tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-91186533700155565662024-02-18T22:34:30.936-07:00Movie ManRyan Bunkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09892333045838346147noreply@blogger.comBlogger202125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9118653370015556566.post-31234702025787094222014-07-13T00:57:00.002-06:002014-07-13T00:57:28.913-06:00The Amazing Spider Man 2<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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The Amazing Spider Man 2 continued to build on Spider Man and the cost of being a hero along with giving us even more back story on Peter Parker and what happened to his parents. To reboot Spider Man so soon after the previous trilogy seemed like it was too soon yet with the first installment it showed how the Spider Man story could be told. I looked forward to seeing how the story would continue and where the villains could take Spider MAn as they could stretch and make Spider Man question various things throughout his entire life. While I have seen a lot of critics pan this sequel it always makes me wonder what the criteria is that they have when they go to see these various superhero movies.<br />
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Andrew Garfield reprises his role of Spider Man/Peter Parker and continues building a strong hero for the audience to root for and care greatly about. Garfield is another example of what the correct casting choice for a superhero can do. He is precisely what I picture Spider Man to be, he is not a big bulked up superhero, but instead is long, toned and super smart to outsmart whoever he is going up against. Emma Stone shows her amazing acting ability once again in the role of Gwen Stacy. Stone practically, stole the show for me as she is able to not only give the audience so many simple emotions effortless and coming across as genuine, but I loved that unlike most love interests she was not a helpless female character, but is instead a strong character that Spider Man could rely on even though he wanted to keep her away from any possible danger. The chemistry between Garfield and Stone is so perfect as they brought out the best in each other and really strengthened the entire movie as a whole. Dane Dehan in the role of Harry Osborn/Goblin countered Garfield with a perfect match. The limited interaction he has on screen he is able to make the most of his time and I really would have preferred him to be the primary villain as I felt Electro played by Jamie Foxx was kind of weird and came across a little campy/cartoonish due to the feeling that he was over computer generated that made him less intimidating and underwhelming. <br />
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The story for the Amazing Spider Man 2 was quite the improvement from the first. In this go around the story was more about Peter/Spidey and Gwen, rather then the villains. While this may have irked some movie goers and not been what they wanted in a superhero movie, it is what Spider Man is truly about. Peter is trying to be a regular guy and balance that with being Spider Man and this comes across through the clever use of a montage showing him trying to handle both aspects and that Spider Man is not immune to a cold. Yet the regular problems he has in his life seem to cause him as much pain as his work as Spider Man. From this Spider Man has an easier time dealing with the physical pain caused in his confrontations with the villains and fighting, he is more comfortable with then handling the personal relationships in his life. The story to me through was one that relied heavily on the relationships in his life whether that be Gwen and the guilt he feels in regards to him not being able to save her father or focusing to finding out what really happened to his parents and what his father had done in trying to protect Peter. For some reason this focusing on in particular Peter and Gwen's relationship worked in a superhero movie which I honestly did not expect. Gwen in the story was a key figure as it ends up being because of her that we see more of Peter and Spider Man as characters as she adds a great depth to them. Which only connected Spider Man even more emotionally to the audience. It truly was unique to have the storyline involving Electro and even Goblin with Spider Man to play second fiddle to the love interest relationship. It may have been this that kind of made the roles of Electro lacking and Goblin feeling a little rushed.<br />
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The action sequences for The Amazing Spider Man 2 worked well and I felt in many ways worked better then in the previous installment. One of the best aspects used in the film was the "Spidey sense." I loved how it showed what Spider Man saw was going to happen then went back and showed how he counter acted in that split second of needing a decision to prevent that from happening. The rest of the action sequences were done well and I liked how the direction of Marc Webb actually allowed the audience to see and follow what was going on during the fights. The only bad aspect to me of the action sequences was I felt that they had to rush the whole confrontation between Spider Man and the Goblin. I wanted more build and I would have loved to have seen him be the only villain and not have had to deal with Electro. Also, while most of the CGI was seamless and spot on, I had a hard time with the CGI used for Electro. For me it was overdone and made his character overly comical. While that can work and be okay in a comic book movie, that will only work if the entire feel of the movie has the same comic book feel. The feel for The Amazing Spider Man 2 though has a mixture of somber, seriousness and even a slight darkness. So the character of Electro needed to match that feel and not have the comical feel, but instead needed a darkness to him. <br />
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The Amazing Spider Man 2 built really well from the first Amazing Spider Man. The chemistry that Emma Stone shared with Andrew Garfield worked perfectly for this sequel and really strengthened each character and was a unique twist for the strongest plot of a superhero movie. The action worked for this movie and I am intrigued to see how the narrative and the action for Spider Man evolve in the next movie. I am giving The Amazing Spider Man 2 three and three quarter buckets of popcorn out of five. This is a film that is well worth the price of a movie ticket and is one that I will be adding to the movie collection. I also, loved the teasing for "The Sinister Six" movie. <br />
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-The Movie Man<br />
<br />Ryan Bunkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09892333045838346147noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9118653370015556566.post-10362745088007161172014-04-28T08:00:00.000-06:002014-04-28T08:00:05.435-06:00Captain America: The Winter Soldier<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Cap is back for the second film in the Captain America movie franchise, with Captain America: The Winter Soldier. Marvel seems to be able to do no wrong with the super hero movies movies. One of the great things is that the Winter Soldier is able to successfully not just be a super hero movie, but instead has a great spy thriller feel to it that appeals to not just the comic book crowd but an even larger audience base then just the super hero movie genre. This aspect is something important for just the average movie goer to understand about Captain America: The Winter Soldier and not to just dismiss it because they think it is a super hero movie.<br />
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Chris Evans reprises his as Captain America/Steve Rogers and in this go around he is able to really grow his character. It was nice that in The Avengers we got a lot of the awkwardness of him adjusting to the new times and this truly allowed him in this movie to be Captain America and "The super hero out of time" was used sparsely and really was simple comic relief without being overdone. While this movie is about Captain America it is really Scarlett Johannson as Black Widow in many ways stole the screen. The character of Black Widow has become more intriguing to me with each film she has been in and it was great for her to get more screen time where she was not just kicking butt. Johannson brought a great vulnerability to the role as we were actually able to learn more about her and her past. This worked because while we learned about her it was like getting just one layer of an onion peeled off. Seeing her in this movie makes me want a stand alone Black Widow movie now. Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury played a little more prominent and we learned more about his past and what led him to being Director Fury. Sebastian Stan as The Winter Soldier is truly a great nemesis for Captain America to go up against. The ability he has to not only go blow for blow with Cap, but the the ability he has to use his cyborg arm to catch Cap's shield makes him an equal as no one else has been able to catch the shield. A character that talks so little typically ends up being a completely lacking character, yet Stan is able to convey so much with just a look. The rest of the supporting cast all give admirable performances and really work well onscreen.<br />
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Captain America: The Winter Soldier is going to be a game changer in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. In this story they decided to make a Captain America sequel with some serious, darker plot development and close range hand to hand combat fights. So what should have been a typical super hero film, instead became a conspiracy filled espionage thriller. The Winter Soldier was very well written and it is filled with suspense and yet they are still able to bring about socio-political issues dealing with "Big Brother" control and surveillance as a theme in the storytelling. The story unfolds gradually and builds throughout the film by using miniature climatic moments. Because of where the screenplay written by McFeely and Markus takes us with the Marvel Cinematic Universe, it will never be the same. With the game changing plot developments this will truly make Captain America: The Winter Soldier be a movie that is remembered with the Marvel Cinematic Universe. With the fact that the MCU will never be the same, it only excites me more to see where everything continues to go in future movies and story lines. The pacing the Russo brothers set forth in their directing is nearly perfect as the mixture of telling a story fits so well with the action. Not too mention they still are able to progress story arcs amongst the action whether in a look or a quick comment.<br />
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The action for The Winter Soldier was very well done. It was great to see this movie limit the use of CGI. Giving us hand to hand combat action and the use of stunts as much as possible was perfect. The action was made even stronger and exciting in my opinion through the use of Captain America's shield being featured more in this go around as a primary offensive weapon. One of the best action sequences that I really enjoyed was the elevator scene. With such a confined space that is full of people, the fighting sequence could be tough to make exciting or workable. Yet, they are able to be successful with this scene and only shows the power Captain America has even when heavily outnumbered. I loved the action as it was great to see everything choreographed out so well that it all flowed perfectly within what the Russo brothers were telling in the story.<br />
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Captain America: The Winter Soldier surprisingly was not what I expected from the movie as it was a great spy thriller with super heroes. Chris Evans and Scarlett Johannson really worked well on screen together and the chemistry they had really showed and made this movie almost a duo movie that worked perfectly. The quips that they had from time to time worked well and lightened up the tension of the movie at certain moments. Sebastian Stan with his few spoken lines actually gave him an intense performance that allowed him to be the perfect nemesis to Captain America. The story and the action worked so well together and flowed the pace perfectly. This was the best sequel in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and the two extra scenes that were directed Joss Whedon have only intensified my interest to see future Marvel movies in the current and future phases. Captain America: The Winter Soldier gave some great twists and turns and because of all of that I am giving Captain America: The Winter Soldier four and a quarter buckets of popcorn out of five. This is a movie that will no doubt be added to the movie collection as soon as possible.<br />
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-The Movie ManRyan Bunkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09892333045838346147noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9118653370015556566.post-55182529320232528152014-02-16T14:17:00.001-07:002014-02-16T14:17:39.852-07:00The Lone Ranger<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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The Lone Ranger ended up being one of those movies that was unfairly panned by critics, which I believe led to driving a lot of people from seeing it in theaters and unfortunately that ended up showing in the box office numbers. For some reason Western movies as of late have not done well and to me that is just simply confusing to me because the Western is a big part of cinema history and is one of those genres that is strictly tied to America. To me I have rarely gone to a Disney movie and left feeling let down and The Lone Ranger certainly did not disappoint me. I found it to be a movie that was a great adventure ride from start to finish. I loved how The Lone Ranger gave a new take on the classic characters of The Lone Ranger and Tonto. Not to mention for me it ended up being precisely what I want to see when it comes to a summer movie as it is a perfect mixture of story, action and that perfect pinch of comedy mixed in.<br />
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One of the unique aspects from The Lone Ranger was that of the casting. It is not done often where the top billed actor for a film is not the lead role, that is precisely what they have done in casting Johnny Depp as Tonto. Depp plays Tonto with his trademark off the wall and unique traits that he has brought to so many different roles. Depp has great chemistry with everyone on screen that he really seems to be able to elevate others performances. Armie Hammer plays John Reid, who becomes the Lone Ranger. Hammer plays the role well as we see the inner battle that he has in trying to bring the bad guys to justice, while battling a system that is a little corrupt. Hammer seems to take to the role and really envelops his character and the way he interacts with Depp as Tonto absolutely perfect. William Fichtner in the role of Butch Cavendish, the treacherous western villain gives a strong performance, and he fits in so well that you practically forget that he is acting. Fichtner for some reason has an uncanny ability to play villains perfectly that as someone watching the movie you just have immediate revulsion to his character. The supporting cast all provide decent performances, but with some of them I would have enjoyed a little more depth and time given to each character.<br />
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The story for The Lone Ranger was in my opinion a fairly well done origin story. I am sure a lot of the critics that saw The Lone Ranger had memories of the old TV show and so they were expecting the character to be the same and not have the origin story feel that was given to all the characters. The origin story was the perfect way to introduce The Lone Ranger to a whole new generation of not only movie goers, but Western movie fans. The story was laid out well and perfectly paced the movie. The use of the old Tonto telling the story to a young boy and from time to time jumping back to the present with the boy and Tonto helped surprisingly and did not make the story feel disjointed like one might imagine it would. Instead using this helped to make the film not feel rushed, but would give a moment to catch your breath before moving back to the action.<br />
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To go along with the origin story Gore Verbinski with his directing brings some fun and great action to the old West. Verbinski does a great job at mixing the up close gun fights with large scale explosions that work perfectly for the old West. While The Lone Ranger ended up taking a lot of flak for the amount spent, but when you make an action movie using very little CGI, but instead build sets and trains that you in turn blow up it is not cheap to do. Yet, personally I love to support these movies that use the "old school" way to do action. For me in the action it was great to see the progression of the Lone Ranger's character from one who believes solely in the judicial system for bringing about justice to realizing at times that he must bring about the justice himself to counteract the corruption that is within the judicial system. The action used throughout the film was great and the sequences aboard the train were truly great and fun to watch.<br />
