Captain America: The First Avenger - Full Review

Finally saw this after quite a long time...



Captain America was really first created as a propaganda piece during the Second World War, especially since the first thought that popped into the creator's head was to have Hitler be punched square in the jaw by someone dressed as a giant American flag. Someone like that would be only be taken seriously in the comic book and cartoon world, though many great comic writers had given this character many great stories and development throughout the time. It is understandably hard to flesh out the character into a live-action format as there were many attempts, especially the infamous 1990 low-budget movie. In a time where superhero movies are now grounded and realistically-based, bringing Captain America to the big screen in a serious way would be a not-so-easy task, when establishing his origins and selling on the Steve Roger character. How did they pull it off? Its first crucial move: setting it in the time where its not totally grounded and realistically-based - the 1940s.

In doing so, the explanation of all the origins of Captain America such as the costume, ideals and character flows very well for the casual audience and the people who knew the comic. And the film didn't rush the audience into bringing up Captain America, but it took its time in progressively illustrates the stepping stones in how he becomes that hero ala Batman Begins. Secondly and equally important was for Chris Evans to portray not Captain America the Super Solider, but Steve Rogers the human being and he did it so magnificently. He completely sold it. Man that guy came such a long way from "Not Another Teen Movie", you guys didn't know that?

During the Second World War, Steve Rogers wants nothing more than to serve his country by joining the army. The only problem is that he has only spaghetti arms rather than a full body tank the U.S Army prefer, not to mention he has all the known health problems like asthma. Only the kind Doctor Abraham Erskine (played effortlessly by Stanley Tucci) gives him a chance to serve his country by enlisting him into the Super Solider program. After a dose of the Super Soldier serum (seriously, not steroids) and some Vita-Rays, small weak Steve transforms into one perfectly-sculpted muscled solider, coined the name Captain America. There, he faces off against his equally-powered, but hideously-grotesque Red Skull as he plans to destroy the world.

The hero that is Captain America relies heavily on the humanity of Steve Rogers and the writers pulled it off so well. The character strikes such a balance in being a good nature and incredibly sharp person. There are pivotal character moments such as the flag and grenade scene of Steve are so simple, but yet illustrates his characteristics so beautifully. The supporting characters were alsso great such as the wise Dr. Erskine, the fiery Peggy Carter (played by "wolf-howl" Hayley Atwell) and Red Skull (Hugo Weaving). The action scenes in this film are ranged from top-notch to pretty average, but all are very enjoyable . Though, I really need to talk about the special effect especially how it was used for skinny Rogers that is just so seamless and much impressive.

Some of the complaints were by the middle of the film, it all went a bit rushed. It seems like the film took a good time establishing and explaining all the development of elements that they rushed through the middle without that much context. The film score isn't that memorable or doesn't give that much impact except for certain parts. However the film's ending is very heartfelt and thoughtful, concluding with such a graphic novel style instead of a comic-book movie style. That last line at the last second of the film will just hit you hard in the gut. 

Captain America: The First Avenger is no Dark Knight (I mean, what movie will ever be that?), but I'm proud to have it among my favorite superhero films. It is equally as good as Thor and Spider-man and its just gave me a solid faith in the upcoming The Avengers film. That and The Dark Knight Rises and all of the other BIG films... its gonna be one hell of a year next year. But the film just succeeds in not only being a big blockbuster film, but being a genuinely character-driven good film. The film had some problems, but only by an inch, I gave so much love for this.


4 out of 5 stars by an inch...

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Pt. 2 - Full Review

Sh*t 's about to hit the fan!

Yes I'm a huge fan of Harry Potter. I love the Harry Potter series and fell in love with it when Rowling brought out book 4. From the first time I laid my eyes on the first book, it was an all-new kind of story filled with its own mythology and lore of magic and fantasy and dotted with very fun and interesting characters that soon we come to love for a long time. By the time the first film came out, it was uncertain of how the series would play out throughout as separate individual films. Yet it seem like a miracle that the film series would still keep the interest of audience and the successes in both financially and critically as well as all of the original cast holding on to the roles for all 8 films. It just makes me happy enough that a book series I hold dearly was given so much respect and care in translating to the big screen where most series/franchises won't be given a chance. Now at last the final film of Harry Potter have now been shown with all of the cast and crew be giving their last bow in the most emotional and spectacular way. How I came out of the theater would have me split in two ways, as a film-goer and a Harry Potter fan. And that is how I will be writing this review.

Knew it, you got pink eyes...

The storyline is somehow relatively simple as it continues where Part 1 left off as Voldemort (evil bad-guy number 1) is pretty much desperately wanting to kill Harry Potter by claiming the Elder Wand while the band of heroes (Harry, Ron, Hermione) are checking off one by one of the Horcruxes, which are parts of Voldemort's soul so they can finish him off once and for all. It is a fast, emotional and dangerously race against each other where many lives are in danger and lost, the stakes are highs, pasts are uncovered, courage are put to the test and many many sh*t blows up.

Stop spit-balling the castle!

Now as a Harry Potter fan, from reading the book, I could say that it translated respectfully and well enough from the book. I could understand of the many changes from the storyline and some of these changes work better than the book. Though the film still suffers from the same problem as many Harry Potter adaptations as many of fine and important details from the books are not included or that some of the events are not satisfyingly branched out/developed well enough where as the books has. It is understandable that the past films were allowed only a certain amount of time to develop these events. However at this point when they decided to split the final book into two films, they should take advantage of this and develop more of the story, events and characters, which in turn the film stop short of it. And as a fan who really loves the last Harry Potter book because of all the significant and great moments within, I would have love to see these moments to be grander and fully-scaled in film, which honestly didn't played out like that all all. As a film-goer, it is a pretty well-rounded and well-balanced film that had the appropriate amount of drama, emotions and spectacles while still retaining that epic feel. The pacing problem is still present, but not so much as the last film and the emotional and drama are consistently genuine throughout.

