of Science and Industry. Inside this HUGE museum, I witnessed the first ever Harry Potter exhibit and I was not disappointed in any way.
For any Potter fan, the excitement grows as you approach the museum with incredible huge banners hung up across the entrance of the building. The ground floor where you buy the tickets to get into the museum has the only prop in the entire place that you can take a picture of and that is the flying car from Chamber of Secrets. After a few rounds of escalators you find yourself in front of the entrance of the exhibit and after a walk down a long hallway, you open the doors and are tossed into a whole different realm. Before you actually see the costumes and props from the film, a few volunteers are picked out and sorted by the Sorting Hat seen in several of the films. After a quick film presentation, the walls lift up and you find yourself at Hogwarts Station next to the Hogwarts Express and none other than Rubeus Hagrid is there to greet you. Now you are fully immersed in hundreds of artifacts from all six Harry Potter films.
The exhibit is divided into several areas and the first one is the Gryffindor common room. Here you can find costumes, wands, and accessories owned by the three main characters of the film, Harry, Ron, and Hermione(a few other character's are also featured here.) There are also several moving pictures as well. Next to the common room you can find all the teachers at Hogwarts and things that they use in the film as well including Severus Snape's robes, the giant jack-in-a-box from the third film, and all of Dolores Umbridge's pink accessories.
From there you enter the quidditch area where you can see all the sports robes worn by every character like Victor Krum and Draco Malfoy. People can also step up to a fun interactive exhibit where you can toss a quaffle into the rings seen in all quidditch games. Also in this room is Hagrid's Hut where you can step inside and see all of the half-giants favorite things from all the films including his Giant outfit. You can even sit down in his giant chair that Daniel Radcliffe himself has sat in(OMG chills.)
"First-and understand this Harry 'cause it's very important-not all wizards are good..."(Rubeuus Hagrid.) The third area of this exhibit takes us into the darker realm of the Harry Potter series with things like giant chess pieces, an eerie Dementor and the robes of Lord Voldemort. All things about the Death Eaters and dark objects can be found in this room. This was my personal favorite because it included some of the coolest artifacts from the film and I think they even tried to make this area colder than the others to add to the atmosphere.
The last section of the exhibit is the Great Hall where floating candles, replica's of the food and desert(yummy), and costumes from the Yule Ball as seen in the fourth film were present. The outfits of Albus Dumbledoor, Minerva McGonagall, and Sirius Black can also be seen here. After that you see several more moving pictures and the exhibit sadly comes to a close but the fun is not over. At the end of the exhibition, there is a gift shop that includes merchandise that I'm almost positive can't be found anywhere else(unless you buy it online.) Movie replica's of the characters' wands, the entire Marauder's Map, and a variety of artwork are just a few items up for sale. You can even purchase a replica of the Nimbus 2000 or a Firebolt broomstick(very expensive though.) I personally now own a replica of Voldemort's wand.
I was truly amazed with the Harry Potter Exhibition at the Museum of Science and Industry. I have not even named half of the things that you will see at this exhibit. Near the end of September the exhibit will leave Chicago and travel to Boston but I can't wait till it finds its way n
ear Florida because when it does, I will gladly see it again.
For any Potter fan, the excitement grows as you approach the museum with incredible huge banners hung up across the entrance of the building. The ground floor where you buy the tickets to get into the museum has the only prop in the entire place that you can take a picture of and that is the flying car from Chamber of Secrets. After a few rounds of escalators you find yourself in front of the entrance of the exhibit and after a walk down a long hallway, you open the doors and are tossed into a whole different realm. Before you actually see the costumes and props from the film, a few volunteers are picked out and sorted by the Sorting Hat seen in several of the films. After a quick film presentation, the walls lift up and you find yourself at Hogwarts Station next to the Hogwarts Express and none other than Rubeus Hagrid is there to greet you. Now you are fully immersed in hundreds of artifacts from all six Harry Potter films.
The exhibit is divided into several areas and the first one is the Gryffindor common room. Here you can find costumes, wands, and accessories owned by the three main characters of the film, Harry, Ron, and Hermione(a few other character's are also featured here.) There are also several moving pictures as well. Next to the common room you can find all the teachers at Hogwarts and things that they use in the film as well including Severus Snape's robes, the giant jack-in-a-box from the third film, and all of Dolores Umbridge's pink accessories.
From there you enter the quidditch area where you can see all the sports robes worn by every character like Victor Krum and Draco Malfoy. People can also step up to a fun interactive exhibit where you can toss a quaffle into the rings seen in all quidditch games. Also in this room is Hagrid's Hut where you can step inside and see all of the half-giants favorite things from all the films including his Giant outfit. You can even sit down in his giant chair that Daniel Radcliffe himself has sat in(OMG chills.)
