This is the first review of Classics month. In which I review a classic movie a week.
First I will say this.
I'm not typically a fan of Monty Python movies.
Whether it's because I don't understand most British humour or I try to follow a story that is so far in front of me that I miss it.
The first time I watched this film, I found myself dragged along on an adventure with King Arthur, king of the Britons and his quest to find the holy grail.
Let's get on with it, shall we?
Story/Dialogue: The story takes a back seat, in that King Arthur, king of the Britons, is out trying to find knights to join him at his round table. After he abruptly finds them all, he decides that Camelot...his home, is far too silly to reside in. So God comes forth and tells King Arthur, king of the Britons to locate the Holy Grail.
Also, someone has murdered a historian. Police are investigating.
The dialogue is witty and leaves you in a state of shaking shoulders and breathless laughter. It also makes it exceedingly difficult to write this bloody review! Furthermore, your have characters trying to sing and an argument over the savageness of a rabbit.
Cinematography: The film was shot in Scotland (An observation, not a judgement). The indoor scenes were well lit and pretty much everything was covered in straw. I found myself remarkably dumbfounded by seeing the inside of EVERY castle covered in straw.
With this said, visually, this movie is excellent. From the animations to the flying predator rabbit they are both cheesy and excellent for the setting.
Audio: There are a few musical numbers in this which were excellent to listen to. Overall the audio created a sense of epicness while also cutting off at points to snap you out of it and laugh.
Overall: My advice would be to watch this movie as though it were an hour and a half long Saturday Night Live skit. If you treat it as though it were something to get immersed in, you will be pulled out constantly when the characters start talking about the rights to power and consulting a manual on the holy hand grenade of Antioch.
I give this movie 4 and a half stars.
Thursday, 30 April 2015
Wednesday, 29 April 2015
(Movie) Havin' a ball! (But only 'til midnight)....a look at Cinderella.
Walking out of the cinema, I found myself a little disappointed....
BY THE LACK OF COLOUR IN THE OUTSIDE WORLD!!!! Holy crap was that movie was so colourful!!! It was like watching a mantis shrimp getting into a fistfight with a unicorn.
In any case, this movie is the live action retelling of a young girl who was abused by her stepmother and two sisters, only to end up at a ball and win the heart of a monarch.
I feel that this time, they did it so much better.
Story/Dialogue: Some of you may be asking if it stayed true to the original story. For the most part, I would say yes. However, they did include extra parts in it which only improve the original story. One example is when Ella and Kit meet early on in the movie. Adding this in made so much more sense and a whole lot less creepy later on in the movie. There are other little things, like Kit asking instead of ordering her to marry him.
But by far one of my favourite parts of this movie is Ella herself. She's a well rounded character who can be kind and still smack you down without seeming arrogant or obnoxious. Seeing her break, only to become stronger as a result and still maintain her kindness only made her more appealing.
With this said, the exposition at the beginning was rather slow to start. I found myself groaning at the narration and the, 'I must get everything out in a single breath so that you learn something,' lines.
That was one of my only beef with the movie, honestly.
The actors performed wonderfully. Cate Blanchett is fantastic at being anything she steps into. Hayley Atwell left too soon, in my opinion. Overall, the story, dialogue and characters were wonderful.
Cinematography: For this part, not only will I cover the lighting, framing and angles, but the CGI.
Visually, this movie was a sensory wet dream. The colours were rich, the lighting grand and the framing tight.
It had the grand scale of the Great Gatsby, but most, if not all of the characters were likeable in some way or another.
The symbolism of the natural robin's egg blue of Cinderella's dress versus the artificial colours of her step sisters was a nice touch.
Whatever team performed that epic transformation from pumpkin to carriage should be given all the awards. That scene could only be described as, 'Magical.' The animators of this film did an amazing job at transitioning each of the animals and the dress! Seeing that blew me away.
Audio: There's something about audio that makes visuals so much more intense.
