Gravity Review

There is always one movie that comes out that changes the game, Gravity has accomplished that very feat. No film has quite captured the sense of wonder and fear of space as perfect as Gravity has with a story only fully understood on the big screen in 3D. Yes I did just say see it in 3D, preferably IMAX 3D (Well worth price!)

Gravity is basically about a Dr. Ryan Stone (Sandra Bullock), a engineer on her very first mission in space, alongside a veteran astronaut on his last ride to the stars, Matt Kowalski (George Clooney), fighting for survival after debris from a Russian Satellite destroyed the space shuttle. This is much more than the drifting off in space film that so many people assumed. It is one hell of a white-knuckle ride from start to finish. 

I walked into this film expecting to be stunned visually, I was not prepared for what I was about to see. In the history of cinema there has never been a film to capture the beauty of space and earth on the basic levels they are until now. This will likely be the closest I will ever get to being in space truly. You get so drawn in the film in the very first minute that you feel like you are there on the Hubble and Challenger with the astronauts. I was speechless at the pure wonder I was witnessing as Dr. Stone worked on the Hubble Telescope and Kowalski flew around on the jet pack. 

Director Alfonso Cuaron knows extended sequences better than almost any other director. He utilizes the format to not only push the limits of imagination, but the feeling of being part of the movie and not just watching it. The opening sequence was perfectly executed with nearly 20 minutes of extended awesomeness. Now that isn't the only area of the film that has it, but Cuaron picked the most precious moments to do this to show the compelling story visually and story wise. 

The 3D and CGI is flawless from start to finish. I'm usually a hater of 3D in movies ever since the resurgence of it a few years ago with a few exceptions. The biggest one being Avatar. That movie just blew my mind with the Jungle sequences because I was drawn into the world instead of drawn out. Many have tried to harness the power of 3D but fail miserably, but Cuaron has found that perfect sanction between when 3D is used to develop layers to story and just to freak you out. 

The CGI universe (also actual world) developed in this film was breathtaking. More often than not, I felt like they actually filmed this in space. I was getting lost in this universe created and that is what movies are all about essentially. You can't have this beautiful environment without stunning sound. 

The music and sound of this film will blow everyones mind because of its sheer realism. In Space there is no sound. We are hearing what the astronauts are hearing through vibrations in what they touch. The music is so touching and goes to heart pounding beautifulness when we are along for the ride of Dr. Stone. In an area of the universe where there is no sound, they did one hell of a job to making it one of the best sounding movies all time. Hearing just Sandra Bullock and George Clooney talk throughout was great in itself because of the great chemistry between the two. 

A movie with just 2 people in space for 90 minutes, you better have a great cast to carry it. I must say the two leads were fantastically cast with the worried, greenhorn Sandra Bullock, and the charismatic seasoned George Clooney. They are like polar opposites but you can feel the connection they have as they fight for survival. I can see Oscars in these stars future because of this film. Sandra Bullock emotion throughout was just unbelievable. You feel her hurting, loneliness, and perseverance. 

Gravity pulled all the emotional strings with the heart pounding, white knuckle fight for survival in a land of great unknown wonders and sheer beauty. This film sparked an emotion of fear and wonder of a place I haven't though out about like that since I was a little kid. The hypnotic sight of space has fully been captured on film finally, along with the unparralled beauty of Earth. This film will take you on a ride you will never forget. My sense of wonder has been reinstalled. 

Side Note: Must see in IMAX 3D where available because it is breathtaking and well worth it! 

A+ 

'This is the End' Review

This is the End is on everyones radar because of the high concept of comedy stars (as themselves) surviving with each other during the apocalypse. You are intrigued, I know, but you are also weary to go further incase of let down. I must say you will be 'on cloud nine happy' how freaking funny this movie is! 

The film was inspired by a 2007 short film that Seth Rogen and Jay Baruchel starred in called Jay and Seth vs. The Apocalypse. The short film was pretty promising and funny so it was nice to see they decided to expand upon it and go big or go home on it. 

The plot is strikingly simple: Jay Baruchel decided to come to LA from Canada to hangout with his buddy, Seth Rogan, and have fun together. Seth gets Jay, unwilling, to go to James Franco's house warming party. Jay doesn't like any of those guys and feels out of place and go out for cigarettes with Seth. Apocalyptic mayhem soon ensues. They are than forced to live with each other and other big name comedians like Jonah Hill, Craig Robinson, and the awesome Danny McBride. Fun and messed up will for sure come from that mix of guys. 

The film gives you a sense of realism to a certain degree of those guys being themselves at a party filled with so much current talent it was awesome. You had a hilarious, I mean hilarious version of Micharl Cera than Kevin Hart, Emma Watson, Rihanna, Paul Rudd, Jason Segal, and a few great others. They were so funny in the scenes they were in. I will say there are a few brilliant cameos that will literally make you tear up laughing so hard. It made the movie go up +5 points for being so random and hilarious. The guy behind me was stomping laughing so hard. I won't spoil it for you I promise. *as I type the name and deleted it because I want to tell the world!!* 

The film is hilarious on its own accord, with the concept being funny, but the individual characters improvising is where the gold is. Director Evan Goldberg did a fantastic job of keeping the ball moving on the film with letting these guys literally be themselves and do their own sense of comedy. Surprisingly, all the jokes work great going off one another and will make you laugh just watching it. I know they are playing highly fictionalized version of themselves, but that is where they fun comes from all the way. I'm not really sure Jonah Hill is that overly nice, but I do believe that Danny McBride is that D#$% version of himself that is so fun to love to hate. Serously though Danny you are awesome if you ever read this review. He really did shine in the scenes he was in and almost stole the show.

