Hey, hey, hey, welcome back to another addition of Phil Goes to the Movies, and I am here to review some of the last films of the holiday season. Then we have that long break until the summer season, where i will review all of those block buster movies as well, but lets get to the movie at hand. Did "47 Ronin", impress me? Or did make me wanna find the nearest, sharpest object and plunge it into my eyes? Lets dive in:
47 Ronin- After watching the coming attractions for this film, I was blown away by the beautiful cinematography. The landscapes with its luscious and rich forests and grasslands, seemed to really stand out. The colors chosen for all the costuming, for the characters, really seemed to pop for my eyes to bask in it. At this point, you understand I'm pushing how great the movie was visually. Now a movie needs to be more than just eye candy, right? Well, this movie delivers more than just a pretty face... First off, the action sequences were really well done, and yes, there weren't many of them. However, when it was time for a fight, I was not disappointed. The fight scenes were fast pace and choreographed very well. The opening scene, where the samurai were battling this magical, beast of burden, and it was very appealing to the senses. The special effects were really top notch in this film... lately movies have become lazy with CGI making way too noticeable, but this movie pulled it off no problem.
The actors and actresses chosen for this movie did an amazing job, the characters really felt genuine and deep. The emotions of pain, loss, and anger were really delivered well in their whole hearted performances. Of course, they had some familiar faces, such as Hiroyuki Sanada, who played the captain of the samurai in "The Last Samurai". Weird, how he returned to play another bad ass captain of the samurai in this film.... what can we say, give this guy a blade and he will kick some ass. Then of course we have, which shocked me, Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa, you might remember him from his role as, Shang Tsung, in "Mortal Kombat", playing the Emperor.
Now for the 500 pound gorilla in the room, Keanu Reeves, playing the role of a white male ronin in an all Asian cast. Ok, first off, he really didn't do that bad, in fact, he was great for the character he portrayed. The story explained he was the child of an interracial relationship, and he was considered a half bred by the people around him. This character didn't steal the show making him the sole hero, which i really thought was a great way going about it, and he shared the position of hero with the other characters. Unlike, in "The Last Samurai", where the white guy was the last remaining hero, which caused a lot of controversy when it was in theaters, and I thought it was funny how people were offended by the ending. Even though, it was titled "The Last Samurai", starring Tom Cruise.... what the hell did you think was going to happen?
Now with all that said, I would have to say, my favorite character in the film had to be the shape shifting witch, played by Rinko Kikuchi. She was sexy as she was creepy, and she really stole each scene in my opinion. They gave her two color eyes, and she became a white tailed fox one scene, and in the other she merely a dress blowing in the wind. A great villain for the film.
Final Verdict- 7/10, I really enjoyed the film as a whole, but if i were hanging with some friends and they wanted to watch a movie. The choices were random others and this film, it would depend on the other choices. I'm not saying this movie is terrible by no means. I'm just saying it was better than the average action movie, and seeing it once was good enough for me! If it was on HBO, i wouldn't turn it off, but i wouldn't go out of my way to watch it again.
That's all for now, I have a few more films i want to review before closing the doors on the holiday movie season. Until then, this is Phil Goes to the Movies, so you don't have too!
Thursday, January 2, 2014
Monday, December 16, 2013
The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug
Hey, everyone and welcome to another edition of Phil Goes to the Movies, and this holiday season we have journeyed together through most of the big block buster movies. This time around we are looking at the second installment of the Hobbit... Did this movie hold up and entertain me to the fullest or did it make me want to choke myself with the one ring to rule them all? Lets dive in:
The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug- Ok, where to begin, where to begin? Well, the movie starts off "Pulp Fiction" style, with a quick flash back how Gandalf first meets Thorin. After this scene we get back to the main story line with our heroes still running across the country side. Never understood why some of these dwarves are fat, because they are freaking constantly running, so i dunno maybe I'm looking too far into that. Luckily, the movie throws action at the audience right away, with a fight with giant spiders, which can speak, and thats the most creepy freaking thing i have ever seen. Why, you might ask? Because now, the spider can tell me how to go fuck myself as it bites me!
Anyway, though the movie moves, what seems like a rapid pace, at the same time, it really drags on and on at times.... For example, our heroes are captured by the elves and imprisoned, but don't worry plot will allow you to escape equally as fast. Then again we are forced to watch for about 45 minutes about how much of a dick the elf king is... yeah, i can tell that by looking at him, so lets move this shit along. I mean, the movie seemed to speed up the things that should count, and waste time on other shit that doesn't.
Then of course, we come to the barrel scene, this scene was ridiculous and made the movie, in my honest opinion. The main reason was because, I have never seen anything like it before, and it was like twelve minutes long of awesomeness. I mean you have the dwarves riding inside barrels down the white water rapids as Orc warriors are trying to kill them with throwing knives and arrows. They were even jumping onto the barrels getting into fist fights with the dwarves, and the same time the elves are killing the Orcs. The scene at the right balance of humor and action.