Listening to upbeat music with bright colours around makes them seem brighter. Sinister or sad music makes the colours seem dull.
They interweave with each other and it's a delight when both audio and visual are in perfect harmony.
However, one thing that struck me odd is that the audio track sometimes didn't match up to the mouth movements.
This was my other beef.
Overall: This movie was an absolute delight to watch. Visual and audio candy. Aside from those two hiccups aforementioned, this movie was as pristine as the glass slipper fitted to Ella's foot.
5 stars.
BY THE LACK OF COLOUR IN THE OUTSIDE WORLD!!!! Holy crap was that movie was so colourful!!! It was like watching a mantis shrimp getting into a fistfight with a unicorn.
In any case, this movie is the live action retelling of a young girl who was abused by her stepmother and two sisters, only to end up at a ball and win the heart of a monarch.
I feel that this time, they did it so much better.
Story/Dialogue: Some of you may be asking if it stayed true to the original story. For the most part, I would say yes. However, they did include extra parts in it which only improve the original story. One example is when Ella and Kit meet early on in the movie. Adding this in made so much more sense and a whole lot less creepy later on in the movie. There are other little things, like Kit asking instead of ordering her to marry him.
But by far one of my favourite parts of this movie is Ella herself. She's a well rounded character who can be kind and still smack you down without seeming arrogant or obnoxious. Seeing her break, only to become stronger as a result and still maintain her kindness only made her more appealing.
With this said, the exposition at the beginning was rather slow to start. I found myself groaning at the narration and the, 'I must get everything out in a single breath so that you learn something,' lines.
That was one of my only beef with the movie, honestly.
The actors performed wonderfully. Cate Blanchett is fantastic at being anything she steps into. Hayley Atwell left too soon, in my opinion. Overall, the story, dialogue and characters were wonderful.
Cinematography: For this part, not only will I cover the lighting, framing and angles, but the CGI.
Visually, this movie was a sensory wet dream. The colours were rich, the lighting grand and the framing tight.
It had the grand scale of the Great Gatsby, but most, if not all of the characters were likeable in some way or another.
The symbolism of the natural robin's egg blue of Cinderella's dress versus the artificial colours of her step sisters was a nice touch.
Whatever team performed that epic transformation from pumpkin to carriage should be given all the awards. That scene could only be described as, 'Magical.' The animators of this film did an amazing job at transitioning each of the animals and the dress! Seeing that blew me away.
Audio: There's something about audio that makes visuals so much more intense.
Listening to upbeat music with bright colours around makes them seem brighter. Sinister or sad music makes the colours seem dull.
They interweave with each other and it's a delight when both audio and visual are in perfect harmony.
However, one thing that struck me odd is that the audio track sometimes didn't match up to the mouth movements.
This was my other beef.
Overall: This movie was an absolute delight to watch. Visual and audio candy. Aside from those two hiccups aforementioned, this movie was as pristine as the glass slipper fitted to Ella's foot.
5 stars.
Saturday, 25 April 2015
(Book) Growing Pains...A look at Chasing Shadows Everywhere
This book advertised itself as, 'Catcher in the Rye meets Fight Club.'
I'll be completely honest. I ate this book up.
As a young man, I identified with Holden Caulfield very much so. I had a hatred for things that were, 'phony' and I spent so much time trying to be real.
While I never identified with the characters of Fight Club, I understood how the status quo of society made the life seem pointless and repetitive and set up an expectation to exist rather than live.
In this mashup, we witness a young man named Jake trying to find his way in the world. He's a coward and a decent enough kid, but he wants to be more.
Enter his cousin Nick. To Jake, Nick is a guy who gets what he wants because he fights for it so savagely.
I found the stream of consciousness to be both informative and entertaining. Jake rarely makes light of the situations he ends up in, but his raw honesty is refreshing and makes it easy for you to identify with the character.
