My review of Monsters University will be coming soon, and since I am in the process of moving the blog has been stationary for the last couple weeks, making this post more important than it should be. I want to start by saying that Pixar is still a top class animated studio, and with its past films still warrants the top dog stature it has gained. In my opinion however, Pixar has hit a rut, one that may become more apparent In a few years. It seems as if the originality of their films has become none existent, and they are fast tracking sequels and in this particular case a prequel that is unnecessary. Was Monsters University a terrible? absolutely not, but it wasn't a good one either. It was an average film that falls closer to mediocrity as it becomes predictable and cliché. When leaving the theater Suzanne said to my complaints "It's a kids movie your judging it to harshly." and I promptly replied "when did Pixar make just kids movies?". That is what Monsters University was a kids movie that relied on cheap gags and a lack of wit and charm. I didn't want to see Revenge of The Nerds with a slew of monsters, I wanted another original film.
The last 3 films of Pixar are what I consider "the rut" even though one of them won Best Animated Feature (Brave), which is another rant for another time. Cars 2 is critically known as the worst Pixar film followed by Brave if you are using the Rotten Tomatoes score as the benchmark for which is a better film. For me at least Monsters University is my second least favorite Pixar film, and would fall short of my top 20 animated film list, a list which contains most every Pixar film. Looking at future projects we are given another unnecessary sequel in Finding Dory, and a couple original projects that show some promise. However, in the competitors front DreamWorks has multiple original ideas that sound more promising, along with a somewhat unnecessary sequel to their top film How To Train Your Dragon. With companies such as Blue Sky, Illumination and Aardman continuing to improve, Pixar needs to watch its back before they are bested with more original films by its competition.
I said it from last winter, Turbo (A DreamWorks production) will be the animated film of 2013. With Monsters University not hitting a homerun, the opportunity for Turbo or Despicable Me 2 is in the clearing.
Tuesday, June 25, 2013
Saturday, June 15, 2013
Man Of Steel On Pace For A Big Weekend
Though my predictions for the Rotten Tomatoes were way way off, it looks that the film will exceed at least one of my predictions. I predicted that Man Of Steel would gross 103 million this weekend, and if the numbers are correct it's looking to gross upwards to 125 million. If you add the Wal-mart special screenings with the midnight you have the gross of 21 million, and it has been said through Friday it will have grossed around 56 million. Of course nothing is said and done until Sunday when the reports are released, but Warner Brothers should be happy with those numbers.
It may fall behind the 174 million put up by this years Iron Man 3, but it would be unfair to compare it to that. Iron Man 3 was riding the momentum of The Avengers, one of the highest grossing films of all time. While Man Of Steel is a reboot coming off the under performing Superman Returns. Unfortunately, i believe there is little chance it will return next week as a leader. Newcomers World War Z and more so than that Monsters University should knock the illustrious Superhero down from the top of the food chain. If the film has some legs, via good word of mouth (not from critics) than the film can continue to rack in the cash throughout next month. There is a lot of films coming out that will draw children and adult away from the film. We will continue to watch it as it strives to reach the billion dollar mark.
It may fall behind the 174 million put up by this years Iron Man 3, but it would be unfair to compare it to that. Iron Man 3 was riding the momentum of The Avengers, one of the highest grossing films of all time. While Man Of Steel is a reboot coming off the under performing Superman Returns. Unfortunately, i believe there is little chance it will return next week as a leader. Newcomers World War Z and more so than that Monsters University should knock the illustrious Superhero down from the top of the food chain. If the film has some legs, via good word of mouth (not from critics) than the film can continue to rack in the cash throughout next month. There is a lot of films coming out that will draw children and adult away from the film. We will continue to watch it as it strives to reach the billion dollar mark.
Thursday, June 13, 2013
Movie Review: Man Of Steel (Spoiler Free)
Trey: 4.5 out of 5
Though Ive never been a Superman fan, I now believe that a man can fly. Filled with insane action sequences, great acting and a little bit of emotion, Man Of Steel soars above the summer movie season and offers a film unlike anything I have ever seen. While building an strong foundation for future films and a larger universe. For not being a fan, this is the Superman film I have always wanted to see.
Suzanne: 4.9 out of 5
I am right there with Trey, I have never been the biggest fan of Superman. The one thing that I did like that was Superman related was Smallville and this movie was nothing really like that TV show. But let's get to the movie at hand, Man of Steel. This movie was by far the greatest movie I have seen this summer it was entertaining, slightly comedic and very emotional and overall fantastic.
Overview
This is not the Superman from the 1970's, and is more of a sci fi alien encounter than the superhero films of our past. When Jor-El (Russel Crowe) sends his newborn infant Kal-El to earth before the core of his home planet implodes, and General Zod (Michael Shannon) captures the codex that is traveling with him. The film instantly cuts to an adult Kal-El/Clark Kent (Henry Cavill) who is alone and searching for the meaning of his existence on this planet. The film from there continues with varies flashbacks of the childhood experiences of Clark and how he handled his immense power. With Daily Planet reporter Lois Lane (Amy Adams) hot in his tails Clark is faced with an ultimatum, give himself over to Zod or the whole planet will be destroyed.
