Movies: Loopers
Its been a long time since i last reviewed a movie... hahah it was probably cause of work and also lack of time to catch movies... BUT I HAVENT disappeared from the world! And although i did recently see shows like the assassin but nothing really that amazing for me to review because those movies were already towards the end of the running time and stuff...
Either way, heres a movie that I saw in place of Resident Evil that i wanted to see.. and a particular other movie that i cannot recall that also ended its running before i could see it.
So what was this show supposed to be about? I did actually manage to see some sort of trailer before i saw the movie proper, and as trailer goes, guy with shotgun, time travel, many scenes of shooting.. anyone would conclude that this should be a action flick with some time travelling elements.. In fact I was even thinking this could be like Jumper.... well..... Read on to find out if it was true....
Storyline 4/5
This is the kind of show that tries to intrigue you with the different world. It introduces you a new world with new concepts, new ideas, new lifestyles and new way of living. In this world, the future and the past are somewhat interacting together in a very interesting manner of body disposal.
Then it starts to add that since its only 30 years into the future, people that exist now are most likely existing 30 years into the future... which means that... YOU COULD THEORETICALLY KILL YOURSELF!
And thats how the show manages to last for the entire 2 hrs plus of the show.. i didnt really find out how long the movie was, but it did feel long.. whether long as in draggy, or long as in too much content.. that will actually depend on one factor.
Are you here to see an action flick, or a show with a interesting concept. So if you are here for the action bit... this movie will become draggy... because unlike the trailer, this movie is actually more focused on telling the story.
That being said, the story does not end up being too draggy for those who enjoy a new world because this movie talks about gangs, telekinetic powers, time travel and even put in some teachings about what is really important to a person and how it would drive someone to do extreme things. Because of that, the movie does have sufficient content to prevent it from being draggy or bland storywise. But for action, you got to look somewhere else.
Characters 3.5/5
The main characters should number about 2. They are the two guys on the poster on top. What this movie then moves on to do is that it introduces characters along the way so that most of the side characters are only present in either the first half or the last half of the movie. This is probably because of the way the director wants to tell the story but as a result, for the side characters who do play important story line roles, it is a bit harder to feel too much connection to them or really understand why they do the things they do because they are not present for the entire show.
The two main characters however, because the story focuses so much on them.. its easier to feel what they feel and understand why they do things. They also do have some characters to add to comedic value so overall it is a pretty good job.
Cinematography 3.5/5
There are some good attempts to use perspective shots for the show and there are quite a few nice scenes in the movie. Aside from that, the movie pacing is also pretty good considering how much they want to show in the time allocated for them. That helps to make the show feel flowy and not overly draggy. However, there will be little bit of confusion because of the time travelling element that is common for many of these types of shows. But overall, the movie does put in effort to try to explain the story to the audience so that they will not completely be lost.. That being said, my companion still got lost by the storyline so if you do not really want to think during the show, you probably will not enjoy it much.
Also, there is one particular actor at the 2nd half of the show that adds alot of entertainment value because of the way he acts. However, to reveal who he is it would spoil the surprise of the show so i am going to have to leave it at that.
Music 3/5
There was some usage of music to add familiarity to the show, i.e to be playing our oldies or more western songs that we would have heard a long time back to contrast the past with the future. But besides that, there is nothing too unique about the music choices and it is on the whole pretty forgettable.
Spectacle 4/5
Finally, for the spectacle part, I have to be clear with you. If you expect to see an action movie and just enjoy the scenes, you will be sorely disappointed and this is clearly a show you should not see. Unless, you do have some appreciation for time travel, and also are willing to think and draw the lines between past person to future effects and then you can enjoy the show. This should have been the way the show was marketed and not using action scenes like some kind of action flick. On that aspect however, the show does a pretty good job of making the show entertaining till the end with the introduction of fresh concepts slowly during the show and not everything at one go.
Overall
Storyline : 4 (Different storyline even when you compare with other time travelling show)
Characters : 3.5 (2 main characters but the rest are really a bit too shallow)
Cinematography : 3.5 (Good attempts at shots, perspective story telling, good actors but slightly confusing)
Music : 3 (Normal music, did have attempts)
Spectacle : 4 (Its a different take to the time travel genre whereby the time travelling guy comes back into the past instead... so its a pretty fresh take and interesting introduction to a new world.. But this is no action movie)
Overall : 3.6 (A good attempt into the time genre sci fi genre that is able to stay interesting right from the beginning all the way to the end. For those who are going to see it, as long as you already know that this is not a true blue action flick, and are willing to go for the story, this movie should be able to keep you entertained for a fair amount of your time. Just be prepared for the slight headache that might come with too much thinking and understanding the whole flow of the story)
So hopefully i can get back into writing reviews if i have the time:) Tell me if you have any other movies that I should watch :)
Thursday, October 18, 2012
Saturday, July 21, 2012
Movies: The Dark Knight Rises
Movies: The Dark Knight Rises
Finally, after a long stretch of emptiness and voids of great movies, the blockbusters are starting to return again. Besides Spiderman, i guess it would be pretty safe to say that this is one of the other few very anticipated movies of this year and the fact that it is a third of a trilogy that is released 4 years from the previous adds to the anticipation... provided you remember what actually happened a whole 4 years ago or even 7 years if we are talking about the first batman installment in this trilogy.
Still blur about what is happening? all you need is this picture!
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Batman, on top of many many cars |
Baseball batman? |
Man with bat?? |
The real baseball batman |
So just a brief introduction to those who have forgotten, the first of the series, Batman Begins talks about the league of shadows and this fella called Ra's al ghul... Its focus is mainly on how Batman became batman and to be honest i myself find the villian in this movie pretty unimpressionable... at least its no one i remember and know well.. Read more here
Then we move into the next movie, which is probably one of the most memorable movies of all times.. "The Dark Knight" where we have the ever famous
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Why still so serious?? |
Finally we come to the third movie.. which if you are lost... is this one that you could see in the theatres now... and it focuses on the villain Bane... I would say this is not really as popular a villain as the other two, but in the context of the movie, the mystery surrounding this Bane person helps keep this long long movie relevant and interesting till the end... Ok now into the movie review proper...