I can't give all the credit of being great to Danny McBride because the whole cast did some of their best roles in a longtime. James Franco was hilarious, and Seth Rogen was actually really likable and couldn't have been better. I can't complain about any of the characters being so horrible they turned from being likable a-holes into straight up a-hole territory. It doesn't exist. 

So you have a film about end of the world, comedy, action, adventure, whats missing..oh wait..there is an actually bromance part to it that fits perfect. The film is a few sketches sewn together to make a hilarious film, but a big factor from beginning to end is the relationship between good friends Jay and Seth. The relationship is rocky and the beginning and gets worse than better. You really start to like these guys and want them to live. They did great on keeping the film grounded enough so you could get to know these guys better than a few great jokes. 

The only problems I could have with the film was one of it's best parts too. It really is a double edged sword. The simple plot gave room for times where it felt things needed to move on a little bit but they did great on trying to avoid it. The gore will make some uneasy because it was unexpected but it fits so well together it was meant to happen.

This is the End had an amazing cast, special effects, ideas, and cameos to make it a really fun film that will surpise a lot of people. It has its sweet moments, it's scary freaky moments, and its gut busting hilarious moments. If you are a fan of these guys previous films and humor, then you will greatly appreciate this film as one, if not, the best in their career to this point. And just think it was all without Judd Apatow behind the camera. If you coudn't care less about their usual humor than you will have trouble liking the running gags and few random jokes, but will likely find something you enjoyed a bit. 

B+ 

I will tell people I gave it an A because of the one fantastic cameo I promised I wouldn't tell. *I typed it again and deleted it! It's killing me!*

Flashback Review: 'Superman: The Movie' (1978)

I bet you are wondering why I'm reviewing a movie that came out almost 40 years ago or maybe you are not. Superman is making his much deserved return into theaters this friday in 'Man of Steel' and I think its a perfect time to take a stroll down memory lane. Let's take a look how to the man in tights made his big movie debut in 1978 up to 2013.

Superman: The Movie was what I would consider the first superhero movie to be taken seriously and not campy with some big serious actors. They took a big chance on this film. The process of how this film came around his a whole post in itself, so lets skip all that and get to the movie itself.

I grew up watching this movie in the 90s on VHS. Oh good ol' VHS.., and now recently watching it on glorious Blu-ray, it only gets better and more fantastical. Superman was more of a hero that everyone just loved but wasn't really known to be adult orientated enough to be taken seriously to become a big star studded movie. Those people were greatly proven wrong by director Richard Donner. He made Superman, a great character already, a icon to all.

Superman was given a proper origin story that moved at a brisk pace that worked great on film. We were able to see Krypton dying with the great Marlon Brando. Then Kal-El getting found by Jon and Martha Kent. It was filmed perfectly to lay out the tone of the film with great special effects that can hold up today. We skip the Smallville years for the most part (just watch CW's Smallville to get gist of it), but we see some very important scenes that makes Superman, well, Superman.

The Daily Planet scenes just feel right. We finally get to see Christopher Reeve bring Clark Kent to life. He was hands down a dead on cast! If you were Growing up, through the 70's til now, Reeve is Clark Kent/Superman to you. He looks exactly like he came out of the pages of the comic. He put heart in the role and gave everyone a person to look up to that has lasted til today.

Superman wasn't the only great one cast either. The regulars in comics Lois Lane, Perry White, Jimmy Oslen, and especially arch-nemisis Lex Luthor, were fantastic! Margot Kidder as Lois Lane did a marvelous job at playing the hard headed reporter.

Lex Luthor on the other hand was possibly the second best casting in the film. Serious actor Gene Hackman took a character that was used so often in the comics and made him fresh. He was slightly funny and suave while completely evil. You hated to hate him but loved to hate him at same time. Luthor's plan to sink half of California for retail property is menacing and bat@#$% crazy at same time it might just work. Great job on bringing that character to the screen.

The director, Richard Donner, has an eye for great special effects throughout while maintaing a film about larger than life characters you can relate to. The subtle ways we see Superman save a person or fly through the air gives a smile on your face no matter the age. A superhero masterpiece to start off a generation of serious taken hero flicks.

A

The Vow Review

"The Vow is one of the best romance movies released in recent years with great cast and uplifting story."

The Vow is about a couple Leo (Channing Tatum) and Paige (Rachel McAdams) that are madly in love and are in a terrible car accident. Leo makes it out fine but she ended up with a bad head injury and she lost all recent memories from within the last 4 years including Leo and her marriage. Leo sets out to help her see the love they share and never gives up on getting her back.

I will admit I am a sucker for a lot of romance movies from all different backgrounds like Titanic, While You Were Sleeping, and The Notebook. So naturally I wouldn't mind seeing The Vow with my amazing girlfriend and get major boyfriend points. I've heard a lot about the movie from friends that all say it will make you cry and its so adorable. So we had to find out what all the fuss is about and i will say we were kind of shocked we didn't cry like everyone said we would. Sure it was sad, but the story has more of uplifting side to bad thing that happened and it's really quite nice to see that instead of a movie that just does sad things to get tears from the audience. The Vow has heart in it.

The casting of Rachel McAdams as Paige is every girls dream because of her previous romance film role in The Notebook (I know she is my girlfriends favorite actress because of it). She is the best woman for the job by a long shot. She brings a certain lovable quality to Paige that makes you really like her and can see her love for Leo and frightfulness when she is brought into an environment she isn't familiar with anymore. Although, there are sometimes in the film that you just want to tell her she is doing something wrong and yell "just remember already, Leo needs you!".

