Hello again to anyone who reads this. Steve and I have been quite busy recently, evident by the lack of posts. There is much to catch up on: reviews, want-to-sees, trailers, possible video game speculation (Terminator, Dante's Inferno (?) and Watchmen). And something that's been weighing heavily on my mind recently: the ruling of the rights to Watchmen - Warner Bros. vs. Fox.
We will pick this up with the beginning of the new year.
Merry Christmas and/or happy holidays to all.
Thursday, December 25, 2008
Monday, November 17, 2008
New Movie Trailers
Friday was an excellent day for the world of movies: Quantum of Solace was released along with the new Star Trek trailer, there’s a new Watchmen trailer out, and there’s a new Harry Potter trailer out. All three trailers look stunning in HD. I don’t know about anyone else, but I am very excited about these three movies. Hurry up 2009. On a side note, it doesn’t feel like it should be the end of the year yet.
Anyway. First up: Star Trek. I can’t expound enough on how awesome it looks. Everything about the Enterprise looks amazing: being built, flying, being shot at. All of the young reincarnations of the beloved original characters = great. I’m a Simon Pegg fan and I’m eager to see what he’ll do as Scotty. Even the robo-cop in the opening of the trailer is cool. Everything is so mind-blowingly cool about it. I really can’t wait much longer for this movie. My temperature is rising just writing this, so moving on.
Next up: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. I’m going to put on my wizard hat and nerd out for a while. I’m a huge Harry Potter fan. No lie. I think I finished books six and seven in a week. Granted, it was just this summer, so I’m a little behind the times, but that can’t change a good story. I also read the books out of order… But looking back on it, the first three are pretty much stand-alone titles. I read the second one first after I watched the first movie, skipped the third and read the fourth after the third movie then read five through seven. Basically, I substituted the first and third book for the movie, not something I would normally do or advise anyone else to do. But I have read them all now and and couldn’t get enough. I plan on reading Half-Blood Prince again before the movie comes out. Back to the trailer. Epic (a word that is sadly on the verge of blasphemous overuse) is written all over this trailer. And dear lord if you have read the book, it is precisely that. It’s unclear to me whether John Williams is doing this Harry Potter or not. I always enjoy Williams, even if he steals his own themes. The updated version of his original Harry Potter theme in the trailer is all the more monumental and totally awe-inspiring. And the smoke effects are just friggin’ magical. The visuals in the Harry Potter movies have always impressed me and it seems they’ve kept the same team (or forced the same style upon different teams) of visual effects people and subtly tweaked things with each successive installment. No complaints there. I do have one complaint about this trailer: when Harry is looking at a smiling girl and Hermione scorns him. He says, “But, I am the chosen one.” I like the delivery here, but he kills it only a second later. She hits him with a roll of paper, or parchment :-), and he says, “Umm…kidding.” The “kidding” bothers me. Radcliffe only bothers me on occasions like this, where it seems more like Daniel than Harry. Otherwise, I think he does a great job as Harry Potter and acting amidst so much CGI. Other than this one complaint, I am pumped for the next Harry Potter movie. Pumped I say. This was supposed to be short so I’ll wrap this one up. More thoughts on HP later.
Removing wizard hat and donning superhero costume.
Last, but DEFINITELY not least: Watchmen. I have a super-boner for Watchmen. The novel is pure genius. Sorry Rowling, but this one gets rated above Potter on my list. And I’m certain the movie is going to be every bit as enjoyable as the novel. I have very high hopes for this movie and I can honestly say I have no fear of them being let down in the slightest. That’s how good it’s going to be. Every character looks faithfully recreated from the pages of the novel. Dreiberg seems especially perfected. In my mind, Dr. Manhattan was more stoic and detached in the novel than in what we’ve seen so far of the movie, but I still think he will be amazing. I also think it’s pretty cool that they used a Muse song in the trailer. And the way it’s cut it matches the visual aspect of it nicely: “…you will burn…” with the shot of the Silk Spectre II and the fiery background. I love that album. The Smashing Pumpkins song in the previous trailers is ultra cool as well.
