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Duel (1971)
For Spielburg's first film, it definitely hits an A-Grade!
Originally aired to be shown on television, and only given 10 days to shoot all the footage, Steven S pulled off an impressive stunt in making it film as quickly as he did, only going 2-3 days over his scheduled shooting time.
You'd think something thrown together as quickly as it was would turn out an hour and a half full of boredom and laziness. Instead, we're given an incredibly unique thriller that takes place on the highway in the middle of the desert. A traveling salesman is randomly selected to be the next victim of an incredibly intimidating and powerful tractor trailer. When I say that, I mean you don't see the driver of the trailer, maybe a hand or a foot here and there, but you never see him. Therefore, the villain IS the truck itself, forming a violent and menacing personality (even having license plates from previous victims mounted on its front bumper). David Mann (Dennis Weaver) is just an everyday sort of guy driven (no pun intended) into a state of absolute fear, trying to find out why he's being chased down and staying alive while he still can.
It's a very intimate film, delving deep into David's mind and showing us how incredibly horrified he is of the situation. And just when he thinks he's figured it out or feels safe, the truck is there right on his tail or directly in front of him, waiting patiently for him on the side of the road. Because of this, the end result leaves David a totally different man, and it's on of those films that starts its credits after its all over, leaving you to ponder what is going to happen to him after this violent incident.
Very intense chase sequences, couple with the psychological breakdown of an everyday guy, makes Steven Spielburgs first cinematic release a true piece of film gold.
8/10
The Amazing Spider-Man 2 (2014)
You Know What It Is I Love About This Movie? Everything!
As far as sequels go, TASM 2 does everything a good sequel should do, which is further the story, up its game in terms of both action and drama (depending on the film), and leave its audience satisfied and longing for the third film coming down the road.
I went with a few friends to see this film, and everyone had their own opinion that they shared once it was over. Taking in the negative and positive comments about it, everyone still had an overall good outlook on how this turned out. It definitely surpassed the first on every level in my book.
The story, even deeper than I expected, and it was very interesting to see how Peter's (Andrew Garfield) parents played a vital and tragic role of who he is and the company known as Oscorp. Gwen Stacy (Emma Stone) is back as one of my favorite love interests for a superhero film: very smart, beautiful, emotional and even though she gets in danger, she does her very best to help out in a important way. I don't want to spoil anything, but it keeps your attention, you care for the characters, and by the end of the film you are both left with a sad feeling of loss, as well as triumphant when you see your favorite web-slinger return to fight the evils of NYC.
The action is very cool, and Spider-Man's costume is so awesome looking. From incredibly immersive scenes of swinging around the city with Spidey (which looks amazing in 3D at times), to him entangling in intense battles with a powerful Electro, or a very menacing Green Goblin (sorry William Dafoe, this one works better).
A lot of people were worried about 3 villains being in this film, and how much of a problem it was in the winy "Toby-Spidey" Spider-Man 3. No worry, the film balances this out quite nicely. The main villain for certain is Electro (performed very well by Jamie Foxx), and his journey from a slightly off the edge Spider-Man fan boy with no friends into a dark and electricity leeching monster. Harry Osborn (Dane DeHaan) plays a pivotal role in Spider-Man's life story, especially at the very end of the film when he finally becomes Green Goblin. Rhino (I love Paul Giamatti) is in the film at the very beginning and very end, and leaves you wanting so much more from his psychotic and hilarious performance, and his bada$$ Rhino suit.
All in all, fans of Spider-Man and anybody who has seen the first TASM should definitely see this movie. It exceeds its predecessor, and leaves you yearning for more. Can't wait for TASM 3! 9/10
The Lego Movie (2014)
A well executed and "different" approach for an animated film about "Lego"
I can understand why some people may not view this as a great animated movie, because it definitely isn't something you see every day. But "The Lego Movie" is a good kind of different in my book, which deserves recognition and applause on many levels.
The first trailers did fool me into thinking it was all in stop motion, but it's actually a very decent blend of CGI meant to look like a stop motion animated film, that alone deserves a thumbs up. The animation in this film is absolutely phenomenal, and several moments I just pointed to the screen and thought "That's just awesome." (especially the explosions and the ocean). It's just a wonder to look at, and the main theme "Everything is Awesome" just sums up my thoughts towards this film. (and it's stuck in my head, pretty catchy) As for story, well, people say it's cliché, but I say it was definitely intended to have that feel. The film purposely parodies the unoriginality of todays modern society in film. "The Special will arise, save us all, yadayada", but then again, the whole entire world is coming from the mind of a young boy playing with his dad's (Will Ferrel) giant professionally built Lego sets. Thus, showing the films moral: let your mind take flight, and you can create anything... especially with Legos. And that definitely leaves you with a nostalgic feeling back in the day when you built whatever you wanted out of your giant pile of Legos at home in your room, leaving you with an accomplished feeling. Yes, it's technically a "complex interlocking brick system", but that doesn't mean you have to follow the instructions all the time.
And the characters really do carry the story along with their absolute Lego charm and likability. Emit (Chris Pratt)is just an everyday construction worker who is thrown into a crazy new world of the "Master-builders, chosen to be the "Special", and while he may not know it yet, he has what it takes to save the world. Along side Wyldestyle (Elizabeth Banks(, who is a bad a$$ new kind of female main character who isn't in the damsel in distress roll, and even has Batman (Will Arnet) as her boyfriend! (btw, Batman is by far the funniest in the film, along with 1980's space man). All the characters are enjoyably unique, and have great comedic moments each, and all the cameos are very cool to see and have you rolling at times. (especially Superman (Channing Tatum) avoiding Green Lantern (Jonah Hill) All in all, I think everyone needs to take a look at this film, I don't want to spoil much more about it because it really needs to be seen to understand why it's a really "awesome" movie.
8/10 sonicfan5715 Reviews
Frozen (2013)
Disney Has Truly Shown They Still "Got It!"
Ever since the last 2D film "Home on Range", in which Disney was going to fully turn to CG for their own films outside of Pixar. Films like Chicken Little and Meet the Robinsons, while somewhat enjoyable, lacked A lot compared to Disney films of the past. After bumps in the road with only Pixar and their overrated live action Disney channel show to turn in profit, along came Tangled. I thought it was advertised horribly in their first trailer, but it was interesting to see Disney finally return to their traditional "Princess" films while combining it with CG. When I finally saw it, I loved it all, songs, characters, story, animation, everything. After that, we got Wreck It Ralph, which was a massive step for Disney, especially with handling what was supposedly rumored to be a video game cameo clusterfudge, and turning it into a brilliant "Toy Story"ish tale with a very fresh and gratifying message in the end. And now we have the latest from Walt Disney studios: Frozen.
With films like Tangled and Wreck It Ralph impressing me enough to even consider them some of my favorite Disney films, surpassing even past 2D films in the 90's, I held high expectations for this film, and it did not disappoint.
I am going to get what little bad out of the way, because this film gave me very little to gripe about. First was the exploiting the comedy relief in the aspect that Tangled succeeded with, specifically the deer acting extremely dog-like, similar to Maximus (best Disney horse ever). Even so, this was our first Disney reindeer, and thus more memorable since we would have forgotten him if he was a horse. Secondly, the troll song number seemed very out of place. Though I liked the trolls design and their "roll" in the fate of both Elsa and Anna, their song was not exactly needed, but all the same not terrible (still got some chuckles out of me).
