I am not a huge fan of movies who tells a "moral story", with most times said "morals" cling on like a parasite at the backbone of a film, and are inevitably rammed down your throats. But there are of course splendid movies who managed to dupelull you along for a ride and next thing you know = BAM! "Moral" handed up to you, but thankfully not in your face, but enough to get that arrowpin in your inner moral compass a frantic twirl, and you still come out smiling at the end…
UP IN THE AIR is one such movie.
A 2009 film starring George Clooney, who I'd decided not to pursue a watch initially, based on the amount of talking seen in the trailer(s). As clear as Clooney narrates script, this seemed white a "talkieyakkityyak" and i have become - thru the years of being wore down by talkies - not a huge fan of narration, but that's just me.
Ironically, I gravitated to this film via my minute-crush on Anna Kendrick, from the excellent "Pitch Perfect" movie, and found myself thoroughly enjoying this film. It's like a tale with a moral, but the tale or man's journey here is as important, IMHO.
And while I had enjoyed director Jason Reitman's "Thank You For Smoking", it hardly clung unto my memory until after youtubing the trailers (and yet forgetting generally what it was but for the sentimental visages of "liking it" at the back of memorable-impressions). And guiltily, I have not watched JUNO as well, which I am not googling for peeks online (*cough*).
The devices used in telling the story reminded me of Guy Ritchie in the beginning (anyone watched "Snatch" might understand) and varied other pedestrian media offerings, but perhaps that is just technical nitpicking, for they serve to facilitate the story, and that - most times oblivious to audiences - makes for "successful" storytelling, without the need for "shock-n-wow" visual tactics, and I commend that happenstance.
Tight script, splendid dialog, and from watching the deleted scenes of the DVD, would have been quite a tad over-wrought of a drama if those scenes were in the final edit, so kudos for polishing the film in that regards.
Let me put it this way, my "filmcrush" on Kendrick was put on hold as the story progressed, and that's pretty awesome of the film, IMHO.
That said, you are highly encouraged to rent this baby for a swell watch, if you are a fan of talkies and good story-telling, and even an admirer of "loneliness". Watch it once and you'd be enriched. Not sure how happy you'll remain if you watch it more than that one time tho lol
Watching Will Ferrell films are always a crap-shoot - one moment tis the effervescent classic "The Anchorman", next moment tis the dismal "Blades of Glory" limp-fart, and in a weird twist of DVD-discounts at the neighborhood Rental Shop, I picked up "The Campaign", with the baby-punching-scenario mentioned in a trailer I glimpsed somewhen before, somehow embedded in memory … or perhaps I'm still longing for a dash of Anchorman… and the result was … mixed.
"The Campaign" was at times funny, and at times pretty flaccid, not for the lack of trying, but perhaps the moral of the story had the guffaws kept strictly in the rectum rather than letting out a wet burst in-between the cheeks. But it was a decent movie-trip on a Friday night, I admit, and can hardly fault the experience too much.
Big Money and Dirty Politics make for swell funny-fodder, tho not necessarily an "original concept", it helps to push the plot along, predictable as it is, which is fine and dandy - this is not really a film you'd expect nor want any "surprises", yeh?
Highlight of the film, has to be "Mrs Yao" - the Oriental lady speaking like an African-American Lady from the deep south many a moons ago, that needs to be heard to be appreciated. Bravo!
Rent it if you must, don't need to buy it. And enjoy :)
Watching RED DAWN (the 2012 version) while the hostilities brim at the edge between United States and North Korea at this very moment in the world outside your window, suddenly held such poignancy, which only celluloid fantasies in a darkened cinema could offer.
As the scenes unfold, I could not shake away the parallels, and frankly could hardly "enjoy" the movie, as pedestrian as it may have been. But it was a decent watch, bolstered by the fact I watched it on YouTube anyways (linked provided in comments section, and you're welcomed) and hence none of the irrational discomfort of having paid for something and expecting something in return - in this case, "entertainment".
