For me, the year 2015 was both a decent year in film and also a year where nostalgia was desperately clawed at for those in my generation and older. It's clear by the number of sequels to franchises that were long thought dead this year that Hollywood was ready to re-open the vault on these concepts. Some worked, and some didn't. I will only be commenting on films I saw this year as there were some I was not willing to shell out my money towards since it was obviously crap (I'm looking at you, Fant4stic Four).
And be warned, I can't promise you won't read a spoiler or two in here.
My 5 Favorite Films of 2015
5. Inside Out - A great return to form for Pixar, a unique idea about the feelings in our head and how they work. Aside from some inspired comedic moments (and mentions of hockey, nice), this film had some well-conceived concepts about how our brain works and pulled it all off without ever giving us a true villain of the story, because the only villain is being our own worst enemy.
4. Avengers: Age of Ultron - This is difficult, because after the first Avengers film, it was going to be hard to live up to that and so much had been building to this point. It wasn't quite what I expected at first. Ultron himself wasn't as menacing as I would have hoped to the point of being overly quippy, but when you take into account that this Ultron was pulling from the personality of Tony Stark, it made sense. Not perfect by any means but I found it to be an enjoyable ride all the same.
3. Ant-Man - The real surprise of the summer was Ant-Man, a character virtually no one outside of comics is familiar with, which is exactly the kind of film Marvel excels at (see: Iron Man, Thor, Guardians of the Galaxy). Paul Rudd brought humor and heart, the film was scaled down (no pun intended) from the larger Marvel Cinematic Universe and really felt like a nice little corner of the MCU.
2. Jurassic World - This was the sequel to Jurassic Park I had been waiting for. Yes, it has plenty of issues, but to me it still delivered on everything I wanted: a reason for a sequel to exist (a new park has been opened to the public "successfully"), characters that are fun to watch (the main two at least for me), fantastic dinosaur action, and unique new ways to make it work while staying true to the franchise. It called back quite a bit, playing on our nostalgia for the original, but I still felt it had earned the right to do that. Just, don't analyze the human villain(s) too much, because the Indominus Rex was awesome.
1. Star Wars: The Force Awakens - I just saw this yesterday and I have to say, I was blown away. The prequels are a long distant memory now. I watched the original trilogy on VHS as a kid and was mildly intrigued, but the prequels destroyed any chance of me falling in love with Star Wars. The Force Awakens has renewed that love, great characters, heart, comedy, and effects. Yes it calls back a lot to A New Hope, well guess what? It works on every level.
Honorable Mentions: The Martian, Trainwreck, Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation
- These are all films that I feel were well done and I had a good time watching. I recommend all of them to whomever may be interested. MI:RN was not a surprise to be good, but the others were of course more stand alone films that were excellently done in their own right.
My Worst Films of 2015
2. Cinderella - I wouldn't consider this a "bad" film, just one I had no interest in seeing and the film didn't change my mind. It was executed just fine and follows the Disney formula of the story beat for beat, no real surprises here. It's just not my cup of tea, though the Frozen Fever short before it was fun.
1. Tomorrowland - My biggest disappointment of 2015, Tomorrowland had so much promise. An intriguing look to a positive future, basing it on a much loved area of the Magic Kingdom, George Clooney, and my favorite of all, director Brad Bird. Bird has brought us some of my favorite films including The Incredibles and Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol. However, it was the writing and pacing of the film that undid this project. I can't help but put most of the blame on Damon Lindelof who wrote this dreck and who was also somewhat responsible for the show Lost falling apart. What could have been for this movie, where the title location is barely shown. The film literally has a plot to tell you that the greatness that was Tomorrowland no longer exists, it's a shadow of itself and we'll never really see it. Oh, how much that resonates as how this film fails to excite and entertain.
My Most Anticipated Films of 2016
5. Star Wars: Rogue One - Not much is known about this one yet, it's an anthology film regarding getting the plans to the original Death Star to the Rebels. I wouldn't have put this on my list until I saw Force Awakens and now I'm hyped for anything Star Wars. Here's hoping it's good.
4. Doctor Strange - I might know even less about where this one is going. I just know Marvel has a really good track record with introducing new characters to the MCU and with Benedict Cumberbatch in tow, I have a great feeling about it.
3. Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice - The one that worries me the most but I'm eager to see is this. DC is hugely banking on this film to get its franchises rolling and its got so many balls in the air: Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Lex Luthor, Doomsday, and cameos from probably the rest of the Justice League. It has an uphill battle to climb, but (and I never thought I'd say this again) I think the casting of Ben Affleck may turn out to be genius for the turn of an angry Bruce Wayne/Batman. Lex on the other hand, oy, good luck with that.
2. Captain America: Civil War - This looks great. After the Winter Soldier, Cap has me on board for this film easily, and though many trailers for Marvel films overplay the seriousness when comedy seems to win out, I think this one will pull through. Winter Soldier teased a more serious tone and it did deliver as the character stakes were pretty high. I trust this one will pull it off wonderfully.
1. X-Men: Apocalypse - So how can this movie be my most anticipated? Look, I love the X-Men, and I'm so very glad we keep getting more of them. But the Apocalypse story? Him and Archangel? I've been waiting years to see this story come to life on the big screen, and while some may not think the trailer looks good enough, I for one am very hyped up by it. I cannot wait.
Honorable Mentions Anticipated: Suicide Squad, Deadpool, Gambit, Star Trek Beyond
Saturday, December 26, 2015
Saturday, February 1, 2014
2013 Movies In Review
The year 2013 has already come and gone, and while I certainly didn't have time to see everything I wanted to, I've got my opinions about what was the most enjoyable experiences in movies for me last year, along with those that weren't quite up to snuff. Remember this is completely my opinion, I'm not here to be a benchmark for the Oscars or anything like that.
Best Movies of 2013
Honorable Mentions: Despicable Me 2, Side Effects, Admission, The Heat
10. Thor: The Dark World - While I don't have many issues with this film, I don't think it helps that its villain feels like a second banana to Loki, who we all love, but if you're going to have another big villain, make it a bit more about them (especially when the title eludes to it). However, the Dark World feels like an improvement over the first Thor and gives us much more Asgard to enjoy. The supporting cast works great though Stellan Skarsgaard feels a bit underutilized (granted he got to be in Avengers also so no harm there).
9. Star Trek Into Darkness - While I found the sequel to 2009's fantastic reboot of the Star Trek franchise to be a bit lacking compared to its predecessor, Into Darkness still manages to be a fun and enjoyable film that features a great villain performance by Benedict Cumberbatch. Yes hiding who he really was turned out to be unnecessary but it doesn't really detract from the film. Some nifty action sequences and deft comedy (Simon Pegg rules) help this film out quite a bit. My biggest issue is that the film doesn't feel like it earns its final act in an homage to Wrath of Khan. At least it wasn't exactly the same but I think it's time that the Star Trek franchise moves on with its own stories.
8. The World's End - The conclusion to the Cornetto trilogy, this is well themed comedy with great actors, but I found it a bit behind the stellar Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz. Still, it's a lot of fun, has interesting and good messages to tell, and who doesn't love watching these guys on screen together?
7. Oblivion - It's far from perfect, but it's one of the better Science Fiction/Fantasy films to come out in a while. Tom Cruise always commands the screen but smart choices were made. Rather than just throw us into an unrecognizable post-apocalyptic world, there are efforts made to remind us of the lost Earth and what once was, humanizing the characters and landscape. The story's twists are well done and create a satisfying story that would have been welcome in a Twilight Zone episode (that's high praise).
6. Saving Mr. Banks - A solidly well told story featuring fantastic actors with the first ever live screen portrayal of Walt Disney? Yeah I'm there. The story of how Mary Poppins came to be includes background that might not be expected but isn't unwelcome (plus it's the best role Colin Farrell has played in a long time). Tom Hanks doesn't really look like Disney but who cares, he's awesome and Emma Thompson nails her role. The movie is fun and at times heart-wrenching but an interesting tale nonetheless.
5. The Wolverine - I had low expectations for this film after the complete disaster that was X-Men Origins: Wolverine but this movie took things in a completely different, much better direction. Instead of making it Wolverine and a dozen mutants, it's so much more about just Wolverine being thrown into a delicate situation, surrounded by (mostly) humans. This is not a cameo-palooza, this is a well told story that allows room for character development, good action, and general interest to play out. The third act is indeed comic-booky and detracts a little but I still found it enjoyable. Plus it makes no mention of the last Wolverine film and the only tie to Last Stand is that of Jean Grey, who fits in nicely to the story.
4. Frozen - Certainly the best animated film I've seen since Wreck-It Ralph and from the same creators, Frozen has already become a big hit which is commendable because this could have gone wrong in many different ways. There were cliches that seemed to be coming but never did and the mold was broken several times for Disney tales. Yes, Let It Go is a great song and Josh Gad brought well timed and clever humor as Olaf the snowman. This is also a great looking film, as it plays with ice, snow, and all methods of frozen water that seem to dance on the screen. It may lack a true villain, but the characters define the film well enough that it's not a mark against it.
3. Man of Steel - Finally, the Superman movie I have been waiting for and yeah this one got really mixed reactions. Those who loved the Donner films hated this. Others who scorned the Singer Superman Returns may have had issues with this as well. For me, this is almost the polar opposite of Superman Returns and that's a good thing. We get the longest best glimpse into Krypton ever put on film and instead of just living through his entire childhood, we flash back to it when it is relevant to the present day storyline. Amy Adams makes a great Lois Lane and while we didn't get Luthor, the villains of this movie were just perfect. Michael Shannon played a truly menacing, yet purposeful Zod and Faora was a force to be reckoned with. A lot of people shied away from the fight scenes and destruction. I have been waiting so long to see a true Superman fight and what we got was nothing short of awesome, because this is what would happen if these kinds of forces collided. Yes Superman isn't perfect, he makes mistakes, he just became Superman after all. The film might have done better with a little more levity, but all in all, it was a welcome experience.
2. Iron Man 3 - This movie has gotten a lot of flack from purist comic book fans for its villain twist. To those people I say, you need to relax and enjoy the movie for what it is. Comic book films take what they can from the stories but let's be realistic: not everything is going to translate that well and adjustments have to be made. Plus this is its own universe and interpretation. That said, the movie might be one of the funniest of the year and still has the thrills and action to keep up. Guy Pierce makes a great villain and don't get me started on how funny and well acted Ben Kingsley is. It's a marked improvement over the also-way-too-berated Iron Man 2 and does a good job of picking up where Avengers left off. Thus far, there is no amount of Robert Downey, Jr. playing Tony Stark that can be considered too much.
1. Gravity - No other movie this year really blew me away like Gravity did and it helped that I saw it in IMAX 3D, which it was certainly made for. The story isn't exactly the deepest ever told but the movie does its best to have us care about the few characters we do see. It is a story of survival and what it means and takes to do so. It is for me the definition of true Science Fiction (whereas most Sci-Fi is more like Science Fantasy). Yes some of the things that happen in this movie aren't fully realistic. Who cares? It's the execution, the beauty and terror of it, the amazing visuals and desperation. There are few movies that have ever made me exclaim Holy Shit, and this one did it several times. For all the things that the movies try to scare us with, it's harder to be more frightening than the idea of being lost in a vast nothingness, with the possibility of no hope for return, and detailing just how difficult life in space can be.
Worst Movies of 2013
5. We're The Millers - Certainly not the worst comedy of the year but still the worst one I saw. Jason Sudekis is a lot of fun and while the story is something different, it only hits its beats every so often. It does an OK job keeping your interest but the premise falls apart fairly quickly and lacks mobility.
4. This Is The End - I know, this is a well liked film and don't get me wrong, I did enjoy many parts of it, plus I thought the premise was a great idea. That being said, it went a little over the top for my tastes at times and often became unnecessarily gratuitous or overutilizing of the same joke. There are moments when it really works though, i.e. Jonah Hill's exorcism is just brilliant and the special effects are well executed, plus the ending is hilarious. Horror-comedies are a good thing, but this one needed a bit more comedy and a little less dread.
3. Now You See Me - While an interesting movie because ones about magic often are and a well put together cast, the film is just a series of sequences about characters we never get to know and don't care much about. It's hard to say who you are supposed to root for because no one is really a bad guy (beyond stealing money) and they all just keep fighting for screen time. Not to mention that in all likelihood, most of the tricks couldn't actually be done by performers without CGI.
2. Identity Thief - Jason Bateman, you're killing me. I like you a lot, Arrested Development was amazing. But why are you always in bad movies? Case in point, this movie doesn't have good comedic timing or ideas and barely knows what it wants to be. It's sort of a road comedy but we never care much about the characters involved and nothing really clicks.
1. Planes - I didn't see all of this but from what I did, it was not worthy of being a Disney film. I'm aware Pixar didn't actually make it but I already wasn't a big fan of Cars and this just feels like a lesser TV movie.
Best Movies of 2013
Honorable Mentions: Despicable Me 2, Side Effects, Admission, The Heat
10. Thor: The Dark World - While I don't have many issues with this film, I don't think it helps that its villain feels like a second banana to Loki, who we all love, but if you're going to have another big villain, make it a bit more about them (especially when the title eludes to it). However, the Dark World feels like an improvement over the first Thor and gives us much more Asgard to enjoy. The supporting cast works great though Stellan Skarsgaard feels a bit underutilized (granted he got to be in Avengers also so no harm there).
9. Star Trek Into Darkness - While I found the sequel to 2009's fantastic reboot of the Star Trek franchise to be a bit lacking compared to its predecessor, Into Darkness still manages to be a fun and enjoyable film that features a great villain performance by Benedict Cumberbatch. Yes hiding who he really was turned out to be unnecessary but it doesn't really detract from the film. Some nifty action sequences and deft comedy (Simon Pegg rules) help this film out quite a bit. My biggest issue is that the film doesn't feel like it earns its final act in an homage to Wrath of Khan. At least it wasn't exactly the same but I think it's time that the Star Trek franchise moves on with its own stories.
8. The World's End - The conclusion to the Cornetto trilogy, this is well themed comedy with great actors, but I found it a bit behind the stellar Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz. Still, it's a lot of fun, has interesting and good messages to tell, and who doesn't love watching these guys on screen together?
7. Oblivion - It's far from perfect, but it's one of the better Science Fiction/Fantasy films to come out in a while. Tom Cruise always commands the screen but smart choices were made. Rather than just throw us into an unrecognizable post-apocalyptic world, there are efforts made to remind us of the lost Earth and what once was, humanizing the characters and landscape. The story's twists are well done and create a satisfying story that would have been welcome in a Twilight Zone episode (that's high praise).
6. Saving Mr. Banks - A solidly well told story featuring fantastic actors with the first ever live screen portrayal of Walt Disney? Yeah I'm there. The story of how Mary Poppins came to be includes background that might not be expected but isn't unwelcome (plus it's the best role Colin Farrell has played in a long time). Tom Hanks doesn't really look like Disney but who cares, he's awesome and Emma Thompson nails her role. The movie is fun and at times heart-wrenching but an interesting tale nonetheless.
5. The Wolverine - I had low expectations for this film after the complete disaster that was X-Men Origins: Wolverine but this movie took things in a completely different, much better direction. Instead of making it Wolverine and a dozen mutants, it's so much more about just Wolverine being thrown into a delicate situation, surrounded by (mostly) humans. This is not a cameo-palooza, this is a well told story that allows room for character development, good action, and general interest to play out. The third act is indeed comic-booky and detracts a little but I still found it enjoyable. Plus it makes no mention of the last Wolverine film and the only tie to Last Stand is that of Jean Grey, who fits in nicely to the story.
4. Frozen - Certainly the best animated film I've seen since Wreck-It Ralph and from the same creators, Frozen has already become a big hit which is commendable because this could have gone wrong in many different ways. There were cliches that seemed to be coming but never did and the mold was broken several times for Disney tales. Yes, Let It Go is a great song and Josh Gad brought well timed and clever humor as Olaf the snowman. This is also a great looking film, as it plays with ice, snow, and all methods of frozen water that seem to dance on the screen. It may lack a true villain, but the characters define the film well enough that it's not a mark against it.
