I'm just a guy who loves stories, whether they be past, present, future, movies, TV Shows, video games, whatever. If you came to get an average guys thoughts on film, you've come to the right place.
In my continuation from my Patriot Games review, I am returning to my Tom Clancy reviews and watching its origins. Without this movie, Harrison Ford would not have the job he had with Patriot Games. This movie started the Jack Ryan Franchise in the 90s and to think it was all started by Alec freaking Baldwin.
So what do I think of The Hunt for Red October?
This... is a long movie.
I don't think I ever understood the fascination with submarine stories, this and Crimson Tide never really made sense to me. I understand the symbolism of it, in that the Cold War was a sluggish standoff similar to a waiting game in a submarine. However, this lends itself to a really slow and really sluggish plot.
The Hunt For Red October follows the story of Jack Ryan, CIA analyst and Professor of Naval History at the US Naval Academy. He gets word of a Russian submarine called the Red October headed towards the United States. At first its a security concern because it has the capability of being able to not be detected.
The Captain of the submarine, Marko Ramius actually has the intention of defecting to the United States from the Soviet Union. He creates a plan to get him and his officers to the United States and defect.
Jack Ryan discovers this plan and needs to convince the Navy that Ramius is not intending to attack the United States and instead to rendezvous with the submarine and help them defect. That is the short explanation.
Like I said... Its a long movie!
Lets get one thing out of the way. Yes Sean Connery is a Russian Captain, and No, he doesn't have a Russian accent. Is it hilarious? Yes. Does it take away from the movie? No. Marko Ramius is an awesome character and Sean Connery brings it. There's a reason this movie always has Connery on the poster and not Baldwin.
Marko Ramius and his second in command, played by Sam Neil have a great conversation about how they are looking forward to seeking asylum in America and settling down in Montana and Arizona. But they're also vigilant as hell and know exactly when is the time to be commanders and when its time to dream about their lives after all of this is over.
He's also a commander during the Cold War. No Russian is going to unquestionably trust the American military and vice versa, so until the moment where they are on the same deck, Ramius is always suspicious and cautious. But at the same time, he's got this plan devised to the second.
Overall, Sean Connery is the highlight of the movie. Who cares if he doesn't speak with a Russian accent, I'll believe that Russia hired a Scottish Captain and now he's defecting just to see more of Sean Connery in this role.
And Alec Baldwin as Jack Ryan... well there's a reason Harrison Ford took on the role.
Baldwin isn't horrible in the role. He's clever and there is a cool dynamic between Connery and Baldwin. Now I think Harrison Ford and Connery would have been a better dynamic... if not a... father and son dynamic... like The Last Crusade.
Anyway, Baldwin is alright in the role. But he's not a really deep character. Lots of the background of his character is explained by others and the majority of his actions are focused on the task at hand. The main time he excels is the last act of the movie.
And that's really where the movie picks up. When there is finally a confrontation between American forces and Russian forces, that is when the movie gets really good and it starts to pick up.
And thats what really saves the movie. The first act of the movie was really slow. The movie is over two hours long and you feel it. Its very similar to Patriot Games in that its very dense with a good payout. I think that I liked Patriot Games a little bit more only because Harrison Ford is amazing and they do a little bit more of development of Jack Ryan, but The Hunt for Red October is still a solid movie.
So that's my review of The Hunt For Red October. Hopefully, I'll be reviewing A Clear and Present Danger soon, but until then have you seen this movie? What did you think? Where does it place in the Jack Ryan series? Comment and Discuss Below.
I'll leave you with this. Did you know Sean Connery was in The Avengers? Sort of. There was a movie called the Avengers that had nothing to do with the Marvel comics. Connery played the villain and produced one of the weirdest scenes ever put in a movie. Here it is. Enjoy!
I actually didn't come into 24 until the 4th season. But once I was hooked, I immediately started watching from the beginning and being an avid fan of the the show. I think that 24 really got me into binge watching television. When I got the DVD collection of the first 4 seasons, I just put the show on Play All and would watch the show in a matter of days. The reason I'm into watching great shows like Breaking Bad, Game of Thrones, and other great shows is all due to 24.
