REVIEW: The Seeker: The Dark is Rising

Will Stanton (Alexander Ludwig) conjures fire to protect himself from the forces of darkness

The Seeker can’t seem to find a satisfying finale
Third act problems prevent “Seeker” from being a tight, youthful adventure

Rating: B-

“The Dark is Rising,” a “Harry Potter” like story of a young boy who discovers both powers beyond his wildest imaginings and a destiny to fight the forces of darkness in a sleepy London town, is brought to vivid life with a moody soundtrack and spooky visuals that keep this child’s fantasy feeling like anything but. The story, originally penned by author Susan Cooper, tells the tale of young Will Stanton, your average everyday kid living abroad with his parent and 7 siblings, who finds that on his 14th birthday he starts going through some changes. It’s not puberty that’s affecting our young protagonists but a heroic destiny to save the world. Apparently being the seventh son of a seventh son entitles young Will to special powers (controlling fire, super strength, time travel, just run of the mill type stuff). With the aid of Merriman Lyon (Ian McShane) and his band of magic immortals, it is Will’s destiny to find 6 sacred “signs” to defeat the forces of the “Dark”(evil) to ensure that the “Light”(good) prevails. As McShane seems to be quite adept at reminding us, about every third scene, Will is the “Seeker”, the destined warrior who is the only one capable of seeking (get it?) the “signs” necessary to save the world from the Dark, who apparently is in the human form of Christopher Eccleston (go figure). Throw in some “Home Alone” type family dysfunction, a dark brooding atmosphere, and some enjoyable performances from some well established British actors, and you got yourself two hours of entertainment.

Director David Cunningham seems to have magical powers of his own as he is able to pull a rather enjoyable performance out of newcomer Alexander Ludwig, our protagonist Will. He’s also able to conjure up a creepy world where police officer are really demons is disguise (but we already new that), and can turn themselves into a flock of ravenous crows at will (duh!). In its more intense moment, Cunningham keeping the editing sharp and faced paced without being too jumpy and the lighting feeling scary and chaotic without giving us epileptic seizures. He introduces us to the story as if we’ve missed the first 30 minutes of slow introduction, introducing all the characters and relationships, and gets right to the action, filling in the blanks along the way. This keeps things from stalling too much and the narrative is able to flow smoother and quicker without bogging us down with endless exposition. Unfortunately though he also gives us characters who don’t seem to question the absurdly bizarre things happening around them, like a 14 year old throwing his 2 older brothers 10 feet into the air (passing is off as “puberty”).

Like many films this summer, it suffers from “third-act-itus”, a dangerous affliction whereby the final act of the film is unable to end in a tight and satisfying conclusion. Instead the writing falls apart towards the end as the final confrontation between good and evil becomes cliché and predictable. The climax is a bit of an anti-climax as is doesn’t deliver on what the rest of the film built it up to be. However, this doesn’t stop the film from being generally entertaining; it just stops it from giving films franchises like “Harry Potter”, a run for their money. But thanks to movies like Harry Potter and Chronicles of Naria, the certainly isn’t the last brave attempt by studios to turn novelized pre-teen heroes into movie stars.

Movie Review Update

Dear dear reader(s),

I'm am not a flake as many of you might be assuming, what with all the absent reviews when movies are clearly being released. I've been busy studying for Graduate School exams; which doesn't really allow me oodles of time to venture to the local cineplex or art house theater to catch the latest and greatest from our Hollywood heavyweights. I will however be returning to my regularly scheduled program starting Friday, October 5th with The Seeker: The Dark is Rising.



Why? You might ask. Well I'll tell you. Two words Ian McShane. I'd see anything with this brilliant British actor. And before you ask, yes I did see "Hot Rod." Ugh, avoid avoid avoid. Except for McShane, who was a staple of comedic brilliance.

Until then!
~Kyle

REVIEW: Halloween

Dr. Sam Loomis (Malcolm McDowell) shields a terrified Laurie Strode (Scout Taylor-Compton) from the unstoppable Michael Myers


Halloween is carving up lemons instead of pumpkins
New spin lacks the subtle perfection of the original

Rating: C+

In this now 9th installment/remake/re-start of the “Halloween” franchise, director Rob Zombie (original heavy metal band singer turned unoriginal horror film director), brings us back to the “sleepy” little town of Haddonfield, Illinois where, apparently, Michael Myers still isn’t done with his motive-free rampage on all those advocates of free-love and babysitting. This time, however, Mr. Zombie delivers something fresh and new to the supernatural-slasher film genre, an origin story. As with most recent reinventions of a franchise (Batman Begins, Casino Royale) directors have chosen to give the audience a glimpse of “where it all began” for the films title characters, and in this case it works really well…for the first half of the movie. Then the films becomes a by the number remake of John Carpenter’s masterpiece, except in places where the film lacks in creative storytelling it makes up for it with breasts and blood.