It held it's own, with rahrah-rhetoric, loads of gun-fights in the shadows, and a surprise with Adrianne Palicki - yes, she of "Lady Jaye" in "G.I.Joe Retaliation" - in yet another role of a gorgeous-girl-with-a-gun here! (This film preceded 'Retaliation' by a year tho), and she has become my current fav "gorgeous-girl-with-a-gun" at this very moment!
I liked Chris Hemsworth's intensity, although this was hardly a applaudable role (he was better as the Huntsman in "Snow White and the Huntsman" for pete's sake), and unfortunately dubious casting (like Josh Peck's role, sorry dude) somehow nudged it into a "tele-movie of the week" zone, but for an unglamorous looking Isabel Lucas - which I only found on IMDb to be "Athena" in Tarsem Singh's "Immortals" - which admittedly, I had a minute's crush on … all things considered, when I am looking at pretty ladies instead of focusing on the story, it does not really say much of the movie, I'm afraid ...
I have not seen the 1984 version with Patrick Swayze, and neither have I the desire to. Ironically, what I got away from this film, is not necessarily "LOVE AMERICA", but instead "Protect Your Home/Homeland", and that's something by itself, I guess?
From the get-go, G.I.Joe Retaliation had a tough "promo" hill to conquer, what with the dismal "Rise of Cobra" shadow hanging over it, and the delay of the premiere (regardless due to 3-D conversion, the public sees it being buffed up with more Channing Tatum), and not to mention the expectations and comparisons to decades of cartoons and comicbooks that fans grew up with. I don't envy them one bit, in converting skepticism into bums-in-cinema-seats … but I for one, thoroughly enjoyed the movie!
Maybe my tolerance of films has slide down thru the years, maybe I am being utterly lenient to a concept I had held close since my childhood, either way, G.I.Joe Retaliation was a swell ride, and I applaud the filmmakers for going thru with this!
I love it when folks coin this a "big dumb movie" (affectionately or not), because comparatively, what is a "smart movie"? Nolan's "Inception" - in it's myriad mindfcuks and plot loopholes that talk down to you? But then again, you really cannot refute that it can be pigeonholed as a "Big Dumb Movie" - because simply it does not take itself too seriously (and yes it does, not like "Rise of the Cobra") and is so much darn fun! And you know what folks say about "fun"?
Watching Retaliation felt like reading a comicbook of the same title. The twists and plot-turns weave thru it like a head-on freight-train collision, and the loopholes are like a donut's, put right over your eye as a comicbook in the 90s would (heh) and that's okay! It is guilt-free exposition and explosions for the uninitiated, and for the fanboys, nods abound, but not a whole lot of "hi-fives", because we all know how this film is going, and who pays the bills, so let's not delude ourselves how much this film is FOR the fandom, yeh?
If I were to pick a fault, it would be the extreme closeups of the fight-scenes, veering into Michael Bay/Transformers' territory in more scenes than one - fights between roadblock and Firefly were victims to this - in BOTH scenes! But I have to admit, the fight between Snake Eyes and Storm Shadow in the cliffside temple had me holding my breathe!
On the upside, this was a splendid popcorn-flick to be had, and the stand-out was Storm Shadow without a shadow of a doubt (yes, oun intended, HAH), while others cruised thru - and generally had fun, which is a good thing, except for Bruce Willis who wasn't even phoning it in!
But what's up with Jinx's accent? Dafuq was RZA in this? Lady Jaye is HAWTness. Flint was blink-n-missable. I actually missed a wheezy Cobra Commander. Sorry Snake-Eyes, "dialog" does make a difference (although the scene where you passed your *** to Storm Shadow bathed in silhouette, was AWESOME). Duke was okay, but "team leader"? Roadblock was … awesome. But The Rock always is, especially when he starts shooting and punching shit anyways LOL
Funnily, the scenes and camaraderie between Duke and Roadblock, is the only "RomCom" aspect of this film lol
One irony of this film experience, was me stepping out of the cinema in Tampines Mall on the 4th floor, and heading straight to Toys'R'Us a floor below, and not being able to find a single merchandize from the movie. And while I understand toys from Hasbro were released last year, it is such a "waste" not to find them when the film is actually released. TOY FAIL.
