I know I said I would write in here at least once a week, but I'm not doing a review today. I'm in the middle of three books, and once I'm finished with one of them, I'll write a review. If something comes along in the meantime, I'll totally update this thing. Chances are, the next review will be the comic book "Watchmen," since seeing the movie made me really curious about the original source material. So far, I'm liking it. Details, obviously, when I write the review.
Cheers!
Monday, March 16, 2009
Monday, March 9, 2009
Movie: Watchmen
I saw the movie Watchmen yesterday. I hadn't planned on seeing it at all, let alone on its opening weekend. I knew next to nothing about the story or the history of the project, except that it was originally a celebrated graphic novel (series of novels?) by Alan Moore. I knew the movie was directed by the guy who directed 300 (Zach Snyder), and I knew that the cast was mostly unknown or little-known actors.
The opportunity presented itself to see the movie, so I took it. It took me a while to form my opinion on what I had just seen. I wasn't sure coming out of it if I had even liked it at all. I wasn't blown away thinking "That was awesome!!!" upon leaving the theater. I think I may have been a bit shell-shocked. It was violent. And not just comic-book-movie-action-boom sort of violence, either. It was exaggerated violence, the worst of it shown in slow-motion. There was a lot of slow-motion. Maybe the movie wouldn't have been 3 hours long if it hadn't had so much slow-motion. I didn't like it, and I think that really clouded my opinion of the movie as a whole.
Violence aside, I think the story was fantastic. The Watchmen are heroes, but they aren't your typical caped crusaders. When the story begins, the group has disbanded. Some of them have revealed their secret identities. And one of them is murdered. You soon learn that these supposed heroes have changed the course of history serving the what they feel is the greater good. But at what cost? You begin to question whether or not they're really heroes. They want to save the world, but they're willing to do whatever it takes to get there. When the threat of nuclear war looms over the world, they find that they need to rely on the one of them with bona-fide super-powers to defend America from the Russians. That's Dr. Manhattan.
I'm not going to get into the plot now - I don't want to spoil anything. The characters are fascinating. I'm used to super heroes that can do no wrong, but these guys have questionable morals. They're not all likable, and that's part of what makes them so interesting. Rorschach is particularly interesting. He acts on his own moral compass, but it's not aligned with everyone else's - his political views are far skewed to one side, and while they may not be the same as mine (opposite, in fact), they do help to understand the character.
I also find Dr. Manhattan to be very interesting. Played by Billy Crudup, the character is almost child-like. He was once human, but due to some sort of accident, he's now practically a god. And he's blue. And naked, most of the time (yes, this movie does contain full-frontal male nudity). He can be many places at once, can be any size he wants, and seems to exist in a different plane than regular people. He doesn't really show emotions, but it's clear that he has them. Crudup pulls this off very well.
In conclusion, I liked the story, I liked the characters, but I didn't like the overdone violence. That part was just too much. But I also liked the music - they did a great job incorporating rock music from the 70s and 80s to really give you a feel for the setting, as the movie does take place in 1985. The special effects are good (if a bit exaggerated and difficult to watch in the violent parts), so I do think it's worth watching on the big screen. Just be prepared - it is 3 hours long.
The opportunity presented itself to see the movie, so I took it. It took me a while to form my opinion on what I had just seen. I wasn't sure coming out of it if I had even liked it at all. I wasn't blown away thinking "That was awesome!!!" upon leaving the theater. I think I may have been a bit shell-shocked. It was violent. And not just comic-book-movie-action-boom sort of violence, either. It was exaggerated violence, the worst of it shown in slow-motion. There was a lot of slow-motion. Maybe the movie wouldn't have been 3 hours long if it hadn't had so much slow-motion. I didn't like it, and I think that really clouded my opinion of the movie as a whole.
Violence aside, I think the story was fantastic. The Watchmen are heroes, but they aren't your typical caped crusaders. When the story begins, the group has disbanded. Some of them have revealed their secret identities. And one of them is murdered. You soon learn that these supposed heroes have changed the course of history serving the what they feel is the greater good. But at what cost? You begin to question whether or not they're really heroes. They want to save the world, but they're willing to do whatever it takes to get there. When the threat of nuclear war looms over the world, they find that they need to rely on the one of them with bona-fide super-powers to defend America from the Russians. That's Dr. Manhattan.
