If you like Gale Harold and are interested in his movies Particles of Truth, The Unseen, and Wake but haven't had a chance to see them, or would like to own them, now is your chance.
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=270958309444
I am selling my copies. They're in good condition and are only missing the cases, so if you want them, feel free to bid.
My next blog post will be a review of The Avengers and very possibly reviewing the movies leading up to The Avengers. Starting on April 29th my daughter and I will be watching one Marvel movie a night, beginning with Iron Man and watching them in story arch order.
What is the story arch order you ask?
Iron Man
Iron Man 2
Thor
The Incredible Hulk
Captain America
The Avengers
Now, if you want to watch them in release date order it goes like this.
Iron Man
The Incredible Hulk
Iron Man 2
Thor
Captain America
The Avengers
Watching them in story arch order is so much better, though. If you don't want the movies but know someone who does, let them know. I'd really like to get them out of my collection as I haven't watched any of them since I bought them many years ago. And by that I mean that I think the most recent one is 7 years old.
Monday, April 16, 2012
Thursday, March 15, 2012
Papa John's killed my imagination
I used to be very prolific, in the literary sense. I used to write and write and write. I had an imagination that could create the most wonderful of situations. I wrote so much fan fiction it's not even funny. Star Wars and Queer as Folk mostly. I created cross over fics combining two completely different series into one great story. I wrote pages and pages and pages. I actually complete three different Star Wars novels. None of what I wrote could ever get published, but I wrote it anyway. My fingers would itch if I went more than a day or so without writing something. My imagination would drive me insane if I came up with an idea and didn't write it down, or type it out. Before computers became so widely available and inexpensive, I used to hand write everything. I used to have a callous on my right middle finger from holding the pen as much as I did. I never got a cramp in my hand from writing too much because as far as my fingers were concerned there was no such thing as writing too much. And computers only made it a million times easier to write. I could store my stories and even post them on the Internet when the time came available. I did so much writing and kept my imagination muscle flexed on an almost regular basis. (Yes I know there's no actual imagination muscle.)
Then I started working at Papa John's. I was working almost all the time. I would go in at 9am and end up working until 9pm. I had a set list of things I had to do each day and there was very little room for imagination in those tasks. I was always so tired when I get home from work that I rarely had the time to write. I still kept trying, though. I wrote and wrote and wrote as much as I could. Now, I really only blame Papa John's for starting the death of my imagination. That was the beginning. I was working on a screen play when I was working for Papa John's and I was very excited about it. I worked on it non stop for so long and got a lot of it done. I started to turn it into a novel when I first joined NaNoWriMo. I was so determined that everything was going to be great with this idea.
Then I met the man that inspired the story in the first place. I'm not going to name him because meeting him was one of the worst celebrity experiences I've had and I don't want my personal experience with this man to taint the way others might feel about him, or the good experiences some have had. I've been told that just because he was a douche when I met him doesn't make him a douche all the time and I do understand that. But this experience with him totally killed my love of this man and my desire to continue to be a fan of his work. I started to see him objectively and realized that when it comes down to it, he's not really all that great an actor and I was really just drawn to his pretty face and beautiful body. And that killed my desire to continue that one particular story.
The problem was, it didn't just end with that one story. I stopped being able to write anything involving anything he'd done. All of my fan fiction just petered out and slowly went away. I have actually lost a lot of the stories I was working on because they were works in progress and nobody wanted to be stuck with a story that was never going to have an end. So only my completed stories live on in Internet land. I've actually lost all of my Star Wars fiction because I deleted my website. I haven't written anything in the realm of fiction in a while. Well, that's not entirely true. I've tried starting stuff. But I rarely come up with my own ideas anymore. I usually end up leaching onto the ideas of my friends and helping them move them along. I tell them ways that I personally think their idea would be better and more sellable. I haven't worked on anything that was really mine in a while.
I haven't come up with an original idea except for the one that has died a slow and horrible death. Everything I've written has been fan fiction, though there has been a lot of it. I used other people's characters and put them in my own situations. You'd think I'd be able to come up with my own characters for those situations but it's always hard. And I usually end up giving them completely ridiculous names and stuff like that. I found it easier to use other peoples' characters with existing backgrounds than trying to come up with my own. So my imagination was great with the situations, but lazy with the characters. Guess that means it wasn't all that great after all. I don't know. I just know that this is the most I've written in a long time and this is not even remotely fiction. This is just me sitting here letting my brain say whatever it has the need to say right now. My fingers were yelling at me for not letting them really do some lengthy typing and I decided to let them shut up.
So you see, the need to write is still there. The itchy fingers and the frustrated mind and all of that. My body is physically in need of me to be able to write something. But my imagination is dead and buried and has been for a long time. So how do I go about feeding my writing addiction when my dealer no longer exists? I certainly have no idea.
Then I started working at Papa John's. I was working almost all the time. I would go in at 9am and end up working until 9pm. I had a set list of things I had to do each day and there was very little room for imagination in those tasks. I was always so tired when I get home from work that I rarely had the time to write. I still kept trying, though. I wrote and wrote and wrote as much as I could. Now, I really only blame Papa John's for starting the death of my imagination. That was the beginning. I was working on a screen play when I was working for Papa John's and I was very excited about it. I worked on it non stop for so long and got a lot of it done. I started to turn it into a novel when I first joined NaNoWriMo. I was so determined that everything was going to be great with this idea.
