Category Archives: Movies

Jul 21 2012

The Dark Knight Rises

I have heard the naysayers, even before walking in the door to the theater, but learned years ago if you want to watch a movie and enjoy it you have to block all of that out.  Having blocked the people who may not be able to appreciate a film on its own merits (you know those who complain because they thought it should be this or that way and are not willing to get over their preconceived notions) I took a seat in the large IMAX theater and braced myself and my bladder for what I knew was a longer-than-average runtime.

The story takes place several years after the last installment, showing Gotham as a city that has come into its own.  The city is no longer a massive slum filled with crime but a city reaching for its potential.  I don’t think that I’m giving too much away when I say the bright and sunny Gotham is about to come crashing down.  I’ll move away from the plot now and focus on the acting.

Christian Bale reprises his role as a Batman who feels like he has nothing to live for or to lose. He brings and emotion, and sometimes even levity, to the complex, broodiest hero of the DC Universe.  The lines of dialogue delivered in the angry whispers of Bale’s Batman have forever changed the way we think the character speaks.  He gets hurt, badly and often, and his body has been destroyed by the punishment of years of crime fighting. He brings a very human quality to Batman, reminding us that he is only a man with all of his physical weakness.

Anne Hathaway does an amazing job as Catwoman, playing the thief with all the charm and moral flexibility a career criminal should have. She plays her (like all the Noland characters) as a real person, not the caricature some of the movie portrayals have gone to in recent years. I think her performance may have been the best of the whole cast.

Tom Hardy as Bane is hard for me to describe.  The character is so far from what I’m used to in the pages of the comics.  Hardy did his best, and I’m sure acting through a mask covering most of your face is hard.  Still, I felt like Bane was a paper villain.  The character was given layers of back story and motivation but in the end was just a thug.   I just wasn’t impressed by this strong man villain.

The rest of the cast, including Oldman, Cain and Freeman did their usual bang-up job in the supporting roles of Gordon, Alfred and Fox.

The effects, both practical and CG, were great. I never found it hard to suspend my disbelief.  The plot was strong and moved and didn’t make me feel captive in my seat thinking “wow this is long.” Noland focused on telling a trilogy that had a beginning, middle and end, and that is a big part of the strength of this franchise. He created a story that was strong and told well.  Christopher Noland found a great way to wrap up his Dark Knight trilogy with finality. No spoilers, but he did leave the slight thread of hope for the story to continue.

I would see this film again and recommend it.

Jul 6 2012

Amazing Spider-man!

The Amazing Spider-man was simply amazing. I was skeptical of a Spider-man reboot so quickly after the last one wrapped up in 2007. The new “Amazing Spider-man” stars Andrew Garfield as Peter Parker (aka Spidey). Garfield’s interpretation of Parker can only be described what you’d imagine if James Dean played a superhero. The Parker we meet is still smart, but not quite the nerd as previously portrayed. He is a bit of a loner, but still your average high school boy, trying to fit in and talk to the girl he has a crush on.

The choices of Sally Field as Aunt May and Martin Sheen as Uncle Ben bring some energy to the roles often portrayed as frail, elderly and partly clueless. Field’s May is sharp and witty and lets us know she is made of stern stuff, the strength you know that will get her by as a widow. Sheen’s Ben is wise and kind and still an authority figure, one you know will instill the values that will make Spider-man. I’m comfortable I won’t spoil anything in saying, as my wife remarked, it’s sad that Sheen’s character has to die in the first hour.

 Rhys, who I loved his tour de force role as a wiry kicker in The Replacements, plays Doctor Connors, a brilliant geneticist, whose breakthroughs are, shall we say, pivotal to the plot.  Rhys again ads a great depth to a role we’ve seen before.
 We now come to one of my favorites: Emma Stone as Gwen Stacy, a classmate, Parker’s crush and the daughter of a police Captain played by Denis Leary.  Stone does a great job as a modern heroine; she is not only pretty but proactive in her own defense.  She doesn’t need to wait to be rescued, but still will need it. I love Emma Stone in her roles in Zombieland as well as in Easy A. I hope her character sticks around for the next film.
The effects in the film are seamless. My greatest complaint in the previous films was you could tell when Spidey switched between CG and live action. Also, I almost applauded when he had a pice of technology to fire his webs from his wrists and he didn’t just start spinning them himself.
I loved this film and it is all thanks to the script and the exceptional acting in the cast.  I cant wait for a sequel. And if Marvel really wants to make my day, they’ll make one where Spider-man joins the Avengers just like in the pages of my comics.
Jun 9 2012

A Spella for Bella; Snow White & the Huntsman a review

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Hubble, bubble, toil and trouble….
I shall cast my spell

And into my cauldron I will first toss in betrayal

Then seduction, regicide, a princess on the lam, sword wielding dwarfs in a magical land, a brother, a sister that are uncomfortably close,

don’t always lead to a show better than most.

