Tag Archives: Movie

Jul 29 2011
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Movies

On a Movie: Cowboys & Aliens

In a movie that basically answers the question of what would happen should War of the Worlds have been set in the Wild West, ‘Cowboys & Aliens’ provided the perfect excuse to watch 007 (Daniel Craig) and Indiana Jones (Harrison Ford) kick some alien ass for a little over 2 hours.

At first glance, the premise seems strange and is sure to turn some people off, but on a weekend when the only other blockbuster movie to see is ‘The Smurfs’, I think this provided that much needed summer movie entertainment.

It was perfect that the main characters seem to run into every typical Western situation while following the aliens that stole their family and friends. There was a ruckus in the center of town, the people were subjected to an outlaw ambushin’ in a canyon, and they were captured by “Injuns” and subjected to a good dosage of old-school peyote medicine. Perfect!

I also have to give props to Daniel Craig for his portrayal of the anti-hero, Jake Lonergan, and his surprising ability to do an American accent…well. Harrison Ford did a surprising great job (given his acting in recent films) at being a cut-throat cattle rancher while also being a compassionate family man. Former Countess Olivia Wilde (didn’t know she once a Countess, did ya?) was both stunning and interesting as her character revealed some secrets that made her quite the intriguing subject…and her beauty didn’t hurt anything. I never realized how unbelievably amazing her eyes are!…they’re like staring into the clear waters of a tropical lagoon, mmmmmm. But as my friend Katie said, in general, Olivia Wilde has a somewhat hard-edge to her (akin to Megan Fox) that makes empathy and compassion seem like a foreign concept, so the scenes where she is attempting to comfort people appear somewhat odd and against the very fiber of the actress’ character.

Also, the aliens were quite terrifying, and their ability to overpower and kill frightening yet exciting.

Overall, the movie was well-made, fast-paced, entertaining, and all-together the perfect summer movie in every ridiculous way possible.

Rating: B+

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Jul 25 2011
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Movies

On a Movie: Captain America – The First Avenger

I’m beginning to think that Marvel Studios can do no wrong, and I thought Captain America was no exception.

But as of late, I am beginning to wonder if my love of these movies is stemming from the movie being spectacular, or if the references to the other Marvel movies/comics, and the buildup to my most anticipated movie event of the decade (The Avengers) next year, is amplifying my excitement and enjoyment while watching it, thus biasing my opinion of the movie itself. For a nerdy, fan-boy like me, it is hard to distinguish whether it is the former or latter, or both.

With The Avengers slated for May 2012 (and the amazing teaser at the end of the Captain America credits) I can best liken the Marvel franchise of movies to a television show, with Iron Man proving to be an entertaining and humorous pilot episode, and Captain America being that tantalizing episode before the earth-shattering and epic season finale.

So attempting to put my biases aside, I still thought Captain America – The First Avenger was an exciting, poignant and all-around entertaining summer flick. Chris Evans was surprisingly good in this movie. I gained a lot more respect for him after his performance in Sunshine in 2007, and I think this superhero role fit him much better than the Human Torch in Fantastic Four. And Hugo Weaving was perfectly cast at the Red Skull.

Following Thor in May and its post-credit showing of the Cosmic Cube (which made me giddy with excitement at the time), it was interesting to see that the plot of Captain America provided some history of the object leading up to that post-Thor scene. When I saw that initially, I believed the Cosmic Cube would play into the plot of a future Thor film, especially since they show Loki in the scene, but I am not upset that the tesseract became the catalyst for HYDRAs attempt at world domination and the events of Captain America – The First Avenger.

Overall, there was a good blend of fanboy shout-outs, comedic moments, action, and character development. I really liked the art direction of the film and the way they portrayed 1940’s America during World War II. And I felt there was a good emphasis on character-driven storytelling rather than being completely plot focused. The action almost seemed secondary in the film, and I would call that a good thing (but the action was still awesome!).

Final question: Which one of the Asgardian realms do you think Red Skull got transported to?

Rating: A

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Apr 07 2010
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Movies

On Clash of the Titans 3D

Every time I go into a movie that is based on ancient mythology, I have high hopes. Since I was a kid, I have had a fascination with ancient mythology and seem to love anything that even alludes to it. I can even remember watching the old Ray Harryhausen stop-motion films  Jason and the Argonauts and Clash of the Titans. At the time, I didn’t know that much about mythology, so inaccuracies in the storyline weren’t a huge deal for me; however, as I have matured, directorial tampering with source material has become a major issue with me.

And I should have known it when I went to the theater. This is a movie based off of another movie that is based off of mythology. Oddly enough, the 1981 movie is surprisingly accurate. Apart from the scorpion fight, Calibos and Pegasus, the main details of the film are in line with the source. Without Medusa, the Kraken and Andromeda, this rendition went so far beyond the mythological source material that it became almost impossible to identify as the story of Perseus.

I understand some of the changes Leterrier made to the film. He stated in many interviews that he didn’t want the movie to be directly compared to the 1981 cult classic, so he changed around the motivations of Perseus to be one of revenge against the gods rather than, what I would say, was duty and honor in the earlier film.  However, I don’t understand why the city was changed to Argos, when it is definitely Joppa in the myth and the original movie. What was Io doing there? What was the point of the Jin? What on Earth was that Perseus origin story Leterrier concocted (the actual one is plenty interesting)? I have come to accept Perseus riding Pegasus as it is moreso based on Renaissance art rather than myth (In myth, Bellerophon tamed Pegasus, fyi).

Anyways, aside from my mythological issues, the film wasn’t terrible. It was definitely what you expected as an action movie. It was an action-packed, high-paced film that followed the journey of Perseus as he slays the gorgon, Medusa, and defeats the Kraken. If you can get past the mythology problems, it is an entertaining movie to watch. But I must admit, I did begin to laugh out lound when Worthington (as Persues) turned to his comrades before entering the lair of Medusa and attempted to deliver a rousing, inspirational speech. Needless to say, it was a bit formulaic and horribly directed/delivered that it became comical rather than inspirational.

I also jumped on the band wagon, like the rest of the world, and decided to spend the premium to see the film in 3D. Critics are tearing the 3D to pieces, but I don’t think it was that bad. Apart from a single moment when Hades was talking to Zeus on Olympus, and it looked a bit strange to me, I didn’t notice anything that was absolutely terrible regarding the postproduction effect. I had more of an issue with the unfinished look of the CGI Medusa than the 3D.

Everyone is comparing the 3D to that of Avatar, and I think that is unfair to do. Avatar took four years to produce and required drastic advances in technology to create. In that regard, every single 3D movie that has come out is no where near the same quality. It is a matter of managing expectations. If you are expecting to see another Avatar in regards to effects, you are kidding yourself. If you are expecting to see an action movie where the 3D adds a bit of flare to the experience, you will like it. 

Rating: B-

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