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The Lone Ranger while the critics panned this film and will probably be viewed as a box office flop, I greatly ended up enjoying the film. Depp and Hammer give strong performances and really worked well together and played off one another with such a great ease. I can not think of anyone else out there that would have given a better performance as the villain then Fichtner. Personally, I loved the use of an origin story to reintroduce The Lone Ranger to a whole new generation. The lack of CGI was perfect for an old West movie as they instead focused on real sets and real explosions. The Lone Ranger was a decent movie and I am giving The Lone Ranger three and half buckets of popcorn out of five. This is a movie that has ended up in our movie collection, and while the critics did not like it I hope that does not stop Disney from future installments in the Lone Ranger franchise.<br />
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-The Movie ManRyan Bunkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09892333045838346147noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9118653370015556566.post-84591339257953817542014-01-18T16:25:00.000-07:002014-01-18T16:25:39.854-07:00The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug was probably one of the top movies that I looked forward to seeing in 2013. For me Desolation of Smaug did not disappoint in the least. While the first movie in the Hobbit trilogy I thought was done really well, Desolation of Smaug takes that success and in the end created an amazingly strong movie. As I have gotten older, the midnight movies do not appeal nearly as much to me simply because of how hard it is to stay completely alert throughout the movie. Yet, this was one of those movies that I was so eager to see that I went to go and see as the midnight movie and it was so well laid out and put together that I was able to easily stray awake. Desolation of Smaug with the abrupt end to the movie only worked to make me even that more excited for when the third movie will come out.<br />
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Martin Freeman reprises his role as Bilbo and really not only envelops the role, but he really shines and is completely believable and is a great protagonist. Freeman will definitely become a big name star as he continues to get roles and deliver the great connection ability he has with the audience. The insurgence of Evangeline Lily as the elf Tauriel is a great female heroine addition for the Hobbit. While the original book written by Tolkien did not have this character she brings not only a strength, but a great feminine touch to a predominantly male cast. Richard Armitage in the role of Thorin has matured nicely into the strength of the leader of the Dwarves set to reclaim Erebor. Not surprisingly for me because of how much I have enjoyed the BBC show Sherlock, Benedict Cumberbatch in the role of Smaug was great. While they used effects to give his voice more boom he does a fantastic job as the sneering, wise and boastful dragon. The rest of the supporting cast do a great job and only add to the movie.<br />
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The story for Desolation of Smaug ends up doing a great job of not simply just being a middle film that relies and needs the secondary films, but instead even though it does end abruptly to build anticipation for the third movie it really has a great ability to stand on its own. The story builds throughout and is able to really expand on the material. While we are given great set pieces, strong action sequences and while Gandalf's journey happens without being told about it in the book, it was really a fun added aspect to the movie. Yet, the main journey to the Lonely Mountain with Bilbo and the Dwarves remains the constant drive for the pacing for the movie and it never loses sight of that for the true story. While I felt that the first installment had points where for me it kind of dragged, in Desolation of Smaug though the pacing really works and the action sequences end up helping the story to continue to movie without dragging.<br />
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The action in Desolation of Smaug is above top notch. Right from the onset the action grabs you and not only pulls you immediately into the movie, but does not let go until the credits start to roll. The use of the CGI for the different action sequences is pretty seamless and spot on, that it truly takes the fight scenes to epic heights. Along with the increasing danger we see how strong these action sequences can be. The dwarves in the barrels down the river sequence was really cool to see, simply as they gave us a different chase sequence that you do not really see in movies, so that one that does not know Tolkien's story is surprised with the way they escape and while still escaping from the Elves, while fighting off the Orc's they still receive a little help from Legolas and Tauriel as it seems that the two of them take out three fourths of the Orc's on their own. The action sequence/story that takes place between Bilbo and Smaug though was pure genius. The interaction between these two is perfect and it really works well to keep me on the edge of my seat throughout the build up as to what is going on and seeing finally the dragon Smaug is completely epic.<br />
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The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug was a fun movie to watch and it really exceeded my expectations in ways that I did not know The Desolation of Smaug would be able to do. Martin Freeman continues to show that he is a definite breakout star that will only have more and more roles as his career continues. Freeman though shoes his true greatness in the Lonely Mountain as his chemistry he has with Smaug voiced by Cumberbatch just works. Cumberbatch only brings up the film and really gave a performance that while I expected it to be strong it gave me goosebumps. I really enjoyed the story and all the different action sequences that were brought forward only made for a great movie that truly seemed to fly by. I am giving The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug four and a half buckets of popcorn out of five. This is one that will be added to my collection once it comes out and I would urge anyone that is a fan of great movies to make sure to see it in theaters simply because no other viewing format may be able to portray Smaug the way he is viewed on the big screen.<br />
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-The Movie ManRyan Bunkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09892333045838346147noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9118653370015556566.post-60743419405996512972013-12-06T22:49:00.001-07:002013-12-06T22:49:59.960-07:00The Wolverine<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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While I did not hate X-men Origins: Wolverine like so many of the movie critics did and while I liked it, each time I watch it there are really so many missed opportunities and some misuse of some great mutant characters. The Wolverine ends up borrowing from the Claremont/Miller Japanese storyline for Wolverine from the comic books. The Wolverine ends up actually having depth and substance to it, and there are not fight scenes happening every couple of minutes. Instead it ends up giving us a deep character study of Wolverine. It is clear that The Wolverine has tried to correct the problems that were complained about in the previous solo Wolverine film. Despite taking place after the events of X-men: The Last Stand, it attempts to distance itself from the rest of the X-men characters and story, instead solely focusing on Wolverine and as a result this film feels very different to all the other X-men films.<br />
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Hugh Jackman portrays Logan/Wolverine for the sixth time and he has embodied this role in such a way that I now put Jackman as The Wolverine and so if a day comes when someone else plays this role they will have a huge role to fill and high expectations. Jackman is able to take the character to new levels and gives even more depth as he added further layers to his character as he tries to deal with his demons and shows those to the audience perfectly. To counter Wolverine we have Yashida who is played by Hal Yamanouchi and he does a good job. As the main villain in the film he does not come off as menacing, but instead he is devious as he appeal to want to repay Wolverine for saving his life in Nagasaki when the atomic bomb fell by giving Wolverine the gift of mortality. Yet his villain became quite menacing once in his Silver Samurai suit and is virtually an equal to Wolverine and truly pushes him to the limits during their battle. Svetlana Khodchenkova as our other villain on Viper has her up and down moments. Khodchenkova while beautiful for the role kind of lacks a motivating purpose that the audience needs from villains. Tao Okamoto plays Mariko who is the love interest for Wolverine ends up being capable to handle herself in many situations so she is not just a pretty face who is constantly needed for saving. The rest of the supporting cast give good performances and really help to make this movie a strong solo Wolverine movie. <br />
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The story for The Wolverine was leaps and bounds better then what came from the first solo Wolverine film. I really enjoyed the concept of the change of location of Japan somehow this seemed to fit for Wolverine because of his natural wanderer tendency, along with the fact that his claws are so reminiscent to those of the Samurai sword. I loved that we received more back story that shows The Wolverine having an actual connection to Japan from being a prisoner during World War II and when the atomic bomb was dropped in Nagasaki, Wolverine ends up saving the life of the guard who had unlocked his cell pit before the bomb dropped so that like the other prisoners could try to get to safety. For me the story was able to work for me because I was never quite sure what the climax was going to be as they kept me guessing who was truly who within the story. The pacing for The wolverine worked very well, while it was a face paced action movie it was not afraid to slow down from time to time to delve in and give depth to the characters. The direction with the pacing was able to work as the movie slowed and picked up precisely when it needed to.<br />
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The action for The Wolverine was a strong aspect of this film. While like usual I truly enjoyed the action with The Wolverine I felt that everything was taken to the next level with this installment. Personally, the action sequence for the atomic bomb explosion in Nagasaki was really cool to see and just worked in my opinion to truly help set up the story. Along with that action sequence the black ninjas moving along the rooftops and the fight sequence between them and Wolverine was really cool simply because the stealth of ninjas is simply awesome to watch and in all honesty I am still a kid at heart and what kid did not grow up thinking ninjas were totally awesome? While the fight sequences was a little underwhelming in my opinion, Wolverine in fights is still pretty cool to watch.<br />
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The Wolverine was a movie that I really enjoyed. While it did have its flaws and some things that I am still not sure why a character or scene took place they were few and far between. Hugh Jackman has once again completely enveloped himself as Wolverine and only increased the depth in the end of the character. They paired Jackman with a strong cast that he was able to work well with and that chemistry seemed to resonate on the screen. The Wolverine was able to distance itself from other X-men films without truly alienating them which I enjoyed. Another awesome aspect was the after credit scene which I will simply say has got me truly excited for the next X-men installment in 2014. I am giving The Wolverine three and a half buckets of popcorn out of five. This is a movie definitely worth seeing even if you are not much of a comic book fan and is a definite must see for the comic book fan. The Wolverine is one movie that will definitely end up in the movie collection.<br />
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-The Movie ManRyan Bunkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09892333045838346147noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9118653370015556566.post-38043092088512627422013-08-06T19:53:00.000-06:002013-08-06T19:53:19.900-06:00Jack Reacher<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Jack Reacher is based on one of the books from the Jack Reacher series of novels written by Lee Childs. While I have not read these books, I had heard that the main character of Reacher was 6'5", 250lbs and blond, so basically the complete opposite of Tom Cruise who plays Reacher in the movie. So while I was not having high expectations, since I had not read any of the books I really had no idea what to expect from Jack Reacher. Jack Reacher is the tale of an ex-military investigator who is brought in on a heinous crime believe to be committed by an ex-military sniper. As Reacher digs into the evidence, we are taken on the journey as the crime is really not what it seems on the surface. Jack Reacher is a movie that does not try to be anything other then a movie that is a solid one and is one that is on the high end of its genre. It does not try to be revolutionary, but instead it gives a great action thriller that are not given to audiences nearly as often anymore. </div>
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First off, while Tom Cruise does not meet the physical appearance of Jack Reacher from the books, yet the way he plays the role he is somehow able to embody the part perfectly. The cerebral aspect that Cruise brings is simply perfect. After having seen the movie I read some about the series and found that while he is physically intimidating in the end it is all about his intellect to work to figure out a crime scene that makes Reacher who he is. Rosamund Pike in the role of Helen, the defense attorney is a different role then most female roles for an action movie, simply put her character is a full character and not the "Bond Girl" or "Lara Croft" type heroine, but we get to see her complete character with glimpses of her doubts, anxieties and her conviction. Werner Herzog plays The Zec, mysterious main antagonist who while extremely creepy, I would have loved to have got a lot more behind the reasoning for his plan. They kept his character so mysterious that while Herzog played this well, it left me wanting more. The supporting cast all work well, particularly the henchmen as they are perfect for what you need in a good action thriller. </div>
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The story for Jack Reacher was not exactly what I was expecting going into seeing the movie. This is another one of those movies where the trailers give a completely different feel for this to be an action fill explosion fest of a movie that is simply a pedal to the metal action movie. Instead Jack Reacher is a thought out, methodical action thriller that really has an old school feel to it. With this being based on the novel "One Shot" it has made me want to go and read this story and see how I like it. The direction by McQuarne works really well as he took the story and made it a great journey in which the audience is taken on and makes you just sit on the edge of your seat throughout. The pacing is set at just a perfect pace as it did not move so fast that everything happens that it makes you wonder and say wait what just happened. but instead gives you just enough to keep you salivating for more as the story moves on. </div>
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The action sequences in this action thriller are simple and straight forward. Jack Reacher does not use huge explosion to give the action, but instead gives good thought out fight scenes to even an old school car chase where Cruise himself does all of his own stunt driving. In the end the car chase was very enjoyable and the bus stop portion of it was one of my favorite parts in the entire movie because it just made myself and my wife laugh out loud. To go along with the action and fun story is the amount of funny wit and one liners through the film. At the start of the film the initial crime is very intense that really the one liners are needed to help lighten the intensity, yet they are able to do this in such a way that they do not lose the edge of your seat aspect for the film that you want in an action thriller. </div>
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Jack Reacher ends up being a movie that exceeded expectations, I enjoyed Cruise's performance and found it nice to see Cruise out of the Ethan Hunt mold of the boy scoutish character and instead be a character who is a little more Jason Bourne as well as an almost anti-hero that does not care to follow the rules. I enjoyed the storyline that was laid out and I was a big fan of how the pacing moved without dragging or rushing. The strength of the story also plays well when it is one in which I want to go read the Jack Reacher novels now. I am giving Jack Reacher three and a half buckets of popcorn out of five. This is definitely a movie worth renting and is one n which I plan on adding to the movie collection eventually.</div>
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-The Movie Man</div>