I would've been perfectly happy with a Storm Shadow figure, or even a Roadblock, actually :)
So is this movie a "Hit"? Or Miss"? I'd rather like to say it is a pistol aimed at a caricature of a Cobra Commander from the cartoons, and that I am hoping the bullet doesn't hit the mark, because that would mean the end of the franchise, and "fun"!
The "fun" is not in having a perfect G.I.Joe movie, but in the road it choose to tread, IMHO.
Written by Katsuhito Ishii (whose "Shark Skin Man and Peach Hip Girl" I remembered well, I still have the VCD haha) and directed by Takeshi Koike (for which if you have seen "World Record" in the animated 'The Animatrix' anthology, you'd recognize this style immediately). The Redline anime is superbly produced by Madhouse, and I can imagine no other folks doing this, IMHO.
I have watched REDLINE today, and I have seen my genre-desires made anime. Having been released in late 2010, I reckon I missed out on this as it was around the time of my Stroke, but nevertheless I survived the ordeal, and was clued in most recently from gift of a movie poster from Richard Mijares! Imagine that…
Vibing the eclecticness of Wacky Races (which I love) and the hyper-technologies of a misbegotten far-flung-future at the smoking-hot barrel-end of "Speed Racer" (which I really love, the smoking-gun not "Speed Racer", thank you) speeding thru missile explosions and landmass-destruction, the film itself was an extreme swell-scifi-ride indeed, and is one of the best depictions of the anime genre I've seen for years.
According to multiple sources, the production of this film took seven years to make, and I find no fault in hand-drawn anime, with this not slowing down for any one else on the sidelines. It is indeed an impressive piece of celluloid-anime, and I can only imagine the visuals that WOWs the viewers on the silver screen. I would hardly dare imagine this in 3D, for I think it might well melt anyone's eyes, IMHO.
I watched this on a 15" laptop screen, so perhaps I am spared the agony of visual-awesomeness? Now the trick is to track down the DVD, and even the soundtrack, which was a heady mixture of retrograde-grooviness thru the blender of beatboxjazz, topped with explosive techno, and as equally eclectic as the different racing vehicles.
Rewatched DREDD today on a spanking brand new DVD (not like most of my pre-loved post-rental jobs ;p), and I have to say, it still rocked as hard as it used to, the first time I saw it in the cinema (Review reposted below). But one thing was a huge difference, in terms of the audio quality on the DVD, which was at some times pretty horrible, and even dropped/changed quite drastically - which I am unsure if it's the quality of the DVD, or just the movie itself, which frankly listening to my full earphones, sounds pretty muddy at times … not good at all, this.
Nevertheless Olivia Thirlby, is still an absolute pleasure to stare at, and because of her, I will attempt to conjure up a weekend article, somewhere along the lines of "10 Most Gorgeous Women in Nerd-Films" or something like that (the title has to change somehow) .. of course there will be Black "Scarlet" Widow, Selina "Hathaway" Kyle and … and … damn, who else am i missing here?
TOYSREVIL REVIEWS DREDD:
How could I review the movie DREDD without giving away plot-points? Granted, this celluloid incarnation (since Stallone's 1990-version) is not exactly a cerebral take on the fictional character from the beloved British comicbook 2000 A.D., but one thing which I found fascinating, was the seemingly "Britishness" of the movie, at least for me. The tonal sense of dread (pun intended), pacing, seemed off tangent from your regular American-Hollywood-fare, and I welcomed it with open arms, like a crack'ho needing his SloMo-fix! BWAHAHAHAHA
NOTE: I watched this movie sans the 3D-effect and on Digital, and hence the review remains such.
