TRON: Legacy (2010)

One of my most anticipated films of the year, and this one did not disappoint. First off, I understand the Disney wanted Legacy to be a standalone film, seperate, from the original, but I feel that seeing the original made this easier to understand and a lot better of a film. Second, this is one of the most visually stunning movies I've ever seen, I highly reccomend a 3D viewing of the film, you wont be disappointed.

The reason I say you should see the orignal first is that some of the characters may be lost on people who didn't see it. Seeing the orignal provides more depth on Kevin Flynn, to better understand his character, his program CLU, and the whole grid in general.

Legacy introduces the character of Sam Flynn, Kevin's son, who gets pulled into the grid in search of his father who has been missing for 20 years. He finds the organized and sophiscated world his father always spoke of, in ruins and run be ruthless dicatator, CLU. Sam must fight his way around the grid in an effort to enter a portal to return to the real world.

All the actors give a great performance, Garrett Hedlund as Sam was an excently pick, because quite frankly, it seemed like the type of role they would normal give someone like Sam Worthington...which would have ruined the movie. Jeff Bridges is great reprising his role as Kevin Flynn, playing both the old Flynn and the young CLU thanks to modern technology. And Olivia Wilde turns in a great as always performance as Quorra, the helper and protege of Flynn.

The Soundtrack as provided by techno legends, Daft Punk, is excellent and fits the style of the world perfectly. As I said before it is one of the most visuall stunning films I've ever seen. 3D was invented for this movie, this is the real reason why, not Avatar...TRON! It take the same style as the original, reves it up a bit and gives it a bit of a darker tone but just completely stunning and is bound to be loved by any gamer.

I was extremly excited for this movie and I got myself a little worried because the last time I was this excited for a movie was Clash of the Titans...which was a HUGE disappiontment. So thank you Disney, and hopefully we don't have to wait 28 years for another tale from the Grid.

Tron: Legacy recieves 8 "Tron Guys"...out of 10.

Oh...Do NOT play the video game companion, Tron: Evolution...you'll be pulling your hair out and throwing your controller across the room in anger at how bad and clunky the controls are.

Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows Part 1

This is the first part in the epic 2 part conclusion to one of the greatest film franchises of all time. As well as large part of my childhood. I still remember my dad taking me to see The Sorcerer's Stone a decade ago, it doesn't feel that long ago...

The whole crew is back as the story continues from #6 with Harry in search of Horcruxes to defeat Lord Voldomort. I wont get into plot and spoil anything for anyone hopefully.

Deathly Hallows comes off as the darkest Harry Potter yet. But at the same time, it's also one of the funniest. Director David Yates (whom I still disapprove of) did a great job of balancing the serious with the humorous.

This first part is deffinetly not the best installment of Harry Potter. Much like Half-Blood Prince (aside from one major plot event at the ending), Deathly Hallows is a lead in to this 2nd part finale. The finale promises to be epic on all fronts as the crew really kicks things into high gear leading up to the epic conclusion of hero vs anti-hero.

My main gripe with part 1 is that, it felt like nothing happened, as I said it is a lead in and I'm grateful they split this into 2 parts, but nothing really happens and scenes are unecessarily drawn out. I did actually read the book so I knew what to expect and knew it wouldn't change pace for a while.

Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows Part 1 is a good film and must see for any fan of the series. But I left the theater thinking One thing and One thing only....IS IT JULY YET?!?!?!?!?

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1 recieves 7 "Dobbys"...out of 10



Oh and a preview for The Green Lantern debuted before it...Not Impressed

Toy Story 3 (2010)

Pixar strikes gold again with the 3rd, and seemingly final, installment in the Toy Story franchise. Despite not being as good as its predecessors, it does a fantastic job of capturing the nostalgia factor for all of us who were in infancy when the first 2 released over a decade ago, yes its been that long.

Most of the original cast returns but only the truly important characters appear, i miss weezy and bo peep. To make up for loss of original characters, Pixar creates a few new toys. The most important being Lots-o'-huggin bear, and Barbie's significant other, Ken.

