Movie Review: The Avengers: Age of Ultron (5/12/15)
A few weeks too late, I finally watched Avengers: Age of Ultron.
A great action movie that appeals to both standard moviegoers who want to see some high octane action, and fans like myself who have been following these Marvel movies from the very beginning. On top of that it has a really good story and character drama that allows us to get more invested in these characters.
It's hard to top the first Avengers, but this one managed to do it in my opinion. Review on the blog will be up as soon as possible.
Movie Review: Ant-Man (7/18/15)
Another hit for Marvel, though how much of a hit it is depends on your personal taste. Personally I liked it; likeable protagonists, good action, great usage of special effects, and a seemingly small, but big story.
Full thoughts, and more, will be on the blog, resurrected from the dead after half a year of absence.
Movie review: Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation (8/3/15)
Watched it yesterday.
I've never seen the first three movies, only the 4th and this most recent one, and I feel that your fondness for this depends on how you feel about the Mission Impossible formula, as it has what you expect: The typical Tom Cruise stuff, gadgets, high speed chases, conspiracy, action, etc.
All in all, it's adequate.
Movie review: Inside Out (8/21/15)
Thank you Pixar for showing (and reminding) us why you're such a powerhouse.
After a rather dry spell with the awful Cars 2, the uneven Brave, and the mixed Monsters University, Inside Out once again shows us how Pixar works best when it turns simple ideas into high concepts. A masterful mixture of story, characters, animation, and of course emotions, is perfectly blended to create what I feel is Pixar's best standalone movie. To find any bad in this movie to me is nitpicking. I can't think of anything I didn't particularly disliked. I loved all of it.
I definitely recommend it for everyone to see, though I implore parents
who will bring their kids to try and keep them well behaved. One
annoying, noisy kid nearly ruined it for me, and I'm very thankful that
the movie was so good that it was able to keep my attention and drown
out distractions.
Movie review: Pixels (8/29/15)
I feel that a lot of the beef towards the movie comes from the trailer being a complete lie, and Adam Sandler himself. How much you like or can tolerate the man depends on you, because while everything relating to the video games was great, Adam Sandler's presence and his movie quirks are present, despite it being more low key than usual
Overall I feel it to be average. While it was entertaining in its own way, I can only imagine how much better it could have been if it was able to be a full video game movie without being interrupted by "Adam Sandler-isms".
Movie review: The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1 (11/15/15)
Just saw this now and never caught it on its initial release.
I feel a lot of the criticism towards the movie in regards to a lack of action or things just being setup disappears if it's seen back to back or shortly before Part 2. As for book comparisons, I never have read the books so I'm just taking this as it is: Not as good as Catching Fire, but provides good setup and gets everything ready for an all out experience for the final movie this week.
Movie review: The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 2 (11/22/15)
Before I give my full thoughts, let me sum up the movie in one word:
Meh.
On the whole it felt really unbalanced, with scenes of conversation going on longer than they should have, or scenes where stuff actually happens not being long enough. It's like it didn't know how to balance the character bits and the action bits by overcompensating in one area and lacking in the other.
Movie review: The Good Dinosaur (11/26/15)
Though not to the same level as Inside Out, Pixar's latest entry manages to do just fine by relying on its atmosphere, chemistry between the two main characters, animation, and taking a simple story and making it grand.
Have tissues on standby, per the Pixar norm.
Movie review: Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope (12/13/15)
38 years since its release, and it's still a classic that holds up today. What it may lack compared to the later two original movies or its prequels makes up for with a sense of atmosphere. Apart from watching this one first because it's the one that started it all, it can really suck you into that galaxy far far away and get you primed up for the rest of the movies to come.
4 more days...just 4 more days....
Movie review: Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back (12/14/15)
Watching it again after so long reaffirms that that this is hands down the best Star Wars movie of all of them.
Writing, Directing, Music, Effects, and Story really came together for this one, the end result being the film that shakes up the status quo and in my opinion is the one laid the groundwork for the future of Star Wars.
Next time however I won't be watching Return of the Jedi. Time to move from the best movie...to what is considered the worst.
Movie review: Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace (12/14/15)
While it is most definitely the weakest of the movies, I don't think it's the god-awful piece of garbage that people love to make it out as.
In my opinion, if you have a high tolerance for some of the more obnoxious things in the movie, there's still enough good in it to make it worthwhile.
