Category Archives: Movie Reviews
‘Furious 6′ Review
How does the latest entry in the Fast and Furious franchise hold up? One line from the movie sums up the theme of the entire film; “It changes everything.” In this case, it makes for one very captivating experience.
Iron Man: Rise Of Technovore Review
Here’s the review for Iron Man: Rise Of Technovore, the animated Marvel movie(Anime) produced by Sony Pictures Home Entertainment.
Captain America Collector’s Edition Blu-Ray Review
Captain America is the 1990 cult classic directed by Albert Pyun, now presented in widescreen and in astonishing high-definition. So here’s my thoughts on what I have seen.
Marvel Knights INHUMANS DVD Review
Recently I was sent SHOUT! Factory‘s DVD featuring the Eisner-Award winning series The Inhumans, by Eisner Award-Winning Writer Paul Jenkins, Eisner Award-Winning Artist Jae Lee. So here’s my thoughts on what I have seen.
Dredd 3D Review
Having just finished watching Dredd 3D, it seemed like an appropriate time to review the film. The movie is a reboot of the 1995 film Judge Dredd, with not only a different cast, but also a wildly different plot attached to the film. Being a fan of the original film, it is a little hard to imagine anyone else playing the role of Dredd, but Karl Urban is definitely a respectable choice for the role. Sure, his voice may not have the same appeal to it, but he plays the stoic role in a fantastic manner and seems to fit the role perfectly. One major thing to make note of is that in this film, Dredd never takes off his helmet, something that fans of the comic series will be happy to learn.
As you can see in the trailer, there are some moments in the film which are shot in slow motion with highlighted colours and hues. While this may seem out of place in an action movie, it fits in with the plot nicely as the antagonist has introduced a drug called “slow-mo” into Mega City 1 which makes the user feel as if everything is going in slow motion. The effect is only used when the drug is somehow involved with the scene, and these slow motion clips add a bit of beauty and grace to an action movie, which is almost unheard of in a summer that hosted The Avengers, The Dark Knight Rises, and The Expendables 2, none of which are really known for having artistic violence so much as brutal or over-the-top violence. Don’t get me wrong, there is still plenty of plain action and violence, but these stylized scenes are a welcome addition to the film.
Yes, this scene is shot in slow motion. No, you do not see her chest
If you wish to hear about the plot of the movie, continue reading this section. If you do not want to hear any more of the details, skip ahead to the next picture.
The premise of the movie is that Dredd must take a new prospective Judge out with him for an assessment, and this rookie happens to have psychic abilities due to being born within a radioactive area. While investigating a triple homicide in one of the worst blocks in all of Mega City 1, the block gets locked down by a gang leader known as Ma-Ma. She informs the residents that there are two judges inside of their block and that she wants them dead. What started off as a routine investigation has now become a struggle for survival as gang members and some select residents of a 200 level complex try to kill Dredd and the rookie.
On top of wanting to solve the triple homicide and locate those responsible, Dredd now wants to shut down Ma-Ma and her entire criminal activity consisting of producing and distributing slow-mo. Of course, since this is Judge Dredd we’re talking about, there is only one acceptable sentence for Ma-Ma… death.
The level of violence escalates as the movie progresses, reaching truly remarkable levels, some of which involve multiple miniguns being used in an attempt to eradicate the judges, as well as some incredible shootouts. There are several twists in the plot along the way, and while some of them are fairly easy to see coming, others are not and will act as a pleasant surprise to movie-goers.
This film is certainly a large deviation from the Stallone version of the 90′s, but that is not a bad thing by any stretch of the imagination. The writers made sure to keep some of the one-liners and the dry humour in the movie, but toned it down a little bit to fit the gritty nature of the film. You will also be happy to know that Dredd still manages to slip “I am the law!” into the movie. If you’ve a fan of the first movie, a fan of the comic series, or even a fan of action movies, I highly recommend this film. It isn’t receiving much attention at the box office, but it is definitely a film worth watching.
Score: 4 stars out of 5
When Eric isn’t busy playing judge, jury, and executioner, he is an editor for Analog Addiction where you can find all the latest gaming news, previews, reviews, and everything else that rhymes with those words. ‘Like’ Analog Addiction on Facebook to receive all of the updates as they’re posted.
… I AM THE LAW!
Dark Knight Rises Review: Silence is Underrated
Silence in underrated.
Though words may be able to describe things in a more detailed light, visuals may be able to translate images more effectively; silence is something that has become forgotten. Silence comes in many forms, some good and some bad. After finishing a performance, being met with silence is nothing short of heartbreaking. Yet silence can be something great, Dark Knight Rises was able to bring the strongest form of silence I have heard from a crowd in many years. The film treats us to an amazing emotionally hopeless scene; it was done so perfectly that when it faded to black to transition to the next scene in the film, the crowd was stunned, shocked and silent. This was breathtaking, the emotions radiated through nothing but silence itself. Christopher Nolan (Director of the first 2 films in this trilogy) is able to connect with his audience and make them feel the bleak, hopeless world he has created and the Dark Knight rises to the occasion.
