Wednesday, March 30, 2011

Wonder Woman TV costume modified

Thank Goodness!

While it's been reported all over the internet, I thought I'd share my opinion of the Adrianne Palicki Wonder Woman costume.

When I saw the original costume, I thought it was the worst costume the producers picked up at a Walgreens Drug Store from last October. Sure, the corset was a good dark red that complimented the leap from comics to film, the pants...oh my. Those light blue pants....those light blue pants looked so cheesy, like the spandex they were made from would melt on the set under the lights.

Thankfully, the costume has been redesigned and looks more like a costume from Wondy's days during WWII.

Let's hope the next images/videos we get from David E. Kelly's Wonder Woman is more faithful to what the fans want...

Tuesday, March 29, 2011

Sucker Punch

Starring Emily Browning, Oscar Issac, Carla Gugino, and Jon Hamm

Directed by Zack Snyder

Release Date: March 25th, 2011

Despite what you've read from other critics, Sucker Punch is not the complete mess others have claimed. However, there are a few minor details to discuss. Now, onto the plot!
Plot: A girl known as Baby Doll (Browning) is forced against her will into an insane asylum and has only five days before a doctor (Hamm) gives her a lobotomy. Therefore, it's up to Baby Doll to find a world within her mind and come up with a battle plan to leave the nightmare behind....
First of all, this is nowhere near as well written as INCEPTION. The major problem is that Snyder, as co-writer, has no ear for dialogue. Half the conversations in the film, and some of the more clunky philosophical bits, are poorly executed and just come off as cheesy. Also, the casting of Oscar Issac as Blue the manager/nurse was a bad decision on the part of the casting director. Blue is meant to be an imposing character, a man the girls fear as he has the key to their freedom and is a ruthless and menacing monster. Unfortunately, Issac does not possess the presence nor the style to pull off a fearsome or meancing antagonist. Near the third act, he describes himself as a little boy playing in the sandbox and that perfectly describes the affect his portrayal had on me, the audience: a little boy playing big boy.


That being said, the movie is a ton of fun. The dream sequences, from snowy Samurai battles to a futuristic chase on a train with robots, are a sight to behold and I fully praise the art direction and CGI team for the film. As people are well aware, Zack Snyder is a visual oriented director and you can certain feel his love and care for how beautifully stunning the film is. If nothing else, Snyder can be proud of how wonderful the movie plays its' action sequences.


Rating: * * * 1/2 of 5

Saturday, March 26, 2011

The Lincoln Lawyer

Starring Matthew McConaughey, Ryan Phillipe, Marissa Tomei, with Bryan Cranston, and William H. Macy

Directed by Brad Furman

Release Date: March 18th, 2011

Mick Haller (McConaughey) is a defense attourney looking out for two things: the quick "Not Guilty" and his fees. Then, he's presented with a high-profile case: an attempted rape and assault case involving a rich Beverly Hills playboy (Phillipe) and a prostitute who may be out for a quick payout. However, with the help of a private investigator (Macy), things are turning much more complicated.

A smart legal thriller, The Lincoln Lawyer is adapted from the novel of the same name by Michael Connelly. The movie moves at a good pace, although I did feel there a tad too many "staring off into darkness, lonely tortured soul" moments, but that's more a problem due to it being a cliche not improper useage by the filmmakers. Other than that, the actors do a great job with their roles; Cranston and Macy make do with their limited roles, Macy being the sympathetic best friend and Cranston quietly as the inquisitive police detective. If you're a fan of John Grisham legal thrillers or TV's "Law and Order", you'll fully enjoy The Lincoln Lawyer.