Storyline 4.5/5
The storyline is pretty strong in this movie, not only talking about the appearance of the main villain, but rather even emphasizes on two important other supporting characters of the Batman franchise. As a result, this 160++ minutes movie is able to stay interesting all the way to the end and this makes the show worth the time and the money.
Another thing of interest is, for this movie, it is not 90% of Batman all the way... in fact i would say that batman is on screen maybe for only about 75% of this movie and this movie starts to delve into many other aspects of the Batman universe and how it came to be with its focus on the other characters that are relevant.
Of course being a Bane based movie however, you will realise that it has slightly less thinking complexity and relationship between batman and the main villain,but you will see that the show has a lot more chances for action and for emphasis on a terrorist like takeover of the city, which is what Bane's character is all about. This works out better for the action loving crowd and those who like to see a entire city in a hostage situation.
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This is bane for those unaware that actually included me |
To top it off, the movie has quite a bit of background story telling and also has pretty good twists here and there. All in all, thanks to the great budget of time for this movie, the movie does not rush and takes its time to ease the people into the world of Batman. The only tiny qualm I would have is some of the proceedings are not entirely realistic or explained well enough (Read: Plot holes)... but on the whole these issues are still not massive enough to have that significant an impact.
Characters 4.5/5
As stated above, due to the large amount of budgeted time, the movie takes its time to talk about the background of quite a few characters and takes its time to build them up. This works to the advantage of the movie. There are still some characters that are somewhat neglected but they still do have a bit of background, just that to use even more time on them would probably have a negative impact on the action bits of the movie as it would make it a bit too draggy. Their approach is entirely fine to be honest and would just need a bit of refining to be polished well enough.
For those wondering if seeing the previous movie is a requirement to enjoy the show, I would say that as this movie introduces a new villain, you will be able to enjoy the whole story.. the only difficulty you would have is the reference to the league of shadows and Ra's al Ghul which was in the first movie... but besides that, you should have plenty to take in for the duration of this movie
Cinematography 4/5
Cinematography is pretty strong in this movie.. which plenty of overhead shots to show the exact Gotham situation and even has quite a bit of iconic shots. It even has nice epic battles although the 1 on 1 battles lack a bit of gadgetry from batman's arsenal that could have put more thrill into the fights.
That being said, for an action flick, I would still think that this aspect could be even more futher improved, possibly putting the audience into the driver seats of the vehicles, adding some perspective shots, and lengthening the action scenes a tad bit and making them more grander in nature.
Music 4/5
Its the kind of movie where by the music builds up a relevant atmosphere for the viewers and helps them get into the mood of the movie. So it definitely deserves a positive score for this aspect
Spectacle 4.5/5
To be clear though, this movie should not be seen as a merely action flick, because it is an action flick with a very strong storyline (i.e. many things to say). Action wise this movie would probably just a get 3.5 or a 4 at best. But like for the batman shows, this movie is about the story of batman, and thanks to the introduction of Bane, this movie allows for a stronger action component intertwined into the storyline components.
Overall
Storyline : 4.5 (Strong storyline especially for such a long runtime)
Characters : 4.5 (Many characters, all has quite fair bit of focus)
Cinematography : 4 (Not to true pure action standard, but still very strong)
Music : 4 (Adds to the experience very well)
Spectacle : 4.5 (A real good story driven action flick)
Overall : 4.3 (This would be a blockbuster for this period of time that i believe pretty much everyone could see and enjoy. Plus the long run time makes it more worth the money and the fact it remains fresh throughout the movie. The only person that would dislike this show would be those that just hate violence completely... but we know how rare that is in today's world... So I would strongly recommend everyone to see it, especially if you have free time during the weekdays whereby the cheap ticket prices more then justifies the amount of movie time that you would get. If you want to really enjoy the storyline in all its essence however, you probably should read a bit on the previous movie so that you understand some of the underlying issues in this batman universe)
Please comment should you have any! And seems like there are a few seemingly nice movies coming up also, so I hope to be able to review them and share them with you when the time comes :)
This is batman and bane saying see you soon :)
Sunday, July 8, 2012
Movies: Abraham Lincoln Vampire Hunter
Movies: Abraham Lincoln Vampire Hunter
What happens when you put this
together with this
Well you end up with a movie like this
No comprehende?? Well it is no easy task to try to combine a historical figure who is entirely political with something that is really fantasy... (Please dun kill me just cause i said twilight and edward cullen are fantasy)
But is this show able to combine these two seemingly unrelated stories together? Read on to find out..
Storyline 3/5
The concept is pretty unique, in that the vampire show is not just entwined into our normal day lives similar to underworld or true blood where by the focus is on vampires in our present world. But rather, trying to put vampires as a part of history along with the associated hunters. Hence whether the show is able to succeed or not rests on how well the show is able to incorporate Abraham Lincoln into the world where vampires are included, and not only incorporate them convincingly, but it has to be placed in a way that can entertain the audience.
Sadly, besides the fact that the two angles are pretty far apart and hard to join together, the show also does not really make use of the strong points of both genre to be able to piece together a movie that history lovers will like, or an action flick that action lovers can enjoy.
All in all, i would say that you could conclude that this movie is just an ordinary action flick, with perhaps just slightly above average story line basis due to the usage of Abraham Lincoln, and also with average action scenes and shots. Yes there are historical touches like certain battle locations but aside from that the storyline is merely just giving a slightly more familiar background and tries to add vampires inside.
Character 3/5
The movie does try to put some emphasis on the background and character of Abraham, and this attempt is necessary since the movie wants to use Abraham as the attraction factor for this movie. But the rest of the characters are pretty forgettable and not distinct enough. Add to that the attempt for Abraham's love interest then you have a movie that has too many things to try to cover i.e. history, fantasy and love story aspect that it cannot really focus on anyone aspect enough.
As a result the characters are really bland and it is hard for the audience to feel for the character or be immersed into them.
