Posts Tagged ‘movie review’
5 items.
Movie Review: 9 (2009)
Director: Shane Acker
Plot: Waking up in a destroyed room with a dead old man in it, 9 wanders out into a post-apocalyptic world populated by 8 other rag-dolls characters and a handful of red-eyed monsters called The Beast. Taking a small green device from the room with him, 9 encounters 2 who is being chased by The Beast and is eventually kidnapped.
Now, 9 must gather the remaining rag-doll creatures and try to rescue 2, while understanding what the mystery of the green device is and how it all ties into what happened to the world.
From having first gleaned the trailer for this movie, I knew I wanted to see it. I watched the 9 minutes award-winning short film that it was based on and instantly went into media shut-out mode. I didn’t want anything about this movie spoiled for me. And it was not disappointing.
Well, the visuals weren’t disappointing. The story was flat and the movie was basically just an action movie with computer animated rag-dolls, but man was it ever a fun ride! I kept wanting more from it in terms of story, sure, but the visuals more than made up for the lack of plot in the flick.
Shane Acker did not disappoint on the direction, considering this is his first feature length movie. Tim Burton and Timur Bekmambetov have their signatures all over this movie, but instead of coming off clunky like a lot of creative collaborations (cough cough Indiana Jones 4 cough cough), this movie flows and synergizes with ease. The action is great, and while there’s hardly any characterization, the drama in the direction and the danger from the sequences is enough to make you sit on edge and hope for these characters. And with a PG-13 rating, you know that not everyone is going to walk away from this story….
…or if you didn’t, then I just spoiled that for you.
In summary, it’s a visually excellent movie and exciting action flick, but lacking in story and characterization. So it should appeal to most movie-goers. 
I tease.
”Comment
Movie Review: Sherlock Holmes (2009)
Director: Guy Ritchie
Cast: Robert Downey Jr, Jude Law, Rachael McAdams, Mark Strong
Plot: Upon stopping the evil Lord Blackwood (Strong) from killing his next victim, Holmes (Downey Jr) and his partner Watson (Law) watch as the man is hanged. However, several days later Blackwood’s crypt is opened from the inside and he has started killing again. Is something supernatural at work here, and what does Blackwood’s resurrection have to do with the return of Irene Adler (McAdams), Holmes old flame?
Holmes and Watson are back on the case (for the first time, in this movie franchise), dodging martial arts trained criminals and explosions. That’s right, kids. In this non-origin story first movie, Sherlock Holmes solves mysteries…with his fists!
While there may be some slight exaggeration in that statement, the mystery of Blackwood’s resurrection seems to just be the road that takes Holmes and Watson from one fist fight to the next. I’m sure the more ADD among us will absolutely love it (and I admit that I didn’t mind it as much as I feared I would), but a little more sleuthing and a little less punching would’ve suited me just fine.
But that’s not to say that the action isn’t entertaining. Holmes is such a smarty that he actually figures out how a fight is going to happen (in slow motion with great details on how much damage would be inflicted) before he moves on it – which takes all of 3 seconds to execute. It was a brilliant testament to Holmes intellect and physical prowess.
And there certainly is drama (and yes, sleuthing) throughout this movie. Watson is breaking up the dynamic duo by getting married and moving out, and Holmes only real flame has returned to his life under mysterious circumstances. There are secret societies, conspiracy theories, and clues throughout – but sadly, it’s difficult to put all of the pieces together and solve the mystery before the end because, well, Holmes is leagues beyond everyone else when it comes to solving cases. His knowledge and insight into how events unfold doesn’t come to light until the very end of the movie, which does have a satisfying ending to a roller-coaster ride of a movie.
I admit to having low expectations for this flick, and was pleasantly surprised having seen it opening weekend. It’s an enjoyable Hollywood romp through a modernization of Holmes. And while it wasn’t the Hitchcockian thriller that I was hoping for, it does have enough elements of that to have kept me in my seat for the duration. That said, it may be best to watch this movie at home so you can revisit parts after the mysteries are revealed.