"First-and understand this Harry 'cause it's very important-not all wizards are good..."(Rubeuus Hagrid.) The third area of this exhibit takes us into the darker realm of the Harry Potter series with things like giant chess pieces, an eerie Dementor and the robes of Lord Voldemort. All things about the Death Eaters and dark objects can be found in this room. This was my personal favorite because it included some of the coolest artifacts from the film and I think they even tried to make this area colder than the others to add to the atmosphere.
The last section of the exhibit is the Great Hall where floating candles, replica's of the food and desert(yummy), and costumes from the Yule Ball as seen in the fourth film were present. The outfits of Albus Dumbledoor, Minerva McGonagall, and Sirius Black can also be seen here. After that you see several more moving pictures and the exhibit sadly comes to a close but the fun is not over. At the end of the exhibition, there is a gift shop that includes merchandise that I'm almost positive can't be found anywhere else(unless you buy it online.) Movie replica's of the characters' wands, the entire Marauder's Map, and a variety of artwork are just a few items up for sale. You can even purchase a replica of the Nimbus 2000 or a Firebolt broomstick(very expensive though.) I personally now own a replica of Voldemort's wand.
I was truly amazed with the Harry Potter Exhibition at the Museum of Science and Industry. I have not even named half of the things that you will see at this exhibit. Near the end of September the exhibit will leave Chicago and travel to Boston but I can't wait till it finds its way n
ear Florida because when it does, I will gladly see it again.Thursday, July 16, 2009
Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince
A NOTE TO THE FANS: THERE ARE SOME THINGS IN THIS FILM THAT YOU MAY DISAGREE WITH, LIKE WHAT THEY CUT OUT OR USE OF CHARACTERS. I WAS UPSET WITH SOME OF THESE BUT SINCE THIS IS A MOVIE REVIEW I AM CASTING MY FAN INPUT ASIDE.
Last November, fans were outraged when they learned that the sixth installment of the Harry Potter series would be pushed back until July 15th...but now the wait is over. Wednesday morning at 12:01 a.m., I set my eyes upon the visually stunning Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince. In this installment, the shadow of Lord Voldemort's evil reign is very prevalent, making this film the darkest yet. However, what screen writer Steve Kloves managed to do is balance the amount of darkness with romance and comedy. This picture had more of these three elements than the first five, and they are what I will talk about in this review.
Before that though, let me explain the plot line. Now this film has many sub-plots, but after looking back, there is one main plot that looms over the whole film. After the grand opening, we see the main hero, Harry Potter(Daniel Radcliffe), alongside Professor Albus Dumbledore(Michael Gambon.) Together they travel to the home of Horace Slughorn(Jim Broadbent) so that Dumbledore can recruit him to teach at Hogwarts school. It turns out that teaching isn't the only reason Dumbledore hired Slughorn. Knowing that Slughorn holds the memory that will tell how to once and for all kill Voldemeort, Dumbledore sends Harry to become one of the his pet student in hopes of learning the secret. As always, Harry has the help of his two best friends Ron Weasley(Rupert Grint) and Hermione Granger(Emma Watson.)
Now I can talk about the three main elements in this film. First, let's look at the romance. Harry's classmates are growing up, so obviously we had to know the romantic themes would arrive eventually. Sure enough, this film contains more romance than all of its predecessors and it is the element that dominated the film. When the students arrived at Hogwarts, not many scenes went by with either a couple seen making out, students acting jealous towards one anothher, or nervous tensions dominating the scene. Because of this, Half Blood Prince(HBP) is more like watching a romantic comedy rather than a fantasy epic, thus making it much different from the first five.
Now for the comedy: HBP is also the funniest Potter film to date with comedy falling into almost all of the scenes that weren't dark or intense. Most of the time the comedy interacted with the romance, but there are all forms of comedy in this film and interestingly enough, this is the funniest film I've seen all summer (I've seen some pitiful comedies.) Both the romance and comedy were important because it helped the film not be sad and dark the whole two and a half hours. When a sad or intense scene would come up, comedy would bounce up after it.
THIS NEXT PARAGRAPH CONTAINS A FEW VERY MINOR SPOILERS.
This film has more romance and comedy but it also contains more dark, intense elements than the first five as well. Besides the fact that the world is falling into darkness because of Voldemort, there are other subjects and scenes that are very intense. For example, near the climax, Harry must force Dumbledore to drink a liquid that is torturing his mind and soon after they are attacked by zombie like creatures. HBP contains several battles, some bloody moments, and at times feels very sad and hopeless with the essence of death throughout the film. If it were not for Harry's somewhat reassuring word's at the picture's end, I would have left feeling very sad.