3. Man of Steel - Finally, the Superman movie I have been waiting for and yeah this one got really mixed reactions. Those who loved the Donner films hated this. Others who scorned the Singer Superman Returns may have had issues with this as well. For me, this is almost the polar opposite of Superman Returns and that's a good thing. We get the longest best glimpse into Krypton ever put on film and instead of just living through his entire childhood, we flash back to it when it is relevant to the present day storyline. Amy Adams makes a great Lois Lane and while we didn't get Luthor, the villains of this movie were just perfect. Michael Shannon played a truly menacing, yet purposeful Zod and Faora was a force to be reckoned with. A lot of people shied away from the fight scenes and destruction. I have been waiting so long to see a true Superman fight and what we got was nothing short of awesome, because this is what would happen if these kinds of forces collided. Yes Superman isn't perfect, he makes mistakes, he just became Superman after all. The film might have done better with a little more levity, but all in all, it was a welcome experience.
2. Iron Man 3 - This movie has gotten a lot of flack from purist comic book fans for its villain twist. To those people I say, you need to relax and enjoy the movie for what it is. Comic book films take what they can from the stories but let's be realistic: not everything is going to translate that well and adjustments have to be made. Plus this is its own universe and interpretation. That said, the movie might be one of the funniest of the year and still has the thrills and action to keep up. Guy Pierce makes a great villain and don't get me started on how funny and well acted Ben Kingsley is. It's a marked improvement over the also-way-too-berated Iron Man 2 and does a good job of picking up where Avengers left off. Thus far, there is no amount of Robert Downey, Jr. playing Tony Stark that can be considered too much.
1. Gravity - No other movie this year really blew me away like Gravity did and it helped that I saw it in IMAX 3D, which it was certainly made for. The story isn't exactly the deepest ever told but the movie does its best to have us care about the few characters we do see. It is a story of survival and what it means and takes to do so. It is for me the definition of true Science Fiction (whereas most Sci-Fi is more like Science Fantasy). Yes some of the things that happen in this movie aren't fully realistic. Who cares? It's the execution, the beauty and terror of it, the amazing visuals and desperation. There are few movies that have ever made me exclaim Holy Shit, and this one did it several times. For all the things that the movies try to scare us with, it's harder to be more frightening than the idea of being lost in a vast nothingness, with the possibility of no hope for return, and detailing just how difficult life in space can be.
Worst Movies of 2013
5. We're The Millers - Certainly not the worst comedy of the year but still the worst one I saw. Jason Sudekis is a lot of fun and while the story is something different, it only hits its beats every so often. It does an OK job keeping your interest but the premise falls apart fairly quickly and lacks mobility.
4. This Is The End - I know, this is a well liked film and don't get me wrong, I did enjoy many parts of it, plus I thought the premise was a great idea. That being said, it went a little over the top for my tastes at times and often became unnecessarily gratuitous or overutilizing of the same joke. There are moments when it really works though, i.e. Jonah Hill's exorcism is just brilliant and the special effects are well executed, plus the ending is hilarious. Horror-comedies are a good thing, but this one needed a bit more comedy and a little less dread.
3. Now You See Me - While an interesting movie because ones about magic often are and a well put together cast, the film is just a series of sequences about characters we never get to know and don't care much about. It's hard to say who you are supposed to root for because no one is really a bad guy (beyond stealing money) and they all just keep fighting for screen time. Not to mention that in all likelihood, most of the tricks couldn't actually be done by performers without CGI.
2. Identity Thief - Jason Bateman, you're killing me. I like you a lot, Arrested Development was amazing. But why are you always in bad movies? Case in point, this movie doesn't have good comedic timing or ideas and barely knows what it wants to be. It's sort of a road comedy but we never care much about the characters involved and nothing really clicks.
1. Planes - I didn't see all of this but from what I did, it was not worthy of being a Disney film. I'm aware Pixar didn't actually make it but I already wasn't a big fan of Cars and this just feels like a lesser TV movie.
Tuesday, January 18, 2011
Review: Tron: Legacy
Today I'm stuck in Jury Duty, so I might as well use the "90 minutes of quota time" alloted to me for certain web sites like blogspot (others are allowed and anything fun or interesting is just flat out blocked). I'll be reviewing the last big blockbuster film of 2010, Tron: Legacy. First some backstory.
Until a few weeks ago, I had never seen the original Tron. It's when I tried to finally see it that I realized why that is: it's incredibly hard to find. It's not readily available on DVD or home video for that matter and is pretty much never on TV, not even the Disney channel, the company that made it. It came out before I was born and it took heading to a Blockbuster Video Store to rent a copy on DVD, no small feat as most didn't have it and trying to buy it was not a viable option (it sells on eBay for about $80, yikes!). Needless to say I finally saw it and wasn't overly blown away by it. Yes comparing Tron today's films is an impossible task, it doesn't hold up one bit but it was so cool to see a young Jeff Bridges act and realize how great an actor he's become. Those special effects though, what can you say, I knew to take it stride and enjoy it for what it was while my wife likened it to something akin to a cartoon and I can see that.
The story of Tron is irrelevant because it was an experiment that didn't exactly succeed. Worse, the film leaves us on a terrible cliffhanger with little to no resolution. This is where Tron: Legacy picks up and gives us a little more backstory on what the heck happened over 20 years ago after Tron.
So this much needs to be said, Tron: Legacy, like Tron, isn't going to blow you away with brilliant writing or smart dialogue, but it's also not a dumb film. This thing knows its audience and the audience isn't mindless; they want to see an amazing world but also have an understanding of computers to an extent and aren't around to just see stuff blow up, anyone can do that. Let's see someone make a whole new world instead and build something on that.
Legacy tells the story of Sam Flynn, the son of Jeff Bridges' character Kevin Flynn, who after all these years has been stuck in the Grid, the virtual world he helped create. There's a good amount of early story here about what happened to them and their company, Encom, which is now in a Microsoft style control of releasing rehashed versions of the same programs with a new number on it. We even get a cameo from the great Cillian Murphy but that's all it is, a cameo. Bruce Boxlightner (the original Tron) gets a bigger role which is understandable and yet sad, Murphy was wasted likely to be brought back for another sequel (considering he's the son of the first film's antagonist).
Eventually, Sam reenters the Grid and that's when things turn awesome, it's what we paid to see. Personally I paid to see it in glorious IMAX 3D and recommend seeing it this way. Not all films deserve the treatment but this movie is all about the visuals and sounds so it's worth it. The world created in this movie is nothing short of staggering and a bit awe-inspiring. It has to be seen in motion and the play of colors vs darkness is a beautiful sight. Bridges finally enters the fray in the film here but as two different characters, and this is where the film really starts to divide people.
You either go with the fact that C.L.U., the villain of this piece, is believable as a computer-enhanced younger Jeff Bridges or not. There are times he looks real and others where it pulls you out of the film. As much hard work went into this effect, it's still no Gollum, which is sad considering that we last saw that character over 5 years ago.
C.L.U. is however an excellent foil for our heroes, because he isn't "evil" in the traditional sense, not even like the MCP was in Tron. He isn't after control, he's after perfection and building the perfect system. Of course like the MCP he was built by humans (in this case by Bridges himself) and has since come to haunt them. That same lesson looms but is taught quite different and more effectively. I found this conflict far more engaging because C.L.U. believes he is doing what he has to, what he was designed to do and believes he is right.
Sam and Kevin's reconnection isn't as strong as one would want but then, Kevin's been stuck here for too long and has started going loopy from what things seem (and apparently he also becomes Big Lebowski's The Dude from time to time, don't ask why, Digital Jazz, really?). The standout is Olivia Wilde as Quorra, who helps our heroes and is a free thinking creation of this world.
Needless the say the film has enough in it to engage and impress, and I feel it really shouldn't be missed if only for the fantastic effects and fun ride. It asks only slightly more of you than your average blockbuster film but is wrapped up in a tighter package better than most from this past year. There's definitely a few hindrances to get past, dialogue, potential confusion if you haven't seen Tron (though I think they did a fine job of recapping things) and the difficult effect of buying into the young Bridges face. All that said, I give the film the Silver Medal of End of Line. See it in IMAX 3D if you can but enjoy it either way.
Saturday, January 15, 2011
The 2010 Gonch Awards
Here we go, without any further ado to those fools who still follow such a dead, dead blog which I wish I would keep up more but goddammit I'm lazy and video games don't play themselves...THE 2010 GONCH AWARDS!!!!
Film
Best Movie - Inception, this amazing tale of dream entering and mesmerizing scenes takes you hostage until implants a single idea in your head: this movie rules and Christopher Nolan is still brilliant.
Best Special Effects - Tron: Legacy, yes the questionable digitized villain of C.L.U. aka young Jeff Bridges is at times hard to believe, but who cares? The whiz-bang beauty of this film lies in the amazing visuals, the jaw dropping look of blue and yellow playing against the dark backdrop of a place you wish your computer was cool enough to house.
Biggest Disappointment - Prince Of Persia: The Sands Of Time, a greatly fun video game that actually did have a story in it was poised to become one of the best video game adaptations of all time. And it was...except that's not saying much. It barely rose above the levels of a standard action film and perhaps I shouldn't have expected more, but I had hoped.
Biggest Surprise (Positive That Is) - Joseph Gordon-Levitt, oh crap he can act. Sure it happened to be a year where I saw 500 Days of Summer on DVD for the first time, but forget that. He was great in Inception and almost overshadowed Dicaprio. He's come a long way from 3rd Rock From The Sun.
Worst Film - Killers, awful from top to bottom. Katherine Heigl is unbearable, Ashton Kutcher doesn't flat out suck but he's not exactly good either and the plot and "twists" if you will, holy crap don't watch this movie. I haven't seen Knight and Day yet but it HAS to be better than this. Or just see Date Night, I'm sure that's the best version of this story.
Best Use of 3D - Tron: Legacy, the overused aspect of 3D has gotten out of control, I mean Green Hornet got the treatment, why exactly? Well, this movie got it and it made sense and was done wonderfully. I actually saw this in IMAX 3D and the scenes outside the grid were in 2D, while those inside were in 3D (clever eh?) to show the differences between the worlds, as if there weren't enough.
Best Superhero Film - Iron Man 2, the easy answer by default because of the few I saw, it was the best. Wait did I even see another superhero film? I'm not sure I did, either way let's just give it to this, Mickey Rourke was cool and while it wasn't everything you could have wanted, it was still a good time.
Best Animated Film - Toy Story 3, the 4th Shrek film wasn't awful but it doesn't come close to a Pixar film. This particular installment wasn't my favorite of the bunch, I'd have to give that to Toy Story 2, but it was still a good movie and a bit dark to boot.
Most Anticipated Film of 2011 - Thor/Green Lantern/Captain America, a three way tie between the superhero films. There's a serious glut of these coming but they mostly look good, though I have serious fears about Green Lantern succeeding. DC needs something besides Batman to live off of and if this fails, we can only hope Zack Snyder's Superman film can save it. Marvel however looks poised for another great year and push to Joss Whedon's (oh god it feels good to say that) Avengers movie.
Best Villain - C.L.U. from Tron: Legacy, this is tough one to choose but I choose young Bridges for a good reason, I love a villain with an interesting motivation whether it be chaos like the Joker or making "super" into normalcy like Syndrome. C.L.U. wasn't truly evil, he was corrupt and confused, perhaps jealous of Flynn's friendship with Tron and determined to "create the perfect system". This drove him to genocide and gives the film it's most important message (yes it DOES have one), that the pursuit of perfection is imperfect in itself and can only lead down a dark path. Sometimes imperfect is perfect.
Television
Best Returning Show - Lost and Smallville, it was hard to pick one so I take both. Lost had its final season and it was a doozy, though the finale was bittersweet in that while it was enjoyable, it didn't quite give us what we expected or hoped for. Smallville began its final season as well in 2010 and it has pulled out ALL the stops. Darkseid, Supergirl, Justice League/Society, Suicide Squad, the suit...oh and he pretty much flew. Got all that? Yeah, it's shaping up to be a great final season...too bad it took this long to get this much out of the show cause it's shining.
Best New Show - No Ordinary Family, no this show isn't going to blow you away or do anything you haven't ever seen before. C'mon, it's about a family of superheros on ABC, the company owned by Disney who also owns Pixar who already made their Fantastic Four ripoff (and frankly better) The Incredibles. No this show isn't anywhere as good as The Incredibles, but it's still lighthearted fun fair, even if it feels like it barely made it over from ABC Family.
Best Comedy - Modern Family, oh god I hadn't seen this show before this year and it is the new Arrested Development, god bless it. A great cast and smart writing make a brilliantly entertaining show.
Best Drama - Lost, you have to hand it to these guys, they could never live up to their expectations and while we still had issue, they did an amazing job wrapping it up.
Music
Best Film Score - Tron: Legacy by Daft Punk, it's unlike any other film score you'll hear this year, it's mostly electronic yet orchestrated score evokes the computer world and the impressiveness of how to make a different kind of movie score.
Honestly, no major album or song springs to mind when I think of 2010.
So that's all I got, did I miss stuff? Am I an idiot? (Don't answer that one). Let me know. Welcome to 2011!
Saturday, July 31, 2010
SYC Reviews: A History of Violence
And we're back. No I won't pretend it's permanent but I just got a new iPhone app to blog with so let's see how this goes.
Today I'm reviewing a film I've heard little about but have been anticipating watching. A History of Violence is just like the main character, Viggo Mortensen's Tom Stall: not what it seems. I had a few preconceptions on what this film was and only a few of them came to pass. It had violence (graphic at that), a hidden identity, and a somewhat small town feel. Lastly I knew that after Viggo dispatched impressively with some crooks at his diner, he'd be a hero but chased down by Ed Harris' mysterious character.
And that when things take a turn. I had a lot of hopes for this one. It could have gone so many ways. Viggo could have been a trained killer but didn't remember it. He could have been chased down by the government or someone looking to recruit him for either good or bad reasons. None of that is the case. Instead the film moves through its potentially most interesting points briskly and disappointingly.
Harris wants revenge for what Viggo did back in Philly, everyone being connected to the mob scene there. Harris plays it cool and sly, subtly stalking Viggo's family and coming across as a good threat. Yet he is dispatched far quicker than we expect and too easily. Viggo's family falls apart at the realization of the truth, even the son emulating his beating up a bully.
But the real tragedy of the film is there's not enough stuff here to make the story intriguing or entertaining. Viggo is incredibly good at killing and not once in the film do we feel he's ever in true danger. William Hurt makes what can only be called a cameo appearance as his mob brother. A good exchange is had but like much of the film it feels so wasted.
It's a shame really, A History of Violence had much potential but doesn't reach any of it. I won't say Ed Harris was wasted, but he was poorly utilized and that's a cardinal sin of movie making, he made The Rock watchable for godsakes. Plus at 90 odd minutes, it's too obvious they didn't know how to tell the story and ends abruptly. It earns the dubious Bronze Medal of Not-Aragorn.
Thanks for reading and here's hoping I write again soon!
Today I'm reviewing a film I've heard little about but have been anticipating watching. A History of Violence is just like the main character, Viggo Mortensen's Tom Stall: not what it seems. I had a few preconceptions on what this film was and only a few of them came to pass. It had violence (graphic at that), a hidden identity, and a somewhat small town feel. Lastly I knew that after Viggo dispatched impressively with some crooks at his diner, he'd be a hero but chased down by Ed Harris' mysterious character.
And that when things take a turn. I had a lot of hopes for this one. It could have gone so many ways. Viggo could have been a trained killer but didn't remember it. He could have been chased down by the government or someone looking to recruit him for either good or bad reasons. None of that is the case. Instead the film moves through its potentially most interesting points briskly and disappointingly.
Harris wants revenge for what Viggo did back in Philly, everyone being connected to the mob scene there. Harris plays it cool and sly, subtly stalking Viggo's family and coming across as a good threat. Yet he is dispatched far quicker than we expect and too easily. Viggo's family falls apart at the realization of the truth, even the son emulating his beating up a bully.