Visuals
Trey: Many others and I know that Zack Snyder is a very visual director, and this film utilizes every trick up his sleeve. The CGI is gorgeous and even with an abundance of action and CGI, I never felt like the scenes became tedious. I felt every blow even tho the people delivering them probably couldn't. Amir Mokri really delivered some great cinematography, and the flair and style utilized by Snyder made every scene exhilarating. When Kal-El first took flight my jaw hit the floor, and it was worth every minute.
Suzanne: The visuals in this movie were quite spectacular. I was very impressed by all of the detail of they put into Krypton and how truly amazing the planet looked. The fight scenes were amazing to watch and they looked so beautifully real it was crazy. I was completely floored when Clark Kent first flew, I felt like I could feel the rush with him which was just crazy.
Audio and Score
Trey: I am a big fan of Han Zimmer and his Man of Steel score was pretty spectacular. However there wasn't many different tracks they repeated many. I just believe they were utilized extremely well and added even more excitement to the action scenes.
Suzanne: I loved the score for this movie, it really blew me away. The subtle music throughout the movie really helped to carry the emotions of the actors on the screen and I think that is a very difficult thing to do. It picked up extremely well during the actions scenes as well which just made them that much better.
Acting
Trey: I have no gripes with the acting in the film, if any I felt Shannon was a bit more reserved than id like him to be. Cavill did a tremendous job being this incarnation of Superman. He isn't Christopher Reeve they are very different and I enjoy both versions. Were Reeve was more clumsy and unique outside the suit, Cavill was strong and silent. When he did get to show some charm near the end of the film he did it perfectly, making me believe the end of the film will lead to great things for Cavill in future films. Also another standout for me was Russel Crowe who absolutely kills it as Jor-El. Throughout this entire movie I never once thought about Reeve, or Brando or Terrence Stamp. Each actor portrayed this version of the character phenomenally even with some hokey dialogue. Amy Adams also played a Lois Lane for this age, and made her more than just a damsel in distress, I was rather surprised with how intricate she was to the film. I hear a lot of complaints about how the relationship wasn't there and I feel it just begun. Never once in the film did I feel like they were instantly together even after there kiss and that is perfectly fine with me. This wasn't a love story it was a story about Kal-El finding his path. Also I have a lot of praise towards Kevin Costner as Pa Kent and whoever played Faora.
Suzanne: Fantastic! That is what I have to say about the acting in this movie. Everyone, including a few extras, had amazing performances and I think that is a hard thing to get with movies. I thought Cavill was the perfect choice for Superman, he was rugged and charming and overall a great Superman to watch. Now, his female counterpart Amy Adams also did quite well with her role as Lois Lane. She was quirky and bossy and she played her role perfectly, from the Lois Lane's that I have seen she is definitely my favorite. As for the Kryptonians, a.k.a. Russell Crowe and Michael Shannon, I thought they were quite fun to watch. The way the two of them interacted with each other was very entertaining to watch, even though it was a very short time of interaction. Russell Crowe was bad ass and he completely portrayed his character to a tee, it was spectacular to watch to say the least. I thought with Michael Shannon, having met him at Eberfest, that he was completely the opposite of himself. He was a great villain for this movie and I thought that he was one of the main highlights. The way his character was so angry and crazy about taking over and saving his race was just crazy. Also with Clark's parents I thought they both added a lot of dynamic to the movie, they were both very key emotional parts and they played their parts very, very well.
Story
Trey: This is the portion of the movie that has been getting the most heat for critics and I feel they were expecting something from their past. This isn't the fun loving Superman everyone remembers, this is brand new stuff and good for that. The story was very comic book like and the only complaint I have towards it is that the editing the way it was put together was rather choppy. I felt a linear story could have helped the film, but would make it more like the films of the past. As for an origin story, this is one of the best I have seen. When the film was emotional it succeeded in being that, and when it wanted to be thrilling it was. It was a simple story, but it was an extremely inventive and new way to represent everything from Krypton, to every aspect of the story. I did however feel there may have been a better way to piece the film as a whole together. That is however a nitpick for a film that I feel builds the perfect foundation for future films. While it may not offer the wit and charm of the first Superman films it offers incredible action, likable character and a whole lot of hope. I was with Superman the whole film through every scene and every ounce of pain and agony and I couldn't be happier with it. The way the film ended made me slightly giddy and put Cavill in a very familiar situation that even if you didn't enjoy the film you can see the potential for future success. I agree the essence of the character may not be the same as what everyone from the past believes it should be, however this new Superman is one I will enjoy following throughout his many adventures.
