I'm gonna be honest with you guys. I thought this movie was gonna be terrible. I thought this was gonna be the worst animated film of the decade. I thought this was gonna make me want to gouge my eyes out. I know, a bit extreme, but I need to stress to you how little my hope was for this movie before I tell you this...
Never have I been so wrong.
"The Croods" is an animated film about a family of cave dwellers before the Ice Age. They are lead by a Father, voiced by Nicholas Cage, who is so afraid of their world that he only lets them out of the cave to find food. Of course this goes over well for everyone but the angst ridden teen that he is raising, voiced by Emma Stone.
Again, I failed you guys and I am writing this three months after watching it. I know I suck, and I'm sorry. Anyway, Something that I can't remember causes them to leave their cave and they go on quite possibly, the worlds first road trip. On this road trip you may or may not laugh, cry smile depending on if you have a heart or not.
For those of you who know him, doesn't this look like a
Cave Man version of Mike Egan?
This movie surprisingly has a lot of heart and good messages in it for how ridiculously goofy it is at times. It is a great example of how a family must keep together through everything, but at the same time should never keep them from achieving their dreams. With great lessons like that, it amazes me that there are people out there who don't let their kids watch TV or movies. You can learn so much from them.
Like how Sloths used to be used as belts... I'm sure that's a real thing.
It seems that Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson is the go to guy for action movies now. Which is great. I've never really liked wrestling, but I was always a fan of his. Mainly because I heard he was a good cook. Unfortunately, I never did smell what he was cooking.
"Snitch" is based (loosely, I assume) off of a true story. It's about a Father who helps the DEA in order to get his son off a Drug Trafficking charge. He poses as a man whose business has reached hard times and wants to start transporting drugs to pay off his companies debts. With the help of Agent Cooper, played by Barry Pepper (One of the Most Underrated Actors of our time) and an employee of his named Daniel James, played by Jon Bernthal ("Walking Dead"), he finds himself getting deeper and deeper into drug trafficking, all to save his son.
Snitches GIVE Stitches
And Barry Pepper looks like a bad ass.
This movie was good for what it was. It was an action movie, and not much more. Although they did try to make it like a PSA by having statistics on drug related crimes at the end, but who cares? Dwayne Johnson keeps proving himself as an actor with every movie he makes. He has come a long way since "The Mummy Returns" and "The Scorpion King".
Also makes you appreciate how far CGI has come.
I saw this movie back in February and just decided to do a review now... Not the best way to do it, but I'm not getting paid to do these, so deal with it! BUt I can tell you that this movie was enjoyable, but it did have it's flaws.
The Soundtrack was not one of them. Surprisingly beautiful music for an action movie. Seriously. Listen to the whole song.
Sometimes, I feel some people are too hard on some movies. The internet has made everyone and their mother a cynic and has given them a platform to express their cynicisms. Hell, I used to be one and every now and then my cynical side comes back out, like a relapse for a recovering alcoholic. But mostly, I try to find the good in things and try to enjoy them for what they are. M. Night Shyamalan is a big target for the cynics. And apparently, his new film "After Earth" is no exception.
Not even The Fresh Prince can save him.
I feel as though M. Night Shyamalan is the Nickelback of the film industry. Everyone makes fun of him, but only a handful know why they do. The rest are just followers of the pack. Now, I'm not saying all of his movies are amazing. I'm just saying he was dealt a crappy hand. His first two major movies, "The Sixth Sense" and "Unbreakable" were arguably both masterpieces. I tend to agree with that sentiment. But since his two movies were fantastic, everyone expected every movie he made to be fantastic. And that is just statistically impossible. I mean, even Spielberg made "1941" and "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull".
Although, I mainly blame George Lucas for that one.
P.S. This was the tamest picture of this episode I could find.
Perhaps I just have a soft spot in my heart for M. Night Shyamalan. He's a fellow Philadelphian, and I first decided to do something with film as my career while watching "The Village".
Yes, I like that movie. Deal with it!