Ryan Bunkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09892333045838346147noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9118653370015556566.post-52166839274416158142013-07-24T00:14:00.000-06:002013-07-24T00:14:05.469-06:00Man of Steel <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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So after a break from posting movie reviews, I am back and decided I would start back up with my review of Man of Steel simply because of the announcement over the weekend from San Diego Comic Convention that the follow up to Man of Steel would be Superman teaming up with Batman. Being the superhero geek that I am I could not help but be totally excited about this announcement. I was excited for the Superman reboot since it was tied to Zac Snyder directing and Christopher Nolan producing, I knew that this go around would be pretty strong. While I have somewhat enjoyed Superman movies as well as some of the Superman animated shows, I have never really been a big fan of Superman because he is the superhero that seems to have any and all super powers that a Superhero would want or could have. Man of Steel gives us though a completely different Superman then anything that has been brought to any screen previously. While critics have been harsh on Man of Steel because it is not close to the original Superman movie that has shaped the canon of Superman movies. For me the fact that they moved away and left the original as its own and took Man of Steel to be its own complete story of Superman that made it work and be such an enjoyable movie in my mind. <br />
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Henry Cavill stars as Clark Kent/Superman and ends up giving a really strong performance. Especially, when compared to the previous actor that played Superman. Cavill was such a perfect fit for where they were taking Man of Steel and the telling of the Superman story. Amy Adams in the role of Lois Lane works. She has a great ability to play female lead roles in which the female lead really portrays strength and is not a damsel in distress. Adams like Cavill is redefining the role of Lois Lane and hopefully with future movies the characters can take this initial depth we have been given and continue to expand on it. Michael Shannon as our antagonist General Zod epitomizes a Superman villain. He is menacing and is truly an equal for Superman to go up against. He is able to match Superman punch for punch, yet while they are equals it is the upbringing on Earth that Superman has had that separates the two in the end. The supporting cast was well cast and really helped throughout the film. For me Russell Crowe was meant to play the role of Jor-El and gives the audience a great view of how a Kryptonian should be and through his instruction that his conscious is able to give Clark Kent allows Clark to see this as well. <br />
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The story for Man of Steel was a great one for the reboot of the franchise and really for me the most enjoyable Superman movie that I have seen. The story for Man of Steel while darker then previous Superman movies, it just works. This works for me simply I think because of the similar feel that the Man of Steel has with Batman Begins and the origin story that it told. As I mentioned earlier I have never been the big Superman fan because he is virtually invincible and has every super power possible, yet with Man of Steel, Snyder's direction through the use of flashbacks of Clark and him trying to deal with his powers and his desire to help those in trouble really humanized Superman. This humanization made him vulnerable and for me it made Superman more likable. Personally, one of the best aspects of the story for me was that we were actually given a great look into the planet of Krypton and a good story as to why the planet was dying and even the reasoning behind sending Superman to Earth. <br />
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To go along with the story Snyder brought great visuals and action to meld almost perfectly with the story. Snyder used the visuals to perfection. the visuals of Krypton were simply inspiring, it is always cool to see how a director will portray another world. Snyder brings stunning visuals that it truly showed a highly advanced society to me for Krypton. The visuals that continued throughout the movie are perfect as Snyder uses contrasting colors to give an amazing feel to the cinematography. It is amazing to me how he can do it so simply yet subtly, a great example of this for me was that of the contrast in colors between the background and the blue and red of Superman's costume and how Snyder makes it virtually pop off the screen. Snyder also gives action that while it had its moments of feeling rushed it still worked a majority of the time. The battle sequences between Superman and the invaders from Krypton were very well done. While I felt like the climatic battle scene was slightly rushed it still was pretty cool to watch and see.<br />
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Man of Steel was not only a really good reboot of the Superman franchise, but I would consider it to be one of the stronger movies that I have seen. Zac Snyder along with Christopher Nolan showed a very strong chemistry together. Man of Steel had a definite touch and feel of Christopher Nolan having a hand, yet it did not overpower the direction of Snyder which the film definitely had his touch especially his contrasting visuals that he does throughout the movie. The acting talents of Cavill, Adams and Shannon really worked well and I felt there chemistry was perfect. I am giving Man of Steel four buckets of popcorn out of five. I would definitely recommend Man of Steel to be one that any movie goer makes sure to see in theaters, and I am now very excited to see the next installment that will have Superman teaming up with Batman.<br />
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-The Movie ManRyan Bunkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09892333045838346147noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9118653370015556566.post-75608507560620123252013-05-17T22:51:00.000-06:002013-05-17T22:51:34.051-06:00Star Trek Into Darkness<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I am going to start out by saying that I have never really been a "Trekkie" as I have always been more of a fan of Star Wars instead of the old Star Trek series and movies. Yet when they did the reboot in 2009 with J.J. Abrams at the helm, I saw it and really enjoyed it. So from the moment that I heard that they were doing a sequel I was excited to see what they would do and my excitement only grew when I saw the first trailer for Star Trek Into Darkness. I am very pleased to be able to say that even with such high expectations going in it did not disappoint me in the least. Abrams has truly set the bar high in the world of Sci-fi movies for not only all other directors, future directors , but himself as well. Star Trek Into Darkness had a little bit of everything and I want to go and see it again only this time in the IMAX 3D.</div>
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Chris Pine reprises his role as Captain James T. Kirk. He showed a lot more growth with Kirk's character from the first movie. While I am sure there are some out there that have not liked his portrayal, personally I enjoyed the brash, cockiness he has had to go along with his learning what it truly takes to Captain a starship as a part of Starfleet. Zachary Quinto as Spock was great and it was nice to see him be able to give more emotion to the role. Quinto showed a lot of range and I thought it was even great to see that they gave Spock a couple of great one-liners that had me laughing throughout. The friendship although fragile at times between Kirk and Spock really worked and the success of the two of them together is due to the chemistry that Quinto and Pine had together. While they are key aspects to Star Trek Into Darkness, it is really Benedict Cumberbatch in the role of Khan that makes this film so strong. Where in the previous installment I felt like the villain was just okay. Cumberbatch gives a performance that any actor playing a villain ought to study. His character has such a cold calculating aspect that you almost pity and feel sorry for what Khan went through because of Starfleet and the path that led him down to being the antagonist for the story. Yet, even with all of this I was simply in awe with his presence onscreen and some of the jaw dropping things that his character does throughout the movie. The rest of the supporting cast all do admirable jobs and it is nice that all of the subsidiary characters seemed to get their own moments of character growth. Bones and Scotty got their great comedic moments throughout, the analogies that Bones had throughout had me cracking up throughout the film.</div>
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The story that is brought to the screen for Star Trek Into Darkness was a simple yet layered story. Unlike some of Abrams past movies where nothing is as it seems, Star Trek Into Darkness while it still has some of that to some extent, but I found that the story was full of layers, but not one where the layers are out to confuse me. Star Trek Into Darkness is truly a fast paced action blockbuster with moments of slowing down to give the compelling human element that is vital for the character development and it is what makes the audience care about all of the different characters. Yet, part of what makes the story work is that the intense action makes the characters bond as almost a baptism by fire aspect. The other aspect that makes the story work so well is the soundtrack that Michael Giacchino brings once again. The music captured the essence of everything that Abrams was trying to bring about in the Star Trek world. The music is the perfect mixture of original Star Trek music with updated sounds for today.</div>
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The action and set pieces are pretty awe inspiring I can only imagine what all of this would look like on an IMAX screen. Abrams has a great ability to film action sequences with such a flair that it only makes these action sequences put me more on the edge of my seat. The cinematography and visuals worked so well on this film, I loved the futuristic look of the cities and the sweeping views we get through these cities were just awesome to see. the first shot of seeing the Enterprise as it rises from underwater only shows from the beginning what visually stunning film the audience is in for. The smaller comedic aspect that takes place throughout the movie was great for the action and only made everything all the better in my opinion. While I love the edge of your seat aspect that comes from the intensity in edge of your seat movies, without the comedic aspect to help lighten the movie throughout from time to time allows for everything to not completely overwhelm the viewer with the intensity.</div>
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Star Trek Into Darkness is a movie that not only met my expectations going in, but went above. The acting worked well together, but it was really Benedict Cumberbatch as the antagonist is what truly made Start Trek Into Darkness to work so well. J.J. Abrams continued to show that as a director he is definitely a top tier director particularly in the Sci-fi genre. He has definitely raised the bar with his combination of story telling ability with action and visuals that really put the audience on the edge of their seat throughout the film. I am giving Star Trek Into Darkness four and a half buckets of popcorn out of five. Star Trek Into Darkness is a movie that I would definitely say is well worth the price of a movie ticket and is one that I even want to go see again only to see it in the whole IMAX experience.</div>
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-The Movie Man</div>
Ryan Bunkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09892333045838346147noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9118653370015556566.post-25009359940524189822013-05-14T06:00:00.000-06:002013-05-14T06:00:10.253-06:00Oblivion<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Oblivion is one of those Sci-fi movies that I was very intrigued to see after seeing the first trailer. Sci-fi movies dealing with post-apocalyptic life on Earth are movies that are simply done a ton, and so while I wanted to see Oblivion I believed that I knew how the story line would go and that nothing in this movie would surprise me. I loved the concept and I think the softly spoken afterword by Tom Cruise's character ends up giving this Sci-fi epic a true hum heart beat that you do not always get from movies. It is always interesting how the marketing for films with the trailers seem to give us great action sequences with blockbuster explosions, yet Oblivion ends up being a movie that is completely different from that in that it gives a human story and characters that are driven by a common purpose. Oblivion is another one of those movies that is visually stunning and gives some amazing effects that place Oblivion in the same realm as a lot of the movies that are known to be visually stunning and a treat to watch because of that.</div>
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Overall the cast for Oblivion is fairly small and because of that it makes the roles all that more important. Tom Cruise plays Jack Harper, our main character. He is a veteran who is assigned to extract Earth's remaining resources and yet he starts to question who he truly is and the dreams about himself he is experiencing that feel a lot like memories even though he had gone through a mandatory memory wipe as part of his mission. Cruise is definitely extremely talented and he is able to really be an amazing action star. For me I am a fan of Cruise as an action star simply because of his great ability to be completely locked in on a role. Andrea Riseborough in the role of Victoria, Cruise's mission partner is a great counter with Cruise. Where Cruise's character is questioning everything she follows every regulation in the rule book to a "Tee." The chemistry between Cruise and Riseborough works well as one is questioning his life the interaction for the two of them has an uneasy awkwardness that just works. Morgan Freeman in his supporting role was semi-memorable even though he may have been under utilized in the end. Based on the trailer I believed Freeman's character to play a much larger role and so I was wanting more of his character because I found him to be an intriguing character. The rest of the cast are there and really just serve the purpose as truly this film is carried by Cruise's charisma. </div>
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The plot for Oblivion is really one that was thought out very well and that is truly apparent as everything is woven together very nicely. This is one of those Sci-fi movies in which I will not share much of the story because I do not want to give away anything. Oblivion ends up being a powerful journey into the unknown and just when you think you know where everything is going, it takes a turn and nothing is really as it seem. I loved how the explosive set pieces took a backseat to a character driven Sci-fi movie which is something that is not seen very often. Kosinski's direction just worked very well in Oblivion. The visuals I saw on the big screen are awe-inspiring, it was great as how this visuals gave a similar futuristic visual feeling that was in Tron: Legacy, so it did not surprise me at all when I found out that Kosinski also directed Tron: Legacy. Kosinski is definitely a director for everyone to keep their eye on as he continues in his directing skills and he is one that will continue to impress. </div>
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The action sequences work very well with the CGI in Oblivion. With a Sci-fi movie I never know what to expect in the CGI as they do not always get the budget one needs for a Sci-fi movie to not only be successful, but also for it to meet the quality one expects on the big screen. The action sequences were simple and not overly done, which helped keep the story moving and still allowed the movie to be the non-usual character driven movie. The music used in Oblivion was perfect for the tone and feel of a strong Sci-fi movie without overtaking everything else. </div>
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Oblivion is a Sci-fi movie that in the end was nothing like I expected and nothing was what it seemed throughout the movie. Tom Cruise gives another strong performance and the charisma he has onscreen helped to get through some of the slower moments. I did feel like the movie was a little too long and had they simply cut a little here and there it could have helped tighten the movie up some. With the story being character driven for a Sci-fi movie was fairly unique. I am giving Oblivion three and a half buckets of popcorn out of five. The visuals for Oblivion are well worth seeing in the theater so I would definitely recommend any movie goer especially Sci-fi fans to see it on the biggest screen they can find. </div>
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-The Movie Man</div>