The first season introduced the character of Jack Bauer, a federal agent working with a fictional government organization called Counter-Terrorist Unit. The main thing that set this show apart was the real time element, that every episode happened over the span of one hour.
As the show went on, it was also known for its increased use of terrorism and really making Jack Bauer a great but flawed action hero willing to do whatever it takes to save the United States, including torture.
Each season brought on a new threat to the United States and of course Jack Bauer is there to save the day. The seasons I know the best are seasons 1 through 6. This is mainly because there was an 18 month break between season 6 and season 7 due to the Writers strike of 2007 and 2008... (remember when that was a thing?) I actually just finished the 7th Season but you can tell there's a difference in season 7 and season 8 and I think a lot of it has to do with the atmosphere of America after 2008... mainly Obama.
Whatever political views you may have, you can't deny that political atmosphere changed the way television was portrayed. The Obama administration, as advertised in the 2008 election, was going to be very different from the Bush Administration. Most namely, the closing of Guantanamo Bay looked like Obama was going to have less of a focus on counter-terror, ends justify the means, justice. The 9/11 fear was over, it was now time for "change". We can have as many debates on whether or not Obama's rhetoric in the 2008 elections followed through, but the point is, with this change in political atmospheres, the show needed to adapt.
And they did, the 7th season starts out with Jack Bauer on trial. CTU was disbanded. Many moral and ethical questions were asked about the way things were handled in past seasons. While the show had a similar flavor keep loyal viewers, it still had a change of pace and feeling that felt consistent with what would actually happen in a political climate like the one we have come to know.
And then the 8th season happened.
Don't get me wrong, I loved Season 8 when it first came out. The end almost brought me to tears because I didn't want Jack Bauer to leave.
But there were gaping problems with the 8th season that really made it probably the weakest.
I've usually thought that season 6 was the weakest but now that I think about it, Season 8 was really the weakest... from what I remember.
And that's what I'll do with this review. Like my other reviews of television shows, I'll review the pilot, watch the season and then do an overall review. Though this review may be a little different because I know how a lot of the arcs develop. The good thing is, this review won't be totally negative. I do recall a lot of good things about this season, I will note those things but also point out the parts that made it kind of a disappointment in the end. And furthermore, with this subject, I'd like to examine elements of the entire series that were great, and elements of the show that weren't too great, and then theorize on how the mini series Live Another Day that comes out in May can be great and give a great return of Jack Bauer.
We start the season out catching up with Jack Bauer. The last we saw him in Season 7, he was dying from a biological weapon he was exposed to. Now in the 8th season, we catch up with him spending time with his granddaughter we were kind of introduced to in the 7th season.
This really puts our hero in a position he hasn't been in for a long time. He's happy. Jack Bauer hasn't been this happy for a LONG time. He just looks really damn happy and its fantastic. This is a great way to start the season because we know it can't last for Jack Bauer. But it also insinuates that if Jack survives this day, he can get back to his family that makes him so happy...
I'll get back to that.
The story then moves to President Allison Taylor, who is at the United Nations discussing a disarmament of the fictional Islamic country of Kamistan. She is discussing the agreement with the President of the country, Omar Hassan. (played by Anil Kapoor)
This was another great decision. I liked Allison Taylor in the 7th season and adding a great actor like Anil Kapoor can only create an interesting political situation. While the President should be dealing with national security issues during a day in 24, its always good to see politics happen and using the United Nations was a great opportunity. I loved Anil Kapoor in Slum Dog Millionaire and from what I remember of the 8th season, I loved him in the show.
The only problems that initially happens with this storyline happen when Allison Taylor decides not to tell Hansan there is an assassination attempt possibly going against him. This doesn't sound like Taylor at all, and it also just doesn't make sense why she wouldn't tell him.