And the rest is fantastic! The story is extremely fresh, and though it really didn't follow the original source material, Disney took the story and did an excellent job using the concept and making their own wonderful storyline. It centers around two princesses, sisters named Elsa and Anna. While young an accident occurred when Anna got hurt by Elsa's ice magic. Terrified of hurting anybody ever again, Elsa closed herself off from the world and even her family. I don't want to spoil anything outside of that, but I will say that this tale takes some unexpected turns and has two pretty surprising twists towards the end! Point being, very well told story.
The songs, what can I say, some of the most beautiful I've heard in years from Disney musical animated features. Elsa's song "Let It Go" is one of the most gorgeous and cathartic of musical numbers I've ever heard, and I took listening to that track alone several times after seeing the film.
Everyone seemed to be split on the comedy relief Olaf, I read either he's hilarious, tolerable, or flat out annoying... I thought he was pretty funny, and he definitely has his hilarious moments as well. He's even a useful comedic character, he was never their for just giggles.
The animation is undeniably stunning, Disney took advantage of the fact they were going to be working with snow and ice, and it shines through. Again, along with Elsa's "Let It Go" song, her display of showing off her incredible and beautiful powers of ice is simply amazing to look at.
I can only hope Disney keeps this streak going, always aiming to make their films better and better, and taking new chances and twists whenever needed and doing it right to please their audience. Frozen is a film that takes new chances and succeeds in all the right places, and has very little to be disappointed with, if anything really. Memorable story and characters, gorgeous soundtrack and animation, I give Frozen a 9.5 out of 10! Keep it up Disney!
Prisoners (2013)
A truly gritty, yet astonishing thriller, with the best of Jake Gyllenhall and Hugh Jackman
Originally I was going to see Riddick this night, but we missed the time and saw that Prisoners had just premiered. I really did not know too much about the film, other then it was a thriller/mystery with Hugh Jackman, that's it. I had no idea what kind of an edge of my seat/nearly out of breath movie this was going to be after I sat down in the theater.
Every performance is incredibly well done and acted, especially Jackman and Gyllenhaal, the two main characters we follow through most of the story. It was tempting to make a statement out loud regarding Marvel references, considering Jake's characters name is Loki (of Asgard!), and Hugh Jackman. (well, you know, schnick!) That aside, both Jake and Hugh are excellent in this film. You may think that Keller (H.J.) is just out for blood to find his daughters, but he had legitimate reasons for doing what he does to find that answers and save his and his friend Franklin's (Terrence Howard) daughters. Loki is a no nonsense cop who "has solved all of his cases", and is extremely determined to find out who is behind the kidnappings and why.
While this movie is 2.5 hours long, it really pulls you into the suspense, feeling for each characters emotions and "praying for the best, and preparing for the worst" throughout the whole film. Not in a long time have I been legitimately worried about the safety and lives of fictional characters in a movie. This movie is extremely gruesome at times, but just the right amount of grittiness that makes it all the better.
Excellent film: brilliant cinematography, acting, suspense, and story, bringing to the big screen one of the best movies of 2013, and may very well hold that honor come the end of the year.
Prisoners: 10/10
Pacific Rim (2013)
Biggest Surprise I've Had In a While, Loved Every Minute
For those who may think this is a Transformers ripoff only because of giant robots, let me tell you that this film is far better than any of Michael Bay's crap lately. The first Transformers film was the only remotely good one, but even this film tops that. Guillermo del Toro's films have always been a favorite of mine (Pan's Labyrinth, Hellboy 2, and so on), and I trusted that with his hand behind this giant robot vs giant monster plot, that it would be good. 2 hours later, I was taken completely back.
Pacific Rim is simply, wait for it, AWESOME. The effects and animation on the Jaegers and Kaiju are phenomenal, and the fight scenes are some of the best giant creature fights you've ever seen. You can actually tell what's happening, and see every devastating blow these beast lay out on each other. And the acting is rather good too, thank God we didn't have to put up with a Lebouf performance, and Charlie Hunnam, Idris Elba, and Rinko Kikuchi deliver excellently as the three main leads. The story, though I don't want to give anything away, is told very well, and is easy to keep up with (unlike a clusterf*** like Transformers 2) and actually manages to tug at a few heartstrings, especially during a very well done and unsettling scene with a young girl in hong Kong in a flash back.
Point is, go see this movie. Belay any negative comments you've heard about it. If everyone gave this a chance, there's something in this movie that they would all enjoy from any aspect of it. Amazing effects and fight scenes, good solid acting and characters, fun story, all rolled into one to make (until part 2 of the Hobbit) my favorite film so far this year.
9/10 Pacific Rim
Man of Steel (2013)
Does NOT deserve this hatred.
Granted, there may be some things wrong with this film, but that does not mean we should dismiss it as a whole! "Too much action!" seems to be the mostly heard complaint about this film. Yes, towards the end of the film it is all action, but why does that warrant any of us to bash it so. There is no reason to, especially when the film itself is probably the best Superman film since the very first one.
I'm a Batman fan before anyone else, biased and looking at Superman as the too perfect boyscout of a hero, and personally this film changed that. I'm aware he has a definable personality in the comics and to an extent "Superman: The Animated Series", but for a while I just really didn't give him a chance till this film came around.
The acting is great, the story is lushly and beautifully told, the action is astounding at times (though it could have been toned down slightly, but the action that was there was pretty darn impressive), and the ideal of "Superman/hope" is spread throughout... it's an excellent superhero movie about the most recognizable superhero: Superman.
8/10, give it a watch, I don't want to give anything away, see it for yourself, decide whether or not you like it for whatever reason, but walk away from seeing this film, and "you will believe a man can fly."
Brave (2012)
Not nearly as "Brave" as it could have been
Supposedly after going through a couple rewrites, producers, directors, "Brave" went out to the public with most of us not really sure about the film, but very intrigued all the same. Pixar had never done anything like this, and after the pointless "Cars 2", a lot of us were hoping "Brave" would redeem Pixar and pick it back up on its feet as one of the best animation studios to date... unfortunately it let a lot of us down. But by no means, this is not a bad movie in the slightest; it has colorful and lush animation (like Pixar always does), fun and memorable characters (I particularly like Meridas father Fergus, voiced by Billy Connolly, and his three mischievous triplets), and a likable, "play-it-safe-no-risks" storyline that calls back to films about rebellious teenage girls like "The Little Mermaid" and is usually always enjoyed... but that is EXACTLY the problem this film ever so suffers from.
"Brave" is extremely inconsistent in terms of its tone. The original trailer for this was building up to a deep epic story about finding ones self, and confronting ones fears through always being "brave". Later trailers revealed more lighthearted, goofy elements, but all the same Pixar has had a habit of making their movie trailers looking very silly, but they always come off as very good movies (save Cars 2, which was good, but again, NOT needed). Once I saw the movie, I enjoyed it as a whole, but at the same time was very disappointed in the end result.