Ryan Bunkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09892333045838346147noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9118653370015556566.post-70403428993797316842013-05-11T23:12:00.000-06:002013-05-11T23:12:06.524-06:00Iron Man 3<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Well I have to start this review simply by stating that everyone needs to know that there is a good chance that my view on this movie may have some bias, simply because I am a huge fan of the Super Hero movies. Simply I must state that Robert Downey Jr. embodies Tony Stark/ Iron Man perfectly and he really has been a key component with the revival and setting a benchmark for what people expect in Super Hero movies. While the entertainment value of this installment does not meet what I got in the first Iron Man, I did find this installment to be enjoyable and really gave anther level to the character of Tony Stark. I enjoyed how this new formidable foe who is terrorizing the U.S. has also been able to get Tony Stark to question himself and how can he protect those he loves from harm. With his world torn apart it was great to see him work to not only rebuild, but he also works to get over his own inner conflict of Anxiety that had been controlling Tony since the events that transpired in The Avengers. And it is because of the Iron Man franchise that everyone for the big blockbusters sits through all the credits waiting to see if there is an after the credits scene. Iron Man 3 ends up being not exactly what I was expecting going in as I left the theater not feeling like I had seen a big huge summer action blockbuster, but instead a movie that is focused on both the character development with the action.<br />
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Robert Downey Jr. dons the Iron Man suit for the fifth time and he is simply the role. Downey Jr. once again adds another layer to his character and the development through the films has been perfect. The delivery and comedic timing is absolutely spot on once again. Guy Pearce as Aldridge Killian our secret antagonist that I doubt anyone was surprised in that reveal, yet Pearce was decent in the role. He is out to get Stark because Stark shunned his idea in 1999. Pearce is a good bad guy to go against Downey Jr. well and his presence is definitely one of strength. While I do not want to give much away, but Ben Kingsley as The Mandarin was under used. When you have an actor in a villain role that has a great ability to command his roles, I just wanted more out of his character and I feel like they really missed out on a great opportunity. The supporting cast do an admirable job and while I would have like to see more from some of the characters in the end, it worked well for the most part. I think Don Cheadle as Rhodes/Iron Patriot is one character that has really gone nowhere in the last two movies and it would have been nice to see a lot more growth, purpose and development from his character. <br />
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The story for Iron Man 3 was one that worked at times, but I struggled with at other times. The aspect of the story that I was the most disappointed in was the change of who The Mandarin is from the comic books. The Mandarin is meant to be the exact opposite of Tony Stark and so between the two of them it is meant to be the ultimate showdown of magic versus science. Yet, instead they take The Mandarin and give him the simple antagonist back story and drive of the terrorist combating the great evil of America. While this make him accessible for audiences to root against, I was disappointed where the entire character goes in the end. Where I was disappointed with the story we are told for The Mandarin, I was really impressed with the story that is woven with the action for the development of Tony Stark. The glimpses into the inner dilemma's that Tony is battling from the desire to protect those he loves and the best way to accomplish that. Along with his struggle to handle the anxiety that he is feeling as he has not fully worked through everything he went through pertaining to the events the year before in New York with The Avengers. The feelings of anxiety are brought to the screen so brilliantly that you feel the anxiety Stark is experiencing and the complete paralyzing effect it holds over Tony. Because of this it really gave a great depth and made Iron Man 3 a great character driven action blockbuster. Granted this may simply be the bias I have because of my enjoyment in the super hero movie genre.<br />
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The action sequences for Iron Man 3 are very blockbusterish and were enjoyable the complaint I have is there are a few moments in which the CGI looked terrible. Aside from that I enjoyed the battles and the air rescue that was shown in the trailer with Air Force One was pretty cool to see on the big screen and made for a very unique rescue. While they kind of spoiled by showing it in the trailers it was definitely truly cool to see a whole bunch of Iron Man suits come to the rescue against a bunch of super soldiers. Also, the climax in the final battle sequence was slightly underwhelming for me and after three previous movies featuring Iron Man he came out being a little less super. Although it was nice to see him go toe to toe with a villain that was not in an armor suit as well. The music felt the entire vibe for the Iron Man franchise and worked well. The pacing was a little up and down at times, yet it still worked. While they strongly tied everything up well, I would have liked it to not have been tied up so perfect because it gives the feeling like this will be the last Iron Man specific film, which in turn is kind of sad simply because I have enjoyed the Iron Man films as much as I have. <br />
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Iron Man 3 was an enjoyable movie that gave the audience a strong look into what the weight of the experiences a super hero goes through. Robert Downey Jr. is simply Tony Stark and with the way they tied everything up so neatly, if they ever go back to reboot whoever gets cast in the role will definitely have a high benchmark to meet if they wish to see the continued success. Like all these super hero movies there is an after credit scene which while it does not hint to an other movies gives a funny back and forth between Tony Stark and Dr. Bruce Banner. the story for Iron Man 3 had its ups and downs, I am giving Iron Man 3 three and three quarter buckets of popcorn out of five. Iron Man 3 is one of those movies that is well worth seeing in the theater to have the whole movie going and watching experience.<br />
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-The Movie ManRyan Bunkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09892333045838346147noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9118653370015556566.post-52498392646075113052013-04-18T22:43:00.002-06:002013-04-18T22:43:19.850-06:00Taken 2<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Liam Neeson is back in Taken 2 and to borrow one of sayings of The Rock, he is out to "Layeth the Smacketh Downeth." I really enjoyed the whole concept and story with the original Taken, so I was excited to see what they might do with the sequel. With the same people playing the role of the family it made to help with the continuity of the film since we cared about the characters. So from the first trailer I looked forward to seeing Taken 2 takes place about a year or so after the original and our whole story revolves around the family of those that Neeson's character eliminated in the first movie, as the patriarch vows for vengeance on not only him, but his family. Of course after his ex wife and daughter surprise him in Turkey after one of his security jobs, it sets everything in motion for the Albanian families to seek out their revenge.</div>
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Liam Neeson is back to reprise his role as Brian Mills and is the same character we saw in the first Taken movie. Neeson has had a career different from a lot of others as it has been in the later years of his career that he has become the action star and while with some this may not work, Neeson is truly believable in his ability to kick bad guy butts. I believe it is due to the wisdom he seems to carry in his action roles. Maggie Grace in the role of Kim, the daughter to Brian Mills, while still the sweet daughter she adds a layer to her character as she has to in a sense be the stronger one and help her father escape from his captors. She plays the emotion fairly well and really connect well with her onscreen parents. Our main villain who is the patriarch of the Albanian families is Rade Serbedzija, who seems to always be cast as our Easter European villain gives a decent performance. He has such an easiness about him that throughout the film he almost has this grandpa like feel only to remind us that he would get revenge on anyone that crosses him. For the most part he works well in the villain role, going against Neeson yet somehow I felt like in the final confrontation he was no match. Unfortunately, Famke Janssen as the ex-wife her role was fairly minimal and it seemed like most of the time onscreen she was left to playing her role as being unconscious or just coming to after being unconscious. The rest of the supporting roles of the henchmen were exactly as I would expect in an action movie. </div>
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The story for Taken 2 ended up being very similar to that of Taken with just a change of European location and changing who was taken. With as surprising of a hit the original was it only made sense that the studio would want a sequel that could make money. Yet, I think there was a lot more they could have done with the plot that would have had a more creative feel and story. Plus, I felt that they had the subplot of the rekindling romance between our Mills and his ex wife that they started only to let it fizzle and go nowhere. Of course the subplot of Kim having a boyfriend served no purpose as I was waiting for the boyfriend to be more of a part then just the filler he was in the end. But with an action movie the story while it has to be there it is not why someone goes to an action movie.</div>
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The action is the reason one would go see Taken 2 and after a little of story set up it moves right into the action and does not stop. The most important thing to remember though is you just have to let them take their liberties on logic in order for action sequences. Such as Neeson getting to a bad guy hideout simply from a dog barking, or him counting and stating when turns happen to help himself figure out the distance he may be from his hotel, so he can use his daughter throwing to figure out where he is located. even with this Neeson has an uncanny ability to be able to command the screen that the action is believable no matter how sticky of a situation he gets into. The fight sequences from time ti time though as they used shaky cameras made it hard to follow from time to time.</div>
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Taken 2 ends up being a decent action movie sequel that I went into with high hopes. While Neeson showed precisely why he has become a strong action movie star the story was too similar to the first go around that it really missed out on an opportunity to give another great story. It was as if the writers had to write the story to fit the action rather then it all working together as a cohesive unit. I am giving Taken 2 two and three quarter buckets of popcorn out of five. This is a movie that you can rent, but even at that I would look for it on cable TV sometime.</div>
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-The Movie Man</div>
Ryan Bunkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09892333045838346147noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9118653370015556566.post-47179949349124769602013-04-14T23:00:00.001-06:002013-04-14T23:03:04.424-06:00Jurassic Park<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Jurassic Park is I think one of my favorite adaptations from a book to the big screen. When Jurassic Park came to theaters the first time I was only 10 and so my parents would not let me go and see it until they rented and watched it first. I don't know what particularly about Jurassic Park resonated with me so much, but I still love this movie today and I think it may simply be that dinosaurs are one of those things in life that kids are just drawn to immediately. There are so many aspects of this movie that at the age of 10 I loved and still today take me back to being that younger version of myself like the awe inspiring imagery of the Brachiosaurus or the adrenaline I felt as two kids try to evade a couple of Velicoraptors, or the spine tingling that goes down my back every time the T-Rex lets out its huge roar. So naturally when they re-released Jurassic Park in 3D, I jumped at the opportunity simply to have the theater experience for Jurassic Park.<br />
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Typically, in a movie with the type of story Jurassic Park has they seem to get a cast that can't act and are terrified of monsters they can't see. Jurassic Park was the exact opposite of this as Spielberg was able to put together a strong cast. Sam Neill plays Dr. Alan Grant, our heroic paleontologist who along with Dr. Ellie Sattler played by Laura Dern, Grant's fellow paleontologist all go to this park they know nothing about to endorse the park to calm a group of investors. The scenes where these two are onscreen together work really well and the chemistry they have works. Yet, after they are separated it is great to see Neill's character evolve from the paleontologist who does not mix well with kids to actually caring about the kids he protecting through the park. The rest of the cast was cast really well and worked so well from Richard Attenborough as the eccentric owner of Jurassic Park to Wayne Knight as Dennis Nedry the corrupt computer programmer who is out to greatly increase his own bank account and releases the mayhem of the dinosaurs to freedom. <br />
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It was interesting to learn that a bidding war ensued for the rights to the Jurassic Park book with Universal Studios winning out. While it would have been interesting to see what other directors would have done with the material, Spielberg was the perfect choice and his direction was perfect. While the script is adapted from the book, it is really one of those unique movies that comes out and changes the way movies are presented to the audience. Spielberg's direction worked as it was really a character driven developed story that was intermingled amazingly with the action sequences. By being a movie that was strongly character driven it made you care for the characters and it created the caring in that you either loved them or hated them exactly with how you are supposed to feel based on the way Spielberg has driven the characters. The story for Jurassic Park captures the human imagination so well because I know I am not the only one that has wondered what dinosaurs were really like. The story worked for me as well because although dinosaurs are extinct the science they describe for genetically cloning and bringing dinosaurs back seems to be plausible and not so outlandish as some sci-fi that is out there. <br />
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The visual effects and special effects for Jurassic Park while when compared to a lot of today's movies are nothing to write home about, when Jurassic Park came out it was really pushing what had been done and was cutting edge. Spielberg's vision to mix CGI with animatronics and not use just one of them was a great idea. Yet, one would not know when CGI and when animatronics are used because in all actuality the dinosaurs look completely real and not created. And the differences between the CGI and animatronics are so minuscule that in reality you can not tell when what is what. The dinosaurs that are brought to life are not only majestic looking creatures, but intimidatingly powerful creatures. While I saw this in 3D and it was enjoyable I did not find it to be overwhelmingly amazing, but it was a decent aspect. The musical score by John Williams is one that met the blockbuster feel for Jurassic Park throughout that is always necessary. The score and the first bar of the main theme is one that I think any movie goer would recognize immediately. <br />
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Jurassic Park is one of those movies that stands the test of time as I still love it as much as I did originally and it has not got old at all. The acting in Jurassic Park was not second rate like many would expect in a creatures gone amok movie. Spielberg's direction and combination of CGI dinosaurs and animatronic was done perfectly. The dinosaurs in Jurassic Park set a whole new standard in special effects and today's movies may not be where they are had it not been for Jurassic Park. That is why I am giving Jurassic Park three and three quarter buckets of popcorn out of five. This is one of those movies that I love to watch from time to time and one that is worth owning for any movie fan.<br />
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-The Movie ManRyan Bunkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09892333045838346147noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9118653370015556566.post-78547435743023188852013-04-12T05:00:00.000-06:002013-04-12T05:00:16.601-06:00Les Miserables<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Anyone that knows me knows that movies that are musicals are not movies I clamor to see. While Les Miserables came out on Christmas we ended up seeing it three days after it was released. This was a movie that I was very interested to see after seeing the trailers especially since I knew my wife would be very interested in seeing it. It has just taken me a lot of time to actually getting around to writing the review because in all honesty I have been back and forth on how I felt about the movie so I had to get to my own decision on how I felt about the movie. I had seen the Les Miserables stage production on Broadway which while this gave me a preconceived notion of what and how the musical should go, but with the fact that it had been nearly 12 years since I had seen the musical I was not remembering too much about all the different details. When it comes to a film adaptation the simply most important rue is to change as little as possible. The film makers seemed to know this perfectly and while they did have changes they were very subtle in the end, from slightly shortening a few songs to changing a line or two of dialogue.<br />
