tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-43723257691398268842024-03-06T03:17:01.932-05:00Cinematard CentralIf you are one who is completely lacking movie knowledge and want to learn more about the following: Award Season, Filmmakers, Movie Studios, Movie Related Topics, and Movie Reviews, then visit here and comment on one of my post.nerrojjhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06924037243147087683noreply@blogger.comBlogger361125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4372325769139826884.post-944743521752658312021-04-29T00:02:00.002-04:002021-04-29T00:04:57.861-04:00The Honeymoon Is Over<p> When I initially started this blog, it was basically an outlet for my movie reviews. I also would sometimes redirect people to bigger movie news anytime it was relevant. I'm writing this post not to say that I'm quitting, granted post are few and far between, but to say phase one is basically complete. Blogspot was only meant to be a temporary. I primarily now post on WordPress, switch is equally temporarily solution. I personally like interface and layout of WordPress over Blogspot. Quite frankly, it takes a bit of work to post the same post on both sites. So for now, I think I'm going to stick to just posting WordPress. </p><p><br /></p><p>If you somehow have stumbled upon this blog and want to see you current content you may check out my WordPress version of this blog, here</p><p><br /></p><p><a href="https://cinematardcentral.wordpress.com/">https://cinematardcentral.wordpress.com/</a></p>nerrojjhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06924037243147087683noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4372325769139826884.post-46230765298835346902021-01-06T23:13:00.004-05:002021-01-06T23:13:29.601-05:00End of the Year Review 2020<p><span style="font-family: arial;">This year was an exceptionally bad year for the film business because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Films with scheduled release dates in March and beyond, were either delayed or realsed on streaming sites. Most of delays were pushed into 2021. This disease may have sped up the inevitable fate of movie thesters dying. I look foward to watching movies on a large movie screen agian. Until then, here is my "End of the Year Review" list. </span></p><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>The Best:
</b><br /><br />1. The Trial Chicago 7<br />
2. Soul<br />
3. Mank<br />
4. Tenet <br />
5. The Invisible Man
<br /><br /><b>Broken Down By Genre: </b>
<br /><br /><b>Action:</b> Extraction<br />
<b>Adventure:</b> N/A<br />
<b>Animation:</b> Soul<br />
<b>Comedy:</b> Guns Akimbo<br />
<b>Comic Book:</b> Wonder Woman 1984<br />
<b>Crime / Mystery:</b> Enola Holmes<br />
<b>Drama: </b>The Way Back<br />
<b>Fantasy:</b> Onward<br />
<b>Historical or Bio Pic:</b> The Trial Chicago 7<br />
<b>Horror:</b> N/A<br />
<b>Indie Film:</b> N/A<br />
<b>Musical: </b>Hamilton<br />
<b>Sci-Fi:</b> Tenet<br />
<b>Thriller:</b> The Invisible Man<br />
<b>War:</b> "Greyhound"
<br /><br /><b>Commentary & Notes</b>: With a very light release schedule, Im only doing a top 5. These lists in the past have been a top 10. Not goona lie, I only wanted to fill my movie viewings with films that would bring me joy or make me feel good. There was more than enough negative things happening in real life.
<br /><br /><b>The Worst: </b>
<br /><br />1. Dolittle<br />
2. Artemis Fowl<br />
3. Fantasy Island<br />
4. Bloodshot<br />
5. The New Mutants
<br /><br /><b>Commentary & Notes: </b>These films wernt really all that bad. Some of these films I enjoyed but they just dont hold up.
<br /><br /><b>Most Anticipated of 2021</b>
<br /><br />1. Untitled Spider-Man: Far From Home sequel<br />
2. No Time To Die<br />
3. Black Widow <br />
4. Dune (2020)<br />
5. The Suicide Squad<br />
6. Eternals (2021)<br />
7. Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings<br />
8. Last Night in Soho<br />
9. Ghostbusters: Afterlife<br />
10. The Matrix 4</span><!--/data/user/0/com.samsung.android.app.notes/files/clipdata/clipdata_bodytext_210106_230656_299.sdocx-->nerrojjhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06924037243147087683noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4372325769139826884.post-83129479734875533662018-03-03T15:37:00.002-05:002018-03-03T15:37:32.371-05:00Oscar Predictions 2017<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I challenge you to fill out an <a href="http://challenge.oscar.com/">Oscar ballot</a>. Here are my predictions for this years Oscars</span><br />
<div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Best Picture<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>Winner (1</i><sup style="font-style: italic;">st</sup><i> Pick): </i>The Shape of Water<i><o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>Runner-Up (2</i><sup style="font-style: italic;">nd</sup><i> pick): </i>Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri<i><o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>Dark Horse: </i>Get Out<i><o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<i><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">My Vote: <o:p></o:p></span></i><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The Shape of Water</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Actor in a Leading Role<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>Winner (1</i><sup style="font-style: italic;">st</sup><i> Pick): </i>Gary Oldman - Darkest Hour<i><o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>Runner-Up (2</i><sup style="font-style: italic;">nd</sup><i> pick): </i>Timothee Chalamet -Call Me By Your Name<i><o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>Dark Horse: </i>Daniel Kaluuta - Get Out<i><o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<i><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">My Vote: <o:p></o:p></span></i><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Gary Oldman - Darkest Hour</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Actress in a Leading Role<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>Winner (1</i><sup style="font-style: italic;">st</sup><i> Pick): </i>Frances McDormand - <o:p></o:p></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>Runner-Up (2</i><sup style="font-style: italic;">nd</sup><i> pick): </i>Saoirse Ronan - Lady Bird<i><o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>Dark Horse: </i>Margot Robbie - I, Tonya<i><o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<i><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">My Vote: <o:p></o:p></span></i><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Saoirse Ronan - Lady Bird</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Actor in a Supporting Role<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>Winner (1</i><sup style="font-style: italic;">st</sup><i> Pick): </i>Allison Janney - I, Tonya<i><o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>Runner-Up (2</i><sup style="font-style: italic;">nd</sup><i> pick): </i>Laurie Metcalf - Lady Bird<i><o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>Dark Horse: </i>Mary J. Blige - Mudbound<i><o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<i><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">My Vote: <o:p></o:p></span></i><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Allison Janney - I, Tonya</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Actress in a Supporting Role<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>Winner (1</i><sup style="font-style: italic;">st</sup><i> Pick): </i>Sam Rockwell - <o:p></o:p></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>Runner-Up (2</i><sup style="font-style: italic;">nd</sup><i> pick): </i>Willem Dafoe - The Florida Project<i><o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>Dark Horse: </i>Richard Jenkins - The Shape of Water<i><o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<i><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">My Vote: <o:p></o:p></span></i><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Sam Rockwell - <o:p></o:p></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Directing<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>Winner (1</i><sup style="font-style: italic;">st</sup><i> Pick): </i>Guillermo Del Toro - The Shape of Water<i><o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>Runner-Up (2</i><sup style="font-style: italic;">nd</sup><i> pick): </i>Christopher Nolan - Dunkirk<i><o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>Dark Horse:</i> Greta Gerwig - Lady Bird<i><o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<i><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">My Vote: <o:p></o:p></span></i><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Christopher Nolan - Dunkirk</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Writing: Adapted Screenplay<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>Winner (1</i><sup style="font-style: italic;">st</sup><i> Pick): </i>Call Me By Your Name<i><o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>Runner-Up (2</i><sup style="font-style: italic;">nd</sup><i> pick): </i>Mudbound<i><o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>Dark Horse: </i>Logan<i><o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>My Vote: </i>Logan<i><o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Writing: Original Screenplay<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<i><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Winner (1<sup>st</sup> Pick): <o:p></o:p></span></i><i><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Get Out</span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<i><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Runner-Up (2<sup>nd</sup> pick): <o:p></o:p></span></i><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>Dark Horse: </i>The Big Sick<i><o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<i><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">My Vote: <o:p></o:p></span></i><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The Big Sick</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Cinematography<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>Winner (1</i><sup style="font-style: italic;">st</sup><i> Pick): </i>Blade Runner 2049 <i><o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>Runner-Up (2</i><sup style="font-style: italic;">nd</sup><i> pick): </i>The Shape of Water<i><o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>Dark Horse: </i>Dunkirk<i><o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<i><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">My Vote: <o:p></o:p></span></i><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Blade Runner 2049</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Film Editing<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>Winner (1</i><sup style="font-style: italic;">st</sup><i> Pick): </i></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Baby Driver</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>Runner-Up (2</i><sup style="font-style: italic;">nd</sup><i> pick): </i></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Dunkirk</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>Dark Horse: </i>I, Tonya<i><o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<i><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">My Vote: <o:p></o:p></span></i><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Baby Driver</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Visual Effects<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>Winner (1</i><sup style="font-style: italic;">st</sup><i> Pick): </i>War for the Planet of the Apes<i><o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>Runner-Up (2</i><sup style="font-style: italic;">nd</sup><i> pick): </i>Blade Runner 2049<i><o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>Dark Horse: </i>Kong: Skull Island<i><o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<i><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">My Vote: <o:p></o:p></span></i><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">War for the Planet of the Apes</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Production Design<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>Winner (1</i><sup style="font-style: italic;">st</sup><i> Pick): </i>The Shape of Water<i><o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>Runner-Up (2</i><sup style="font-style: italic;">nd</sup><i> pick): </i>Blade Runner 2049<i><o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>Dark Horse: </i>Beauty and the Beast<i><o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<i><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">My Vote: <o:p></o:p></span></i><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The Shape of Water</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Costume Design<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>Winner (1</i><sup style="font-style: italic;">st</sup><i> Pick): </i>Phantom Thread<i><o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>Runner-Up (2</i><sup style="font-style: italic;">nd</sup><i> pick): </i>Beauty and the Beast<i><o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>Dark Horse: </i>Darkest Hour<i><o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<i><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">My Vote: <o:p></o:p></span></i><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Beauty and the Beast</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Makeup and Hairstyling<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>Winner (1</i><sup style="font-style: italic;">st</sup><i> Pick): </i>Darkest Hour<i><o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>Runner-Up (2</i><sup style="font-style: italic;">nd</sup><i> pick): </i>Wonder<i><o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>Dark Horse: </i>Victoria and Abdul<i><o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<i><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">My Vote: <o:p></o:p></span></i><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Darkest Hour</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Sound Editing<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>Winner (1</i><sup style="font-style: italic;">st</sup><i> Pick): </i>Dunkirk</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>Runner-Up (2</i><sup style="font-style: italic;">nd</sup><i> pick): </i>Baby Driver<i><o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>Dark Horse: </i>Star Wars: The Last Jedi<i><o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<i><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">My Vote: <o:p></o:p></span></i><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Baby Driver</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Sound Mixing<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<i><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Winner (1<sup>st</sup> Pick): <o:p></o:p></span></i><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Dunkirk</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<i><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Runner-Up (2<sup>nd</sup> pick): <o:p></o:p></span></i><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Baby Driver</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<i><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Dark Horse: <o:p></o:p></span></i><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Star Wars: The Last Jedi</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<i><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">My Vote: <o:p></o:p></span></i><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Baby Driver</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Music: Original Score<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>Winner (1</i><sup style="font-style: italic;">st</sup><i> Pick): </i>The Shape of Water<i><o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>Runner-Up (2</i><sup style="font-style: italic;">nd</sup><i> pick): </i>Phantom Thread<i><o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>Dark Horse: </i>Star Wars: The Last Jedi<i><o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<i><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">My Vote: <o:p></o:p></span></i><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The Shape of Water</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Music: Original Song<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>Winner (1</i><sup style="font-style: italic;">st</sup><i> Pick): </i>"Remember Me" - Coco<i><o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>Runner-Up (2</i><sup style="font-style: italic;">nd</sup><i> pick): </i>"This Is Me" - The Greatest Showman<i><o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>Dark Horse: </i>"The Mystery of Love" - Call Me By Your Name<i><o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<i><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">My Vote: <o:p></o:p></span></i><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">"This Is Me" - The Greatest Showman</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Animated Feature Film<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>Winner (1</i><sup style="font-style: italic;">st</sup><i> Pick): </i>Coco<i><o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>Runner-Up (2</i><sup style="font-style: italic;">nd</sup><i> pick): </i>Loving Vincent<i><o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>Dark Horse: </i>Ferdinand<i><o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<i><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">My Vote: <o:p></o:p></span></i><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Coco</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Animated Short Film<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>Winner (1</i><sup style="font-style: italic;">st</sup><i> Pick): </i>Dear Basketball<i><o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<i><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Runner-Up (2<sup>nd</sup> pick): <o:p></o:p></span></i><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Lou</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<i><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Dark Horse: <o:p></o:p></span></i><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Revolting Rhymes</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<i><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">My Vote: <o:p></o:p></span></i><i><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Lou</span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Documentary Feature<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>Winner (1</i><sup style="font-style: italic;">st</sup><i> Pick): </i>Icarus<i><o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<i><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Runner-Up (2<sup>nd</sup> pick): Faces Places<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>Dark Horse: </i>Last Men in Aleppo<i><o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>My Vote: </i>Haven't seen any of these films, so no vote<i><o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Documentary Short<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>Winner (1</i><sup style="font-style: italic;">st</sup><i> Pick): </i>Edith+Eddie</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>Runner-Up (2</i><sup style="font-style: italic;">nd</sup><i> pick): </i>Heroine(e)</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>Dark Horse: </i>Traffic Stop</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<i><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">My Vote: <o:p></o:p></span></i><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Haven't seen any of these films, so no vote</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Foreign Language Film<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>Winner (1</i><sup style="font-style: italic;">st</sup><i> Pick): </i>A Fantastic Women<i><o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>Runner-Up (2</i><sup style="font-style: italic;">nd</sup><i> pick): </i>The Square<i><o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>Dark Horse: </i>Loveless<i><o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<i><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">My Vote: <o:p></o:p></span></i><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Haven't seen any of these films, so no vote</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Short Film<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>Winner (1</i><sup style="font-style: italic;">st</sup><i> Pick): </i>DeKalb Elementry<i><o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>Runner-Up (2</i><sup style="font-style: italic;">nd</sup><i> pick): </i>The Eleven O'Clock<i><o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>Dark Horse: </i>The Silent Child<i><o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<i><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">My Vote: </span></i><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Haven't seen any of these films, so no vote</span><i><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> </span></i></div>
</div>
nerrojjhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06924037243147087683noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4372325769139826884.post-70252168881923634392018-01-01T16:53:00.000-05:002018-01-01T16:53:15.502-05:00End of the Year Review 2017<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">It’s that time of year again where I tell you, the internet, what movies were my favorite this past year and what movies I thought were stinkers. I’m not a professional blogger, vlogger, or movie critic, so I’m not privileged to early / press screenings. I also live in a small city that only has one 12 screen multiplex theater, meaning I usually have to wait for the national wide release date to watch any independent/low-budget films. With that being said, I’m limited on how many movies I can watch a year. The films on my lists may not be the absolute best films of the year because I see fewer movies than a professional. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span> <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>The Best</b>:</span></span><br />
<ol>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Dunkirk </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Wind River </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Baby Driver </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Wonder Woman </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Logan </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The Big Sick </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">War for the Planet of the Apes </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Coco </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Spider-Man: Homecoming </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Blade Runner 2049 </span></li>
</ol>
<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Broken Down By Genre: </span></b><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span> <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Action:</b> Logan </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Adventure:</b> King Arthur: Legend of the Sword </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Animation:</b> Coco </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Comedy:</b> The Big Sick </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Comic Book:</b> Wonder Woman </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Crime / Mystery:</b> Baby Driver </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Fantasy:</b> Star Wars: The Last Jedi </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Historical or Bio Pic:</b> Dunkirk </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Horror:</b> It </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Indie Film:</b> <span style="color: red;">Lady Bird</span> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Musical: </b><span style="color: red;">The Greatest Showman</span> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Sci-Fi:</b> War for the Planet of the Apes </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Thriller:</b> Wind River </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>War:</b> Dunkirk </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Commentary & Notes</b>: Any film <span style="color: red;">highlighted in red</span> is a film still on my need to watch list. If I don't get around to updating this list my current best <i>Indie Film</i> is I Don't Feel at Home in This World Anymore. The Beauty and Beast is favorite <i>Musical</i> at this time, but I'm sure The Greatest Showman will top once I get a chance to see the film. I have a feeling <span style="color: red;">The Shape of Water</span> may bump Star Wars: The Last Jedi off my list completely. Other films that may affect this list are <span style="color: red;">The Darkest Hour, Detroit, The Disaster Artist, and The Post. </span> </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span></span> <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>The Worst: </b></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<ol>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The Belko Experiment </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: red;">The Emoji Movie</span> </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The Dark Tower </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">A Cure for Wellness </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: red;">Fifty Shades Darker</span> </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Transformers: The Last Knight </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: red;">The Mummy</span> </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Death Note (Netflix) </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The Great Wall</span></li>
