BioShock Infinite: The award-winning series reaches new heights of excellence (Game Review)

Today, I review one of the best games (if not the best game) of 2013. (Yes, I know I'm very late on this.)

BioShock Infinite:
Booker DeWitt, a private detective an ex-Pinkerton agent, is deep in debt to the wrong kind of people. He is given one final chance to clear his debt: travel to a city called Columbia to rescue a girl named Elizabeth and return her to his employers. In an opening, that mirrors the original BioShock, Booker is dropped off at a remote lighthouse in the middle of the sea, and enters a Bathysphere-like device and is launched thousands of feet in the air. He arrives in Columbia, a beautiful, floating sky-city founded by the visionary "prophet" Zachary Hale Comstock. But Columbia is not all what it seems to be. It is a place with very dark secrets, and after rescuing Elizabeth from her prison tower on the floating Monument Island, they must work together to escape the nightmarish city, and uncover it's hidden and disturbing past. The team behind BioShock Infinite (Irrational Games/2K Games) did a fantastic job. The visuals are different than the original games, but are close enough, and are really unique. The characters are fantastic as well. Booker DeWitt (voiced by Troy Baker from The Last of Us, Batman: Arkham Origins, Batman: Arkham City, LEGO Batman) is a cynical, skilled, and bad-ass hero. He is a pretty layered character, which is pretty revolutionary for a game. He's also the first hero in the series to have his own identity. Elizabeth, the girl, is innocent, sweet, cheery, and a little mischievous. She is actually really helpful in battle, as she will throw you supplies and ammo when you need them. The designers insisted her features be hand-animated unlike other characters so her features could really pop, as she is basically the focus of the story. The eccentric and enigmatic "twin" scientists Robert and Rosalind Lutece are pretty entertaining, and prove to be useful, albeit strange, allies. Songbird, the guardian of Elizabeth, is an amazing game character in his own right, and he, on the surface, appears to be just a bird. Comstock is essentially the flip-side of Andrew Ryan of the first game: he's a visionary leader, but instead of taking his civilization in a scientific direction like Ryan did, he took his city in the direction of religion, as well as idealizing the Founding Fathers, rather than rejecting the ideals of every country, including the US. I know people have already pointed this out, but Columbia is the flip-side of Rapture: instead of being a dark, damp, hellish dystopia in the deep ocean, the city is a bright, colorful, "heavenly utopia" in the high sky. The weapons are similar. You now have Burstguns, Sniper Rifles, RPGs, and a "Hand Cannon". Instead of Plasmids, you have "Vigors", drinkable chemicals/potions you drink that grant you superpowers, and instead of collecting ADAM and EVE chemicals, you collect "Salts" for your Vigors. Instead of sticking with three main powers, I tried several different Vigors throughout, including Murder of Crows (the same as Insect Swarm but with birds instead of bees), Devil's Kiss (the ability to throw fireballs), Bucking Bronco (the ability to levitate your enemies briefly), and Possession (the ability to control machines and enemies to assist you). The game also gives you the option to use your Vigors to set explosive traps for your enemies during combat. Unfortunately, these powers run out quicker than Plasmids, and you can't collect multiple health packs at once. The Vending Machines in the game give similar items to the ones in Rapture, but this time have animatronic characters greeting you when you pay. The enemies in the game are similar to the standard Splicer enemies, except not insane, and vary from cops, to military soldiers, to anarchists. But, instead of just one special enemy class (such as Big Daddies), the game designers decided to have multiples special enemies, dubbed the "Heavy Hitters". There's the Motorized Patriots (mechanical enemies with humongous machine guns, who are modeled after revolutionary figures in American history, such as George Washington and Abraham Lincoln, with their weak spots being mechanical gears, they also have no preservation instinct), the Handymen (the signature villains of the game, tragic figures who are painfully shoved into "Autobodies", robotic suits that make their every day a living hell, which are difficult to beat due to their advanced AI, strength, speed, and endurance), the Siren (a ghostly woman who can raise the dead enemies around her, the player can choose to ignore the other enemies and kill her, which will take her minions down with her, or try to focus on the enemies that are attacking them), and the Boys of Silence (frightening foes which are brainwashed young men fitted into painful-looking metallic helmets and blue colonial schoolboy uniforms, who serve as the invincible watchmen of Comstock House in Emporia, who, if they spot you, will summon other hypnotized young men in droves). These enemies, the more they appear, become more difficult to beat, and are very creep and interestingly designed. But don't be fooled, this game, while there are definitely horrific moments, it is not survival-horror/action like the previous games, but rather a sci-fi/steampunk action game. But just the like the other games, it has a great original musical score and soundtrack, this game's includes "Tainted Love" by Ed Cobb and "Fortunate Son" by Creedence Clearwater Revival (which briefly appears twice). Instead of Audio Diaries, you pick up the Voxophones, recording devices from Columbia which bring you up to speed on the events within the city. Another way to catch up is via the Kinetoscopes (movie machines) scattered throughout the game. The game has a money system like the last game, but has no dollars, replaced by the Columbia currency of "Silver Eagles". The combat in the game is fantastic, incorporating the Hookblade, a new melee weapons, which is like a saw made of hooks, as well as the Skyhook, a rail system of travel throughout the city that the player can ride on using the Hookblade during combat, especially in combat with Handymen. Another interesting element is that sparing enemies doesn't have much benefit as in previous games. The game also eases you into the action, rather than just throwing you right into it like before. This game is also primarily set during the day as opposed to night. Although you don't have to play the first game, it helps as there's a few Easter Eggs for fans of the original thrown in throughout the game. Speaking of which, the twist ending in this game is just as mind-blowing and excellent as the original's was. The atmosphere in this game is fantastic as well, with great voice-acting and sound design to compliment the amazing graphics and visuals. BioShock Infinite is the perfect game, everything you could want (great story, deep themes, complex characters, fun and challenging gameplay, etc.) is present here, definitely one of the top 5 games of the year, hell, of the past ten years. It's not just a game, it's a work of art, an experience. It's right up there with the original as one of the most revolutionary games of modern times. 5/5 stars.

 
 (Images: Wikipedia, hoodeutilitarian.com, Gamespot)

Lee Daniels' The Butler: The latest film from the director of "Precious"

Today, I look at a film which chronicles the life of an African-American butler in the White House.

The Butler:
I heard on David Letterman that the film was titled Lee Daniels' The Butler because a studio had the rights to a silent film called The Butler and didn't want for the films to be confused, which is ridiculous. The film chronicles the life of Cecil Gaines, who started out as a farm worker, and then progressed to bartender and butler, eventually working for the President. Forest Whitaker gives a very emotional performance as the central character of Cecil. He really carries the film. Another fantastic performance is Oprah Winfrey as Cecil's caring and supportive wife Gloria. The cast is really large, and includes legends such as Robin Williams, Clarence Williams III, Terence Howard, John Cusack, and Alan Rickman. It also includes some good actors like Cuba Gooding Jr., David Oyelowo, Mariah Carey (who also was featured in Precious), Lenny Kravitz, James Marsden, James DuMont, Liev Shreiber, Minka Kelly, Adriane Lenox, Vanessa Redgrave (Nip/Tuck), Colman Domingo, and Alex Pettyfer (Magic Mike, Stormbreaker). Melissa Leo was originally was cast to play First Lady Mamie Eisenhower, but her part was ultimately cut from the film. Jane Fonda caused controversy for being cast as Nancy Reagan, because people are pissed "Hanoi Jane" was cast as a First Lady, so much so people are boycotting the film. I'm upset because now theaters refuse to show the film, which is a shame, because not only is her role in the film minor (in fact, many of the Presidents and First Ladies in the film appear very briefly), but the film is excellent, and no one should miss it. The movie is really a gem, one of the best films this year, it would be criminal for people to be unable to see this film because people are pissed about something that happened in the 60's and 70's. (I'm not defending Fonda's actions at all, just to be clear, what she did is unforgiveable.) The movie is written by Danny Strong (writer of Recount and Game Change, another political film, and a cast member of Buffy the Vampire Slayer). He does a fantastic job, as usual, and does a good job adapting the book A Butler Well Served by This Election by Wil Haygood. Lee Daniels does a fantastic job directing, and although I think some of the casting choices were just a bit odd (Rickman as Ronald Reagan and Cusack as Richard Nixon), he overall did a good job finding the right people for this movie. Honestly, Whitaker should win Best Actor for this film, and Winfrey should at least be nominated for Best Actress. The Butler is an emotional and powerful film with tons of great performances and Oscar-worthy writing. 5/5 stars.

