Yes, I hate movie reviewers. I am including myself to some degree, although no one is paying for my opinion. I read the reviews for Wolverine yesterday before seeing it at the midnight showing and all of the bashing had me concerned. Don’t believe the bullshit. It’s a great, fun(ny) and action packed start to the summer movie season.
Hugh Jackman was great, fully embracing the character and story and making even preposterous scenes feel genuine. This is another case that depending on your knowledge of the original comic books your mileage may vary as far as overall enjoyment. If you’re going to get pissy about every little detail not being carried over from the books, or about the filmmakers taking certain liberties then you’ll have some issues. If you haven’t read the books or are more forgiving, I think you’ll enjoy the crap out of this like I did. However, I do wish Deadpool, Agent Zero and Gambit got a bit more screen time because what was there was simply awesome. Continue reading ‘Wolverine (I hate movie reviewers)’
So I was having this conversation with a good buddy of mine the other day about some of our friends getting on the Twitter bandwagon. I was very happy to find another individual that felt the same way as I did.
Internal dialogue. That’s essentially what goes on. 140 characters or less of random babbling about:
This girl on the train is hot. (not gonna happen buddy)
Man, this sandwich is tasty. (congrats tool, your keyboard now has mayo on it)
I’m late for class. (stop typing and get to class dumbass)
This rash is spreading. (glad you’re far away)
Other bullshit. (see above)
Fortunately some talented people decided to put together a video that sums up how my buddy and I feel about it. I’m sure that some will say ” either you get it, or you don’t” or “it’s not for everybody” in some assinine condescending fashion, and you know what? I’m glad I don’t get it. Scientoligists probably say the same shit.
Luckily that question is not the only one I have answers for today as we were able to catch the Watchmen at a midnight showing last night.
Here’s another question: Was it any good?
Hell yes it was. Brutal, graphic, pretty to look at, well paced, well acted and it hit a very large majority of the books major points right on the head.
Here is where things get tricky. If you did not read the book, you’ll likely be confused as hell at times and you’ll probably be surprised by the overall adult nature of it. You see this is not the Xmen, or Spiderman or any other average comic book. The majority of the ‘heros’ have some heavy pyschological issues, 0 superpowers and are basically masked vigilantes that the majority of society would like to see locked up permanently. The only guy that actually has any real super-type abilities is mostly devoid of emotion and really doesn’t give a shit about the human race.
So if you read the book and loved it and you’re not a detail nazi (ZOMG!!!11!! RORSHACH IS SUPPOSED TO GO HOME FOR HIS SECOND MASK!!! THIS MOVIE IS RUINED!!!) then you’ll love it. They pulled no punches when it came to the graphic nature of the novel, so don’t be surpised to see shredded flesh, attempted rape, a bunch of breasts, compound fractures, blue penises (penii??) and more.
Bottom line is this. It’s not for everyone, but for the fans of the graphic novel it seems like the movie version you could have only hoped for.
BTW: yes the ending has been changed and that entire plotline that goes into the construction of the ’squid’ has been scrapped, but I think it’s for the best. The movie’s ending not only performs the exact same function, it actually feels more legit.
So I had some downtime recently and I finally got around to playing and completing a couple of games. I’ll try and review some of the others ( Fable 2, Gears of War 2 and Metal Gear Solid 4) but Event Horizon came up in conversation today, and Dead Space became my first target.
Dead Space casts you as an engineer sent out on a rescue mission to find out what went wrong on a mining vessel in deep space. The game sets the story up pretty well, and its not long before you’re seperated from your team and the action begins. It’s apparent from the get go that not is all as it should be on the derilict ship. “Necromorphs” as the game refers to them (essentially the reanimated corpses of the fallen crew) are your main adversary throughout the game. They take on a variety of shapes and sizes and without exception they are all fairly grotesque. They make a great foe throughout the game, giving you a few genuine shocks and scares. In addition an interesting mechanic is implemented, wherein headshots (the defacto killshot in most games) are ineffective and the best way to take down the enemy is through dismemberment. This results in a lot of good-bloody fun.
I’d say the big star is the ship and its atmosphere. It may come accross as a bunch of greenish corridors, but the feeling of dread that the designers conveyed through graphics and sound design really make it seem if you’re in a haunted spacecraft. The designers also mix up a good variety of believable locales while still remaining within the confines of the story. The ship is in total dissaray, and when you’re not looking over your shoulder for necromorphs, you’re preoccupied with zero gravity areas, zero oxygen zones and some nicely scripted cataclysmic type events.
This was a game I couldn’t stop playing until I got to the end. For me, thats the mark I look for. Great Resident Evil-like gameplay, tense atmosphere, interesting story, fun-upgradeable weapons and gear as well as an awesome final boss fight made this one a winner in my book.
One last thing. Before I played the game I watched the set up story on dvd. Dead Space: Downfall is a full lenght animated feature that sets up your characters arrival at the beginning of the game. I love animation. I love movies. I love games. I have 2 things to say about this. (1.) It’s a good thing I got it from Netflix and didn’t buy it. (2.) It pretty much sucked. Not horrible horrible… but for me of all people… the same guy who enjoyed Deep Blue Sea to not really enjoy it, well… that’s saying something.
So I may have been a little late to the party. Cesar has been evangelizing this series for some time now and I jumped on the bandwagon fairly recently. However I feel that I need to do my part and let my legions of fans ( Hi Mom!) know exactly where I stand.