Rating: * * * * 1/2 of 5

Click here to buy The Lincoln Lawyer

Sunday, March 20, 2011

Paul

Starring Simon Pegg, Nick Frost, Kristen Wiig, Jason Bateman, Bill Hader, Joe Lo Truglio, and the voice of Seth Rogen as Paul

Directed by Greg Mottola

Release Dates:

14 February 2011 (2011-02-14) (United Kingdom)


18 March 2011 (2011-03-18) (United States)
 
A love letter to Science Fiction, comic books, and Steven Spielberg movies. Paul is a gleefully hilarious movie starring Simon Pegg and Nick Frost as the Graeme and Clive, two British geeks traveling across Amcerica at all the Alien landmarks, hoping to come across the real thing. Soon, a little green man named Paul (voiced by Seth Rogen) has stumbled in front of their RV asking for their help to return home. Soon, the trio are followed by Special Agent Zoil (Bateman) and two inept cops (Hader and Lo Truglio).


Co-Screenwriters Pegg and Frost are without, for the first time, without frequent collaborator Edgar Wright. While Wright was off writing and directing Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World, Pegg and Frost co-wrote and starred in Paul. As with Shaun of the Dead, Spaced, and Hot Fuzz, Pegg and Frost continue to showcase their wonderfully complex and hilarious "bromance" between the characters they play. It is unfortunate, then, that the rest of the human characters are not as fully developed as Graeme and Clive. I had just wished that Ruth hadn't been such an obvious caricature of anti-evolutionists or that the antigonists our bumbling heroes come across were less two-dimensional. However, Paul the alien is a wonderfully humorous, if somewhat lewd, character makes the film a joy to watch. Also, I have to give it up to Seth Rogen for making Paul into a funny, even somber character that makes you relate to his dilemma.

Rating: * * * * of 5

Click here to buy
Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark (Special Edition)

Alien Anthology [Blu-ray]

Predator (Ultimate Hunter Edition) [Blu-ray]

Close Encounters of the Third Kind (30th Anniversary Ultimate Edition)

Star Wars: The Complete Saga (Episodes I-VI) [Blu-ray]


Thursday, March 17, 2011

Army of Darkness

Starring Bruce Campbell, Bridget Fonda, Ian Abercrombie and Ted Raimi

Directed by Sam Raimi

Release Date: February 19th, 1993

It's down to the last battle between Ashley "Ash' Williams and the Deadites in Army Of Darkness!

After facing the hordes of Evil in Evil Dead 2, Ash has been transported hundreds of years back in time! Now, he's a prisoner of....King Arthur?! What has Ash done to anger the legendary wielder of Excalibur? Maybe it's from running his mouth off, or unleashing the Deadites from the Necronomicon....again. Therefore, it's up to Ash, his "boomstick" 12-gauge shotgun, and a group of knights to fight off the unholy army of darkness!

Despite being titled "Army of Darkness", this is essentially Evil Dead 3. Here, Ash has transformed from a cowardly hero in Evil Dead to a catchphrase spouting, machismo Super-star in Army of Darkness! You talk about Ash with other Evil Dead fans, all of them will know "Hail to the King, Baby!" or "Shop Smart! Shop S-Mart!" as two of his legendary quotes from Army of Darkness. Also, changing tone from the cheap, eerie tone of Evil Dead to the goofy, excessive tone of Evil Dead 2, Army of Darkness is more of an epic adventure movie with swords, magic, and evil doppelgangers. Trust me,  this is a fun action movie that will definitely appease Evil Dead fans and fans of Bruce Campbell's B-movie action roles.

Rating:  * * * * *  of 5

Click here to buy
Army of Darkness
Army of Darkness (Screwhead Edition) [Blu-ray]
Army of Darkness (Boomstick Edition)
Bruce Campbell vs. Army Of Darkness - The Director's Cut (Official Bootleg Edition)

Battle: Los Angeles

Starring Aaron Eckhart and Michelle Rodriguez

Directed by Johnathan Liebesman

Release Date: March 11th, 2011

Plot: Aliens arrive via asteroid (don't ask) and begin by attacking major cities to colonize the world. Therefore, it's up to a group of US Marines to take back the city of Los Angeles.

