I think it's worth a second viewing, if this subject matter isn't too disturbing for you. There isn't much time for character development in this book adaptation, with the new characters like Finnick, Johanna, and Beetee. There are a lot of new characters. And there isn't much finesse added to the scenes by the director. I guess you could say it's a rough cut. But upon a second viewing I think you'll get a lot more out of it. It moves at a rapid pace. I wasn't thrilled by the acting, but there's plenty of good actors in this one, like Woody Harrelson. Unfortunately Cinna doesn't get much screen time. I think they could have shortened some scenes in the Capitol. This is a based on a book about people, not places. And I really couldn't care less about Donald Sutherland's President Snow character. So predictable and boring.
Reviews
24 Reviews
Star Trek Into Darkness
(2013)
The worst writing since Troll 2
29 September 2013
I heard bad things about this movie. But I never imagined the writing would be so bad. It's like they took an outline of a script and never did any rewrites. It's like the actors were just ad-libbing. It's like the writers were just paraphrasing the actors lines.
I'm especially disappointed by this movie since I thought the first one was great. How could J.J. Abrams sign on to this movie? How could anyone approve this script? Absolute incompetence.
Something else that made this movie incomprehensible was the decision to change characters that we've seen in other movies and give them British accents. This was very odd.
I'm especially disappointed by this movie since I thought the first one was great. How could J.J. Abrams sign on to this movie? How could anyone approve this script? Absolute incompetence.
Something else that made this movie incomprehensible was the decision to change characters that we've seen in other movies and give them British accents. This was very odd.
Liked Friendsies, but the British accent was a little too much
5 November 2012
Warning: Spoilers
Keira Knightley plays a hipster in this movie. She talks with a British accent. I'm not very familiar with British movies.
For me it's enough to deal with her character's erratic personality, and the imminent end of the world. Adding a British accent into the mix was like the hair that broke the camel's back for me. The movie seems to stretch credibility already.
There were some heartwarming scenes that showed some really kind, and self-sacrificing, actions between the characters. These actions contrast with the suicides and riots that inevitably might come as the world ends.
There were also some hilarious scenes, like the restaurant workers at "Friendsies". (Love those people. I want to see more of them.) But there were also raunchy scenes, and grotesque scenes. The movie had a good deal of black humor.
But in the end, the end of the world that is, you really need to be a hopeless romantic to enjoy this movie. I think you need to be someone who enjoyed the "Like Water for Chocolate" movie. This seems to be a movie for college students.
For me it's enough to deal with her character's erratic personality, and the imminent end of the world. Adding a British accent into the mix was like the hair that broke the camel's back for me. The movie seems to stretch credibility already.
There were some heartwarming scenes that showed some really kind, and self-sacrificing, actions between the characters. These actions contrast with the suicides and riots that inevitably might come as the world ends.
There were also some hilarious scenes, like the restaurant workers at "Friendsies". (Love those people. I want to see more of them.) But there were also raunchy scenes, and grotesque scenes. The movie had a good deal of black humor.
But in the end, the end of the world that is, you really need to be a hopeless romantic to enjoy this movie. I think you need to be someone who enjoyed the "Like Water for Chocolate" movie. This seems to be a movie for college students.
Ted
(2012)
Too real to be absurd, but good acting
29 July 2012
In this movie Mark Wahlberg's character has a buddy who is a living, breathing Teddy bear.
In order for this movie to be funny you have to find the idea of a crude teddy bear to be ridiculous.
For this to happen, you need to be able to associate the voice of the voice actor with a CGI bear.
The voice was a little too real for me. I could imagine in my head what the voice actor probably looked like. I hard a hard time identifying the voice with the CGI character.
So, instead of seeing an absurdly crude voice come out of an absurdly cute bear, I just saw them separately.
But there was still some great acting from Mark Wahlberg, and a few other actors. And some interesting Boston-related humor. The actress who played his trophy girlfriend was forgettable though.
In order for this movie to be funny you have to find the idea of a crude teddy bear to be ridiculous.
For this to happen, you need to be able to associate the voice of the voice actor with a CGI bear.
The voice was a little too real for me. I could imagine in my head what the voice actor probably looked like. I hard a hard time identifying the voice with the CGI character.
So, instead of seeing an absurdly crude voice come out of an absurdly cute bear, I just saw them separately.