</ol>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Commentary & Notes: </b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Most of the film on this list I have watched, the ones that I haven't are <span style="color: red;">indicated in red</span>. I didn't watch such films because of three reasons. One: It's not at all my type of movie, Two: There was a better movie out that I was willing to pay for, Three: It had bad reviews, word of mouth, and opening box office number, that I skipped. </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> Most Anticipated of 2018:</span> </b></span><br />
<br />
<ol>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Solo: A Star Wars Story </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://youtu.be/6ZfuNTqbHE8">Avengers: Infinity War</a> </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://youtu.be/xjDjIWPwcPU">Black Panther</a> </span></li>
<li><a href="https://youtu.be/ZJDMWVZta3M"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The Incredibles 2 </span></a></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://youtu.be/8rqRWEv9YW8">Ready Player One</a> </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://youtu.be/8-Cjsnq8kVU">Deadpool 2</a> </span></li>
<li><a href="https://youtu.be/89OP78l9oF0"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Annihilation </span></a></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Ant-Man and the Wasp </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Aquaman </span></li>
<li><a href="https://youtu.be/vn9mMeWcgoM"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom</span></a></li>
</ol>
nerrojjhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06924037243147087683noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4372325769139826884.post-24328697557821900192017-12-20T00:45:00.000-05:002017-12-20T00:51:16.169-05:00Star Wars: The Last Jedi Review<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<u><span style="color: blue; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2527336/">IMDb</a></span></u><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br />
</span><b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Title:</span></b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"> Star Wars: The Last Jedi </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Distributor:</span></b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"> Lucasfilm (Disney)</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Director:</span></b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"> Rian Johnson</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Writer(s): </span></b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Rian Johnson</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Starring:</span></b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"> Daisy Ridley, John Boyega, Adam Driver, Oscar Isaac, Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">MPAA Rating: </span></b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Rated PG-13 for sequences of sci-fi action and violence.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Running Time:</span></b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"> 152 min</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Synopsis</span></b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">: Rey develops her newly discovered abilities with the guidance of Luke Skywalker, who is unsettled by the strength of her powers. Meanwhile, the Resistance prepares to do battle with the First Order.</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">What Others Are Saying? </span></b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><br />
</span><a href="https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/star_wars_the_last_jedi"><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Rotten Tomatoes</span></a><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">: 93% "Fresh", Top Critics: 96% "Fresh", Audience: 57% "Liked It"</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<a href="http://www.metacritic.com/movie/star-wars-episode-viii---the-last-jedi?ref=hp"><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Metacritic</span></a><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">: Critics: 86 out of 100, Users: 5.1</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<a href="https://www.cinemascore.com/"><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Cinemascore</span></a><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">: A</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">My Review</span></b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Preface:</span></b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"> At the time this goes up I’m sure a lot of you have already seen the movie, but for those of you that haven’t this review may contain <b>SPOILERS</b>. I would like to freely talk about the movie in my review.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><br />Source Material:</span></b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"> A continuation of the Star Wars saga. Some story elements are clearly inspired by to the original trilogy.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br />Entertaining Value: </span></b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">7.5</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<ul type="disc">
<li class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Action Elements:</span></b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"> This movie is jammed packed with action. It has three or four big action set pieces, each taking up a good chunk of the film. The film also sprinkles in a few smaller action scenes for good measure. </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></li>
</ul>
<ul type="disc">
<li class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Comedy Elements: </span></b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">The humor in this film felt fairly Marvel-esk. A good amount of the jokes were direct references to other Star Wars films, which were more or less “inside jokes.” The film also had some characters that should be the “straight man” telling jokes. Adding this type of humor was the least of my problems. </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></li>
</ul>
<ul type="disc">
<li class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Dramatic Elements:</span></b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"> I think the dramatic tension was one of weakest parts of the movie. There were a few scenes that got me choked up and made feel true sadness because they involved Carrie Fisher and nostalgia to the original trilogy. All those scenes were through the filter knowing that Carrie Fisher isn’t with us anymore.</span></li>
</ul>
<ul type="disc">
<li class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Sci-Fi / Fantasy Elements: </span></b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">This film like all other Star Wars films before it, showcases both fantasy and sci-fi elements. I wouldn’t be surprised to see some visual effect accolades be given to this film. </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></li>
</ul>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Cinematic Value:</span></b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<ul type="disc">
<li class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Acting and Dialogue: </span></b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">6.5: To be honest this may be both Carrie Fisher and </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Mark Hamill’s best on-screen performance. Granted that’s not saying much because our sample size for both of them is basically Star Wars. There were a few times I distinctively heard hints of the Joker’s voice coming out of Luke. Personally, I think the new character that we were introduced in The Force Awakens did a good job in their respective roles. I didn’t much care for any of the new character introduced in this film, but that is more of a writing issue. For me, Oscar Isaac, Adam Driver, and Domhnall Gleeson were the performers that stood out the most.</span></li>
</ul>
<ul type="disc">
<li class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Cinematography:</span></b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"> 8: </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Rian Johnson is more of a visual storyteller and knows how to compose beautiful cinematic shots. I also appreciated the attention to details that were happing on screen. Being a filmmaking nerd, stylized or cool camera tricks, turns my crank. A films composition can affect how much I enjoy a film or not. This film delivers on that department.</span></li>
</ul>
<ul type="disc">
<li class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Direction: </span></b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">6: </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Rian Johnson filmography is short, most of them leaning more on the side of a lower budgeted indie movie, which includes Looper. With that being said, he wouldn’t have been my first choice to direct a Star Wars film. During the early stages of this film, I remember reports say this film was going to be darker in tone, like how Empire Strikes Back is darker in tone to A New Hope. I think Rian Johnson overall did a decent job capturing those darker tones.</span></li>
</ul>
<ul type="disc">
<li class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Editing:</span></b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"> 5: Editing is where the story comes together. It’s the editor’s job to keep the flow of the story moving. This film is paced a bit on the slow side. I think that the slow pacing is due to two factors. Frist, there’s no focus on the main character and their journey through the film. The film has three or four different viewpoint/storylines happening relatively at the same time. They cut between Rey & Luke, Poe &The Resistance, Finn& Rose, and Kylo & The First Order. All These storylines do converge in the third act, but by that time I was a bit worn out. The second is one to many large action set piece. I would have cut the Finn & Rose side adventure on Canto Bight aka the casino planet. I felt what they “accomplished” during that scene didn’t press the story forward.</span></li>
</ul>
<ul type="disc">
<li class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Screenplay:</span></b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"> 5: The overall story was okay at best. The major problem I had with this film is it didn’t feel 100% like a Star Wars story. I’m okay with a genre film set in the Star Wars universe that type of idea gave birth to one of the best Star Wars films ever, Rouge One. I can even get behind a director/writer who wants to bring something new to the universe. I’m okay with expanding upon / exploring an old concept in said universe i.e. The Force. I’m okay with averting some of our expectations, but I’m not pleased with throwing away story tropes that are at the heart of Star Wars. When I go to a Star Wars film I want a “Hero’s Journey” type story. Call me a purist if you want, but that’s what I expect from a Star Wars film. I have the most faith in a filmmaker who can be original but still play in the confines of the Star Wars sandbox, especially when dealing with the saga films. I wanted/needed a “No, Luke I’m your father” type moment. I know others will argue that there where multiple moments like that in this film, but I believe all the payoffs to those big reveals were cheap. </span><span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">"</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">If it ain't broke, don't fix it."<o:p></o:p></span></li>
</ul>
<ul type="disc">
<li class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Sound and Music:</span></b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"> 9: I always love the score to Star Wars. It was nice actually hearing John Willimas’ scoring Star Wars again. The only real negative I can think of is I don’t really have a rememberable theme in this film like The Imperial March, or Duel of Fates. The sound design was fantastic. There is one scene where one of the new characters destroys another ship by jumping into hyperspace. They cut the sound completely and it was one of those defining moments of the film.</span></li>
</ul>
<ul type="disc">
<li class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">VFX:</span></b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"> 7: The visual effect was top notch. I said it before, “I wouldn’t be surprised to see some visual effect accolades be given to this film.” You may be asking, "If they are that good, why the score of a 7 then." Well, I personally didn’t like all the overly CGI creatures, like the space cows or native species on Ahch-To. I also didn’t much care for the Porgs in general. They didn’t ruin the movie like the “Roger-Roger” battle droids, and the Gungans from the prequels. I was fine with them being space puffins on Ahch-To, but they began to annoy me later on in the film. Out of all the new creatures, I enjoyed the crystalline foxes on Crait.</span></li>
</ul>
<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Overall:</span></b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"> 6.5: Overall I thought the movie was good but as a Star Wars film it was very disappointing.</span></div>
nerrojjhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06924037243147087683noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4372325769139826884.post-86665296768784088362017-05-07T15:26:00.001-04:002017-05-07T15:26:24.401-04:00Ranking Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Now that Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 is in theaters, I thought it would be fitting to let you know where it ranks on my list of "best" MCU films. </span><br />
<br />
<ol>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The Avengers</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Guardians of the Galaxy</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Captain America: Civil War</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Doctor Strange</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Captain America: The Winter Soldier</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Ant-Man</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Iron Man</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Avengers: Age of Ultron</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Thor</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Captain America: The First Avenger</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Thor: The Dark World</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The Incredible Hulk</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Iron Man 3</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Iron Man 2</span></li>
</ol>
nerrojjhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06924037243147087683noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4372325769139826884.post-61659743819637175172016-12-31T18:34:00.004-05:002016-12-31T18:34:38.891-05:00End of the Year Review: 2016<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Well, it is that time of year again, where I reflect on the movies I watched this past year. My goal in 2016 was to watch at least 52 new movies, one per week. I didn't quite make that goal, even with binge watching movies through this holiday season. Before I get into my best and worst films of the year, I would like to share the films that are still on my "Watch List." In no particular orde, those films are Moonlight, Manchester by the Sea, Silence, La La Land, Moana, Hacksaw Ridge, Fences, and Nocturnal Animals.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span> <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Best</b> (by genre):</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Action:</b> Captain America: Civil War</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Adventure:</b> The Jungle Book</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Animation:</b> Kubo and the Two Strings</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Comedy:</b> Deadpool</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Comic Book:</b> Doctor Strange</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Crime / Mystery:</b> The Nice Guys</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Drama: </b></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">(<span style="color: red;">Moonlight tentatively, need to watch</span>)</span></span><br />
<div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Fantasy:</b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> Warcraft</span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Historical or Bio Pic:</b> Sully (</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: red;">Hacksaw Ridge could </span></span><span style="color: red; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">usurp</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">)</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Horror:</b> Green Room</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Indie Film:</b> Sing Street</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Musical: </b>(<span style="color: red;">La La Land tentatively, </span></span><span style="color: red; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">need to watch</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">)</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Sci-Fi:</b> Arrival</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Thriller:</b> Deepwater Horizon</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Western:</b> Hell or High Water</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>War:</b> Rogue One: A Star Wars Story</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span> <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>My Top 10 Best</b></span></span><br />
<br />
<ol>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Arrival</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Hell or High Water</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Rogue One: A Star Wars Story</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Captain America: Civil War</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Zootopia</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Deepwater Horizon</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Sully</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The Nice Guys</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Sing Street</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Deadpool</span></li>
</ol>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">When it comes to the "worst" films of the year, for me these are the films that just missed the mark. Some of these films were decent films overall but bad compared to those on my best of the year list. Since I don't get paid to watch movies and have a limited cinema budget, SOME of the films on this list are drawn from other critics whose taste in film usually align with mine. These films were so bad in their opinion, that I didn't give them the time of day.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Worst</b> (by genre):</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Action:</b> Hardcore Henry</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Adventure:</b> Gods of Egypt</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Animation:</b> Norm of the North</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Comedy:</b> Zoolander 2</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Comic Book:</b> Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Crime / Mystery:</b> Now You See Me 2</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Drama: </b>Ben-Hur</span><br />
<div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Fantasy:</b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> The Huntsman: Winter's War</span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Historical or Bio Pic:</b> </span>The Finest Hour</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Horror:</b> Cabin Fever</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Indie Film:</b> </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">(<span style="color: red;">NA</span>)</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Musical: </b></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">(<span style="color: red;">NA</span>)</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Sci-Fi:</b> Independence Day: Resurgence</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Thriller:</b> Money Monster</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Western:</b> (<span style="color: red;">NA</span>)</span><br />
<br />
<div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>War:</b> Man Down</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>My Top 10 Worst</b></span><br />
<br />
<ol>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Independence Day: Resurgence</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Norm of the North</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Zoolander 2</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The Huntsman: Winter's War</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Gods of Egypt</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Ben-Hur</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Hardcore Henry</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Now You See Me 2</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Money Monster</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows</span></li>
</ol>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Now it is time to look forward to 2017 and the movies I'm most anticipating on seeing.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>My Top 10 Most Anticipated Films of 2017</b></span><br />
<br />
<ol>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Star Wars Episode 8</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://youtu.be/1Q8fG0TtVAY">Wonder Woman</a></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://youtu.be/n9DwoQ7HWvI">Spider-Man Homecoming</a></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://youtu.be/dW1BIid8Osg">Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2</a></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://youtu.be/fIHH5-HVS9o">Justice League</a></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://youtu.be/F-eMt3SrfFU">Dunkirk</a></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://youtu.be/G4VmJcZR0Yg">Ghost in the Shell</a></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://youtu.be/lm9sshQhAZw">The Circle</a></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Thor: Ragnarok</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://youtu.be/6CKtFztnJ9M">Power Rangers</a></span></li>
</ol>
</div>
nerrojjhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06924037243147087683noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4372325769139826884.post-6322588434676909132016-08-09T15:15:00.001-04:002016-08-09T15:15:11.892-04:00Late Review: Suicide Squad<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1386697/?ref_=nv_sr_1">IMDb</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span> <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> <b>Title:</b> Suicide Squad</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Distributor:</b> Atlas Entertainment, DC Comics (Warner Bros.)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Director:</b> David Ayer</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Writer(s): </b> David Ayer</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Starring:</b> Will Smith, Margot Robbie, Viola Davis, Jared Leto, Jai Courtney, Jay Hernandez, Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje, Cara Delevingne, and Joel Kinnaman </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>MPAA Rating: </b>Rated PG - 13 for sequences of violence and action throughout, disturbing behavior, suggestive content, and language.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Running Time:</b> 123 min</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Synopsis:</b> A secret government agency recruits a group of imprisoned supervillains to execute dangerous black ops missions in exchange for clemency, which inevitably leads to chaos. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> <br /> </span><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">What Others Are Saying? </span></b></div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /><a href="https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/suicide_squad_2016/">Rotten Tomatoes</a>: 26% "Fresh", Top Critics: 19% "Fresh", Audience: 72% "Liked It"</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.metacritic.com/movie/suicide-squad?ref=hp">Metacritic</a>: Critics: 40 out of 100, Users: 6.8</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.mrqe.com/movie_reviews/suicide-squad-m100117686">MRQE</a>: 45 out 100</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /> </span><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">My Review</span></b><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span> </span><br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Preface:</b> I know this review is super late, but I still wanted to let you all know my thoughts and feeling on this film. Just in case SPOILER WARNING!!!</span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></b></span></span> <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> <b style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">Source Material:</b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> The Suicide Squad is "team" of villains from the DC Comics universe. Robert Kangigher and Ross Andru are the creators of the original Suicide Squad comic.</span></span></span></span></div>
</div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b><br /></b> <b>Entertaining Value: </b>7</span><br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Action Elements:</b> There are two or three big action sequences that are really good. <a href="https://www.youtube.com/user/MovieBlogTV">John Campea</a> and <a href="https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLayt6616lBcmbuEa2cRW7Xe4_NrnVrxXn">Collider Movie Talk</a> crew compared the "minions" of the main villain to the putties from the Power Rangers, which I believe is a fair </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">assessment. With that being said, the fight sequences with those "minions" were the best of the movie.</span></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Comedy Elements: </b>I was a little disappointed. I know DC typically is darker with their films, I thought this one would have been a bit lighter in tone.</span></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Dramatic Elements:</b> They tried really hard to make Deadshot's backstory the "tug at your heartstring" moment.</span></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Sci-Fi / Fantasy Elements: </b>With all the talk of "Metahumans" you would think there would be more "Metahumans" in the film. There were only three of them, four if you count the cameo from The Flash.</span></li>
</ul>
<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Cinematic Value:</span></b><br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Acting and Dialogue: </b>7: One of my fears of this films was that Will Smith would hog the limelight, he doesn't surprisingly. He might not have stolen the limelight but he brought a lot of himself to the character of Deadshot. There were a good amount of Will Smith-ism that made Deadshot feel less like Deadshot. I thought Will Smith had some of the best lines. He brought most of the humor to the film. Margot Robbie nailed the essence of Harley Quinn. The perfect mixture of sexy and insanity wrap up in a package of fun and excitement. I enjoyed Jared Leto's Joker, even though he wasn't a major presence in the film. Jai Courtney was a pleasant surprise as Boomerang.</span></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Cinematography:</b> 7: There were some really cool shots. Overall, there really wasn't anything that stood out or amazed me.</span></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Direction: </b>6: David Ayer a filmmaker known for showcasing the courageous life of the military / police force (LAPD) is going to tackle a "team" made up of villains. I think he did a decent job at capturing the Suicide Squad as a unit, led by a military man. He got good performances out of his actors, and I can see his vision for the film, but I was unsatisfied as an audience member by the end of the film, due primarily to the writing which Mr. Ayer is responsible for, as well.</span></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Editing:</b> 4: One of the major problems I had with BvS was the flashbacks / flashforwards which had little to no explanation. I think Suicide Squad suffers slightly from this same problem. At least the flashbacks in this film served as makeshift origin stories, giving them some substance. It felt to me like the filmmakers had awesome written scenes, for each individual character, but didn't know how to piece them together into a cohesive story. The flashbacks that DID work were the ones during the "starting line-up" portion of the film, which happens within the first half hour of the film.</span></span></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Screenplay:</b> 3.5: I enjoyed the first third of this film from a story standpoint, granted it was basically a starting line-up. Using this format worked though because the average movie going audience only knows, The Joker, and maybe Harley Quinn. From watching Arrow and The Flash on the CW, I know a little about Deadshot and Boomerang. Besides that, I know basically nothing about the characters on screen. By the time the film ends, I really didn't care for anybody except for Deadshot, Harley Quinn, and The Joker. There was no emotional attachment to any of the ancillary characters. The "I will die for you because we are a family" bit at the films climax was unbelievable because there was no character development throughout the film. The whole team was assembled in less than 24 hours. The only common thread between each character is that they are "villains" or at the very least heinous criminals. They weren't even cellmates in the secret "metahuman" prison. I don't understand how any of them have a meaningful relationship with one another, without interaction. You know who did the "Rag-tag team of criminals / anti-heroes turned heroes" better, Marvel, with Guardians of the Galaxy. It possible to have a fun adventurous movies focusing on a team of miscreants heroes with fleshed out backstories.</span></li>
</ul>
<ul>
</ul>
<ul>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Sound and Music:</b> 5: I was having fun with the soundtrack near the beginning of the film because it was very much like a starting line-up of a sporting event. As the film progressed it became more annoying. The pop music transitioned to a score near the third act of the film, which was nice.</span></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>VFX:</b> 7: The film was dark, not from a tone standpoint. It was night time, meaning covering up details. Overall the character design of the "metahuman" was good, except for the "minions." They were black and gray humanoid blob-ish figures, like I mention before "putties from the Power Rangers." El Diablo's shining moments were some of better visual aspects of this film.</span></li>
</ul>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Overall:</b> 6: I had a decent time at the theater. I think it was at par with BvS, if not slightly better. I don't think I can recommend this film for the general audience.</span></span>nerrojjhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06924037243147087683noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4372325769139826884.post-8534770020018755702016-08-02T01:58:00.001-04:002016-08-02T01:58:39.781-04:003-D NEEDS TO DIE!!!<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I try to refrain from rant-like posts, but it's becoming harder and harder to watch a movie in 2D. I'm an avid movie goer. I try to see at least one movie a week at the theater, especially during the summer. Among my social circles, I'm known as the "movie guy." My friends usually ask me my thought on a movie before seeing it themselves. To be honest, not having an exorbitant cash flow is really the only thing limiting how many movies I watch at the theater. With that being said, I have noticed a trend this summer that I didn't in previous years. I'm not sure who to blame for this trend, studio heads, the producers, the theater chains, or the managers. The trend that I'm alluding to is disproportionate showtimes between 2D and 3D. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">For an example, these stats are based off my local theater (AMC Showplace 12). The premiere opening on Thursday night for Suicide Squad has two showtimes for the 2D viewing and two showing for the 3D viewing, not bad 50/50 split on the showtimes. Friday and Saturday it gets worst. </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Suicide Squad has five showtimes all day, one matinee showtime in 2D and four showtimes in 3D, on of which is a matinee. Based on the law of averages, the average person is done working around five in the evening, because of this the pique time for theaters is just slightly after dinner, which for the average person is right after they get off work. Therefore the evening showtimes have more weight because there are more people available to watch a movie. So the 20/80 (2D/3D) split, reflected from Friday and Saturday's showtimes, becomes a 10/90 split. On Sunday, </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Suicide Squad's showtimes have a 0/100 split. Meaning 100% of the showtimes are 3D. That very annoying. This isn't the first time this has happened. All summer I have seen at least 25/75 split on almost every major movie released, including family movies like Finding Dory. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">With those numbers, the average family of four is paying at least fifteen more dollars at the box office. I'm not necessarily mad at 3D movie pricing. I'm irritated that someone is forcing the average movie going audience to buy the "premium priced" ticket, even though they don't want to. It seems like there are only three options at the theater: watch a 3D movie, don't watch a movie, or watch the latest crapfest that has twice as many showings.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I'm not caught up on the latest facts, but the last time I checked 75% of movie goer disliked 3D movies. If I remember correctly that percentage increased with the age of the demographic. Which make sense. Out of the twelve </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">"Real 3D"</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> movies made in 2016 only three of them are live-action, one of which is The Jungle Book, a primarily CGI film. On the "Fake 3D" side of things, every movie was live action. A third of the "Real 3D" movies made last year, 2015, were live action, and none of the "Fake 3D" movies made last year were animated. Even looking through the history of 3D films, they seem to be heavily marketed towards family films, which are typically animated.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I personally don't enjoy 3D movies in general. For me, the 3D effect doesn't add anything to the film. From my experience, the 3D shots are usually forced and are fairly cheesy. Now, I may be more inclined to watch a film in 3D if it was made as a "Real 3D" film. I'm the same way with IMAX. I rather watch a movie filmed with an IMAX camera, than a film that is just projected on a larger screen. When available, I watch movies in the format that it was attended to be viewed. The Hobbit films were created to be viewed at 48fps. My local theater doesn't have the capabilities to show a film at that frame rate. The close theater that did wasn't within a reasonable driving distance. Therefore, I had to view the film in 24fps, but that wasn't a deal breaker. When my local theater has all digital projectors with the </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">capabilities to either show 2D or 3D prints, I should have equal opportunities to view it in my preferred way.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">To the studio heads and producers, if you want me to watch your movie maybe make a few more 2D versions. To movie theater chains, and managers, if you want me to spend dollars at your theater how about you schedule showtimes where I have choices. Right now, my choices are to spend money, don't to spend money, or spend money on crap. I like watching movies at the theater, so please STOP forcing me to watch 3D versions. </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> </span>nerrojjhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06924037243147087683noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4372325769139826884.post-20595039089863872582016-06-11T01:55:00.002-04:002016-06-11T01:55:56.638-04:00Review: Warcraft<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0803096/">IMDb</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span> <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> <b>Title:</b> Warcraft</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Distributor:</b> Legendary Pictures (Universal Pictures) </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Director:</b> Duncan Jones</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Writer(s): </b> Duncan Jones (screenplay), Charles Leavitt (screenplay)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Starring:</b> Travis Fimmel, Paula Patton, Ben Foster, Dominic Cooper, Toby Kebbell, Ben Schnetzer, Robert Kazinsky, Clancy Brown, Daniel Wu </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>MPAA Rating: </b>Rated PG - 13 for extended sequences of intense fantasy violence.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Running Time:</b> 123 min</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Synopsis:</b> The peaceful realm of Azeroth stands on the brink of war as its civilization faces a fearsome race of invaders: orc warriors fleeing their dying home to colonize another. As a portal opens to connect the two worlds, one army faces destruction and the other faces extinction. From opposing sides, two heroes are set on a collision course that will decide the fate of their family, their people, and their home. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> <br /> </span><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">What Others Are Saying? </span></b></div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /><a href="http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/warcraft/">Rotten Tomatoes</a>: 22% "Fresh", Top Critics: 17% "Fresh", Audience: 93% "Want To See"</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.metacritic.com/movie/warcraft?ref=hp">Metacritic</a>: Critics: 32 out of 100, Users: N/A </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.mrqe.com/movie_reviews/warcraft-m100117391">MRQE</a>: N/A</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /> </span><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">My Review</span></b><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span> </span><br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Preface:</b> I want to let everyone know that I'm a fan of the Warcraft universe. I have played World of Warcraft, off and on, since </span></span></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">World of Warcraft: </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Wrath of the Lich King. That makes me a "casual" </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">colloquially speaking. I didn't group up on the RTS game, Warcraft: Orcs vs Humans like most of the die-hard Warcraft fans. Therefore, my Warcraft lore, maybe a bit rusty. I also have to admit that I'm a fan of fantasy. It's by far my favorite genre. I did a whole post on my <a href="https://cinematardcentral.wordpress.com/2014/12/24/a-series-of-genres-fantasy/">favorite fantasy film franchises</a>. I'm forewarning you that there is most definitely going to be some bias in this review. Lastly, I want to apologize for any comparisons to The Lord of the Rings, good or bad. These two films are in different leagues, even though they live in the same "high fantasy" realm.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></b></span></span> <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> <b style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">Source Material:</b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> The Warcraft universe origins began at Blizzard Entertainment with the RTS video games titled, </span></span></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Warcraft: Orcs vs Humans (1994). This universe has been expanded upon in 12 video games including the popular MMORPG, World of Warcraft. Chris Metzen has been the main guy behind shaping the stories and characters in the Warcraft universe.</span></span></div>
</div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b><br /></b> <b>Entertaining Value: </b>8</span><br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Action Elements:</b> I thought the action was good. It wasn't non-stop, but most of the action is intents and fairly warlike. The warlike "violence" is still very much in the PG-13 space.</span></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Comedy Elements:</b> The funniest parts for me were the references to the video game. Overall I thought it could have been more light-hearted in general, especially for those who don't know the Warcraft universe.</span></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Dramatic Elements:</b> I thought this one of the weakest parts of the film. There were some throwaway characters.</span></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Sci-Fi / Fantasy Elements: </b>Warcraft is set in "high fantasy" world called Azeroth. This world is home to the human race, which is shared with the other "goodly" fantasy races: dwarves, elves, and gnomes (not shown in the movie). The Orcs come from a savage world called Draenor. Because of their world is dying The Orcs come to Azeroth via a magic portal power by Fel magic (souls of the dead).</span></li>
</ul>
<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Cinematic Value:</span></b><br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Acting and Dialogue: </b>7: The best acting in the movie came from the Orc characters. Leading these Orcs was Toby Kebbell as Durotan. Toby Kebbell could very well be the next Andy Serkis, in the performance capture game. Which makes perfect sense because they were co-stars in Dawn of the Plant of the Apes. The human actors were a bit on the weak side. Travis Fimmel, best known for his role on Vikings, did a good job being a badass warrior. He didn't do so well conveying deep emotion. The father-son relationship felt forced. Ben Foster was one of the better human actors. I enjoyed his portrayal of Medivh. The filmmaker took a neat spin on the dialogue and the language barrier between Orcs and Humans. When we, the audience, were following the Orc storyline, it was presumed that we were Orc. Therefore, their language, Orcish, was heard as English. This rule was true during the human storylines as well, but they spoke English already. When Orcs and Humans shared the screen subtitles would be used when the Orcs were speaking.</span></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Cinematography:</b> 7: I enjoyed all the aerial establishing shots. It was like flying around Azeroth on a flying mount for the first time. These shots also made the world feel more expansive. Not sure if this is the appropriate place to praise the set design, but it was amazing. Seeing iconic places in Azeroth on the silver screen was very cool. The attention to details in those scenes made Azeroth even more tangible. This aspect of the film stood out the most during the <a href="http://i.imgur.com/NFdfGB8.jpg">Lion's Pride Inn</a> scene.</span></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Direction: </b>7: If you don't know who Duncan Jones is, you should. First of all, he is the son of the legendary rock star, David Bowie. Secondly, He directed two great sci-fi films (Moon and Source Code). Thirdly, He tackled an epic high fantasy movie based off a video game, in my opinion, he succeeded. I'm not saying this film was perfect or perfectly directed, but I do believeDuncan Jones did a good job appealing to both fans and non-fans.</span></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Editing:</b> 7: The major flaws in the editing, for me, were the transitions between the Orcs story and the Humans story. I felt those transitions were a bit clunky. There was too much back in forth. I understand the filmmaker were trying to convey two vastly different cultures simultaneously, but the editing took away from that. I think what saved the editing was the cinematography. Using the aerial effects to transition between "zones" is what saved the editing.</span></span></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Screenplay:</b> 6: Forewarned: This is the section where I'm going to compare Warcraft to Lord of the Rings. Frist off, Warcraft is no Lord of the Rings, period. Lord of the Rings was adapted from a book, which is the best medium for storytelling. Whereas, Warcraft was adapted from a video game, which is a lesser form of storytelling. Don't get me wrong, a lot of video games of today are very cinematic and have better CIG than movies, but their stories tend to be linear and one-dimensional. I say this because It angers me to hear comparisons between these two films. I get it, they are both "high fantasy" stories with vast lore/history involving orcs, humans, and other fantastical creatures, but they are on opposite sides of the spectrum. In the Middle Earth realm, orcs, goblins, trolls, ect. are bad, whereas, humans, hobbits, dwarves, and elves are good. Warcraft's world, there can be both good and bad orcs (Durotan vs Gul'dan). Even the human side of the story has both good and bad humans (Khadgar vs Medivh).</span></li>
</ul>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Now, I'm going to be a bit contradictory to myself. I think Warcraft could have emulated Lord of the Rings cinematically by fleshing out its characters and story with its expanded lore. This could have been done with well-placed exposition. I shouldn't have to know the lore of the source material to know what's going on on-screen. I can see how a non-Warcraft player could potentially get lost in this movie. There were a few unanswered "hows" and "whys". For example, this could be SPOILER territory, Gul'dan uses Fel magic to do his bidding. The first question that could be asked is, What is Fel magic? Answer: It's a magical force that feeds off of life itself that has a corruptive after effect. That's basically how it is explained / showcased in the movie. The second question that could be asked, Where did Fel magic come from? Answer: Demons, which was hinted at but not fully explained in the movie. Question Three: How did Gul'dan option Fel magic, if it possed by demons? Answer: He drank the blood of a demon named Mannoroth. This information wasn't in the movie. This is only one example of how adding details from the games would have explained a lot to the non-Warcraft playing audience.</span></blockquote>
<ul>
</ul>
<ul>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Sound and Music:</b> 7: The score emulated the soundtrack from the game. For those of you not in the know, World of Warcraft's soundtrack is very good.</span></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>VFX:</b> 9: The filmmaker visually matched the games. I know there is a buzz going around the internet and how bad the CGI is in this film. They are wrong. The orcs look exactly like Warcraft style orc. The mo-cap is freaking amazing. That says a lot for the performers and the digital artist. I can see Warcraft making the shortlist of nominations for best visual effect</span></li>