Then I met the man that inspired the story in the first place. I'm not going to name him because meeting him was one of the worst celebrity experiences I've had and I don't want my personal experience with this man to taint the way others might feel about him, or the good experiences some have had. I've been told that just because he was a douche when I met him doesn't make him a douche all the time and I do understand that. But this experience with him totally killed my love of this man and my desire to continue to be a fan of his work. I started to see him objectively and realized that when it comes down to it, he's not really all that great an actor and I was really just drawn to his pretty face and beautiful body. And that killed my desire to continue that one particular story.
The problem was, it didn't just end with that one story. I stopped being able to write anything involving anything he'd done. All of my fan fiction just petered out and slowly went away. I have actually lost a lot of the stories I was working on because they were works in progress and nobody wanted to be stuck with a story that was never going to have an end. So only my completed stories live on in Internet land. I've actually lost all of my Star Wars fiction because I deleted my website. I haven't written anything in the realm of fiction in a while. Well, that's not entirely true. I've tried starting stuff. But I rarely come up with my own ideas anymore. I usually end up leaching onto the ideas of my friends and helping them move them along. I tell them ways that I personally think their idea would be better and more sellable. I haven't worked on anything that was really mine in a while.
I haven't come up with an original idea except for the one that has died a slow and horrible death. Everything I've written has been fan fiction, though there has been a lot of it. I used other people's characters and put them in my own situations. You'd think I'd be able to come up with my own characters for those situations but it's always hard. And I usually end up giving them completely ridiculous names and stuff like that. I found it easier to use other peoples' characters with existing backgrounds than trying to come up with my own. So my imagination was great with the situations, but lazy with the characters. Guess that means it wasn't all that great after all. I don't know. I just know that this is the most I've written in a long time and this is not even remotely fiction. This is just me sitting here letting my brain say whatever it has the need to say right now. My fingers were yelling at me for not letting them really do some lengthy typing and I decided to let them shut up.
So you see, the need to write is still there. The itchy fingers and the frustrated mind and all of that. My body is physically in need of me to be able to write something. But my imagination is dead and buried and has been for a long time. So how do I go about feeding my writing addiction when my dealer no longer exists? I certainly have no idea.
Tuesday, February 21, 2012
2 Broke Girls
I know that I haven't reviewed anything in a while and that's a real shame because I've watched a lot of really good things, though I haven't had a chance to go to the movies very much. There's a lot of really good material on TV worth talking about though, so I'm going to do that.
My new favorite show on Earth is 2 Broke Girls. The first reason I started watching this show is because I love Kat Dennings so much it's kind of ridiculous. She was awesome in Charlie Bartlett and she was fantastically hysterical in Thor. She was also very wonderful in Nick and Nora's Infinite Playlist. She delivers her lines with such ease. She has perfect comedic timing. She's got the kind of voice that conveys emotion very easily, although sarcasm seems to be her strong suit. That is perfect for Max, though. She says things to her customers that I really wish I could get away with at work and not get fired. I deal with a lot of people like the customers that have been seen on that TV show and I have to just bite my tongue and deal with it. But she goes off on them in creative and intelligent ways and I do love it. She's smart and funny and completely wonderful. That's all I can say about that. Kat Dennings makes my life and I pray every day that this show gets a second season, because it definitely deserves it.
I had never really heard of Beth Behrs before 2 Broke Girls came along, but I have to say that I definitely like her. She brings Caroline to life in a great way. She manages to still be snobby and uptight even in a situation where it's completely unwarranted, which is hard to pull off sometimes. Last night's episode, with all of the Hebrew and trying to fit in with the Jewish family was absolutely hilarious. And that's just one example. She pulls off her lines just as seemlessly as the rest of the cast and it's great watching the chemistry between Kat and Beth. They work very well together.
My second reason for watching this show didn't come to light until I actually watched the first episode but I have to say that Garrett Morris is it. I have loved that man since I watched old Saturday Night Live reruns when I was a kid. He was one of the funniest cast members of the early years and has made me laugh in everything I've seen him in. I loved him as Stan on Martin, even though the character was a horrible, unlikeable man. And while I do know that I've seen him in many, many things throughout my TV and movie watching life, those are the ones that stand out the most. And now he plays Earl on 2 Broke Girls. His little "love affair" with Max is completely adorable and very sweet. Garrett is just an all around great actor and comedian and you should watch the show for him, if for no other reason.
Now, while I do love the previous actors on this show, and the characters they portray, I have to say that they do not represent my favorite character. My absolute favorite character on this show is Oleg. He is so disgusting and dirty and perverted that you can't help but love him. He can turn literally anything into a perverted joke, which is a difficult feat sometimes. He reminds me of a guy I used to go to Junior High with and a manager with whom I currently work. He's funny and wonderful an and Johnathan Kite brings him to life beautifully. I really do love Oleg. There's no other way to describe it. Would I date him? No. Would I sleep with him? Absolutely not. But I would happily be his friend and trade perverted comments with him on a regular basis.