Then we see Gandalf doing his own thing, where he battles a mysterious new necromancer, and the special effects were pretty good. Before journeying into the ruins to face the necromancer, Gandalf meets up with Radagast, the Brown. We are now in the second movie, and no one and i mean no one has told this poor schmuck, that he has BIRD SHIT ON THE SIDE OF HIS FACE!!! Gandalf, don't be that guy, tell him he literally has white, encrusted shit on his face....jesus christ!
Now, the elves.... oh the elves, I really liked the new bad ass female elf, Tauriel, but it got really old really fast for me for some reason... like no Orc can beat these guys! Finally, Legolas got his ass beat by an Orc general, but still wasn't that bad of a beating. The things the elves did were cool, but like I said after awhile, ok, enough already we get it, you guys are awesome, defying the laws of physics... whatever... maybe I'm judging too harshly.
So, thats it for now for Phil Goes to.... oh wait, theres a dragon in this movie, my most favorite magical creature of all time! I forgot about much like the movie did too.... it was literally 2 hours and a half hours into the movie and no dragon! FINALLY! We see the thing that the title of the movie was based....the dragon, named Smaug. Now, I will admit this dragon was very well done, from the way it looked, moved, and the voice they used was perfect. The type of character of being an arrogant, pompous, which if you think about it if you couldn't be killed normal weapons, you would be too. I enjoyed every moment Smaug was on the big scene.... I wish I could have seen more of him!
Final Verdict- 8/10 The movie was good, with enjoyable characters, and some really amazing action sequences, like the barrel scene, but it is extremely obvious they are stretching the plot out. I understand, because the source material was one book with 300 pages, but come on, I guess they are going to milk this cash cow, until its dead. Then Gollum will get his own spin off movie!
Well, thats it for now, there are a few more movies coming out, and I will be there to review all the holiday movies. This is Phil Goes to the Movies, so you don't have too!
The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug- Ok, where to begin, where to begin? Well, the movie starts off "Pulp Fiction" style, with a quick flash back how Gandalf first meets Thorin. After this scene we get back to the main story line with our heroes still running across the country side. Never understood why some of these dwarves are fat, because they are freaking constantly running, so i dunno maybe I'm looking too far into that. Luckily, the movie throws action at the audience right away, with a fight with giant spiders, which can speak, and thats the most creepy freaking thing i have ever seen. Why, you might ask? Because now, the spider can tell me how to go fuck myself as it bites me!
Anyway, though the movie moves, what seems like a rapid pace, at the same time, it really drags on and on at times.... For example, our heroes are captured by the elves and imprisoned, but don't worry plot will allow you to escape equally as fast. Then again we are forced to watch for about 45 minutes about how much of a dick the elf king is... yeah, i can tell that by looking at him, so lets move this shit along. I mean, the movie seemed to speed up the things that should count, and waste time on other shit that doesn't.
Then of course, we come to the barrel scene, this scene was ridiculous and made the movie, in my honest opinion. The main reason was because, I have never seen anything like it before, and it was like twelve minutes long of awesomeness. I mean you have the dwarves riding inside barrels down the white water rapids as Orc warriors are trying to kill them with throwing knives and arrows. They were even jumping onto the barrels getting into fist fights with the dwarves, and the same time the elves are killing the Orcs. The scene at the right balance of humor and action.
Then we see Gandalf doing his own thing, where he battles a mysterious new necromancer, and the special effects were pretty good. Before journeying into the ruins to face the necromancer, Gandalf meets up with Radagast, the Brown. We are now in the second movie, and no one and i mean no one has told this poor schmuck, that he has BIRD SHIT ON THE SIDE OF HIS FACE!!! Gandalf, don't be that guy, tell him he literally has white, encrusted shit on his face....jesus christ!
Now, the elves.... oh the elves, I really liked the new bad ass female elf, Tauriel, but it got really old really fast for me for some reason... like no Orc can beat these guys! Finally, Legolas got his ass beat by an Orc general, but still wasn't that bad of a beating. The things the elves did were cool, but like I said after awhile, ok, enough already we get it, you guys are awesome, defying the laws of physics... whatever... maybe I'm judging too harshly.
So, thats it for now for Phil Goes to.... oh wait, theres a dragon in this movie, my most favorite magical creature of all time! I forgot about much like the movie did too.... it was literally 2 hours and a half hours into the movie and no dragon! FINALLY! We see the thing that the title of the movie was based....the dragon, named Smaug. Now, I will admit this dragon was very well done, from the way it looked, moved, and the voice they used was perfect. The type of character of being an arrogant, pompous, which if you think about it if you couldn't be killed normal weapons, you would be too. I enjoyed every moment Smaug was on the big scene.... I wish I could have seen more of him!
Final Verdict- 8/10 The movie was good, with enjoyable characters, and some really amazing action sequences, like the barrel scene, but it is extremely obvious they are stretching the plot out. I understand, because the source material was one book with 300 pages, but come on, I guess they are going to milk this cash cow, until its dead. Then Gollum will get his own spin off movie!
Well, thats it for now, there are a few more movies coming out, and I will be there to review all the holiday movies. This is Phil Goes to the Movies, so you don't have too!