It is just amazing to see the three original actors who stuck on to the roles of Harry, Hermione and Ron for a decade, to have us grow up onscreen and to becoming such decent actors. Despite not being fully utilized well as in the books, the characters throughout the series have been shaped maturely physically and mentally and each have their own last hurrah in the film. Not to mention of how good-looking they have become. Daniel Radcliffe has had the weight of the entire film franchise on his shoulders for the past eight films and he is still great for each reprisal for the films. Rupert Grint have been the comedic support in the past films, but he still managed to pull serious dramatic chops in the last two. Emma Watson still pulls off being the graceful and strong Hermione and damn it is just so unbelievable that she became so hot. There are THREE times she had gotten herself wet and each time my tongue just swaggered. It was a nice change for Voldemort from being powerful and cocky to desperate and more dangerous. And hey the man of the moment is Matthew Lewis as Neville Longbottom. Seeing him from a short chubby goody-two-shoe geek to a complete and utter badass gives a lot of hope for the nerds out there... well not all of them. Wish there was more screen time for him because he's just a badass, but there were two extremely awesome moments of him that I was just happy to leave that.

Try to make fun of my name, b*tches!

As I said by the time I exited the theater, my opinion is split by the two sides of me, the film-goer and the Harry Potter fan. It is inevitable that they will be details left out and plot points will be changed, so I had to forced myself to see this as a film version, instead of a direct adaptation. That said I couldn't be more impressive that a studio would reach and complete all seven books of the series without any hiccups and kept their quality intact. For this being a huge movie event, the story and character elements still remained important and essential while giving the audience grand and wonderful spectacles (You hear that Michael Bay!) As a Harry Potter fan, I'm a little disappointed that some of the points weren't executed or portrayed well and they can ranged from nit-picky to problems. Other than that it is a real satisfying and grand finale to the biggest and most beloved film franchises ever existed. Thank you JK, Heyman and Radcliffe for this and good luck in the future.

As a Harry Potter fan - 4 out of 5 stars

As a film-goer - 4 and a half out of 5 stars

Sleeping Beauty - Review

I really wanted to sleep while I was watching this, but I don't think I couldn't after seeing so many pointless, yet horrifyingly things like an old man's junk. I mean really... in order to see Emily Browning naked, you have to go through many naked, yet ugly chicks and naked old men too while nothing (and I mean absolutely nothing) goes on in this film. What it all worth it? What it worth going through something that was consider to them "an art film"? This week instead of hating on something that was brainless, immature and full of douchebaggery like "Transformers", I'll go to the other extreme and hate on something that is supposed to be high-brow and pseudo-artsy. And I know it is a sensitive word to use, but I have been forced to throw down the card. This was a boring, tasteless and (dare say it) PRETENTIOUS piece of crap.

Not before you tackle me, I watch slow and art films and I do love them. Some of my favorites of all time are
Darren Aronofsky's and Michel Gondry's films like "Requiem For A Dream" and "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind". Hell recently I saw a slow film called "Win Win" and I really like it a lot. These films I like are because they have a balanced emphasis on "art" and "film". I was intrigued of what I saw in the trailer and this became a hard lesson when it is at time "trailers lie". This Australian film was an excuse to fill seemingly two hours of tacky French-influenced artistic shots with old high-class people with their noses stuck up in the air. Nothing really goes on with the film's plot or characters, including Emily Browning's leading character. The film has her playing Lucy, who is a student and a waitress who answered a job ad where she becomes a prostitute and to be drugged to sleep naked, so horny old men can have their way with her except penetration. And these characters say the word "penetration" with such emphasis as if the film tries so hard to be shocking and outrageous, yet "artistic". And there's nothing else to it. There is no interest to Lucy or anything we have sympathy or the slightest care for her and any of real importance of why she chose to go through this other than she needed the money. Other characters try to come on and have a moment on screen like a completely boring monologue, yet they brought such little and pointless impact on the film because they don't have enough development, screen presence or even charm to make us give a crap about them.

The film's greatest sin is its pacing and editing. And with the lack of any music soundtrack and score, it makes the film a whole lot worse. It is as if the film tries so hard to be different and alternative that their use of storytelling becomes such a mess. I mean somebody must have a restraint on using the "fade-to-black" transition where it is just one damn too many and again pointless. There was even a scene coming from a "fade-to-black" transition where Lucy was doing something ordinary and after 4 seconds, it ends with a "fade-to-black". I just wanted to scream out loud from that. No fucking point or meaning to that scene. They have so many wasted frames on boring editing and pacing where they could have used it wisely on plot and character development to the point I'm so convinced they didn't have a story to tell. It was a waste on potential and my fuckin time.

This is a clear example of how to make a bad art film. This film contains so many element of why I hate films I considered pretentious like "Waking Life" and "Across The Universe". Sorry to use that word, but I'm just fuming with anger right. Angry at something that wasted my time with boring, pointless, pseudo-intellect and artsy garbage. If you are really that eager to see this as a completely different non-mainstream art film, go right ahead. If you are really really want to see Emily Browning naked (and I do say, she has a nice body), you have been warned.... naked ugly chicks and not one, but TWO full-frontal naked old men! And that is something you have to cleanse your eyes with corrosive acid. Which is what I'm doing now...

Half a fuckin star out of 5 stars!

Rango Full Review

Kind of a long time since I did a full review.

Rango is quite possibly after such a long time the best Non-Pixar American animated film yet. And the reason why its labeled that is because the actual best Non-Pixar animated films goes to Hayao Miyazaki's films like Spirited Away and Princess Mononoke. But hell, I'll just say it. It kicks the crap out of anything Dreamworks. Because I never seen anything outside of Pixar that puts so much into the level of detail and design and as well as keeping such a good balance of writing and references from the obvious (Clint Eastwood/Spaghetti Westerns) to the obscure (Hunter S. Thompson). Though with its many faults, the film is thoroughly entertaining and solid enough.

Starting the film off triumphantly by the group of owl mariachis, introduces a chameleon, who is really not named Rango (played amazingly as always by Johnny Depp) with his own complexity of identity crisis and loneliness, longing for any interaction and self-worth when he's only boxed in a glass pet container. Fate plays its part when his glass pet container falls off the owner's car, leaving the nameless chameleon to fend off in the scorching, unforgiving desert and wind himself in the town of Dirt, run by colorful (if you count as mud dirt brown) and ruthless civilized animals. Seeking an opportunity to blend in, he adapts the identity of a badass by the name of Rango and spread his own fictional tales of heroism and adventures to all of the townspeople. Its a matter of time before his lies doesn't last long in the wild and violent west. The story can be a tad bit formulaic, but it gets much from all the visual and referential cues from classic westerns and surreal hallucinations.

