Hero Inc.

The Trekkies are back and better than ever.

J. J. Abrams prequel is a hit in my eyes. This movie starts us at the very beginning of James T. Kirk’s birth and moves forward from there. We see him join the Star Fleet Academy and slowly are introduced to the rest of the U.S.S. Enterprises’ future crew. From Spock to Sulu to McCoy to Checkov, all characters are perfectly cast and you get a good feeling of the original actors that made these characters famous.

The story is your typical time space dealings of old returns to young to right some wrongs. Sure it’s a cliche in itself but you don’t care. You are interested in seeing the characters grow in order to win whatever conflict is ahead of them. It’s also nice to watch some space action along the way. Star Trek, unlike the new Star Wars movies, doesn’t look cheesy or fake (for as real as computer graphics can become).

For those worried that you need to have seen prior Star Trek movies or tv series, no more need to worry. I believe the movie gives those of us with prior knowledge the small tidbits we need to enjoy it further but not enough of them that those who are clueless of what has come before will not enjoy the movie. One of the guys in my group had never seen any of the movies and he enjoyed it just as much as I did.

[Rating: 4.5/5]

My original expectation of this movie was that it would be bad. Possibly even worse than X-Men: The Last Stand. I sure hate it when I’m right.

Since this review will mostly consist of the negatives, I’ll start with some positives. Ryan Reynolds was perfectly cast as Deadpool (Wade Wilson) and Liev Schreiber was a great Sabretooth. Visually, I was not pleased with The Blob at the beginning of the film, but his second main appearance in the movie definitely turned things around. The movie also does a good job of leading into the other spinoff movies Fox is hoping to produce (X-Men: First Class and Deadpool).

Now that the positives are out of the way, you can hear why this movie was so bad. Early rumblings from those that watched the early pirated copy stated that the biggest issue was the special effects. Well, they didn’t seem to update them much. One particular scene with Wolverine’s claws (the bathroom) looked laughable. Almost as if some teenager was doing the animation for them using Flash. I would have rather seen Hugh Jackman holding kitchen knives between his fingers.

Everyone was waiting for Gambit in an X-Men movie and they finally got it with Origins.  The response previously for not having him appear was because his character was too close to Wolverine (loner that isn’t a team player) and would be difficult to differentiate on screen. Looks like someone got that one right because his inclusion was lackluster and laughable.  Not sure what it was, but his powers seemed less impressive on screen.  Maybe the first X-Men movies tried to select mutants whose powers would look “real” on screen.

Overall, the movie was boring, long, slow, and limiting on the action.  It was a true origins story. For those that do go to see this movie, I wouldn’t wait around after the credits. The extra clip my movie had was not worth it and I have heard the same for the other alternative endings as well.  Here’s hoping Star Trek makes me forget this entire mess.

And I seriously feel bad for the movie reviewer who decided to download this movie early and provide a review. He was promptly fired and now gets to tell his family he lost his job over a terrible movie.

[Rating: .5/5]

Here’s the next set of reviews from my Netflix queue.

King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters Who would have thought a movie about Donkey Kong could be so entertaining? “People work because they can’t play video games.” [Rating: 4.5/5]	This Film Is Not Yet Rated This film is rated A for Awesome. I’m glad I now know that the ratings system means absolutely nothing. Thanks Hollywood. [Rating: 4.5/5]
Punisher: War Zone This is the best Punisher movie yet…wait, that’s not really saying much. At least we actually got the violence part this time. [Rating: 2/5]	Choke For those not fans or familiar with Palahniuk’s style or humor might have a difficult time swallowing this film. The book is better, but the movie stays as close to the pages as possible. [Rating: 3.5/5]
F**k: A Documentary It started out strong and was interesting at times but I did find that the movie lost itself at as time passed. [Rating: 3/5]	Get Carter Your typical 70’s movie (sex, violence, etc.) but Michael Caine is always fun to watch. [Rating: 3.5/5]

For those noticing a pattern, I am trying to switch between regular films and documentaries when I can.