But the real tragedy of the film is there's not enough stuff here to make the story intriguing or entertaining. Viggo is incredibly good at killing and not once in the film do we feel he's ever in true danger. William Hurt makes what can only be called a cameo appearance as his mob brother. A good exchange is had but like much of the film it feels so wasted.
It's a shame really, A History of Violence had much potential but doesn't reach any of it. I won't say Ed Harris was wasted, but he was poorly utilized and that's a cardinal sin of movie making, he made The Rock watchable for godsakes. Plus at 90 odd minutes, it's too obvious they didn't know how to tell the story and ends abruptly. It earns the dubious Bronze Medal of Not-Aragorn.
Thanks for reading and here's hoping I write again soon!
SYC Reviews: A History of Violence
And we're back. No I won't pretend it's permanent but I just got a new iPhone app to blog with so let's see how this goes.
Today I'm reviewing a film I've heard little about but have been anticipating watching. A History of Violence is just like the main character, Viggo Mortensen's Tom Stall: not what it seems. I had a few preconceptions on what this film was and only a few of them came to pass. It had violence (graphic at that), a hidden identity, and a somewhat small town feel. Lastly I knew that after Viggo dispatched impressively with some crooks at his diner, he'd be a hero but chased down by Ed Harris' mysterious character.
And that when things take a turn. I had a lot of hopes for this one. It could have gone so many ways. Viggo could have been a trained killer but didn't remember it. He could have been chased down by the government or someone looking to recruit him for either good or bad reasons. None of that is the case. Instead the film moves through its potentially most interesting points briskly and disappointingly.
Harris wants revenge for what Viggo did back in Philly, everyone being connected to the mob scene there. Harris plays it cool and sly, subtly stalking Viggo's family and coming across as a good threat. Yet he is dispatched far quicker than we expect and too easily. Viggo's family falls apart at the realization of the truth, even the son emulating his beating up a bully.
But the real tragedy of the film is there's not enough stuff here to make the story intriguing or entertaining. Viggo is incredibly good at killing and not once in the film do we feel he's ever in true danger. William Hurt makes what can only be called a cameo appearance as his mob brother. A good exchange is had but like much of the film it feels so wasted.
It's a shame really, A History of Violence had much potential but doesn't reach any of it. I won't say Ed Harris was wasted, but he was poorly utilized and that's a cardinal sin of movie making, he made The Rock watchable for godsakes. Plus at 90 odd minutes, it's too obvious they didn't know how to tell the story and ends abruptly. It earns the dubious Bronze Medal of Not-Aragorn.
Thanks for reading and here's hoping I write again soon!
Today I'm reviewing a film I've heard little about but have been anticipating watching. A History of Violence is just like the main character, Viggo Mortensen's Tom Stall: not what it seems. I had a few preconceptions on what this film was and only a few of them came to pass. It had violence (graphic at that), a hidden identity, and a somewhat small town feel. Lastly I knew that after Viggo dispatched impressively with some crooks at his diner, he'd be a hero but chased down by Ed Harris' mysterious character.
And that when things take a turn. I had a lot of hopes for this one. It could have gone so many ways. Viggo could have been a trained killer but didn't remember it. He could have been chased down by the government or someone looking to recruit him for either good or bad reasons. None of that is the case. Instead the film moves through its potentially most interesting points briskly and disappointingly.
Harris wants revenge for what Viggo did back in Philly, everyone being connected to the mob scene there. Harris plays it cool and sly, subtly stalking Viggo's family and coming across as a good threat. Yet he is dispatched far quicker than we expect and too easily. Viggo's family falls apart at the realization of the truth, even the son emulating his beating up a bully.
But the real tragedy of the film is there's not enough stuff here to make the story intriguing or entertaining. Viggo is incredibly good at killing and not once in the film do we feel he's ever in true danger. William Hurt makes what can only be called a cameo appearance as his mob brother. A good exchange is had but like much of the film it feels so wasted.
It's a shame really, A History of Violence had much potential but doesn't reach any of it. I won't say Ed Harris was wasted, but he was poorly utilized and that's a cardinal sin of movie making, he made The Rock watchable for godsakes. Plus at 90 odd minutes, it's too obvious they didn't know how to tell the story and ends abruptly. It earns the dubious Bronze Medal of Not-Aragorn.
Thanks for reading and here's hoping I write again soon!
SYC Reviews: A History of Violence
And we're back. No I won't pretend it's permanent but I just got a new iPhone app to blog with so let's see how this goes.
Today I'm reviewing a film I've heard little about but have been anticipating watching. A History of Violence is just like the main character, Viggo Mortensen's Tom Stall: not what it seems. I had a few preconceptions on what this film was and only a few of them came to pass. It had violence (graphic at that), a hidden identity, and a somewhat small town feel. Lastly I knew that after Viggo dispatched impressively with some crooks at his diner, he'd be a hero but chased down by Ed Harris' mysterious character.
And that when things take a turn. I had a lot of hopes for this one. It could have gone so many ways. Viggo could have been a trained killer but didn't remember it. He could have been chased down by the government or someone looking to recruit him for either good or bad reasons. None of that is the case. Instead the film moves through its potentially most interesting points briskly and disappointingly.
Harris wants revenge for what Viggo did back in Philly, everyone being connected to the mob scene there. Harris plays it cool and sly, subtly stalking Viggo's family and coming across as a good threat. Yet he is dispatched far quicker than we expect and too easily. Viggo's family falls apart at the realization of the truth, even the son emulating his beating up a bully.
But the real tragedy of the film is there's not enough stuff here to make the story intriguing or entertaining. Viggo is incredibly good at killing and not once in the film do we feel he's ever in true danger. William Hurt makes what can only be called a cameo appearance as his mob brother. A good exchange is had but like much of the film it feels so wasted.
It's a shame really, A History of Violence had much potential but doesn't reach any of it. I won't say Ed Harris was wasted, but he was poorly utilized and that's a cardinal sin of movie making, he made The Rock watchable for godsakes. Plus at 90 odd minutes, it's too obvious they didn't know how to tell the story and ends abruptly. It earns the dubious Bronze Medal of Not-Aragorn.
Thanks for reading and here's hoping I write again soon!
Today I'm reviewing a film I've heard little about but have been anticipating watching. A History of Violence is just like the main character, Viggo Mortensen's Tom Stall: not what it seems. I had a few preconceptions on what this film was and only a few of them came to pass. It had violence (graphic at that), a hidden identity, and a somewhat small town feel. Lastly I knew that after Viggo dispatched impressively with some crooks at his diner, he'd be a hero but chased down by Ed Harris' mysterious character.
And that when things take a turn. I had a lot of hopes for this one. It could have gone so many ways. Viggo could have been a trained killer but didn't remember it. He could have been chased down by the government or someone looking to recruit him for either good or bad reasons. None of that is the case. Instead the film moves through its potentially most interesting points briskly and disappointingly.
Harris wants revenge for what Viggo did back in Philly, everyone being connected to the mob scene there. Harris plays it cool and sly, subtly stalking Viggo's family and coming across as a good threat. Yet he is dispatched far quicker than we expect and too easily. Viggo's family falls apart at the realization of the truth, even the son emulating his beating up a bully.
But the real tragedy of the film is there's not enough stuff here to make the story intriguing or entertaining. Viggo is incredibly good at killing and not once in the film do we feel he's ever in true danger. William Hurt makes what can only be called a cameo appearance as his mob brother. A good exchange is had but like much of the film it feels so wasted.
It's a shame really, A History of Violence had much potential but doesn't reach any of it. I won't say Ed Harris was wasted, but he was poorly utilized and that's a cardinal sin of movie making, he made The Rock watchable for godsakes. Plus at 90 odd minutes, it's too obvious they didn't know how to tell the story and ends abruptly. It earns the dubious Bronze Medal of Not-Aragorn.
Thanks for reading and here's hoping I write again soon!
Monday, December 28, 2009
The 2009 Gonchy Awards
It has been an ETERNITY since I last updated. So why is that? And why do I think it won't change much, work and life have done me in haha. Got engaged and working like crazy will do all of that. But I must keep up the annual tradition as reminded by my friend. Here are the 2009 Gonchy Awards!
Movies
Best Film: Avatar - Hands down, the most enthralling, exciting, and pull-you-in film I've seen since The Dark Knight. I was sucked into this world of Pandora and scarcely wanted to leave. Cameron and the designers outdid themselves, they truly created a unique and amazing world. The story is nothing too new, but it's all about how it comes together, and it is done masterfully. There are no real new stories, it's all about how you tell the story. And it couldn't have been done much better.
Film Franchise Saved: Star Trek - Holy crap, this is not your Dad's Star Trek. I enjoyed some of those films and shows but it never really grabbed me. A lot of crazy talk, little action, slow moving. Not this movie, J.J. Abrams brought out the best in this franchise and it's the most thrilling way it has ever been presented.
What The Hell Was That?: Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen - No I didn't see most of this, I watched many clips of this over a coworker's shoulder and that was enough for me (along with written recaps). Easily some of the biggest WTH moments I've seen in one movie.
Awesomeness On A Budget: District 9 - It was a better year for Sci-Fi than I would have at first imagined. If Avatar showed what you could create with enough money to buy a small country, District 9 showed what you could build with enough to buy a city (Disclaimer: I didn't research either of those ridiculous claims so pipe down). Unheard of actors with an unknown leading man who carried things to a wonderful, tumultuous journey into just how badly we would treat a non-invading force of alien refugees, impressed all around.
Better Than You Think: The Blind Side - Yes it's a football movie. Yes it has Sandra Bullock. Yes it has racial overtones. And yes, it's way better than you think. I really can't stand Bullock and I think it's one of the best performances she has ever given, maybe Oscar-worthy. Go see it if you haven't, it's quite a nice piece of filmmaking.
Best Animated Film: Up - Don't get me wrong, Princess and the Frog was a well done, by the numbers Disney animated feature that doesn't disappoint and was nice to see handdrawn animation again. But let's not kid ourselves, Pixar can't lose (If you ignore Cars, didn't care for it). Up's a wonderful movie that both lifts your heart and droops it at the same time. The biggest issue is that it is technically a fairly depressing movie when you think of its overtones and why the main character is motivated for the whole movie. It's still brilliant though, and my god the dogs were awesomely hilarious.
Most Anticipated Film of 2010: Iron Man 2 - The posters and trailer are great, the casting is impressive and the story looks super fun. Let's just hope it isn't too jam-packed with awesomeness. Wait, that's not possible.
Television
Best Show: Tie between Lost and Chuck - I just can't pick one of these, both had wonderful seasons and were pretty consistent. Lost in particular picked up some steam big time and ended on another big bang. Chuck is just rarely ever a letdown, even if it's not big event television, it's fun and a joy to watch the cast work together.
We'll Miss You: Dollhouse - I really enjoyed this show, not quite as much as the other Joss Whedon ones to be sure, but it's so hard to live up to those. He still had my attention and I liked the unique idea and the cast. At least it got 2 seasons as Fox tried not to kill it too fast, but it shared the same fate as Firefly in the end, dead before it had a chance to really show us what it could do.
Can't Wait For It To Come Back: Tie between Lost and Chuck - Lost really gets a slight edge here as it will be the final season and we're all itching to learn every last thing we can about the island and its people, though we should fear that questions will still be left unanswered :( Chuck is one of the most consistently entertaining shows on TV and after I gave up on Heroes this year, NBC has realized it as well, giving Chuck the Heroes timeslot. Take that, Peter.
You've Failed Me For The Last Time: Tie between Family Guy and Heroes - Both shows I used to enjoy just fell apart for me this year. Family Guy will probably always have its good moments, but it's a shadow of itself and keeps repeating the same idiotic storylines. A dog does not date people! As for Heroes, don't get me started, I've seen one-shot comic books move through story quicker, it makes Lost look like a novella. Oh wait, that's because they have CHARACTER PROGRESSION on Lost, something Heroes hasn't heard of. Sigh. And if someone gets too powerful and we can't figure out how to write for them, we de-power them.
Don't Let Me Down: Smallville - Let's be fair, I've been through 8 and a half seasons of this show, so once I hit a certain point I was gonna see this thing through to the end (this assumes it ever does, heh). But along with some of season 8, season 9 has been one of the best ever, the use of DC characters has gotten better and better, the Clark and Lois dynamic has been its best and it's a completely Lana-free show. With the coming Justice Society eps, I'm really excited for this season. Just, like you have in the past, don't let me down Smallville. The season 9 finale has to be better than season 8's, all the other ones were :p
Music
Best Song: Do You Wanna Date My Avatar by Felicia Day and the cast of The Guild - Yes a cheesy pick, but boy it's catchy and funny. The video is good, too, I recommend checking it out along with the series.
Best Album: 21st Century Breakdown by Green Day - They've done it again, one of the best rock bands of all time has put out an amazing follow up to American Idiot (which seemed impossible). With wonderfully catchy songs like Know Your Enemy and 21 Guns, they continue to redefine themselves and keep the band on top of the charts.
Video Games
Best Game: Batman: Arkham Asylum - The best comic book/superhero game ever made and the most faithful, it's like playing an even darker version of the Batman Animated Series from the 90s. And it should feel that way, considering it has that show's original voice talents for Batman, Joker, and Harley Quinn as well as the same creative consultants. Rocksteady Studios took painstaking efforts to recreate Arkham and create a flawless gameplay experience, with an engrossing environment and even more impressively, some character redesigns that could have been disasters but were instead great reimaginings.
Best Sports Game: NHL 10 - Maybe I'm biased being an EA employee and a lover of hockey, but I can't deny the awesomeness of it. They keep delivering since 2008 when they finally toppled 2k Sports in quality and haven't looked back. Improved play and presentation make this the smoothest version yet.
Best Portable Game: Scribblenauts - It is by no means perfect, the controls could use some fixing, but it's still the most imaginative and amazing little piece of software. Solve puzzles by conjuring up just about anything you think of by writing it in the game and having it appear. It's only limited by your imagination (and the disgustingly vast array of words). The mind boggles at how awesome this game could be on the PC.
Developer Most Obsessed With Peripherals: Activision - Ok we get it, you like making people spend over $100 for your games in a bad economy. Yes you have Guitar Hero 5 this year, just as fair as Harmonix having Beatles Rock Band. But you didn't stop there, you released DJ Hero with a whole new peripheral, and then there's Tony Hawk Ride, a complete and utter failure for $120, yuck. Don't get me started on the elite bundle of XBox 360 with Modern Warfare 2 that includes a pair of working night-vision goggles. Seriously? Try a little harder on the software front and turn down the hardware factories just a tad, please.
Most Anticipated Game of 2010: Tie between Mass Effect 2 and Star Wars: The Old Republic - I have yet to play Mass Effect (I have it sitting in its plastic wrap sadly still) but what I've seen of it looks fantastic once I get around to it. So it stands to reason that ME2 could be even better. SW:TOR though looks brilliant for sure. KOTOR was a masterpiece and I'm not even a Star Wars fan. Could Bioware capture lightning in a bottle twice next year?!
That's all the categories for this year. Chime in with your thoughts. See you next year!
Movies
Best Film: Avatar - Hands down, the most enthralling, exciting, and pull-you-in film I've seen since The Dark Knight. I was sucked into this world of Pandora and scarcely wanted to leave. Cameron and the designers outdid themselves, they truly created a unique and amazing world. The story is nothing too new, but it's all about how it comes together, and it is done masterfully. There are no real new stories, it's all about how you tell the story. And it couldn't have been done much better.
Film Franchise Saved: Star Trek - Holy crap, this is not your Dad's Star Trek. I enjoyed some of those films and shows but it never really grabbed me. A lot of crazy talk, little action, slow moving. Not this movie, J.J. Abrams brought out the best in this franchise and it's the most thrilling way it has ever been presented.
What The Hell Was That?: Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen - No I didn't see most of this, I watched many clips of this over a coworker's shoulder and that was enough for me (along with written recaps). Easily some of the biggest WTH moments I've seen in one movie.
