Doomsday Reviews Films

2012, a guide to what I will and will not be watching.

2012-01-09T04:04:00.001-08:00

There are a lot of films coming out in 2012, some I highly anticipate, others not so much. Here's a list of what I will and won't be reviewing.

Will watch:

Iron Sky. This is the big one for me. I've been following production since it was announced, and even got a place in the viral marketing. I'm also a huge fan of Energia Productions. While it'll certainly be interesting to see a comedy- after all, I usually avoid the genre- I do have high expectations for it, and I'm not sure if they'll be fulfilled.

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey. I love Tolkien, and I love The Hobbit. I've been hooked on Peter Jackson since Lord of the Rings, and District 9 and his work on Tintin only solidified that. I am a little bit skeptical, but it looks fantastic, so I'll definitely be there.

Prometheus. What, Ridley Scott's doing another sci-fi horror? My interest has been piqued.

Brave. I loved Tangled, and this looks to be a step in the same direction. Also, I watch all the Disney films. Count me interested.

Django Unchained. I love Tarantino, that is all.

Might watch:

Red Tails. I'm a stickler for war films, and this looks vaguely interesting.

Corolianus. I love Ralph Fiennes.

Dr Seuss' The Lorax. The Lorax is one of my all time favourite Theodore Geisel works, although I'm skeptical about turning it into a film.

The Hunger Games. I never read the books, but I've heard nothing but good things about them, and I really liked Battle Royale which is kind of similar, I guess.

The Dictator. This could either be just the type of dark political humour I'd enjoy, or a horribly offensive and stupid schlockfest like Bruno.

GI Joe: Retaliation. The first one was bad, but it was the good kind of bad. I'll have to wait and see for this one.

Madagascar 3 and Ice Age 4. While these series are really getting on in age, I did enjoy their most recent additions. Ice Age seems to be the stronger series though, so I'll be more likely to see that one.

Dredd. I like Judge Dredd.

Life of Pi. I love Ang Lee, and it sounds interesting.

The Great Gatsby. Again, I haven't read the book, but it's a classic, so I should really get around to it.

Dorothy of Oz. We needed a gritty Oz film.

The Dark Knight Rises. While I liked The Dark Knight, and Batman Begins was okay, I'm all superheroed out right now, and there have been too many dark movies out lately.

A Few Best Men. While I usually avoid comedies, this looks like the kind of dry humour I liked in such classics as Death At a Funeral (the original, not the poor US remake).

This Means War. This might be enjoyable, or it might be terrible, but it seems like a humorous enough premise to draw me in.

Won't be watching:

Alvin and the Chipmunks: Chipwrecked. Just, no. I haven't seen any of the chipmunk movies and I sure am not starting now. Part of my brain died when I saw Alvin making the 'hang loose' gesture on the promotional poster.

Wrath of the Titans. Again, I didn't see the first one, and I'm not interested.

The Expendables 2. What part of 'not seeing the first film' did you not get last time? Please, Hollywood, make more original content!

Battleship. Make me.

Atlas Shrugged. I must be one of the few who never read Ayn Rand, and I'm really skeptical about a film version. Hollywood tends to not do so well with political films, either.

Ghost Rider. While I enjoyed the first one, I won't be watching a sequel. I can only take so much Nicholas Cage.

Any 3D conversion. That means no Phantom Menace or Titanic. You will literally have to bribe me, pay for my tickets, and drag me into the theatre in a burlap sack to make me watch this. Actually, I'm not going to watch 3D Finding Nemo or Beauty and the Beast either. Call me back when we get to Hunchback of Notre Dame. Or 3D Fantasia! I'd pay $50 to see that!

Any of the various gritty fairytale adaptations, or Abraham Lincoln Vampire Hunter, or any of that crap. I know fairytales are supposed to be dark, but that doesn't mean you should dress them up like Hot Topic.

War Horse/Tintin - 2012 Spielberg Double Review

2012-01-09T02:48:00.000-08:00

I have to admit, I was never really a fan of Spielberg. Although not fantastic, I liked Empire of the Sun and Minority Report, but I must have been one of the few people who did not like his war films. Well, after my initial shock that two of his films were releasing within the same month, War Horse and The Adventures of Tintin, I went along and was pleasantly surprised. Both of these films are a must-see, although which one you like best obviously depends on your preferences. Incidentally, both films are adaptations: Tintin is a film of the comic, whereas War Horse was originally a novel and then adapted into a play.
So I've decided to bunch together my reviews of both to compare and contrast. Which film did I feel was better, and which one did I enjoy most? You'll have to read on to find out.
Warning: I do a lot of gushing in this review, and it's not particularly professional.

Plot

Tintin
Everyone knows the story. Tintin is a strapping young Belgian reporter whose curiosity gets him into all sorts of crazy situations. This particular film is based primarily on The Secret of the Unicorn, with features of other Tintin adventures. For those who haven't read the comic, it goes like this: Tintin comes into possession of a model ship, but when the ship is stolen from him, his eagerness to discover the mystery behind it takes him and Captain Haddock on a quest around the world to find a grand treasure. Fairly standard adventure fare, and it's good to see a return to the genre. In fact, Tintin feels like the film Indiana Jones and the Crystal Skull should have been.

War Horse
When farmer Mr Narracott comes home with a horse for the farm, his wife is dismayed- after all, a thoroughbred couldn't possibly pull the plough, and they haven't enough money for the rent. But his son Albert takes a shine to the new horse, after all, he'd been there at his birth, and names him Joey. A little thing called World War One approaches, however, and they are forced to sell the horse to the army. The film chronicles the adventures of Albert and Joey through the war, through good and bad. It's better than it sounds!