Karl Urban's Joe Dredd does not have many lines/dialog, which ironically I wholeheartedly revere! No comedic quips, no fancy tough-guy banter, just straightup utilitarian conversation, and as limited as it was with Judge Anderson, I really enjoyed the lack of wordy chit-chats. And how Urban retains a scrawl throughout the entire movie, is commendable.
And if you were wondering in fear, let me put your mind at ease - so you can enter the cinema and watch DREDD without any trepidation: Dredd DOES NOT remove his helmet, ever, he does not ever attempt any grand speeches (except for that "warning" ), and thank the comicbook-gawds he DID NOT SMILE! And that's as much spoilers about the Dredd character as I can muster.
Judge Anderson's slight overbite turned me on, I will not lie. Her stoic fear-turned-feistiness had me all hot-n-bothered. Commendable in her role, without being overly victimizing, and does away with the girly-i-need-help-please kitsch which most action movies seem to love to have. She is as much a "survivor" as Dredd was a badass, and that's quite the two-finger up on Hollywood clones, IMHO. Nice one … Now, excuse me while I go search-n-right-click on Olivia Thirlby images … eerrr… for my private 'reference' folder … *cough*
A lot of comparison has been made to "The Raid", which I think is understandable, but completely rubbish. This takes it to a different plane of gore and violence. As well, a lot of expectations for this comicbook lore to make good. All I dare say is, forget any illusions of redemption (for Sly's outing - c'mon, you're thinking it too) or expectations, and go in seeing a re-imagined remixed variation of the Judge Dredd-lore, and you'd be surprised with how you might enjoy it, and how scarily the parallels it can be to "our" world.
The movie "District 9" popped into my mind, with Mega City-One feeling like it exists in the same Universe, where the future and fantasy collide in a spectacle of hyper-reality, that may well be what you see out the window, someday sooner than you'd expect.
Effects-wise, this movie is straightup bullets, blasts and gore and is not shy about using blood (hence it's M18 rating in Singapore), heightened by the thrill of SloMo, and made into perfection with the soundtrack score and sound design.
I have to give exceptional kudos for the score tho - with the heavy synth reminding me of Dust Brothers on "Fight Club", with tinge of Daft Punk on "Tron Legacy" and even slight playfulness (ver so slight, I insist) from "Drive". LOVE the soundtrack! Hell, I was even looking forward to scoring the soundtrack soon too!
Plot-wise, the set-up and deceit is simple. In a nutshell, Rookie follows Dredd on a day of assessment, gets caught up in a whip of trouble, and both tries to escape death and attempts a drug bust. Told you it wasn't too cerebral :p
The "twist" near the end was unexpected, which made for a more exciting aspect of the story, which frankly the premise of which unraveled when the dust cleared. The only obvious "Hollywood" shadow to this endeavor, I dare say.
What I really enjoyed too was the fluidity of the camerawork, with moments when it paralleled a first-person-shooting video game, and helped heightened the tenseness of the scenes. Nice one, folks!
With all that's said and raved about, the only thing which bugged me silly, was the Judges' motorbikes. Felt like they were taking a piss at the source material! Throw us a bone, c'mon! I expect future incarnations to see a little change in this regard, please? And I am not talking about floating juggernauts, yeh? "Reality" is one thing, but the bikes were like two-fingers shoved right up our nostrils, for pete's sake!
At the end of the film, I was eager to see more, like a sharpened blade done polishing, now waiting for more kills! DREDD left me panting for more. "Rookie season" is over, now down to the deed! This might well be a movie where I would welcome a "trilogy", like a crack'hoe needing his SloMo-fix ... ah, you know the drill! LOL
I could go on, but it would mean spoilers, and frankly there aren't that many to begin with in the first place! And I truly like it like that: no convoluting plot, or a challenge to your brainwaves - a simple, straightup awesome flick to munch on popcorn and enjoy! An excellent movie to watch, (l felt) with a respect for the original source material, but I would imagine watching it once and savoring it, than a repeated viewing which might dull the blade. But that"s just me :)
With whatever "faults" and obvious continuity edits lacking in my first viewing of THE DARK KNIGHT RISES in the cinema, it doe snot go away in my second DVD viewing. But whatever faults that had happen, does not take away the excitement and joy to be had from the movie, now playing one feet in front of me, from a 15" laptop screen, and most importantly, the audio caressing me via full earphones, an inescapable symphony of epic spectacle, of a movie about a masked caped crusader trying to redeem himself, and save the life of his city.
