Piranhas 3D is my kind of film. It knows what it is, what its audience wants to see (and not see) and doesn't waste anytime on much else. Alexandre Aja seems to have been born with this basic understanding and puts it to use in most of his films, although Piranha 3D is by far the best one he's done. It's a fun filled homage to 80 B horror films, Jaws, and the bygone days of 3D. It was pretty nostalgic for me, as I'm sure it will be for most older teens. the 3D was done post production, thus making some scenes unfocused and blurry, but overall it works well with this film.
Piranha 3D is about the wonders of Lake Victoria during spring break. This year Derrick Jones; hit director of popular porn site Wild Wild Girls; lays anchor at Lake Victoria hoping to catch some good old fashioned teen sexploits on his camera, little does he know that he'll soon be catching alot more than bare breasts on this wild and crazy spring break. The usually crowded lake gets close to overflowing, Derrick's prescence attracting even more hot teens that are willing to bare all for the sake of the camera. Of course, all the hubub is bound to attract someone or something, in this case a hoard of prehistoric hungry piranha that have recently been unearthed from the bottom of the lake and have now decided to crash the spring break festivities as only they can. Can you say fish food?
Piranha 3D sports a pretty good leading and supporting cast. Elisabeth Shue is great as the ass-kicking sheriff of the small town, Julie Forester. She plays the role with a brody-esque (The main star from Jaws) touch making it all the more fun to watch her jump into action. Jerry O'Connell is great fun as breast obsessed porn director Derrick Jones. His closing line will go down as one of the best lines film history. Adam Scott isn't given much to do in the role of Novak, a seismologist sent to the lake to investigate the abnormal redings he's received. His best scene takes place at the spring break massacre (more on that later) where he hops onto a jet ski and pumps his shotgun. Ving Rhames as Deputy Fallon also shares a cool scene during the same sequence in which; once again; he proves how much of a bad-ass he is as he wields a boat propeller as a weapon of mass fish destruction. Steven Mcqueen is fine as Jake Forester, the son of Shue's character who is recruited to charter Derrick around the lake. Jessica Szohr is hot as Kelly, an old fling of Jake's who tags along for the ride. Most of the cast understands that they are in a full-fledged B movie epic and thus are smart enough to know that acting is not important and to just have fun with their roles.
By far though, 2 of the best parts of the film for me were Richard Dreyfuss as Matt, he basically is the same character he played in Jaws. He opens up the film drinking Amity beer and singing a familiar song. I won't give too much away except to say he isn't in the film for long. Christopher Lloyd also makes a brief cameo as Mr. Goodman, who I suspect is actually Doc Brown in disguise. His facial expressions, heavy over-reacting, and way he frantically darts around the room is sure to remind most of the old Doc and thus was a truly memorable bit role in the film.
Now onto the real true star of the film....the bare breasts. Everywhere you look you're sure to see exposed breasts and hot ass dancing across the screen like a 14 yr olds wet dream. When the Piranhas are absent and the film stalls, they use TnA to keep us, the audience, occupied while we wait for the main attraction to begin (If only they used this same methods in doctor's waiting rooms). The biggest pairs of breasts belong to Kelly Brook and Riley Steele as two stars of Wild Wild Girls that Derrick brought with him. They are both goddesses among mortals, their bodies stealing every scene their in (including a smoking hot underwater ballet which could have done with different scoring).
The Piranha's of the title are sleek, fast, hungry mofo's that seem to never be content with whatever meal they have at the moment. They are CGI, of course, but the damage they do to their victims is not. The deep gashes left on victims is achieved by practical effects, and boy did it feel good to have them in here. Both the piranhas and the damage they wreck look fantastic.
The crowning setpiece of the film is the springbreak massacre. Everywhere we look there are millions of thrashing victims being quickly ripped clean by the massive hoards of the hungry fish. Be sure to watch for some truly great death reaction shots by the extras, all of which deserve top billing for their work done here. You gotta love the cheese.
In case it isn't already obvious, I just want to state that I love P3D. I love how cheesy it is, I love the 80s feel it has to it, I love the fun atmosphere created here, and I LOOOVE the massive amount of hot ass and breasts that can be viewed in this film. I love Elisabeth Shue and the work she does here and I just gotta say god bless all those extras and Kelly and Riley for the amount of skin they fearlessly show off. Congrats P3D, You are turly the Drag Me to Hell of this year.
