Trance: Danny Boyle's stylish new psychological thriller

Today I look at UK director Danny Boyle's new hypnotic thriller. (Minor Spoilers Ahead)

Trance:
Art curator Simon is involved in a robbery of a valuable painting. But, due to blunt force trauma from one of the robbers (Simon faked attacking him, so the robber fake attacked back) he forgets where he put it (he kept the painting with him, not trusting the robbers). So the robbers' ring-leader, French criminal Franck, tortures Simon, believing the amnesia story to be a lie. He then begins to realize Simon is not lying, and he and Simon seek out a hypnotherapist to help Simon remember where he put it. He chooses a woman named Elizabeth Lamb, who he and Franck have no prior history with. Simon lies during their first session about his name and why he's there, but when Elizabeth discovers why he needs hypnotherapy in their second session, she makes a deal with Franck to enter a partnership. They three start a love triangle, and their plan to find out where the painting is spirals down in a whirlpool of deceit, lies, violence, and secrets. Simon also begins to discover Elizabeth and him may have a past... This film, like many of director Danny Boyle's other projects, (28 Days Later, Trainspotting, Shallow Grave, 127 Hours, Slumdog Millionaire) has its fair share of violence, as well as an artful and stylized film. The film is very similar to some films by another UK director known for stylized, somewhat violent thrillers: Christopher Nolan. Watching the film, one can't help but draw comparisons to Nolan's work, especially his sci-fi thriller Inception and his debut film, another classic thriller: Memento. Those films were known for their original concepts, artistic direction, clever writing, and their sometimes confusing but interesting plots. This film, like those, constantly throws you for a loop, and is consistently thrilling, even when things appear to be wrapping up. Another aspect of the film that's similar to Inception, without giving anything away, is the open ending. The film has more violence than most of Nolan's work, so be advised, there are scenes (albeit very brief) that aren't for the squeamish. The movie also keeps you thinking you're seeing a dream sequence, but you're not, but maybe you are, and it all ties in with a clever and satisfying ending. Also, no bathroom breaks, this is a film you really need to pay attention to, immerse yourself in. You miss even a tiny detail, and the ending may not make that much sense. The writing is fantastic, being written by John Hodge (who has worked with Boyle before on Trainspotting and Shallow Grave, as well as other great movies), and Joe Ahearne (known for writing for British TV shows such as sci-fi hits Ultraviolet and Doctor Who). The music by Rick Smith adds to the hypnotic and dream-like atmosphere of the film. The cast are fantastic. James McAvoy (X-Men: First Class; Penelope; Last King of Scotland; Atonement; Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe; Arthur Christmas; Gnomeo and Juliet; Wanted; The Conspirator; Welcome to the Punch), who, as you can see by that long list, is a seasoned actor, and brings his all to this role. He plays a multi-layered, conflicted anti-hero. He switches between likeable everyday guy, to a somewhat sadistic villainous character, to a petty thief, to a depressed mess. Vincent Cassel (Black Swan, Ocean's Thirteen, Ocean's Twelve, A Dangerous Method, Elizabeth, Our Day Will Come, Adrif, The Monk, Eastern Promises) plays criminal Franck. He's a very multi-layered character as well, and was supposedly the villain, but is sort of an anti-hero as well. He is a likeable asshole. Despite torturing Simon at the beginning of the film, and being a criminal, who is assumed to be a murderer, you can't help but root for him near the end. Similar to Payback's tagline ("Get Ready to Root for the Bad Guy!") Rosario Dawson plays Elizabeth. Again, a character that walks the fine line between anti-hero and villain. Come to think of it, the film has no hero or villain, quite an interesting choice. The three main stars are excellent, and the supporting cast are great as well. The direction by Danny Boyle is, as usual, artistic, stylized, and slick, with a lot of interesting camera angles and a surreal quality to some of the sequences. The brief scenes of action/violence are well executed. Trance is a provocative, endearing, stylish psychological thriller, with a visionary director behind it all. One of the most underrated films of the year. 4/5 stars.



(Images: Wikipedia, majorspoilers.com, impawards.com)

The Watch: REALLY GUYS???

Now, some of you may recall my little thoughts on The Watch (previously titles Neighborhood Watch) last summer, in late July, when I said it could be a cheap rip-off of a much better film: Attack the Block. If not, here it is: http://mattcottermovies.blogspot.com/2012/07/is-watch-rip-off.html So, I finally got around to seeing this movie, so I figured I should share my thoughts on it. BTW: Check out my other blog: mattmonstermovies.blogspot.com for reviews of horror films, TV shows, games, and more!!

The Watch:
Evan Trautwig is a semi-neurotic, control freak guy. He's really nice and has a sweet and caring wife. He starts a neighborhood watch program when a kind colleague of his (who was just recently made a US citizen) is brutally murdered. He (and the 3 other guys he recruits) begin to suspect an alien invasion of the neighborhood. This film is a mixed bag. There are certain bits that are very funny, others that fall flat. The critics at Spill.com described it perfectly: it feels like these 4 comedians got together, decided to make a film similar to Ghostbusters in the way it was famous comedians teaming up against monster, but then decided to give it an R-rating. In my opinion, it was decent. it's directed by Akiva Schaffer, a member of the SNL comedic music group "The Lonely Island", known for producing such hilarious hits as "I'm on a Boat", "Boombox", "Like a Boss", "Jack Sparrow", "Great Day", "Dick in a Box", "Motherlover", "YOLO", and "Threw it on the Ground". He, and his fellow members Andy Samberg and Jorma Taccone in one of the few funny scenes in the film. Ben Stiller plays the same character as always: a slightly neurotic, nice guy. Vince Vaughn plays a similar character to what he plays: the kind of partier dude. Jonah Hil almost gave up a role in Django Unchained for this. He plays the slightly psychotic Franklin, a young man not accepted into the police department due to not passing the physical or background check. He was one of the best parts of the movie, and I'm glad he was able to appear in a cameo for Django. But after his Oscar nomination with baseball drama Moneyball, and huge success with hilarious buddy cop comedy 21 Jump Street, this feels like a step back. Richard Ayoade from BBC's hit sitcom The IT Crowd plays Jamarcus. He did a good job as the slightly odd, but friendly new guy in town. Rosemaire DeWitt plays Ben Stiller's supportive and attractive wife. The rest of the cast include cameos by Will Forte, Billy Crudup, Doug Jones, and R. Lee Ermey. The movie actually starts off as a normal comedy first, and I feel the addition of aliens feels a little dumb. They barely play a role in the film until halfway through, and it feel like the film gets lost around that point. They should have left it with the guys starting a watchdog group and getting into everyday troubles, that would have been more clever, more original, and more comical. The whole plot and structure feels uneven, and the jokes, while crude, just come off as vanilla. A little too "same-old, same-old" type of humor. Unfortunately, these guys (excluding Hill and Ayoade) are just not as funny as they were from the late 90's to mid-2000's. They need to make a comeback, or their careers will die faster than some of the jokes from this movie. Not to mention the special effects on the aliens are below average. I know it's a comedy, it's not gonna be a top-notch science fiction production, but at least put a little more effort in. Oh, and the twist involving a supporting character in the film's climax is absolutely unnecessary and ridiculous (Actually, there's two of those.) The Watch is decent. It's passable. But that's all it is. It lacks the wit of previous films from Stiller and Vaughn, such as Zoolander, Old School, Tropic Thunder, Greenberg, Starsky and Hutch, Wedding Crashers, and Meet the Parents. It's just mediocre, and in my opinion, that's the worst of all. I'd rather be laughing my ass off at the badness of a movie, or getting angry at it than have no reaction at all. 2.5/5 stars.