Cinematography 3.5/5
Strictly speaking, if you were to look at this movie from an action perspective, you could conclude that at least this movie was filmed to be an action flick as the focus on cinematography is somewhat there. However, it does pale in comparison to other true action flicks out there which is probably because this movie is still trying to do too many things with too little time.
One example is that this movie will have less action scenes as compared to true action flicks because of the fact that they have to try to tell a bit of history because of Abraham Lincoln. The pacing of the movie is also somewhat too fast as they want to go from little Abraham all the way to President Abraham and squeeze all the vampire storyline and stuff inside. Its a good attempt, but you probably need to try to enjoy the movie, to actually enjoy the movie.
Music 3/5
Music is forgettable and ordinary, but it is there and does not hinder the flow of the movie. So I would have to give a pretty neutral grade to this movie
Spectacle 3/5
Yep, as you can see here... there is just too many focus points that the movie cannot excel in any... maybe at best, the movie can be said to do averagely well in historical fantasy?!!! Does that even make sense? hahah So that probably justifies the 3 score as it is probably one of the rare attempts at a unique genre. It probably could do better if given more time and skipping the love story part to just try to combine history with more personal action scenes from Abraham or even putting more emphasis on the major large scale battles to attract those epic war scenes lovers... as of now it cannot really attract and hold the attention of history/action/drama lovers...
Overall
Storyline : 3 (It is a unique concept but when you see the whole show it feels pretty ordinary)
Character : 3 (Slightly more focus on Abraham but the rest is really just too ordinary)
Cinematography : 3.5 (They do have attempts on the action part of the show but it is not unique and special enough)
Music : 3 (Normal Music)
Spectacle : 3 (Too many perspectives with none of them done particularly well)
Overall : 3.1 (The best way to try to enjoy this movie is to first realise that you are seeing a action movie first... a history movie next... don't be expecting any historical revelation or anything too mindblowing. But even then, just remind yourself that since they wanna put the historical twist to it, they are also unable to emphasis as much on action. Yea... its not that easy to enjoy the movie if u are a big fan or lover of the history or action genre. You can only enjoy it if you see yourself as a mixed "unique storyline with some action lover")
So did you see this movie? What was your opinion? Please share it with me :D
What happens when you put this
together with this
![]() |
Hes just a picture for vampires if you dunno... |
Well you end up with a movie like this
But is this show able to combine these two seemingly unrelated stories together? Read on to find out..
Storyline 3/5
The concept is pretty unique, in that the vampire show is not just entwined into our normal day lives similar to underworld or true blood where by the focus is on vampires in our present world. But rather, trying to put vampires as a part of history along with the associated hunters. Hence whether the show is able to succeed or not rests on how well the show is able to incorporate Abraham Lincoln into the world where vampires are included, and not only incorporate them convincingly, but it has to be placed in a way that can entertain the audience.
Sadly, besides the fact that the two angles are pretty far apart and hard to join together, the show also does not really make use of the strong points of both genre to be able to piece together a movie that history lovers will like, or an action flick that action lovers can enjoy.
All in all, i would say that you could conclude that this movie is just an ordinary action flick, with perhaps just slightly above average story line basis due to the usage of Abraham Lincoln, and also with average action scenes and shots. Yes there are historical touches like certain battle locations but aside from that the storyline is merely just giving a slightly more familiar background and tries to add vampires inside.
Character 3/5
The movie does try to put some emphasis on the background and character of Abraham, and this attempt is necessary since the movie wants to use Abraham as the attraction factor for this movie. But the rest of the characters are pretty forgettable and not distinct enough. Add to that the attempt for Abraham's love interest then you have a movie that has too many things to try to cover i.e. history, fantasy and love story aspect that it cannot really focus on anyone aspect enough.
As a result the characters are really bland and it is hard for the audience to feel for the character or be immersed into them.
Cinematography 3.5/5
Strictly speaking, if you were to look at this movie from an action perspective, you could conclude that at least this movie was filmed to be an action flick as the focus on cinematography is somewhat there. However, it does pale in comparison to other true action flicks out there which is probably because this movie is still trying to do too many things with too little time.
One example is that this movie will have less action scenes as compared to true action flicks because of the fact that they have to try to tell a bit of history because of Abraham Lincoln. The pacing of the movie is also somewhat too fast as they want to go from little Abraham all the way to President Abraham and squeeze all the vampire storyline and stuff inside. Its a good attempt, but you probably need to try to enjoy the movie, to actually enjoy the movie.
Music 3/5
Music is forgettable and ordinary, but it is there and does not hinder the flow of the movie. So I would have to give a pretty neutral grade to this movie
Spectacle 3/5
Yep, as you can see here... there is just too many focus points that the movie cannot excel in any... maybe at best, the movie can be said to do averagely well in historical fantasy?!!! Does that even make sense? hahah So that probably justifies the 3 score as it is probably one of the rare attempts at a unique genre. It probably could do better if given more time and skipping the love story part to just try to combine history with more personal action scenes from Abraham or even putting more emphasis on the major large scale battles to attract those epic war scenes lovers... as of now it cannot really attract and hold the attention of history/action/drama lovers...
Overall
Storyline : 3 (It is a unique concept but when you see the whole show it feels pretty ordinary)
Character : 3 (Slightly more focus on Abraham but the rest is really just too ordinary)
Cinematography : 3.5 (They do have attempts on the action part of the show but it is not unique and special enough)
Music : 3 (Normal Music)
Spectacle : 3 (Too many perspectives with none of them done particularly well)
Overall : 3.1 (The best way to try to enjoy this movie is to first realise that you are seeing a action movie first... a history movie next... don't be expecting any historical revelation or anything too mindblowing. But even then, just remind yourself that since they wanna put the historical twist to it, they are also unable to emphasis as much on action. Yea... its not that easy to enjoy the movie if u are a big fan or lover of the history or action genre. You can only enjoy it if you see yourself as a mixed "unique storyline with some action lover")
So did you see this movie? What was your opinion? Please share it with me :D
Abraham Says night... p.s no werewolves here |
Saturday, June 16, 2012
Movies: Madagascar 3 Europe's Most Wanted
Movies: Madagascar 3 Europe's Most Wanted
Its already the third installment of the Madagascar series and to be honest, i wasn't really expecting too much from this show. Like many people, there is a common understanding that when a movie gets to the third installment many of them become very rehashed and boring. This is what you expect to be seeing....
