Movie review: Iron Man 3 (4/24/2013)
All in all, pretty good. Without going into spoilers, there are definitely some unexpected surprises. Some parts are little dragging, but it makes up for it in other areas. It's definitely a different film from Iron Man 1 and 2.
Can't wait till November. Bring on Thor: The Dark World!
Movie review: Star Trek Into Darkness (5/19/2013)
Because I didn't keep up with pre-release info like I usually do for big movies I like, I didn't know about the plot before walking into the theater. I think it was good I didn't look up the movie beforehand because I thought the movie was REALLY good. The plot was interesting, all the characters were well done, and plot twists and the climax really got me at the edge of my seat.
Movie review: Monsters University (6/30/2013)
Anybody who liked the first Monsters Inc will certainly like this one as well. I personally wouldn't put it in the "high" class of Pixar films, but I find it better than the last two Pixar movies; better than Brave, and A LOT better than Cars 2.
4/5.
Movie review: The Wolverine (7/26/2013)
I'm not much of a Wolverine fan, and I don't like how he hogs the spotlight in X-Men stories, but this movie made him interesting for me. It helps that this isn't a prequel but rather a sequel to all the other X-Men movies so it gives you an understanding of the interpersonal conflict Wolverine is facing. The plot is a little bit confusing but by the end it makes sense.
Also, and I cannot stress this enough, STAY IN YOUR SEAT UNTIL AFTER THE MAIN CREDITS, especially if you watched any of the previous X-Men movies.
Movie review: The Artist (7/28/2013)
I wish I caught the movie from the beginning because it really was interesting. The idea of using the plot of "Singin in the Rain" and taking a serious look at it really shows how hard silent film-era actors had it once movies had sound. It was a nice touch for it to be in black and white with no sound and dialogue with only music, exactly like a real Silent movie.
I recommend it just for one of those emotional movies as well as appreciating what movies used to be like when our grandparents were growing up.
Movie review: Dragon Ball Z: Battle of Gods (8/14/2013)
Not much I can comment on, but for DBZ fans, it's a treat. The real draw is watching it on a big screen, and that really enhanced the experience. The bigger budget allowed for more impressive looking fights. Definitely worth it.
Movie review: Thor the Dark World (10/30/2013)
Pretty good, better than the first IMO because it brings in all these mystical and fantastical elements that's associated with a property like Thor, whereas the first movie was grounded more in reality. There were a ton of funny moments, and the climax was very pumping and creative.
Oh and for those who don't know the tradition yet: Stay until the very end of the movie for the mandatory special scene after the credits.
Movie review: The Hunger Games: Catching Fire (11/24/2013)
I never watched the first movie in theaters, and was introduced to the movie by my sister as a recommendation, so I got hooked and was one of those anticipating the sequel. But I never got around to watching trailers, keeping with the hype or reading the books, as I wanted to be surprised and going in guessing, as well as not be hindered by any differences from the books.
Catching Fire was an excellent follow-up, and it surpassed the first movie by miles. It's like The Empire Strikes Back and the original Star Wars. It manages to introduce new story elements while it seemingly may rehash some from the first movie, but with a big twist. A lot of the story developments happened here that deals with what happened by the end of the first movie and goes beyond what the first movie really was; children killing children amidst a building conspiracy. Now that we have that conspiracy played out, the story moved forward and went into unexpected places. Problems from the first movie like the dizzying shaky camera, slow pace, Jennifer Lawerence's lack of facial emotion, and the confusing "alliance of convenience" were ironed out in Catching Fire as well.
One problem I have is the abrupt ending and confusing climax, but I'm
pretty sure that'll be resolved later on. 9/10, loved it, looking
forward to the third and final part of the Hunger Games trilogy...except
that I heard that the third book, Mockingjay, will be divided into
parts, just like Twilight: Breaking Dawn and Harry Potter and the
Deathly Hallows before it. Sigh...