Yes you are reading this correctly. I went to see Dragonball Evolution and I’m actually stating it publicly. Have you ever known that a movie would be terrible but knew if you got the right group of friends together that it could be decent? Well it worked for Snakes On A Plane so maybe it could work as well. Only problem is that most of the original viewing crew backed out at the last minute. Booooo on them.

Also for the record, I’d like to state that I am not fully knowledgeable of all things Dragonball.  I only  watched Dragonball Z when it was being shown on Cartoon Network and that is apparently a different era of time.  Go figure.

As for the movie, I must state that it was much  better than I had anticipated.  That could be due to the fact that I lowered the bar so low for this movie but it’s always nice when things end up surprising you.

There was limited action for a movie based on an action packed anime cartoon but there was enough (for those that arrive on time. 😉 )  The characters were campy and believable at the same time.  I mean, how realistic can you be with a big green alien fighting a young white kid that should have been played by an asian. Master Roshi (Chow Yun-Fat) was probably the best cast character but everyone else  worked well too.  I wasn’t truly happy with the white kid instead of an asian for Goku (Justin Chatwin), but I was able to get over that issue quicker than I thought.  Just think of a younger Keanu Reeves and you’ll be able to picture the look and dialogue for Goku.

Nice to see Jamie Chung of Real World fame getting the part of Chi Chi.  Ummm….I’ve probably already said too much.

Overall, it wasn’t worth the high price to see it on the big screen, but I’m at least up for renting any sequels they make. The rating below is a strong 3 out of 5.

[Rating: 3/5]

Here’s the next set of reviews from my Netflix queue.

Wal-Mart: The High Cost Of Low Price Yeah, this movie pretty much killed any chance that I will go back to Wal-Mart. Shame on the Waltons. Shame. [Rating: 4/5]	Little Britain – Season 1 Disc 1 Not as good as the episode I saw on HBO while I was on the road but it was your typical British comedy. [Rating: 3/5]
Appaloosa Best Western I’ve seen since 3:10 To Yuma. Of course, it is the only Western I’ve seen since then. Ended well though. [Rating: 2.5/5]	A Streetcar Named Desire “Can’t you hear me yella. You’re putting me through hella. Stella. Stella!” Damn you Simpsons. Ruined my ability to…to… [Rating: 3.5/5]
Heat I felt like I was watching TDK’s bank heist but a long drawn out version of it. And was I the only person not to be in this movie? [Rating: 4/5]	How to Lose Friends & Alienate People Simon Pegg is great even in not so great movies. “Orlando, you used to be English.” [Rating: 3/5]

The unfilmable graphic novel is finally filmed.

Watchmen was written by Alan Moore (V For Vendetta) and he hates you for going to see this movie.  Really, he does.  He’s a purist and believes that his creation should never be reproduced in a different medium other than it’s original.  The Watchmen was a story based on a set of characters DC had bought and had no real avenue to use them until Moore decided to use them for his ultimate tale.  According to the wiki, the Watchmen is “set in an alternate reality which closely mirrors the contemporary world of the 1980s. The primary point of divergence is the presence of superheroes. Their existence in this iteration of America is shown to have dramatically affected and altered the outcomes of real-world events such as the Vietnam War and the presidency of Richard Nixon. In keeping with the realism of the series, although the costumed crime fighters of Watchmen are commonly called “superheroes”, the only character who possesses obvious superhuman powers is Doctor Manhattan. The existence of Doctor Manhattan has given the U.S. a strategic advantage over the Soviet Union, which has increased tensions between the two nations. Additionally, superheroes have become unpopular among the public, which has led to the passage of legislation in 1977 to outlaw them. While many of the heroes retired, Doctor Manhattan and the Comedian operate as government-sanctioned agents, and Rorschach continues to operate outside the law.”

I was quite worried that this story truly was unfilmable, but it seems that Zack Snyder (300) did the best that he could and the story came together quite well.  Better than expected in some cases.  Both the Comedian and Rorschach were brilliantly cast and I could not ask for better characters.  It almost feels that they were truly lifted off the pages of the graphic novel.