So as you can see, as usual the cast of Madagascar is huge and colorful and even more then that they are in a circus! So will you, the audience be as entertained in the movie as you would when you see a real circus? Or is the movie just 3 times too many...Read on to find out!
Storyline 3.5/5
The storyline is pretty simple, but it is entirely usable and coherent with their aim, which is to entertain audiences in how these animals try to return back to their home zoo. It is simple as it is not complex and super easy to follow, but a pretty high score is deserved because the entire storyline is suited for their tale of making friends, building trust, and working towards the same aim together.
Now if the above statement is a bit to cheesy and mushy for you... you are probably an action fan and you will not like this show. The show does have action, but its those typical chase scenes that are there to make you laugh and smile. Its nothing too serious. Which is advantageous because there are many things in the movie that don't make sense and I honestly didn't have any clue what the significance is. For example watch out for the singing police woman....
Characters 4/5
Continuing the idea of fun, there are many colorful characters and maybe possibly too much. With so many characters all whom have their own distinct personalities there is a little bit too little screen time for a few of them. Notably the penguins.. who sometimes goes missing and just appear as and when they are needed.
Still, based on the fact that all the characters can be seen as distinct with unique personalities, they are pretty well done. Still... too little of this....
Cinematography 4/5
There is pretty good shots all show round and the circus portion is actually pretty well done. Their focus is really on entertainment factor and this shows via the more close up comedic shots as compared to epic scenic shots. So overall the cinematography does a good job in making the show a lot more enjoyable and shows us the beauty of what teamwork can do.
Music 4/5
It is a typical Dreamwork movie complete with all its musical score from Hans Zimmer. Music from all these movies are always very well placed and well paced to further improve the movie entertainment and enjoyment value. You will notice the music in this show and see how it nicely fits into the movie.
Spectacle 3.5/5
In all honestly, this movie did a pretty good job in following up what was portrayed in the first two shows. But still.. in some way or other it wasn't entirely a refreshing experience. It is fun and enjoyable, but I cannot really say that it has reinvented or stuck out from the genre too much to be anything entirely unique.
Overall
Storyline : 3.5 (A above average storyline that provides the basis for entertainment)
Character : 4 (Many many characters, all are distinct)
Cinematography : 4 (Good shots to improve entertainment value of the movie, good laughs)
Music : 4 (Good music from a well known composer for this genre of movies)
Spectacle : 3.5 (Overall it is above average in the genre, but using the same forumla, it can't really stick out much from all the previous animated movies.)
Overall : 3.8 (Overall, animation fans and lovers of the series will definitely be entertained. In fact, if you are looking for a bit of simple happy time wasting fun, this is the show for you. Just don't expect a great complex plot with over the top action scenes. Probably best for a weekday time waster for best economical value given the 1.5 hr play time)
So seen this show? Any comments? feel free to share :) BTW The i like to move it song is kinda getting irritating already :P
Its already the third installment of the Madagascar series and to be honest, i wasn't really expecting too much from this show. Like many people, there is a common understanding that when a movie gets to the third installment many of them become very rehashed and boring. This is what you expect to be seeing....
![]() |
And here is the proper poster |
Storyline 3.5/5
The storyline is pretty simple, but it is entirely usable and coherent with their aim, which is to entertain audiences in how these animals try to return back to their home zoo. It is simple as it is not complex and super easy to follow, but a pretty high score is deserved because the entire storyline is suited for their tale of making friends, building trust, and working towards the same aim together.
Now if the above statement is a bit to cheesy and mushy for you... you are probably an action fan and you will not like this show. The show does have action, but its those typical chase scenes that are there to make you laugh and smile. Its nothing too serious. Which is advantageous because there are many things in the movie that don't make sense and I honestly didn't have any clue what the significance is. For example watch out for the singing police woman....
Characters 4/5
Continuing the idea of fun, there are many colorful characters and maybe possibly too much. With so many characters all whom have their own distinct personalities there is a little bit too little screen time for a few of them. Notably the penguins.. who sometimes goes missing and just appear as and when they are needed.
Still, based on the fact that all the characters can be seen as distinct with unique personalities, they are pretty well done. Still... too little of this....
![]() |
Especially private... |
Cinematography 4/5
There is pretty good shots all show round and the circus portion is actually pretty well done. Their focus is really on entertainment factor and this shows via the more close up comedic shots as compared to epic scenic shots. So overall the cinematography does a good job in making the show a lot more enjoyable and shows us the beauty of what teamwork can do.
Music 4/5
It is a typical Dreamwork movie complete with all its musical score from Hans Zimmer. Music from all these movies are always very well placed and well paced to further improve the movie entertainment and enjoyment value. You will notice the music in this show and see how it nicely fits into the movie.
Spectacle 3.5/5
In all honestly, this movie did a pretty good job in following up what was portrayed in the first two shows. But still.. in some way or other it wasn't entirely a refreshing experience. It is fun and enjoyable, but I cannot really say that it has reinvented or stuck out from the genre too much to be anything entirely unique.
Overall
Storyline : 3.5 (A above average storyline that provides the basis for entertainment)
Character : 4 (Many many characters, all are distinct)
Cinematography : 4 (Good shots to improve entertainment value of the movie, good laughs)
Music : 4 (Good music from a well known composer for this genre of movies)
Spectacle : 3.5 (Overall it is above average in the genre, but using the same forumla, it can't really stick out much from all the previous animated movies.)
Overall : 3.8 (Overall, animation fans and lovers of the series will definitely be entertained. In fact, if you are looking for a bit of simple happy time wasting fun, this is the show for you. Just don't expect a great complex plot with over the top action scenes. Probably best for a weekday time waster for best economical value given the 1.5 hr play time)
So seen this show? Any comments? feel free to share :) BTW The i like to move it song is kinda getting irritating already :P
Wednesday, June 13, 2012
Movies: Prometheus
Movies: Prometheus
There has been many space movies in the past, where by people get sent to far away places for reasons such as looking for a new inhabitable place, or running away from a destroyed earth, to mere science discovery. This movie is titled and pictured to be something to that effect, with nothing more to reveal except this in the poster
Yep you see it is nothing more then a giant head. The vagueness of this movie helps to keep the entire movie fresh and allows you to see the movie in all its innovation and creativeness without any prejudice... at least till the end of the show where you will see something pretty interesting, and for many, it will mean little, but for a select few, you will know what i mean. Either way here is the review that I would say stands alone for this movie with no outside prejudices or biasness or influences.