Johnny Depp has been doing voice-acting especially with his role on Corpse Bride, but this is the first time he truly act out for an animated character. Never was he a stiff board like in Corpse Bride, Depp brought out a sizable range for the character for the right moments and the right timing as well giving that much complexity and fun. Probably one of the joys of this film is hearing the voice performances for the characters and finding out the actors at the end credits that you wouldn't realize it was them playing those characters. The voice performances are just amazing and blends it so well with the western genre. I mean you wouldn't have guess who would provided the voice to the most iconic character of all of the western genre.

The character designs are so unique and impressive that they nearly cancel out the "uncanny valley" in going between realism and cartoonish. All have a quirky and detailed portrayals of western character traits and all behave and act like characters from a true western film. When it comes to cinematography and mis-en-scenes, it is just beautiful and jaw-dropping to look whether it is the harsh backdrop of the west to the macro-scale look of a flower. There are times you couldn't tell that it is an CG-animated film, more convincing than (I dare-say it) Avatar. Yes another Avatar-bashing moment for me and I won't stop (how much I hate that film). If there are few things I would have complaints for the film are that are some red herrings in the plot that can be a bit of letdown.

Despite being formulaic and flawed that stopped this film from being an animated perfection, this is still one of a kind. Being really original in not following the typical pattern from other animated studios like Dreamworks or even Pixar, this and Fantastic Mr Fox are the ones that follow their own shtick.


4 out of 5 stars

The Social Network Full Review

Status: "Like" this movie

Nearly everyone laughed at the idea of making a movie about Facebook. As if people are running out of ideas to tell a story and come up with something ridiculous like a movie about the board games Battleships and Monopoly or about a computer simulations game, The Sims. We all thought it was going to be something wacky involving Facebook when in fact, we were all wrong. Helmed by David Fincher and written (beautifully) by Aaron Sorkin (not to mention composed by Trent Reznor of Nine Inch Nails), we later found out it was about the creation of Facebook, that extremely addictive digital time-waster that has gotten nearly everyone in the entire planet hooked into. And with this combination of talents, who knew that a movie about Facebook would be so interesting, compelling and riveting, if not a little bit exaggerated.

The Social Network (aka Getting Screwed: The True Story) begins with a breakup between young Mark Zuckerberg, soon-to-be founder of Facebook (Jesse Eisenberg) and his ex. Fueled with rage and alcohol, Mark creates a web page, along with best friend Eduardo (the new Spiderman, Andrew Garfield) that allows guys to choose between various female Harvard students in terms of hotness and thus crashing the entire Harvard’s network. This grabs the attention of high-class Harvard students, the Winklevoss twins (played by just one guy, Armie Hammer) in proposing to Mark in programming their website. Although Mark closes himself off from the twins to create his own social network venture which would become “Facebook” and thus follows the backstabbing, the screwing-overs and the courtroom dramas for this one single idea.

This is the one tiny problem I had with the film and it made the film just a shy away from being an extremely great film for me. When it comes to adapting a true event into a feature film, there is always a chance where the story will be more exaggerated, elaborate, operatic and dramatic ala A Beautiful Mind and Shine. And it’s no big deal because you have to make the story very interesting and exciting for the audience. You can’t watch a boring film, I suppose. But with all the drama the film produced throughout, to me it just lost its impact towards the end and you can realize that there was no sense of peril, risk or endangerment. That it all works out in the end, which makes all the drama the film had not pointless, but an insy winsy tiny bit. That said, it all just kinda summed by just one quote, making me realized how romanticized the film really is. Said by the female lawyer in Mark’s defence, “To you, it’s just a speeding ticket.”

Not to say the film is bad, in fact it is still amazing. What I highly praised about this film are the performances by the actors and the always sharp-witty writing of Aaron Sorkin. His writing is always that fun and sharp especially in his last project, Charlie Wilson’s War and his writings are greatly delivered by the performances of the actors especially Jesse Eisenberg as the complete assh*le you can’t help but adore. Jesse just steals the show with his nose-raising superiority ego and his ability to give such great comebacks with complete ownage. Andrew Garfield really hold it together and you really do feel sympathetic for him as the only good friend of Mark, as he is doing everything for him and to make his business work only to have him screwed. Justin Timberlake is now placing himself among the rare list of great music-artists turned great actors as he proved himself to just wow us over and over.

For a movie with a not-so-interesting subject like Facebook, this is kind of a must-see. There are great performances from the cast especially Jesse and Justin and the writing will keep you hanging for every great bits, not to mention it is also so damn funny. Though you'll find that the film is made something that is small very much exaggerated, you will be thankful that the great performances, the writing, the camera direction and the music came into play otherwise it would have such a hacked attempt. Add this to your Facebook's friends.

4 out of 5 stars

The Expendables Full Review

Some people have waited their entire life for mix-ups or team-ups of certain action stars. The best one I could think of was The Forbidden Kingdom where Jackie Chan and Jet Li have a spectacular fight and later team up to fight against the bad-guys in an awesome way. So we were hoping to see Sylvester Stallone, Bruce Willis and Arnold Schwarzenegger take on the epic giant massive army force in a wasteland and that idea alone will make the whole planet Earth explode. Well... that day has finally come! Its just that you'll see those three guys in one room, doing nothing and Schwarzenegger is only in the movie less than 3 minutes. That is probably the closest thing you'll get to see these three biggest action stars in one room in a movie.

So instead, you'll see other action icons like Jet Li, Jason Statham, Terry Crews, Dolph Lundgren and Mickey Rourke filling in on some explosive testosterone goodness. But unfortunately, they don't really do much until the huge final explosive guns-fest and it has been pretty much the Stallone/Statham show for the majority of the film. We don't really spend that much with the other characters like Crews, Couture or even Li since the entire focus and development are with Stallone and Statham. So the other guys are there and its great to see them blow up stuff, but I wouldn't care as much for what they do in the film.

We are F*CKIN MEN!!!