It tells the story of a trouble pre-teen from an abusive and unhealthy, “white-trash” home, who shows the early warning signs of a deep seeded emotional disorder which is clearly the result of his unstable home life, which is both uncomfortable to watch and at times awkwardly amusing. However, before Michaels' mother can take the appropriate action to see to it that her son doesn’t become a giant-indestructible-babysitter-killing machine, young Mikey slaughters his entire family save his infant sister, and his mother (who happens to be earning her keep on the stripping pole this haunted Halloween).

Then as Michael begins psychiatric treatment under the caring and watchful eye of Dr. Sam Loomis, a wonderfully cast Malcolm McDowell, this deviation from classic slasher-flicks shows promise. The story begins to look more like a character study into the mind of a silent psychopath, than a mindless romp from one house to another with an ever increasing body count and an invincible antagonist meandering his way from victim to victim with no sense of urgency. However, once the inevitable escape from the mental institution ensues and the kids start having sex, therefore sealing their fate, the film devolves back into the exact same story we saw 30 years ago by John Carpenter, although not as interesting. Michael Myers starts killing post-coital teens while searching for his baby sister and, in the process, continuity becomes a thing of myth as Michael Myers appears out of nowhere and the police conveniently show up at the right place at the right time when no one seemed to pick up the phone. Then finally last third of the film suffers from third-act-itus. It’s long and unlike its source material, having few climatic scares that “pop” at the audience, this film ends up with one long drawn-out climax that gets down-right boring. The film might end with a “bang” and a scream, but it is less of a satisfying finale and more of a wake up call to let us know we can finally leave.

The two aspects of the film that seem to stand out the most are the performance of Malcolm McDowell and Tyler Mane, the silent and stoic Michael Myers. McDowell never seems to disappoint, be it his notorious Alex De Large from “A Clockwork Orange” or his cameo as “A British Person” from an episode of “South Park.” He never has time to wait for a scene to get stale. He always appears to be acting in the moment with a sense of urgency and has no problem tossing away comic gems that lesser actors would milk dry. This film is no exception as his Dr. Loomis (a role made famous by the late Donald Pleasance) wants so much to help Michael Myers and sees the violent, murderous rampage as a failing in himself. Tyler Mane also delivers an understanding of subtlety as he lets his mountainous 6’8” frame do almost all the taking for him. However, when he does need to move it’s with a swiftness and grace unexpected from a man his size, while still displaying the strength of a monster.

Being one of the better slasher-films to come through the Cineplex in a while, “Halloween” effectively gives the franchise a fresh start. However, it inevitably falls flat and ends with such a sense of ambiguity that, 9 more films and 30 years from now we might be doing this all over again.

REVIEW: Sunshine

(above) The crew of the Icarus II have a round table debate about the future of their mission (from left: Chris Evans, Hiroyuki Sanada, Cliff Curtis. Michelle Yeoh, Benedict Wong, Rose Byrne, and Cillian Murphy)


Sunshine "shines" above previous sci-fi outings!
Danny Boyle marks the return of psychologically-minded science fiction

Rating: A

Of all the different science fiction genre films out there, the ones that seem to be the most overused and poorly made are the films whereby teams of scientists and astronauts work together in a desperate attempt to save the planet from certain destruction. This list includes such films as Armageddon, Deep Impact, Red Planet, Mission to Mars, and The Core, to name a few. After over a decade of these disappointing genre films, Danny Boyle’s Sunshine marks the first humane act for the genre, and science fiction in general since Ridley Scott’s Alien.

After single handedly reviving the genre of zombie films with the sleeper success of 28 Days Later, Boyle brings the same brooding atmosphere, original storytelling, and visceral editing to his newest thriller. He delivers a thinking mans sci-fi film that combines the better elements of previous incarnations and improves upon them with a story that takes us where none of these films has even gone before, the Sun.

Taking place in a distant future where the sun is dying and has left the world an arctic wasteland, mankind’s last hope rests on the shoulders of 8 astronauts whose mission it is to reignite the sun, on a ship aptly named the "Icarus". After a previous team of astronauts disappears prior to completing its mission, the film opens 7 years later as a new team is a mere days away from accomplishing their desperate task. Everything seems to be going according to plan until the previous teams ship appears and a rescue attempt ensues. From that point on the film takes a turn to the both disastrous and horrific. While feeling reminiscent to some of the darker horror elements of “Event Horizon,” the filming and narrative style remains uniquely Boyle’s. He keeps it feeling quite fresh and original as a tense psychological thriller that examines the effects of traveling so close to the giver of all life; as some members of the crew become addicted to the sight of the sun, as if they themselves are starring at God.