The other problem is coming out of the gate showing that Hassan is having an affair with a reporter. This kind of takes away from the character of Hassan. I think it would maybe make sense to bring up this plot point later, but give us a second to believe he's an honorable man instead of having stupid affairs with blonde that we know will not amount to anything once characters start dying.
The only other note I would have about this is the lack of Henry Taylor.
Maybe they didn't want to bring Colm Feore back but I personally think it was a horrible mistake. There aren't too many portrayals of female Presidents in television or movies. Even fewer are the portrayals of first gentlemen. Its a concept we're not used to, a man standing behind a woman in higher power. And the first few episodes of the 7th season, they did a pretty good job at representing that. Yes Henry Taylor got caught up in the conspiracy about their son's murder but he was still a devoted husband, he supported Allison Taylor like no other and he was a great choice to be the First Gentleman.
But then he got shot. And spent almost the entirety of the 7th season in the hospital. Overall, I wasn't really satisfied with how Henry Taylor was utilized in season 7. And by having him just up and leave Allison before the 8th season, it seemed out of character and just a missed opportunity in general.
Have him be resentful of Allison and betray her, have them have marital problems because of Olivia's imprisonment, have them get over it, whatever, but don't just call it quits and have him never come back. While not the most important element of 24, its always great to have elements of the day be personal to the President. That's what made David Palmer's storylines great and made him the greatest President portrayed on 24.
Overall, not having Henry Taylor on the show was a mistake.
And then we go onto CTU
Now in the 7th season, CTU was disbanded. And I loved it. As much as it was different to not see CTU, it was slowly becoming stale after the 6th season. Getting rid of CTU was a great choice because it threw Jack and others out of their element. It also made a more realistic turn towards actual political climate. If Allison Taylor is suppose to represent the Obama administration, she would never stand for CTU being reinstated.
Furthermore, by the time the 8th season comes along, there are no familiar faces in CTU and they have to rebuild a staff and characters we can enjoy. Sure there's Chloe, but the way they bring her back in the pilot just doesn't make sense. She's suppose to be this crack analyst and hacker and yet she's struggling with the new CTU system? Why didn't she struggle like that at FBI? I get that she feels uncomfortable, but not the best at what she does? I don't think so.
The 8th season attempts to reconstruct CTU as an organization that follows the rules now, when really its more intrusive than ever. I mean, did you see the drone use and huge intrusive satellite in the first few seasons? At least when FBI was acting like CTU, it was a bigger deal because they recognized what they were doing was wrong.
And then there's the new members of CTU.
Starting with Brian Hastings, he's suppose to be a CTU director in this new age of "Obama" and he plays by the rules... but at the same time he fabricates reports in order to make himself look good? The writing in the first two episodes really does the critique itself. He's just kind of dumb.
Larry Moss was a by the book director of the FBI. He was a model "Obama" age director but at the same time he was smart. The times he disagreed with Jack were actually smart opportunities for him to disagree. Brian Hastings is just stupid.
Then Cole Ortiz and Dana Walsh... well they're just dumb. Its freaking Freddie Prinze Jr... do I need to say anything else? Since when does 24 bring in Fred from Scooby Doo? And while I've come to understand the fad behind Katie Sackhoff, I'm still not really a fan of her. I didn't like her in Battlestar Galactica, and I don't like her here. Especially with her stupid secret life plot introduced in the first few episodes. Freddie Prinze at least got a little bit better as the season went on, Katie Sackhoff really didn't do anything for me and I was really happy when she died later on in the season, (no spoilers of course).
And then the season also got off on the wrong foot by not bringing back Renee Walker immediately.
This isn't really a huge complaint because they didn't do a horrible job bringing her back four episodes in.
However, Annie Wersching made a lot of season 7 really good because Renee Walker was such a good character. She actually brought about a new character that was developed the same way characters like Chloe and Tony were brought about. We liked them from the beginning and liked them more and more as the season went on.
The main reason I have a problem with this is that I know what happens to Renee and it would have given the season more credit if more time had been given to her. The first reason is the fact that Jack and her end up having a relationship. A relationship, that while I liked it, it felt very rushed. It would have been better to see that that relationship had developed more in between seasons, and therefore it would have made the result a little more tragic for the viewer.
