Iron Man 3: Better than 2, but 1 still has the most heart....

I went into this movie hoping it was at least better than its predecessor, Iron Man 2. In the end, I was more than satisfied in that regard. However, for those that are proclaiming this is the best of the three Iron Man films I respectfully disagree.

I'm not going to give away the plot, minus the overall story arc for Tony Stark in this entry. After the events in The Avengers, Tony (played so effortlessly by Robert Downey Jr) is battling his own demons, in the form of PTSD. So with that he becomes even more obsessed with his own work, ignoring the love of his life, Pepper Potts. (Gweneth Paltrow keeps getting better with age it seems) It's with that conflict that the movie centers around. Tony needs to focus more on what really matters, and less on his toys. And ya know, in some ways I see a hidden message buried within the films story: Guys need to give up hobbies and only focus solely on their significant others. I'm not saying the film's writer, Shane Black, was really aiming for that kind of meaning, but in some weird way I left the theater pondering whether there was something to that idea. I didn't like that aspect either way. There's a balance somewhere to be found.

Nonetheless, the film soars in the action department. The dialogue is also very catchy and is something one should expect from a Shane Black movie. (Those may forget he scripted the first Lethal Weapon film in 1987) It also flows a lot better than Iron Man 2, something I had a major issue with as compared with the first entry in the series. The film does jump around a lot the first half, but overall you see the dots connecting towards the film's climax. The supporting characters do a great job with Guy Pierce doing a pretty "decent" job playing Aldrich Killian, and of course Ben Kingsley does a fantastic job playing the film's main villain, "The Mandarin" given the source material. 

As far as the bad points of this film are concerned, as amazing as the aerial rescue of roughly a dozen people, falling from Air Force One was, it all took a nose dive (no pun intended), when it was revealed Tony Stark wasn't even in his Iron Man suit. He was instead patched in remotely to a suit that took care of it for him. I'm sorry, but that just takes away the thrill from my perspective. Superhero films shouldn't have any instances where saving people's lives is solely reliant on technology versus the human element. Lastly, as phenomenal as you'd expect Ben Kingsley to be as Mandarin, there's a juncture in the film where his character has a slight change in tone, and without giving more away I'll simply say it was arguably "meh", but I suppose it was needed given the circumstances. I'll let you be the judge on what you felt there.

Other than that, it was without a doubt a very entertaining superhero film that hit the right notes visually, it was funny in many instances amidst the chaos, and well acted all around. Nuff said...

2.5/4 stars.

Star Trek The Next Gen: Best of Both Worlds, On the big screen (Review)

If you're a die hard trekkie, than the temptation to plop down 12 dollars to see a completely remastered version of a Star Trek: The Next Generation TV series episode on the big screen may be too tough to resist. In this case, it wasn't just an episode, it was THE best episode of the seven season run of the TV series, a two parter, that could be argued was responsible for cementing the Next Gen as a pop culture icon going forward. I would also argue if not for the Best of Both Worlds as a classic TV drama, than there would be no $185 million dollar upcoming Star Trek film that will hit theaters next month. It truly was that important in extending the shelf life of Star Trek in general.

As far as the overall experience tonight, it was surreal seeing such an epic two part episode, blown up on a gigantic screen, with film grain quality, and digital surround sound in a manner you'd have never thought possible watching it twenty years ago on your tiny TV set. It elevated it to feature length film quality, and was a reminder that the cast of the Next Generation never quite got a big screen film entry you could argue was a classic on the level this two part episode was to legions of Trek fans.

One important observation was Brian Dennehy's daughter, Elizabeth Dennehy, who played the important role of Commander Shelby in this two parter, who really injected an edginess to this ensemble cast that had been lacking in the series up until that point. It's a crying shame the writers of the show never bothered to find an excuse to write her character into later episodes of this series. Speaking of her character, I couldn't help but laugh out loud at the line from her superior officer, Admiral Hansen, played by the late George Murdock, who utters to Captain Picard that Shelby is something of an "old man's fantasy". That drew some expected chuckles from the crowd tonight, and I know I was laughing the hardest. It was very rare for that show to have any sort of true innuendo even hinted at, so when it happens, it stands out like a sore thumb.

Overall, if the cast of the Next Generation can't get Paramount to sign off on another feature film, I suppose the kind of event like tonight is the next best thing. However, if Star Wars is going to have spin-off films in between the main films of the franchise, why can't Star Trek do the same? Sure, it doesn't need to be on the same inflated budget the new JJ Abrams Star Trek is getting, but maybe enough for this cast to get the proper send off it deserves and never got.

Nuff said!

Star Trek: The Video Game (review)

It's typical that most video games made in honor of a movie franchise typically suck out loud. However, in the case of this game, Star Trek: The Video Game, it's obvious the makers DID put some thought and effort into it. It's an original storyline that features the once famous villain from the original series TV show known as "The Gorn". However, this ain't your daddy's Gorn, this iteration of this species falls more in line with the velociraptors you saw in Jurassic Park.