And of course I have to mention Matthew Moy. He's so cute and funny. You just want to pick Han up and carry him around like a teddy bear. I love how he gets embarrassed when they're talking about "women things" and how he tries to be authoritative when nobody really listens to him. Even though they call him names and treat him like a child, you can tell there's a little bit of respect deep down in the very bottom of all of their souls for the little guy. Matthew does a wonderful job with Han. I think one of my favorite moments was in the pilot when he picked a new name for himself and became Bryce Lee. That was great. And I really wish that would be brought up again at some point in the show. I will say that there's really not enough Han. There's so much more the writers could do with him.
As if the show wasn't awesome enough, they went and added Jennifer Coolidge to the mix. I love the interaction between Sofi and Oleg. Especially the first episode in which she appeared when she hit him in the crotch with the rolled up newspaper. She's always been a brilliant actress. And they've given her this great character with which she can do SOOO much. And she has. She's taken Sofi and just had a ball with her. She's a little campy but not over the top. She's hilarious and amazing and I love her. I also love watching the interactions between Sofi and Earl. His advances are far more appreciated than Oleg's, for sure. Jennifer Coolidge is the icing on an already wonderfully put together cake.
Over all, I really love this show, if you couldn't tell already. I love the dirty jokes that skate just under FCC rules. The entire cast works together like a well oiled machine and I hope to see it going for a couple more seasons at least.
My new favorite show on Earth is 2 Broke Girls. The first reason I started watching this show is because I love Kat Dennings so much it's kind of ridiculous. She was awesome in Charlie Bartlett and she was fantastically hysterical in Thor. She was also very wonderful in Nick and Nora's Infinite Playlist. She delivers her lines with such ease. She has perfect comedic timing. She's got the kind of voice that conveys emotion very easily, although sarcasm seems to be her strong suit. That is perfect for Max, though. She says things to her customers that I really wish I could get away with at work and not get fired. I deal with a lot of people like the customers that have been seen on that TV show and I have to just bite my tongue and deal with it. But she goes off on them in creative and intelligent ways and I do love it. She's smart and funny and completely wonderful. That's all I can say about that. Kat Dennings makes my life and I pray every day that this show gets a second season, because it definitely deserves it.
I had never really heard of Beth Behrs before 2 Broke Girls came along, but I have to say that I definitely like her. She brings Caroline to life in a great way. She manages to still be snobby and uptight even in a situation where it's completely unwarranted, which is hard to pull off sometimes. Last night's episode, with all of the Hebrew and trying to fit in with the Jewish family was absolutely hilarious. And that's just one example. She pulls off her lines just as seemlessly as the rest of the cast and it's great watching the chemistry between Kat and Beth. They work very well together.
My second reason for watching this show didn't come to light until I actually watched the first episode but I have to say that Garrett Morris is it. I have loved that man since I watched old Saturday Night Live reruns when I was a kid. He was one of the funniest cast members of the early years and has made me laugh in everything I've seen him in. I loved him as Stan on Martin, even though the character was a horrible, unlikeable man. And while I do know that I've seen him in many, many things throughout my TV and movie watching life, those are the ones that stand out the most. And now he plays Earl on 2 Broke Girls. His little "love affair" with Max is completely adorable and very sweet. Garrett is just an all around great actor and comedian and you should watch the show for him, if for no other reason.
Now, while I do love the previous actors on this show, and the characters they portray, I have to say that they do not represent my favorite character. My absolute favorite character on this show is Oleg. He is so disgusting and dirty and perverted that you can't help but love him. He can turn literally anything into a perverted joke, which is a difficult feat sometimes. He reminds me of a guy I used to go to Junior High with and a manager with whom I currently work. He's funny and wonderful an and Johnathan Kite brings him to life beautifully. I really do love Oleg. There's no other way to describe it. Would I date him? No. Would I sleep with him? Absolutely not. But I would happily be his friend and trade perverted comments with him on a regular basis.
And of course I have to mention Matthew Moy. He's so cute and funny. You just want to pick Han up and carry him around like a teddy bear. I love how he gets embarrassed when they're talking about "women things" and how he tries to be authoritative when nobody really listens to him. Even though they call him names and treat him like a child, you can tell there's a little bit of respect deep down in the very bottom of all of their souls for the little guy. Matthew does a wonderful job with Han. I think one of my favorite moments was in the pilot when he picked a new name for himself and became Bryce Lee. That was great. And I really wish that would be brought up again at some point in the show. I will say that there's really not enough Han. There's so much more the writers could do with him.
As if the show wasn't awesome enough, they went and added Jennifer Coolidge to the mix. I love the interaction between Sofi and Oleg. Especially the first episode in which she appeared when she hit him in the crotch with the rolled up newspaper. She's always been a brilliant actress. And they've given her this great character with which she can do SOOO much. And she has. She's taken Sofi and just had a ball with her. She's a little campy but not over the top. She's hilarious and amazing and I love her. I also love watching the interactions between Sofi and Earl. His advances are far more appreciated than Oleg's, for sure. Jennifer Coolidge is the icing on an already wonderfully put together cake.
