Splice

Splice was a great movie held back by an incredibly flawed and cliched ending. The acting was great, the creature effects were cool. and the music was eerily appropriate.

The basic plot is this; two dating scientists, Clive and Elsa (played by Adrien Brody and Sarah Polley respectively)create a male and female version of a new species in the hopes of discovering a universal protein to cure diseases. Due to this new species not being human, they worry about the protein being unusable in hospitals. They then set out, disobeying orders from their superiors, to create a human/animal hybrid. They create Dren, a creature who shows vast intelligence in many fields and ages rapidly. My main complaint with the movie is besides the three stars (Clive/Elsa/Dren) none of the other characters served any real purpose other than a body count for the cliche ending.

The big plus of the plot was the various ethical and religious morals playing off of each other. Does Dren have the same rights as a human? Should she be treated like a human? Is splicing DNA "playing God?" etc.

The acting was very good. The two leads had great chemistry and were likable, which already puts the movie above the majority of the horror movies to come out lately. They both had different ethical standards that played well off of each other. Dren, despite being the "monster" had a lot of personality, and you felt emotions for her. When she is first born, she is treated differently than when she starts developing human features. The other characters, as mentioned above, were very forgettable.

The visuals were pretty amazing. Although Dren starts out as CGI (I don't think you can make a blob with legs with an actor...) her humanoid forms are played by Abigail Chu, for the young Dren, and Delphine Chaneac,for the older Dren. They do use some CGI on her, but it doesn't look fake. She grows wings, has a tail, and only 4 fingers. My favorite part about the visuals was the lack of blood. There were one or two scenes that were extremely gory, but the film didn't rely heavily on them. It was bloody when it needed to be and not when it didn't.

The music was your typical horror fare, but it was enjoyable. It wasn't anything I would buy and listen to, but it worked well.

All in all, I can easily recommend this movie. It's a huge breath of fresh air in a genre full of slasher/gore movies.

Prince of Persia.

I'll go ahead and say it...PoP is not a bad movie at all. Was it some mind blowing masterpiece? No. But for being a cheesy action movie based on a cheesy action video game, it succeeds.

The story, like most video game movies, was pretty bad. It follows the story of Dastan, an adopted prince. During the movie's first big fight, he comes across a dagger that allowed him to turn back time. The catch? every time the dagger is used, the gods get pissed off and want to destroy the world. He then meets a princess who turns out to be the dagger's sacred guardian...and they set off to hide the dagger so it can't be used for evil.

The best part about this movie were the visuals and action. The effects used for when the dagger is used were great. It was this mixture of a sand storm like effect and dissolving skin. The action sequences were very acrobatic in nature, much like the game. It was all very well choreographed.

The acting, for the most part, was competent although nothing spectacular. Jake Gyllenhaal was pretty good. He had this roguish charm that I loved. The love interest, Gemma Arterton, of the film did as good a job as anyone could of. My big complaint was the utter lack of any chemistry between the two. Unfortunately, Ben Kingsley was awful as the villain. The fact that he was a villain was not hid very well. Evil grin, black clothing=not very subtle.

The music was pretty good. Harry Gregson Williams did a mix of desert music(Not sure what else to call it...) minor guitar riffs for the Hassansins, and fast paced violins.

I think I can safely recommend this movie to most people. It is the best video game adaptation out there, although the bar wasn't very high in the first place.

Iron Man 2

I went into this movie with average expectations. Not because I thought it would be a bad movie, but because I didn't think it could live up to the original. In the end, it didn't. It was still a great movie though, with some improvements. My main complaint of the movie was the plausibility of some of the events. There's genius inventor and then there's a fucking miracle worker. My other complaint is that it felt more like an Avengers prequel than it did an Iron Man sequel.

The story was the weakest part of the movie. It just didn't flow together very well like the original. Some of the scenes felt forced. Minus one scene, I never sensed an alcohol problem with Stark. I was hoping it would be explored more and they could do the story arc where War Machine takes over.