Which was better? Honestly, it was difficult. Both are quite engaging and exciting, although Tintin seems to rush through a lot. That's why I'm going to have to award the point to War Horse. Tintin just seems to be over too fast, and while the former is an agonising 2 and a half hours long, you really become absorbed into the story because of it, and nothing seems to be superfluous; every scene advances the plot.

Characters

Tintin
Honestly, if you don't know by now, you need to hand in your pop culture license. All the characters, both major and minor, are written perfectly. Thomson and Thompson still get laughs! That's all I need to say. Seriously.

War Horse
The problem I have with the characters of War Horse is that most of them aren't around very long. Sure, you feel emotionally attached to them, but a number of characters are hardly in the film a few minutes before they tragically, um, expire. Such is life! But, the fact that you are emotionally attached to them, even if you don't know their names, is a sign of good writing.
The horse is the star of the show, and it's amazing how a single shot can establish such incredible emotion.

Which was better? I'm going to say that Tintin's characters were more memorable. Each had their own little quirks and uniqueness, whereas I never really got to know many of the stars of War Horse before their tragic demise. Maybe there's a point to be made here.

Visuals and Cinematography

Tintin
This is a bit unfair. Tintin is in 3D. And this is one of the films that I feel really makes the technology shine. Maybe it's the fact that the setting is just fantastical enough to pull you in while keeping your suspension of disbelief. Maybe it's the remarkable character design and uniform art style, or the sweeping, majestic landscapes. Or maybe it's that one awesome chase sequence that is all done in a single shot. And the cinematography is great! There are some truly nice shots. The opening credits sequence is quite fun as well, although I feel Spielberg blows his horn a bit in regards to how his name is treated in it.
We may have finally crossed the uncanny valley with this, though. I was blown away by how realistic some of the characters looked (while still maintaining that fun cartoony look, a hard task!)

War Horse
Also fantastic cinematography. Great use of location, lighting, saturation and weather effects for a perfect atmosphere. The landscape is amazing, although I'm not sure whether it complements or contrasts with Tintin. If there was any CGI I honestly could not tell, but the makeup effects are brilliant. Oh wait, there was one really bizarre scene blend which involved some CGI and looked really out of place, but luckily it's alone and you soon forget about it. I really can't stress how brilliant the camera work is, it's some of the finest I've ever seen. Interestingly enough for a war film, it's entirely bloodless, apparently to dodge an R rating. So I suppose you could take your kids to see it. Key word here being could.

Which was better? I honestly feel that with Tintin, Spielberg was trying to redeem himself for the critical nightmare that was Crystal Skull and make a good impression for the fans. Sure, it's great, but it really seems to come across as trying a bit too hard to impress, especially with all the effects in the climax. War Horse, however, seems so much more real and emotional, and I feel it was the better for it.

Soundtrack
The music for both films is composed by John Williams. I can't compare John Williams to himself.
Tintin's soundtrack is much more upbeat and erratic, while War Horse's is more melodic and subdued. Both are great soundtracks with different feels, and I can't objectively choose one over the other. It really depends on the mood you're in.

Overall
Both films are fantastic, that much I can't stress enough. But one is a war drama, and one is a fun 3D adventure. And while some will object to my comparing two films of entirely different genres, I felt it was an interesting exercise to look at how one director handles it.
Overall, I feel War Horse is the stronger film, but that's not to say that Tintin is bad, it's still great. I highly enjoyed and will recommend both.

Tintin 9/10
War Horse 10/10

Cars 2 (2011)

2011-11-24T18:41:00.000-08:00

What the hell?! This movie is actually good?

Plot
Where do I even begin? Well, there is a mob syndicate killing off prize racecars in a new world grand prix, and Mater accidentally gets himself roped into it, becoming a secret agent for MI5. No, really.

Characters
All the gang from the original are here in perfect character, plus a plethora of new ones. Both secret agent cars are awesome, and the villains are always funny. Many minor characters provide great laughs.

Visuals and Cinematography
The visuals are gorgeous, giving you a spectacle I've not seen since Speed Racer. The world locations are beautiful and the lighting is superb.

Overall
While it jumps locations quite quickly and the plot is a little bizarre, Cars 2 is a guaranteed rollicking good time for the whole family.
7/10

Rango (2011)

2011-03-27T03:19:00.000-07:00

This review contains no spoilers.

Like many people, I wasn't sure what to expect walking into Rango. But I certainly did not expect what I got. Yes, that is a good thing.
This is NOT a kids' film. Yes, the whole family can enjoy it, but adults will derive much more enjoyment from it.

Plot
'Rango' is a chameleon with an identity crisis who ends up in the desert after a traffic accident flings him from his home. Wandering into a desert town straight out of an old western, he creates the persona of a cool, heroic wanderer. This is exaclty what the townspeople need, and Rango finds himself in over his head as they ask him to fix their water problem.

Characters
There are a tonne of characters in this film, and I'm certainly not going to go through all of them. Each are brilliant with their own quirks and personality. To avoid spoilers, I also have to not mention any of the villains! So I'll make this VERY short and not mention anybody!

Rango himself is voiced by Johnny Depp, but you wouldn't know it from the voice. He's conflicted, not sure who he really is, but he loves to put on an act. This gets him into trouble and eventually all of his lies come crashing down on him.

Visuals and Cinematography
The visuals are amazing and will blow you away multiple times. Definitely some of the best CGI I've seen in a while with great choreography and physics.

Soundtrack
Hans Zimmer provides the soundtrack, so it's no surprise that the score is fantastic. It's standard Western fare, with throwbacks to old films and some classical pieces.

