Tuesday, January 22, 2013
The Following
Hey, guys, I'm a little pressed for time right now, so I'm just gonna do a quick micro-review of the pilot episode of the Following. Yes, I watched it, yes I really liked it, and if you enjoy dark, disturbing crime thrillers with villains who are a different breed of crazy, then you will to.
Being Human: (Dead) Girls Just Wanna Have Fun Review
Hey guys guess what? This is the first time I've ever reviewed Being Human before! Hurray!
Spoilers follow.
After a strong season opener, our heroes (?) are reunited fairly quickly. Rather then Sally, Nick, and Stevie all sharing a body, which, I'll admit is kinda what I was hoping for, Nick and Stevie woke up in there graves. I personally thought it was a bit of a cop out at first, just because it wasn't what I wanted, but given the route things seem to be going now, I'm cool with it. More on that in a minute. Anyway, Aiden manages to reemerge from the car crash and has a reunion with Josh and Sally that turns hilarious pretty quickly when he realizes Sally's solid and Josh no longer smells like dog (the show's always been funny, but that was hilarious).
Aiden is now desperate for blood, and that's hard to come by now, thus leading to return of the wayward son Henry. I had mixed feelings about Henry in season 2; sometimes he lead to so cool story lines, moral dilemmas, and character development for Aiden, other times he was an annoying pain in the ass. Fortunately, he went the latter route this time. The man was compelling woman to being his hostage and letting him milk her blood, for crying out loud! I'll let you fill in the blank for what that's a metaphor for.
I really enjoyed seeing that play out too; Aiden went nuts when he was grounded, and now that he's back, he's in more of a grey territory then ever. Even in the face of death, he's basically resisting a world that's trying to force him into doing the wrong thing. Take notes, TV writers, this is how you develop a character.
Sally, meanwhile, is the reasoning behind the name of this episode. She runs into someone from her past (apparently a friend of her brother who's never been mentioned before), and they start making out against all common sense. Everything's looking up for Sally. But wait, the next he's dead (I'm not gonna make the black widow joke because it is going to come off as racist)! What is going on?!
Josh, meanwhile, is Mr. Rainbows and Puppies right now (incredibly lame pun intended). And while there were a few cheesy moments between him and Nora this time out, it's really hard not to be happy for the guy; he's not only no longer a werewolf, but he's not an orderly any more either, he's spent his first full moon since becoming human sitting outside of Nora's storage locker, and he's gonna propose Nora (like, the morning after she changes, while she's still naked and beat-up looking. Sally went to town with this).
One small problem, Brynn and Connor's dad has come to town after promptly mowing down the Dutch in a thoroughly badass establishing character moment. He knows Connor's dead, he can't find Brynn anywhere (he might wanna check NBC), and like all purebreds, he's an irrational, temperamental, kinda crazy dick. Like, to the point where he locked himself and Nora in Nora's storage locker minutes before the change comes, thus leading to the episode's cliffhanger.
All in all, this was another solid episode, with a few great humorous moments mixed in with the usual awesome. On a side note, I'm really liking how they've established that now that vampires are an endangered species, werewolves have sorta come to power in the supernatural world. Makes for a good mythos shake up.
Final Rating: 85%
Spoilers follow.
After a strong season opener, our heroes (?) are reunited fairly quickly. Rather then Sally, Nick, and Stevie all sharing a body, which, I'll admit is kinda what I was hoping for, Nick and Stevie woke up in there graves. I personally thought it was a bit of a cop out at first, just because it wasn't what I wanted, but given the route things seem to be going now, I'm cool with it. More on that in a minute. Anyway, Aiden manages to reemerge from the car crash and has a reunion with Josh and Sally that turns hilarious pretty quickly when he realizes Sally's solid and Josh no longer smells like dog (the show's always been funny, but that was hilarious).
Aiden is now desperate for blood, and that's hard to come by now, thus leading to return of the wayward son Henry. I had mixed feelings about Henry in season 2; sometimes he lead to so cool story lines, moral dilemmas, and character development for Aiden, other times he was an annoying pain in the ass. Fortunately, he went the latter route this time. The man was compelling woman to being his hostage and letting him milk her blood, for crying out loud! I'll let you fill in the blank for what that's a metaphor for.
I really enjoyed seeing that play out too; Aiden went nuts when he was grounded, and now that he's back, he's in more of a grey territory then ever. Even in the face of death, he's basically resisting a world that's trying to force him into doing the wrong thing. Take notes, TV writers, this is how you develop a character.
Sally, meanwhile, is the reasoning behind the name of this episode. She runs into someone from her past (apparently a friend of her brother who's never been mentioned before), and they start making out against all common sense. Everything's looking up for Sally. But wait, the next he's dead (I'm not gonna make the black widow joke because it is going to come off as racist)! What is going on?!
Josh, meanwhile, is Mr. Rainbows and Puppies right now (incredibly lame pun intended). And while there were a few cheesy moments between him and Nora this time out, it's really hard not to be happy for the guy; he's not only no longer a werewolf, but he's not an orderly any more either, he's spent his first full moon since becoming human sitting outside of Nora's storage locker, and he's gonna propose Nora (like, the morning after she changes, while she's still naked and beat-up looking. Sally went to town with this).
One small problem, Brynn and Connor's dad has come to town after promptly mowing down the Dutch in a thoroughly badass establishing character moment. He knows Connor's dead, he can't find Brynn anywhere (he might wanna check NBC), and like all purebreds, he's an irrational, temperamental, kinda crazy dick. Like, to the point where he locked himself and Nora in Nora's storage locker minutes before the change comes, thus leading to the episode's cliffhanger.