Here is the plotline: you have this group of bad-ass mercenaries called "The Expendables" that specialized on dangerous and crazy missions. Then Willis and Schwarzenegger ask Stallone if he can take out an evil American agent controlling a giant militarized island country. And... that's it. This movie wasn't really made to have a plot or any depth. People will come to see stuff blow up and men with giant muscles shoot machine guns (that sounds a little bit gay). And you can come to predict how the movie goes and there isn't any huge stakes or dangers for the Expendables especially for ONE that really came back from the dead! This film also goes by 80s movie action logic, but there are even some bits that were such long stretches. It just becomes too silly.

And here ya go, a cute little pink fairy... very manly

So yeah this film was kind of a let down for me especially since I'm that kid that grew up watching those classic 80s-90s films. I watched Total Recall, Terminator, Die Hard (thats more of a thinking man's action film), Rambo and Predator over and over again when I was like ten on that rusty old VHS machine. And I was kinda looking forward to this film since I have been liking what Stallone have been directing since he got back on the director's chair. Rocky Balboa was a brilliant end to the series, but the 4th Rambo movie "RAMBO" was f*ckin hardcore! To me, that film (Rambo) was really the return of 80s action movie. The plot was simple and thin, but the payoff and climax was massive and completely satisfying with enough character development.

However this film, The Expendables was pretty much a step back. I would understand if they cut down on the gore and make it accessible to a much wider audience. But there were spots of heavy gore from the beginning and a little afterward we don't get that much. So its either go all out and be f*ckin crazy or have none at all. The best example of this is Crank: High Voltage where the film knows its f*ckin crazy and stupid, doesn't give a cr*p about logic, has no shame in having violence, gore, nudity and a horse c*ck and guarantees you a great and fun time. That film has a giant pair of balls and this film isn't close to that. And the other thing in this film that really annoyed me is the amount of CG blood. It doesn't work for 300, not for Ninja Assassin and not for ANY movie especially this! It makes the entire film clean and sterile and loses any impact on violence. There were some kills that could have been awesome if it didn't have CG blood!

I TOLD YOU, I don't know how to play basketball!

Its nice to look back on the 80s action movies, but there are reasons why action movies evolved to where are they now. Die Hard could be the start of that since its about an un-expecting out-of-luck man who is risen up to the challenge. And since then, we see other people that are not of muscle-physique jocks becoming action heroes because its much more interesting and challenging. The Expendables is a nice look back at the decade that was and it gets to think of why we love it and why we're not interested in them anymore.

2 out of 5 stars

Machete will be much better...

Vampires Suck Full Review

Oh Dead Lord...

(If you ask me how I saw the movie, I downloaded it off the net. I didn't spend any money on this travesty of the film.)



I really don't know what possess me to do this. What makes me go in and watch really bad movies. I have checked out Troll 2, Bratz, freakin Twilight movies and even (God forbid) Disaster Movie. Maybe by watching these bad movies would give me some sense of accomplishment and credibility, which later question myself: is it worth it anymore? Am I getting tired of sacrificing my brain cells every time a crappy movie pops up on the horizon? Does it give me a sense of adventure and danger whenever I gave my eyes upon it? This movie challenges my perception. Now honestly when I heard that these two idiots had a new movie called Vampires Suck, I was about to get my guns out and go on a blind murderous rampage. But I refrained myself because I got into so much trouble from the last time I did that for Disaster Movie. And low and behold...



This movie COMPLETELY AND UTTERLY sucks...



I still ended up with the biggest migraine after watching this movie. But I will say this though... it is LESS painful than their f*cker-piece, Disaster Movie. Which doesn't mean much. Its like saying "I will only make you bleed out 60% of your blood instead of 100%", you'll still lose blood. It is appreciative that they cut a tiny bit of the pop culture references, but it is still infuriating every time the movie puts one of those. Again there was no f*ckin point, setup or reason every time they bring up something pop culture. Its just f*ckin insulting. The actors are just mimicking the acting style of their characters from the Twilight movies, but for the impersonators who impersonates the celebrities, they did an awful job. Whats worse than Lady Gaga is a crappy Lady Gaga impersonator. The writing is standard Friedberg-Seltzer piss-poor style, considering that it took TWO MONTHS to write a f*ckin script. Wouldn't be surprise if it took them two weeks! Its less crappy though, but its still crap. You know what? Don't bother! This kind of movie is a waste of space and should be completely ignored. I took the bullet to see this to tell you guys and your friends to not see this movie.

GAAAHHH!!!!

Now I'm going into..



(RANT MODE!)



AND you know what is so scary in this day and age? People going to see this more than Scott Pilgrim or The Expendables. That is right, the day where I have been reconfirmed that the majority of young society are run by complete and utter MORONS. And right now, I'm going into a rant... I know YOU people wants some laugh and there is nothing wrong with having a cheap laugh, but if you want some cheap laughs, go to Youtube! F*ckin hell, that is f*ckin FREE and you can find SO MANY Twilight parodies that are MUCH better, rather than paying freakin money to see this crap! If you, like me, hate those Twilight movies, be F*CKIN SMART and don't f*ckin see this movie! In the times where daughters of famous and respectable Hollywood movie stars becomes porn stars because so they can be "famous" (Laurence, I'm sorry, but your daughter is unbelievably retarded... who is kinda hot), it is no wonder society is dumbing down where KIDS don't appreciate the sense of hard work and creativity. Icons like Kim Kardashian, Paris Hilton and Michael Bay have gotten where they are by taking the easy way and I'm so pissed off at them because there are creative, talented and hard working people that only gone halfway to where these IDIOTS are. Now you have the generation of young people favoring the lazy and moronic while something that was done with so much hard work, creativity, thought and care like Scott Pilgrim have been thrown aside. If that's what the world is heading, I SO do hope a meteor comes down and destroy the world really early because I wouldn't care anymore. The only reason why I don't feel like having a meteor destroying the world right now is that at least smart and creative films like Toy Story 3 and Inception are performing very well. But if you are one of those people, even IF you're my friend that is keeping the most retarded filmmakers in the film industry by going and giving money to see this pile of crap, then promise me NEVER to have children. Seriously...