Whereas many directors feel the best way to thrill and engage an audience is by gratuitous gore, violence and in your face voyeuristic scares common to today’s string of horror films, Boyle is able to deliver a better and more intense, edge-of-your-seat thriller (minus the violence and gore) through clever editing, effects and camera angles. From the very beginning of the film, before everything start to take its inevitable bad turn, Boyle creates an uneasy atmosphere where at any minute something could go wrong and leaves the audience waiting for it to happen but never ready for it when it finally does. Also with a story that seems to demand an explanation as to how the Sun could possibly “die” or how one could even consider “reigniting” it, Boyle gives none and by the time the film is over you don’t even really care. The movie is told in such a way that it is less about the science and all about the journey, the relationships, and the dangers that come about during a mission destined to travel to the most volatile surface in the known galaxy.

Sunshine also makes very logical assumptions about psychosis and obsession that fit very well within its far fetched premise. For example the crews psychiatrist prescribes hours in an “earth simulator” for those crew members suffering from cabin fever, the psychiatrist himself and other crew members develop an addiction to staring at the Sun, which makes sense in a world where the sun could potentially no longer exist.

As far as the performances, everybody delivers. Each actor is very capable of making the most of their screen time and establishing each one of their characters as independent from one another, unlike most of these genre films where all character have the same general admiration for each other. Chris Evans especially is able to deliver an engaging character as the ships engineer who wants nothing more than to complete his mission. If there was any question as to whether Evan's deserved to be in movies, his performance as an exemplary soldier, both resourceful and heroic as he is willing to do anything for the sake of mankind, keeps the film moving in its slower moments. Also, Cillian Murphy never seems to disappoint in his now second outing with Boyle (previously starring in Boyle’s 28 Days Later). As the team’s physicist, it’s Murphy’s project, and in the end the fate of mankind rest in his plan succeeding when it could just as easily fail. As for the other characters they could all use more screen time, but hey, you can only do so much in two hours.

Created as a “love letter” to psychologically minded science fiction, Danny Boyle and screenwriter Alex Garland deliver an exciting trip where no man has gone before while at the same time using the journey to the Sun as a metaphor for traveling to the source of all life and in a sense making the journey God.. In the end the Sun itself becomes a character as it represent the one thing that is innate in all creatures, the drive to survive at any cost as well as the fragility of all things, great and small. It’s easy to get swept-up and go along for the ride when even the visuals bring something new to the genre, including some very cool looking golden space suits. My only hope is that more sci-fi films are able to follow the example Danny Boyle has set by proving that just because genre might be used, doesn’t mean it’s all used up.


To get a stronger sense of Danny Boyle's vision from his own lips check out this url: http://www.nytimes.com/packages/html/movies/20070708_BOYLE_FEATURE/blocker.html

Next Weeks Review

For those of you expecting The Simpsons review i'm afraid i'm going to have to dissapoint you. It has just come to my attention that the Danny Boyle film Sunshine is being released at a theatre near me on friday and i'm most looking forward to seeing it. Stay tuned for that review for saturday.

No Review This Week

For those of you waiting with baited breath to read my next review this week, I'm afraid I'm going to have to dissapoint. The only movie I feel is worth seeing this week, Danny Boyle's Sunshine, doesn't appear to be playing at any engagements close to me. I refuse to spend money on another Adam Sandler movie, or on seeing John Travolta in drag. So baring some miracle that I'm able to see Sunshine, it looks like you'll have to wait until next week for The Simpsons.

However, if you feel you need to see a movie this weekend and want to know what you should see, go see You Kill Me. Going into it's second or third week (hence no full review), this movie starring Ben Kingsley has him as a Polish hit man in Buffalo, whose alcoholism is affecting his work and as a result the family sends him to San Francisco to join AA and sober himself up. He ends up working at a funeral home while he's down there (how appropriate) and gets involved with a (surprisingly entertaining yet completely forgettable) Tea Leoni. Bill Pullman makes an appearance as an odd and quirky real estate agent hired to look after Kingsley and Luke Wilson plays Kingsley's gay AA sponsor. Kingsley arrives as an unexpectedly funny comedic actor, similar to the comedic turn of Robert DeNiro in Midnight Run. Both Kingsley's timing and delivery are perfect and at the same time is able to capture the complexity and humanity of the character without turning him into a caricature as less experienced actors might. This is definitely a movie you all should check out because it's easily one of the better movie in theaters right now.