All in all, this was another solid episode, with a few great humorous moments mixed in with the usual awesome. On a side note, I'm really liking how they've established that now that vampires are an endangered species, werewolves have sorta come to power in the supernatural world. Makes for a good mythos shake up.
Final Rating: 85%
Friday, January 18, 2013
Supernatural: Torn and Frayed Review
Okay, so just so we can be clear on this, I still review TV shows on this website. I haven't done it a lot lately, but I still do. That being said, let's talk about Supernatural.
Spoilers follow.
So, SPN is back from it's mid season break and this week, Alfie- you remember Alfie, right, you know that angel with an obscure name who's possessing some teenager- is being tortured by Crowley. Let's be honest, torture is rarely more entertaining then on this show, but this week, information is actually gained from it for once. So, Naomi tells Castiel of this, and Cas, who obviously doesn't remember he's under orders, gets Dean, and they go to find Alfie.
The episode starts off right after the last one pretty much, in that Sam is still pissed at Dean for lying to him and letting Benny walk. That's a nice touch of course, just because I've always liked that show is willing to go the extra mile in terms of replicating how human beings actually behave. Plus, it's always entertaining seeing Dean and Cas interact (I nearly died laughing at the laptop scene), and just having Cas around (the guy's my favorite character, sue me) in general.
As far as Sam and Amelia's little jaunt this week goes, I'm glad they put it in the episode for two reasons: one, it's provided some good character development for Sam, and two, it, hopefully concluded that little story line. As hot as Amelia is, I've been consistently bored out of my mind during the flashbacks to her and Sam's relationship. I get why they've done that story line, to give Sam some development like I said before, but it was still boring. But hopefully that's over now that Cas has told Sam and Dean they're both being stupid and Sam has grown in a way that doesn't involve severe physical/ emotional trauma, and we can get to the good stuff.
Good stuff like Naomi for instance. This season's been really good about keeping the intrigue levels at 11 so far, and an exception this was not. First, I really liked that all the angels are hardwired with basic programming to serve God and protect the tablets. And of course there's the big reveal that there is an angel tablet, which serves as an opposite to the demon tablet and can trap all the angels in heaven. In spite of team free will demolishing the angel's rule by destiny three seasons, because those feathery bastards are control freaks and apparently still have quite a bit of say over what happens on Earth, they do not want this to happen. Nor do I, because if it does, we can say good-bye to holy tax accountant.
This was all in like the last 15-20 minutes of the episode too, so I was pretty much on the edge of my seat. I was actually kinda disturbed, too (in a good way; trust me, I watch The Walking Dead AND Being Human; I know when disturbing is good), when I saw that Naomi had been scrubbing Cas' memory the same way Crowley was torturing Alfie, and I guess that's how she maintains control over heaven. What I wanna know is has she always been sort of in control upstairs, you know, like a man behind the curtain type deal, or did she just come power after Michael and Cas both went AWOL and Raphael died? Plus, does she actually have full control, or is she still just like the Angelic CIA? Important questions, folks.
And, just to mention some other stuff, I also appreciated seeing Kevin and Crowley again, the action was good, I loved the opening song, etc.
I only had two complaints about the episode: one was that I thought the scenes with Benny felt a little tacked on, and two, I was hoping Garth would be in it. I know I'm one of maybe three people who actually likes Garth, but yeah.
The bottom line: great episode in what has thus far been a great season. Next week: the return of Felicia Day (and there was MUCH rejoicing!).
Final Rating: 93%
Spoilers follow.
So, SPN is back from it's mid season break and this week, Alfie- you remember Alfie, right, you know that angel with an obscure name who's possessing some teenager- is being tortured by Crowley. Let's be honest, torture is rarely more entertaining then on this show, but this week, information is actually gained from it for once. So, Naomi tells Castiel of this, and Cas, who obviously doesn't remember he's under orders, gets Dean, and they go to find Alfie.
The episode starts off right after the last one pretty much, in that Sam is still pissed at Dean for lying to him and letting Benny walk. That's a nice touch of course, just because I've always liked that show is willing to go the extra mile in terms of replicating how human beings actually behave. Plus, it's always entertaining seeing Dean and Cas interact (I nearly died laughing at the laptop scene), and just having Cas around (the guy's my favorite character, sue me) in general.
As far as Sam and Amelia's little jaunt this week goes, I'm glad they put it in the episode for two reasons: one, it's provided some good character development for Sam, and two, it, hopefully concluded that little story line. As hot as Amelia is, I've been consistently bored out of my mind during the flashbacks to her and Sam's relationship. I get why they've done that story line, to give Sam some development like I said before, but it was still boring. But hopefully that's over now that Cas has told Sam and Dean they're both being stupid and Sam has grown in a way that doesn't involve severe physical/ emotional trauma, and we can get to the good stuff.
Good stuff like Naomi for instance. This season's been really good about keeping the intrigue levels at 11 so far, and an exception this was not. First, I really liked that all the angels are hardwired with basic programming to serve God and protect the tablets. And of course there's the big reveal that there is an angel tablet, which serves as an opposite to the demon tablet and can trap all the angels in heaven. In spite of team free will demolishing the angel's rule by destiny three seasons, because those feathery bastards are control freaks and apparently still have quite a bit of say over what happens on Earth, they do not want this to happen. Nor do I, because if it does, we can say good-bye to holy tax accountant.