Movie Review: Evangelion 01 – You Are (Not) Alone
Director: Masayuki, Kazuya Tsurumaki
Official Website
Plot: In the not-too-distant future, 14 year-old Shinji Ikari has been summoned to Tokyo-3 by his estranged father who he has not seen for many years. Upon arriving, he finds the city under siege by a giant monster called an “Angel.” Picked up by a young woman who works for Shinji’s father’s organization called Nerv, she drives him to their underground base (a giant geo-front) and orders him to pilot a humanoid mechanized unit called Evangelion. When Shinji refuses, realizing that his father only summoned him here because he had a use for him, his father orders another 14 year-old pilot into the cockpit. However, this pilot, Rei, is severely injured from a previous experiment activating a previous Eva Unit, and can barely stand.
As the Angel attacks from above, the base begins to shake and Rei is thrust from her medical bed, blood leaking through her bandages. Shinji agrees to pilot the Eva, and is projected to the surface face to face with the monstrous Angel. However, not having any previous experience with the Evas before, he can’t even walk and the Angel attacks without mercy. Breaking his wrist and cracking his helmet armor, Eva Unit 01 is rendered broken and in the silence the human race watches as they are about to be wiped out from all existence by Third Impact.
Suddenly, Eva Unit 01 reactivates and goes berserk. It attacks the Angel with a ferocity and forces the Angel to blow itself up in an attempt to take Shinji with it. However, Shinji walks away with some minor physical wounds…but a whole lot of psychological trauma to deal with.
And this is only the first 20 minutes of the movie….
Those familiar with the popular (and highly controversial) anime series will see this as a rehash of the original footage. Let me put your fears to rest by saying that while there is a lot of footage from the original series and the beginning of the flick is a very sped up version of the first two episodes of the series (re-edited), the footage has been cleaned up to an amazing degree! There’s also new footage throughout, and while it’s mostly b-roll (stuff happening in the background or during voice overs), they do start to add more and more as the movie progresses. The battle with the 6th Angel is almost completely different, in fact. They’ve even added digital effects to many of the Eva and Angel sequences, and even some new conversations to help bring the audience up to speed.
For those of you not familiar with the series, you’re probably going to be completely lost watching this movie. But, like those of us who experienced the series, that’s part of the fun of it. Evangelion is brutal with it’s question asking, and not for forgiving with the giving of the answers. But, like modern TV shows like LOST, that’s part of the fun of it. For fans of the original series, they introduce some elements earlier on, making me think that later installments of this 4 movie series are going to be much much different. I also question if they’re going to follow more to the manga series (which has yet to finish, to my knowledge) which establishes more of the character relationships (specifically between Shinji and Rei), and builds Shinji more as a character instead of diminishing him like the series did.
I won’t go into the spoilers from the series, but in the movie they certainly lay the groundwork for a lot of the questions that many fans are still asking themselves after the conclusion of the series and the two movies that “finished it all off.” It is not a requirement for you to have seen the series to watch this movie; as I started before the beginning of the flick is the first two episodes in fast forward, and it just builds from there at a steady pace. The theatrical version of the movie that I watched was dubbed, and while I hate dubbed anime, this was tolerable to me because 1) new voice recording, so the voices are slightly less obnoxious, and 2) I was just so damn excited to watch this movie it wasn’t even funny.
Walking away from the theater, I just want to pop in the series again and start from the very beginning.
Shinji’s journey is a difficult one, as he not only has to deal with being a 14 year-old kid with all of the social skills of a mute, but also because the fate of the human race literally rests on his shoulders. And he’s not your regular hero. Shinji is incredibly flawed, and that helps make his journey that much more interesting to watch. At the end of the movie, in fact, the desperation of his struggle is made all the more clear by a speech given to him by an adult about the world that they live in. The audience feels the weight of his burden as they watch the drama unfold, and his last-ditch effort to save humanity from the onslaught of Angels barreling down on Tokyo-3.
If you loved the series, you should totally watch this movie. If you have never heard of Evangelion but enjoy anime, then you HAVE to watch this movie. Then go out and get the series and thank Lilith that you didn’t have to wait for them to come out like the rest of us. If you don’t like anime and have never heard of Evangelion (but enjoy shows that ask you questions, like LOST) then you could probably get into this series.