Suzanne: The story for this movie was the beginning of a long journey in my opinion. This is the the very start of the amazing life of Clark Kent and Superman and it was a great start. It is a very good start for audiences to begin to love Superman and follow him just like we have with the Batman Trilogy. I thought as far as filming with the movie it needed less lens flares and not as many close up shots of things we don't really need to see such as the wagon, etc. I don't really have a whole lot to say about the story to be honest.
Though Ive never been a Superman fan, I now believe that a man can fly. Filled with insane action sequences, great acting and a little bit of emotion, Man Of Steel soars above the summer movie season and offers a film unlike anything I have ever seen. While building an strong foundation for future films and a larger universe. For not being a fan, this is the Superman film I have always wanted to see.
Suzanne: 4.9 out of 5
I am right there with Trey, I have never been the biggest fan of Superman. The one thing that I did like that was Superman related was Smallville and this movie was nothing really like that TV show. But let's get to the movie at hand, Man of Steel. This movie was by far the greatest movie I have seen this summer it was entertaining, slightly comedic and very emotional and overall fantastic.
Overview
This is not the Superman from the 1970's, and is more of a sci fi alien encounter than the superhero films of our past. When Jor-El (Russel Crowe) sends his newborn infant Kal-El to earth before the core of his home planet implodes, and General Zod (Michael Shannon) captures the codex that is traveling with him. The film instantly cuts to an adult Kal-El/Clark Kent (Henry Cavill) who is alone and searching for the meaning of his existence on this planet. The film from there continues with varies flashbacks of the childhood experiences of Clark and how he handled his immense power. With Daily Planet reporter Lois Lane (Amy Adams) hot in his tails Clark is faced with an ultimatum, give himself over to Zod or the whole planet will be destroyed.
Visuals
Trey: Many others and I know that Zack Snyder is a very visual director, and this film utilizes every trick up his sleeve. The CGI is gorgeous and even with an abundance of action and CGI, I never felt like the scenes became tedious. I felt every blow even tho the people delivering them probably couldn't. Amir Mokri really delivered some great cinematography, and the flair and style utilized by Snyder made every scene exhilarating. When Kal-El first took flight my jaw hit the floor, and it was worth every minute.
Suzanne: The visuals in this movie were quite spectacular. I was very impressed by all of the detail of they put into Krypton and how truly amazing the planet looked. The fight scenes were amazing to watch and they looked so beautifully real it was crazy. I was completely floored when Clark Kent first flew, I felt like I could feel the rush with him which was just crazy.
Audio and Score
Trey: I am a big fan of Han Zimmer and his Man of Steel score was pretty spectacular. However there wasn't many different tracks they repeated many. I just believe they were utilized extremely well and added even more excitement to the action scenes.
Suzanne: I loved the score for this movie, it really blew me away. The subtle music throughout the movie really helped to carry the emotions of the actors on the screen and I think that is a very difficult thing to do. It picked up extremely well during the actions scenes as well which just made them that much better.
Acting
Trey: I have no gripes with the acting in the film, if any I felt Shannon was a bit more reserved than id like him to be. Cavill did a tremendous job being this incarnation of Superman. He isn't Christopher Reeve they are very different and I enjoy both versions. Were Reeve was more clumsy and unique outside the suit, Cavill was strong and silent. When he did get to show some charm near the end of the film he did it perfectly, making me believe the end of the film will lead to great things for Cavill in future films. Also another standout for me was Russel Crowe who absolutely kills it as Jor-El. Throughout this entire movie I never once thought about Reeve, or Brando or Terrence Stamp. Each actor portrayed this version of the character phenomenally even with some hokey dialogue. Amy Adams also played a Lois Lane for this age, and made her more than just a damsel in distress, I was rather surprised with how intricate she was to the film. I hear a lot of complaints about how the relationship wasn't there and I feel it just begun. Never once in the film did I feel like they were instantly together even after there kiss and that is perfectly fine with me. This wasn't a love story it was a story about Kal-El finding his path. Also I have a lot of praise towards Kevin Costner as Pa Kent and whoever played Faora.
Suzanne: Fantastic! That is what I have to say about the acting in this movie. Everyone, including a few extras, had amazing performances and I think that is a hard thing to get with movies. I thought Cavill was the perfect choice for Superman, he was rugged and charming and overall a great Superman to watch. Now, his female counterpart Amy Adams also did quite well with her role as Lois Lane. She was quirky and bossy and she played her role perfectly, from the Lois Lane's that I have seen she is definitely my favorite. As for the Kryptonians, a.k.a. Russell Crowe and Michael Shannon, I thought they were quite fun to watch. The way the two of them interacted with each other was very entertaining to watch, even though it was a very short time of interaction. Russell Crowe was bad ass and he completely portrayed his character to a tee, it was spectacular to watch to say the least. I thought with Michael Shannon, having met him at Eberfest, that he was completely the opposite of himself. He was a great villain for this movie and I thought that he was one of the main highlights. The way his character was so angry and crazy about taking over and saving his race was just crazy. Also with Clark's parents I thought they both added a lot of dynamic to the movie, they were both very key emotional parts and they played their parts very, very well.