The acting was great for the most part. Robert Downey Jr. was born to play Tony Stark/Iron Man and continues to show this. The movie has a long list of supporting cast so I can't really go through them all, but the villains, Mickey Rourke and Sam Rockwell, were great. Gwyneth Paltrow was great, once again, as Pepper Pots. The director himself even has a bigger role than he did in the original. The other person worth mentioning is Scarlett Johansson as Black Widow. She was the perfect femme fatale .

The action has vastly improved since the original. There are more action sequences overall, and they were shot much better. The climatic battle was a little disappointing considering the huge buildup throughout the movie. The sequel also had a few aerial battles which were very impressive and well shot.

The music was very good this time around. I actually felt intimidated by the villains theme, thanks to some amazing guitar work by Tom Morello. It had a very heavy guitar riff to it along with some great choir work.

Overall it wasn't as good as Iron Man, but it was still a very fun movie and I highly recommend it. oh, and stay through the credits.

Kick Ass

Pardon the cliché but Kick Ass was kick ass. To my surprise it was actually a very well done movie. It’s hard to say exactly what genre this is because it blends parody and action drama so well. If Quentin Tarantino made a superhero movie, it would be Kick Ass.

In a nutshell, this movie follows a high school comic book nerd Dave Lizewski (played by Aaron Johnson) who one day decides to dress up like a superhero, donning the persona Kick Ass, and fight crime. He soon meets father and daughter crime duo Big Daddy (a surprisingly good Nicholas Cage) and Hit Girl (played by Chloe Moretz). They are soon joined by Red Mist (Christopher Mintz-Plasse). They join forces to stop the evil drug lord (played by Mark Strong).

The acting was top notch. I wasn’t expecting much from Nicholas Cage after his last few performances but he did a fantastic job. The easiest way to explain his performance is if William Shatner and Adam West had a baby. Aaron Johnson was also fantastic as the title character. At times he was comedic, but during certain parts he showed that he could be serious. Without spoiling his performance, Christopher Mintz-Plasse was great too. He showed that he could do a serious role when needed. The person who stole the show though was Chloe Moretz. She had so much charisma and youthful energy.

The story itself was actually pretty good. At times it was very comedic, but at the same time it had a deep passion to it. I was not expecting a movie like this to make me cry, but it did. There were some legitimately heartwarming moments. There are certain scenes that are downright hard to watch, because of the attachment you feel for the characters.

The humor was pretty good too. I despite sex humor for the most part, but it worked here. Mainly because this is a movie about high school kids. The other laughs mainly came from the over the top action scenes, mostly with Hit Girl. The action scenes were also well done. The charm came from how over the top each scene was. This film also had one of the greatest and most heart wrenching action sequence in years. The scene takes place in a warehouse and you see it unfold from two perspectives. The first comes from a character using night vision goggles, so you get a first person perspective, sort of like an FPS video game. The second perspective is a wide-shot of the area(a dark warehouse). The entire scene is shot with flashing strobes.

The music is very hard to rate, because, for the most part it borrowed from other movies/composers. They used much of John Murphy’s previous scores, and Murphy also contributed to the films original score. In particular, the scores from 28 Weeks Later and Sunshine were used. They were integrated into the movie extremely well. Other music includes the Banana Splits theme and Bad Reputation by Joan Jett. The main original score was perfect for the overall theme of the movie. It was very dramatic and heroic, and felt like the kind of theme a kid would dream of in a a daydream about being a hero.
I highly recommend this movie. It may be hard for some people to watch due to the violence and gore, but it truly is a great film.

How to Train your Dragon.

When I first saw the trailer for How to Train your Dragon I was skeptical. It looked liked your average kids film. Boy was I wrong. This movie was amazing. The voice acting was great, the music was great, and the story was surprisingly deep. Everyone, including adults, will find something they love about this film. The only drawback is that it can get a little intense and scary at points, so I would recommend not taking children under the age of 6-7.

The film follows a young Viking named Hiccup who, unlike the other Vikings, is scrawny and more brains than brawn. Due to this, he is never allowed to help fight the dragons whenever they attack. One day, he builds a contraption to shoot dragons out of the sky and as luck would have it, it works. After seeing the injured dragon that he took down, he has a change of heart and lets it free. Thus a new friendship begins. Not to spoil anything, but this is one of the few movies that has made me cry.