Overall
A must-see. 10/10

Tron: Legacy (2010) [3D]

2010-12-16T21:24:00.001-08:00

This review contains no spoilers.

I have never seen the original Tron. Honestly, I don't plan to; I hear it wasn't so great.
However, Tron: Legacy holds up as a brilliant sequel.

Plot
Kevin Flynn, the ambitious CEO of Encom Corp. and creator of popular video games Space Paranoids and Tron, up and disappears at the height of his enthusiasm, leaving behind his son Sam. Twenty years later, Sam returns to his father's old arcade and accidentally falls into the Grid, a bright world inside of a computer. But the Grid is now in jeopardy as Cue2, a program designed by Flynn, has gone rogue and created a military dictatorship, forcing Sam's father into hiding. What follows is a delightful romp of sight and sound which can only be described as awesome.

There're also a lot of great throwbacks to other films.

Characters
Okay, these characters aren't anything we haven't seen before. They don't really have any particularly interesting backstories or problems they need to deal with. All of the conflict, at least by the midway point of the film, is entirely physical. But I'm okay with this. Yeah, they're nothing really new or exciting, but they're not overly cliched either.

Sam's dad, who is known by his surname 'Flynn' for most of the film, fuck knows why, is essentially Obi-Wan from the original trilogy. He tries to be endearing, but when his entire view on life is just 'sit back and do nothing' we can't really sympathise with him. He has just given up, but it makes him come across as lazy rather than fatigued. He does kick some ass, though.

Sam himself isn't really very interesting, but at least he's not a whiny brat like we've seen so many times in these films. We're made to be drawn to his side from the beginning, where he plays a prank on Encom and uploads their latest OS to the internet for FREE SOUUUUUUUURCE. Which is cool if you're a pirate. I also like how he never is that good of a fighter. From the moment he enters the Grid, Sam is at the mercy of the regime. He does survive the games, but not with magical kung-fu powers or anything, just quick thinking. And he never becomes a super fighter, his fighting prowess is average at best, and he has to rely on everyone else to fight his battles.

We also have our action girl, Quorra, who is pretty cool. She's independent and strong-willed. Despite what the poster may look like, she's not sexualised at all. I like that. There're no hackneyed, shoehorned romances, or any romances for that matter. I'm glad, we get that way too much nowadays.

None of these characters are the designated hero. Nobody's the chosen one. They all work together and each have their own skills and ways of dealing with a problem. There're no deus ex machina, these're just ordinary people in an extraordinary situation.

Visuals, Cinematography and 3D Effects
I have to say that this is the most visually stunning film I've had the pleasure of watching this year. It is pure visual sex. An excellent use of light and colour means that your eyes never have a shortage of things to ogle over. The cinematography is brilliant, too, with some shots probably looking more comfortable in 2001: A Space Odyssey.
The real world scenes are filmed in 2D, whereas the scenes on the Grid are in 3D. Unfortunately, the 3D effects aren't particularly noticable until right at the end when we inevitably return to the real world. Nonetheless, tremendous effort has been exerted in making this film look amazing, and it will keep your eyes engaged from the Disney logo.

Soundtrack
Tron: Legacy contains an orgasmic original soundtrack by electronic greats Daft Punk. That's really all I need to say. Unfortunately, some orchestral creeps in on occasion and it feels entirely out of place. I would have loved it if the entire soundtrack was electronic, but it's still awesome for what it is.

Overall
A must-see. Watch it over Avatar any day.

8/10

Skyline (2010)

2010-11-11T17:34:00.000-08:00

This review contains little to no spoilers.

Apparently I am one of the first to review this film. It released here a day before the US, and the Wikipedia article hasn't even got much on it. (Edit: I started writing this review the morning after I saw it, before it was screened in the US. Because I'm a lazy fool, by the time I'd bothered to finish, there are a million negative reviews of this thing.)

Plot
One fine day in New York is ruined when strange blue lights drop down from the sky, sucking people in never to be seen again. Not long afterward, alien ships arrive, scouring the mostly-empty landscape for any humans still around for their brain-powered machines. That's...mostly it.
Many things are left unexplained or not expanded upon.
The ending is nonsensical and terrible. That's all I can say about it without spoiling anything.

Characters
Each character is an ordinary person who met the others in an apartment for a party. Unfortunately, the complete lack of character development makes it difficult to understand the relationships between each or even sympathise with them, not to mention that almost all of these relationships fall flat after they are not explored or referred to later. I don't even know most of the characters' names, which is truly a sign of bad writing.

Visuals and Cinematography
I can say for sure that the only redeeming aspect of this film is the beautiful CGI and monster design. There is something truly horrifying in the appearance and nigh-indestructability of these creatures and their crafts. Unfortunately, the film relies on its visuals and gratuitous action sequences to carry a story lacking in plot and character development.

Soundtrack
Unmemorable glurge which is an insult to classical music.

Overall
Great visuals and creature design are let down by predictable plot twists, a confusing, copout ending and a number of things not expanded on or left unexplained. This film relies on its visuals and gratuitous action sequences to carry a story lacking in plot and character development. The ending is a real let-down and just makes you leave with disappointment. Watch if you like mindless alien films, but don't expect anything special.

2/10

The visuals make those 2 points. Everything else is ZERO.

Cats & Dogs 2: The Revenge of Kitty Galore (2010)

2010-09-20T01:44:00.000-07:00

This review contains no spoilers.
This film is also available in 3D.

This film was shown with the new CGI Wile-E Coyote short, 'Coyote Falls'. It's pretty awesome.