Movie review: Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones (12/16/15)
Re-watching this one, I came to a startling realization.
I actually found this worse than The Phantom Menace, and it's because of one thing: The Anakin-Padme romance plot with its awful dialogue, Christensen's & Portman's badly directed acting, and it constantly interrupting everything else. Everything else I like in the movie fine, but the romance in this movie was just...blegh. While there's so much more to like in this one than in Episode I, the horrendous execution of the Anakin-Padme romance is just so palpable that it just engulfs everything, like the Dark Side of the Force.
I admit it could be because I just didn't see fully recognize this when I was a teen back when it came out and I've seen better romance plots since then, but I don't know...
Movie review: Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith (12/19/15)
Before my thoughts on Episode VII, my thoughts on Episode III.
Even though it has its issues, it has much more good in it than the other two and hands down the best movie of the Prequel Trilogy. It's a tragedy, brings things full circle to where they'll eventually begin in the first Star Wars, and also has a sense of atmosphere that really gives it a feeling of dread. It is after all the first PG-rated Star Wars movie.
The romance of Anakin, and Padme, a major point of contention for me in Attack of the Clones, is still cringe-worthy. However, in this movie at least they do something important with it. Combine that with a very exciting and climactic final act, and overall, it makes for a good time. Even though from a critical standpoint the best of the prequels still doesn't measure up the original trilogy, personally this ties with Empire Strikes Back as my favorite Star Wars movie.
Movie review: Pixels (8/29/15)
I feel that a lot of the beef towards the movie comes from the trailer being a complete lie, and Adam Sandler himself. How much you like or can tolerate the man depends on you, because while everything relating to the video games was great, Adam Sandler's presence and his movie quirks are present, despite it being more low key than usual
Overall I feel it to be average. While it was entertaining in its own way, I can only imagine how much better it could have been if it was able to be a full video game movie without being interrupted by "Adam Sandler-isms".
Movie review: The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1 (11/15/15)
Just saw this now and never caught it on its initial release.
I feel a lot of the criticism towards the movie in regards to a lack of action or things just being setup disappears if it's seen back to back or shortly before Part 2. As for book comparisons, I never have read the books so I'm just taking this as it is: Not as good as Catching Fire, but provides good setup and gets everything ready for an all out experience for the final movie this week.
Movie review: The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 2 (11/22/15)
Before I give my full thoughts, let me sum up the movie in one word:
Meh.
On the whole it felt really unbalanced, with scenes of conversation going on longer than they should have, or scenes where stuff actually happens not being long enough. It's like it didn't know how to balance the character bits and the action bits by overcompensating in one area and lacking in the other.
It only
really got good by the climax, and even then it felt unbalanced, with a
mix of effective and ineffective twists. As a movie on its own it was
OK, but for the final Hunger Games movie, I certainly wasn't satisfied.
Admittedly that could just be my own expectations since I never read the books, but considering that Mockingjay Part 1 was supposed to be the setup, I think its fair to want Mockingjay Part 2 be where everything goes down and comes to a head. But with still so much setting up and characters just doing nothing but repeating what we know, this movie might as well have been called Mockingjay Part 1.5. The imbalance of the movie's plot, and the stigma of it being the final one, sadly makes this the weakest of the entire series.
In the end, I'm glad I watched these movies and thank Amanda Nepomuceno for introducing me to the series. I just wish it would've ended better.
Admittedly that could just be my own expectations since I never read the books, but considering that Mockingjay Part 1 was supposed to be the setup, I think its fair to want Mockingjay Part 2 be where everything goes down and comes to a head. But with still so much setting up and characters just doing nothing but repeating what we know, this movie might as well have been called Mockingjay Part 1.5. The imbalance of the movie's plot, and the stigma of it being the final one, sadly makes this the weakest of the entire series.
In the end, I'm glad I watched these movies and thank Amanda Nepomuceno for introducing me to the series. I just wish it would've ended better.
Movie review: The Good Dinosaur (11/26/15)
Though not to the same level as Inside Out, Pixar's latest entry manages to do just fine by relying on its atmosphere, chemistry between the two main characters, animation, and taking a simple story and making it grand.
Have tissues on standby, per the Pixar norm.
Movie review: Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope (12/13/15)
38 years since its release, and it's still a classic that holds up today. What it may lack compared to the later two original movies or its prequels makes up for with a sense of atmosphere. Apart from watching this one first because it's the one that started it all, it can really suck you into that galaxy far far away and get you primed up for the rest of the movies to come.