I don't think any of his movies are as bad as everyone says. I also believe whoever did his marketing between "The Village" and "The Happening" was the worst marketer in the history of films. If you watch "The Happening" with the minds set that it is an homage to B-movies, it becomes much better.
However, there is no excuse for "The Last Airbender". That's just terrible.
Anyway. Where were we?
Oh, that's right! Thanks Will!
"After Earth" is a coming of age story of Katai, the son of a legendary soldier named Cypher. Katai and his father find themselves left on Earth, now inhabited by wild life and an atmosphere that has evolved to kill humans. Their already strained relationship is tested as Cypher, unable to walk, guides his son through the landscape to the tail of their ship where he must retrieve the beacon that will send a distress signal back to their home planet.
Once again, pre-maturely sabotaged by poor reviews, "After Earth" is yet another one of M. Night Shyamalan's decent films that is attacked by the cynics of the world. I mean, it has a 12% on Rotten Tomatoes as of June 3rd, 2013, while "Oblivion" has a 55%. At least "After Earth" isn't a blatant rip off of a movie that was released less than 5 years ago. This movies got off to a slow start, but once it got going, it became very suspenseful.
This movie won't be the best movie of the year. It probably isn't even the best movie of the week. (I still have yet to see "Now You See Me") But it is far from deserving of the hate it is already receiving, much like most of Shyamalan's previous projects. But I guess people hate you when you make movies you want to make rather than being told by the studio what movies you should make.
Hey, remember that remake of "The Hangover" that takes place in Bangkok, that is strangely named "The Hangover 2"? Well you may have heard that that remake has got a sequel! And for some reason, it's called "The Hangover Part 3".
The wolf pack is back for the third installment of what should have been a one part movie! Following the Déj á Vu filled second installment to the series, Todd Phillips takes a surprisingly more serious approach to the series, often times stepping away from the comedy and throwing in some drama that may or may not get you in the feels.
Am I the only one who'd much rather see a movie with Doug as the third guy
rather than Stu? I'm not an Ed Helms fan.
On their way to take Alan to rehab, the gang is ambushed by a truck of men in Pig masks. They kidnap the wolf pack and take them to John Goodman (I refuse to call him by his characters name in any movie. Because John Goodman is better than you.) John Goodman explains that Chow (hard not to call him Chang. #sixseasonsandamovie) has stolen roughly 29 Million dollars worth of Gold Bars from him, and if they don't bring Chang... I mean Chow back to him, he will kill Doug.
Why always Doug? Justin Bartha is a much better actor than Ed Helms!
Anyway. A surprisingly sober form of chaos ensues. You know... it's "The Hangover" franchise. If you're expecting a Scorsese-esque Drama, or Brooks-esque comedy, you're looking in the wrong place. It's stupid humor. And there is nothing wrong with that.
Other than the frequent intense moments, this is exactly what you'd expect from Todd Phillips. College humor. Nothing more and nothing less. It was great the first time. It's OK the 3rd time.
I've never watched the original series. I've barely even seen one episode of "Star Trek: The Next Generation". I am not the type of person who likes campy sci-fi movies or TV shows. I'm sure there are serious episodes. I'm sure most of them are serious. But I have seen too many clips or scenes where it's just a space alien dressed like a cowboy.
"Toy Story" taught me to keep sci-fi and westerns separate
but equal.... that came out more racist than intended.
So it's fair to say I don't know what the hell I'm talking about from a trekkies perspective (Yes, I know you guys hate the word because it's derogatory. But it's a made up thing, so get over it). But I like to think I know a thing or two about movies. And if I had to choose one word to describe "Star Trek Into Darkness" it'd have to be... maj. Which Google tells me is Klingon for "good".
J.J. Abrams second installment to the "Star Trek" franchise brings us back to the U.S.S. Enterprise a few years after the Romulans. And as I keep reminding myself that Star Trek has a lot of made up words involved and to just ignore the "misspelled" made up races of the Star Trek Universe, may I also remind you that J.J. Abrams made an alternate Universe of Star Trek. That means your precious characters might be slightly different in this series of movies. And that's ok! There are an infinite number of alternate universes. That means there is a Universe where I am a giant taco and I am typing this on my laptop made out of humans.... just let that sink in.