If you like any of the following: Incredible art, fantastic storytelling, thought provoking dialogue, deep characters, rollercoaster action and gut renching drama ** then use some of that Christmas money grandma sent you and order the first Walking Dead. Once you read the first, you’ll have to continue through the rest. The ninth volume comes out in graphic novel form this week ( or if you’re Cesar, last week) and if it shapes up anywhere near as tense as #8, I may have to get some medication.
If however you like puppies, rainbows, happy thoughts and feel good moments… you may want to take a pass. This graphic novel, and yes I realize this is just a book, is not for the faint of heart. (I deleted a line here that was just too disgusting to post, sometimes I even gross myself out. trust me on this… you owe me one )
So if you’re not a fan yet, get cracking. If you are a fan let’s talk. True iconogeeks already have an outbreak plan of some sort. So here’s a question… If it comes tomorrow, who are you?
Fable 2 is definitely one of my favorite games of the past year. After beating the main campaign I still found myself wandering around towns with my dog at my side, beating random people and dodging diseases from pesky prostitutes.
By the way, the dog in Fable 2 is much better than a real dog. No fur, no smell, no picking up dog crap, no walking, no biting.
So needless to say I was pleased to learn that the Fable 2 DLC: Knothole Island will be available this coming Tuesday, January 13th for 800 Microsoft points from Xbox Live. Opens up the new island, new quests, armor clothes and a bunch more.
Ironman is now on DVD. If you have yet to see this movie we must insist that you turn your computer off immediately, go to your local BestBuy, Blockbuster, Supermarket or 7-Eleven (yes, they are selling this absolutely everywhere) and purchase the Ironman DVD. If you have already seen this movie, you should still go and buy it.
I picked it up the other night and we watched it again and it really was just a damn good time. If you are on this website, their should be no question in your mind about whether or not this is a must own.
Clooney, Pitt, Swinton, Malkovich and McDormand in a film by the Coen brothers.
Obviously, this should interest you.
I’ve been following this one for some time now, and I was definitely not disappointed. Burn After Reading is easily one of the most entertaining movies I have seen this year. To prepare mix: 3 parts funny, 2 parts bizarre, a splash of violence… sprinkling on a few sex toys for good measure.
The entire cast give fantastic performances that should not be missed. Clooney the neurotic womanizer, Pitt the personal training dumbass, Malkovich the asshole, Swinton the cold bitch and McDormand the ditzy self desctructing center of it all. What I admire most is the stretch of some of these characters, except perhaps Tilda Swinton playing the exact same role she played in Michael Clayton. She still did a great job, and it was what the role called for but I’m hoping she doesn’t end up type cast for future gigs.
As I said, everyone was great. I would have to single out a non headliner in the form of J.K. Simmons (aka Juno’s dad or J Jonah Jameson). He nails some of the best lines in the film as a detached, unflinching CIA director. His only concern being that the entire case/situation simply just go away. It’s just about worth the price of admission for him alone.
The Coen brothers, after No Country for Old Men have returned back to the offbeat, seedy characters that made Fargo, O Brother, Lebowski and Raising Arizona such entertaining films. I’m not sure that this one will win an Oscar like No Country (only because the academy is filled with a closed mindedness to anything that can be percieved as ‘main stream), but I am sure it’s far more enjoyable.
I’ve taken a lot of flack over the years for being the one person on earth that enjoyed Ang Lee’s Hulk. I could never understand what the problem was. He was a comic book character and for me the movie was fun to watch. I like Eric Bana. I really like Jennifer Connelly. He rips a tank apart! Whatever, judge me if you like.. I enjoyed it.
However.
I saw the new Hulk this weekend, and I guess you were all right… Ang Lee’s Hulk is just an ugly bastard of a movie in comparison. This is what a Hulk movie should be. Ridiculous over the top tense and exciting action sequences, enjoyable characters (good interplay between Norton and Tyler, although Jennifer Connelly was much more ‘appealing’), fantastic superpowers, great CGI and most importantly a ton of fun. This movie will get an assload of play on my home theater when it comes to DVD.
The CGI had a few moments of ‘eh’ .. you know where you look at it, and something seems off but you can’t quite put your finger on it. Overall though it was top notch. The integration of live action and 3d was especially noteworthy, which is where most movies have issues. This is where the Hulk excels, pitting his massive frame against normal sized individuals had an awesome impact.
Definitely go check this one out. It’s a 10 in my book.. not an Iron Man 10, but a 10 nonetheless.
P.S. No need to stay past the end credits this time… they throw you the bone right before it ends.
M. Night Shyamalan’s summer flick ‘The Happening’ came out this past weekend. If you’ve been keeping track with us over here (slackers I know) we discussed this movie a few weeks back and the scare the pants off you red band trailer that was on line.
I had high hopes for this. I like M.N.S. and most of his movies. I like the approach and the feel. I liked that this seemed to be going edgier, with his first R rated production. The first trailer had me intrigued, the red band trailer had me sold. I bought my ticket, alongside enough others for it to rake in a very respectable $35 million or so on its opening weekend.
Here’s the big twist with this one. How did a trailer with so much awesome result in a movie with so much suck? I could go into a myriad of reasons why this movie failed to deliver, and I am pretty much the most forgiving movie critic in the world. I like just about every movie I see ( except Diary of the Dead, my new favorite ‘most horrible movie ever’) and even I had trouble finding redeeming qualities with this movie. It did have a good sense of dread, had some decent creepiness… but when/if you see it, your response will probably be something like this.
“Seriously??!?”
{internal dialogue}
Something else must be coming…
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