So today I finally saw The Amazing Spider-Man 2 directed by Marc Webb. Prior to this viewing I had read many critiques/reviews of the film that were for the most part negative. I must say that the film isn't as bad as many of the critiques/reviews insisted it was. With that being written, this review will have many SPOILERS, so proceed with caution.
FAIR WARNING!
The main issue in my opinion was the addition of Rhino/Russian Gangster. He didn't belong in the film and could've been left out entirely. This character portrayed by Paul Giamatti lent itself to being over saturated and not very important, in this film at least. If you're wondering what I meant, there are reports (I forget whether confirmed by Sony or not) that Sony is planning a Sinister Six stand alone film, a Venom stand alone film, and more Amazing Spider-Man sequels. Rhino's purpose in the film was to tease the audience and get them looking forward to the next few planned projects. The inclusion of Rhino in my opinion lent itself to the awkward tonal shifts, which led to pacing issues, which in turn turned off a lot of critics.
Max/Electro, portrayed by Jamie Foxx, was a very cliche character which benefited and progressed the story.
Harry/"Green Goblin", portrayed by Dane DeHann was a new take from the Sam Raimi Spider-Man trilogy which had James Franco as Harry. However he fell flat because the character development seemed way to rushed.
Gwen, portrayed by Emma Stone, and Peter/Spiderman, portrayed by Andrew Garfield, were the bright spots. Emma and Andrew have such a good onscreen chemistry that I looked forward to the scenes with both characters in them. Not only do the actors have onscreen chemistry, but the characters were far more interesting than the villains, save for Harry. Peter is haunted by Gwen's father's memory from the first film, which has such a strong sense of foreboding that even if I didn't know Gwen would die by the end that I could guess, and Gwen is a strong and empowered lady versus the Mary Jane of Sam Raimi's Spiderman Trilogy.
Alex Kurtzman, Roberto Orci, Jeff Pinkner, and James Vanderbilt tried to cram too much into one film in trying to set up future films of this franchise. In effect they destroyed what would have been a very emotional and dramatic entry with the inclusion of Rhino and cliched characters.
I still don't consider this film to be down par with Spider-Man 3, directed by Sam Raimi, however this film does lack focus at times, again due mainly in my opinion to the inclusion of Paul Giamatti as Rhino because it created a ripple effect, and therefore I give The Amazing Spider-Man 2, directed by Marc Webb, a C+.
This film is for you if you want a fun action spectacle of a blockbuster that lacks a tonal and pacing focus.
Monday, May 12, 2014
Thursday, April 3, 2014
Hollywood Remakes of Foreign Movies Rant
I just saw a YouTuber, Grace, say in her video that Gareth Evans agent company is in works to "Executive Produce" the "American Remake" of The Raid Redemption (2011). For this I am skeptical and hopeful at the same time. This got me thinking why does America (the United States of America or Hollywood to be exact) always remake classic or popular foreign films. I know there's money to be made but damn, the majority of those remakes are shitty and pale in comparison to the original such as Old Boy (Chan Wook Park 2003, Spike Lee 2013) among others. I know some remakes are good such as Martin Scorcese's The Departed (2006) being a remake of Wai-keung Lau's Infernal Affairs (2002) but they are rarer. Part of what makes those films successful is the director because it is his/her vision coming to fruition with the help of actors, editors, music people, stunt people, cinematographers, set builders, rig builders, the production company and distributing company in a nutshell. Unless you are a Scorcese or a director with a very clear vision that is unique and respectable to the original, I don't think you should make a remake of foreign films. The French film Banlieue 13 (2004) which stars David Belle and Cyril Rafaelli, directed by Pierre Morel, and written by Luc Besson and Bibi Naceri is remade into a film titled Brick Mansions (2014) starring David Belle and Paul Walker, directed by Camille Delamare, and written by Luc Besson and Bibi Naceri. Not to say Brick Mansions will be better or live up to Banlieue 13 but I am hopeful it will because it has one of the main stars and the screenwriters on board.
