With all the anticipation surrounding The Hobbit which is coming out in theatres on December 14th, I decided to do reviews of the Lord of the Rings trilogy. Lord of the Rings is probably the most epic trilogy of my generation. I can't think of another word to describe it other than epic. I'm going to write about this assuming everyone who reads this has seen the movie. If you havn't seen this movie go watch it and then come back and read this review.
The beginning of Fellowship of the Rings does a really good job giving an overview of the history of Middle-Earth. It goes into great detail about the One Ring of power. It was foraged by the Dark Lord Sauron in Mordor in the fires of Mount Doom. Then Iseldor cut the ring from Sauron's hand he had a chance to destroy it but the Ring corrupted him. Then the Ring came to Gollum, after it abandoned Gollum it was picked up by Bilbo Baggins, a hobbit from the Shire. He left it to his nephew Frodo. The wizard Gandalf told Frodo about the ring, one thing lead to another, and Frodo ended up on a mission to take the One Ring into Mordor to destroy it. One thing that the movie did a great job at was showing that the Ring had a will of its own. Gandalf told Frodo that the Ring wanted to be found. The Ring took Boromir when he tried to take the Ring from Frodo. He got his redemption in the end however when he died a hero trying to protect Merry and Pippen.
The acting in this movie was phenomonal. The best performances were Ian Mckellen as Gandalf, and Viggo Mortenson as Aragorn. Aragorn was such a pivotal character if Mortenson didn't do a good job, the movie probably would've failed. Luckily, he did a fantastic job. Another thing I love about these movies is the soundtrack. The score done by Howard Shore is one of my all-time favorate soundtracks. It has its light hearted points, and it has its darker points when they're showing Sauroman building an army in Isengard.
Lord of the Rings is a great story about good versus evil. It's also a story about friendship and sacrifice. As I stated above I can't think of another word to describe the trilogy other than epic. There's a lot of good action in this movie, however there's also good scenes showing the relationships between the characters. This movie does a perfect job at setting everything up. It sets the scene perfectly for the next movies. Of couse The Fellowship of the Ring gets 5 stars.
Saturday, November 17, 2012
Tuesday, November 13, 2012
Firefly series review
"We might as well settle it now it'll be on for years." This is a quote from Sheldon Cooper from The Big Bang Theory. He was talking about the TV show Firefly. He was wrong however, the show lasted only one year. Was this a good show, or did FOX make the right choice in canceling it?
Firefly was created by Joss Whedon the king of the nerds as I like to call him. I first watched the show after I watched The Avengers and I was checking out some of Whedon's other works. The show is about the crew of a spaceship calles Serenity. They'll take any job legal or illegal as long as they get paid. They take on two passengers who are fugitives from The Alliance, a totalitarian regime. So the crew of Serenity finds themselves on the run from The Alliance and also from the flesh-eating Reavers that roam around space. I was very fascinated with Nathan Fillion's character in this show. He plays Malcolm Reynolds he's the captain of Serenity. He fought a war against The Alliance and they lost so now he spends his life as captain of the ship. The term I like to use to describe him is an honorable theif. He's a theif but he does what he does to provide for his crew and his passengers. Overall the acting was very good.
This show is more than just a science fiction. It's a science fiction, it's a drama, a comedy, and at some points a western. I didn't know what to expect when I first saw it. I was expecting a lot of space combat, and a lot of firefights. There's no space combat, there's some gun fights and some punches thrown but there's not as much action as I thought. However I was pleasently suprised by the drama. There are some very dramatic scenes which makes up for the lack of action. Overall I really enjoyed the series, I give it four stars.
Firefly was created by Joss Whedon the king of the nerds as I like to call him. I first watched the show after I watched The Avengers and I was checking out some of Whedon's other works. The show is about the crew of a spaceship calles Serenity. They'll take any job legal or illegal as long as they get paid. They take on two passengers who are fugitives from The Alliance, a totalitarian regime. So the crew of Serenity finds themselves on the run from The Alliance and also from the flesh-eating Reavers that roam around space. I was very fascinated with Nathan Fillion's character in this show. He plays Malcolm Reynolds he's the captain of Serenity. He fought a war against The Alliance and they lost so now he spends his life as captain of the ship. The term I like to use to describe him is an honorable theif. He's a theif but he does what he does to provide for his crew and his passengers. Overall the acting was very good.
This show is more than just a science fiction. It's a science fiction, it's a drama, a comedy, and at some points a western. I didn't know what to expect when I first saw it. I was expecting a lot of space combat, and a lot of firefights. There's no space combat, there's some gun fights and some punches thrown but there's not as much action as I thought. However I was pleasently suprised by the drama. There are some very dramatic scenes which makes up for the lack of action. Overall I really enjoyed the series, I give it four stars.