No les gusta esta.
Also, "Mochilla" is Spanish for backpack... The more you know!
Yes, I know it's really "Mochila", but I'm had already paid for the domain name
by the time I figured it out... it's too late.... Plus two L's looks better...
'MURICANS ARE ALWAYS RIGHT!!!
I love J.J. Abrams take on Star Trek. As much as die hard Trekkies might hate it, he has expanded the audience demographic ten-fold by doing what he has done. And at it's very core, Star Trek has some great things that I feel everybody should enjoy. That's what makes his series great. He takes the great stuff from the original Star Trek and shares it with the rest of the world who otherwise may not have ever seen it.
Maybe I'm easy to please, but I feel most people are too harsh on directors that make movies that already have a fan base. No one will ever get you interpretation of a show or a book 100% correct. The only way for that to happen is for you to make that yourself. And as YouTube has shown us, contrary to what EVERYBODY believes, making a good quality movie cannot be done by everyone.
All in all, "Star Trek Into Darkness" was a great movie. Was it as good as the first of J.J. Abrams'? No. Not in my opinion. But it was definitely a great follow up, and will keep you at the edge of your seat. Plus, Benedict Cumberbatch is better than you.
Does anyone else feel like he's planning to eat you?
Trailers are often the best part of going to the movies, even though they usually set you up for disappointment. The following are trailers that stood out to me. Most for the better, some for worse.
ELYSIUM (8/9/13)
First off, I loved "District 9". It was my favorite movie of 2009. Director Neill Blomkamp has made a name for himself very fast, and for good reason. I think this looks like a very good sophomore film. It doesn't look quite as good as "District 9", but I think it has a lot of potential. And who know? It could be better! This is definitely my most anticipated movie of 2013.
THE HUNGER GAMES: CATCHING FIRE (11/22/13)
Undoubtedly the most anticipated movie of the fall for most, "The Hunger Games: Catching Fire" is of course the sequel last years "The Hunger Games". I never read the books, because reading is for chumps (not really). But I did enjoy the movie, and although I am not terribly excited for this one, I will more than likely see it... because I have no life.
STAR TREK INTO DARKNESS (5/17/13)
Yes! Yes, yes, yes, yes! A thousand times yes! I have been waiting for this since the credits started rolling for the first J.J. Abrams "Star Trek". I think he has done a superb job with the series, and the alternate universe take on it to make the series how he wants it was just brilliant. But I've never really watched the original series, so I could just sound stupid as usual. Anyway, I think Benedict Cumberbatch (Such an English name!) is going to be a fantastic villain and I can't wait to see what happens in the newest chapter!
MAN OF STEEL (6/14/13)
I'm just gonna come right out and say it. I hate Superman. It seems like he was created by a temperamental toddler who kept losing in a backyard game of Super Heroes so he just kept giving himself super power. Like Cartman in the Anime episode of "South Park". That being said, I'm impressed with this trailer. I still don't have much hope for the movie, but I must say this has intrigued me. The opening where the piano plays over the chaos of war going on in his home planet is just awesome. However, I do hate the part where a woman says, "My son was on that bus! He saw what Clark did". I find it hard to believe that anyone would be that ungrateful towards someone who saved their son. That might not be what's going on at all though.
RUSH (9/20/13)
This looks like it has some serious potential. Ron Howard behind the camera, Chris Hemsworth and Daniel Brühl in front, and OH! Olivia Wilde! MMMMM!!!! Anyway, this trailer has great music and great visuals, but I feel like it shows to much. But who knows? This may just be a small portion of the movie.
GRAVITY (10/4/13)
Terrifying... Absolutely terrifying. These are the kinds of movies that scare the crap out of me. Not "horror" movies. Movies like this and "The Impossible" scare me. Things that could actually happen to people (obviously not me, since I'm not an Astronaut). Movies with monsters and ghosts killing you in your dreams don't scare me. However, if I die violently in my sleep, you know who did it!