Over all, I really love this show, if you couldn't tell already. I love the dirty jokes that skate just under FCC rules. The entire cast works together like a well oiled machine and I hope to see it going for a couple more seasons at least.
Friday, December 30, 2011
Chipwrecked, Tin Tin, and Warhorse
On Christmas day I went to see three movies and I am going to give short reviews of all three.
Alvin and the Chipmunks: Chipwrecked.
This movie was pretty good for a Chipmunks movie but it wasn't the best of the three. There was the saccharine disgusting, everybody learns a valuable lesson ending that most kids movies have these days. The songs were good, though. Hearing the Chipmunks and the Chipettes do Gaga was great. I thought the Castaway reference was a bit much. And there's the whole "OMG we're stranded on an island with an active volcano that's never been active in the last 10 years!" thing going on. The whole thing is pretty ridiculous, really. It's a good movie to take your kids to, though. I will say that much.
The Adventures of Tin Tin:
This movie was pretty awesome over all. It seems like the Mythbusters consulted on the movie because there were at least 4 proven Myths that I saw. There were several "well that's convenient" moments throughout the story but over all, it's really good. The Captain was hilarious.
Warhorse:
This movie was very beautifully done. Though there were moments that were kind of slow, but that's to be expected in this type of movie. I think my favorite part of the whole movie though was watching David Thewlis get chased off the property by a goose. They had a goose on the farm that was more entertaining than most well trained dogs. Honestly. The movie follows the story of one horse from birth to the end of WWI. It's crazy and miraculous and amazing and very well done. Of these three movies, I highly recommend Warhorse and Tin Tin. Chipwrecked I only recommend if you want to turn your brain off for a little while.
This movie was pretty good for a Chipmunks movie but it wasn't the best of the three. There was the saccharine disgusting, everybody learns a valuable lesson ending that most kids movies have these days. The songs were good, though. Hearing the Chipmunks and the Chipettes do Gaga was great. I thought the Castaway reference was a bit much. And there's the whole "OMG we're stranded on an island with an active volcano that's never been active in the last 10 years!" thing going on. The whole thing is pretty ridiculous, really. It's a good movie to take your kids to, though. I will say that much.
The Adventures of Tin Tin:
This movie was pretty awesome over all. It seems like the Mythbusters consulted on the movie because there were at least 4 proven Myths that I saw. There were several "well that's convenient" moments throughout the story but over all, it's really good. The Captain was hilarious.
Warhorse:
This movie was very beautifully done. Though there were moments that were kind of slow, but that's to be expected in this type of movie. I think my favorite part of the whole movie though was watching David Thewlis get chased off the property by a goose. They had a goose on the farm that was more entertaining than most well trained dogs. Honestly. The movie follows the story of one horse from birth to the end of WWI. It's crazy and miraculous and amazing and very well done. Of these three movies, I highly recommend Warhorse and Tin Tin. Chipwrecked I only recommend if you want to turn your brain off for a little while.
Friday, December 16, 2011
Sherlock Holmes addendums and corrections
I would like to apologize to Kelly Reilly for getting her name wrong in the original review of the movie. She does such a wonderful job and is a very important part of this movie that I feel very bad for not getting her name right. That has been corrected, though.
Also, I forgot about the Men In Black 3 trailer before the movie. It looks very interesting and the actor they have playing young K could actually have been a young Tommy Lee Jones. I am looking forward to that.
There's another trailer that I forgot for a movie called John Carter. My mom seems to think that it's based on a book, which I will have to research. It's very well done and looks like an interesting story. I'm going to look more into that before I decide to go see the movie.
I've already made the addendum of my assessment of Noomi Rapace's performace as Madame Simza. It's been added to the original review of the film.
The movie was even better the second time because I was able to catch the jokes I missed the first time. Again I say, go see this movie.
Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows
The first thing I would like to talk about are the trailers before the movie.
The Grey:
I think they could have come up with a better title for the movie, but over all it looks pretty cool. Liam Neeson is awesome as always. It's about a group of men stranded in the winter wilderness after a plane crash and they're trying to get home. I know we've seen this done a thousand times but it looks pretty cool anyway.
Hunger Games:
I haven't read the books but the trailer to the movie is making me want to do so. It's beautifully done and looks like it can be very, very good. I am looking forward to seeing this movie.
Battleship:
I have to say when I first saw this movie poster I thought it was something based on the board game, but I was totally wrong. There's an alien invasion and some more Liam Neeson. It looks really good.
Dark Knight Rises:
This is one I am most definitely looking forward to. Anne Hatthaway as Cat Woman is looking very promising. There's a villain that I don't recognize but then I am not that well versed in the Batman universe. I only know from the movies, the TV shows and the cartoons, and from what my brother has told me about the comic books. Gary Oldman is the best Commissioner Gordon ever, that's all there is to that. And I love Michael Caine as Alfred. I will be seeing this one when it is released, that's for sure. The entire theater applauded this trailer.
SPOILERS AHEAD! I say that only because there are details that I will reveal that might not be known already. I don't plan to go into great detail about the storyline because there is so much involved, but I do want to talk about the movie.