After all that I essentially want to say to Hollywood, STOP making remakes if they're gonna be shitty. Ticket Prices for the cinema have risen since I was first born, which wasn't very long ago.
Grace on her YouTube channel does cinema news and reviews. Here is a link to her channel; https://www.youtube.com/user/BeyondTheTrailer
After all that I essentially want to say to Hollywood, STOP making remakes if they're gonna be shitty. Ticket Prices for the cinema have risen since I was first born, which wasn't very long ago.
Grace on her YouTube channel does cinema news and reviews. Here is a link to her channel; https://www.youtube.com/user/BeyondTheTrailer
Wednesday, April 2, 2014
The Walking Dead Season 4 Finale
This blog may be influenced by other blogs and articles from the likes of CinemaBlend and THR. I have not read any of the comics.
*SPOILER ALERTS*
As a season, I thought it was structured weirdly. The mid-season finale should have been the season 3 finale therefore you may predict where I'm heading next. For the second half of season 4 the group has been dispersed, after the big showdown with the Governor, and yet unified through train tracks that lead to "Terminus" which has been and for the most part still is a mystery. According to an article I read the inhabitants of Terminus may be cannibals. "Terminus", just say it aloud and tell me what it sounds like. It doesn't sound good because it is reminiscent to the word terminate. Since the first of the group saw a map with it I had a bad feeling about the place and thought they should go elsewhere however they all arrive to Terminus.
Now this episode in particular starts off with Rick, Michonne, and Carl getting up to check the traps they set for rabbits and other animals. Rick shows and explains to Carl how the trap works. It reminded me of the train tracks they're following to Terminus. The trap drew a parallel to the train tracks and the path they are herded down in Terminus to the train car where Rick, Michonne, Daryl, and Carl meet the rest of the group from the prison.
Rick, Michonne, and Carl decide to rest in and by a car on the road which in itself happens to be a trap. The group from the house and which Daryl is now a part of. The leader wants to kill Rick for killing his buddy but Daryl steps in and gets beaten up. I didn't expect what Rick did to the leader to happen. Since the leader had him in a bear hug, Rick bit out what I suppose was the poor bastards jugular vein. This is interesting because it is constantly flashing back to the prison where Hershel is trying to guide Rick in guiding Carl to be a man.
There was a lot of character development and exposition that was left open. It left me perplexed that these "hunters" were able to become the hunted by being led down a trap that is similar to the ones they set for food. It's interesting that Terminus may be inhabited by cannibals and that Rick is borderline cannibal. I'm looking forward to season 5 with no idea of how the group will be able to fight back and survive. This was the perfect cliffhanger that left me wanting more, therefore I give the episode an A.
*SPOILER ALERTS*
As a season, I thought it was structured weirdly. The mid-season finale should have been the season 3 finale therefore you may predict where I'm heading next. For the second half of season 4 the group has been dispersed, after the big showdown with the Governor, and yet unified through train tracks that lead to "Terminus" which has been and for the most part still is a mystery. According to an article I read the inhabitants of Terminus may be cannibals. "Terminus", just say it aloud and tell me what it sounds like. It doesn't sound good because it is reminiscent to the word terminate. Since the first of the group saw a map with it I had a bad feeling about the place and thought they should go elsewhere however they all arrive to Terminus.
Now this episode in particular starts off with Rick, Michonne, and Carl getting up to check the traps they set for rabbits and other animals. Rick shows and explains to Carl how the trap works. It reminded me of the train tracks they're following to Terminus. The trap drew a parallel to the train tracks and the path they are herded down in Terminus to the train car where Rick, Michonne, Daryl, and Carl meet the rest of the group from the prison.
Rick, Michonne, and Carl decide to rest in and by a car on the road which in itself happens to be a trap. The group from the house and which Daryl is now a part of. The leader wants to kill Rick for killing his buddy but Daryl steps in and gets beaten up. I didn't expect what Rick did to the leader to happen. Since the leader had him in a bear hug, Rick bit out what I suppose was the poor bastards jugular vein. This is interesting because it is constantly flashing back to the prison where Hershel is trying to guide Rick in guiding Carl to be a man.