In the f*ckin end, I will say: F*CK YOU, JASON FRIEDBERG! F*CK YOU, AARON SELTZER! F*CK THIS MOVIE! F*CK THE PEOPLE WHO LIKED THIS! I WISH I COULD WIPE THAT IMMATURE DOUCHEBAG SMUG OFF YOUR FACE! F*CK YOU JASON AND AARON AND I HOPE YOU DIE!



Ehem... in other words, please don't see this movie...





GTFO out of 5 stars

DIE MUTHERF*CAKAS!!!

Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World Full Review

Name: Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World
Age: 2010
Rating: AWESOME

You want Japanese Anime adaptation done right? You want video-game adaptation done right? You want to see a teen romance/date comedy done in the most hyper action-packed and awesome way? Then press start on your controller and experience the epic of epic epicness that is "Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World". Never before you have seen one guy actually fighting for the heart of one girl, blended in awesome visuals, clever sight gags and sounds, the hippest soundtrack and super-ultra-hyper fight/battle sequences that reaches over 9000 on its power level! Scott Pilgrim WINS the movies, getting a 2x combo in becoming both the BEST video-game adaptation movie and the BEST Japanese-Anime movie of all time... EVER!

Squeezed and packed faithfully from Bryan Lee
O'Malley's six volume comic-opus, Scott Pilgrim (Michael Cera) is a bass player in a crappy band, in between jobs and currently dating a 17-year-old Asian high-schooler, Knives (Ellen Wong). That is until new girl Ramona Flowers (Mary Elizabeth Winstead) literally skates into his dreams and immediately Scott was hypnotized. After one hook-up with Ramona, things get real complicated when Scott realizes that he has to face off and defeat SEVEN of Ramona's evil exes one by one, led by final boss Gideon Graves (Jason Schwartzman). It is a fact that relationships are hard and complex, just like video games.

Mr. Patel, you're trying to seduce me...

For me having read all six volumes of the comics, the filmmakers did a marvelous job in being relevant and retaining the same core messages and development it possess in the comics. The advantage that this film and the comics have is that their aspect on relationship and love is as nearly realistic and relatable to most young people and they can really identify themselves in the hero, Scott Pilgrim. Its kind of human of Scott that he makes the same mistakes most people do for his own selfish needs and comforts, especially after having his breakup from his last girlfriend, Envy Adams (played by a very sexy Brie Larson). And it takes his date with Ramona to actually mature and wise up to his attitudes and self-esteem, even to fight his own inner demons (which he actually does literally). I would say that the characters, especially Scott could have been developed a little more, but I wouldn't argue of how it ended with it.

After a long run of being a quiet, awkward, mumbling
dweeb, Michael Cera finally becomes a more animated and confident guy whilst dealing with his own issues and it is just refreshing to see him that. Not only that, but he was amazing as an action hero. And the day I see Michael Cera as a total badass, something wonderfully wonderful just happened. Winstead is great and HOOTTT as the girl of every geek's dream, Ramona Flowers and Wong is just so cute and hyper as Knives, with two of these girls have their own ass-kicking. Rest of the cast were also great with Kieran Culkin always hitting the joke button right as Scott's gay roommate, Wallace Wells and Alison Pills and Mark Webber are as supportive and deadpan as Scott's band members, Kim Pine and Stephan Stills respectively. Probably the people who looks like they are having the most fun are the 7 evil exes and when they are on, they are REALLY on. All acted devilishly and humorously maniacal and giving us something spectacular. Chris Evans (Captain America) was so different and cocky as Evil Ex #2, Lucas Lee and Brandon Routh (Superman) displayed his awesome "vegan" power and delivered awkward liners as Evil Ex #3, Todd Ingram. Even for the final boss, Schwartzman played so well as the kind of nerd we other nerds would love to hate, a pretentious, rich d*uchebag.

I can go for that MC Hammer joke, but I'm a little too old for that

The movie acts as a huge love letter to geekdom in giving off so many references to movies, music and video-games from clear visuals gags to hidden sound bites that can only be recognizable to geeks. And the fun thing about this film is that it acts like an actual video game, going from earning coins when you defeat an enemy, to health bars, to extra lifes, leveling up when you wise up, even the 7 exes acts as boss battles and all are done in a clever and fun way, which is something other video-game movies have fail to do. Uwe Boll, take lessons from Edgar Wright! For the casual audience, they won't matter if they catch all the sight and sound gags. But for hardcore nerds like us, it is such a real treat. Another thing I love is the soundtrack and theme of music that is used as a character, or even as a weapon. The soundtrack ranges from usually alternative rock bands with Beck, masquerading as the Sex Bob-Omb and even with the use of emo, country and techno, which were all a joy to listen to. AND DAMN, do I have to stress you guys about the fight scenes? The fight scenes are such a tribute to some of the Wu Sha/Kung Fu fighting movies and even of the hyper anime styles such as Dragonball and Street Fighter. Again, why can't the actual Dragonball and Street Fighter movies do something like this? Just wait till you get to the final battle where it is just... EPIC...

If a person who
has read the entire comics and ask how faithful it is to the comics, I would say it is fairly faithful and people will be nitpicky especially to some of the characters. You have to know that cramming all six volumes into one meaning alot will change. The outcome of the movie will be different from the comics, but the important thing is that it still retains the message and the journey Scott must go through. And in adapting from a 6-volume books to a 2-hour movie, all the changes they made makes sense and plays to good effects. Besides you'll still have -the comics and see how different it is to the movies. Some of the problems I'll say is that the ending is a bit rushed and the first 10-20 minutes will be getting used to. And like I said before, some of the characters or subplots weren't developed enough to what I wish for. Even some of the characters were popping in and out after a long time for an update, but these are just fair nitpicks and doesn't overshadowed my enjoyment.

Feel the power of my ARMPITS!

What I will expect is that people will get this film and some people won't. But even if you don't get it, you should still check it out as it is something original, something you have never-seen-before. Hell its freakin more original and visually-mesmerizing than Avatar (Yes, I'm still taking shots at Avatar. Bite me!) It is a guarantee action-packed fun time that also evaluates your own love life and personality. After making brilliant genre tributes like Shaun Of The Dead and Hot Fuzz, Edgar Wright is the master of his own game. Now claim your prize, my man!