This was all in like the last 15-20 minutes of the episode too, so I was pretty much on the edge of my seat. I was actually kinda disturbed, too (in a good way; trust me, I watch The Walking Dead AND Being Human; I know when disturbing is good), when I saw that Naomi had been scrubbing Cas' memory the same way Crowley was torturing Alfie, and I guess that's how she maintains control over heaven. What I wanna know is has she always been sort of in control upstairs, you know, like a man behind the curtain type deal, or did she just come power after Michael and Cas both went AWOL and Raphael died? Plus, does she actually have full control, or is she still just like the Angelic CIA? Important questions, folks.
And, just to mention some other stuff, I also appreciated seeing Kevin and Crowley again, the action was good, I loved the opening song, etc.
I only had two complaints about the episode: one was that I thought the scenes with Benny felt a little tacked on, and two, I was hoping Garth would be in it. I know I'm one of maybe three people who actually likes Garth, but yeah.
The bottom line: great episode in what has thus far been a great season. Next week: the return of Felicia Day (and there was MUCH rejoicing!).
Final Rating: 93%
Friday, January 4, 2013
Top 10 Movies I'm Looking Forward To In 2013
2012 is over, and that means the movies of 2013 are upon us. Like last year, there's a lot to look forward to. Also like last year, I might not get around to seeing all of these (some of them could end up being rated r and I just don't know about it yet, like with Looper). That being said, if the industry feels like being nice to me, I'll get to see, review, and, ideally, enjoy all of these, and maybe a few more that pop up out of nowhere (Chronicle, anyone). Let's get started.
10. Pacific Rim
Idris Elba, one of the best actors working today, and Guillermo del Toro, who's awesome, are certainly intriguing factors. Part of me does feel like the premise is ridiculous (tell me you didn't think of Power Rangers even once when you watched the trailer?), which is why this only ranks at number 10, but it's that same ridiculousness, and how the movie could, potentially, get past it, is another huge part of what's drawing me in.
9. Carrie
A fan of the book, and Stephen King in general, I am, and I'm certainly interested to see what Chloe Grace Mortez (that's how you spell that, right?) can do with character (she seems almost too perfect for the role). That and the teaser trailer looks really freaking intense. I plan to watch and review the original version from the seventies first, don't worry. The only thing that gives me pause is the March release date, because, let's face it, movies that come out in March have a chronic habit of sucking. Also, I don't, as of right now, know the rating for this movie, and as much as I want it to be PG-13 so I can see it, as someone who's read the book, I know you can only REALLY do this story justice with a hard R rating. So try not to get your hopes up for this review.
8. Much Ado About Nothing
Is this my usual type of movie? No. Does anything with the name Joss Whedon (and the names Nathan Fillion, Amy Acker, Alexis Dennisof, Fran Kanz, Tom Lenk, and Christina Hendricks) pique my interest? Yes. Will I probably wind up seeing it by myself? Yes. Granted, this might not even be shown in the theater in my town- or any theater in the greater Boston area, for that matter- on account of a microbudget indie Shakespearean film probably won't appeal to mainstream audiences (if this becomes a hipster movie my life will be over... or I'll become a hipster), so expect a late review.
7. The Wolverine
Can FOX somehow fit this in with their increasingly screwed up X-Men continuity? Let's hope so (if for no other reason that I don't want the time travel movie to have sort it all out (because time travel makes everything so much less complicated)). But even if they can't, Hugh Jackman returning to the role he made even more awesome is absolutely worth my money.
6. Oblivion
Tom Cruise AND Morgan Freeman in a pretty epic looking sci if actioner from the director of Tron Legacy. 'Nough said.
5. Thor: The Dark World
I'm excited for Marvel Phase 2 in general, but I'm interested in Thor 2 for a specific reason: the expansion of the Marvel Cinematic Universe into the cosmos. I'm intrigued about how, in terms of both storytelling and aestetics, they're gonna bring these fanstastical realms onto the big screen. Am I worried it could be a big CGI crapfest? Yes. But I'm still very much interested. That and Christopher Eccleston is playing the villain (Nine for the win!).
4. The Hobbit: Desolation of Smaug
Say what you will about An Unexpected Journey, I thoroughly enjoyed it (see my review and the best movies of 2012 rant for further details), and I have every intention to see this trilogy through to the end. Plus, we finally get meet Benedict Cumberbatch's Smaug, which will only be enhanced for me personally, because all interactions between him and Bilbo will be weirdly meta.
3. Iron Man 3
New director, new armor, new tone. That's the basic jist of Iron Man 3 if the trailer is anything to go by. I'm more than interested in the direction Shane Black wants to take the character and the franchise, as well as see just how the events of the Avengers plays into it. That, and you've got the Ben Kingsley as the Mandarin, and the nano-bot armor. Plus, it just looks epic.
2. Star Trek Into Darkness
After four long years of waiting, JJ Abrams is returning to the franchise he ressurected and redefined. Benedict Cumberbatch's (he just keeps showing up) villain certainly looks like a formidable threat for Kirk and the crew of the Enterprise (he's apparently named John Harrison, though personnally, I still think he's Gary Mitchell and the John Harrison thing is just the latest case of Abrams lying to avoid spoiling things), and I can't wait to see how he stacks up. I'm gonna try and keep my expectations in check, but seriously, it's been four years; I, and everyone else, need this to be worth the wait.
1. Man of Steel
Please tell me I'm not the only one who thinks it's ridiculous that there hasn't been a good Superman movie since 1980. Not only am I excited about the big guy's return to the big screen, with Christopher Nolan and Zak Snyder at the helm (excitement caused by trailers, that, long story short, make it clear that the film is going to paint a complete emotional picture of what makes Superman tick while plopping him into a realistic setting), but I'm also excited at the apparent Justice League franchise this movie seems fated to launch. Can't wait for May.