Observing Jake try to survive the status quo, the dreams he has and the anomalies that he faces can at times be jarring, but that's what makes the book so fascinating.
What I got from Chasing Shadows Everywhere is going out and getting what you want, instead of waiting around for future events to take place.
The book is worth reading and analysing. Finally, it is also worth rereading.
5 stars.
I'll be completely honest. I ate this book up.
As a young man, I identified with Holden Caulfield very much so. I had a hatred for things that were, 'phony' and I spent so much time trying to be real.
While I never identified with the characters of Fight Club, I understood how the status quo of society made the life seem pointless and repetitive and set up an expectation to exist rather than live.
In this mashup, we witness a young man named Jake trying to find his way in the world. He's a coward and a decent enough kid, but he wants to be more.
Enter his cousin Nick. To Jake, Nick is a guy who gets what he wants because he fights for it so savagely.
I found the stream of consciousness to be both informative and entertaining. Jake rarely makes light of the situations he ends up in, but his raw honesty is refreshing and makes it easy for you to identify with the character.
Observing Jake try to survive the status quo, the dreams he has and the anomalies that he faces can at times be jarring, but that's what makes the book so fascinating.
What I got from Chasing Shadows Everywhere is going out and getting what you want, instead of waiting around for future events to take place.
The book is worth reading and analysing. Finally, it is also worth rereading.
5 stars.
Wednesday, 22 April 2015
(Movie) Space NOPEra....a look at Jupiter Ascending.
In writing this review, I have been told by my brother that I have committed a sin by watching a post-Matrix Wachowski movie.
(Personally, I enjoyed Speed Racer. I think people were just mad because it wasn't like the Matrix.)
May this review absolve me of my sin.
*Equips Hammer of Smiting*
The story follows a young woman by the name of Jupiter Jones, who is apparently of royal lineage to a family who own a business empire that harvests humans for their DNA. This is so they can preserve their bodies and stay alive for enormous amounts of time.
Story/Dialogue: Aside from the overview above, the story itself is relatively easy to follow, even if you're not paying attention. With this, it's like an episode of Neighbours. For this segment I have two issues.
1. You have a well rounded female character who at times comes off as a Mary Sue and yet at others plays a damsel in distress. JUPITER JONES HAD SO MUCH POTENTIAL and yet you made her this inconsistent character who at one point has a photographic memory and then never uses it again. Then at other times she can fight her older brother/son (This will tie in to my second point,) while similarly hide behind her wolf/angel/inline skater bodyguard when things get crazy. I can understand being scared, but having a lump of broody muscle tell this strong female character to get behind him seems like a slap in the face, quite frankly. It makes it difficult to cheer on a character who is so inconsistent.
2. WHY THE FLYING FRACK DO YOU HAVE A CHARACTER TRYING TO MARRY HIS MOTHER/LITTLE SISTER!?
Look, when Boston Legal did it, that was for legal stuff and they were friends. This movie took that same concept and made it SO dang creepy. It doesn't even matter if it's reincarnation. Watching a wedding between siblings/mother & son is just...no. That's not okay.
Cinematography: This is where the movie shone. Visually it is beautiful and rather reminiscent of John Carter (On a visual basis). The CGI was exquisite and the places were wonderful to look at. With that said, I found myself disgruntled by watching Channing Tatum and Sean Bean flying around in discount Gundams. The lighting was excellent and some of the shots in this movie were beautiful.
Audio: While the music didn't stand out in a big way, the choirs during the 'epic battles' added tension to the fight. They made the fights bearable to watch. I think I just enjoy choirs for final fights. I know I'd have a choir in my final fight sequences.
Overall: In reviewing this movie I found a world that had been beautifully crafted, but didn't allow outsiders into it. What I mean is that anything that is going on for the short time that Jupiter goes anywhere off world is rather glazed over. This movie suffers from what I'm now calling, 'Maze Runner Syndrome.' (In that they have an exclusive club of terminology and unless you endure the long expositional initiation, you are forever on the outside.)