 (Image: Wikipedia)

My Top 10 Posts of All Time!!!

I was checking my stats today, and was surprised. Well, not with most of it. The list is as follows:
10. Django Unchained with 16 views
9. Top 10 Worst Movies of 2012 with 17 views
8. What's coming out in the next few years with 18 views
7. ParaNorman with 19 views
6. Sinister with 24 views
5. Top 20 Best Movies of 2012 with 26 views
4. Daniel Craig Bond Trilogy with 31 views
3. The Master and End of Watch with 39 views
2. Gangster Squad with 40 views
1. Beasts of the Southern Wild with 63 views!
(The list as of 10 pm, April 21, 2013)

Now, may I ask: why?
I understand most of the choices, as many of these are my best reviews. Except for a few. #8 baffles me, it's just me listing what was coming out from 2013-2015 and what I was expecting. #3 was a decent double review, but that was it, decent. And #1, just, huh? It's not even one of my better reviews, in fact, it's a little scattered. My opinions have changed on that film since, but I still think it's overrated. Is it due to the title of the reviews: "Beasts of the Southern Wild: WTF?", due to the controversy, the fact that it's a negative review of a generally positively reviewed Oscar nominee? I may never find out. Maybe you, the audience, can inform me why you thought that review was worth viewing over 60 times, and why some other posts appear on the list.

                                                                                                               -Matt Cotter

Oblivion: Is this new sci-fi epic as good as everyone says it is?

Today, I look at the new sci-fi film starring Tom Cruise and Morgan Freeman.

Oblivion:
In the year 2077, Earth has been abandoned after nuclear war with aliens 60 years before. Jack Harper and Victoria Olsen are the "clean-up crew", a team of two who are stationed in a base on Earth, who program and repair robotic drones who scavenge the Earth for resources and leftover aliens. They are two weeks away from the end of their long assignment, and then get to join the rest of Earth's survivors on a safe haven they created on Titan, Saturn's largest moon. But towards the end of their mission, Harper makes a grave mistake, and begins to uncover some secrets. Secrets that have been haunting his dreams for a long time, secrets that put his life in danger, things his employers have been trying to hide from him for a very long time. Harper must now evade his own drones and must solve the puzzle of what really happened to Earth 60 years ago...  Tom Cruise gives a surprisingly powerful performance as Harper, and he's what holds the movie together. Tom Cruise, after many successes like Jack Reacher and Mission: Impossible: Ghost Protocol, proves he's come back in a big way, and this film cements him as a big star once more, and he's earned my respect as an actor again, despite all that crazy Scientology stuff. The film itself I very, well, uneven. It starts as a slow, sci-fi drama, and then starts picking up again with some thrilling action sequences, which are brief, then goes back to slow drama, then to some fast-paced action, to slow drama, action, drama. It's very up-and-down, I would've preferred them maintain a consistent, building pace rather than continue to do the up-and-down thing. The trailer for this film reveals a little more than should've been revealed. In fact, after a while in the film, I went over the trailer in my head, and predicted some of the things that were going to happen based on a few things in the trailer that revealed too much. The rest of the cast are great. Morgan Freeman puts his all into a character that's only a supporting role, but this role was a little blandly written, and Freeman was only chosen for his star power, not for his excellent acting skills. He's kind of wasted here. The beautiful Olga Kurylenko (Quantum of Solace, Seven Psychopaths) is pretty damn good, but again, this could have gone to anyone. Andrea Riseborough, another attractive actress, is great in the movie, but again, could've really gone to anyone. The other cast members: Melissa Leo and Nikolaj Coster-Waldau (rolls off the tongue, doesn't it?) do good jobs. Stuntwoman Zoe Bell makes a cameo as a survivor soldier. The special effects are spectacular. The set design and design of the abandoned Earth are amazing. The design of Harper's home/base is strikingly beautiful, a little slice of futuristic heaven. The images of the desolate wasteland called Earth are incredibly shocking, the iconic locations such as the Brooklyn Bridge, the Statue of Liberty, the Empire State Building, the Pentagon, and the Washington Monument are in ruins, it's kind of a disturbing and melancholy sight. The camerawork and the direction of action sequences are fantastic. The sweeping shots of barren landscapes are great. I can't praise the look of this film and cinematography enough. The action scenes are well-directed, and the eerie sequence in which Harper investigates an abandoned underground library is incredibly tense, especially when the aliens appear to be watching from the shadows. The film is directed by Joseph Kosinski, based off his unpublished graphic novel from Radical Comics. Kosinski is well-known for directing Disney's 2012 sci-fi adventure Tron: Legacy, the highly anticipated but slightly mediocre sequel to the 1982 cult hit Tron, as well as directing the "Starry Night" commercial for Halo 3, as well as "Mad World", the award-winning ad for sci-fi shooting game Gears of War. Kosinski intended the film as both an original sci-fi film, and a throwback to the 70's dystopian sci-fi films. The film is almost a mix between the two, as some bits feel like watered-down bits from better films, and others feel like really original, cool concepts. The writing and direction are really good, but the pacing and overall story got me. I was trying really, really hard to like this film, but I never got past it being just good, not really good, not great. Just good. Oblivion has some exhilarating and even provocative moments, but it's overshadowed by the uneven pacing and overall thin plot, despite wonderful special effects, cool production design, and entertaining action sequences. 3/5 stars.


