Saturday, June 26, 2010

Green Hornet Trailer

I must admit that I'm not very well versed in super hero comics such as Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman and the like. And I only first heard of the Green Hornet when the 60's television show incarnation of the character was mentioned on Kool TV

However, this trailer leaves me smiling. I've never been a huge fan of Seth Rogen, but I think that he looks pretty good here; completely out of character.

Thursday, June 24, 2010

Quick Movie Review: The Book of Eli



The Book of Eli: When I tell you that The Book of Eli is one of the greatest movies I have seen, understand that I'm not exaggerating in the slightest. The Book of Eli is full of action, heart and a powerful story of commitment and faith.

The story revolves around Eli (Denzel Washington), a traveler of post-apocalyptic America who is in possession of the last known Bible. Eli, told by Christ to simply take the Bible west, devotes thirty years of his life to this mission. Along the way, Eli encounters a myriad of fellow survivors who would prevent him from completing his task by robbing and/or ing him.

Throughout the movie, Eli shows a laudable tenacity when it comes to protecting the Bible. In one particular scene, Eli dispatches a group of highway bandits within a matter of seconds while using his trademark machete. The action scenes are graphic, but extremely well choreographed.

Denzel Washington is joined by Gary Oldman who plays the role of Carnegie, the greedy overseer of a decrepit town wherein Eli must stop to both recharge his portable battery and rehydrate himself. Carnegie however, like Eli, is one of the few literate people still living in the world and is in search of the Bible. Carnegie wishes to expand his small empire and knowing that the Bible will draw people towards it, seeks to take it from Eli. The fight sequence where Eli refuses to hand over the Bible is mind blowingly awesome and a powerful testament to God's will.

Washington is also joined by Mila Kunis who plays Solara, a young under Carnegie's 'protection' who takes to Eli and follows him on his journey west. The duo are tracked by Carnegie and without spoiling too much info, action ensues.

The movie has a surprise ending that will make you want to rewatch the movie just to see all the little hints, and trust me their are hints. It also ends on a positive note, professing that in the end faith and commitment to God will bring peace.

The Book of Eli is also aided by a wonderful score. The relatively unknown composer Atticus Ross provided an enchanting soundtrack. The standout piece, Panoramic, honestly gives me chills every time I hear it.

In summary, The Book of Eli is a masterpiece and one that should not go unseen.

Rating: 9.5 (Excellent)

You can look forward to my review of District 9 and Gamer in the near future.

Monday, June 21, 2010

Futurama Returns June 24th!


Futurama, the goofy futuristic animated comedy from the creators of the Simpsons, will finally be returning to television this Thursday on Comedy Central after being off the air for over seven years!

In 2007 the show returned in a direct-to-DVD format with the hilarious movie, Bender's Big Score. Multiple other DVD movies were to follow, but this Thursday marks the first time that new episodes of the series will be aired on television since its cancellation in 2003.

Who can forget characters like Bender, Zoidberg, Zapp Braniggan, Morbo and Roberto? Not me! And remember; "Hypnotoad commands you to watch it!"

Tuesday, June 8, 2010

Quick Movie Review: Prince of Persia & The Road


Prince of Persia: Prince of Persia doesn't have much going for it. With that said, it is possible that it is the only decent video-game-to-film-adaption created to date; but with all the half rate video game-movies for comparison, this isn't saying much. Prince of Persia delivers as an action packed summer blockbuster, but nothing more.

Prince of Persia is Jerry Bruckheimer's latest Disney movie. It was marketed in a similar style to that of the Pirates of the Caribbean movies; a live-action Disney movie aimed at a slightly more mature audience.

PoP delivers as an action packed summer blockbuster, but nothing more. Character development seems to take a backstage to the continuous action scenes that quickly loose their er.

The movie runs at a reasonably fast pace and follows certain plot elements of the original video games. In the movie, Prince Dastan, a former child of the streets before being adopted by the king of Persia, is framed for the of the king. He then embarks on a quest to clear his name and get revenge for his adopted father's er.

Immediately after being framed, Dastan is joined by young Princess Tamina who seeks to protect the Sands of Time encased in a dagger that Dastan recently acquired. The relationship between Dastan and Tamina takes center stage throughout most of the film with witty, flirtatious banter being exchanged between the two for the most part of the film.

The film's end was entirely foreseeable and seemed very unnecessary. I don't want to spoil it for anyone, but it also seemed to make everything beyond the first twenty minutes of the film pointless.

In the end, Prince of Persia succeeded in creating an exciting summer blockbuster, however without giving depth to its characters and creating a feeling of rushed plot lines, it fails to capture an audience and is easily forgettable.

Rating: 5.5 (Average)


DVD Review:


The Road: Based off of the book of the same name and written by Cormac McCarthy (the author of another book-to-film adaption, No Country For Old Men), The Road is a powerful tale of love, trust and morality.

The Road follows the journey of an unnamed father and son duo who are attempting to traverse a disaster-torn world and reach the Pacific Coast. I really enjoyed the fact that the disaster that claimed nearly all life on earth is never described or visualized, though we do see that the earth is in fact plagued by continuous earthquakes.

The father/son duo come across many difficulties during their sojourn, such as starvation, the aforementioned earthquakes and cannibals. Yes, a large portion of the survivors have turned to cannibalism to feed their hunger. It's a dark and ugly perspective and one that certainly garners the movie's 'R' rating.

Of all the post-apocalyptic movies that Hollywood has created, The Road seems to be the most realistic example of a future wherein the world suffers a complex disaster. Not that I'd know how that would turn out, but simply watch the movie and see for yourself. There's not a single zombie or post apocalyptic mutant in it. :P

The relationship between the father and son, the main focus of the film, is strong and beautiful. The father continuously proves that he'll go to no end to ensure his boy's safety, even to the point of other survivors who threaten the duo. The son provides a sort of moral compass for the father, who occasionally will go too far with protecting the boy.

While the movie can be depressing at times, the ending, for the most part is a happy one. I highly suggest watching The Road to anyone who has the stomach for such gritty films.

Rating: 7.5 (Close to excellent)

Wednesday, June 2, 2010

E3 News! Sony Unveils New TCW MMO

E3 is right around the corner and it seems that multiple companies are having pre-expo reveals.

For those of you who don't know, E3 is the Electronics Entertainment Expo that takes place annually in Los Angeles. The convention gives many of the popular software developers like Microsoft, Sony and Nintendo a chance to reveal their future games and technology to the geek world.

I'll be creating multiple posts pertaining to E3 news over the next few weeks, principally regarding Star Wars games such as The Old Republic and The Force Unleashed II. And here we go...

Sony has unveiled a press release regarding a new Star Wars MMO taking place in The Clone Wars era. This new game will be aimed at a younger audience yet it still managed to catch my eye. No surprise there! :P

The Clone Wars Adventures looks to be similar to the Cartoon Network MMO, Fusion Fall and like its predecessor will also be free. In addition to exploration and social interaction, Adventures will feature multiple mini-games such as speeder bike racing, lightsaber dueling, RTS style fortress protection and Jedi Starfighter piloting.

Adventures looks intriguing and I'd like to try it out, I'm just not sure how long it would be able to keep my interest.

Tuesday, June 1, 2010

Highlighted Song!

The movie-adaption of Beowulf changed the poem's story quiet drastically with its "sins of the father" twist. However, even with all its flaws, I still loved the movie for bringing both the story of Beowulf to life and creating a truly epic soundtrack that mirrored the mythology of Beowulf perfectly.

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