Wednesday, December 1, 2010

"Skyline" Review

Skyline--2 out of 5 stars.

Well, it's not all bad, but unfortunately, very little of it is good either. What I liked was that the story wasn't told in the typical military perspective, like most alien movies. Instead, it focuses on "real" everyday people. But the problem is that these people aren't very real, believable, or likable. So, the film's biggest potential strength is ruined by its biggest problem. The acting ranges from passable to just really bad. There are brief moments when I like the characters, and then other times when I think they're just useless idiots. A lot of their behavior just didn't make any sense, which doesn't help their cause. The film gives us no reason to care about these characters at all, so when several of them die, no one cares.

The film starts out good. It throws the audience right into a situation that is fairly exciting and mysterious. But then it does a completely useless flashback of the previous day, where basically we watch as nothing important happens for 20 minutes. I'm not exaggerating. Literally, nothing of significance happens in those 20 minutes of just getting to know characters that you know are going to be killed off anyway.

Considering the film's low budget, the special effects aren't bad. But the look of the aliens were definitely ripped off from other movies. The Matrix, among others, comes to mind. The aliens, after just a short while, just weren't very scary or menacing. We saw too much of them, and too many people died too frequently. The suspense was definitely lacking. And it doesn't help that we don't care about any of the characters in the first place.

I guess I just found this movie kind of boring. There was no sense of humor whatsoever, and most of the dialogue was painfully dull. The action sequences weren't exciting at all, and the ending was completely unsatisfying. It tried to be a twist ending, but it was pretty darn predictable. Worse than that though, it ended just when it started getting somewhat interesting. And I stress somewhat. But yeah, it just stopped, as if the writer got a hand cramp, and just couldn't go on anymore. Completely useless ending. They obviously expect to make a sequel, but based on the fact that basically no one liked it, and it's not making much money, the sequel is not going to happen. And the world of cinema is better off without one.

Sunday, November 21, 2010

"The Forgotten" Review

The Forgotten--1 and a half out of 5 stars

This is such a stupid movie. Almost everything about it was just...stupid! I can't think of a better word to describe it. I think the DVD was literally just a thin disc of rotting cheese.

There are several really good actors in this movie, but it seems to me that they just took the day off to help out an untalented middle school student with a film project that not even his fellow students would like.

The terrible acting is apparent almost immediately. All the supporting actors just look bored, spouting out ridiculous dialogue that must have been written by a fifth grader, while Julianne Moore spends all her time crying and looking distressed. I didn't feel any of her "pain" though. After the first 15 minutes, I seriously just wanted all the characters to shut up, and for the end credits to start rolling. Even though the movie is only 91 minutes long, it actually felt way too long to me. Somehow, it felt painfully dragged out. I've had more fun in hospital waiting rooms than I did watching this.

The story and directing, however, are the film's biggest faults. I won't reveal the main point of the film simply because it's just too stupid to mention. But there are many things that just didn't make sense. Take, for example, a scene where two characters suddenly get sideswiped by a very fast-moving car. It actually looked really good, and provided decent shock value until these two characters just walked out of the car and started running around as if nothing happened. It was as if they were just vaguely aware that they didn't have a car anymore, and just thought, "Well, thank goodness we still have legs."

With the low-quality acting, dialogue, and many more scenes like the one I just mentioned, this really felt like a made-for-TV movie that you'd see late at night on the Sci-Fi Channel. If I don't want to watch a movie like that for free, I certainly don't want to pay for one. It only cost 50 cents, but darn it, I want those two quarters back!

Saturday, November 20, 2010

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1 Review

5 out of 5 stars.

Ever since David Yates took over as director, starting with Order of the Phoenix, I've had very high expectations for each successive Harry Potter film. And I have never been disappointed. In fact, they just keep getting better and better. And this latest installment is, without a doubt, the very best of the film series so far.

In my opinion, the film series started going downhill with the 3rd and 4th movies. While moderately decent films, with splashes of enjoyment here and there, the feel of them were just wrong. They really didn't do the books justice at all. David Yates has, quite simply, steered the series back into the right direction. And I am thrilled that he'll be the one to give this series the final sendoff that it deserves.

Deathly Hallows Part 1 is definitely the darkest of the series, which should surprise no one. Not only is this the best Harry Potter movie yet, but I feel completely comfortable with saying that this is one of the most dynamic and thrilling fantasy adventure films I have ever seen. This film offers so much to its viewers that it's almost ridiculous. The first twenty minutes of it stands as one of the best intros to any film I've ever seen. Creepy, exciting, funny, intense, tragic, and thought-provoking, this movie grabbed my attention immediately and refused to let go.

Even though this is the darkest of the entries so far, it also has some of the funniest scenes. Even though it crackles with plenty of breathtaking action, this is probably the most introverted and thoughtful movie of the entire series. This is what I mean by "dynamic". There were parts of the movie that even had a horror movie feel to them. Some of it was actually scary. Some people might not like that, but I really ate it up.