(Images: Wikipedia, collider.com, moviedeskback.com, digitalspy.com)

Over 2000 views! Plus: New review up on horror blog!

Thank you everyone who has been viewing this blog. I didn't think when I started this I'd get many views, but now I'm over 2000, and still going. Don't forget to check out my other blog: mattmonstermovies.blogspot.com for reviews of films such as Scary Movie 5, Evil Dead, and more! It doesn't get the views it deserves, even though I don't post to it nearly as often.

42: Does the true story of baseball's greatest player live up to the high expectations?

Today I look at the highly anticipated baseball drama based on the life of Jack Roosevelt Robinson.
(Minor spoilers ahead.) Quick note: This film changed subtitles several times, it went from 42, to 42: The Jackie Robinson Story, to 42: The True Story of an American Legend.

42:
The film chronicles several years, I believe from 1944-1947. It shows how Jackie Robinson went from a small-time black baseball player, to an all-star on the Brooklyn Dodgers, a hero to the black community (hell, a hero to every ethnicity and race), and an American icon. The film stars Chadwick Boseman, Harrison Ford, Christopher Meloni, Andre Holland, John C. McGinley, Lucas Black, Alan Tudyk, T.R. Knight, and Nicole Beharie. The movie is pretty historically accurate, except for one incident being changed for Meloni's character. (Minor Spoiler: In real life he was suspended from managing baseball for gambling, not for a Hollywood affair.) Oh, and the fact that the Giants wear their orange-and-black San Francisco colors when they wore New York blue at the time. The cast are all great. Chadwick Boseman proves himself a great young actor, after all, this is his first major role, his only other roles have been parts on TV shows. I see a wide variety of work from him in the future. You really believe him as Robinson, and feel the anger he does when he isn't treated equally. A real minor league baseball player (Jasha Balcom) was his stuntman during baseball scenes. Harrison Ford is great as Robinson's funny, witty, and inspirational boss Branch Rickey. Christopher Meloni puts in a surprisingly good performance as the supporting character Leo Durocher, the manager of the Dodgers. The film is written and directed by Award-winning screenwriter Brian Helgeland, who wrote such films as LA Confidential, Mystic River, The Bourne Supremacy (uncredited), Green Zone, A Knight's Tale (which he also directed), Robin Hood, Salt, Man of Fire, and A Nightmare on Elm Street 4. He really directs the film well, and actually directs the focus of the film away from baseball, and towards segregation. This movie is a great baseball film, but also functions as a great anti-racism piece. The music for the film is a little bland, but isn't all that bad. Unfortunately, the ending for the film is a little lackluster, but the "where are they now" bit at the end is great. The film is a great hero's tale, and is truly inspiring. It makes you root for the underdog, and shows how someone who comes from nothing can rise up against all odds, become an icon, and become an inspiration to us all. The movie makes you realize why Robinson is the greatest baseball player who ever lived, not just for his amazing skills, but for his ability to conquer the game against all odds. The fact that 42 is the only retired number in all of baseball, and that all baseball teams honor him by wearing the number 42 on April 15, Robinson's opening day in 1947, is enough to let you know how amazing Robinson was. The film expands on his personal life, but not so much that it distracts from the main plot of the film. 42 is an entertaining, inspirational sports film, the best baseball film since The Sandlot. Due to it's strong cast, excellent writing and direction, and inspiring story, 42 makes my list of the best films of the year so far. 4/5 stars.

 (Image: Wikipedia)

Movie News: Amazing Spider-Man 2 villain revealed?

Revealed in the news lately is that at least one of the villains in the second Spider-Man film, set to come out next summer, is Jamie Foxx as Electro. Production photos reveal that Marc Webb had taken the character in a completely new direction, with blue skin and lights inside of a black hoodie. This may be before he had his full costume, so this may be an earlier scene in the film. Foxx appears to be a good fit for the role, and other roles have been rumored. Production photos were revealed of Shailene Woodley as Mary Jane, and other actors have been announced. Dane DeHaan (Andrew from Chronicle, Lincoln, Place Beyond the Pines, Lawless) has been revealed as Harry Osborne, and Paul Giamatti as the Rhino. Chris Cooper will play Norman Osborne, who may have a supporting role. Emma Stone, Martin Sheen, and Sally Field return from the first film. The Amazing Spider-Man 2 is set to come out May 2, 2014, can't wait!



(Images: g4tv.com, eonline.com, empireonline.com)

New reviews!

I've been considering recently of doing some TV reviews, season by season. Possibly of some shows I watch on TV, as well as on Netflix, such as Breaking Bad, Mad Men, The Walking Dead, Wilfred, South Park, Louie, Archer, Nip/Tuck, American Horror Story, Futurama, and some older shows such as Magnum PI, Hawaii Five-O, Star Trek, Lost in Space, Mission: Impossible, Miami Vice, Knight Rider, Happy Days, Friends, Seinfeld, The A-Team, MacGyver, The Outer Limits, The Twilight Zone, Cannon, Ironside, Shadow Warriors, and Air-Wolf. Maybe some nostalgic shows from my childhood, too.
Also: possible reviews of The Watch, 42, Oblivion, and Scary Movie 5 coming up. Possibly some new horror reviews on mattmonstermovies.blogspot.com as well.
Just a small update.

Jurassic Park Trilogy

Today, I look at one of the greatest trilogies of all time, due to the 3D rerelease of the first film, as well as a fourth film on the way next summer. Oh, and it's the 20th anniversary of the original. No big deal. (Possible SPOILERS ahead!)