A few of you may remember the 2001 family film Cats & Dogs, an interesting spy movie spoof starring dogs as secret agents and cats as supervillains. It wasn't particularly memorable for the most part, but included a few rather interesting characters. Fast forward nine years and we now have a sequel, which is far better than the original.

Plot
Yeah, the plot's pretty recycled from the first one. The secret organisation of dog secret agents is in trouble because a supervillain cat is hellbent on world domination, so they hire a newcomer who messes things up, is fired, but ends up saving the day. Thankfully, there is far less emphasis on the human characters in this one, which is what we wanted to see. Also, cats and dogs now have to work together.

Characters
The new agent is a German Shepherd named Diggs, who isn't really memorable. In fact, he's kind of annoying. While his backstory is interesting, there's a little too much emphasis on it and loses all emotional attachment with the audience by the fifth time it's mentioned. There is a female cat agent who is pretty cool, and numerous characters return from the last film, matured and completely in-character. The new villain is Kitty Galore, who really shouldn't be interesting, with a cliched backstory and a character archetype we've all seen before, but is for some reason one of the best characters in the film. There's also a minor character who is a pigeon named Seamus. He's completely useless and also a little annoying, although he is fairly charming for the first few scenes he's on screen.
There are human characters as well, but we don't care about them.

Visuals and Cinematography
I was glad that, for the most part, the creators stuck with using real animals instead of CGI. CGI is used where there's a need for really dynamic, non-animalistic characters, such as the two main
villains and a few minor characters. Seamus is also CGI, mainly because it'd be really hard for a bird to be an actor. The CGI is quite impressive and I love the James Bond-style opening credits, they're really impeccable.

Soundtrack
The soundtrack is mostly licensed music, but it's not unfitting and not very annoying. In fact, it uses older music and remixes of some 90s tunes instead of the horrible tween music we have nowadays.

Overall
A lot of people called this movie a pile of shit. I thoroughly enjoyed it. Remember, it's a family movie and a spoof of the spy genre, so it's meant to be a bit silly.

7/10

Toy Story 3 (2010)

2010-07-02T18:55:00.001-07:00

This review contains very minor spoilers.
This film was shown with the Pixar short 'Day and Night'.

Plot
Eleven years have passed, both real-time and in-universe, since the last instalment of the Toy Story saga. Andy is now a young adult who leaves for college. After a series of mishaps, the toys are left at a local daycare centre which, although seeming at first like a utopia, becomes chaos after they realise the true nature of both the children and toys there, and our gang plots to escape and return to Andy.
Both the plot and atmosphere of this film are much darker than the last two, and it really makes for an engaging and interesting experience if you grew up with the series. As always, there's a moral to the story, and Toy Story 3 is a lot like Up in more ways than one...it's about growing up, and contains more than its fair share of emotional moments.

Characters
If you've seen the last two Toy Story films, you'd recognise most of the characters, although there are a slew of new arrivals in this final chapter of the series. I'm not going to reveal much about them, but you'll find them just as if not more interesting than the original cast.

Visuals
This is definitely the most visually stunning Toy Story yet, and the first full-3D Pixar film (excluding the 3D rereleases of Toy Story 1 and 2). The 3D visuals aren't that noticable, but they do draw you in to the film quite a lot more. There're a lot of sweeping shots to show off the advances in CGI over the past 11 years, and it makes the world of the film a lot more believable.

Soundtrack
Although parts of the film soundtrack rely heavily on nostalgic value, the score is fantastic as always.

Overall
If you liked the first Toy Story films, you'll love this one.
10/10

Evangelion 2.22: You Can (Not) Advance (2009)

2010-06-09T21:57:00.001-07:00

As with 1.11, this is the Blu-Ray enhanced edition of Evangelion 2.0.
This review contains minor spoilers.

Plot
Rebuild 2 continues where the first left off. We begin by being introduced to two new pilots, the American Mari Illustrious Makinami, (yes, that is her real name) and the German Asuka Langley Shikinami, who returns from the original series with a different surname.
Although it starts off slow and light, the film very quickly descends into horror territory as all manner of things start going wrong.

Characters
Since there's a lot of action to pack into this episode, there's no backstory for some of the characters, Ritsuko and Asuka suffering the most. You don't really feel attached to Asuka like in the anime, because she's really not there that often.
However, the lack of characterisation for some of the characters makes you more attached to Shinji, which is actually quite good since you really feel what he's going through, especially in the latter half of the movie when everything falls apart at the seams.
The Angels in this film are much more psychologically frightening than in the last episode, which overall makes for a stronger film.

Visuals and Cinematography
This film takes everything that Rebuild 1 did and makes it better. The Angels and architecture are even more incredible, and the CGI flows seamlessly with the traditional animation.

Soundtrack
The soundtrack of Rebuild 2 is incredible and much more memorable than that of the first film. It contains ominous English chanting, lots of orchestral stuff and a few tracks which seem odd but work well in the film.

Blu-Ray features
The Blu-Ray edition fixes some minor errors and remasters the entire film.

Overall
An amazing film, much better than the first.

10/10

Evangelion 1.11: You Are (Not) Alone (2007)

2010-05-14T23:34:00.000-07:00

NB. The original, theatre cut of this film is titled 1.01. The Blu-Ray edition is 1.11.

This review contains no spoilers for the film or the Evangelion series.

A remake and alternate continuity of the Neon Genesis Evangelion anime series, this quadrilogy of OVAs is a look into how the series might have played out had the creator not spiralled into a depression during its creation. It also utilises better computer graphics and animation than was used in the original series.

