Geek Movie Previews

Oh, the internet, and all the forewarning you give us. Looks like the upcoming film season will be good to us geeks, so I thought I'd fill in some previews of what's coming up.

These are all based on video games or comic books and therefore could turn out absolutely terrible. But I dare to hope. Curse you, Chris Nolan and what you've done to us.

First, there is Prince of Persia. Apparently, it has come to a surprise to a lot of people that they've already cast and shot a lot of this. I saw production pictures awhile back and just assumed so had everyone else.

Why this can rock: The director has done a few Young Indiana Jones movie, which may bring some experience, since those don't actually suck. Plus he directed Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, so he knows what it's like to do licensed movies. With actors like Sir Ben Kingsley and Alfred Molina, there's some obvious cred going on...

Why it can suck:...however, I'd like to remind everyone that Ben Kingsley was in BloodRayne and Alfred Molina...okay, fine, I won't make a jibe about Spiderman 2. He's still cool.

What may totally ruin an otherwise perfectly good movie: Well, first, if you're going to do a Prince of Persia movie, your special effects had better rock. Nothing ruins ancient-time flicks like stupid sand effects. It's pretty much the difference between awesomeness of The Mummy and the suckiness of...all the not-the-first-movie Mummies.

And then, of course, there is the Prince himself. Many people are skeptical of Jake Gyllenhal as the main character, mostly because he is associated with 1) dating Kirsten Dunst (ew) and 2) pretending to get it on with Heath Ledger (slightly less ew, ironically). However, anyone who has seen Donnie Darko knows that his weakness won't be his acting. It will be managing to not overact, yet maintaining a level of I-don't-take-myself-so-seriously-everyone-is-groaning-in-the-aisles. And of course, there are the physical ramifications.

Now, I was already really impressed with how much work Tobey Mcguire put in to get the role of Spiderman. He really really wanted it and he worked hard to get it. That doesn't mean he did a really good job, but I actually blame the director more than anything else (even though he's already pre-redeemed since he gave us Bruce Cambell). My point is that, I am aware that just putting in effort to reach the physicality of the character isn't enough to make that character likable. However, it does look like at least a modicum of effort is being made.



This film is in Post-Production and will come out next year.

Then there is Mr.Reynolds, who never ceases to amaze. In the near future, he will join the ranks of Halle Berry and James Marsden as individuals who have played both DC and Marvel characters. The difference is HE WON'T SUCK.

If you saw the Wolverine movie, you know that Ryan Reynolds did NOT get enough facetime but when he was onscreen, he was ON. Actually did a lot to make the movie not-suck-as-much (okay, I still liked it). So knowing he gets his own movie is pretty tight for me.

Why it could rock: Deadpool. Motherfscking Deadpool. OP'd, wise-cracking, don't-mess-with-me BAMF. With the right script, this could really be awesome. We already know Reynolds can wisecrack, that more or less is his entire career. And we know he can do the physical between Blade Trinity and Wolverine, so he's got the spectrum down.

Why it could suck: They don't have a director yet, and that sort of thing can really make or break a film. The greatest acting in the world can't help if you have no clear direction (anyone who has ever been in any small town play ever can attest to this). So fingers crossed.

What could ruin an otherwise perfectly good movie: Making Deadpool so OP'd that he's not interesting to watch because there's no challenge. He was pretty fricken' uber at the end of Wolverine and as cool as that was, it would be hard to maintain for an entire two hour film.

This movie is still in 'Announced' phase, and is set to come out in 2011.

MEANWHILE...

Green Freaking Lantern. Played by, /fanfare/ Ryan Reynolds! Thus, he jumps from two Marvel Characters (Hannibal King of Blade Trinity counts as Marvel obviously) to DC as Hal Jordan.

Why this could rock: Again, wise-cracking superhero of uberness? Sign this Canadian up.
Also, the director has some action movie cred under him: Goldeneye, Casino Royale, Mask (and Legend) of Zorro to name just a few of the more recent ones. And hey...could be worse. Could be Boll.

Why it could suck: Not enough cheese, too much cheese, not enough story, not enough action...there are a lot of ways these types can go wrong. Also, considering that the direction something like Green Lantern takes could help point a finger on whether there's ever an ACTUAL JL movie. Considering how monumentally different Superman Returns and Batman Begins is in art style (not to mention, you know, timeline), it may be hard to reconcile the two. Green Lantern may be the happy medium to give hope it can be done.