Whatever his sacrifice my unfold, it is still nevertheless heartbreaking. And action of everyone around Gotham, is both commendable and ultimately inspiring, moreso that such a reality to take place, because such a reality can only take place in a fictional film such as this, about a caped crusader, trying to save his fictional city from burning.
I look at TDKR with renewed respect, and admiration. Whatever we dare say about it, or it's two films prior to this, they are no more. The finale is here, and gone. And whatever guises it might take in the future, in whatever incarnations, reinventions and reboots, there will be no more Bale, or Nolan.
So save the bitching until the next Batman film blows you away, and you can only look to the DVDs and Blu-Rays for reprieve hence.
And "Selina Kyle" is STILL so unbelievably HOT and SEXY. That is all.
Top Ten Hollywood Films I am looking forward to watching in 2013, to be released in 2013 (so this discounts flicks like "Django Unchained", and even "Man With the Iron Fists" lol)) - this list is subject to change as more films are revealed. This list is dated 13.1.2013, What are YOUR favs? :)
#10 - The Lone Ranger
WHY: Because the trailers had me intrigued, and I want to enjoy the madcapness of Pirates of the Carribean again, even if it means Depp in facial make-up, again… LOL
#9 - Oblivion
WHY: Admittedly, I've always enjoyed Tom Crusie speciacally in Sci-Fi-themed films (ala 'Minority Report' even 'War of the Worlds' lol), because you know there'll be good decent special effects, bcoz of the name attached, which is "Tom Cruise", ya know? heh.
#8 Warm Bodies
WHY: A Zombie movie with a heart? Have a feeling this'll make me smile, if not the grimace at the end confrontation ala Hollywood-style heehee
Also see the first 4 minutes of the film, for your viewing considerations:
#7 - World War Z
WHY: More zombie action, with the zombie apocalypse on a terrifying global scale? And the attachment of Brad Pitt makes this a movie that would not really suck as much, I hope? As well I did not read the book, and have no preconceptions or expectations, but for a wild ride, IMHO.
#6 - Die Hard 5
WHY: As I had said before, "Who does not like Die Hard movies?" Kidding aside, the action is always fun, and is guilt-free from obvious sublime social commentary (It's 'in your face' hahahaha) and roots for the underdog, without whining, you know? Die Hard 2 will always remain my person fav X-mas movie hahahahaha … although Bruce Willis looks visibly "older" in this flick tho…
#5 - G.I. Joe 2: Retaliation
WHY: More "Duke" or otherwise, the trailers have been utterly convincing in it's awesomeness (but then again, so was G.I.Joe 1, and we all know how flaccid it was lol but i enjoyed it ;p) and as well The Rock looks awesome and adds that extra oomph to the age-old toy-concept. Yes, it is a concept based on a toy series, and we needn't expect it to reveal to us the secrets of the universe and our existential existence lol
#4 - Star Trek Into Darkness
WHY: I am actually not a Trekkie at all, nor have I a long attraction to the property, but for the joyous reboot afforded me in the first film from J.J. Abrams. And I hope to be entertained again here, regardless of the hype (which actually put me off, and leaves me alienated from the hardcore fans who have become oh-so-vocal).
#3 - Iron Man 3
WHY: I enjoyed IM1 thoroughly, but frankly did not IM2, but hopefully third times' the charm, and Marvel has concocted a winner in this franchise of a third-tier superhero in comicbooks = Bravo!