First off, my love for Hans Zimmer only grows more with each movie score of his I hear. Especially these movies. He reaches into his soul and pulls out wonderfulness. You feel like you're actually listening to Victorian era music. There's some English with a touch of Irish. The suspenseful tones make you bite your nails and the soft melodies make you cry your eyes out. Even in a movie like this one, Hans uses every instrument at his disposal to reach into your chest and just rip your heart right out with his bare hands. I love him more than I love John Williams and for those who know me, that's saying a LOT.
Guy Ritchie is a great director. He makes wonderful use of the slow motion. While there is quite a lot of it in this movie, none of it is unwarranted. It's done beautifully and just adds to the story.
Robert was once again brilliant as Sherlock Holmes. They did a very good job of making Holmes seem completely insane and obsessed with Moriarty, which anyone who has read the books and stories knows he was. He does seem a bit psychotic but it is truly fitting for Holmes, based on what I've read from the books. I was also very impressed with Robert's pronunciation of the German that Holmes speaks at one point. Knowing that Robert speaks no foreign languages and learns all his lines phonetically, and having experience with German being a rather interesting language, I give him kudos for that.
Jude was hilariously awesome as Watson. Getting completely hammered at his stag party, stumbling about and giggling at nothing. There were a lot of looks shared between Holmes and Watson that were wonderful and funny and just completely the kind of looks two very dear friends would share. And it was evident that it was one of those times when the lonely friend realized the friend about to get married was moving on and having another life that might not include him. But there were so many scenes when it was very obvious exactly how much Holmes means to Watson.
The performance I was looking forward to the most, however, was that of the magnificent Stephen Fry. Choosing him as Mycroft Holmes couldn't have been a more brilliant decision. Although he was quite a bit more active than Mycroft was in the books, he did a beautiful job. And the scene in which he spends the entire time naked was both hilarious and fantastic. Conveniently placed books and well chosen camera angles kept too much from being revealed but it was great all the same. And Kelly Reilly handling the reactions to seeing Mycroft naked was very funny and very well done.
I do believe that there is no actor currently living that could have played Professor James Moriarty better than Jared Harris. Everything I have seen him in he's been absolutely evil to the core and he is so very good and being so very bad. I was a bit surprised to find out that he can sing beautifully. He made me shiver with every look. He played a man as brilliant as Holmes and exponentially more diabolical. I believe that Moriarty is the embodiment of what Holmes could have become if he'd chosen a life of crime rather than a life of crime fighting.
The ending of the movie was very well done. It is almost exactly as it was described in the one story that does involve Moriarty written by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Even taking place at the correct waterfall. The main difference is that Watson arrives to find only a note from Holmes, rather than seeing what happens with both Holmes and Moriarty. You are left to wonder if both of them perished or if perhaps there was some way in which one of them survived. I was very pleased to find that they had included that bit of the story in the movies.
(added 533pm) I feel completely horrible because I realized this morning that I forgot to talk about Noomi Rapace. She did a wonderful job, honestly. She was perfect for Madame Simza Heron. All of the action scenes were very well done and the emotional moments were heart breaking. She's a beautiful woman and a talented actress and I feel bad for not remembering, at 330am, to comment on her performance. These movies have been maid more closely to the stories in the books than any other Sherlock Holmes movie I have ever seen. The relationship between Holmes and Watson is definitely much more partner than detective and side kick. Holmes wasn't nearly as calm and dignified as he's been made out to be in the past. Watson was a lot more willing to call Holmes on his crap than I've seen in other embodiments of these two timeless characters. Robert and Jude have brought them as close to Conan Doyle's vision as humanly possibly without Sir Arthur here to tell us exactly what he imagined when he wrote the stories.
You should most definitely go see this movie. Everyone should. And I have to agree with the critics, it is better than the first one. The general story itself is better played out and it's just an over all well done movie. I don't know how else to put it. Go see the movie, you won't regret it, I promise.
The Grey:
I think they could have come up with a better title for the movie, but over all it looks pretty cool. Liam Neeson is awesome as always. It's about a group of men stranded in the winter wilderness after a plane crash and they're trying to get home. I know we've seen this done a thousand times but it looks pretty cool anyway.
Hunger Games:
I haven't read the books but the trailer to the movie is making me want to do so. It's beautifully done and looks like it can be very, very good. I am looking forward to seeing this movie.
Battleship:
I have to say when I first saw this movie poster I thought it was something based on the board game, but I was totally wrong. There's an alien invasion and some more Liam Neeson. It looks really good.
Dark Knight Rises:
This is one I am most definitely looking forward to. Anne Hatthaway as Cat Woman is looking very promising. There's a villain that I don't recognize but then I am not that well versed in the Batman universe. I only know from the movies, the TV shows and the cartoons, and from what my brother has told me about the comic books. Gary Oldman is the best Commissioner Gordon ever, that's all there is to that. And I love Michael Caine as Alfred. I will be seeing this one when it is released, that's for sure. The entire theater applauded this trailer.
SPOILERS AHEAD! I say that only because there are details that I will reveal that might not be known already. I don't plan to go into great detail about the storyline because there is so much involved, but I do want to talk about the movie.