Movie review: Frozen (11/29/2013)
I make it a point to watch new Disney movies now because as a kid when I was growing up during the time of the "classics" of the 90's, I was too young to fully appreciate them and just liked the basic kids stuff. Watching them later as an adult I can understand the story, themes, characters and music that go into them. So now I take that stance when I watch current Disney movies too.
But as for Frozen? LOVED IT LOVED IT LOVED IT LOVED IT LOVED IT.
Movie review: Frozen (11/29/2013)
I make it a point to watch new Disney movies now because as a kid when I was growing up during the time of the "classics" of the 90's, I was too young to fully appreciate them and just liked the basic kids stuff. Watching them later as an adult I can understand the story, themes, characters and music that go into them. So now I take that stance when I watch current Disney movies too.
But as for Frozen? LOVED IT LOVED IT LOVED IT LOVED IT LOVED IT.
I've never seen or heard of the original fairy tale this is based on:
"The Snow Queen" by Hans Christan Andersen, so I don't know or care how
fully faithful it is. All I know is that this was a GREAT Disney movie
and regular movie in general. I loved the story, the characters, the
themes, the music, and even the animation. But what makes this an
especially good Disney movie is that while it sticks to the traditional
Disney elements that we all know, it also deviates at certain points for
a new experience.
I won't spoil the full details because you should see it for yourself, but I'll give basic stuff:
Story: Revolves around two (Yes, TWO) princess characters, siblings Anna and Elsa. Elsa is gifted/cursed with magical ice powers, so when she runs away after unknowingly causing a catastrophic blizzard, Anna joins with ice deliverer Kristoff and snowman Olaf to bring her back. The story later goes in unexpected places with plenty of plot twists, making for a satisfying conclusion to the movie.
Themes: It's hard to go into this without spoiling, and you should find the themes yourself. When you do find out the theme of the movie, you'll definitely appreciate it more and like how it went down a different path than what you were expecting.
Music: I really liked the songs in these movies. Some more than others, but they all stood out and none of them are bad in the general sense. There are enough songs to remember and hum to yourself while there aren't too many songs that it becomes dragging. The best song in the movie in my opinion is a tossup between "For the First Time in Forever" and "Let it Go".
Animation:I don't usually pay much attention to animation styles because what matters to me is if I'm entertained by everything else. But I got to give praise to the animation. It looks GORGEOUS. All the snow, ice and scenery make for great images. Even if you traditionally do not like CGI movies, this follows the same style of Tangled in that it does remind you of traditional animation.
All around this was just amazing and definitely one of my movie highlights this year. Out of 5, I give it a perfect 5. There was nothing I particularly disliked, and there was so much I liked. I give it a recommendation for everyone to watch, be they your kids, your significant other, or your family.
I won't spoil the full details because you should see it for yourself, but I'll give basic stuff:
Story: Revolves around two (Yes, TWO) princess characters, siblings Anna and Elsa. Elsa is gifted/cursed with magical ice powers, so when she runs away after unknowingly causing a catastrophic blizzard, Anna joins with ice deliverer Kristoff and snowman Olaf to bring her back. The story later goes in unexpected places with plenty of plot twists, making for a satisfying conclusion to the movie.
Themes: It's hard to go into this without spoiling, and you should find the themes yourself. When you do find out the theme of the movie, you'll definitely appreciate it more and like how it went down a different path than what you were expecting.
Music: I really liked the songs in these movies. Some more than others, but they all stood out and none of them are bad in the general sense. There are enough songs to remember and hum to yourself while there aren't too many songs that it becomes dragging. The best song in the movie in my opinion is a tossup between "For the First Time in Forever" and "Let it Go".
Animation:I don't usually pay much attention to animation styles because what matters to me is if I'm entertained by everything else. But I got to give praise to the animation. It looks GORGEOUS. All the snow, ice and scenery make for great images. Even if you traditionally do not like CGI movies, this follows the same style of Tangled in that it does remind you of traditional animation.
All around this was just amazing and definitely one of my movie highlights this year. Out of 5, I give it a perfect 5. There was nothing I particularly disliked, and there was so much I liked. I give it a recommendation for everyone to watch, be they your kids, your significant other, or your family.