But there was still some great acting from Mark Wahlberg, and a few other actors. And some interesting Boston-related humor. The actress who played his trophy girlfriend was forgettable though.
The Amazing Spider-Man
(2012)
Spider-man-child
28 July 2012
Spiderman in this movie seems to be a young adult who has been coddled by his parents. He doesn't seem to be able to deal with the real world. He's like a man-child.
When I think of heroes, I don't think of man-childs. There were kids in this movie who were more heroic, and more mature than Spiderman. There were actually a great number of characters in this movie who were more heroic than Spiderman.
Spiderman might have been the lowest common denominator. I think he might have dragged some heroic characters, including his girlfriend, down to his man-child level.
The end result wasn't pathetic. But it was dumbed down. But I guess a dumbed-down hero is better than no hero. A dumbed-down hero can still be a sane man in an insane world, and maybe even a genius.
When I think of heroes, I don't think of man-childs. There were kids in this movie who were more heroic, and more mature than Spiderman. There were actually a great number of characters in this movie who were more heroic than Spiderman.
Spiderman might have been the lowest common denominator. I think he might have dragged some heroic characters, including his girlfriend, down to his man-child level.
The end result wasn't pathetic. But it was dumbed down. But I guess a dumbed-down hero is better than no hero. A dumbed-down hero can still be a sane man in an insane world, and maybe even a genius.
The Dark Knight Rises
(2012)
Token villains and reluctant heroes are out-shined by Anne Hathaway
20 July 2012
Bane is the main villain in this movie. He wears a mask to cover his mouth. His voice doesn't sound human.
While his outfit may look good on paper, it just doesn't work in the movie. Bane's character was one-dimensional. They could have basically put anyone in the Bane outfit and had the same results.
Anne Hathaway did a great job though. If she had a bigger part she would have stolen the show. Joseph Gordon-Levitt was also somewhat inspiring. He seems more mature in this movie.
But the Batman character in this movie was hardly inspiring at all.
And the stunts were forgettable. Comic book movies seem to be focusing more and more on CGI, and less and less on stunts.
While his outfit may look good on paper, it just doesn't work in the movie. Bane's character was one-dimensional. They could have basically put anyone in the Bane outfit and had the same results.
Anne Hathaway did a great job though. If she had a bigger part she would have stolen the show. Joseph Gordon-Levitt was also somewhat inspiring. He seems more mature in this movie.
But the Batman character in this movie was hardly inspiring at all.
And the stunts were forgettable. Comic book movies seem to be focusing more and more on CGI, and less and less on stunts.
The Avengers
(2012)
Almost Oscar-worthy script, but crappy stunts
15 May 2012
A well-written script. There were a few moments that were almost Oscar-worthy. But I think they lowered the bar for stunts.
We've seen better stunts in X2 (the scene where Nightcrawler attacked the president). And even in The Incredible Hulk. Blonsky in The Incredible Hulk, the super solder, had a great stunt scene when he fought the Hulk.
But did we see that in Avengers? No, we didn't even see it in the last Captain America movie. How much better could this movie have been with great stunts? One hundred percent better. This movie has lowered the bar for stunts.
We've seen better stunts in X2 (the scene where Nightcrawler attacked the president). And even in The Incredible Hulk. Blonsky in The Incredible Hulk, the super solder, had a great stunt scene when he fought the Hulk.
But did we see that in Avengers? No, we didn't even see it in the last Captain America movie. How much better could this movie have been with great stunts? One hundred percent better. This movie has lowered the bar for stunts.
The Hunger Games
(2012)
Hunger Games: We hardly knew ya
13 April 2012
Warning: Spoilers
This movie just flew by. It was over before I knew it.
Maybe it went by so quickly for me because I've read the book, all 374 pages. Unfortunately it's impossible to give 374 page book the treatment it deserves in a little over two hours.
What we got was entertaining, but it's just a shadow of the book. There's so much cut out. We hardly get an idea of what life was like in District 12. I don't think they even used the words "the Seam" in the movie. Rue had about 5 minutes of screen time. Gale had even less.
Even Peeta was hardly developed. There isn't much of a sense of Peeta's bravery from the movie. There was one scene where Peeta showed some strength by throwing the medicine ball in the gym.
Gale only has a few minutes of screen time. You'd think Katniss's best friend would have more than a few minutes.