There was a lot of character development and exposition that was left open. It left me perplexed that these "hunters" were able to become the hunted by being led down a trap that is similar to the ones they set for food. It's interesting that Terminus may be inhabited by cannibals and that Rick is borderline cannibal. I'm looking forward to season 5 with no idea of how the group will be able to fight back and survive. This was the perfect cliffhanger that left me wanting more, therefore I give the episode an A.
How I Met Your Mother Series Finale Last Forever
So I saw the series finale for How I Met Your Mother and I'm a mixed bag. There are articles I have read on THR and CinemaBlend, prior to writing this blog, and other blogsites that illicit negative feedback to the finale. I can understand why people may have certain expectations that were not met.
Here on down there may be major spoilers in case you didn't see it.
As a whole I think Season 9 dragged on way to long to before Ted met Tracy. If he met Tracy and Barney married Robin earlier in the season I may have bought what they crammed in the last episode. Basically Barney's and Robin's marriage falls apart due to her career and as a result she also grows apart from the group because of Barney and Tracy. Then at the end Ted is basically asking permission from his kids to date "Aunt Robin" because Tracy died to an illness.
In one of the articles I read, Carter Bays and Craig Thomas, the creators of the show, as early as season 2, had an ending in mind, which happened to be the one they used, where the mother died and Ted ends up with Robin or asks his kids for their blessings in going after Aunt Robin. This does and doesn't work for several reasons.
The reason it worked is because Robin and Ted throughout this series have a unique and undeniable chemistry between each other. Also, Ted throughout the series is hardheaded and went after Robin even when he shouldn't have. A lot of the gags in this episode were nice homages to key points in the series such as the blue horn and catch phrases.
The main reason it didn't work is because of how season 9 played out. Just 22 episodes all of which lead to Barney's and Robin's wedding. If that much time is spent leading up to a wedding I typically expect a happily ever after rather than a rough 3 year marriage, divorce, and relapse into bad actions. Everything in the final episode seemed forced and the opposite of the direction the characters were headed.
By making the season lead up to the big moment, the divorce was a big let down. More episodes should have been spent for after the wedding, particularly those events crammed into the final episode. The split of events,Ted and Tracy after the wedding mixed in with events before the wedding, seemed erratic and therefore I couldn't appreciate it as much. I didn't buy the divorce and didn't buy the ending. However I could appreciate it because often times life doesn't turn out how you expect it.
Overall I give season 9 and it's finale a C.
Here on down there may be major spoilers in case you didn't see it.
As a whole I think Season 9 dragged on way to long to before Ted met Tracy. If he met Tracy and Barney married Robin earlier in the season I may have bought what they crammed in the last episode. Basically Barney's and Robin's marriage falls apart due to her career and as a result she also grows apart from the group because of Barney and Tracy. Then at the end Ted is basically asking permission from his kids to date "Aunt Robin" because Tracy died to an illness.
In one of the articles I read, Carter Bays and Craig Thomas, the creators of the show, as early as season 2, had an ending in mind, which happened to be the one they used, where the mother died and Ted ends up with Robin or asks his kids for their blessings in going after Aunt Robin. This does and doesn't work for several reasons.
The reason it worked is because Robin and Ted throughout this series have a unique and undeniable chemistry between each other. Also, Ted throughout the series is hardheaded and went after Robin even when he shouldn't have. A lot of the gags in this episode were nice homages to key points in the series such as the blue horn and catch phrases.
The main reason it didn't work is because of how season 9 played out. Just 22 episodes all of which lead to Barney's and Robin's wedding. If that much time is spent leading up to a wedding I typically expect a happily ever after rather than a rough 3 year marriage, divorce, and relapse into bad actions. Everything in the final episode seemed forced and the opposite of the direction the characters were headed.