The voice work was phenomenal. Hiccup and his father (voiced by Jay Baruchel and Gerard Butler respectively) are both great. With Hiccup, you get the feeling that he’s an out of the ordinary and not respected young man who wants to make a name for himself. Although he has minimal lines, Butler shows he has a knack for a more serious role. America Ferrera plays the love interest Astrid. She is portrayed as a tough character who wants to be the best, and she does a really good job of it. The comic relief is done very well, and never overstays its welcome. Snotlout (Jonah Hill), Fishlegs (Christopher Mintz-Plasse/McLovin) and the fraternal twins Tuffnut and Ruffnut (TJ Miller and Kristen Wiig respectively). The humor is mostly physical, which works well in the Viking setting.

The cgi and camerawork were phenomenal, especially in 3D. I’m mostly against 3D in films, but the flying sequences (along with the accompanying music) were breathtaking. At one point, Toothless narrowly escapes a crash by pulling sharply up. When he pulls up, you can actually see the wind trailing behind his wings. The 3D was used to great effect and was not the gimmicky “throw stuff at the screen” type. It made you feel immersed in the universe. During one of the flying sequences, Toothless glides across the water and it “splashes” you. It's hard to explain, but it was a great immersive experience.

One of the movies strongest points was the music. John Powell has crafted an amazing score. The music that plays during the above mentioned flying sequences is some of the best I have heard in ages. It really makes you believe you’re flying too. I have had the main theme blasting on my computer for more than 2 hours. That alone should tell you how much I loved it.

There is really not much else I can say other than go see this movie. Make sure you see it in 3D. You will not be disappointed. It’s one of Dreamworks best movies in a long time.

The lack of updates lately.

One of the least fun things about being an independent critic is the fact that I have to pay for all the movies I see out of my own pocket. Shitty movies rank in a very close second. As of late, I haven't had the money necessary to see every new movie that's coming out. My next one SHOULD be How to Train your Dragon, and it should be posted on Sunday. Until then, continue to watch good movies. oh and continue to not support the ones that deserve a spot in the deepest reaches of Hell!

Alice in Wonderland; a huge visual treat, but lacking in the other departments.

I wanted to love this movie. It seemed like the perfect match for Tim Burton's visual and storytelling style. Unfortunately though, it lacks in everything but the visuals.

The story was good, back when it was American McGee's Alice. I would have loved to see Burton tackle that, but instead he pussified it to make a more family oriented film. In doing so, it lost much of the charm it originally had. Now that I have bitched about stealing the story, it would probably be wise to explain what it actually is. Alice is all grown up and is forced into an arranged marriage (her family died in a fire and she became suicidal in the game) but during the ceremony she runs away to follow the White Rabbit (played brilliantly by Michael Sheen). Soon after, she finds herself in a Wonderland taken over by the Red Queen (played by Helena Bonham Carter). The interesting thing about this movie is that it seemed to focus on he Mad Hatter (played by Johnny Depp). This is more than likely for marketing reasons. What better to sell a movie than to focus on the big name actors! This may come across as harsh, and I don't apologize for it. The story was fucking awful To end this, the pacing was just rushed. It barely had any development.

The actual acting was all over the place. Mia Wasikowska, who played Alice, was just bad. Helena Bonham Carter and Johnny Depp were good as usual, but they didn't do anything different form their usual Burton Characters. The big standout was Alan Rickman as the Blue Caterpillar. Christopher Lee was also good, and I won't spoil who he plays.

The music, for the most part, was competent. It was refreshing to see Danny Elfman do a good job after the horrid Wolfman soundtrack. It was creepy and foreboding, but also fast paced and heroic when it needed to be.

Now for the cream of the crop; the visuals. There were a few a black sheep, like the completely cg creatures. They just didn't mix with the live action actors, for the most part. My personal favorite was the Jabberwocky. It was very faithful to Lewis Carol's original concept art for it and my god it was awesome. Wonderland itself was well done. It really fit Burton's style for mindfuck moments. This is one of the few movies that I can recommend solely based on visuals.

There's really not much else I can say about this movie other than go see it if you're a fan of great visuals. If you're expecting an amazing story or acting, go see Shutter Island instead.