Skyline

I'm a little conflicted with this one. I recall watching the trailer and thinking "oh cool!! This looks so awesome!!!" and really, it does look really cool. Skyline has a really interesting story and tries to work beyond its limits as an independent film. There are moments where it is very awesome, full of action and excitement. However, there are moments and scenes where I winced, mainly with the times where characters actually interacted and spoke to one another.

Okay, putting it simply, the dialogue and directing needs a bit of work. The plot was stiff at times and probably would have done better about five years ago, or maybe before the Matrix came out. Also, I don't think that the actors were quite the right choice to make, bur it's kinda hard to tell through the day-time tv drama dialogue.

However, I want to give the directors the benefit of the doubt. The movie has potential, and while it didn't quite live up to the awesome trailer, it was still entertaining. Personally, I'm really hoping that this isn't the I hear of these people and that we have yet to see the best from them, because I would love to see their future movies.

As for this one, yeah, it's no masterpiece, but if you're looking for a decent movie to pass the time, this is a good choice.

AVATAR: The Last Airbender, movie and TV series review

Okay, so it's taken me a while to write this.  I actually saw The Last Airbender in theaters; this is something like my third attempt at writing a review for it.  Maybe I'll get through it this time. 

The movie The Last Airbender based on Avatar: The Last Airbender, an excellent TV series that has lots of fans, myself included. When I saw the first trailers for The Last Airbender movie, I was overjoyed.  I squeed.

And here's why:

The actual series uses influences from many different cultures to create an original world.  The story itself is skillfully crafted so that the characters develop and grow in a manner that is easy for the audience to relate and is extremely enjoyable by a wide range of ages. 

It covers quite a few topics too, from friendship, to people's differences, to dealing with extreme hardships like the death of loved ones, being responsible, and doing what is right, no matter the costs.

Avatar covers these topics without losing its delightful charm and humour, and I greatly recommend it to a wide range of audiences, including families and the young-at-heart. 

The Last Airbender movie, however, doesn't quite live up to the standards of the series.  There are many many issues that I have with it, but I shall be brief.  Basically, M. Night Shyamalan takes most of what makes Avatar great, and tosses it aside, relies on his own egotistical self-justification to not consult the original creators of the series, and takes apart the show and pieces it back together half-haphazardly to create a monstrosity that severely disappoints every loyal fan of the series. 

Seriously.  The script is awkward and stiff, the actors occasionally do a good job, and the only consistently good thing about the movie is the special effects.  The rest of it doesn't live up to the hype.

So in my opinion, save yourself the agony, and watch the original series. 




and oh yeah, I actually made it through it this time without going off on a rambling rant. woot!

Scott Pilgrim

Taking another break from trying to write my review for The Last Airbender to review Scott Pilgrim Vs The World, possibly one of the geekiest romantic-comedy movies ever to exist.

Based on the Canadian graphic novel series, the movie is romantic in that a lot of the plot evolves around the relationship of title character Scott Pilgrim and two love interests. Basic plot stuff, right? Yeah well, that's the only basic thing about the movie; every thing else belongs to the realm of Fantasy, Adventure, Action and Comedy.

One of the love interests has a League of Evil Exes which Scott must defeat in order to gain the right to date her. At the same time, Scott must decide which of his two love interests he actually wants to date, and along the way, embarks on a sort of self-discovery quest (which, given he's in his twenties, is long overdue) where he comes to understand people and himself better.

With pretty much every single geek reference one can pack into a hundred and twelve minutes.
(Seriously. It's mind-boggling how much detailed geek references is packed into it.)

What makes this movie brilliant is how true to the books it remains, retaining all the visual and interactive onomatopoeia and gaming rules that exists in the book. Combined with a diverse cast of rich and strongly written characters, the movie re-creates the bizarrely fantastic and fun world of books, and yet pulls it off to be believable without losing a spark of excellence to it's plot and characters.

In short, this movie is awesome and lives up to it's tagline "An epic of epic epicness". I recommend it to.... pretty much everyone who wants funny and fantastic taken to a new level.