</ul>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Overall:</b> 7: This film satisfies me as Warcraft fan. It also feeds my hunger for fantasy. I had a good time at the theater even though there were less than 20 people in our theater. I know the low critic ratings are going to effect this movie drastically. Warcraft may not be the Messiah to rid the stigma of bad video game movies, but it is definitely the predecessor like John the Baptist to Jesus.</span></span>nerrojjhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06924037243147087683noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4372325769139826884.post-91081632737898220732016-06-09T01:34:00.003-04:002016-06-09T01:34:50.956-04:00Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows Review <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3949660/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1">IMDb</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span> <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> <b>Title:</b> Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Distributor:</b> Nickelodeon Movies (Paramount Pictures</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Director:</b> Dave Green</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Writer(s): </b>Josh Appelbaum, Andre Nemec</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Starring:</b> Pete Ploszek, Jeremy Howard, Alan Ritchson, Noel Fisher, Megan Fox, Stephen Amell, Will Arnett, Brian Tee, Gary Anthony Williams, Stephen Farrelly </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>MPAA Rating: </b>Rated PG-13 for sci-fi action violence </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Running Time:</b> 112 min</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Synopsis:</b> As Shredder joins forces with mad scientist Baxter Stockman and henchmen Bebop and Rocksteady to take over the world, the Turtles must confront an even greater nemesis: the notorious Krang. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> <br /> </span><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">What Others Are Saying? </span></b></div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /><a href="https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/teenage_mutant_ninja_turtles_out_of_the_shadows/">Rotten Tomatoes</a>: 34% "Fresh", Top Critics: 27% "Fresh", Audience: 60% "Liked It"</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.metacritic.com/movie/teenage-mutant-ninja-turtles-2">Metacritic</a>: Critics: 40 out of 100, Users: 5.6 out of 10</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.mrqe.com/movie_reviews/teenage-mutant-ninja-turtles-2-m100117278">MRQE</a>: 46 out of 100</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /> </span><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">My Review</span></b><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span> </span><br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Preface:</b> I want to make one thing clear, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles are dumb, dorky, and stupid, on a concept level. TMNT target audience is young boys. If I'm being truthful, I was a fan of the Ninja Turtles as much as any boy in his adolescence years. I was more of a Power Ranger fan, but TMNT was right there in the same wheelhouse of interest. Even though I'm not that old, I can't take the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles seriously at my age. I watched this film to take a trip down nostalgia lane, nothing more.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span> <b style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">Source Material:</b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> Orginal TMNT characters created by Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird. Other characters inspired by the cartoon series from the 80's and 90's titled, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.</span></span></span></div>
</div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b><br /></b> <b>Entertaining Value: </b>6.5</span><br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Action Elements:</b> The action in this film was fairly fast paced, and kind of no stop for a family film. Very engaging for its targeting market.</span></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Comedy Elements:</b> A lot of humor that appeals to a younger audience, which included visual gags. There was a good amount of "90's teenage" humor to be had.</span></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Dramatic Elements:</b> None.</span></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Sci-Fi / Fantasy Elements: </b>This film expands on the "Mutant" aspect of the lore.</span></li>
</ul>
<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Cinematic Value:</span></b><br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Acting and Dialogue: </b>6:Overall the acting in this movie was average at best. I wasn't a fan of the casting of Megan Fox as April O'Neal in the first movie. This holds true in this one, as well. Let's face it, the only thing Megan Fox is good at is sex appeal, which, in my opinion, isn't one of April O'Neal's characteristics. Will Arnett wasn't bringing his A-game. I did enjoy Stephen Amell as Casey Jones, but most of that stems from my enjoyment of the Arrow television show. I thought the best performance out of the turtles was Pete Ploszek as Leonardo. Tyler Perry played this scientist dude that helps Shredder. His performance had hints of Eddie Murphy as The Nutty Professor. Every time his character would geek out on the "science" going on in the film, I got Nutty Professor vibes.</span></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Cinematography:</b> 7: I thought the camera work was decent. There were a few moments I thought myself, "That was a 3-D shot." I won't get into a long diatribe on 3-D movies. I personally don't like them, therefore, I didn't see this film in 3-D, but I did notice the filmmaker made an effort to produce scenes the 3-D audience would enjoy. Overall the action scenes were well done.</span></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Direction: </b>5: I don't want to harp on Dave Green for being a bad director just yet. To be fair, this is basically his first movie, especially on this scale. I thought overall it was a bit fast pace, but this was due to the fact that this film had to entertain the youth of today, who wants action scene after action scene. Editing: 6: It was decent. Nothing really stood out.</span></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Editing:</b> 6: It was decent. Nothing really stood out.</span></span></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Screenplay:</b> 5: This may be a bit nitpicky, but I didn't need two or three introductions to the turtles, and their character profiles. As far as, the story goes, it was pretty thin, but I wasn't expecting much. Character development was weak as well, but again, I had low expectations. It's the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles we are talking about here were two of the main villains are named Bebop and Rocksteady.</span></li>
</ul>
<ul>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Sound and Music:</b> 7: I enjoyed the soundtrack. It was fun to hear some catchy 80's and 90's tunes.</span></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>VFX:</b> 7: It was good. The villain character design was very reminiscent of the 90's cartoon, which I liked.</span></li>
</ul>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Overall:</b> 6: Not that good from a film standpoint. I thought it was fairly entertaining overall. I think it would make for a decent family fun day type of movie. I probably would have had more fun if I would have taken my nephew to this film. In general, I suggest waiting to watch this at home on DVD or Blu-Ray.</span></span>nerrojjhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06924037243147087683noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4372325769139826884.post-85157848608804867222016-05-28T15:24:00.001-04:002016-05-28T15:24:32.881-04:00X-Men: Apocalypse Review<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3385516/">IMDb</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span> <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> <b>Title: </b>X-Men: Apocalypse</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Distributor:</b> Twentieth Century Fox </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Director:</b> Bryan Singer</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Writer(s): </b> Simon Kinberg (screenplay) and Bryan Singer (story).</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Starring:</b> James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender, Jennifer Lawrence, Nicholas Hoult, Oscar Isaac, Rose Byrne, Evan Peters, Sophie Turner, Tye Sheridan, Lucas Till, Kodi Smit-McPhee, Ben Hardy, Alexandra Shipp, and Olivia Munn.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>MPAA Rating: </b>PG-13 for sequences of violence, action and destruction, brief strong language and some suggestive images. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Running Time:</b> 144 min</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Synopsis:</b> With the emergence of the world's first mutant, Apocalypse, the X-Men must unite to defeat his extinction level plan. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> <br /> </span><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">What Others Are Saying? </span></b></div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /><a href="http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/x_men_apocalypse/">Rotten Tomatoes</a>: 48% "Fresh", Top Critics: 36% "Fresh", Audience: 74% "Liked It"</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.metacritic.com/movie/x-men-apocalypse?ref=hp">Metacritic</a>: Critics: 52 out of 100, Users: 7.2 out of 10</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.mrqe.com/movie_reviews/xmen-apocalypse-m100117171">MRQE</a>: 58 out of 100</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /> </span><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">My Review</span></b><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
<b style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">Source Material:</b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> Characters based on Stan Lee and Jack Kirby's design. The story was inspired by the X-men comics. </span></div>
</div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b><br /></b> <b>Entertaining Value: </b>8</span><br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Action Elements:</b> The action felt much like a roller coaster ride, but overall it was fairly entertaining. </span></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Comedy Elements:</b> There were some well-placed one-liners. It wasn't as light hearted as most of the films in the MCU. </span></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Dramatic Elements:</b> The "dramatic" moments could have been slightly better. For me, this is where some of the writing falls flat.</span></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Sci-Fi / Fantasy Elements: </b>This film explores further down the comic book rabbit hole. With the X-men films, many different superhero abilities are showcased. </span></li>
</ul>
<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Cinematic Value:</span></b><br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Acting and Dialogue: </b>7: I would like to compare and contrast the old face with the new faces. Frist of all, James McAvoy and Michael Fassbender has some of the best acting onscreen. I totally buy into them being younger versions of Patrick Stewart and Sir Ian McKellen. The onscreen friendship between Charles and Erik is echoed through all the X-men films. Which says a lot about James McAvoy and Michael Fassbender's acting chops. I really enjoyed Evan Peters as Quicksilver again. His character was one the best characters onscreen, especially his dialogue. The weakest performance out of the old faces was Jennifer Lawrence. I felt like JLaw wasn't feeling her character anymore. Her performance was fairly emotionless and kind of flat. Don't get me wrong, Jennifer Lawrence is a very talented actress and her performance in this film overall was decent, there was just an atmosphere of "not caring." I'm a bit torn on what the actual problem was her acting or how her character was written.</span></li>
</ul>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The new faces were a delight. Oscar Isaac is having a killer career right now. He goes from being the best fighter pilot in the galaxy, Poe Dameron, to the most powerful mutant to ever live, Apocalypse. I thought his performance as Apocalypse was spot on. I enjoyed most of the new cast, the two that stood out the most was Tye Sheridan and Kodi Smit-McPhee. Sheridan captured a young Scott Summers nicely, but it was Smit-McPhee's Nightcrawler that captured my attention. The joy I experienced from Quicksilver in Days of Future Past is about equal to the joy I experienced from Nightcrawler in this film. The both of them together created good comic relief. </span></blockquote>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Cinematography:</b> 7: I know what I'm about to praise belongs more to Production Design or even Costume Design. I really liked the design of each character minus Psylocke. I will give them props for being accurate to the comic book design. I thought it a bit odd that Psylocke doesn't get the same treatment as the other horsemen, cosmetically speaking. The other three horsemen gain bad ass battle armor-esk upgrades, Psylocke gains a leotard. I don't mind seeing Olivia Munn in that outfit, but it felt somewhat out of place, especially during the Auschwitz scene. I know there was a lot of hate going around the internet about Apocalypse costume looking like Ivan Ooze, not the case in the actual film. I also enjoy the set pieces. I really enjoyed the Egypt scene at the beginning. I guess I need more epic films set in Egypt. As far as the cinematography goes, the subject meant for this section of the review, it was adequate. The filmmakers use old school camera tricks to convey Superspeed, which added to the Quicksilver scenes. </span></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Direction: </b>7: When I look at Bryan Singer's career, I see The Usual Suspects, a cinematic masterpiece to most, X-Men, X2: X-Men United, which was in my top five best comic book movies until the MCU happened. Continuing down the list of movies from Singer's filmography, I can say he's a decent director. I say that even with the few "duds" he directed, which in my opinion are Superman Returns and Jack the Giant Slayer. I was one of the few excited that he returned to the X-Men universe with X-Men: Days of Future Past. Since that movie was hit amongst critic and fans, I went into this film with high expectations. Unfortunately, I left slightly disappointed. I felt his directing chops wasn't on par with this film. Even though this sounds negative, a seven on my scale is good. </span></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Editing:</b> 6.5: There was a lot going on. The were a least three for four different storylines, which meant jumping between them. Some of the jumps were disruptive to what was happening on screen. I'm glad this aspect of the editing started to disappear near the middle of the act two when the storyline began to converge.</span></span></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Screenplay:</b> 6: I think the weakest part of the story was character development. This wasn't a problem across the board. I thought Professor X, Magneto, and Apocalypse's stories and motives were the most fleshed out. On the other hand, I wasn't that interested in Mystique storyline, that may be due to JLaw's performance. Apocalypse horsemen weren't the most fleshed out either. Storm has aspirations to be a strong female hero, Angel / Archangel is down on his luck since his wings are broken, and Psylocke is sexy, I really don't know what is going on with her character. The characters on the X-men side of the fight were better, except for Jubilee. I'm curious to know the reasoning behind why the filmmakers cut the mall scene from the film. That would have driven home, the fact that these are teens.</span></li>
</ul>
<ul>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Sound and Music:</b> 7: I really enjoyed the music selection. I'm glad they use Quicksilver as a window into the time period musically. </span></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>VFX:</b> 8: The best scenes in the film are the Quicksilver scenes. I liked how they achieved the superspeed in the film. My understanding is it was a camera trick mixed with some visual effects. There were some really good particle effects as well. The Jungle Book sets the bar for the best visual effects of this year. So far, no film has quite hit that mark of quality in visual effects.</span></li>
</ul>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Overall:</b> 7: I had a good time at the theater. As of right now, here is where I rank the films in the X-men franchise:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<ol>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">X-Men: Day of Future Pat</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">X2: X-Men United</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">X-Men: First Class</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Deadpool</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">X-Men</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">X-Men: Apocalypse</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">X-Men: The Last Stand</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The Wolverine</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> X-Men Origins: Wolverine</span></li>
</ol>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Hopefully, that give you a better idea of how much I liked / disliked this film. Overall it wasn't that bad of a film. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>nerrojjhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06924037243147087683noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4372325769139826884.post-22631532749755447502016-05-06T22:07:00.002-04:002016-05-06T22:07:31.158-04:00Captain America: Civil War Review<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3498820/">IMDb</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span> <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> <b>Title:</b> Captain America: Civil War</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Distributor:</b> Marvel Studios (Disney)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Director:</b> Anthony Russo, Joe Russo</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Writer(s): </b>Christopher Markus,Stephen McFeely </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Starring:</b> Chris Evans, Robert Downey Jr.,Scarlett Johansson, Sebastian Stan, Anthony Mackie, Don Cheadle, Jeremy Renner, Chadwick Boseman, Paul Bettany, Elizabeth Olsen, Paul Rudd, Emily VanCamp, Daniel Brühl, and Tom Holland</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>MPAA Rating: </b>PG-13 </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Running Time:</b> 146 min</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Synopsis:</b> Political interference in the Avengers' activities causes a rift between former allies Captain America and Iron Man. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> <br /> </span><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">What Others Are Saying? </span></b></div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /><a href="http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/captain_america_civil_war/">Rotten Tomatoes</a>: 92% "Fresh", Top Critics: 89% "Fresh", Audience: 90% "Liked It"</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.metacritic.com/movie/captain-america-civil-war?ref=hp">Metacritic:</a> Critics: 75 out of 100, Users: 8.4 out of 10</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.mrqe.com/movie_reviews/captain-america-civil-war-m100117001">MRQE:</a> 77 out of 100</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /> </span><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">My Review</span></b><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Preface:</b> I'm going to try my very best to do a spoiler free review. With that being said, there may be a few minor spoilers that pop-up as part of negatives with the film. You have been warned.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></b> <b style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">Source Material:</b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> Inspired by the Civil War comic written by Mark Miller. Character based off of Joe Simon and Jack Kirby work.</span></span></div>
</div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b><br /></b> <b>Entertaining Value: </b>8.5</span><br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Action Elements:</b> The action in this film isn't non-stop but there is quite a bit. I have to note that the action in this film was well choreographed. There was some shaky cam, but it was well placed. I liked how the action made sense relative to the story. I didn't really get the vibe that there was action, for action's sake.</span></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Comedy Elements:</b> What this film did well for me was balancing the various cinematic elements. The filmmaker's allowed the comedic character's to be the comic relief. Everyone doesn't need to be quipping all the time to make funny moments. Which has been a part of Marvel's formula for a while. It was nice to see the comedic moments play out slightly different than the normal Marvel wheel-house of comedy.</span></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Dramatic Elements:</b> The tension and dramatic moments were better in this film than other Marvel film. This is a summer blockbuster, action thriller, comic book movie, I wasn't expecting much drama.</span></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Sci-Fi / Fantasy Elements: </b>What I'm liking about "stand-alone" films of the MCU is that they feel more like non-comic book movie. For Example Captain America: The Winter Soldier was a spy thriller starring Captian America, and Ant-Man was a heist film starring Ant-man. What I'm pointing out is that each of these films, comic book fantasies isn't bogging down the story, they are enhancing them. Captain America: Civil War is no exception.</span></li>
</ul>