Plot
It is fifteen years after Second Impact, a mysterious and catastropic event which changed the earth as we know it. Strange creatures from another world, known as Angels, are coming to destroy the planet. Thankfully, secret organisations NERV and SEELE forsaw this, as it was written millennia ago in the Dead Sea Scrolls Apocrypha. They have created biomechanical beings known as Evangelion, or EVA for short, to fight the Angels. Unfortunately, only a select few young minds are able to pilot the EVA. When an Angel attacks and the only pilot available is gravely injured, the head of NERV, Gendo Ikari, calls in his estranged son Shinji, who he has not seen in many years. However, Shinji is less than enthusiastic about the whole affair...

The plot moves very quickly compared to the original anime. There is less character development and more action, as the contents of the first six episodes have been condensed into one feature-length presentation. I'm not complaining, though. It's definitely easier to get into.

Characters
The pilots shown in this first episode are Shinji Ikari, a confused young boy who has been thrown into the pilot's seat almost completely without warning, and Rei Ayanami, a mysterious girl who shows amazing talent. Shinji is a very realistic character and reminds me of a number of people I know. He acts exactly like a real kid would put into this situation.

Rei, for spoilerish reasons I can't entail, is very emotionally distant and can't really relate to anyone. She has no care for her own safety and is willing to jump into any situation without thinking about the threat to herself.

Gendo is, as always, very cool, but you can't help but dislike him a little for being such a manipulative bastard.

There are other, minor characters which are all very well done.

Visuals and Cinematography
The visuals are spectacular. Some of the later Angels are absolutely mind-blowing, and one in particular will probably leave you entirely confused as to how it's breaking the laws of physics.
It's not just the Angels which will blow you away, though. The architecture is superb and some scenes involving very large machinery are quite nice.
Cinematography is also very well orchestrated.

Soundtrack
It's the sound effects that make this film special. Everything has just the right sound, and it really provides an amazing atmosphere.
The soundtrack is standard orchestral fare, but is used beautifully.

Blu-Ray features
The Blu-Ray edition, 1.11, adds three minutes of extra footage and was re-transferred to fix light issues in the original DVD release. Special features are fairly limited and not particularly notable.

Overall
The best anime film in a while. If you've never seen Evangelion, check this one out.
9/10

Sherlock Holmes (2009)

2010-04-03T04:55:00.000-07:00

This review contains no spoilers.

Plot
Sherlock Holmes and Watson are called out to a case: the black magician Lord Blackwood has risen from the grave, and it's up to the world's most famous detective to stop his killings and have the man hung- for real this time.

There're a lot of shout-outs to other chapters of the Holmes series, which is cute. Although there is quite a lot of action in the film, it's not really out of place and it is fresh and interesting.

Characters
Holmes and Watson are much closer to their portrayal in the books and are witty and charming, although each have their character flaws. Holmes is on the drugs again - but it's not mentioned which to keep the PG rating.
Holmes is in love with master thief Irene Adler, the only criminal to ever escape him. She seems at first to be rather an independent and headstrong character but as it turns out she's just serving her master, which we won't see again until the sequel.
Blackwood is fairly stereotypical in his role as a creepy villain, but he's still scary and mystifying.

Visuals and Cinematography
The visuals are great. I can compare the cramped spaces and grey streets to Sweeney Todd, although desaturation isn't as prevalent in this film. The camera is used well to let us know exactly what the characters are thinking at any given time, sweeping around and following trails of evidence to make us feel like a part of the investigation.

Soundtrack
The music to this film is incredible. It combines orchestral with electronic elements, and is overall a chaotic soundtrack. All of the sound seems to be somehow distorted, whether the piano's out of tune, the violins are screeching or something just doesn't seem to be in time, but it all seems to sound great despite the chaos. There seems to be a motif of time or industry in the music, as you can often hear the violins imitating the 'tick-tock' of a clock. The sound is certainly suited to an Industrial Revolution-era film.

Overall
A surprisingly original and interesting film, and a great retake on the Sherlock Holmes series.
8/10

Good (2008)

2010-04-03T01:39:00.000-07:00

This review contains minor plot spoilers.

Plot
Viggo Mortensen plays John Halder, a university lecturer during the rise of Nazi Germany. As the Party's censorship begins to affect his work more and more, he finds himself forced to join if he wants to get anywhere. However, membership in the SS has a dark side. While he obtains greater and greater success, his Jewish friend, forbidden from practicing medicine due to his religion, must go into hiding. The film follows his changing values, how he is affected by history, and his determination to save his friend, from 1933 all the way to Kristallnacht and visiting a concentration camp in 1942.

The plot moves far too quickly in the beginning of the film and only slows down towards the very end.

One thing I couldn't really understand is that occasionally Halder hallucinates people singing a certain song that I don't know. I have no idea what this has to do with the story or what the director is trying to accomplish and it's never explained why any of it happens.

Characters
Halder is an interesting character, who begins the film sternly anti-Nazi, but is convinced to join the NSDAP by his mistress and his father-in-law, and soon becomes ingrained in the party's doctrine. It is only once he visits a concentration camp that he realises the extent of the atrocities committed by the government. Mortensen is a fantastic actor and plays the role well.

His Jewish friend, Morris Brücksteiner, is a complete asshole and I couldn't feel any sympathy for him whatsoever. It seems that all he ever does is complain and even his voice comes off as arrogant.

The actress who plays Halder's estranged mother is also quite good and really grasps the role of an old woman suffering from selinity, tuberculosis, extreme depression and mental anguish.

Visuals and Cinematography
There is quite a use of oversaturation in many scenes involving happy moments with Halder and his mistress, although the lighting is for the most part realistic in other scenes, notably in the concentration camp. There're a number of egregious 360-degree-rotation shots in the ending which really don't fit, and a certain scene in the concentration camp lasts for far, far too long. Otherwise, the cinematography is decent.