Storyline 3/5
Like I said earlier this genre and the general storyline has been explored pretty extensively with most of them sharing a common storyline i.e. Have some reason to visit another planet, suddenly meet with issues on the new planet or on the ship itself, crew starts to get killed due to various reasons, some fine character will survive and solve the issue of people dying.
So this show does nothing extra ordinary as it really follows this line pretty closely. It also seems to be closer to the sci fi thriller genre as compared to an action flick as there is generally not too much action action as most of the kills or deaths are clearly one sided. So read... THIS IS NOT STAR WARS... there is no light saber no beam rifles that kinda stuff ok!
This show also does not feed you information and keeps many things ambiguous for your own creative juices to keep flowing. Up to the end, there is still little information on what exactly happened. Cruel in some way but if you really understand where they are coming from you will be able to appreciate the whole thing. Furthermore, this should be the reality of sci fi where by you might not always get answers because we don't really have all the answers in the first place. Of course whether this makes for a more enjoyable show is however pretty debatable.
Character 3/5
It is pretty clear during the show which are supposed to be the important characters.... and then they start to kill off characters and suddenly even the seemingly thought to be important character dies. This is the advantage of this kind of show being that it can be more realistic in the body count.
There are also some characters who from the beginning to the end stay very mysterious. There are many other supporting characters that are averagely distinct from each other but due to their short screen time, it is understandable that many of their backgrounds are not very well introduced. I guess this would be because the real focus of this show is not the people, but rather the introduction of a new notion of possible outer space life and what it would possibly be like.
There are also several things that happen to particular characters throughout the show that people might find somewhat impossible or at least improbable. So this detracts slightly from full immersion into the show due to the sense of things happening just for story sake.
Cinematography 4/5
This is one section whereby this show does very well actually. In fact at the beginning it could even double out as a tourism advertisement given the grandeur of the shots. However, as the show continues to go on, the show loses focus on trying to give the audience improved perspective and loses the chance to add immersiveness and overall enjoyment of the show which i feel is a waste. But overall, the epic shots in the show are still pretty good, and the CGI are done pretty well to give the sci fi feel about the show.
Music 4/5
This is another surprise for the genre in that music is actually pretty prevalent in many scenes of the movie, and even plays a single major part in the plot of the show. As a result the immersiveness is somewhat increased in that knowing that it is a completely different environment within the confines of the space ship as compared to when you are really out there on another planet.
Spectacle 3.5/5
With regards to spectacle, this show does pretty ok when you look at the other movies of this genre.Then later when you reach closer to the end, you realize a sudden bigger picture that will probably impress you if you understand it. As a result the true score should be like a 3 for those who won't get the full picture, and the rest who see the big picture would probably rate is a 4 or a 4.5. I would say that it is still better to not spoil the story and to watch it yourself because it will help to view this movie independently as a sci fi exploration movie which is what it is supposed to be in essence. Unfortunately, this would mean that fans of the action genre lover would not be as entertained by this movie.
Overall
Story : 3 (Storyline is generic, but it is really an introductory piece if you know what i mean)
Characters : 3 (Character development is tiny, and some stuff are a bit out of place but like what i said, this is probably not the focus of this movie in the first place)
Cinematography : 4 (Good shots all around, but can be improved)
Music : 4 (Good use of music to add immersiveness)
Spectacle : 3.5 (In between depending on whether you can understand the whole story of the show)
Overall : 3.5 (Overall this show is hard to advertise because of the fact that people who know the bigbig story of this movie are probably the only people who can really understand this. If you don't understand the main story or overarcing story, this will merely be just a simple space exploration show with just a bit too little action then usual. Overall I would say the best way to enjoy this is just go there and expect to be introduced to a new notion of space and planetary life of the future. Don't be expecting anything too much besides then. Then when the show end and if you understand the whole context, then it is just a bonus for you.)
Seen the show? Any comments? Don't hesitate to share it :D
There has been many space movies in the past, where by people get sent to far away places for reasons such as looking for a new inhabitable place, or running away from a destroyed earth, to mere science discovery. This movie is titled and pictured to be something to that effect, with nothing more to reveal except this in the poster
Yep you see it is nothing more then a giant head. The vagueness of this movie helps to keep the entire movie fresh and allows you to see the movie in all its innovation and creativeness without any prejudice... at least till the end of the show where you will see something pretty interesting, and for many, it will mean little, but for a select few, you will know what i mean. Either way here is the review that I would say stands alone for this movie with no outside prejudices or biasness or influences.
Storyline 3/5
Like I said earlier this genre and the general storyline has been explored pretty extensively with most of them sharing a common storyline i.e. Have some reason to visit another planet, suddenly meet with issues on the new planet or on the ship itself, crew starts to get killed due to various reasons, some fine character will survive and solve the issue of people dying.
So this show does nothing extra ordinary as it really follows this line pretty closely. It also seems to be closer to the sci fi thriller genre as compared to an action flick as there is generally not too much action action as most of the kills or deaths are clearly one sided. So read... THIS IS NOT STAR WARS... there is no light saber no beam rifles that kinda stuff ok!
This show also does not feed you information and keeps many things ambiguous for your own creative juices to keep flowing. Up to the end, there is still little information on what exactly happened. Cruel in some way but if you really understand where they are coming from you will be able to appreciate the whole thing. Furthermore, this should be the reality of sci fi where by you might not always get answers because we don't really have all the answers in the first place. Of course whether this makes for a more enjoyable show is however pretty debatable.
Character 3/5
It is pretty clear during the show which are supposed to be the important characters.... and then they start to kill off characters and suddenly even the seemingly thought to be important character dies. This is the advantage of this kind of show being that it can be more realistic in the body count.