Now the downfall of making this movie great occur in 2 areas for me.  The first is a combination of gratuitous violence and sex.  I don’t normally mind both of these items in a film as long as they are truly used to move a story forward.  On both accounts, I felt that neither helped the film.  It was just over the top and I didn’t need it.  The second area was the music.  A real soundtrack (actual songs) were used and at time it made the film feel campy and underrated the “seriousness” of certain scenes.  Simon & Garfunkel during the funeral as well as Cole’s Unforgettable worked well, but many of the songs later used (during Vietnam scene, horrible “Hallelujah” cover, and final few songs) made me lose interest in actually listening to what was going on.

Overall, as you can already tell, the movie was good, but not great.  This is another film that proves the book was better than the movie.  However, the changed ending from the film, does work better in some ways than the one in the graphic novel.

[Rating: 3/5]

I don’t really have enough for a complete post about anything important but over the past few weeks there have been several items that I’d like to spill my thoughts and ideas around. That’s right. This is one of those I don’t care enough to devote full time so you are getting my halfhearted approach.  Welcome to the hodgepodge.

• Alex Rodriguez is on steroids?  Really?  The savior of baseball?  The one that was to make all of the records right and legit.  Well, he is now just another cheater.  I wonder if he is actually upset at what he did or the fact that his name was released.  I mean, you can’t state that you never did steroids and then be exposed for telling a lie.  It just won’t work out well when you ask us to believe you when you state you are no longer taking them.  He’s a cheater to me and if I actually attended games I’d boo him.
• The World Baseball Classic is coming up and the world doesn’t care.  I’m starting to notice a trend with these world athletic events.  It seems that the athletes or owners are pushing to not let the players participate.  You don’t see this same concept with the World Cup.  The players will play regardless and the world wants them to play.  Is there a higher sense of honor in the world cup?  Why don’t the other sports show it?
• I’m a fan of Lost and 24, but Burn Notice is the show that really gets me excited each week.  When its Thursday, I have a smile on my face.  Not because it is almost the weekend.  It’s because that Michael, Sam, and Fie are about to kick butt.  Everyone I’ve suggested the show to has really enjoyed it.  It’s Spy + Equalizer + A-Team.
• I’ve said it once and I’ll say it again.  Heroes is not a good show.  Yes, I watch it, but it isn’t that great.  The stories are terrible and never really conclude.  The writing can’t develop characters and now there are too many.  The first season was good but only had 2 great episodes (“Company Man” and “Five Years Gone“).
• Free Agency starts tonight at 12:01AM for the NFL.  I don’t expect big things out of the Falcons, but I could see us going after lesser Free Agents.  Derrick Brooks’ name was thrown out today which I like in ways but you can’t pick up a huge rival such as this while you are dropping your loyal player (Keith Brooking).  Instead how about we get Jermaine Phillips?  I’m always a fan of more Georgia players on my dirty birds.
• I love it when the “good” NFL combine stories are released.  Especially the ones where a kicker beats the other players in the workouts.  A kicker who benches 225 lbs 25 times?  More than his USC LB teammate?
• I’ve recently purchase cymbals for Rock Band 2 and I must say that it dramatically increases the amount of fun one can have playing rock’s greatest tunes.  I’m barely moving into the area of “Hard”, but there are a few songs that I really feel like I’m a fake rocker.
• All this talk about a new stimulus plan reminds me of the following Ducktales Inflation lesson.  I’m just glad we are passing on debt further to our children.  That just means I don’t have to pay for this mess.
• Yes, the US and the world is in bad shape due to the economy.  We all know it.  All of our investments are dropping.  It’s terrible.  Let’s get over it and begin to move forward.  We can’t fix what most of us caused so we need to begin turning over a new leaf.  No more living outside of one’s means.  Change people.  Don’t wait for someone else to do it for you no matter what John Mayer tells you.
• Watchmen comes out next week and I’m looking forward to it.  Not because it is another heroes movie.  I’ve read this graphic novel and it blew my mind.  When I started it, I didn’t think much of it other than the writing was quite good.  It wasn’t until I reached the end that I truly realized how good it really was.  Take it how you want, but I will be upset if there is not fully frontal male nudity in this movie (it actually has a purpose here).  Wow, I can’t believe I just typed that.
• Reese’s Easter Egg time is upon us.  It is now time to begin hoarding for the winter.  If you go to a store and they are out, you know where to find me.