 (Image: Wikipedia)

We're The Millers: A comedy about the drug business

Today, I look at the latest summer comedy film.

We're the Millers:
Drug dealer David loses his entire stash of cash and weed, and his boss Brad gets pretty  pissed. He sends David to collect a "smidge of marijuana" from a Mexican drug compound. David, realizing he'll look suspicious crossing the border on his own, hatches a plan: he'll collect his stripper neighbor, a street urchin who hangs around his apartment building, and an awkward teenage virgin who lives in his apartment building, and they will pose as his family, together, they will pose as "The Miller Family". On their way across the border and back in an RV, they run into numerous obstacles: including another family in an RV, a Mexican drug lord, and the RV breaking down. They must keep their true identities a secret, and ultimately bond as a family. The cast, including SNL alum Jason Sudeikis and Jennifer Aniston, do a good job. The film also features Emma Roberts, Will Poulter, Ed Helms, Nick Offermand, and Kathryn Hahn. Luis Guzman has a funny cameo.  The film is pretty funny, but not as funny as it's been hyped up to be. I still think This Is The End is funnier, and I'm sure that The World's End will be, too. I'm not saying the movie's bad, because it's not, but it's not the funniest film of the year. I had a few good laughs, but it just wasn't enough for me, but that's just my opinion. One thing about the film is the characters actually grow: initially, no one except the virgin is really likeable, and over the course of the film, the three mean characters grow into better people, and the virgin learns how to defend himself and the people he cares about. Pretty basic, but it works. There is a plus, though: Jennifer Aniston is still hot, so, that's something. We're The Millers is a good time, but catch it at a matinee if you can, if not, wait for the Blu-ray. 2.5/5 stars.

 (Image: Wikipedia)

2 Guns: Just another mediocre/below-average summer action movie

After the disappointment of R.I.P.D., didn't think it would get much worse.

2 Guns:
Now despite what I said above, this film is not worse than the MIB rip-off, it's equally as mediocre. The film follows Denzel Washington and Mark Wahlberg, who are playing, well, basically themselves, but they're bank robbers, and they are in cahoots with the Mexican Cartel. But, unbeknownst to each other, they are both undercover operatives: Denzel is DEA, and Wahlberg is a Naval officer. After being betrayed by their respective organization and each other, they reluctantly band together to take down a sadistic and crazy government agent, the head of the Cartel, and a corrupt Naval officer. The film's cast also features Paula Patton, Edward James Olmos, James Marsden, Fred Ward, and Bill Paxton, who are good actors, but they don't have much to work with. Wahlberg and Denzel should make a great team, but they have only a sliver in chemistry. I don't blame that on them, I blame that on the script. The film (just like R.I.P.D. and Oblivion, two other disappointing blockbusters from this year) is based on an obscure graphic novel from an indie comics publisher. The script is pretty bland and uninteresting, and the entire film is just sort of boring. The action scenes are few and far between, and when they do happen, they're short and sort of vanilla. The humor just sort of falls flat, and the romance between Denzel and Patton is kind of forced. The plot is uninteresting, and there's no shocks or surprises. The film is written by Blake Masters (creator of the series Brotherhood). Masters has done good writing before, so I don't know why this film turned out so bland. I don't even know why the film got an R, there's violence, but it's not too graphic. There's some swearing, drinking, and there's a few bloody headshots, but nothing too gruesome. Just like A Good Day to Die Hard, just because it's rated R, doesn't make it more bad-ass, just more disappointing. I didn't go into 2 Guns with high hopes, but I went in expecting something more than a short, formulaic action movie. This makes Fast and the Furious 6 and The Hangover Part III look like masterworks of modern cinema. 2/5 stars.

 (Image: Wikipedia)

Top 20 Movie Twists: Part Two, The Top Ten

Today, I wrap up the Top 20 Movie Twists. Again, I urge you to check these films out for yourself, as they are great films, and it would be a much better to experience the twists for yourself. And once again, this obvious, but I might as well put it out there: SPOILERS. Major, major SPOILERS.

#10: Identity: In this crime-thriller/horror/mystery film, a group of ten strangers get stranded in the middle of the Nevada desert during a freak storm. Taking refuge at a nearby motel, they are taken out one by one by a serial killer. The strangers become paranoid, and try to figure out who to trust and who in their midst is the true killer. Meanwhile, in a subplot: several political officials and a psychiatrist are deciding the fate of serial killer Malcolm Rivers, who was to be executed for his crimes, but the doctor assigned to him has set the meeting up because he believes he's discovered some evidence to prove Malcolm's innocence. There's a double twist here: The events at the motel are all taking place inside Malcolm's mind, and each stranger is a dissociated personality living inside his head, as Malcolm created the personalities after a traumatic event in his childhood, and they all reflect parts of his personality. One of the personalities is murderous, and that's the part that made Malcolm into a serial killer. The psychiatrist explains to Malcolm that the events happening in his head are an elaborate way his mind has constructed to kill off the excess personalities, including the killer. After one personality is left standing, a female prostitute who wants to move to Florida to live a peaceful life. The authorities believe the murderous personality, a corrupt cop, has been taken out. Malcolm, now a peaceful and calm man, is transported to a medical facility, accompanied by his friendly and understanding psychiatrist. Malcolm and the psychiatrist are now being driven to the facility in a van. But, here comes twist #2: another personality has survived, Timmy York, a young, innocent, mute child, who was traveling with his friendly parents. Timmy, believed to be dead, is revealed to be the actual killer and a sadistic and evil psychopath. Malcolm begins to have a panic attack in the back seat, and the psychiatrist, with the driver's permission,  attempts to calm Malcolm down. He opens the small gate that separates Malcolm from the passenger's seat, and attempts to help him. The sweet woman personality is killed by Timmy, and Timmy, now the only personality left, takes over Malcolm's mind for good. Malcolm uses his cuffs to strangle his psychiatrist, before evilly grinning at the driver. The van they are all in swerves off the side of the road, and stops dead in its tracks. It is unknown what happens to the three after this point, so the film ends open-endedly.

#9: The Crying Game: In this thriller-drama, Fergus (Stephen Rea), a member of the IRA, holds Jody (Forest Whitaker), hostage. They becomes friends, and Fergus promises Jody he will protects his girlfriend Dil (Jaye Davidson). After starting a romantic relationship with her, Fergus makes a shocking and, for him and the viewer, somewhat disgusting discovery: Dil is a chick with a dick. Director Neil Jordan reportedly got the inspiration fro this twist from the 1980's slasher film Sleepaway Camp.

#8: Psycho: In Master of Suspense Alfred Hitchcock's classic horror-thriller, based on Robert Bloch's novel, Marion Crane (Janet Leigh) is skipping town after stealing money from her job, and her car breaks down in the countryside. Luckily, she comes across the Bates Motel, owned by the handsome but awkward Norman Bates (Anthony Perkins) and his overbearing, elderly mother. Despite not seeing the mother, Marion can tell she and Norman are close, a bit too close. When Marion decides to step into the bathroom for a nice shower, she doesn't expect the first twist coming: she is brutally stabbed to death by the psychotic mother with a kitchen knife. This twist inspired films like Scream to kill their leads off early, and Hitchcock made a point for audiences not to arrive late, so they wouldn't miss it, despite the fact this happens nearly an hour in. As Marion's sister and her boyfriend investigate, they discover an even more shocking twist: the mother has been dead and rotting for years on end, and Norman is the killer, and has three different personalities: Norman, the scared young boy; Norma, his psychotic and murderous mother; and Normal, the face he shows his guests before he kills them. He is now stuck in the mother personality, and may never snap out of it. Norman, now stuck in the mother personality, is sitting in the interrogation room, thinking the thoughts of a sweet old lady. This twist alone tops the terrible 1998 remake with Vince Vaughn.

#7: Fight Club: In this dark comedy/drama, Edward Norton plays The Narrator, a lonely, bored man with a laundry list of problems. After meeting the care-free and charismatic Tyler Durden (Brad Pitt), a soap salesman, on a plane, the two decide to start a "Fight Club", where men can fight each other in brutal combat to relieve stress and anger. But, as the Club spreads, the more the situation spirals out of control. The Narrator realizes he needs to stop the Club, now called Project Mayhem, a domestic terrorist group, and attempts to track down Tyler, before realizing something shocking: Tyler is an alternate personality he created to change his life, a personality that has basically gotten a mind of its own that's trying to take over his life. In fact, the director put Durden in single frames throughout the first act of the film, to subconsciously put his presence in the viewer's head before he arrives on camera.

