Total Recall Review

Remakes are a tricky thing. They typically end up trying too hard to copy the original material and failing or stray too far from the original material unsuccessfully.  Total Recall is neither of those things.  Rather, it is inspired from the original classic film and offers a new spin on things that not only exceeds its predecessor, but could very well be one of the best sci-fi action films in years.

Utilizing beautifully designed sets and fantastic CGI, the director has created an amazing world that looks great but also has depth and life in this vision of the future that is part Blade Runner meets 5^th Element.  The story goes that the Earth has been ravaged by war and now only two countries remain, both at opposite ends of the planet.  In order to travel from one to the other a massive elevator of a sort is used to travel through the Earth (yes, through it) at intense speeds.  The world also suffers from over-population, making living space the most important resource in this world.  Without spoiling anything else, let’s just say that living space is the center of the plot.  And like the original film, the main hero is bored with his life and using Rekall, discovers his entire life is a lie.  This leads to some very impressive stunts, chase sequences and action that looks fantastic and flows with ease from scene to scene.  The cast of characters all have life to them and have diverse chemistry that makes their interaction enjoyable and fun.

Overall, this is a very well done film.  Better than the original and highly enjoyable every second of the adventure.  A must see.

The Dark Knight Rises Review

The final film in the Nolan trilogy.  Everything leads up to this point, was it worth it?  Absolutely.

Clearly this is a film much more centered on Wayne than it is on Batman.  Don’t get me wrong, there’s still plenty of Batman but this is more of an emotional journey for Wayne fully coming to grips with who he is and part of that his Batman's physical and inner battle with Bane, a villain who can feel no pain thanks to a device he wears over his nose and mouth.  It took me a few moments to adjust to Banes voice, but once I did I found him to be one of the most enjoyable villains of the series.  For this film, Bane was the perfect choice as Waynes emotional journey will take him all the way back to the beginning.  In some ways Bane is the physical manifestation of what is holding Wayne back from fully becoming the Batman, giving true meaning to "What do we do when we fall?" that is echoed in the first film.

Speaking of villains, we can’t forget Catwoman.  Anna Hathaway plays the role perfectly with just enough style and flirtatiousness that does a good job of matching the character from the comics and other media forms.  She also has some great action scenes and moments with Wayne.

The story is strong, introducing a new character.  A younger cop who gets caught up in the plot and not content to just sit by and follow the rules.  Without spoiling much, Bane escapes from a unique prison, obtains and bomb and holds Gotham in his grip, basically allowing the people of Gotham to live in anarchy.  No rules, no consequences…at least that’s the story.  You’ll need to see the movie to find out what’s going on. 

We also get to see a few new gadgets this time around including the brand new vehicle The Bat.  Nolan’s version of the Batwing, the flying vehicle which gets a lot of screen time and is impressive to watch in combat.

Overall I felt the film could have used a few more scenes with Batman, but aside from that and a few fanboy nitpicks based on the Batman character, this is a very strong, character driven film with great action scenes and an emotional journey that takes its toll on Bruce Wayne as well as the Batman and easily the strongest film of the series.

Teen Wolf: Season 1 Review

Ever have one of those shows that you just think are going to be horribly lame before you even see it?  I mean…the show is called Teen Wolf and it’s on MTV, it already has two strikes against it.  But being the responsible reviewer (and well…I was just bored) I gave it a shot…and you know what? This is really, really good!!  I was hooked from the start.

The first thing you can’t help but feel from the show is how much it’s like Buffy the Vampire Slayer.  I’m not saying it’s coping that great series, it just shares many of the elements that made that show great.  Strong characters, witty dialogue and some fantastic plot twists in a carefully woven story.  Yes there is romance and drama, but like Buffy it’s all balanced perfectly with a lot of great action sequences.  My biggest fear was that the romance between two of the main characters would come off corny, cringe-worthy, Twilightish.  Thankfully, it’s not.  It’s a bit more on the realistic side in how the characters react to the situations presented for them.

Story wise…well, it’s about a teen that gets turned into a Werewolf and falls in love…the twist?  His girlfriend is the daughter of a man who also happens to be the guy in charge of a bunch of werewolf hunters.  And that’s just the start of the complications…I won’t go into the details but let’s just say there are more than werewolves in town. (no, not vampires)

Over-all….I was greatly impressed with this series. It has fantastic special effects and presentation and characters that are very easy to get into right from the start. Characters that seemed shallow at first you discover have so much more underneath.  It’s fantastic and really I would consider equal to my enjoyment I felt watching Buffy.  This is a must watch and season 1 is currently on Netflix streaming.

Dragon Age: Dawn of the Seeker Review

Dragon Age: Dawn of the Seeker takes place in the same rich universe created by Bioware for the Dragon Age video games.  Now, for those that may not play video games you likely lost interest with that statement.  But don’t.  Read on.