Overall, while Piranha 3D is not a perfect film by any stretch of the imagination, it is exactly what it billed itself to be. No dissapointments to be found here and in a summer (and year) filled with disapointments that alone makes this film worthy of 5 breasts....I mean stars.
BETTER THAN SEX
My personal favorite scene: When a topless springbreaker gives the audience a virtual motorboat. good times, good times.
Sunday, August 22, 2010
Friday, August 13, 2010
RETRO REVIEW: THE FLY
"I'm an insect who dreamt he was a man and loved it. But now the dream is over... and the insect is awake."
The Fly is the story of oddball amateur scientist Seth Brundle and the horrors he must struggle through when something goes terribly wrong with his latest invention: The Telepods. Soon enough Seth realizes that due to an unforseeable mistake while he was attempting to teleport himself, he is now turning into a half man/half fly hybrid that he dubs "Brundlefly". The slow transformation brings about an internal struggle as he tries to hold onto the last remaining bits of his humanity long enough to find a cure.
The Fly stars Jeff Goldblum as Seth Brundle, Geena Davis as Veronica Quaife, and John Getz as Stathis Borans. Jeff Goldblum is suitable wacky (When isn't he wacky is the real question) as Seth Brundle and for once gets to strut his real acting chops as he perfectly embodies the madness of Brundlefly while also succeeding in making the audience still feel for him despite some rather disturbing choices the character makes throughout the film. Geena Davis is great as Seth's new girlfriend, Veronica, who is witness to Seth's brutal transformation into Brundlefly and struggles with her emotions of disgust, fear, and love as she attempts to find him help before its too late. John Getz is superb as well as the crazed ex-boyfriend and now boss of Veronica, Stathis Borans. This character also goes through a more subtle character based emotional transformation by the end of the film.
The Fly seems to enjoy switching things up on the viewer and playing with their expectations. The film starts out as a wacky love triangle based around a scientific breakthrough and slowly morphs into a terrifying tragedy about jealousy, greed, and human quirks that can get in the way of achieving our full potential. Our main antagonist and protagonist as they are introduced in the beginning of the film have switched roles by the grand finale. The film is also surprisingly reminiscent of the classic Universal Monster films, though it was produced by 20th Century Fox.
More about that scientific breakthough that causes our lead so much emotional and physical pain. They're called the Telepods and represent the potential for teleportation. Two dark black and steampunk looking pods that spark, whizz, and flash. They are the focal point for the final scene in the film (and are the centerpiece for most of the film as well) and are a character unto themselves.
A word of warning before you run out to rent/buy this little masterpiece: The Fly is extremely disturbing in just about every imaginable way. Pieces of Seth fall off, his face begins to boil and his body contorts as it prepares for the final transformation (I will say the body suit Jeff Golblum wears for most of the third act looks pretty darned cool, though it is still clearly a body suit. Luckily Brundlefly's final form is astounding, impressive, and realistic). Despite the urge to turn this one off, you will be rewarded if you make it thru till the end, seeing as the last 15 minutes of the film are one of the best endings ever seen in horror film history and just about outshines everything that preceeded it.
The Fly, as directed and partly scripted by David Cronenberg, with fantastic creature and effects creation by Wasal Inc., is one of the few pure horror classics that will continue to stand the test of time for all who are brave enough to step into the pod.
"Be Afraid. Be Very Afraid."
5/5 Better than Sex
The Fly is the story of oddball amateur scientist Seth Brundle and the horrors he must struggle through when something goes terribly wrong with his latest invention: The Telepods. Soon enough Seth realizes that due to an unforseeable mistake while he was attempting to teleport himself, he is now turning into a half man/half fly hybrid that he dubs "Brundlefly". The slow transformation brings about an internal struggle as he tries to hold onto the last remaining bits of his humanity long enough to find a cure.
The Fly stars Jeff Goldblum as Seth Brundle, Geena Davis as Veronica Quaife, and John Getz as Stathis Borans. Jeff Goldblum is suitable wacky (When isn't he wacky is the real question) as Seth Brundle and for once gets to strut his real acting chops as he perfectly embodies the madness of Brundlefly while also succeeding in making the audience still feel for him despite some rather disturbing choices the character makes throughout the film. Geena Davis is great as Seth's new girlfriend, Veronica, who is witness to Seth's brutal transformation into Brundlefly and struggles with her emotions of disgust, fear, and love as she attempts to find him help before its too late. John Getz is superb as well as the crazed ex-boyfriend and now boss of Veronica, Stathis Borans. This character also goes through a more subtle character based emotional transformation by the end of the film.