It starts off very nicely during the first half of the film, but the second half is when it really botches was it was originally building up to. We've got a Scottish kingdom, and in this beautifully created world we've got Merida (Kelly MacDonald), a young teenage girl who just wants to be free and do what she feels is her "destiny", and eventually was to go out and look for it. She goes through her emotions about not wanting to be queen, rebelling against her strict mother (Emma Thompson), to the point of going out and finding her "destiny". Up to that point, the movie was doing really well; how the animators captured the Scottish countryside and some of its culture is well done, as well as some very funny Scottish humor (drinking, brawling, mooning), enjoyable characters that are memorable enough that make you want to see the film more than once, and having some good buildup as to what Meridas "destiny" would be. And this is where it takes a turn for the worse.
Once Merida gets a potion to change her mother from a sneaky old witch, therefore changing her destiny, the film takes a "Brother Bear" feel when the potion literally turns her mother into a bear herself (should have seen it coming since the main antagonist is an evil bear, who was once a man himself). Thereafter Merida has to find a way to keep her mother safe and return her to normal before her mother loses her human self becomes a bear with no human emotions at all. That does sound all interesting, but it plays out very safely and times it seems too traditionally Disney, and even though this is a Disney film, that's not what we were expecting from this. Once the end of the story rolls along, it resumes the tone that the beginning of the film captured, but by that point we were disappointed, because we wanted the whole movie to be like that.
Nonetheless, after ranting here, "Brave" isn't a bad movie at all, it just doesn't live up to our expectations, therefore making it one of Pixars lesser films. But it still manages to keep our attention with good characters, beautiful Pixar animation, and manages to capture the Scottish feel pretty well. Certainly not as "Brave" as it could have been, but it still manages to hold up nonetheless... well, almost anyway.
7/10 sonicfan5715/Jeffrey V
G.I. Joe: Retaliation (2013)
Just a fun movie, nothing too phenomenal, but still fun.
I've never really watched the original "G.I. Joe" as a child, and after I saw the first film, "G.I. Joe: Rise of Cobra", I wasn't all that impressed with it. After Transformers, Hasbro has just been trying to cash in on movie products based on their action figures (and I have NO intention of seeing "Battleship" btw), and a G.I. Joe movie was one way to do it. So now here we have a sequel, "G.I. Joe: Retaliation". After seeing a few trailers, it seemed worth checking out, even though it resorts to the "famous characters we all know and love betrayed and having to prove their innocence" plot. All the same, Bruce Willis is in to.
I will say that at least this and Fast Five help make up for Dwayne Johnsons "Toothfairy", as he plays the character Roadblock alongside his partners Duke (Channing Tatum), Flint (D.J. Contra), and a very eye-opening Jaye (Adrianne Palicki). This film does start off well enough with a mission for the G.I. Joes, and everything goes as planned, until they are suddenly obliterated, save for Roadblock, Jaye, and Flint, by order of the President of the U.S. himself. Now fugitives, the three, after suffering such as great loss including Duke (which was admittedly surprising that they killed him off so early on, but it was probably a cash in on some quick easy drama, cause a lot of us probably wouldn't have cared if Flint was the one who blew up instead), have to go and get prepared to find out why they were set up and join with Snake Eyes (admittedly the most awesome character in the film)to finish it once and for all.
This is a much better film then "Rise of Cobra" for a few good reasons. 1. At least it has something of an entertaining plot line, not really throwing any unique curves, but how it plays out with some pretty impressive action/explosive sequences and fun character moments (though Flint isn't all that memorable of a character). And when the film is over, it leaves you satisfied with what you just sat through, and maybe making you want to check it out once more. 2.Bruce Willis. 3.Cobras redesign... SO much better then that stupid frigging' oxygen mask he had in "Retaliation", and looks and sounds like Cobra should, though I never watched the show, this feels like what this villain should be. And even then he's not the central issue in the film, along with a controversy of if the president is really the president and the Zeus missile threat makes this a little better than a single way plot. 4. The launching of the first Zeus missile on London, and the explosively destructive result is visually better and more satisfying then anything the awful movie "2012" could offer.
So in the end, "G.I. Joe Retaliation" is no film masterpiece in the slightest, but at least I can say it was a good and very fun movie to watch, and even has quite a few elements that stand out from other films and manages to stand as a MUCH better film than Taken 2 or Wrath of the Titans. And for my money that more than enough for me to give this film a solid 7/10: awesome action scenes, explosions that put Michael Bay-Crap to shame, very funny character moments, and overall fun movie. And if an ninja fight scene alongside of a mountain with a bad a$$ Snake Eyes and little "firefly" drones that explode all over the place isn't enough to for you to see it... again, Bruce Willis.
Final Verdict: 7/10 Review By: Jeffrey V, sonicfan5715
The Plague Dogs (1982)
Realistic, gritty, sad, yet completely beautiful film.
The Plague Dogs... it's kind of hard to describe why this film is so good, because of all the things it manages to execute to near perfection.
The animation, for it's time, is amazing, especially seeing that Martin Rosen's approach to this and "Watership Down" (another great) was to make the world and the animal characters in it seemingly realistic to a key (to an awkward point, when they draw out the dogs "package"). Nonetheless, the settings are dreary and threatening for our characters Rowf and Snitter (voiced by John Hurt, who also voiced Fifer in Watership Down) to traverse, and both the animals and even the humans are very well done.
Such a provocative story as well, one that makes this more of an adults film rather than a children's (given a PG-13 rating for a few bloody reasons). The relationship between Rowf and Snitter is done brilliantly, and though I've never read the actual book, the way these two characters work with one another and each others self-conflicting emotions (Rowf's cynical yet determined will to survive, Snitter's intellect but often driven mad by his past misdeeds and being "cursed") to survive the harsh brutal world they escaped to is phenomenal. Even the characters they come to interact with (the sheep herders two collies, and "Tod" the fox) play their parts in helping these two find their way to freedom, though they may not actually be helping. Tod in particular is a fittingly cunning fox, and while he is helping these dogs for his own gain, he comes to a point in his life that he puts aside his own selfish thieving gain and sacrifices himself for the two. In the end, after enduring long and treacherous times in the wilds of Scotland, pursued by hunters for slaughtering sheep, and believed to be ridden with a "plague" from the cruel lab they escaped from, they come to the end of their journey. The film ends on a very sad (or if you choose) uplifting note, depending on how you interpret the ending of their story, whether or not they survived in the end. It may leave you with a mixed feeling, but the overall journey with Rowf and Snitter and everything in between makes this one of the greats in animation.
Reasons this film is mainly geared more for adults isn't just for the enthralling story and the end result, it especially touches base with the issue of animal cruelty (most expressed in the beginning of the film, where Rowf is forced day by day to undergo endless swimming sessions of "endurance", drowning in the end and being revived by the humans to be put through the torture once more). Though I can't put my finger on what they did to Snitter, but it severely messed with his personal mind, causing his terrible imagery of his past, which in my mind delves even deeper on what terrible things we've done to animals simply for the sake of "what will happen." Say what you will about the issue, but I don't uphold animal cruelty on any level, but I wouldn't put a human first in line to be tested by a drug or treatment before it's proved foolproof. Wherever you stand on the issue, this film still manages to prove its point well, and makes you think about the aspects of animal experimentation/cruelty in labs.