The director knows that it is the characters that make this series so great. And we really get to know the three core characters in such a way that we weren't allowed to before. The other movies were in too much of a hurry to get to the next major scene, whereas this movies allows the scenes to simmer and develop.

Much of the film is deliberately slow-paced, but I never once found it boring. Each frame is shot with such care and intricacy that every scene is just too interesting to look at to want to turn away from the screen. The performances from everybody are also top-notch. Despite the fact that this is set in a fantasy world, all the characters seem very real, with the kind of emotional integrity that is simply lacking in so many mainstream movies these days.

At this point, I guess I don't really need to say that I loved every inch of this film! Be warned though. This is absolutely NOT a movie for kids. I would say that it hangs on the very edge of the PG-13 rating. There are rumors of there being a nude scene in this movie. While there is a brief love scene, in the context of the film, it is not actually happening, and more important, it is not explicit. Therefore, I would say that the rumors are false. With that being said though, some people may still find it disturbing. Keep that in mind when you decide whether or not to watch this film.

Either way, this is a great film on every possible level, and comes with my highest recommendation to anyone over 14.

Tuesday, October 5, 2010

I'm still alive, I promise!!!!!!!

Okay, I'm gonna start blogging regularly again very soon. But, in ten minutes, I must go to work. So, for now, you can read this review I wrote of the under-appreciated movie, "Devil."


Devil--4 out of 5 stars

This is a very good horror movie/murder mystery hybrid with a lot of good tension. It literally kept me guessing until the very end, which hasn't happened for me in a long time. I genuinely did not know what was going to happen. I think that played the biggest factor into my liking this as much as I did.

I went into this with mixed expectations. The premise seemed dubious to me. It could have either been really stupid or really good. Thankfully, it did not disappoint. It's not perfect either. I definitely had a few problems with it, but none of them were enough to ruin the movie.

Firstly, the music was way too intense way too early. Or at least, it was clear that it was trying to be intense. It didn't work for me though. It didn't give us any buildup time. That was a mistake, because the film itself did. Even though the film is short (running at only 80 minutes), they give us plenty of time to get to know the characters, settle into the setting, and become invested in the storyline before it starts to get really intense. With that in mind, the music just didn't feel appropriate. It would have been far more effective if they had treated us with more subtle music, or no music at all. Now, this is just in reference to the first five minutes of the film. Thankfully, the film (and the music) gets much, much better very quickly.

I was surprised by how quickly I went from pretty much deciding that I already didn't like it to really enjoying it, and actively trying to guess what was going to happen next. And I loved the fact that I failed miserably at every guess I made. This may sound overly sensational, but for me, this film was a roller coaster ride for my mind. They did an excellent job at misleading the audience in ways that still fit into the story. Too many "scary" movies mislead just for the sake of misleading, and when you think back on it, it really doesn't fit or make any sense. But since the Devil himself is one of the characters in the film, and he is the author of all deceit, that's just one of many reasons that this type of misleading really works for this film.

Another of their triumphs with this film is their very effective use of darkness--I mean pitch blackness, where you can't see a thing--and the feeling of being trapped. As an audience member, you feel like you're in the elevator with them. When the lights go out, they have no idea what's going to happen and neither do you. All you're left with are sounds that can not be described and your imagination, which together, can create just about anything. This is far more effective, and potentially a lot more frightening than anything that can be crafted with the use of special effects and puppetry. I don't care how good they are at this craft, the less you see, the more it affects you; especially in this kind of movie.

There is very little gore in this film. You get brief glimpses of something horrifying, but you don't see it long enough to know what the heck it is. But it's enough. It's more than enough.

I also appreciated the fact that the film invites you to not take things too seriously. There are a few funny parts in this that ease the tension enough for you to feel safe. But then that also leaves you more vulnerable to be startled.

This film has a message as well. It will feel contrived to some people. But I found it effective, and kind of beautiful. Simple, but beautiful. And the film is just...different. In a time when Hollywood just recycles the same old garbage over and over, it's nice to see something fresh and original, without gratuitous gore, strong language, or sexual content. It's not exactly a family movie; it's a bit too scary for the kids. But there's nothing here that will really offend anyone.

Very entertaining, high tension throughout, and nothing quite like any other film you've probably seen, I strongly recommend this.

Wednesday, January 20, 2010

More and more unimpressed by Avatar

The more I think of it, the more unimpressed I am by the movie, Avatar. It is a technical wonder, a visual tour de force the likes of which have literally never been seen before. The visuals really are incredible; I can't stress that enough. But, as I see it, in movies, special effects serves as a means to an end. The visual aspect of any film is a vehicle with which a story can be told. In Avatar, both the visual effects and heavy-handed political agenda take over completely, so as to forget to tell a story at all. At least, a story with any originality whatsoever. Basically a sci-fi retelling of Pocahontas, the "story" in Avatar failed to impress me in the least.