The story begins with Andy getting ready to leave for college. The toys knew this day was coming but it still hit them like a ton of bricks. Andy originally intends to put the toys in the attic and take Woody with him to school. But they get mistaken for trash and eventually make their way into a box to be donated to the local daycare. Here is where the new characters appear, Lotso is clearly the leader of this place and comes off as a warm, cozy and safe leader. But our band of toys uncovers the harsh reality of the daycare and Lotso's heirarchy and abuse of power. It all culminates in an escape plot by Andy's toys which then leads to a local dump and eventually back to Andy's. The film ends with a real tearjerker moments, and it makes me feel really old.

Having grown up with these characters they are as much a part of me as any film...maybe more. As mother has said, TS1 was the first movie I sat through calmly, so clearly nothing will ever top the original in my heart. It sad to see these characters go but if they make another I feel it could potentially ruin the legacy, for me at least.

A great film that doesn't hold up to its predecessors but cashes in on the Nostalgia factor
Toy Story 3 receives 7 "Garbage man Sid's"...out of 10.

Frankenstein (1931) / Bride of Frankenstein (1935)

The originals, the iconic, the must-sees, great director James Whale brings us the original (talkie) and best incarnation of the famed Frankenstein Monster. These are the movies that made Boris Karloff a household name and legend on the horror circuit.

Both films are amazing and innovative for the time. The first sets up the entire well known story, but the sequel is the far superior film and what made me fall in love with these movies as a whole. One really needs to put the two together because the first really leaves you wanting more of a story arc.

The first one stars Colin Clive as Dr. Henry Frankenstein who seeks to create or reanimate life inside of the mutilated corpse composed of various sources. He then proceeds to the well known lightning strike which awakens the body, and begins shouting one of the most famous line in cinema history "It's Alive!". The monster eventually escapes and wrecks havoc on the town. When a mob forms, traps him in a farmhouse and burns it down leading into the next film.

The second film repeats the cast of the first one with a few additions. These additions contribute to the sequel being better but the main reason for it superiority is the performance of Karloff as the Monster. In the first film the monster is a rather flat character with no dialogue and no reason. But with the introduction of Ernest Thesiger's character, Dr. Pretorious and the Blind Caretaker played by O.P. Heggie. These two character help the monster develop his voice and personality turning him into a Three-Dimensional character. They teach him to eat, drink, smoke and develop friendships eventually creating a wife for him. But when she rejects him he blows up Frankenstein's tower ending the film.

Both films are fantastic but the main focus of them is the monster and he becomes more well rounded in the sequel, thus making it a superior film to the legendary first.

I highly reccomend that everyone see both films, and any film fan should be able to understand and enjoy these films as much as I do, they are in every sense of the term....Classics.

Karloff did also star in the 3rd installment Son of Frankenstein, I have the movie but have yet to watch it. It stars Karloff and another horror legend, Bela Legosi, but sadly it is not directed by James Whale and does not star Colin Clive as he passed in '37. Ill watch it eventually but I'm not expecting much.

Diary of the Dead (2007)

Diary of the Dead is a Zombie Horror flick Directed by the master himself, George A. Romero. 2 years after making Land of the Dead, Romero goes back to the beginnings of the outbreak. He does it in a way that is different from all of his classic and gives it a far more realistic edge by making it a fictional documentary.

The film follows a small group of film students from Pitt who are filming for a school project when the outbreak occurs. This sets them up perfectly to record the events as they unfold and tell the true story that the media will try to cover up. Doing so in a chilling manor that makes the zombie apocalypse feel inevitable.

Along the way the group runs into all sorts of challenges. Overcoming the fact that they need to kill to stay alive is by far the hardest, and it takes it toll on a few characters. After a failed attempt to seek aid in a hospital, the film finds one of its greatest moments, the awesome deaf Amishman, Samuel. His performance is hilarious and does a great job of relieving tension in the script.

The group actually find more survivors who have created a small enclosed town for themselves, and the best part is they have internet access. The directors take advantage of this and distribute their findings to the masses. This is an overwhelming moment of success for the group especially when they recieve 72,00 hits in 8 minutes. The last bit of plot ill detail is the group runs into a group of National Guardsmen who raid all their supplies, i mention this scene because the sequel, Survival of the Dead, follows this group of Guardsman.

Overall a suprisingly good film, it took me a while to get around to it because I didnt realize it was actually directed by Remero, I thought they just tacked his name on it to draw a crowd. But once I realized my mistake I got it in my PS3 and watched it. I was really surpised with how well done it was, it really made me feel involved in the action of the inevitable zombie apocalypse.