The short end of my verdict for this game, if you love all things Star Trek, then you need to pick this up. If you're on the fence about Star Trek shows and their movies in general, then I'd definitely not be as quick to recommending it as a worthy buy. It's nothing groundbreaking to the video game industry, but it is groundbreaking to a Star Trek centric audience because it's one of the best games that's been made for the series since the 90s.

What makes this game extremely authentic to the Trek lore is it has an original story, set between the events of the 2009 feature film and the upcoming sequel, Star Trek Into Darkness. It also has every single actor from those films voicing their main character. That's right, the entire gang of actors and actresses that brought the original series characters to life four years ago on the big screen recorded hefty amounts of dialogue for this game. Add to it, an original music score that hits just the right notes throughout the course of the game, really giving it the ambiance it needs to make the gamer feel like they're apart of a film, not just a video game. Even just getting to roam around the bridge of the Enterprise freely is a trip. It should also be noted the contributions of Chris Pine and Zachary Quinto, voicing their characters of Kirk and Spock were nicely done. It's easy to forget as they banter back and forth that this is simply a game over a full length movie.

As far as the gameplay, the controls do take some getting used to, I did find myself sometimes mixing up the right button to open the tricorder scanning device as opposed to the weapon I needed to be using to fend off the bad guys, but nothing too cosmic to get the hang of. There are those that feel this game has a Mass Effect quality to it with the movements and controls being more third person, over the shoulder. I suppose I agree, but it takes nothing away from you feeling like this is Star Trek, not Mass Effect.

I'm only into the second mission of the game and it's obvious this isn't a game you'll conquer in 4 hours time. It's got a lot of meat to it, and it's by no means just shoot to kill every moment, there's many instances where you have to have your character of Kirk or Spock study or scan an object, or figure out some way to get from one room or obstacle to the next. Overall, there's some level of thought process your own brain will need to run through to get from point A, to B, to C, etc.

All in all, ignore the haters of this game. I'm getting the vibe that if new games don't completely emulate Call of Duty in the ultra life like graphics department, then said game will garner a below average review score. That's just wrong in my opinion. And speaking of graphics, I personally think they're just fine for a game like this. They're bright, colorful, and detailed enough to make you think your setting your phasers to stun in the Star Trek Universe. (forgive me, I had to be somewhat cheesy)

I rate it a 4 out of 5 stars IF you dig Star Trek, and a 2.5 out of 5 stars if you hate Star Trek. It's just that simple. Nuff said:)

Oblivion: A visually arresting execution of a familiar formula...

I walked out of the theater today completely satisfied with Joseph Kosinski's Oblivion. I'm sure some people will knock the storyline and plot twists as being too familiar to some past sci-fi film incarnations, but that didn't detract from the overall experience for me.  It's really no different than someone who copies a fantastic food recipe, it then becomes important to at least not fumble the ball on executing the formula. Make no mistake, this is a well made film for several reasons I'll get into later....

The overall premise, Earth's been given one major enema from nuclear war that was waged to fight off Aliens who destroyed the moon decades in the past. There are only tiny pockets of life left on the planet, and Tom Cruise's character of Jack is apart of a two person team, who's job it is to make sure automated drones are allowed to comb the surface of the earth and protect these massive fuel collectors. (that collect as much of the leftover water supply as possible to be used as energy on one of Saturn's moons, where the rest of humanity now resides)

Visually this movie gets four stars, easily. I would not expect anyone to walk out of the theater and think they'd been had in that department. The sound design and soundtrack also was top notch. It's those elements that capture your imagination enough for you to be put into the main character's world and feel a part of the journey. So even if you think you can predict the films twists and turns for the storyline, you'll be content enough to stay engaged due to the other variables. I also feel, this film opens up a door of much interpretation for viewers. I came away with a few of my own deeper meanings the film was trying to convey beneath the surface of a formulaic plot, about humanity and it's behavior on Earth, and that alone was enough for me to not feel like it was just some big rip off money grab for Hollywood.

And for those who avoid Tom Cruise films just because he's attracted attention over the years for his private life and decisions, I say get a life! Grade him on how he handles acting in movies and the performance that you're paying to see when the lights go dark. Last I knew, you don't see too many people resisting wanting to see the latest Iron Man due to Robert Downey Jr's much troubled past, off the big screen. I just hate to see people turn down the chance to see a movie that gives you the opportunity to escape reality, and immerse yourself into another world for a few hours.

Oblivion gets 3 1/2 out of 4 stars from me. Nuff said.

Evil Dead (2013) review: The most gory film to hit the silver screen....