There are also some characters who from the beginning to the end stay very mysterious. There are many other supporting characters that are averagely distinct from each other but due to their short screen time, it is understandable that many of their backgrounds are not very well introduced. I guess this would be because the real focus of this show is not the people, but rather the introduction of a new notion of possible outer space life and what it would possibly be like.
There are also several things that happen to particular characters throughout the show that people might find somewhat impossible or at least improbable. So this detracts slightly from full immersion into the show due to the sense of things happening just for story sake.
Cinematography 4/5
This is one section whereby this show does very well actually. In fact at the beginning it could even double out as a tourism advertisement given the grandeur of the shots. However, as the show continues to go on, the show loses focus on trying to give the audience improved perspective and loses the chance to add immersiveness and overall enjoyment of the show which i feel is a waste. But overall, the epic shots in the show are still pretty good, and the CGI are done pretty well to give the sci fi feel about the show.
Music 4/5
This is another surprise for the genre in that music is actually pretty prevalent in many scenes of the movie, and even plays a single major part in the plot of the show. As a result the immersiveness is somewhat increased in that knowing that it is a completely different environment within the confines of the space ship as compared to when you are really out there on another planet.
Spectacle 3.5/5
With regards to spectacle, this show does pretty ok when you look at the other movies of this genre.Then later when you reach closer to the end, you realize a sudden bigger picture that will probably impress you if you understand it. As a result the true score should be like a 3 for those who won't get the full picture, and the rest who see the big picture would probably rate is a 4 or a 4.5. I would say that it is still better to not spoil the story and to watch it yourself because it will help to view this movie independently as a sci fi exploration movie which is what it is supposed to be in essence. Unfortunately, this would mean that fans of the action genre lover would not be as entertained by this movie.
Overall
Story : 3 (Storyline is generic, but it is really an introductory piece if you know what i mean)
Characters : 3 (Character development is tiny, and some stuff are a bit out of place but like what i said, this is probably not the focus of this movie in the first place)
Cinematography : 4 (Good shots all around, but can be improved)
Music : 4 (Good use of music to add immersiveness)
Spectacle : 3.5 (In between depending on whether you can understand the whole story of the show)
Overall : 3.5 (Overall this show is hard to advertise because of the fact that people who know the bigbig story of this movie are probably the only people who can really understand this. If you don't understand the main story or overarcing story, this will merely be just a simple space exploration show with just a bit too little action then usual. Overall I would say the best way to enjoy this is just go there and expect to be introduced to a new notion of space and planetary life of the future. Don't be expecting anything too much besides then. Then when the show end and if you understand the whole context, then it is just a bonus for you.)
Seen the show? Any comments? Don't hesitate to share it :D
Saturday, June 2, 2012
Movies: Snow White and the Huntsman
Movies: Snow White and the Huntsman
Snow White, apple, evil witch, charming prince, dwarves.. checked! These are all the elements that you will always see in all the snow white movies so far, from mirror mirror, to once upon a time and now onto Snow white and the hunter.
This show tries to do things differently, not only by fleshing out the huntsman character into the show, but also by telling the story in a far different tone from the previous ones...
Heres the poster and if you compare this with the mirror mirror one.. you can see the difference.
Compared with this
Ok over here is where the lack of a clear direction of the movie shows. Through out the show you would be thinking what exactly is this show's focus... is it on the storyline?? is it on the epic fights?? is it on the one to one fights?? is this an action movie?? Sadly, all the possibilities that could be what this show should have focused on was not well done at all. As a result, every field where you expect to see more will be abruptly ended. Epic war fight going on,... suddenly zoom back to someone else's view and suddenly hey the focus is no longer on the battle. Add to this some real little bits of supposedly comedic moments and you end up in a state of confusion and dissatisfaction.
Of course it is not fair to say that it fails in any of those areas but merely it is a probably of not being focused enough and leaving all fans of various aspects feeling just that tad bit lacking.
Overall
Storyline : 3 (Same story but has a very very slight twist to it)
Character : 2.5 (Too many characters, but they didnt even make their main character interesting)
Cinematography: 4 (Its obvious that they focused quite a bit on this aspect)
Music : 3 (Generic type of music)
Spectacle : 3 (Too many audience it is trying to cater to, but not really achieving.)
Overall : 3.1 (Its really a fair show to see if you have nothing to do better and want to spend some time in a stationary position. Fans however who expect to see major action or a nice story line type of movie will not really be entirely satisfied given how things have went. This is also not a very happy show and in fact the entire movie atmosphere is pretty dark. Hence I would not really recommend you bring your kids to see unless they are fine with what ever violence they might see in the show. Try perhaps to really expect nothing too much and perhaps you might be able to find a bit of pleasure in the show.)
So tell me if you seen the show yourself and never be afraid to comment :)
Snow White, apple, evil witch, charming prince, dwarves.. checked! These are all the elements that you will always see in all the snow white movies so far, from mirror mirror, to once upon a time and now onto Snow white and the hunter.
This show tries to do things differently, not only by fleshing out the huntsman character into the show, but also by telling the story in a far different tone from the previous ones...
Heres the poster and if you compare this with the mirror mirror one.. you can see the difference.
Compared with this
See the difference? See the angst and fierceness in the poster? See the lack of a smile? That is the angle that this movie is going. So read on to think whether this is the movie for you... and also.. your children...
Storyline 3/5
The story of Snow White has been retold again and again, but this is probably the 2nd time i heard that there was this huntsman character inside this show, the other being in once upon a time which is a TV series. Never heard the whole story with regards to the huntsman and this is probably true for many of you also. Thus we could say that there is a bit more "originality" to the storyline with just slight twists here and there. But all the other traditional elements are there from magic to snow white to the dwarves. (Although it seems that it is not 7 dwarves for this show)
Because of that however, some of the content will be unfamilar and some viewers might not understand or comprehand this new story angle... so its pretty hard to judge conclusively if the storyline is in fact good. At best, I would say it is merely just different....