I think they cast the wrong actor for Gale. The actor was just too nice. Gale is more of an edgy character. He has a fierce temper, but a heart of gold.
I did enjoy some things in the movie. It was interesting to see actors portraying the career tributes, such as Clove and Cato. I wish we could have seen more of Glimmer too. The boy from district 1 hardly got any screen time. Woody Harrelson was entertaining. But I thought all the shaky camera work near the beginning was unnecessary. It made the reaping all too real, and all too creepy. If I want to be creeped out I'll go watch a horror movie.
I would have liked to see some key scenes. They could have included the scene when Katniss and Gale first met. Katniss offered him the bow, and he smiled like a little kid in a candy store.
Also I was really interested in seeing Lenny Kravitz play Cinna. He only had about five minutes of screen time.
And was it really necessary to cut short Clove's death scene? And Cato's reaction afterward? How much time did they save? A minute? Also I really like the Foxface character. Her success gave me a sense of hope. But, unfortunately, Foxface's starvation ultimately lead her to eat some poison berries.
It was nice to see Thresh, if only for a few minutes. Thresh is really unique because he mostly kept to himself and was strong.
And was it really necessary to cut out the death scene of the girl from district 4? She also died from the tracker jackers. You'd think they could at least leave in the death scenes. But I was glad that they cut short Cato's death scene. That was pretty gruesome in the book.
Too bad they didn't split the first book into too movies.
Maybe it went by so quickly for me because I've read the book, all 374 pages. Unfortunately it's impossible to give 374 page book the treatment it deserves in a little over two hours.
What we got was entertaining, but it's just a shadow of the book. There's so much cut out. We hardly get an idea of what life was like in District 12. I don't think they even used the words "the Seam" in the movie. Rue had about 5 minutes of screen time. Gale had even less.
Even Peeta was hardly developed. There isn't much of a sense of Peeta's bravery from the movie. There was one scene where Peeta showed some strength by throwing the medicine ball in the gym.
Gale only has a few minutes of screen time. You'd think Katniss's best friend would have more than a few minutes.
I think they cast the wrong actor for Gale. The actor was just too nice. Gale is more of an edgy character. He has a fierce temper, but a heart of gold.
I did enjoy some things in the movie. It was interesting to see actors portraying the career tributes, such as Clove and Cato. I wish we could have seen more of Glimmer too. The boy from district 1 hardly got any screen time. Woody Harrelson was entertaining. But I thought all the shaky camera work near the beginning was unnecessary. It made the reaping all too real, and all too creepy. If I want to be creeped out I'll go watch a horror movie.
I would have liked to see some key scenes. They could have included the scene when Katniss and Gale first met. Katniss offered him the bow, and he smiled like a little kid in a candy store.
Also I was really interested in seeing Lenny Kravitz play Cinna. He only had about five minutes of screen time.
And was it really necessary to cut short Clove's death scene? And Cato's reaction afterward? How much time did they save? A minute? Also I really like the Foxface character. Her success gave me a sense of hope. But, unfortunately, Foxface's starvation ultimately lead her to eat some poison berries.
It was nice to see Thresh, if only for a few minutes. Thresh is really unique because he mostly kept to himself and was strong.
And was it really necessary to cut out the death scene of the girl from district 4? She also died from the tracker jackers. You'd think they could at least leave in the death scenes. But I was glad that they cut short Cato's death scene. That was pretty gruesome in the book.
Too bad they didn't split the first book into too movies.
Green Lantern
(2011)
A Non-Epic Movie
24 June 2011
I guess the moral of this movie is that some people, like Sinestro and the Guardians, are uppity and won't face their true feelings (because of their pride). And also that a lowly human. like Hal Jordan, has no secrets or pretensions and does not hide from his own fears. All this secrecy and pride creates problems for Sinestro and the Guardians as they are unable to face their own fear, but Hal Jordan is able to face his fears and save the day.
It sounds like an interesting plot, but this movie was just too dumbed-down. Hal was probably the dumbest person in the movie. With the exception of some of the villains he was also the most unheroic person in the movie.
Hal was kind of like the Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer of the Green Lantern Corps, or Dumbo who flys with his ears.
Tragically they spent a ton of money for this ugly-duckling story. Special effects can make a movie more dramatic and epic, but Ryan Reynolds's character is earthly and mundane. The nature of his mundane character may have actually sucked all of the epic-ness out of these special effects.
