Star Trek: Into Darkness

YAY STAR TREK!

I am pleased to report that the second new Star Trek film is very good.  I was a little worried it would be a plot repeat in the beginning, but it worked out.  I also now understand the fascination with Benedict Cumberbatch's voice--he shall make an excellent Smaug, for sure.

My only minor complaint is that I'm worried they're starting to get a little *too* silly with McCoy, which is a shame because I love Karl Urban's portrayal--dial it back, J.J.

I loved a lot of the effects in the film (especially the warp "trail') and I actually (gasp) enjoyed and noticed the 3D in this movie.  This is new for me...I'm  not sure how to feel about it.

Iron Man 3

Iron Man 3 is way better than Iron Man 2, but still not as good as the original.  I was pleasantly surprised with some kick-ass Pepper Potts moments.  I missed Tony Stark's humor, though...it's sort of there, but not like it was in The Avengers.  Tony was going through some stuff, though.  Apparently.

This particular Iron Man film is much more story-driven than the second one, which is likely why I liked it better.  Saw it in 3D, but it didn't make much of an impact.  I'm going to have to stop seeing things in 3D, because I'm never impressed (with the exception of movies being re-released, and only because I just want to see those on the big screen again...hi, Jurassic Park!)

P.S. Guy Pearce is creepy.  Ben Kingsley is awesome.

Oz the Great and Powerful

Here is a list of the things I liked about Oz the Great and Powerful:

1).  Some of the (CGI) scenery.
2).  The banter between Finley (the monkey) and the china girl.
3).  Some of the tie-ins to both the original source material (e.g. Glinda is the Good Witch of the South, as she is in the books), and the 1939 movie (e.g. the Wicked Witch of the West is green and has a broom like the one in the 1939 film; some of the characters in the beginning appear as characters in Oz).

Here is a list of things I didn't like about this movie:

1).  EVERYTHING ELSE.

My biggest issue with this film was that there was SO MUCH potential for a great, interesting story about the Wizard's origin (as well as that of the wicked witches), but that was HORRIBLY and irrecoverably WASTED in favor of computer-generated bullshit.  Also, all of the acting (with the exception of Zach Braff, who spent most of the movie as the VOICE of a CGI monkey) was fucking awful.

I fully realize that there was no way this film could have ever lived up to the 1939 original, which is probably my favorite movie of all time, and has been since I was a kid. (For the record, I know that the 1939 movie is not much like the original Oz book, which I've read).

I knew from the first time I saw a preview that this movie would probably either be a stand-alone original take on the Oz universe, or maybe even based more on the original books.  I did not expect it to be like the MGM movie, but I did hope that it would at least be good.  I shouldn't have gotten my hopes up.

ARGH.  We all know that I'm a Disney lover, but holy crap, Disney, what did you do to Oz?

Lincoln

Only a little behind schedule, right?  Anyway, I love historical movies, so of course I loved this one.  Totally get why DDL won the Best Actor Oscar--amazing!  A lot of the cast was pretty great; I was pleasantly surprised to see James Spader, and of course Tommy Lee Jones can do no wrong.  I can't see David Strathairn and not think of League of Their Own, though.

My 14 year old cousin seemed bored out of his mind, but being the history nerd that I am, I was satisfied.

Reviews of Movies I Haven't Seen: Silver Linings Playbook

My mom wrote the best movie review ever when she described this movie to me.

"This movie is good other than the 30 minutes of it I slept through."

Silver Linings Playbook

I actually saw this pre-Oscars, but was a total slacker about reviewing it.

Which is weird, cause I really liked it!  The story has sad moments, bittersweet moments, funny moments--all the best stuff tied together really nicely.  The entire cast is fantastic (obviously), and I have a new appreciation for Bradley Cooper, who I didn't care about one way or the other before.  Good job, team!

Promised Land

After seeing the trailer, I was hoping this movie would be a thoughtful and thought-provoking indictment of fracking and the big-money energy corporations that profit from it. It is actually a really long match.com profile for Matt Damon. "See, guys! Look how sincere I am! I am SO SINCERE! I am SO FREAKING SINCERE IT MAKES YOUR TEETH HURT!" If you don't see the "surprise ending" coming from a mile away, you are dumber than a dead hamster. Almost as dumb as Matt Damon's character, who, despite working for a big-money energy corporation that profits from raping the earth, is surprised like an innocent baby fawn when said energy corporation does something unethical.

Life of Pi

This is yet another book turned movie I have not read, and therefore I can't judge that aspect of it.  If I'm being honest, though, that's fine by me because I prefer to judge movies as movies and not necessarily in comparison to their source material.

This film is very well done, and the vast majority of it is impressively carried by Suraj Sharma (who plays Pi as a young man) and a CGI tiger, which is a feat for any actor, but sort of stunning for an actor's first film.  The scenery is beautiful, the story plays out well, and its thought provoking to say the least (not to spoil anything [unless you've read the book and therefore already know], but the ending made me ponder for hours).  Good job, movie!

Also, the CGI tiger made me giggle more than it probably should have (it kept doing things that reminded me of my much smaller, less deadly kitties).  I'm a sucker for animals.

Hobbitses!

Thanks to the Hobbit, I will now start talking like Gollum all over again.  Thanks, Peter Jackson!

Before I begin my review, let me state the following facts:  first, it has been at least 5 years since I read the Hobbit (possibly more, because I'm pretty sure it was during the peak of my LOTR-geekdom back when the original movies came out), and second, I don't remember a whole lot about it.

The good: 

1. Martin Freeman and Ian McKellan, of course.  As if you expected anything else. 
2. Random hot dwarf.  HELL-O.  I'm actually torn about this, see below. 
3. Radagast the Brown, despite the bird poo on his face (I'm not kidding). I may be bias because he's played by Sylvester McCoy, aka: The Seventh Doctor.

The iffy: 

1. This one seemed slightly cheesier than the LOTR films, but like I said, its been quite awhile since I read the book, so I have a feeling its a little less dark and dramatic than the trilogy and so the silliness may actually be appropriate.  It was still very fun though.
2. The random hot dwarf.  I appreciate the eye candy (which is likely why they did this), but...dwarves are not supposed to be hot.  Gimli was not hot.  Hot!Dwarf was also the only dwarf without a beard, so he stuck out like a sore thumb.
3. Was Thorin Oakenshield that moody in the book? Crap, I need to read it again. Also, the moment between Thorin and Bilbo at the end was weirdly predictable and cheesy.  I think it was trying to be like the moment between Sam and Frodo at the end of FoTR, only the corny was cranked up several notches.

This movie also contains a shit-ton of running.  One of my friends even commented, "Man, these guys just can't get a break!" It's true.

Don't let me kid you, though.  I would totally see this again and I was geeking out the whole time.  I am particularly excited for the next installment with SMAUG!  RAW DRAGON!

Twilight Part 10: The Twilightening

I have seen every Twilight movie, and I am here to tell you that slightly more happens in this one than the other ones, I think, and there are slightly fewer long dead-eyed stares. I guess you can kill vampires by just ripping their heads off now? The rules keep changing. Make no mistake, this movie is completely horrible, but as I've said before, I like being in a movie theater with movie popcorn, and on that point, Twilight fulfills my every dream and wish. The best part was seeing it with someone who hadn't seen any of the other movies.