I honestly wonder if the movie-going public as a whole were infatuated by the incredible visuals, so as to miss the fact that the film was a shameless, two-dimensional, borderline plagiaristic and shallow mess. Critics missed it too. Roger Ebert is a critic that I don't always agree with, but I've always respected him. I still do. But in his review of Avatar, he said that watching the movie felt similar to watching Star Wars for the first time in 1977. Comparing Avatar to Star Wars is grossly inappropriate. Star Wars was revolutionary, not only in its special effects, but in the way it told the story. Star Wars is timeless. Almost thirty years after its release, it is still considered a classic. It always will be. Twenty, thirty years down the road--maybe even ten years from now--I doubt very much that Avatar will be considered a classic. It may always be heralded for taking the next step in motion capture technology, but as far as I'm concerned, that's the most it deserves.

Apart from the visuals, the "story" of Avatar is very timely indeed, with a blatant "green" message attached to it. I'm all for keeping the planet green. I really am. I like it here on Earth! But how many times do we need to be told to wipe our own butts? Enough with this already! It's getting old, and frankly, a little insulting to have to be told the same thing over and over again! I'm disappointed in James Cameron for creating a political vehicle that, in my mind, is less than entertainment instead of a movie with a story worth telling. I miss the old James Cameron. He was the man behind such films as The Terminator 1 and 2, True Lies, Aliens, and his masterpiece, The Abyss. Those were truly great films! The man knows how to tell a story when he wants to. Somewhere along the line, he changed into something less than a storyteller. He made Titanic, which is basically Romeo and Juliet on the sea. Then, he took a break from filmmaking for twelve years, only to make Pocahontas in Space as his next film.

In my review of the movie, I gave it three out of five stars, which isn't necessarily a bad score. And I'm sticking to it. But it's important to know that it earned those three stars for visuals alone. If it were just for the "story," I would have only given it one star. Considering the fact that he took nine years to conceptualize the "story," Avatar ends up being a huge disappointment.

I don't doubt that James Cameron still has talent. I just hope he chooses to use it next time he gets behind the camera, and starts writing again.

Wednesday, December 30, 2009

My Review of Avatar

Avatar tells a story that is very familiar to all of us because we've all seen it before. We've seen it many times. But we've never seen it this pretty, and we're supposed to be impressed. I suspect that most people will be. I saw it in IMAX 3D, which it was supposedly made for.

There's no doubt that it looks incredible. Strictly from a visual standpoint, this may be the most impressive film I've ever seen. It's in every other category that it falls a little short. First off, I won't be spoiling anything by saying that this is basically just a $300 million remake of Pocahontas. In that story (the fictional one, mind you) John Smith falls in love with Pocahontas. In Avatar, it's Jake Sully that falls in love with a native. Notice any similarities in the initials? It's the same tired old story that we've seen so many times. To be honest, I'm growing kind of sick of seeing a story about a "primitive" people forcefully relocated to fulfill the greedy demands of the white man. I mean, really. How many times have we seen this? It was painfully predictable and filled to the brim with flat acting, two-dimensional caricatures, er...characters; and cliches. My other problem with it is that the aliens look, dress, act and talk almost exactly like Native Americans. If this was supposed to be set on a completely different planet, I was hoping for a little more originality and creativity than that. Having a culture that is so much like one here on earth kind of takes me out of the escapism that this film could have been.

The only original aspect of the film is the idea of living by proxy through another body. That's a pretty cool idea. I just wish they would have done more with it. Oh yeah! And our planet is slowly becoming uninhabitable! What an exciting, new....wait...dang it, that's been done too!

This movie cost them somewhere around $300 million to make. It would have been nice if they had cared a little more about making a movie with a story worth telling, and maybe even one that hasn't been done before. In the end, I'm giving it three stars because it has some truly beautiful imagery in it. I got chills a few times just watching it. On a very basic level, it was fun to watch, and I'm actually glad that I saw it. But I came from the theater with a feeling similar to one that I would have after just having watched the most amazing laser light show I had ever seen. It's a feast for the senses, and not for the mind.

Apart from pushing the visual effects envelope forward a bit, this film does next to nothing for cinema or the art of storytelling.

Sunday, November 15, 2009

Happier Than I've Ever Been

So, lately, with everything that's been going on in my life, it's got me to think. And I believe, considering everything, both the good and the bad, there has never been another time in my life when I have been this happy. It's not because I'm not facing any challenges or anything like that, because, of course, I definitely am. I don't believe that anyone is exempt from those kinds of experiences. But I am watching as all of my dreams are slowly coming true. I'm not sure exactly how it's happening. I'm not even sure what I did to deserve all these good things in my life, and I suppose that doesn't really matter.

So, I'm going to school at the university of my choice, I have a working car, I have a full-time job that I love, I'm healthier than I've ever been, and I'm dating the sweetest, most beautiful girl I've ever met! Now, when I say that she's the most beautiful, I don't just mean the way she looks, although that is definitely the case too. I mean she's beautiful in every meaning of the word; just who she is. She's kind, smart, funny, and silly, and warmhearted and just a joy to be around. And she also just happens to be unbelievably gorgeous! I can be having the worst day, and just seeing her makes all the negativity instantly go away. I still have a hard time believing that I'm lucky enough to have her in my life. She's a bright light in my life, and just a dream to me. And the best part about this dream is that it's real.