Martin Scorsese’s Hugo takes a bit to find its way, but once it does it is a marvelous tale of filmmaking and wonder that is, quite possibly, the best use of 3D yet. [Read more...]
Review: Let Me In
10/02/2010 by Leave a Comment
Let Me In is one of the most successful foreign film adaptations ever and it does that by pulling from both the source novel and the film to give itself enough of its own identity to forget about the original film, Let the Right One In, if you have seen it.
Reviewing Matt Reeves’ film is a tough endeavor for me as I love the original film by Tomas Alfredson, and you should check it out if you haven’t as it is streaming on Netflix, and I can’t help but compare the two films here. I hopefully will convey a stand alone opinion of Let Me In by the end of this review. Reeves’ film is intense, atmospheric, and doesn’t stray too far away from the original film. Having not read the book I don’t know if the differences in the films are taken from their or not but when Reeves breaks off the film still work wonderfully.
Now Playing Review – Let Me In
10/01/2010 by Leave a Comment
When it comes to films like Let Me In, the most recent adaptation to the already adapted to film novel Let the Right One In, the viewing audience seems to fit into two camps. On one side of no man’s land reside the purists, those who think that the Americanization of foreign films is a waste, egocentric, and just plain stupid. On the other side are those that think there is room enough for any film that can bring something new to the table. I am one of the latter (though technically it is by default in this case since I have neither seen the original nor read the book), but no matter the side you fall on I hope you are willing to see what this film has to offer.
For those of you who don’t know Let Me In is yet another vampire story. But check your groans at the door. Instead of the romanticized idea of beautiful creatures or the brutality of a mass of soulless beings, Let Me In approaches this creature feature as realistically as possible by blending the story of a visually young vampire with her new neighbor, a young boy who is bullied at school and finds friendship with his equally lonely neighbor. Apparently it is actually hard to live as a vampire. Who knew? [Read more...]
Comic-Con International 2010 – My Experience in Nerd Heaven
08/02/2010 by 1 Comment
A couple of weeks ago I excitedly told my aunt that I was going to Comic Con in a week, with a big ol’ smile on my face. I didn’t really expect her to be jealous, but I was overly excited. Then she asked if it was a gathering of comics or something. As in comedians. I then proceeded to try and explain that it was this really cool event that happens each year that has been taken over by Hollywood in the past decade or so. Basically it has everything a nerd would desire to see, including comics, writers, artists, video games, tv shows, and movies. I told her about the panels I was planning on sitting in on and some of the people that were scheduled to attend. I was adamant about making her see how awesome it was, but she just didn’t get it. Color me deflated. Oh well, I guess Comic Con is just for certain people…
Like this girl:
Now Playing Review – Kick-Ass
04/25/2010 by 2 Comments
If I have learned anything from all the years of loving superheroes, I know this: it is pretty stupid to even consider emulating your favorite caped crusader. Well, good thing there are certain individuals who ignore their brain’s hazard signs, because it sure makes for a fun and highly entertaining movie.
In Kick-Ass (sorry mom), Dave Lizewski is a dorky, unpopular high school student who decides that he would like to be a superhero rather than just reading about them in comics. Unfortunately for him, he is not so skilled in the beat ’em up department, but what he lacks in superpowers he makes up for in persistence and good intentions. And what that doesn’t accomplish, well, there are others for that. Doing more than their fair share of the crime fighting thanks to their vengeful path of justice, the father/daughter team of Hit-Girl and Big Daddy live up to Kick-Ass’s name. [Read more...]
Review: Kick-Ass
04/16/2010 by 1 Comment
Kick-Ass is a lot of fun and does a nice job at poking fun at the comic book conventions but I can’t help but wonder if this film would have been better off being called Hit Girl.
Kick-Ass is a wannabe super-hero that doesn’t really have any super powers; he is more of a really ambitious Good Samaritan teenage loser named Dave. Dave is a loser, a big spot of nothing in society that reads comics, masturbates, and hangs out with his only two friends. But after getting fed up with being pushed around he decides to suit up and fight crime and the results don’t go as planned. Though when Dave bounces back he is a bit better suited for the role even if he isn’t quite ready for primetime. Dave tries to discover himself as a man and a crime fighter and his follies will be a plenty as he gets mixed up in a plot involving a couple of fellow rouge vigilante fighters Hit Girl and Big Daddy. A father/daughter team, they are well trained, well equipped, and have a motive of revenge.
Review: Diary of a Wimpy Kid
03/19/2010 by Leave a Comment
This adaptation of the well loved Diary of a Wimpy Kid series finds the right balance of humor and sentiment to make a solid kids movie the whole family can laugh at and enjoy.
Greg Heffley is the titles Wimpy Kid though he doesn’t quite know it. Greg thinks he is hot stuff and will do just about anything to cement his status at his new school, the dreaded Middle School years. Making this process difficult is a series of missteps and self delusion as well his best friend Rowley who isn’t quite hip or with the middle school ways. Beyond this a number of peripheral characters are causing problems as well as they out best Greg or humiliate him in a multitude of ways. Greg’s journey through sixth grade has many downs as he becomes a bigger and bigger outcast and he must redeem himself with his best friend if he wants any chance of saving face to the school and himself.