Snow White & the Huntsman is a classic tale,

Brought to books and screen as an enchanting story to never fail,

A Bella Principessa is our less than charming heroine,

A smile is to her somehow foreign,

The Queen is a true Monster, a witch

And I think a succubus,

Draining young girls for their beauty,

She even schemes with poison and magic for her own glory.

A mirror that talks and no one can see

Let’s you think she even might be a little crazy.

A charming rouge with axes in battle is never a bore,

I just keep thinking he was better as Thor,

Special effects that are modern and digital,

Do work seamless with in camera and practical.

A fine film for young audiences with no boobs, blood, or whores,

Will be great for young audiences when they finish their chores,

Safe you will feel when tweens flock from their homes,

I on the other hand will be happier watching the next Game of Thrones.

May 5 2012

The Avengers

What happens when you put a group of super powered “humans” together in one place? In the DC universe you get the Super Friends aka Justice League, in the Marvel Universe you get the dysfunctional ego ridden Avengers. The hero’s of the Avengers are not only The World’s Mightiest Hero’s but some of the world’s most complex.
I have been waiting for this movie for years. The chance to see some of my favorite super hero’s on one screen has been a dream. I then heard that Joss Whedon (creator of Buffy VS, Angel, Firefly, and Dollhouse) was directing and I knew they had the right man of the job. Whedon is not only a terrific storyteller and creative director but he is a fanboy. His love for comics is well know and he in my eyes was the right person for the daunting task of wrangling the an A-list cast and the cast of characters, many of which have very, very complicated back stories starting in the 1930’s.
I have to say success was achieved. The first minutes of the film are filled with action and the action almost never stops. The story, which I won’t give anymore away than the trailers let you know, is about the origin of the Avengers as a team. The World facing alien invasion lead by Thor’s brother Loki and the effort by S.H.E.I.L.D the Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement and Logistics Division, to combat the invasion by assembling the best we have to offer to fight it off.
I don’t think the success of this film would have been possible without the long wind up by Marvel Studios to make the previous Ironman, Capitan America, Thor and Hulk films. The back ground given in those films gave you a primer on the universe and the background on several of the characters involved. You didn’t have to be told that Tony Stark is an ego maniac or that Thor is not of this world or that Cap is true of heart and conviction. The small introduction you got to Black Widow in Ironman 2 and Hawkeye in Thor as well as the easter eggs involving Nick Fury at the end of each film go along way with giving the Avengers a running start.
The action is fast and the story is sound filled with good dialogue and jokes that will keep you and the kids laughing. You even got to see some of the matchup you’ve dreamed about as a kid like Thor vs. Hulk and speaking of the Hulk, Mark Ruffalo may have just made the definitive interpretation of Bruce Banner the Hulks less violent side. I think this is saying a lot considering that there have been two other actors portraying the Hulk in 2003 and 2008.

We’ve seen NYC blown up every way to Sunday. We seem to try to make it an art. The destruction was viewed by a detached bus mirror, through the back of a broken taxi window and in the reflection of the shattering glass of buildings. The creativity gave us a new way to look at the city we seem to love to destroy. I for one if living in the Marvel Universe would not want to live in New York which seems to have a disaster every week.
I loved this movie in case you couldn’t tell. I recommend it you adults and youngsters. The PG-13 rating seems to be for violence. The violence is often against nonhuman looking creatures. So Assemble your friends and head to the movies for Avengers.

Apr 8 2012

G.I. Joe Resolute

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G.I. Joe -Resolute
I was blown away by this animated action flick. I came across it while perusing the Netflix library and consider myself better for it. The animation is top notch and the story was well thought out, it’s not a knowing is half the battle kind of story we grew up with. I mean you see people get shot in the freaking head. The attention to detail was great as the guns fire you see the empty brass jackets ejecting from the chambers.
The story was adult and filled with the subtext. A story line that addresses the love triangle that existed between Duke, Scarlett and Snake Eyes at least in the comic book is brought to a subtle head.
If you grew up watching G.I. Joe I whole heartily recommend watching Resolute.