The Fly seems to enjoy switching things up on the viewer and playing with their expectations. The film starts out as a wacky love triangle based around a scientific breakthrough and slowly morphs into a terrifying tragedy about jealousy, greed, and human quirks that can get in the way of achieving our full potential. Our main antagonist and protagonist as they are introduced in the beginning of the film have switched roles by the grand finale. The film is also surprisingly reminiscent of the classic Universal Monster films, though it was produced by 20th Century Fox.
More about that scientific breakthough that causes our lead so much emotional and physical pain. They're called the Telepods and represent the potential for teleportation. Two dark black and steampunk looking pods that spark, whizz, and flash. They are the focal point for the final scene in the film (and are the centerpiece for most of the film as well) and are a character unto themselves.
A word of warning before you run out to rent/buy this little masterpiece: The Fly is extremely disturbing in just about every imaginable way. Pieces of Seth fall off, his face begins to boil and his body contorts as it prepares for the final transformation (I will say the body suit Jeff Golblum wears for most of the third act looks pretty darned cool, though it is still clearly a body suit. Luckily Brundlefly's final form is astounding, impressive, and realistic). Despite the urge to turn this one off, you will be rewarded if you make it thru till the end, seeing as the last 15 minutes of the film are one of the best endings ever seen in horror film history and just about outshines everything that preceeded it.
The Fly, as directed and partly scripted by David Cronenberg, with fantastic creature and effects creation by Wasal Inc., is one of the few pure horror classics that will continue to stand the test of time for all who are brave enough to step into the pod.
"Be Afraid. Be Very Afraid."
5/5 Better than Sex
Monday, August 9, 2010
SAW 7 has a new title, a new director, and an old familiar face
Hey there Beetle-heads. It's been a while since I've found any news noteworthy enough to report on...but today that trend changes.
For those who have been faithfully following the films and teachings of Jigsaw, I have some new upbeat news for you. First off, it has been confirmed that Saw 7's new title will be Saw 3D, thus confirming that those all too familiar shades will be used to further heighten the enjoyment of what is sure to be yet another bloody entry into the series (Saw 3D is rumored to be the FINAL Saw installment, a breath of relief can be heard around the world). I'm not too excited about the 3-D part. Not expecting much to come of this except that buckets of blood, trap pieces, and limbs will be flying at our faces fairly soon.
The 2nd piece of good news is that David Hackl (The director of Saw 5) has been given the ax and the reigns of the final film have been handed over to Kevin Greutert, the man who successfully breathed a breath of fresh air into one of the most exciting installments of the Saw franchise so far, Saw 6. As Director of 7, my hopes have been reignited for a good satisfying ending to The Saw franchise.
The 3rd and best piece of news, Care Elwes will be stepping back into the role of Dr. Gordon. Last we saw him he was crawling out of the bathroom, promising to get help for friend in need Adam. Gordon's fate has been left up in the air and with his return fans can only hope that the questions surrounding this particular character will finally be answered.
So, what will Saw 7 hold for fans??? Not much is known, but with a new twist, a proven director, and a returnig character Saw 7 is just about guaranteed to finally put to rest this weary franchise and the questions it has raised along the way.
Until next time friends, I'm Beetlejuice and you've just been bugged!
For those who have been faithfully following the films and teachings of Jigsaw, I have some new upbeat news for you. First off, it has been confirmed that Saw 7's new title will be Saw 3D, thus confirming that those all too familiar shades will be used to further heighten the enjoyment of what is sure to be yet another bloody entry into the series (Saw 3D is rumored to be the FINAL Saw installment, a breath of relief can be heard around the world). I'm not too excited about the 3-D part. Not expecting much to come of this except that buckets of blood, trap pieces, and limbs will be flying at our faces fairly soon.
The 2nd piece of good news is that David Hackl (The director of Saw 5) has been given the ax and the reigns of the final film have been handed over to Kevin Greutert, the man who successfully breathed a breath of fresh air into one of the most exciting installments of the Saw franchise so far, Saw 6. As Director of 7, my hopes have been reignited for a good satisfying ending to The Saw franchise.
The 3rd and best piece of news, Care Elwes will be stepping back into the role of Dr. Gordon. Last we saw him he was crawling out of the bathroom, promising to get help for friend in need Adam. Gordon's fate has been left up in the air and with his return fans can only hope that the questions surrounding this particular character will finally be answered.