I'm not going to get into the plot now - I don't want to spoil anything. The characters are fascinating. I'm used to super heroes that can do no wrong, but these guys have questionable morals. They're not all likable, and that's part of what makes them so interesting. Rorschach is particularly interesting. He acts on his own moral compass, but it's not aligned with everyone else's - his political views are far skewed to one side, and while they may not be the same as mine (opposite, in fact), they do help to understand the character.
I also find Dr. Manhattan to be very interesting. Played by Billy Crudup, the character is almost child-like. He was once human, but due to some sort of accident, he's now practically a god. And he's blue. And naked, most of the time (yes, this movie does contain full-frontal male nudity). He can be many places at once, can be any size he wants, and seems to exist in a different plane than regular people. He doesn't really show emotions, but it's clear that he has them. Crudup pulls this off very well.
In conclusion, I liked the story, I liked the characters, but I didn't like the overdone violence. That part was just too much. But I also liked the music - they did a great job incorporating rock music from the 70s and 80s to really give you a feel for the setting, as the movie does take place in 1985. The special effects are good (if a bit exaggerated and difficult to watch in the violent parts), so I do think it's worth watching on the big screen. Just be prepared - it is 3 hours long.
Monday, March 2, 2009
A Short Update
When I started this blog, I didn't have regular internet access at home. I thought I'd be able to keep up with it, but as you can tell, it promptly fell off my radar and I've been neglecting it for months.
I hereby vow to update this blog on at least a weekly basis, possibly more often than that. I enjoy talking about what I like. I want to get back into doing that formally.
Thank you. :)
I hereby vow to update this blog on at least a weekly basis, possibly more often than that. I enjoy talking about what I like. I want to get back into doing that formally.
Thank you. :)
Tuesday, July 29, 2008
Movie: The Dark Knight
I am Batman. At least, that's the name my friend has for me in her cell phone. But I could never dream of achieving the awesomeness that is the Batman in The Dark Knight.
I've always felt that Batman was the best superhero because he doesn't actually have super powers - he wasn't bitten by a radioactive spider, he wasn't born a mutant, and he wasn't an alien. He's just a rich guy with lots of toys and wicked martial arts skills who's set on saving the world. I love that about Batman.
The Dark Knight shows Batman (Christian Bale, fast becoming my favorite Batman) coming to terms with being a hero and what that means in a city on its way to being ruled by criminals. And when the Joker shows up and says that Batman has to take off the mask and identify himself or people will die, it messes with him. This is a Bat with feelings. This is a Bat with a heart. This is a Bat who walks a fine line between the moral high and low ground. It's no wonder they call him "The Dark Knight." He's tormented between doing good for Gotham and good for Bruce Wayne - for they're not always one and the same.
Oh, and the Joker? Holy crap. Side story: it was a couple years ago when I heard they had cast Heath Ledger in the role of the Joker. I had been in love with Ledger since 10 Things I Hate About You, and I was well aware of his potential - I knew he'd win an Oscar someday. But the Joker? Really? Nobody could be the Joker but Jack Nicholson. Nobody was the right kind of crazy to pull that off. I should have been excited - my love for Batman and my love for Heath Ledger, finally coming together in a huge big-budget blockbuster. How could it be bad? He's not Jack Nicholson. I made my decision. I would see the movie with low expectations for the villain.
Then came that fateful January day, where I listen to a voicemail message from my brother (rare, since he never left messages). "I just wanted to be sure you knew this... Heath Ledger is dead." It was a sad day for me. I got more condolence phone calls than an adult woman should have received when a celebrity died. But it hit me hard. He was my age (close, at least). He was so full of potential. He was supposed to win an Oscar!
Mourning aside, after Ledger's death, the stories started coming out about his work as the Joker. They talked about how committed he was to the role, how completely surrendered to it, how eerily he pulled off the part. Maybe he would win his Oscar after all? In any case, I was no longer expecting a lackluster villain.
All right, back to the review. Heath Ledger was phenomenal. His performance was creepy and funny and scary and bizarre - and completely fitting. The makeup was perfect in its imperfection. Even if Ledger were still alive, they would still be raving about the performance. I have no more words on the matter. It's just a shame he won't be there to accept the Academy Award.
So, if you couldn't tell, I loved the movie. Yes, it's long. But it's worth it. At one point, it felt a little bit like two movies linked together, but it still worked. I was still caught up in the magic of it. Gary Oldman makes the best Lieutenant Gordon, and Aaron Eckhart was a perfect Harvey Dent. Also, I was relieved to know that they left Katie Holmes out of this one and instead cast a capable actress - Maggie Gyllenhaal, who is much more fit for the role of Rachel Dawes. And the movie's eye candy doesn't just come in human form. There are fast cars, faster motorcycles, and that whole Batmobile-turned-Batcycle thing, and plenty of awesome explosions for the testosterone set. Fantastic.