Jurassic Park:
I just saw the 3D re-release of this film, so catch it if you can before it leaves theaters. The film follows a paleontologist, Dr. Alan Grant, who, along with his paleobotanist colleague Dr. Ellie Sattler, are invited by billionaire John Hammond to his private island. They are joined by "chaotician" (mathematician and chaos theorist) Dr. Ian Malcolm, Hammond's grandchildren, and a lawyer, for a special preview of Hammond's new nature preserve/theme park "Jurassic Park". Here, Hammond has miraculously played God and recreated dinosaurs. But, when other interested parties mess with the security systems, the dinosaurs (including a Tyrannosaurus Rex, Velociraptors, and an acid-spitting Dilophosaurus) are released, and all hell breaks lose. With their lawyer dead, crew gone, island being ripped apart, and with a huge tropical storm brewing, the group must retake the park. This is one of the most revolutionary movies ever made. Not only was it a huge commercial success, but it was critically acclaimed and was a technical revolutions. The animatronics and CGI are still impressive today. The cast is fantastic. Sam Neill, Laura Dern, Jeff Goldblum, Richard Attenborough, Bob Peck, Samuel L. Jackson, Martin Ferrero, Ariana Richards, Joseph Mazzello, Wayne Knight, and B.D. Wong all give great performances, some big, some small. The action scenes are fantastic, from the first encounter with the T-Rex, the Jeep chase, the encounter with the Velociraptors in the jungle, to the final encounter with the Raptors and the T-Rex in the Discovery Center. The musical score is fantastic. John Williams is one of the greatest, if not the greatest, film composers of al time. Every time you hear that theme, you're transported back to being a kid, watching this movie. The special effects, as stated before, are excellent. They still are better than some CG from 2013. The film was directed by Steven Spielberg, the master of magical movies and summer blockbusters. This film blends his two iconic styles perfectly. The film was written by sci-fi author and screenwriter Michael Crichton (who sadly passed away a few years ago), as this was based on his bestselling novel of the same name. The film takes some hints from the books, and some sequences, but is kind of it's own thing, which is good. I'm glad Spielberg and Crichton agreed to make it it's own. The film was co-written by David Koepp, the 5th most successful screenwriter of all time. The 3D rerelease updates the Universal logo, and the 3D conversion is incredible, possibly the best rerelease conversion ever. This film is one of the greatest blockbuster of all time, hell, one of the best movies. The movie blends the action blockbuster, the sci-fi thriller, and the family fantasy film. It also adds some clever humor. Jurassic Park is an astounding, exhilarating, and fun blockbuster, which is entertaining for all ages. Everyone needs to see it. 5/5 stars.

The Lost World, Jurassic Park:
After the success of the first film, fans, and even Steven Spielberg, pressured Michael Crichton into writing a second novel. He wrote The Lost World, which took many hints from Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's novel of the same name, and it's silent film adaptation. The book was much darker than the original novel and film, which was done to please fans. Ian Malcolm returned as a morphine addict. The film adaptation remained dark in tone, but toned down some of the more adult themes. The film follows Dr. Ian Malcolm from the first film, who is told by John Hammond to visit Isla Sorna, an island similar to Isla Nublar, the original location of "Jurassic Park". On Sorna, dinosaurs have somehow survived and have been able to run free for 4 years. Hammond has lost control of his company InGen to his nephew after publicizing the events of the previous film, because no one believed him. He tries to redeem himself for past mistakes, and tells Malcolm to go with a team of experts to the island, as InGen wants to collect dinosaurs to bring back to the mainland, and Malcolm needs to beat them there. But when the teams arrive at the island at the same time, they are at each others' throats, until they realize they need to band together to survive the dangers of the island. The cast, including Jeff Goldblum, Julianne Moore, Vince Vaughn, Arliss Howard, Peter Stormare, Pete Postelthwaite, Richard Schiff, and Vanessa Lee Chester are pretty damn good. The writing is good, but not as good as the original. The darker tone doesn't make the film better, in fact, the fact the film gets so violent is a bit strange. Jurassic Park is supposed to be fun, enjoyable, and although it can get a little intense, it's supposed to be somewhat of a family film as well. The violence in this film is pretty brutal, people torn to shreds, limbs torn off, blood gushing, etc. There are also some pretty dumb moments. Like the Velociraptor and the teenage daughter of Malcolm facing off near the end of he second act. But most of the action scenes are pretty awesome. The Velociraptor chase in the tall grass, the two T-Rexes flipping the trailer over the cliff, the T-Rex chase through the camp, the hunter running from the tiny carnivore dinosaurs, and the T-Rex running through the streets of San Diego (reminiscent of Doyle's climactic scene in the original novel). The film also introduces new dinosaur species the first film didn't cover, such as the Stegosaurus. The special effects are top-notch, the animatronics and CG are on par with the original. The music is just as good as the original. Hell, it's the same music! The Lost World: Jurassic Park is an acceptable, but flawed sequel to the classic original film. Although it broke many box office records at the time of it's release, it was never as praised or loved as the original, and it hasn't captured the imaginations of kids and adults alike like the first film did. (Probably because of the much darker tone and brutal violence throughout most of the film. Hell, the film opens with an innocent little girl being mauled by little dinos.) It's good, but not great. 3/5 stars.

