Alice in Wonderland (2010)
Of all the positives that Alice yielded, the pacing was tops as it started, spanned and ended in very good time. My viewing was done in IMAX 3D but it only reinforced how well Avatar was done to take advantage of the technology. Alice does not need 3D to work, being a colorful, bright and beautiful movie that incorporated a lot of contrastingly dark landscapes to the bright animation. The... [Read more]
The Book of Eli
When you go in to see The Book of Eli you probably will do so with an empty slate, unless you have dug up the plot and secrets from an online source or big mouthed friend. The trailers don’t give us much, we just know there is a book and Denzel Washington cutting down bad guys on a barren landscape. The draw for this movie as opposed to my article on A-list actors not filling seats, is... [Read more]
The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus
Partially a farewell on film to Heath Ledger and partially a satire on the modern age and the phasing out of imagination. The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus will no doubt confuse many audience members as it requires one to read between the lines to pull forth a moral to the story. Director Terry Gilliam brilliantly contrasts the old world traveling show of Dr. Parnassus and company with... [Read more]
Avatar – 3D IMAX
If the visuals don’t hook you then the battle sequences will. Wow, where to start – the anticipation for James Cameron’s Avatar was for a lack of a better word, uncomfortable since the day I was treated to 15 minutes of teaser footage at the local AMC. The 15 minutes of eye candy solidified my interest in the movie and as the nay-sayers multiplied, I stood my ground in knowing... [Read more]
Where the Wild Things Are
With probably one of the most unique and intoxicating soundtracks combined with a bizarre story and excellent voice acting, Where the Wild Things Are will easily become a classic. Though I found Max (Max Records) to be an impossibly spoilt little brat at the beginning, the kid grew on me and when he finally started interacting with his furry, imaginary buddies I began to really like him.... [Read more]
9
A dark but beautiful offering of CGI about a post-apocalyptic world and 9 humanoid robots with a mysterious mission to carry out. Shane Acker directs this movie although the trailers and signs all point to the more popular Tim Burton. To top off this confusion (Burton produced it) we are shown creatures that play more than a little homage to A Nightmare Before Christmas. But even though Shane... [Read more]
Gi-Joe: The Rise of Cobra
Although the ending action sequence seemed a bit on the lengthy side, GI-Joe The Rise of Cobra was an entertaining but abstract version of the 80’s cartoon. Sienna Miller was delicious, Marlon Wayans was human, and Ray Park was dangerous. Director Steven Sommers has never impressed me with his past works (The Mummy series and Van Helsing) so when I learned that he was behind a Gi-Joe... [Read more]
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
With heavy emphasis on attractions to the opposite sex and the jealousy that comes with it, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince is a transitional tale of both the children’s growth and the breaking of light for darkness. The once lively halls of Hogwartz, lined with young children practicing their magicks and playing games with one other has been swapped for dark foreboding paths,... [Read more]
Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li
Kristin Kreuk delivers a solid Chun-Li and Robin Shou a great Gen. However, this is overshadowed by the nerve-grating acting of Chris Klein as Charlie Nash and the kind features of the supposedly evil dictator M.Bison (Neal McDonough). The initial story of Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li is one of revenge. The cliched tale told in many a Kung-Fu movie of the child who has a loved one... [Read more]
Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen
A film for hardcore Transformer fans and 13 year old boys. Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen is what you probably expect it to be; no surprises, no real let-downs and nothing amazing. If you watched the first movie, this one will feel like a beefed up version of it sans the serious tone. Since it is quite evident that film critics dislike this loud and lengthy movie, I will try and take... [Read more]
Year One
Beautiful women, fart jokes and biblical references are the ingredients in this gumbo of a comedy. The timing and feel of it all reminded me of Mel Brooks (though my stating this may be considered blasphemy by some) and I couldn’t imagine that the pairing of Jack Black and Micheal Cera would work so well. Synopsis: Zed (Jack Black) is the son of a great hunter but is a poor hunter himself.... [Read more]
Terminator Salvation
I really, really wished someone else would have written this movie. There were a lot of things wrong with Terminator Salvation, but this is coming from a person who has watched the prior three installments and the television series. To the average young movie watcher who doesn’t know the entire cast of characters in John Connor’s story, this film will come off as a mediocre sci-fi... [Read more]