Temple Grandin

Okay, this one is a personal to me, since  I'm autistic as well, and so I relate to some of the thoughts, feelings and how Temple processes things.  That being said, autistics are each unique, with various degrees of abilities and disabilities and different manners in which autism manifests.  When you've met one person with autism, you've met one person with autism.

Anyways, on to the movie Temple Grandin, a biography drama of key points in Temple's life that lead her to become one of the leading experts in humane cattle systems and autism awareness advocate.  It is based on two of the books Temple has written about her life and autism.

It is a very touching story of a young woman with autism struggling to understand and function in a world that does not understand her and can be very cruel to difference.  The film very brilliantly illustrates her unique perspective, challenges and unwavering determination. 

Temple Grandin is wonderfully written, excellently acted and is an awe-inspiring story.

I highly recommend to people looking to know more about autism, as well as those interested in personal dramas.  A beautiful film. 

Ponyo and Miyazaki

Okay, I was going to tackle Airbender, but I love this movie not to do this.

Ponyo is a gorgeously charming film about a sea princess in love with a human boy and longs to become human. Yes, it's an adaptation of the little mermaid, but it is a beautiful re-interpretation of it, from the master of anime Hayao Miyazaki.

It's actually really hard to separate this film from Miyazaki's other masterpiece works. So, let's put them together. Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind, Castle in the Sky, My Neighbor Totoro, Kiki's Delivery Service, Porco Rosso, Princess Mononoke, Spirited Away, and Howl's Moving Castle are just some of the movies he's done and are considered anime classics by many, myself included.

All of his works are full of imagination and magic, usually with very thoughtful children characters that go on quests, not for self-discovery, but to explore and ultimately do good for the world. There is often a very subtle, yet very meaningful environmental theme to his works that while is present, does not distract from the unfolding story.

What also is remarkable about his works is that there often are no villains; each film explores the views of opposing sides, with one seeming to be the obvious villain. However, through the stories, both the characters and the audience discovers the humanity of each character, even the non-human characters. This delightful character development illustrates that evil often depends on a point of view and that a lot of the time, what we see are good people trying to do good with the resources and information they have.

In some works, there are scenes of violence, however, Miyazaki's films are lovely classics suitable for families, adults and movies lovers alike. And in conclusion, I highly recommend and encourage my readers to watch, if you already haven't done so.

Percy Jackson & The Olympians: The Lightning Thief

Ah yes, Percy Jackson, the better written sequel to the Clash of the Titans remake....

I'm only partly joking. 

Based on the same mythology, Percy Jackson & The Olympians: The Lightning Thief is a cross between a modern day remake and a sequel to the events in Clash of the Titans (both versions).  I say sequel because they mention Perseus and reference the other demi-gods, and I say remake because it seems that Percy does almost the exact same things as Perseus. 

Except that this is a modern, teen-self-discovery-quest story, the movie being based on a book, apparently, and so the characters have more character than the Clash of the Titans remake.  As far as I can make out, that and the special effects is all that this movie has going for it.  The plot is quite disjointed at points, with too many awkwardly placed information blurbs and conveniently placed knowledge, not to mention some rather flat characters.

My conclusion: while not the worse teen fantasy flick I've seen, it's definitely not the best, and to be honest, I think some of the trailers were better than the actual movie.  I have to say, leave this one for the teens; maybe they'll get a little interested in mythology from it.

Inception

oooooh goodness, Inception.  Okay, yes, I'm finally getting around to reviewing it. 

Inception is an action paced sci-fi mystery thriller about these operatives that specialize in dream hacking and stealing information from people's minds.  That's the premise.  Now take that premise, and imagine an action movie set in someone's dreams.  Because that is the mind-bending thrill-ride of film this is. 

Seriously, I'm ignoring grammar rules to try and review this one.  It's that freaking good.

Now, the plot is mind-blender twisted, so for viewers who prefer more simple plots, this might not be for you.  However, I would recommend this one for those of you who want to try complicated plots, because Inception is beautifully and solidly written. 

It also is superbly acted, with an incredible cast, music and special effects.  I really can't go into this one too much, due to sheer mind-blown awesomeness.  This film goes onto my favourites shelf, and I'm hoping that it goes on yours too.