Awesomeness On A Budget: District 9 - It was a better year for Sci-Fi than I would have at first imagined. If Avatar showed what you could create with enough money to buy a small country, District 9 showed what you could build with enough to buy a city (Disclaimer: I didn't research either of those ridiculous claims so pipe down). Unheard of actors with an unknown leading man who carried things to a wonderful, tumultuous journey into just how badly we would treat a non-invading force of alien refugees, impressed all around.
Better Than You Think: The Blind Side - Yes it's a football movie. Yes it has Sandra Bullock. Yes it has racial overtones. And yes, it's way better than you think. I really can't stand Bullock and I think it's one of the best performances she has ever given, maybe Oscar-worthy. Go see it if you haven't, it's quite a nice piece of filmmaking.
Best Animated Film: Up - Don't get me wrong, Princess and the Frog was a well done, by the numbers Disney animated feature that doesn't disappoint and was nice to see handdrawn animation again. But let's not kid ourselves, Pixar can't lose (If you ignore Cars, didn't care for it). Up's a wonderful movie that both lifts your heart and droops it at the same time. The biggest issue is that it is technically a fairly depressing movie when you think of its overtones and why the main character is motivated for the whole movie. It's still brilliant though, and my god the dogs were awesomely hilarious.
Most Anticipated Film of 2010: Iron Man 2 - The posters and trailer are great, the casting is impressive and the story looks super fun. Let's just hope it isn't too jam-packed with awesomeness. Wait, that's not possible.
Television
Best Show: Tie between Lost and Chuck - I just can't pick one of these, both had wonderful seasons and were pretty consistent. Lost in particular picked up some steam big time and ended on another big bang. Chuck is just rarely ever a letdown, even if it's not big event television, it's fun and a joy to watch the cast work together.
We'll Miss You: Dollhouse - I really enjoyed this show, not quite as much as the other Joss Whedon ones to be sure, but it's so hard to live up to those. He still had my attention and I liked the unique idea and the cast. At least it got 2 seasons as Fox tried not to kill it too fast, but it shared the same fate as Firefly in the end, dead before it had a chance to really show us what it could do.
Can't Wait For It To Come Back: Tie between Lost and Chuck - Lost really gets a slight edge here as it will be the final season and we're all itching to learn every last thing we can about the island and its people, though we should fear that questions will still be left unanswered :( Chuck is one of the most consistently entertaining shows on TV and after I gave up on Heroes this year, NBC has realized it as well, giving Chuck the Heroes timeslot. Take that, Peter.
You've Failed Me For The Last Time: Tie between Family Guy and Heroes - Both shows I used to enjoy just fell apart for me this year. Family Guy will probably always have its good moments, but it's a shadow of itself and keeps repeating the same idiotic storylines. A dog does not date people! As for Heroes, don't get me started, I've seen one-shot comic books move through story quicker, it makes Lost look like a novella. Oh wait, that's because they have CHARACTER PROGRESSION on Lost, something Heroes hasn't heard of. Sigh. And if someone gets too powerful and we can't figure out how to write for them, we de-power them.
Don't Let Me Down: Smallville - Let's be fair, I've been through 8 and a half seasons of this show, so once I hit a certain point I was gonna see this thing through to the end (this assumes it ever does, heh). But along with some of season 8, season 9 has been one of the best ever, the use of DC characters has gotten better and better, the Clark and Lois dynamic has been its best and it's a completely Lana-free show. With the coming Justice Society eps, I'm really excited for this season. Just, like you have in the past, don't let me down Smallville. The season 9 finale has to be better than season 8's, all the other ones were :p
Music
Best Song: Do You Wanna Date My Avatar by Felicia Day and the cast of The Guild - Yes a cheesy pick, but boy it's catchy and funny. The video is good, too, I recommend checking it out along with the series.
Best Album: 21st Century Breakdown by Green Day - They've done it again, one of the best rock bands of all time has put out an amazing follow up to American Idiot (which seemed impossible). With wonderfully catchy songs like Know Your Enemy and 21 Guns, they continue to redefine themselves and keep the band on top of the charts.
Video Games
Best Game: Batman: Arkham Asylum - The best comic book/superhero game ever made and the most faithful, it's like playing an even darker version of the Batman Animated Series from the 90s. And it should feel that way, considering it has that show's original voice talents for Batman, Joker, and Harley Quinn as well as the same creative consultants. Rocksteady Studios took painstaking efforts to recreate Arkham and create a flawless gameplay experience, with an engrossing environment and even more impressively, some character redesigns that could have been disasters but were instead great reimaginings.
Best Sports Game: NHL 10 - Maybe I'm biased being an EA employee and a lover of hockey, but I can't deny the awesomeness of it. They keep delivering since 2008 when they finally toppled 2k Sports in quality and haven't looked back. Improved play and presentation make this the smoothest version yet.
Best Portable Game: Scribblenauts - It is by no means perfect, the controls could use some fixing, but it's still the most imaginative and amazing little piece of software. Solve puzzles by conjuring up just about anything you think of by writing it in the game and having it appear. It's only limited by your imagination (and the disgustingly vast array of words). The mind boggles at how awesome this game could be on the PC.
Developer Most Obsessed With Peripherals: Activision - Ok we get it, you like making people spend over $100 for your games in a bad economy. Yes you have Guitar Hero 5 this year, just as fair as Harmonix having Beatles Rock Band. But you didn't stop there, you released DJ Hero with a whole new peripheral, and then there's Tony Hawk Ride, a complete and utter failure for $120, yuck. Don't get me started on the elite bundle of XBox 360 with Modern Warfare 2 that includes a pair of working night-vision goggles. Seriously? Try a little harder on the software front and turn down the hardware factories just a tad, please.
Most Anticipated Game of 2010: Tie between Mass Effect 2 and Star Wars: The Old Republic - I have yet to play Mass Effect (I have it sitting in its plastic wrap sadly still) but what I've seen of it looks fantastic once I get around to it. So it stands to reason that ME2 could be even better. SW:TOR though looks brilliant for sure. KOTOR was a masterpiece and I'm not even a Star Wars fan. Could Bioware capture lightning in a bottle twice next year?!
That's all the categories for this year. Chime in with your thoughts. See you next year!
Monday, February 2, 2009
From The Files Of The Soon-To-Be Mrs. Nixon...
Fool Me Twice:
Ok not much of that made sense, but it was a fun and quick easy post.
Guidelines:
1. Put your iTunes or Windows Media Player on shuffle
2. For each question, press the next button to get your next answer
3. You must write that song name down no matter how outrageous it sounds!
If someone says, "Is This Okay" you say?
Funeral/Rebuilding Serenity by David Newman (Serenity Score)
What would best describe your personality?
I Won't Be Home For Christmas by Blink-182 (that's for damn sure)
What do you like in a guy/girl?
Take Me by Papa Roach
What is your life's purpose?
Eat You Alive by Limp Bizkit (FYI, my purpose is not to cannibalize you, fear not)
What is your motto?
River Tricks Early by Greg Edmonson (Firefly Score)
What do your friends think of you?
Cautioners by Jimmy Eat World
What do you think about often?
Get Over by Marvelous 3
What is 2+2?
Molossus by James Newton Howard and Hans Zimmer (Batman Begins Score)
What do you think of your best friend?
All I Want by The Offspring
What do you think of the person you like?
Party At The Leper Colony by Weird Al
What is you life story?
What's An Epiphany? by Hans Zimmer (The Simpsons Movie Score)
What do you want to be when you grow up?
Spider-Man 90's Cartoon Theme (haha awesome)
What do you think when you see the person you like?
Walkie Talkie Man by Stereogram
What do your parents think of you?
Pas De Cheval by Panic! At The Disco (I don't even know what that means)
What will you dance to at your wedding?
Futurama Theme Song (sweet!)
What will they play at your funeral?
Daddy Wasn't There by Ming Tea and Mike MyersWhat is your hobby/interest?
Wish You Were Here by Limp Bizkit
What do you think of your friends?
Adrenaline by Gavin Rossdale
What's the worst thing that could happen?
Look Where We Are by Hoobastank
How will you die?
Everything by Lifehouse (I don't get it, everything will have to die before I do?)What is the one thing you regret?
Change Your Mind by All-American Rejects
Change Your Mind by All-American Rejects
What makes you laugh?
Schism by Tool
What makes you cry?
Rock 'N Roll Train by AC/DC (maybe tears of joy to see one)
Will you ever get married?
Let Go by Midtown
What scares you the most?
Waltz With Me by Tonic
Does anyone like you?
Scars by Papa Roach
If you could go back in time, what would you change?
I Believe In A Thing Called Love by The Darkness (hell yeah I would have got on that one sooner, course I'm pretty with my wonderful Cara right now :) )
What hurts right now?
Woke Up In A Car by Something Corporate
What is your biggest secret?
Temple Ruins and The Secret Revealed by John Williams (Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull Score...that's really funny)
What will you post this as?
The next song played was the Fool Me Twice from the Lost Season 3 Soundtrack. That is this Meme's new name sorry, Stephanie.
Randomness over soundtracks and movie scores
Ok not much of that made sense, but it was a fun and quick easy post.
Monday, January 5, 2009
The 2008 Gonch Awards
Yes it's that time again, a new year is upon us, but let us not forget last year. So without further ado, I give you, the 2008 Gonch Awards!
Best Picture - The Dark Knight
- Without question THE best movie of the year. It's as simple as that, but I'll elaborate anyway. While I failed to review this movie so far (and yes I've been bad about that in general), I can say with great authority that this is one of the best films I've ever seen and easily the best comic book film. Ledger's Joker was haunting while everyone else and everything was completely captivating. The movie doesn't let go until the credits roll, now that's what I call a movie.
Best Superhero/Comic Book Film - The Dark Knight
See above.
Best Special Effects - Iron Man
While I'm tempted to give this to TDK as well for their effects without almost any CGI, I still have to hand it to the IM crew for making an incredible suit on film.
Most Anticipated Film - Star Trek/X-Men Origins: Wolverine
Ok, so on one hand we have a storied franchise that sounds good on paper, but in execution, often bores the hell of people on the big screen, myself included. Honestly, Star Trek seems interesting, but too often it's slow, methodical and weak against much better Sci-Fi fare. This time though, JJ Abrams may have something that will bring back audiences. Only time will tell, as I've never been obsessed over either this or Star Wars, so I'm easily swayed to whatever. For the latter, we have another Xmen film amazingly, a Wolverine prequel. I'm all for it, and I bet it'll be hard to make another one of these that'll be anywhere near as intriguing, but the many mutants who didn't make it on screen last time get to be there. Should be fun.
Best Returning TV Show - Smallville
Call me crazy, but firing the old writers has breathed new and great life into this once-thought-dead show. Season 8 should have come sooner, but the wait has been worth it. Even though Lana has returned for a short bit, her absence has made the show better by subtraction, while the dialogue between Clark and Lois has been better than ever. Green Arrow being permanent helps, while villainy rises to an all time high with Tess Mercer, Doomsday, and the return of the unstoppable Brainiac.
Best New TV Show - ???
Sadly I failed to see almost any new show this year. Something tells me Fringe may deserve this, but I still don't know, I haven't seen a single episode yet.
Most Anticipated Returning Show - Smallville/Lost
Smallville because of how well it has done this season, minus the Lana. Lost is on a roll from last year and in its 2nd to last season, could make more heads turn as more and more must be revealed.
Most Anticipated New Show - Dollhouse
We're still waiting for this one to come on the air. Please bring Whedon back, ASAP.
Best Song - Afterlife by Avenged Sevenfold
This rocking song has an interesting intro and becomes an awesome rock anthem, plus it lasts for a good while.
Best Album - Rise and Fall, Patience and Grace by The Offspring
Great to have this band back as always, but this is a return to some really great music, one of their best efforts in several years.
Best Book - Me Of Little Faith by Lewis Black
My favorite comedian finally wrote another book. I listened to it on a long drive and it was very interesting. At times funny, but definitely an insightlful look about religion. However, the ending "play" didn't really work for me.
That's how I feel about 2008, let's see if 2009 can even come close.
Best Picture - The Dark Knight
- Without question THE best movie of the year. It's as simple as that, but I'll elaborate anyway. While I failed to review this movie so far (and yes I've been bad about that in general), I can say with great authority that this is one of the best films I've ever seen and easily the best comic book film. Ledger's Joker was haunting while everyone else and everything was completely captivating. The movie doesn't let go until the credits roll, now that's what I call a movie.
Best Superhero/Comic Book Film - The Dark Knight
See above.
Best Special Effects - Iron Man
While I'm tempted to give this to TDK as well for their effects without almost any CGI, I still have to hand it to the IM crew for making an incredible suit on film.
Most Anticipated Film - Star Trek/X-Men Origins: Wolverine
Ok, so on one hand we have a storied franchise that sounds good on paper, but in execution, often bores the hell of people on the big screen, myself included. Honestly, Star Trek seems interesting, but too often it's slow, methodical and weak against much better Sci-Fi fare. This time though, JJ Abrams may have something that will bring back audiences. Only time will tell, as I've never been obsessed over either this or Star Wars, so I'm easily swayed to whatever. For the latter, we have another Xmen film amazingly, a Wolverine prequel. I'm all for it, and I bet it'll be hard to make another one of these that'll be anywhere near as intriguing, but the many mutants who didn't make it on screen last time get to be there. Should be fun.
Best Returning TV Show - Smallville
Call me crazy, but firing the old writers has breathed new and great life into this once-thought-dead show. Season 8 should have come sooner, but the wait has been worth it. Even though Lana has returned for a short bit, her absence has made the show better by subtraction, while the dialogue between Clark and Lois has been better than ever. Green Arrow being permanent helps, while villainy rises to an all time high with Tess Mercer, Doomsday, and the return of the unstoppable Brainiac.
Best New TV Show - ???
Sadly I failed to see almost any new show this year. Something tells me Fringe may deserve this, but I still don't know, I haven't seen a single episode yet.
Most Anticipated Returning Show - Smallville/Lost
Smallville because of how well it has done this season, minus the Lana. Lost is on a roll from last year and in its 2nd to last season, could make more heads turn as more and more must be revealed.
Most Anticipated New Show - Dollhouse
We're still waiting for this one to come on the air. Please bring Whedon back, ASAP.
Best Song - Afterlife by Avenged Sevenfold
This rocking song has an interesting intro and becomes an awesome rock anthem, plus it lasts for a good while.
Best Album - Rise and Fall, Patience and Grace by The Offspring
Great to have this band back as always, but this is a return to some really great music, one of their best efforts in several years.
Best Book - Me Of Little Faith by Lewis Black
My favorite comedian finally wrote another book. I listened to it on a long drive and it was very interesting. At times funny, but definitely an insightlful look about religion. However, the ending "play" didn't really work for me.
That's how I feel about 2008, let's see if 2009 can even come close.
Sunday, June 15, 2008
SYC Reviews: The Simpsons Movie
There are a series of movies I've missed especially in the last year in theaters. One of those is what will be reviewed today: The Simpsons Movie. I had the chance to see it recently, and it is yet another film that has expectations built up over so many years (pretty much 20 at this point) that would be hard to exceed. Regardless of that, what follows is a fun experience.
The Simpsons is both a highly loved property and by now, grating on some tv watchers' nerves. This may be because after nearly two decades of shows, it's hard to be original and creative. The show does manage to come up with new stuff each week, though many times they are retreads of old material, and the main issue some come up with is that it just isn't as clever or funny as it used to be. Ironically, a few of the shows that followed the film's release seemed to reinvigorate the funny back into the show. The issue probably just stems from the fact that culture today has moved towards the Family Guy style of random humor instead of the family showcase that is the Simpsons. So while it has always been a big bankable show, what took so long to make a movie? Why do it now, when the show isn't quite as popular as it used to be, and how can it live up to the name?