Sunday, November 4, 2012
Indiana Jones and The Kingdom of the Crystal Skull Review
I've put this off for too long, I'm finally writing my review of the fourth Indiana Jones Movie. I almost didn't want to review this, because I don't really coinsider this an Indiana Jones movie. I view this movie as an imitation of Indiana Jones.
The movie starts out in Area 51 where a band of soldiers from the Soviet Union capture Indy and they're looking for a mysterious package. One thing leads to another and Indy teams up with a young rebellous teenager named Mutt Williams. He tells Indy that his mother and one of Indy's old professors who was also Mutt's father figure have been captured by the Soviets and he needs Indy's help. Indy and Mutt travel down to South America to look for the Crystal Skull of Akator.
First of all, I couldn't stand Shia Lebouf I thought he was very annoying, as he is in most of his movies. The plot was not as strong as the other Indiana Jones movies. It was pretty cool to see Karen Allen back. She plays Marion once again. Also in the first three movies, Indiana Jones is a vulnerable hero. He gets beat in fights a lot. He almost always had a near death expirience in the first three movies. This movie didn't have a scene like that. It never had a scene where I was on the edge of my seat. Overall i think the first two acts of this movie are fine. The scene that ruined it for me was the scene where Shia Lebouf is swinging on the vines with the monkies. There was too much CGI in that scene which was not necessary.
While I believe this is a good movie by itself, it was very disappointing for an Indiana Jones film. I believe this is another reason why I'm happy with George Lucas selling LucasFilms to Disney. I feel that Lucas has been slipping over the past 12 years. It started with the Star Wars prequals, The DVD remasterd Star Wars release, Indiana Jones 4, and the blu-ray release of Star Wars. However as I said above, The Kingdom of the Crystal Skull is a good movie by itself, I give it two and a half stars.
The movie starts out in Area 51 where a band of soldiers from the Soviet Union capture Indy and they're looking for a mysterious package. One thing leads to another and Indy teams up with a young rebellous teenager named Mutt Williams. He tells Indy that his mother and one of Indy's old professors who was also Mutt's father figure have been captured by the Soviets and he needs Indy's help. Indy and Mutt travel down to South America to look for the Crystal Skull of Akator.
First of all, I couldn't stand Shia Lebouf I thought he was very annoying, as he is in most of his movies. The plot was not as strong as the other Indiana Jones movies. It was pretty cool to see Karen Allen back. She plays Marion once again. Also in the first three movies, Indiana Jones is a vulnerable hero. He gets beat in fights a lot. He almost always had a near death expirience in the first three movies. This movie didn't have a scene like that. It never had a scene where I was on the edge of my seat. Overall i think the first two acts of this movie are fine. The scene that ruined it for me was the scene where Shia Lebouf is swinging on the vines with the monkies. There was too much CGI in that scene which was not necessary.
While I believe this is a good movie by itself, it was very disappointing for an Indiana Jones film. I believe this is another reason why I'm happy with George Lucas selling LucasFilms to Disney. I feel that Lucas has been slipping over the past 12 years. It started with the Star Wars prequals, The DVD remasterd Star Wars release, Indiana Jones 4, and the blu-ray release of Star Wars. However as I said above, The Kingdom of the Crystal Skull is a good movie by itself, I give it two and a half stars.
Wednesday, October 31, 2012
Disney buys LucasFilms
With all the controversey that surrounds the decision made by George Lucas to sign over LucasFilms to Disney. A new Star Wars movie is scheduled to come out in the summer of 2015. This tells me that Disney has been planning this for quite some time. Will this end up as a great move, or will it blow up in Disney's face?
Personally I'm excited for this. Maybe it's the Star Wars fanboy inside me, but I believe this could really help the Star Wars franchise. I've heard a lot of people say "Oh well Disney is going to ruin Star Wars." They forget that Star Wars was ruined the day The Phantom Menace hit the theatres. The next prequal Attack of the Clones made things alot worse. Although Revenge of the Sith was a good movie, The original trilogy was still so much better. Also Lucas made some very unpopular calls for both the digitally remastered DVD's of the original trilogy, and the Blu-ray release of last year. He improved the sound and picture quality but he made some tweaks that I hated. In the scene in A New Hope when Han and Greedo are having the conversation in the bar and Han shot him from under the table, he changed that and Greedo shot first. That didn't make any sense to me. Also Disney bought Marvel comics and just this year they released The Avengers which was their best film to date. Am I saying that Star Wars episode 7 will be the best Star wars movie? No I'm not but I don't think it will hurt Star Wars at all.