By making the season lead up to the big moment, the divorce was a big let down. More episodes should have been spent for after the wedding, particularly those events crammed into the final episode. The split of events,Ted and Tracy after the wedding mixed in with events before the wedding, seemed erratic and therefore I couldn't appreciate it as much. I didn't buy the divorce and didn't buy the ending. However I could appreciate it because often times life doesn't turn out how you expect it.
Overall I give season 9 and it's finale a C.
Monday, March 31, 2014
The Raid 2: Berandal (2014)
Since I saw The Raid: Redemption, Serbuan Maut, (2011) on, I believe it was, HBO last year I've kept an ear out for any future Gareth Evans projects. Lo and behold, I heard about The Raid 2: Berandal and couldn't wait for the trailers and film. Often times the trailers may be misleading in terms of style however the style of the trailers for The Raid 2 Berandal, which reminded me of Quentin Tarantino and Francis Ford Coppola, remained in the final cut. Berandal in just about every way ups the ante set by Redemption.
Where Redemption was about Rama, a rookie cop in Jakarta, who is part of a "S.W.A.T." team which needs to raid a building full of notorious gangsters and thugs, "the little fish" and take them down, Berandal has Rama face the repercussions of the events in Redemption and go undercover as "Yuda" and get close to Uco, the son of Bangun (head of the Indonesian crime syndicate) in order to stop the big fish. Redemption boasted one slum-lord with many petty gangsters at his disposal and a corrupt sergeant. Berandal mixes it up with corrupt city and police officials, a Japanese crime syndicate, Indonesian crime syndicate, and deadly mercenaries.
Where Redemption takes place primarily in a raided building, Berandal ventures into night clubs, Jakarta streets, ghettos, restaurants and more. Since there are more locations, camera movements varied from handheld to dolly, jib, crane, and car rigs.
Where Redemption had one color pallet through out the entire film, Berandal's color pallets vary from location to location.
Berandal continues the fast pace set by Redemption but with more exposition scenes which add an extra 15 minutes or so to the run time. Berandal starts with Bejo., a business man who wants the Indonesian and Japanese crime syndicates to kill each other off so he may take over and flourish, killing Rama's brother and then flashing back and forth between Rama in prison and how he got to be in prison, which was reminiscent of the way Tarantino plays around with time from Reservoir Dogs (1992) to Pulp Fiction (1994). From there the storyline is pretty linear with no deviations. As the film progressed I couldn't help but think of Coppola's The Godfather (1972) because the hits were carried out in a montage way. The framing of each scene and take, whether long or short, also added to a style reminiscent of either Quentin Tarantino and/or Francis Ford Coppola.
Berandal allowed Evans (Director, Film Editor, Screenwriter), Matt Flannery and Dimas Imam Subhono (DPs), and Aria Prayogi &Joseph Trapanese & Fajar Yuskemal (Music) to really broaden their horizon in terms of style, culture, and creativity.
Redemption really wowed me with the fight sequences but Bruce Law Yee Man Law, Yayan Ruhian, Larnell Stoall, and Iko Uwais really upped the ante with the fight choreographhy in Berandal. This includes the car chases, the hand to hand combat, and weapons combat. Each fight becomes more gruesome and violent but at the same time advances the story and the characters by offering subtext both before, during, and after the fights. The best fight scene in Berandal was not the one filled with guns or explosions but when you see the kitchen scene close to the end, I'm sure you'll agree with me.
The Raid 2: Berandal tells a more complex story, is packed with action, has great fight sequences that top those in The Raid: Redemption, and in my personal opinion any Jet Li, Donnie Yen, Jackie Chan, or Bruce Lee fight sequence, has a grander scope and feel, and delivers great performances which make you feel sympathy, hatred, and/or empathy for one character or another. In its ambition I give The Raid 2: Berandal an A.