#6: Primal Fear: Another great Ed Norton film, this time his first film ever. In this courtroom drama-thriller, a headline chasing lawyer (Richard Gere) decides to defend Aaron Stampler, a shy, stuttering, Southern altar boy accused of murdering a beloved Archbishop. Aaron reveals to the lawyer he has an alternate personality: "Roy", a violent, angry bully who defends yet constantly picks on Aaron. Roy admits he was the one who killed the Archbishop, and Aaron pleads insanity. Roy bursts out in court, proving Aaron to be mentally unstable. The lawyer also reveals that Aaron and an altar girl were molested and forced to perform underage porn for the Archbishop. After the trial, Aaron is given a few months in a psychiatric facility. The lawyer and Aaron shake hands and part ways, but on the lawyer's way out, Aaron reveals to him that he has been faking. The lawyer asks "There never was a Roy?", and Aaron responds that he's disappointed in the lawyer and reveals "there never was an Aaron", revealing he consciously tortured and murdered the Archbishop, as he "deserved it" for being a pedophile, and he murdered the innocent altar girl because she could testify against him. He reveals that although the name Roy was fake, that's who he truly is, and the sweet personality was just for show. The lawyer, depressed that he's let a psychotic killer free from punishment, leaves a broken man. This double performance got Norton an Oscar nod for Best Supporting Actor, and this was only his first film role.

#5: Memento: In Christopher Nolan's second film, Leonard Shelby (Guy Pearce), a man suffering from anterograde amnesia, a condition that prevents him from making new memories, tries to track down "John G.", the man who raped and murdered his wife. He kills Teddy (Joe Pantoliano), who appeared to be helping him, and the film then backtracks to show why he did it. The film switches back and forth between long sequences in color, and short scenes in black and white. The color sequences are shown backwards chronologically, whereas the black-and-white sequences are shown in proper order. In the black-and-white sequences, Leonard is talking on the phone to a mystery caller, telling the story of when he worked at an insurance company, and how a man named Sammy, with the same condition he now has, whose case he was investigating, killed his diabetic wife by giving her repeated insulin injections at her request, as she was trying to test him to see if he could break his condition by remembering he had already injected her. In the color sequences, Leonard uses notes, photos, and tattoos to remember the clues and facts he's already uncovered, and to conduct a complex investigation, trying to track down John G. He is assisted by Teddy, but is told by a woman (Carrie Anne-Moss) he is helping to not trust him. In the end, it's revealed the woman is manipulating Leonard, using his condition against him, as he killed her drug dealer boyfriend, whom he believed to be John G. Teddy is also revealed to be an undercover cop named John Gammell. John (Teddy) reveals that Leonard is delusional, as he has confused bits of his life with the life of Sammy, a con man with no wife, as Leonard's wife was diabetic, and he killed her with the insulin, which she did because she wanted to break his amnesia and due to the mental stress she suffered after being raped and beaten by thugs. John also reveals he felt sorry for Leonard, and helped him track down the rapist and kill him, and thought that the act of revenge would break Leonard's condition. As it turns out, Leonard continued to forget his revenge, and John has helped him track down innocent men over the years to give his life purpose: to constantly hunt down a killer, as he'll never remember getting vengeance for his wife's death. Leonard, angered by John telling him the truth, purposely writes down false info on John, as he'll forget why he wrote it down, which will lead his future self to kill him based on false info, as Leonard has decided "Teddy" will be "his John G."

#4: The Sixth Sense: The film that kick-started M. Night Shyamalan's career also started his reputation for twist endings, and this one is still the best he ever came up with. In this horror-drama, Dr. Malcolm Crowe (Bruce Willis), is shot by a former patient, Vincent (Donnie Wahlberg), who says Crowe "failed him", before the patient turns the gun on himself. The next fall, he and his wife have grown apart, rarely speak, and Crowe begins to suspect she's cheating on him. He begins to work with Cole (Haley Joel Osment), a young and awkward boy with few friends, whose case is very similar to Vincent's, and he believes this could be his redemption for failing Vincent. He discovers Cole can "see dead people", and helps Cole overcome his fear of the ghosts he sees, and also discovers Vincent had the same "gift" as Cole does, and that's why he went crazy. He feels he should not let the same happen to Cole, and helps Cole find the purpose for having the gift: to help ghosts fulfill their purpose for staying on Earth to help them pass on. Cole successfully helps the ghost of a sick little girl, by revealing to the public that her cruel stepmother poisoned her. Crowe decides to part ways with Cole, as he has successfully helped him. Crowe returns home, and finds his wife has fallen asleep on an armchair in their living room, and their wedding videotape is playing on the television. Crowe then discovers he has not been wearing his wedding ring, and realizes he died the night Vincent shot him, and that he was one of the ghosts Cole could see. He has already filled the first purpose for his return from the grave: to redeem himself for failing Vincent. He then fulfills his second purpose for staying: to whisper to his sleeping wife she never came second in his life, and she was more important to him than his work, something she never believed. He is then able to peacefully pass on to the next life.

#3: Planet of the Apes: In this 1968 sci-fi film, Charlton Heston plays an astronaut who goes into space with three other astronauts. The crew slip into cryo-sleep, and when they awake, they have crash-landed on a mysterious planet. One of the crew have died , and the three remaining crew members have lost the ability to properly communicate. The three men explore the barren landscape of the planet eventually finding humans on the planet. They discover that the humans act more like primitive cavemen, and that apes have become highly intelligent and have taken over this world. After being enslaved, Heston escapes and reveals he can intelligently communicate. He is able to escape the corrupted city of apes with a few scientist apes and a beautiful female human. They arrive in a cave that has evidence of intelligent human life, before they are confronted by ape soldiers. Heston wants to leave to search for more answers on the existence of humans on the planet. The soldiers promise that Heston and his new girlfriend can leave and they will not be followed and the scientists will be treated fairly, but warn Heston he may not like what he finds beyond the cave. The ape scientists are betrayed by the evil Dr. Zaius, who orders his soldiers bury all evidence that intelligent humans existed on the planet before the apes rose to power, he also orders the scientists imprisoned. Heston and his girlfriend ride along the shoreline on horseback, and approach a destroyed monument. Heston falls on his knees and screams out in anger, sadness, confusion, and frustration. The camera pans back to reveal a partially destroyed and buried Statue of Liberty, revealing the alien planet is in fact Earth after a nuclear apocalypse. This is a much better twist than the one in that God-awful Tim Burton remake.

#2: The Empire Strikes Back: In this film, well.. everyone already knows what happens. After Luke Skywalker has his hand chopped off in a duel with the dark lord Darth Vader, Vader reveals that Obi-Wan was using a metaphor when he said Vader killed Luke's father, because Vader is Luke's father, he just acts like a completely different person. It's pretty well known by most people today that Vader is Luke's dad, but back in 1980, nobody saw this coming.

#1: The Usual Suspects: In Bryan Singer's crime-thriller, a gang of criminals are killed on a boat in the Port of LA. The story is told through the eyes of the only survivor of the massacre, a crippled and somewhat stupid small-timer Verbal Kint (Kevin Spacey, who won the Oscar for his role), who tells a US Customs Investigator (Chazz Palminteri) the increasingly complex story of how he and a few other criminals got a job from a mysterious and legendary Turkish crime boss named Keyser Soze. After the investigator begins to piece together that the leader of the criminals Keaton (Gabriel Byrne) is Soze himself and he faked his death on the boat, and left Kint as a witness. Kint refuses to testify, but admits Keaton was behind the entire scheme. Kint, tearing up, leaves the investigator's office, as his bail has been posted. Kint gathers his things and leaves, limping down the street. The investigator, while preparing to go after Keaton, looks around his bulletin board, and realizes that most of Kint's story has been fabricated, and names of places and people in the story were taken from items on the board or around the room. The investigator rushes out of the office, and another investigator notices a fax coming in through the fax machine. As Kint walks away, he drops the limp and gets into a car with Kobayashi, Soze's representative from Kint's story, and they drive away. The second investigator, back at the office, takes the fax from the machine. It reveals a sketch of what Keyser Soze is believed to look like, and the sketch heavily resembles Kint. The investigator hopelessly runs after Kint, and frantically looks around a crowded public park, searching for any sign of Kint, aka Keyser Soze, but alas, he arrived too late, as Soze has escaped, like Kint said earlier "and like that, he's gone". The reveal is not only fantastic, but is mind-bending and original, not to mention the fantastic music and editing in this sequence. It's not only, in my opinion, the best movie plot twist, but it's also the most well-executed of them all.