I'll be watching for any news on the new Star Wars movie until the day it hits the big screen. the big question now is who will direct it? Personally I want Christopher Nolan to direct it. He's my favorate director right now. I'd also love it if Joss Whedon will direct it but he's locked in for the Avengers 2 which is due out in 2015 so he probably won't be able to. I'd also love J.J Abrams or Peter Jackson if The Hobbit is good (which it will be.) In summary all I can say is, 2015 can't get here soon enough.
Personally I'm excited for this. Maybe it's the Star Wars fanboy inside me, but I believe this could really help the Star Wars franchise. I've heard a lot of people say "Oh well Disney is going to ruin Star Wars." They forget that Star Wars was ruined the day The Phantom Menace hit the theatres. The next prequal Attack of the Clones made things alot worse. Although Revenge of the Sith was a good movie, The original trilogy was still so much better. Also Lucas made some very unpopular calls for both the digitally remastered DVD's of the original trilogy, and the Blu-ray release of last year. He improved the sound and picture quality but he made some tweaks that I hated. In the scene in A New Hope when Han and Greedo are having the conversation in the bar and Han shot him from under the table, he changed that and Greedo shot first. That didn't make any sense to me. Also Disney bought Marvel comics and just this year they released The Avengers which was their best film to date. Am I saying that Star Wars episode 7 will be the best Star wars movie? No I'm not but I don't think it will hurt Star Wars at all.
I'll be watching for any news on the new Star Wars movie until the day it hits the big screen. the big question now is who will direct it? Personally I want Christopher Nolan to direct it. He's my favorate director right now. I'd also love it if Joss Whedon will direct it but he's locked in for the Avengers 2 which is due out in 2015 so he probably won't be able to. I'd also love J.J Abrams or Peter Jackson if The Hobbit is good (which it will be.) In summary all I can say is, 2015 can't get here soon enough.
Tuesday, October 2, 2012
Indiana Jones and The Last Crusade Review
Indiana Jones and The Last Crusade is my personal favorate of the franchise. Once again Indy is battling the Nazis to find the Holy Grail. The cup used by Christ in the last supper. This movie has the perfect beginning when you see young Indy on his first adventure. You see him trying to retrieve a spainsh artifact from a band of thugs. Then it goes back to real time and he's trying to retrieve that same artifact. It's one of my favorate openings to a movie.
Later in the film, Indy is approached by a man asking him to go on a mission to find the Holy Grail. This becomes personal to him because his father had been looking for the Holy Grail his whole life and his father has been kidnapped by the Nazis. Sean Connery plays Indy's father he establishes his character so well from the moment he makes his first appearence. You can tell what kind of person he is right away.
The action in this movie I think is the best in any Indy movie. There's a scene when Indy's fighting aboard a tank and that was very suspenseful. Another suspenseful scene is when Indy is nearing the Grail. He's trying to prove his worth to take posession of the Grail I was on the edge of my seat on that scene. Also the humor in this movie is the best in the franchise. There are some very entertaining banter between Indy and his father.
Some people will say that The Last Crusade is the best Indina Jones movie. I say The Last Crusade is one of the best movies of all time. I think the best Indiana Jones movie does not do this film justice. Of course Indiana Jones and The Last Crusade gets 5 stars out of five.
Later in the film, Indy is approached by a man asking him to go on a mission to find the Holy Grail. This becomes personal to him because his father had been looking for the Holy Grail his whole life and his father has been kidnapped by the Nazis. Sean Connery plays Indy's father he establishes his character so well from the moment he makes his first appearence. You can tell what kind of person he is right away.
The action in this movie I think is the best in any Indy movie. There's a scene when Indy's fighting aboard a tank and that was very suspenseful. Another suspenseful scene is when Indy is nearing the Grail. He's trying to prove his worth to take posession of the Grail I was on the edge of my seat on that scene. Also the humor in this movie is the best in the franchise. There are some very entertaining banter between Indy and his father.
Some people will say that The Last Crusade is the best Indina Jones movie. I say The Last Crusade is one of the best movies of all time. I think the best Indiana Jones movie does not do this film justice. Of course Indiana Jones and The Last Crusade gets 5 stars out of five.
Sunday, September 23, 2012
Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom review
This is the most underrated movie of the Indiana Jones franchise. A lot of people didn't like this movie because it wasn't based on any historical story. I don't believe it's as good as Raiders of the Lost Ark, but it's still a fun adventerous film. The pace of this movie is great. The writers did a really good job at moving the plot along.