My belief is that the Wachowskis have an issue with trilogies. They give us all this information in hope that they can provide better sequels, but since people struggle with anything that isn't the Matrix, they won't get the fanbase needed to have a sequel greenlit.
Furthermore, creating non-existent chemistry between two characters is a horse that has long been beat. Hollywood is literally beating bones, now.
With this in mind, I give this movie 2 stars.
(Personally, I enjoyed Speed Racer. I think people were just mad because it wasn't like the Matrix.)
May this review absolve me of my sin.
*Equips Hammer of Smiting*
The story follows a young woman by the name of Jupiter Jones, who is apparently of royal lineage to a family who own a business empire that harvests humans for their DNA. This is so they can preserve their bodies and stay alive for enormous amounts of time.
Story/Dialogue: Aside from the overview above, the story itself is relatively easy to follow, even if you're not paying attention. With this, it's like an episode of Neighbours. For this segment I have two issues.
1. You have a well rounded female character who at times comes off as a Mary Sue and yet at others plays a damsel in distress. JUPITER JONES HAD SO MUCH POTENTIAL and yet you made her this inconsistent character who at one point has a photographic memory and then never uses it again. Then at other times she can fight her older brother/son (This will tie in to my second point,) while similarly hide behind her wolf/angel/inline skater bodyguard when things get crazy. I can understand being scared, but having a lump of broody muscle tell this strong female character to get behind him seems like a slap in the face, quite frankly. It makes it difficult to cheer on a character who is so inconsistent.
2. WHY THE FLYING FRACK DO YOU HAVE A CHARACTER TRYING TO MARRY HIS MOTHER/LITTLE SISTER!?
Look, when Boston Legal did it, that was for legal stuff and they were friends. This movie took that same concept and made it SO dang creepy. It doesn't even matter if it's reincarnation. Watching a wedding between siblings/mother & son is just...no. That's not okay.
Cinematography: This is where the movie shone. Visually it is beautiful and rather reminiscent of John Carter (On a visual basis). The CGI was exquisite and the places were wonderful to look at. With that said, I found myself disgruntled by watching Channing Tatum and Sean Bean flying around in discount Gundams. The lighting was excellent and some of the shots in this movie were beautiful.
Audio: While the music didn't stand out in a big way, the choirs during the 'epic battles' added tension to the fight. They made the fights bearable to watch. I think I just enjoy choirs for final fights. I know I'd have a choir in my final fight sequences.
Overall: In reviewing this movie I found a world that had been beautifully crafted, but didn't allow outsiders into it. What I mean is that anything that is going on for the short time that Jupiter goes anywhere off world is rather glazed over. This movie suffers from what I'm now calling, 'Maze Runner Syndrome.' (In that they have an exclusive club of terminology and unless you endure the long expositional initiation, you are forever on the outside.)
My belief is that the Wachowskis have an issue with trilogies. They give us all this information in hope that they can provide better sequels, but since people struggle with anything that isn't the Matrix, they won't get the fanbase needed to have a sequel greenlit.
Furthermore, creating non-existent chemistry between two characters is a horse that has long been beat. Hollywood is literally beating bones, now.
With this in mind, I give this movie 2 stars.
Saturday, 18 April 2015
(Book) Werewolves, Witches and Ogres, Oh My!! A look at Junior Inquisitor
Firstly, I must apologise to the author as this review is a couple of weeks in the making.
Now, with this in mind...
Junior Inquisitor follows the story of Brother Sebastian, who is chasing down his missing Catholic brethren in Providence, Rhode Island.
I forgot to mention that Brother Sebastian is an Inquisitor; a holy man who fights all manner of things that go bump in the night.
Now, as this was a new author for me to read, I was a tad slow to start with the exposition that I had to read through. You learn about Sebastian and why he's an Inquisitor in the first place, etc.