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Hugh Jackman as Jean Valjean simply embodied the role perfectly. Jackman is perfect and I seriously believe that there is no role that Jackman can't do. The little nuances that he does like slightly changing his voice as his character ages gives his character more depth. Anne Hathaway in the role of Fantine is amazing and her rendition of I Dreamed A Dream is truly powerful. It is amazing to see how strong her performance was to win the supporting actress Oscar with being onscreen for really only 15-20 minutes of the movie. In the supporting cast Sacha Baren Cohen and Helena Bonham Carter as Thenardier and Madame Thenardier nearly stole the show for me. Anytime they were onscreen they had me laughing with the different antics or schemes they were up to. Russell Crowe as Javert was decent, but his voice was not as strong as necessary for our main nemesis for Jean Valjean. The rest of the supporting cast do very well and there are really some up and coming stars that if they continue to give very similar performances they will have very strong movie careers.<br />
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The direction of Tom Hooper was very daring. Most musicals the songs are sung and recorded in a studio well before they actually start the filming. However Hooper decided to have them sing the songs live while filming, believing that this will allow the emotion to come through more from the actors and hopefully have this convey the power to more of the audience. This concept truly brought out the necessary emotion for such a powerful story. Having so much music could have worked both ways for the movie, yet for me the music worked as it conveyed such strong emotions that I truly felt like I connected with all the struggles that the citizens of 19th century France faced. The only weakness I see in the story for Les Miserables, is for those that may have not known the story upon going to see the movie that there are a few plot points that could be very confusing. However, these confusing points are either explained later on or not necessary to be explained because they are truly minor points that you do not need to dwell on. <br />
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Film allows a depth of scale that challenges the stage in many different aspects. The Song Do You Hear the People Sing emerges from a quiet call to arms that pace by pace takes over the funeral procession for General Lemarque. Along the same lines the transition that takes place during the song At the End of the Day takes us through the slums and dreariness of Paris which can not be shown the same way on stage. While there are aspects that never transfer over to film like on stage, there are some that still work amazing on film. The ability they have to give close ups of the different characters for some of the songs allows some parts in songs to be reduced to a chilling whisper at times that sent goosebumps down my spine. The production for Les Miserables is one of the bet past period pieces that I have seen. The make up, costumes and set pieces worked so well. It was nice to see them not have the teeth be pearly white like the actors are, but instead the made the teeth look like the way they would have been in 19th century France. While the CGI was not amazing it did give help the sets give a great visual of a world very much in a fantastical view. <br />
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Les Miserables ended up being a movie that deserved the awards and nominations it received. Hugh Jackman was beyond great in the role and worked so well with the other actors. Hooper's direction was really pushing the typical musical particularly by using the actors singing live rather than pre-recorded. I am giving Les Miserables four buckets of popcorn out of five. This is a movie that is definitely worth seeing and is one that we will be adding to our movie collection in the very near future.<br />
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-The Movie ManRyan Bunkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09892333045838346147noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9118653370015556566.post-8172779539253637042013-04-04T07:00:00.000-06:002013-04-04T07:00:01.762-06:00The Host<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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The Host is one of those movies that was really nowhere near what I expected going in to it. I felt after seeing the trailers, I believed that The Host would be an action packed science fiction movie about aliens. The Host has what I would definitely consider to be a really exciting premise. This is the movie that takes a look at what would happen to the Earth if an alien invasion movie was successful in the end. In The Host aliens called "souls" have taken over our bodies and have been able to take over our personalities and emotions and replace them with their own. Yet, it takes this concept and throws it to the next level by then asking what would happen if what would be a perfect operation does not go perfect and that one of the human souls does not go into submission so easily and instead fights back against this invasion of her body and head. I am sure that there are a lot of movie goers that will find The Host to be a slow and uneventful movie when instead character driven drama is the goal here. </div>
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Saoirse Ronan as the role of Melanie/Wanderer does a good job with the simple fact that she is playing the alien as well as the human and has to have conversations within her head. While some of the inner head dialogue I found to be a little laughable at times, there were more times when it really worked well. Max Irons in the role of Jared as well as Jake Abel as Ian while they were serviceable they were really not fully developed characters like I would have liked to have seen. In the end while this movie was nothing like the Twilight movies which was a great thing, the portrayal of these two characters was way too similar to that of Edward and Jacob. Diane Kruger in the role of the Seeker, while my wife hated the role because she was so different from the way she was described in the book, I did not like her simply because as the antagonist there was nothing there. I don't know what it was but I just did not care about her either way, I did not feel the dislike that a good villain is able to arise in the audience. The supporting cast do a decent job I really enjoyed William Hurt and Chandler Canterbury as Uncle Jeb and Jamie. The way William Hurt carries himself as the survivor Uncle was just spot on for what I would expect. </div>
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What develops for the story for The Host is not as ingenious as I would have hoped for in the end. They really could have taken this unique story and taken it a lot of different ways, but instead they took it to the familiar last hope for humanity stories, that focuses more on the survivors sitting around talking about the situation rather then trying to do something about it. For me I felt that the opening scene was a great start and had a solid opening pace, but after that point for some reason the pacing never overly moves like you would expect in a movie, instead it just kind of coasts. the direction of Andrew Niccol, who in my opinion has a great ability to give the movie goer inventive stories about people who are stuck by their circumstances. In The Host though Niccol has his hands tied a lot more simply because he has a script based on the book written by Stephanie Meyers who everyone when hearing her name immediately thinks of the Twilight series. The Host is tilted toward something meaningful but with having his hands tied so much the movie never seems to get out of first gear. </div>
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The Host was a movie that was unexpectedly better then the expectations I had going in. Movies like The Host that are based on a book always makes me ask the question after seeing the movie, "Do I want to now go and read the book?" I am looking forward to reading the book in the near future and see how it compared to the movie and if the book goes over some of the plot points that got glossed over in the movie. The acting was just decent and basically had some that were better then I thought and others that were under what I would expect. The pacing for The host never really went anywhere and it felt like they had a great start and in the end just took the pacing and drove around in circles. I am giving The Host three buckets of popcorn out of five. This is one movie that I would say is worth the price of admission to see in the theaters.</div>
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-The Movie Man</div>
Ryan Bunkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09892333045838346147noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9118653370015556566.post-39056711738786244492013-03-26T06:00:00.000-06:002013-03-26T06:00:07.513-06:00The Incredible Burt Wonderstone<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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The Incredible Burt Wonderstone is one of those movies I really looked forward to seeing. Especially when I saw that it had the comedic talents of Jim Carey and Steve Carell, a movie that takes a comedic look at the world of illusion and magic would definitely be a funny movie. While a lot of the reviews have been fairly harsh, it may be that I am easily amused, but I found myself leaving the theater with a smile on my face. The days of people going to the movies to just simply eat popcorn and enjoy the magic of the cinema, has been replaced with highly critical people looking for every tiny flaw within any movie. The Incredible Burt Wonderstone deals with a very similar subbject, Burt through his years of being a magician has lost his ability to see the wonderment that even an old trick can have on anyone in the audience of a magic show. The movie is a throwback to the innocent times of stage magicians using simple tricks such as a rabbi out of a hat to get the oohs and aahs from any audience member rather then the elaborate and even sometimes cringeworthy tricks that a lot of the magicians do nowadays. </div>
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Steve Carell in the role Burt Wonderstone is the funny man onscreen that he has become as an actor. While, I found Carell to be funny throuhgout the movie his character of Burt was in my mind lacking something. Burt is a pompous, arrogant, womanizer, which was something that is out of the normal character's Carell has played and this was the issue. Carrel plays the middle aged ordinary joe role perfectly and so as Burt he was over acting and over played the arrogant, pompous parts which just did not work. Jim Carey in the role of Steve Gre an up and coming street/shock magician reminded me of the Jim Carey of the '90s. Carey's character is really a pretty good parody of Kriss Angel and David Blaine, going even as far as having a show called "Brain Rapist." The way his character speaks is hilarious and really they could have used him speaking more and not having as many exaggerated over the top stunts. yet, it was all of that, that really makes Jim Carey the Jim Carey of old in this movie. While Alan Arkin in his supporting role as the magician that inspired Burt as a kid and later on after Burt lost his way, I felt was a perfect role for Arkin. The rest of the supporting cast of Steve Buscemi and Olivia Wilde as Anton and Jane I felt were grossly under used. Particularly with two such talented members in the cast to not use them to their full potential is such a waste. </div>
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The story for The Incredible Burt Wonderstone was I felt truly lackluster. With a comedic movie about magic, I felt like there was a lot more they could have gone with the story and instead they went for a very predictable and weak story. The directing was weak for me because there are a couple of moments where the characters pretty much sit down and explain the arc of where the next act of the story is going to go. The moments of the characters sitting down to discuss where the story is going really brings the movie to a near standstill and then it starts back up, making for the pacing to be very disjinted. Even within the story trying to have a romantic interest was fairly laughable as Olivia Wilde went from hating Burt and his womainzing/chauvanistic ways to fairly quickly ending up falling for him after just a moment instead of the typical slowly starting to change her mind. </div>
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The Incredible Burt Wonderston is a movie about magic that could have really done a lot more with it then what they did. while Carell was funny and really was spot on with the comedy part of the role, the pompous and arrogant part of the role just did not fit Carell very well at all. On the other hand I loved that Jim Carey was back to the Jim Carey of the '90s. The story was not where I expected it to be, yet the comedy just worked. When Burt finds his passion again, while I do not want to spoil it the trick they do is not only really cool, but ends up being pretty funny in the end. I am giving The Incredible Burt Wonderstone two and three quarter buckets of popcorn out of five. While in the end I did not feel like this was a waste of a movie ticket, it is one I would say wait until this one comes out on DVD to rent.</div>
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-The Movie Man</div>
Ryan Bunkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09892333045838346147noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9118653370015556566.post-46855759052817664862013-03-22T07:00:00.000-06:002013-03-22T07:00:01.032-06:00Frankenweenie<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I have always been a big fan of Tim Burton's directing in movies, particularly when he tells an animated feature. So when I heard of Tim Burton's latest directorial movie I immediately knew it was a movie that I would have to see. Frankenweenie is Burton's full length animated feature from a short animated film he did back in the 1980's. It's obvious from this as well as the short that Tim Burton holds the story close to his heart. It is a pretty sage guess that young Victor Frankenstein may have a lot in common with Burton's own childhood experiences, a misfit socially who finds enjoyment in less then popular outlets such as science, sci-fi and film making. Burton's Frankenweenie ends up being a film that really pays homage to the old monster movies of yesteryear. </div>
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The voice talents for Frankenweenie bring a lot to their roles and they elevate some of the characters more than one would expect in an animated movie. Charlie Tahan as Victor worked really well. This was the first movie I have seen him in where he was one of the lead roles even if it was him just lending his voice. Being a lead with such a stellar cast could be intimidating, yet I felt he embodies what I would picture young Victor to be like. Winona Ryder lends her voice as Elsa Van Helsing and she played her character fairly well. It just seemed that Victor and Elsa worked well and seemed to fit together well not only in their voices, but just on screen together. Catherine O'Hara who seems to be one of those actresses that lends her voice in more then a couple of Tim Burton movies does a great job with Martin Short as Victor's parents as well as the other minor character they lend their voices to. Atticus Shafer as Edgar "E" Gore as well as Martin Landau as Mr. Rzykruski are perfect supporting cast members. Particularly Mr. Rzykruski, who those who are fans of the old school horror/monster movies will recognize the science teachers likeness to that of the late great Vincent Price. Landau just played the role perfectly and I felt like Landau and Shafer in their roles nearly stole the show. "E" Gore was I think in a way the odd comedy of the film with his role being the parody of Igor. </div>
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The story for Frankenweenie begins fairly simple- Victor a socially inept kid, whose only friend is his loyal dog Sparky. Victor's parents try to get him more engaged, which after hitting a home run while playing baseball, Sparky chases after this ball and ends up having a tragic accident. Of course, like any young boy Victor is crushed, but his scientific mind along with some lightning leads to a shocking development that he is able to bring Sparky back. The secret though ends up getting out which leads to an interesting turn for the science fair taking it to a whole new competitive level. From here we get additional references to the Bride and son, Mummy and Invisible Man and even gives us a nod to the fiery windmill conclusion of the Karloff original. Where earlier we got a homemade monster movie, it leads to an actual giant monster movie, as Victor's different classmates wanting to win the science fair, essentially using the same cinematic "science" magic bring to life monsters from a Godzilla type monster, a bat/cat creature to even gremlin type creatures. This truly is an homage to the 1930's horror movies taking place in a 1950's suburban setting, so similar to many of the neighborhoods Burton has used in films like Ed Wood and Edward Scissorhands. </div>