Many of the reviews I have read deried Battle:LA for being a poorer retread of Black Hawk Down with Aliens, or that the film didn't need to be about aliens invading at all. I don't fully agree with the first critique (it's been years since I've seen Black Hawk Down), and the other observation as if they were an invading country it would be quite odd to see an Earth-based country come up with the high-tech weapons and ships as seen in Battle: LA. I will say, that the design of the aliens is somewhat disappointing. I think back to classic Invading aliens, such as the species from Independence Day or the prawns from District 9; the aliens in Battle: LA aren't shown on camera in any detail and for what we do see, they don't leave much of an imprint. All that said, the action in the film is great and the detail to attention to make the Marine squad authentic was great, according to a friend in the armed forces.

Not a perfect Alien Invasion war movie, but an enjoyable one.

Rating: * * * 1/2 of 5

Wednesday, March 16, 2011

Doctor Who: Time Crash

Starring David Tennant and Peter Davidson

Directed by Graeme Harper

Release Date: November 16th, 2007

A funny little short between the 5th Doctor and the 10th. Wished David Tennant had gone out as he was in this short: energetic, full of life, and always looking to new possiblities. Still, his interactions with Peter Davidson are witty, joyous, and a blast to watch.

Rating: * * * * 1/2 of 5

Click here to buy  Doctor Who: The Complete Fourth Series

Tuesday, March 15, 2011

Kill Bill: Volume 1

Starring Uma Thurman, Lucy Liu, David Carradine, Vivica A. Fox, and Sonny Chiba

Directed by Quentin Tarantino

Release Date: October 10th, 2003

A bloody tale of revenge from Quentin Tarantino!

A pregnant bride is beaten near to death and then shot in the head at a shoot out known as "The El Paso Wedding Massacre". All that is known about The Bride (Thurman) is that she remains in her coma for four years, then awakens stunned and her child lost. Knowing who to blame, our blood-spattered bride digs back into her old life as an assassin, looking for her old comrades who carried out the deeds orchastrated by Bill. As soon as The Bride takes care of the Deadly Vipers Assasination Squad (DVAS), she will kill Bill....

Today we are going to look at part one of the Kill Bill saga. Why only part one? It's my blog and I make the rules. So, today we're going to look at The Bride's near fatal attack to her battles with DVAS 1 and 2, O-Ren Ishii and Vernita Green, Code Names Cottonmouth and Copperhead respectively. If one were to differentiate Volumes 1 and 2, 1 is where you're gonna get all the fight scenes. As with many Tarantino movies, the plot is jumbled into a Rashomon-esque style where the attack on Vernita Green happens before O-ren, despite occuring as O-ren THEN Vernita chronologially. Still, it's another great Tarantino thrill ride where the action gels beautifully with the action onscreen. As good as the "Showdown at the House of Blue Leaves", there's a thrilling grace to the kitchen scenes between The Bride and Vernita Green.  Finally, there's the acting: The Bride should be an action movie star, up there with John McClane and The Man with No Name. Uma Thurman does a tremondous job making The Bride into a badass warrior with a very human side, as seen in her interactions with Vernita's daughter, Nicki. On a side note, there's a great flashback story for O-ren Ishii created by Production I.G., an anime company whose such work includes NGE: Death and Rebirth, The End of Evangelion, and FLCL (a.k.a. Fooly Cooly).

Rating: * * * * * of 5

Click here to buy

Kill Bill - Volume One
Kill Bill: Volume 1, Kill Bill Vol. 1 Original Soundtrack [Explicit] (Soundtrack)
Kill Bill - Volume One [Blu-ray]

Sunday, March 13, 2011

The American

Starring George Clooney Violante Placido and Thekla Reuten

Directed by Anton Corbijn
Release Date: September 1st, 2010
Not as fast paced as your average "James Bond" spy thriller. However, I believe that, while not for everyone, The American is a faut, suffocating thriller where the audience truly understands the paranoia and loneliness of assassin, silmilar to Luc Besson's 'Leon: The Professional". The movie is a tad slow, but does work in the end to get the audience to understand the unease of Jack (Clooney).