REVIEW: Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

(above) Harry Potter (Daniel Radcliff) and his classmates stand united against the forces of evil

A Longer film with less Magic
Fifth installment lacks the fun of previous films

Rating: C+

Our favorite cast of wand-wielding Brits is back in this, now, fifth installment of J.K. Rowling’s “Harry Potter” franchise. Now the stakes are higher and the situation more dire. We last left our scarred hero with the realization that the evil Lord Voldemort (slithering, seedy Ralph Fiennes) has returned with a vengeance. Now at full strength, and just as ugly, Voldemort seeks to continue his power hungry journey to kill or convert all that stand in his way, pretty classic antagonist stuff really. Only Harry and a team of his schoolmates are all that stands between Voldemort and his diabolical victory. In a nutshell, that’s pretty much the only story this movie seems to want to tell. Two and a half hours does seem like an ample amount of time to tell a good story and, in the case of a franchise, it should be enough time to make a significant journey through the story arc. This film however, despite riveting visuals and some creative action, squanders its precious time on depression, angst, and tedious exposition. Harry’s trusty sidekicks, and an enjoyable comeback of some old characters from previous installment, including Gary Oldman as Harry’s lovingly protective godfather, Sirius Black, are also dragged along for the ride.

Since the last film Harry’s got a hair cut, finished puberty, and seems to have been exercising more than just his magic skills. Puberty has been good to Potter (Daniel Radcliff) and we see how the once boy wizard is becoming a young man wizard as he goes up against Lord Voldemort and his “Death-eater” minions. Also on Harry’s agenda is trying to out-wit and out-maneuver the recently appointed, overbearing, fascist, new “Defense Against the Dark Arts” instructor, Professor Dolores Umbridge (Imelda Staunton giving her best Nurse Ratchet with a wand), who wants nothing more than the job of the school headmaster. All this, while at the same time helping to train his schoolmates to be young wizard warriors. Seems like an excellent equation for a fast-paced magic filled adventure right? Wrong! Director David Yates (picking up where Mike Newell left off) seems to lose sight of the action and excitement amongst a series of pacing problems led by constant scenes of Harry feeling sorry for himself and showing the audience the barbarousness of the new Professor Umbridge. Yates seems to really want to make sure the audience understands just how bad things are for Harry and his friends, and ends up doing so ad nauseum. And with the exception of Umbridge, Dumbledore and, perhaps Ron Weasley - there is very little "acting" going on here. It is one of those movies where everybody is one dimensional, lines are spoken, costumes are worn, and special effects are supposed to carry the film. There is absolutely no evidence of internal conflict or character development.

Despite the pacing problems the movie can be a fun entertaining magical adventure, with characters we've grown to love. As it should be the movie is not short on gags and its delightful British humor. But aside from that and a riveting third act leading up to a (way to short) climactic battle between good and evil (that can only be described as “Saving Private Ryan” with magic) the movie falls a little flat and could have left about 30 or so minutes on the cutting room floor. Also with all the magic, mayhem, and disasters that befall this school and magic, along with the constant turnover of teaching staff a question could easily be raised; are the kids at the school actually learning anything?

People might also find the relationship between Harry and Lord Voldemort, which unfortunately feels reminiscent of something seen before. Harry’s angst about this close connection and possible affinity for Voldemort’s evil leaves him succumbing too much to his powerful feelings which only makes him easier to control and manipulate by the dark lord. He is thrust into a situation where he must control his feelings and is eventually confronted with the decision to follow the path of the dark side or the light side of the forc---I mean magic.

For a non-reader of the series, there are many things that seem out of place. There were many times where something was presented on screen that seemed to have only been placed there for the benefit of those people enthralled enough to read through all the books. Characters and particular situations that, for an avid reader, made perfect sense, an avid film goer isn’t given the background the appreciate what’s being shown in screen. For those viewers who don’t understand those little winks at the devoted readers it just seems like a tease. The film would have been much more enthralling if such gaps and lapses of information were more fleshed out and given weight and depth to have the whole audience, not just the devoted ones, care.

Despite a slow pace, the film is visually engaging. Magic never looked so real, nor so worthy of jealousy. Within the first 10 minutes of a fun, broom flight through London I was cursing my “muggle” (non-wizard) heritage and wishing I could fly on a broom and teleport across town through a fireplace, while at the same time fighting off a series of baddies with a magic wand. The visuals are fun and the action scenes are well choreographed but too short and we really aren’t given a sense of the skill it takes to actually be a good wizard. It seems that all you have to do is flick your wand around and say a magic word. Anyone can do that right?