4 more days...just 4 more days....
Movie review: Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back (12/14/15)
Watching it again after so long reaffirms that that this is hands down the best Star Wars movie of all of them.
Writing, Directing, Music, Effects, and Story really came together for this one, the end result being the film that shakes up the status quo and in my opinion is the one laid the groundwork for the future of Star Wars.
Next time however I won't be watching Return of the Jedi. Time to move from the best movie...to what is considered the worst.
Movie review: Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace (12/14/15)
While it is most definitely the weakest of the movies, I don't think it's the god-awful piece of garbage that people love to make it out as.
In my opinion, if you have a high tolerance for some of the more obnoxious things in the movie, there's still enough good in it to make it worthwhile.
Movie review: Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones (12/16/15)
Re-watching this one, I came to a startling realization.
I actually found this worse than The Phantom Menace, and it's because of one thing: The Anakin-Padme romance plot with its awful dialogue, Christensen's & Portman's badly directed acting, and it constantly interrupting everything else. Everything else I like in the movie fine, but the romance in this movie was just...blegh. While there's so much more to like in this one than in Episode I, the horrendous execution of the Anakin-Padme romance is just so palpable that it just engulfs everything, like the Dark Side of the Force.
I admit it could be because I just didn't see fully recognize this when I was a teen back when it came out and I've seen better romance plots since then, but I don't know...
Movie review: Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith (12/19/15)
Before my thoughts on Episode VII, my thoughts on Episode III.
Even though it has its issues, it has much more good in it than the other two and hands down the best movie of the Prequel Trilogy. It's a tragedy, brings things full circle to where they'll eventually begin in the first Star Wars, and also has a sense of atmosphere that really gives it a feeling of dread. It is after all the first PG-rated Star Wars movie.
The romance of Anakin, and Padme, a major point of contention for me in Attack of the Clones, is still cringe-worthy. However, in this movie at least they do something important with it. Combine that with a very exciting and climactic final act, and overall, it makes for a good time. Even though from a critical standpoint the best of the prequels still doesn't measure up the original trilogy, personally this ties with Empire Strikes Back as my favorite Star Wars movie.
One more movie left to watch, Episode VI, before the awakening...
Movie review: Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi (12/19/15)
Before my thoughts on Episode VII, my thoughts on Episode VI.
For the longest time until 1999, this was considered the original "bad" Star Wars, because of various aspects of the movie like the 30 minutes of Jabba the Hutt, the Ewoks, and a rather poor pace that starts and moves very slow until the climax.
Re-watching it again after all this time, I can agree with some of that, but I feel that some of the good bits along with one of the best climaxes of the movies make up for it. I think it also helps that this was written with being the end of a chapter in mind, as throughout the movie there's a sense of finality to it.
Movie review: Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi (12/19/15)
Before my thoughts on Episode VII, my thoughts on Episode VI.
For the longest time until 1999, this was considered the original "bad" Star Wars, because of various aspects of the movie like the 30 minutes of Jabba the Hutt, the Ewoks, and a rather poor pace that starts and moves very slow until the climax.
Re-watching it again after all this time, I can agree with some of that, but I feel that some of the good bits along with one of the best climaxes of the movies make up for it. I think it also helps that this was written with being the end of a chapter in mind, as throughout the movie there's a sense of finality to it.
Another thing that
makes me like this all the more is because when I started out this
marathon, I watched it in the flashback order: IV-V-I-II-III-VI. Seeing
the prequels and Anakin's story right before Return of the Jedi makes it
even stronger, as we see the end of Luke's rise to a hero and the end
and redemption of Darth Vader.
My final scores of the 6 movies will be posted tomorrow...after the awakening.
Movie review: Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens (12/21/15)
Finally, to finish my brief looks at the Star Wars movies...the latest, Episode VII.
Today was actually the second time I watched it, because the first time I watched it, I of course loved it. Seeing it a second time allowed me to be a little more critical and analytical of the movie, seeing again after the initial hype has passed and now its slowly creeping into our minds as part of Star Wars.
Seeing it again, I find myself still liking it. Without going into spoilers, I feel that the movie did a fantastic job in bringing back the magic of Star Wars and reminding us why we loved it in the first place. It has a perfect balance of old elements and new elements to please everyone, from the man who was first enthralled by this galaxy far far away in 1977, to the son of such a man who's being exposed to this franchise the first time in 2015. The characters, the effects, the plot twists, and a lot of great scenes definitely make for a movie that can possible give the earlier movies a run for their money.