So, what will Saw 7 hold for fans??? Not much is known, but with a new twist, a proven director, and a returnig character Saw 7 is just about guaranteed to finally put to rest this weary franchise and the questions it has raised along the way.
Until next time friends, I'm Beetlejuice and you've just been bugged!
Wednesday, July 28, 2010
RETRO REVIEW: HIGH TENSION
High Tension is a french slash-em-up thriller directed and scripted by Alexandre Aja (Mirrors, The Hills Have Eyes). The film follows the story of two college pals, Marie and Alexa. Alexa is trusting and somewhat niave while Marie is edgier and a possible lesbian as the film points out during a crucial masturbation scene that at first viewing appears tasteless but is actually an important turning point in the film. The 2 girls are vacationing at Alexa's family home when a killer strikes and murders most of the family and kidnaps alexa, leaving Marie to give chase after her friend.
High Tension had the potential to be a truly great foreign language thriller but was brought down to the lower level of an enjoyable romp by two things. The first is that the director chose to dub the film over in english but a quarter of the way through decides to drop the dubbing idea only to bring it back again at the end. Now I am of the persuasion that as far as dubbing goes, you either have to go all the way with it or not do it all. By having on-again-off-again dubbing in the film it effectively leaves viewers stranded in the middle of a busy road, they themselves must fill in the dialogue for the characters at some points and navigate their own way through the film without an effective map. It's an interesting strategy that I imagine Aja put into effect in an effort to get viewers thinking and to create an uneasy feeling. The effort pays off as it does exactly that, but I still would like to know exactly what was actually being said. The second thing that hindered the film was the killers painfully obvious lapses in logic. I won't go into further detail except to say that he is apparently not the brightest bulb in the batch as several obvious things escape his "places to look for hiding victim" list.
With those two unsavory details aside, High Tension does produce several inventive kills and plenty of blood to fill several bath-tubs. The film is not subtle at all, preferring to throw several things into your face that you may not have wanted (or needed) to see. Some may complain about how this points to the skills of an inept filmmaker, but honestly it does not take all that much away from the film in the end. Sometimes it's nice to sit down to a suspense/horror film that knows what it's demographic enjoys seeing and thus doesn't spend much time on anything else.
Not only does High Tension provide plenty of blood, but it also creates a truly memorable heroine in the guise of Marie. Here is a girl that knows what she wants and will stop at nothing to get exactly that. It's great fun to watch her go at it, the barbed stick scene alone making the film definently worth a rental at you local redbox or what not. While her ultimate character arc may dissapoint some viewers, I found it somewhat satisfying as it draws some parallels to another famous horror move icon.
Near the end the film attempts to throw in a surprise point to shock audiences and leave them with something to chew on, it doesn't entirely work out very well but the film does gain a few hesitant bonus points for the effort. In the end, while High Tension may not be one of the best horror films of recent years, it's still an enjoyable romp that tries and ALMOST succeeds at thoroughly thrilling viewers. That alone makes it worthy of a reccomendation from me to any true horror buff out there.
3/5 Stars
Upon a second viewing recently, I've come to appreciate the film more, though I'm still not in love with it (I do love what it's trying to say about repressed sexuality, unrequited love and how these two toxic elements mixed together can lead a person to go mad. It's also interesting that the killer is a man...what does that say about Marie and how she views her sexuality). The film may actually work better upon repeat viewings as what was once a rote but thrilling horror film becomes something truly disorienting and confusing as we are left to struggle to figure out what is real and what is fantasy. The film effectively places us inside a psycho's head who is blissfully unaware of her fractured mental state. The truth is: This is a film about a messed-up love story and one person's unhealthy obsession. It's still not quite great, but it comes close at times. Updated rating: 3.5 STars
High Tension had the potential to be a truly great foreign language thriller but was brought down to the lower level of an enjoyable romp by two things. The first is that the director chose to dub the film over in english but a quarter of the way through decides to drop the dubbing idea only to bring it back again at the end. Now I am of the persuasion that as far as dubbing goes, you either have to go all the way with it or not do it all. By having on-again-off-again dubbing in the film it effectively leaves viewers stranded in the middle of a busy road, they themselves must fill in the dialogue for the characters at some points and navigate their own way through the film without an effective map. It's an interesting strategy that I imagine Aja put into effect in an effort to get viewers thinking and to create an uneasy feeling. The effort pays off as it does exactly that, but I still would like to know exactly what was actually being said. The second thing that hindered the film was the killers painfully obvious lapses in logic. I won't go into further detail except to say that he is apparently not the brightest bulb in the batch as several obvious things escape his "places to look for hiding victim" list.