It sounds like an interesting plot, but this movie was just too dumbed-down. Hal was probably the dumbest person in the movie. With the exception of some of the villains he was also the most unheroic person in the movie.
Hal was kind of like the Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer of the Green Lantern Corps, or Dumbo who flys with his ears.
Tragically they spent a ton of money for this ugly-duckling story. Special effects can make a movie more dramatic and epic, but Ryan Reynolds's character is earthly and mundane. The nature of his mundane character may have actually sucked all of the epic-ness out of these special effects.
Very well written, characters not very likable though
10 June 2011
Warning: Spoilers
This movie started out with a lot of pirate lore. You might need to watch a few pirate movies to understand what the characters are talking about.
There were some great fight scenes and escape scenes. Some of the best scenes ever.
But this movie was lacking feeling. We don't really care about many of the characters. One of the most sympathetic characters in the movie was a man-eating mermaid.
There was also a priest character who was somewhat likable. But even the priest lost faith at times. And he even became close friends with a man-eating mermaid. I guess the mermaid Syrena was one of the most interesting characters in the movie, even though she had just a minor part.
Jack Sparrow isn't a sympathetic character in this movie. Sure, he lost his ship. I felt sorry for him in the first film because Barbosa betrayed him and left him with nothing. But at this point Jack just seems irritable.
Gibbs is a likable character. He's still just a supporting character, but I liked how he stood up to Barbosa. Very brave.
I thought Penelope Cruz's acting was weak at times. Maybe she didn't have much chemistry with Johnny Depp? Penelope Cruz's character also was not likable.
Geoffrey Rush was interesting as Barbosa. He became a captain in the British Navy. It was funny to see him try to act like a gentleman, as he spat when he talked.
Blackbeard was an interesting villain, as he rationalized and taught his evil to the crew, but he didn't show much feeling either. Even when he's killed at the end he's just an empty shell.
It was nice to see Gilette again, a navy captain from the first movie. He's an interesting character.
There were some great fight scenes and escape scenes. Some of the best scenes ever.
But this movie was lacking feeling. We don't really care about many of the characters. One of the most sympathetic characters in the movie was a man-eating mermaid.
There was also a priest character who was somewhat likable. But even the priest lost faith at times. And he even became close friends with a man-eating mermaid. I guess the mermaid Syrena was one of the most interesting characters in the movie, even though she had just a minor part.
Jack Sparrow isn't a sympathetic character in this movie. Sure, he lost his ship. I felt sorry for him in the first film because Barbosa betrayed him and left him with nothing. But at this point Jack just seems irritable.
Gibbs is a likable character. He's still just a supporting character, but I liked how he stood up to Barbosa. Very brave.
I thought Penelope Cruz's acting was weak at times. Maybe she didn't have much chemistry with Johnny Depp? Penelope Cruz's character also was not likable.
Geoffrey Rush was interesting as Barbosa. He became a captain in the British Navy. It was funny to see him try to act like a gentleman, as he spat when he talked.
Blackbeard was an interesting villain, as he rationalized and taught his evil to the crew, but he didn't show much feeling either. Even when he's killed at the end he's just an empty shell.
It was nice to see Gilette again, a navy captain from the first movie. He's an interesting character.
X: First Class
(2011)
Crocodile Tears
3 June 2011
Warning: Spoilers
I thought this was mostly a well written movie. It's a story about mutants and humans. Some mutants want to live with humans. Some want to kill them. It's also about the cold war and organizations like the CIA.
Oddly, the movie seems to agree with the villains, and shows humans in a very negative light. The only good humans in the movie are CIA agents. That's right. The only two "good" humans are spies. In the comics, Moira MacTaggert was a brilliant scientist, but in this movie she's a spy.
In addition, organizations like the CIA are painted with broad strokes as being close-minded organizations. It's hard to imagine why an organization who recruits the best and the brightest and is constantly adapting to situations around the world, like the CIA, is close minded. It's an ignorant view. It's a bigoted view.
The movie seems to justify the villains at the end. Mystique tells Beast to have "mutant pride" before she leaves. Charles Xavier even kisses her goodbye.
But it still was a well written movie. There weren't much special effects or eye candy though. It lacked feeling. The most exciting part of the movie was when Banshee was flying. The scenes with Azazel were no where near as interesting as Nightcrawler in the second movie. They also mispronounced Azazel's name dozens of times throughout the whole movie.
