For the most part, I despise American remakes of foreign horror movies. They always dumb down the source material to make it PG-13 in an effort to sell more tickets and destroy the essence of the original. Let Me In is the very rare exception, and it came close to surpassing the original. The film was a near perfect adaptation. The two leads were both fantastic, the setting was very surreal and foreboding, and the music was top notch.
The basic plot for the movie is as follows. Owen (played by Kodi Smit-McPhee of The Road) is a 12 year old boy who is going through hard times. He is neglected by his mom and has bully problems at school. He soon meets a young girl named Abby, (played by Chloe Moretz Grace of Kick Ass fame) and the two form a relationship. The catch is that Abby is a vampire. My only real nitpick is the addition of religion to the plot. I felt like that took away from the story, because it focused less on a relationship between two different people and more on a “good and evil” tone.
The acting was great. Kodi and Chloe had great chemistry together and the both continue to show that they have some real acting talent. Chloe’s creepy yet romantically cute portrayal of a vampire played very well off of Kodi’s abused/borderline psychotic yet lonely and sympathetic young boy. They both perfected their given roles and gave the originals a run for their money. The only other “main” character in the film was Abby’s father/protector (played by Richard Jenkins). Elias Koteas (Casey Jones from the original Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles) has a “hey, it’s that guy” role as the police officer and he did a great job as well. The other bit of acting that needs mentioning are the bullies. Like the two leads, their personalities played well off of each other. I can’t spoil it but needless to say, they are some of the better “villains” in recent memory because you can sympathize with them.
One of the strongest points of the movie was the musical score. Michael Giacchino (Star Trek, Speed Racer, and many Pixar films) has crafted an amazing score. When the movie needs tension, Giacchino uses slowly paced hard drum hits and loud trumpet blasts. When the movie calls for a more creepy/romantic turn, he uses a slow piano and a slow paced violin. I’m normally not a huge fan of horror soundtracks, but this one that I will be purchasing.
This is a very easy movie to recommend. I know I say this a lot, but this is coming from someone who hates remakes.
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Sunday, October 10, 2010
Tuesday, October 5, 2010
Scott PIlgrim vs. the World
I’m not sure a simple review can show anyone just how amazingly epic Scott Pilgrim vs. the World is, but here goes nothing. It was a fantastic movie, and one of the most fun times I’ve had at the theaters in ages. Everything, down to the absurd plot, was flowing with artistic creativity. The only “negative” aspect of the film is that you really have to understand gaming culture. If you don’t, many of the film’s jokes won’t make any sense. For this reason, it’s a very hard movie to review.
The basic plot of the movie is this. Scott Pilgrim (Michael Cera) is madly in love with Ramona Flowers (Mary Elizabeth Edward) and wants to date her. Normally this would sound like a romantic comedy, but there’s one small catch. In order to win her heart, Scott must fight and defeat her seven evil exes.
It’s hard to touch on every single actor in the film individually, but they all did great jobs. I’ve never been a Michael Cera fan, but he did a fantastic job here as Scott Pilgrim. The standout would have to be Kieran Culkin as Scott’s gay roommate, Wallace. He stole the scene every time he was on screen.
It’s literally impossible to talk about this movie without mentioning the sound effects and visuals. The moment the Universal theme and logo appear in 8-bit, you know you’re in for a treat. The movie was filmed like it was a video game. During fight scenes, everyone would have health bars and they would flash red when “low” on health. The best effect, however, was “vs.” sliding onto the screen right before a fight would begin. When a character died, they would explode into coins and numbers would appear in their place, symbolizing points. The fights were also very stylized and fast paced, like a fighting game.
The music was also very stylized and “gamelike” in nature. Nigel Godrich has made the perfect score for this movie. He did a remix of the “Fairy Fountain” theme from Zelda for the dream sequences. The “boss battle” music is great as well. It uses a mix between 8-bit and 16-bit style music mixed with fast paced drum and violin scores.
All in all, this movie was amazing and it’s an easy recommendation. It's just pure, unadulterated fun.
The basic plot of the movie is this. Scott Pilgrim (Michael Cera) is madly in love with Ramona Flowers (Mary Elizabeth Edward) and wants to date her. Normally this would sound like a romantic comedy, but there’s one small catch. In order to win her heart, Scott must fight and defeat her seven evil exes.
It’s hard to touch on every single actor in the film individually, but they all did great jobs. I’ve never been a Michael Cera fan, but he did a fantastic job here as Scott Pilgrim. The standout would have to be Kieran Culkin as Scott’s gay roommate, Wallace. He stole the scene every time he was on screen.