Honorable Mentions: After Earth, A Good Day to Die Hard, the Lone Ranger, Anchorman 2
So those are my picks; what are yours?! Comment below, let me know!
10. Pacific Rim
Idris Elba, one of the best actors working today, and Guillermo del Toro, who's awesome, are certainly intriguing factors. Part of me does feel like the premise is ridiculous (tell me you didn't think of Power Rangers even once when you watched the trailer?), which is why this only ranks at number 10, but it's that same ridiculousness, and how the movie could, potentially, get past it, is another huge part of what's drawing me in.
9. Carrie
A fan of the book, and Stephen King in general, I am, and I'm certainly interested to see what Chloe Grace Mortez (that's how you spell that, right?) can do with character (she seems almost too perfect for the role). That and the teaser trailer looks really freaking intense. I plan to watch and review the original version from the seventies first, don't worry. The only thing that gives me pause is the March release date, because, let's face it, movies that come out in March have a chronic habit of sucking. Also, I don't, as of right now, know the rating for this movie, and as much as I want it to be PG-13 so I can see it, as someone who's read the book, I know you can only REALLY do this story justice with a hard R rating. So try not to get your hopes up for this review.
8. Much Ado About Nothing
Is this my usual type of movie? No. Does anything with the name Joss Whedon (and the names Nathan Fillion, Amy Acker, Alexis Dennisof, Fran Kanz, Tom Lenk, and Christina Hendricks) pique my interest? Yes. Will I probably wind up seeing it by myself? Yes. Granted, this might not even be shown in the theater in my town- or any theater in the greater Boston area, for that matter- on account of a microbudget indie Shakespearean film probably won't appeal to mainstream audiences (if this becomes a hipster movie my life will be over... or I'll become a hipster), so expect a late review.
7. The Wolverine
Can FOX somehow fit this in with their increasingly screwed up X-Men continuity? Let's hope so (if for no other reason that I don't want the time travel movie to have sort it all out (because time travel makes everything so much less complicated)). But even if they can't, Hugh Jackman returning to the role he made even more awesome is absolutely worth my money.
6. Oblivion
Tom Cruise AND Morgan Freeman in a pretty epic looking sci if actioner from the director of Tron Legacy. 'Nough said.
5. Thor: The Dark World
I'm excited for Marvel Phase 2 in general, but I'm interested in Thor 2 for a specific reason: the expansion of the Marvel Cinematic Universe into the cosmos. I'm intrigued about how, in terms of both storytelling and aestetics, they're gonna bring these fanstastical realms onto the big screen. Am I worried it could be a big CGI crapfest? Yes. But I'm still very much interested. That and Christopher Eccleston is playing the villain (Nine for the win!).
4. The Hobbit: Desolation of Smaug
Say what you will about An Unexpected Journey, I thoroughly enjoyed it (see my review and the best movies of 2012 rant for further details), and I have every intention to see this trilogy through to the end. Plus, we finally get meet Benedict Cumberbatch's Smaug, which will only be enhanced for me personally, because all interactions between him and Bilbo will be weirdly meta.
3. Iron Man 3
New director, new armor, new tone. That's the basic jist of Iron Man 3 if the trailer is anything to go by. I'm more than interested in the direction Shane Black wants to take the character and the franchise, as well as see just how the events of the Avengers plays into it. That, and you've got the Ben Kingsley as the Mandarin, and the nano-bot armor. Plus, it just looks epic.
2. Star Trek Into Darkness
After four long years of waiting, JJ Abrams is returning to the franchise he ressurected and redefined. Benedict Cumberbatch's (he just keeps showing up) villain certainly looks like a formidable threat for Kirk and the crew of the Enterprise (he's apparently named John Harrison, though personnally, I still think he's Gary Mitchell and the John Harrison thing is just the latest case of Abrams lying to avoid spoiling things), and I can't wait to see how he stacks up. I'm gonna try and keep my expectations in check, but seriously, it's been four years; I, and everyone else, need this to be worth the wait.
1. Man of Steel
Please tell me I'm not the only one who thinks it's ridiculous that there hasn't been a good Superman movie since 1980. Not only am I excited about the big guy's return to the big screen, with Christopher Nolan and Zak Snyder at the helm (excitement caused by trailers, that, long story short, make it clear that the film is going to paint a complete emotional picture of what makes Superman tick while plopping him into a realistic setting), but I'm also excited at the apparent Justice League franchise this movie seems fated to launch. Can't wait for May.
Honorable Mentions: After Earth, A Good Day to Die Hard, the Lone Ranger, Anchorman 2
So those are my picks; what are yours?! Comment below, let me know!
Tuesday, January 1, 2013
The Worst Movies of 2012 Rant
Okay, its THAT time of year. Time for me to expel an absurd amount of negative energy in the best possible way that doesn't involve violence: ranting about the movies I hated this year. Just a few things before we get started: 1., as has been previously established, my under-17 age prevents me from seeing (and therefore reviewing) any of the R-rated flicks that came out this year (though I will be 16 by the time you read this :)). 2nd., I know most websites do their best of the year before their worst of they year, but hey, I'm not most websites, and I prefer to get the bad out of the way before the good. And 3rd., I didn't actually see enough bad movies this year to make a full list, hence this just being a rant. That being said, let's get going.