Leo is played by Channing Tatum to some of the girls liking from back in Dear John. I'm not the biggest fan of Channing because he isn't the greatest actor around but if he's hot and has a six pack then he's perfect for a romance movie. He has really proven himself in this film as an actor. He still has some learning to do but you still feel all the emotions he feels in the film along with him. He is a man of great heart and will never give up on his wife because of true love and his vows.

The title "The Vow" is pretty great considering that in his vow for her is really just foreshadowing events that will happen later. He said "I vow to love you, and no matter what challenges might carry us apart, we will always find a way back to each other." Now, that is pretty eerie and dead on. He really did keep trying like crazy going from embarrassing himself to ruining his career. It's crazy to imagine that this could happen. Leo is every girls dream guy that will never give up on the girl he loves. I really do believe it would be hard but when you just love a girl to death than I would do whatever it took to get her back because she is my home and always will be.

The Vow isn't the best romance film ever made but by far isn't the worst. It is very charming and great story about love and the search to find it again. If I would've cried it would for sure would be getting an A but I must give it a

B+

Benjamin Myers
PSN ID and Twitter: fusionman15

Unknown Movie Review

Unknown is your run of the mill action/thriller film with some cool ideas implicated into the plot.    

It is astonishing how legendary actor Liam Neeson has been typecast as an action star so late into his career. The man is pushing 60 and can take down an entire army of bad guys with hardly any help at all. Unknown adds to his action persona, and an admirable one too.

Dr. Martin Harris (Neeson) was in a car accident in Berlin, Germany. In the accident, he nearly died and was in a coma in the local hospital. He awoke after four days with some of his memory missing. Martin finds his wife and finds out she has no idea who he is and there is another man posing as him. With no form of identification and nobody confirming who he is exactly he then turns to the ideas that he is crazy or it’s all some big conspiracy.

The films plot is the weakest and strongest of the movie. The plot starts out being believable and mildly entertaining, but very promising. A man has an accident and can’t remember certain things. That is the believable aspect of the film. The stealing of the identity would be believable if reasons were given, but then again that’s what makes it a mystery/thriller.  You think you just started a good mystery/thriller, but with more plot details coming into the light, it just gets very implausible. While implausible it still is very entertaining and still gives you enjoyment in the plentiful action that succumbs out of nowhere. Who knew Dr. Harris could escape from multiple bad guys multiple times and beat the crap out of them. The action was well thought out, but it sometimes would drag along and get boring. At other times the action shots would use the infamous shaky-cam technique. Filmmakers use shaky-cam to make a scene seem to have more action then it really does. While it stretches plausibility multiple times until the big final act, it was acceptable. After the big twist in unveiled, I started to take the film less seriously and almost like a parody of thrillers. Liam Neeson is one of the only things that keep it from going down into parody world. Nobody can really not take him seriously. He is, although, full of one-liners and some horrible dialogue.

The absolute best part of the film is the atmosphere and location. It’s fantastic to see Germany get featured in an American film. Berlin is a beautiful city and perfect location for a thriller/action film. I only hope more Hollywood will make more trips to Germany. The action scenes featured in the film wouldn’t be as good without the locations.

Unknown may be just another action/thriller, but it is a great ride from beginning to end. The plot may have some very unlikely plot points, although the funny part is that’s what makes it a good film.

All-in-all Unknown is an entertaining film with some implausibility, but worth a watch.

B-

Benjamin Myers

PSN ID and Gamertag: fusionman15

Email: BenMyers92@gmail.com

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Review

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 proves third time is the charm for director David Yates and it's the best in the series for that matter.

After the lackluster Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, most thought that director David Yates would end up ruining the epic ending to the beloved series. To the contrary, he made a film that would end up putting Harry Potter films three through six to shame and it’s arguably equal to greatness of the first two films. That is a very unbelievable feat.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 is directed by David Yates and starring Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, Rupert Grint, Ralph Fiennes, Bill Nighy, Alan Rickman, and Helena Bonham Carter.

Lord Voldemort's power is growing stronger by the minute. He now has control over the Ministry of Magic and Hogwarts. Harry, Ron, and Hermione decide to finish Dumbledore's work and find the rest of the Horcruxes to defeat the Dark Lord by destroying them. But little hope remains for the Trio, and the rest of the Wizarding World, so everything they do must go as planned.

The film starts off with a bang with splendid action in the first ten minutes. Right from the start, it shows you a taste of the very dark elements that will come later in the film. Deathly Hallows  has some great scenes in the first forty minutes with action in beautiful locations. The action starts to become scarce around that time and the mood becomes an almost depressing state. The characters are now staying hidden in the forest for a long period of time. Average movie goers might find this time very slow and maybe even boring. If you are a fan of the books then you will likely appreciate the filmmakers actually putting the scenes in the film for as long as they are in the book.

The film shows an amazing change with the characters, along with the actors,  growing up into adults and living in the real gritty world. Now, they have no teachers to help them when trouble comes their way. They use all their knowledge of magic to their advantage through the entire film. So, if you thought that magic was going to be minimal, you are wrong. Along with the maturity they find out about romance. The film switches tones often from action to thriller to romantic stress. The most obvious romantic parts are the entire middle of the film with what seems like a never ending battle with themselves. It’s amazing to see what isolation will do to three friends. A very good point that comes out during that time is being heroes isn’t always uplifting, it could be filled with loneliness and desperation.

The special effects are without a doubt the best in the series. There is multiple scenes that show special effects are just fantastic and elegant. Some people would have trouble distinguishing what is real and what is hollywood magic.