Realism
This film is fairly realistic in regards to the vast and comprehensive records kept by the Nazis in regards to Jews, pogroms and so forth. It also has an interesting depiction of the effects of the Nazi takeover on a personal level, and the willingness with which it was accepted by the nation.
However, there is at least one glaring error- Halder keeps his black SS uniform even though it was phased out after 1939. Other members seem to have switched to the correct Feldgrau but Halder keeps his- is this symbolic of him being somehow different?

Soundtrack
The soundtrack is fairly minimalistic for the most part and really only comes out during the concentration camp scene. Although moving, it didn't really stick out to me.

Overall
Not a bad film, but not particularly interesting either.
6/10

How To Train Your Dragon (2010) [3D]

2010-04-02T02:57:00.000-07:00

This review contains no spoilers.

Plot
Hiccup is a young boy in a Viking village which is continually ravaged by dragons. While dragon hunting is what all Vikings aspire to do, Hiccup isn't a fighter and creates disaster wherever he treads. One day he finds a wounded dragon and discovers that dragons are simply misunderstood creatures. He must convince his people that dragons aren't aggressive and save the village.

A stereotypical plot, but it works well as a children's film.

Trivia
Some of the crew for Lilo and Stitch worked on this film. The underlying story and art design are similar.

Characters
Each character has their own childish charm. The humans are likeable and each have their own fun personality. The dragons are also very interesting in a 'cute pet' sort of way, but all each have their own personality. Toothless, the black dragon, seems in many cases to act more like a dog than any other animal, and is very reminiscent of Stitch. I found it strange, however, that the Vikings had Scottish accents - shouldn't they be Nordic?

Visuals and Cinematography
The art style is fantastic and all characters have large eyes to better show off emotion. Animation is amazingly fluid and there are no glaring errors.
Cinematography is also fantastic and resembles films like Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings with sweeping landscape shots and plenty of environmental eye candy. In some scenes, the sheer number or size of dragons will blow you away.

3D Effects
The 3D effects weren't particularly noticable, except in the climax.

Soundtrack
The soundtrack is the usual orchestral fare, but really has some emotion put into it. A beautifully moving soundtrack.

Overall
A good film.
7/10

Die Fälscher (2007)

2010-03-19T21:53:00.001-07:00

This film's English title was 'The Counterfeiters'.

Die Fälscher was awarded 'Best Foreign Language Film' at the 2007 Academy Awards.

Plot

Image by K嘛 via Flickr

The film centres around a German Jew, Salomon 'Sally' Sorowitsch and his experiences at the Sachsenhausen concentration camp as part of Operation Bernhard, the Nazis' attempts to destroy the economies of the US and UK by printing millions of dollars of counterfeit money. As the war goes on, the counterfeiters decide to sabotage the Nazis' plans while still trying to protect their own lives.

Characters

The main characters are mostly German Jews being held prisoner in the camp, but reoccuring Nazi characters also pop up, such as Sturmbannführer Herzog. Although all of the characters seem to be acting in their own interests, as the film goes on the alliances become more apparent and the moralities begin to become more black and white.

The characters are pretty interesting. Since they're all pretty selfish, everyone has their own rather unique personality. 'Sally' himself is quite a charming character and you do feel sorry for him, but at the same time he is a criminal and does sort of deserve what he's getting.

Although the Nazi characters are not portrayed as particularly likeable, I didn't hate them. But I'm probably biased.

Visuals and Cinematography

The film uses the camera excellently. There's definitely a claustrophobic feel to some of the shots and it really makes you wonder how they managed to film it. There's also a great use of colour and saturation. The camp scenes have this dull, grey look to them, whereas the casinos and other places in the opening shots are bright and colourful.

Realism

I am a history nut and I can say this film was pretty realistic. As the film goes on, history starts creeping in and events happening all around the world come to affect our protagonists.

Soundtrack

The music in Die Fälscher is quite good and certainly fits the emotions of whatever is going on in any given scene.

Overall

A fantastic film and one of my all-time favourite foreign films. I recommend it to fans of drama and war films.

9/10

Alice in Wonderland (2010) [3D]

2010-03-19T19:52:00.000-07:00

This review contains minor plot spoilers.

Apparently there was a lot of hype surrounding this one. I thankfully avoided most of it, due to my disdain for mainstream media, but I came into the film not expecting anything. Perhaps I should be thankful.

I'll try not to complain too much about how it departs from the books' universe, since this is more of a continuation than an adaptation.

Story

The plot takes place some years after Disney's first Alice in Wonderland film. Although Alice in this movie dismisses this one as a dream, she soon comes to remember that it was in fact a memory, and Wonderland is real. Okay then.

The Red Queen/Queen of Hearts has assumed control over Wonder/Underland for no given reason, although it's assumed that with the power of the Jabberwocky, she somehow managed to conquer all the living creatures in the world. Along her twisted journey Alice encounters an array of far too many characters some of which should not have as major a role as they do, and they eventually defeat the Queen in a somewhat epic but all too predictable battle.

Characters

Alice herself is not particularly appealing. She comes across as a strange but plain girl born into aristocracy, and that the only person who ever understood her was her late father. Although I'm sure the actress did a nice job, the character just doesn't affect me.

The Mad Hatter has far too large a role in the film and should have been replaced by the Cheshire Cat in most of his scenes. We know that Tim Burton has a raging hard-on for Depp and Carter but he just doesn't fit in this movie. He looks like he's trying all too hard and just comes across as desperate. It doesn't help that most of the film's merchandise centres around either him or the Red Queen (played by Helena Bonham Carter).