Okay, so we are gonna start off with the most unnecessary movie of 2012, Taken 2. Even the title is weird, it sounds like Taken to... the movies. Or something like that. And while, as always, Liam Neeson manages to give this some kind of credibility, Maggie Grace's overacting, a plot that's honestly kind of ridiculous, and action scenes with so much shaky cam, unnecessary cuts, and just bad directing that the entertainment value actually managed to get sucked out of them, successfully bogged this movie down to the point of not good. Have I done worse things with my Saturdays in the past? Probably. But this is still 100 minutes (and $6, it was a matinee) that I'm not getting back.The worst part of it is, this was a success financially, to the point where Taken 3 in which they all get kidnapped and the dog has to come and rescue them like in that episode of Smallville I'd rather forget about is most likely coming and I contributed to that. Now that's extreme guilt.
Moving on, lets talk about the other most unnecessary movie of the year. Now, in a Hollywood plagued by way too many remakes, you'd think studios would get the idea that we don't want remakes to things that don't need it. Now, rebooting brutally murdered franchises like Batman, Star Trek, and Spider-Man is one thing, but a Red Dawn remake? Really? Now, I have seen the original Red Dawn, and I honestly didn't like it very much, so I went into this with an opened mind that MAYBE it'd be good. Nope. The acting, for the most part was good, except for Josh Peck because he sounded like he had a cold the entire time and I just had trouble taking him seriously (there were was one moment where I legit expected him to say "HUG ME BROTHA!), but the fact that you really don't give a crap about any of these characters (and therefore it doesn't seem to matter when any of them die), and a solution that felt contrived and sort of stupid doesn't do the film any favors. Was there some entertainment value in this? Yes, if you're okay with just shutting your brain off and watching some mindless action, which is what I did. Heck, I did that to the point where I had to create a whole new rating for this movie: Red Dawn might make good background noise.
And now lets go back to January. That's right, I'm talking about Red Tails. Now, if you've been following my website for awhile, you might remember I gave this a somewhat positive review. I have since pondered this movie, and realized that there's quite a bit wrong with it. That being said, I also know why I liked it when I first saw it: it was the middle of January, and my friends and I had been through a week of stress studying for mid-terms. On Friday, we took the first two mid-terms, were relieved, but were still stressed because we knew we'd have to take two more come Monday. We were stressed out, so much so that when we got to a theater on a frigid January night, we didn't care about the terrible dialogue, cliched story lines, and general cheesiness; all we cared about was the awesome air battles and black Jesus jokes (you gotta admit, that was funny). There you have it, why I liked Red Tails. Do I acknowledge that its a bad movie? Yes. But do I still like? Yes. Call it a guilty pleasure.
And now here we go, its time to talk (type?) about the single worst movie I saw this entire year. The movie that I actively discouraged people from seeing, and that I hope makes it onto many a worst of 2012 list. Ladies and gentlemen, I'm talking about John Carter (of Mars?). When I first saw this, I didn't give it that bad of a review, but I didn't give it a good one either. But alas, its the kind of movie that the more you think about it, the more you hate it. Seriously, I once spent ten whole minutes thinking about his movie, and then I realized I hated it. Because its crap, that's why! I wanted to like it, too, I honestly did, but I couldn't. The first 30-45 minutes, and a lot of the movie after that, is really, really, REALLY, boring, everyone is overacting, especially Gambit from X-Men Origins, like to the point where I thought he was doing a Batman impression, whole chunks of it are just ridiculous (if he can jump wicked high because he's not used to the gravity, why does he fall at normal speed? And if he does, why aren't his legs breaking when he lands), it doesn't seem to know if its a kids movie or an adults movie (one minute their making silly, slapstick jokes, the next heads are rolling), it drags on for like a half hour longer than it should, the action looks cartoony (seriously, the action sequences in Young Justice look more real), the leads have zero chemistry, it was CLEARLY trying to be Avatar, and the ending; don't even get me started on the ending, because there are so many plot holes and so much general stupidity there that I want to scream just thinking about it. Its just crap in every sense of the word.
Alright, there you have it: my worst movies of 2012 rant. Look for my best of 2012 list, which should be easy because I'm gonna post them on the same day.
So, what do you think was the worst movie of 2012? Comment below, let me know!
Okay, so we are gonna start off with the most unnecessary movie of 2012, Taken 2. Even the title is weird, it sounds like Taken to... the movies. Or something like that. And while, as always, Liam Neeson manages to give this some kind of credibility, Maggie Grace's overacting, a plot that's honestly kind of ridiculous, and action scenes with so much shaky cam, unnecessary cuts, and just bad directing that the entertainment value actually managed to get sucked out of them, successfully bogged this movie down to the point of not good. Have I done worse things with my Saturdays in the past? Probably. But this is still 100 minutes (and $6, it was a matinee) that I'm not getting back.The worst part of it is, this was a success financially, to the point where Taken 3 in which they all get kidnapped and the dog has to come and rescue them like in that episode of Smallville I'd rather forget about is most likely coming and I contributed to that. Now that's extreme guilt.
Moving on, lets talk about the other most unnecessary movie of the year. Now, in a Hollywood plagued by way too many remakes, you'd think studios would get the idea that we don't want remakes to things that don't need it. Now, rebooting brutally murdered franchises like Batman, Star Trek, and Spider-Man is one thing, but a Red Dawn remake? Really? Now, I have seen the original Red Dawn, and I honestly didn't like it very much, so I went into this with an opened mind that MAYBE it'd be good. Nope. The acting, for the most part was good, except for Josh Peck because he sounded like he had a cold the entire time and I just had trouble taking him seriously (there were was one moment where I legit expected him to say "HUG ME BROTHA!), but the fact that you really don't give a crap about any of these characters (and therefore it doesn't seem to matter when any of them die), and a solution that felt contrived and sort of stupid doesn't do the film any favors. Was there some entertainment value in this? Yes, if you're okay with just shutting your brain off and watching some mindless action, which is what I did. Heck, I did that to the point where I had to create a whole new rating for this movie: Red Dawn might make good background noise.