The only trouble with the film is the being able to follow the story. If you have not seen the other six films and go to see Deathly Hallows then you will be able to understand very little. Don’t let that stop you because it is an all-around  great movie and just try to enjoy the high quality of the film.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1

B+

Benjamin Myers

PSN ID and Gamertag: fusionman15

Email: BenMyers92@gmail.com

Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World Movie Review

"Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World proves that there is still some originality left in filmmaking and is one of the best films of the year."

DIRECTOR: Edgar Wright

CAST: Michael Cera, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Kieran Culkin, Chris Evans, Brandon Routh, Jason Schwartzman, Anna Kendrick, Mae Whitman and Mark Webber

PLOT: In Toronto, 22-year-old Scott Pilgrim (Michael Cera) is the bass guitarist for the band Sex Bob-omb and has just met the girl of his dreams, Ramona Flowers (Mary Elizabeth Winstead). Scott learns that he must battle Ramona's seven evil exes, who are coming to kill him, to finally win Ramona's heart. As Scott gets closer to Ramona, his encounters include skateboarders, vegan rock stars, and identical twins.

REVIEW

 I never read the graphic novels because I am not really into eastern art style comics. I'm more of Marvel or DC fan, but I am very willing to read comics with that art style now that I've seen this movie.

The best part of this movie is how the film plays out like levels in a video-game and get more epic as it goes along. The movie starts out being more like a comedy and not much action then out of nowhere comes awesome action. At that moment with the action, I realized that this movie pulled off something that many filmmakers have tried to achieve and failed, that something is letting the plot involve romance, action and comedy in 2 hours or less and not mess it up. I have to give a hand to director Edgar Wright for pulling that one off.

The script was written with very quirky one-liners and dialogue in general. I think most High School and College students will appreciate the humor and reference to video games, but older folks will think they are pointless and not as funny. Although, the battle scenes will most likely be the part that older people like because they are flashy, fast paced, super colorful and epic. So, saying that about the battles will show that it will be liked by little 12 year old kids too.

Video game references have never been, well referenced as much as they are in this movie. If you are a fan of the 8-bit era then you will love some of the gags, for example, an 8-bit version of the universal Logo and song was in the beginning and then again later with the introduction of Lucas Lee. Another cool game related thing is when the bad guys get killed they turn into coins, I really thought that was awesome.

The romantic side of the film has to be a strong point in the movie because it goes in directions you wouldn't really expect and that was pretty original. I am a huge fan of Mary Elizabeth Winstead and I loved her character's mysterious past and personality in general. The ending was starting to go in a direction I never even thought it would, but ended up the way I knew it would end up going.

ACTING: As I said before I am a huge fan of Mary Elizabeth Winstead and she was perfect for the part of Ramona Flowers. She has that mysterious look and you know she doesn't want to take crap from anybody. I really liked her character and she was the best in my mind.

On the other hand you have the same awkward looking Michael Cera and he plays a similar character to many of his past films, but that would be a little expected. Nobody would really ever think of Michael acting any different and it works for him and for me in most of his films. Michael Cera was the obvious choice for Scott Pilgrim and the only person I could think of too.

There was some sparks between Michael Cera and Mary Elizabeth Winstead, which is really hard to find in movies in todays world.

The rest of the cast is just as good as them and I was so glad to see some actors have longer roles than I thought they would, for example Brandon Routh was just awesome and had a pretty long role, along with Jason Schwartzman.

PERSONAL NOTE: I really want to personally thank Edgar Wright for giving these amazing actors a role in this awesome movie and he made older video-games cool again. Also, I really was surprised with the absolutely spectacular cameo of my favorite actor and I won't give the surprise cameo away, but I had a "Nerdgasm" when he came on-screen. I am a huge fan of his comic-book movie.

FINAL THOUGHT: Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World is as the poster says "An epic of epic epicness." If you love video-games and the over-the-top battle scenes then you will love this movie. The acting is great with an amazing cast and never feels boring. The film is filled with many things not seen on film very often and is eye candy from the colors to the cool "sound clouds" when noises are made.

You may not like this movie if your of the older generation, but it would be the worst movie you have seen and if your in High School or College then this film is right up your alley.

Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World

A

Benjamin Myers

PSN ID and Gamertag: fusionman15

Email: benMyers92@gmail.com

Charlie St. Cloud Review

"Charlie St. Cloud shows Zac Efron's acting skills have improved dramatically since High School Musical."

Synopsis: Charlie St. Cloud is a young man overcome by grief at the death of his younger brother. Charlie has a special lasting bond with his brother though, as he can see him. Charlie meets up with his brother (Sam) every day to play catch and talk. Then, a girl comes into Charlie's life and he must choose between keeping a promise he made to Sam, or going after the girl he loves.

Cast: Zac Efron (High School Musical, 17 Again), Amanda Crew (Sex Drive, She's the Man), Charlie Tahan (I Am Legend) with Ray Liotta (Good Fellas), Kim Bassinger (Batman) and Donal Logue (Zodiac, Just Like Heaven)

Review:

Acting: I always thought that Zac Efron would be just another child actor that can't act and only have his looks to get himself acting jobs. After, just 20 minutes into Charlie St. Cloud, I concluded I was wrong . He shows emotion very well in any situation and can maybe squeeze a few tears from the ladies with at least 3 crying scenes.

Charlie Tahan plays his little brother Sam very well. Zac and Charlie have great chemistry together from the start. Tahan is perfect for the part of little brother that is loving, yet a major brat. He says some things that children shouldn't say, but you expect every 12 year old kid to do these things. I really enjoyed the scenes between the brothers because they actually seemed like they have been with each other their whole lives.