Where Redemption was about Rama, a rookie cop in Jakarta, who is part of a "S.W.A.T." team which needs to raid a building full of notorious gangsters and thugs, "the little fish" and take them down, Berandal has Rama face the repercussions of the events in Redemption and go undercover as "Yuda" and get close to Uco, the son of Bangun (head of the Indonesian crime syndicate) in order to stop the big fish. Redemption boasted one slum-lord with many petty gangsters at his disposal and a corrupt sergeant. Berandal mixes it up with corrupt city and police officials, a Japanese crime syndicate, Indonesian crime syndicate, and deadly mercenaries.
Where Redemption takes place primarily in a raided building, Berandal ventures into night clubs, Jakarta streets, ghettos, restaurants and more. Since there are more locations, camera movements varied from handheld to dolly, jib, crane, and car rigs.
Where Redemption had one color pallet through out the entire film, Berandal's color pallets vary from location to location.
Berandal continues the fast pace set by Redemption but with more exposition scenes which add an extra 15 minutes or so to the run time. Berandal starts with Bejo., a business man who wants the Indonesian and Japanese crime syndicates to kill each other off so he may take over and flourish, killing Rama's brother and then flashing back and forth between Rama in prison and how he got to be in prison, which was reminiscent of the way Tarantino plays around with time from Reservoir Dogs (1992) to Pulp Fiction (1994). From there the storyline is pretty linear with no deviations. As the film progressed I couldn't help but think of Coppola's The Godfather (1972) because the hits were carried out in a montage way. The framing of each scene and take, whether long or short, also added to a style reminiscent of either Quentin Tarantino and/or Francis Ford Coppola.
Berandal allowed Evans (Director, Film Editor, Screenwriter), Matt Flannery and Dimas Imam Subhono (DPs), and Aria Prayogi &Joseph Trapanese & Fajar Yuskemal (Music) to really broaden their horizon in terms of style, culture, and creativity.
Redemption really wowed me with the fight sequences but Bruce Law Yee Man Law, Yayan Ruhian, Larnell Stoall, and Iko Uwais really upped the ante with the fight choreographhy in Berandal. This includes the car chases, the hand to hand combat, and weapons combat. Each fight becomes more gruesome and violent but at the same time advances the story and the characters by offering subtext both before, during, and after the fights. The best fight scene in Berandal was not the one filled with guns or explosions but when you see the kitchen scene close to the end, I'm sure you'll agree with me.
The Raid 2: Berandal tells a more complex story, is packed with action, has great fight sequences that top those in The Raid: Redemption, and in my personal opinion any Jet Li, Donnie Yen, Jackie Chan, or Bruce Lee fight sequence, has a grander scope and feel, and delivers great performances which make you feel sympathy, hatred, and/or empathy for one character or another. In its ambition I give The Raid 2: Berandal an A.
Wednesday, January 15, 2014
Saving Mr. Banks(2013) Review
If you have read my review of Paranormal Activity: The Marked Ones(2014) then you know I walked out of it because the movie failed on many levels. Well Saving Mr. Banks is the movie I went to see in its place and I got to say it is a far more superb movie than The Marked Ones.
Saving Mr. Banks is about P.L. Travers and Walt Disney fighting over the how to best adapt her novel to film. P.L. Travers also "reflects on her difficult childhood" (imdb.com) during the preproduction stages of Mary Poppins (1964). It is written by Kelly Marcel and Sue Smith and directed by John Lee Hancock. The film has an amazing ensemble of actors; Emma Thompson as P.L. Travers, Tom Hanks as Walt Disney, Annie Rose Buckley as Ginty, Colin Farrell as Travers Goff, Ruth Wilson as Margaret Goff, Paul Giamatti as Ralph, Bradley Whitford as Don DaGradi, B.J. Novak as Robert Sherman, and Jason Schwartsman as Richard Sherman amongst others.
Colin Farrell steals the show with his performance as Travers Goff; due in large part to the marketing of this movie which withheld the childhood scenes from the commercials which I have seen. His scenes are powerful and provide much backbone to the present day scenes because of how flawed the character is. Travers Goff at first seemed to be a happy go lucky family man with a great job that loved his family. But then his alcoholism problems come into play which end up with his demise. He is the source of the internal and external conflict between P.L. Travers & herself and P.L. Travers & Disney (studio, Walt, Robert & Richard Sherman, and Don DaGradi).