The danger in making a movie based on a currently running TV show is that if it isn't good enough, it can nearly doom the show. For instance, the X-Files film didn't really do much to keep the series alive and it seemed the Beavis and Butthead film was, while entertaining, the last joke for that show as well. However, if you look at something like South Park: Bigger, Longer, and Uncut, the film not only was a big success, it brought it back into the spotlight and allowed it to become the 10 year long running juggernaut it is today. So what does the Simpsons movie do? Well it kind of falls in between. It many ways it plays like an extended episode, but also one of the funnier episodes in years. Probably the best thing about is the big screen feel it has, even just the enhanced sound and crisper picture give it that cinematic jolt.
Plot-wise, it's not all that deep but it has just enough to give it a movie-sized issue. Enough that Homer screws things up so bad that the entire town wants his head and the Simpson family is on the run from both them and the government. Of course it is seemingly impossible to think up a story that would be bigger than anything they've ever done, let alone trying to not copy South Park's huge war/hell scenario. Still, the scope is just big enough to feel like it's worth it and the characterizations are quite excellent.
The most important part of this film though? The jokes, no question and there are quite a few good ones. Some smack you over the head like the sight gags, others are subtle yet smart/cute (Bart saying "Oh my god" after having an amazing hot cocoa from Flanders that he at first refused), and others are repetitive yet hit everytime like the totally enjoyable Spider-Pig. The film never once drags, though the beginning and parts of the middle may seem more like side trips than part of the main story. At the very least, the climax is both fun and exciting to watch.
In all, The Simpsons Movie is for those that both enjoy the series and who might like to take at least one last trip with primetime television's most beloved American cartoon family. It's also a pretty good animated film in general, just don't expect the kind of mesmerizing stuff you'd get from a Pixar movie. So The Simpsons Movie grabs the Silver Medal of D'oh-nuts. Mmm, silver pastries. Put it on, lay back, and have a fun time.
The Simpsons is both a highly loved property and by now, grating on some tv watchers' nerves. This may be because after nearly two decades of shows, it's hard to be original and creative. The show does manage to come up with new stuff each week, though many times they are retreads of old material, and the main issue some come up with is that it just isn't as clever or funny as it used to be. Ironically, a few of the shows that followed the film's release seemed to reinvigorate the funny back into the show. The issue probably just stems from the fact that culture today has moved towards the Family Guy style of random humor instead of the family showcase that is the Simpsons. So while it has always been a big bankable show, what took so long to make a movie? Why do it now, when the show isn't quite as popular as it used to be, and how can it live up to the name?
The danger in making a movie based on a currently running TV show is that if it isn't good enough, it can nearly doom the show. For instance, the X-Files film didn't really do much to keep the series alive and it seemed the Beavis and Butthead film was, while entertaining, the last joke for that show as well. However, if you look at something like South Park: Bigger, Longer, and Uncut, the film not only was a big success, it brought it back into the spotlight and allowed it to become the 10 year long running juggernaut it is today. So what does the Simpsons movie do? Well it kind of falls in between. It many ways it plays like an extended episode, but also one of the funnier episodes in years. Probably the best thing about is the big screen feel it has, even just the enhanced sound and crisper picture give it that cinematic jolt.
Plot-wise, it's not all that deep but it has just enough to give it a movie-sized issue. Enough that Homer screws things up so bad that the entire town wants his head and the Simpson family is on the run from both them and the government. Of course it is seemingly impossible to think up a story that would be bigger than anything they've ever done, let alone trying to not copy South Park's huge war/hell scenario. Still, the scope is just big enough to feel like it's worth it and the characterizations are quite excellent.
The most important part of this film though? The jokes, no question and there are quite a few good ones. Some smack you over the head like the sight gags, others are subtle yet smart/cute (Bart saying "Oh my god" after having an amazing hot cocoa from Flanders that he at first refused), and others are repetitive yet hit everytime like the totally enjoyable Spider-Pig. The film never once drags, though the beginning and parts of the middle may seem more like side trips than part of the main story. At the very least, the climax is both fun and exciting to watch.
In all, The Simpsons Movie is for those that both enjoy the series and who might like to take at least one last trip with primetime television's most beloved American cartoon family. It's also a pretty good animated film in general, just don't expect the kind of mesmerizing stuff you'd get from a Pixar movie. So The Simpsons Movie grabs the Silver Medal of D'oh-nuts. Mmm, silver pastries. Put it on, lay back, and have a fun time.
Saturday, June 14, 2008
SYC Reviews: Indiana Jones And The Kingdom Of The Crystal Skull
Hello fellow intrepid world travelers. It was a few weeks ago that I had the chance to see the 4th in the Indy series, yet another return of 80s brethren onto the 21st century screen. Finally, I have a little time to write up my review, so here goes nothing.
Let's get one thing straight, the anticipation of a film of this magnitude is incredibly difficult to live up to and as such makes it almost impossible to be as good as most fans would hope. Now with that in mind, we leap straight back into the world of Jones. Of course this time out, it's the 1950s, 1957 to be precise. We find our world weary hero at a "landmark" of sorts, where many relics are kept. Suffice to say that the Russians, our villains for this adventure or Nazi-lite as I refer to them, want Dr. Jones to find a clue that will lead them to the fabled Crystal Skull.
Eventually Indy escapes all this while surviving an almost ridiculous event, and yet by now we should expect this of our pulp hero. It occurs early on so you're either going to go with it or not. Either way, it will serve as yet another reminder that Ford is old now, and it's the 50s, so just keep that in mind. Just as Harrison is being accused of assisting the Red Menace, Mutt Williams shows up, aka Shia Lebouf, to get Dr. Jones' help. Seems a certain Professor Oxley (John Hurt) has been captured/gone missing. Of course this is all tied together as Oxley was looking for (and actually found) the Crystal Skull. Mutt and Indy get a quick little joyride through the school in a fun chase scene that gives Marcus Brody a chance to take down some Russians posthumously. Mutt is a near card-carrying Greaser, leather jacket and motorcycle at the ready, not to mention a trademark comb.
Together they travel down to South America, beginning the main part of the adventure that leads them in a race against the Russians for the city of gold itself: El Dorado. This is the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, where when united with the other 12 skulls, um well, something will happen. I won't spoil if you haven't seen it by now, but suffice to say that KOTCS takes a certain departure from standard Indy fare. It does fall well in line with the times it takes place in, but it may leave a bad taste in the mouths of those who love Raiders and Last Crusade. Anyway, enough of the plot, let's analyze the cast.
Harrison Ford IS Indiana Jones, it's as simple as that. Even at this age, he still evokes cool confidence, intelligence, and whip-crack (pardon the pun) smarts. Shia isn't too bad as Mutt, but when we find out who he really is, well that will either have some questioning if it's a good idea or if he's capable of the role. Still I think he does a fine job, just not exceptional or anything. Karen Allen returns as Marion Ravenwood, and while she clearly looks older in that "whoa haven't seen you in like 20 something years" look, she almost looks like she's having too much fun in the movie. Hey I would too, but little seems to bother her and she has at least a half-smile through almost all her screen time. Hurt is fine as Oxley, a professor gone cuckoo by the Skull. Cate Blanchett is our villain, Irina, leader of the Russian group. You almost don't recognize her and I enjoyed her sword fighting and playful accent. As always, the Indy villain bites off more than they can chew and Indy knows when to call it quits before they do.
The joy of the film comes not so much from the story, but from the characterizations we've come to love. The book and fist smarts, the sense of adventure and witty one-liners, the crazy chase/fight scenes, creepy creatures, and of course snakes, which probably evoke the funniest joke in the film. There are bits that may either go too far or be too ridiculous, but that is up to the beholder. Personally, I found an enjoyable little romp back through the best adventure character I've ever known.
With all that said, Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull gets a deserved Silver Medal of Part-time Archeology. To me, the film cannot live up to the original Raiders of the Lost Ark or my personal favorite, Last Crusade. It is however, still more fun than Temple of Doom, and should get at least one chance to see it in theaters. Just hearing that famous Raiders March and seeing Ford in the hat once again is nearly enough.
Let's get one thing straight, the anticipation of a film of this magnitude is incredibly difficult to live up to and as such makes it almost impossible to be as good as most fans would hope. Now with that in mind, we leap straight back into the world of Jones. Of course this time out, it's the 1950s, 1957 to be precise. We find our world weary hero at a "landmark" of sorts, where many relics are kept. Suffice to say that the Russians, our villains for this adventure or Nazi-lite as I refer to them, want Dr. Jones to find a clue that will lead them to the fabled Crystal Skull.
Eventually Indy escapes all this while surviving an almost ridiculous event, and yet by now we should expect this of our pulp hero. It occurs early on so you're either going to go with it or not. Either way, it will serve as yet another reminder that Ford is old now, and it's the 50s, so just keep that in mind. Just as Harrison is being accused of assisting the Red Menace, Mutt Williams shows up, aka Shia Lebouf, to get Dr. Jones' help. Seems a certain Professor Oxley (John Hurt) has been captured/gone missing. Of course this is all tied together as Oxley was looking for (and actually found) the Crystal Skull. Mutt and Indy get a quick little joyride through the school in a fun chase scene that gives Marcus Brody a chance to take down some Russians posthumously. Mutt is a near card-carrying Greaser, leather jacket and motorcycle at the ready, not to mention a trademark comb.
Together they travel down to South America, beginning the main part of the adventure that leads them in a race against the Russians for the city of gold itself: El Dorado. This is the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, where when united with the other 12 skulls, um well, something will happen. I won't spoil if you haven't seen it by now, but suffice to say that KOTCS takes a certain departure from standard Indy fare. It does fall well in line with the times it takes place in, but it may leave a bad taste in the mouths of those who love Raiders and Last Crusade. Anyway, enough of the plot, let's analyze the cast.
Harrison Ford IS Indiana Jones, it's as simple as that. Even at this age, he still evokes cool confidence, intelligence, and whip-crack (pardon the pun) smarts. Shia isn't too bad as Mutt, but when we find out who he really is, well that will either have some questioning if it's a good idea or if he's capable of the role. Still I think he does a fine job, just not exceptional or anything. Karen Allen returns as Marion Ravenwood, and while she clearly looks older in that "whoa haven't seen you in like 20 something years" look, she almost looks like she's having too much fun in the movie. Hey I would too, but little seems to bother her and she has at least a half-smile through almost all her screen time. Hurt is fine as Oxley, a professor gone cuckoo by the Skull. Cate Blanchett is our villain, Irina, leader of the Russian group. You almost don't recognize her and I enjoyed her sword fighting and playful accent. As always, the Indy villain bites off more than they can chew and Indy knows when to call it quits before they do.
The joy of the film comes not so much from the story, but from the characterizations we've come to love. The book and fist smarts, the sense of adventure and witty one-liners, the crazy chase/fight scenes, creepy creatures, and of course snakes, which probably evoke the funniest joke in the film. There are bits that may either go too far or be too ridiculous, but that is up to the beholder. Personally, I found an enjoyable little romp back through the best adventure character I've ever known.
With all that said, Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull gets a deserved Silver Medal of Part-time Archeology. To me, the film cannot live up to the original Raiders of the Lost Ark or my personal favorite, Last Crusade. It is however, still more fun than Temple of Doom, and should get at least one chance to see it in theaters. Just hearing that famous Raiders March and seeing Ford in the hat once again is nearly enough.
Saturday, May 3, 2008
SYC Reviews: Iron Man
It has been a while since a new post has popped up here, but I'm motivated enough at this moment to make one. Why? Because I just got back from seeing the first big blockbuster of the 2008 summer movie season, Iron Man. That alone should get you to know where I'm going with this.
The first thing to note is that Iron Man is based off a comic book by Marvel, so we're talking superhero action film here. But hold on, it blends all this with smart writing and well placed and timed comedy. If you still need a good reason to see this movie, then here it is: Robert Downey, Jr. Downey simply IS Tony Stark, the protagonist who will become Iron Man. Tony is a weapons manufacturer and a bloody rich one at that. He's got it all and flaunts it without a second thought; Downey's Stark showcases his ego, his ignorance of those around him that care about him, and the eventual turn around when he realizes the impact his weapons are having on the world.
This film is at its heart, an origin story for Iron Man, which from the comics has been updated to Tony having to deal with a terrorist organization that has been using his own weapons to fight their war. It of course goes even deeper than that, but the real enemy is higher up in the food chain. The supporting cast begins with a great performance by Jeff Bridges as Obadiah Stane, Stark's co-controller of the company and the man who opposes Stark's change of heart about the business. He slides into this role with ease and never comes across as over the top, he has a means to an end one way or the other. Gwyneth Paltrow is also excellent as Pepper Potts, the Money Penny to Stark's Bond; she remains a likable character and a great playing off point for Stark. Lastly we have Terrance Howard as Jim Rhodes, who doesn't get to do too much but what he does is just fine.
So is this just an action film? No, but when there is action, it's fantastic. Special effects are unquestionably top notch and the armor just seems so darn cool and real. Fights are handled so well and you always love being reminded that a billionaire playboy is the one in the suit. When there isn't action, there's a good enough origin story going on and again, very nice comedy. Stark's robots/computer Jarvis alone provide more than enough fodder, let alone Stark's razor sharp wit.
This film just works on so many levels, as a very fun blockbuster, as a comic book origin story, as an action-comedy, and as a great character study. There's really very little more you can ask of this film, it is pulled off with deft aplomb and you will be hard pressed to leave the theater without feeling more than satisfied at the experience. Plus, for the comic book geeks out there, there are a few hints of things to come, and quite the geek out moment after the credits roll. Lastly, Stan Lee's cameo is his best yet, quick but hilarious.
I think it's quite clear by now that Iron Man takes home the Gold Medal of Shellheads. I highly recommend Jon Favreau's excellent directorial take on the character and Robert Downey, Jr.'s shining performance. A man you might hate in real life is truly a character you can love on the big screen. If the other summer movies can live up to this one, we're in for a hell of a ride this year. Simple as this: see Iron Man.
The first thing to note is that Iron Man is based off a comic book by Marvel, so we're talking superhero action film here. But hold on, it blends all this with smart writing and well placed and timed comedy. If you still need a good reason to see this movie, then here it is: Robert Downey, Jr. Downey simply IS Tony Stark, the protagonist who will become Iron Man. Tony is a weapons manufacturer and a bloody rich one at that. He's got it all and flaunts it without a second thought; Downey's Stark showcases his ego, his ignorance of those around him that care about him, and the eventual turn around when he realizes the impact his weapons are having on the world.
This film is at its heart, an origin story for Iron Man, which from the comics has been updated to Tony having to deal with a terrorist organization that has been using his own weapons to fight their war. It of course goes even deeper than that, but the real enemy is higher up in the food chain. The supporting cast begins with a great performance by Jeff Bridges as Obadiah Stane, Stark's co-controller of the company and the man who opposes Stark's change of heart about the business. He slides into this role with ease and never comes across as over the top, he has a means to an end one way or the other. Gwyneth Paltrow is also excellent as Pepper Potts, the Money Penny to Stark's Bond; she remains a likable character and a great playing off point for Stark. Lastly we have Terrance Howard as Jim Rhodes, who doesn't get to do too much but what he does is just fine.
So is this just an action film? No, but when there is action, it's fantastic. Special effects are unquestionably top notch and the armor just seems so darn cool and real. Fights are handled so well and you always love being reminded that a billionaire playboy is the one in the suit. When there isn't action, there's a good enough origin story going on and again, very nice comedy. Stark's robots/computer Jarvis alone provide more than enough fodder, let alone Stark's razor sharp wit.
This film just works on so many levels, as a very fun blockbuster, as a comic book origin story, as an action-comedy, and as a great character study. There's really very little more you can ask of this film, it is pulled off with deft aplomb and you will be hard pressed to leave the theater without feeling more than satisfied at the experience. Plus, for the comic book geeks out there, there are a few hints of things to come, and quite the geek out moment after the credits roll. Lastly, Stan Lee's cameo is his best yet, quick but hilarious.
I think it's quite clear by now that Iron Man takes home the Gold Medal of Shellheads. I highly recommend Jon Favreau's excellent directorial take on the character and Robert Downey, Jr.'s shining performance. A man you might hate in real life is truly a character you can love on the big screen. If the other summer movies can live up to this one, we're in for a hell of a ride this year. Simple as this: see Iron Man.