Next Weeks Review

Well i know that Harry Potter: and the Order of the Phoenix comes out today but unfortunately events have transpired against me in such a way that i wont be able to see and review Harry Potter until Friday night. So check back Saturday morning for my review of Harry Potter (although i know all you die hard fans are going to see the movie regardless of what i have to say, if anybody out there is actually reading this that is)

REIVEW: Transformers

(above) Mikaela (Megan Fox) and Sam (Shia LaBeouf) meet the autobots for the first time under the watchfull gaze of Ironhide


The Best Action Film of the Summer!
Transformers is the perfect action adventure homage to the original cartoon

Rating: A

Circa 1983-1984 Hasbro Toy Company came up with an idea for a new product. It wasn’t a toy car, nor was it a toy robot, but a marriage of the two; a robot that could transform into a car and back again. With any new product the biggest problem is trying to figure out how to market it; how to sell it. Some genius market executive came up with a brilliant idea. Thus the Transformers were born, and the marketing success of the cartoon resulted in a cult phenomenon that consumed a generation. Now, after four seasons, a series of spin-offs, one feature length cartoon movie, and 23 years later, the Transformers are given life again. The Steven Spielberg produced and Michael Bay directed summer blockbuster is part re-make, part update, and all homage to the original series. Headed up by the original voice of Optimus Prime himself, Peter Cullen, and up and coming star, Shia LaBeouf, this movie satisfies, entertains, and reminds you of an age when after-school cartoons were worth seeing.

With the help of a creative writing and the thrilling direction of Michael Bay, the movie keeps from feeling like a cartoon while at the same time honoring the source material. The movie maintains the basic “Transformers” plot requirements but with a twist; the Autobots and Decepticons no longer fight over energon cubes but a single all powerful cube, called the Allspark, that has the power to turn electrical devices into sentient, transforming robots. Megatron wants the allspark to enslave humanity and destroy the Autobots, led by Optimus Prime. Prime wants to destroy the cube to keep it from falling into Megatron’s hands. Caught in the middle of this race between good and evil is the U.S. military, the U.S. government, and a boy named Sam (Shia LaBeouf), who holds the key to finding the Allspark and saving humanity. Thrown in are some thrilling action sequences, incredible visuals, and innovative storytelling that keeps the movie feeling fresh and original while at the same time tugging at your sense of nostalgia.

This film marks the first time in 20 years that the leader of the Autobots has something new to say, and pulls out the kid in us. Then to hear the names of memorable characters like “Ironhide”, “Bumblebee”, “Megatron”, and “Starscream,” only stirs up that inner child and reminds you why you fell in love with all these characters in the first place (as if you could ever truly forget). ILM animators have also managed to give the CGI characters life with spectacular visual effects. Each robot has its own personality, individual and distinct from all the others, which makes them so much more engaging to watch.

Much to the devoted fans chagrin, the robots themselves have been given a bit of an overhaul. Bumblebee, who fans remember was a VW Bug in the cartoon, is now a Camaro. Jazz, the one time Porsche, is now a Pontiac Solstice. Even the robot forms of these characters, both autobots and decepticons, are completely different from the way they looked 20 years ago. The movie is all the better for it. The altered appearance of these beloved characters only helps in the effort to ground the film in a sense of reality (even though they're giant, transforming, alien robots...work with me). The complex designs surpass the boxy look from the 80’s and gets you to almost believe that the robots could conceivably transform into all these different things. The mechanics of the transformations has also been well thought out through what is sure to be an extremely expensive and time consuming process; where one frame of animation takes almost 36 hours to render. The effects are so good in fact that the robots look more real in the daylight than they do at night. It’s nearly impossible to take your eyes off the screen (and you certainly wont want to make any trips to the bathroom) because each time any robot is on screen, it’s a feast for the eyes.

Despite initial lamentation by fans at the choice of Michael Bay to direct, after watching the film it hard to believe that any other director could have given the film such life. Michael Bay has established himself as one of the best directors of car chases and excels at visceral explosive action. He is able to give the audience both incredible humor and intense action while holding their attention for a full 2 hours and 33 minutes. Aside from his expert direction of the CGI characters, Bays greatest asset is Shia LaBeouf, who’s “Disturbia” held to top spot for over a month earlier this year. LaBeouf is readily establishing himself as the best actor of his generation. He is able to hold the screen against his CGI co-stars, and even carry the movie when the wants to. LaBeouf brings humor to the film while at the same serving as its emotion anchor. The rest of the cast is also full of heavyweights and cult favorites led by Jon Voigt, Kevin Dunn, Josh Duhamel and, expert character actor, John Turturro.