Jurassic Park III:
This movie was released for the 10th anniversary of the original. This is the first film in the series that was not based on a book by Michael Crichton, and the first not directed by Steven Spielberg. Spielberg didn't even serve as a producer. It's also the shortest, at only 92 minutes. The film takes place of Isla Sorna once again, as two young tourists, one an adolescent boy, go missing while parasailing near the abandoned nature preserve. A divorced couple, the parents of the young boy, convince Dr. Alan Grant (from the first film) to go to the island with them in hopes of rescuing their son and his friend. But when they discover that Velociraptors, Pterodactyls, T-Rexes, and Spinosaurs inhabit the island, they struggle to find the two young men and survive in the depths of the dense and dangerous jungle. Although not based directly off of a book by Michael Crichton, it does take several scenes from the two novels not included in the previous films, including a scene from the original novel where the team must battle a water dinosaur on a rickety boat. The cast are decent. Sam Neill returns as Grant, who gives a good performance, just as in the original. William H. Macy, Alessandro Nivola, T'ea Leoni, Trevor Morgan, and Michael Jeter all give decent performances. Laura Dern returns as Dr. Ellie from the first film, now married to a treaty law expert, with a young dinosaur-obsessed son. Joe Johnston replaces Spielberg as director. Johnston is known for period pieces and special effects showcases. He had directed Honey I Shrunk the Kids, The Rocketeer, Jumaji, and October Sky. He had served as a concept artist and technician on the original Star Wars and on Spielberg and Lucas' Raiders of the Lost Ark. He has since gone on to direct The Wolfman and Captain America: The First Avenger. The special effects are, as always, fantastic. The film does pack in a good amount of action, too. The fight between the Spinosaurus and the T-Rex is pretty awesome, and the encounters with the Velociraptors are, as in the other films, chilling. The boat battle, mentioned before, is pretty spectacular. The addition of the Pterodactyls is cool because they provide a threat from above. An enemy in the air. The Spinosaurus is also a cool addition, it provides a rival for the T-Rex, as it's bigger and even more viscous. I mean, it replaces the T-Rex on the fucking logo! The music, again, is fantastic. This film, like the previous film, doesn't quite capture the spirit or greatness of the original. It lightens it up a little from the last film, but the absence of Jeff Goldblum and Richard Attenborough, and the fact that the cool theme park is in ruins, makes this film a little lackluster. Also, the gray, dull look of this film is nothing compared to the color that makes the original's images really pop. Ultimately, Jurassic Park III is a fun blockbuster, but doesn't match the original film's majesty. 3/5 stars.



(Images: Wikipedia)

Gaming News: Batman: Arkham Origins

Recently, Warner Bros. has reported that on October 25, 2013, they will release a new Batman game, a prequel to the highly acclaimed Arkham series. Although developer Rocksteady is not on the project, they helped out new developer WB Montreal with the production. At first, the idea of a prequel to Arkham City and Arkham Asylum sounded stupid, especially with so much being set up at the end of the last game, and when people began leaking it would be a Silver Age prequel featuring the Justice League, I was not pleased. But after this newest game was officially announced, and GameInformer magazine did a big article on it in their most recent issue, I was intrigued. Meanwhile, Rocksteady has their own project under wraps, so is this prequel just holding us over for a conclusion to the trilogy? We'll find out soon, but let's focus on the game at hand. The plot follows Batman earlier in his career, possibly, as the game developers have stated, his second year in crime fighting. He is not trusted by the cops, and he hasn't met Joker yet. On Christmas Eve, gangster Black Mask hires seven deadly assassins, including Teen Titans' nemesis Deathstroke (aka Slade Wilson or "The Terminator"), to kill Batman. Meanwhile, Penguin and the Falcone family are having a feud over arms dealings. Batman must take down the assassins, find out why Black Mask wants him dead, and take care of the mobsters of Gotham City, as well as convincing Captain Gordon (not yet Commissioner) and his fellow cops he is a friend, not foe. The gameplay is said to be similar to the previous games, with the stealth and fighting stages in tact. One major difference is it is set within Gotham City, rather than a prison, so you have a much larger area to explore. The "Old Gotham" area is where the future Arkham City will be, but it is not walled off or ravaged by floods, and will contain areas such as slums, a shopping mall, small buildings, and a dock where the Penguin's ship and base of operations "The Final Offer" is docked. This version of Batman, due to being more inexperienced, may carry interrogations too far, and also may be somewhat weaker than we've seen him before, as he has not yet dealt with supervillains or assassins, only petty criminals and thugs. The developers said he will be an "experienced crimefighter"(Wikipedia), but not quite as experienced as we saw him in the other gams. Batman will also be able to explore "New Gotham", the area in which large businesses and skyscrapers are located, an area only seen from a distance in the two previous games. The game also allows you to use the Batwing as a "fast travel" transport system, although you cannot directly control it. Although there are enemy towers which prevent Batman from flying over them, and he must disable them to be able to fly over certain areas. The developers also said a new gadget, the Remote Claw, is to be introduced along with gadgets similar to previous games. The Claw will allow Batman to target and grab two objects or people to slam them together from a distance. The game will also feature several side missions. "Crime in Progress" allows Batman to assist the cops by rescuing hostages, which earn you the trust of the GCPD and gadget upgrades. "Most Wanted" functions like Arkham City side missions, which allows the Caped Crusader to take on villains outside the main story mode. (The Joker? Two-Face? Scarecrow?) "The Dark Knight System" allows Batman to complete tasks of escalating difficulty that give upgrades to stealth and combat. Completing these give you upgrades and experience points. The game will also give more emphasis to detective work: Batman can use Detective Mode to scan crime scenes and also use holograms to provide a theory of how the crime played out. These crimes (some big, some minor) are spread throughout the vast metropolis. Crimes can be reviewed in the Batcomputer in the Batcave, and can be thoroughly analyzed using the computer to solve them. The developers have cited Legends of the Dark Knight and Batman: Year One as inspiration for the game, and no voice actors have been confirmed, but I assume Kevin Conroy will return as Batman, and maybe Mark Hamill will make a cameo as the Joker.  Confirmed characters are: Batman (obviously), Black Mask, Penguin, Deathstroke, Alberto Falcone, Alfred Pennyworth, James Gordon (I think), and corrupt cop Branden. A live demo was recently released. Batman: Arkham Origins looks promising, and maybe Rocksteady is also working on another Batman game at the same time. That's all the information we have now. Thanks for reading.





(Images: Wikipedia, Google, GameInformer)

Game Review: Batman: Arkham Asylum and Batman: Arkham City

Today, I look at the successful superhero games that have become two of the most critically acclaimed games of all time. Why? Well, as you may know Batman: Arkham Origins was recently announced for release on current-generation consoles on October 25, 2013. So I figured, why not discuss the games that came before it.
Side-note: Don't forget to check out my other blog: http://mattmonstermovies.blogspot.com/ It's not getting as much traffic as this blog, and I think it should. I don't post to it as often, but that's the only place you get my reviews of horror films such as Evil Dead, The Last Exorcism Part II, and The Omen, and other horror material such as comics, books, games, and music.