Let me wrap up with a few other variables of the film. The special effects were great and exceeded the past films like everything else. I was very happy to see Quidditch back in the film and the sport looks much more real than the first three films. All the action sequences had great CGI, which made them more enjoyable. Also, as the trio grows older(Dan, Rupert, and Emma), their acting improves as well and it shows in HBP. Other actors such as Michael Gambon, Jim Broadbent, and especially Alan Rickmen(who once again acts greatly as Severus Snape) all put on solid performances.
Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince is a stunning film that has just about everything... action, romance, comedy, suspense, drama, and good deal of redemptive content, like sacrifice and putting one's self before another. While this Potter film may not be as impressive as Mike Newell's Goblet of Fire(the fourth in the series), it is a great installment in the series and it leaves me longing for the final two films. 4 stars out of 5.
Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince has a running time of two hours and thirty-three minutes. It is rated PG for scary images, some violence, language and mild sensuality.
Last November, fans were outraged when they learned that the sixth installment of the Harry Potter series would be pushed back until July 15th...but now the wait is over. Wednesday morning at 12:01 a.m., I set my eyes upon the visually stunning Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince. In this installment, the shadow of Lord Voldemort's evil reign is very prevalent, making this film the darkest yet. However, what screen writer Steve Kloves managed to do is balance the amount of darkness with romance and comedy. This picture had more of these three elements than the first five, and they are what I will talk about in this review.
Before that though, let me explain the plot line. Now this film has many sub-plots, but after looking back, there is one main plot that looms over the whole film. After the grand opening, we see the main hero, Harry Potter(Daniel Radcliffe), alongside Professor Albus Dumbledore(Michael Gambon.) Together they travel to the home of Horace Slughorn(Jim Broadbent) so that Dumbledore can recruit him to teach at Hogwarts school. It turns out that teaching isn't the only reason Dumbledore hired Slughorn. Knowing that Slughorn holds the memory that will tell how to once and for all kill Voldemeort, Dumbledore sends Harry to become one of the his pet student in hopes of learning the secret. As always, Harry has the help of his two best friends Ron Weasley(Rupert Grint) and Hermione Granger(Emma Watson.)
Now I can talk about the three main elements in this film. First, let's look at the romance. Harry's classmates are growing up, so obviously we had to know the romantic themes would arrive eventually. Sure enough, this film contains more romance than all of its predecessors and it is the element that dominated the film. When the students arrived at Hogwarts, not many scenes went by with either a couple seen making out, students acting jealous towards one anothher, or nervous tensions dominating the scene. Because of this, Half Blood Prince(HBP) is more like watching a romantic comedy rather than a fantasy epic, thus making it much different from the first five.
Now for the comedy: HBP is also the funniest Potter film to date with comedy falling into almost all of the scenes that weren't dark or intense. Most of the time the comedy interacted with the romance, but there are all forms of comedy in this film and interestingly enough, this is the funniest film I've seen all summer (I've seen some pitiful comedies.) Both the romance and comedy were important because it helped the film not be sad and dark the whole two and a half hours. When a sad or intense scene would come up, comedy would bounce up after it.
THIS NEXT PARAGRAPH CONTAINS A FEW VERY MINOR SPOILERS.
This film has more romance and comedy but it also contains more dark, intense elements than the first five as well. Besides the fact that the world is falling into darkness because of Voldemort, there are other subjects and scenes that are very intense. For example, near the climax, Harry must force Dumbledore to drink a liquid that is torturing his mind and soon after they are attacked by zombie like creatures. HBP contains several battles, some bloody moments, and at times feels very sad and hopeless with the essence of death throughout the film. If it were not for Harry's somewhat reassuring word's at the picture's end, I would have left feeling very sad.
Let me wrap up with a few other variables of the film. The special effects were great and exceeded the past films like everything else. I was very happy to see Quidditch back in the film and the sport looks much more real than the first three films. All the action sequences had great CGI, which made them more enjoyable. Also, as the trio grows older(Dan, Rupert, and Emma), their acting improves as well and it shows in HBP. Other actors such as Michael Gambon, Jim Broadbent, and especially Alan Rickmen(who once again acts greatly as Severus Snape) all put on solid performances.
Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince is a stunning film that has just about everything... action, romance, comedy, suspense, drama, and good deal of redemptive content, like sacrifice and putting one's self before another. While this Potter film may not be as impressive as Mike Newell's Goblet of Fire(the fourth in the series), it is a great installment in the series and it leaves me longing for the final two films. 4 stars out of 5.
Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince has a running time of two hours and thirty-three minutes. It is rated PG for scary images, some violence, language and mild sensuality.
Sunday, July 5, 2009
Harry Potter Updates
The time to start viewing the first five Potter films have arrived because the long and I mean LONG awaited sixth installment of the franchise is less than ten days away. Last November fans(including myself) were largely upset by Warner Brothers decision to push Half Blood Prince(HBP) to this summer. This was due to the fact that The Dark Knight made so much money so WB pushed it back so they could spread out the wealth. But now the wait is over and there are several news bits about the new film and the last two. Several reviews have been posted on various websites and all of them have been positive. While I do not have the names of the site...you can Google it.
-First of all, the three main actors will be appearing on select talk shows several nights this week. The schedule is as followed:
WEDNESDAY
Late Night with David Letterman-Emma Watson
THURSDAY
Live with Regis and Kelly-Rupert Grint
Late Night with David Letterman-Daniel Radcliffe
FRIDAY
Live with Regis and Kelly-Daneil Radcliff
-Next on the list is that HBO aired there about twelve minute behind the scenes look at HBP. You can find the two parts at the bottom of the screen above the trailer for the film. WARNING...the clips involve some spoilers and it shows tidbits of new footage. The spoilers aren't that bad but if you are wanted to see as little of the film as possible before opening night...don't click it.
-There is a small casting update for the last two Potter films. Actor Bill Nighy(most would know him for the last two Pirates of the Caribbean films where he stared as Davy Jones) will appear in the last two films but he is not allowed to say what character yet. Most people think he will play the new Minister of Magic, Rufus Scrimgeour. It's about time Nighy was cast in a Potter film; he's a very talented actor(even with tentacles hanging from his face.)
-So there's your Harry Potter update. I will personally be going to the midnight showing at my local theater and I will probably see it again in IMAX when it's released on the BIG screen July 29th. The best film of the year is coming our way on July 15th at 12:01 a.m.!!
For all kinds of Harry Potter news go to one of my favorite sites...http://mugglenet.com/.
-First of all, the three main actors will be appearing on select talk shows several nights this week. The schedule is as followed:
WEDNESDAY
Late Night with David Letterman-Emma Watson
THURSDAY
Live with Regis and Kelly-Rupert Grint
Late Night with David Letterman-Daniel Radcliffe
FRIDAY
Live with Regis and Kelly-Daneil Radcliff
-Next on the list is that HBO aired there about twelve minute behind the scenes look at HBP. You can find the two parts at the bottom of the screen above the trailer for the film. WARNING...the clips involve some spoilers and it shows tidbits of new footage. The spoilers aren't that bad but if you are wanted to see as little of the film as possible before opening night...don't click it.
-There is a small casting update for the last two Potter films. Actor Bill Nighy(most would know him for the last two Pirates of the Caribbean films where he stared as Davy Jones) will appear in the last two films but he is not allowed to say what character yet. Most people think he will play the new Minister of Magic, Rufus Scrimgeour. It's about time Nighy was cast in a Potter film; he's a very talented actor(even with tentacles hanging from his face.)
-So there's your Harry Potter update. I will personally be going to the midnight showing at my local theater and I will probably see it again in IMAX when it's released on the BIG screen July 29th. The best film of the year is coming our way on July 15th at 12:01 a.m.!!
For all kinds of Harry Potter news go to one of my favorite sites...http://mugglenet.com/.
Sunday, June 28, 2009
Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen
Back in 2007, Michael Bay introduced us to a new kind of sci-fi action that included transforming robots that kicked butt on the silver screen. Now the whole crew of Autobots and Decepticons has returned in "Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen." But this time there is twice the action, twice the CGI, and twice the amazing machines. However, when the movie is said and done, is it twice as good as the first one?
Shia LeBeouf reprises his role as the main contact to the robots, Sam Witwicky, who is going off to college and trying to live his life without interference from the Autobots. However, when the Decepticon leader Megatron(voiced by Hugo Weaving) is resurrected and Earth is threatened by a greater evil known as The Fallen, Sam and his girlfriend(Megan Fox who magically seems to always have make-up on after she gets blown all around the battlefield) is taken back into the war with the leader of the Autobots, Optimus Prime(voiced by Peter Cullen). During the film we learn the story of The Fallen and that he wants to destroy the human race by blowing up the sun and so the new found army of Autobots must stop both Megatron and The Fallen from destroying the world.