To top it off with dark story elements, such as the dogs trying to revert to the "wolf" ways to kill to survive, and bloody details of injuries, attacks on both animals and humans (one in particular that Snitter did not mean the cause may very well scar you for life), "The Plague Dogs" never ceases to amaze in my eyes.
This film is definitely one to see at least once in your life, and many times thereafter if you truly grasp what the film attempts to evoke to its audience. Definitely in my top 10 favorite films (not just animated) of all time (alongside "The Iron Giant" of course).
9/10 Jeffrey V/sonicfan5715
Mononoke-hime (1997)
Animated Brilliance...
To a lot of people here in America, who have been raised with Mickey Mouse, Bugs Bunny, Shrek, Woody, Spongebob, Batman, Spiderman, and so forth, tend to toss aside any remote idea of watching anything that is "anime." Why? Because it's very different then what we're used to, and anything we see related to anime is usually kid oriented or just flat out weird that we turn a blind eye to this form of animation.
But we should not, anime is a fantastic genre in both animation and its own form of comics called "manga". We should not ignore this, and open our eyes to some of these wonderfully animated films and shows from Japanese animation. And I think a good start is with the Studio Ghibli films, who have been partnered with Disney for quite some time now actually, and almost all of the films to come out of this studio are wonders.
Like "Princess Mononoke."
Here's an animated movie that is definitely geared towards a more older teen/adult audience, but not only because of the bloody violent or scary moments, but because of the surprisingly compelling message that it tries to get across. That not only should nature be cherished and preserved, but also that whenever there is good and evil conflicting, there is no "fairy tale" guarantee that good will conquer, or even if both sides would be spared by destroying something far greater than either could have ever imagined.
The film does so incredibly well with pulling you right into it, with it's compelling storyline about a young man Ashitaka (Billy Crudup) who is poisoned by a demon and will inevitably die, and makes a journey to find out how this demon originated, eventually having to make the more then tough decision of what side he should be assisting: nature, or man. And after coming across an ever determined princess of the wolves, Mononoke/San (Claire Danes), he is confronted with obligations greater than he could have comprehended, whether or not he should help man conquer the pest of nature and the Forest Gods that fight for it, or protect an essence of life itself, the Forest Spirit.
"Even if all the trees grow back, it won't be his forest anymore. The Forest Spirit is dead." -San/Mononoke "Never. He is life itself. He isn't dead, San. He is here with us now, telling us, it's time for both of us to live." -Ashitaka
Along with some of the most gorgeous animation you've ever seen in any animated feature, this film is brimming with luscious scenery, creative creature/characters constructs, and both luminous and dreary settings to go through. Action scenes can be quite engaging, and even the most calm of scenes where characters are just talking, the animation just never ceases to amaze.
The English-dubbing for the animation is just fantastic, each voice actor putting forth some of their best performances in their career, including voices like Billy Bob Thorton, Corey Burton, and even Jada Pinkett Smith.
Simply every aspect of this film is fantastic, and it shines tall as one of the best animated features to date. Everything from its great animation, stellar voice cast, a moral/meaning that even adults can learn from, and all from the, again, brilliant Hayao Miyazaki.
Even if you're used to the traditional Disney or Warner Bros. animation and don't really plan on venturing too much into the world of anime, it would be unwise not to give this a watch. It will be well worth your time, and you'd never regret it.
10/10 By: sonicfan5715/Jeffrey
Darkwing Duck (1991)
"Let's Get Dangerous!"
After Ducktales, Disney came out with a variety of shows with the same kind of feel/formula, like Talespin, Chip n' Dale Rescue Rangers, Quack Pack, House of Mouse, shows based on their hit classics like "Aladdin" or "The Lion King", and a few others that were all hits and misses. And while I liked a majority of them as a kid, re-watching them now they seem extremely repetitive, and being very similar to other shows with similar story set ups and such. They always start off entertaining enough with their 2-5 part prelude episodes to each show, but then they begin to lag. But despite having a similar problem, a satire of Batman is not easy to ignore.
Enter Darkwing Duck.
This could have fell into that category I just explained, but since it was intentionally a spoof of Batman, it's got a lot of wiggle room because it does its job well. From the main hero, his sidekicks, and especially the wide variety of villains, "Darkwing Duck" is a pretty enjoyable show on it's own outside of being a satire of, quite frankly, a show that trumps pretty much any show that Disney came out with in the 90's.
Enjoyably voiced by renowned Jim Cummings, Darkwing Duck protects and fights for the city of St. Canard alongside his adopted daughter Gosalyn, and even Launchpad McQuack (who in fact quit working for Scrooge Mcduck, and came to St. Canard for a new life, so props to the writers for keeping "Darkwing Duck" in the same universe as the original Ducktales). And there are several enjoyable constructs of villains for Darkwing to foil, a electrifying neurotic Megavolt, Steel Beak, Bushroot (a male duck version of Poison Ivy), Quackerjack (essentially the Joker, minus the murderous side), and quite a few more.
The story set ups can be similar to a "Batman: The Animated Series" episode, and managed to be surprisingly engaging as Ducktales was. The wit, humor, and in jokes/4th wall humor can be very entertaining and quite funny at times. And thank you Gosayln for pointing out to everyone that WWE wrestling is fake! Probably one of my favorite moments in the show is when Darkwing stops two burglars from stealing in a museum, and after knocking them down, he reels back to punt both of them in the air with his feet, but pauses to say, "I just love this!", and sends them flying. This show is full of moments like that, and it makes it well worth the ride.
Overall, "Darkwing Duck" is a very enjoyable show that is a satire of an even better show, with fun stories, memorable characters and villains, and one of the catchiest 90's cartoon theme songs as well.
8/10 (One complaint though: there was a great 2 part origin episode where Darkwing travels back in time to help his younger self out... however quite a few episodes later, another origin episode came trying to pawn of the idea of Darkwing be a friggin' alien... what the #@$* ?)
The Walking Dead (2010)
One of the best character driven dramas ever,
It's sad to see quite a few people whine about this show not having enough zombies or gore, simply showing how so many people have been deprived of good entertainment that they have turned into a bunch of Michael Bays, simply yearning for explosions, boobs, and blood, nothing more.
But they are wrong. This show is brilliant.
Based on a hit series of graphic novels, and even having the creators of the original books help work on the show, "The Walking Dead" is an intensely character driven drama that is not only one of the best TV series ever: it is one of the best pieces of cinema that both television and film has had to offer us in years.
It genuinely does not hold back on what it needs to get across. The characters are living in a terrifying new world where they live day by day in fear of being eaten alive by "walkers", or even taken captive or killed by other survivors for their own purpose and gain. It's not a "happy go lucky ride" with few scares here and there, stuff goes down. People die out of the blue, some of your favorite characters go mad with desperation and do the unthinkable, and when it does get to the action/gore, it goes all out.
The effects of zombies tearing into flesh, body parts being blown to bits by shotgun blasts, axes and baseball bats bashing in walker heads, all insane and providing a lot of "oooohh dang!" moments, makes for a lot of entertainment on its own. But what really drives this show is, again, the characters.