Tuesday, December 10, 2013
Frozen
Hey, boys and girls guess where i went on this extremely cold December night! Yes, its true i went to the movies.... i know, i know it wasn't hard to figure out, but welcome to another edition of Phil Goes to the Movies! This time around i dive into the newest Disney animated feature, and the question did it hold up to all the other Disney animated features before it? Or was it left out in the cold? Lets dive in shall we:
Frozen- I went to this movie not really sure what to expect to be completely honest, so i was open to see what disney had in store for me. First off, I want to say this movie was by far one of the most beautiful eye candy animated films i have seen in a long time. The way the ice appeared as if it was real, and the back grounds were jaw dropping. Disney seemed to stick with its roots with this feature, because the music was extremely emotional, and the women they cast to sing were astounding. The one song, "Let it go" you could just literally feel, the passion of a young girl allowing herself to be truly free after years of fearing her magical powers. The characters were all extremely likeable, ranging from the sisters to Christoph and his reindeer, and of course the loveable snow man, Olaf.
Unfortunately, heres where disney done fucked up... the movie felt extremely rushed. Nothing was really explained! Here's one thing i think should have been explained, WHERE THE HELL DID THE MAGICAL ICE POWERS COME FROM? This is never explained at all, you are just suppose to except it, and this young princess has to carry this heavy burden of these powers. After nearly killing her younger sister, the ice princess must live in seclusion, away from her younger sister and the world fearing what havoc her powers might inflict.
Another thing is, where was the villain in this movie? If you seen the movie, yes, we know who the villain is, but by the time that character is introduced to be the villain the movie is nearly over! In the beginning of the movie, they seemed to hint towards, the ice princess would become evil or she might unlock something evil with her powers. Unfortunately, nothing like that came up or remotely close to it, and it could have opened a whole another spectrum on the movie.
When the movie would actually try to push some character development or actual plot, it would explode into another song. Ok, the songs are performed amazingly, but they don't mean dick after they are done and the movie hasn't gone anywhere. Stop singing and tell me a freaking story... try explaining to me like i dunno... where the ice powers came from? How did the king know the rock trolls? Why didn't the rock trolls remember, the sister when she revisited them again later in years? Honestly, nothing is explained, its like you sit in a roller coaster, and you just fly through the movie.
"Hi, i have some questions for you, Movie," said Phil
"No, time! Lets sing!" replied the Movie.
"No, seriously, stop for a second!" Phil demands,"Where did the ice powers come from?"
"Here, look a funny snow man," says the Movie,"Listen to me sing again."
"Sigh, fuck it! Sure, sing again i guess."
Now, heres where some people are going to be like, "Really, Phil?" The snow man, Olaf, I liked the character he was funny and extremely likeable, BUT he didn't really add anything to the story. Honestly, the movie would have been fine without him... i mean don't get me wrong, the idea of the little guy melting made me want to jump in the movie and save him, myself.
Final Verdict- 7/10- The visuals and songs were unforgettable and breath taking, but the movie lacked a lot of things. Yes, it did show the empowerment of women and the sisters' love for one another. The movie felt like it was written by a 14 year old girl, that left out a lot explanations about plot points. I still say to go see the movie to experience on the big screen and stereo sound, but go during the day for the matinee.
This is it for now, next time i am going to conqueror and review the newest installment of the Hobbit coming out next week... This is Phil Goes to the Movies, so you don't have too!
Frozen- I went to this movie not really sure what to expect to be completely honest, so i was open to see what disney had in store for me. First off, I want to say this movie was by far one of the most beautiful eye candy animated films i have seen in a long time. The way the ice appeared as if it was real, and the back grounds were jaw dropping. Disney seemed to stick with its roots with this feature, because the music was extremely emotional, and the women they cast to sing were astounding. The one song, "Let it go" you could just literally feel, the passion of a young girl allowing herself to be truly free after years of fearing her magical powers. The characters were all extremely likeable, ranging from the sisters to Christoph and his reindeer, and of course the loveable snow man, Olaf.
Unfortunately, heres where disney done fucked up... the movie felt extremely rushed. Nothing was really explained! Here's one thing i think should have been explained, WHERE THE HELL DID THE MAGICAL ICE POWERS COME FROM? This is never explained at all, you are just suppose to except it, and this young princess has to carry this heavy burden of these powers. After nearly killing her younger sister, the ice princess must live in seclusion, away from her younger sister and the world fearing what havoc her powers might inflict.
Another thing is, where was the villain in this movie? If you seen the movie, yes, we know who the villain is, but by the time that character is introduced to be the villain the movie is nearly over! In the beginning of the movie, they seemed to hint towards, the ice princess would become evil or she might unlock something evil with her powers. Unfortunately, nothing like that came up or remotely close to it, and it could have opened a whole another spectrum on the movie.
When the movie would actually try to push some character development or actual plot, it would explode into another song. Ok, the songs are performed amazingly, but they don't mean dick after they are done and the movie hasn't gone anywhere. Stop singing and tell me a freaking story... try explaining to me like i dunno... where the ice powers came from? How did the king know the rock trolls? Why didn't the rock trolls remember, the sister when she revisited them again later in years? Honestly, nothing is explained, its like you sit in a roller coaster, and you just fly through the movie.