Honorable mentions:
Black Swan, Donnie Darko, The Prestige (didn't make the list, as it was a deal-breaker for most people, and to me, was a slight let-down), No Way Out, Scream 2, Frailty, Session 9, Seven, Insidious, Friday the 13th, Reservoir Dogs (not that crazy of a twist, but a good one), The Game.

 (Images: Wikipedia)

Top 20 Movie Twists: Part One

Today, I list may personal favorite movie twists. Before I start, let me set some ground rules.

Criteria:
Twist must be completely unpredictable
Twist must change the way you see the film upon another viewing
Also: if you haven't seen these films, I urge you to stop reading the list, just scroll to the bottom here the posters are, find out the titles, go watch them, and come back, I do not want you to spoil these movies for yourself.

Oh, and, just to let you know: SPOILER ALERT (duh)

That was the final warning, so I'm just going to get started.

#20: Sinister: Ethan Hawke plays a washed-up true crime novelist, who, when trying to restart his career, moves his family into the home where the previous family was brutally hung from a tree in their backyard. When he discovers a box of home movies in the attic, he uncovers several other brutal family killings throughout the years (in all of which a single child went missing afterward). Over the course of the film, he discovers a link between the murders and an ancient deity named Bughuul, who convinced children to trust him, so he could lure them away from their families, who he would then murder, and consume the child's soul over time. Hawke discovers that the killer of each family may be a cultist who believes in the demonic deity, and discovers the killer drugged the victims, the bound and gagged them so they could not fight back or call for help, which suggests he could not overpower them on his own. In the climax, Hawke finds out too late that the missing child from each murder were the killers themselves, possessed by Bughuul, and that his daughter has been corrupted by Bughuul and she drugs him, and murders him and the rest of her family with an axe, before painting the walls with their blood, and being taken by Bughuul back to his hellish dimension so he can feast upon her soul. The reason I chose this twist because it was so unexpected, and pretty disturbing because creepy kids are always unsettling, but murdering your own family is just a terrifying idea, and it's quite horrifying to see Hawke, who I liked in this movie, butchered by his own sweet daughter, especially after I thought he was safe from Bughuul.

#19: Who Framed Roger Rabbit: In this beloved crime comedy, Bob Hoskins plays a private detective in 1940s Hollywood, where cartoons are real and work alongside live-action humans. He hates "toons" because a villainous one killed his detective brother by dropping a piano on his head. He must take on the titular case of "who framed Roger Rabbit", a popular but somewhat stupid and childish toon star. He uncovers that Jessica Rabbit (Kathleen Turner), Roger's beautiful cartoon wife, may have been cheating on her husband, which propelled him to murder her lover, the owner of Acme Corp. Hoskins uncovers he's innocent, and was framed by Judge Doom (Christopher Lloyd), a cold and sadistic villain who wants to wipe out toons with a green waste called "Dip", and the twist is: he is in fact a crazed and terrifying toon himself, with a high-pitched voice and red eyes, the same one who killed Hoskins' brother. Unlike Sinister, the villain gets taken down in the end and the heroes get away, and Roger's name is cleared.

#18: Scream: In this teen thriller-comedy/homage to slasher films, Neve Campbell plays a teenage girl who is being stalked by a psychotic, movie-loving killer in a Halloween mask calling himself Ghostface. Everyone she trusts is a suspect, so she shuts herself off, especially since it's near the one-year anniversary of the rape and murder of her mother, who she was close with.  The first twist actually is that Drew Barrymore, an actress who heavily promoted the film and was billed as a main star, is brutally murdered in the opening sequence, similar to Psycho or Nightmare on Elm Street killing the blonde-haired leads early on, revealing that their brunette friends are the real stars. The second plot twist is that Campbell's boyfriend Billy Loomis and his good buddy Steve raped and murdered her mother, framed an innocent man, and have been committing the Ghostface murders. They reveal their plan to kill her and any remaining witnesses and pin it on Campbell's innocent father. Luckily, she and the remaining good guys kill the two psycho teens before they cause any more damage.

#17: Don't Look Now: Donald Sutherland and Julie Christie take a trip to Venice to recover from the traumatizing drowning of their only daughter. Sutherland has been offered a job to renovate and restore a cathedral. During the course of the film, an elderly woman whom they encounter tells the couple she can see their deceased daughter. Meanwhile, Sutherland begins seeing strange and distressing sights, including spotting what appears to be a little girl in a red raincoat similar to the one his daughter died in. In the background of the story, there is a killer on the loose in Venice, committing grisly murders all over the city. In the climax of the story, Sutherland chases the little girl in the raincoat into an abandoned building. He approaches the girl, seeing this as the chance to redeem himself for not being able to save his daughter. The figure in the red coat turns around, revealing an ugly, dwarfish woman with a knife. Sutherland, shocked and confused, realizes too late that this dwarf is the murderer who has been stalking the streets, and the strange sights and nightmares he has been having are premonitions of his death. Not two seconds after he realizes this, he is stabbed to death by the sneering killer.

#16: Shutter Island: The year is 1954: Detective Teddy Daniels travels to Ashecliffe Asylum on Shutter Island near Boston, with his new partner Detective Aule. He is investigating the disappearance of a female patient who drowned her children. As soon as they arrive, the staff begin being aggressive towards the two detectives, and Daniels begins experiencing severe headaches, and he begins experiencing visions of his wife, who was killed by psychotic arsonist Andrew Laeddis, who is also on the island. The more the story goes on, Daniels becomes more and more terrified and paranoid, and begins suspecting Aule is plotting with the hospital staff against him. By the end, Daniels discovers that he and his partner are not actually detectives, and he is Andrew Laeddis, and his name Daniels is an anagram for Laeddis. The doctors reveal that Daniels is a patient, and that he went insane after killing his wife when she snapped and drowned their children. The events of the film were part of a complicated test to break Laeddis' insanity, and the headaches were side-effects of his medication withdrawals. It turns out that the missing patient and Aule were hospital staff, and they were part of the test. Laeddis is overwhelmed, and the doctors tell him they have conducted the test multiple times, and every time he fails, and this is his last chance to break his circular, insane logic before they are forced to lobotomize him. He reverts back into his fantasy of being Daniels, but hints to Aule (or Dr. Sheehan) that he knows who he is, but wants to be lobotomized so he can forget about the death of his crazy wife and innocent kids.

#15: The Wicker Man: Sergeant Howie, an extremely conservative British Christian police officer, is given the case of a girl who went missing on the remote British isle of Summersisle, which has had an abundance of fruit growth until recent times. When he arrives, he discovers that the people may be Pagans and the girl may be dead already. He finds the girl dead, and finds he is stranded on the island, and the people of Summersisle may have used the girl as human sacrifice for a Pagan ritual to help their fruit come back, as the selling of fruit supports their economy. Howie attempts to stop another Pagan ritual led by Lord Summersisle, but realizes too late that not only is the girl alive, but the entire case was to lure Howie, the real Pagan sacrifice, to the island, as he is a pure virgin, a man of authority and honor, who came to the island on his own will. The people of the island dress him in a traditional gown, and the women anoint him with oils as he cries. Howie pleads with Summersisle and his friends, saying that killing him won't do anything about the fruit problem. They, still being cheery and friendly to the officer, ignore his pleas of mercy. He is taken, kicking and screaming to the top of a grassy hill, to a giant "Wicker Man", a human-like statue made of sticks. He is locked inside with several types of animals, and the people of the isle happily sing ancient songs as they set the statue ablaze. Howie, whimpering, begins to frantically pray and chant, singing Bible hymns to prove to God he dies with his faith in tact. The statue burns down, crumbling, and killing Howie.

#14: Unbreakable: In M. Night Shyamalan's taught thriller/supernatural drama, somewhat depressed Bruce Willis discovers he may have superpowers after he survives a brutal train crash that kills everyone else on board. He is approached by Samuel L. Jackson, a somewhat eccentric and intelligent comic book store/fine art gallery owner who suffers from a severe bone disorder that makes his bones as fragile as thin glass. Jackson believes Willis has superpowers, including superhuman strength, durability, and some psychic powers. After Willis finds his purpose in life is to punish criminals in the city, and that his powers include the ability to see the crimes someone's committed by touching them, he attends an exhibition at the art gallery Jackson owns, and greets his kind mother. He talks with Jackson in the back room, now friends with him. Jackson and he shake hands, and Willis sees that Jackson has caused three major accidents, killing hundreds of innocent people, including the tragic train accident Willis survived. Jackson reveals this was part of his quest to find a superhuman like Willis, by causing major accidents, he could weed the normal people from the superheroes. Jackson reveals his purpose in life was to be the arch-villain to Willis' hero, and Willis runs to the police, with Jackson crying with joy at finding his life's purpose.