It’s literally impossible to talk about this movie without mentioning the sound effects and visuals. The moment the Universal theme and logo appear in 8-bit, you know you’re in for a treat. The movie was filmed like it was a video game. During fight scenes, everyone would have health bars and they would flash red when “low” on health. The best effect, however, was “vs.” sliding onto the screen right before a fight would begin. When a character died, they would explode into coins and numbers would appear in their place, symbolizing points. The fights were also very stylized and fast paced, like a fighting game.
The music was also very stylized and “gamelike” in nature. Nigel Godrich has made the perfect score for this movie. He did a remix of the “Fairy Fountain” theme from Zelda for the dream sequences. The “boss battle” music is great as well. It uses a mix between 8-bit and 16-bit style music mixed with fast paced drum and violin scores.
All in all, this movie was amazing and it’s an easy recommendation. It's just pure, unadulterated fun.
Sunday, September 26, 2010
Reqiuem for a Dream.
Requiem for a Dream is a truly horrifying experience, yet it is one of my favorite movies of all time and is worth experiencing. It is a terrible movie about the effects of drug addiction and how it can ruin your life. So why do I love it so much? Because it’s beautifully shot, very well acted, has one of the greatest soundtracks of any movie ever made, and it is a great learning experience.
The movie follows four people; Ellen, her son Harry, his girlfriend Marion, and his best friend Tyrone. Ellen has an obsession with a particular tv program and dreams of being on tv herself one day. Harry and Tyrone are drug dealers who want a better life and Marion is young woman who wants to be a fashion designer. They get connections and soon are raking in the cash, so to speak. However, this wealth is short lived and soon everything goes to Hell.
The visuals in this movie are simply amazing. Whenever someone in the movie takes a shot of cocaine or snorts crack, the camera does a close-up of their eye and you see the effects of the drug. All of the environments are very realistic yet very surreal at the same time. When two characters are talking, the camera will “split” in two, and you’ll see both people.
The soundtrack is one of the movie’s strongest points. Just search “Requiem for a Dream” on youtube, and you’ll find the music is used in many different movie trailers, and has lots of remixes. It conveys fear, hopelessness, and the refusal to let go even when staring into nightmare. It does this without feeling overbearing on the movie.
The acting was top notch and also very surprising. I hate the Wayan brothers, but Marlon did a very good job. It makes me sad that he showed promise then went back to starring in his brother’s terrible comedies. Jared Leto played Harry very well. He was a loving son, but at the same found himself succumbing to the effects of drug use. Jennifer Connelly played Marion who was, in a way, the exact opposite of Harry. Ellen Burstyn is the standout though as Ellen, Harry’s mom. You can tell she’s scared for where her son is headed, but she never stops being his mom.
I cannot recommend this movie enough. It is very difficult to watch, but everyone owes it to themselves to see it at least once in their life.
The movie follows four people; Ellen, her son Harry, his girlfriend Marion, and his best friend Tyrone. Ellen has an obsession with a particular tv program and dreams of being on tv herself one day. Harry and Tyrone are drug dealers who want a better life and Marion is young woman who wants to be a fashion designer. They get connections and soon are raking in the cash, so to speak. However, this wealth is short lived and soon everything goes to Hell.
The visuals in this movie are simply amazing. Whenever someone in the movie takes a shot of cocaine or snorts crack, the camera does a close-up of their eye and you see the effects of the drug. All of the environments are very realistic yet very surreal at the same time. When two characters are talking, the camera will “split” in two, and you’ll see both people.
The soundtrack is one of the movie’s strongest points. Just search “Requiem for a Dream” on youtube, and you’ll find the music is used in many different movie trailers, and has lots of remixes. It conveys fear, hopelessness, and the refusal to let go even when staring into nightmare. It does this without feeling overbearing on the movie.
The acting was top notch and also very surprising. I hate the Wayan brothers, but Marlon did a very good job. It makes me sad that he showed promise then went back to starring in his brother’s terrible comedies. Jared Leto played Harry very well. He was a loving son, but at the same found himself succumbing to the effects of drug use. Jennifer Connelly played Marion who was, in a way, the exact opposite of Harry. Ellen Burstyn is the standout though as Ellen, Harry’s mom. You can tell she’s scared for where her son is headed, but she never stops being his mom.
I cannot recommend this movie enough. It is very difficult to watch, but everyone owes it to themselves to see it at least once in their life.
Saturday, June 5, 2010
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.
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.
Sunday, May 30, 2010
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.
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.
Sunday, May 9, 2010
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.
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.
Saturday, April 17, 2010
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.
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.
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