Mar 24 2012

The Hunger Games


I will first admit to loving the books. I was reluctant at first, fearing it would turn out to be a futuristic Twilight. I started the first book and was hooked before the end of the first chapter. I’m halfway through book two and can’t read fast enough.
The movie, in my eyes, had a lot to live up too. So let’s begin…
Casting
The casting was perfect with the exception of Donald Sutherland. I just don’t buy him as evil, sinister and heartless President Snow. They were dead-on with Stanley Tucci as Caeser Flickerman. It was like he was channeling Richard Dawson from the old Family Feud (who played a similar character in “Running Man”).
I think Jennifer Lawrence did a bang up job as our reluctant heroine Katniss Everdeen. She portrayed the character with the vulnerability and strength that comes when your back is against the wall.
The biggest surprise in casting was Woody Harrelson as Haymitch Abernathy. I had always envisioned an older man with a bigger gut who looked more like a disaster, kind of like a Madeye Moody from the Harry Potter books. It didn’t take long for me to buy in to his portrayal as the former Hunger Games victor who treats his PTSD and constant torment of having to watch children he trains year after year die in the arena with gallons of alcohol.
Oh, and did you recognize Lenny Kravitz as Cinna? I have to admit, I knew I knew him, but I couldn’t place him until I looked up the listing on IMDB.
Story
The story was dead on. The director did a good job of subtly packing in a lot of back story through text on the screen and setting the scene for District 12 from the outset. You see the establishing shots of District 12, Katniss’ home, and can immediately recognize it as the poor Appalachia community and home of crushing poverty it is.
A scene by scene retelling is impossible as with every novel turned movie. I understand this and it is rare that a movie outshines the novel; the only exception I can think of was “Gone With the Wind”. I find it impossible for a movie to ever reach the emotional depth of the written word. The director did, however, do a good job blending scenes and condensing the timeline without degrading the story.
I whole-heartedly recommend seeing this terrific adaptation.
I really, really, really recommend reading this exciting trilogy. The intensity can cause extreme anxiety. I recommend you refill your Paxil prescription before opening the book.
And ha! The spell check wants to change Katniss to “Catnip”. I wonder if Suzanne Collins found that out and went with it for Gale’s affectionate nickname for her?

Mar 8 2012

Edgar Rice Burroughs

Edgar Rice Burroughs

Edgar Rice Burroughs born in 1875 was a visionary of science fiction writer.  His most famous creation was “Tarzan the Ape Man” but like many novelist his greatest novel wasn’t his first. A Princess of Mars was published in1917 and was the first of his Barsoom (Mars) series.  The story set is set on a Mars that is dying and whose imagery makes you think of the old west.  A red tinted mesa and scrub brush landscape fills the imagination as it sets the stage for civil war veteran John Carter’s adventures. The Barsoom series has helped shape the writing of Ray Bradbury inspired scientist like Carl Sagan to search the stars for extraterrestrial life.

Burroughs didn’t only imagine other worlds he imagined other ways to do business. He, against the advice of publishers and other experts, capitalized on the success of Tarzan by syndicating a Tarzan comic strip, license merchandise, and adapt it to the screen.  I whole heartedly suggest if you haven’t seen Tarzan and his Mate you Netflix it ASAP.  It is wonderful in direction and pushes the boundaries of what you thought was acceptable in early Hollywood.

He didn’t stop at fiction. He lived in Hawaii during the Second World War and became the oldest war correspond in the war.

He died in 1950 in California after writing more than 70 novels.

-Disney’s Meet John Carter bases on Mr. Burroughs creations opens this weekend-

Feb 3 2012

Abrams to start a Reveloution

J.J. Abrams Gets Green Light For A REVOLUTION

The new sci-fi show to air on NBC is set in a world were all forms of energy are gone. I’m thinking a post apocalyptic Gilligan’s Island, no cars, no phones, and no electricity.

The description released by the studio is as follows “A high octane action drama from J. J. Abrams following a group of characters struggling to survive and reunite with loved ones in a world where all forms of energy have mysteriously ceased to exist.”

J.J Abrams has proven himself a innovative director over the last decade with mind bending shows like Lost and action shows like Alias, mmmm Jennifer Garner in a catsuit. He even brought his own genesis effect to the Star Trek universe with a blockbuster hit, something that hasn’t happened for Star Trek for a long time, by revamping the story and even changing the rules of the Star Trek universe (alt-timeline).