What could ruin an otherwise perfectly good movie: Them failing so utterly to pick a direction that works with todays audience that a Justice League movie becomes totally impossible. Failsauce incarnate.

This movie is also set to come out in 2011, which would be pretty funny (remember when Cyclops was killed off so he could look MORE like a pansy compared to Superman?).

Jumping back to the Marvelverse, there is...

THOR!
Now to be honest, Thor has never been a fave of mine but the movie is shaping up awesomely.

Why it could rock: First, Kenneth Branaugh, the greatest Shakespearean actor EVER-of-all-time-hands-down is directing. He's directed quite a few films, including some of the best renditions of Shakespeare onscreen and he's very good with actors. This could really add a layer of sophistication that would keep this movie away from Hulk-like emptiness.
Second, the cast looks AWESOME so far. First you have the guy who played Kirk's dad in the new Star Trek as Thor. Little young from what I usually imagine but it could definitely work, since he's got that Norse thing going on. Then you have Jessica Biel (who's already rocked Marvel once, appearing alongside Ryan Reynolds in Blade Trinity), who has both grace, good acting and general badassery...who is rumored to be Sif, badass warrior goddess. I, personally think this would be great for Biel as an actual superhero. Adding to the potential love-triangle is Natalie Portman who is again sauntering into sci-fi genre, though I'm sure she's trying to block out all memories of Star Wars. This means, she too is bouncing to the other side of the street, having already done V for Vendetta, which technically counts as a DC comic. And finally, Brian Blessed is going to be Odin. Ironically, he was also in a Star Wars prequel, as Boss Nass, but you can totally imagine his voice booming out across Asgard. Also a Shakespearean actor, I'm not really surprised he was tapped for this.

Why it could suck: As the next movie working towards an Avengers film (technically the third, after Iron Man and the second Hulk movie), they have to tread a fairly fine line. Also, though the actor playing Loki certainly has the look, he hasn't been in too much, and a weak Loki could really kill the whole plot.

What could ruin an otherwise perfectly good movie: Bad lightning effects. I'm not even kidding, this movie better have an amazing budget. Though Mr.Branaugh has been IN movies with pretty hardcore SFX, he's never directed one to my knowledge, and we may end up with the Fantastic Four issues all over again. GD giant world-sucking cloud....

Again, 2011. That year is going to be wicked.

Stuff you probably already know about:
Iron Man 2 is getting along pretty well. There are pictures of Mickey Rourke as Whiplash, which was a surprising choice as a follow up villain. Here's hoping the maintain the level of awesome.
Castlevania, set to be directed by the AWESOME Paul Anderson was shut down because the writer was crap. So no whiplove for us. Same goes for Halo, though that isn't all that surprising. Peter Jackson may be cool, but he's also a prima donna and Microsft likes their level of control.
There IS going to be a new Tomb Raider movie, but whether Angelina returns or they get the girl who has been modeling/acting as Lara, or someone else entirely, has yet to be seen.

Please God, don't let it be Megan Fox. For anything. Ever. Especially not Wonder Woman.

Still, all in all, there have been more games licensed to be made into movies which is both awesome and sucky because it means that the movies being made aren't being pushed by individuals REALLY passionate about it, but by those who make them because they'll sell, guaranteeing mediocrity and all around crapulence for many. Still, the recognition of video games as a marketable artform is somewhat gratifying for those of us who have ALWAYS considered them such.

Now, just no Uwe, and we'll be okay.

I open the floor to all discussion.

Movie Review+Redux

Bestest thing about weekends?

Rock Band with all your friends
plus
Movies with someone you love watching movies with
plus
Boomer's Milkshakes
plus
Not reading that book for class even though you know you should
plus
Care package of food from grandparents so you don't starve to death during finals
plus
Sleeping FOREVER.

I won't go into RB details since most of you were there, but I thought I'd talk about some of the movies I watched, and include a bit of a re-review. A review squared? Whatev.

First there was Valkyrie. As most of you know (or don't), Mr.Cruise is not a fave of mine. I like, maybe...movies of his (let's see, Legend, Top Gun, A Few Good Men, oh and Last Samurai, so four) and was hoping for wowage this time around.
To be honest, wowage did not happen. Not that he didn't do a fine job but with the eyepatch, there needed to be more compensation in voice and facial expressions.

I suppose the best thing about this movie is how fast it is, at least from my perspective. It almost goes too fast, leaving not a lot of development. There was certainly a feeling that more could have been done, but at least it didn't drag.