4 and a half out of 5 stars

EDGAR WRIGHT HAS EARNED THE POWER OF FILMS!

Step Up 3D Full Review

This was probably my first Step-Up movie I have ever seen in a theater. Hell this is my first time seeing a hip-hop dance movie in a theater. And how I got myself to actually see this... well I was invited by my friend, Vanessa, so I couldn't really say no. Of course when you think of dance movies, you think of the parade of dance battles with a flimsy plot, not much character development and that appeal toward hip-hop MTV teens... so it wasn't my cup of tea. And is that what I got out of this movie?



Yeah that's what I got.



Now I'll be straight with you. Its not intelligent or entirely creative like Inception, but what it promises on are the barrage of cool and impressive hip-hop dance sequences and that's what it delivered. Though I was expecting a large number of SPECTACULAR and AMAZING dance sequences and I only found one to be amazing. So it felt short of my expectation. But at least my time wasn't wasted at all and I thoroughly had an enjoyable time.



You get what you expect for fans of these Step Up movies: a film all about cool and creative hip-hop dance sequences, the hottest mainstream hip-hop soundtrack and a all-too predictable plot with a cast of generic hip-hop character with black and white motivations. Let's see if I can summarize the plot: a guy named Moose gets recruited by a guy named Rick into the warehouse of the Pirates with its bands of merry dancers. Their club is losing money and has their warehouse up for sale, so they need to win this dance tournament to win a huge prize money before their rivals, the Samurais takes their warehouse away. Geez I could understand why their club is losing money if they are spending nothing but STEREOS and SHOES that are worth thousands! But with the magic of movie logic, you can foresee the ending way ahead. But that is not you came to see a Step Up movie, right?



Its all about the dance. That is what sells this movie and started this whole tread of these dance movies. And I would say that the dances are indeed entertaining. Though some can be pointless at times. Like when the rivals follows one of the lead characters into a bathroom and instead of threatening him by just beating him up or knifing him, the rivals actually threatens him with dance... I really don't why they use that to demoralize him, but hey... movie logic. And with the addition of 3D gimmick, it makes all the dance sequences very surreal and cool. There is one dance sequence (that is probably my favorite and the only great dance sequence of this movie) that hawks back to the Gene Kelly and Fred Astire eras that was whimsical, cute and charming and it was good to see that in a mainstream teen-appealing film like Step Up. What really takes me out of these dance sequences is the use of sound effects used on dancers. Whenever a dancer moves their arms, it creates a WHOOSH sound. Really... these dancers are not superheroes or martial artists! Its distracting me these sequences when its supposed to be a marriage of both music and dance motion!



Thankfully for a smart movie-goer, its not for them. But you'll still have a fun time and be dazzled by the dance sequences it offered. Even if the essential things like plot, character, development, pacing and motivation are completely crap, you won't feel cheated when you see this. Its a fine film to watch.



2 and a half out of 5 stars



Now lets get onto a film I've been waiting for... SCOTT PILGRIM!!!

Inception Full Review

Moviegoers, time to exercise your brain after eating many many junk food movies by checking out a one-of-a-kind experience, Inception. Out of all the films this year where you leave your brain out and just have fun, this one requires you to have them on all the time. This is a puzzle film with the budget of a Michael Bay blockbuster and only done well and tight. Taking a break before taking on the helm of the giant follow-up to the cosmically-praised The Dark Knight and Batman Begins (I hope he is), Christopher Nolan goes back to his roots in delivering calculating and mind-riveting pieces like his previous films, Following and Memento.

Wrap this around your brain. Cobb (Leonardo DiCaprio) and his partner (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) are the best at extracting secret and confidential information from people's dream for their clients by diving into their minds and create scenarios that allows the target to fill them with their secrets. This attracts the attention of a Japanese businessman (Ken Watanabe), who offers the team a job. In exchange for Cobb's crimes to be cleared and to be reunited with his children, Cobb has performed an act of inception on his target, a son of a rival energy business, where he doesn't steal an idea, but to plant an idea that will cause a reaction outside of the dream world. Soon the mission proved to be not so easy when the team realize the deadly stakes they are in and how the subconscious of Cobb's dead wife Mal (Marion Cotillard) keeps interfering with their mission as well as his entire life.

I will say one thing though. Whether you find yourself loving or you don't, you'll still come out the theater and think nothing but the movie for a good long day and have long discussions with your friends in wrapping around this giant puzzle of the movie. The movie is treated like a game for the audience, which is in a way, needed for the movie to work. The first 20 minutes of the film lays out the rules and glossary of the dream-world and the profession Cobb is known for, before you get on right into the game that is the Inception mission. And thankfully, the game of the film doesn't get out of hand by not having the entire concept going down too deep, meaning the film stays straight and doesn't get too complex and ridiculous. Like the layers of the dreams, the plot, the concept and even some of the characters have layers and each are executed greatly with care.

The smart thing about the film is it doesn't lack in pace and always grabs the audience's attention. There are many mind-blowing visual marvels to look at, it even rivals the visuals of Avatar. Hell I would say its better-looking. Not to mention the action-sequences are very inventive and engaging and it blows the mind of how many could happen at once. The cinematography is once again breathtaking and the soundtrack is definitely epic-feeling done by long-time collaborators of Chris Nolan: Wally Pfister and Hans Zimmer respectively.

Leonardo DiCaprio has started to look like a older man now instead of looking like a young boy as he was in most of his films and he was just amazing. Probably the actors that shined the most were Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Ellen Page and Tom Hardy. Jospeh was great, being the reliable and sharp partner, with Ellen being new and in awe of the new profession she has got into and Hardy being just a badass and just as witty and cool like James Bond himself. And like Nolan's last film, The Dark Knight, the entire cast has brought their A game and none brought the film down. Some may complain that there is not much development in most of the characters and it depends on how you view it. To me, the film needs to sacrifice some of the character developments in favor for the complex puzzle-like story and DiCaprio's character and emotional journey that are considered more important. The supporting characters may not get some developments and have some arcs, but at least they were left wasted and have important things to do in the storyline. The only character development that is important is Cobb's, in which the Inception mission is serves as his own moral realization/journey of his guilt and act against his wife he loves so much.