With those two unsavory details aside, High Tension does produce several inventive kills and plenty of blood to fill several bath-tubs. The film is not subtle at all, preferring to throw several things into your face that you may not have wanted (or needed) to see. Some may complain about how this points to the skills of an inept filmmaker, but honestly it does not take all that much away from the film in the end. Sometimes it's nice to sit down to a suspense/horror film that knows what it's demographic enjoys seeing and thus doesn't spend much time on anything else.
Not only does High Tension provide plenty of blood, but it also creates a truly memorable heroine in the guise of Marie. Here is a girl that knows what she wants and will stop at nothing to get exactly that. It's great fun to watch her go at it, the barbed stick scene alone making the film definently worth a rental at you local redbox or what not. While her ultimate character arc may dissapoint some viewers, I found it somewhat satisfying as it draws some parallels to another famous horror move icon.
Near the end the film attempts to throw in a surprise point to shock audiences and leave them with something to chew on, it doesn't entirely work out very well but the film does gain a few hesitant bonus points for the effort. In the end, while High Tension may not be one of the best horror films of recent years, it's still an enjoyable romp that tries and ALMOST succeeds at thoroughly thrilling viewers. That alone makes it worthy of a reccomendation from me to any true horror buff out there.
3/5 Stars
Upon a second viewing recently, I've come to appreciate the film more, though I'm still not in love with it (I do love what it's trying to say about repressed sexuality, unrequited love and how these two toxic elements mixed together can lead a person to go mad. It's also interesting that the killer is a man...what does that say about Marie and how she views her sexuality). The film may actually work better upon repeat viewings as what was once a rote but thrilling horror film becomes something truly disorienting and confusing as we are left to struggle to figure out what is real and what is fantasy. The film effectively places us inside a psycho's head who is blissfully unaware of her fractured mental state. The truth is: This is a film about a messed-up love story and one person's unhealthy obsession. It's still not quite great, but it comes close at times. Updated rating: 3.5 STars
Saturday, July 17, 2010
Inception and the mystery of the spinning top
I'm about to reveal a major spoiler for inception, so if you don't want to know anything about the film I strongly suggest you skip this post.
Ok, there has been much speculation about the crucial final shot of the film Inception. If you have seen the film you know what I'm talking about. Leonardo Dicaprio spins his top on a table as he goes to see his kids again, but as he exits the frame the camera moves back to the top which is still spinning. It wobbles precariously for a few seconnds and the film cuts to black.
The signifigance of the top is that; as explained by Leo's character early on in the film; The top will never stop spinning in the dream world and will topple eventually in the real world. The final shot of the top wobbling a bit but not falling leaves enough room for interpretation so that most will want to return for a second viewing. If it wasn't for the top, most probably would leave feeling pretty satisfied with the film.
The beauty of the final shot though, is that Nolan has basically constructed a trap for the audience. He ends the film with that annoying final shot as a silent dare for us to not analyze the meaning of this new development. Most will fall for the trap and find themselves stuck in a never-ending realm of questions. While the ending did anger me because it cheapens the film for me...at the same time I realize that in reality it makes the film much better.
At the end Leo's character is able to walk away from the top and accept wherever he is as reality. Could he be dreaming...sure. Could he be awake....sure, but in the end it doesn't matter. Nolan wants the audience to walk away from the top. The beauty and point of the film is not to know.
For me, I personally believe that in the end Cobb is back in reality...and my conclusion has nothing to do with the spinning top...it's that he sees his kids faces again, while in every other dream their faces are never shown. And there I go again falling into Nolans elaborate trap. In the end, as hard as it may be, it is crucial that we learn to walk away from that top as Cobb did. Nolan wants us to, like Cobb, accept wherever he is as reality, and he thrust the top into the final shot to get us to doubt ourselves.
So for the next couple weeks or months; however long the speculation goes on for; I will be happily satisfied with reading every person's beliefs on the ending and their evidence for why they think this way. It's always fun to speculate after a film is over, especially for geeks like me. Although I will enjoy reading all the opinions that the film is bound to create, I will remember that it's important to to walk away and let that infernal top continue to wobble, tempt me as it may.