<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Cinematic Value:</span></b><br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Acting and Dialogue: </b>8: We have seen a lot of these actors / actresses multiple times as their character in the MCU, for me, I think most have stepped up their game. I use to call Chris Evans, the "bro" of Hollywood because he basically played that type of character in all of his roles. Let's face it, he will always be remembered as Captain America. I have to take a minute to praise the newcomers. This film introduced T'Challa / Black Panther (Chadwick Boseman), and Peter Parker / Spider-Man (Tom Holland) to the MCU. Chadwick Boseman is definitely on the uprise as a star. Before this role he played to iconic roles of Jackie Robinson in 42, and James Brown in Get on Up. The newest newcomer, Tom Holland, was perfect as both Peter Parker and Spider-Man. Some of the credit here has to be given to the writers, as well, but it was Holland's portrayal that got be excited for a Spider-Man Homecoming.</span></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Cinematography:</b> 8.5: Two things have to be right when it comes to this type of movie. One, the filmmakers have to capture iconic images from the source material. This film did that well. Secondly, they have to capture action that flows well. From that standpoint, I thought The Winter Soldier executed that aspect better, but overall the action shots in this film were great. The opening action sequence I would have eliminated, not for its action, but for it writing, I will explain why later.</span></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Direction: </b>8: The one aspect I have to give props to the Russo brother for is their ability to film action. We saw this ability in full force during The Winter Soldier. It was heavily prevalent in this film as well. Which still baffles me, since they guys were known for comedies such as the television show, Community. I'm glad Marvel is moving forward with these two for Infinity War Parts I and II. Nothing against Joss Whedon but Age of Ultron was a bit of a visual overload when it came to the action. I hope the Russo brother take what they have learned on this film and The Winter Soldier and apply it to Infinity War Parts I and II, without getting burnt out like Joss. Action aside, I think the Russo's did a great job at the other aspect of directing. They got the best performance out the actors/ actresses that served the story. They also told a fairly compelling visual story. That two aspect is basally all I ask from any director.</span></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Editing:</b> 8: It wasn't a mess like BvS. The flashbacks actually made sense.</span></span></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Screenplay:</b> 7: I think overall the story was fine. There would have been a few areas I would have changed. First of all the fight vs Crossbones was more or less pointless, in my opinion. I understand why that scene was there, but the characters involved, primarily Crossbones, was out of place. Second I wish the film felt a little more warlike. I felt the film was more like "Captain America: Civil Dispute." Yes, there are some really cool battle sequences, one of which is the airport scene from the trailer. That scene is a huge battle. You may go into the film rooting for one team and come out rooting for the other. Even though the film, delivering on those aspects of war, I still did get a war atmosphere. I think raising the stakes by killing an Avenger would have been very impactful. Let's face it, Quicksilver's death in Age of Ultron had no impact. No one even mentions his death, including his sister, Wanda aka Scarlet Witch. I think killing off Rhodey aka War Machine or Bucky aka The Winter Soldier would have had a major influence on the Avengers emotionally. This death could have lead to Captain America surrendering, therefore, signing the Sokovia Accords ending the Civil War. That ending would have aligned more with the comic book. Third Marvel needs better-written villains, Zemo was another weak villain.</span></li>
</ul>
<ul>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Sound and Music:</b> 7: Nothing spectacular stood out musically or in the sound mixing.</span></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>VFX:</b> 9: I'm guessing there are more CGI effect shots then I realize, which is a good thing. The Hulk doesn't appear but Iron Man dose. The down aging of RDJ was kind of weird, but overall it worked. I'm sure this film will be considered for the shortlist of nominations for visual effects during award season. If I were to venture a guess right now I would say The Jungle Book takes home the prize. I think BFG, Warcraft, and Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them will also be top contenders, as well.</span></li>
</ul>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Overall:</b> 8.5: I really enjoyed this film overall. I recommend that you see this one in the theater. At the moment, this film has earned a spot in the Top Five best MCU Movies. I also want to remind you that this film is the third movie in the </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Captain America trilogy while at the same time Avengers 2.5. The fact this film is basically both of those things is part of the reason it is good.</span>nerrojjhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06924037243147087683noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4372325769139826884.post-27295171589379070562016-03-26T18:36:00.001-04:002016-03-26T18:36:13.937-04:00Review: Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2975590/">IMDb</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span> <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> <b>Title:</b> Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Distributor:</b> Warner Bros</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Director:</b> Zach Snyder</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Writer(s): </b>Chris Terrio, Davis S. Goyer</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Starring:</b> Ben Affleck, Henry Cavill, Amy Adams, Jesse Eisenberg, Laurence Fishburn, Jeremy Irons, Gal Gadot </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>MPAA Rating:</b> Warner Bros.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Running Time:</b> 151 min</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Synopsis:</b> Fearing the actions of Superman are left unchecked, Batman takes on the man of steel, while the world wrestles with what kind of a hero it really needs. With Batman and Superman fighting each other, a new threat, Doomsday, is created by Lex Luthor. It's up to Superman and Batman to set aside their differences along with Wonder Woman to stop Lex Luthor and Doomsday from destroying Metropolis. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> <br /> </span><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">What Others Are Saying? </span></b></div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /><a href="http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/batman_v_superman_dawn_of_justice/">Rotten Tomatoes:</a> 30% "Fresh", Top Critics: 26% "Fresh", Audience: 74% "Liked It"</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.metacritic.com/movie/batman-v-superman-dawn-of-justice?ref=hp">Metacritic:</a> Critics: 44 out of 100, Users: 7.3 out of 10</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.mrqe.com/movie_reviews/batman-v-superman-dawn-of-justice-m100114216">MRQE:</a> 49 out of 100</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /> </span><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">My Review</span></b><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Preface:</b> There may be </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">SPOILERS ahead, so read at your own risk.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></b> <b style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">Source Material:</b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> Based on the comic book characters written by Bob Kane, Bill Finger, Jerry Siegel, Joe Shuster.</span></span></div>
</div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b><br /></b> <b>Entertaining Value: </b>7</span><br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Action Elements:</b> Damn, there is a lot of action in this film, especially in last 45 min or so. The action in this film has the same appeal as Man of Steel.</span></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Comedy Elements:</b> I felt most of the "jokes" in the film feel flat. I laugh out loud at least once, maybe twice.</span></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Dramatic Elements:</b> There was a handful of scenes that had the potential of being emotionally impacting.</span></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Sci-Fi / Fantasy Elements: </b>This movie is a "comic book" movie set in the DC Cinematic Universe.</span></li>
</ul>
<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Cinematic Value:</span></b><br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Acting and Dialogue:</b> 6.5: Overall I think the actors gave good performances even with the bad dialogue. In my opinion, Ben Affleck was the strongest actor on screen. It's funny how the tables have turned. Most comic book fans were mad at the casting of Affleck as Batman. After seeing the film I can say he was perfect as Batman. Henry Cavill gave us an adequate performance as Superman, but unfortunately, he had the worst treatment of bad dialogue. He power through it and delivered them well, so it didn't seem as bad. For me, the worst performance was Jesse Eisenberg. His acting wasn't up to par with his other works. Also,I really disliked how this Lex Luthor was written. Lex needs to be calculating and the smartest man in the room, not a wacky and too smart for his own good type of guy. There were actually some decent lines that Lex had but Eisenberg's performance sank them into the ground. The biggest worry from an acting standpoint, Gal Gadot, wasn't that bad, granted she maybe had a total of fifteen lines. Her major entrance as Wonder Woman at the end of the film was spoiled by the trailer, along with the exchange between Batman and Superman.</span></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Cinematography:</b> 7: Snyder is by far a visual director. Meaning he knows how to make beautiful shots. This film was beautiful from visually speaking. I personally liked that they capture some iconic images from the comic books in this film. What I didn't like was that a majority of this film takes place at night. I understand this is a darker movie in tone but, I personally would have liked lighter scenes.</span></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Direction: </b>5: The pacing of this film was slow, and I mean slow. The opening of the film felt about right, but the middle of the film and onward was bogged down. This film clocks in at roughly two and half hours, and every minute of that run time is felt. This is one of those movies that could have been 30 minutes shorter, easily. Zach Snyder's greatest weakness come out in this film. He's not the best at story elements and character development. I said it before this film worked visually, but the story elements and how it was put together was awful.</span></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Editing:</b> 3: The editing was clunky. This movie felt like a bunch of random sequences firing off in </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">rapid succession. The editing was so bad that it weakened the story. There are quite a few. "fill in the blank" moments, throughout this film. I sat through the entire film, and even I felt like saying, at parts: What just happened? Did I miss something? That didn't work. Maybe the 3-hour cut works better.</span></span></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Screenplay:</b> 4: I want to point out the title of this film real quick, Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice. With that title, I went into this film expecting a huge fight between Batman and Superman at the film's climax, and an introduction to the Justice League at its conclusion. That is not what I got. I felt like I got four different DC comic book movies crammed into one. Frist off, the first hour or so of this film is basically a stand alone Batman film, which was the best part of the entire film. I think we, the audience, needed to see Bruce Wayne's perspective of the events that happen at the end of the Man of Steel. This is then followed by the sequel to the Man of Steel, which is basically Superman on trial. The third film is what we paid to watch, Batman vs Superman. The fourth and final film is The Dawn of Justice. I have to note that the introduction to the members of the Justice League was misplaced in the story (Which was more of an editing issue, in my opinion). Now, how they handled the introduction of each character overall, was kind of cool. I even liked some of the links to the DC Multiverse. Then again, for those general audience members, who hasn't read a comic book, will be lost, because this film doesn't give us a good introduction to that subject matter. It appears, then disappears moments later, with little to no explanation of what just happened. It's funny to think this is only the tip of the iceberg, on how bad the writing is in this film. I felt like most of the characters had no motives for their actions, or at least, their motives weren't developed. Even the Batman and Superman fight was forced. I thought the fight between Batman and Superman would have been more impactful if they were fighting over philosophical differences. The fight in the film ends up being a Lex Luther staged death match.</span></li>
</ul>
<ul>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Sound and Music:</b> 6: The score was good if you were paying attention because I felt it was lost in all the action.</span></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>VFX:</b> 7: Overall the visual effect were good. I have very similar sentiments about the visual effects that I did with the cinematography. Based on his other works I know Snyder understands the CGI space. Like I said before Snyder is a great visual director just a bad storyteller. With that being said I really didn't like the design for Doomsday, especially when he first appears.</span></li>
</ul>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Overall:</b> 6: This film is fairly entertaining from an action "summer" blockbuster type of film, but that's about it. Don't get me wrong, I have seen worse films, and there is some good stuff to be had in this film. Just because I didn't like the film 100% don't mean you won't. This film got me excited for the standalone DC films in the future.</span>nerrojjhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06924037243147087683noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4372325769139826884.post-79556587713837490552016-02-26T21:56:00.000-05:002016-02-28T13:35:45.324-05:00My 2015 Oscar Predictions <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Here are my Oscar predictions for the 2015 calendar year. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span> <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://challenge.oscar.com/#ballot">Oscar Challenge Ballot</a> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b> Best Picture:</b> The Revenant</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i><br /></i></span> <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>Runner-Up: </i>Spotlight</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>Rooting For:</i> The Martian</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Actor in a Leading Role:</b> Leonardo DiCaprio - The Revenant</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i><br /></i></span> <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>Runner-Up: </i>Michael Fassbender - Steve Jobs</span><br />
<i style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Rooting For:</i><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Leonardo DiCaprio - The Revenant</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Actress in a Leading Role:</b> Brie Larson - Room</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i><br /></i></span> <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>Runner-Up: </i>Saoirse Ronan - Brooklyn</span><br />
<i style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Rooting For:</i><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Cate Blanchett - Carol</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span> <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Actor in a Supporting Role:</b> Sylvester Stallone - Creed</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i><br /></i></span> <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>Runner-Up: </i>Mark Rylance - Bridge of Spies</span><br />
<i style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Rooting For:</i><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Sylvester Stallone - Creed</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Actress in a Supporting Role:</b> Alicia Vikander - The Danish Girl </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i><br /></i></span> <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>Runner-Up: </i>Kate Winslet - Steve Jobs</span><br />
<i style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Rooting For:</i><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Alicia Vikander - The Danish Girl</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span> <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Directing:</b> Alejandro G. Iñárritu - The Revenant</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span> <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>Runner-Up: </i>George Miller - </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Mad Max: Fury Road</span><br />
<i style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Rooting For:</i><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">George Miller - </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Mad Max: Fury Road</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span> <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Writing: Adapted Screenplay:</b> The Big Short </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span> <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>Runner-Up: </i>Room</span><br />
<i style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Rooting For:</i><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The Martian</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span> <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Writing: Original Screenplay:</b> Spotlight</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span> <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>Runner-Up: </i>Inside Out</span><br />
<i style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Rooting For:</i><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Ex Machina</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span> <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Cinematography:</b> The Revenant</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span> <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>Runner-Up: </i></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Mad Max: Fury Road</span><br />
<i style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Rooting For:</i><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The Revenant</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span> <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Film Editing: </b>Mad Max: Fury Road</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span> <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>Runner-Up: </i></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The Big Short</span><br />
<i style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Rooting For:</i><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Star Wars The Force Awakens</span><br />
<br />
<b style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Visual Effects: </b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Star Wars The Force Awakens</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span> <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>Runner-Up: </i></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Mad Max: Fury Road</span><br />
<i style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Rooting For:</i><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Star Wars The Force Awakens</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Production Design: </b>Mad Max: Fury Road</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span> <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>Runner-Up: </i></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The Revenant</span><br />
<i style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Rooting For:</i><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> The Martian</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span> <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Costume Design: </b>Mad Max: Fury Road</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span> <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>Runner-Up: </i></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Cinderella</span><br />
<i style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Rooting For:</i><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> The </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Revenant</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Makeup and Hairstyling: </b>Mad Max: Fury Road</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span> <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>Runner-Up: </i></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Revenant</span><br />
<i style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Rooting For:</i><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> The </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Revenant</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span> <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Sound Editing: </b></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Revenant</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span> <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>Runner-Up: </i></span><span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">Mad Max: Fury Road</span><br />
<i style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Rooting For:</i><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Star Wars The Force Awakens</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Sound Mixing: </b>The Revenant</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span> <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>Runner-Up: </i></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Mad Max: Fury Road</span><br />
<i style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Rooting For:</i><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Star Wars The Force Awakens</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Music: Original Score:</b> The Hateful Eight</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span> <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>Runner-Up: </i></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Star Wars The Force Awakens</span><br />
<i style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Rooting For:</i><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Star Wars The Force Awakens</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Music: Original Song:</b> “Til It Happens To You,” - The Hunting Ground</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span> <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>Runner-Up: </i></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Writings on the Wall - Spectre</span><br />
<i style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Rooting For:</i><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Writings on the Wall - Spectre</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Animated Feature Film:</b> Inside Out</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span> <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>Runner-Up: </i></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Anomalisa</span><br />
<i style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Rooting For:</i><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Inside Out</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Animated Short Film:</b> Sanjay’s Super Team</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span> <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>Runner-Up: </i></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">World of Tomorrow</span><br />
<i style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Rooting For:</i><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Sanjay’s Super Team</span><br />
<br />
<b style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Documentary Feature:</b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> Amy</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span> <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>Runner-Up: </i></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Cartel Land</span><br />
<i style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Rooting For:</i><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Amy</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span> <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Documentary </b></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Short:</b> Body Team 12</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span> <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>Runner-Up: </i></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Chau Beyond the Lines</span><br />
<i style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Rooting For:</i><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Chau Beyond the Lines</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Foreign Language Film: </b>Son of Saul</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span> <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>Runner-Up: </i></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Mustang</span><br />