YES! Finally I have seen a movie that has a firm plot line. The story in this movie is clear, they explain what the problem is, they say what both the antagonists and the heroes need to do to achieve their goal, and they clearly show how the problem is overcome. Now the only thing that wasn't so swell was that there were many variables in the plot that the makers of the film could have done without. For example, Sam's roommate gets sucked into the adventure but really does nothing important except run around screaming and the movie would have been just the same without him. Sure, the plot line is complex but at least there is one.
In this film, not ten minutes went by without something blowing up or flying across the screen. The action in "Revenge of the Fallen" was relentless and made up a good 3/4 of the film. The CGI was improved and immersed me in an all-out fighting extravaganza between small, mediocre, and larger than life robots. Now these factors were both a good and bad thing. On one hand, the action was great fun, and was of course the biggest thing that made the movie enjoyable. On the other hand, Michael Bay went a little overboard on the amount of action shown in this movie which dragged the film out, which is what I will talk about next.
The movie in all had a just a few problems that made it less enjoyable. For starters, the film could have been a little shorter. Some of the fight scenes were drawn out and the makers didn't do a good job on the pacing. Scenes just lasted forever when they should have been cut a little shorter to make the movie move along faster. Another weird factor was that some of the robots had human traits that were inappropriate including sexual dialogue and humor and lots of cursing. These lines just sounded weird coming from a robot and was also something the movie could have done without. The last thing that degraded my enjoyment was that, like in "Terminator Salvation," there isn't a lot of human emotion or feel to the film because the plot focuses more on the transformers instead of the humans. Besides LeBeouf and Fox's characters, there wasn't a lot of depth from the other characters.
"Revenge of the Fallen" has many good traits like the action and adventure, and many bad traits like the long running time and lack of depth. In the end however, Michael Bay has given us a fun film that will satisfy all fans of the action genre. 2 1/2 out of 5. "Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen has a running time of 2 hours and 30 minutes. The film is rated PG-13 for intense sequences of sci-fi action violence, language, some crude and sexual material, and brief drug material.
Shia LeBeouf reprises his role as the main contact to the robots, Sam Witwicky, who is going off to college and trying to live his life without interference from the Autobots. However, when the Decepticon leader Megatron(voiced by Hugo Weaving) is resurrected and Earth is threatened by a greater evil known as The Fallen, Sam and his girlfriend(Megan Fox who magically seems to always have make-up on after she gets blown all around the battlefield) is taken back into the war with the leader of the Autobots, Optimus Prime(voiced by Peter Cullen). During the film we learn the story of The Fallen and that he wants to destroy the human race by blowing up the sun and so the new found army of Autobots must stop both Megatron and The Fallen from destroying the world.
YES! Finally I have seen a movie that has a firm plot line. The story in this movie is clear, they explain what the problem is, they say what both the antagonists and the heroes need to do to achieve their goal, and they clearly show how the problem is overcome. Now the only thing that wasn't so swell was that there were many variables in the plot that the makers of the film could have done without. For example, Sam's roommate gets sucked into the adventure but really does nothing important except run around screaming and the movie would have been just the same without him. Sure, the plot line is complex but at least there is one.
In this film, not ten minutes went by without something blowing up or flying across the screen. The action in "Revenge of the Fallen" was relentless and made up a good 3/4 of the film. The CGI was improved and immersed me in an all-out fighting extravaganza between small, mediocre, and larger than life robots. Now these factors were both a good and bad thing. On one hand, the action was great fun, and was of course the biggest thing that made the movie enjoyable. On the other hand, Michael Bay went a little overboard on the amount of action shown in this movie which dragged the film out, which is what I will talk about next.
The movie in all had a just a few problems that made it less enjoyable. For starters, the film could have been a little shorter. Some of the fight scenes were drawn out and the makers didn't do a good job on the pacing. Scenes just lasted forever when they should have been cut a little shorter to make the movie move along faster. Another weird factor was that some of the robots had human traits that were inappropriate including sexual dialogue and humor and lots of cursing. These lines just sounded weird coming from a robot and was also something the movie could have done without. The last thing that degraded my enjoyment was that, like in "Terminator Salvation," there isn't a lot of human emotion or feel to the film because the plot focuses more on the transformers instead of the humans. Besides LeBeouf and Fox's characters, there wasn't a lot of depth from the other characters.
"Revenge of the Fallen" has many good traits like the action and adventure, and many bad traits like the long running time and lack of depth. In the end however, Michael Bay has given us a fun film that will satisfy all fans of the action genre. 2 1/2 out of 5. "Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen has a running time of 2 hours and 30 minutes. The film is rated PG-13 for intense sequences of sci-fi action violence, language, some crude and sexual material, and brief drug material.
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