First off, my love for Hans Zimmer only grows more with each movie score of his I hear. Especially these movies. He reaches into his soul and pulls out wonderfulness. You feel like you're actually listening to Victorian era music. There's some English with a touch of Irish. The suspenseful tones make you bite your nails and the soft melodies make you cry your eyes out. Even in a movie like this one, Hans uses every instrument at his disposal to reach into your chest and just rip your heart right out with his bare hands. I love him more than I love John Williams and for those who know me, that's saying a LOT.
Guy Ritchie is a great director. He makes wonderful use of the slow motion. While there is quite a lot of it in this movie, none of it is unwarranted. It's done beautifully and just adds to the story.
Robert was once again brilliant as Sherlock Holmes. They did a very good job of making Holmes seem completely insane and obsessed with Moriarty, which anyone who has read the books and stories knows he was. He does seem a bit psychotic but it is truly fitting for Holmes, based on what I've read from the books. I was also very impressed with Robert's pronunciation of the German that Holmes speaks at one point. Knowing that Robert speaks no foreign languages and learns all his lines phonetically, and having experience with German being a rather interesting language, I give him kudos for that.
Jude was hilariously awesome as Watson. Getting completely hammered at his stag party, stumbling about and giggling at nothing. There were a lot of looks shared between Holmes and Watson that were wonderful and funny and just completely the kind of looks two very dear friends would share. And it was evident that it was one of those times when the lonely friend realized the friend about to get married was moving on and having another life that might not include him. But there were so many scenes when it was very obvious exactly how much Holmes means to Watson.
The performance I was looking forward to the most, however, was that of the magnificent Stephen Fry. Choosing him as Mycroft Holmes couldn't have been a more brilliant decision. Although he was quite a bit more active than Mycroft was in the books, he did a beautiful job. And the scene in which he spends the entire time naked was both hilarious and fantastic. Conveniently placed books and well chosen camera angles kept too much from being revealed but it was great all the same. And Kelly Reilly handling the reactions to seeing Mycroft naked was very funny and very well done.
I do believe that there is no actor currently living that could have played Professor James Moriarty better than Jared Harris. Everything I have seen him in he's been absolutely evil to the core and he is so very good and being so very bad. I was a bit surprised to find out that he can sing beautifully. He made me shiver with every look. He played a man as brilliant as Holmes and exponentially more diabolical. I believe that Moriarty is the embodiment of what Holmes could have become if he'd chosen a life of crime rather than a life of crime fighting.
The ending of the movie was very well done. It is almost exactly as it was described in the one story that does involve Moriarty written by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Even taking place at the correct waterfall. The main difference is that Watson arrives to find only a note from Holmes, rather than seeing what happens with both Holmes and Moriarty. You are left to wonder if both of them perished or if perhaps there was some way in which one of them survived. I was very pleased to find that they had included that bit of the story in the movies.
(added 533pm) I feel completely horrible because I realized this morning that I forgot to talk about Noomi Rapace. She did a wonderful job, honestly. She was perfect for Madame Simza Heron. All of the action scenes were very well done and the emotional moments were heart breaking. She's a beautiful woman and a talented actress and I feel bad for not remembering, at 330am, to comment on her performance. These movies have been maid more closely to the stories in the books than any other Sherlock Holmes movie I have ever seen. The relationship between Holmes and Watson is definitely much more partner than detective and side kick. Holmes wasn't nearly as calm and dignified as he's been made out to be in the past. Watson was a lot more willing to call Holmes on his crap than I've seen in other embodiments of these two timeless characters. Robert and Jude have brought them as close to Conan Doyle's vision as humanly possibly without Sir Arthur here to tell us exactly what he imagined when he wrote the stories.
You should most definitely go see this movie. Everyone should. And I have to agree with the critics, it is better than the first one. The general story itself is better played out and it's just an over all well done movie. I don't know how else to put it. Go see the movie, you won't regret it, I promise.
Wednesday, September 14, 2011
Real Steal SPOILERS AHEAD
I got to go to an advanced screening of the movie Real Steal tonight. The movie stars Hugh Jackman and Evangeline Lily. It's amazing. It's pretty much a robot version of Rocky, but it's still fantastic. The movie is due out in theaters on October 7th and I highly recommend that everybody go see it.
Now, first and foremost I would like to give a huge, major thank you hug to Mr. Steven Spielberg and Dreamworks for making this movie in 2D. It could have been very awesome in 3D but until I get the 2D glasses from thinkgeek.com I still can't watch 3D movies and it's a relief to see that something like this is made for those of us that prefer 2D.
SPOILERS AHEAD!!!!
The first thing we see is a down and out Charlie Kenton (played by Hugh Jackman) who is so desperate for money that he is putting his robot boxer in a ring against a bull. Yes, that's right, an actual living bull. Now there's the usual no animals were harmed disclaimer on this, but it's still a bull. And the bull ends up kicking the robot's metal ass.
Then we get to find out the heart of the story. Charlie has a son who has been living with his mother. The boy's mother dies and Charlie goes to sign paperwork so that Max, who is 11 years old, will go live with his aunt and Charlie doesn't have to deal with him. Charlie gets money from the boy's uncle and is willing to take him for a couple of months while the aunt and uncle are in Italy with some friends. Charlie uses that money to buy another robot, who then gets his ass kicked and torn to shreds.