Ok, there has been much speculation about the crucial final shot of the film Inception. If you have seen the film you know what I'm talking about. Leonardo Dicaprio spins his top on a table as he goes to see his kids again, but as he exits the frame the camera moves back to the top which is still spinning. It wobbles precariously for a few seconnds and the film cuts to black.
The signifigance of the top is that; as explained by Leo's character early on in the film; The top will never stop spinning in the dream world and will topple eventually in the real world. The final shot of the top wobbling a bit but not falling leaves enough room for interpretation so that most will want to return for a second viewing. If it wasn't for the top, most probably would leave feeling pretty satisfied with the film.
The beauty of the final shot though, is that Nolan has basically constructed a trap for the audience. He ends the film with that annoying final shot as a silent dare for us to not analyze the meaning of this new development. Most will fall for the trap and find themselves stuck in a never-ending realm of questions. While the ending did anger me because it cheapens the film for me...at the same time I realize that in reality it makes the film much better.
At the end Leo's character is able to walk away from the top and accept wherever he is as reality. Could he be dreaming...sure. Could he be awake....sure, but in the end it doesn't matter. Nolan wants the audience to walk away from the top. The beauty and point of the film is not to know.
For me, I personally believe that in the end Cobb is back in reality...and my conclusion has nothing to do with the spinning top...it's that he sees his kids faces again, while in every other dream their faces are never shown. And there I go again falling into Nolans elaborate trap. In the end, as hard as it may be, it is crucial that we learn to walk away from that top as Cobb did. Nolan wants us to, like Cobb, accept wherever he is as reality, and he thrust the top into the final shot to get us to doubt ourselves.
So for the next couple weeks or months; however long the speculation goes on for; I will be happily satisfied with reading every person's beliefs on the ending and their evidence for why they think this way. It's always fun to speculate after a film is over, especially for geeks like me. Although I will enjoy reading all the opinions that the film is bound to create, I will remember that it's important to to walk away and let that infernal top continue to wobble, tempt me as it may.
You'll want to pay attention in Inception
Inception is the latest film to burst out of the brilliant mind-womb of Christopher Nolan, the man who brought us such classics like The Dark Knight, Memento, The Prestige (my least favorite Nolan film that I have seen), and Insomnia. With Inception, Nolan's aim would appear to be to gently pry into the viewer's mind while at the same time throwing out some truly wowing material for him or her to chew on. In Inception Nolan creates his own surreal complex universe where it is possible for a group of people to infilitrate a persons mind and extract ideas from it. What the ideas extracted would be used for is never fully explained but I'd have to guess they are either given to rivals, used against said person, or sold to the highest bidder.
Leonardo Dicaprio stars as Lou Cobb; the leader of a group of extractors consisting of Joseph Gordon Levitt as Arthur, Tom Hardy as Eames, Dileep Rao as Yusuf, and Ellen Page as newcomer Ariadne. Cobb dreams of being reunited with his kids and so takes on one last job for businessman Saito; who is played by Ken Watanabe; with the promise that if he succeeds he will be given a passport back to his kids. There's a twist of course, Saito doesn't want Cobb and his team to extract an idea but to instead plant one in the mind of corporate rival Robert Fischer; played by Cilian Murphy. This new process is called Inception.
The film takes a great deal of time to explain the laws of dreams and what can happen in one, and the rest of the film goes to work displaying these laws in action, and boy is it fun to see how they are applied. There are several parts where most will find their jaws agape at the marvels unfolding before their eyes, but when jaws aren't open, brows will be furrowed as the viewer attempts to make sense of this complex and fascinating world that Nolan has woven together with Imagination as its glue.
That is quite possibly the biggest achievement of this film, not that it is one of his most complex, but that the universe created is something akin to what George Lucas did when he created Star Wars, except that Inception's is a thousand times more beautiful and complex.
Unfortunately this film, like any other, has its faults too. The weakest part of the film was it's attempt at creating an emotional element for the character of Cobb, whose wife has died and now haunts his subconscious like a jealous demon. The attempt is a weak one at best and the film spends alot of time on it, even though there isn't much reason for the audience to really care about Cobbs backstory.
The film is strongest at the beginning when it is explaining the laws of the dream universe and when the team first infilitrates Fischer's mind, but as they dive deeper and deeper into his subconscious the more muddy and complex the film gets. It's just about impossible for viewers not to tune out for a few seconds here and there. It's important that if you see this film you resist that urge to tune out, your overall understanding of this masterpiece depends on it. Like Shutter Island, This is one film that works best when the viewer is constantly thinking. While the film is complex, it's not impossible to understand what is going on as long as your paying complete attention to it.