Rating: * * * * of 5

Click here to buy
The American
The American [Blu-ray]
The American: A Special Edition of A Very Private Gentleman

Saturday, March 12, 2011

Surrogates

Starring Bruce Willis, James Cromwell, and Ving Rhames

Directed by Johnathan Mostow

Release Date: September 25th, 2009

The action is decent, but the plot moves way too fast for a 90 minute movie. Surrogates brings up alot of interesting questions, particularly about our obsessions with technology and hiding behind our avatars or pseudoanonymity, but it just doesn't delivers like I hoped. Still, I will look for the original graphic novel if I see it and give it a comparison.

Rating: * * * of 5

Click here to buy

Surrogates

Surrogates [Blu-ray]

The Surrogates (Surrogates (Graphic Novels))

Friday, March 11, 2011

Rango

Starring the voice talents of Johnny Depp, Isla Fisher, Abigail Breslin, and Bill Nighy

Directed by Gore Verbinski

Release Date: March 4th, 2011

ILM....once the leader in special  effects have demonstrated their ability in creating a feature-length, CGI animated film directed by Gore Verbinski and starring the voice talents of Johnny Depp, Abigail Breslin, and Bill Nighy.

A chamoleon (Depp) lost in the desert is in a bit of a crisis: he's lost, in need of an identity, and water in order to survive. Soon, he's found a home in the town of Dirt, taken up the name of Rango, and discovered that the town is in need of a sheriff. The once lonely lizard is now friends with the townspeople, including Beans (Fisher) and Priscilla (Breslin), who look toward their new sheriff to find the town's water supply before they all die.

Okay,it is true that this film is a tad too dark for younger kids. If you think that this would be good for toddlers, think again. That isn't to say that the film is unwatchable, far from it. If I had to place it, Rango would be best for kids age 8 and up. Moving on, the animation of this film is fantastic; the look of the film is certain to give Pixar a run for their money; especially if ILM can make all their characters as fanscinatingly detailed as the townspeople of Dirt. Also, there is a great deal of homages in Rango, from the "Dollars" trilogy to High Noon, to Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas.

Rating: * * * * of 5

Click here to buy Rango
Rango Vinyl Figure
The Ballad of Rango
Rango and Priscilla Vinyl Figure Set

Thursday, March 10, 2011

The Karate Kid (2010)

Starring Jackie Chan and Jaden Smith

Directed by Harald Zwart

Release Date: June 11th, 2010

He doesn't learn Karate in this movie, he learns Kung fu. The only reason it's called "The Karate Kid" is to capitalize on the name from the original movie starring Pat Morita and Ralph Macchio. Sure, there are a couple of good fight scenes, but the rest of the movie is full of poor dialogue.

Rating: * * 1/2 of 5

Click here to buy The Karate Kid The Karate Kid (Two-Disc Blu-ray/DVD Combo + Digital Copy) (2010)

The Talented Mr. Ripley

Starring Matt Damon, Jude Law, Gwyneth Paltrow, and Philip Seymour Hoffman

Directed by Anthony Minghella

Relese Date: December 25th, 1999

It all started with a borrowed jacket, and turned into something much more sinister. Adaped from the novel of the same name by Patricia Highsmith, director Anthony Minghella brings her darkly suspenseful story to live starring Matt Damon, Gwyneth Paltrow, Jude Law, and Philip Seymour Hoffman.

New York, 1955: Tom Ripley (Damon) meets with Herbert Greenleaf (Rebhorn), a wealthy shipbulider in need of a favor. Greenleaf believes that Tom is a graduate of Yale, the same college where his son Dickie (Law) went. The favor is: Dickie is living in Italy, and Greenleaf wants Tom to bring him home. The problem is: Tom never went to Yale and has never met Dickie Greenleaf. One trip later, Tom is living the life with Dickie and his fiance Marge (Paltrow). Tom is infatuated with Dickie's life, the riches and glory that comes with being Dickie Greenleaf. However, Tom is being forced out of Dickie's life and Tom isn't about to leave...