Not in any way a perfect film and certainly not his greatest masterpiece (The Dark Knight will always be perfect and his greatest masterpiece...yet), but is still considered one of the best films of the year, being on the same page as Memento and The Prestige. For some audience, it may be too smart for them and it is alot to take in. This film does require alot of thinking and alot attention. But the film doesn't insult or be pretentious for the mainstream audience and allows them to have fun in solving this puzzle game. And this is a step forward in bringing some intelligence back into the film industry that can bring casual audience to acknowledge "2001: A Space Odyssey" instead of "Marmaduke" and "Twilight"....


4 and a half out of 5 stars



Now Christopher Nolan, onto his BIGGEST and MOST AMBITIOUS of ALL.... BATMAN 3!!!

Toy Story 3 Full Review

Firstly I'll talk about the animated short, Day and Night that was presented before the main feature and it is by far their most creative and innovative Pixar has done. The idea and concept is probably new and was executed very well as their combination of 3D and 2D animation were used to a highly clever and creative extent. Though the narrative is pretty straightforward, it is really a SURREAL experience. That is basically what you always get from Pixar and especially that is very special as the main feature.

One thing you will know if a film series is very special is if the series actually grows up with you. The first adventure may be small and simple and the characters you get to know and spend time with are straightforward and have simple ambitions. But as the series and adventures goes on, the characters you know are developed, matured and their ideals are not anymore black and white as their time together becomes more harder and challenging, even darker. One prime example is the Harry Potter series, where the characters grow up with the audience. And this series literally grows up with the audience who has seen the first film as kids, including me. The second Toy Story film could have serve as the series' ultimate ending, but Pixar seem to have one last story up their sleeves. And the timing couldn't be so right. This latest adventure of Woody and Buzz Lightyear is probably the finest and the best of the Toy Story series and even arguably the most darkest. Hell maybe of all Pixar movies.

I wonder if they have seen me in my 'freaky' phase...

The last time we see Woody and Buzz in Toy Story 2, they have
accepted that they'll be prepared when Andy grows up to the point he has outgrown them. That time has come. Andy is going to college and the toys are contemplating on what fate will been bestow upon them, either they'll be donated to a day-care center, be stored in the attic or will be thrown away to the dreaded landfill. After a huge mishap, the toys are accidentally donated to the day-care center where they are introduced to a community of new toys governed by Lotso, a stuffed, huggable teddy bear. With him offering them a place in the day-care center, which seems a happy eternal life, there is something smells awfully fishy about it. Is life in the day-care center paradise or prison?

This place seem like a wonderful, happy place to live out your life....

OR IS IT?!

Easily could have been a throwaway sequel that gives cheap rides and
flimsy plot to the audience, but Pixar, like how they saved Toy Story 2, takes its time to tell a consistent and important story and really takes advantage of the age and attachment of these characters. What I read from other reviewers and critics is that some of the important plotlines are heavily similar to the first two Toy Story. Sure it did borrowed a few elements like the "delusional Buzz Lightyear" again, but all these borrowed elements are really integral to the story instead of being a recycled gag. And unlike the Shrek movies, Toy Story 3 spares us of any throwaway modern pop-culture jokes that take two seconds of screen-time and their humor and jokes are clever, creative and very funny, even heart-felt as well. You know how funny Pixar is when you get introduced to Chuckles the Clown. There are some jokes that can be suggestive like the flamboyant lifestyle of Ken, but they are not insulting or cheap and continues on with the story.

You know I'm a

"good" person because I'm so cute and cuddly/wuddly...

The animation is a no-brainer when you consider the span between the
first two Toy Story to this. Its been 10 years through technological leaps-and-bounds and the film's animation is a huge improvement, while still retaining the classic and nostalgic feel and looks. While the core characters are greatly developed even further, there are bundles of new characters/toys that were given enough screen-time and to do their own clever shtick. None of them were lame and their part was either important or funny. Even though its a family animated film, the action was pretty outstanding and very much edge-of-your-seat. It ranges from cool blockbuster type action to down right dangerous and dark thrill-ride. And I couldn't tell enough of how much dark this film was, whether its shows characteristics of cruelty and brutality to signs of real danger and peril. It may scare the children, but not too often.

Is he or he is

not.... you know...?

But the heart of the film is the actual heart of the film.
Ultimately it is about love. About friendship. About loyalty. About life, loss and acceptance. A love between a child and its toys and the love between comrades and friends. The films are never hokey or manipulative when it comes to play these themes, they are genuine and important and taken with great care and respect. Especially to one significant scene (other than the ending) that just demonstrate how indeed these characters are not toys, but real people. It is one time in the entire Toy Story series that define them the most heroic, courageous and daresay BADASS toys you have ever met. And let's talk about the ending, which I won't spoil it for you. But I will warn you, it is damn emotional and the perfect book-end/epilogue to the series. It all comes full circle and it shows how special these characters are not just to Andy, but to everyone else who was once an innocent child in their life. It goes to show that these kinds of toys make your childhood extra special and you would have thank them for that.

It must be
getting old for Pixar, being able to make not just good movies, but great and amazing movies one at each time. And its to the point that I really want to ask them "just make a mediocre movie just this once." We all know that something is magical in that fun little studio and brew up wonderful, brilliant things from your cauldron, so maybe be fair for the other animated studios. Let them shine instead of you just this once. But for now, we have to settle for them as being the greatest and most brilliant animation studio around if not ever and we have to thank them for bringing out the child within.

5 out of 5 stars


Since you're great at sequels, I WANT
AN INCREDIBLES SEQUEL!!!

Lost: The End Review

Whether you love the hell out of it (which is me) or you never caught on and never fully understand, you can't deny that Lost has made a giant smashing impact in pop culture and is considered one of television's most beloved phenomenons. Its fair that the mysteries of the show have become bigger and bigger and at time, lucrative and ridiculous, but we all accepted it as the show's narrative progress and it is a very clever techniques to draw us in and to explore the themes and mythologies it presented. The show gave us a wild and fantastical, yet an intellectual and analytical roller-coaster ride for 6 years and now like a novel, it comes to the final chapter. For a show that is very huge on its stories and mysteries, its understandable that not all questions will be answered and the ending won't make some of the audiences satisfied. What matters about the finale is that the important questions will be answered and resolved and it is for the fans who have stuck with the show, theorizing and analyzing for all these years. And I tell you that these fans won't be left insulted and bamboozled from this. The finale was handled and crafted very well, never used any cheap ploys or surprises and, in true Lost fashion, really does confuse you in the end and requires some re-watching before you fully understand. It is a very fitting, emotional and downright-worthy ending that is perfect for a kind of show like Lost.