The Cheshire Cat is the best character in the film, and is voiced by the ever-awesome Stephen Fry. Although most of the time he says nothing, whenever he does speak it is chilling.

The Red Queen/Queen of Hearts is just annoying.

The Jabberwocky has a total of two lines in the film and is voiced by Christopher Lee. I wish he wasn't in this film because the Jabberwocky is just tacked on. The entire segment of the plot devoted to the Jabberwocky poem is, quite frankly, ridiculous. I understand that it was mentioned in one of the other Alice books but the Wonderland universe is just so rich and interesting that it would have been better to go with a different plot rather than the generic 'Alice must save the world from the evil dragon and the queen with a legendary sword'.

It's kinda strange that most of the cast appear to be pretty famous celebrities and a number of their voices are instantly recognisable. But hey, it's a Tim Burton film, so it's kind of expected.

Visuals and Cinematography

The world of Wonderland looks fantastic and has a strange, twisted feel to it, although it's not as interesting and twisted as it should be. 9 was darker than this film. I know that this is a Disney film, but it could have been so much better. Look at WALL-E, for example. That's how you make a dark Disney film.

Whatever was done with Helena Bonham Carter's head is quite interesting and doesn't come across as Uncanny that much. I'm not sure whether I like it or not.

I wasn't a fan of the Jabberwocky characters, they looked generic and plain.

Soundtrack

I enjoyed the soundtrack, although it didn't really stick out for me.

Overall

Not worth the hype. I left not disappointed, as I had no expectations, but the film didn't really hit me either. It was just...okay.

5/10

9 (2009)

2010-02-02T19:22:00.000-08:00

This review contains moderate plot spoilers.

Plot
In a world ravaged by a war between humans and machines, a scientist sacrifices himself to create nine homunculi in the form of sack people (affectionately called 'stitchpunks' by fans). The homunculi, numbered from one to nine, each take up different roles in a new society ruled by 1, a homunculus who not only craves power but is afraid of the outside world, forbidding anyone to leave his domain and incredibly secretive about what has happened in the past. When 2 disappears, 9 gathers his comrades and sets off to find him, but inadvertently awakens the Fabrication Machine, a monstrous factory which started this whole war. Along the way they meet up with the other numbers, thought to be long dead, and must stop the machines before they destroy the last chance left for civilisation.

The empire which created the Fabrication Machine, seen in old film footage recovered by the stitchpunks, is the stereotypical 'warmongering fascist WWII-era empire which wanted to show off its superiority by building war machines on the pretense of "peace"', and doesn't impress.

The plot moves along way too quickly, and seems to end just as it's beginning. Many questions are left unanswered, and much of the storyline is pretty stereotypical, predictable and doesn't tie together well.

Characters
Each homunculus has their own incredibly distinct personality. By far my favourite are the twins, 3 and 4, who are quite lovable. 1 seems overly arrogant and shallow as a character, whereas 2 really shines although he's not seen for much of the film. 9 is also pretty boring and I can't really relate to him much. The others are forgettable stereotypes.

The machines are amazing and very animalistic, which is a strange way of looking at machines, but it works. They're fantastic designs, not to mention very creepy due to having been made from scrap and animal skeletons. The Fabrication Machine, or 'Brain' is monstrous and bewildering to look at.

Visuals and Cinematography
The visuals are mind-blowing and make up a little for the lacking plot. Director Shane Acker creates a beautiful post-apocalyptic setting, with a dark edge to it that isn't often seen these days. The small scale of the characters is a great contrast to the massive landscape, which contributes to the atmosphere.

Soundtrack
There's a heavy use of the song Somewhere Over The Rainbow, which is entirely out of place, although the contrast is a good thing and is used quite well. The original soundtrack, composed by Danny Elfman, is great, but not particularly memorable.

Overall
A visually fantastic film lacking in other areas. Not worth the full price of a cinema ticket, try hiring it or watching it elsewhere for cheaper.
6/10

District 9 (2009)

2010-01-25T21:06:00.000-08:00

This review contains minor plot spoilers, but you probably knew about them

Image via Wikipedia

already.
Story
Most people call this 'the alien apartheid movie', or 'a documentary'. I've known a number of people who refused to see the film on these grounds, but it goes deeper than this.
The film starts out as a mockumentary: what if aliens landed in 1982, but they weren't manevolent: they were refugees? It documents what happened when the aliens (never really named in the film, but apparently they're called poleepkwa) arrived and how the humans meant (?) to do them well but ended up abusing them until their situation pretty much mirrored that of apartheid South Africa.
As the story continues, however, it branches into a drama and then a full-on science fiction/action film in the climax, before ending with bits of everything.

Trivia
The film was produced by Peter Jackson, director of the Lord of the Rings trilogy, with the money that was going to be used for the flopped Halo film project. You can see some similarities between the poleepkwa and the aliens of the Halo series, especially in the climax.

Characters
The film begins by focussing on an employee of the MLU, a military force assigned to 'keep order' in South Africa and study the alien weapons. Although he's pretty lovable, its more due to his obscenely happy personality and ridiculous South African accent. Once he gets into District 9 we see he's a bit of an arsehole and that kind of undermines our sympathy for him. As the film goes on however, we're more encouraged to feel sympathetic towards him as his situation continues to worsen and everyone who he once trusted turns against him due to his 'condition' which has developed (I won't spoil what it is just in case).

Pretty much every other human character is not particularly likeable, to the point that it's incredibly obvious that everyone is lying through their teeth and/or a heartless bastard.