The movie starts out with Indy in China. He gets in trouble when some Chinese mobsters are after him and he escapes. His plane crashes in India and he takes a mission to free a village's children who have been captured as slaves by an ancient cult. In this movie Indy has a new assistant 5 year old Short Round. I really liked this character and the relationship between him and Indy is very entertaining. Also in this movie there is a new female accomplice Willie Scott. I thought this character was very annoying. But she did take a lot of punishment which made things a little better. One thing I loved about this movie is there's some great character development especially in Indy. When Indy was bad for about 5 minutes and then he snapped out of it and became a stronger character.
One interesting fact about this movie is the original script had much more action than what was actually in the movie. Another thing is a lot of people were applaled that the movie had a PG rating. people wanted it to be a PG-13 rating because it was much darker than Raiders of the Lost Ark.
Overall This movie wasn't as good as Raiders, but still very enjoyable. There were great characters, good acting, good plot. I give this movie 4.5 stars out of five.
The movie starts out with Indy in China. He gets in trouble when some Chinese mobsters are after him and he escapes. His plane crashes in India and he takes a mission to free a village's children who have been captured as slaves by an ancient cult. In this movie Indy has a new assistant 5 year old Short Round. I really liked this character and the relationship between him and Indy is very entertaining. Also in this movie there is a new female accomplice Willie Scott. I thought this character was very annoying. But she did take a lot of punishment which made things a little better. One thing I loved about this movie is there's some great character development especially in Indy. When Indy was bad for about 5 minutes and then he snapped out of it and became a stronger character.
One interesting fact about this movie is the original script had much more action than what was actually in the movie. Another thing is a lot of people were applaled that the movie had a PG rating. people wanted it to be a PG-13 rating because it was much darker than Raiders of the Lost Ark.
Overall This movie wasn't as good as Raiders, but still very enjoyable. There were great characters, good acting, good plot. I give this movie 4.5 stars out of five.
Saturday, September 22, 2012
Indiana Jones Raiders of the Lost Ark Review
First of all, I apoligize for how long it's been since I've posted anything. Thank you for your patience. Since the Indiana Jones movies have just been released on blu-ray, I just watched the first three movies today, so I decided to review the movies. I'll start with Raiders of the Lost Ark and I'll review the others in the next couple days
George Lucas and Harrison Ford teamed up again to give us another iconic movie franchise. Harrison Ford plays Indiana Jones. An archeologist who must find the Ark of the Covenant before the Nazis do. Indiana Jones is a fun character; he's smart, he's sarcastic, and funny. That's one thing I love about this movie it's an adventure/action movie but it's also a comedy. Harrison Ford was fantastic as Indiana he had that persona down. One thing I love about this movie is the action, I was on the edge of my seat the entire time the first time I saw it. It's a great thriller. Another thing I love is the villian. A lot of people think that Belloq wasn't a good villian because he was not a physical threat to Indy. But he was very good at manipulating a situation and getting the outcome he wanted.
John Williams' score for these movies is iconic and remains one of my favorate movie soundtracks of all time. It makes you feel like you're actually in these enviornments. When a soundtrack does that, you know it's great.
This is a movie I would really want to see in theatres. I'm not sure if it has ever been released in 3-D, but if it hasn't I'd love to see it. I'm not even a fan of 3-D. I'd just love the scene when Indy is running from the boulder because it would look like the boulder is rolling towars you. Overall, I love this movie it's one of my favorate movies of all time, of course it gets five stars out of five.
George Lucas and Harrison Ford teamed up again to give us another iconic movie franchise. Harrison Ford plays Indiana Jones. An archeologist who must find the Ark of the Covenant before the Nazis do. Indiana Jones is a fun character; he's smart, he's sarcastic, and funny. That's one thing I love about this movie it's an adventure/action movie but it's also a comedy. Harrison Ford was fantastic as Indiana he had that persona down. One thing I love about this movie is the action, I was on the edge of my seat the entire time the first time I saw it. It's a great thriller. Another thing I love is the villian. A lot of people think that Belloq wasn't a good villian because he was not a physical threat to Indy. But he was very good at manipulating a situation and getting the outcome he wanted.
John Williams' score for these movies is iconic and remains one of my favorate movie soundtracks of all time. It makes you feel like you're actually in these enviornments. When a soundtrack does that, you know it's great.
This is a movie I would really want to see in theatres. I'm not sure if it has ever been released in 3-D, but if it hasn't I'd love to see it. I'm not even a fan of 3-D. I'd just love the scene when Indy is running from the boulder because it would look like the boulder is rolling towars you. Overall, I love this movie it's one of my favorate movies of all time, of course it gets five stars out of five.
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