Saturday, February 16, 2008
The Life (Not Aquatic) Update
Hey all, so while I like to sometimes post about just about anything, I also as you have likely noticed, like to use this space for personal stuff. So here's a quick catch up on things going on for me, for those that care to read about ;)
For starters at work, while I'm no closer to enjoying what I do, I am appreciated for it it seems. Come early March, I'll have a pay raise for an extra $15,000, which will bring me up to $60,000 annual salary. Yes this is the most money I've ever made and is for now the reason I'm sticking with this job. Also, since the job works for me for now (in the sense that while I don't enjoy it, I am good at it), I've already mentioned that I only plan to leave for a better reason such as a job that would definitely pique my interest. I'm not in a rush like I was before.
This also likely means I'll renew my lease here, finally not having to move a year later. It'll be a breath of fresh air sticking in one place for a bit. I don't know how long that will last, but I see no reason to move. It's convenient, price isn't too bad and it's rather big for a one bedroom apartment. Community is also simple, usually quiet, and very safe. College age kids are pretty rare, which is both good and bad.
Hey speaking of social stuff, I've joined the Or Hadash, which is a Jewish young professionals association. This means Jewish people from the surrounding Orlando area from ages 21 to 40 get together for all kinds of social events. I went to my first one on Thursday, so yes I was actually out of the house for once on Valentine's Day, just not on a date. This was a Happy Hour at Urban Flats, a neat little place (even though I don't drink) where 20-30 people showed up (this is apparently only half of what normally shows up due to the holiday). Basically it lasted for 3 hours and I got there before anyone else did, which felt very awkward. There were several times where I thought I might run out the door and get out of there. If you don't know, I do in fact have a form of social anxiety, which of course wouldn't really manifest itself around those I'm comfortable or familiar with. Things were awkward at first, but eventually I got to meeting some cool people and some pretty cute girls. It went so well at the end that 8 of us went out to dinner afterwards. I got a chance to chat it up with a pair of Asian Jewish sisters (how neat is that right?), one of which worked at Disney (sweet!), so we talked up a storm about that. Another girl I talked to for much of the dinner was completely awesome and sadly taken; her boyfriend wasn't in town or something but I could easily see why she had one, one of the nicest people I've ever met.
I did also go to a dinner and Shabbat last night but I left before the service because things just weren't going well. Almost no one from the group showed up, those that did were boring and anti-social, the food was bad, and it was basically a really tiny temple which just had a lot of much older people who all knew each other. Maybe I'm not really looking for that kind of religious experience right now, just social stuff. I want to meet people my age, make some great friends, and if I'm incredibly lucky, meet a great Jewish girl and start a relationship. One can only hope. I'm saddened enough that I'll be reaching 25 and never had a girlfriend before, I certainly plan to change this. Oh and Ultimate Frisbee is tomorrow, weee!
What else, what else... Alright not to brag or anything, but I've made several commitments in my life, including the above social outreaching, to overall improve myself. I'm sure most of you know I had joined a gym months ago and started personal training. Now I find myself at the gym every free night that I have, this is sometimes 6 times a week depending on what I have going on. Thanks to this, I've no shame admitting that I'm finally losing weight at a good pace. Since I started a change to my diet well over a year ago and added more exercise, I've dropped over 20 pounds in that time. I won't say what my weight is unless you're really curious to know. Suffice to say I have a long way to go before I'm satisfied with the results, but I'm very happy that I'm making this commitment. I'm also doing my best to change my attitude towards both life and people in general, trying to become a "nicer" person. Not a doormat mind you, but I feel I could be far better rounded in the way I interact and express myself.
It is, as sappily as I can put it, some of the first steps on my road back to a state of happiness. It is one I don't plan to deter myself from. Clearly I've been doing a lot of thinking and reevaluating of my life in the past few months. Finally I'm taking some action to ensure some of these things. Hell, I even started up the story that Sean suggested to me. I don't know when I'll get that done, but it is a short story so it's something I feel is far more manageable than trying to put together an entire novel.
Well I guess that's about it for now. Thanks for reading this far if you did, I enjoyed writing it. Have a kickass day, my friends.
For starters at work, while I'm no closer to enjoying what I do, I am appreciated for it it seems. Come early March, I'll have a pay raise for an extra $15,000, which will bring me up to $60,000 annual salary. Yes this is the most money I've ever made and is for now the reason I'm sticking with this job. Also, since the job works for me for now (in the sense that while I don't enjoy it, I am good at it), I've already mentioned that I only plan to leave for a better reason such as a job that would definitely pique my interest. I'm not in a rush like I was before.
This also likely means I'll renew my lease here, finally not having to move a year later. It'll be a breath of fresh air sticking in one place for a bit. I don't know how long that will last, but I see no reason to move. It's convenient, price isn't too bad and it's rather big for a one bedroom apartment. Community is also simple, usually quiet, and very safe. College age kids are pretty rare, which is both good and bad.
Hey speaking of social stuff, I've joined the Or Hadash, which is a Jewish young professionals association. This means Jewish people from the surrounding Orlando area from ages 21 to 40 get together for all kinds of social events. I went to my first one on Thursday, so yes I was actually out of the house for once on Valentine's Day, just not on a date. This was a Happy Hour at Urban Flats, a neat little place (even though I don't drink) where 20-30 people showed up (this is apparently only half of what normally shows up due to the holiday). Basically it lasted for 3 hours and I got there before anyone else did, which felt very awkward. There were several times where I thought I might run out the door and get out of there. If you don't know, I do in fact have a form of social anxiety, which of course wouldn't really manifest itself around those I'm comfortable or familiar with. Things were awkward at first, but eventually I got to meeting some cool people and some pretty cute girls. It went so well at the end that 8 of us went out to dinner afterwards. I got a chance to chat it up with a pair of Asian Jewish sisters (how neat is that right?), one of which worked at Disney (sweet!), so we talked up a storm about that. Another girl I talked to for much of the dinner was completely awesome and sadly taken; her boyfriend wasn't in town or something but I could easily see why she had one, one of the nicest people I've ever met.
I did also go to a dinner and Shabbat last night but I left before the service because things just weren't going well. Almost no one from the group showed up, those that did were boring and anti-social, the food was bad, and it was basically a really tiny temple which just had a lot of much older people who all knew each other. Maybe I'm not really looking for that kind of religious experience right now, just social stuff. I want to meet people my age, make some great friends, and if I'm incredibly lucky, meet a great Jewish girl and start a relationship. One can only hope. I'm saddened enough that I'll be reaching 25 and never had a girlfriend before, I certainly plan to change this. Oh and Ultimate Frisbee is tomorrow, weee!
What else, what else... Alright not to brag or anything, but I've made several commitments in my life, including the above social outreaching, to overall improve myself. I'm sure most of you know I had joined a gym months ago and started personal training. Now I find myself at the gym every free night that I have, this is sometimes 6 times a week depending on what I have going on. Thanks to this, I've no shame admitting that I'm finally losing weight at a good pace. Since I started a change to my diet well over a year ago and added more exercise, I've dropped over 20 pounds in that time. I won't say what my weight is unless you're really curious to know. Suffice to say I have a long way to go before I'm satisfied with the results, but I'm very happy that I'm making this commitment. I'm also doing my best to change my attitude towards both life and people in general, trying to become a "nicer" person. Not a doormat mind you, but I feel I could be far better rounded in the way I interact and express myself.
It is, as sappily as I can put it, some of the first steps on my road back to a state of happiness. It is one I don't plan to deter myself from. Clearly I've been doing a lot of thinking and reevaluating of my life in the past few months. Finally I'm taking some action to ensure some of these things. Hell, I even started up the story that Sean suggested to me. I don't know when I'll get that done, but it is a short story so it's something I feel is far more manageable than trying to put together an entire novel.
Well I guess that's about it for now. Thanks for reading this far if you did, I enjoyed writing it. Have a kickass day, my friends.
Sunday, February 3, 2008
Just Messin' With Ya, Bro
Did you ever feel like you were going along with your day, things are going just fine, pretty well in fact, but someone attempts to ruin it by "messin' with ya"? Here's what I'm talking about. At work, I'm with a bunch of guys who range from boring to cool to just plain annoying. The amount of people worth talking to there is smaller than I would hope. I notice though that those that speak up sometimes have a tendency to say something not just rude but sometimes offensive. Of course it depends on the context. I've got at least one guy at work that we go back and forth with the same daily in-jokes about me being Jewish and him being Indian. He jokes about Hitler and stuff, and I joke about, well less effectively him being a tech support guy (which he actually isn't, just quality assurance, yes that's much better than being tech support, no dealing with customers, just us developers). Maybe we're just on the same wavelength of humor because we've each got an understanding that while we're sort of jabbing back and forth, it's completely not meant to be offensive at all. Could be that the way it's said, it's clearly just said to be funny but not at each other's expense. There's laughing immediately on both sides so there must be something to that. Basically we're both well aware that we aren't really making fun of each other's culture.
But then I encounter some other people, including one guy who works right next to me. He's the type that just offhandedly will make fun of someone and then quickly back it off. Something like "Well, if the code doesn't work I'm sure Bob broke it. Oh hey Bob, didn't see you there." And in this context, of course he knew Bob was there the whole time. It's joking for sure, but it's every single day and endless. That's of course a very mild version of what I'm talking about. On a near daily basis, it seems someone there always has to make a remark that either slightly or strongly makes fun of me or others. I'll admit, I can be kind of sensitive to this stuff, and I know I shouldn't be. I know if I say something like that, I want it to be clear that there's no way I mean true offense if possible. But some of these guys just throw it out there and move on. Hell I was made fun of for using "big words" as it were, apparently having a vocabulary is taboo in engineering, go figure.
I'm not trying to blow this out of proportion though, I'm well aware that this is VERY small stuff. Over time it can get to you, but I often ignore it and just do my best to brush it off. I don't often retaliate unless I know we're clearly in sync that we're both just making jokes, but not directly at someone's offense (hopefully what I'm trying to say is clear, I can't think of any other good examples). What I'm wondering is, why do people feel the need to do this? Breaking up the monotony of the day with humor is expected, but why is the most common desire to do it at someone else's expense? I even went grocery shopping today and had the bagger make fun of the fact that I was buying lean cuisine or low fat things. Apparently he thought the idea of trying to eat right or lose weight is either funny, stupid, or something I'm not aware of. Sure the kid was either in high school or he was of younger college age, someone I could actually see making fun of me if we were in high school together.
Oh that's another thing. I'm trying not to make this too personal but it's hard not to. In grade school I often felt like a target for these kinds of things. Sure I was nerdy and did well, so I get that dumb kids wouldn't like that and acted accordingly. But this kind of thing has always seemingly been around me. Are there just that many dumb fools running around or is it something about me? If so I'd sure like to know. Ah maybe I'm being paranoid. It's just something I've observed lately and I thought I'd point it out. Obviously I'm not going to let it bother me that much, I've got more important things to do.
This is just one of those life observations that makes you think (and sometimes worry about the human race). Maybe this is odd coming from me, but if people were nicer to each other (and that goes for me, too), maybe society as a whole would improve. Can't we all just get along?
But then I encounter some other people, including one guy who works right next to me. He's the type that just offhandedly will make fun of someone and then quickly back it off. Something like "Well, if the code doesn't work I'm sure Bob broke it. Oh hey Bob, didn't see you there." And in this context, of course he knew Bob was there the whole time. It's joking for sure, but it's every single day and endless. That's of course a very mild version of what I'm talking about. On a near daily basis, it seems someone there always has to make a remark that either slightly or strongly makes fun of me or others. I'll admit, I can be kind of sensitive to this stuff, and I know I shouldn't be. I know if I say something like that, I want it to be clear that there's no way I mean true offense if possible. But some of these guys just throw it out there and move on. Hell I was made fun of for using "big words" as it were, apparently having a vocabulary is taboo in engineering, go figure.
I'm not trying to blow this out of proportion though, I'm well aware that this is VERY small stuff. Over time it can get to you, but I often ignore it and just do my best to brush it off. I don't often retaliate unless I know we're clearly in sync that we're both just making jokes, but not directly at someone's offense (hopefully what I'm trying to say is clear, I can't think of any other good examples). What I'm wondering is, why do people feel the need to do this? Breaking up the monotony of the day with humor is expected, but why is the most common desire to do it at someone else's expense? I even went grocery shopping today and had the bagger make fun of the fact that I was buying lean cuisine or low fat things. Apparently he thought the idea of trying to eat right or lose weight is either funny, stupid, or something I'm not aware of. Sure the kid was either in high school or he was of younger college age, someone I could actually see making fun of me if we were in high school together.
Oh that's another thing. I'm trying not to make this too personal but it's hard not to. In grade school I often felt like a target for these kinds of things. Sure I was nerdy and did well, so I get that dumb kids wouldn't like that and acted accordingly. But this kind of thing has always seemingly been around me. Are there just that many dumb fools running around or is it something about me? If so I'd sure like to know. Ah maybe I'm being paranoid. It's just something I've observed lately and I thought I'd point it out. Obviously I'm not going to let it bother me that much, I've got more important things to do.
This is just one of those life observations that makes you think (and sometimes worry about the human race). Maybe this is odd coming from me, but if people were nicer to each other (and that goes for me, too), maybe society as a whole would improve. Can't we all just get along?
Monday, December 31, 2007
The 1st Annual Gonch Awards
Hello one and all to our first ever Gonch Awards, aka the Gonchies. Is the name lame? Good, we achieved the first task at hand. The purpose of these awards to is simply give my personal opinion of the best of the year's most entertaining and interesting forms of creativity. Movies, tv, books, music, it's all here and more. Categories will be whatever springs to mind and my opinions will likely be, well whatever I want them to be. That's just how it goes. Without further ado, the 1st Annual Gonch Awards! DISCLAIMER: I have likely not experienced enough of these mediums to give a great consensus this year, so I'll do the best I can.
MOVIES
Best Visual Effects - Transformers; the staggering amount of effects needed for each transformation borders on ridiculous let alone keeping the chaos on screen intact for various battles. I can only imagine the number of painstaking nights spent working on this at ILM.
Best Comic Book Adaptation - Spider-Man 3; I wouldn't be surprised if 300 is the correct choice here but I unfortunately haven't seen it yet, so this will have to do. Mostly because it certainly beats out Silver Surfer, the usage of Venom, Sandman, and Gwen Stacey along with the new Goblin were interesting, if not at all times accurate. But in general, the series remains one of the most joyfully comic book like out there.
Best Film - ???; immediately I have to say, I doubt I've seen the best movie of the year. With that said, if I had to pick anyone movie, I'll pick the Bourne Ultimatum. It has few if any flaws, is tense and gripping with a smart, mature story that leaves one satisfied with the conclusion of the trilogy.
Most Anticipated Film - Indiana Jones And The Kingdom Of The Crystal Skull/The Dark Knight; no choice but to award a tie here. Dark Knight is the safer bet to be good, but Indy holds so much cool promise for us. They could both be great, we can only hope.
TV
Best New Show - Chuck; the smart combination of action and comedy isn't seen too often but this show pulls it off deftly with heart as well. For the geek in all of us, this show speaks while melding the spy genre. A neat concept that tv needed badly.
Best Returning Show - Heroes; a slow start got moved along with the reintroduction of Sylar and Adam Monroe. It may prove better for what comes next but it's still a very enjoyable show. Smallville actually wasn't too far behind this time believe it or not, for embracing a lot of mythology including Supergirl and other Kryptonian ancestry, Bizarro, and the clear return of Brainiac.
Most Anticipated New Show - Terminator, The Sarah Conner Chronicles/Dollhouse; let's face facts, anything that involves Whedon or Whedon alum is automatically at the top of the list. Add to it that the first is a terminator tv show with Summer Glau as the machine in question and the latter is Whedon's supposed return to tv and you've got a great mix to work from.
Most Anticipated Returning Show - Lost; the promise of the end of last season with a shorter season and non-stop episodes could really start to quicken the pace and relight the show. With the flashforward last season, anything is possible.