Transformers is everything a Transformers movie, and a summer action blockbuster, should be, with its only problem being that it isn’t long enough. As the first non-sequel action film of the summer it meets and exceeds expectations. The only sad thing when the credits roll and the fantasy ends, I realize is that my car isn’t really an alien transforming robot.

REVIEW: Live Free or Die Hard

(above) John McLane (Bruce Willis) attempts to rescue Matt Ferrell (Justin Long) from would-be assassins

YIPPIE KAI YAY, a sequel worth seeing!
Bruce Willis is back and at the top of his game

Rating: B+

In a summer of movie sequels, finally there is one worth sitting through. John McLane is back, 12 years older, 12 years wiser, and about 12 pounds heavier (yes, he has a bit of a gut in this one). But that doesn’t stop him from beating the snot out of every bad guy that has the misfortune of “pissing” him off, including a woman this time, in a crowd pleasing brawl. Though this film has a PG-13 rating, it’s difficult to tell why. It seems to have all the action and intensity of the previous three. The only thing that appears lacking is all the swearing and splattering blood, and honestly you don’t even miss it.

Justin Long (yes, the guy from the Mac commercials) paves his way into action movies in this film as, guess what, a computer hacker. However, his constant smart-remarks and high-pitched expressions of disbelief about his unfortunate situation can get a little irritating. But his eventual heroic turn at the end won’t hinder computer sales, hell, it might even improve them.

The plot, like all good Die Hard films, is nothing more than an elaborate robbery attempt by a criminal mastermind. In this case the villain is played by sinister looking Timothy Olyphant (HBO’s “Deadwood” series) who ends up playing more of a cookie-cutter action baddie emoting only rage and frustration as McLane confronts him at every turn. Much different than the creative character-villains played previously by Alan Rickman and Jeremy Irons (Die Hard 1 & 3). Although, that doesn’t stop you from hating Olyphant as he sends every henchmen he has after McLane (who amazingly after 20 years is still only a detective).

The most distinct aspect this robbery is its method, which ushers the series into the new millennium. Olyphant, a computer genius, has found a way to hack into the entire nation's national control network and shut down water, power and electricity. He‘s found a way to disable all communication satellites and even take control of television networks. All this he has done as a means to steal billions of dollars. (I know it’s a bit hard to swallow, but works if you can suspend disbelief.) The movie also tries to serve as a commentary on our reliance on technology and how vulnerable we are in using computers and the internet to assist us in our daily lives.

However, a complex, intricate, thought-provoking plot is not the reason one goes to see a Die Hard movie. Die Hard movies are about five things: action, action, clever dialogue, more action, and Bruce Willis. This movie has all five.

Don't let the shaved head fool you. Bruce Willis is back and able to deliver to the big screen the tough-as-nails cop we’ve all grown to love in the past 20 years. Willis also brings a new aspect to the character. An older McLane, divorced with a daughter who hates him, begins to express the regrets that come with years of choosing to be the hero at work instead of the hero at home. This adds to the appeal of the character and continue the underlying story of all Die Hard films; McLane’s struggle with not only the villain de jour, but also with his domestic problems.

It seemed quite a gamble to put such a heavy task onto the shoulders of relatively new director Len Wiseman. Having only directed the mostly disappointing Underworld and Underworld: Evolution, giving Wiseman the job was a source of anxiety as the series was given life (Die Hard) and again revived (Die Hard: With a Vengeance) by awesome action director John McTiernen. Wiseman, however, delivers an action packed roller-coaster. The action sequences are inventive, creative and completely within the spirit of the series: i.e. raw and non-stop while showing off the ingenuity of John McLane and his ability to keep cool under pressure and at the same time leaving him beaten, bloodied, and shot, yet still limping his way to victory with a smile, a self-satisfied laugh, and at least one more wisecrack. The only downside is that the film runs a little long. Running at 134 minutes, the movie could easily have lost about 20 minutes to make for a tighter story.

Next Weeks Review

Are you all ready to Live Free or Die Hard(er with a vengeance)? Well even if your not, i sure am. Tune in next time for the review of Live Free or Die Hard staring the true last action hero: Bruce Willis.

