Finding Nemo is a great film and you should rush out to see it this weekend whether you like 3D or not.
Review: Green Lantern
06/17/2011 by Leave a Comment
Green Lantern is quite the mess at times, but the fantasy elements of the film, along with the, mostly, stellar special effects and 3D, make for a film worth checking out if interested.
This is an origin story for the DC Comics property and all of the classic tropes will be found here. A talented, young, and attractive Hal Jordan is a top notch fighter pilot with a couple demons to battle and lessons to be learned. When the greatest Green Lantern, Abin Sur, is attacked by the Green Lantern Corps long thought lost enemy, Parallax, Sur rushes to Earth to let his ring select its replacement. The ring selects Jordan and he is thrust into a battle to protect the Universe, a battle between Will and Fear, with Earth possibly being threatened by Parallax next.
The film is not without its problems, and while I enjoyed watching it, I could easily rip it apart in more than a couple areas. First, the score is horrible. The music sounds like it was a reject score from an 80′s fantasy movie with bad guitar and all. The mixing of the score feels really hidden as well, never coming to the forefront and hiding away like it should. The scores from Thor and X-Men helped elevate their material, whereas Lantern’s noticeably distracted me from the film. In other words, never underestimate the effect the score can have on a picture.
Now Playing Review – Green Lantern
06/17/2011 by Leave a Comment
As a character the Green Lantern doesn’t have as large of a fan base as the big names like Batman, Superman, and Spider-man. Heck, a lot of people who don’t proudly call themselves nerdy aren’t even aware of him. Luckily for the more obscure superheroes, the film swell for the genre is bringing more attention to the lesser known. Too bad first impressions are everything in this business.
Similar to what feels like at least a fourth of films today, Green Lantern opens in space, presenting just how large of a world this version of the universe is, with an ample mythology in tow. Think on the scale of Star Wars or Mass Effect, if not larger. Long story short, we are not alone and Earth is far from the only inhabited planet in the galaxy, unbeknownst to humanity. What better than a world devouring evildoer to fill the population in on this little fact? Good thing there is a group of intergalactic crime-fighters created long ago to counterbalance this evil. Known as the Green Lantern Corps, these protectors use the harnessed power of will to create anything that their mind can envision. [Read more...]
Now Playing Review – Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides
05/24/2011 by 2 Comments
With the release of L.A. Noire last Tuesday my time has been embarrassingly devoted to playing through the video game, so I may have gotten behind on reviewing the new Pirates of the Caribbean film. I wish I could say this was the only reason for the delay, but it may have to do with the simple fact that I didn’t want to admit that I did not really like it (granted the power outage didn’t help). Guess it won’t be getting that spot on my list of the successful high numbered sequels of the year after all…
On Stranger Tides brings back everyone’s favorite swashbuckler in the hopes of restoring the series to the glory that has been slowly washing away since The Curse of the Black Pearl. Johnny Depp is as entertainingly eccentric as ever as Captain Jack Sparrow on the new treasure hunt to find the Fountain of Youth, but it turns out that his perfected pirate cannot actually carry a film without the help of the characters that he was developed around in the prior films. [Read more...]
Review: Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides
05/19/2011 by Leave a Comment
Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides is a less fantastical experience then the previous films but if you are a fan of Jack Sparrow and the series I am sure you will find some fun in this picture.
Will and Elizabeth are gone and we pick up where the last few moments of At World’s End left off, with Captain Jack Sparrow on the hunt for the Fountain of Youth. Things were left leading us to believe that the race would be between Barbossa and Sparrow for the fountain, but a bit of convoluting has gotten The British and Spanish thrones involved, along with the legendary pirate Blackbeard. In fact, our adventure begins in England where Jack is attempting to rescue Gibbs, who is accused of being Sparrow, while Jack also tracks down an imposter claiming to be Sparrow; whom is also recruiting a crew for a mysterious mission. Barbossa is working for the English Throne, Sparrow’s ex is rolling with Blackbeard, and Jack finds himself, again, in a mix of allegiances we might not be able to keep track of.
Review: The King’s Speech
12/22/2010 by Leave a Comment
The King’s Speech is a fantastic retelling of King George VI over coming his speech impediment and his rise to the throne that is funny, sharp, and interesting every step of the way.
Prince Albert was always a well respected leader and Duke in England and among the family but the rise of the wireless during his time forced him into the public eye in a way that never suited him; as a public speaker. Albert was the confidant and by the books second son of George V and Albert was more than content and resigned to his role as the next in line behind his brother Edward. But when Albert begins work with a new speech therapist, Lionel Louge, his previous unfounded progress with his impediment begins to appear. Both Louge and Albert’s wife, Elizabeth, begin to see a potential future on the thrown if Edward continues down his current path of un-royal actions, but that is something that Albert both fears and is reluctant to embrace.
The Decade's Best – Munich (2005)
09/18/2009 by Leave a Comment
Steven Spielberg’s – Munich (2005)
Steven Spielberg continued his successful run of historical period pieces with this spy/thriller of sorts following the Israeli reaction to 1972 Munich Olympic hostage massacre that not only captures the tension of assassination, but perfectly conveys the right vs. wrong of the Israel/Palestine conflict.
The film opens amid a flashback that we will re-visit throughout the film of the Palestinian terrorists group Black September infiltrating the Olympic housing and taking the Israeli athletes hostage. After following the press/public perspective of the event unfolding, leading up to the haunting line “There all gone,” on NBC’s broadcast. We next jump to a top secret meeting of Mossad in which lead by the Prime Minister of Isreal they compile a list of targets as part of retaliation and retribution of the terrorist attack. To lead this mission they recruit Avner, the son of a war hero and a former body guard of the Prime Minister. With the aid of four other specialized individuals, bombs, documents, clean up, and cars, he will eliminate the desired targets as all ties are cut from his connection to the government. Operating on cash out of a safety deposit box and names on a list Avner is at his own means to locate their targets and eliminate them. [Read more...]
Review: $9.99
08/03/2009 by Leave a Comment
This latest stop motion animated drama is an odd, lonely, and somewhat interesting tale that doesn’t do anything special and leaves you a bit bewildered with everything.
The film focuses on a set of individuals living in an apartment building as they all deal with issues in their lives while also coming rather loosely connected to one another. There is a man who lives with his son that is searching for direction in life through a series of 9.99 books in a catalog while his dad copes with his wife having left him years ago and the recent suicide of a homeless man indirectly because of him. The other sibling in this family falls for a new tenant who is a spokesman on TV and she has a thing for hairlessness. A near engaged couple deals with an impending break up as the young man copes by smoking weed, drinks, and chows on junk food with three miniature people. There is also a boy who becomes attached to his piggy bank. And lastly, an old man meets an angel and the two begin to bond over discussions on life and what not. [Read more...]
Review: Elizabeth: The Golden Age
02/18/2008 by Leave a Comment
The follow up to the Oscar nominated film, Elizabeth, allows Cate Blanchett to get back into the role that made her famous and the result is a mixed bag.
Spain is threatening the rule of England and their way of life as the King Phillip of Spain uses the command of God and spread of Catholicism as an excuse to try and seize power in the Western world. Having bit at odds for sometime we come in on the action just as the tipping point tips and the wheels are put into motion to dethrone Elizabeth from her seat. [Read more...]