EVERYONE was in this movie. I was constantly going 'Wait, that guy is in this too?'
It was somewhat gratifying to see Bill Nighy as someone who is NOT in control of the situation, he played off the nervousness quite well. Kenneth Branaugh was, as expected, quite good, I wish he'd been in more of the movie.

Though I'm sure some may find it difficult o accept this movie about Germans when there is only one German actor in the whole thing, I submit that they set up suspension of disbelief quite early and in what I felt was an extremely artistic way, so that it never really bothered me (and this is one of those things that usually aggravates me). The only real problem with this movie is many many times you felt that this scene was going to be one of those BIG DEALS, where Hitler was going to give this brilliant soliloquy or there was going to be an emotionally charged moment...and then that just didn't happen. So it wasn't so much that it was bad, it just felt like there was a lot of unfulfilled potential. /is trying hard not to make a Bryan Singer/X-Men joke

In conclusion: This movie is a good rental, definitely worth seeing once, though on one of those quiet days.

Immediately after, there was Frost/Nixon. Talk about flipping the coin, this movie was nothing BUT BIG DEAL moments, with a little bit of dragging. Nixon was brilliant, he stole every scene. The movie is a mix of documentary and classic cinema, which gives a definite story-focus. The downside was that in some ways, it felt very chopped together, it didn't have a nice smooth flow. The script was great, however, and there is a monologue by Nixon that will leave you going "...k..." with very wide eyes.
Michael Sheen as Frost probably did an accurate representation but between the two, it was obvious Nixon walked all over him, which unfortunately made Frost-in-the-movie seem like a weak acting job, when really that was how it actually went.

So if you're interested in history, journalism or politics, this is another good one-time rental. If not, you'll probably not get too much out of it.

And finally, another look at Star Trek. I'm really happy that from what I've seen, The Internet has reacted favorably. Even people who were not so into the canon change admitted that it was a good movie and they enjoyed it. I was a bit surprised it got bumped from number one at the box office so quickly, because there's so much rewatchability (speaking of which, still open to seeing it again :D). This time, I tried to focus on some technical aspects over content, which was my focus last time.

I was really blown away by the music. Besides having the greatest use of a Beastie Boys song ever, the whole soundtrack is just really solid, epic in some places, delicate in others. Any fan of John Williams will tell you that Sci-Fi movies offer the greatest opportunities for composers because you just don't have many other conduits to do really uplifting, big band, classic orchestra numbers.

Little tidbits, homages to other films (I promise there is a Star Wars reference in there) stuck out more as well, and I walked away more impressed with Spock, Bones and Uhura. Sadly, Kirk is still the weakest character for me, but he had to do a lot in not-a-lot-of-time, and I am more than willing to extend the benefit of the doubt to any subsequent sequels.

Like I said, some people didn't like the canon change, but there is one scene that to me acts like a giant disclaimer. They literally say: Our destiny has changed, things aren't going to be like they could have been (IE, the way the show was)and we don't know what will happen. Yes, as a long time fan, this can be really disconcerting but remember what it is that people REALLY like about the series: The characters. THOSE don't change. Yeah, Kirk and Spock didn't get along in this movie, but it made total sense in context and it was clear that the relationship would be built up. Other than that, and a few other dynamics being a little bit different, everything you liked about the old characters are here, just in a new situation.
To me, that is better than if they'd kept the STORY but changed the characters, and I think the fans would have responded way differently.
Now of course, the challenge is to maintain the inertia, bring us something else that's epic, while maintaining the intimate character dynamics, especially in our jaded consumer market.
I realized I had a problem with the trailer for Transformers 2, complete with Michael Bay explosions was shrug worthy. A few years ago, I would have been blown away, and now, it's passe'. So, Mr.Abrams...feel free to wow us some more.

Why I Am A Snob

We all have it. Something we are elitist about. And I am one of the worst kinds of hypocrites, because I actually despise elitism. But we all have something.

I have two things. Hot Topic wannabe vampires. Screw you all, I've been doing this since I was two, at least.

And poser nerds.

Now of course, one of the benefits of having a Star Trek reboot is it makes lots of new fans. I don't mind that, I don't consider myself better than them, though I've been watching for so long.

Wanting to get in Zack Quinto's pants does not make you a nerd.
Wanting to sleep with Spock makes you a nerd. A pathetic nerd, but a nerd nonetheless.