REVIEW: 1408

(above) Mike Enslin (John Cusack) begins to understand the gravity of his situation when he notices the wall starting to bleed

"1408" just another haunted house flick
Another ghost story brought to you by Stephen King

Rating: C+

It began on a dark and stormy night. That seems to be the appropriate introduction to any horror story and 1408 is no different. It is here that we meet our jaded hero with a haunted past, Michael Enslin (John Cusack). Once, an up and coming author with a decent first novel, he decides to quit writing literature and for reasons that are never fully explained he now writes books in which he debunks myths of haunted houses. Enslin stays in room after room of which is claimed to be the playground of ghosts, spirits, and other such things that go bump in the night. Yet after each evening spent in these “haunted” houses and having looked for any evidence of the paranormal, Enslin wakes up the next morning with an undisturbed nights sleep and one more chapter in his latest book. As far as Enslin is concerned the only place to see a real ghost is at the “Haunted Mansion” in Orlando, Florida. Until one day he receives an anonymous post-card from the Dolphin Hotel in New York with a simple cryptic phrase “Do not enter 1408.” Like any good moviegoer we’re not surprised when he pays no heed to the warning and decides to enter the room anyway. A room in which 58 people have died and no one lasts more than an hour. It then comes as no surprise when 15 minutes into his stay he begins to regret his prideful arrogance. The rest of the film chronicles Enslins’ story of survival as he tries to get out of the room alive, while still hanging on to his sanity.

The set up and overall mood of the film in great, as is the dialogue between John Cusack and Samuel Jackson, (the devoted hotel manager driven to keep anyone from entering the “evil” room). The cinematography, some interesting camera work and special effects helps to create a brooding creepy atmosphere. There are also some rather humorous moments, expertly executed by Cusack, which helps to bring a sense of levity to the horror. But like any horror film, plot is usually sacrificed for scares and 1408 is no different. The film is able to deliver a handful of excellent scares but leaves a series of plot holes, happy convenient coincidences, and a list of un-answered questions in its wake. The third act is weak and seems too unbelievable and cliché and in the end we are left a little disappointed that there was such good build-up but so few good payoffs.

Most of the characters are mostly two dimensional as they are simply written in as a means to get Cusack’s character into the fated room, which itself serves is a character. John Cusack, who was big in the 80’s and early 90’s and now only seems to show up on the film radar every once in a while, hasn’t lost a step. He’s enjoyable to watch and well cast as the troubled cynic. He seems like he truly wants to encounter something paranormal while at the same time skeptical of it.

Sam Jackson, who seems to be the only actor capable of career suicide (see: Snakes on a Plane), is also enjoyable to watch as he nearly pleads with Cusack not to enter the room, in a very Sam Jackson way (minus the yelling).

The room is also given a personality as it seems as if it really does have a mind of its own. The rooms seems to purposely toy with its victims for its own pleasure, and wants to make their stay as unpleasant as possible. In the end you are never really sure why the room is the way it is but one thing is for certain, I’m never staying at a hotel again.

Next Weeks Review

Hello readers,
The next review to be posted on Saturday morning will be for the new Stephen King horror film 1408 starring John Cusack and Samuel L. Jackson. If it's as scary as the previews make it out to be i should have no problem staying up friday night writing my review.

In the mean time, forgive me while i tease you with the first image of Batmans' new ride, the "Batpod"



~Kyle

REVIEW: Fantastic Four 2: Rise of the Silver Surfer

(above) The Silver Surfer gives Johnny Storm more than he bargained for in sub-par sequel

The Not-So-Fantastic Four
Bigger Budget does not a good movie make

Rating: C

Beginning with Spider-Man 3, followed by Pirates 3 and now Fantastic Four 2 things do not bode well for character and story driven, big budget, action movie, sequels. It seems the bigger the budget the less need there is for a good plot and character development, as big effects have eclipsed big characters. These films also contain dialogue at par with what one would find in a Saturday morning cartoon. And a cartoon is exactly how this move plays out. At a long 92 minutes, the movie could easily be condensed into a half-hour time slot and still have room for commercials. Along with the amount of shameless product placement its a wonder this movie wasn't produced by Dodge motors. The story is simply not there, but that doesn’t stop the writers from reaching for one. Unlike its predecessor which moved at a fast pace from minute one, Fantastic Four 2 takes its time moving the story along. Aside from a comical cameo by series creator Stan Lee, there are large gaps of unsubstantial and clichés between too few and uninspired action sequences, including a short anti-climactic final confrontation. Bottom line, the movie is boring and at times painful to sit through.

One can easily see where all the money went. The most interesting parts of the film are its visuals. The bigger budget has allowed for an increase in the amount that we see our four heroes using their powers. Mr. Fantastic a.k.a. Reed Richards (Ioan Gruffudd), has plenty more to do but in the end there is only so much that a person with his powers can do, and if it wasn’t for his super brain his character would simply appear "stretched out". The “Thing”, which looked fantastic (forgive me, couldn’t resist) in the first film looks ever better with a fuller range of facial expressions and appears less wooden and more organic in movement. Unfortunately for The Invisible Woman and the Human Torch (played by a bored Jessica Alba and Chris Evans), turning invisible and igniting ones self, stills seems business as usual. But the highlight of the films visuals comes from its title character. The Silver Surfer (played by Doug Jones, voiced fittingly by Laurence Fishburne) looks as if he flew right out of the comic book, surfboard and all, while at the same time looking as real as any of the other characters on screen.