#13: Saw: In James Wan's twisted and thrilling debut film, two men, who are seemingly complete strangers,  wake up in a dirty industrial bathroom, chained to pipes on opposite ends of the room, with a dead body (with a gun and an exit wound in the back of the head) in the center of the dilapidated and filthy room. After finding they are being held hostage by the infamous Jigsaw Killer, they must battle him in a game of wits and morals to escape and save one of the men's families. They also discover they have more ties to each other than they originally thought. For most of the runtime, one of the men (Dr. Gordon) believes Jigsaw to be an orderly at his hospital, a shy, awkward, quiet man named "Zepp" Hindle. When Zepp arrives and attempts to kill the men when their time is up, the men overpower him and brutally kill him. Dr. Gordon, who has cut his foot off, crawls away, promising the other man (Adam) he will bring help. After Gordon escapes, Adam searches Zepp's body, and finds a tape player. The tape reveals Zepp himself was part of the "game", and that he is a Jigsaw victim himself, and Jigsaw used him as a pawn. As it turns out, Jigsaw has been in the men's midst the entire time: he is posing as the dead body in the middle of the room, and the bullet wound is just prosthetics and makeup. The real Jigsaw is actually an ex-patient of Gordon's, who has inoperable brain cancer. Jigsaw leaves poor Adam, who is crying and screaming, to rot and die in the bathroom. Jigsaw turns the light off, leaving the room pitch black, says the phrase "Game Over", and seals the trapped Adam inside forever. Now, the series is known for its crazy twists, but I decided this was the best, as it's so unexpected and mind-blowing. Not only is the best twist, it's the best film in the series.

#12: Soylent Green: Charlton Heston plays a man from a dyspotian future, where the overpopulated and poor people of Earth survive on colored food cubes, the most popular of which is a green ration cube called Soylent Green. Heston investigates a murder at the Soylent Corporation and discovers something terrible: how Soylent intends to keep population under control. This is summed up in one famous line: "Soylent Green is people!!" Heston desperately screams this out to the masses of people surrounding him in the final scene, hopelessly attempting to warn them as he is dragged away at the end of this flick.

#11: A Beautiful Mind: If you know the story of John Nash, Jr., then this was no surprise, if not: this was probably a real shock. John Nash, an eccentric but highly intelligent mathematician from the Southern US, has been best friends with free-spirited Charles Herman since college. He now has a beautiful wife, a great job with his colleagues from college, and a secret job working with the US Government during the 50's "Red Scare". As it turns out, Charles and the job with the Government are all in Nash's head, as he is slowly going insane. This tragic true story make for a great movie, and Paul Bettany's performance as Charles was fantastic, so when I found out he didn't even exist, I was a bit hurt myself.

Tune in next time when I cover the Top 10 Cinema Twists of All Time (personal opinion).
 (Images: Wikipedia)

Elysium: Neill Blomkamp's latest sci-fi thriller

Today, I look at the latest film from the director of the sci-fi masterpiece District 9.

Elysium:
It's the year 2154, and the wealthy elite have moved to Elysium, a huge, utopian space habitat that orbits the Earth. Everyone else lives on the disease-ridden, extremely poor, and highly overpopulated Earth. Max De Costa, a Los Angeles factory worker, orphan, and paroled criminal is involved in a terrible accident at his work, and, after learning he will die soon, figures he has nothing left to lose, and has his criminal friend Spider weld a robotic exoskeleton onto his body, which gives him super-strength, so he can successfully hijack a shuttle and break into Elysium. Unfortunately, it seems the odds are stacked against him, as the robotic police, the Elysium staff, and a viscous mercenary are all attempting to hunt him down and prevent him from escaping Earth and entering the peaceful habitat. Matt Damon does a fantastic job. He's a good actor, and he pulls off the underdog/action hero thing really well, as showcased in the Jason Bourne series. He's not as good as Sharlto Copley in District 9, but he does do a great job. Speaking of which, Sharlto Copley returns from District 9 (he also appeared as Murdoch in The A-Team film), but instead of playing the main hero, he portrays one of the film's villains, a sadistic South African mercenary named Kruger. He's a really memorable villain, and he's nearly unrecognizable because he's bulked up, and has a shaggy and dirty beard. He is recognizable, however, by his thick South African accent. He is very threatening and is pretty disturbing and unsettling in a few small scenes. He's a better villain than Jodie Foster. Foster is a good actress, but she puts on a weird accent for some scenes, and is a bit lackluster. She plays the ruthless and bitchy Jessica Delacourt, who basically serves as the "intelligent" villain, where Kruger is the muscle. Although Kruger ends up being smarter than he seems and she is a bit stupider than you would think: hiring a psychotic murderer and rapist as a mercenary? Dumb idea. William Fichtner plays the selfish and conceited John Carlyle, who is a millionaire who owns a company which owns the factory De Costa works in. He's just a straight-up asshole, which is a role Fichtner always plays, he's either a villain or a doucher. Alice Braga plays Max's friend and love interest Frey, a kind mother and nurse. Faran Tahir (Iron Man, Star Trek) has a small roles as the President of Elysium. Blomkamp has a great visual eye, and this film definitely showcases that. This looks as good as District 9, and has some visual throwbacks, such as the similar looking flying shuttles from both films. The action sequences are less shaky-cam heavy than his previous film, but Blomkamp still has a bit of shaky-cam in this film, but that's a minor complaint. The action sequences are pretty entertaining, and the visual effects in them are seamlessly put next to the real sets and actors. Like D9,  the film has a very rich world and a unique visual style. The camerawork is pretty inventive and interesting in certain scenes, especially some key moments in the final fight between Kruger and Max. The music is pretty cool, as well, but is a bit forgettable. Elysium may not be as good as District 9, but on it's own merits it's satisfying and entertaining, as well as thought-provoking. It's got a stellar cast, fantastic visual effects, thrilling action, and some touching moments as well. 4/5 stars.

 (Image: Wikipedia)

Game Review, Batman: Arkham City: Harley Quinn's Revenge DLC

Today, I look at the short, sequel DLC for one of the most acclaimed games of 2011. (Contains Major Spoilers for Batman: Arkham City)

Batman: Arkham City: Harley Quinn's Revenge:
After recently purchasing the Batman: Arkham City Game of the Year Edition, I finally had the chance to play the short, roughly 2-hour DLC Harley Quinn's Revenge. Taking place several weeks after the downfall of Arkham City and it's ruthless warden, Professor Hugo Strange, this entertaining DLC follows Batman, who is somewhat emotionally torn and depressed after the deaths of his true love Talia al Ghul and mortal enemy The Joker, who is called by Commissioner Jim Gordon to investigate a disturbance in the Sionis Steel Mill area of the former super-prison. The police, after shutting down most of the sprawling hell-on-earth called a penitentiary, have had a bit of trouble taking down Joker's nearly impenetrable fortress he's set up in the Industrial District. In fact, his mourning girlfriend Harley Quinn has had Joker's henchmen, now following her after his death, blow up the only bridge leading into the Industrial District. Batman infiltrates the fortress, enters the Steel Mill, and then goes missing. After no communications with the Dark Knight for two day, Alfred and Oracle (for the uninformed: the crippled Barbara Gordon, former Batgirl, and Commissioner Gordon's daughter) contact Tim Drake, the current Robin, to go find him and save him from Quinn, who blames Batman for the death of the Joker, and may intend to torture and kill him. An interesting aspect of this short DLC is the fact that it begins with Robin trying to save Batman, and then backtracks, shows how Batman was caught, and then goes forward again. So it alternates playing styles. Although Robin's fighting style and gadgets are cool, nothing beats Batman's super-fast fighting style and huge array of useful gadgets. One aspect of the DLC is that, just like the Challenge Maps, the difficulty is slightly kicked up a notch, with the enemies harder to take down, and your character is more susceptible to damage. this DLC is also quite short, and therefore may disappoint some people. I found it entertaining enough, and it was pretty fun while it lasted. The only problem is it isn't open world (one of the best parts of the original game) and it doesn't have a final boss battle. But what is cool is that you can go back to the police barricade on the other side of the blow-up bridge and talk to Gordon and explore the police barricade, as opposed to the original game when you couldn't enter any TYGER guard locations or police areas unless the story allowed for it. The combat and stealth stages are very similar, and the sequence where Robin must take down Harley and her armed thugs is similar to the Two-Face stealth scene in the final Catwoman episode, in that you must take Harley down before you finish off the thugs, or else infinite numbers of them will continue to show up (with the exception of the sniper, you should take him down first). I was hoping for an appearance by the rejoined Abromavich Twins (Mr. Hammer, who works for the Joker, and Sickle, who worked for the Penguin), but unfortunately that didn't happen, hopefully, if Rocksteady does an Arkham City sequel, which probably will happen, they'll make an appearance there. Overall, Harley Quinn's Revenge is a short, fun DLC, which, although it's not nearly as good as the game it's following, delivers some thrills and exhilarating action and stealth sequences, which will keep you occupied and entertained for 2 and a half hours. 3.5/5 stars.