They go to a junk yard and Charlie tries to find parts to put a new robot together. In all of this, Max finds a robot that Charlie wants nothing to do with but Max digs him out of the mud and gets him back to Charlies truck. They get him back to the gym, which used to train boxers and now trains boxing robots, only to find out that the robot still works and is a sparring robot with a shadow function. It's pretty awesome.
The kid gets the robot cleaned up and he talks Charlie into teaching him how to box. With the shadow motion, the robot dances before each fight, following Max's movements. He gets more and more fights, winning and winning and winning when nobody said he would, and finds his way into a sanctioned, league fight. Everybody is convinced that the opponent, Twin Cities, is going to win but in the end, Atom (Max's robot) manages to beat the crap out of him. During the fights they use voice commands to tell the robot what to do. So after defeating Twin Cities, Max gets on the mic at the match and challenges the Robot Champion known as Zeus to a match.
The problem comes when it's time for Charlie to take Max back to his aunt in New York. Max doesn't want to go but Charlie tells him it's for the best and that's that. Charlie heads back to the gym, and a woman named Bailey (played by Evangeline Lily) who eventually talks Charlie into going back and getting Max.
They get their fight with Zeus. Now the main thing about Zeus is that no robot has ever gotten past the first round without being annihilated. But Atom is different. Because he's a sparring robot, he is built to take a lot of punches. He's old and an under dog and he does take a hell of a beating but he gives as good as he gets. He gets knocked down more times than I could keep track of but he keeps getting back up. During the 4th round, though, Zeus gets in a blow that knocks out Atom's voice recognition programming and the bell rings barely in time for Atom to make it out of the round alive. The problem is, there's still one more round to go. Max switches Atom over to shadow mode and Charlie, a former boxer himself, gets to where Atom can see him and starts fighting the match for Atom. The pivotal moment in the movie comes when Bailey and Max are both watching Charlie as he's making the boxing moves for Atom. He was loving every minute of it, being able to essentially be back in the ring throwing those punches. Zeus is about to be knocked out and literally gets saved by the bell. The 5th round is the final round in the robot league boxing and it goes to the scores. The judges, of course, name Zeus as the winner because it would look bad for the under dog to win. The programmer of the robot is furious, though, and he storms out of the ring without saying a word. In the end, Atom is dubbed The People's Champion even though he lost the match, and everybody cheers.
I can continue to say that I have never seen a movie with Hugh Jackman in it that I didn't enjoy. He's very good at this type of role. The guy who thinks he's not worth anything but deep down you know he's worth more than his weight in gold. The rough and tumble, makes you want to smack him asshole that turns out to have a big heart that's in just the right place. And watching him throw those punches was beautiful. He had to have trained a lot to be able to look the way he did in this movie.
The real star of the movie, though, in my opinion is Dakota Goyo, the little boy that plays Max. That kid has attitude and swagger and he's about the same age as my daughter. He delivers lines like he's been doing it for decades and his comedic timing is pure genius. Dakota is going to go as far as he wants to go in this business. There's raw talent there that can not be taught and doesn't need much in the way of refinement. In my opinion, he was literally born to act.
Evangeline Lily didn't have a very big part in this movie, but it was an important one. And yes, there is a difference. She plays the daughter of the man that ran the gym where Charlie trained. He didn't just run the gym, he was also Charlie's trainer. Bailey believes in Charlie to a point, but even the biggest fan has to give up at some point. He manages to talk her into giving him another chance and another chance. She watches the match with Twin Cities and she's there at the match with Zeus, cheering and crying and just having a good time. I have always loved Evangeline. She's a beautiful woman inside and out as far as I can tell and she was definitely perfect for the part of Bailey.
I would also like to give a little shout out for the fact that a lot of this movie is set in Texas. North Texas to be specific. One of the fights takes place at an arena in Dallas, just about a 45 minute drive from me. So I was happy about that. But the fights do take place all over the country.
And again I thank Steven for making this in 2D instead of going with the 3D craze that has started the past few years. Those of us who can't watch 3D movies for whatever reason thank you greatly.
Over all? I say go see this movie as soon as you can. The effects are amazing, and it's real robots, not CG, which makes it even better. And the music is fantastic. I gotta get the sound track to this movie because the songs just make you want to get up and dance. Especially the ones to which the robot dances. The film as a whole is great. It's rated PG-13 but that's just for violence and some mild language. By mild I mean there's the occasional shit here and there and some bitches and asses, like that. No F bombs dropped in this flick.
Even if the only reason you go to see it is to watch two robots beat the living snot out of each other, it's so worth it, trust me. GO SEE THIS MOVIE! You will NOT regret it.
Now, first and foremost I would like to give a huge, major thank you hug to Mr. Steven Spielberg and Dreamworks for making this movie in 2D. It could have been very awesome in 3D but until I get the 2D glasses from thinkgeek.com I still can't watch 3D movies and it's a relief to see that something like this is made for those of us that prefer 2D.
SPOILERS AHEAD!!!!
The first thing we see is a down and out Charlie Kenton (played by Hugh Jackman) who is so desperate for money that he is putting his robot boxer in a ring against a bull. Yes, that's right, an actual living bull. Now there's the usual no animals were harmed disclaimer on this, but it's still a bull. And the bull ends up kicking the robot's metal ass.