I'll admit, I've never really sat down to watch the original film in this franchise, The Evil Dead, starring Bruce Campbell. When I tried to, I became too disturbed seeing a woman get raped in the woods via barbed wire. But nonetheless, I went into this remake or reboot, whatever the hell you want to call it in the age of franchises being jump started again, with an open mind.

I'm almost embarrassed to admit I actually really enjoyed this affair. If you're going to do something right, be consistent with the approach, and consistent the filmmakers were, utilizing the best in younger, bad actors, and the utmost gruesome killing and maiming effects I've ever seen on the big screen. Nothing was half-assed here.Too many times I'll see horror films where only a small portion of the film really kicks the violence into full throttle, but once this particular film unleashes the curse of a book the young adult campers find buried in a cabins basement, it's a balls out tour de force of cringing at what you see.

I'll take a step back here to give you a run down of the basic story. A younger woman who is recovering from massive psychological disorder, primarily from drug overdose, is attempting to recover up in the woods, at a not so nice looking cabin with four of her closest friends. These friends consist of her older brother, his girlfriend, a nurse; an incredible nag of a nurse at that, and a classic, awkward geeky guy who looks like he was taken right out of a 70s horror film. It's this geek that decides opening the cursed book, made out of dead skin, with blood stains all over it, is too hard to resist by reading its passages. These are passages where it's made abundantly clear to NOT READ! Uh oh, we have incredibly stupid characters in this movie, where their actions make absolutely no sense. Once he reads them, that's when the film turns into one bad thing happening after another, and upping the ante each time in the beyond disgusting department.

But as I alluded to earlier, if the story and what's on film scaled back at all, and tried to retract the level of gore you were seeing on screen, the end product would have suffered. Instead, director Fede Alvarez not only smacks you in the face with visuals you'd dare never wanna open one eye for, he manages to capture almost a Stanley Kubrick type visual quality (this was mentioned by another reviewer, I'm merely agreeing with this observation) to many of the ugly things you see on screen. He shot many of the scenes from unique angles, and positions you're not used to seeing a camera get put into, and for that, the movie shined.

I'll even go as far as saying the character I thought was going to survive did not, and kept me guessing right up until the end. Now maybe that's because I haven't been a die hard fan of this franchise and know less about the core story behind it, but either way, it was nice being surprised towards the end.

Bottom line, if you're a fan of blood, guts, gore, and all things sadistic, if that sort of thing gives you a wildly inappropriate, yet innocent mental escape for a couple of hours, then go see this film. If any of those things disturb you to where you may not sleep, or flat out just may offend you in general, then DO NOT, I repeat DO NOT go and see this movie.

This is not the most terrifying film you'll ever see, but I guarantee it's one of the most disgusting and gory films you'll ever see. 

Nuff said.

Breakdown, 1997, Kurt Russell, J.T. Walsh

 
If someone were to ask me my favorite, underrated and pretty well completely overlooked film of all time, I'd yell "Breakdown". I remember catching this on HBO, circa 1998-1999, when it premiered on a Friday night and I was hooked from beginning to end. The tension, acting, pacing, setting, all played a role in making this one of the best thrillers I've personally ever seen.

So let me give a brief synopsis of the story. Kurt Russell, along with Kathleen Quinlan, play a married couple that's trekking from the east coast through the western side of the country to start a new life, and job. After their new Jeep Grand Cherokee breaks down, that's when the fun begins. Watching the events unfolding as Kurt Russell's character,  Jeff Taylor, frantically tries to piece together what happened to his wife gives the exact sort of tension Harrison Ford's old film, "Frantic" never had and should have had. J.T. Walsh plays a perfect villain, and sadly he died not long after this film hit the silver screen back in 1997. (I believe it may have been his last performance) He was one hell of a character actor. Everyone in this film is convincing, and so convincing I have never looked at long road trips the same. The tagline for this film was "It could happen to you.." and that definitely stuck with me throughout the years. Now everytime I stop at a rest stop, I'm paying full attention to my surroundings, the people, etc.

The reason this film worked for me is the entire film I kept asking myself "how is this going to end?", it kept me guessing and guessing. That's the mark of a good story for my money. I'm not going to spoil the rest of the story, I can only recommend you Netflix this movie. The biggest crime? There's still only a DVD version of this that I'm not even sure is in print anymore. The fact this film hasn't been given the Blu-ray treatment saddens me to no end. Great films deserve the best picture quality for home release, and this is one of them!

Nuff said..

Superman 4: The Batman 66' of Superman Films

Here's the deal, Superman IV: The Quest for Peace is a guilty pleasure of mine, and has been since I saw it in theaters back in 1987. The actors involved all put forth their best efforts here. Gene Hackman was clearly having a great time getting to play Lex Luthor one final time, and Christopher Reeve embodied exactly what fans wanted from the big, blue boy. As a 7 year old watching this film for the first time it was tough to be bored throughout the entire film.