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.
Saturday, February 1, 2014
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!
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