The rest of the cast including Charlie's love-interest are just about-average when it comes to acting. The scenes between Zac and Amanda shows that they have some interest in eachother, but not as much as you know he does with Vanessa Hudgens in real life. Also, the rest of the cast don't really have long enough screen time to get a full sense of their characters. Example, Kim Bassinger is only in the movie for around 10 minutes at the most. Even though Ray Liotta is in the film about the same amount of time as Kim, he has a vital role in the film and acts as good as he always does.

Plot: Charlie St. Cloud will be compared to the numerous Nicolas Sparks films, but it has a grander taste of supernatural. The plot is not as original as some might think, but it does have some nice little twist and some "stolen" ones also. I won't reveal the big "twist" at the end, but if you have seen The Invisible then you should think of some plot details pretty early in.

If you catch on to the twist early on, which most guys will, but it may be masked by Zac Efron's looks to the girls, you may feel like it just drags on forever. If you don't happen to catch onto the "twist" then you may get a huge shocker.

The story is filled with laughing, crying, fighting and romance. The women will love it. Guys may have some trouble getting into it, but they will eventually settle into having to see it multiple times with their girlfriends.

Final Thought: The acting is surprisingly great and the plot may be a little stolen from other films (The Invisible), but it does have it's enlightening romantic moments that every 17 year-old girl will love. The supernatural aspect is intriguing to the people who couldn't care less about romance.

B-

Benjamin Myers

PSN ID and gamertag: fusionman15

Email: BenMyers92@gmail.com

Despicable Me Review

"Despicable Me is a nice little film released in the wake of 3D sequel films like Shrek Forever After and Toy Story 3"

I really liked the cast the best in the film because the actors are well-known and doing completley different voices. Steve Carell does a russian-like voice that is very funny and amusing. Then, there is Russell Brand doing a non-Russell Brand voice that will be liked by people that don't like him very much. This movie is filled with stars such as Jason Segal, Kristen Wiig, Will Arnett, Julie Andrews, and Danny McBride.

The film is actually very original and has verbal and visual gags that will amuse the whole family. You usually have trouble amusing the parents of the kids that your film is marketed to, but the dialogue in Despicable Me is clever enough to make parents laugh ,maybe, even more than the kids. I probably laughed even more than the little 5 year-old kid next to me when Gru said a quirky line to the kids he adopts. Then, parents will love the adorable children, especially the youngest girl because she is a normal 4 year-old.

The one thing that gets the kids laughing is little adorable "minions". The little yellow guys have all the things that make something cute and lovable including high voice, garbled language, small statures, childish personalities. I won't be surprised to see them have their own stand-alone movie or tv show like the penguins from Madagascar. Without the little guys it wouldn't be so funny to kids. They amused me and a lot of parents in the theater, but they could have annoying to some people overtime.

The story itself is quite unusual when it comes a movie with nothing but super villains. Some might notice that it is a bit weird that there is all these villains living in the community next-door to you in a normal looking house with no "hero" insight. I really liked the whole idea of a world of villains and no heroes. This kind of plot without Heroes can maybe have it's toll on the kids by showing the wrong message about being evil.

The kids will love this movie and parents will be able to sit through it. Thats all that matters right?

The story is kind of out there, the voice acting is superb, 3D is not really worth it and the minions are adorable.

I give Despicable Me a

 B

Benjamin Myers

PSN ID and Gamertag: fusionman15

Kick-Ass Review

Kick-Ass is the best comic-book movie since The Dark Knight. The movie is great from every aspect of gore, profanity and humor and is just..well Kick Ass!

I waited for this film to get released since Comic-Con 2009. I just watched the clips they had shown there and was instantly interested in this offbeat superhero movie. Kick-Ass was just something I never saw in any comic-book movie; mixing so much humor and wrongness, that makes it seem right.

I realized that this movie was awesome from just the first 5 minutes with the voiceover by the main character. That just set the mood for what you were about to see.

The characters have to be the absolute best part of the movie with Kick-Ass, Big Daddy, Red Mist and the best of all Hit-Girl. The main character Kick-Ass is lovable and just a normal teen trying to make a difference. Every normal teenager can relate to dave (Kick-Ass) as high-school student just being there and unknown. Red Mist is also they same way as Kick-Ass in the sense of being an unknown kid, but he is the son of a rich and powerful villain.

Then, there is Big Daddy and Hit-Girl. The duo is just a nightmare for every criminal and grandparent taking their grandkids to go see a cute comic-book movie. They are as real as anybody will get to become a hardcore vigilante. They have the training and the fire power to basically kill the entire mafia. Well, if the mafia even existed...cough...cough..they do....cough. Big Daddy is the perfect character for Nic Cage with the personality to loving and being able to blow a guys head off a second later. I love the tongue-in-cheek reference to being similar to Batman, but being able to actually kill people without a problem. The best character and most controversial reason for this movie to get blasted by soccer moms everywhere. She has the mouth of a sailor and she is only, like 11 years old! She is sweet and adorable without the costume and every mothers dream-child. When, she puts on the costume she just turns bold and a killing machine without any remorse. She was the most intriguing character in film within the last 20 years.

The thing that made this movie work with its eccentric story and characters is the sense of realism within the world it is set in. The cinematography and direction really showed the bright colors and clearness in the really awesome universe of Kick-Ass and is very close to being almost like our world is now. Matthew Vaughn should get some awards for this movie in the near future. I really loved the realism and hope other filmmakers take note of the great tool.

The only downside is the cliches kinda get out of hand with some coming strait from Spider-Man. For example, the house where Dave lives is basically the same house as spider-man; I even said to my friend next to me "just watch because Mary Jane will be taking her trash out at the same time as he is getting home. Also, the training on the roof and drawing in his notebook at school. It just bugged me a little bit.