"Hi, i have some questions for you, Movie," said Phil
"No, time! Lets sing!" replied the Movie.
"No, seriously, stop for a second!" Phil demands,"Where did the ice powers come from?"
"Here, look a funny snow man," says the Movie,"Listen to me sing again."
"Sigh, fuck it! Sure, sing again i guess."
Now, heres where some people are going to be like, "Really, Phil?" The snow man, Olaf, I liked the character he was funny and extremely likeable, BUT he didn't really add anything to the story. Honestly, the movie would have been fine without him... i mean don't get me wrong, the idea of the little guy melting made me want to jump in the movie and save him, myself.
Final Verdict- 7/10- The visuals and songs were unforgettable and breath taking, but the movie lacked a lot of things. Yes, it did show the empowerment of women and the sisters' love for one another. The movie felt like it was written by a 14 year old girl, that left out a lot explanations about plot points. I still say to go see the movie to experience on the big screen and stereo sound, but go during the day for the matinee.
This is it for now, next time i am going to conqueror and review the newest installment of the Hobbit coming out next week... This is Phil Goes to the Movies, so you don't have too!
Wednesday, November 27, 2013
The Hunger Games: Catching Fire
So, your favorite movie critic is back again, with another review of the movie block busters for this holiday season. I went with some friends on this cold November night, to see the second installment of the Hunger Games series. Did it hold up to the first movie, or did it crap out like may sequels have in the past?....well here we go!
The Hunger Games: Catching Fire- The movie does a great job with following the golden rules of a successful sequel, by having all the original actors returning to play their roles. The story follows up right where the first movie left off, with Katniss, played by Jennifer Lawrence, and Peeta, played by Josh Hutcherson, living their lives after their experiences in the hunger games. You watch them attempt to put things back together and live normally. While, Katniss is hunting, she fires an arrow from her bow, to have a flash back of killing a young man from the previous hunger games. She completely freaks out, as she has what appears to be a panic attack.
Right off the bat, the movie does a great job capturing the human element here, for these characters, and it shows the after effects someone would have enduring the tribulations Katniss and Peeta did. I mean, I think when we watch the first movie, do we really think about what the main characters really went through, mentally? I mean, think about it, you are fighting for your lives... these aren't psychopaths who enjoy killing. There are young people ranging from the ages of 9 to 18, forced into an unimaginable situation, and the only way to come out is to kill. Regardless the movie, does a great job capturing that aspect.
The acting was really well done, such emotion in many scenes, and it makes sense since these poor people are basically, slaves. Katniss now becoming a beacon of hope for the mass of people in the districts... i was always confused why Peeta wasn't also considered one as well, but nonetheless people begin rioting more and more. Donald Sutherland plays the president, and I tell you these Sutherlands can play evil sons of bitches when they want too. If you want to see Donald's son, Kiefer Sutherland, play an evil fucker watch the movie, "Eye for an Eye", and see what I'm talking about... this father and son really know how to make an audience hate a character.
There wasn't as much violence as there was in the original movie, but regardless the fight scenes were still done very well. Hell, the environment was scarier the people fighting in the hunger games, which ranged from poisonous fog, freak lightning, tsunamis, and large flesh eating baboons!
I really enjoyed the film, and yes it was definitely worth the 10 dollars it costs to get into the movie theaters nowadays. It made you cry, laugh, and actually feel sorry for the poor people.... then hate the capital!
Final Verdict 8.5/10- The characters seemed real, with emotion and depth to them, and overall it kept you on the seat of your pants waiting to see how the characters will survive. Plus, each character when on the scene, really seemed to bring something to the table.
Thats it for now, catch me next time when i review the next big one, the second installment of the Hobbit. Until then, this is Phil Goes to the Movies, so you don't have too!
The Hunger Games: Catching Fire- The movie does a great job with following the golden rules of a successful sequel, by having all the original actors returning to play their roles. The story follows up right where the first movie left off, with Katniss, played by Jennifer Lawrence, and Peeta, played by Josh Hutcherson, living their lives after their experiences in the hunger games. You watch them attempt to put things back together and live normally. While, Katniss is hunting, she fires an arrow from her bow, to have a flash back of killing a young man from the previous hunger games. She completely freaks out, as she has what appears to be a panic attack.
Right off the bat, the movie does a great job capturing the human element here, for these characters, and it shows the after effects someone would have enduring the tribulations Katniss and Peeta did. I mean, I think when we watch the first movie, do we really think about what the main characters really went through, mentally? I mean, think about it, you are fighting for your lives... these aren't psychopaths who enjoy killing. There are young people ranging from the ages of 9 to 18, forced into an unimaginable situation, and the only way to come out is to kill. Regardless the movie, does a great job capturing that aspect.
The acting was really well done, such emotion in many scenes, and it makes sense since these poor people are basically, slaves. Katniss now becoming a beacon of hope for the mass of people in the districts... i was always confused why Peeta wasn't also considered one as well, but nonetheless people begin rioting more and more. Donald Sutherland plays the president, and I tell you these Sutherlands can play evil sons of bitches when they want too. If you want to see Donald's son, Kiefer Sutherland, play an evil fucker watch the movie, "Eye for an Eye", and see what I'm talking about... this father and son really know how to make an audience hate a character.