*WARNING MAJOR SPOILER ALERT*

The finale is a 2 and half hour episode that wraps up most loose ends and resolve the matter of the Island while giving us emotional tie-in with these characters. It is until the final 15 minute of the episode that we find out what the entire show is REALLY about. And what it is really about is nothing that is convoluted, elaborate or set on a giant conspiracy scheme, but something much more simpler and somewhat general. It is about inevitability. It is about life. It is about love. It is about the journey any person take and the memories we take along with it. No, it is not a ploy where everyone on the plane dies and the Island is in fact purgatory. What established and happened on the Island is certainly real and certainly not wasted. The introduction of the "flash-sideways" able us to view the characters in their alternate lives, where they are able to live off much-more happier and content. We never got to know what was this alternate universe and assume that it is an epilogue to the show, until now. What this alternate universe really is makes more sense and natural when Jack finally finds the coffin that contains his father's body, only to find it empty. His father, looking alive and well stands behinds Jack and it all sums up from the few words exchange from both Jack and his presumed-dead father, Christian:

Jack: You died?
Christian: Yes, yes I did...
Jack: Then... how are you here right now?
Christian: How are YOU here?

At first, I was taken aback that the show would come up with this plotline, that everyone on the plane is dead. But Christian's further explanation reassures and everything makes sense. The Island is real and the flash-sideways is really a purgatory for every characters, a place "where they all made together, so they can find one another". They have been through the most important time of their lives and need one another to move on, to never do it alone. How these characters died are variable whether they died on the Island before Jack, or they died LONG after the Island. "Everyone dies sometime kiddo" as Christian puts it. Once they were able to remember one another, they are able to be with each other and move on to a far better place. Thus making the reunion of the core characters more natural and understandable and it makes it ever more bittersweet and emotional. It is about the people you spend your time with, whether it is with the people from Lost or from your own lives. How are we able to observe them growing from what they use to be to far someone better and spending our time with them through good and bad, even you spend it on crazy dangerous island. It is what the finale is about and it comes full circle at the end.

On the Island, we can't also forget that matter where Jack has to stop Smokey from destroying the Island and possibly the world. Its a simpler plot, but makes up with many great performances, lots of tension and many awesome moments especially the showdown between Jack and Smokey. But how I knew that this series was ended with great respect and craftsmanship was how the episode visually and finally end. It all comes back to full circles and inevitability. Jack, having to kill Smokey and stop the Island from destroying the world only to sport a fatal wound in the liver, walks himself into the bamboo forest where we first found him ever in the series while inter-cutting with the flash-sideways/purgatory reality where we see that emotional reunion between the cast inside a church before they move on. Jack lies on the ground while Vincent the dog comes in to keep him company and he sees the plane containing the last remaining survivors flying away safely, giving him a sigh of relief. A huge blanket of light envelopes all the lost souls. Then the final shot is, in the same manner of the first shot we ever see in Lost, Jack's eye closing. That is the end of the show. Full circle and perfect.



It is a series finale that not everyone will be happy about or will not understand. It will get fans to re-watch the episode again, contents will be interpreted differently by some people and audiences will be divided. However for the true fan of Lost who have been watching since season 1, it will be rewarding to obtain every pieces of the puzzle and to put them together to gain this golden knowledge. And as I said, this finale is for the fans and the fans will be satisfied in the end. And as a huge Lost fan, I came out of it VERY satisfied.



Now I'll pick out five favorite moments of the Lost series finale:





Every Memory Sparks From Each Of The Characters


Seems cliched that the element of love will prevail upon these characters, but if you have been sticking around with these characters for many years, it is hard not to get gooey once they have been reunited and discover true love for each other. Couples like Charlie and Claire and James and Juliet will have your hearts beating once their memory sparks starts to fly.

Jack and Smokey's Showdown On The Cliffs



Though the fight was kinda brief, the setting is just perfect. Jack, the newly-appointed Jacob duking out against the evil Smoke Monster using the body of Locke on top of a rocky cliffs in a middle of a stormy weather...Oh F*ck Yeah! Classic good-vs.-evil battle and it is one we have been waiting for. Ironically Jack is saving Locke through spinal surgery in the flash-sideways while Jack is beating the crap out of Locke on the Island.

Hurley Becomes New Leader Of The Island With Ben As His Assistant


Everybody LOVES Hurley and if you don't, you have no soul. That's why when Jack appointed Hurley as the new leader, it felt so right. Feeling that the job may be too big, he sought help to the one person who has immense amount of experience, Ben. Seeing Ben light up so bright when he felt so needed is just a joyful thing to see. Plus that would make an odd couple to actually take over the Island. I smell a spinoff!

Ben's Conclusion


Ben has been, throughout the entire series, a complex manipulative side-switching villain of a bastard... and that's why we love him. In purgatory world where most of the characters are inside ready to move on, Ben decides to stay a bit longer as he has alot of repenting to do. Even though he has done the one good thing in the end, he has done many bad things in his lifetime and will not get over them until he's ready.

The Ending



From the huge revelation to the emotional silent reunion to the final shot of the series, these sequence of events prove to be a beautiful and poetic send-off of the series. Inter-cutting with the joyful reunion of the characters with Jack struggling through the bamboo forest before he dies accompanied with the music scored by the ever-talented Michael Giacchino, it is one joyful, teary-eyed perfect way to say goodbye to the characters we journeyed together on that crazy Island. The fact it ends on the same place we found Jack in the very beginning of the series and closes with the series with Jack's eye closing just comes full circle and makes the series... whats the word.. complete.

All I can say now is that I want to thank the creators, the cast, the people behind the show and the people supporting the show for bringing such an extraordinary series to the TV screen. I tell you it'll be a very very long time before we come across as unique and brilliant as Lost.