I just hope this new foray into a world with no electricity doesn’t shutdown a Bad Robot.

In Other New..

Matthew Vaughn has been signed to direct a sequel to X-Men First Class, this is great! The even better part is the uber-talented Michael Fassbender will reprise his role as the master of magnetism Magneto. Jennifer Lawrence who did a superb job adding depth and motivation to Raven Darkholme aka Mystique is under contract to return as well. The earliest speculations at the plot only have that it might take place later than the 60’s. I vote we skip the 70’s and tap into all the kids my age who got to know the X-men in the 80’s. The greatest coup would be if they could just get Hugh Jackman to join as Wolverine.

Jan 22 2012

UNDERWORLD: AWAKENING


Underworld Awakening-

I was amazed at the strong comeback for the fourth showing in the Underworld series.  The third film, the prequel Rise of the Lycans” was weak compared to the first two installments, much of that I feel had to do with the lack of the amazing Kate Beckinsale as the ass kicking lead.   The most recent adventure has the return of the gun toting death dealer Selene.  She, without giving away too much, awakes after 12 years in cryogenic suspension in a world where Vampires and Lycans are being hunted to extinction by humans. The pace of the movie is fast, as action films should be, and is filled with great gun play.  The 3-D was also not overdone.  I feel some movies that are shot in 3-D are gratuitous. You see the camera angle and are like “Oh here’s the explosion flying in my face shot.”  If I wanted to have things predictably fly in my face I’d be a hockey goalie. The 3-D seams natural.  It gives the viewer a natural depth.

One of the main pieces missing from the original is Scott Speedman aka Michael Corvin the Vampire/Lycan hybrid and the last living descendent of the original Corvinos, the progenitor of both species.  .  I don’t think that I’m giving away too much in stating that Selene spends a large portion of the picture looking for Michael since you hear her in the trailer asking “Where’s Michael?”.

The world has changed during Selene’s slumber and rather visually too.  The unnamed city and country that had a distinct old world feel due to its shooting location in Budapest, Hungry looks distinctly modern now because of the filming location of every ones generic city Vancouver, Canada.  I have nothing against filming in Vancouver it’s just the locations are becoming very too familiar.  A key location in the film, I immediately recognized as a location from Stargate and Battlestar Galactia.  I wish that directors would think of this when using a signature location like that.  The main reason Vancouver is a great location is it is generic; its joked Vancouver doesn’t even look like Vancouver.

I give it Underworld Awakening my wholesale recommendation.  The film is a fast paced action flick that doesn’t sit on the laurels of the previous three.  I would even say it “breathed new life” into the undead franchise. I’m even thrilled that there is obvious room for a fifth installment.

Jan 13 2012
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Underworld:Awakening

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Underworld: Awakening

Kate Beckinsale the star the first two films returns in her lead role as the him as the vampire Selene, a death dealer, whose main purpose in the original film was to seek out and destroy all the werewolves. She ends up changing the balance of power in the eternal war. She also finds herself falling in love with a young doctor who had been bitten by a werwolf and later turned into a miraculous hybrid of the two species. In Awakening the world has changed. It takes place six months after the events of underworld evolution. Selene is captured by humans and put in cryogenic suspension. The governments and the public learn about the existence of vampires and werewolves. As in most cases when humans learn about vampires and werewolves there’s a run on wooden stakes and silver bullets. Selene awakes after being imprisoned for more than 12 years and escapes …. and this is much of the plot as they’re willing to giveaway at this time.There are a lot of questions that need to be answered as well. What happened to Michael Corbin her lover and if we were led the right direction the father of her unborn child? And from that what happened to the child? How will the vampires and werewolves regained their place in the world?And how much leather clad come play will beckon still be participating in? I can’t wait to see this film. The Underworld series began to reshape the way a lot of us thought about vampires. The Underworld series also showed us that you really could have a strong female action hero.
If you want to see something of Kate Beckinsale from the early parts of her career you should check out a much ado about nothing where I can still place the part of hero the young woman on the verge of her wedding. This romantic comedy written by Shakespeare has always been a favorite of mine it starts Kenneth Anna and Emma Thompson and Denzel Washington and Michael Keaton the all-star cast makes Shakespeare approachable and enjoyable for even the geekiest sci-fi nerd.

By Geeky Frederick • Posted in Movies
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