There wasn't as much violence as there was in the original movie, but regardless the fight scenes were still done very well. Hell, the environment was scarier the people fighting in the hunger games, which ranged from poisonous fog, freak lightning, tsunamis, and large flesh eating baboons!
I really enjoyed the film, and yes it was definitely worth the 10 dollars it costs to get into the movie theaters nowadays. It made you cry, laugh, and actually feel sorry for the poor people.... then hate the capital!
Final Verdict 8.5/10- The characters seemed real, with emotion and depth to them, and overall it kept you on the seat of your pants waiting to see how the characters will survive. Plus, each character when on the scene, really seemed to bring something to the table.
Thats it for now, catch me next time when i review the next big one, the second installment of the Hobbit. Until then, this is Phil Goes to the Movies, so you don't have too!
Saturday, November 16, 2013
Thor 2: The Dark World
Well, its time for the holiday season, most importantly is great new movies come out around this time. Now, its been awhile since i was able to do a movie review, and that is due to school this semester. I was able to go to the movies, and i made time for my favorite movie genre, super hero films. I saw, "Thor 2: The Dark World", now did it live up to the first movie, or was it better than the original? Welcome back to another edition of Phil Goes to the Movies, and lets dive right into this godly sequel.
Thor 2: The Dark World- This movie like many of the Marvel franchise has taken place right after the attack on New York City, in the "The Avengers" movie. I personally, enjoy this because it really makes everything more connected, and it creates this living breathing, unified world. It has the same cast from the first Thor movie, and from "The Avengers" something i always believed is extremely important in any sequel.
So, Thor returns to Asgard, with his brother, Loki, so he can receive his sentence and punishment from Odin, himself. Anthony Hopkins, an amazing actor, this guy could literally turn shit into gold, no matter the role. He returns to play the part, the king of Asgard, Odin, and he banishes Loki to the dungeons for crimes against Midgard. Theres that subplot, then of course enter the main villains, the Dark Elves, whom desire what every other comic villain desires, complete domination over everything and everyone. I have to say these guys looked kinda creepy, and were pretty well received for the heartless villains. Unfortunately, they were pretty one dimensional, and they really didn't have any wow factor to them. The main villain, and leader, Malakith was a typical head mastermind- cold, ruthless, and ready to kill anything that stood in his way. Been there and done that! He really didn't have anything else to him, that would make me say, "Oh, man that guy was a bad ass villain."
Now, he had to obtain this ancient and mystical power called the Aether, which he could harness it to bring darkness to the nine realms of the Marvel universe, and our hero needs to stop him before its too late. The main plot takes a place on the back burner so we can focus on the character Jane Foster, played by Natalie Portman. Honestly, did we really need this freaking character? She, of course, finds the Aether, and it bonds itself to her, which is the power of plot ladies and gentlemen, and no one can defeat the power of plot.
Ok, after this ironic, misfortune, things happen blah blah blah, and of course the Aether is killing Jane, because her body and life force cannot cope under the strain of this incredible power. Thor has to stop the Dark Elves at the same time save the woman he loves.
Now, the things i loved about the movie, hands down the fight scenes were awesome, and very well done with the special effects. The gernades the Dark Elves used, were pretty insane, because when they exploded they cause a temporary black hole effect, and the person or whatever would be crushed. I really loved the relationship between Loki and Thor, the two actors had great chemistry, and they really seemed to have that bond between two brothers busting each others' balls.
Things i didn't like, were how they built up this Aether has being this ultimate destructive force, and it was easily defeated by human technology. Because, Jane and her crew of cronies were there and had the perfect answer ironically.... power of plot, sigh!
Honestly, the movie was better than the original, in my opinion, but it still was a decent super hero movie. Would i go see it again? No, but if it was on cable or net flix i would watch it.
Final Verdict- 7/10, it had some great comical moments, some great actors, action sequences were fantastic, but the villain was boring and the Jane character ruined it for me.... is she really needed for god sakes?
See, you guys next time when i review the newer movie coming out this holiday season, this is Phil Goes to the Movies, so you don't have too!
Thor 2: The Dark World- This movie like many of the Marvel franchise has taken place right after the attack on New York City, in the "The Avengers" movie. I personally, enjoy this because it really makes everything more connected, and it creates this living breathing, unified world. It has the same cast from the first Thor movie, and from "The Avengers" something i always believed is extremely important in any sequel.
So, Thor returns to Asgard, with his brother, Loki, so he can receive his sentence and punishment from Odin, himself. Anthony Hopkins, an amazing actor, this guy could literally turn shit into gold, no matter the role. He returns to play the part, the king of Asgard, Odin, and he banishes Loki to the dungeons for crimes against Midgard. Theres that subplot, then of course enter the main villains, the Dark Elves, whom desire what every other comic villain desires, complete domination over everything and everyone. I have to say these guys looked kinda creepy, and were pretty well received for the heartless villains. Unfortunately, they were pretty one dimensional, and they really didn't have any wow factor to them. The main villain, and leader, Malakith was a typical head mastermind- cold, ruthless, and ready to kill anything that stood in his way. Been there and done that! He really didn't have anything else to him, that would make me say, "Oh, man that guy was a bad ass villain."