<i style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Rooting For:</i><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Son of Saul</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Short Film:</b> Ave Maria</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span> <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>Runner-Up: </i></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Shok</span><br />
<i style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Rooting For:</i><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Shok</span>nerrojjhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06924037243147087683noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4372325769139826884.post-4280330478651058412016-02-15T23:53:00.001-05:002016-02-15T23:53:07.909-05:00Review: Deadpool<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1431045/">IMDb</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span> <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> <b>Title:</b> Deadpool</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Distributor:</b> 20th Century Fox</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Director:</b> Tim Miller</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Writer(s): </b>Rob Liefeld (character), Fabian Nicieza (character), Rhett Reese, Paul Wernick</span><b style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"> </b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Starring:</b> Ryan Reynolds, Morena Baccarin, T.J. Miller, Ed Skrein</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>MPAA Rating:</b> Rated R for strong violence and language throughout, sexual content and graphic nudity.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Running Time:</b> 108 min</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Synopsis:</b> A former Special Forces operative turned mercenary is subjected to a rogue experiment that leaves him with accelerated healing powers, adopting the alter-ego Deadpool. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> <br /> </span><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">What Others Are Saying? </span></b></div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /><a href="http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/deadpool/">Rotten Tomatoes:</a> 84% "Fresh", Top Critics: 76% "Fresh", Audience: 96% "Liked It"</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.metacritic.com/movie/deadpool?ref=hp">Metacritic:</a> Critics: 65 out of 100, Users: 8.4 out of 10</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.mrqe.com/movie_reviews/deadpool-m100116118">MRQE:</a> 69 out of 100</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /> </span><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">My Review</span></b><br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Source Material:</b> Based on the comic book character of the same name.</span></div>
</div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b><br /></b> <b>Entertaining Value:</b></span><br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Action Elements:</b> For being a "superhero" film this one doesn't have non-stop action like all the other one out there. It was nice to watch a film in this genre and not be exhausted from all the action. This film had nice bookend action sequences.</span></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Comedy Elements:</b> This film was one of the funniest films I have seen in awhile. You know you are in for a good time during the opening credits.</span></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Dramatic Elements:</b> There are a few heartfelt moments, there, not the best but you shouldn't be watching Deadpool for it's dramatic moments.</span></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Sci-Fi / Fantasy Elements: </b>Deadpool lives in the same universe as the X-men, so expect those types of fantasy elements.</span></li>
</ul>
<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Cinematic Value:</span></b><br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Acting and Dialogue:</b> 8: Ryan Reynolds was born to play Deadpool. If you know the character of Deadpool you would agree. T.J Miller as Weasel was great. Some of the better scenes are the interactions between Reynolds and Miller. Them riffing off one another was hilarious. I always laugh when a film cast a "martial artist" (I'm including pro-wrestlers in that general term) and basically edits around their less than stellar acting. The filmmakers know what they are doing. If you need a built chick to throw some heavy punch you hire Gina Carano. For me, Ed Skrein did a decent job as Ajax, but that might not be 100% his fault because I though Ajax was a weak bad guy.</span></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Cinematography:</b> 8: What I liked the most about the cinematography was how fluid it was during the action scenes. Sometimes it's better to allow the action to happen without bringing in the shaky cam. The open sequence highlights exactly what I'm talking about.</span></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Direction: </b>7: For his first major film as a director, Tim Miller did a great job. When you watch the film you can tell Tim understands the strengths and weakness of VFX.</span></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Editing:</b> 7: I liked the juxtaposed between the past and the present.</span></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Screenplay:</b> 7: The screenwriters captured the character of Deadpool to a "t". The breaking the 4th wall knack that Deadpool has could have been cheesy and quite dumb after a while, but it wasn't. It was one of the funniest parts of this film. The comic timing in this film was perfect. As far as the story goes, well, in my opinion, it was an origin story, but funnier. For me, the weakest part of the story was the villain, but that a problem with Marvel Comics in general. (DC Comics has better villains.)</span></li>
</ul>
<ul>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Sound and Music:</b> 8: A fun soundtrack that fits perfectly with what happens on screen. There are even a few jokes surrounding the music.</span></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>VFX:</b> 8: Very well done, and I would hope so with Tim Miller as the director. I'm not saying he is a well established visual effect artist, but based on this film and a few video games he helped on, I would say he knows enough to make it look good.</span></li>
</ul>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Overall:</b> 7.5: I can't say, "Deadpool was the best comic book movies ever made." Yes, it's very entertaining movies. It's a very funny movie, with that being said, its humor is only going to work for </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">certain types of people. (The people who get and like Deadpool as a character.) Also, the R rating is going to turn some people off (The filmmakers fully take advantage of their R rating) Overall, it was a very good movie, but it's not for everybody, and definitely not for children.</span>nerrojjhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06924037243147087683noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4372325769139826884.post-70838061170566671632016-01-03T23:47:00.001-05:002016-01-22T21:00:43.747-05:00Best / Worst 2015 + Most Anticipated 2016<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Preface:</b> I haven't seen as many films this year as years past. This is partly due to the size of the town I live in and the availability of films at my local theater. Therefore, my list of the best and worst film of 2015 may not reflect the "popular" view. Before giving my list of best movies of 2015, let me share with you, my favorite films separated out via genre. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /> <b>Action:</b> Mad Max: Fury Road </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Adventure:</b> Tomorrowland </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Animation:</b> Inside Out </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Comedy:</b> Ant-Man </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Comic Book:</b> Ant-Man </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Crime / Mystery:</b> Mr. Holmes </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Drama:</b> Tentatively: Spotlight </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Fantasy:</b> Star Wars: The Force Awakens </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Historical or Bio Pic:</b> Straight Outta Compton </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Horror:</b> It Follows </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Indie Film:</b> Ex Machina </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Musical:</b> Straight Outta Compton </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Sci-Fi:</b> The Martian </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Thriller:</b> Mission Impossible Rogue Nation </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Western:</b> Tentatively: The Revenant </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br />
<b>Notes:</b> I still have a lot of films to catch up on that came out in 2015, hence why Spotlight and The Revenant have "Tentatively" attached to them. As far as Western go, The Hateful Eight could give The Revenant a run for its money, but then again I'm more anticipating The Revenant. The Drama genre has quite a few films that could slide in as my favorite, but Spotlight looks the most promising. The weakest genres this year was comedy, horror, and musicals. Most of the "pure" comedies in 2015 were stinkers critical, therefore, I didn't buy a ticket and watch them in the theater.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /> <b>Best:</b></span><br />
<ol>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Star Wars: The Force Awakens </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Ex Machina </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The Martian </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Inside Out </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Ant-Man </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Mission Impossible Rogue Nation </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The Peanuts Movie </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Mad Max: Fury Road </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Kingsman: The Secret Service </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Straight Outta Compton </span></li>
</ol>
<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Honorable Mentions: </span></b><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br />Avengers Age of Ultron </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Jurassic World </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Mr. Holmes</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /> <b>Notes: </b>Let me start with my honorable mention. Avengers Age of Ultron and Jurassic World got me in the theater and gave me a good time while I was there, but didn't quite make my top ten. Mr. Holmes just barely made my list. Mr. Holmes was by far in my top films of 2015, but when I narrowed my list to 10 it didn't make the cut. Star Wars: The Force Awakens might not be the "best" film overall, but it impacted me on all levels. Personally, I think Ex Machina is a better film than Star Wars, but I was more entertained by Star Wars.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /> <b>Worst: </b></span><br />
<ol>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Fifty Shades of Grey </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Pixels </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Pan </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Jupiter Ascending </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Minions </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Fantastic 4 </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Chappie </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Pitch Perfect 2 </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Tomorrowland</span></li>
</ol>
<b style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Notes: </b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I got to be honest, I didn't watch half of these movies. Primarily because they had bad reviews across the board, including the people in my closest social circles. Some of you may be confused at seeing Tomorrowland on my worst list since it's on my favorites list above. Well, Tomorrowland, had really good adventure qualities, you may say the best of the year. Heck, overall Tomorrowland wasn't really that bad of a film, but it was very disappointing, hence why it's at the bottom of the list. Fun fact: Pixels was on my most anticipated list of last year, but sank to the bottom of the barrel after seeing the trailer.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /><b>Most Anticipated 2016:</b> </span><br />
<br />
<ol>
<li><a href="http://www.starwars.com/films/rogue-one" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Rogue One: A Star Wars Story </a></li>
<li><a href="https://youtu.be/uVdV-lxRPFo" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Captain America: Civil War </a></li>
<li><a href="https://youtu.be/ZIM1HydF9UA" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Deadpool</a><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> </span></li>
<li><a href="https://youtu.be/COvnHv42T-A" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">X-Men: Apocalypse</a><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> </span></li>
<li><a href="https://youtu.be/2Rxoz13Bthc" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Warcraft </a></li>
<li><a href="https://youtu.be/WI3hecGO_04" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Suicide Squad </a></li>
<li><a href="https://youtu.be/yViIi3gie2c" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice </a></li>
<li><a href="https://youtu.be/HcgJRQWxKnw" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The Jungle Book</a><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> </span></li>
<li><a href="https://youtu.be/31lEwIF6AcI" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Doctor Strange</a><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> (not sure if this trailer is the REAL official or not) </span></li>
<li><a href="https://youtu.be/Wj1devH5JP4" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them</a></li>
</ol>
<br />
<b style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Notes: </b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice started near the top of this list but drop drastically once I saw the full </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">trailer</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">, and it revealed what seems to be the entire movie. I'm equally pumped and nervous for </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Captain America: Civil War. On one hand, it could be just as good Captain America: The Winter Soldier or it could swing the other way and just be Avenger 2.5 and focus too much time on the </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">ancillary characters. </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> </span>nerrojjhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06924037243147087683noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4372325769139826884.post-89587791567206845852015-12-20T01:00:00.003-05:002015-12-20T01:00:59.248-05:00Star Wars: The Force Awakens Review<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2488496/?ref_=nv_sr_1">IMDb</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span> <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> <b>Title:</b> Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Distributor:</b> Lucasfilm (Disney)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Director:</b> J.J. Abrams</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Writer(s): </b>Lawrence Kasdan,<b> </b></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">J.J. Abrams, and Michael Arndt</span><b style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"> </b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Starring:</b> Harrison Ford, Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher, Adam Driver, Daisy Ridley, John Boyega, Oscar Isaac, Lupita Nyong'o, Andy Serkis, Domhnall Gleeson, Max von Sydow, Peter Mayhew, and Gwendoline Christie. </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>MPAA Rating:</b> Rated PG-13 for sci-fi action violence.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Running Time:</b> 135 min</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Synopsis:</b> Three decades after the defeat of the Galactic Empire, a new threat arises. The First Order attempts to rule the galaxy and only a rag-tag group of heroes can stop them, along with the help of the Resistance. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> <br /> </span><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">What Others Are Saying? </span></b></div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /><a href="http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/star_wars_episode_vii_the_force_awakens/">Rotten Tomatoes:</a> 95% "Fresh", Top Critics: 91% "Fresh", Audience: 93% "Liked It"</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.metacritic.com/movie/star-wars-episode-vii---the-force-awakens">Metacritic:</a> Critics: 81 out of 100, Users: 7.6 out of 10</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.mrqe.com/movie_reviews/star-wars-episode-vii-the-force-awakens-m100115386">MRQE:</a> 82 out of 100</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /> </span><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">My Review</span></b><br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">Preface: </b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I'm going to try my best to do this review spoiler free, but I may spill the beans if being vague become too complicated of a taste. So for those who haven't seen the film yet, you have been warned, there may be spoilers ahead. I also want to note that I'm writing this after only seeing the film once, so my opinion will most likely change after seeing it a couple more times. </span></span><br />
<span style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
</div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> <b>Source Material:</b> Original story by </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Lawrence Kasdan, characters by</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> George Lucas.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b><br /></b> <b>Entertaining Value:</b></span><br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Action Elements:</b> Star Wars is back! It may not be action-packed from open crawl to end credits, but there are a good amount of action sequences. These sequences actually move the story along, making for an exciting film.</span></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Comedy Elements:</b> The comedy in this film works. The jokes are witty and come at the right moments in the film.</span></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Dramatic Elements:</b> This is still the weakest aspect of Star Wars in general, but with that being said, I believe this film has some of the best dramatic scenes in Star Wars.</span></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Sci-Fi / Fantasy Elements: </b>Star Wars has always been more of a fantasy in space than Sci-fi. Don't get me wrong, there is more than enough sci-fi elements as well. This film brings out those classic Star Wars tropes we were missing in the prequels.</span></li>
</ul>
<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Cinematic Value:</span></b><br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Acting and Dialogue:</b> 9: Let's be honest this is by far the best acted Star Wars film. I want to highlight the new talent in this film. The first is Daisy Ridley. This film was basically her frist movie. All her acting gigs before Star Wars was small screen and indie flicks. For me, Daisy Ridley turned out a great performance. The next one is John Boyega. I had a slightly bad feeling that Boyega was going to be the weakest link, but he is actually one of the strongest. I suggest watching Boyega's frist film <a href="https://youtu.be/cD0gm7dHKKc">Attack the Block</a>, it's a fun sci-fi film. Every good fantasy needs a strong villain and Adam Driver is that villain as Kylo Ren. Adam Driver brought out the inner struggle that Kylo Ren was dealing with perfectly. Another face of evil is General Hux played by Domhnall Gleeson, who give one of the best speeches in the film. To bridge the gap between old and new is Oscar Isacc. Oscar Isacc is beginning to become a household name in Hollywood. I think this role is going to rocket ship himself there. Poe Dameron was my favorite heroic character. Now on to the old guys. Han Solo is back. You could tell Harrison Ford had a blast revisiting the Star Wars universe. Carrie Fisher, on the other hand, was the weakest link.</span></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Cinematography:</b> 8: For me, one of the main reasons The Force Awakens felt like a Star Wars film was its use of cinematography and how it matches up with the original Star Wars trilogy. There was just enough fan-service to keep us fans happy without watering down film with a bunch of easter eggs and nods to the original trilogy. I personally, like action scenes where I can be a part of the action without being a part of the action, meaning the action unfolds before my eyes without the sensation of a first-person account of the event.</span></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Direction: </b>9: </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">J.J. Abrams knows how to work with actors, bring out their strengths. This cast was primarily compiled of relatively new actors, and for the most part, you couldn't really tell. That's how you do your frist job as a director, getting the best performance out of your cast and crew. J.J. also excelled at the second job of a director, telling a good story.</span></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Editing:</b> 8: I liked that they stuck to old school Star Wars transitions. From an editing standpoint, the film was ever so slightly too fast on its pacing. Overall it is well edited.</span></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Screenplay:</b> 9: I love the story of this film, granted like the cinematography there are a lot of beats from the original trilogy woven in. I have heard some say the similarities to the original trilogy, story wise, was the weakest aspect of this film. I personally disagreed. I think the similarities creates a space of familiarity, drawing the audience back into the Star Wars universe. I'm glad that the writers retaught us with the Star Wars mythology, especially The Force. The film's title, after all, is The Force Awakens. The other positive aspect of the screenplay was the character development for the most part. Really, only two character that I can think of could have used a little more explanation: Lor San Tekka (Max von Sydow) and Captain Phasma (Gwendoline Christie). I felt that Supreme Leader Snoke (Andy Serkis), who had just as much screen time as those two characters, had more impact on the story, overall. Then again, that's just a bit nitpicky.</span></li>
</ul>
<ul>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Sound and Music:</b> 10: The two major themes of this movies is Star Wars is back and mixing the new with the old. The sound and music follow that perfectly. John Willams mixed old iconic Star Wars themes with new themes, which brought me back to Star Wars even more than seeing Han and Chewie on screen.</span></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>VFX:</b> 9.5: Star Wars screams a lived in "future." I liked that J.J. made an effort to use as many real set and props as possible. I think using those types of effects brought depth to the scenes. I also like that every little detail had a story, for example, Kylo Ren's lightsaber was built to be dangerous. There were a few moments where you say to yourself, "that is 2015 CGI."</span></li>