First and foremost, this is NOT family friendly.  It’s aimed at adults.  Somewhat recently it was decided that a direct-to-video film would be released (multiple films I might add) that allows us to explore more of the world Bioware created.  The Dragon Age universe is pure fantasy and filled with complexities in religion, politics and war.  Just as rich as any novel you may read and just as exciting.  So, it seemed a perfect fit for a movie.  And you know what? It is.  I was impressed with the details and care taken to make sure this stayed true to the Dragon Age lore.

The animation was very good, especially for a direct to video.  Obviously it’s not going to be Pixar, but the type of animation they used was very stylish and slick.  Characters moved fluidly for the most part and expressed emotion well.  I connected with the characters, especially the main character Cassandra, a Seeker (similar to a Paladin).  A woman who serves the Chantry, the religious order in the world.  The plot follows a well-written political/religious conspiracy story with plenty of action and great character moments.  It just looks good and sounds equally good.

Over-all, I was sucked into the film and enjoyed every second of it (having played the games)  Had I never played any of the games I would still have enjoyed it as the film makes sure to explain enough details to allow non-fans an opportunity to understand how the world of Dragon Age works.  A fantastic film that I would recommend to anyone interested in fantasy stories.

Sector 7 Review

Sector 7 is one of South Korea’s most expensive films, taking its queue from such great classics like Alien and The Abyss.  Our story takes place on an oilrig that doesn’t seem to be drilling much oil.    Without spoiling anything, let’s just say a creature shows up with a surprising twist.  After a few murders the crew starts to suspect one of their own, not realizing until later that the devious acts are that of a large beast with tentacle like arms which come from its body.  It’s a fun film with entertaining characters and some good acting.

The film looks great aside from a few scenes near the end that are obvious green screen effects.  The creature itself is of a great design and very well animated.  There is plenty of suspense to be had here and Korea’s own action queen Ha Ji-won in the leading role has plenty of chances to show us she can be very convincing as the tough girl.

For anyone looking for a good monster flick this is one not to be missed.

The Amazing Spider-Man Review

Spider-man has always been my favorite Marvel superhero in the comics.  They always combined the perfect amount of humor, drama and action.  The previous films tried to capture those elements with mixed results.  So when I heard Spider-Man was being rebooted I had high hopes that they could finally get the character right.  And they partially did.

The first thing you notice about The Amazing Spider-Man is that the film is highly centered on the origin story again.  This probably wasn’t the best approach as we had already seen the origin story in the previous films and though there were some changes it’s pretty much the same thing.  Focusing so much on the origin of the hero tended to make the pacing of the film feel inconsistent and often times too slow.  Thankfully the character interactions really helped those slow times still feel entertaining for the most part, but a little more action would have greatly helped this films pacing problems big time.  Cutting the origin story down a little would have been a good idea.

Speaking of action it looked GREAT.  Seeing Spidey swinging and flipping around was much more exciting than in previous films and fighting a villain that had superior strength (A giant lizard man) was a lot of fun.  The romance between Peter Parker and Gwen Stacy was also pretty enjoyable and humorous.  Speaking of humor…they finally got Spider-Man right for once.  In this film the webslinger is much more funny and slings just as many jokes as he does webs.  Which is a good thing because the tone of the film is a bit darker than the average Spidey comic.

Overall this was a pretty good film with great action and fun characters but the pacing of the film and too much focus on Peter Parker himself really kept it from being GREAT.  It may not have been the perfect Spider-Man film (guess we’ll have to wait for Marvel Studios to get back the rights and make one themselves) it’s still one I enjoyed a bit more than the previous attempts.  Also, the 3D was actually really good and worth the price of admission. 

Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows Review

I was a big fan of the first film. What was not to like?  You had two strong acting leads, engaging story and some highly impressive cinematography.  So, when they announced the sequel I knew it’d be a film to check out. It was…after all…elementary my dear reader.  ;)

Without spoiling too much for fear of angry hordes coming to my horse, stringing me up by my toes and making me watch 10 hours of Dora the Explorer I will make the description brief.  This film takes place a little after the first film, Watson is getting married and Holmes of course isn’t a fan.  Needless to say the honeymoon gets a little exciting…if you know what I mean.  And by that I mean merciless killers attack them on a train leading to an exciting and charismatically entertaining romp as Holmes and Watson discover the dastardly plot of Moriarty who Holmes has been tracking for sometime.

The cinematography is even more impressive this time around.  Slow motion sequences of explosions and bullets as well as the always enjoyable fight scenes.  The final fisticuffs between Holmes and Moriarty is especially impressive.  As always, sprinkled in is the witty banter between the two leads as they take a beating on this adventure.  It’s a brilliant tapestry of detailed set pieces and rich characters.