Maybe they should have split this into two movies, so they would have had more time to explore the characters feelings.
Before seeing this movie I was disappointed that they didn't have the original first class (Beast, Angel (male), Cyclops and Jean Gray). But the kids in this movie has so little screen time that I'm almost happy they didn't have the original characters.
It also didn't bother me that Kevin Bacon looked nothing like Sebastian Shaw. He had the attitude, and that's all that really matters I guess. I also didn't mind that they changed his powers, except for the part where he killed that guy by just touching him. That was just too easy.
I was glad they showed the White Queen (Emma Frost) as being a powerful telepath. I didn't think it was necessary to show her in diamond form. I think the whole diamond idea is stupid.
Oddly, the movie seems to agree with the villains, and shows humans in a very negative light. The only good humans in the movie are CIA agents. That's right. The only two "good" humans are spies. In the comics, Moira MacTaggert was a brilliant scientist, but in this movie she's a spy.
In addition, organizations like the CIA are painted with broad strokes as being close-minded organizations. It's hard to imagine why an organization who recruits the best and the brightest and is constantly adapting to situations around the world, like the CIA, is close minded. It's an ignorant view. It's a bigoted view.
The movie seems to justify the villains at the end. Mystique tells Beast to have "mutant pride" before she leaves. Charles Xavier even kisses her goodbye.
But it still was a well written movie. There weren't much special effects or eye candy though. It lacked feeling. The most exciting part of the movie was when Banshee was flying. The scenes with Azazel were no where near as interesting as Nightcrawler in the second movie. They also mispronounced Azazel's name dozens of times throughout the whole movie.
Maybe they should have split this into two movies, so they would have had more time to explore the characters feelings.
Before seeing this movie I was disappointed that they didn't have the original first class (Beast, Angel (male), Cyclops and Jean Gray). But the kids in this movie has so little screen time that I'm almost happy they didn't have the original characters.
It also didn't bother me that Kevin Bacon looked nothing like Sebastian Shaw. He had the attitude, and that's all that really matters I guess. I also didn't mind that they changed his powers, except for the part where he killed that guy by just touching him. That was just too easy.
I was glad they showed the White Queen (Emma Frost) as being a powerful telepath. I didn't think it was necessary to show her in diamond form. I think the whole diamond idea is stupid.
Thor
(2011)
Scifi for Yuppies
15 May 2011
Do you have an intellectual, yuppie friend with no imagination who can't understand why anyone above the age of 13 would see a comic book movie? Is she a woman? Does she look like Natalie Portman? If you said yes then you probably have a good idea what this movie is about. The movie does have some amazing special effects, artwork and sets, but it moves from one scene to the next, vacillating between amazing heroic scenes on Thor's planet of Asgard vs scenes of complete dorkiness with Natalie Portman. Will you like this movie? I guess that depends on how much dorkiness you can take with your Thor. Personally I couldn't make it past the final scene.
The Expendables
(2010)
A Coup for Rourke and Stallone
3 September 2010
Expendables isn't a movie, it's a film. It's the product of artists like Mickey Rourke and actor/director Sylvester Stallone.
No doubt Stallone's acting/directing benefited from the presence of Mickey Rourke, as did the performances of supporting cast members like Jet Li, a family man, and Dolph Lundgren, a drug addict. There were also many minor characters in this movie that gave great performances, including Giselle Itié as the general's daughter.
Sadly, Jason Statham's role didn't seem any different from his other movies.
This "film" was a rare treat for me. I don't see a lot of 'indie' movies. I guess most big movies these days are the product of marketing. But this movie is the product of life experience.
The film takes place in a banana republic in South America. Most American movies just can't compare with the realism, the experiences of life and death, that are experienced by people in these developing countries.
No doubt Stallone's acting/directing benefited from the presence of Mickey Rourke, as did the performances of supporting cast members like Jet Li, a family man, and Dolph Lundgren, a drug addict. There were also many minor characters in this movie that gave great performances, including Giselle Itié as the general's daughter.
Sadly, Jason Statham's role didn't seem any different from his other movies.
This "film" was a rare treat for me. I don't see a lot of 'indie' movies. I guess most big movies these days are the product of marketing. But this movie is the product of life experience.
The film takes place in a banana republic in South America. Most American movies just can't compare with the realism, the experiences of life and death, that are experienced by people in these developing countries.