The only other remotely interesting characters are both poleepkwa, and they probably have more life in them than any human character in the entire film. That's not saying that they're unlively, in fact the aliens are so emotional and interesting that you really stop caring about the humans. Is this a good thing?

Visuals and Cinematography

District 9 has some of the best CGI yet seen in film. Everything looks incredibly realistic and fits in perfectly with the real settings. You will be awestruck during the climax as the alien weapons turn people into gibs (if only because of the computer effects).

The cinematography during the mockumentary sections is interesting, and does look realistic, although it cuts to alternate viewpoints so often it's difficult to really get a sense of the surroundings. During action sequences the camera manages not to flail around too much, which is nice, but during van de Merwe's interrogation sequence it's a bit hard to see what's going on thanks to the uncomfortable extreme closeup. Otherwise, handled quite well.

Soundtrack

District 9 features a fully orchestrated soundtrack undercurrented with traditional African music where needed. It's nice to hear world music in a big-budget film and is definitely a change. It works well but the traditional music is often done away with during the action sequences, although you probably won't notice.

Realism

Some of the things the government does is a bit silly (who cuts into a spaceship?) and the story is overly cynical in regards to all humans being complete jerks (some of the special features indicate that the humans make horribly wrong assumptions about the aliens and their culture which then are incorporated into the common 'knowledge', making them seem a lot less, well, human than they really are).
Since we haven't encountered aliens yet, we're not sure whether this is what we'd actually do to them, so I can't really comment on that. Otherwise, a highly believable film - if the apartheid comparison isn't too obvious.

Blu-Ray extras
The Blu-Ray edition of District 9 includes a plethora of deleted scenes mostly composing extra expository content, an interactive map of Joburg (much like that availiable on the official District 9 website), director's commentary, and the usual documentaries about the making of and the special effects. It's compatible with movieIQ, which connects you to the internet to access trivia and information on the cast and setting.
A new edition recently published also comes with a demo of the upcoming game God of War III, for use in Playstation 3 consoles.

Overall
A brilliant, well-constructed film - but I wouldn't have expected less from Peter Jackson. If you aren't a fan of documentaries or arthouse, you may not like this one.
9/10

Up (2009)

2010-01-25T20:21:00.000-08:00

This review contains minor character spoilers and minor plot spoilers.

Up was awarded 'Best Original Soundtrack' and 'Best Animated Picture' at the 2010 Academy Awards.

After being entranced by the sheer beauty of Pixar's last outing, WALL-E, I was quite sure that they couldn't top it for Up. I turned down a chance to see the film for free with Jenohart as I had with WALL-E, and later regretted the decision as the great reviews rolled in. It took a long time before I finally saw it on Blu-Ray, and I can say for sure that it does not disappoint.

Story
How can you make a whole film about a guy in a floating house? That's what I thought when I first sat down to watch this film. I'd steered away from spoilers and the like, although even the first trailers I saw back when it first released were tight-lipped.
The story ties in greatly to the characters, which I'll go into in a moment. It mostly focusses around an old man named Carl Fredricksen and what he decides to do with his life after the death of his wife. All hope seems lost as everything he held dear crumbles around him. As a last-ditch attempt to fulfil his childhood dreams, he obtains thousands of balloons and lifts off his house to head to South America and find his childhood hero. Along the way he meets up with a whole host of weird and wonderful characters, and finds out that reality isn't as innocent as you think when you're a kid.
It's a simple story, but you can't help but feel entranced by it. Unfortunately, as it is a Disney film, the story becomes quite a bit predictable as the film goes on.

Characters
As aforementioned, each character is tied to their own deep storyline, some of which are expanded on and others which are not. Each protagonist is lovable, realistic and easy to associate with.
The character who ends up being the primary antagonist is rather obvious when you first meet him, and his sudden change in attitude is very sudden and not particularly well-developed. Some would chalk this up to his mental instability, but I personally think it's silly. It's as if Disney thinks that audiences wouldn't be able to understand anything other than black-and-white morality.

Soundtrack
The music in Disney films has always been great, and Up continues this trend. I have always said that the soundtrack is one of the most important parts of a film, and the music in Up contains such emotion that it's hard to remain nonchalant even in the opening scenes. Each character has their own motif, like in opera, and different variations are played depending on the feelings of the character in question. A brilliant soundtrack.

Realism
I've already complained about the antagonist, but it's time to see how the latest Disney film compares in terms of 'is this believable?'
Unlike many animated films nowadays, the animals in Up don't talk - except of course for every single dog in the film. This is explained by the plot as being their thoughts read out by a computer, and indeed the dogs' mouths don't move. It's done incredibly well, but I don't find the mind-reading computer very believable.
Each character is animated incredibly well. Pixar spent a lot of time researching animals and people in order to get down their motions and appearances, and it shows. Everything is very detailed, even down to the way characters walk.

The part that most people wonder about is whether it is really possible to lift a house with helium balloons. Pixar did the appropriate calculations but found that if a realistic amount of balloons were to be animated it would come out as a gigantic, unappealing blob. In the end a few thousand balloons were animated using a realistic physics engine, resulting in one of the most awesome-looking balloon physics ever seen in CGI. Physics also takes a leading role as the film goes on, showing the effects of time and various impacts on a balloon. It's quite interesting.

Blu-Ray extras
The Blu-Ray edition of Up comes in a two-disc set. The first disc contains the film, a few makings-of, some alternate endings, an explorer badge game, and two shorts. The second disc contains additional special features. The special features are very interesting and show how much time and effort was put into making the characters realistic and believable.

Overall
Up is a fantastic film, and I'd say it's on the level of if not greater than WALL-E. I recommend that everyone see it. It really makes you think about your life, both the past and future.
10/10