From the opening sequence described above to the dramatic conclusion of the final battle against the 6th Angel, this movie is loaded with everything you love (or will love) about this series. And a closing song by Utada Hikaru (who did the theme song to Kingdom Hearts, for those of you unfamiliar with Japanese singers), and this movie is definitely going into my DVD collection. It may be a scam to get more money out of me years after the series has ended, but you know what – it worked, and I don’t mind at all. And the promise of things to come in the next installment (stay until after the credits for a teaser), and I’d say that a new generation of anime lovers is going to get hooked – and the previous generation will get hooked again.
I’ll leave you now with the closing credits song by Utada Hikaru, entitled “Beautiful World.” I have to dust off my DVD box set of Evangelion now and go nerd out….
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_OGncC04dRI
Movie Review: Paranormal Activity (2009)
Director: Oren Peli
Cast: Katie Featherston, Micah Sloat
Plot: Katie and Micah (who play themselves) are young lovers who have just moved into the same house together, and Katie reveals that she’s been haunted all of her life by paranormal activity. In an attempt to capture it on tape, Micah begins taping their lives and what happens while they sleep. The flick is basically a documentary-style flick of their lives during a two month period.
I had no idea what I was going to see when I was invited to check out this flick, but after having seen it and forming an opinion I’m noticing all of this hype around the flick. And I have to question why. Sure, the movie was shot for little-to-nothing over seven days, and it’s generated all kinds of buzz in the film community. But aside from a few scary moments, the movie is a storytelling nightmare! I respect it for what they were trying to do, but trust me when I say that your life will be no less rewarding without having seen this movie.
From a pure storytelling perspective, the movie suffers from terrible storytelling issues, pacing problems, and plot holes. And if you have motion sickness (like me), then you will get ill during this movie. It’s shot in the hand-held style reminiscent of The Blair Witch Project or Cloverfield – but has no direction or story to really speak of. The set up is solid and the movie certainly has some scary moments in it, but I can’t help but question a lot of the plot holes in a movie like this.
***SPOILERS***
For example, at one point in the movie she talks about how the “spirit” has always just watched her sleep and made bumps in the night, but once the ghost whisperer comes in he says that it’s a demon and Katie admits that she’s always thought this spirit wanted to do her harm. But if that were the case, then why would it watch you sleep? And why would it wait until this two-month period to gain enough power to do it. And in the end it doesn’t even end up doing harm to her….
Another example is when they say that the demon has a specific purpose for it’s hauntings, but this spirit has been haunting Katie for years. Long before she met her boyfriend, which is ultimately what we see the demon do damage to: Micah, the boyfriend. Why haunt the girlfriend for years when you’re just after the boyfriend? This logic may make sense in demon town, but not in my world….
***END SPOILERS***
The character motivations bothered me a lot in the flick as well. After something scary happens at night, we see the characters during the day saying that they want to leave the house and won’t sleep in that bed any more. Granted, the ghost whisperer tells them that moving won’t stop the hauntings – but then they keep saying that the demon is in the house, so wouldn’t sleeping at a hotel for a night at least give you a night of rest? – but then the next night or three nights later they’re back in that bedroom again. Maybe this is an editing flaw, where they filmed all of the scary stuff in the bedroom and then later decided where to fit it into the flick. Perhaps DVD special features would enlighten us – but I’m truly not really interested enough to know more.
When they talk about having a demonologist come in and exercise the demon, they don’t do it because Micah “is the man” and this is his house and he will protect her. But he’s not really doing a good job of that, and after 2 weeks pass they still haven’t called the demonologist. So the audience is supposed to feel bad for them when bad stuff happened? Because, I think they were asking for it at that point. And when they finally get around to it, it’s just far too late and the guy’s out of the country. There’s not another demonologist that you could call? You don’t have the internet or a phone book handy? It has to be that specific guy?
The characters make no bloody sense.
Honestly, I think the movie would’ve been better with the general set up, and then a bunch of shots of the scary stuff that happens at night. Make it a short movie, people will be freaked out, and there’s less of a chance that you’re going to 1) have poor character set up, plot holes, and contradicting motivations, and 2) that the audience is going to get ill from your sloppy camera work.