The Talented Mr. Ripley is a fascinatingly suspenful and dark mystery about the person that is Tom Ripley. Matt Damon does a fantastic job of making Tom into a character that is at one moment in deep awe of the world around him and the next, he's calculating his next move to stay ahead. Director Anthony Minghella does a fantastic job of making the cities of Italy spectacular to behold, that even the most run-down building is a jem in Tom Ripley's eyes.

Rating: * * * * 1/2 of 5

Click here to buy The Talented Mr. Ripley The Talented Mr. Ripley (Paperback)

Wednesday, March 9, 2011

X-Men First Class (cheap) Posters

Okay, this is totally awful. These two posters are deplorable. How did this get past anyone at Fox?

The trailer looks great, but if anyone were to base their opinion on these two posters, they wouldn't see the movie.

Sunday, March 6, 2011

Let Me In

Starring Chloe Moretz, Kodi Smit-McGee, and Richard Jenkins

Directed by Matt Reeves

Release Date: October 1st, 2010

Good, but not as spectacular as the original Swedish film.


Plot: See my review of Let the Right one In, but replace Oskar with Owen, Elli with Abby, and Sweden with New Mexico.

I was very nervous about this remake, as "Americanization" remakes of European movies are generally not very good; therefore, I felt that Let me in did its' job, but didn't strike me as memorable as the original. Sure, there are a few tweaks, such as Owen's bumbling interest with romance and Now and Laters, and a tad more development into Abby's protector (Jenkins), but not much has changed in the hands of Matt Reeves. Still, the actors are great, the make-up effects are amazing, but just like the original, the use of CGI is obvious and shaky-looking.

Rating: * * * 1/2 of 5

Click here to buy Let Me In Let Me In [Blu-ray]

Saturday, March 5, 2011

The Adjustment Bureau

Starring Matt Damon, Emily Blunt, John Slattery, and Terrence Stamp

Directed by George Nolfi

Release Date: March 4th, 2011

David Norris (Damon) is a New York Congressman who is about to lose the bid for US Senate. However, his whole night changes the night he met Elise, a free spirited ballerina whose involvement in his life changes his political future. The only problem is, they were never expected to see each other ever again, thanks to the care of THE ADJUSTMENT BUREAU. Soon, David is being followed by shadowy men in fedoras who slip in and out of nowhere...


Adapted from a short story by Phillip K. Dick, The Adjustment Bureau brings up the dilemma of free will versus fate, the illusion of chioce that so many people fear in today's climate. The film does a great job of making the Bureau into an ambiguous, nearly omnipotent organization that is merely doing their job, not a villanous cabal out of a comic book. One Bureau member freely admits that they are less angels and more an organziation of case workers. In addition, I enjoyed how this was more light-hearted science-fiction thriller than any other of Dick's movies, such as Total Recall or Paycheck. The Adjustment Bureau is a Sci-fi movie with a great romantic development that will be a good date movie for people that are squemish around seeing a "science-fiction" film. Finally, the film's cast is stupendous, from Damon and Blunt's striking chemistry to the smarmy charm of John Slattery as Richardson.

Rating: * * * * of 5

Click here to buy Adjustment Team

Tuesday, March 1, 2011

Black Dynamite

Starring Michael Jai White

Directed by Scott Sanders

Release Date: October 16th, 2009

What The Naked Gun did for cop dramas, Black Dynamite does for Blacksploitation movies. Sure, it gets a tad silly at times, but who can't laugh at a scene of Black Dynamite being a pimp one minute and an FBI agent the next? Also, the film gets a tad too self-aware at times, full of editing mistakes and "Grindhouse"-like errors, but I believe that's part of the movie's charm.
If you're a fan of Shaft (the original) or Dolemite, you'll dig Black Dynamite.
 
Click here to buy Black Dynamite Black Dynamite [Blu-ray]