And now lets go back to January. That's right, I'm talking about Red Tails. Now, if you've been following my website for awhile, you might remember I gave this a somewhat positive review. I have since pondered this movie, and realized that there's quite a bit wrong with it. That being said, I also know why I liked it when I first saw it: it was the middle of January, and my friends and I had been through a week of stress studying for mid-terms. On Friday, we took the first two mid-terms, were relieved, but were still stressed because we knew we'd have to take two more come Monday. We were stressed out, so much so that when we got to a theater on a frigid January night, we didn't care about the terrible dialogue, cliched story lines, and general cheesiness; all we cared about was the awesome air battles and black Jesus jokes (you gotta admit, that was funny). There you have it, why I liked Red Tails. Do I acknowledge that its a bad movie? Yes. But do I still like? Yes. Call it a guilty pleasure.
And now here we go, its time to talk (type?) about the single worst movie I saw this entire year. The movie that I actively discouraged people from seeing, and that I hope makes it onto many a worst of 2012 list. Ladies and gentlemen, I'm talking about John Carter (of Mars?). When I first saw this, I didn't give it that bad of a review, but I didn't give it a good one either. But alas, its the kind of movie that the more you think about it, the more you hate it. Seriously, I once spent ten whole minutes thinking about his movie, and then I realized I hated it. Because its crap, that's why! I wanted to like it, too, I honestly did, but I couldn't. The first 30-45 minutes, and a lot of the movie after that, is really, really, REALLY, boring, everyone is overacting, especially Gambit from X-Men Origins, like to the point where I thought he was doing a Batman impression, whole chunks of it are just ridiculous (if he can jump wicked high because he's not used to the gravity, why does he fall at normal speed? And if he does, why aren't his legs breaking when he lands), it doesn't seem to know if its a kids movie or an adults movie (one minute their making silly, slapstick jokes, the next heads are rolling), it drags on for like a half hour longer than it should, the action looks cartoony (seriously, the action sequences in Young Justice look more real), the leads have zero chemistry, it was CLEARLY trying to be Avatar, and the ending; don't even get me started on the ending, because there are so many plot holes and so much general stupidity there that I want to scream just thinking about it. Its just crap in every sense of the word.
Alright, there you have it: my worst movies of 2012 rant. Look for my best of 2012 list, which should be easy because I'm gonna post them on the same day.
So, what do you think was the worst movie of 2012? Comment below, let me know!
The Best Movies of 2012 Rant
Hey guys, today's my 16th birthday! Woo! Woo! No, I am not kidding, my birthday is January 1st.
Here we are again. I chose to get the bad out of the way first, so let's talk about the best movies I saw this year. Again, I didn't see enough movies to make this a full top ten list, mainly because I'm still not 17 and still can't see R-rated movies. Here's a little perspective; these are the R-rated movies I wanted to see this year but couldn't because of my age: The Grey, The Cabin in the Woods, 21 Jump Street, Prometheus, Ted, Dredd 3D, Looper, Argo, Seven Psychopaths, Cloud Atlas, Silver Linings Playbook, and Django Unchained. Okay, let's talk movies.
Alright, I'm going in chronological order here, and the first great I saw this year was Chronicle. I went into this movie expecting total crap. It was the middle of February, I was bored out of my mind, Apollo 18 had left me with negative association for found footage, the only reason I saw it was because nothing else looked better. So you can imagine my surprise when it was awesome. The three kids in this movie are all really good actors (I supposed that's why the kid who played Andrew is going to be Harry Osborne), and they were all really likable. Plus, I honestly can't think of another movie that went from feel-good to wicked dark that quickly and made it believable. Plus, the end fight was one of the best I've seen in a movie ever (imagine Superman vs General Zod sans '80s special effects). Here's hoping the sequel we've been hearing about doesn't get screwed over by FOX ('cause as you all know, once FOX realizes they've got something good, they just HAVE to mess it up) and that Josh Trank will succeed in making the Fantastic Four cool.
The next great movie I saw this year came out in May. That's right, I'm talking about the one, the only, the Avengers. Not only did this movie prove that a shared universe can work, but also that Marvel is company of the decade, and that Joss Whedon's talents are far from limited to television, finally giving him the mainstream recognition that he deserves (I would say that I've been waiting years for this to happen, but I've only been a fan of his since I first saw Firefly a year and a half ago). There's not a lot I can say about this now that I didn't say in my review and that you haven't heard already, so let's just say that I am eagerly anticipating Phase 2, starting with Iron Man 3 this April, and I can't wait to see what Whedon does with Ant Man.
Moving to July, prepare to be amazed. That's right, The Amazing Spider Man. Is this a wicked polarizing movie? Yes. But as someone who wasn't a fan of Sam Raimi's butchering-I mean treatment, of my favorite superhero/comic book character of all time, I'm just glad to see the web head done justice on the big screen. Here's hoping Sony and Disney can reach an agreement and get Andrew Garfield into the Avengers 2.
And now the moment you've all been waiting for: it's the Dark Knight Rises. Early this year I named The Dark Knight Trilogy as the greatest movie franchise of all time on my top ten movie franchises list, and before you go calling me a Nolan fanboy... you know what, go ahead, call me a Nolan fanboy; I'm a fan of quality storytelling, sue me. The caped crusader got a fantastic send off, complete with a great Bane, an even better Catwoman, and one hell of a Robin, and I'm happy about that. Did it have problems? Yes, but it was still probably the best movie I saw all year.