Leo has already proved that he is a more than capable actor, so it's no surprise that he pulls off the role of Cobb effortlessly. His right hand man Arthur ,played by Joseph Gordon Levitt, is also a superbly well played one. Arthur gets some of the best screen time and one of the best moments in the film, a zero-G tumbling disorienting fight sequence in a hotel hallway. Joseph Gordon levitt easily emerges as another bright and shining star in the film
While its ability to wow moviegoers is a huge achievement, Inception lacks real heart or meaning, and if it wasn't for that the film would have gotten a strong Better than Sex rating from me. With Inception, Nolan is back in full form as he takes moviegoers on a thrilling journey into the world of dreams, but the lack of a compelling narrative ends up hurting the film in the end. Nolans universe is dazzling, i just wish his story was as dazzling as his universe is.
4/5 FULL PRICE!!!
Leonardo Dicaprio stars as Lou Cobb; the leader of a group of extractors consisting of Joseph Gordon Levitt as Arthur, Tom Hardy as Eames, Dileep Rao as Yusuf, and Ellen Page as newcomer Ariadne. Cobb dreams of being reunited with his kids and so takes on one last job for businessman Saito; who is played by Ken Watanabe; with the promise that if he succeeds he will be given a passport back to his kids. There's a twist of course, Saito doesn't want Cobb and his team to extract an idea but to instead plant one in the mind of corporate rival Robert Fischer; played by Cilian Murphy. This new process is called Inception.
The film takes a great deal of time to explain the laws of dreams and what can happen in one, and the rest of the film goes to work displaying these laws in action, and boy is it fun to see how they are applied. There are several parts where most will find their jaws agape at the marvels unfolding before their eyes, but when jaws aren't open, brows will be furrowed as the viewer attempts to make sense of this complex and fascinating world that Nolan has woven together with Imagination as its glue.
That is quite possibly the biggest achievement of this film, not that it is one of his most complex, but that the universe created is something akin to what George Lucas did when he created Star Wars, except that Inception's is a thousand times more beautiful and complex.
Unfortunately this film, like any other, has its faults too. The weakest part of the film was it's attempt at creating an emotional element for the character of Cobb, whose wife has died and now haunts his subconscious like a jealous demon. The attempt is a weak one at best and the film spends alot of time on it, even though there isn't much reason for the audience to really care about Cobbs backstory.
The film is strongest at the beginning when it is explaining the laws of the dream universe and when the team first infilitrates Fischer's mind, but as they dive deeper and deeper into his subconscious the more muddy and complex the film gets. It's just about impossible for viewers not to tune out for a few seconds here and there. It's important that if you see this film you resist that urge to tune out, your overall understanding of this masterpiece depends on it. Like Shutter Island, This is one film that works best when the viewer is constantly thinking. While the film is complex, it's not impossible to understand what is going on as long as your paying complete attention to it.
Leo has already proved that he is a more than capable actor, so it's no surprise that he pulls off the role of Cobb effortlessly. His right hand man Arthur ,played by Joseph Gordon Levitt, is also a superbly well played one. Arthur gets some of the best screen time and one of the best moments in the film, a zero-G tumbling disorienting fight sequence in a hotel hallway. Joseph Gordon levitt easily emerges as another bright and shining star in the film
While its ability to wow moviegoers is a huge achievement, Inception lacks real heart or meaning, and if it wasn't for that the film would have gotten a strong Better than Sex rating from me. With Inception, Nolan is back in full form as he takes moviegoers on a thrilling journey into the world of dreams, but the lack of a compelling narrative ends up hurting the film in the end. Nolans universe is dazzling, i just wish his story was as dazzling as his universe is.
4/5 FULL PRICE!!!
Wednesday, July 7, 2010
BEETLE LOVED GROWNUPS
Grownups is Adam Sandler's ode to summer in which a group of old friends reunite at their childhood lakehouse/hangout with their families after their basketball coach dies. There's Adam Sandler as Lenny Feder; a hot shot hollywood agent who laments that his kids are pampered (Jake Goldberg plays Greg and Cameron Boyce plays Keithie) and his wife is self-absorbed(played by Selma Hayek who doesn't do much except complain at Lenny), Kevin James as Eric Lamonsoff; the funny good natured fat guy of the group, David Spade as Marcus Higgins; the eternally drunk womanchaser, Chris Rock as Kurt McKenzie; the stay-at-home dad, and Rob Schneider as Rob Hilliard; the very zen massage therapist who is married to a much older woman.