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The ability of the picture Burton is able to paint in his movies is probably the biggest reason I have grown to be such a fan of Tim Burton movies. It was truly awesome to see the textures and light they manage to capture even in the use of black and white. Having this film in black and white, while I am sure it drew some of the kids viewership away, it fit so perfect for what Burton was trying to do. The genre of animated films has such a wide variety of ways to make the animation come to life on screen that for me it is impossible to choose which animation format is the best. Tim Burton's use of stop animation is great, for some reason the energy of the characters is carried through the characters that it seems so real and nothing more then just seeing everything in black and white rather than color. Once again Danny Elfman brings a musical score that not only works, but fits the theme of Frankenweenie perfectly. There is just something about what comes out when Elfman and Burton team up and the way the musical score just interludes so perfectly with everything else. </div>
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Frankenweenie is an animated movie that has a great ability to pay tribute to the old horror/monster movies. This was a movie that was truly just enjoyable to watch from start to finish and for me, even though it was in black and white it kept the attention of the Little Movie Man throughout the entire movie as he just sat at home as we watched this movie. Tim Burton seems to always be able to bring strong casts to his movie and he does not disappoint with Frankenweenie. I can not say enough about the homage to monster movies, even tpaying tribute to Jurassic Park. I am giving Frankenweenie three and a half buckets of popcorn out of five. Frankenweenie is one of those movies that is a great one to sit down and be able to enjoy with your family and it is one that will be definitely added to the movie collection soon. </div>
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-The Movie Man</div>
Ryan Bunkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09892333045838346147noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9118653370015556566.post-79486361456547049532013-03-20T06:00:00.000-06:002013-03-20T06:00:00.419-06:00Dr. No<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Dr. No is the first foray into the world of James Bond in the movies and while I have enjoyed a lot of the Bond movies, this movie gives the first glimpse of Bond and his spy lifestyle. Sean Connery epitomizes everything Bond represents starting with the first scene of the movie. Dr. No hit theaters fifty years ago and so I am sure that a lot of the up and coming movie watchers would watch Dr. No and think the effects are horrible and do not meet the special effects that are being put out now. Which is why I feel like with these older movies it is important to look at them and compare them with what the film makers were able to at the time with the effects and technology. In this first installment Bond is taken to Jamaica to investigate the disappearance of British Agents, and to find out what had been uncovered that led to the death of the agent and his secretary.</div>
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Sean Connery in the role of James Bond completely embodies the role and really is vitally perfect in Dr. No. Playing the role of Bond is what has made his film career and he delivers everything perfectly. Ursula Andress play Honey Ryder and she fits the role perfectly. She plays the eye candy great as well as she is very likable onscreen that you want her to be onscreen more then what she already is. She ended up being the first in a long line of what came to be an iconic role in each James Bond film of having a "Bond Girl" in each film. Dr. No played by Joseph Wiseman is one of the best Bond villains that is so spot on and not only evil, but crazy at the same time in his plot to take control of the world. Wiseman was able to truly accomplish so much intimidation and skill as a Bond villain with only being onscreen very minimally. The chemistry between not only Connery and Andress, but as well as the chemistry between 007 and Dr. No is a great back and forth in the short screen time together. The supporting cast do great jobs as they seem to really play the characters exactly how I would expect them to be. </div>
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The story for Dr. No was simple and straight forward as 007, is sent to stop a mad man and his plot to take control of the U.S. space launch. Dr. No ends up being one of those movies that does not have the twists and turns that is so apparent in most of the movies nowadays, so it was kind of nice to watch the first Bond movie and see everything unfolding on the screen in such a nice and clean format. Along with the storyline they do a great job of interspersing moments of action that not only help the audience stay entertained, but also serve as good moments that help the story to continue to move along and not get stagnant. The direction of Terrence Young succeeded in keeping the right pace by keeping it in a medium type pace which effectively balanced how he wanted to present the movie to the audience without being too exciting or boring. The simplicity of the story he told worked because while simple the story allowed there to be a great attention to detail as the story is very character driven and the use of mystery and suspense works well when compared to movies of today that use tons of explosions and special effects, many times make up for a lackluster script. The story was truly one that can be told clearly, taken seriously and enjoyed from start to finish.</div>
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The production for Dr. No actually holds up pretty well still today. This first installment really had a tiny budget, so to see what they did with what they had to work with worked fairly well. It definitely had its cheesy, laughable moments the obvious backdrop for the car chasing scenes through Jamaica, but they balanced that with impeccable interior scenes. The detail for the sets was very enjoyable and the action for Dr. No worked and Connery brought good fight sequences. The action/fights while hokey for the car chases the other fights and action were done really well and just worked. The musical score was a great mix of Jamaican jazz as well as the now iconic James Bond theme song. </div>
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Dr. No was the first introduction into the world of James Bond and while Dr. No is not the best Bond movie ever made it is definitely top five and was a great introduction of one of the best Bond's, Sean Connery. The acting was well done and Ursula Andress was a great first "Bond girl." I loved the story and the simplicity of it. The introduction of the iconic James Bond theme is one that everyone knows. I am giving Dr. No three and a half buckets of popcorn out of five. Not only is this a must watch for a fan of movies, and it is a definite classic spy movie, one that has shaped the spy movie genre moving forward. </div>
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-The Movie Man</div>
Ryan Bunkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09892333045838346147noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9118653370015556566.post-62706169160586591422013-03-11T07:00:00.000-06:002013-03-11T07:00:02.250-06:00Oz the Great and Powerful<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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The Wizard of Oz is one of those movies that is close to a lot of people's hearts and so to take on anything in that realm for a movie is a definite tough undertaking, especially if another movie studio holds the rights to the Wizard of Oz and such so they can not touch certain aspects of Oz and the storyline. Oz the Great and Powerful is an attempt to tell us the origin of the Wizard and how he came to being the Wizard of Oz, as well as the relationships and interactions he had with the various witches of Oz. This is the prequel story to Frank L. Baum's series of children's books and this world created by Baum plays greatly into Raimi's strengths as a director. An imaginative world that is covered in light and darkness with characters that inhabit the world with a quirky feel that harkens back for everyone to their own childhood imagination. </div>
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While normally talking about the main character is the first actor in their role I talk about, I am going to switch it up a little. Rachel Weisz in the role of Evadora, basically made the movie for me. She gives a performance that in many respects not only saves the movie, but she is actually one of the huge reasons I enjoyed the movie so much. She manages to make the role of Evanora more than the standard fairy tale villain, from her we get a complete character from a not so strong script. Countering Weisz is Michelle Williams as Glinda the Good and she fits the role perfectly. She gives off what I would say is the perfect amount of goodness and sweetness without that overly fake sweetness that so easily could have come out. On to our main character of Oscar Diggs (Oz) played by James Franco. While I have really liked Franco in a lot of his roles, for some reason I felt he was just okay. While the con man part he did play well, I fel there was something missing from his performance. While I wanted good to win out I felt like the audience was not given the view into seeing the good that Glinda saw in Oscar. Along, with the character of Oz, I was even more disappointed in Mila Kunis as Theodora. While her character early on seemed to work well for her the transformation she goes through in her desicion making felt forced and too instantaneous. By the instantaneous change we do not really understand why she decided to change. I think a slower transition over a little time would have worked so much better. The supporting cast give good performances and I really enjoyed the comedic/light moments Zach Braff brings with his voice for the character of Finley a talking monkey, who brings great one liners throughout. </div>
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While I felt like the script was simplistic and a little weak, the direction from Sam Raimi made up for the weak aspects of the story. While this is a prequel to a story that many people already know, which means there are not really many surprises to me that is no excuse for being lazy with the script. Raimi though takes this lack of script and put everything he has into the movie. Raimi creates a visually stunning word that simple wowed me in its rendered details that feels fresh and original. Seeing this movie in the IMAX 3D only made the visual that much more stunning and awe inspiring. I am still a huge fan of the 3D because of how for me it just seems to make me feel like I am fully immersed in the world that the director has painted on screen. The musical score Danny Elfman brought to Oz the Great and Powerful worked so well with everything that was happening on screen. It really helped to lightly bring the fantasy world to life without overpowering the visuals, but instead it complimented the visuals perfectly. </div>
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The action sequences although not the sequences one would see in an action packed movie, the few that they had in Oz the Great and Powerful seemed to work fairly well. There are two aspects that I completely loved in the movie. The first is the first part of the climax of the movie where the plan of Oz comes to fruition. I won't give it away, but I felt it was so well though out and worked so well. The second sequence is the witches duel between Evanora and Glinda. This sequence is the moment where Weisz and Williams solidified even more that they were the true stars and carried the movie. For me the witches duel surpassed the final duel in the Harry Potter series. I was a fan of how they paid homage to The Wizard of Oz in many different ways when they did not own the rights to the original film, so they ended up paying homage without infringing on those rights. From the use of a yellow brick road, poisonous poppy fields, to a pasture with multi-colored horses and even singing munchkins all paid homage well to the original. However, one of my favorite homages was that of the flying babboons which I felt like they were a pretty cool update on the original. The baboons were terrifying and what you would truly expect the henchmonkelys of a wicked witch to be exactly like. The CGI that was used was seamless and I love it when even though I know it is CGI, it is not so cheaply done that it comes across completely hokey. </div>
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Oz the Great and Powerful while the script was lackluster there were some saving graces that truly made this a really strong movie. The performances by Weisz and Williams stole the movie and without either of them this movie may have been a definite lackluster movie. The direction by Sam Raimi showed his style and touch greatly and it really in the end had an amazing visual feel, that gelled with a lot of the other aspects of the movie. Of course had Oz the Great and Powerful had a strong script and cast possib;y two characters a little differently, it really makes me wonder how much better it may ave been in the end of if that would have effected the performances that Weisz and Williams gave. I am giving Oz the Great and Powerful three and three quarter buckets of popcorn out of five. This is a movie that any fan of IMAX 3D should definitely go see because of the visual experience you will have in the theater. Even the casual movie goer should spend the money to see it in the theater. </div>
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-The Movie Man</div>
Ryan Bunkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09892333045838346147noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9118653370015556566.post-34725102866758728652013-03-08T06:00:00.000-07:002013-03-08T06:00:10.848-07:00Warm Bodies<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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A comedy movie about zombies does not really seem like it would go together very well, as zombies are more known for being in the horror category. Yet, somehow a zombie apocalypse ends up being very funny as my two favorite zombie movie happen to be comedy movies. Of course it ends up being one that has a little bit of everything. While initially I was very hesitant feeling like it would be another one of those supernatural love story movies that would be considered boring for most male movie goers. Warm Bodies ended up being a movie that twisted everything you might expect in a zombie movie. I loved that Warm Bodies took something like a zombie apocalypse and questioned what could be done for zombies with a "cure". Warm Bodies gives us the story of "R" a zombie who is narrating the story for us and the way that he ends up falling for Julie a human he comes across while out hunting with a pack of zombies for food and contrary to what he should have done he ends up saving her life. From that point he begins to fight against the zombie infection. Warm Bodies ends up being in a way a genre movie in and of itself as it has a little bit of everything and yet it does not feel to overly mashed in.</div>
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Nicholas Hoult plays "R" our unusual zombie and he plays the role nearly perfect. Hoult does a great job parodying the awkward teenager full of anger and angst and only happens to be a zombie. As a zombie he mimics the way actual teenagers have a tendency to act. His inner dialogue that we hear throughout most of the film since he is unable to talk, we receive a good portion of the comedy, this inner dialogue made for great one-liners and moments. Teresa Palmer plays Julia our human "damsel in distress" whose not as helpless as the girl is in most romance relationships of a movie. she was really enjoyable on screen and continues to improve in each movie I see her in. The chemistry between Hoult and Palmers worked well as they feel awkward in the beginning and the audience feels it right with them then as they grow to know each other better we feel the sparks that happen. The supporting cast give strong performances as I really enjoyed Rob Corddry as "M" and the friend he is with "R" at the beginning as they would just grunt to communicate to the zombie bromance that takes place between them by the end. The supporting cast all work well on screen and I really would have liked to have seen more of John Malkovich in his supporting role. </div>
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The story for Warm Bodies was one that I really enjoyed which really surprised me at the beginning with what I initially thought of the movie. What worked for Warm Bodies was the simplicity of everything. They did not try to be too complex, but kept all the reasoning so straightforward that it allowed me to sit back and enjoy and not have to overly think about anything. I really enjoyed how in a way Warm Bodies was a parody of human relationships and romance. Within the story we were given a new level of zombie as they were classified as the human zombies and the ones that were beyond everything and just called "Bonies" as they were truly not more then bones and muscle. Warm Bodies took the zombie movie and flipped it on its head to give the story. As the story progresses and due to the inner dialogue we are given a picture of a zombie character that in the end is not much different from what the average human teenager longs for and desires. The musical score only added to the vibe of the movie as it in the end played on the parody of the Rom-Com perfectly with the different choices of music. </div>