MUSIC
Best Song - Foo Fighters, The Pretender; a strong, kinetic song announces that once again, the Foo Fighters freakin' rock. It's catchy, simple and it rocks. That's really all you need.
Best Album - Hoobastank, Every Man For Himself; the bigger album release this year was Linkin Park's Minutes To Midnight and while it's a good entry, it doesn't quite have the near perfection the previous albums garnered. Hoobastank immediately jumps into a series of inspiring lyrics and crafty chords. There's too many good songs on here to ignore.
BOOKS
Best Release - Stephen Colbert's I Am America! And So Can You; sure it's only real book I got this year, but it's quite clearly the funniest and most entertaining out there. This is good stuff from what I've read so far. A great continuation from America the book.
Best Comic Book - Buffy The Vampire Slayer Season 8; as if there was any question I would choose this. Sure I haven't read it yet but it's not like I was going to pick anything else, heh.
Got comments, suggestions, complaints? Think of anymore categories I could add? Feel free to let me know.
MOVIES
Best Visual Effects - Transformers; the staggering amount of effects needed for each transformation borders on ridiculous let alone keeping the chaos on screen intact for various battles. I can only imagine the number of painstaking nights spent working on this at ILM.
Best Comic Book Adaptation - Spider-Man 3; I wouldn't be surprised if 300 is the correct choice here but I unfortunately haven't seen it yet, so this will have to do. Mostly because it certainly beats out Silver Surfer, the usage of Venom, Sandman, and Gwen Stacey along with the new Goblin were interesting, if not at all times accurate. But in general, the series remains one of the most joyfully comic book like out there.
Best Film - ???; immediately I have to say, I doubt I've seen the best movie of the year. With that said, if I had to pick anyone movie, I'll pick the Bourne Ultimatum. It has few if any flaws, is tense and gripping with a smart, mature story that leaves one satisfied with the conclusion of the trilogy.
Most Anticipated Film - Indiana Jones And The Kingdom Of The Crystal Skull/The Dark Knight; no choice but to award a tie here. Dark Knight is the safer bet to be good, but Indy holds so much cool promise for us. They could both be great, we can only hope.
TV
Best New Show - Chuck; the smart combination of action and comedy isn't seen too often but this show pulls it off deftly with heart as well. For the geek in all of us, this show speaks while melding the spy genre. A neat concept that tv needed badly.
Best Returning Show - Heroes; a slow start got moved along with the reintroduction of Sylar and Adam Monroe. It may prove better for what comes next but it's still a very enjoyable show. Smallville actually wasn't too far behind this time believe it or not, for embracing a lot of mythology including Supergirl and other Kryptonian ancestry, Bizarro, and the clear return of Brainiac.
Most Anticipated New Show - Terminator, The Sarah Conner Chronicles/Dollhouse; let's face facts, anything that involves Whedon or Whedon alum is automatically at the top of the list. Add to it that the first is a terminator tv show with Summer Glau as the machine in question and the latter is Whedon's supposed return to tv and you've got a great mix to work from.
Most Anticipated Returning Show - Lost; the promise of the end of last season with a shorter season and non-stop episodes could really start to quicken the pace and relight the show. With the flashforward last season, anything is possible.
MUSIC
Best Song - Foo Fighters, The Pretender; a strong, kinetic song announces that once again, the Foo Fighters freakin' rock. It's catchy, simple and it rocks. That's really all you need.
Best Album - Hoobastank, Every Man For Himself; the bigger album release this year was Linkin Park's Minutes To Midnight and while it's a good entry, it doesn't quite have the near perfection the previous albums garnered. Hoobastank immediately jumps into a series of inspiring lyrics and crafty chords. There's too many good songs on here to ignore.
BOOKS
Best Release - Stephen Colbert's I Am America! And So Can You; sure it's only real book I got this year, but it's quite clearly the funniest and most entertaining out there. This is good stuff from what I've read so far. A great continuation from America the book.
Best Comic Book - Buffy The Vampire Slayer Season 8; as if there was any question I would choose this. Sure I haven't read it yet but it's not like I was going to pick anything else, heh.
Got comments, suggestions, complaints? Think of anymore categories I could add? Feel free to let me know.
Saturday, December 29, 2007
SYC Reviews: Fantastic Four - Rise Of The Silver Surfer
Time for our next review and this time, it's Fantastic Four: Rise Of The Silver Surfer. This sequel finds us not long after the original film. Now I went into the original expecting very little and was surprised that it was mildly enjoyable. Not that I went into this one with greater expectations but I did expect some kind of improvement in this film. Instead it feels stuck in neutral and that this universe will continue to be the same kind of interpretation.
The early part of the film dealing with the F4 all acclimated to life and trying to get on with Sue and Reed's wedding tries way too hard to go for some comedy that is often miss. In fact the funniest moment might be when after Johnny has encountered the Surfer and has power switching problems, Sue gets his power and is screaming about being on fire through the window Reed is blankly staring at. This series continually tries to pander to families, not that it shouldn't be family oriented, but it has a hard time being just a little mature when necessary.
The plot is simple enough, the wedding is interrupted by the entrance of the Silver Surfer, whom Reed is trying to track as he makes disturbances around the world. And I do mean around the world, this film manages to take place in New York, China, Siberia, England, and even Latveria. Yes Latveria, where the previous villain Dr. Doom is magically brought back by the cosmic energy of the Surfer. Unfortunately his interpretation still lacks, especially the use of his normal, non-scary voice with the mask on. Eventually he joins forces with the four to bring down the Surfer who is working for "the destroyer". As every comic book fan knows, that's Galactus. Soon enough they manage to catch the Surfer, whose representation is actually handled pretty well, though I keep picturing Morpheus everytime he talks.
Suffice it to say that the best sequence in the film involves Doom's double cross, when he steals the Surfer's board (because the military helping them are complete fools) and goes on a rampage, chased by the four in the Fantasticar, a neat little sequence of special effects. The ending isn't all that thrilling since only the Surfer can stop Galactus and I won't complain about his appearance, it's moot at this point.
While the film does still manage to be entertaining and keep you watching throughout, perhaps what also held it back for me was that it reminded a little too much of X2, having the good and bad guys team up while also dealing with a military organization. F4 is clearly the most laid back of all the comic book adaptations, and while it is the most imaginative and fun book to base stuff off of, it doesn't quite translate that well to the big screen.
With that said, I'm willing to give it the Silver Medal of Surfing, because anything else just wouldn't be appropriate. Now Julian McMahon do us a favor and develop a real villain voice. I can only imagine how dumb Christian Bale would sound with his normal voice as Batman.
The early part of the film dealing with the F4 all acclimated to life and trying to get on with Sue and Reed's wedding tries way too hard to go for some comedy that is often miss. In fact the funniest moment might be when after Johnny has encountered the Surfer and has power switching problems, Sue gets his power and is screaming about being on fire through the window Reed is blankly staring at. This series continually tries to pander to families, not that it shouldn't be family oriented, but it has a hard time being just a little mature when necessary.
The plot is simple enough, the wedding is interrupted by the entrance of the Silver Surfer, whom Reed is trying to track as he makes disturbances around the world. And I do mean around the world, this film manages to take place in New York, China, Siberia, England, and even Latveria. Yes Latveria, where the previous villain Dr. Doom is magically brought back by the cosmic energy of the Surfer. Unfortunately his interpretation still lacks, especially the use of his normal, non-scary voice with the mask on. Eventually he joins forces with the four to bring down the Surfer who is working for "the destroyer". As every comic book fan knows, that's Galactus. Soon enough they manage to catch the Surfer, whose representation is actually handled pretty well, though I keep picturing Morpheus everytime he talks.
Suffice it to say that the best sequence in the film involves Doom's double cross, when he steals the Surfer's board (because the military helping them are complete fools) and goes on a rampage, chased by the four in the Fantasticar, a neat little sequence of special effects. The ending isn't all that thrilling since only the Surfer can stop Galactus and I won't complain about his appearance, it's moot at this point.
While the film does still manage to be entertaining and keep you watching throughout, perhaps what also held it back for me was that it reminded a little too much of X2, having the good and bad guys team up while also dealing with a military organization. F4 is clearly the most laid back of all the comic book adaptations, and while it is the most imaginative and fun book to base stuff off of, it doesn't quite translate that well to the big screen.
With that said, I'm willing to give it the Silver Medal of Surfing, because anything else just wouldn't be appropriate. Now Julian McMahon do us a favor and develop a real villain voice. I can only imagine how dumb Christian Bale would sound with his normal voice as Batman.
Friday, December 28, 2007
SYC Reviews: Live Free Or Die Hard (Unrated)
It's time for the first review ever in this new blog. It's the holiday season and I've missed out on a lot of movies this year. Then again somethings are better left to being experienced in your own home and such is the case with today's review of Live Free Or Die Hard, the Unrated edition.
Now let's first look at the fact that this is the 4th in the Die Hard series, but the last was quite a few years ago, Die Hard With A Vengeance. The first thought here is, why are they making a sequel to this all of a sudden after 3 movies? Is Bruce Willis just desperate for it or is there a good reason to have this movie exist? It turns out that this was a long time in development and that effort actually does show up on screen. The next thing I thought was, when it comes to Die Hard movies, the titles are a bit lacking, especially Die Hard 2: Die Harder. I mean are you kidding me? Die Harder? I kept waiting for Die Hardest to come out but it never did. Thankfully, Live Free Or Die Hard is actually a pretty darn good title. None of these besides With A Vengeance, which is cheesy anyway, seem to correlate directly to the plot though this one generally does.
Let's get right to it. This film focuses on a plot to essentially bring the US infrastructure to its knees using all the computer controlled things we hold dear, like transportation and power. Shut these things down and you can create massive chaos, which definitely makes sense in today's world. Just seeing how the Northeast power outage affected people adds weight to the film. So we've got a pretty smart bad guy to pull this stuff off and he's an American this time around, so none of that outside terrorism stuff we were expecting going in, though his henchmen may be foreign. John McClane, wily cop that he is, always in the wrong place at the wrong time, a topic the film plays on tongue-in-cheek, has to keep a hacker safe played not too badly by Justin Long who inadvertently helped the bad guy. So as things keep getting worse and eventually the bad guy takes hold of John's daughter, the action just keeps amping up.
Perhaps the best sequence involves a tunnel, where both directional gates are opened up on our heroes and then the lights turned out, scary stuff if you were the one having to survive it. But survival is McClane's middle name, you cannot kill this man. He'll jump from a semi to an F-35 all while cracking wise and walking away from an explosion to hunt the bad guys down on foot if he has to. Yet strangely enough this is all handled with wonderful aplomb and intelligence. Action sequences may sometimes be over the top, most notably one of the last scenes but it's still the best and grittiest Die Hard since the original.
As I said this was the Unrated version and as a rental, not much else existed on this version of the DVD. The purpose of the Unrated version was moreso to put the swearing back into the movie, which was not present in the theatrical PG-13 release. Frankly you don't make this movie unless it's an R, because taking away curse words from a guy who has to pull off this kind of crap all the time makes no sense. I doubt the R was used for much else, the violence isn't overly bloody or gory in any way.
The film surprisingly both lives up the name and is a great entry into the action genre. This was a late sequel worthy of creation, a trend getting more popular with the likes of Rambo, Rocky, and Indiana Jones. This series is the easiest to create new things with though, because all you need is John McClane and a wild situation he's stuck trying to solve. That's the beauty of Die Hard, our hero doesn't go looking for trouble, all the bad stuff happens to him and he has to somehow survive it and unwillingly solve it.
Live Free Or Die Hard gets the Gold Medal of Yippie Kay Yaying. Alan Rickman would be proud.
Now let's first look at the fact that this is the 4th in the Die Hard series, but the last was quite a few years ago, Die Hard With A Vengeance. The first thought here is, why are they making a sequel to this all of a sudden after 3 movies? Is Bruce Willis just desperate for it or is there a good reason to have this movie exist? It turns out that this was a long time in development and that effort actually does show up on screen. The next thing I thought was, when it comes to Die Hard movies, the titles are a bit lacking, especially Die Hard 2: Die Harder. I mean are you kidding me? Die Harder? I kept waiting for Die Hardest to come out but it never did. Thankfully, Live Free Or Die Hard is actually a pretty darn good title. None of these besides With A Vengeance, which is cheesy anyway, seem to correlate directly to the plot though this one generally does.
Let's get right to it. This film focuses on a plot to essentially bring the US infrastructure to its knees using all the computer controlled things we hold dear, like transportation and power. Shut these things down and you can create massive chaos, which definitely makes sense in today's world. Just seeing how the Northeast power outage affected people adds weight to the film. So we've got a pretty smart bad guy to pull this stuff off and he's an American this time around, so none of that outside terrorism stuff we were expecting going in, though his henchmen may be foreign. John McClane, wily cop that he is, always in the wrong place at the wrong time, a topic the film plays on tongue-in-cheek, has to keep a hacker safe played not too badly by Justin Long who inadvertently helped the bad guy. So as things keep getting worse and eventually the bad guy takes hold of John's daughter, the action just keeps amping up.
Perhaps the best sequence involves a tunnel, where both directional gates are opened up on our heroes and then the lights turned out, scary stuff if you were the one having to survive it. But survival is McClane's middle name, you cannot kill this man. He'll jump from a semi to an F-35 all while cracking wise and walking away from an explosion to hunt the bad guys down on foot if he has to. Yet strangely enough this is all handled with wonderful aplomb and intelligence. Action sequences may sometimes be over the top, most notably one of the last scenes but it's still the best and grittiest Die Hard since the original.
As I said this was the Unrated version and as a rental, not much else existed on this version of the DVD. The purpose of the Unrated version was moreso to put the swearing back into the movie, which was not present in the theatrical PG-13 release. Frankly you don't make this movie unless it's an R, because taking away curse words from a guy who has to pull off this kind of crap all the time makes no sense. I doubt the R was used for much else, the violence isn't overly bloody or gory in any way.
The film surprisingly both lives up the name and is a great entry into the action genre. This was a late sequel worthy of creation, a trend getting more popular with the likes of Rambo, Rocky, and Indiana Jones. This series is the easiest to create new things with though, because all you need is John McClane and a wild situation he's stuck trying to solve. That's the beauty of Die Hard, our hero doesn't go looking for trouble, all the bad stuff happens to him and he has to somehow survive it and unwillingly solve it.
Live Free Or Die Hard gets the Gold Medal of Yippie Kay Yaying. Alan Rickman would be proud.
Monday, December 10, 2007
The Best Movie Trilogies...EVER
Well I'm back with a little bit of inspiration. Tonight, I'll grace you with my first list: The Best Movie Trilogies...EVER! What you need to keep in mind with any list I make is the following: 1. This is totally my opinion and nothing more. It can't ever be fact and quite frankly, I'm prone to be against your own opinion. That's fine, cause this isn't your blog :) 2. I have not and likely never will experience everything necessary to thoroughly create such lists because I'm either not interested in doing so or haven't the time. Either way, don't expect me to have seen every movie or read every book. 3. If you actually agree with anything I say, you will automatically become a better person for it. At least in my judging eyes.
Now then we have 3 major criteria for this list and they are - Longevity, Impact, and Creative Universe. With that said, let's get on with it, dammit! The Best Movie Trilogies...EVER!
8. Pirates Of The Caribbean
Longevity: Being of the newest trilogies on the block, it doesn't fare well here yet. But when you consider the ride it's based on has existed for decades, in a few theme parks, that's saying something. Especially today where all kinds of classic theme park rides are ripped out and replaced with something "new".
Impact: The ride itself had great impact in entertainment. As for the films, they marked easily the best pirate films in years. May not be saying much but considering the number of ones that were unwatchable, it means more than you think. It also reminded everyone of the talent of Johnny Depp, who for the first time actually revisited a character, one he clearly perfected and had steal the show. It's made a strong impact in our culture today, but we'll have to see what affect it has years from now. Also caused the rides to be revamped to include the movie's characters and stories.