Discussing for ten minutes who was hot and who was not does not make you a nerd.
Discussing how it compared to the original makes you a nerd.

Anytime someone brings up a content focused issue, cutting them off with "I don't care, he's hot" does not make you a nerd.

I could go on. Please understand my rage. And forgive my snobbish elitism.

Nerd Weekend Rockout!

As I sit on my bed, munching away at what I think are meant to be Cookie Dough bites from the theater, I consider the two films I have seen in as many days.

Summer is certainly starting off well for the geek in all of us and I look forward to seeing if Terminator will complete the trifecta of fandom.

In the meantime, here are my thoughts on Star Trek and Wolverine. Please note that while I strive ever to be spoiler-free, there are some items which simply can't be avoided. I try to keep these to fairly well-known tidbits of information, but if you have not read or hear ANYTHING about either of these movies, if you have been locked in a cave and not even a rumor has made it to your ears...or if you just don't care to read reviews (I know most of the time I don't), then feel free to wait for our next Review-ridden segment.

I went into Star Trek with very high expectations and into Wolverine with very low expectations and both probably helped serve me.

First, to space...the final frontier...

The very first scene has some pretty mind blowing action, all the things we liked about the Star Wars prequels without any of the stuff we DIDN'T like about the Star Wars prequels (so basically, lasers, fighting, explosions, that fun stuff). The special effects were solid and I'm not even going to lie, guys, in the first ten minutes, I was holding back tears.

The premise of the movie through me off just a bit, because it greatly involves alternate realities, time-space paradoxes and the like and those just hurt me simple lady mind. In some ways, I felt like this was a cop out so they did not have to work within the constraints of the original universe but I realized by the end that there was SO much respect for the source material and that they were simply being ambitious and setting up for future movies. This is literally a reboot in the purest sense of the word.

Script, as you know, is extremely important to me, and this did not disappoint. While it wasn't shot full of punchy one-liners, there were a few memorable lines and the story never dragged.

Of course, what everyone is concerned about is: How was the acting? How do you recreate the magic that held so many enthralled, and obviously continues to do so after over forty years? I think the director and the producers had a good formula. The cast was a mix of veteran actors, not only of "respectable" (/snarl) films, but sci-fi goodness as well...along with some relative new comers. Because this was such an ensemble cast, it never felt like 'Oh he was just stuck in there because he's a known name', it was apparent that the casting was done based on ability, physical appearance and character dynamics (also known as chemistry).

Kirk, obviously, has to carry much of the movie, but like most animes, he was not my main focus, though he was certainly strong. My only qualm is not so much of a problem, simply a hope that in the following films he has matured a bit, at least to the point where he appears more compassionate to his crew. Star Trek wouldn't be the same if Kirk didn't seem to have the concern he had in the show, but as this was an origins story, and one where the rules were completely knocked "out of orbit" (ha...haha.../sigh), those relationships hadn't developed yet. My favorite thing about Kirk is how well he pulled the lovable manwhore off. He chased soooo much tail, but it was still kind of endearing, and almost always hilarious.

The relationship between Kirk and Bones was what I was most concerned about, as it was always one of my favorite dynamics in the show, and in this, I was blown out of the water. Their scenes were perfect, they played off and complimented each other well and had some of the best dialogue. Karl Urban has officially been forgiven for the vomit-inducing Pathfinder.

Spock is the other side of the equation, as he plays such a prominent role. I think that Zack Quintus (whose name I totally just butchered I think) did a remarkable job showing the conflict between the human and Vulcan halves, though I admit, it is easier to not sound like an automaton when you have Leonord Nimoy's resonating voice. Still, his was probably the most difficult role to pull off, and he did so admirably. His dynamic with Kirk was not the most ideal for me but again...this was because of the way the story was structured and it wasn't enough to ruin it for me.

Uhura was competent as well as witty and gave off that 'girl everybody likes' vibe, which was great because that was always one of her characteristics. She may or may not have been a bit OP'd at her job...>.>...but I certainly didn't mind.

I honestly think they went out and found the cutest kid they could to be Chekov. He had mile long eyelashes and his accent was giggle worthy. At first I thought maybe he would make the movie too silly, but it became apparent quickly that he was a necessary figure. He filled a much needed space as the innocent.

Finally, there was Scotty. And the problem with Scotty is...HE DOES NOT GET ENOUGH SCREENTIME. Seriously. However, when he's there, he delivers some great lines.