Into the fall, specifically the Skyfall. Incredibly lame pun aside, what many consider the Dark Knight of the Bond franchise was actually my introduction to Bond. And what an introduction it was. Daniel Craig's a badass, Javier Bardem's insane, and this movie was awesome. Taking a different look at the character, the movie perfectly combines the old with the new, and the result is great.
And later that month, we were given Lincoln. Spielberg proved that he's still got it, Daniel Day Lewis proves that he will win another Oscar, and for the first time I was able to watch a biopic that didn't bore me half to death. Not only that, but the dialogue, performances, and atmosphere were so compelling, that by the time I looked at my watch, two hours had flown by and I barely noticed. Honest Abe, I salute you.
And last but not least is the return to Middle Earth. I'll say this right now: I did not see this in48 frames per second, my theater only did 24, so maybe I liked it more then you did. And even if I did, don't act like the perfect acting, epic action, and *spoilers* Elijah Woods's cameo didn't make you love this movie even a little bit. You know it did, don't deny it.
So, those are my favorite movies of 2012. Be sure to leave your picks in the comment section below, and happy New Year.
Here we are again. I chose to get the bad out of the way first, so let's talk about the best movies I saw this year. Again, I didn't see enough movies to make this a full top ten list, mainly because I'm still not 17 and still can't see R-rated movies. Here's a little perspective; these are the R-rated movies I wanted to see this year but couldn't because of my age: The Grey, The Cabin in the Woods, 21 Jump Street, Prometheus, Ted, Dredd 3D, Looper, Argo, Seven Psychopaths, Cloud Atlas, Silver Linings Playbook, and Django Unchained. Okay, let's talk movies.
Alright, I'm going in chronological order here, and the first great I saw this year was Chronicle. I went into this movie expecting total crap. It was the middle of February, I was bored out of my mind, Apollo 18 had left me with negative association for found footage, the only reason I saw it was because nothing else looked better. So you can imagine my surprise when it was awesome. The three kids in this movie are all really good actors (I supposed that's why the kid who played Andrew is going to be Harry Osborne), and they were all really likable. Plus, I honestly can't think of another movie that went from feel-good to wicked dark that quickly and made it believable. Plus, the end fight was one of the best I've seen in a movie ever (imagine Superman vs General Zod sans '80s special effects). Here's hoping the sequel we've been hearing about doesn't get screwed over by FOX ('cause as you all know, once FOX realizes they've got something good, they just HAVE to mess it up) and that Josh Trank will succeed in making the Fantastic Four cool.
The next great movie I saw this year came out in May. That's right, I'm talking about the one, the only, the Avengers. Not only did this movie prove that a shared universe can work, but also that Marvel is company of the decade, and that Joss Whedon's talents are far from limited to television, finally giving him the mainstream recognition that he deserves (I would say that I've been waiting years for this to happen, but I've only been a fan of his since I first saw Firefly a year and a half ago). There's not a lot I can say about this now that I didn't say in my review and that you haven't heard already, so let's just say that I am eagerly anticipating Phase 2, starting with Iron Man 3 this April, and I can't wait to see what Whedon does with Ant Man.
Moving to July, prepare to be amazed. That's right, The Amazing Spider Man. Is this a wicked polarizing movie? Yes. But as someone who wasn't a fan of Sam Raimi's butchering-I mean treatment, of my favorite superhero/comic book character of all time, I'm just glad to see the web head done justice on the big screen. Here's hoping Sony and Disney can reach an agreement and get Andrew Garfield into the Avengers 2.
And now the moment you've all been waiting for: it's the Dark Knight Rises. Early this year I named The Dark Knight Trilogy as the greatest movie franchise of all time on my top ten movie franchises list, and before you go calling me a Nolan fanboy... you know what, go ahead, call me a Nolan fanboy; I'm a fan of quality storytelling, sue me. The caped crusader got a fantastic send off, complete with a great Bane, an even better Catwoman, and one hell of a Robin, and I'm happy about that. Did it have problems? Yes, but it was still probably the best movie I saw all year.
Into the fall, specifically the Skyfall. Incredibly lame pun aside, what many consider the Dark Knight of the Bond franchise was actually my introduction to Bond. And what an introduction it was. Daniel Craig's a badass, Javier Bardem's insane, and this movie was awesome. Taking a different look at the character, the movie perfectly combines the old with the new, and the result is great.
And later that month, we were given Lincoln. Spielberg proved that he's still got it, Daniel Day Lewis proves that he will win another Oscar, and for the first time I was able to watch a biopic that didn't bore me half to death. Not only that, but the dialogue, performances, and atmosphere were so compelling, that by the time I looked at my watch, two hours had flown by and I barely noticed. Honest Abe, I salute you.
And last but not least is the return to Middle Earth. I'll say this right now: I did not see this in48 frames per second, my theater only did 24, so maybe I liked it more then you did. And even if I did, don't act like the perfect acting, epic action, and *spoilers* Elijah Woods's cameo didn't make you love this movie even a little bit. You know it did, don't deny it.
So, those are my favorite movies of 2012. Be sure to leave your picks in the comment section below, and happy New Year.
The Top 5 Web Series of 2012
Alright, this is a list that should be made, but won't be by most. I'm honoring 2012's abundance of great youtube-based content. Why? I dunno, I'm a hipster I guess. But there were tons of great new and returning web shows this year, and I'm counting them down. Just a quick note: I've decided to omit any sketch comedy stuff like Smosh and Nigahiga, and I refuse to include Ray William Johnson (because he's a jerkass, that's why). Let's get started.