My only complaint: way too much eyeball from Two-Face. Eyeballs are gross.
I've always felt that Batman was the best superhero because he doesn't actually have super powers - he wasn't bitten by a radioactive spider, he wasn't born a mutant, and he wasn't an alien. He's just a rich guy with lots of toys and wicked martial arts skills who's set on saving the world. I love that about Batman.
The Dark Knight shows Batman (Christian Bale, fast becoming my favorite Batman) coming to terms with being a hero and what that means in a city on its way to being ruled by criminals. And when the Joker shows up and says that Batman has to take off the mask and identify himself or people will die, it messes with him. This is a Bat with feelings. This is a Bat with a heart. This is a Bat who walks a fine line between the moral high and low ground. It's no wonder they call him "The Dark Knight." He's tormented between doing good for Gotham and good for Bruce Wayne - for they're not always one and the same.
Oh, and the Joker? Holy crap. Side story: it was a couple years ago when I heard they had cast Heath Ledger in the role of the Joker. I had been in love with Ledger since 10 Things I Hate About You, and I was well aware of his potential - I knew he'd win an Oscar someday. But the Joker? Really? Nobody could be the Joker but Jack Nicholson. Nobody was the right kind of crazy to pull that off. I should have been excited - my love for Batman and my love for Heath Ledger, finally coming together in a huge big-budget blockbuster. How could it be bad? He's not Jack Nicholson. I made my decision. I would see the movie with low expectations for the villain.
Then came that fateful January day, where I listen to a voicemail message from my brother (rare, since he never left messages). "I just wanted to be sure you knew this... Heath Ledger is dead." It was a sad day for me. I got more condolence phone calls than an adult woman should have received when a celebrity died. But it hit me hard. He was my age (close, at least). He was so full of potential. He was supposed to win an Oscar!
Mourning aside, after Ledger's death, the stories started coming out about his work as the Joker. They talked about how committed he was to the role, how completely surrendered to it, how eerily he pulled off the part. Maybe he would win his Oscar after all? In any case, I was no longer expecting a lackluster villain.
All right, back to the review. Heath Ledger was phenomenal. His performance was creepy and funny and scary and bizarre - and completely fitting. The makeup was perfect in its imperfection. Even if Ledger were still alive, they would still be raving about the performance. I have no more words on the matter. It's just a shame he won't be there to accept the Academy Award.
So, if you couldn't tell, I loved the movie. Yes, it's long. But it's worth it. At one point, it felt a little bit like two movies linked together, but it still worked. I was still caught up in the magic of it. Gary Oldman makes the best Lieutenant Gordon, and Aaron Eckhart was a perfect Harvey Dent. Also, I was relieved to know that they left Katie Holmes out of this one and instead cast a capable actress - Maggie Gyllenhaal, who is much more fit for the role of Rachel Dawes. And the movie's eye candy doesn't just come in human form. There are fast cars, faster motorcycles, and that whole Batmobile-turned-Batcycle thing, and plenty of awesome explosions for the testosterone set. Fantastic.
My only complaint: way too much eyeball from Two-Face. Eyeballs are gross.
Sunday, July 27, 2008
Movie: The X-Files: I Want to Believe
As a long-time fan of The X-Files on television, I was excited to see what has happened to Fox Mulder (David Duchovny) and Dana Scully (Gillian Anderson) since their last adventures on the small screen. I admit that I had been out of the loop for a while, so this movie came upon my by surprise. I had only known about it for a week or so, and suddenly it was already in theaters.
Normally, when a movie following a long series of previous source material comes out, I do some research by watching/reading/playing whatever existed before. For I Want to Believe I didn't have the time to do that research. I only had my memory to depend on.
Thankfully, the movie didn't pull a lot from the television series or the last movie (of which the title currently escapes me). There weren't any alien abductions, just a reference to Mulder's sister (whose abduction spawned Mulder's desire to learn the "truth" about the paranormal). When we first see Scully, she's working as a physician in a Catholic hospital, caring for a young boy with a rare brain disease. Mulder is a hermit - complete with unkempt beard and a wall covered in newspaper clippings. When the FBI seeks out Mulder via Scully, the adventure begins. They decided to call in Mulder to help find a missing agent and dealing with a supposed psychic who has had visions of the missing agent.