 (Images: vg247.com, paranerds.com, comicbookmovie.com)

Book Review, Darth Vader and Son: A "Star Wars" Parody/Homage Comic Book

Today, I look at the New York Times Bestseller based on the beloved and acclaimed Star Wars Trilogy.

Darth Vader and Son:
Vader is your average evil cyborg dark overload with telekinesis. But, he is different than most because he must also raise his toddler son Luke, all while taking over the galaxy. The short, illustrated book is actually non-canon, but pokes fun at many aspects of the Star Wars universe outside of the original trilogy, including making fun of Jar Jar Binks and several other things fan love to hate. The book is actually quite funny and well-written, but relies on you having seen the films and being at least pretty knowledgeable of them. Other than that, it's a pretty easy read, and it's worth the price, even if it's a bit too brief. Most people know a good deal about Star Wars already, so it's not like the book only appeals to fans and shuts others completely out, like some other franchises. The book is a fun read, and has enough humor and wit to satisfy pretty much anyone who reads it. Darth Vader and Son is an entertaining short book  that will please fans and the casual reader. 3.5/5 stars.

 (Image: starwars.wikia.com, or "Wookiepedia")

Game Review: BioShock: Survival horror meets FPS meets sci-fi action meets RPG, what's not to love?

Today, I look at the acclaimed first game in the video game franchise which succeeded the SystemShock games of the 90's and early 2000's.

BioShock:
Often considered the spiritual successor to the survival horror sci-fi shooter franchise SystemShock, BioShock was released in August 2007 to critical acclaim, which resulted in a huge fan following. BioShock got such a big following and so much acclaim within it's first year, that 2K Games, the developing company, gave it a Play Station 3 release, rather than keeping it exclusively on Xbox 360 and PC. Now onto the plot: The year is 1960, you are Jack, a man involved in a terrible plane crash in the Mid-Atlantic. Being the sole survivor of the crash, Jack swims to a nearby lighthouse, which is strangely in the middle of the ocean. When he enters, he sees a giant statue of a man, and the slogan "No Gods or Kings, Only Man" on a long banner. He enters a "Bathysphere", a small circular submarine vehicle. He sees this as the only exit after being locked in the tower, and the vehicle submerges deep into the ocean. It lowers him into the underwater "utopian" city of Rapture, founded by business magnate Andrew Ryan, head of Ryan Industries. When Jack finally stops, he sees Rapture is in total dismay. "Splicers", insane citizens who have done too much gene splicing, roam the streets; most of the interior of the city is now in decay despite it's lavish appearance from the outside; there is a war between the few surviving sane citizens (who are trapped in Rapture) and Ryan, who controls all the Splicers. Guided via a short-wave radio by Atlas, an Irish family man and leader of the resistance who is trapped in the city, Jack must make his way through the city, gathering weapons and "Plasmids" (drugs that rewrite genetic codes to grant superhuman abilities) as he goes along. Along the way, Jack runs into the "Big Daddies" and "Little Sisters", superhuman mutants in armored diving suits and the hypnotized, zombie-like little girls they protect; Dr. J. Steinman, an insane plastic surgeon and head of the decaying Medical Pavilion; and Sander ("fucking") Cohen, an egocentric, sadistic, and absolutely insane musician, poet, composer, and play-write who runs and controls Fort Frolic, the entertainment district. Jack must help Atlas and his family escape, take down Ryan and his insane followers, and escape Rapture himself. BioShock was revolutionary for it's time. Now in FPS (for the uninformed: first-person shooters) games it's common to see RPG (for the uninitiated: role-playing games) elements, but for the time, it was a very original idea. Here, when encountering a Big Daddy, the player must defeat it and is faced with the choice to harvest the girl (taking all her ADAM, an energy source needed for survival in Rapture, which removes the virus controlling her brain, but will also kill her) or rescuing her (removing the sea slug virus in her mind, and receiving some of her ADAM, which she will survive, which will cure her of her zombie-like state). The rescuing choice will make it harder to survive initially, but ultimately comes with more long-term benefits and rewards, such as better Plasmids. Speaking of which, in the game, the more Plasmids you collect, the more easily it will be to dispatch enemies. My personal favorites which I chose to stick with for the most part were Electro-Bolt (which will allow you to briefly stun enemies, or electrocute them to death if they are standing in water), Incinerate (which allows you to burn your enemies alive with the snap of your fingertips), and Telekinesis (which allows you to pull objects towards you with your mind, or catch objects in mid-air, such as grenades or dynamite, and throw them at your enemies). You can collect several audio diaries (some are hidden) which document several characters thoughts during Rapture's glory days and it's downfall, which give some insight into the city's past as well as the characters' personalities. This sort of thing was also a pretty new concept, and the Batman: Arkham games by Rocksteady studios later employed a similar thing with the "Patient Interviews" tapes found throughout those games. This game can be a bit challenging at times, especially when you first are forced to face a Big Daddy, or in some of the boss fights, such as the fight in the Fontaine Fisheries building in the Neptune's Bounty area, or the final boss battle. BioShock can also be quite touching at times, that is, if you choose to take the clean path of saving the Little Sisters. BioShock is also one of the few games with a really rich, complete story and world. You can got to this site, the BioShock Wiki: http://bioshock.wikia.com/wiki/BioShock_Wiki, for more in-depth details on the vivid world of Rapture (warning: several articles on the wiki contain spoilers, and I do not want you to spoil this experience for yourself). The game also happens to have one of the best twists in any game, hell, in most popular media. The 3 possible endings: Good, Bad, or Bad with Sad Undertone, depend on the 3 ways to play: save all Little Sisters, kill all Little Sisters, or save a few and kill a few. I personally took the save all Little Sisters path, and got the heartwarming ending, but I did look up the other two, which are nearly identical, but with different narration, and they're not the most cheery. The game also has a very intense feel to it, and like the popular Dead Space series, has a fantastic and original visual look and great, creepy atmosphere. While walking around Rapture, you get the feeling you are never safe, and can be attacked at any moments. The Splicers also add a terrifying effect, and have great voice-work done on them. There will be times you are just wandering a damp, dark hallway all by yourself, and you'll suddenly hear a Splicer singing a Bible hymn or talking to themselves about wanting to be liked. Splicers also have different classes: Thuggish Splicers, who attack with melee weapons; Leadhead Splicers, who attack using machine guns and other firearms; Nitro Splicers, who throws grenades and homemade bombs; Spider Splicers, agile and resilient splicers who throws iron hooks at the player, and can climb walls (these are difficult to kill); and Houdini Splicers, who are easy to kill, but can shoot fire balls and teleport. You can hack different machines and security bots, which functions as a fun, challenging puzzle/mini-game. The game also has a unique and atmospheric sound design, from the creaking sounds of the old buildings of Rapture, to the sound of Splicers giggling to themselves, to the robotic and mutant-like sounds of the Big Daddies. BioShock offers a unique gaming experience. It's not overly long, but doesn't feel like it's cut too short. The ending is pretty satisfying, the twist mind-blowing, and the entire look and feel of the game is fantastic, but when paired with the sound design and gameplay, it's impossible to not consider BioShock a masterpiece, and a technical feat. The graphics even look fantastic 6 years after it's release. The "Ultimate Rapture Edition" also comes with extra content including a bonus Museum level. It's well worth the price, as well as the time and effort put into playing it. It's a pay-off, and it's a game you want to play again as soon as you're finished, even now that you're well aware of the twist, and I don't even like FPS's that much. 5/5 stars.

Links:
Review by JeremyJahns: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sSdzPSAobdI
BioShock Launch Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lmw78t8NgIE
BioShock 2 Teaser: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Be4Dp4kfP8 (Under the title "Sea of Dreams")

 
 (Images: covergalaxy.com, indosurfphoto.com)

The Way Way Back: The latest film from the creators of "Little Miss Sunshine" and "Juno"

Today, I look at the coming-of-age comedy-drama from the writers of The Descendants.