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The action sequences in the film are simple and thought out and I believe for the most part are all done live without a green screen. I may be wrong, but it seems that the "Bonies" were the only major CGI needed parts of the film. The comedy that went along with the action scenes though really worked somehow perfectly. As everything was building up for the climax of the film the comedy Rob Corddry brought as "M" kind of lightened everything again, but also just fit perfectly with everything Warm Bodies was trying to accomplish.</div>
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Warm Bodies was the zombie movie that I did not expect to like or even want to go see after the first trailer. Yet, it is one that I really looked forward to seeing simply for the zombie part and the comedy feel it had. The acting was strong and the chemistry just worked somehow. The simplicity of the story melded perfectly with the romance, action and comedy. Although, it is still early in 2013 Warm Bodies is my surprise enjoyment movie of the year and because of that I am giving Warm Bodies three and a half buckets of popcorn out of five. Warm Bodies was a movie that was well worth the price of a movie ticket for me.</div>
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-The Movie Man</div>
Ryan Bunkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09892333045838346147noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9118653370015556566.post-8427134391730372912013-02-18T10:40:00.001-07:002013-02-18T10:40:51.483-07:00Beautiful Creatures<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Beautiful Creatures was the selected movie this year for our Valentine's Day date because apparently Bruce Willis in A good Day to Die Hard does not constitute as a romantic date movie, who knew? While initially I am sure many of you that have not heard anything about this film or even saw the trailer for Beautiful Creatures might have thought that it does not seem a great movie for what is supposed to be the most romantic night of the year. However, after last years bomb of the choice of The Vow, we figured that a movie choice could not get much worse then The Vow. The key component for me in enjoying this movie was that of I went into the film not expecting a supernatural movie like the Twilight movies, but expecting something different. Now with this being adapted from a book series, it is important to view this movie as being something completely separate from the book for any of those that have read the book.</div>
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The cast for Beautiful Creatures were pretty enjoyable. I really enjoyed Emma Thompson in her role of Mrs. Lincoln/Sarafine. She played the role of the ultra conservative southern woman that was anything, but welcoming to outsiders to perfection and her playing Saraphine the most powerful dark caster was a great change of pace from her. She brought a lot of darkness into that role and it suited her well. Jeremy Irons in the role of Macon Ravenwood, while he was not nearly the way I pictured him in the book, his performance has grown on me since I saw the movie. In my head I pictured Ravenwood looking more like Lucious Malfoy in the Harry Potter movies with the way he looked and carried himself. One of the casting aspects that I felt was a little lacking was that of the supposed "Barbie" Cheer leading squad. They did not meet my expectation for what I was expecting from them. While I enjoyed the supporting cast the two main characters played by Aden Ehrenreich and Alice Englert as they really met their characters. Ehrenreich as Ethan Wate really played the longing to be out of a small town with strength that I was not expecting. Englert as Lena Duchannes though was a complete surprise to me her performance was really strong and only built throughout the movie as her powers became stronger and stronger. This really worked perfectly and the chemistry between her and Ehrenreich was definitely apparent and really made for strength in the movie ass it made the bond between the characters not only stronger, but in my mind stronger then Bella and Edward ever were onscreen. </div>
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The storyline while it has the elements of a romantic story that we see so much, including the Romeo and Juliet forbidden romance, it ends up being a lot more then just the sappy love story which is all we get at times in so many of these types of movies. Instead, Beautiful Creatures add aspects of mysteries, prophecies, curses, Southern small town politics, religion, death and evil forces which when combined together rather then making it all feel convoluted makes for a rather interesting story. While a lot of those that read the book feel like they changed too much from the book it is important to remember that this movie is actually an adaptation from the novel. While I think they kept out of key concept of how Lena and Ethan could communicate to one another telepathically, they had to really make this book an adaptation because their was so much material that they just did not have the time to put it into a two hour movie. I felt that they captured a good two hour story and told a good story. The aspect that helped the story as well was the musical soundtrack used. The mix of classical, blues, country and alternative music worked well together and really gave the movie a different feel.</div>
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Beautiful Creatures was a movie that even though I had read the book it ended up exceeded the expectations I had going in. The acting from Emma Thompson, Jeremy Irons and Viola Davis were pretty much what I would expect from actors that are so well known and always give strong performances. I was really surprised at the ability of the two main characters to be as strong as these well known actors in their roles. I enjoyed the story as it really took a lot of elements and mixed them in stronger then I would expect. I am giving Beautiful Creatures three buckets of popcorn out of five. This is a movie that while it is getting compared to the Twilight movies and books, in my mind it is only similar to Twilight because it also deals with supernatural forces. It will be intriguing to see if they do additional movies to go with the other books that are in the series or if this film goes the way of the Eragon movie and never get a sequel. This is a movie that I am sure we may add to the movie collection because my wife enjoyed it, and it will be a movie that I will have no problem watching from time to time. </div>
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-The Movie Man </div>
Ryan Bunkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09892333045838346147noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9118653370015556566.post-72010197135699331292012-12-24T01:15:00.000-07:002012-12-24T01:15:06.523-07:00The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Anyone that has followed my blog for any amount of time would be able to tell that I am a complete sci-fi/fantasy movie geek, so when I learned that The Hobbit finally was being made I looked forward anxiously to when a release date would be announced. So naturally, I became even more excited and knew I would definitely be seeing The Hobbit as close to the release date as possible. With movies like The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey I am kind of like a kid in a candy store or even my wife in a shoe store. While there has been a lot of criticism with Peter Jackson making The Hobbit into three movies, for me it only added to the joy because I know that I have two more movies over the next two years to see, and this just allowed Jackson to lay out the story and even tie in the time between The Hobbit book and The Lord of the Rings books. And after seeing the movie I was not even close to disappointed and I ended up seeing it in the 48 frames per second format with 3D and I was simply blown away by the visual experience in the theater. </div>
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Martin Freeman play Bilbo Baggins our brave Hobbit that goes on this journey with the Dwarves quest to recapture their home at Lonely Mountain from a dragon. Freeman plays the role perfectly and captured in my mind the essence of a hobbit perfectly, starting with the unknown to him dwarf meeting that took place at his home. Ian McKellen in the reprisal of his role of Gandalf once again just fits and he seems to be the perfect fit for the role. His character is one that he is a wizard that is just likable by the audience. Richard Armitage in the role of Thorin the leader of the clan of dwarves works really well. While many may not recognize Armitage the past roles I have seen him in he has been great and really seems to become enveloped in his role. The chemistry that these main characters have onscreen between themselves as well as with the other characters all feel perfect. The rest of the supporting cast all do a good job and I am sure that over the next two films the other dwarves will become known better to the audience.</div>
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The story for The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey takes Tolkien's source material and tell the story so masterfully. Jackson has a a great ability to take this tough to read book and makes the story easy for anyone to follow and so enjoyable to watch. While I felt that the story lagged slightly at first, the flow still worked in regards to the rest of the film and I love how Jackson has been able to so greatly capture the world of Middle Earth in my mind and transform it visually so perfectly. Jackson is so meticulous with his use of sweeping panoramic shots mixed so perfectly with the amazing musical score brought to life by Howard Shore. While a lot of movies use amazing visuals and stunning music, they rarely use it to really help strengthen the story. I think it also really helps the story be told properly by Jackson splitting the story into multiple movies, it ends up allowing for all the important events to have proper time and not just get glossed over. Also with so many interesting characters Jackson is able to give the audience a little more then just surface on the characters, but instead we get a little depth. Even more I am a big fan of Jackson's ability to mix action sequences with the story and how you do not feel like once the action starts that is all that you are going to get, but he takes breaks to not only advance the story but strengthen the characters as well. </div>
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The action in The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey was paced perfectly. The high frame rate 3D version that we saw it in blew me away as not only did it make everything more clear and crisp, but it really made me feel like I was an actual observer of the events as they were happening and not that I was a viewer watching the movie. Yet still with this movie being a fantasy we get some great over the top sequences, my favorite was that of the escape from the Goblin King. It was so well laid out and it is one of those great moments where a lot of over the top things have to happen. The action sequences throughout the movie were well though out and the pale Orc leader is probably the best Orc villain that have been in either the LOTR or Hobbit movies. To me the action sequences may not be as grand as the last two LOTR movie, I put the action on par with that of The Fellowship of the Ring. Also, one of my favorite action sequences was the Riddle duel that takes place between Gollum and Bilbo. It was expertly paced and worked so well to the entire sequence of everything that was happening at the time. </div>
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The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey was one of the most anticipated movies for me this year and it definitely lived up to the hype. The use of the High Frame Rate technology is definitely the next step in movie technology because it really made a difference see it in a frame rate that is nearly that of what the human eye actually processes. I am anxious to see how this technology proceeds forward. The acting was exactly what was needed in the film and it really was precisely what I expect from a Peter Jackson film as the actors truly embodied their characters. I am still amazed at Jackson's gift for melding story and action together perfectly. I am giving The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey four and a quarter buckets of popcorn out of five. This is one of those movies I would highly recommend for movie goers to not only see in theaters but to pay for the HFR 3D. This is one that will for sure end up in the movie collection.</div>
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-The Movie Man</div>
Ryan Bunkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09892333045838346147noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9118653370015556566.post-30146419107934351372012-12-05T06:00:00.000-07:002012-12-05T06:00:16.931-07:00Wreck-It Ralph<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Being a huge fan of video games, after seeing the first trailer for Wreck-It Ralph I was really excited to see what Disney would do with this concept. While Disney has done some really good animated movies in the past, I have never seen them do a movie that is as original and creative as I found Wreck-It Ralph to be. I could not help, but laugh throughout the movie even right at the beginning with Ralph going to a support meeting for the video game antagonist characters. The movie centers on Ralph the villain from the Fix-It Felix Jr. game who after being sick of the bad guy decides he wants to not only be the hero, but to go out and win a hero medal to prove it. Wreck-It Ralph ends up giving us a very well thought out plot that is aced with humor throughout that appeals to old and young, as they use plenty of new generation gaming references along with those retro gaming references. </div>
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John C. Reilly lends his voice as our title character Ralph, who is sick of being the bad guy, so he sets out to change that and become who he wants to be. It was really cool to see a "bad guy" be a character that the audience could truly care about, that is what makes movie characters great. Reilly's voice embodies the character so well that his voice at this point would truly make me think of the character of Ralph first. Sarah Silverman in the role of Vanellope, a racing character in the game Sugar Rush was surprisingly likable. Particularly, because Sarah Silverman has a tendency to annoy me it is because of that that I was surprised that I actually enjoyed her character and loved the funny moments she brought to the game. The friendship that is formed between this bad guy of Ralph and the glitch of Vanellope worked very well together. The supporting cast all give good performances and I particularly like Jane Lynch and Jack McBrayer's roles. Lynch as the female commander in Hero's Duty is not only the perfect role, but it just fits her so well. McBrayer was a fun aspect of Fix-It Felix Jr. and was really amusing in everything he did. </div>
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The animation for Wreck-It Ralph is incredible and is really top notch from Disney. It was all well thought out as from the purposely stiff animation in Fix-It Felix Jr. to the hyper realistic Hero's Duty and even the colorful Sugar Rush. Wreck-It Ralph is one of the most visually stunning superb computer animated movies that I have seen in a long time. To go along with the animation that film score that was put in place by Henry Jackman absolutely captured the video game world perfectly. The mixture of electronic instruments with orchestral ones is done superbly and it truly feels like an old school video game throughout that is an energetic score throughout the film. He captured the video games they were trying to emulate perfectly. The use of electric guitars done so heavily in Hero's Duty will give anyone that has played these first person shooters a true chuckle. While the theme for Sugar Rush is done with a joyful bit that it will feel like it is meant to be for one of the races in Mario Kart. </div>
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The story for Wreck-It Ralph I found to be very well thought out and in the end it hit a chord that really resonated with me. I loved the thought of this whole world of what do the video game characters do at the end of the day when the arcades are closed. Wreck-It Ralph ends up being to the video game world what Toy Story was to the secret lives of toys. Being a kid that grew up playing a lot of the classic video games seeing a lot of these classic characters really worked from me and in the end it only strengthened the story with me. Of course, with an animated movie from Disney it has to have that true heart warming feeling in the story. Wreck-It Ralph has those similar moments that help give the audience a movie that has a sweet tone. Yet, the big aspect of the movie was that the story was clever and I really enjoyed the themes that are portrayed throughout the entire movie. My only complaint within the story was I wish they would have spent more time spread out in some of the different gaming worlds and not as much time in the one world. </div>