Each character, particularly in the group we're with for most of the series, have distinct and memorable personalities, each playing their own specific role in their little survivors group. They develop a lot over the course of time, reacting and changing to whatever situation they come across and endure the hardships of. A lot of characters I could choose from as an example, but Rick is probably the best example to go with.
Rick Grimes (Andrew Lincoln) is a sheriff for a police department who was shot in a gun fight and left in a coma for a very long period of time. When he woke up however, everything was different. There was no one to be seen, the hallways of the hospital riddled with debris and rotting flesh, and once outside, body bags strewn all over the hospital yards and military equipment, but still no one. After walking a ways, he happens upon a corpse with no legs, seemingly rotten and dead, but to his horror the corpse began to snarl and try and work its (her) way towards him. He does not fully grasp the idea of the dead being "alive" until he is taken in temporarily by a father and son, who lost their mother, but she is now a "walker", both of them struggle to move on. Once Rick is fully recovered and on his feet, he goes to the city to try and find his family, seeing that the photo albums in his house were taken and packed away after everything "bad" had started. Over time as things come to pass, Rick coming across a group of survivors, and eventually finding his wife and son once again, Rick develops into a person that wants to do the best thing for everybody, but normally it is not in their best interest, and leads to every one else, even his family, to doubt him as a trustworthy leader. Eventually, Rick has to make the impossible choice to rid the group of an especially dangerous threat, his own best friend Shane, in turn (by the end of season 2) turning him even harder then he had already been beforehand, and willing to do what he needs to do to survive.
Like Rick, every character, no matter how large of a role they play here, have a sad, hard story, and their own personal demons fighting to bring them down to just giving up, or driving them to do horrible things. When we're not running away from or blowing up walkers, we're being pulled into a gripping story amongst all these complex characters, and constantly wondering what is going to happen next. When someone flips or does something terrible, you're shocked. When someone dies/gets eaten, you're immediately sad because of the loss. Even if a character, like Shane, does terrible things and eventually dies because of it, you're still saddened by his loss because you know why he did the things he did. Personally, that's what makes the show as good as it is, just how these characters adapt and change to this horrific world they now live in, and how they deal with it.
Accompanied by great undead flesh zombie makeup, gory fighting and action scenes, creepy soundtrack, deep involving story lines, and especially memorable and enthralling characters, "The Walking Dead" is one show that I will always hold up on my own personal favorites shelf as one of the best television shows ever brought to my 38" TV, though I wouldn't mind going for a marathon of this show at a big theater.
10/10
Animaniacs (1993)
Come Join The Warner Bros, and their Warner Sister Dot!
Even if you don't get half the political satires, movie spoofs/references, Animaniacs is still a wonderful, brilliantly written, and entertaining romp through pretty much every episode.
Each show had something different to offer, seeing that this show was bringing back the variety show format in cartoon form. And with Steven Spielburg on board for this show, it's no wonder the show turned out as good as it did. You have the Warner Bros and their Warner Sister Dot of course, and were always the highlight of the show. And as the show explains, they hold up to their "zany to the max" personalities, providing a lot of classic Looney Toons/Tom and Jerry slapstick and likability for the children, while appealing to older audiences who catch the surprisingly adult innuendos/in jokes and references/satires about movies and such.
Then there's probably the next most popular, Pinky and the Brain, who would later get so popular they'd get their own show, so I won't talk about them too much here. But they did deserve their own show with such a creative and hilarious premise of two lab mice trying to take over the world.
Also Slappy Squirrel and her nephew Skippy. Slappy is a laid back, normally grumpy squirrel who is retired from her days of filming Bugs Bunny-like cartoons, except she had a wolf, octopus, and a bison on her tail instead of Elmer Fudd or Yosemite Sam. Her "do my own thing, don't care" attitude made for a lot of good moments, especially when she pointed out how stupid and predictable her rivals were. Her nephew Skippy is great to have along for the ride, providing a lot of entertaining conversations with Slappy, particularly the Woodstock episode which spoofed the "Who's on first" routine.
Then you've got the Goodfeathers, which is obviously parodying Goodfellas. This part of the show seemed somewhat repetitive, especially how each episode ended with beating one another up, but it still provided some very funny moments with the Godpidgeon and Martin Scorcese as their perch.
And then there's Rita and Runt. I personally would have like to see some of this part of the show more simply because of the musical bits. The music in Animaniacs as a whole is fantastic, but the Broadway singer (whose name escapes me right now) that sings and voices Rita is just flat out beautiful, and the first show that showed how Rita and Runt met really showed her talent, as did her "This is our Home" song. Runt is along for the ride too, who falls into the complete idiot category, as he always thinks Rita is a dog, while he completely dislikes cats.
There are other enjoyable shorts here too, like lovable Mindy and Buttons, Chicken Boo, and a few others that really never got too much time on the show, and each one has something good about them. I would like to sum up the musical score for this show in one word: Amazing. From catchy tunes, unforgettable lyrics, and simply perfectly done. "Yakkos World" is among one of the most amazing things I've ever heard, as well as "Wakkos Nation". Another honorable mention is the "Great Wakkoritie" bit, in which Wakko literally burps classic symphonies, and I find simply this bit funnier and more entertaining than any of the "Chowder" or "Spongebob" crap we have nowadays.
I could go on for a while about this show, but there is a 1000 word limit. So to sum it up, 9/10 for Animaniacs: Intelligent and hilarious writing, great animation, hilarious in-jokes and satires, wonderful musical score... just all around one of the best cartoons to come out of the 90's. Also Yakko and Wakko are among my favorite cartoons characters ever, simply because of their irreverent wit, charm, and making me laugh so hard I'd get a headache at times.
9/10
Oz the Great and Powerful (2013)
Not as "Great and Powerful" as "Oz" could have been.
I went into this movie not really knowing what to expect, except that the story centered around how "Oz" came to be the actual "wizard of oz." Nevertheless it seemed interesting enough to see on opening night in 3D (which the 3D for this movie was pretty good, though I was expecting more flying "baboons" to fly out and scare me in 3D). The end result... it was good, it was a good movie, nothing "great and powerful", but it was still pretty good.
Storywise, it was pretty intriguing, how Oz (James Franco) was a magician in a traveling circus in Kansas, and wanting to be a "great man" above all good men, and through being chased by a big muscle man and escaping on a hot air balloon, Oz is whisked away by a tornado and sent to Oz. (Btw, the beginning paper cut-out/puppet show credits is absolutely beautiful, as well as everything being in black/white until he reaches the colorful and vibrant world of Oz.) I don't want to give too much away as to the plot, but Oz eventually is led to the Emerald City alongside Theodora (Mila Kunis, stunningly beautiful as always) and a flying monkey Finely (Zack Braff, whose voice-over performance here is pretty enjoyable). There he meets the witch Evanora (Rachel Weiz, whose performance is one of the films highlights), and is sent on a quest to kill the wicked witch and claim his throne.