The Way, Way Back:
Duncan is a very antisocial and awkward 14-year-old who is dragged along by his mother Pam to stay with her boyfriend Trent and his bitchy teen daughter Steph at Trent's beach house that summer. Duncan does not fit in with Steph or Trent's friends. Pam also has a little trouble integrating into their group, but slowly is able to. Duncan runs into Owen, an eccentric, yet charming, owner of a local water park: Water Wizz. He begins to work odd jobs there over the summer, as well as connecting with a girl from next door named Susanna, who has a goofy alcoholic mother named Betty, who befriends Pam. Duncan fits in with the odd staff of the water park, and gets begins to feel more accepted, and get a sense that they are like family to him. This was a surprisingly good film. The cast do fantastic. Liam James (2012, Psych, The Killing) is great as Duncan. Early on, he's so awkward it's a bit annoying (and even a smidge pathetic), but as the film goes on, I sympathized with him more, and began to like him a lot as the film progressed. Steve Carrel plays Trent. I never thought Carrel could play a straight-up asshole, but he pulls it off really well. He serves as sort of the antagonist of the film. Toni Collette plays Pam, Duncan's loving mother, who is a bit blind to Trent's dickish behavior for most of the film. She's also kind of unsympathetic at first, but she becomes more and more human and likeable as the film progresses. Sam Rockwell plays Owen. He's a bit odd, but the film shows that he's actually a really nice, cool guy, who serves as a father figure, mentor, and friend to Duncan. He's fast-talking and funny, and often his brain goes at a faster pace than the other characters, leaving them confused, but somewhat fascinated by his antics, as is the audience. Allison Janney portrays Betty, who is also fast-talking and funny, but is looked at by everyone as that one, goofy, kind of stupid friend. She's very ditzy and is often drunk, but is liked by Pam and Trent's friend Kip. Maya Rudolph plays Caitlyn, Owen's co-worker who he hits on often. She doesn't hate Owen, but is annoyed by his childish and irresponsible behavior and hatred of rules and regulations. Anna Sophia Robb (Because of Winn-Dixie, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Bridge to Terebithia, Soul Surfer, The Carrie Diaries) plays Susanna, a serious and somewhat rebellious teenage girl who Duncan likes, who slowly develops a friendship with them. Rob Corddry (The Daily Show, Hot Tub Time Machine) and Amanda Peet play Trent's friends Kip and Joan, the former of which appears to like Betty a lot, the latter appears to be an alcoholic partier. Jim Rash and Nat Faxon (the directors and writers of this film, the former of which has a main role on Community) plays employees at Water Wizz, the former plays sarcastic and cynical Lewis, the latter plays the easy-going Roddy. The writers, Faxon and Rash, made the wise decision to show all the characters as either stupid, weird, or pathetic, but slowly peel back the layers to show more human and sympathetic characters underneath. The film is very funny, but also surprisingly emotional and touching. The movie also has a good soundtrack and score by Rob Simonsen. The Way, Way Back is a funny, witty, touching, and sweet coming-of-age dramady. One of the few summer movies this year that actually takes place during summer. Props to Faxon and Rash for crafting a fun but thoughtful and emotionally gratifying movie. 4.5/5 stars.
 (Image: Wikipedia)

The Wolverine: Wolverine finally gets his own movie that does him justice

Today, I look at the newest film in the X-Men franchise, that tries to mend the damage that X-Men Origins: Wolverine did. Now, I'm not going to review that film because it's now basically non-canon, and this film is not even tied to it, despite the fact it was originally going to be a sequel.

The Wolverine:
Logan, aka Wolverine, has been living alone in misery after the death of Jean Grey/Phoenix in X-Men: The Last Stand. He just wishes to end his immortality and die already. He is given the opportunity when Yuriko, a smart, precognitive mutant assassin approaches him with the opportunity to meet Master Yashida, an extremely old Japanese billionaire and tech magnate who wants to repay Wolverine for saving his life as a young man. When Wolverine arrives in Japan, Yashida tells him he can take away his immortality, and give it to Yashida. Wolverine initially refuses, but soon after, loses his immortality and healing abilities regardless. Wolverine must now fight off the Black Ninja Clan, who attempt to attack Yashida's family, without his powers, and face his own inner problems as well. Hugh Jackman still is a fantastic Wolverine, and is still a kick-ass superhero/ action star. He also is able to capture the inner torment and sadness Logan feels really well. I thought it was an excellent idea to take Logan out of his element by placing him in an unfamiliar country. Jackman also took tips from Dwayne Johnson on how to bulk up for the movie. Famke Janssen reprises her role as Jean Grey is dream sequences. Rila Fukushima does a good job as the skilled mutant ninja Yuriko, who proves to be a useful ally to Logan. Tao Okamoto does a good job as Mariko, Yashida's granddaughter who is his pride and joy. She is a good character and is Logan's love interest throughout the film. Svetlana Khodchenkova plays Dr. Green, aka Viper. Also known as Madame Hydra in the comics, Viper is a pretty evil and ruthless character. Despite being pretty attractive, there's not much to like about her, and you really want to see Logan and Yuriko take her down. Will Yun Lee (Die Another Day) appears in the supporting antihero-ish role of Kenuichio  Harada, known as the villain Silver Samurai in the comics, and head of the ninja clan in the film. Haruhiko Yamanouchi plays Yashida, the head of the Yashida tech corporation. The cast all do pretty damn good jobs, and do justice to the characters of the comics. The action sequences are really entertaining. Some personal favorites include the chase through Tokyo, and the final battle in the Yashida laboratory with the robotic Silver Samurai. But by far, the stand-out of the film's action sequences is the fight atop the bullet train in Tokyo. It's fast-paced, exciting, and inventive. I was surprised by how good the film actually was, and it's probably one of the better Marvel movies and one of the best summer blockbusters this year. It completely makes up for the last stand-alone Wolverine film. The movie actually is based off the acclaimed 1982 limited comic series Wolverine by Chris Claremont and Frank Miller, two of the best writers of 80's and 90's comics, in my opinion. It's a pretty good adaptation of the source material, and it really brings the classic series to life. Director James Mangold (Walk the Line, Identity, 3:10 to Yuma, Cop Land, Knight and Day) does a good job with the film, and has a good visual eye. Composer Marco Beltrami, a friend of cult director Wes Craven, known for scoring several successful horror films such as Mimic, The Faculty, Resident Evil, and Don't Be Afraid of the Dark, as well as the teen drama Soul Surfer, did an interesting score. Not your typical superhero score, some of the tracks seem more fit for a classic samurai film. The visual effects aren't anything you haven't seen before, but the CG is good, and the Wolverine claws look far better than in the previous Wolverine film. Speaking of which, I still don't really like the "bone claws" from the comics and films, they just don't look cool, and don't really make sense continuity-wise because in X2, it's implied that Wolverine had no claws prior to the Adamantium procedure. (I know several people have already said this, but I thought I'd just throw it in there.) The writing team did a good job capturing Wolverine as a character, and doing something new, but also doing a faithful adaptation of the beloved comics. Another thing the film subtly implies is that mutants have integrated themselves into society, either by being accepted or by hiding, as the Mutant Rights issue and attack on Alcatraz in the third film appear to have been forgotten, or just no mentioned in this film. Of course, it could not be an issue in Japan, as the film takes place primarily there, where the other films have taken place in the US. There is a mid-credits scene that I would recommend sticking around for, as it's really awesome and kind of a mind-fuck. The Wolverine is something special, one of the few superhero spin-off films that doesn't suck. It has good acting, fleshed-out characters, good visual effects, exhilarating action, and is a film that explores the motional side of Wolverine a bit more. It's an exhilarating and entertaining summer film, one of the best of the season. 4/5 stars.

Note: I did not see the film in 3D, so I don't how that format effected the film.

Links:
A review of the film I liked: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jv1RTULln4I

(SPOILERS Below Poster)

 (Image: Wikipedia)

SPOILER SEGMENT:
If you don't want anything SPOILED, then just don't read this:

(SPOILERS START) The mid-credits sequence takes place two years after the film ends, with Wolverine in an airport security check. He decides to go with the pat-down as opposed to the metal detector, which will set off due to his metallic bones. He begins to notice that metallic things around him begins floating in mid-air. He realizes Magneto is present, and turns around to stab him, but is stopped by Magneto, who freezes his metallic structure still. Magneto tells him not to worry, as he is not there to cause trouble. Suddenly, the entire environment around them freezes in time. Suddenly, Professor Xavier arrives in a wheelchair. Wolverine, shocked at the fact that Xavier survived after he was disintegrated in the third film, is told by Xavier and Magneto that there is a new threat that could seriously harm the mutant race, hinting at next summer's X-men: Days of Future Past, which will bridge X-Men: The Last Stand with X-Men: First Class. (SPOILERS END)

RED Movies

Today, I look at the senior citizen spy action films based on the DC Comics created by Warren Ellis and Cully Hamner.