Inception
(2010)
Long and Convoluted
13 August 2010
What is Inception? It's a sci-fi movie with a little bit of a moral to it. But it's mostly just sci-fi. It has a plot, but the plot takes over an hour just to present itself. And it has a good ending, which takes place about 1 and 1/2 hours after that. In between those times you'll be bombarded with so much sci-fi that you'll think you're in a college class. You won't be able to see the forest through the trees. This is a bland movie, lacking a gravitas and a human element. Stylistically it was interesting. It had kind of a film-noir feel to it. But that was grossly outweighed by the enormous amount of sci-fi. It was also kind of disturbing. The only character I thought was likable was the son of a captain of industry. It seems like most of the characters didn't even like each other, and those that did were in unhealthy, and even sick relationships. They say the love you get is equal to the love you give. There's not much love in this film, except for the captain of industry's love for his father. Many of the characters don't even respect each other. I was so bored I wanted to walk out early. It was a good ending, but I'm just not a huge sci-fi geek.
The Twilight Saga: Eclipse
(2010)
Psychological drama
2 July 2010
Warning: Spoilers
Twilight: Eclipse is a movie about monsters. It's also a movie about sex. It's also a psychological drama. It's a psychological drama about sex and monsters.
Psychological dramas are very cerebral. Characters are constantly psycho-analyzing every little thing that goes on around them.
This tends to make things very boring. Scenes such as a werewolf transforming in mid-air, or Bella and Edward lying in bed together, or even war between vampire clans, are almost unbearable as the characters constantly psychoanalyze everything in site. Not even Madonna walking onto the set and dropping a load could make this movie interesting.
Why would anyone want to make a movie like this? I guess some teenagers think that it's cool to be blase about everything.
Psychological dramas are very cerebral. Characters are constantly psycho-analyzing every little thing that goes on around them.
This tends to make things very boring. Scenes such as a werewolf transforming in mid-air, or Bella and Edward lying in bed together, or even war between vampire clans, are almost unbearable as the characters constantly psychoanalyze everything in site. Not even Madonna walking onto the set and dropping a load could make this movie interesting.
Why would anyone want to make a movie like this? I guess some teenagers think that it's cool to be blase about everything.
The A-Team
(2010)
It gets better
12 June 2010
I heard a lot of negative reviews about this movie, but I thought it was surprisingly good. It seemed to get better as it went along. Maybe a lot of reviewers walked out after the first twenty minutes.
The movie started out with some very shaky camera work and stunt scenes, making it hard to follow sometimes. Also it seems that there wasn't a lot of time spent introducing new characters. I'm sure this movie will be better when watching a second time.
I'm not sure if Liam Neeson was a good choice for Hannibal. He didn't seem to have George Peppard's devilish eyes and bad-ass attitude. I think Liam's a little too cerebral and reserved. Also the actor playing Mr. T seemed too young at times, and the actor playing Face seemed a little crazy. The guy playing Murdock was fantastic though. There were some very funny scenes.
The movie started out with some very shaky camera work and stunt scenes, making it hard to follow sometimes. Also it seems that there wasn't a lot of time spent introducing new characters. I'm sure this movie will be better when watching a second time.
I'm not sure if Liam Neeson was a good choice for Hannibal. He didn't seem to have George Peppard's devilish eyes and bad-ass attitude. I think Liam's a little too cerebral and reserved. Also the actor playing Mr. T seemed too young at times, and the actor playing Face seemed a little crazy. The guy playing Murdock was fantastic though. There were some very funny scenes.
The Screen Savers
(1998–2005)
Ground Breaking
7 January 2010
I think The Screen Savers was the best of the many ground breaking TV shows from TechTV, with personalities like Martin Sargent and Leo Laporte. I was absolutely shocked when it went off the air. Martin Sargent was hilarious. He was also a great interviewer, which is rare. Not only that, but Comcast also ruined the TechTV web site, when they became G4 TechTV. I remember finding so many great tips an articles on the original web site. I guess it took a lot of Comcast money to destroy a whole emerging market of tech TV shows. I wonder what they'll ruin next. I really miss this show. I proudly wear my Screen Savers t-shirt.