Grownups doesn't have much of a plot. Most of the film consists of the friends hanging together, getting into trouble, and reminiscing on old times. The result is that if you need a story in your film then Grownups isn't the film for you. On the other hand on a lazy summer day when you don't have much else to do besides go to the beach or swim at the pool then run out and see Grownups, the film is the perfect lazy day film.
The only problems with Grownups is that 1. Most of the humor simply doesn't work. Luckily most of these parts are in the beginning of the film, once they reach the Lakehouse it begins to pick up. 2. The film is too long. There's only so much one person can take of absolutely nothing going on, good thing there are some guninely funny and fun moments scattered throughout the film which helps alleviate some of the more boring parts of the film, which brings me to the hot girls.
In the film it is revealed that Rob Schneider has 2 incredibly hot daughters (and one not so hot one; Bridgette; played by ashley Loren). There's Madison Riley as the main hot chick, Jasmine; and there's Jamie Chung as the secondary hot chick, Amber. The intro sequence for Jasmine which involves a slo-mo car shot and an extended scene of her ass as it leans over the hood of her car ("ok, and switch....and switch....and switch...") is a great way to introduce this character as its pretty much all she's there for. Naturally 2 of the kids; Keithie (Lenny's son) and Andre (Kurts son, played by Nadji Jeter) become transfixed by this vision from heaven and make it their goal to catch more glimpses of her which quickly becomes one of the film's focus points.
While it may not be spectacularly funny or strong plotwise, Grownups does have enough laugh-out-loud moments and plenty of hijinx to keep most eyes fixated on the big screen for the duration of the film. For me, I felt like I could relate to the story of Grownups because most of the action seen on the screen is similar to the fun me, my friends, and my family would have on a hot summer day. It perfectly encapsulates everything that makes summer great: Going to new places, hot girls, hanging out with friends, having adventures, going to waterparks, and just laying back and relaxing as the hours pass by. Grownups may not be the greatest film of the year, but it's already made it to the #1 spot on my list of favorite films for this summer. Feel free to see it with a few of your friends, as thats how Grownups is best viewed.
3.5/5 stars
Grownups doesn't have much of a plot. Most of the film consists of the friends hanging together, getting into trouble, and reminiscing on old times. The result is that if you need a story in your film then Grownups isn't the film for you. On the other hand on a lazy summer day when you don't have much else to do besides go to the beach or swim at the pool then run out and see Grownups, the film is the perfect lazy day film.
The only problems with Grownups is that 1. Most of the humor simply doesn't work. Luckily most of these parts are in the beginning of the film, once they reach the Lakehouse it begins to pick up. 2. The film is too long. There's only so much one person can take of absolutely nothing going on, good thing there are some guninely funny and fun moments scattered throughout the film which helps alleviate some of the more boring parts of the film, which brings me to the hot girls.
In the film it is revealed that Rob Schneider has 2 incredibly hot daughters (and one not so hot one; Bridgette; played by ashley Loren). There's Madison Riley as the main hot chick, Jasmine; and there's Jamie Chung as the secondary hot chick, Amber. The intro sequence for Jasmine which involves a slo-mo car shot and an extended scene of her ass as it leans over the hood of her car ("ok, and switch....and switch....and switch...") is a great way to introduce this character as its pretty much all she's there for. Naturally 2 of the kids; Keithie (Lenny's son) and Andre (Kurts son, played by Nadji Jeter) become transfixed by this vision from heaven and make it their goal to catch more glimpses of her which quickly becomes one of the film's focus points.
While it may not be spectacularly funny or strong plotwise, Grownups does have enough laugh-out-loud moments and plenty of hijinx to keep most eyes fixated on the big screen for the duration of the film. For me, I felt like I could relate to the story of Grownups because most of the action seen on the screen is similar to the fun me, my friends, and my family would have on a hot summer day. It perfectly encapsulates everything that makes summer great: Going to new places, hot girls, hanging out with friends, having adventures, going to waterparks, and just laying back and relaxing as the hours pass by. Grownups may not be the greatest film of the year, but it's already made it to the #1 spot on my list of favorite films for this summer. Feel free to see it with a few of your friends, as thats how Grownups is best viewed.
3.5/5 stars
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