After that the story does take some interesting (there goes that word again) turns as too the characters development, who they meet, and who is actually good and bad. Though personally my biggest complaint is Mila Kunis's performance as Evanora (to be the green Wicked Witch of the West in time). She does well as Evanora, and I really did not expect her to actually become the WW of the West, that's a lot to take on compared to the scary as hell witch in the original. Before she was the witch, her performance was pretty good, and the fact that whenever she cried it left burning scars on her face was pretty creative. But when she becomes the Witch we all knew and loved... she wasn't exactly creepy or scary. In fact, she wasn't particularly frightening to look at, she was still attractive with a crooked nose and green skin! She did have good moments when she went kind of crazy as the witch, but overall with her design and underwhelming performance as the witch, it just didn't really work. On the upside though, the glass china girl (Joey King), is a really, really well handled special effect, my personal favorite in the film.
But Mila Kunis not being the best choice for the witch isn't exactly why the film is not as good as I think it could have been, its just the fact that this was a prequel to one of the most beloved films of all time, and what we got just wasn't what I was hoping for, just something incredibly out there and fantastic. But for what we got... I still enjoyed it quite a bit. CGI plays almost 100% of a role in the film, and it's used pretty well, it does have some great moments with the side characters, the witches, and Oz himself with his out of place character eventually using his skills as a magician/trickster/prankster to defeat the evil that threatened the people of Oz.
Originally I was going to give this a 6, but thinking about it more a lot went into this, and the fact that Disney came up with something that was pretty well made is great. So, I think it deserves a 7/10: a good, entertaining flick about the coming of Oz with pretty well done CGI and "interesting" storyline, just some casting issues and being compared to the original really hold it down from being, again, "great and powerful.
7/10, sonicfan5715 (Jeffrey V)
The Iron Giant (1999)
One of my Favorite Movies Ever.
I was probably 12 the last time I saw it. After work I saw it on the animation/kids DVD section at Target for 5 dollars. So I picked it up, remembering that I enjoyed it and thought it'd be a nice addition to my DVD collection. And now I can say that it is definitely in my top 5 favorite animated films, and one of my favorite movies ever.
As a kid, I loved the whole idea of a little kid running into a gigantic alien robot and having to keep him a secret, very similar to E.T., except Hogarth's alien friend is over 50 feet tall and difficult to keep secret. When I saw it back then on VHS, I enjoyed it just as much as any other animated movie I liked at the time. But I didn't really grasp how wonderful the film truly was because I didn't fully understand what truly makes a movie great. It was a cartoon, so I didn't take it seriously as watching "Lord of the Rings" with my dad for the first time, and treated it as such: a good, fun animated movie, but not on par with something "live-action" and "teen/adult oriented". Now having watched it again at the age of 21, there is so much this film does, so simply and subtly in fact, that it is basically perfect.
You already know the synopsis for the film, but what about the characters in the film? The best thing about all of these characters, Hogarth, his mom Annie, the agent Kent, the junkyard artist Dean, and of course the Iron Giant. The relationships between these characters are so enjoyably real and seamless, their personalities meshing, connecting, and clashing as they interact with one another. Hogarth's relationship with his mom seems like a very real mother/son relationship, and the fact that he doesn't have a dad isn't shoved in your face like most Disney movies would with dead parents not being present. It very subtly presented with a brief picture of his dad on a picture frame towards the end of the film, but by then you've already got the picture that he only has a mom and why. And the fact Kent is so hellbent on finding the "giant" and is constantly prying Hogarth's brain to get him to spill the beans is just hilarious at times. Hogarth absolutely does not like this guy, and has a very funny way of getting back at Kent, which I won't ruin for you. With Dean and Annie, you don't get any forced, "this is awkward, kind of like you but can't say it" scenes, in fact you don't see them together too much, but any moment you see them together, you can tell that they have a genuine attraction towards the other. Last but certainly not least is Hogarth and the Giant.
Hogarth runs into the giant out of sheer curiosity as to what took their satellite disk one night, and is obviously terrified and yet memorized at first. Eventually he has to save the giant from being shocked to death from being tangled in some power lines but shutting the power down at the station. He loses track of the robot after that night, but decides he wants to go out an try to capture evidence that there really is a gigantic alien robot in the woods. Sure enough he runs right into him, and so their friendship begins. And through simply trying to teach him to speak and trying to lead him to a safe hiding place, you see that the giant is actually something of a curious little kid, learning and adjusting to this new world. You know he came from some faraway advanced planet, but we really don't know why or what things he is capable of (until towards the end), but you're just so drawn into how through so few words and sentences, this Iron Giant is such a wonderful character.
Brad Bird and everyone who took part making this film truly put a genius effort into bringing the giant to life. Through his limited facial expressions (eyebrows, small-big bright eyes, adjustable mouth and iron teeth) and voice work by Vin Diesel, they truly make you feel for this curious, little kid "giant", and the personal turmoils he has when comprehended the death of a deer, or whether or not he has a soul of his own because he has a personality and feelings. My personal favorite scene is when the giant thinks Hogarth is dead, how he gasps in shock, how his hand trembles after touching his limp body, how he just starts to whimper and cover his face in sadness, it's just perfect. The Iron Giant himself is one of the best animated characters in history, with a team of amazing artists behind him to turn a what might have otherwise been a generic robot into a genuine, connectible, and memorable character.
Ultimately the moral in the end is "killing is bad, and take time to love what you have around you always." People bash this film so badly for the fact that it's a robot and should not have feelings, and all the political references and connections it has in this film, and I do not believe that's any reason to bash it whatsoever. I could go on scene by scene narrating the movie and explaining what I love about each scene, but I want to let you all watch it for yourself.
The Iron Giant is a solid 10/10 for me, with amazing animation, wonderful and lush characters with supreme voice actors, such as Jennifer Anniston as Annie or Harry Connick Jr. as Dean, and a simple easy to follow story that is pieced and scripted together so well, that it just comes out perfectly. As I said before, one of my favorite movies ever, and for many a good reason.
10/10
Sonic the Hedgehog (1993)
Way Past Cool
Alongside "Batman: The Animated Series", "Sonic the Hedgehog" is my favorite 90's animated TV series. Reasons being: 1: Quoting Doug Walker's "Nostalgia Critic", "...taking a bright, relatively plot less video-game, and turning it into a dark, gloomy, and kind of epic show." 2: Wonderfully constructed characters, each having distinct personalities, and playing off of one another with remarkable chemistry. Antoine is particularly hilarious because of his obvious wussy french nature and normally completely useless on missions, though he did capture Robotnik temporarily at one point. Sonic, of course, is as SEGA intended him to be: a kick-ass teenage hedgehog with an attitude, but he really does take his job seriously, though at times the other Freedom Fighters deem his actions immature. Sally is a wonderful love interest for Sonic, playing around with him making him think she'll be with Antoine or someone else just to mess with his head, and argue frequently. My favorite instances are when they take something the other says and just throw it back at them effortlessly. Rotor (his design in season 1 is much better, and you barely see him in season 2, but that's a minor nitpick) is a genius walrus with a knack for machinery. Tails is a young two tailed fox who can fly, obviously, and often struggles with being ignored for being little, when really he is quite smart and takes initiative whenever needed. Bunnie "Rabot" is a cyborg rabbit with incredible strength, a strong southern accent, and a very loving disposition. Uncle Chuck is a loving and likable uncle to Sonic the Hedgehog, who was unfortunately "robotizized" by Robotnik, and thus was under his control. He eventually gets his free will back by fighting from the inside of his robotic body, and starts to be a inside man listening for Robotniks plans and giving the Freedom Fighters a chance. There are several other characters throughout the series, such as Dulcy the dragon and Sallys father King Acorn, and all are enjoyable and essential to the storyline.