Inglourious Basterds
(2009)
Coffee talk movie
30 August 2009
Do you enjoy coffee talk movies? It's ironic that in a movie called 'Inglorious Bastards' the bastards only have a few cameo scenes. Most of this movie consists of people being interviewed by Nazis, and people placating Nazis in order to save themselves. There's so much dialog in this movie that you'd have to be a lover of language to enjoy it. I'm guessing that most of Quentin's action footage was lost in a fire. Quentin even delves into the history of French and German cinema. I thought this was an action movie? Maybe one of the problems was the acting. To sell all of this dialog you need some really great actors. Some of the actors such as Diane Kruger just didn't have the presence to carry some of the "loquacious" scenes"
District 9
(2009)
It sucks you in and then grosses you out
18 August 2009
Pros: *Impressive special effects such as robots *The shaky camera style makes you feel immersed in a futuristic, sci-fi environment
Cons: *Aliens are disgusting to look at (look like prawns, eat garbage, eat disgusting foods, urinate publicly, vomit)
*99% of the aliens are 'worker' aliens with absolutely no personality *Scenes of violence including people getting their limbs ripped off by aliens, people cutting their limbs off, people exploding after being shot, heads exploding, etc. *The hero in this movie is a poorly educated man who expresses himself mostly through violence and also through arts and crafts
Cons: *Aliens are disgusting to look at (look like prawns, eat garbage, eat disgusting foods, urinate publicly, vomit)
*99% of the aliens are 'worker' aliens with absolutely no personality *Scenes of violence including people getting their limbs ripped off by aliens, people cutting their limbs off, people exploding after being shot, heads exploding, etc. *The hero in this movie is a poorly educated man who expresses himself mostly through violence and also through arts and crafts
G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra
(2009)
Painful to watch
7 August 2009
George Lucas once said that "a special effect without a story is a pretty boring thing". This movie is a perfect example of that. Each special effect is painful to watch as it reinforces the fact that 95% of this movie just isn't interesting.
There is some good acting in this movie, mostly from the villains. The moments of good acting make watching the meaningless special effects even more painful.
I wouldn't even call this an action movie. It's more of a disaster movie. It consists mostly of one group of people blowing up another group of people. Instead of heroes and villains this movie is full of cowards with big guns.
Some of the acting was really bad. Watching Dennis Quaid as General Hawk was an interesting as watching a corpse.
There is some good acting in this movie, mostly from the villains. The moments of good acting make watching the meaningless special effects even more painful.
I wouldn't even call this an action movie. It's more of a disaster movie. It consists mostly of one group of people blowing up another group of people. Instead of heroes and villains this movie is full of cowards with big guns.
Some of the acting was really bad. Watching Dennis Quaid as General Hawk was an interesting as watching a corpse.
A junky movie that takes itself too seriously
2 July 2009
Warning: Spoilers
Those of you who have seen the cartoons but haven't seen the first movie might be surprised that the Transformers do not resemble the sleek, cool designs from the cartoons. Instead, the larger Transformers resemble rock monsters and the smaller ones resemble muppets. I found it hard to tell the difference between classic characters like Starscream and Megatron, as they both looked and acted like big, dumb, lumbering rock monsters.
The script of this movie seems to be the product of some decent writing and also a great deal of junky writing. The director Michael Bay seems to favor the junky writing, often rushing through a decent part of the script to make more time for a lame action scene and more over-acting.
What's really sad about this movie is it takes itself seriously. Shia's character appears to be honestly frightened as a Muppet-like transformer probes his mouth and nose. Later in the movie several rock monster-like Transformers make threats to human soldiers, and it's just totally unbelievable.
There are a couple of glimmers of hope in this movie. There is one scene where Optimus Prime meets Shia's character (Sam) in a graveyard and asks for his help. Sam honorably refuses to help, saying that he deserves to have a normal life. There's another scene where Optimus Prime takes on several Decepticons while wielding sword-like weapons. These are some very short scenes, not lasting longer than several minutes.
There's one funny scene in this movie that almost makes it worth the price of admission. It's a scene where Shia's character is attacked by a girl Transformer. Shia's character screams like a bitch as he runs away from her.
This movie also contains several scenes of dog-humping, and several racist Transformer designs.
The script of this movie seems to be the product of some decent writing and also a great deal of junky writing. The director Michael Bay seems to favor the junky writing, often rushing through a decent part of the script to make more time for a lame action scene and more over-acting.
What's really sad about this movie is it takes itself seriously. Shia's character appears to be honestly frightened as a Muppet-like transformer probes his mouth and nose. Later in the movie several rock monster-like Transformers make threats to human soldiers, and it's just totally unbelievable.