Story
Trey: This is the portion of the movie that has been getting the most heat for critics and I feel they were expecting something from their past. This isn't the fun loving Superman everyone remembers, this is brand new stuff and good for that. The story was very comic book like and the only complaint I have towards it is that the editing the way it was put together was rather choppy. I felt a linear story could have helped the film, but would make it more like the films of the past. As for an origin story, this is one of the best I have seen. When the film was emotional it succeeded in being that, and when it wanted to be thrilling it was. It was a simple story, but it was an extremely inventive and new way to represent everything from Krypton, to every aspect of the story. I did however feel there may have been a better way to piece the film as a whole together. That is however a nitpick for a film that I feel builds the perfect foundation for future films. While it may not offer the wit and charm of the first Superman films it offers incredible action, likable character and a whole lot of hope. I was with Superman the whole film through every scene and every ounce of pain and agony and I couldn't be happier with it. The way the film ended made me slightly giddy and put Cavill in a very familiar situation that even if you didn't enjoy the film you can see the potential for future success. I agree the essence of the character may not be the same as what everyone from the past believes it should be, however this new Superman is one I will enjoy following throughout his many adventures.
Suzanne: The story for this movie was the beginning of a long journey in my opinion. This is the the very start of the amazing life of Clark Kent and Superman and it was a great start. It is a very good start for audiences to begin to love Superman and follow him just like we have with the Batman Trilogy. I thought as far as filming with the movie it needed less lens flares and not as many close up shots of things we don't really need to see such as the wagon, etc. I don't really have a whole lot to say about the story to be honest.
Wednesday, June 12, 2013
Movie Review: This Is The End
Overall
Trey: 4 out of 5
When its funny it's hilarious and the majority of the film followed that suit. However to many penis jokes and a bland middle section ultimately turn this disaster film from a great comedy to a good one.
Suzanne: 3.5 out of 5
This movie was pretty hilarious overall and I really enjoyed that fact that they did a light hearted apocalypse movie. I agree with Trey that there were far too many penis jokes (but hey if that's your thing this is the movie for you) and the middle of the movie did drag quite a bit. Other than that a great comedy if you need a good laugh.
Overview
When Jay Baruchel comes to L.A to visit his best friend Seth Rogan, Jay's plans to just chill with his friend are thrown out the window when Seth persuades him to go to a house warming party at James Franco's House. They arrive at the party where Seth meets up with some of his good friends like James, Jonah Hill, and Craig Robinson. Jay however doesn't get along with everyone and feels as if he is being put on the back burner by his would be best friend. When outside the apocalypse begins, whoever survives the chaos outside has to band together and figure out a plan to survive. (Sorry for the overview, that was one of the most difficult overviews I have ever had to write. I didn't want to give away anything but the bare minimum.)
Visuals
Trey: Though much of the film takes place within Franco's house there is a bit of special effects spread throughout the film. When there was some monsters and the wreckage outside for the budget I thought it did rather well. This isn't a blockbuster film but the simple use of the CGI was good enough.
Suzanne: I thought the visual effects were pretty good for this not being a huge movie. They spent a majority of the movie inside which was fine but I wanted them to be outside in the wreckage a little more than they were.
Audio and Score
Trey: nothing to really talk about in this section, however there was some nice musical touches. In particular a perfectly timed and hilarious use of a famous Whitney Houston song, and even the Backstreet Boys. Yeah I said it.
Suzanne: I didn't notice a ton of music in the movie overall but when I did it worked perfectly. They used it for comedy and it was quite amazing and made the movie that much better.
Acting
Trey: When you have people playing the exaggerated versions of their real life selves, the expectations for the acting isn't very high. I believe you will be impressed with whatever characters you end up liking. An example would be I have never been a fan of Seth Rogan and Jay Baruchel, and they were the characters I didn't enjoy (Along with Franco). However I loved the performances of Craig Robinson and Jonah Hill, I found them to be the funniest and just overall the most enjoyable. Also I would like to point out the extremely hilarious cameo performance from Michael Cera. I believe it's exactly what he isn't like in real life, but it made me laugh a lot.
Suzanne: I thought that everyone did really well with their end of the world performances. I loved when they showed all of the celebrities at James Franco's party because they each had their own little quirky comedic part and it was great. I really enjoyed the comedic interaction between all of the main characters, Rogan, Franco, Robinson, Hill and Baruchel. I thought everyone was very funny and that really made the movie what it is. And finally I have to give a shout out to Michael Cera for giving a hilarious cameo in the movie that was really different than what we usually see from him.