3: The villains, some of the most enjoyable baddies you'll come across in cartoons. Julien, now Ivo Robotnik, is not one of those villains that is trying to take over the world. He already did, and has built an enormous empire of pollution and evil robots to serve him, robotizizing several Mobians to create more servants. And on top of being one bad ass and completely evil construct, his voice (provided by Jim Cummings) is one of the coolest voices ever, just adding onto his villainy. Snively, his wimpy and tiny nephew, is constantly waiting head and foot for Robotnik, but later down the line Snively develops a real loathsome hate for his uncle, and by the end of season 2, you clearly see he is ready to take up his uncles mantle after he had disappeared. Ixis Naugus is brought in briefly as an old nemesis of Robotnik, and proves to be a very dangerous foe as a wizard, for both Robotnik and the Freedom Fighters, and actually joins up with Snively at the end of season 2, hence the red eyes during the last shot.
4: Superb voice-work and animation, top notch for the 90's, such as Jaleel White as Sonic the Hedgehog, Jim Cummings as Dr. Robotnik, and even Tim Curry as King Acorn, and every other characters, whoever may have voiced them, do a thoroughly good job with their characters. Animation is quite good, superb at times, from the dark, uninviting city of Robotropolis, the the green, pleasant village of Knothole, this world is created wonderfully with great detail along with very well done character models and animations.
5: Story, not your everyday "hero saves the day every single time" story lines for a cartoon. The good guys don't always win, there are quite a few times they either fail a mission, or lose someone they dearly cared about. This really pulls you in, because it's not all fun and games, despite being about a bunch of furry animals rebelling against an overweight fat man, and that's what makes it so intriguing. And each episode seems attached to the episode before, their actions affecting what will happen next most of the time, especially in the second season where several episodes were building up to the "Doomsday Project" episode.
And so, with complex characters, wonderful animation and voice acting, dark storyline and great villains, "Sonic the Hedgehog" is definitely worth a look, even if you are not a "Sonic Fan". Only downside to this show, it was cut off at Season 2, and left it on something of a cliffhanger, again a minor nitpick. Definitely one of the best cartoons to come out of the 90's.
9.5/10
Resident Evil: Retribution (2012)
5th Resident Evil film... not too bad
I would like to point out that these films (based on the hit video-game series) have been made for basically showing us zombies, lickers, and a variety of bad ass undead getting their asses handed to them by a smoking-hot Milla Jovovich in tight black spandex or skimpy dresses... And that's why we love them! But the major complaint about these films are the confusing story lines and such, people go in to see a movie like this and wonder wtf is going on (unless you've actually seen the first 4 films). As for Resident Evil: Retribution... I liked it, I probably liked it almost as much as Afterlife, probably my favorite in this series. It is very confusing at first, even for a follower of the films like myself, but it eventually comes together and you understand very quickly what was going on. And (I don't want to give away any of the awesome action scenes here) after they fight through everything in the film, they eventually join an old enemy, and clearly states without a doubt that there will be one more, possibly final film, with the humans taking their last stand against the mutant undead. (I am hyped!) It's actually nostalgic watching this film because it brings in a couple of old faces from the first three films, but it's for a reason that'd you'd have to watch the movie to understand. And we finally get Leon, from the games, into the movies, and it's great to see him. I'm actually not sure who plays him as I'm typing this, but he looked fine enough as Leon, and surprisingly had the hairstyle down too. Now the action and undead/mutants... fantastic, some of the best the franchise has to offer. We get a giant, mutant licker (harkening back to the original with a licker hunting them down), soviet Russian zombies that can actually shoot guns and ride motorcycles, a showdown with not one, but TWO Axemen, and one sexy cat fight scene (you'll see what I mean at the end of the movie.) Visual effects were very impressive, I would have liked to see this in theaters in 3D, especially the genius beginning credits when everything was playing backwards. All in all, 8 out of 10, just because the action was so damn awesome, but people get thoroughly confused during the storyline, and that kind of brings down the experience, but not by much. Very fun, and awesome movie if you're just looking to see undead becoming, well, dead!
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey (2012)
The Hobbit does not deserve this hate!
Why is this being hated upon so badly? I am a die-hard Lord of the Rings movie fan (and the Hobbit was the only book I read of Tolkeins LOTR novels!), I never read any of the books that inspired Peter Jacksons LOTR trilogy. It seems that the Hobbit is being hated on by everyone, the bookworms who nitpick about every detail and change, and the movie critics who were used to the tone of the LOTR movies and hated the changes, even though there are still elements of the original trilogy here. And this is just part 1, part 2 will be much more serious and invoking than part 1, that's the way it is with trilogies usually: first film you get a look at the problem, a lighthearted or easy going intro to all the characters you'll come to love,then it just ups the ante from there on until the serious, epic, and emotional climax.
This film actually follows the book pretty well, perfectly at times, all with the exception of the additional scenes, like the conversation with Saruman and Lady (starts with G, can't spell), or the completely new (and admittedly too goofy) wood wizard and his rabbit sled... I will admit that was a little much. But this film makes up for it with a perfect interpretation of the Riddle scene with Gollum and Bilbo.
CGI is becoming a big part in cinema, and whether or not it's well integrated or realistic with the real people on set is up to the animators. The White orc is CGI animated as well, and this is very awkward to see at first, but towards the end of the film he starts to seem less fake. Gollum is AMAZING, more real, and creepier than ever. The troll scene was a touch silly, but it was meant to be that way from the book standpoint in my opinion, and the trolls looks very well done. And I'm glad at least some of the orcs/goblins are still people in make-up like the original films, they always looked great. But the majority of the goblins are Cg, including the incredibly bulbous Goblin King (who is well done in his own right, though his death didn't exactly follow the book, but it still worked). The change in design of the Wargs really bugged me at first, but the White Orcs white warg (tongue twist there for you, lol) was admittedly bad ass looking, and made up for it.
Characters are great too, Bilbo is done perfectly, Gandalf is awesome as always. The 12 dwarfs are a very lovable, yet mostly unidentifiable bunch, aside from characteristics (the fat one, the young dashing one, etc), outside of Thorin (perfect) and one or two more whose names escape me presently. And it was really nostalgic to see old faces like Frodo, Elrond, Saruman, and while not required, it was nice to see these characters at this point in time in the LOTR storyline.
I don't want to spoil too much, but bottom line, it's a good fantasy film. Only problems I have with it is some of the silly moments, really large-ass subtitles when foreign tongues are spoken, and the inconsistency of the tone at times (which is pretty much why so many people punish it so) but it really makes up for it with the Riddle scene, how it flows along with the events in the book, great characters (both real and CGI), and in the second half of the film when it decides to stick with one tone, and hopefully the next parts will do better with this.