This is a film not to be missed if you at all enjoyed the first film.  If you haven’t seen the first, do yourself the favor of seeing it first and then renting this one.  It’s worth it.

Brave - Review

So, there's this little animation company...you may have heard of them. Pixar.  A company constantly raising the bar for the evolution of animated films.  Everyone has a favorite film and everyone can agree that even the films they may not like are oozing with professionalism and fantastic concepts.  So, seeing Brave was a bit of a no brainer.  It's a great film that didn't quite do what I was hoping it would do.  But raises the bar none-the-less.

Speaking of animation, did I mention that Pixar created software specifically to deal with the hair of the main character alone?  That may not mean much to those who know very little about animation, but even if you don't realize the little details Pixar does to improve upon itself you will still notice it for sure.  All those little things add up to create a masterful work of animated art.

But Destructus, you say.  Earlier you said it didn't do what you hoped it would do, yet you sound like you really enjoyed it.  Well, I really did appreciate the animation and I did greatly enjoy the characters and the story may have been a little thin but a thin story doesn't take away my enjoyment from a film.  Perhaps I should explain...

The story centers on a princess who is being forced to live according to her parents opinions of how things should be, never allowing her to have a mind of her own.  In hopes of changing her moms mind about being forced to marry one of the prince's from the other 3 kingdoms she buys a magic spell from a witch in order to change her situation.  The spell has a bit of a side-effect in that it turns her mom the Queen into a bear.  And that's where the story somewhat lost my interest.  Pixar has created a vibrant world, easily one of the best looking worlds they have ever done.  But besides a couple trips to the woods we spend most of the film behind the castle walls as the young princess tries to protect her mom who is now a bear from being hunted and killed, meanwhile also working to reverse the spell she put upon her.  It seems a greatly missed opportunity to me.  It would have been a much more interesting film had they allowed the characters to explore the world they live in more. To see interesting environments and perhaps dive a bit deeper into Celtic mythology.  Sadly, that didn't happen.

Overall, it was a beautiful film that Pixar did an amazing job on, but is much too confined when there was so much more than could have been done to make this a more epic adventure.  On a side note, as I was watching the film it did feel a bit more like a Disney film than a Pixar film to me.  Much more kid friendly, with less humor for adults than in previous Pixar films. It's still there, but not as prevailant.

John Carter

I’ll be honest…the horrible reviews from critics for this film really persuaded me not to see it. Typically I don’t listen to professional critics but they seem to all say the same thing and they couldn’t all be wrong….could they?

Well, I finally had the chance to rent it in hopes that perhaps I could find some shining jewel in the muck and grime of what is Disney’s biggest box office failure in recent years and you know what? I REALLY liked it. Really!

Without getting to in-depth with the story (which isn’t complex).  A man in the 1800’s ends up discovering a device off of a dead alien that transports him to Mars where he discovers that due to the gravity difference he has super strength.  Not long after that he’s captured by a primitive alien tribe that’s impressed by his abilities.    Before long he’s involved in a war between two other races, fall in love with a princess and does many many heroic deeds.  On paper, that sounds pretty run of the mill.  But the way it played out felt very much like a classic, pulp fiction style adventure.  Action scenes were fun and entertaining, characters related well to each other.  And while we never really develop an emotional connection to the characters beyond “I hope he does something else awesome”  Maybe that’s enough?  It was for me. 

Let’s take a look at a film like Star Wars.  (A New Hope) the story wasn’t very deep, but the film was fun and kept you engaged and that’s exactly how I felt about John Carter.  It was a fun adventure with over-the-top action, the kind you dreamed about as a child.  Bigger than life heroes taking on the clearly evil bad guy.  That’s what this is…a story of good vs evil and the joy of an adventure.  And with that in mind, I greatly enjoyed the film.  I think it deserves at least one watch.

Safe House Review

I’m a big fan of Denzel Washington.  He always seems to put his all into a role.  So, I was very curious to see how well the chemistry would work between him and Ryan Reynolds.  Thankfully, they seemed to click nicely!  This is a fairly quickly paced film within the spy world containing gritty, fast paced action scenes and more than enough drama and suspense to keep the story flowing.  In some ways the film reminded me a little of the Borne series as the film throws in a fantastic car chase and one on one hand-to-hand fights with a few gunfights peppered in through-out the films story.

 

The story centers on Ryan Reynolds character who operates a Safe House and he’s bored out of his mind. He wants to get out into the field and see some action but instead is stuck in a little room just existing.  All that changes when a supposed rogue agent played by Denzel Washington is brought for…well…let’s just say an off the records interrogation.  The CIA isn’t the only group who was after him however as it isn’t long before guys with guns bust in and that’s really where the story starts.  Ryan Reynolds is forced to rescue Denzel (as it’s the job of the Safe House keeper to protect his “guest”) which leads them on the run from the CIA and the mysterious group of murderers.