I would recommend this film to all high-school kids willing to see some brutality mostly caused by a little girl to see a great all around film. I will say that if you are older than 45 and don't like violence, then just pass this by and go take your grandchildren or your own kids to see How To Train Your Dragon.

Kick-Ass is simply Kick-Ass

A-

Benjamin Myers

PSN ID and Gamertag: fusionman15

Movie Reviews

It has been along time since I have reviewed any movies. So, I will do a quick and to the point review on movies released in past month or two.

She's Out of My League

I Laughed in the theater from beginning until the end. The actors were cast perfectly for their role. The comedy aspect works great with the romantic side to become almost sweet. Also, the soundtrack is very good. I give it a B+

Repo Men

This movie is directed great, but suffers from the cliches in the script. The movie is not really a Sci-fi/thriller but a comedy because the film almost seems like a satire of sci-fi films such as Blade Runner. Jude Law and Forest Whitaker are great together. Whitaker is great at being borderline crazy. The film scares me as likely to come true in 20 years. I give it a B.

The Bounty Hunter

There is so much bad to say about this movie. They showed the funny parts in trailer and the only good thing in this movie was the soundtrack and that didn't really stun be as great. The action is okay and the story just seems simple the best part would be the ending and that still wasn't enough closure for me. The main actors had some chemistry, but thats about it. I give this movie a C-.

The Crazies

This is probably the second best remake of a George A. Romero film, just behind Dawn of the Dead (2004). The film is a great improvement on Romero's film with better production value and script direction. The main actors are great together and you really want them to make it out alive. I usually don't like remakes or reboots, but if films like this come out then I might just change my ways. I give it a B-.

I will actually do a full review on films that have come out in last few weeks between now and next week, so just hold your horses.

Benjamin Myers

PSN ID and Gamertag: fusionman15

Alice In Wonderland Review

I know it's a little late for a review on this movie, but I need to do at least a quick review.

Alice in Wonderland is good "Burton" from beginning until the pointless last half.

The movie started out very promising and held up with good acting from stars such as Johnny Depp, Helena Bonham Carter, Crispin Glover, Anne Hathaway, and Matt Lucas. The person that surprised me as being great was the main star Mia Wasikowska. She was believable at being a non girlie and odd young woman. I will say that Johnny Depp was perfect for Mad Hatter, but he ended up coming off as a slight scottish version of Jack Sparrow sometimes. That bothered me just a bit.

The story is intriguing because it isn't a remake or sequel according to Tim Burton. I think it's actually a mixture of both because it has some borrowed from the book and added some new scenes that added  emotional attachment to characters such as Alice and the Mad Hatter.

The direction Burton was going for is along the lines of his previous films, but maybe to much cgi for his taste. The 3D aspect of the film is lackluster at best and I would suggest that for this film it doesn't matter if you see it in 3D or not. The cgi was actually not bad and felt like who ever did the character and wonderland designs was tripping on acid. I mean just look at the world in the poster, it just looks like a Burton flick. The designs are very original and brilliantly colorful. I have to give a hand to them for that.

The movie just took a turn for worse close to the third act because the battle sequence felt like numerous other cg battles from average action films. It felt like they just added the scene to fill up time and could have done so much more during that part. Also, there was a utterly pointless, but entertaining dance number by the Mad Hatter. That just felt out of place.

I give Alice In Wonderland a

B-  

Benjamin Myers
PSN ID and Gamertag: fusionman15

I will do reviews on She's Out Of My League and Repo Men this week and maybe the return of Random Movie Review

Shutter Island Review

"Shutter Island is one of the best psychological thrillers since the Hitchcock years."

I will start of saying that I was deeply worried that Shutter Island would be a movie with an "A" list director (Martin Scorsese) and cast (Leonardo DiCaprio, Ben Kingsley and Mark Ruffalo) working on a "B" movie plot. This mix hardly ever works. The movie starts out feeling like a "B" movie but changes to the classic Alfred Hitchcock feel. I was interested in that feeling coming from a acclaimed drama/crime director. The feeling intensified all throughout the story to the point of me wanting to go watch some classic Hitchcock films afterward.

The acting and atmosphere were the final pieces of the puzzle for me liking the film in general. Leo gave it everything he had and it showed. There is a major scene close to the end that really showed just how good of an actor he is when he has good direction. The emotion that he puts on throughout is absolutely stunning because he will be serious and tough then in the next he switches to the person that you feel sympathy for him. As for the atmosphere, It was amazing. I have to give a hand to Scorsese for making it look and sound extraordinary. The setting could have been hard to get just right, but he did it with the amazing cinematography to give it that classic film from 50s feel. He really had a great crew for almost every aspect of production.

My favorite part that added to the atmosphere was the fascinating music score. The first scene on the island made me feel excited to watch it because they had chosen this eerie song that gave off this odd sensation of fear. The score, from what I heard, wasn't made for use in this movie, but he had chosen songs that would add to the period feel. I am so glad he made that decision because he succeeded when it started until it ended. I will say their is that one scene that had beautiful acting and sound. The song made me get into the film and feel his pain as it was happening.

It does kill me to say that their only major weakness to me was the writer. No, not the writer of the book, but the film adaptation. The writer, Laeta Kalogridis, has never done anything I would say is good with a resume of Pathfinder, Birds of Prey, and Alexander. Even with the great direction, acting and story it was because of the abundance of dreams that flashbacks killed the momentum the story. The plot is still great even with those problems. The psychological aspect is still great with messing with your mind, but yet some will figure it out and some won't and thats the truth. They want you to think something else is going to happen, then they throw a "winger" in the mix and makes you want to say "Wait.....what is going on?". The ending line still has me thinking.