Definitely one of 2012's best, 8.5/10
The Amazing Spider-Man (2012)
Amazing is an understatement.
When I heard there was going to be a new Spiderman film with a new storyline and actors, I honestly looked forward to it while most people were bashing the idea because they loved the first three Spiderman films too much. But #3 ended on such a dissatisfying note that a new film was inevitable. And this is not technically a reboot, it's based on the storyline of the Amazing Spiderman comics while the other films are based on the Spectacular Spiderman comics (two different premises and story lines to this character). This film is just amazing in so many ways (save for 1 nitpick I'll mention later here), one being Parker/Spiderman himself. Andrew Garfield was a great pick for Peter in my opinion, and trumps Tobey Mcguire, because he portrays Peter as a very shy, timid, yet smart and likable character, and once he dons the Spidey suit on, he is allowed to act however he wants, one scene in particular being absolutely hilarious when he's apprehending a car thief. And when he's around his Uncle Ben and Aunt May (who are wonderful and I surprisingly like them a lot more than the other films, particularly Ben) it feels like a real family, they get along very well, but they get in arguments and disputes. On top of that, this films take on Uncle Bens death is so much more effective and emotional than the first one, it just feels like such a great loss. And Peter does not get to get his revenge yet in the first film, we'll probably see him get his vengeance in the upcoming sequel, so it's not thrown out the window right away as an emotional turmoil for him to conquer. And I love Gwen Stacey (played by the wonderful Emma Stone) as a character, and is so much more dynamic than Mary Jane (Dunst) as a love interest. Plus, Gwen is not a useless, damsel-in-distress like Mary, she finds out who Peter really is towards the middle of the film, and actually gets to do something very worth while and beneficial in this film (make an antidote to stop the Lizard). Heck, she even b$#@% slaps the lizard with a trophy (or stool, I forget) and that's pretty sweet. Dr. Conners/Lizard was the Spiderman villain I wanted to see for a very long time during the Spiderman movies, and we finally got him. Conners (Ifans) seems like a very intelligent and soft person due to his arm lost and his history with Peters father, and is soon drawn into a duel personality that makes him crazy to make the world a perfect place with perfect beings. The Lizard himself does have a very cool design, although I probably would have preferred he had a more lizard-like head as opposed to his human like/lizard face. It's just slightly awkward to see at first, but it's a small nitpick, and all in all, it's still a pretty decent and sometimes bad ass portrayal of the Lizard. I don't want to give anything else away, but this film is indeed amazing, and it is worth a buy over a rental at redbox if you didn't have the opportunity to see in theatres, I personally recommend it. (Fun fact, almost every single shot of Spiderman swinging through the air on his hand made webs, was all done by stunt work, not CGI, and that's awesome that they took the time to launch stunt men through the air to provide a fresh, unique feel to the swinging spiderman scenes.
(8.5/10) Amazing, except for a weird lizard/human face combo, but even that's still cool
Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance (2011)
Ghost Rider: Spirit of Bull $&*#
First of, the first film isn't a cinematic masterpiece either, but at least it had something of a decent, easy to follow storyline, smoking hot Eva Mendes, and the always awesome Sam Elliot.
If you haven't seen the first film, in a nutshell, Johnny Blaze sells his soul to the devil to save his father, but that all backfires as he is eventually summoned by the devil (who is much better in this one than in Vengeance), to carry out the duty of finishing off Blackheart and his elemental demon allies. He runs into his old high school flame (Mendes), has to protect her from the demons but fails, gains the help from an old mentor/fellow "Rider" played by Sam Elliot (who provides the best part of the film), goes off and defeats Blackheart. Once his duty is done, he is given the choice to get his soul back, but chooses to use his demon powers to try and stop the devil from doing evil around the world. Overall, not a terrible movie, acting can be hokey but can be enjoyable at times, and scenes with Ghost Rider himself are actually pretty impressive at times. For my money, 7/10.
But as for it's long awaited sequel, Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance... just throws everything even remotely good about the first film and just replaces it all with bad writing, story, characters, and logic in realms of "Ghost Rider". I'll list off issues, first in the first film, the Ghost Rider only sought out to kill off the sinful on his own accord, but this one he'll be unleashed at the slightest presence of sin. And Blaze's character is now a paranoid, crazed man who cuts himself off from the world to keep the Rider at bay. And the rider himself, while his design is honestly good, isn't even nearly as cool as the first films version. The penance stare in the first film let you see all the sins of the sinner he is killing, and leaves their eyes looking like ashes. You don't even get that concept here, he just looks, roars, and they die. Wtf. About the only thing I liked in this sequel was his ability to make vehicles (including a crane and jeep) start flaming, but they don't undergo a bad-ass design change like his motorcycle in the first one (it looked all demonic skeletal while he rode it, but this one it just has flaming tires). And then, all the acting is either just has no/little effort put into it, or it just sucks overall. The overall concept of the story might have been a good premise, but it was so badly scripted that it just falls apart as you watch the film. One last thing, in the first film, the devil could not be touched by anybody, and here his ass get literally sent back to hell by the Rider (which is honestly the best scene in the film, but it just does not make sense if you even remember the first film.) All in all, the effects can be good, but promising concept destroyed by bad writing and crappy acting pretty much destroy this film as a whole for me. Maybe you'll enjoy it if you've already seen it but not the first one, but check out the original Ghost Rider, you might get something there you might like a lot more than this crap-fest.
2/10 (and that's being nice).
Wreck-It Ralph (2012)
Animated Brilliance
At first, I was just excited to see certain characters like Sonic the Hedgehog, interacting in the film and having a big role to play, but this film does not focus on that. It's about Ralph and his journey through this wonderful film. It's been years since I've seen a film with this much imagination and creativity set in this fantastic "video-game world" realm that comes to life after the arcade is closed. There wasn't one character that I didn't like or annoy me in any way in this film, Ralph himself is a very lovable and likable character, as well as co-stars Vanellope, Fix-It Felix, Calhoun, and so forth.
The story takes place in this world were there are tons of different video game worlds, but primarily goes through 2 worlds other than Ralphs own game, a first person shooter (name escapes me at the moment), and Sugar Rush (where the majority of the film takes place). The world of Sugar Rush is pretty adorably creative, and makes for quite a few candy puns, best being the devil dogs and the "ore-o" spoof of Wizard of Oz. After Ralph makes his decision to win a medal, and does, but winds up losing it in Sugar Rush, we get a wonderful relationship between Vanellope and Ralph, as you discover what both of them feel and going through. Vanellope is very likable, and you really feel for her once you hear her backstory. One scene in particular when Ralph is convinced by King Candy that if she won the race, she'd die, he "wrecks" the car the two of them made together, and it really gets to you.
The film takes an emotional arch that you did not expect it to go, being a comedy/video-game inspired film, and provides an unexpected, yet so obvious twist, at the climax that you have to see for yourself. The entire climax and the ending is absolutely amazing, and delivers a very touching message once everything is set right and resolved. I saw Wreck-It-Ralph by myself, and loved every minute of it. This is definitely in my Top 5 Favorite animated movies of all time.
Wreck-It-Ralph (10/10)