My final scores of the 6 movies will be posted tomorrow...after the awakening.
Movie review: Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens (12/21/15)
Finally, to finish my brief looks at the Star Wars movies...the latest, Episode VII.
Today was actually the second time I watched it, because the first time I watched it, I of course loved it. Seeing it a second time allowed me to be a little more critical and analytical of the movie, seeing again after the initial hype has passed and now its slowly creeping into our minds as part of Star Wars.
Seeing it again, I find myself still liking it. Without going into spoilers, I feel that the movie did a fantastic job in bringing back the magic of Star Wars and reminding us why we loved it in the first place. It has a perfect balance of old elements and new elements to please everyone, from the man who was first enthralled by this galaxy far far away in 1977, to the son of such a man who's being exposed to this franchise the first time in 2015. The characters, the effects, the plot twists, and a lot of great scenes definitely make for a movie that can possible give the earlier movies a run for their money.
There are some things I didn't particularly like, but without going
into spoilers again, let's just say you might be flashing back to a
certain Star Wars movie often. And I felt that the music was extremely
underwhelming, especially for the guy who has composed all six movies
before this one.
However, they don't detract much from the movie for me. I'm glad to have seen it twice, I'm happy that I'm fully back with Star Wars again, I await owning Episode VII on DVD, and I await Episode VIII and IX with great anticipation.
I'll post my individual scores of all 7 movies later.
Star Wars Follow-Up (12/21/15)
My final scores of the (now) 7 main Star Wars movies. These are relative to each other, meaning that I'm judging them just as Star Wars movies, and not in the grand, nebulous quality of worldwide cinema. I'm not comparing a Star Wars to, say, Hunger Games.
Anyway...
EPISODE IV: A NEW HOPE (4.5/5)-A classic movie and a great start even 40 years later. Its primary flaws are in some of the sometimes hokey acting of Mark Hamill and Carrie Fisher, but they're overlooked because everything else is so good.
EPISODE V: THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK (5/5)-The Best Star Wars movie of them all. It does what any second act should do magnificently: Put our heroes through a hellish struggle after their first triumph, and end on a note that makes us yearn for more. Effects, music, story and cinematography all come together here. Add the introduction of a new iconic character, and one of the biggest twists in cinema history, and you have a movie that could do no wrong.
EPISODE VI: RETURN OF THE JEDI (4/5)-A satisfying conclusion to the original trilogy, though story wise it's rather unbalanced. Jabba's stuff in the first 30 minutes and the Ewoks later on seem like they go on and on depending on how much you're invested. It's made up for by the climax of Luke's final battle with Darth Vader and the space battle to end all space battles. Furthermore, how much this movie makes an emotional impact could depend on the order you watch the other movies.
EPISODE I: THE PHANTOM MENACE (2.5/5)-While most say this is the worst of them all, I find it just average. Jar Jar Binks's shtick can get pretty insufferable, and the politics in play can be seen as a waste of time. I feel that this is made up for by other aspects such as Ewan McGregor, the Podrace, the grand sweeping nature of the new environments, the final lightsaber battle, and John William's "Duel of the Fates".
EPISODE II: ATTACK OF THE CLONES (2/5)-To me, the WORST Star Wars movie, and for one reason: Anakin's and Padme's romance. This is definitive proof of George Lucas's flaws as a writer and director, as the dialogue and acting of this romance sink to the levels of bad soap operas, and made worse by the fact that its false drama: You KNOW that despite their blabbering of forbidden love, living a lie, and being tortured, they'll get together anyway. The fact that this major non-issue dominates half the movie just makes it such a pain to get through. Everything else in the movie is fine and great, but its drowned by this sappy-middle school play level of YA romantic fiction.
EPISODE III: REVENGE OF THE SITH (3.5/5)-The best of the prequels and my personal second favorite Star Wars movie. Despite the romance of Anakin and Padme still being a driving force, at least they do something important with it because of its tragic nature. As the movie that's meant to be the beginnings of Episode IV, this does it fairly well. The tragedy of seeing how things end for this era of Star Wars chronology gives it a sense of atmosphere not seen since Episode V. Though it is still flawed, it has enough good in it to make it the most watchable of the prequels.