Story
Trey: I found the story to be most impressive, and much different than what I was expecting. There was some gags (penis ones) that fell flat for me, and they kept adding more and more as the film went on. The best part about the story it added a twist I wasn't expecting, and for every bland scene I was confident they would come back and make me laugh soon, which they usually succeeded at. Mad props to Rogan and Goldberg for writing a funny bromance adventure. The film started out immensely strong, then started to fault in the middle, but redeemed itself in the final 15 minutes of the film.
Suzanne: I thought the story actually came together really well. I wasn't sure going into the movie that it would work very well but it truly did. The only part of the story that I really didn't enjoy was all of the penis jokes, I thought they really over did it with those. I thought that they spent a little too much time in the house but in the end it did work so I can't really complain. Overall the movie's story was really great and really funny.
Trey: 4 out of 5
When its funny it's hilarious and the majority of the film followed that suit. However to many penis jokes and a bland middle section ultimately turn this disaster film from a great comedy to a good one.
Suzanne: 3.5 out of 5
This movie was pretty hilarious overall and I really enjoyed that fact that they did a light hearted apocalypse movie. I agree with Trey that there were far too many penis jokes (but hey if that's your thing this is the movie for you) and the middle of the movie did drag quite a bit. Other than that a great comedy if you need a good laugh.
Overview
When Jay Baruchel comes to L.A to visit his best friend Seth Rogan, Jay's plans to just chill with his friend are thrown out the window when Seth persuades him to go to a house warming party at James Franco's House. They arrive at the party where Seth meets up with some of his good friends like James, Jonah Hill, and Craig Robinson. Jay however doesn't get along with everyone and feels as if he is being put on the back burner by his would be best friend. When outside the apocalypse begins, whoever survives the chaos outside has to band together and figure out a plan to survive. (Sorry for the overview, that was one of the most difficult overviews I have ever had to write. I didn't want to give away anything but the bare minimum.)
Visuals
Trey: Though much of the film takes place within Franco's house there is a bit of special effects spread throughout the film. When there was some monsters and the wreckage outside for the budget I thought it did rather well. This isn't a blockbuster film but the simple use of the CGI was good enough.
Suzanne: I thought the visual effects were pretty good for this not being a huge movie. They spent a majority of the movie inside which was fine but I wanted them to be outside in the wreckage a little more than they were.
Audio and Score
Trey: nothing to really talk about in this section, however there was some nice musical touches. In particular a perfectly timed and hilarious use of a famous Whitney Houston song, and even the Backstreet Boys. Yeah I said it.
Suzanne: I didn't notice a ton of music in the movie overall but when I did it worked perfectly. They used it for comedy and it was quite amazing and made the movie that much better.
Acting
Trey: When you have people playing the exaggerated versions of their real life selves, the expectations for the acting isn't very high. I believe you will be impressed with whatever characters you end up liking. An example would be I have never been a fan of Seth Rogan and Jay Baruchel, and they were the characters I didn't enjoy (Along with Franco). However I loved the performances of Craig Robinson and Jonah Hill, I found them to be the funniest and just overall the most enjoyable. Also I would like to point out the extremely hilarious cameo performance from Michael Cera. I believe it's exactly what he isn't like in real life, but it made me laugh a lot.
Suzanne: I thought that everyone did really well with their end of the world performances. I loved when they showed all of the celebrities at James Franco's party because they each had their own little quirky comedic part and it was great. I really enjoyed the comedic interaction between all of the main characters, Rogan, Franco, Robinson, Hill and Baruchel. I thought everyone was very funny and that really made the movie what it is. And finally I have to give a shout out to Michael Cera for giving a hilarious cameo in the movie that was really different than what we usually see from him.
Story
Trey: I found the story to be most impressive, and much different than what I was expecting. There was some gags (penis ones) that fell flat for me, and they kept adding more and more as the film went on. The best part about the story it added a twist I wasn't expecting, and for every bland scene I was confident they would come back and make me laugh soon, which they usually succeeded at. Mad props to Rogan and Goldberg for writing a funny bromance adventure. The film started out immensely strong, then started to fault in the middle, but redeemed itself in the final 15 minutes of the film.
Suzanne: I thought the story actually came together really well. I wasn't sure going into the movie that it would work very well but it truly did. The only part of the story that I really didn't enjoy was all of the penis jokes, I thought they really over did it with those. I thought that they spent a little too much time in the house but in the end it did work so I can't really complain. Overall the movie's story was really great and really funny.
What's Up With Man Of Steel?
I think most people would admit that the marketing for Man Of Steel has teased a fantastic film that blends drama and action. However with the current standings at Rotten Tomatoes it holds a measly 68% and a 7/10 overall. Reading the reviews the problems become apparent, too serious, too much action not enough charm. Here is my thoughts on the whole situation regarding what was expected to be one of the biggest films of the year. I want to start by saying I have yet to see the film, just studying what the negative and positive reviews say about the film.