The pacing of the movie is a little slow, and the only paranormal thing in the movie is the psychic - who, we soon learn, may be making the whole thing up (he is a former Catholic priest living in a dormitory for convicted sex offenders - he had a thing for his altar boys back in the day). But that doesn't stop the movie from being a fascinating trip into the minds of Scully and Mulder - coming back to the FBI after so many years. The movie brings up ethical and moral dilemmas that make both characters look into themselves to learn what really drives them and what they really need.
Really, the main drawback to the movie was that it wasn't like an episode of The X-Files as much as it was an X-Files family reunion - getting the old faces back for one last tromp through a snow-covered field searching for something they're not even sure is there. I was hoping for some aliens, to be honest, or a government cover-up of something they deny exists.
In the end, I was happy with the movie, despite my complaints. There was something magical about seeing Mulder passionate about something, and seeing Scully question his passion and her own. And the adventure of saving lives and solving mysteries is at the heart of any X-Files story - which this movie does with all its heart.
Normally, when a movie following a long series of previous source material comes out, I do some research by watching/reading/playing whatever existed before. For I Want to Believe I didn't have the time to do that research. I only had my memory to depend on.
Thankfully, the movie didn't pull a lot from the television series or the last movie (of which the title currently escapes me). There weren't any alien abductions, just a reference to Mulder's sister (whose abduction spawned Mulder's desire to learn the "truth" about the paranormal). When we first see Scully, she's working as a physician in a Catholic hospital, caring for a young boy with a rare brain disease. Mulder is a hermit - complete with unkempt beard and a wall covered in newspaper clippings. When the FBI seeks out Mulder via Scully, the adventure begins. They decided to call in Mulder to help find a missing agent and dealing with a supposed psychic who has had visions of the missing agent.
The pacing of the movie is a little slow, and the only paranormal thing in the movie is the psychic - who, we soon learn, may be making the whole thing up (he is a former Catholic priest living in a dormitory for convicted sex offenders - he had a thing for his altar boys back in the day). But that doesn't stop the movie from being a fascinating trip into the minds of Scully and Mulder - coming back to the FBI after so many years. The movie brings up ethical and moral dilemmas that make both characters look into themselves to learn what really drives them and what they really need.
Really, the main drawback to the movie was that it wasn't like an episode of The X-Files as much as it was an X-Files family reunion - getting the old faces back for one last tromp through a snow-covered field searching for something they're not even sure is there. I was hoping for some aliens, to be honest, or a government cover-up of something they deny exists.
In the end, I was happy with the movie, despite my complaints. There was something magical about seeing Mulder passionate about something, and seeing Scully question his passion and her own. And the adventure of saving lives and solving mysteries is at the heart of any X-Files story - which this movie does with all its heart.
Introduction to the Ego Boost
Hello world!
Welcome to Ego Boost Reviews. I'm going to tell you a little bit about what this whole thing is.
I love entertainment. All forms. Movies, books, music, television, video games, theater, puppet theater, and crazy guys on street corners. I love it all. I also love writing. People have always told me that I should write movie reviews or something of the sort... only my problem was always that I knew I couldn't do it because I wasn't capable of being critical enough. I'm not a critic. I'm a fan. But I still loved the idea of writing about the things I was a fan of.
Hence the Ego Boost was born. I'm still going to review movies I see, and books I read and television shows I've watched (old and new for all forms of media). I'm going to give my honest opinion and back it all up with reasons why I like any given thing. Of course, the time will come when I will give (gasp!) a bad review. That'll happen. But I have a feeling I'll find a way to spin those so that they'll still give a bit of an ego boost as well.
Therefore, let the Ego Boosting begin!
Welcome to Ego Boost Reviews. I'm going to tell you a little bit about what this whole thing is.
I love entertainment. All forms. Movies, books, music, television, video games, theater, puppet theater, and crazy guys on street corners. I love it all. I also love writing. People have always told me that I should write movie reviews or something of the sort... only my problem was always that I knew I couldn't do it because I wasn't capable of being critical enough. I'm not a critic. I'm a fan. But I still loved the idea of writing about the things I was a fan of.
Hence the Ego Boost was born. I'm still going to review movies I see, and books I read and television shows I've watched (old and new for all forms of media). I'm going to give my honest opinion and back it all up with reasons why I like any given thing. Of course, the time will come when I will give (gasp!) a bad review. That'll happen. But I have a feeling I'll find a way to spin those so that they'll still give a bit of an ego boost as well.
Therefore, let the Ego Boosting begin!
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