</ul>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Overall:</b> 9: As of right now, I would rank The Force Awaken as either the second or third best Star Wars film right behind The Empire Strikes Back. Hopefully by the time you read this review you have seen the film, if not go see today...May The Force Be With You.</span>nerrojjhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06924037243147087683noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4372325769139826884.post-23015447248247861702015-12-05T00:06:00.000-05:002015-12-05T00:06:03.948-05:00Journey To The Force Awakens - Revenge of the Sith<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0121766/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1">IMDb</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span> <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> <b>Title:</b> Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Distributor:</b> Lucasfilm (20th Century Fox)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Director:</b> George Lucas</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Writer(s):</b> George Lucas </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Starring:</b> Ewan McGregor, Natalie Portman, Hayden Christensen, Christopher Lee, Ian McDiarmid, Anthony Daniels, Kenny Baker, Frank Oz, Samuel L. Jackson. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>MPAA Rating:</b> Rated PG-13 for sci-fi violence and some intense images</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Running Time:</b> 140 min</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Synopsis:</b> Three years after the onset of the Clone Wars; the noble Jedi Knights are spread out across the galaxy leading a massive clone army in the war against the Separatists. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> <br /> </span><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">What Others Are Saying? </span></b></div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /><a href="http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/star_wars_episode_iii_revenge_of_the_sith_3d/">Rotten Tomatoes</a>: 79% "Fresh", Top Critics: 67% "Fresh", Audience: 65% "Liked It"</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.metacritic.com/movie/star-wars-episode-iii---revenge-of-the-sith">Metacritic</a>: Critics: 68 out of 100, Users: 7.3 out of 10</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.mrqe.com/movie_reviews/star-wars-episode-iii-revenge-of-the-sith-m100012720">MRQE</a>: 77 out of 100</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /> </span><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">My Review</span></b><br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">Preface: </b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Collider Video just posted their <a href="https://youtu.be/COCb63C6IB8">commentary video</a> of this film a few days ago. To catch everyone up. I'm following along with Collider Video and creating my own, "Journey to the Force Awakens." They plan on watch all the live action Star Wars film leading up to the Force Awakens. I'm responding by writing a movie review for each film. If you want to read my review of Attack of the Clones click <a href="https://cinematardcentral.wordpress.com/2015/11/26/journey-to-the-force-awakens-attack-of-the-clones/">here</a>.</span></span><br />
<span style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
</div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> <b>Source Material:</b> Original story by George Lucas </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b><br /></b> <b>Entertaining Value:</b></span><br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Action Elements:</b> Out of all the prequel Star Wars film this film has a good balance of action vs non-action sequences. Unlike the Attack of the Clones, this film's action actually has meaning. There really isn't any action for action sake.</span></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Comedy Elements:</b> Guess who doesn't really show up, yep, Jar Jar. Therefore, there is less cheesiness and humor for children.</span></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Dramatic Elements:</b> I felt like there was more of an effort, but the dramatic impactful scenes seemed to fall a little flat.</span></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Sci-Fi / Fantasy Elements: </b>This film started to get back to the Star Wars fiction, but again it didn't quite make it. This film focuses heavily on war, more so than the other prequel films.</span></li>
</ul>
<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Cinematic Value:</span></b><br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Acting and Dialogue:</b> 6: For me, the person that flexed his acting chops was </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Ewan McGregor. We see him own Obi-Wan as a character. His emulation of Alec Guinness made me feel that Obi-Wan was real. Ewan McGregor didn't give a perfect performance, but he was one of the stronger actors on screen. I would say the person who gave the best performance was Ian McDiarmid. He commands the scene with his acting. It was a shame that most of his scene were shared with Hayden Christensen, who in my opinion was the worst actor on screen. Don't get me wrong he did improve vastly from Attack of the Clone to this film. We see the best interchanges between Obi-Wan and Anakin in the prequels. Even his scene with </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Natalie Portman showcased a little more chemistry. Even though Hayden did improve he still gave a, "reading off the page" performance, which in my opinion sucked out the impactfulness of some scenes.</span></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Cinematography:</b> 8: I thought this film was shot beautifully. The opening sequence was one of my favorite sequences in this film. The tone of the film was brought out through the cinematography, especially since the acting wasn't on point.</span></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Direction: </b>6:We got a classic George again with this film.</span></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Editing:</b> 7: I thought the editing on this film was better than the other prequel films. With that being said, I still believe there were a few scenes that could use some tightening up, like the fight between Anakin and Obi-Wan.</span></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Screenplay:</b> 5: I have to say it again, the major downfall of the prequel Star Wars films is its dialogue, but even that wasn't the worst of the worst. I think there were some major flaws. Anakin's transformation to Vader was sudden. He goes from wanting to arrest Palpatine to a straight up, evil killing machine. Anakin's fall to the dark side takes up less than five minutes of screen time. Other scenes were more or less a waste like the battle on the Wookie homeworld of Kashyyyk. It was cool to see but didn't press the storyline forward. It also made an unnecessary connection. Everyone in the Star Wars universe doesn't need to be connected i.e. Yoda and Chewbacca. It seems like George was trying to cram as much connective storyline into one film as he could which made for a weaker story overall.</span></li>
</ul>
<ul>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Sound and Music:</b> 9: Awsome score and awesome sound design as usual.</span></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>VFX:</b> 9: I enjoyed the visual effect in this film over the other prequel films. My eye didn't catch any, "that looks weird or fake" moments like it did in the Attack of the Clones.</span></li>
</ul>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Overall:</b> 7: Out all of the </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">prequel films, the </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Revenge of the Sith </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">would be the one I would recommend seeing. Because it has good action and a decent story, even though that story has many flaws. May the Force Be With You.</span>nerrojjhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06924037243147087683noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4372325769139826884.post-12041192613499735712015-11-26T00:19:00.000-05:002015-12-03T20:15:53.283-05:00Journey To The Force Awakens - Attack of the Clones<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0121765/?ref_=nv_sr_4">IMDb</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span> <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> <b>Title:</b> Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Distributor:</b> Lucasfilm (20th Century Fox)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Director:</b> George Lucas</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Writer(s):</b> George Lucas </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Starring:</b> Ewan McGregor, Natalie Portman, Hayden Christensen, Christopher Lee, Ian McDiarmid, Anthony Daniels, Kenny Baker, Frank Oz, Samuel L. Jackson, and Temuera Morrison </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>MPAA Rating:</b> Rated PG for sustained sequences of sci-fi action/violence</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Running Time:</b> 142 min</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Synopsis:</b> Ten years after initially meeting, Anakin Skywalker shares a forbidden romance with Padmé, while Obi-Wan investigates an assassination attempt on the Senator and discovers a secret clone army crafted for the Jedi.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> <br /> </span><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">What Others Are Saying? </span></b></div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /><a href="http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/star_wars_episode_ii_attack_of_the_clones_3d/">Rotten Tomatoes</a>: 65% "Fresh", Top Critics: 40% "Fresh", Audience: 59% "Liked It"</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.metacritic.com/movie/star-wars-episode-ii---attack-of-the-clones">Metacritic</a>: Critics: 54 out of 100, Users: 6.0 out of 10</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.mrqe.com/movie_reviews/star-wars-episode-ii-attack-of-the-clones-m100012769">MRQE</a>: 67 out of 100</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /> </span><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">My Review</span></b><br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">Preface: </b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Collider Video just posted their <a href="https://youtu.be/dNsqLyYDats?list=PLayt6616lBckszE9wbqKmdkpPw4pPIDSy">commentary video</a> of this film yesterday. To catch everyone up. I'm following along with Collider Video and creating my own, "Journey to the Force Awakens." They plan on watch all the live action Star Wars film leading up to the Force Awakens. I'm responding by writing a movie review for each film. If you want to read my review of The Phantom Menace click <a href="https://cinematardcentral.wordpress.com/2015/11/15/journey-to-the-force-awakens-the-phantom-menace-review/">here</a>. </span></span><br />
<span style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
</div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> <b>Source Material:</b> Original story by George Lucas </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b><br /></b> <b>Entertaining Value:</b></span><br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Action Elements:</b> The Phantom Menace had two big action set pieces: the pod race, and the Invasion on Naboo, which included the battle between Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan vs. Darth Maul. Naturally, Lucas probably want to up the action game, especially since this movie depicts the beginnings of a major war in the Star Wars universe. He delivered us more action sequences but not necessarily any of quality. Quantity doesn't always equal quality.There was a hand full of action sequences that were added in just to have action, case, and point, the assembly line scene on Geonosis. It didn't really add much to the story and it wasn't 100% exciting start to finish. I felt like some of the bigger action set pieces like the Geonosis gladiator scene didn't feel as epic as it should have. Come on a whole army of Jedi taking on an army of droids, should haven been epic but it fell short of that mark. Don't get me wrong there were some amazing action sequences in this film, like Jango Fett vs Obi-Wan or Yoda vs Dooku.</span></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Comedy Elements:</b> This film focuses more on the "developing love story" between Anakin and Padmé. I'm glad there was quite a bit less Jar Jar scenes, meaning there is less dumb childish humor that doesn't fit in the Star War universe.</span></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Dramatic Elements:</b> There could have been really good impactful dramatic scenes in this film but the dialog and acting ruined any chance for that.</span></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Sci-Fi / Fantasy Elements: </b>Like in </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The Phantom Menace this film strays ways from the adventurous aspect of a fantasy. The Star Wars fiction wasn't really expanded upon. We did get a small glance into Jedi culture, which I enjoyed.</span></li>
</ul>
<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Cinematic Value:</span></b><br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Acting and Dialogue:</b> 5: I have to highlight Ewan McGregor, right off the bat. He starts to grow into the character of Obi-Wan. I personally think he was one of the better actors in this film. Granted, nothing can compare to Christopher Lee as an actor. </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I think McGregor found a happy medium on delivering such bad dialog. Sadly, Hayden Christensen suffered the most punishment on bad dialog, mainly because he had to act like a spoiled teenager who whines when he doesn't get his way. But then again, Hayden Christensen hasn't been known for his acting chops before or after Star Wars. From my understanding, better actors were up for the part of Anakin, like Ryan Phillippe and Collin Hanks but Hayden won the part because he looked good together with Natalie Portman. I can't really say Portman's acting improved from The Phantom Menace, but her sex appeal did. For me, the major downfall of this film is the bad dialog.</span></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Cinematography:</b> 7: The camera work and lighting was satisfactory. It didn't detract from the film, which is always a positive.</span></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Direction: </b>5: I have the same feeling about George's direction on this film that I have on The Phantom Menace. He doesn't get the best performance out of his actor that he could. Maybe that's due to the fact that the script wasn't polished. Just listening to the dialog clued me into how unpolished the script was. We have seen good storytelling via directing from Lucas in the past.</span></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Editing:</b> 6: One big negative pertaining to editing I would like to point out is the action sequences. I think the action sequence would have been better if they were shorter in length, especially, if you are going to add action for action sake. </span></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Screenplay:</b> 4: Exposition, exposition, exposition. This film was just as bad, if not worst than The Phantom Menace, at people standing around, boring us to death, with exposition. If you can bear those scenes, the next battle is the bad chemistry between Anakin and Padmé. I know a lot of that is due to their bad acting and dialog, but at the same time there wasn't much story to work with either. The entire film Padmé treats Anakin as a close friend, then right before they are sent into the Geonosis arena Padmé confess her deep love for Anakin. All the setup to this "confession of love" scene feels out of place, from a story aspect. </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> </span></li>
</ul>
<ul>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Sound and Music:</b> 8: In general the score was great as usual but there was a few place were the theme being played didn't quite fit the scene, in my opinion. Note: great sound design from Ben Burtt, again. </span></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>VFX:</b> 8: I think it's funny that a subplot was cloning, and that's precisely how the VFX were treated. Fun fact: all the clones were 100% digital made. No man in a physical suite this time around. For the most part, the VFX looked good. There are some background shots were you can tell it was an art piece. I personally loved the character design through the prequels. </span></li>
</ul>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Overall:</b> 6: I think I can agree that this is the weakest film overall in the Star wars saga. Again I think I can only recommend this film to Star Wars fans, but even then barely. May The Force Be With You! </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> </span>nerrojjhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06924037243147087683noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4372325769139826884.post-14703177204447759992015-11-15T22:46:00.001-05:002015-11-25T20:11:44.221-05:00Journey To The Force Awakens - The Phantom Menace Review<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0120915/?ref_=nv_sr_2">IMDb </a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /> <b>Title:</b> Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Distributor:</b> Lucasfilm (20th Century Fox)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Director:</b> George Lucas</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Writer(s):</b> George Lucas </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Starring:</b> Liam Neeson, Ewan McGregor, Natalie Portman, Jake Lloyd, Ian McDiarmid, Anthony Daniels, Kenny Baker, Frank Oz, Samuel L. Jackson, Ray Park </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>MPAA Rating:</b> Rated PG for sci-fi action/violence.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Running Time:</b> 136 min</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Synopsis:</b> Two Jedi Knights escape a hostile blockade to find allies and come across a young boy who may bring balance to the Force, but the long dormant Sith resurface to reclaim their old glory.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> <br /> </span><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">What Others Are Saying? </span></b></div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /><a href="http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/star_wars_episode_i_the_phantom_menace/">Rotten Tomatoes</a>: 57% "Fresh", Top Critics: 42% "Fresh", Audience: 60% "Liked It"</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.metacritic.com/movie/star-wars-episode-i---the-phantom-menace">Metacritic</a>: Critics: 51 out of 100, Users: 5.9 out of 10</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.mrqe.com/movie_reviews/star-wars-episode-i-the-phantom-menace-m100013133">MRQE</a>: 67 out of 100</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /> </span><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">My Review</span></b><br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">Preface: </b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">In the next few weeks I'm going to create my own "Journey To The Force Awakens." I'm going to do this by writing reviews to all the Star Wars films, leading up to Episode VII. I got the inspiration from Collider Video. This past week Collider Video put together their own <a href="https://youtu.be/FVjS6zK8awM">commentary video</a> on The Phantom Menace. They plan on doing the same for each of the Star Wars films, </span></span><span style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">tackling one film per week. I'm going to follow Collider Video's commentaries with my reviews. I plan on having the reviews up a few days after their video goes up on YouTube. It's now time to geek out on Star Wars. </span></span><br />
<span style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
</div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> <b>Source Material:</b> Original story by George Lucas </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b><br /></b> <b>Entertaining Value:</b></span><br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Action Elements:</b> Action is a pivotal part of the Star Wars fantasy. For me, some of the most exciting parts of Star Wars is the lightsaber battles. One of the greatest positives of the prequels is lightsaber battles. Not only are they cool but they are poetic like in a dancing way. </span></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Comedy Elements:</b> Lucas thought the best type of humor of the prequel trilogy was kid joke like poop and fart jokes.</span></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Dramatic Elements:</b> Anytime there was a dramatic moment, it was usually ruined with a poop or fart joke. </span></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Sci-Fi / Fantasy Elements: </b>Star Wars draws inspiration from both Sci-Fi and Fantasy. The prequels lost a lot of those elements. The prequels were lacking in the adventuring aspect of the original trilogy. Lucas focused more on war in the prequels, not the dramatic parts but the political and boring parts. </span></li>
</ul>
<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Cinematic Value:</span></b><br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Acting and Dialogue:</b> 6: </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Liam Neeson was by far the best actor in this film. He seemed to put his all into the character of Qui-Gon Jinn. Talk about giving a great performance on a badly written script. After Liam, I would praise bothEwan McGregor and Natalie Portman. Both of them were relatively newcomers. Ewan McGregor was known for indie film, most notability Trainspotting. While Portman was a fairly young actress, with only four or five films prior to Star Wars. The only other actor with less experience on set was Jake Lloyd. From my understanding, there were better actors to fulfill the role of young Anakin, but Jake had the innocent child spirit that Lucas was looking for. In my opinion, Anakin would have function better as a character if he was slightly older like 12 or 13. The veterans showcased good performance, except for Samuel L. Jackson. It wasn't terrible, but it wasn't up to par to what I was expecting out of Sam Jackson. </span></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Cinematography:</b> 7: The camera work and lighting were good in the film. To be honest its one of the stronger aspects of the film. I praised the action above and apart of that is well shoot action sequences. </span></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Direction: </b>6: The frist job of a director should be getting the best performance out of your actors as possible. Second is tell a good story. George isn't the best at getting good performance out of his actors. This film shows that flaw more than his other films. Even the storytelling was weak in this film, which is where Lucas usually shines at. I guess you can't be 100% all the time. </span></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Editing:</b> 6: In general, there were quite a bit of long drawn out parts, case and point the pod racing sequence. That sequence takes up a good chunk of the film. I believe that sequence takes nearly 15 minutes. It was a cool 15 minutes, especially in my teenage mind, but the race felt repetitive. I felt the film could have been tighter on the editing front. </span></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Screenplay:</b> 3: George Lucas created this immersive space opera in the original trilogy. He had a universe with a great fiction and mythology. What does he do with this awesome mythology? He trashes it by over-explaining. For example, The Force. In Star Wars: A New Hope, Obi-Was defines, The Force, as an energy field created by all living things. It surrounds us, it penetrates us, it binds the galaxy together. In this film, Lucas changes the Force by making it "ruled" by midi-chlorians. Basically, the Force become a genetic trait rather than a cosmic force. The second major change Lucas made was lowering the target audience. The script became riddled with humor made for a much younger audience, as in poop and fart jokes. There were so many of these types of jokes that it sometim</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">es ruined a scene that could have been very emotional. </span>This mentally spawned the worst character ever written for Star Wars, Jar Jar Binks. In general, I'm fine with a clumsy comic relief character, but that type of humor doesn't fit the humor established in the original trilogy. Even Jar Jar's speech patterns were childish and annoying. If you edit out Jar Jar like a fan has done, the film increase in quality because Jar Jar doesn't add anything to the story. </span></li>