.jpg)
I don't know about you guys but a more serious more action packed Superman film is pretty much what I was hoping for. Yes, I wanted a Nolan style story with emotion and depth and maybe Man Of Steel misses that mark, but I haven't seen Superman punch anyone since the disaster known as Superman IV. Though many reviews have pointed out that it can be very emotional at times, one constant has been the praise towards the scope and action sequences of the film, though a lack of weight and a somewhat repetitiveness within the action has been noted by some. It's a lot of action, literally the last 45 minutes of the film (so I've heard) is pure destruction and sometimes if not done well it can become dull like Transformers 3 did for me. If you love action and that doesn't bother you then you will love the film.
The seriousness has also been a big point of criticism amongst the mixed reviewers. I believe they wanted it to be like the original Superman, which is exactly what Snyder and crew didn't want. Everyone needs to treat this film like a completely new incarnation of Superman, he is tormented and lost he isn't silly and full of life like Reeve's. Stop expecting that and either embrace the new incarnation or don't. You don't need to bash it based on what it is, respect it for it's merits don't compare it to a classic like Superman: The Movie. I feel if everyone went in without seeing Superman the movie, like many of my friends will get too. They will come out with a much more enjoyable experience.
My Superman review will come out tomorrow night after my 7 o'clock showing.
I don't know about you guys but a more serious more action packed Superman film is pretty much what I was hoping for. Yes, I wanted a Nolan style story with emotion and depth and maybe Man Of Steel misses that mark, but I haven't seen Superman punch anyone since the disaster known as Superman IV. Though many reviews have pointed out that it can be very emotional at times, one constant has been the praise towards the scope and action sequences of the film, though a lack of weight and a somewhat repetitiveness within the action has been noted by some. It's a lot of action, literally the last 45 minutes of the film (so I've heard) is pure destruction and sometimes if not done well it can become dull like Transformers 3 did for me. If you love action and that doesn't bother you then you will love the film.
The seriousness has also been a big point of criticism amongst the mixed reviewers. I believe they wanted it to be like the original Superman, which is exactly what Snyder and crew didn't want. Everyone needs to treat this film like a completely new incarnation of Superman, he is tormented and lost he isn't silly and full of life like Reeve's. Stop expecting that and either embrace the new incarnation or don't. You don't need to bash it based on what it is, respect it for it's merits don't compare it to a classic like Superman: The Movie. I feel if everyone went in without seeing Superman the movie, like many of my friends will get too. They will come out with a much more enjoyable experience.
My Superman review will come out tomorrow night after my 7 o'clock showing.
Wednesday, June 5, 2013
Our Top 3 Favorite Movie Teams
In vein of the new film Now You See Me, Suzanne and I will be listing our favorite movie teams. There is really no credentials as to what is considered a team, besides the fact that they need to be working together. This isn't a top ensembled cast, its a group of people working together to accomplish amazing things. Teamwork is the backbone of society and nothing beats a great movie team. Though one bad-ass hero is great, nothing beats a well oiled team. Here we go!
Trey
3. Charlie And Team (Italian Job 2003)
Though this film is a remake, not many teams are put together as well as this out for revenge team. Every group consist of intricate parts, in this case you have the mastermind Charlie (Mark Wahlberg). His right hand man the tough guy Handsome Rob (Jason Statham), and the computer geek Lyle (Seth Green). Rounding out this already awesome team is the extremely attractive safecracker Stella (Charlize Theron), and the explosives and weapons expert Left Ear (Mos Def). I absolutely love this movie, and this team is pure awesome. One of my favorite scenes revolves around Seth Green imitating the British gruff accent and suave lady skills of Jason Statham from afar. This is a well oiled machine who completely dominated their final plane to a rousing success. Eat that Steve (Edward Norton).
2. Cleveland Indians (Major League 1989)
I love a good baseball movie and making it a comedy centered around a bad baseball team is always fun to watch. I could have chose something like the Bad News Bears but my favorite baseball comedy is Major League. The key components of this team is an extremely wild flame thrower named Ricky Vaughn (Charlie Sheen) and a cocky speedster named Willie Mays Hayes (Wesley Snipes). Throw in a burnt out veteran as your straight man, and a over payed loser and you got yourself an awesomely bad baseball team. Lets not forget my favorite player Pedro Cerano (Dennis Haysbert) a spiritual outfielder who can't hit the curveball. This is one of the great baseball movies and it's a shame I have yet to buy it. Now that this post reminded me of this film, I will be looking out for a Blu Ray copy.