FYI: DC Comics should take a leaf out of Marvel's playbook - utilizing 2nd to 3rd tier characters, to build an audience, so when their top tier heroes grace the silver screen, expectations have already been bolstered, IMHO.
#2 - Man of Steel
WHY: Well, you can safely ignore my "playbook" concept in my previous entry for Superman hahahaha although, the stigma of "Superman Returns" (by Bryan Singer) still remained raw, here's hoping this new reboot from Zack Snyder would be at the very least visually stunning. I am getting pretty sick of the "reality" folks have been trying to foist on comicbook-characters … i remember Christopher Reeves' Superman, when the tagline read: "You can believe a man can fly" … and perhaps that is enough, let the audience imagine and believe in their own steam, and not try to "convince" them of the non-reality, of a man flying lol
#1 - Pacific Rim
WHY: Giant manned-Robos fighting Giant Kaiju Monsters. What? You folks never read my TOYSREVIL-blog? LOL
Other flicks I am personally looking forward to:
"Elysium"
"Fast Six"
"Kick-Ass 2"
"The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones"
"Sin City: A Dame to Kill For"
"Thor: The Dark World"
And so The Green Lanternhas no shoes. Seen from these studio images of CG-suit on actor Ryan Reynolds, the folks perhaps decided that while the energy construct forms the outer-suit, it also decided to leave out "shoes". I know the Oan Gaurdians float in mid-air, but do they not know the concept of foot-wear? (Or were there no sneaker-sponsors?) *Those-Alien-Savages*
Animated prologues are in! Taking a promo leaf off of the Sucker Punch animated series by Ben Hibon, the Korean-manga "Priest" gets adapted into a CG-fueled movie by Russian animation director Genndy Tartakovsky (creator of Sym-Bionic Titan). Maggie Q does a video-intro and I'm already sold!
We previously blogged about PREIST on TOYSREVIL in 2010 circa SDCC. Here is the post, along with a little history of the story:
From Manhwa To Movie: Priest in 3-D:
Making it's "public" debut at San Diego Comic Con 2010 [tagged] was Screen Gems' PRIEST ~ a 3-D feature film adaptation of Korean manhwa / comic book created by Min-Woo Hyung. Starring Paul Bettany as "Ivan Isaacs" (Priest) and Maggie Q (as "Priestess" ~hur), and directed by Scott Stewart, "Priest" is scheduled for a May 13, 2011 release. Truth be told, it was the motorbike on show at SDCC which got my attention first LOL
ABOUT-THE-MOVIE: Priest is an upcoming futuristic superhero vampire-western horror film loosely based on the manhwa, the Korean name for comics and print cartoons, of the same name. The film is directed by Scott Stewart and stars Paul Bettany, Cam Gigandet and Maggie Q. [Wiki].
ABOUT-THE-COMIC: Priest (Hangul: 프리스트) was a manhwa (Korean comic) series created by Hyung Min-woo. It fuses the Western genre with supernatural horror, Gun fu, and dark fantasy themes and is notable for its unusual, angular art style. An interview with Hyung in Priest: Volume 3 states that the comic was inspired by the computer game Blood, which featured a similar horror-Western aesthetic and undead protagonist. Priest was published in English by TOKYOPOP. [Wiki]
DIFFERENCE-BETWEEN FILM-AND-COMIC: Fans of the manhwa have voiced their heavy criticism against the movie regarding changes related to central storylines and core characters. Primarily how the protagonist and antagonists in the film have been altered. In the books, Ivan Isaacs was portrayed as a priest that turned into a demon possessed undead creature. In the film he's a human that's a priest and a vampire hunter. The books had him face a multitude of enemies, mainly demons, zombies, and angels with zero encounters with vampires. The main antagonist in the books was an angel called Temozarela. The film's antagonists are only vampires with a leader called Black Hat. [Wiki]
Actress Maggie Q is in it, so I'm absolutely fine with whatever differences to be had, IMHO.