</ul>
<ul>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Sound and Music:</b> 10: Frist and foremost the score from John Williams is great as usual. For me, the piece of music that stands out the most, in my head, is the Duel of the Fates. You know, the music that plays during the Darth Maul, Qui-Gon, and Obi-Wan fight. I want to draw attention to Ben Burtt's sound design. If nothing else, rewatch the pod racing scene. Each and every pod racer has it own unique sound. Even the sounds of the race in of its self is awesome.</span></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>VFX:</b> 10: For 1999 the visual effect were revolutionary. G</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">eorge Lucas is more or less the father of Industrial Light & Magic (ILM). He was pushing CGI technology of that time to the max. Oddly enough the CGI holds up today, granted CGI today is damn awesome. I have to note that I personally like the character design in this film. I may not like the characters themselves but how they looked on screen was good. </span></li>
</ul>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Overall:</b> 6: As a Star Wars film </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The Phantom Menace failed to deliver. As a film, in general, it wasn't any better, but there are quite a few redeeming qualities. I personally don't hate the prequel films. I have accepted them as Star Wars canon and can get some enjoyment out of them. At the same time, I can really recommend them. Out of all the Star Wars films, </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The Phantom Menace would be the one I suggest skipping. </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> </span>nerrojjhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06924037243147087683noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4372325769139826884.post-72313640367568078492015-10-20T01:27:00.000-04:002015-10-20T01:27:24.647-04:00Star Wars: The Force Awakens Is Almost Here<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So you may have noticed that the official Star Wars: The Force Awakens poster and trailer dropped in the last couple of days. The poster drop Sunday morning along with short teasers saying the </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">trailer</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> was on its way. Let me frist start, with my two cents on the poster. The poster shouldn't dictate the quality of the film. A movie poster could be awesome and the film suck and vice-versa. </span><br />
<div>
</div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>The Good:</b></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I like the duality of the light side and dark side of the Force, showcased in the poster. I also like the pyramid shape that frames in the poster. If you go back and look at the other Star Wars posters, you will notice that the pyramid / triangle theme is utilized in every single one of them. Since this theme is carried out into this poster as well, the poster feels very much like a Star Wars poster. There are other themes being use in this poster that give us Star Wars fan joygasms. For me, it is the looming antagonist motif. Granted, Kylo Ren isn't as looming as Vader in the original poster. Which leads me into the bad.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>The Bad:</b></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The frist thing that stands out, which has been a common complaint across the internet, is all characters showcased on the poster. I agree with this argument, all the floating heads do give me a slight feeling of claustrophobia. Personally, I could have done without the cast from the original trilogy. Don't get me wrong, I love seeing them there, but I believe this film is going to be a "passing of the torch" type movie, so, why not focus 100% on the new characters. I really dislike most of the characters crammed in the center of the poster. Some of which, needs to be zoomed in on to see what's going on. </span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">What do you guys think?</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnmSeHkVoZI9B6LOcWXdOolMaNamCXygzU8BGOQ5wtwzrVWhsoEJ5jVopWotWUwwAyKEBtsvYy9sxwYUFeMxwFlWdHcxiR6RKenjg4w4GIkOijuULOw4zna5MwSOAEbbRPHuGsyEFiTLRP/s1600/forceawakens.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnmSeHkVoZI9B6LOcWXdOolMaNamCXygzU8BGOQ5wtwzrVWhsoEJ5jVopWotWUwwAyKEBtsvYy9sxwYUFeMxwFlWdHcxiR6RKenjg4w4GIkOijuULOw4zna5MwSOAEbbRPHuGsyEFiTLRP/s320/forceawakens.jpg" width="216" /></a></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>The Trailer:</b></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I don't own a television, so I went over to Buffalo Wild Wings to watch the Monday Night Football game. During the halftime show the full Star Wars: The Force Awakens </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">trailer</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> dropped, as advertised. It was AWESOME. You don't believe me check it out yourself:</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/sGbxmsDFVnE/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/sGbxmsDFVnE?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We got to see and hear a lot of things for the frist time, which absolutely excites me. Oh, BTW the tickets are now on sale. If you want to stay in the know on Star Wars news visit: </span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.starwarsnewsnet.com/">www.starwarsnewsnet.com</a> or <a href="https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLayt6616lBcnqEWU6U0D8I95SUiqVU3DR">Collider Video's Jedi Council </a></span></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Until next time, "May The Force Be With You"</span></div>
nerrojjhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06924037243147087683noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4372325769139826884.post-73586646365412213642015-08-02T18:50:00.002-04:002015-08-02T18:50:58.910-04:00Review: Mr. Holmes <span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3168230/">IMDb</a> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /> <b>Title:</b> Mr. Holmes</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Distributor:</b> BBC Films</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Director:</b> Bill Condon</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Writer(s):</b> Jeffrey Hatcher (screenplay) </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Starring:</b> Ian McKellen, Laura Linney, Milo Parker, Hiroyuki Sanada, and Hattie Morahan </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>MPAA Rating:</b> Rated PG for thematic elements, some disturbing images, and incidental smoking </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Running Time:</b> 104 min</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Synopsis:</b> An aged, retired Sherlock Holmes looks back on his life, and grapples with an unsolved case involving a beautiful woman.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /> <br /> </span><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">What Others Are Saying? </span></b></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /> <a href="http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/mr_holmes/">Rotten Tomatoes:</a> 87% "Fresh", Top Critics: 82% "Fresh", Audience: 78% "Liked It"</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.metacritic.com/movie/mr-holmes">Metacritic:</a> Critics: 67 out of 100, Users: 8.2 out of 10</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.mrqe.com/movie_reviews/mr-holmes-m100112898">MRQE:</a> 72 out of 100</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /> </span><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">My Review </span></b></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /> <b>Source Material:</b> Based on a novel titled "A Slight Trick of the Mind" written by Mitch Cullin.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><br /></b> <b>Entertaining Value:</b></span><br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Action Elements:</b> Sherlock Holmes has been known for being proficient in hand-to-hand combat, this film doesn't focus on that aspect of the Holmes character. If you want an action pack Sherlock Holmes film watch the film starring Robert Downey Jr. This film's primary focused on Holmes during his retirement years as he reflects back on his last case.</span></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Comedy Elements:</b> There are some light-hearted moments sprinkled in the story</span></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Dramatic Elements:</b> The drama is where this film shines the most.</span></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Sci-Fi / Fantasy Elements: </b>Most portrayals of Sherlock Holmes showcase his detective skill as some sort of supernatural power, in doing so raising the Sherlock Holmes character to folk-hero status. This film constantly mentions that portrayal of Holmes was heavily embellished upon compared to the "real" Holmes. In this film, Holms detective skills stem from his aptitude for observation and deductive reasoning. </span></li>
</ul>
<b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Cinematic Value:</span></b><br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Acting and Dialogue:</b> 10: Nerds and Geeks, like myself, praise Sir Ian McKellen for his portrayal of Gandalf in The Lord of the Ring and Hobbit trilogies. Some of us may even mention his performance as Magneto in the X-men franchise. What we as film fans sometimes forget is Sir Ian McKellen is a classically trained actor, with a frist love for the stage. Before becoming a movie star, he was well known for performing in many Shakespearing plays with the Royal Shakespeare Company and the Royal National Theater. When I heard he was playing Sherlock Holmes, I thought it was for a stage adoption, because of his history with theater, but I was mistaken. I personally connected with Sir Ian McKellen portrayal of Mr. Holmes. Sir Ian McKellen's performance was so good that my feelings were reflective to the Holmes character in the film. I wouldn't be surprised to see a nomination when award season rolls around.</span></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Cinematography:</b> 8: I thought the locations of this film was the best part of the cinematography. In my opinion, its hard to mess up a beautiful landscape. I know cinematographers don't necessarily pick the locations, but they have to figure out how to shoot them, and I think this was a well-shot film.</span></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Direction: </b>7: I have to be honest, I'm was clueless on the works of Bill Condon. After looking him up on IMDB, I realized he was the one behind, Kinsey, Dreamgirls, and Breaking Dawn parts 1 and 2. I was a bit shocked to find out that the guys behind this well-made movie was also directed a Twilight movie, I digress. I think Bill did a decent job overall on Mr. Holmes.</span></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Editing:</b> 7: There was two main flashback: Holmes last case and his trip to Japan. I though the way the filmmaker handled the flashback from an editing standpoint was less than perfect. I personally liked the two flashbacks and how they add to the story but at the same time I thought they slowed the film down.</span></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Screenplay:</b> 7.5: I thought the story was inserting. This film brought to us a different Sherlock Holmes than we are accustom to seeing. I liked that the film was more or less a commentary on the fictionalized Sherlock Holmes. This film ran with the idea that Sherlock Holmes was a real person with real life experiences. Mr. Holmes had been living in the glorified image of himself written by his friend and colleague John Watson. We, the audience, meet the retired Holmes who want to write a story that's based on facts, unlike the stories Watson wrote. It was those accepts of the Sherlock Holmes story that made this film compelling.</span></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Sound and Music:</b> 8: I really enjoyed the score of this film.</span></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>VFX:</b> 7: There were hardly any visual effect shots in this film. I'm sure they may have used some visual effect shots to enhance or extend shot but thats about it.</span></li>
</ul>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Overall:</b> 8: I really enjoyed this film. It's nice to watch a film like this to take a break from the sea of CGI action-packed, summer blockbusters.</span>nerrojjhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06924037243147087683noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4372325769139826884.post-19967367089181043822015-07-18T14:28:00.000-04:002015-07-18T14:28:07.207-04:00Review: Ant-Man<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0478970/?ref_=nv_sr_1">IMDb</a> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /> <b>Title:</b> Ant-Man</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Distributor:</b> Marvel Studio (Disney)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Director:</b> Peyton Reed</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Writer(s):</b> Edgar Wright (screenplay), Joe Cornish (screenplay), Adam McKay (screenplay), Paul Rudd (screenplay), Edgar Wright (story), Joe Cornish (story) </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Starring:</b> Paul Rudd, Michael Douglas, Evangeline Lilly, Corey Stoll, Michael Peña </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>MPAA Rating:</b> Rated PG-13 for Sci-fi action violence </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Running Time:</b> 117 min</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Synopsis:</b> Armed with a super-suit with the astonishing ability to shrink in scale but increase in strength, con-man Scott Lang must embrace his inner hero and help his mentor, Dr. Hank Pym, plan and pull off a heist that will save the world.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /> <br /> </span><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">What Others Are Saying? </span></b></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /> <a href="http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/antman/">Rotten Tomatoes:</a> 80% "Fresh", Top Critics: 76% "Fresh", Audience: 92% "Liked It"</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.metacritic.com/movie/ant-man">Metacritic:</a> Critics: 64 out of 100, Users: 8.2 out of 10</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.mrqe.com/movie_reviews/antman-m100069013">MRQE:</a> 72 out of 100</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /> </span><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">My Review </span></b></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /> <b>Source Material:</b> Based on a comic-book characters created by Jack Kirby and Stan Lee. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /> <b>Entertaining Value:</b></span><br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Action Elements:</b> There are some really good action sequences in this film. Even though the action sequences are good, there wasn't a lot of them. Let's just say there isn't a visceral overload like in Age of Ultron.</span></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Comedy Elements:</b> With the people attached to this film you may expect a "yuck yuck comedy" but it's not. The jokes are clever and quite funny.</span></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Dramatic Elements:</b> Surprisingly for a "superhero" film there were some really good dramatic moments. There is one father/daughter scene in the film that pulls at the heart strings.</span></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Sci-Fi / Fantasy Elements: </b>On the surface this film is a superhero film so there is a good amount of Sci-Fi elements including shrinking and communicating with ants.</span></li>
</ul>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /> <b>Cinematic Value:</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /> </span><br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Acting and Dialogue:</b> 8: First and foremost I want to bring to your attention that Michael Douglas is in this film and he does a fantastic job. When a high-caliber actor like Michael Douglas is in a potential big summer blockbuster, we begin to wonder if he just collecting a paycheck and not earning it. Well, Michael Douglas earned his paycheck. He portrayed a convincing old Dr. Hank Pym. I could continue singing praise about Michael Douglas's great performance, but there are other performances I would like to talk about as well. When I heard the casting of Paul Rudd, I wasn't all that excited because he was known for comedy, and Ant-Man is a superhero. After seeing the film, I can safely say Paul Rudd was perfect for the role. Evangeline Lilly and Corey Stoll were good in their respective roles even though their character's weren't my favorite. On the other hand, one of my favorite characters was Michael Peña's character. His character made me laugh every single time he was on screen. </span></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Cinematography:</b> 8: I really liked how they handled the micro-cinematography in this film. I'm glad the shrinking aspect wasn't cheesy like in Honey I Shrunk The Kids. The filmmakers made Ant-man's powers make sense while at the same time making it look and feel cool. The perspective shots made me more acceptable to the idea that Ant-man was the actual size of an ant. </span></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Direction: </b>7: I was jumping ship with everyone else when I heard the news that Edgar Wright had left the production of Ant-man. I became even more disappointed when I heard Marvel hired Peyton Reed to replace Edgar Wright as director. I'm sure I wasn't the only one thinking, "Marvel why are you hiring a director known for bad comedy movies." I was proven wrong after seeing the film. You could tell Peyton Reed was an Ant-man fan and knew the source material. Also, there was a level of respect of Edgar Wright's original draft of the script. </span></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Editing:</b> 7: The editing wasn't bad overall, but I felt that there could have been some minor edits. I personally thought the film was a little heavy on the montage sequences.</span></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Screenplay:</b> 9: I thought this film was well written. Usually having more than two screenwriters is bad news. I definitely saw Edgar Wright's touch in the story, especially in the final battle sequences. From my understanding, they left a lot of Edgar Wright's concepts in the film but tweaked them to be more "Marvel". I personally like how the screenwriters interject this film into the MCU. I feel like other MCU films and television shows (Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.) has forced connections, whereas, Ant-man's are elegantly placed. Even though I like the little sprinkles of MCU goodness this film offered, I wasn't the biggest fan to their "hard" connection to the MCU. <u style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;">SPOILER-ish</u> There is a part in the middle of the film where Scott Lang has to steal a piece of tech from an old Stark warehouse. Surprise, the old Stark warehouse is the new headquarter's for the Avengers. This reveal then leads a fight between Ant-man and Falcon, granted it was an awesome fight, but in my opinion an unnecessary one. <u style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;">SPOILER End.</u> This "hard" connection was disruptive to the follow of the story, but I personally think the dialogue references were enough of a connection to the MCU. Realistically, I'm being a bit nitpicky because the scene I described in the small spoiler section was pretty bad-ass. I though the character development was good was well. </span></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Sound and Music:</b> 8: I really enjoyed the score of this film. </span></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>VFX:</b> 8: The one main praise I have for the visual effect on this film is the ants. It's hard to watch this film and not get emotionally attached to the ants. The ants are just as much apart of this film as any of the actors.</span></li>
</ul>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Overall:</b> 8: I'm not 100% sure this film is going to be for everybody but I a good time at the theater. I think it was a good end to phase 2 to the MCU. I recommend that you at least give the film a try. </span>nerrojjhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06924037243147087683noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4372325769139826884.post-77639227877766624442015-07-12T00:21:00.000-04:002015-07-12T00:21:43.107-04:00Should Conventions Provide A Virtual Ticket?<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I personally like going to conventions, especially if I have the extra time and money. Let's face it conventions are a giant meet and greet, that allows a person to geek out with other geeks and potentially meet celebrities. The thing I hate the most about going to conventions is the cost. If the ticket to get into the doors doesn't burn a hole in your wallet, the traveling expenses will. Maybe for some the financial burden isn't a problem, but getting the time off work. Maybe neither off these things are and issue but you're an unlucky person and the convention sells out before you could get a ticket. What I'm trying to say is there is a limited amount of people who can go. I personally would like conventions to expand their business model and find an online space.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Follow me here. There are many live streaming sites that could easily sponsor a convention and broadcast the event worldwide. The convention could go the free route and limit the broadcast to the "main stage" and maybe a few other things. If the convention wants to make a little bit more money, they can charge a reasonable amount (I suggest half the price of a physical ticket) and show nearly everything. There could still even be room for exclusive content for those who are lucky enough to be at the actual convention.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The only convention I can think of that use this model is BlizzCon. BlizzCon, for those of you out of the loop, is Blizzard Entertainment's convention they throw for fans of their games. Blizzard usually announces their newest games including expectations to they're already popular games (World of Warcraft, Starcraft, and Diablo). Blizzard knows their fan base is very large, so large that not everyone could fit under one roof. Blizzard fixed this problem with the Virtual Ticket. I believe their Virtual Ticket is sponsored by DirectTV and cost roughly 40 US dollars. With this 40 dollars, you get access to the majority of the conventions, which includes all the panels, eSports stages, and high-quality trailer. There are also some in-game incentives for buying the Virtual Ticket.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Let's imagine for a moment the SDCC (San Diego Comic-Con) used the BlizzCon Virtual Ticket model. One: people like myself who can't make it out to the conventions, for one reason or another, could experience those events as well. I'm positive I'm not the only one who would like to see the content released in Hall H. Usually, low res version of the panels are placed online, then taken down shortly there after. Two, this could be a way to release a non-pirated version of a trailer, and true market to their fans. This beats a journalist, blogger, or Youtuber's synopsis any day. There still could be exclusive content with this model. At this year's SSCC, Lucasfilm gave all the attendees of the Force Awaken's panel, a free Star Wars concert. Those who have the "virtual ticket" don't get to see that content, period. Maybe there are more incentives for those in the crowd, so the "virtual ticket" doesn't take out the point of going to the convention in the first place.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">What I'm trying to say is I would love an opportunity to experience the major conventions like SDCC when life doesn't allow me too. How about you? </span>nerrojjhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06924037243147087683noreply@blogger.com0