Diary of the Dead recieves 7 "I'm Samuel, Hellos"...out of 10.
Any fan of Romero or Zombie flicks should give this movie a try, its worth it.

Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief (2010)

Why must all movies using the subject of Ancient Greek Mythology be so disappointing?!?!? A subject tnat holds so much promise is just never done right. But this film baffles me even more because it was based off a book, a fantastic book by the way, but the movie just didnt capture what made the book great.

Our Hero Percy Jackson is the unknowning son of the Sea God, Poseidon. Zeus' Master Lightning Bolt has been stolen and he suspects Percy did the deed and gives him 2 weeks to return it. So Percy and his companions embark on a journey across the country to retrieve the bolt and return it to Mt. Olympus, all the while "modernizing" the Anciet Greek Tales. Theres no point in detailing the whole plot, read the book.

Aside from the little changes in the book the main "unforgiveable" change is that they leave it a very important character, Ares - God of War. Leaving him out of the movie changes the whole dynamic because he was the driving force of the book.

The cast was great, they really brought out a lot of well known actors to play the Gods and villans. But even that could not save the movie for me. It just kind of seems to drag and it feels like it skips...because it does. Id put this right up there with this summer's FLOP blockbuster, Clash of the Titans. I still call for a new, big budget, version of The Odyssey...After these two, a really good Ancient Epic is needed.

The Lightning Thief, a suprising disappointment recieves 5 "Steve Coogan as Hades"...out of 10
Steve Coogan was by far the best part of the movie...as limited as his time was.

Pirate Radio (2009)

For any fan of British music from the mid-late 60's this movie is a must see. Even more so for the grown-ups who were raised on the music.

As appealing as the music and the plot is, what really drew me into this film was the ensemble. One of the finest casting jobs I've seen in a long time. Philip Seymour-Hoffman (Capote) to Nick Frost (Blood and Icecream Trilogy) as well as Bill Nighy who had a few cameos in the prior trilogy. With also Rhys Darby (Flight of the Conchords) and Rhys Ifans (The Replacements) and Jack Davenport (PotC - Commadore Norrington). I mean c'mon...this film is like a Fanboy's wetdream it's just full of Awesomeness!

Set during the 60's during the British Governments' attempt to ban Rock from the airwaves, many groups of DJs headed to the sea to broadcast the music they loved. Antics ensue after every attempt by the Gov't is thwarted by the Pirates. Fun is had by all and Romance makes its way to the sea onboard Radio Rock. All the while, neither side forgeting about the music as each side makes their last stand...for the sake of not spoiling cutting it short there.

Although sometimes the movie did get itself sidetracked with the Romance aspect it was still pretty damn good. Not a must rent but I would encourage any fan of the actors or music to see this as you wont be dissappointed.

Pirate Radio recieves 7 "Pete Townshend Smashes"...out of 10

Crazy Heart (2009)

Jeff Bridges stars in this Academy Award winning role as "Bad" Blake a once great Country musician who is down on his luck. Jeff Bridges is one of my favorite actors and I'll love anything he in. This film has a lot goin right for it, great acting, great writing and great music.

Bad Blake is going through a rough patch in his life. Hes taking life hard to the bottle and hasn't wrote a new song in 3 years which results in no record opportunities nor big gigs. Following on small bar show he gives an interview to a local reporter, Jean (Maggie Gyllenhaal), through a few interview sessions the two become very close. She knew the risks before begining a relationship with Bad, but she caved anyway. She often would urge him to quit drinking or at least not drink in front of her son, and just when he seems to be making a real change his drinking causes him to lose her son at a mall, and finally forces himself into AA.

I can't help but compare the style of this film to another great from '08 The Wrestler. It is very similar to that, in regards to the main character at least, just with 2 different outcomes.

The performances of Bridges and Gyllenhaal ar fantastic and great minor appearences from Robert Duvall and Colin Ferral. I havn't yet seen all the nominees for Best Actor but I doubt any of them will be as good to me as Bridges was.

And as with many automatically great films, it makes you care about the characters. I cannot stress enough how important this is in writing screenplays because if you don't care about what happens to the characters...then what was the point in the film?


This was an overall good film that anyone who like Jeff Bridges, Country Music or Musical Biopics should give a watch.

Crazy Heart recieves 7 "Achievers"...out of 10.