Emma Thompson is magical in the role of P.L. Travers. Her performance is sublime. She puts on a "facade" of bravado, is particular about everything from grammar to speech and mannerisms, and yet the same time exudes a sense of vulnerability that hints at the internal conflicts which are then supported by the flashback scenes which focus on Travers' relationship with her father and how it is strained as it goes on.
John Lee Hancock did a wonderful job with this film. It did not have pacing issues, it was entertaining, provided a (possibly fictionalized or exaggerated) history that is about the making of one of the most beloved Disney classic films ever Mary Poppins, delivers great performances, great music tracks, and very moving. This film deserves an A+.
Saving Mr. Banks is about P.L. Travers and Walt Disney fighting over the how to best adapt her novel to film. P.L. Travers also "reflects on her difficult childhood" (imdb.com) during the preproduction stages of Mary Poppins (1964). It is written by Kelly Marcel and Sue Smith and directed by John Lee Hancock. The film has an amazing ensemble of actors; Emma Thompson as P.L. Travers, Tom Hanks as Walt Disney, Annie Rose Buckley as Ginty, Colin Farrell as Travers Goff, Ruth Wilson as Margaret Goff, Paul Giamatti as Ralph, Bradley Whitford as Don DaGradi, B.J. Novak as Robert Sherman, and Jason Schwartsman as Richard Sherman amongst others.
Colin Farrell steals the show with his performance as Travers Goff; due in large part to the marketing of this movie which withheld the childhood scenes from the commercials which I have seen. His scenes are powerful and provide much backbone to the present day scenes because of how flawed the character is. Travers Goff at first seemed to be a happy go lucky family man with a great job that loved his family. But then his alcoholism problems come into play which end up with his demise. He is the source of the internal and external conflict between P.L. Travers & herself and P.L. Travers & Disney (studio, Walt, Robert & Richard Sherman, and Don DaGradi).
Emma Thompson is magical in the role of P.L. Travers. Her performance is sublime. She puts on a "facade" of bravado, is particular about everything from grammar to speech and mannerisms, and yet the same time exudes a sense of vulnerability that hints at the internal conflicts which are then supported by the flashback scenes which focus on Travers' relationship with her father and how it is strained as it goes on.
John Lee Hancock did a wonderful job with this film. It did not have pacing issues, it was entertaining, provided a (possibly fictionalized or exaggerated) history that is about the making of one of the most beloved Disney classic films ever Mary Poppins, delivers great performances, great music tracks, and very moving. This film deserves an A+.
Paranormal Activity: The Marked Ones (Partial Review)
Yesterday I went to watch Paranormal Activity: The Marked Ones which was released on January 3, 2014 in the United States of America. It is written and directed by Christopher Landon and stars Andrew Jacobs and Jorge Diaz. The reason the title says partial review is because I saw only about 45 minutes of the film before I got bored by the film. The film failed to capture my interest and attention. The dialogue between the characters was boring, images were boring, and the overall story line was boring. The scenes meant to give insight to the characters, seemed pointless because they just fell stupid with the bafoonery they did such as sliding down the stairway in a clothes basket, and felt random. The scenes may have interested me had the movie not used diagetic shots, meaning shots from cameras in the movie that the characters themselves use such as The Blair Witch Project(1999), Cloverfield(2008), End of Watch(2012), and Paranormal Activity(2007). They have lost their novelty and I feel that Paranormal Activity V risks the same thing occurring. They worked for The Blair Witch Project and Paranormal Activity because they were groundbreaking and took place in common places such as the bedroom and forest. However with this being the "fifth" film in the series, it just fails. The movie overall seems bland and failed to scare me. I give this film an F for failing to capture my attention and interest; and because I walked out of the film halfway through and decided to see Saving Mr. Banks(2013) instead of finishing the film.
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