Battle: Los Angeles

broderic on March 21, 2011

It is true about what the critics have been saying about Battle: Los Angeles. It really is a movie made up of all the action flick cliche’s you’ve already seen.

Let’s check off some movies that Battle: Los Angeles is indebted to. Black Hawk Down, Alien, Aliens, District 9, Saving Private Ryan, Bourne Identity, 300, ID4, Transformers, War of the Worlds, Avatar. The list goes on and on. I even threw in movies I’m not so sure was in there, but no doubt with squinty eyes they can be.

That said I enjoyed it still. This will be one of those movies on TNT or TBS that you’ll watch whenever its on.

3 of 5 stars.

Twin tails! Sailor fuku! Zettai ryouiki!

broderic on March 13, 2011

Suckerpunch looks to be a real fan boy movie. I’m there. Of course, it’s a Zack Snyder production so it will be a 90 minute film stretched to 2.5 hours all in slow motion.

sp_babydoll_lg

I’m interested in seeing it for the anime/manga/otaku influences. Twin tails is so anime/manga. I wonder if she is tsundere. She’s got the sailor fuku going. Not too bad except that this one’s too Americanized with the bare midriff highlight. Next Halloween we’ll be getting sexy sailor fuku at all the Halloween parties. Most importantly though, zetta ryouiki. Hopefully this movie doesn’t ruin it all, which most assuredly it will.

The Adjustment Bureau

broderic on March 11, 2011

Did you know that The Adjustment Bureau was based off a Philip K. Dick short story? You could almost see a bit of the Dick in the movie, but it wasn’t paranoid enough. A group of people who watch over everyone, you find out about them, and you don’t look over your shoulder every damn day of your life? I’m just saying that it could’ve used a little bit more paranoia.

But what it really could use less of was the rom-com aspect to the plot. I thought I was watching Serendipity. There were rom-com plot points galore. They meet cute. They do well together. He breaks her hear. They make up. Fate! They were meant to be together!

So imagine this movie that was slightly funny for the rom-com aspects, throw in a little bit of Dick paranoia, and then spin in the science fiction aspect of it with the path keeper overlords, what have you got? Something that confuses my mom. Me? I was laughing all movie long. It’s the rom-comedy in me.

Needs more sci-fi and Philip K. Dick.

3 of 5 stars.

Short Shrift

broderic on March 4, 2011

God of Love put a smile on my face. It’s this year’s Oscar winner for Live Action Short, and the director and star, Luke Methany, had IMO the best acceptance speech. It was also produced by a Filipina, so it’s got a lot of good karma going for it.

The story centers around the main guy, a singer, looking to fall in love with his drummer who has the hots for the guitarist who is also the lead’s best friend. The singer prays to the gods for guidance in love and he receives it in the form of cupid’s darts. Did I mention he’s also an accurate dart player? He’ll use these darts to bring love and happiness to his life and the lives of others.

I had purchased this short on iTunes along with a few others last week before the Oscar telecast. This was the best of the bunch. Let’s Pollute, an animated short, tried hard to satirize our wasteful ways by assuming the guise of a 50s ‘how-to’ cartoon. It was too heavy handed and quickly became a one note tune. The Crush was about a boy and his crush on his school teacher. I had picked this to win, but knew immediately when I started watching it that it was a terrible choice. It was predictable. I wondered how it could’ve gotten a nomination.

That’s my Oscar shorts. I think I want to catch the Illusionist.

God of Love 4 of 5 stars.
Let’s Pollute 3 of 5 stars.
The Crush 2 of 5 stars.

Morning Tense

broderic on February 26, 2011

Watching The Gunfighter on AMC. It’s pretty tense. Jimmy Ringo, a notorious gunslinger rides into Cheyenne to woo his girl back. Everyone is gunning for him: the three brothers of the last idiot who went up against him, the local tough guy, the loafers at the bar, the kids hooking school. Everyone is except the girl he wants back. Soon, they’ll all cross paths.

The movie is pretty well written as expressed by getting an Oscar nomination. Sometimes its witty banter. And other times its the tension building.

I’m actually enthralled.

Unknown

broderic on February 23, 2011

Yup, I contributed to Unknown winning the box office bonanza for this past weekend. It was the number one movie grossing $25+ million. I wasn’t the only one as the Sunday matinee was packed. Lots of old, white folks. They switched from Owings Mills to Hunt Valley.

Anyway, without spoiling it too much, the movie was a complete Jason Bourne ripoff. Oops. I said too much.

It was very confusing when the twists started happening. Just what was Liam Neeson’s motivation supposed to be? Thinking more about it. A lot of the twists don’t make any sense because it completely wrecks any character motiviation as to why they played each other for the fool. I was expecting a nice little thriller in the Hitchcock mode. What I got was Bourne Identity 2: Married with Children.

2 of 5 stars.

Fourth Annual BrowserMetrics Oscar Pool

broderic on February 17, 2011

It’s almost Oscar night, and once again, I give you, my reader, a chance to bask in the fame and glory that Hollywood provides that night. It’s the Fourth Annual BrowserMetrics Oscar Pool.

You know how to play: pick the eventual winners of the Oscars in all categories. Collect points. The most points wins.

I’m being particularly sadistic this year, though. I’ve changed the scoring structure and rules to win.

All categories are mandatory. The amount of points that a correct answer is worth is up to you this year. You can choose from 1 or 2 points in the “minor” categories and up to 3 points in the “major” categories. Choose wisely, because not only do you earn the points for the correct answer, you loose the points for a wrong answer. It’s a bet your placing that your hunch on the Oscar is correct. I’ll spot you 10 points; that’s 10 categories that you can totally guess at. The other 14 (I think) will give you nightmares.

The winner is the one with the most positive points. Most positive points gets you a copy (DVD, VHS, torrent, download) of any of the 10 Best Picture nominees when they are available in the United States. You can also win the no-prize of guessing the most correct, but it’s the points that count.

Good luck. Click me to start the madness

Link of the Day [2.08.11]

broderic on February 9, 2011

With the ending of football, it’s getting close to baseball season. Pretty soon catchers and pitchers report for Spring Training and then the whole squad. Then 3 weeks of meaningless games and then the big show. Opening day!

In the meantime, imagine that your a fan who has nothing better to do. You’re flipping channels between MLB Network and what else’s on. You happen upon Ferris Bueller’s Day Off and get to the Wrigley Field scene. You too would spend time trying to figure out the actual game that the movie used, right? Or is that too baseball-geeky?

http://www.baseballprospectus.com/article.php?articleid=12877