[POSSIBLE SPOILERS] And I’m eager to see the different ending. When I first heard about it, I was furious, but after hearing that it rated highly in test screening, many of the viewers being faithful Watchmen fans, I was relieved and am now curious. And after thinking about it, if the original ending was left, “the casual moviegoer” may walk out highly dissatisfied. But this could happen with the new ending anyway. I don’t know since I haven’t seen it. [END POSSIBLE SPOILERS] Either way, the novel is remarkable and I have no doubt that the movie will be too. I encourage everyone to read the novel. Even if it’s after you see the movie next spring, read it. You will chunk your pants.
M
Anyway. First up: Star Trek. I can’t expound enough on how awesome it looks. Everything about the Enterprise looks amazing: being built, flying, being shot at. All of the young reincarnations of the beloved original characters = great. I’m a Simon Pegg fan and I’m eager to see what he’ll do as Scotty. Even the robo-cop in the opening of the trailer is cool. Everything is so mind-blowingly cool about it. I really can’t wait much longer for this movie. My temperature is rising just writing this, so moving on.
Next up: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. I’m going to put on my wizard hat and nerd out for a while. I’m a huge Harry Potter fan. No lie. I think I finished books six and seven in a week. Granted, it was just this summer, so I’m a little behind the times, but that can’t change a good story. I also read the books out of order… But looking back on it, the first three are pretty much stand-alone titles. I read the second one first after I watched the first movie, skipped the third and read the fourth after the third movie then read five through seven. Basically, I substituted the first and third book for the movie, not something I would normally do or advise anyone else to do. But I have read them all now and and couldn’t get enough. I plan on reading Half-Blood Prince again before the movie comes out. Back to the trailer. Epic (a word that is sadly on the verge of blasphemous overuse) is written all over this trailer. And dear lord if you have read the book, it is precisely that. It’s unclear to me whether John Williams is doing this Harry Potter or not. I always enjoy Williams, even if he steals his own themes. The updated version of his original Harry Potter theme in the trailer is all the more monumental and totally awe-inspiring. And the smoke effects are just friggin’ magical. The visuals in the Harry Potter movies have always impressed me and it seems they’ve kept the same team (or forced the same style upon different teams) of visual effects people and subtly tweaked things with each successive installment. No complaints there. I do have one complaint about this trailer: when Harry is looking at a smiling girl and Hermione scorns him. He says, “But, I am the chosen one.” I like the delivery here, but he kills it only a second later. She hits him with a roll of paper, or parchment :-), and he says, “Umm…kidding.” The “kidding” bothers me. Radcliffe only bothers me on occasions like this, where it seems more like Daniel than Harry. Otherwise, I think he does a great job as Harry Potter and acting amidst so much CGI. Other than this one complaint, I am pumped for the next Harry Potter movie. Pumped I say. This was supposed to be short so I’ll wrap this one up. More thoughts on HP later.
Removing wizard hat and donning superhero costume.
Last, but DEFINITELY not least: Watchmen. I have a super-boner for Watchmen. The novel is pure genius. Sorry Rowling, but this one gets rated above Potter on my list. And I’m certain the movie is going to be every bit as enjoyable as the novel. I have very high hopes for this movie and I can honestly say I have no fear of them being let down in the slightest. That’s how good it’s going to be. Every character looks faithfully recreated from the pages of the novel. Dreiberg seems especially perfected. In my mind, Dr. Manhattan was more stoic and detached in the novel than in what we’ve seen so far of the movie, but I still think he will be amazing. I also think it’s pretty cool that they used a Muse song in the trailer. And the way it’s cut it matches the visual aspect of it nicely: “…you will burn…” with the shot of the Silk Spectre II and the fiery background. I love that album. The Smashing Pumpkins song in the previous trailers is ultra cool as well.
[POSSIBLE SPOILERS] And I’m eager to see the different ending. When I first heard about it, I was furious, but after hearing that it rated highly in test screening, many of the viewers being faithful Watchmen fans, I was relieved and am now curious. And after thinking about it, if the original ending was left, “the casual moviegoer” may walk out highly dissatisfied. But this could happen with the new ending anyway. I don’t know since I haven’t seen it. [END POSSIBLE SPOILERS] Either way, the novel is remarkable and I have no doubt that the movie will be too. I encourage everyone to read the novel. Even if it’s after you see the movie next spring, read it. You will chunk your pants.
M
Saturday, November 15, 2008
Matt's Quantum of Solace review
First off, I liked Quantum of Solace. It is a nice return to a more classic “shaken, not stirred” James Bond, with maybe a hint of whiskey.