Now, he had to obtain this ancient and mystical power called the Aether, which he could harness it to bring darkness to the nine realms of the Marvel universe, and our hero needs to stop him before its too late. The main plot takes a place on the back burner so we can focus on the character Jane Foster, played by Natalie Portman. Honestly, did we really need this freaking character? She, of course, finds the Aether, and it bonds itself to her, which is the power of plot ladies and gentlemen, and no one can defeat the power of plot.
Ok, after this ironic, misfortune, things happen blah blah blah, and of course the Aether is killing Jane, because her body and life force cannot cope under the strain of this incredible power. Thor has to stop the Dark Elves at the same time save the woman he loves.
Now, the things i loved about the movie, hands down the fight scenes were awesome, and very well done with the special effects. The gernades the Dark Elves used, were pretty insane, because when they exploded they cause a temporary black hole effect, and the person or whatever would be crushed. I really loved the relationship between Loki and Thor, the two actors had great chemistry, and they really seemed to have that bond between two brothers busting each others' balls.
Things i didn't like, were how they built up this Aether has being this ultimate destructive force, and it was easily defeated by human technology. Because, Jane and her crew of cronies were there and had the perfect answer ironically.... power of plot, sigh!
Honestly, the movie was better than the original, in my opinion, but it still was a decent super hero movie. Would i go see it again? No, but if it was on cable or net flix i would watch it.
Final Verdict- 7/10, it had some great comical moments, some great actors, action sequences were fantastic, but the villain was boring and the Jane character ruined it for me.... is she really needed for god sakes?
See, you guys next time when i review the newer movie coming out this holiday season, this is Phil Goes to the Movies, so you don't have too!
Monday, August 19, 2013
Kick Ass 2
Heeeey, welcome back to Phil Goes to the Movies, the summer movie season is nearly coming to an end. Soooo many movies and i could only go to certain ones... i can't see them all, but the one i was waiting for this summer, final came out. Did it disappoint me? Lets dive right in:
Kick Ass 2- Ok, where do i start? This movie begins 3 or 4 years later, as we see both characters have grown. Speaking about growing up, Chloe Grace Moretz whom plays Hit Girl, is going to be a knock out in the years to come. I'm not trying to sound like a dirty bird here, I'm just saying you can already see that she going to be the next "hot chick" craze, like Emma Watson. I still don't get the whole Emma Watson hot thing.... honestly, she needs to eat something, so damn skinny and all i see when i look at her is Harry Potter forever.... sorry i cant take her seriously!
Anyway, veering off, the movie serious has taken the bar, from the last one and launched it out into space. The fight scenes were more brutal this time, and sometimes made me cringe. The plot this time around is Chris D'Amico, played by Christopher Mintz-Plasse, wants revenge on Kick Ass for killing his father with a bazooka. He becomes the worlds first super villain, and he owns this part. He just seems to play the whiny, pussy perfectly, and his comedic delivery is gold. He assembles the perfect killing team of the scariest people alive, but the one that stands out the most is Mother Russia. This woman is terrifying, and the scene when she goes ape shit on 10 cops was amazing. She killed some cops with a combination of a stolen cop car and a lawnmower. I wont spoil it for you, but just let your imagination go wild with that one until you see the movie.
Jim Carrey, even though is refusing to promote the film due to it's violence, plays an amazing part. You can tell hes having an absolute blast with his character, Colonel Stars and Stripes an ex-mob hit man turned good guy. Here, Kick Ass finds a way to fill the void with Hit Girl no longer fighting with him. He joins the Justice Fighters, a bunch of super heroes all inspired by Kick Ass from the original film. Most of the team is pretty forgettable, except for Donald Faison, who plays Dr. Gravity, and he cracked me up with his antics. I mean the only other character on the team that stood out was Night Bitch, and thats only because I'm a man and she was freaking hot.... other than that I would've been fine with or without her!
The movie really felt like it was mostly about Hit Girl, and Kick Ass was on the back burner for the most part. Kinda hard to understand why you would name a movie after a character and really not use him. The movie had three plots going on at the same time, Kick Ass trying to find his way again without Hit Girl, Chris D'Amico creating the super villain, The Motherfucker, to seek revenge, and Hit Girl trying to keep her promise to her adopted father, that she would no longer be a super hero.
The movie did seem to lose some of the magic it created in the first one, but there were plenty of hilarity to cover that up. Honestly, the movie didn't disappoint me, but i was feeling something was missing from it. I just couldn't put my finger on it.
Maybe It would've been cooler if Kick Ass became more of a bad ass. I mean there was a training montage of him training with Hit Girl, so why did he still suck at fighting? I think it would've been better if they were both bad asses.... i don't know maybe I'm asking for too much! I guess him sucking is the comedic point, for someone to get their ass kicked all the time... while still being named Kick Ass.