There are a couple of glimmers of hope in this movie. There is one scene where Optimus Prime meets Shia's character (Sam) in a graveyard and asks for his help. Sam honorably refuses to help, saying that he deserves to have a normal life. There's another scene where Optimus Prime takes on several Decepticons while wielding sword-like weapons. These are some very short scenes, not lasting longer than several minutes.
There's one funny scene in this movie that almost makes it worth the price of admission. It's a scene where Shia's character is attacked by a girl Transformer. Shia's character screams like a bitch as he runs away from her.
This movie also contains several scenes of dog-humping, and several racist Transformer designs.
B Movie
26 May 2008
Warning: Spoilers
This is a B movie. If it wasn't for Spielberg and Lucas it never would have made it to the theaters. It's also, surprisingly, filled with gay references. There's one scene where Indy's genitals are being washed by a decontamination worker. There's another scene where Indy's male friend is standing with a drink, with his collar totally unbuttoned, while he is watching Indy's ass as he walks across the room. It's also very critical of communist protesters, showing scenes with Indy inadvertently riding a motorcycle through their protest, while Indy still proclaims to be a strong supporter of freedom.
Chris
Chris
Travelers
(1996)
My memories
16 August 2006
I have so many memories from this show. I remember them driving dune buggies across Egypt, walking the streets of Venice. There was that episode where Foster participated in an ancient Japanese ritual where many people dragged a giant juggernaut through the street; pole vaulting over ditches in Holland--Robin makes it because of her gymnastic training, Foster and Patrick don't; chocolate shop, in Belgium?--so fresh it goes bad in two weeks; That fun contest (in Sweden?) where contestants made their own 'boats', dressed up in costumes; luaus; Barbara Alverez co-piloting a jet, engaging in mock combat with a police officer; a Scarlett O'Hara impersonator jokes with Patrick Michael, asking if he would like to see her underwear, he excitedly says yes, only to find that it's long underwear--she did the same thing to a former prime minister of Japan and it caused a scandal; Patrick Michael learning to wrestle in Korea, and Pearce Bunting eating a live squid in Korea; three of the Travelers pose while standing inside the pants of _one_ Sumo wrestler; visiting a fair in Wisconsin, fried cheese, crowning the Butter Queen, face sculpting with butter; learning about a mythological sea monster depicted in a Korean statue; Egypt?: A Scottish device was used to spray icy cold water at somebody in order to rejuvenate them; Pearce Bunting joking with someone impersonating Benjamin Franklin's wife--what was he like in bed?; New York: meeting Ed Koch, great parking tip (at the Navy Yard); Memphis: A prospective country singer records a song, the Travelers record a song; Atlanta, GA?: Foster's home town? Cool diner, cruising in '60 chevys; an Indian guru tells Barbara that she could be a great mathematician if she developed her skills; Mexico: day of the dead, waking up at 4 AM when it's still dark, thousands of people walking through the streets with candles, pouring beer on rocks, then smashing the rocks; Atlanta: every street is named Peach St; Jamaica: 'I must improve my bust!'; Venice: buying cookies from nuns; Japan: green tea ice cream. Visiting a haunted hotel in Owensboro, KY, recipe for Turkey stuffing: twelve ingredients including kale, but doesn't taste like kale; Gloucester, MA: the greasy pole contest; the silent, elegant, and powerful blue skies of Seville, Spain. Also, I believe in one episode someone from Central America gave Barbara Alvarez some makeup that was made from a bug. This person forgot to tell her that the makeup lasts for several weeks.
Its a circus
8 July 2006
I found this movie to be much different than its predecessor, Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl. I assumed that the sequel would be masterfully written, acted, and directed, like the original.
I was disappointed to discover that this movie is more like a circus. Its filled with special effects and lots of 'jackie chan'-like action, but not much of a plot, and not much character development either.
If your looking for a movie with a plot, or even creative writing, maybe you should look somewhere else. But if your looking for a rush, maybe this movie is for you.
I was disappointed to discover that this movie is more like a circus. Its filled with special effects and lots of 'jackie chan'-like action, but not much of a plot, and not much character development either.
If your looking for a movie with a plot, or even creative writing, maybe you should look somewhere else. But if your looking for a rush, maybe this movie is for you.
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