Then we get to find out the heart of the story. Charlie has a son who has been living with his mother. The boy's mother dies and Charlie goes to sign paperwork so that Max, who is 11 years old, will go live with his aunt and Charlie doesn't have to deal with him. Charlie gets money from the boy's uncle and is willing to take him for a couple of months while the aunt and uncle are in Italy with some friends. Charlie uses that money to buy another robot, who then gets his ass kicked and torn to shreds.
They go to a junk yard and Charlie tries to find parts to put a new robot together. In all of this, Max finds a robot that Charlie wants nothing to do with but Max digs him out of the mud and gets him back to Charlies truck. They get him back to the gym, which used to train boxers and now trains boxing robots, only to find out that the robot still works and is a sparring robot with a shadow function. It's pretty awesome.
The kid gets the robot cleaned up and he talks Charlie into teaching him how to box. With the shadow motion, the robot dances before each fight, following Max's movements. He gets more and more fights, winning and winning and winning when nobody said he would, and finds his way into a sanctioned, league fight. Everybody is convinced that the opponent, Twin Cities, is going to win but in the end, Atom (Max's robot) manages to beat the crap out of him. During the fights they use voice commands to tell the robot what to do. So after defeating Twin Cities, Max gets on the mic at the match and challenges the Robot Champion known as Zeus to a match.
The problem comes when it's time for Charlie to take Max back to his aunt in New York. Max doesn't want to go but Charlie tells him it's for the best and that's that. Charlie heads back to the gym, and a woman named Bailey (played by Evangeline Lily) who eventually talks Charlie into going back and getting Max.
They get their fight with Zeus. Now the main thing about Zeus is that no robot has ever gotten past the first round without being annihilated. But Atom is different. Because he's a sparring robot, he is built to take a lot of punches. He's old and an under dog and he does take a hell of a beating but he gives as good as he gets. He gets knocked down more times than I could keep track of but he keeps getting back up. During the 4th round, though, Zeus gets in a blow that knocks out Atom's voice recognition programming and the bell rings barely in time for Atom to make it out of the round alive. The problem is, there's still one more round to go. Max switches Atom over to shadow mode and Charlie, a former boxer himself, gets to where Atom can see him and starts fighting the match for Atom. The pivotal moment in the movie comes when Bailey and Max are both watching Charlie as he's making the boxing moves for Atom. He was loving every minute of it, being able to essentially be back in the ring throwing those punches. Zeus is about to be knocked out and literally gets saved by the bell. The 5th round is the final round in the robot league boxing and it goes to the scores. The judges, of course, name Zeus as the winner because it would look bad for the under dog to win. The programmer of the robot is furious, though, and he storms out of the ring without saying a word. In the end, Atom is dubbed The People's Champion even though he lost the match, and everybody cheers.
I can continue to say that I have never seen a movie with Hugh Jackman in it that I didn't enjoy. He's very good at this type of role. The guy who thinks he's not worth anything but deep down you know he's worth more than his weight in gold. The rough and tumble, makes you want to smack him asshole that turns out to have a big heart that's in just the right place. And watching him throw those punches was beautiful. He had to have trained a lot to be able to look the way he did in this movie.
The real star of the movie, though, in my opinion is Dakota Goyo, the little boy that plays Max. That kid has attitude and swagger and he's about the same age as my daughter. He delivers lines like he's been doing it for decades and his comedic timing is pure genius. Dakota is going to go as far as he wants to go in this business. There's raw talent there that can not be taught and doesn't need much in the way of refinement. In my opinion, he was literally born to act.
Evangeline Lily didn't have a very big part in this movie, but it was an important one. And yes, there is a difference. She plays the daughter of the man that ran the gym where Charlie trained. He didn't just run the gym, he was also Charlie's trainer. Bailey believes in Charlie to a point, but even the biggest fan has to give up at some point. He manages to talk her into giving him another chance and another chance. She watches the match with Twin Cities and she's there at the match with Zeus, cheering and crying and just having a good time. I have always loved Evangeline. She's a beautiful woman inside and out as far as I can tell and she was definitely perfect for the part of Bailey.
I would also like to give a little shout out for the fact that a lot of this movie is set in Texas. North Texas to be specific. One of the fights takes place at an arena in Dallas, just about a 45 minute drive from me. So I was happy about that. But the fights do take place all over the country.
And again I thank Steven for making this in 2D instead of going with the 3D craze that has started the past few years. Those of us who can't watch 3D movies for whatever reason thank you greatly.
Over all? I say go see this movie as soon as you can. The effects are amazing, and it's real robots, not CG, which makes it even better. And the music is fantastic. I gotta get the sound track to this movie because the songs just make you want to get up and dance. Especially the ones to which the robot dances. The film as a whole is great. It's rated PG-13 but that's just for violence and some mild language. By mild I mean there's the occasional shit here and there and some bitches and asses, like that. No F bombs dropped in this flick.
Even if the only reason you go to see it is to watch two robots beat the living snot out of each other, it's so worth it, trust me. GO SEE THIS MOVIE! You will NOT regret it.
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