1. Cobb's Inception Crew (Inception 2010)
There is a lot to like about Christopher Nolan's Inception, one of those being the tremendous team put together by Miles (Michael Caine). The Leader/ Extractor of the group Cobb (Leonardo Dicaprio) spends the beginning of the film putting together his team to infiltrate the mind of someone and plan an idea into their head. This team consist of the architect Ariadne (Ellen Page) who designs the dream that the dreamer is put into, Arthur (Joseph Gorden-Levitt) the point man who does research beforehand and helps the extractor and Eames (Tom Hardy) who can imitate and take the form of other people within the dream. Of course their is other members like Siato (Ken Watanabe) who funds the project and Yusuf (Dileep Rao) who is the chemist and created the sedative to keep people asleep. This is absolutely without a doubt my favorite team, they play so well off of each other. My favorite member? Eames of course because everybody likes someone who dreams a little bigger.
Suzanne
3. The A-Team (2010)
I love when A plan comes together, especially when that plan is created by mastermind Hannibal played by the always bad-ass Liam Neeson. The A-team may not have been critically acclaimed but its pretty awesome and the chemisty between the cast is absolutely dynamite. You have of course Liam Neeson whose name says everything about himself, and the cocky ladies man Face (Bradley Cooper, The kooky Murdock (Sharlto Copley) and the tough guy B.A Baracus (Rampage Jackson). The team has a lot of dynamics, and the characters really work well together.
2. Oceans Eleven Team (2001)
This is the epitome of a team, a very large team 11 to be exact. I am not going to list all the team members cause my hands would cramp up and honestly I don't remember all of them. I do however know Danny Ocean (George Clooney), Rusty Ryan (Brad Pitt), Linus Caldwell (Matt Damon) along with this really cool contortionist fellow. They are so awesome that they don't rob only one casino they rob three simultaneously. Easily, the best 11 person team in movie history.
1. Han Solo and Chewie (Star Wars Trilogy)
There will never be any two team tandem that can overshadow the sheer greatness of Han and Chewie. You have the extremely charismatic and fan favorite Han Solo (Harrison Ford) and the lovable sometimes cowardess Wookie named Chewbacca. I am not all that versed in Star Wars lore, so I wont be given you a breakdown of what a Wookie is or why they make an awesome gargling noise. No matter because everyone knows what a Wookie is unless you lived under a rock your whole life and missed out on one of the great trilogies of all time. If you did somehow miss out turn it on and enjoy this awesome team
as they travel through space.
Honorable Mentions
Both Suzanne and I both have some honorable mentions, because we each randomly thought of more teams we enjoy. I for one love the new StarShip Enterprise crew with Chris Pine as Kirk and more so Zachary Quintos as Spock. Not to mention one of my favorite comedic actors in Simon Pegg as Scotty and Anton Yelchin as Chekov. I always wanted to mention a more unorthodox team in the form of Bruce Wayne (Christian Bale), Fox (Morgan Freeman) and the loyal butler Alfred (Michael Caine). Suzanne wanted to throw out Harry, Ron and Hermoine as well.
Trey
3. Charlie And Team (Italian Job 2003)
Though this film is a remake, not many teams are put together as well as this out for revenge team. Every group consist of intricate parts, in this case you have the mastermind Charlie (Mark Wahlberg). His right hand man the tough guy Handsome Rob (Jason Statham), and the computer geek Lyle (Seth Green). Rounding out this already awesome team is the extremely attractive safecracker Stella (Charlize Theron), and the explosives and weapons expert Left Ear (Mos Def). I absolutely love this movie, and this team is pure awesome. One of my favorite scenes revolves around Seth Green imitating the British gruff accent and suave lady skills of Jason Statham from afar. This is a well oiled machine who completely dominated their final plane to a rousing success. Eat that Steve (Edward Norton).2. Cleveland Indians (Major League 1989)
1. Cobb's Inception Crew (Inception 2010)
Suzanne
3. The A-Team (2010)
I love when A plan comes together, especially when that plan is created by mastermind Hannibal played by the always bad-ass Liam Neeson. The A-team may not have been critically acclaimed but its pretty awesome and the chemisty between the cast is absolutely dynamite. You have of course Liam Neeson whose name says everything about himself, and the cocky ladies man Face (Bradley Cooper, The kooky Murdock (Sharlto Copley) and the tough guy B.A Baracus (Rampage Jackson). The team has a lot of dynamics, and the characters really work well together.
2. Oceans Eleven Team (2001)
This is the epitome of a team, a very large team 11 to be exact. I am not going to list all the team members cause my hands would cramp up and honestly I don't remember all of them. I do however know Danny Ocean (George Clooney), Rusty Ryan (Brad Pitt), Linus Caldwell (Matt Damon) along with this really cool contortionist fellow. They are so awesome that they don't rob only one casino they rob three simultaneously. Easily, the best 11 person team in movie history.