It also doesn't really help that we all already know how the story ends, thus the only thing most people can derive joy from the show is when we see something that we know is a integral part of the story... like the apple.
Character 2.5/5
To be honest, this show gives the main characters pretty fine screen time, but everyone else is completely similar and very unimpressive. For example the dwarves, there are 7 of them, but what this show does is give them very short bits of screen time, which does not do anything to distinguish one from another. Then the subordinates of the queen are given screen time like they are supposed to be unique... but the show script doesn't give them any unique actions and no one has much idea where they come from and what they are doing here.
Even more unfortunate is the huntsman... that is really cliche, but the things that happen to him and the resulting choices he makes because of that seems to be really unrealistic and are there merely to give the movie something to talk about. So is the prince too.. sure he has more screen time, but the things he does is so generic and unimpressive that this show could honestly work even without him. Yep it is that bad...
Of course Snow and Queen do have the majority of the parts, only the queen struck an impression within me while snow just prances around looking all angsty and giving a random uninspiring speech.
Cinematography 4/5
This is one section of the show where we did see the effort placed in cinematography. There are alot of epic shots used appropriately to highlight importand events, and like how they probably have too many supporting characters for their own good, they also have that many shots of more random fighters just to lend some more immersiveness into the show.
They also have alot of other perspective shots to try to add more fun and entertainment to the show and to be honest this is still done relatively well even though the shots serve very little to improve the show.
Plus points however is that the actress for the evil queen, does the character very well... very quickly you will grow to dislike this evil queen and yet also feel a bit of pity towards her when you see her end. Sadly though, the forgettable acting from the Snow white herself marred the show from doing better, I aint sure why but to me it seems like that actress is only able to exhibit angst or frustration or anger of some sorts.
Music 3/5
Music was forgettable, but not a hindrance. So I will rate it right there smack in the centre.
Spectacle 3/5
Ok over here is where the lack of a clear direction of the movie shows. Through out the show you would be thinking what exactly is this show's focus... is it on the storyline?? is it on the epic fights?? is it on the one to one fights?? is this an action movie?? Sadly, all the possibilities that could be what this show should have focused on was not well done at all. As a result, every field where you expect to see more will be abruptly ended. Epic war fight going on,... suddenly zoom back to someone else's view and suddenly hey the focus is no longer on the battle. Add to this some real little bits of supposedly comedic moments and you end up in a state of confusion and dissatisfaction.
Of course it is not fair to say that it fails in any of those areas but merely it is a probably of not being focused enough and leaving all fans of various aspects feeling just that tad bit lacking.
Overall
Storyline : 3 (Same story but has a very very slight twist to it)
Character : 2.5 (Too many characters, but they didnt even make their main character interesting)
Cinematography: 4 (Its obvious that they focused quite a bit on this aspect)
Music : 3 (Generic type of music)
Spectacle : 3 (Too many audience it is trying to cater to, but not really achieving.)
Overall : 3.1 (Its really a fair show to see if you have nothing to do better and want to spend some time in a stationary position. Fans however who expect to see major action or a nice story line type of movie will not really be entirely satisfied given how things have went. This is also not a very happy show and in fact the entire movie atmosphere is pretty dark. Hence I would not really recommend you bring your kids to see unless they are fine with what ever violence they might see in the show. Try perhaps to really expect nothing too much and perhaps you might be able to find a bit of pleasure in the show.)
So tell me if you seen the show yourself and never be afraid to comment :)
Friday, May 4, 2012
Movies: The Avengers
Movies: The Avengers
Now this is a show that needs no introduction... in fact, if you were looking for introductory trailers about this show, here are some things you can google and some posters u can refer to.
Yep. The good thing about this movie is that it doesn't need any introductory trailers to the show, it has full fledged movies to do that for you.. in fact some even already has sequels. :P
Ok without further ado, here is the movie poster..
Take note though, you will never see that purple guy decked out in purple like in the poster above. Some people might ask, whoa there are so many characters that can fill up a movie by itself... so can they all fit into the same movie and still be as cool?!?! The answer to this question is... with 144 mins screen time, there is more then enough space to even add BATMAN INSIDE!.. ok batman is DC universe and not Marvel, so its probably gonna be pretty rare to see them together.
Anyway read on to find out whether this movie is worth seeing, but chances are, you have already heard from many of your friends pretty favorable reviews about this show... but lets just break it down for habit's sake.
Storyline 4/5
As far as story line goes, it follows a quite common format that many other action movies use, especially those involving an entire team of people who didn't start out that way. However, I would say that the delivery of this storyline is at least pretty believable, and the reasons they are brought together is plausible. The storyline also touches on a bit more of the marvel universe that some fans might be able to appreciate such as that the good guys are not purely goodie two shoes and have their own things to hide.
I would say that this show takes its time to try to develop the story, trying to explain why and how the whole bunch is brought together and they throw in some action scenes in between to spice things up and get the audience rooting for their favourite hero.
But of course being to the traditional action genre movie, this movie plays it safe by being extremely predictable but as long as its a coherent story, its really pretty good.
Characters 4.5/5
This show is unique in this category. This is because if you are watching it, you should have had a bit of clue what their background is from the preceding movies. So I cannot really say it failed to give a background of the characters. So assuming we do not give them any plus or minus points here, we then move on to see how the character is portrayed.
This is where it score points however. With such a variety of cast members, the show is able to give each of the characters a chance to show off their unique traits and characters. Yep it doesnt just show captain america being able to toss his shield like a boss, it also shows how he is kinda really a boss, giving the orders around even to iron man. So this allows the audience to identify pretty well with their favourite hero and does very good fan service.
Also additional points for making Robbin from "How I met your mother" a character in the show....
Cinematography 4.5/5
Action film must put much emphasis on cinematography! And this show does it pretty well. In fact the effort can be clearly seen by all the spectacular shots, and also perspective shots. This is one example of a perspective shot, movies will like to pan out when they show explosions, but in this movie, they will film an explosion from inside the car after giving you the outside view. Its this kind of shots that add to the entertainment value of the show and is a staple of action flicks.Somehow however i still dont think it is the 300 level of shots but i guess this rating would be only slightly over what they deserve.