Creative Universe: Its biggest marks are here, using a mere theme park ride, though popular one at that, to create an entire trilogy. And yet, manage to at least make passing links back to the ride in each film, hard to do for sure. What was most impressive wasn't the fun characters created, but the amount of pirate lore the films explored. Undead curses on treasures, Davy Jones and his locker, the dead man's chest, the goddess Callisto, etc. Pulling something out of nothing has always been the Disney trick of the trade.
7. The Terminator
Longevity: This is still one of the newer trilogies, not being completed until a few years ago. That said, it started back in the 80s and thus had some time to be digested before each new film. The original Terminator may or may not have stood the test of time, but T2 most certainly has, of course it's only 15 years old.
Impact: Terminator has made a huge impact on Arnold Swlagawlhoihagohag's career (hell no I'm not looking up that name). More than that, T2 made both a huge impact on the career of James Cameron who went on to win an oscar for Titanic, and for special effects in the creation of the T1000 liquid metal terminator, a sight to see in 1992. It has also spawned a theme park ride and this January, a regular television series.
Creative Universe: To be frank, it's not the most creative universe one might imagine. Robots take control of us in the future dystopia. Certainly done to death in books. It had established some basic characters, the Conners, and their race to stop Judgement Day, which it turns out is inevitable. This at the least is a very nice twist we don't learn until the end of the third movie. The creativity of each terminator has been interesting, from the basic cyborg model, liquid metal, and a blend of the two who can control other machines. Maybe the more interesting aspect was that time travel was a one way trip with no way back.
6. X-Men
Longevity: Another recently completed trilogy, the focus on this moreso needs to be on the comics, which have been around for 40 some years. On top of that, they are the best selling comic books of all time, beating out Superman, Batman, and all others that existed years before. Impressive for sure, and it took until 2000 before a viable film could be created.
Impact: The X-Men in general have had a huge impact on comics and some other media. They were intentionally designed to be "heroes" who were "hated and feared". The mantra at marvel became making characters more people could relate to, since they felt DC characters they grew up with like Batman and Superman, while cool and fun, were not identifiable in the least. Not many invulnerable aliens or super rich martial arts detectives around. As for movies, while comic book movies surely existed before this, X-Men began a wave of comic book movies that exists still 7 years later, a successful "fad". Most especially beginning the Marvel films, and though while started with Blade, this was the first truly comic book identified movie of the time, after Superman and Batman had been ruined by studios. X-Men ushered in a time that said special effects could bring to life just about any character from the comics and the stories could in fact be done justice.
Creative Universe: Let's not mess around here, it's the X-Men. There's 40 years of stories to work with and characters out the wazoo. It's virtually unlimited. The movies did not follow direct plots but had their own way with them while keeping mostly true, at least until the Phoenix Saga was tackled, something the last film wasn't really capable of handling in the least. But for sure, the first 2 films proved that such a diverse universe could be put to celluloid.
5. Spider-Man
Longevity: Pretty much that of X-Men, as long as Stan Lee's Marvel has been around, these two have flourished. This is also a recently completed trilogy but it will likely stand the test of time, even better than the X-Men trilogy will.
Impact: Spider-Man has had tremendous impact on comics, general youths, television and more. Even before the films he was considered an iconic character. The films simply spread that around and made him one of the most popular superheroes ever. They were also some of the most successful films ever made.
Creative Universe: Again like X-Men, ridiculous amount of characters and stories to draw from. Spider-Man 3 may have overindulged itself on these, but it just goes to show there's still far more to explore with this one. For the most part, the films were rather faithful to the stories behind it. Certain changes were made, usually for the best.
4. Indiana Jones
Longevity: It remains one of the most well loved adventure series ever made, though not a terribly old trilogy per se, one of the older ones on this list. It is such that a 4th film is slated for next year, but for now we won't let that detract from the original trilogy of films, as that one is clearly far separated from the rest and will be judged differently.
Impact: It helped return the idea of serialized adventure stories back to the big screen. Spielberg and Lucas, two of the biggest names in film, united to create a classic character and his amazing exploits. It has also spawned a tv series, theme park attractions, and now again, a return to the cinema.
Creative Universe: Indiana Jones felt like a living, breathing character that everyone loves. Educated, fun-loving, adventurous and being a part of some interesting historical finds. While the 2nd movie detracted from this a bit, it is the rare trilogy where the 1st and 3rd movies are considered the strongest points, which in fact helped keep it alive and spur the 4th film. The stories behind the Ark of the Covenant and Holy Grail held the audience's attention, and it always helped to have Nazis as villains. The addition of Indy's father played by Sean Connery only heightened the experience. Their world travels were always fun to watch, even if they were just red curves on a map.
3. Back To The Future
Longevity: These films from the 80s are considered "new classics", whatever that means. The point is, BTTF is still considered one of the more enjoyable set of films in recent cinema and quite possibly the best time travel movies ever made. Sure it may be easy to rise to the cream of that crop, but they are clearly a big earmark in the history major science fiction cinema.
Impact: Let's see, certainly put Robert Zemeckis, Michael J. Fox, and Christopher Lloyd on the map, if they weren't already along with Alan Silvestri's classic score. Spawned a cartoon and theme park rides that only this year have finally been shut down. The first film made such a big impact, the last two were shot back to back, something not common to sequels then. This practice (though I'm not sure if it was the first time done) was repeated with Pirates and the Matrix trilogies.
Creative Universe: A DeLorean that goes back in time? It flies too? Hoverboards, alternate universes, changing the past and the future, characters that appeared in different roles throughout time, going back to a scene from the last movie from a totally different perspective. Is that enough? How many trains do you know that fly and travel through time?
2. Star Wars Original Trilogy
Longevity: From 1977, from the words A Long, long time ago...nuff said. The series has been in the hearts and minds of everyone since then, love it or hate it. It has more than stood the test of the time by now, more than 30 years later. And clearly, it's not dying out anytime soon.
Impact: Wow, we don't even have the time. Suffice to say, it's spawned more things than I can hope to thing of, no question. Easily the most impactful trilogy ever made. It changed the way we looked at films, special effects, storytelling, and most of all, science fiction. Every space film since then has been influenced by it, nearly impossible not to be. People devote their entire lives to it, it's just that simple.
Creative Universe: Well the movies themselves were boundlessly creative. To include everything since then is unjust, a ridiculous amount of things have been born out of it. Let's just say when it came to science fiction, it was one of the most creative set of films ever. Simple as that.
1. Lord Of The Rings
Longevity: From 2001 to 2003, it was the biggest thing in movies. But that's not telling the whole story. This set of tales has survived the longest, more than 50 years and still going. It took until then for a faithful adaptation and yet the dream of it never died. That is saying something.
Impact: LOTR has had more impact to storytelling than most even know. The very idea that it had a huge impact on the #2 choice Star Wars should say a lot. When it comes to any fantasy story, all are compared to Tolkien in one way or another. He is the father of modern fantasy, that which all others are judged by. The films themselves took home a vast array of oscars, eventually netting Best Picture, which no other trilogy on this list can boast. They are seen as the most pristine and closest to flawless set of films one could conceive of from such an impossible to film book. Each film got better and never once had to settle for a lesser sequel. It was one continuous story, what every trilogy strives to be, this one achieved on every level.
Creative Universe: Most would think Star Wars would win this. That might be true in some senses, but LOTR has simply had far more time to build their world. And what a world, an endless set of creatives, races, lands, languages, weapons, cities, backstories, songs, simply the most in depth lore of any films on this list. Tolkien went to nearly insane levels to fashion this world. The very idea that he created a new language is astounding. Drew maps of Middle-Earth, wrote poems and songs about its history, described in every detail all of its trappings.
There you go. Don't agree? That's why it's my list and not yours. ^_^
Now then we have 3 major criteria for this list and they are - Longevity, Impact, and Creative Universe. With that said, let's get on with it, dammit! The Best Movie Trilogies...EVER!
8. Pirates Of The Caribbean
Longevity: Being of the newest trilogies on the block, it doesn't fare well here yet. But when you consider the ride it's based on has existed for decades, in a few theme parks, that's saying something. Especially today where all kinds of classic theme park rides are ripped out and replaced with something "new".
Impact: The ride itself had great impact in entertainment. As for the films, they marked easily the best pirate films in years. May not be saying much but considering the number of ones that were unwatchable, it means more than you think. It also reminded everyone of the talent of Johnny Depp, who for the first time actually revisited a character, one he clearly perfected and had steal the show. It's made a strong impact in our culture today, but we'll have to see what affect it has years from now. Also caused the rides to be revamped to include the movie's characters and stories.
Creative Universe: Its biggest marks are here, using a mere theme park ride, though popular one at that, to create an entire trilogy. And yet, manage to at least make passing links back to the ride in each film, hard to do for sure. What was most impressive wasn't the fun characters created, but the amount of pirate lore the films explored. Undead curses on treasures, Davy Jones and his locker, the dead man's chest, the goddess Callisto, etc. Pulling something out of nothing has always been the Disney trick of the trade.
7. The Terminator
Longevity: This is still one of the newer trilogies, not being completed until a few years ago. That said, it started back in the 80s and thus had some time to be digested before each new film. The original Terminator may or may not have stood the test of time, but T2 most certainly has, of course it's only 15 years old.
Impact: Terminator has made a huge impact on Arnold Swlagawlhoihagohag's career (hell no I'm not looking up that name). More than that, T2 made both a huge impact on the career of James Cameron who went on to win an oscar for Titanic, and for special effects in the creation of the T1000 liquid metal terminator, a sight to see in 1992. It has also spawned a theme park ride and this January, a regular television series.
Creative Universe: To be frank, it's not the most creative universe one might imagine. Robots take control of us in the future dystopia. Certainly done to death in books. It had established some basic characters, the Conners, and their race to stop Judgement Day, which it turns out is inevitable. This at the least is a very nice twist we don't learn until the end of the third movie. The creativity of each terminator has been interesting, from the basic cyborg model, liquid metal, and a blend of the two who can control other machines. Maybe the more interesting aspect was that time travel was a one way trip with no way back.
6. X-Men
Longevity: Another recently completed trilogy, the focus on this moreso needs to be on the comics, which have been around for 40 some years. On top of that, they are the best selling comic books of all time, beating out Superman, Batman, and all others that existed years before. Impressive for sure, and it took until 2000 before a viable film could be created.
Impact: The X-Men in general have had a huge impact on comics and some other media. They were intentionally designed to be "heroes" who were "hated and feared". The mantra at marvel became making characters more people could relate to, since they felt DC characters they grew up with like Batman and Superman, while cool and fun, were not identifiable in the least. Not many invulnerable aliens or super rich martial arts detectives around. As for movies, while comic book movies surely existed before this, X-Men began a wave of comic book movies that exists still 7 years later, a successful "fad". Most especially beginning the Marvel films, and though while started with Blade, this was the first truly comic book identified movie of the time, after Superman and Batman had been ruined by studios. X-Men ushered in a time that said special effects could bring to life just about any character from the comics and the stories could in fact be done justice.
Creative Universe: Let's not mess around here, it's the X-Men. There's 40 years of stories to work with and characters out the wazoo. It's virtually unlimited. The movies did not follow direct plots but had their own way with them while keeping mostly true, at least until the Phoenix Saga was tackled, something the last film wasn't really capable of handling in the least. But for sure, the first 2 films proved that such a diverse universe could be put to celluloid.
5. Spider-Man
Longevity: Pretty much that of X-Men, as long as Stan Lee's Marvel has been around, these two have flourished. This is also a recently completed trilogy but it will likely stand the test of time, even better than the X-Men trilogy will.
Impact: Spider-Man has had tremendous impact on comics, general youths, television and more. Even before the films he was considered an iconic character. The films simply spread that around and made him one of the most popular superheroes ever. They were also some of the most successful films ever made.
Creative Universe: Again like X-Men, ridiculous amount of characters and stories to draw from. Spider-Man 3 may have overindulged itself on these, but it just goes to show there's still far more to explore with this one. For the most part, the films were rather faithful to the stories behind it. Certain changes were made, usually for the best.
4. Indiana Jones
Longevity: It remains one of the most well loved adventure series ever made, though not a terribly old trilogy per se, one of the older ones on this list. It is such that a 4th film is slated for next year, but for now we won't let that detract from the original trilogy of films, as that one is clearly far separated from the rest and will be judged differently.
Impact: It helped return the idea of serialized adventure stories back to the big screen. Spielberg and Lucas, two of the biggest names in film, united to create a classic character and his amazing exploits. It has also spawned a tv series, theme park attractions, and now again, a return to the cinema.
Creative Universe: Indiana Jones felt like a living, breathing character that everyone loves. Educated, fun-loving, adventurous and being a part of some interesting historical finds. While the 2nd movie detracted from this a bit, it is the rare trilogy where the 1st and 3rd movies are considered the strongest points, which in fact helped keep it alive and spur the 4th film. The stories behind the Ark of the Covenant and Holy Grail held the audience's attention, and it always helped to have Nazis as villains. The addition of Indy's father played by Sean Connery only heightened the experience. Their world travels were always fun to watch, even if they were just red curves on a map.
3. Back To The Future
Longevity: These films from the 80s are considered "new classics", whatever that means. The point is, BTTF is still considered one of the more enjoyable set of films in recent cinema and quite possibly the best time travel movies ever made. Sure it may be easy to rise to the cream of that crop, but they are clearly a big earmark in the history major science fiction cinema.
Impact: Let's see, certainly put Robert Zemeckis, Michael J. Fox, and Christopher Lloyd on the map, if they weren't already along with Alan Silvestri's classic score. Spawned a cartoon and theme park rides that only this year have finally been shut down. The first film made such a big impact, the last two were shot back to back, something not common to sequels then. This practice (though I'm not sure if it was the first time done) was repeated with Pirates and the Matrix trilogies.
Creative Universe: A DeLorean that goes back in time? It flies too? Hoverboards, alternate universes, changing the past and the future, characters that appeared in different roles throughout time, going back to a scene from the last movie from a totally different perspective. Is that enough? How many trains do you know that fly and travel through time?
2. Star Wars Original Trilogy
Longevity: From 1977, from the words A Long, long time ago...nuff said. The series has been in the hearts and minds of everyone since then, love it or hate it. It has more than stood the test of the time by now, more than 30 years later. And clearly, it's not dying out anytime soon.
Impact: Wow, we don't even have the time. Suffice to say, it's spawned more things than I can hope to thing of, no question. Easily the most impactful trilogy ever made. It changed the way we looked at films, special effects, storytelling, and most of all, science fiction. Every space film since then has been influenced by it, nearly impossible not to be. People devote their entire lives to it, it's just that simple.
Creative Universe: Well the movies themselves were boundlessly creative. To include everything since then is unjust, a ridiculous amount of things have been born out of it. Let's just say when it came to science fiction, it was one of the most creative set of films ever. Simple as that.
1. Lord Of The Rings
Longevity: From 2001 to 2003, it was the biggest thing in movies. But that's not telling the whole story. This set of tales has survived the longest, more than 50 years and still going. It took until then for a faithful adaptation and yet the dream of it never died. That is saying something.
Impact: LOTR has had more impact to storytelling than most even know. The very idea that it had a huge impact on the #2 choice Star Wars should say a lot. When it comes to any fantasy story, all are compared to Tolkien in one way or another. He is the father of modern fantasy, that which all others are judged by. The films themselves took home a vast array of oscars, eventually netting Best Picture, which no other trilogy on this list can boast. They are seen as the most pristine and closest to flawless set of films one could conceive of from such an impossible to film book. Each film got better and never once had to settle for a lesser sequel. It was one continuous story, what every trilogy strives to be, this one achieved on every level.
Creative Universe: Most would think Star Wars would win this. That might be true in some senses, but LOTR has simply had far more time to build their world. And what a world, an endless set of creatives, races, lands, languages, weapons, cities, backstories, songs, simply the most in depth lore of any films on this list. Tolkien went to nearly insane levels to fashion this world. The very idea that he created a new language is astounding. Drew maps of Middle-Earth, wrote poems and songs about its history, described in every detail all of its trappings.
There you go. Don't agree? That's why it's my list and not yours. ^_^
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