5. Save the Supers
Channel: My Damn Channel
Sandeep Parikh, of The Guild and The Legend of Neil fame, created this Justice League spoof in style of The Office, following Merman, World Man, Night Knight, Morph Man, Fleet Foot, and Elementra. The series followed the only sane man Merman's attempts control his team... and their budget. Combining awkward hilarity, comic book references, and off the wall comedic zany-ness, the show ran for seven episodes, culminating in the final battle between Merman and evil Seth Green! If you haven't seen it, I highly recommend it, especially if you're as taken with the current super hero obsession as I am. Plus, Felicia Day in a catsuit!
4. The Book Club
Channel: YOMYOMF
Yes, I know that YOMYOMF is the buttmonkey of the internet at the moment, but this show was freaking hilarious. Starring Danny Pudi of Community fame, a group of 25-40 year old men who form a book club, only to have strange things keep happening. Despite the name, each episode is basically a parody of a different type of movie. It's actually a lot like Community now that when you think about it... It's pretty much the best thing YOMYOMF has ever done, and probably ever will do... unless they make Book Club season 2. Basically, if your into movie reference, Community-esque humor but are pissed about how badly NBC keeps treating Community, check this out.
3. Squaresville
Channel: SquaresvilleSeries
At first glance this might seem like a giant chick flick or just a load of teen angst crap. But, at the advice of literally every other youtube channel I'm subscribed to, I gave it a shot, and realized it was quite a bit more. Following two very nerdy teenage girls, and occasionally their friend Percy, as they do whatever the hell they feel like doing that particular week. Is their some rather angsty drama? Yes, but they do manage to make it fairly compelling, and it plays second fiddle to rather hilarious jokes and geeky references. Plus, it's just realistic in depicting how teenagers behave and and makes the characters relatable and likeable, which takes true skill. Season 2 is coming soon, and I highly encourage playing catch-up if you've missed it.
2. The Guild
Channel: Geek and Sundry
We'll 'nough said. Felicia Day's hit geek-friendly web series soared to new heights with season 5, which spoofs nerd conventions in the best way possible and is absolutely cameo-lishous. Season 6 has been going strong so far, with the season finale soon to air. If you haven't seen the Guild, where've you been.
1. Battlestar Galactica: Blood and Chrome
Channel: Machinima Prime
Following a young William Adama during the first Cylon War, the long delayed series that supposed to air on the douche-tastic SyFy channel finally came to the smallest screen in the latter half of the year. With compelling story involving a covert mission to deliver information, the show boasts great special effects- by web show standards anyway-, fantastic space battles, and a lead actor who's got a lot of genuine talent to burn, this had a lot going for it. Plus, it was accessible to first time viewers but with enough call-forwards and references to the show to please long-time BSG fans. Long story short, BSG Blood and Chrome takes the top spot of best web series of 2012.
So, those are my picks, what are yours? Comment below let me know!
5. Save the Supers
Channel: My Damn Channel
Sandeep Parikh, of The Guild and The Legend of Neil fame, created this Justice League spoof in style of The Office, following Merman, World Man, Night Knight, Morph Man, Fleet Foot, and Elementra. The series followed the only sane man Merman's attempts control his team... and their budget. Combining awkward hilarity, comic book references, and off the wall comedic zany-ness, the show ran for seven episodes, culminating in the final battle between Merman and evil Seth Green! If you haven't seen it, I highly recommend it, especially if you're as taken with the current super hero obsession as I am. Plus, Felicia Day in a catsuit!
4. The Book Club
Channel: YOMYOMF
Yes, I know that YOMYOMF is the buttmonkey of the internet at the moment, but this show was freaking hilarious. Starring Danny Pudi of Community fame, a group of 25-40 year old men who form a book club, only to have strange things keep happening. Despite the name, each episode is basically a parody of a different type of movie. It's actually a lot like Community now that when you think about it... It's pretty much the best thing YOMYOMF has ever done, and probably ever will do... unless they make Book Club season 2. Basically, if your into movie reference, Community-esque humor but are pissed about how badly NBC keeps treating Community, check this out.
3. Squaresville
Channel: SquaresvilleSeries
At first glance this might seem like a giant chick flick or just a load of teen angst crap. But, at the advice of literally every other youtube channel I'm subscribed to, I gave it a shot, and realized it was quite a bit more. Following two very nerdy teenage girls, and occasionally their friend Percy, as they do whatever the hell they feel like doing that particular week. Is their some rather angsty drama? Yes, but they do manage to make it fairly compelling, and it plays second fiddle to rather hilarious jokes and geeky references. Plus, it's just realistic in depicting how teenagers behave and and makes the characters relatable and likeable, which takes true skill. Season 2 is coming soon, and I highly encourage playing catch-up if you've missed it.
2. The Guild
Channel: Geek and Sundry
We'll 'nough said. Felicia Day's hit geek-friendly web series soared to new heights with season 5, which spoofs nerd conventions in the best way possible and is absolutely cameo-lishous. Season 6 has been going strong so far, with the season finale soon to air. If you haven't seen the Guild, where've you been.
1. Battlestar Galactica: Blood and Chrome
Channel: Machinima Prime
Following a young William Adama during the first Cylon War, the long delayed series that supposed to air on the douche-tastic SyFy channel finally came to the smallest screen in the latter half of the year. With compelling story involving a covert mission to deliver information, the show boasts great special effects- by web show standards anyway-, fantastic space battles, and a lead actor who's got a lot of genuine talent to burn, this had a lot going for it. Plus, it was accessible to first time viewers but with enough call-forwards and references to the show to please long-time BSG fans. Long story short, BSG Blood and Chrome takes the top spot of best web series of 2012.
So, those are my picks, what are yours? Comment below let me know!
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