Dark Knight Rises picks up 8 years after Batman’s confrontation with The Joker. Right away we are introduced to the villain known as Bane, he is an overpowered sadistic mercenary who wants nothing more than to see Bruce Wayne/Batman’s (Christian Bale) home of Gotham City suffer and burn. With the devious and conniving Selina Kyle/Catwoman (Anne Hathaway) by his side and Alfred, his faithful butler (Michael Caine) missing in action, can Batman save Gotham from the greatest threat it has ever faced and his most powerful foe he has ever encountered?
The performances in this film were amazing; Anne Hathaway is able to pull off Catwoman to perfection. From the sweet innocent personality, to the devious and deceptive cat burglar we all know. Michael Caine is able to pull some heartstrings as Alfred and has some very strong emotional scenes; another strong and very likeable performance was delivered from Joseph Gordon-Levitt who plays John Blake, who valiantly brings Batman back into the fold. Christian Bale as he has 2 times prior was able to capture Bruce Wayne and his alter ego perfectly, still in my eyes the best Batman to date his presence in the role will be sadly missed in any future Dark Knight films.
“I’m Batman.”
One of Dark Knights few flaws comes from Bane himself, Tom Hardy does a good job of making Bane a very ominous and powerful figure when it comes to visuals, yet his voice will throw you off completely. Several times the crowd was actually laughing at Banes “British chipmunk” like voice as it did not fit the character at all, when your main antagonist can actually provide the audience with laughs; you are in trouble. Banes persona is let down in this respect, as taking him seriously sometimes is a big stretch. Another gripe some may have is the lack of Batman himself, his screen time definitely felt shorter than in previous installments, I did not find this to me much of an issue however as it allows for Bruce Wayne’s tale to be fully explored.
The lack of Batman actually provides one of the main positives in the film, the emphasis on side characters. More screen time is definitely given to explore the importance of the minor roles, this is something I felt lacked in the previous 2 films. This allowed for a stronger connection to the characters and made the minor story points to have more of an impact as you cared for them as well as Bruce himself. The greatest thing Nolan was able to pull off in Rises was the feeling of hopelessness; I kept asking myself how they would be able to save the day when it came to some of the major plot points. The bleak feeling of being outnumbered, outplayed and outgunned is done to perfection and this adds to the film in so many ways. Being almost 3 hours in length may put some people off, but this movie never felt like it dragged and did a great job of keeping the pace.
- Epic.
Some of the biggest crowd reactions were during the Bane/Batman confrontations, they were done well and their characters were both built up nicely as the light/dark sides of this tale. The vehicular scenes in the film also drew great reactions as some particular action heavy moments were a pleasure to watch. This film is definitely a movie going experience; the crowd played a massive part in making this film an amazing viewing journey, the laughs, the emotion and the shock all came across from the film onto the audience and hats off to Nolan on enhancing those feelings.
When it comes to super hero movies these days, they have become known as either hit or miss experiences, Dark Knight is most certainly a hit amongst fans and film fans alike. This movie is a thrilling supposed conclusion to the Dark Knight franchise, definitely one of my favourite super hero films in recent memory and of all time. From the stellar performances, amazing artistic score, great atmosphere, Dark Knight Rises is a must see. The blockbuster season of 2012 continues to entertain and this is one of the best options when it comes to films this summer and this year.
- Leather, doing what leather does best
Silence is underrated, to capture the emotions of an entire audience is no easy feat and those moments of utter silence gave me goose bumps, something words could never accomplish.
Score: 9.5/10
Jamie Briggs looks after Analog Addiction, follow his daily life on Twitter @Jamierock50, his videos on YouTube and his published reviews on WeekendNotes.com.
The Avengers Review
The Avengers Assemble
The Avengers is a 2012 movie release featuring the comic heroics of Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr), Captain America (Chris Evans), Hulk (Mark Ruffalo), Nick Fury (Samuel L Jackson), Thor (Chris Hemsworth) and Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson). The Earth is facing a threat on a grand scale from the alien forces known as Chitauri, led by Loki (Tom Hiddleson) Thor’s Asgardian brother, with the power of the tesseract cube that holds unlimited power he hopes to rule the Earth as its saviour.
Marvel Studios has been able to do the impossible, the culmination of several different super hero franchises combined into one action packed rollercoaster ride. Director Joss Whedon (Firefly, Buffy the Vampire Slayer) has been able to pull off an incredible feat. Executing some memorable action set pieces, many side splitting comedic moments and some really outstanding character development. You care for these characters, you feel the tremendous force they are up against and you feel every bump on the road to victory.