1. Han Solo and Chewie (Star Wars Trilogy)There will never be any two team tandem that can overshadow the sheer greatness of Han and Chewie. You have the extremely charismatic and fan favorite Han Solo (Harrison Ford) and the lovable sometimes cowardess Wookie named Chewbacca. I am not all that versed in Star Wars lore, so I wont be given you a breakdown of what a Wookie is or why they make an awesome gargling noise. No matter because everyone knows what a Wookie is unless you lived under a rock your whole life and missed out on one of the great trilogies of all time. If you did somehow miss out turn it on and enjoy this awesome team
as they travel through space.
Honorable Mentions
Both Suzanne and I both have some honorable mentions, because we each randomly thought of more teams we enjoy. I for one love the new StarShip Enterprise crew with Chris Pine as Kirk and more so Zachary Quintos as Spock. Not to mention one of my favorite comedic actors in Simon Pegg as Scotty and Anton Yelchin as Chekov. I always wanted to mention a more unorthodox team in the form of Bruce Wayne (Christian Bale), Fox (Morgan Freeman) and the loyal butler Alfred (Michael Caine). Suzanne wanted to throw out Harry, Ron and Hermoine as well.
Man of Steel Predictions
With the release of Man of Steel slowly approaching, way to slow. I decided it is time to make my predictions on its Rotten Tomato score and its weekend gross. It's a tough thing to predict because there hasn't been much about it besides one 8/10 IMDB critic review and a couple anonymous reviews which were also well received. As for the gross it is tracking to be a 100+ million dollar weekend, but so was Star Trek Into Darkness which didn't do that. Lets start by predicting its rating on review sites.
Though people claim Superman Returns is the biggest pile of crap ever to hit the silver screen, they are wrong. Even with the backlash it received it got a 76% which is on par with most superhero films. It just wasn't the Superman film everyone wanted or was expecting, it was very drama heavy much like the Donner film. That being said we come to Man of Steel which is high octane action mixed with a grounded story and some heavy themes regarding alien life and loneliness. The reinvented Superman look far superior to its predecessors and even attempts to bring great story telling along with the intense action sequences. One can look at the Dark Knight Trilogy as a base range because like Man Of Steel a good story is the primary objective. That means it should fit within the Range of Batman Begins 85% to The Dark Knights 94%. I will however go big on this one, and say it ends with a 92%. I think its a movie that will appeal to the masses and inspire hope in the Superhero Genre that there is still surprises in store for us.
Predictions 92%
As for gross things becomes much more difficult to predict. I don't believe it will reach the Avengers first weekend mark, and I am still debating if it will hit 1 billion world wide. It is very possible that it could cross that mark and WB is definitely hoping it will but I am unsure. Star Trek Into Darkness was also expected to get 100 million and fell well shot with a weekend haul of 70 million. Does that mean the market is saturated? absolutely not, because Fast 6 pulled in 117 million in its memorial day run. This to me shows that the market is still waiting to boom, Avengers type boom? probably not but something impressive. Iron Man 3 will still probably be the highest grossing film of the year but Man of Steel should be second.
Predictions
Weekend - 103 million
Total Domestic - 450 million
World Wide- 750 million
Though people claim Superman Returns is the biggest pile of crap ever to hit the silver screen, they are wrong. Even with the backlash it received it got a 76% which is on par with most superhero films. It just wasn't the Superman film everyone wanted or was expecting, it was very drama heavy much like the Donner film. That being said we come to Man of Steel which is high octane action mixed with a grounded story and some heavy themes regarding alien life and loneliness. The reinvented Superman look far superior to its predecessors and even attempts to bring great story telling along with the intense action sequences. One can look at the Dark Knight Trilogy as a base range because like Man Of Steel a good story is the primary objective. That means it should fit within the Range of Batman Begins 85% to The Dark Knights 94%. I will however go big on this one, and say it ends with a 92%. I think its a movie that will appeal to the masses and inspire hope in the Superhero Genre that there is still surprises in store for us.
Predictions 92%
As for gross things becomes much more difficult to predict. I don't believe it will reach the Avengers first weekend mark, and I am still debating if it will hit 1 billion world wide. It is very possible that it could cross that mark and WB is definitely hoping it will but I am unsure. Star Trek Into Darkness was also expected to get 100 million and fell well shot with a weekend haul of 70 million. Does that mean the market is saturated? absolutely not, because Fast 6 pulled in 117 million in its memorial day run. This to me shows that the market is still waiting to boom, Avengers type boom? probably not but something impressive. Iron Man 3 will still probably be the highest grossing film of the year but Man of Steel should be second.
Predictions
Weekend - 103 million
Total Domestic - 450 million
World Wide- 750 million
Saturday, June 1, 2013
Trey's Blu Ray Collection: Crazy, Stupid, Love
Verdict: 4 out of 5
1. Children of Men
2. Cloudy With A Chance Of Meatballs
3. American Beauty
4. Arthur Christmas
5. Master And Commander
6. Crazy, Stupid, Love
7. The Brothers Grimm
8. Cast Away
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)