What I did not expect was the stakes to be raised so high, so quickly.
One minute I'm watching Sebastian talk to a priest, the next we're in a firefight with a Voodoo woman who leaves her psycho dollies around to taunt people with their malicious madness.
The stakes only becomes greater from there!
Lincoln S. Farish has crafted a tale that shoves you face first down a rabbit hole, only to find that halfway down the tunnel is now caving in.
One of my favourite parts are the conversations between Father Arnold and Sebastian. It allows for the reader to see who Sebastian is, as opposed to simply what he tells us.
The story is intense, brutal and the extended cast of characters are not only likeable, but they enhance the presence of Brother Sebastian. The creatures are well thought out and sparse enough that it implies a rise to power in later books.
This book is well researched and its pacing is that of vengeful demon on the heels of the wicked.
On the surface, this may look similar to the Dresden Files, a dash of Hellsing and a sprinkle of Supernatural for good measure. But it is so much more than that.
A fantastic book and I'm very much looking forward to the next instalment.
5 Stars.
The book is available for download at Google Play and its Apple equivalent. Worth the purchase.
Now, with this in mind...
Junior Inquisitor follows the story of Brother Sebastian, who is chasing down his missing Catholic brethren in Providence, Rhode Island.
I forgot to mention that Brother Sebastian is an Inquisitor; a holy man who fights all manner of things that go bump in the night.
Now, as this was a new author for me to read, I was a tad slow to start with the exposition that I had to read through. You learn about Sebastian and why he's an Inquisitor in the first place, etc.
What I did not expect was the stakes to be raised so high, so quickly.
One minute I'm watching Sebastian talk to a priest, the next we're in a firefight with a Voodoo woman who leaves her psycho dollies around to taunt people with their malicious madness.
The stakes only becomes greater from there!
Lincoln S. Farish has crafted a tale that shoves you face first down a rabbit hole, only to find that halfway down the tunnel is now caving in.
One of my favourite parts are the conversations between Father Arnold and Sebastian. It allows for the reader to see who Sebastian is, as opposed to simply what he tells us.
The story is intense, brutal and the extended cast of characters are not only likeable, but they enhance the presence of Brother Sebastian. The creatures are well thought out and sparse enough that it implies a rise to power in later books.
This book is well researched and its pacing is that of vengeful demon on the heels of the wicked.
On the surface, this may look similar to the Dresden Files, a dash of Hellsing and a sprinkle of Supernatural for good measure. But it is so much more than that.
A fantastic book and I'm very much looking forward to the next instalment.
5 Stars.
The book is available for download at Google Play and its Apple equivalent. Worth the purchase.
Saturday, 28 March 2015
(Movie) Waking the Demon...A look at Horns.
Based on the trailer for this movie, I actually thought they were going to turn Daniel Radcliffe into a Satyr. While that would have been hilarious and would have lead to some baaaad puns (You knew I was going to do it!) It was not to be.
Iggy Parish embraces his inner demon in order to find out who killed his fiancee.
Story/Dialogue: For story, I found myself throughly confused as I watched Iggy go from place to place. It was only after the anti-thesis came into play (Just after the 30 minute mark,) that I really begin to understand what was going on. It was also around the time that the hook came into play.
The dialogue felt angsty and probably could have worked better if less profanity was used. Though, there were some aspects that I found suited the use of profanity. In that aspect, the dialogue was redeemable.
Cinematography: Firstly, can I just say that I love the north west part of America for filming. Lush green forests that make other colours (Red especially,) stand out so much more. Most of the shots didn't stand out too much. Though I have to say, that the SFX were excellent.
Audio: This is the part I was looking forward to talking about! The use of library content was excellent. This includes tracks like 'Personal Jesus' by Depeche Mode and 'If I Had A Heart' by Fever Ray (Which is also the intro track to Vikings for the History Channel.) With those out of the way, I think the film's score could have stood out a tad more. It featured a lot of old school rock and grunge references that it could have gone down that road and was a waste of an excellent opportunity to improve the overall quality of this movie.