Liam “Qui-Gon Aslan Ra’s Jean Valjean” Neeson is one badass man that no one should ever mess with. Taken is the story of a couple of people who try to mess with his daughter.  This is also not a good idea.

When Neeson’s daughter heads on a trip to Paris, she is kidnapped in an attempt to traffic her into prostitution and drugs.  Thanks to Neeson’s background of being a Preventer (yes, it is a cheesey as it sounds because he “prevents” bad things from happening), Neeson has certain skills that will be useful on his quest of rescuing his daughter.  Now that I have thrown out almost all of the possible movie cliches, I can begin to state that this movie turned out to be pretty good.

Fast edits, Bourne-esque fights, and a dad seeking revenge were all that I needed for this movie.  Taken doesn’t try to be more than it needs to be and just lets the audience enjoy the action.  No matter how many open hand chops to an opponents throat I have seen, but it seems cool and painful every time.

And for those Losties out there, be ready to see Benjamin Linus die once Neeson realizes that Shannon was on that island.

[Rating: 3.5/5]

Several posts ago, I mentioned a movie that I was truly looking forward to seeing.  Today was that day and it lived up to everything I expected from it and more.

The Wrestler follows the end of the great career of Randy “The Ram” Robinson (Rourke).  Once at the top of his game in professional wrestler, he has now fallen to nothing more than a minor draw at small venue wrestling events.  The Ram is a man stuck in the glory days of the 80’s as the rest of the world continues to move forward.

Besides the appeal of my old love I had for professional wrestling, Darren Aronofsky (Pi, The Fountain, Requiem For A Dream) was the man behind this film.  However, you would have never known this from watching it.  There were no quick cuts/edits that are typical from his past work.  The only signature was the “unsteady” cam that was used to follow The Ram wherever he went.  The film seemed to be shot more as a “documentary” visually than as a movie telling the tell of a man.  You almost started to believe that Randy was real (although there are real men like Randy) and this was his life crumbling before your eyes.

All of the performances here will tug at your hearts, but Rourke just rips you apart.  When he cries it is real and you feel it.  You cheer when his body gives it his all in every match even though he should have stopped years ago.  You cheer when he somehow finds the ability to enjoy the simple moments in his regular job.  You cry when his daughter wants nothing to do with him and he is left with no one.  I’m hoping this really is the return of Rourke because he is true talent.

Most people will enjoy this movie, but those few of us who watched wrestling back when it was “real” love it.  This isn’t the glitz and glam.  This is the days where heels and faces could not be seen in public together.  The men in the ring really hated each other and would stop at nothing to win the match.  Each match is perfectly executed in the film.  Seeing a man destroy his body by his own choice (blading) or via his opponent, the audience feels the pain.  The scene after the hardcore match where the camera pans across Ram’s body is intense.  Every scar, bruise, cut, drop of blood is shown.  You start to wonder if he can actually feel anything other than pain at that moment.  Heck, I even noticed The Ram using an uncharacteristic move in his final match (vs Ernest The Cat, Thanks James for pointing it out) before it was pointed out on film  (That’s just sad).

[Rating: 4.5/5]

This movie review will be the exact opposite of the Curious Case of Benjamin Button in everyway:  short and crappy vs long and good.

When I say that Benjamin Button is long, I’m not sure if you truly understand what I mean.  It clocks in at 2 hours and 47 minutes.  To me, that was just way too long.  I would say that the time starts to wear on you about halfway through the movie.  It could be that you start to understand the life of this movie will match that of Benjamin Button (Brad Pitt) and at this point he is still fairly young. The movie is good, but I think the length is just too much for me to overcome to state it is more than just good.  I was reminded of Forrest Gump because of the way the movie moves across different life events that shape the story.

[Rating:3.5/5]