RED:
Frank Moses is a lonely retired CIA agent. He lives out his life peacefully in the suburbs of Cleveland. But when the CIA outs a hit on his head for unknown reasons, Moses must spring back into action and get his friends back together: Joe, a retired operative in a nursing home; Marvin, a paranoid conspiracy theorist gun nut living in the backwoods in a secret hideaway; and Victoria, a sweet old woman who misses her life as a wetwork agent. The four, joined by Moses' girlfriend, attempt to find out why the CIA wants them dead. Bruce Willis, John Malkovich, Helen Mirren, and Morgan Freeman do a fantastic job in this movie. They're funny, have good chemistry, and prove they are still bad-ass. Malkovich is probably the best character. He's so crazy and sometimes a bit awkward, but he's kind of likeable in a way, and he's an excellent marksman. Freeman actually isn't in the film as much, but when he is, he's great. Mirren is fantastic as always, and Willis shows that even in old age, he can still kick the shit out of anyone. The rest of the cast includes Mary Louise-Parker (Weeds), Brian Cox, Richard Dreyfuss, Karl Urban (Dredd, Star Trek, Lord of the Rings, The Bourne Supremacy, The Chronicles of Riddick, Xena), Julian McMahon (Nip/Tuck, Fantastic Four, Paranoia), Rebecca Pidgeon, Ernest Borgnine, and James Remar. The cast do a good job, especially Urban, who at first appears to nothing but a cold-hearted CIA operative/assassin, but slowly peels back the layers to show the loving family man underneath. Dreyfuss does a good job for the small role he's given, and Cox is pretty funny as Mirren's ex-lover and ex-secret agent from Russia. The film actually has some really cool action sequences in between the laughs. The stand-out is a gunfight in an airport. Sure, the sequences aren't the most believable things, and they require some suspension of disbelief, but they are entertaining as hell. The film is directed by Robert Schwentke, who is best known for directing The Time Traveler's Wife and Flightplan, as well as the recent bomb R.I.P.D. He does a good job directing the film, and the writing by Erich and Jon Hoeber is witty and clever. The plot is actually pretty original and interesting, and they are a few good twists. It's a pretty faithful adaptation of the comic book, and it's a fun movie in it's own right. The music by Christophe Beck is pretty good, especially the cool guitar theme that plays over a few scenes and over the Blu-Ray menu. RED shows us that old stars can still kick ass like they did 20 or 30 years ago. The cast are fantastic and have good chemistry, the action is exhilarating and cool, and it's pretty damn funny. 3.5/5 stars.




RED 2:
Frank Moses and his girlfriend Sarah are forced to get back into the spy business when they are attacked by the government, who wants to kill them because of their supposed involvement in "Nightshade", a secret operation from years before. Frank once again teams with Marvin and Victoria, as well as bringing along Sarah for a second time, to uncover what Nightshade is and why they were tied to it. Bruce Willis, John Malkovich, Mary Louise-Parker, Dame Helen Mirren, and Brian Cox reprise their roles from the previous film. Louise-Parker is pretty good, although she worked better as the outsider in the last film, than as a spy in this film. Malkovich, again, is the show-stealer and the best character. Anthony Hopkins and Catherine Zeta-Jones join the cast as a brilliant but crazy British physicist and Frank Moses' Russian ex-girlfriend, respectively. Zeta-Jones is pretty good here, and Hopkins is just great, as always, and is pretty funny, too. Byung-hun Lee from G.I. Joe appears as the world's best contract killer, named Han, who has a hatred of Moses. He's pretty awesome, as he's a physical match for Moses, and he's skilled at every type of combat. David Thewlis (an actor who is best known as Remus Lupin from Harry Potter, despite many other notable works) has a small role as "The Frog". Neal McDonough (Band of Brothers, Boomtown, Desperate Housewives) is pretty threatening in this movie, playing a ruthless and calculating government agent and killer. The action scenes aren't as frequent as before, but they are still pretty entertaining. The end sequence in the airport and the gunfight/chase in Paris are pretty cool, and again, it's pretty consistently funny. The music by Alan Silvestri is good, but it's not as cool as the last film's musical score. This film is directed by Dean Parisot (known for directing episodes of Monk, Curb Your Enthusiasm, and Northern Exposure, as well as the films Home Fries, Galaxy Quest, and Fun with Dick and Jane), he does a good job directing this film, but I'm pretty sure most of the credit goes to the writers, Jon and Erich Hoeber, returning from the first film, who can write quite the entertaining screenplay. RED 2 isn't quite as fresh or fun as it's predecessor, but it delivers a fun and enjoyable action-comedy that's worth the price of admission. 3/5 stars.

 (Images: Wikipedia)

R.I.P.D.: The latest box office bomb this summer

Today, I look at the supernatural action-comedy which tries to combine Ghostbusters and Men in Black, but isn't nearly as awesome as that sounds.

R.I.P.D.:
Nick Walker, a decent Boston PD officer, is gunned down during a raid. He awakens in a supernatural police station where he is given the chance to face judgment at the Pearly Gates or join the RIPD (Rest In Peace Department) for 100 years. He chooses the latter and is paired with department veteran Roy, a US Marshal from the Wild West. They go after several renegade ghosts (or "deados"), before uncovering a link between the "deados" and an ancient prophecy that tells of the apocalypse. I didn't have high hopes for the film, and it wasn't particularly good, but overall, it's harmless. It's not something I would go out of my way to see (as you can tell by how late this review is), but overall it's not that bad. Ryan Reynolds and Jeff Bridges make a good team, and have pretty good chemistry. There are some pretty good moments between the two, but they don't have chemistry like Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones in Men in Black, or the group of comedians in Ghostbusters. Reynolds is a bit bland. Most of the comedy in the film comes from Bridges' entertaining performance as an eccentric and over-the-top cowboy. He's the glue that holds it all together. Kevin Bacon, Mary Louise-Parker (Weeds, RED), and Stephanie Szostak (Iron Man 3) appear in supporting roles. Bacon plays an underwhelming bad guy, Louise-Parker plays the stern head of RIPD Boston, and Szostak is just there. James Hong (a Chinese actor and voice actor known for his roles in Mulan, Teen Titans, Chowder, Seinfeld, All in the Family, Big Trouble in Little China, Kung Fu, The Big Bang Theory, Kung Fu Panda, and Jackie Chan Adventures) and Marisa Miller (an SI model) play Nick and Roy's "avatars", the bodies they use while on patrol in the living world. Mike Judge (creator of Beavis and Butthead and King of the Hill, director of Office Space and Idiocracy, and voice of Kenny in South Park: Bigger, Longer, and Uncut) voices a few of the "deados" in the films. Funny little fact: Zach Galifianakis was originally cast as Roy, which I can't see working well, so I'm glad Bridges was cast. Jodie Foster was also originally cast as the head of RIPD Boston, but Louise-Parker got the role. The movie is somewhat underwhelming, the story seems very small and a little too fast-moving. What I mean by "small story", is that usually in summer blockbusters you expect a large-scale, satisfying story, like in Pacific Rim, The Dark Knight, The Avengers, and Iron Man. But here, it's somewhat dissatisfying. The CG is good, but a bit below-par for a summer blockbuster. Usually, summer blockbusters are 2-hours long, or longer. This film is pretty short, just about and hour and a half, the minimum run-time for a theatrical film. So it feels like it just rushes by, again, unsatisfying. The movie also doesn't have that much action, it's mostly humor oriented. The humor is also sub-par. I would stay for the first half of the credits, as Jeff Bridges sings an original, humorous country song, which was okay. Overall, R.I.P.D. is a mediocre blockbuster, it's honestly no surprise this film was a bit of a box office disappointment. The humor is just okay (besides a couple pretty good moments), the action is a bit below average, and the CG is mediocre. The two leads do good, but the rest of the cast is just sort of there, with little to do. The film is a too formulaic and predictable for it's own good, and unfortunately is just sort of forgettable. 2/5 stars.

Editorial note, August 7, 2013: I have changed the rating from 2.5 stars, to just 2 stars.

Links:
A YouTube review by Jeremy Jahns I enjoyed: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rpa3TpjRFXQ



 (Images: Wikipedia)