I suggest you see this film if you like psychological thrillers, Leonardo DiCaprio, and a good all-around cast and crew. 

92 out of 100

Benjamin Myers

The Book of Eli Review

If you are a fan of the The Road Warrior or any other post-apocalyptic movie, then you might want to see this movie

The Book of Eli is directed by the Hughes Brothers (Menace II Society) and starring Denzel Washington (Training Day), Gary Oldman (The Dark Knight), Mila Kunis (That 70s Show), and Ray Stevenson (Punisher:Warzone). Released January 15, 2010

The Book of Eli comes at a time when post-apocalyptic movies are making a comeback with 2012 and The Road released in recent months. However, Eli doesn't disappoint the average action movie fan, because it is great action, good story, and amazing actors.

Washington is the perfect actor to portray a older man that is a nice person at heart, but having to do terrible things in a split-second. You love his character from the very beginning to the surprising end. He battles himself to just mind his own business, but he knows he has to do the greater good and help out others in need.

For the supporting cast, it's simply superb with a fantastic actor, Gary Oldman, as the main villain. His character is a desperate man trying to locate the "book" that he would use for his own gain. Also, Ray Stevenson plays Oldman's right-hand man, who is likable and smart with his actions until later in the film. And, Mila Kunis plays the daughter of Oldman's "woman", and a sidekick/protege figure to Washington as the film progresses. Overall, the supporting cast is chosen perfectly.

The Hughes Brothers cinematography and camera shots are amazing. They have some great colorization that shows a dark world and gives a dreary feeling throughout the movie. And the action scenes sold me from the first fight to the last. They really include you into action with great close-ups and slow-motion shots. They were born to direct action films. Best part is that there is 2 of them.

The story is the part that made me want to see two times. It is kind of predictable with the characters moral choices and fight scenes. Although, not all the time. I will say the ending had a WTF moment. The information you gain from the ending has a Six Sense feel to it. No, he isn't dead or he can see dead people. It will most likely make you go "are you serious". I wanted to see it again to notice the small things that lead to the discovery at the end. You will not see it coming I guarantee it.

I give The Book of Eli a very strong rating of 88 out of 100.


Benjamin Myers
PSN ID and Gamertag: fusionman15

Daybreakers Review

Daybreakers isn't your vampire "chick-flick", but a dark, gritty and gory action ride to the end.

Directed and written by Peter and Michael Spierig (Undead) and starring Ethan Hawke (Training Day), Sam Neil (Jurassic Park), Willem Dafoe (Spider-Man), and Isabel Lucas (Transformers 2). Released January 8th, 2010.

I went into the movie thinking it was going to your average horror movie, but I was pleasantly surprised about halfway through it. The film was written to be a metaphor on how man is wasting it's natural resources, but just replaces man with vampires and resources with man. This was intriguing from the start. I was tired of just hearing about Twilight type movies and glad to see a film that actually has meaning. From the start I absolutely loved the cold, blue and gray color scheme, and how it added blandness to the vampires and the world. The cool thing was the little things from the start that reflect how a vampire and actually live in today's society. For example, the vampires have a daylight driving system for the cars, and a "subwalk" to travel during the daylight hours. I have to give a hand to the brothers for adding these little things that actually make a big difference. As for the main plot, it was fairly predictable throughout with some nice surprises. The cinematography was like The Matrix with the cold colors, which can be taken good or bad. So, if you like vampires in a movie the way they were intended and tired of Twilight, then see this movie.

I give this film an 82 out of 100. Check it out.

Benjamin Myers

PSN ID and gamertag: fusionman15

Avatar Review

  Avatar is the newest epic action/adventure film to be released. Directed by the legendary James Cameron and starring Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldana, Stephen Lang, Sigourney Weaver, and Giovanni Ribisi.

Avatar has been in some form of production since 1994 and progressed to what you see today in 2009. The reason it was in production for about 15 years is because the massive cost and lack of special effects evolution. Cameron worked to even create a new camera technology just for Avatar and future use. Finally, he was able to finish his vision and be his first feature film since Titanic in 1997.

  I am a huge fan of Cameron since I have seen The Terminator 2 when I was around 5 years old. I know that might seem a little young to watch that work of art, but I fell in love with the idea of a unstoppable robot trying to kill you. Since then, I have seen every film he has made and fell in love with them also. I have even seen his student-film Xenogenesis, which isn't too bad. I was going to wait in line at Comic-Con for hours just to see 25 minutes of Avatar footage.

  Avatar is a spectacular visual film and not a bad plot either. The thing that makes Avatar huge is its special effects. They incorporate the most stunning photorealistic effects I've ever seen in my life. Most of the time in movies you can tell that the character interaction with a cg figure is awkward at the least. Cameron made easily the most convincing  interactions with human and cg ever. I searched for flaws in the natives and jungle background of Pandora, I found nothing that wasn't convincing and was in shock because of this. The animals are beautifully designed and realistic, along with a amazing jungle with it's vivid color scheme and photorealistic backdrop. I know some will say the planet looked to fake because of the unnatural colors, but thats because cameron was going for a bright dream planet that I say took full effect  of the film and we are not used to seeing something of this nature, so we categorize it as fake looking. The only problem with the film is the same as most films is the plot. The plot is unique and cool, but panned out like any other epic sci-fi film. The film was predictable in most scenes and you could predict the end about halfway through and this isn't necessarily a bad thing. It payed off with the astounding action with the beautiful score by the Cameron favorite James Horner. To see the film to the full effect of what it was intended, you should see it in 3D because its not a gimmick. You are immersed into the world of Pandora. I have seen it twice in 3 days and was in heaven of enriched special effects. You have to see this film in theaters and in 3D. Don't wait for DVD and Blu-ray to watch it.