With all these characters, there was a bit of caricature involved. The impression I got was that as they got older, they mellowed a bit and what you saw as streaks in their characters from the show are demonstrated in full hormonal bloom in this movie. Kirk is MORE impetuous, Scotty is MORE of a joker, Bones is MORE of a paranoid "Dear God, man!" spouting ball of aggravated angst.

The villain was done, I thought, quite well by Eric Bana. He is not seen too much in the film, which gives the impression he is not well developed but I think that's not quite accurate. The underlying premise of his character is simple and doesn't require a lot of backstory or character build-up. What IS impressive is how sympathetic he is without you losing sight of the fact that HE IS THE BADGUY.

The Starfleet uniforms were more in keeping with Next Gen then the original series, which is good on lots of different levels.

The most important thing about this movie is FANSERVICE. There is a Red shirt. He is obviously a Red Shirt. You see it coming a mile away and it is quite rewarding. There are lots of moments of irony (Bones says the first time they meet Spock, "I don't know who he is, but I like him") and numerous connections made to the original films, especially 2 and 3. We see how Kirk beats the Kobayashi Maru dilemma, and the list goes on and on. The point is that if you've never seen any Star Trek, you're going to appreciate this movie as a solid film and if you HAVE, you're going to be blown away at how well they balanced new and old.

My only problem with this movie was that relationships between the crew as a whole and especially between certain key characters was not as developed as I'd like but that's what sequels are for. ^.^

The problem with Wolverine is that I saw it AFTER Star Trek, and now all summer movies are going to have to compete with that. We saw this last year (or was it the year before) where Iron Man was just dominating...until Dark Knight came out. Like those two films, these two have very different roles and push very different buttons.

When you go to see Wolverine (and I would encourage you to do so), remember that you're seeing a comic book movie and all that goes with it. Dark Knight does not count :P. Think about the classic Batman, Superman, heck, even Spiderman movies. Go in there, don't think, don't question the physics, just enjoy people doing crazy stunts and pulling off physically impossible feats because THEY CAN.

From what I'd read of the Wolverine Origins comic, the movie follows it pretty faithfully, though there are gaps in my knowledge that I'm sure Ardent Sluggard or Holden could fill in for me. The link between Wolverine and Sabretooth that is postulated is not one I'm familiar with but one I think all kids reading X-Men thought of at some point.

And no, "Wade" (Ryan Reynolds) was not totally nerfed. The first time you see him, the first scene he is in, he has nothing but hilarious lines. You don't see him again almost for the entire movie, so it wasn't like he was there but not doing anything. He just wasn't there. When he comes back and is "muzzled", it's okay because he's KICKING ASS. I was like 'Holy crap, he's OP'd'.
This movie was also fanservice, but mostly to the ladies. I think Hugh Jackman spends at least 47% of the film with his shirt off. There were a few funny lines and to be honest, the script was smarter than I thought it'd be.
There were also super cliche'd moments where you were going "What? really?" but I actually found these strangely comforting. It was nice to get back to basics. Special effects were fairly consistent, only a few where you were like 'that probably should have been thought out better'. Gambit was cool but his accent wasn't nearly thick enough. Like there was a lot of obvious potential, I don't think there was anything wrong with the casting, but he didn't say a single french word the whole time.

The fight scenes were good, which was important for a movie like this. I really liked the Deadpool fight scene, it was like watching the Duel of Fates in Episode I all over again. Although, saying that makes me think of music.

The music in Star Trek was definitely better, I mean one of the first songs they play is "Sabotage" by the Beastie Boys and it fits so well that you've barely started and already want to rock out in your seat. The rest of the music was quite moving, very epic, and fit quite well (those who had issues with the musical choices in Watchment, myself not being one of them, will not have that problem with this movie). Wolverine's music was just sort of...there. It wasn't bad, but none of it was particularly memorable.

I'm really looking forward to the Deadpool spin off, I think they've set down some great groundwork and have some good material to work off of.
Yes, Wolverine was cheesy, yes, there were stereotypical moments we'd all forgotten about in our bliss of originality (isn't it funny when comic book movies are the ones being original?), but it was FUN, and I'm glad I went.

So...I went in with high hopes to Star Trek and it exceeded them, which makes me happy inside and out. I went into Wolverine with low expectations and was quite pleasantly surprised. I hope this review will inspire you to go out and decide for yourselves. <.<...And...if anyone is thinking of seeing Star Trek anytime soon...>.>...can I come?

~CiS