Ryan Reynolds career has had quite a few ups and downs so it’s nice to see him in a film that’s solid and strong.  This was an enjoyable, fast paced thriller with a strong cast and one big twist that I was honestly surprised at.  If you’re looking for an action film with a good story then you will enjoy Safe House.

Legend of Korra - Season 1 Review

It's no secret that I am a huge fan of the previous Avatar: The Last Airbender series.  It was one of the very few animated series on American TV that combined fantastic high quality animation with strong, mature character writing. It was one of those shows that was entertaining for kids but much of the meat of the show was really geared towards teens and adults.  The story in general for Avatar is that there are four nations centering on the four elements (Earth, Fire, Water, Air) Within these nations there are those with special gifts based around chi called Bending.  Each person can only master one bending skill.  However, the Avatar is able to bend all four elements with practice and study.  When an Avatar dies (natural or unnatural) that Avatar is then reborn into the next generation (male or female as you will see) in order to keep balance in the world.

So when they announced that there would be a second series taking place many many years after the events of the first show and centering on a new Avatar (Korra, a spunky girl with much to learn) my mind exploded.  I couldn’t wait to see how it would turn out.

Thankfully, my expectations were met and then some.  The animation took a huge step forward coming extremely close to a full feature film in terms of quality.  Emotions are conveyed on the characters faces perfectly as well as their movements showing life-like grace.  The same goes for the story.  While the first series was definitely aimed at a mature audience, this takes that one step farther.  Much of the content will be lost to the very young and there is much more meat for teens and adults to dig into.  The story is filled with strong character emotions, powerfully driven scenes of action and beauty. 

The new Avatar is also very different from Aang.  Where Aang was much more spiritually centered, Korra is much more bullheaded.  She’s aggressive, passionate and even a little cocky at times.  It’s a huge joy to watch as the character evolves into a more peaceful Avatar as she masters the elements and her own emotions while dealing with the attraction she feels for a man who can’t quite decide if he loves Korra or the daughter of a wealthy industrialist.

Season 1 was filled with fantastic quality and depth rarely seen in American TV (live action OR animated) and is highly suggested for anyone who isn’t close-minded in believing that animation is only for kids.

Machine Gun Preacher

This movie was nothing like I thought it would be. I was expecting a by the numbers action film, but what I got was a film deep with heart and soul.  Powerful and moving scenes and some great action sequences.  This film is based off of a true story.

This film tells the story of a man (played by Gerard Butler) who just got out of prison and is the lowest of the low. Addicted to drugs, crime and anything else he can think of.  Until one night when something devastating happens that changes him. He goes to church where God finds him and turns his life around eventually leading him to go to Africa to help those devastated by war and death.

The actors play their parts with strong resolve, Butler is especially convincing as he transforms from the scum of the Earth to a man with a vision.  This film captures not only the beauty of Africa, but the horrors that take place which we rarely see in today’s media.  It’s a mesmerizing film full of intensity in emotion and in the real terrors faced by those who live there.  The characters convey what feels like real emotions and the chemistry between them feels genuine.

This is a movie not to be missed by anyone who enjoys a strongly acted and solidly cinematic film experience.

Prometheus Review

There has been a lot of debate and confusion on whether this film is a prequel to the much loved movie Alien or a completely separate entity.  There is a very easy answer to this and that answer is…

Yes and no.

Ok, so that seems not to clear things up.  But just stick with me for a bit and you’ll understand.   Prometheus does show how the Xenomorphs (the aliens in the Alien movies) are created as well as answer a few other questions fans of been wondering about for a long time with the first Alien film. However, these things are more a product of the end result of what happens in Prometheus rather than the core of the movie itself.  It uses the same universe that Alien takes place in as a jumping off point to start a whole new story.  One that seeks to answer the questions regarding the creation of life.  It’s more a movie of discovery.  And this is why the trailers shown don’t do the film justice.

That leads me to how the film was advertised.  The studio tried to make the film seem intense, scary and graphic like the original Alien film but it’s false advertising.  If anything this film falls more into the category of a Suspense/Thriller.  There are certainly plenty of scenes that are intense, but it’s more about exploration.

This is easily one of the most beautifully filmed sci-fi films ever to come out.  Environments have that sci-fi yet grounded in reality that Director Ridely Scott is known for and the action sequences are gripping and calculated.  The characters within this world may not be as deep as some films, but the core cast keeps the plot interesting.  Secondary characters are mainly there to die and/or add humor.  But because the story is so interesting and the core characters carry it so well it doesn’t detract from the enjoyment of the film.

All in all this is a fantastic and engaging film that is easily one of the best Sci-Fi films I’ve seen in some time and worthy of checking out.  On a side note the 3D was actually quite impressive!