I won’t hold the camera work against the flick (heck, I liked Cloverfield), but I don’t want Hollywood to get confused with hand-held “shaky cams” as a style. This is not a style, this is sloppy. BattleStar Galactica uses a shaky cam as a style for setting tone and putting the audience in the situation. You use it in your motion picture and I just want to yell at you for making a home movie. This movie’s success works against my arguments about Hollywood being sapped for ideas and that they should try tapping no-names to make flicks. That budgets ruin movies. You can make a great movie for next-to-nothing (ie: Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog), but it requires a good story and people who’ve gone to film school and know what they’re doing. Unfortunately, youtube.com has made us all think that we’re talented enough to make movies.
In summary, the movie does not live up to the hype (not even when you haven’t heard any hype about it before seeing it, like me), and is a very sloppy presentation with some scattered moments that are frightening – which is what we came to see, and it does deliver in spurts. But honestly, you could skip it and probably be for the better for it.
Movie Review: District 9 (2009)
Director: Neill Blomkamp
Cast: Sharlto Copley
Plot: Chances are you’ve heard of this movie, or even more than likely seen it, so I apologize in advance for the lateness of this review. I had been eagerly awaiting this flick ever since I first saw a trailer for it. I went and found the short film that it was based on. I even re-watched all of the Halo movie footage that the director did as a test to showcase how he would shoot the movie (which has yet to be green-lit). I was so thirsty for this flick that, for some strange reason, I decided to hold off on quenching my need to see it.
What a mistake.
I should’ve been in a chair for a midnight showing with anyone and everyone who was willing to come with, and we could’ve basked in it’s glory together…and then talked at length about the incredible subtext and messaging that litter this movie. But perhaps I’m getting ahead of myself here….
District 9 is a movie shot somewhat documentary style (for about the first third of the flick) about an alien space craft that arrived on earth 28 years ago over Johannesburg in South Africa. The reason for their arrival is never really explained, but we humans come in and take them off their ship and force them to live in slum-like conditions on the ground. An organization called Multi-National United (MNU) is formed to police the aliens (the slur that they use for them in the movie is “prawns”), and the flick takes place during a relocation / eviction effort to get the aliens further away from people in the city.
Unfortunately you kind of have to have seen the trailer to understand why this is going on (although they very briefly touch on it in the flick), but ultimately the humans want to use the alien technology (specifically, their weapons), but the technology only works with the alien biology.
Enter Wikus Van De Merwe (Copley), the agent put in charge of the eviction. While searching a slum house “owned” by a prawn named Christopher Johnson, he discovers a cylinder that sprays him with a strange liquid, and he starts to get really sick. And it turns out that the liquid in the canister is starting to change his DNA. He’s becoming an alien! Of course, this means that the humans want to slice and dice him up and figure out how to replicate it, so they can use the technology. Of course, he escapes and goes to live in District 9 where he runs into Christopher again, and the purpose behind the liquid is revealed. What follows is one of the most intense and awesome third acts that I have seen in ages, chop-full of all the kind of sci-fi action that you would expect from an R-rated foray into the depths of the human condition.
And as a good sci-fi should, the movie is littered with moral subtext commenting on the world we live in today, and the situations going on over in Africa especially. But even if you don’t dive that deeply into it, you can still enjoy the awesome that is this movie.
When my brother and I went to go see this movie at the local theater, we accidentally walked into the wrong theater. As the opening credits for “Inglorious Basterds” started, a look of horror and disgust flashed across my face. In case you didn’t know, I’m not a fan of Tarentino movies. My brother’s face said something more like, “I could watch this,” but I was not going to have it. I had been waiting too long to see this movie – telling myself that I was waiting because I feared a negative theatrical experience like I had with Watchmen.
[Remember everyone, the movie theater is not your damn living room]
Thankfully, the crowd was light and we were able to separate ourselves from the bulk of the people. The flick was everything that I thought it would be and more – and it’s certainly something that I’m going to buy on DVD, if for no other reason than to check out the special features and commentaries.
If you enjoy good sci-fi, action movies, flicks with people and stuff blowing up all around, or just want to see something done in a very unique way, be sure to watch this movie!