  I give the film based on just the plot around 85 out of 100. Although, including the groundbreaking and revolutionary special effects I give it a strong 97 out of 100.

Benjamin Myers
PSN ID and Gamertag: fusionman15

Movie Review-2012

It has been awhile since I reviewed any movies, so this means there will be a few reviews put up in next few days. 2012 is written and directed by the father of the disaster genre Roland Emmerich (Independence Day, The Day After Tomorrow). I wanted to see this film because Roland has mentioned that this will be his last disaster film and go out with a bang. He did not disappoint me. I am a fan of Roland's films such as Independence Day, Stargate, The Day After Tomorrow, and Godzilla and hoped he would redeem himself from what I think was a fluke 10,000 B.C. The film centers around the end of the world scenario of 2012 hence the title. This whole end of the world talk doesn't really scare me, but this film kind a makes me think. The movie centers around different characters throughout the entire film, which adds to the feeling of how its a disaster film and not only affecting a single group of people, but can give no feelings towards certain characters. I would say that Jackson Curtis (John Cusack) and his family are the main characters as they are in almost the entire film interacting with the other characters. The only thing that bothers me with Jackson Curtis is the originality of his name. The name is just Curtis Jackson (50 Cent) backwards, I mean come on get some original generic name even if is supposed to be funny. The thing I love about the movie are the spectacular special effects and variety of characters. The effects are amazing with the destruction of cities and the whole world. The suspense created during the destruction scenes with special effects is very affective. Hardly anything looked very fake, but very real. The Physics of the molten fireballs falling hitting the ground were so much better than the other special effects film this year when the autobots hit the ground in Transformers 2. That said the only real problem was the scientific inaccuracies and a sloppy script. Those faults are made up with yes I will say it, the effects. I will admit that this script has more heart put into it than other disaster films. The main point of the movie to me, is there will always be the selfish people out there even during total chaos, but there is people that will help others in the face of danger. I recommend that you see this movie in a theaters and not first on your home television. It will only really be worth seeing there for full effect of the film. I give 2012 an 79 out of 100.

Benjamin Myers
PSN ID and Gamertag: fusionman15

Random Movie Review: Black Christmas

My special Halloween Movie Review is Black Christmas. I am not talking about the 2006 remake, but the 1974 original. The film is considered by some the inventor of the modern day slasher movie and is given high praise from most of the horror community. It is directed by Bob Clark (A Christmas Story) and stars Margot Kidder (Superman) and Olivia Hussey (Romeo and Juliet). The plot is about a sorority house that is terrorized by a person making frighting phone calls and sorority sisters going missing and murdered over the holiday break. The film from the start is pretty creepy with how the killer got in the house to the first kill. The plastic bag scene is great even by todays standards just look at the poster. The phone calls are kinda funny at first in the sexual nature then frighting later in the movie. The way you see the film through the killers eyes is a staple in horror film history. The point-of-view is later used in Halloween and Friday The 13th. The thing I love most about the film is the eerie score by Carl Zitter. It added so much to the feel of the film as a whole. Some might think it is stupid at would never happen, although it is partly inspired by real events that happened in Montreal, Quebec around Christmas time. The aged of the film might make it somewhat hard for todays teens to watch it without getting a little bored. For diehard horror fans like me it is a must watch. If you like Halloween and Friday The 13th then you will want to watch this low budget slasher film. I give this film a 78 out of 100.

Benjamin Myers

Paranormal Activity Review

Paranormal Activity is a Mockumentary-Horror film, similar to The Blair Witch Project and the TV show Ghost Hunters. This is a low budget film of only around $11,000 by first time director Oren Peli. Filmed in one week, with two nobody actors, Katie Featherston and Micah Sloat. I went into this movie thinking it would be a knockoff of The Blair Witch Project and would be stupid. I was really wrong. This film starts out a little slow for most movie goers, but gets to the good stuff pretty fast. We see them documenting their daily life with an HD camera trying to catch proof that there is paranormal activity in their home. They place the camera on a tripod in their bedroom to see what goes on while the two are sleeping. The first few nights nothing really happens, except noise and sound of walking. Then, after that, it seems like they made the "Entity" mad. Every night gets worse and makes the audience get really jumpy. The movie ending does not let you down. I have heard there is multiple endings and the one in theaters was suggested by Acclaimed Director, Steven Spielberg. The story goes, Steven watched this movie and stopped halfway through it because it scared him. I love the ending also. There is so many things I love about this film and so few things I don't like. I love that you never see the "Entity" through out the whole film. I love how they didn't film it traditional style or all shaky cam like other Horror-mockumentaries. They film it like Ghost Hunters. This adds to the suspense of the film in whole. The acting is astounding for "nobody" actors. Katie is great and believable at being scarred and that added to me getting scarred. Also, Micah is great at being the smart ass, stubborn boyfriend to Katie. He mostly thinks of it as a joke for awhile. He then becomes a loving boyfriend that wants to help Katie and becomes a man, not an immature person. The effects in this film are practical, yet very effective. The practical effects are probably the scariest thing in the film. The thing I love most about the movie is how it leaves the things going on to your imagination. I walked out of the theater a little unnerved and thinking how will I sleep tonight. This is a great movie to see in theaters with a crowd, because it is funny to see how people react to it. I can't wait to watch this film in my room, alone one night and get scared out of my mind. The hype around this movie wasn't lying, it is one of the most, if not the most scary movie I have ever seen. I love this movie so much, I give it a 95 out of 100.

Benjamin Myers
PSN ID and Gamertag: fusionman15