PACIFIC RIM (7/12/13)
Giant robots fighting giant monsters? Charlie Day? Guillermo del Toro? Charlie Day? CHARLIE DAY? What more could you possibly want in a summer movie?
VIOLET & DAISY (6/7/13)
I'm putting this trailer because I realized that I have yet to post a trailer I haven't liked. I think this just looks stupid.
R.I.P.D. (7/19/13)
I like Jeff Bridges. I like Ryan Reynolds. But this is a painfully obvious rip off of "Men In Black". It hurts. Come on, Hollywood, now you're not even trying to hide it!
CAPTAIN PHILIPS (10/11/13)
Damn, I love Tom Hanks! This movie looks so intense! And the actors playing the pirates seem so genuine! They're not even listed on the cast list on IMDB yet! I think this could be a really good movie! Directed by the same guy who made the first three "Bourne" movies, it will most like have a lot of tense scenes as well.
Thanks for reading! Tune in next week when I may or may not share more trailers!
I've always felt that The Great Gatsby was one of those books that people said they liked so they couldn't be accused of being stupid. Don't get me wrong, it's beautifully written. F. Scott Fitzgerald is a great writer. There's a reason people today know his name. But I always felt that The Great Gatsby was extremely overrated. It's just not that good of a story, in my opinion. When I read it, the immaturity of everyone in it drove me insane. Especially Daisy. She is just genuinely a terrible person.
There are a few things in stories that drive me crazy. And one of them is immature people. Now, I'm not talking about people who make fart jokes or get drunk all of the time. I'm talking about people who are selfish to the point where they act like children. Daisy is one of those characters. She takes the easy route for everything. I understand that that's the point, but it drives me crazy.
I want to punch her in the face and tell her, for lack of a better phrase, to man up! Take responsibility for your actions! Don't hide behind your horrible husband who is alright with cheating on you, but the second you cheat on him he accuses you of being a terrible person (She is, but not for that reason).
"I love Gatsby, but my husband was being a total
dick to him and he lost his temper, so now I
love my dick of a husband again. And I'm gonna let Gatsby
take the blame for something I did that could have easily been
resolved, because I'm more important than anyone else!"
And when you hit someone with a car, stop! It's that easy! Especially when the car you were driving is as recognizable as Gatsby's Yellow CUSTOM MADE car! Even today, if you hit someone with your car, if you just stop and wait for police, if it was a genuine accident, you will not go to jail. You might have to pay fines, but you will not go to jail if it was a genuine accident that could not have been avoided.
The other thing that drives me crazy in stories is when there are little to no characters that are possible to connect to. Even a good villain should have a characteristic that you could identify with. In "The Great Gatsby", Daisy is a lying skank who flip-flops with what she wants, Tom Buchanan is a cheating chauvinist hypocrite, and Jordan is an emotionless drone and Nick Carraway is a follower that never does anything for himself. The only two characters I could begin to connect with are George Wilson and Jay Gatsby. Both were motivated by love and would do anything for it.
Anyway, that's my rant about the story. Cinematically, this film was brilliant. As always with Baz Luhrmann films, it had a very elegant, theatrical feel to it. Beautifully shot, with great set and costume design. But that's to be expected.
I did get tired of the modern songs throughout. Some fit really well, others just stuck out like a sore thumb. It wasn't as seamless as "Moulin Rouge" was.
The editing was iffy, there were so many parts in long shots where the mouths didn't match up with the dialogue, and it happened way more than it normally does.
While watching this, I created a little drinking game. I don't drink, but you all can enjoy it.
Take a shot of Tequila every time Gatsby calls someone "Ol' Sport" (Don't really... you will die.. maybe just take a sip of beer. You'll still be hammered in no time)
Take a shot every time Daisy lies.
Chug a beer anytime Tom Buchanan gets angry at someone for doing something he always does.
Whenever Nick Caraway does something someone else tells him to do, last person to say "bitch" downs their beer.
I love you, Ol' Sport. You're a beautiful Ol' Sport,
Ol' Sport.
It's in the works, but I'm sure it can turn into something great.