The fact these characters back stories and personalities have been fleshed out in previous movies, allows Whedon to grab a hold of this tremendous batch of characters and really just set sail on his vision of the Marvel universe. New character Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner) is the least known of the selection of heroes in these film, his back story is slightly shown within this movie, yet certain twists regarding his character do not allow you to grow to attached to him, until the film reaches its cinematic closure. One of the few smudges left on this shiny piece of summer blockbuster silverware.
The events of this film conclude in a post credits bonus scene for patrons, revealing the most obvious of secrets, Avengers will assemble for a sequel in the coming years. The audience was digging this film; the entire crowd laughed together, were left in shock and awe together and were all left happy at films end. This viewing was an experience, to feel such camaraderie with fellow patrons was way beyond the price of entry.
The Avengers is a fan-boys dream, Whedons talented directing allowed a film with so many charismatic individuals to not feel cluttered. Though few will rate this as an historic piece of cinematography, this is a journey that will make you feel every emotion, up until films end…When you will be happily waiting the next time The Avengers Assemble.
Jamie Briggs is Analog Addiction, you can follow all of his gaming related Tweets on Twitter, his videos on YouTube and all of his official published reviews on WeekendNotes.com.
The Amazing Spider-Man Review
Reboots. The new word that strikes fear and excitement into many these days, the number of rebooted or re-imagined films being released increases on an annual basis. Some are released to great applause (The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, 2011) where some cringe at the very thought of its existence (TMNT reboot). The latest franchise to experience the reboot treatment is Spiderman, the Sam Raimi trilogy slowly dipped after each film with the deplorable ending known as Spiderman 3. Marvel Entertainment and Columbia Pictures brought Marc Webb (500 days of Summer) on board to bring the web slinging hero to the big screen once again. But does this reboot misjudge its landing or swing in to save the day?
Spiderman (Andrew Garfield) is bitten by a radioactive spider on his visit to the OsCorp Industries building, in search of answers about his late Father Richard Parker (Campbell Scott) which is where his adventure begins. His father’s long time friend Dr. Curt Connors (Rhys Ifans) is creating a bio-chemical to hopefully regenerate his missing right arm from the DNA of a lizard. Forced to trial the chemical early the procedure goes horribly wrong turning him into what we know as The Lizard. Lizard hopes to wreak havoc on Spiderman and turn the city into their “perfect” form as he believes he has become, Spiderman and his love interest Gwen Stacey (Emma Stone) are then on the mission to try and save the population of New York and either cure, or destroy the Lizard if need be.
- The Lizard is green with envy. BOOM
One of the main things this film was able to capture was a more mature spin on the character, from the emphasis on his parent’s death, to the emotional scene with Ben Parker (Martin Scheen). You are able to feel the struggles and hardship Peter Parker has dealt with growing up without his parents. Finding any hope to try and connect with his father in the form of Dr. Connors, helping Connors along the way and unfortunately creating misfortunes that Peter feels responsible for. The story arc has a more personal vibe, more so then I expected. Following the man behind the mask more so then previous films, this gives a better connection to the character and makes him much more relatable and likeable.
Emma Stone and Andrew Garfield provide great chemistry during the film, their intimate moments are captured nicely and their on screen relationship, from awkward beginnings to flourished love is a great journey to watch. Rhys Ifans does a decent job as Dr. Connors and his alter ego Lizard is portrayed very well in CG. The character is digitally animated, but this never felt weird as the character was able to capture the evil and menacing vibe that Lizard possesses. You never felt like Spiderman had a chance against Lizard, which gave that sense of desperation and realism that Spiderman is still just a teenager behind the mask, this realistic tone was brought through brilliantly.
- Is that your web shooter? Or are you just pleased to see me?
The importance of showing the realism to the character Peter Parker is necessary, being your typical awkward outcast that he is, the personal side needed to be touched. Showing Spiderman can be hurt, emotionally and physically. Also being able to display the fact that even though his powers are there, he is still limited to what he can accomplish. This is depicted very well and drives home the fact that heroes are still humans underneath.
The Amazing Spiderman delivers on the promise of a good reboot, it provides comedic relief when needed as well as some edge of your seat moments when the 2 main characters are fighting it out, these fight scenes are great to watch. Sure there are a few sequences near the end that become a “stretch” to believe and certain moments become easily predictable. But as super hero movies go, you know what to expect. The movie is able to step aside from the original trilogy and form its own identity, which is exactly what it needed to do to succeed.
- He’s back.
Be prepared to be caught in his web once again, Spiderman is back.
Score: 8/10
Jamie loves to dress in spandex and skateboard in abandoned warehouses, he declares himself to be Spider-Man…Anyways follow his web slinging adventures on Twitter @Jamierock50, on YouTube and his published articles on WeekendNotes.
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