Sweet Discord

To try something new. I'm going to try a new way to review showing The Good and The Bad. People can then make their own opinions about a movie via the lists.


THE BAD :

1. It's one of those botched origin stories, do you really have to change the origin of the character every time it's addressed.
2. Ho-hum Chinese plot, hrms....that sounds familiar...
3. Voice actor for the main character never sold me on his character type, he seams like he's just a whiny bitch who just happens to have cash.
4. The film starts off way to slow, and then never stops, ending everything abruptly and closing lose ends in mere seconds, leaving you unsatisfied.
5. The "big-bad" is a ghost, not as cool as the "mini-bosses".
6. Why is the Iron Man using a sword?
7. They totally ignored the character type of Tony Stark.  Where is the intelligence? Where is the wit? Where are the one-liners and critical thinking from the past? He's a genius (except when it comes to women)...treat him as one.
8. Characterization is often flat, particularly with Wong Chu, whose emot-o-meter is stuck on jerk-face.

THE GOOD :

1. Naked Comicbook Ladies! (Almost)
2. It's a follow-up for Marvel Comics, "Ultimate Avengers 1/2".
3. Fight Scenes are entertaining.
4. There's an interesting Mystical vs Technology theme present.
5. I found Stark's secretary very amusing for her one-liners.
6. You get a small sample of some various suits that he's been working on.
7. Best of all, though, is a 7-minute preview of "Doctor Strange."

Final Thoughts: 6/10

This movie is not my favorite, nor is it really bad. I'll give it a ratings boost for the battle sequences, which are at least entertaining, but the rest is boring, almost painful in some places. Hopefully the 2008 live-action film will fare much better.

Labels: 6/10, Marvel, The Invincible Iron Man

Posted by BlackThir13en at 2:31 PM | Permalink | Comments

The Prestige is a "magic trick" transformed to theatrical form. The closest film of which it could be compared to is "The Sixth Sense", however it isn't a "twist". The entire film is created exactly as a magic trick is created. There is misdirection, "Hey look over here" while in fact the truth is much different. Some may say that the film failed in this effect, and even though I did "figure it" out before the film was about half way through....seeing the director Nolan pull it off, was still worth the effort.

The film stars Christian Bale an aspiring illusionist with tricks to spare, but hardly enough charisma to sustain an audience's attention. Meanwhile, his colleague, Hugh Jackman, has plenty of stage presence, but doesn't take enough risks to make it as a prime time magician. The two quickly become embroiled in a battle of wills for domination of London's stages. To give more plot wouldn't do the movie justice, so at that I shall leave it.

The most astonishing magic trick of them all was not even realized by me, until after beginning to write the review. It involves the role of Nickola Tesla, a scientist consumed with his rival, Thomas Edison. The reason why I suggests that this is the most astonishing trick, is the fact that it was played by David Bowie, yeah the singer/Labyrinth guy. I so didn't see it!@!@ I crapped myself later when I noticed it.

I ultimately enjoyed the movie, and yet will not give it a 10 rating. The only reason why it does not get this rating is that the diary reading got to me...not in a oh my god, i'm showing someone read a diary....but because the audio was very difficult to interpret. In fact, for part of the film a group of friends and I agreed to turn on subtitles just so we could tell what the fuck they were saying....I don't even think we actually ever took them off...oh well.

Final Thoughts: 9/10

No matter what anyone says about this film, it still shows that Chris Nolan (the director) is one of the most brilliant directors in Hollywood. It shows him returning to more intimate filmmaking after helming Batman Begins, the director manages to make this complex story as easily understandable and effective as he made the outwardly straightforward comic book adaptation dense and sophisticated. But that may be the filmmaker's greatest trick: to make the simple ones look complicated and the complicated ones look simple. Because any truly great performance is almost as much showmanship as it is actual talent, and Nolan possesses both in spades -- which means that as brilliant as it is, The Prestige is not "just" a convincing trick perpetrated on a willing audience. Rather, it's a sign that more, bigger and better ones are sure to come.

Labels: 9/10, Christian Bale, Hugh Jackman, The Prestige

Posted by BlackThir13en at 10:59 AM | Permalink | Comments

Let me start of with congratulating the movie for its Oscar. Bravo, you made excellent costumes. I'd hope so, you’re a period piece. Now why wasn't it looked for other Oscars? Well mainly because it sucked. And when I mean sucked....

IRRELEVENT PAUSE

It failed in many angles. Not do to the cinematography, set design, or makeup, ect.... it had no plot...yes it's a biography, but besides the fact that in a 3 second sequence we find out a child of hers died....there was nothing shown. Just extravagance and overspending. If I’d want that I'd just find a rerun of sex and the city at least that had sex in it that wasn't forced.

IRRELEVENT PAUSE

We are supposed to accept the idea that teenagers have behaved the same in all eras? (Hardly true. Royals took on adult responsibilities as teens back then and were trained and educated differently.) Should we have special sympathy for this vacuous creature that stood by her equally clueless husband en route to disaster? The movie's not particularly kind to either: She comes off as a gluttonous airhead, he a pussy in bed.

IRRELEVENT PAUSE

The ultimate irony of the project is that Marie and Louis' main crime was self-indulgence: They had too little awareness of the discrepancy between themselves and their people, and they paid for ignorance with their lives. Yet when they are arrested the only thing your feeling is thank god the movie has to be ending soon.

IRRELEVENT PAUSE

On and you may be wondering about those IRRELEVENT PAUSES, well those are riddled throughout the movie. Hey look we're in a carriage, lets spend 10 mins of the movie with no dialog...just showing us in a carriage....still us in a carriage...and still moving....ok plot moves on.....and now we're showing Marie walking....and she's walking....and she's still walking....oh my god...slits wrists.

Final Thoughts: 2/10

No need to describe the 2/10, it’s only there cuz the film has good eye-candy. That’s it.

Labels: 2/10, Kristen Dunst, Marie Antoinette

Posted by BlackThir13en at 10:39 AM | Permalink | Comments