Batman: Arkham Asylum:
I first heard of this game back in 2008, when an ad for it was featured at the beginning of The Dark Knight DVD. When it was met with immense critical praise, and praise from gamers and comic book fans, I figured I'd check it out. I'm glad I did. This game is meant to be the worst night of Batman's life. Batman is out on patrol one dark night, and is on his way to bring the Joker back to Arkham Asylum and escort him in. He informs the warden and Commissioner Gordon (who is present during the arrest) that the Joker gave up too easily, and he wants to go in himself. This is all part of the Joker's plan. He kills some guards, grabs some hostages, and locks Batman, Gordon, and the Warden inside. He prepares a massive takeover of the asylum, and plans to spread from Arkham Island to Gotham City. Batman must fight his way through numerous Blackgate Prison thugs and psychotic inmates, as well as battling supervillains. He must figure out why Joker wants to take over the asylum, and figure out a way to take out Joker and retake the island before it's too late. Batman must not only face his nemesis the Joker, but also his psychotic girlfriend Harley Quinn, the steroid-enhanced Bane, the seductive Poison Ivy, the enigmatic Riddler, psychotic murderer Victor Zsasz, the nightmare-inducing Scarecrow (one of the best villains in the game), and the mutant monster Killer Croc. You can also collect hundreds of Riddler trophies and solve riddles, which unlock character biographies and you can find subtle homages to villains such as Two-Face, Catwoman, Ra's Al Ghul, Penguin, Calendar Man, Mad Hatter, Maxie Zues, The Ventiloquist, Firefly, Ratcatcher, Killer Moth, Black Mask, Mr. Freeze, and Clayface. The game has excellent gameplay. It's a mix of action-adventure, fighting, puzzle, and stealth games. The game has some emphasis on Batman's detective work. Although Detective Mode is a little too useful, it provides gamers with that true Batman experience. The fighting scenes are fluent, with Batman taking on numerous enemies at once. But this becomes a problem during boss fights, aside from the excellent Scarecrow boss fights, the fights with Poison Ivy, Bane, Harley Quinn, and Joker are repetitive, and focus on the "taking on multiple enemies at once" type of fighting we see in the action scenes. The stealth scenes, on the other hand, are very inventive. You swoop up to gargoyles, perform "silent takedowns", "inverted takedowns", or employ Batman's vast array of superhero gadgets to take out armed thugs. Batman must collect useful gadgets throughout the story via gathering them from the trashed Batmobile, or just having a jet drop them off. The Riddler puzzles are a real challenge, trying to find all the Riddler trophies will keep you playing for hours, and the riddles you must uncover throughout the asylum will keep you scratching your head, and you feel like a champion if you solve them all. You can also use Detective Mode to scan symbols to unlock disturbing pieces of Arkham's dark past, and the history of it's troubled creator. The setting is spectacular. The asylum has some great locations and has a creepy atmosphere. The creaking corridors of the Intensive Treatment center and empty hallways of the Arkham Mansion are as magnificent as they are unsettling. The dark corridors of the asylum and the misty gardens of the outside areas are incredibly well-designed. The creepy music score adds to the chilling atmosphere. The voice acting is fantastic, especially form 3 people. Kevin Conroy returns from the acclaimed animated series as the voice of Batman, Mark Hamill (Luke from Star Wars, Metalocalypse, The Flash) returns from the series as the iconic voice of the Joker, and Arleen Sorkin also returns from the series as the voice of Harley Quinn. Although there are a few texture pop-ins, the graphics are insanely excellent, especially for 2009. The island is pretty vast, but there aren't many side missions aside from the Riddler challenges, and although it's open-world, you pretty much should just stay on the path of the story, unless you spot a Riddler trophy you really want. The only things to do once the main story is completed is just to go around collecting Riddler trophies. One major flaw is although the game is extremely fun and entertaining, it's quite short, only 8-9 hours of the main story. But the challenge maps will keep you going. The challenge maps can be unlocked by collecting Riddler trophies, and they include stealth and fighting challenges, which grow in difficulty the more you collect. You either try to top your high score or try to beat your own time. Another great aspect of the game is it makes you feel like Batman. From crawling about in the shadows, to brutally taking down the Joker thugs, to fearlessly taking down powerful supervillains, to stopping and using your intellect to solve difficult puzzles, the game truly makes you feel like the "World's Greatest Detective". Batman: Arkham Asylum is an entertaining, thrilling, fun, and challenging game that set the bar for superhero games, and action-adventure games in general. 5/5 stars.
(Fun fact: Paul Dini, writer of the acclaimed Batman: The Animated Series, wrote this game, and it's been partially designed by the creators of the animated show.)