The movie opens with ominous tendrils of smoke and debris causing the slow destruction of an unnamed planet. Then a silver streak in seen leaving the floating remains and entering earth’s atmosphere, serving as a dark omen for all. This moody set-up quickly dissolves as we are then thrown into the trials and tribulations of being public superheroes stuck in an airport. Which only leaves an air of confusion as we wonder, “they can afford their own building but can't afford their own jet?” But that soon passes as we are burdened with the frustrations of Reed Richards and Susan Storm as they try to become Mr. and Mrs. Fantastic, in a 30 minute sub-plot that seems to serve only as a means to kill time until something more exciting can happen. From that point on the movie trudges along as a by-the-numbers, save the world movie that has the Four pitted against a world-eating monster (reminiscent of Star Trek’s VIGR) and his “herald”, the Silver Surfer. In who’s "surfboard" allows him to channel cosmic power, which he uses to make the planet ready for his masters' arrival. Dr. Doom also returns in a most convenient and coincidental fashion. From that point the film moves along to its inevitable and predictable conclusion with a battle between the Fantastic Four and Dr. Doom, and another one between The Silver Surfer and his master, Galactus. Both of these battles, which occupy a total of maybe 10 minutes, seem written in only as an after thought. It's amazing to see how the screen writers spent all this time on useless plot elements and gave no attention to the parts of the movie that would have served well to improve it.

While everything looks very pretty, unfortunately the characters have to speak and when that happens the illusion of an exciting and creative comic book movie quickly begins to fade away. While amusing in the first film, Chris Evans’ cocky and self-absorbed Johnny Storm is now a little boring and (forgive the pun) burnt out. Ioan Gruffudd and Jessica Alba seem to have lost what little chemistry they had from the first film as they “phone-in” their story of pre-marital angst. Michael Chiklis’ Ben Grimm seems to be the only character who has grown up from the previous film as he gets over his unfortunate transformation and begins to settle into his new life as a gentle orange giant.

What is most unfortunate is that the films more interesting characters (Dr. Doom, the Silver Surfer, and the much anticipated yet disappointing Galactus) get the least amount of screen time. Julian McMahon returns as his diabolical alter ego (not Christian Troy silly, the other one) Victor Von Doom as he searches for a new way to defeat his nemeses. McMahon plays his over the top villain brilliantly and steals the screen every time he’s on it. Along with Von Doom the only other reason to stay seated is to get another glimpse of the Silver Surfer, who presence has more to say than his character. Doug Jones’ physicality gives the Surfer great strength even while being tied down and tortured. But what Surfer fans are certainly looking forward to is a screenfull of Galactus. Unfortunately members of the silver surfer fan-elite will be disappointed. This all leaves one wondering why some much time was wasted on the Fantastic Four when any one of these characters could be given two or three times the attention and could make for a more interesting movie.

More than meets the eye!

They're robots in disguise!
We all know that robots are 1 part of the Holy Trinity of coolness. The other two parts being "Ninjas and Pirates." And when those robots are transforming into cars and other cool stuff their coolness increase by a factor of some ludicrious scientific equation.
Superhero hype has posted two perfect things for transforming robot lovers. One is a new poster featuring the flame detailed Optimus Prime in all his robot glory.



Also they posted a clip of Shia and his robot buddies and a new TV spot. I'd say more but the clip pretty much speaks for itself.

http://www.superherohype.com/news/topnews.php?id=5856

http://www.superherohype.com/news/topnews.php?id=5863

Enjoy these teasers and i'll return tomorrow with my review of Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer


~Kyle

Welcome to all!

Welcome everyone to the beginning,
Since childhood i've grown up around movies, i myself own a library of over 200 dvds and watch movie on a super regular basis. My friends find my movie critiques helpful and accurate and being a movie reviewer has always appealed to me as a profession.
So starting this week, Friday June 15th, with the review of Fantastic Four 2: Rise of the Silver Surfer and the preceding trailers I will post a movie review every friday or saturday night, but i will try to get a reivew to you all as soon as possible even if that means seeing a midnight showing and getting you ready for the movie watching weekend friday morning. Also i will be posting all new information, pictures, comments etc. for upcomming films to save you all the time of having to scour the internet for the newest tidbit of info.
So once again, welcome and i hope that my reviews entertain you and are found to be helpful.

~Kyle