Final Verdict- 9/10- I highly recommend this movie to be seen in theaters. The movie was fast paced and didn't constantly bore with unneeded scenes. It gave you exactly what you wanted from beginning to end.
Ok, everyone this is Phil Goes to the Movies, so you don't have too!
Kick Ass 2- Ok, where do i start? This movie begins 3 or 4 years later, as we see both characters have grown. Speaking about growing up, Chloe Grace Moretz whom plays Hit Girl, is going to be a knock out in the years to come. I'm not trying to sound like a dirty bird here, I'm just saying you can already see that she going to be the next "hot chick" craze, like Emma Watson. I still don't get the whole Emma Watson hot thing.... honestly, she needs to eat something, so damn skinny and all i see when i look at her is Harry Potter forever.... sorry i cant take her seriously!
Anyway, veering off, the movie serious has taken the bar, from the last one and launched it out into space. The fight scenes were more brutal this time, and sometimes made me cringe. The plot this time around is Chris D'Amico, played by Christopher Mintz-Plasse, wants revenge on Kick Ass for killing his father with a bazooka. He becomes the worlds first super villain, and he owns this part. He just seems to play the whiny, pussy perfectly, and his comedic delivery is gold. He assembles the perfect killing team of the scariest people alive, but the one that stands out the most is Mother Russia. This woman is terrifying, and the scene when she goes ape shit on 10 cops was amazing. She killed some cops with a combination of a stolen cop car and a lawnmower. I wont spoil it for you, but just let your imagination go wild with that one until you see the movie.
Jim Carrey, even though is refusing to promote the film due to it's violence, plays an amazing part. You can tell hes having an absolute blast with his character, Colonel Stars and Stripes an ex-mob hit man turned good guy. Here, Kick Ass finds a way to fill the void with Hit Girl no longer fighting with him. He joins the Justice Fighters, a bunch of super heroes all inspired by Kick Ass from the original film. Most of the team is pretty forgettable, except for Donald Faison, who plays Dr. Gravity, and he cracked me up with his antics. I mean the only other character on the team that stood out was Night Bitch, and thats only because I'm a man and she was freaking hot.... other than that I would've been fine with or without her!
The movie really felt like it was mostly about Hit Girl, and Kick Ass was on the back burner for the most part. Kinda hard to understand why you would name a movie after a character and really not use him. The movie had three plots going on at the same time, Kick Ass trying to find his way again without Hit Girl, Chris D'Amico creating the super villain, The Motherfucker, to seek revenge, and Hit Girl trying to keep her promise to her adopted father, that she would no longer be a super hero.
The movie did seem to lose some of the magic it created in the first one, but there were plenty of hilarity to cover that up. Honestly, the movie didn't disappoint me, but i was feeling something was missing from it. I just couldn't put my finger on it.
Maybe It would've been cooler if Kick Ass became more of a bad ass. I mean there was a training montage of him training with Hit Girl, so why did he still suck at fighting? I think it would've been better if they were both bad asses.... i don't know maybe I'm asking for too much! I guess him sucking is the comedic point, for someone to get their ass kicked all the time... while still being named Kick Ass.
Final Verdict- 9/10- I highly recommend this movie to be seen in theaters. The movie was fast paced and didn't constantly bore with unneeded scenes. It gave you exactly what you wanted from beginning to end.
Ok, everyone this is Phil Goes to the Movies, so you don't have too!
Thursday, August 8, 2013
The Wolverine
Welcome to another edition of Phil Goes to the Movies, today, I get to review my favorite movie genres, comic book movies. The big super hero fad cash in, which is going on, and boy are they making ridiculous money doing it... so no way will this ever end any time soon. Now, one of my favorite comic books was the X-Men, and for 10 years now they still haven't really made an X-Men movie that good... I mean "X-Men: First Class" was pretty good, but still there were things that annoyed me about the movie.... then again, those things were just fan boy things, the movie itself was fine. Well, lets tackle the newest installment of the X-Men movies... 10 years later did Hugh Jackman disappoint?
The Wolverine- The movie starts out with Logan in exile, in the middle of no where, living like a mountain man. He's still haunted by dreams and visions of Jean Grey, so this movie definitely takes place some time after X-Men: The Last Stand. Now, as a fan of X-Men, i absolutely hated X-Men 3, and just pretend it was never created. Hell, i had to google the title of X-men 3, because thats how much i have erased it from my memory.
Now, Logan has made a vow to the late Jean Grey, he would never kill again. He gets into a bar fight, and before he breaks his vow, a mysterious woman comes to rescue him in a sense. I like this character, shes looks like a cross between being a vicious killer and your best friend's kid sister that grew up. I don't know what it was about this character, but she was a blast to watch kick a ton of ass.
Now, the obvious thing i loved about this movie is Hugh Jackman, this guy jsut owns the character as Logan/Wolverine. Its been 10 years, and he is as charismatic as he was in first the X-men movie. I dunno, he just seems to nail down the rage factor, and really gives the character life. I mean, his performance really reflects from the actual pages from the comic... Hugh is the wolverine, just like Kevin Conroy is the Batman, and Mark Hamill is the Joker. It would be hard to see someone else playing these roles.