The story is well constructed, but can’t survive as a stand-alone movie. It’s much more a sequel to Casino Royale and having not seen Casino since it was in theaters (I’m not sure why this is…I’m a little disappointed in myself) I had forgotten some of the finer details. Greene is an excellent villain, reminding me of The Dark Knight’s Joker in his fight scene. Mathieu Amalric did an excellent job of depicting him as a completely vile yet slippery fiend. Camille and Agent Field’s make for great Bond girls. [SPOILER ALERT]You can see Field’s crossover coming almost when she enters the scene. I especially loved the throwback to 007 past with her death. And I agree with Steve, she looks smoking hot covered in oil. Call me a weirdo. Go for it. [END SPOILERS]
Here’s my only real complaint. The editing during some of the action sequences bugged the crap out of me. The jerky camera and super fast cuts are getting really annoying. I tensed a little in the opening car chase thinking that the entire movie was going to be like this, but after the chase, it settled down a bit and we got a good look at the action. I honestly hope this “Bourne” style filming trend dies quickly or at least tames itself.
What I liked most was Bond’s portrayal as a crazed man so wrapped up in revenge. But they made him this way through his actions in the story, allowing Daniel Craig to retain a stylish Bond charm and demeanor. I thoroughly enjoy watching Craig as Bond and I hope he stays on for a while, since James Bond is forever.
Another point that I liked was, well, the title and how it was such a central theme throughout the movie. The characters really had very little [quantum] to hang on to [of solace]. I think the longest I sat without being thrust into a new bit of action was maybe ten minutes. My palms were sweaty when I left the theater. Seriously. This is by far the most action packed Bond movie to date.
All in all, Quantum of Solace is a solid action flick worthy of the Bond family name. Although it doesn’t quite live up to Casino Royale, I’m not sure there will be one for some time. I like the grittier and more realistic direction the franchise is moving in and hope they can fine tune a few points to turn out another great movie.
8 out of 10
M
The story is well constructed, but can’t survive as a stand-alone movie. It’s much more a sequel to Casino Royale and having not seen Casino since it was in theaters (I’m not sure why this is…I’m a little disappointed in myself) I had forgotten some of the finer details. Greene is an excellent villain, reminding me of The Dark Knight’s Joker in his fight scene. Mathieu Amalric did an excellent job of depicting him as a completely vile yet slippery fiend. Camille and Agent Field’s make for great Bond girls. [SPOILER ALERT]
Here’s my only real complaint. The editing during some of the action sequences bugged the crap out of me. The jerky camera and super fast cuts are getting really annoying. I tensed a little in the opening car chase thinking that the entire movie was going to be like this, but after the chase, it settled down a bit and we got a good look at the action. I honestly hope this “Bourne” style filming trend dies quickly or at least tames itself.
What I liked most was Bond’s portrayal as a crazed man so wrapped up in revenge. But they made him this way through his actions in the story, allowing Daniel Craig to retain a stylish Bond charm and demeanor. I thoroughly enjoy watching Craig as Bond and I hope he stays on for a while, since James Bond is forever.
Another point that I liked was, well, the title and how it was such a central theme throughout the movie. The characters really had very little [quantum] to hang on to [of solace]. I think the longest I sat without being thrust into a new bit of action was maybe ten minutes. My palms were sweaty when I left the theater. Seriously. This is by far the most action packed Bond movie to date.
All in all, Quantum of Solace is a solid action flick worthy of the Bond family name. Although it doesn’t quite live up to Casino Royale, I’m not sure there will be one for some time. I like the grittier and more realistic direction the franchise is moving in and hope they can fine tune a few points to turn out another great movie.
8 out of 10
M
Steve's Quantum of Solace Review
Where to start with Quantum of Solace; A pretty interesting flick to begin with, seeing as it’s the first actual James Bond sequel to directly continue a story where the previous left off. Solace picks up right where Casino Royale left off, so if you haven’t seen Casino Royale [I don’t know why you haven’t yet] you should definitely do that, or a lot of the back-story will leave you in the dust.