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Wreck-It Ralph was an animated movie that I really enjoyed and met my expectations going in. This is one of those movies that just shows that if all parties involved think everything out, you can see how strong of a movie that can be put out. The short before the movie as well as the ending credits are worth seeing and really make the whole movie going experience a great night for not only yourself, but makes Wreck-It Ralph a great family going experience. I am giving Wreck-It Ralph four buckets of popcorn out of five. This is one of those movies that is not only worth seeing in the theaters, but at the same time I think this is a movie that would be worth the 3D price. The different uses of pixels and the natural worlds created in the video games lends itself perfectly to a 3D movie going experience.</div>
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-The Movie Man</div>
Ryan Bunkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09892333045838346147noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9118653370015556566.post-83220487341648938302012-11-29T06:00:00.000-07:002012-11-29T06:00:08.482-07:00Red Dawn (2012)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Hollywood once again took a movie from the 80's and has repackaged it to try to appeal to a new generation. Red Dawn (2012) as a remake of the original from 1984 was originally slated for a fall 2010 release, but the financial woes that struck MGM shelved this release. Due to the financial issues they decide to go back and restructure the invading Army from what was originally China to that of North Korea, so as not to miss out on potential ticket sales in China. Having seen the original I went in not expecting them to be able to meet the feel of the original, but I was simply just expecting a movie that would be full of not only action and explosions but some fairly easy eon the eyes girls shooting guns and rocket propelled grenades. I ended up getting about what I expected in the Red Dawn remake.</div>
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Chris Hemsworth is our main actor in the role of Jed Eckert and he gave a decent performance. Hemsworth plays the brooding war veteran son who has returned home and is precisely what I expected from his role. Yet, even with the brooding portion his interactions with the others work very well as he seems to connect with everyone particularly Joshua Peck who plays his little brother Matt Eckert. Peck's performance was done very well, but I felt his character had a very whinny teenager feel throughout the movie. For me Peck's performance did not come close to the performance that Charlie sheen gave in the original as Matt Eckert. The relationship between the two brothers is really the only interaction throughout all the characters in which something substantial was given to the audience while all the other characters were fairly shallow and not much depth was brought to the characters. Of course to appease the males they give us Adrianne Palicki, Isabel Lucas and Alyssa Diaz as a group of girls that are a part of the "Wolverines" group that fights back against the North Koreans. While we don't get the depth from there characters I have to admit it is pretty cool to see these easy on the eyes girls also shooting rocket propelled grenades. The rest of the supporting cast all give performances that are completely fine for an action movie. Will Yun Lee as Captain Cho our face of the North Korean antagonist gives a strong performance, but I would have loved if they would have given us more out of his character and development because I was intrigued by his character.</div>
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The story for Red Dawn (2012) really had an uphill battle to fight when comparing it to the original version. When the original Red Dawn came out the Cold War between the US and Soviet Union was at its ultimate height and I am sure everyone at that time figured a shoot out between the two powers was bound to happen eventually so the story of the Soviets invading played on a huge fear that most everyone probably had from time to time. So flash forward to the present of 2012 and while I am sure there are those that have various fears in regards to what wars the US could get involved in, but I do not think the fear meets anything that would have been felt during the Cold War era. While the story that they brought in the end did not blow me away, but I did not need it to. I do like the set up of the three areas of the quite middle class suburbia, a busy downtown district and the football field prison all helped to up the ante of what they were risking. Of course, with any action movie, the moviegoer needs to be willing to look at the story as while it may be a stretch or pretty far fetched at times it is all to help allow the action scenes be that more over the top. As part of the set up for the story I felt like the news clips at the start of the movie as part of the opening credit helped set everything up nicely. The aspect of the story that I really would have liked to see more depth to would have been not only understanding a lot of the characters more, but also getting a better understanding for North Korea's invasion would have helped build even more of that patriotism feel to the movie. </div>
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While the story was alright and the acting was serviceable for the roles, it was the action that gave this movie the fun feel to it. While in the original the action worked and was fun to see. The technology advances that have happened in the last 30 years made the explosions more explosive. I believe that with the action there had to have been military personnel advising because there are definite military type infiltration movements used throughout the movie. This movie does not take long to jump into the action and after about the first 10 minutes of some set up of a character or two then once the North Koreans invade there is action and explosions that happen almost every other scene as there are not many lulls in the movie from that point on. The action sequences are well thought out with the explosions and the way "The Wolverines" use the guerrilla type warfare worked. Now I am not sure for sure but as I sat in my seat watching this film, I believe they did not use CGI for the movie, but used real explosions. This use of real explosions is a throwback to movie making of the past and while I enjoy CGI and it works in a lot of movies it is still nice to see real explosions from time to time. </div>
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Red Dawn (2012) ends up being a decent action movie that while it did not meet what the original Red Dawn was like it ends up working as an action movie. While I think had they made the movie a little longer they could have developed some of the characters and the story with a little more depth it felt like a very action oriented movie. The acting for Red Dawn was serviceable and while I liked Hemsworth's performance I was disappointed in the portrayal of Matt Eckert kind of coming off as the whinny teenager. I loved the use of real explosions for the action sequences and it is because of the action mainly that I am giving Red Dawn three buckets of popcorn out of five. While if you really enjoy action movies this may be worth seeing in the theater, this is one of those movies that the more casual movie fan can enjoy, but I would say wait and rent it.</div>
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-The Movie Man</div>
Ryan Bunkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09892333045838346147noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9118653370015556566.post-4658435941067441922012-11-20T08:00:00.000-07:002012-11-20T08:00:03.795-07:00Skyfall<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I am definitely a fan of the 007 movies and I have really enjoyed the re-imagining of the whole Bond character that started with Casino Royale and Daniel Craig taking over the iconic role from Pierce Brosnan. Skyfall is the third installment with Craig as Bond and it is one that I am glad to see that it made it to theaters because with money issues from the film company it was a definite possibility that it would never be made. The character of Bond being flawed and with the whole movie having the gritty feel that has become the popular trend because of the realistic feel to real life is prevalent once again and only gives us a better understanding of the Bond character. For me being a Bond fan everything within the movie felt like it should be there and personally the story is simply yet complex at the same time. <br />
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Daniel Craig reprises the role of Bod for the third time and he continues the progression and depth of Bond that he started in Casino Royale. Craig plays the flawed Bond to perfection and I have really liked the way that through his emotions that he has humanized Bond and with his story being more of an origin story it helps to show why in other movies that Bond has been the way he has. Javier Bardem in the role of Silva our villain is one of the best not only Bond villains, but best villains in an action movie. Bardem steals the movie as he is a cold and calculating villain and each scene he is in he really takes everything above and beyond what I expected going in. The chemistry between Craig and Bardem is nearly perfect, as they worked so well off one another. the play between the two of them is something that I have never seen in a Bond film. The supporting cast particularly Judi Dench, Ralph Fiennes and Ben Whishaw gave strong performances. I think the new Q was a great addition to the case as he plays the genius character so well and he has a few good back and forth moments on screen with Bond. The only character that I felt was a little forced was that of Naomie Harris in the role of Eve. I felt that she was kind of just there from time to time, and that the reveal with her while nice was very forced. <br />
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The action for Skyfall was exactly what I would expect in a Bond movie. The action starts right off and I loved the chase sequence that takes place right from the get go through the streets and even rooftops of Istanbul on motorcycles that culminates on a great fight sequence on top of a train. And even with the chaoticness of the train Bond is still able to have a classic Bond moment. The action is really fast paced throughout as it never seem to ever completely stop, yet the balance between the story/plot moving forward and the action sequences is perfectly melded together as nothing seems to be overtly placed over anything else. The action sequence for the climax of the movie had a great buildup to it and while it ended ever so slightly abrupt with the fight sequence it was still exactly well thought out. To go along with the action sequences, one of my favorite aspects that took place throughout the movie was the way they paid homage throughout the movie to the Bond movies of the past. While one of the biggest aspects of this I will not reveal because in my humble opinion it was the coolest tribute to the Bond franchise. But it was really great to see the old school style introduction for the opening credits along with the use of "James Bond Will return" at the very end of the movie. <br />
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The story for Skyfall to me is the Bond film I have been waiting for after the reinvention with casino Royale. With Sam Mendes directing, Skyfall is propelled by a strong narrative purpose, Mendes values story and character over anything else, and in the end I felt like he gets the feel of Bond. I loved that Mendes respects the Bond franchise but also breaks new ground with the treatment of the story. The story tells a moving and intelligent story with really strong scenes to accompany what was written. Written by Neal Purvis, Robert Wade and John Logan they had a great hand at balancing some humorous moments with dramatic ones without moving away from the story that was the heart of the film. Yet, the best part was they further enhanced the brilliance of delving into the vulnerability that Bond has and the way the audience gets to see a flawed heroic character. They have been able to take the same idea, but make the stakes higher and even more personal for Bond as our villain is former MI-6 who takes the fight not only directly at MI-6 but right at M and Bond as well. The soundtrack that Thomas Newman put together for Skyfall had a great pacing with it and I really enjoyed the parts of him taking the classic Bond theme in new and interesting ways and Adele's theme for the movie fit perfectly. The theme by Adele had that same old school Bond feel to it, which is something that has been missing in the past Bond films. <br />
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Skyfall is my favorite bond film that I have ever seen and really captured what I expect in a Bond film and it has really continued to step up the level of what I expect from future Bond movies. Daniel Craig is the embodiment of 007 and Javier Bardem as Silva is the perfect villain because he is in many ways the anti-Bond. I loved the action sequences and the train sequence is a perfect part of what makes a Bond film so entertaining. Sam Mendes direction was perfect and really controlled the pacing, story and action perfectly. While the movie is long it did not feel it was as long as it was. I am giving Skyfall four and a quarter buckets of popcorn out of five. Skyfall is a movie that is well worth seeing in the theaters and is one that movie buffs should make sure they see in the theater.<br />
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-The Movie ManRyan Bunkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09892333045838346147noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9118653370015556566.post-37197122746134390532012-10-26T06:00:00.000-06:002012-10-26T06:00:00.418-06:00Rio<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Rio is a movie that not only takes place in Brazil, but the unique aspect is that it is a family friendly version of Brazil during Carnival. Rio ends up being a fun movie that has such a fun upbeat musical score to go along with the vibrant colors of the birds that you can't help but feel happy and even have an urge to almost dance after seeing this movie. Rio gives us a fun movie that in the end deals with a privileged blue macaw that does not fly. this blue macaw though ends up going to Rio with his owner to mate with another blue macaw to help save the species, but smugglers end up stealing these two macaws. We are then sent on the journey through Rio as Blu tries to make his way back to his owner, all the while avoiding recapture. </div>
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Jesse Eisenberg lends his voice to the character of Blue and for some reason his voice worked perfectly. The tone of his voice was just perfect to play the blue Macaw and I even thought it was good The Social network came out prior to Rio because I picture him now more as a Macaw then the founder of Facebook. Anne Hathaway in the role of Jewel the other blue Macaw fits the role okay. Her performance with the role as the feisty character is only partially believable. Her performance was really one that any lead actress out there could have done. Jemaine Clement as our bird villain really stole the show for me. His song about himself and being a villain was perfect and was so Flight of the Conchord's like that it just worked well in the end. Clement has done the villain in two roles with such perfection that I look forward to see what he does next. The rest of the supporting cast all five admirable performances and in the end do precisely what is needed.</div>
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The story for Rio is nothing creative and is an okay one. While using smugglers of exotic birds is a good though, but I would have loved to have had a more creative way for the two blue macaws to be in Rio trying to escape the smugglers. While the story was simple it did not need to be complex for the story to work and in the end with it being simple I felt like everything flowed together well. The pacing for Rio was perfect as it never went too fast of too slow, but in the end it was paced in such a way that everything was able to be touched with plot points while at the same time you did not feel like it dragged. </div>
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The music for Rio was fun and worked so well for the feel of this movie, not only the songs in the movie, but the background music throughout the movie fit well. The music leaves you in the end with a feeling of wanting to dance and through your dancing just enjoy life. For me though one of the best musical aspects in the movie was Jemaine Clement's song as our villain bird. Anyone familiar with Clement and his participation in the show Flight of the Conchords would say the rap/song has precisely that feel to it. The humor in Rio while it was there it really was minimal and non-invasive that aside from the monkey I don't really remember much else in the humor department.</div>
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Rio is an animated movie for families that while it is not one that is on the level of some of the top animated movies of all time, but is still alright. Eisenberg and Clement's performances were very strong and particularly Clement made up for the okay performance brought by Anne Hathaway. The music in Rio is one that leaves you really feeling the music in the end that you have a feeling to want to dance. I am giving Rio two and three quarter buckets of popcorn out of five. This is a fun family movie that will be added to the movie collection at some point.</div>
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-The Movie Man</div>
Ryan Bunkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09892333045838346147noreply@blogger.com0