Batman: Arkham City:
In this highly anticipated sequel to the 2009 hit, Bruce Wayne is protesting the newly built Arkham City, a super-prison built in the heart of Old Gotham after the destruction of Arkham Island six months before. In this prison, almost every prisoner from Blackgate Prison and Arkham Asylum are set free to roam, with three major villains: Joker, Penguin, and Two-Face, fighting for control over large segments of the "city". Bruce is captured by the new warden, Professor Hugo Strange, one of the only villains to know Bruce is Batman. Bruce escapes Strange's custody (in a scene which mirrors Half-Life 2) and eventually suits up as Batman. He must find out what Strange's mysterious "Protocol 10" means, why he wants to use it. Batman must use help from the outside (Oracle, Robin, Alfred), and the inside (Catwoman, Talia, etc.) to take down Strange, Joker, Penguin, Two-Face, and any other villain who stands in his way. On his way he encounters other villains such as Ra's Al Ghul, Solomon Grundy, Mr. Freeze, Black Mask (cameo), the Abromavich brothers, and a surprise villain at the end. In side missions he can also take on Deadshot, Bane, Azrael, Victor Zsasz, Mad Hatter, Hush, and the Riddler. In the Riddler side mission, you must collect over 400 trophies and solve over 100 riddles, as well as saving hostages from Jigsaw-like death traps and interrogating Riddler thugs, that alone should keep you occupied for a long time. This game has about 12 hours of story mode, and tons of side missions. You can find many, many Easter eggs hidden about this vast prison, some of them hinting at characters like Ratcatcher, Killer Croc, Maxie Zues, Leslie Thompkins, Poison Ivy, Sal Maroni, Carmine Falcone, Clayface, Black Mask, The Ventriloquist, Red Hood, and The Toymaker. The environment also contains hints at locations and characters from the comics. Scanning these areas unlock character bios, and "Arkham City Stories", which bring you up to speed on events within the prison. The setting is great. The detail put into the prison is amazing. From the rotting infrastructure, to the abandoned streets, to the flooded Amusement Mile district, to the forgotten businesses of Old Gotham. This game, like the first, perfectly blends the fantasy of the comic books with the realism of Christopher Nolan's Dark Knight trilogy. The gameplay is great. The fighting scenes, stealth sequences, and puzzles return on an even larger scale. The boss fights, aside from the inventive and spectacular Mr. Freeze battle, are still that same old rinse-and-repeat style, but still entertain. The game also adds a lot more gadgets, including an electromagnetic gun, a line launcher, and a newly designed remote batarang. The graphics are even better than the first, with only some awkward camera glitches and texture pop-ins here and there. The game has 30+ hours of gameplay in store for you, because after story mode is over, there's an abundance of entertaining side missions to keep you occupied. Sometimes it's just fun flying over the vast open-world of the prison (much larger than the first game) and beating up some random bad guys, or beating up a violent thug who is attempting to kill an innocent political prisoner. Side missions aren't the only things that keep you occupied, there are numerous DLCs to download, including different Batman, Robin, and Nightwing skins, a 2-hour sequel DLC called Harley Quinn's Revenge, which is pretty entertaining. Not to mention the Nightwing and Robin DLC missions to download. Another note: the main villains of the game are so despicable and evil, that you feel like a real hero for taking their asses down. This game is nearly perfect, it even tops the excellent first game. It's a bigger story on a larger scale. Did I even mention the music? The soundtrack is epic, and the main theme combines Nolan's theme and Burton's theme, the perfect Batman musical score. The two main voice actors return to fill the roles of Batman and Joker, and they are incredible, as are most of the voice actors in this game. This game just sucks you into it's vast world, making it possibly the best game of 2011. Batman: Arkham City is an amazing experience. It blends action, stealth, puzzle, and fighting games perfectly, and also blends fantastical comic book material with gritty realism. You will not regret buying this game. It's worth every penny. It keeps you occupied for hours and hours, and after it's all over, you just want to play it again. 5/5 stars.

Editorial note (July 31st, 2013): I recently purchased Batman: Arkham Asylum and Arkham City Game of the Year editions for the PS3, and was able to experience some new elements. In the first game, there are several new challenge maps, including a difficult fighting map called "Scarecrow Nightmare", and some new challenge maps for download where you play as The Joker who must fight and kill Arkham guards in combat and stealth stages, using his own fighting styles and twisted gadgets. Those alone are worth the price of the game, and his gadgets somewhat mirror Batman's own. He has his own unique fighting style that is very effective in the combat stages. In City, the game already comes with the Catwoman episodes downloaded, so they are now integrated into the main story. The story will switch from Batman to Catwoman at appropriate times, and Catwoman is given brief missions to go on, one involving Poison Ivy, who doesn't appear in the main storyline, another involving a brief encounter with Two-Face, who barely appears in the main story, but is mentioned often by thugs. It offers a more complete story, and explains how Catwoman got into certain situations Batman finds her in throughout the main story. She has her own gadgets and fighting style as well, which is somewhat more flexible and effective than Batman's, although climbing up the walls of buildings can get tiring. Her energetic and sarcastic personality also compliments Batman's brooding and dark exterior, giving you a bit of both. Her whip functions somewhat like the Batclaw, although she is also required to climb the sides of buildings with her claws once she swings onto them. Her side missions can distract from the main story, but ultimately are pretty entertaining. The episodes also offer the player a chance to collect special Riddler trophies and achievements exclusive to Catwoman.








(Images: Wikipedia, Google)

Evil Dead review is up!!!

My review of the new horror film Evil Dead is up on my other blog: http://mattmonstermovies.blogspot.com/

Hitchcock: Yes, I finally saw it...

On my way over to Hawaii via airline during Spring Break, I was able to use an inflight entertainment tablet device to watch Hitchcock, a biopic on one of the legendary director.

Hitchcock:
The film chronicles Alfred Hitchcock's midlife crisis and the making of his classic horror-thriller Psycho. Interestingly, around the same time this film was released, BBC and HBO did a TV film biopic called The Girl, which starred Sienna Miller and Toby Jones, and shows Hitchcock as a controlling pervert. This theatrical film definitely shows his strange quirks and obsession with his leading ladies, but doesn't go to the negative extremes. The film also explores the fact that his wife Alma had a profound effect on him and his films. Anthony Hopkins and Helen Mirren give great performances as Alfred and Alma Hitchcock, and Hopkins is nearly unrecognizable under the prosthetic makeup. Scarlett Johansson gives a good performance as Janet Leigh. The large cast also includes Kurtwood Smith (That 70's Show, Robocop), Toni Collette, Jessica Biel, James D'Arcy (Cloud Atlas), Danny Huston, Ralph Macchio (The Karate Kid, Ugly Betty, The Outsiders, My Cousin Vinny), and Michael Wincott (The Crow, Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves, The Three Musketeers, Metro). The film has some excellent drama, and some very effective comedic bits. The film's tone is mostly of a dramady, not as dark as The Girl. The film is actually based on a book by Stephen Rebello called Alfred Hitchcock and the Making of Psycho. The movie makes a funny reference to another Hitchcock film at the ending that I won't spoil here. This movie was hyped up, so I had my expectations set pretty high. Not to burst anyone's hopes (those who haven't seen the film), but it's no surprise the film didn't win any big Oscars. Not saying the film is bad, it's actually pretty good. Skyfall was excellent and that didn't win any major Oscars. But when set to the bar of films like Skyfall, Lincoln, Life of Pi, Argo, Wreck-It Ralph, and even Les Miserables, this film does not meet expectations. Hitchcock is an entertaining and clever biopic, but not one where you feel like you want to see it again right after your watch it. 3/5 stars.