Music 3.5/5
Music was pretty ok in this show, there is definitely some measure of effort considering that there is even the movie ost. But in the midst of the action and explosion its really slightly hard to put that in as anything that added to the show. But tell me if you guys felt there was. For me, i knew it was there, but it was just nothing special.
Spectacle 4.5/5
Yep, this show is similar to 300 in how it is the top of the action genre. Sure it is not good in storyline but for all purpose of action and variety, this is where it all comes together. Not just one hero but a total of 6 or 7 different characters with their own specific abilities using it specifically for your entertainment. It also works to the advantage of the show because with so many characters, they are able to keep things fresh for the entire duration of the movie and not become a 1 trick pony... since there are at least 6 ponies in the show...
Overall
Storyline : 4 (Storyline is fine, least it flows and is believable)
Character : 4.5 (A lot of fan service for the many characters. Not much emphasis on backgrounds but they have full movies for that)
Cinematography : 4.5 (Yep, with such a high budget i bet they made sure to take as much good shots as possible)
Music : 3.5 (Nothing that striked a great impression but definitely was there...)
Spectacle : 4.5 (For the genre, one of the top few purely because they have the source materials for all the great action.)
Overall : 4.2 (Yep this is the show for the action geeks. Add to it the long length of time, this is the best recipe for having good box office attendance. Of course if you must have great storylines this probably might not appeal to you as much but lets face it, the audience that likes just mindless action without great story is generally more then the people who must have a great story and can forgo the action. All in all, this movie will sell given the hype but also given the long length of time for the price of your ticket, I dont really see how this movie is not worth you going :)
So thats it for possibly one of the best blockbuster movies of the year. Tell me if you seen the show and especially if you disagree with the ratings :)
Now this is a show that needs no introduction... in fact, if you were looking for introductory trailers about this show, here are some things you can google and some posters u can refer to.
Yep. The good thing about this movie is that it doesn't need any introductory trailers to the show, it has full fledged movies to do that for you.. in fact some even already has sequels. :P
Ok without further ado, here is the movie poster..
Take note though, you will never see that purple guy decked out in purple like in the poster above. Some people might ask, whoa there are so many characters that can fill up a movie by itself... so can they all fit into the same movie and still be as cool?!?! The answer to this question is... with 144 mins screen time, there is more then enough space to even add BATMAN INSIDE!.. ok batman is DC universe and not Marvel, so its probably gonna be pretty rare to see them together.
Anyway read on to find out whether this movie is worth seeing, but chances are, you have already heard from many of your friends pretty favorable reviews about this show... but lets just break it down for habit's sake.
Storyline 4/5
As far as story line goes, it follows a quite common format that many other action movies use, especially those involving an entire team of people who didn't start out that way. However, I would say that the delivery of this storyline is at least pretty believable, and the reasons they are brought together is plausible. The storyline also touches on a bit more of the marvel universe that some fans might be able to appreciate such as that the good guys are not purely goodie two shoes and have their own things to hide.
I would say that this show takes its time to try to develop the story, trying to explain why and how the whole bunch is brought together and they throw in some action scenes in between to spice things up and get the audience rooting for their favourite hero.
But of course being to the traditional action genre movie, this movie plays it safe by being extremely predictable but as long as its a coherent story, its really pretty good.
Characters 4.5/5
This show is unique in this category. This is because if you are watching it, you should have had a bit of clue what their background is from the preceding movies. So I cannot really say it failed to give a background of the characters. So assuming we do not give them any plus or minus points here, we then move on to see how the character is portrayed.
This is where it score points however. With such a variety of cast members, the show is able to give each of the characters a chance to show off their unique traits and characters. Yep it doesnt just show captain america being able to toss his shield like a boss, it also shows how he is kinda really a boss, giving the orders around even to iron man. So this allows the audience to identify pretty well with their favourite hero and does very good fan service.
Also additional points for making Robbin from "How I met your mother" a character in the show....
Cinematography 4.5/5
Action film must put much emphasis on cinematography! And this show does it pretty well. In fact the effort can be clearly seen by all the spectacular shots, and also perspective shots. This is one example of a perspective shot, movies will like to pan out when they show explosions, but in this movie, they will film an explosion from inside the car after giving you the outside view. Its this kind of shots that add to the entertainment value of the show and is a staple of action flicks.Somehow however i still dont think it is the 300 level of shots but i guess this rating would be only slightly over what they deserve.
Music 3.5/5
Music was pretty ok in this show, there is definitely some measure of effort considering that there is even the movie ost. But in the midst of the action and explosion its really slightly hard to put that in as anything that added to the show. But tell me if you guys felt there was. For me, i knew it was there, but it was just nothing special.
Spectacle 4.5/5
Yep, this show is similar to 300 in how it is the top of the action genre. Sure it is not good in storyline but for all purpose of action and variety, this is where it all comes together. Not just one hero but a total of 6 or 7 different characters with their own specific abilities using it specifically for your entertainment. It also works to the advantage of the show because with so many characters, they are able to keep things fresh for the entire duration of the movie and not become a 1 trick pony... since there are at least 6 ponies in the show...
Overall
Storyline : 4 (Storyline is fine, least it flows and is believable)
Character : 4.5 (A lot of fan service for the many characters. Not much emphasis on backgrounds but they have full movies for that)
Cinematography : 4.5 (Yep, with such a high budget i bet they made sure to take as much good shots as possible)
Music : 3.5 (Nothing that striked a great impression but definitely was there...)
Spectacle : 4.5 (For the genre, one of the top few purely because they have the source materials for all the great action.)
Overall : 4.2 (Yep this is the show for the action geeks. Add to it the long length of time, this is the best recipe for having good box office attendance. Of course if you must have great storylines this probably might not appeal to you as much but lets face it, the audience that likes just mindless action without great story is generally more then the people who must have a great story and can forgo the action. All in all, this movie will sell given the hype but also given the long length of time for the price of your ticket, I dont really see how this movie is not worth you going :)
So thats it for possibly one of the best blockbuster movies of the year. Tell me if you seen the show and especially if you disagree with the ratings :)
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