The plot of the movie, it was fast paced and well done.Unfortunately, in these movies the villains are very important, and the villain was a female named Viper. Nothing was special about this character, I mean she did some cool snake like things, like peeling her skin to recover from injuries. She had some crazy poisons, but overall she was really blah and forgettable. The only i can remember about her was the actress playing the part was really hot. Other than that, whoopie-freaking-doo! Then, of course enter the Silver Samurai, another boring villain, and they completely changed him around from what he is in the comics. Unfortunately, if i dive any more into the villains the plot, i will give away the twists, so take it from me... it was pretty was weak and predictable. I did think it was funny how quickly Wolverine forgot his vow to Jean, and began slices mother fuckers up real quick. Then what was the point of the vow then? Waste of time that lil plot point was....stupid.
There were some great action sequences, my favorite had to be hands down the bullet train, and everyone fighting on top of it. The one thing this movie needed and some people might agree or disagree, but it needs to be rated R, not PG-13. To truly get to see Wolverine slice and dice, we need the ability to see some true violence and gore.... thats just me!
Final Verdict- 6/10, it was a good movie, but there are better super hero movies out there. To me this movie lacked a true villain.
There were many other things that happened in this movie, which aggravated me, but they didn't persuade me in my decision of rating the movie. The flaws just disappointed me as an X-Men fan. Scroll down past my sign off and see the things that bothered me. The summer movie season is nearly finished, and there some more i need to review. This is Phil Goes to the Movies, so you don't have too!
Spoilers
I hated the Silver Samurai was a body suit keeping the sick old man alive. This villain is a bad ass his mutant powers, and ability to cut through anything. Instead we get a weak ass plot device!
Now, mutant powers can be taken, stolen, or moved from one person or another. Plus, they didn't even explain how the hell thats possible. Because the powers are in the person's genes, and by taking his healing powers, kills him? WTF
I cant stand that Adamantium can destroy itself, which now Wolverine's claws were cut off, and they grew back as the bone claws. Wonderful!
The Wolverine- The movie starts out with Logan in exile, in the middle of no where, living like a mountain man. He's still haunted by dreams and visions of Jean Grey, so this movie definitely takes place some time after X-Men: The Last Stand. Now, as a fan of X-Men, i absolutely hated X-Men 3, and just pretend it was never created. Hell, i had to google the title of X-men 3, because thats how much i have erased it from my memory.
Now, Logan has made a vow to the late Jean Grey, he would never kill again. He gets into a bar fight, and before he breaks his vow, a mysterious woman comes to rescue him in a sense. I like this character, shes looks like a cross between being a vicious killer and your best friend's kid sister that grew up. I don't know what it was about this character, but she was a blast to watch kick a ton of ass.
Now, the obvious thing i loved about this movie is Hugh Jackman, this guy jsut owns the character as Logan/Wolverine. Its been 10 years, and he is as charismatic as he was in first the X-men movie. I dunno, he just seems to nail down the rage factor, and really gives the character life. I mean, his performance really reflects from the actual pages from the comic... Hugh is the wolverine, just like Kevin Conroy is the Batman, and Mark Hamill is the Joker. It would be hard to see someone else playing these roles.
The plot of the movie, it was fast paced and well done.Unfortunately, in these movies the villains are very important, and the villain was a female named Viper. Nothing was special about this character, I mean she did some cool snake like things, like peeling her skin to recover from injuries. She had some crazy poisons, but overall she was really blah and forgettable. The only i can remember about her was the actress playing the part was really hot. Other than that, whoopie-freaking-doo! Then, of course enter the Silver Samurai, another boring villain, and they completely changed him around from what he is in the comics. Unfortunately, if i dive any more into the villains the plot, i will give away the twists, so take it from me... it was pretty was weak and predictable. I did think it was funny how quickly Wolverine forgot his vow to Jean, and began slices mother fuckers up real quick. Then what was the point of the vow then? Waste of time that lil plot point was....stupid.
There were some great action sequences, my favorite had to be hands down the bullet train, and everyone fighting on top of it. The one thing this movie needed and some people might agree or disagree, but it needs to be rated R, not PG-13. To truly get to see Wolverine slice and dice, we need the ability to see some true violence and gore.... thats just me!
Final Verdict- 6/10, it was a good movie, but there are better super hero movies out there. To me this movie lacked a true villain.
There were many other things that happened in this movie, which aggravated me, but they didn't persuade me in my decision of rating the movie. The flaws just disappointed me as an X-Men fan. Scroll down past my sign off and see the things that bothered me. The summer movie season is nearly finished, and there some more i need to review. This is Phil Goes to the Movies, so you don't have too!
Spoilers
I hated the Silver Samurai was a body suit keeping the sick old man alive. This villain is a bad ass his mutant powers, and ability to cut through anything. Instead we get a weak ass plot device!
Now, mutant powers can be taken, stolen, or moved from one person or another. Plus, they didn't even explain how the hell thats possible. Because the powers are in the person's genes, and by taking his healing powers, kills him? WTF
I cant stand that Adamantium can destroy itself, which now Wolverine's claws were cut off, and they grew back as the bone claws. Wonderful!
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