 (Image: Wikipedia)

G.I. Joe: Another 80's franchise getting destroyed

Today, I revisit an icon from my childhood. There are many great 80's cartoons and comics, but G.I. Joe was one of the greatest, it's up there with Transformers and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. So it only makes sense for Paramount Pictures to rape the franchise like they did with the Transformers franchise and are planning to do with Ninja Turtles. (Minor Spoilers)

GI Joe, The Rise of Cobra:
Soldiers Duke and Ripcord are attacked by terrorist organization Cobra, and then are recruited by GI Joe, a special missions force determined to stop Cobra and all terrorist groups. Cobra uses it's ties to Laird James McCullen (Destro), a weapons developer who has developed tiny robotic termites known as "nanomites", and is assisting Cobra in taking over the world. The film stars Channing Tatum (yes, before he got big), Marlon Wayans (yes, after he was big), Ray Park (a stuntman known for many villainous roles in movies), Rachel Nichols (the hot green chick from 2009's Star Trek), Christopher Eccelston (The 9th Doctor), Dennis Quaid (who is wasted), and Joseph-Gordon Levitt (yes, before he was big). Now, there are many plot-holes, inconsistencies, and unrealistic special effects. But before we get to that, let's quickly touch upon the cast. Channing Tatum had recently starred in an anti-war film (Stop-Loss), and thought the film glorified war, almost turning it down (he should have), before realizing it was a sci-fi action film. The Joes where stupid robo-suits they never, ever wore in the cartoon or the comics. The only films Joseph-Gordon Levitt was only in two hit films at the time, and was still relatively unknown. (Both the films were indie movies.) Marlon Wayans casting was based entirely on his surprisingly great performance in the drug drama Requiem for a Dream,  which, back in 2009 (the year the film was released), was nearly a decade ago. Although Rachel Nichols and Sienna Miller (The Baroness) are good actors, they are used as eye-candy. Although they are very attractive, I feel they could have done more. Hell, Dennis Quaid and model Karolina Kurkova do absolutely nothing. Stephen Sommers (The Mummy, Van Helsing) directs this film and brings his usual over-the-top CGI action scenes. I actually liked The Mummy, and felt the CG was well-used there, but I hated Van Helsing. This was Sommers' last chance at a blockbuster movie, and unfortunately, he blew it again. The action scenes are so unrealistic and silly, it comes off as self-parody, like something out of Team America. The Joes, "real American heroes", are now an international organization, with the character Breaker being turned into a French guy for the film. Sommers also has actors from his previous films, such as Brendan Fraser and Kevin J. O'Connor , make cameos. G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra is an over-the-top, stupid, incoherent mess. It's not as bad as the Transformers sequels, but it's pretty awful. Bad CGI, stupid action scenes, bad direction, terrible writing, worse acting. (No insult to the actors, Daniel Day-Lewis couldn't make these lines sound good!) 2/5 stars.

GI Joe, Retaliation:
Finally, after 3 years, and then a 6-month production delay, the newest GI Joe film hits theaters. In this movie, the Joes are brutally attacked by the US Government, now under the control of Cobra. With only Roadblock, Lady Jaye, and Flint surviving, they team up with a retired general to take down Cobra, and the corrupted President. Funny enough, this film was delayed for months, just to shoot a couple extra scenes with Channing Tatum after he became popular during the summer of 2012, even though (SPOILERS!!!) he dies about 20 minutes into the film. I did think that Dwayne Johnson and he had good chemistry while on screen. Johnson is a charismatic bad-ass, and he was definitely a big part of why the movie was better than the first. Several characters aren't even mentioned: Scarlett, Rip Cord, Breaker, Baroness, it's like they just disappeared. Storm Shadow and Snake Eyes come back for their own little side-story. DJ Cotrona is a forgettable as Flint. Adrianne Palicki plays Lady Jaye, who is just there to be hot, which she does very well. Channing Tatum does a good job as Duke for the short time he appears on screen. Ray Park and Byung-hun Lee return as the rival ninjas Snake Eyes and Storm Shadow in this film. Ray Stevenson (HBO's Rome, Thor, The Other Guys, The Book of Eli, Kill the Irishman, Punisher: War Zone, The Vampire's Assistant, Three Musketeers) plays Firefly, a pyromaniac terrorist who serves as the secondary villain. Rapper and filmmaker RZA makes a cameo as a blind ninja master. Jonathan Pryce plays dual roles as the President and Zartan disguised as the President. Arnold Vosloo briefly appears as Zartan in his normal form. Elodie Young plays Jinx, a ninja who helps Snake Eyes. Bruce Willis has a minor role as General Joe Colton. (The reason the tem is called "GI Joe") Walton Goggins plays the immature warden of a high-security terrorist prison. Luke Bracey  (Home and Away, Monte Carlo) plays Cobra Commander, who is voiced by Robert Baker. He's a replacement for Gordon-Levitt after that actor became big in 2011 and 2012. Something that I found odd is that Cobra Commander's right-hand man Destro was just shoved aside as soon as Commander was freed from his cryo-prison cell. By the way, Cobra Commander doesn't do jack shit in this movie, either. Just like the first film, a little disappointing. G.I. Joe: Retaliation is not a perfect film, it's very flawed in fact. But it's a masterpiece compared to the first film, and on it's own, is a decent, generic action movie. Check it out if you have kids, or if you are a fan of GI Joe, if not, just wait for the Blu-ray. 3/5 stars.

 (Images: Wikipedia)

Roger Ebert

Yesterday, famed and intelligent film critic Roger Ebert died after a long battle with thyroid cancer. Mr. Ebert joins his partner Gene Siskel in death. The film critic community and the movie community in general loses one of it's most brilliant minds. Mr. Ebert was given many accolades, including being the first person to win the Pulitzer Prize for Criticism. He and his friend Mr. Siskel were famous for coining the "Thumbs Up, Thumbs Down" rating system. Mr. Ebert was a witty, funny man who was known for his well-written reviews, which ranged from overwhelmingly positive to extremely negative. Mr. Ebert had been without his voice for some years now, only doing written reviews. Goodbye, Roger Ebert, I hope you and your friend Mr. Siskel are in a better place.


                                                         Roger Ebert
                                            June 18, 1942 - April 4, 2013 (age: 70)

                              
 (Image: Wikipedia)


Check out Doug Walker's retrospective on Siskel and Ebert and on Roger Ebert on thatguywiththeglasses.com or bliptv.