Overall: I have some mixed feelings regarding this movie. Honestly, I think I may have walked out in the first 15 minutes of the first screening. But since I'm watching it at home, I'm kind of glad I stuck it out and watched it to the end. It didn't turn out to be as bad as I initially thought. It could have been a lot worse.
3 and a half stars.
Tuesday, 24 March 2015
(Movie) Meet Robothug....a look at CHAPPiE
What do you get when you have a robotic child raised by Die Antwoord?
You get CHAPPiE.
Set in Johannesburg, South Africa, a group of crooks forces a robot designer to give them control of a security robot. The robot he gives them is the first of its kind. It possesses artificial intelligence.
Story/Dialogue: This concept really intrigues me. To set said concept in a third world country intrigues me moreso. Watching CHAPPiE grow in the harshest of places and still being able to root for him makes for good character development. His "parents" are zany and colourful and bizarre, as though they stepped out of a painting from someone tripping acid. Even though a lot of the other actors didn't have a lot of screen time, they played their parts well. I enjoyed seeing Hugh Jackman as a bad guy who believed he was doing the right thing.
As for the dialogue...while nothing stood out to me, I think that it benefitted the movie more. It showed its capability through action, rather than dialogue.
Cinematography: One of my favourite things I enjoyed about this film is the contrast between the suburban side of Johannesburg and its darker, yet more colourful underbelly. The DoP also seemed to draw on a lot of Michael Bay's design choices (Such as they are,) with its orange and blue colour schemes around the robot design centre.
Audio: Composed by Hans Zimmer. While I loved his industrial and electronic score, a lot of the music seemed to be a big Die Antwoord plug. Another issue I had was the clashing of dialogue and music. Intense though the music was, when it conflicts with the dialogue, it disturbs the suspension of disbelief.
Overall: SONY do love their product placement and are thoroughly unsubtle about it and the crooks overarching enemy's speech apparently requires subtitles. Even so, the movie was enjoyable and easy to follow. CHAPPiE himself is a likeable character in his curiosity and earnestness and Sharto Copley voiced him perfectly.
4 stars.
You get CHAPPiE.
Set in Johannesburg, South Africa, a group of crooks forces a robot designer to give them control of a security robot. The robot he gives them is the first of its kind. It possesses artificial intelligence.
Story/Dialogue: This concept really intrigues me. To set said concept in a third world country intrigues me moreso. Watching CHAPPiE grow in the harshest of places and still being able to root for him makes for good character development. His "parents" are zany and colourful and bizarre, as though they stepped out of a painting from someone tripping acid. Even though a lot of the other actors didn't have a lot of screen time, they played their parts well. I enjoyed seeing Hugh Jackman as a bad guy who believed he was doing the right thing.
As for the dialogue...while nothing stood out to me, I think that it benefitted the movie more. It showed its capability through action, rather than dialogue.
Cinematography: One of my favourite things I enjoyed about this film is the contrast between the suburban side of Johannesburg and its darker, yet more colourful underbelly. The DoP also seemed to draw on a lot of Michael Bay's design choices (Such as they are,) with its orange and blue colour schemes around the robot design centre.
Audio: Composed by Hans Zimmer. While I loved his industrial and electronic score, a lot of the music seemed to be a big Die Antwoord plug. Another issue I had was the clashing of dialogue and music. Intense though the music was, when it conflicts with the dialogue, it disturbs the suspension of disbelief.
Overall: SONY do love their product placement and are thoroughly unsubtle about it and the crooks overarching enemy's speech apparently requires subtitles. Even so, the movie was enjoyable and easy to follow. CHAPPiE himself is a likeable character in his curiosity and earnestness and Sharto Copley voiced him perfectly.
4 stars.
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