EPISODE VII: THE FORCE AWAKENS (4/5)-A very effective and masterful start to this new era. Old and New mesh perfectly together to satisfy just about everyone who's seen it. The cinematography, the story, the energy of the new actors, and the legacy and gravitas of the old characters make for a wonderful time and reminds us all of why we loved Star Wars in the first place, why this franchise has been going on for almost 40 years in many different forms of media. Its flaws are primarily in the music and a feeling of repetition, but with a few exceptions, they're not to the movies determent. It'll make you leave the movie yearning for more, which is the sign that the movie has succeeded.
MAY THE FORCE BE WITH US ALL for the future and whatever will come next!
However, they don't detract much from the movie for me. I'm glad to have seen it twice, I'm happy that I'm fully back with Star Wars again, I await owning Episode VII on DVD, and I await Episode VIII and IX with great anticipation.
I'll post my individual scores of all 7 movies later.
Star Wars Follow-Up (12/21/15)
My final scores of the (now) 7 main Star Wars movies. These are relative to each other, meaning that I'm judging them just as Star Wars movies, and not in the grand, nebulous quality of worldwide cinema. I'm not comparing a Star Wars to, say, Hunger Games.
Anyway...
EPISODE IV: A NEW HOPE (4.5/5)-A classic movie and a great start even 40 years later. Its primary flaws are in some of the sometimes hokey acting of Mark Hamill and Carrie Fisher, but they're overlooked because everything else is so good.
EPISODE V: THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK (5/5)-The Best Star Wars movie of them all. It does what any second act should do magnificently: Put our heroes through a hellish struggle after their first triumph, and end on a note that makes us yearn for more. Effects, music, story and cinematography all come together here. Add the introduction of a new iconic character, and one of the biggest twists in cinema history, and you have a movie that could do no wrong.
EPISODE VI: RETURN OF THE JEDI (4/5)-A satisfying conclusion to the original trilogy, though story wise it's rather unbalanced. Jabba's stuff in the first 30 minutes and the Ewoks later on seem like they go on and on depending on how much you're invested. It's made up for by the climax of Luke's final battle with Darth Vader and the space battle to end all space battles. Furthermore, how much this movie makes an emotional impact could depend on the order you watch the other movies.
EPISODE I: THE PHANTOM MENACE (2.5/5)-While most say this is the worst of them all, I find it just average. Jar Jar Binks's shtick can get pretty insufferable, and the politics in play can be seen as a waste of time. I feel that this is made up for by other aspects such as Ewan McGregor, the Podrace, the grand sweeping nature of the new environments, the final lightsaber battle, and John William's "Duel of the Fates".
EPISODE II: ATTACK OF THE CLONES (2/5)-To me, the WORST Star Wars movie, and for one reason: Anakin's and Padme's romance. This is definitive proof of George Lucas's flaws as a writer and director, as the dialogue and acting of this romance sink to the levels of bad soap operas, and made worse by the fact that its false drama: You KNOW that despite their blabbering of forbidden love, living a lie, and being tortured, they'll get together anyway. The fact that this major non-issue dominates half the movie just makes it such a pain to get through. Everything else in the movie is fine and great, but its drowned by this sappy-middle school play level of YA romantic fiction.
EPISODE III: REVENGE OF THE SITH (3.5/5)-The best of the prequels and my personal second favorite Star Wars movie. Despite the romance of Anakin and Padme still being a driving force, at least they do something important with it because of its tragic nature. As the movie that's meant to be the beginnings of Episode IV, this does it fairly well. The tragedy of seeing how things end for this era of Star Wars chronology gives it a sense of atmosphere not seen since Episode V. Though it is still flawed, it has enough good in it to make it the most watchable of the prequels.
EPISODE VII: THE FORCE AWAKENS (4/5)-A very effective and masterful start to this new era. Old and New mesh perfectly together to satisfy just about everyone who's seen it. The cinematography, the story, the energy of the new actors, and the legacy and gravitas of the old characters make for a wonderful time and reminds us all of why we loved Star Wars in the first place, why this franchise has been going on for almost 40 years in many different forms of media. Its flaws are primarily in the music and a feeling of repetition, but with a few exceptions, they're not to the movies determent. It'll make you leave the movie yearning for more, which is the sign that the movie has succeeded.
MAY THE FORCE BE WITH US ALL for the future and whatever will come next!
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