A lot of things were done right. The style of James Bond was really nailed; which was somewhat lacking in Royale. There are definite moments in the film where you find yourself asking, “Am I watching a 60s Bond movie?” The climax of the film especially feels classic Bond-esque [ala Goldfinger], which I’ll get to in a moment. The story’s decent; about what you’d expect from James Bond. The villain has a master plan for somewhat-world domination [or control of Bolivia, same thing] and Bond finds himself having to stop him. Once again, Bond goes through his adventure with limited gadgets and more realism. And it works a second time. Dominic Greene [portrayed by Mathieu Amalric] is a superb villain. He really rides the line of being a villainous, hateful rat, without going over the top. The rest, for the most part, seems average or a little above average of what you’d expect from an action flick. Oh, and Daniel Craig is a badass at getting people off a motorcycle.
For the cons, you have to start with the editing. When you weren’t asking yourself, “Am I watching a 60s Bond film,” you were asking yourself, “Am I watching a Bourne movie?” I know this editing is very in style right now, but sometimes it just doesn’t fit. It’s hard to decipher what’s going on in many of the action sequences because of the choppy editing. It also, in a way, kills the Bond style of the flick. The cold open, as well, is fairly weak. Just your standard car chase for the most part. M questions Bond’s actions throughout, like every other Bond flick. There’s a moment where she talks of limiting Bond’s actions and “shortening his leash.” It felt a little too reminiscent of the same plot point in Casino Royale
*SPOILERS*
A little anti-climactic. It’s not that hard to figure out the ending midway through the movie. However, the slightly ambiguous ending is done well. Bond handling Vespa’s death is dealt with, but not beaten to death. Agent Field’s death is a BRILLIANT homage to classic Bond. And might I add, does she look dead sexy covered in oil? Maybe I’m the only one… Greene’s death is also a very nice, off camera death.
To be honest, being a huge fanboy of both Star Trek and Watchmen, seeing their two new trailers was better than the film.
Quantum of Solace is no Casino Royale, but worth the time and money.
3 out of 4
A lot of things were done right. The style of James Bond was really nailed; which was somewhat lacking in Royale. There are definite moments in the film where you find yourself asking, “Am I watching a 60s Bond movie?” The climax of the film especially feels classic Bond-esque [ala Goldfinger], which I’ll get to in a moment. The story’s decent; about what you’d expect from James Bond. The villain has a master plan for somewhat-world domination [or control of Bolivia, same thing] and Bond finds himself having to stop him. Once again, Bond goes through his adventure with limited gadgets and more realism. And it works a second time. Dominic Greene [portrayed by Mathieu Amalric] is a superb villain. He really rides the line of being a villainous, hateful rat, without going over the top. The rest, for the most part, seems average or a little above average of what you’d expect from an action flick. Oh, and Daniel Craig is a badass at getting people off a motorcycle.
For the cons, you have to start with the editing. When you weren’t asking yourself, “Am I watching a 60s Bond film,” you were asking yourself, “Am I watching a Bourne movie?” I know this editing is very in style right now, but sometimes it just doesn’t fit. It’s hard to decipher what’s going on in many of the action sequences because of the choppy editing. It also, in a way, kills the Bond style of the flick. The cold open, as well, is fairly weak. Just your standard car chase for the most part. M questions Bond’s actions throughout, like every other Bond flick. There’s a moment where she talks of limiting Bond’s actions and “shortening his leash.” It felt a little too reminiscent of the same plot point in Casino Royale
*SPOILERS*
A little anti-climactic. It’s not that hard to figure out the ending midway through the movie. However, the slightly ambiguous ending is done well. Bond handling Vespa’s death is dealt with, but not beaten to death. Agent Field’s death is a BRILLIANT homage to classic Bond. And might I add, does she look dead sexy covered in oil? Maybe I’m the only one… Greene’s death is also a very nice, off camera death.
To be honest, being a huge fanboy of both Star Trek and Watchmen, seeing their two new trailers was better than the film.
Quantum of Solace is no Casino Royale, but worth the time and money.
3 out of 4
Friday, November 14, 2008
First Post
Greetings.
Since this is our inaugural post, we should probably explain what this is all about.
This is a sort of experiment we, Steve and Matt, have decided to co-author. We are here to provide you, the reader, with our reviews and opinions about pretty much anything past, present and future. With an added random factor on occasion.
We hope you enjoy our antics and analyses.
Steve and Matt
Since this is our inaugural post, we should probably explain what this is all about.
This is a sort of experiment we, Steve and Matt, have decided to co-author. We are here to provide you, the reader, with our reviews and opinions about pretty much anything past, present and future. With an added random factor on occasion.
We hope you enjoy our antics and analyses.
Steve and Matt
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