The last element is really just a complaint of the season overall. It mainly disregards everything that was built up well in the 7th season and just convolutes it, making it silly. A lot of that is not only in the first few episodes but over the entire season. I really want to finish the 8th season so I can talk through it but I'll try to stay on the pilot, and finish it up quick, this review is getting long.
As far as story goes, its a pretty generic pilot. Since Jack isn't working for the government, he is reluctantly pulled back in because he can't refuse the Call of Duty. In the pilot, he's told to bring in an informant who says he has information on an assassination attempt on President Hassan.
In the end of the first half of the pilot, it is revealed that of course, there's an inside man. I'm actually kind of surprised they haven't made a joke about how many times there have been inside people working against the government. In the end of the pilot, CTU picks up the reporter who has an affair with Hassan because they believe she's trying to assassinate him. This of course gives the real bad guys time to carry out their plan. Overall, its very generic and not really new. Its not bad, its just not great.
Overall, the pilot of Season 8 is really not anything extraordinary. Its got a lot of elements working against it. Poorly written characters, and missed opportunity are really the parts that hurt the pilot. There are bigger elements of the entire season that make it even more disappointing, but I'll get to that in my series review.
I'll leave the review here. I want to have a little bit to talk about in the season review. But what do you think of the pilot of the 8th season? What's your opinion of 24 in general? Do you like it? What's your favorite season? Comment and discuss below.
I'll leave you with this. Jack Bauer is notoriously known for shouting "Dammit" and here is the complete compilation of it. Whatever you do, don't play the drinking game for Dammit. Its dangerous. But enjoy the compilation.
I think Jack Ryan was the Jason Bourne of the 90s. And I realized halfway through this movie that this movie is actually a sequel to The Hunt For Red October. My review of that movie will be done in the near future when I have time to watch it but for now, I'll take Patriot Games on its own merits and see it as a standalone movie as opposed to a sequel.
I love Harrison Ford.
From Star Wars, to Indiana Jones, to The Fugitive, to Cowboys & Aliens, the guy is just the classiest actor in Hollywood. And the wonderful thing is, he's the most humble guy ever. He's an introvert and not really a flashy actor, and yet he's one of America's favorites. Unfortunately, I didn't really grow up in his prime. Everything I have experienced of Ford's movies were from my father showing them to me.
But as the only member of the Star Wars cast that maintained a successful career after the original series was over, Ford is just an all around badass. And that brings us to his stint as the famous Tom Clancy character, Jack Ryan.
Patriot Games follows the former CIA agent as he's taking his family on a trip to Great Britain. He's on a lecture tour as he is a professor of history and consults for various intelligence agencies. On the way to meet up with his family, he sees a group of masked men attacking a vehicle containing a part of the royal family. Jack intervenes and kills a few of them and leads the arrest of their leader, Sean Miller (played by Sean Bean)
These events lead Ryan's family to be targeted by rogue members of the IRA and Jack has to return to the CIA in order to stop another attack on the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland all while making sure his family is safe from terrorists.
Its really funny how dated this movie is. I mean Ford was 50 when he did this movie but it was that time in Ford's life when he looked younger. Also, you have James Earl Jones. What has he been in lately?
But also, the main threat is the IRA. Its very evident of the 90s in that that was the terrorist threat. The Soviet Union had just dissolved and while some action spy movies theorized a revitalization of the Soviet Union, the counter terror genre was a little bit lacking.
So how is Harrison Ford as Jack Ryan?
I think a charming thing about this representation of Jack Ryan, and all of them from the 90s is that he's not much of an action hero. While I would still consider him the Jason Bourne of the 90s, thats not really what you think it is. You have to remember that Tom Clancy was writing counter-terror thrillers before 9/11 and while so was Robert Ludlum, Jason Bourne didn't become a movie thing until 2002. Also, if you think about it, after Bourne out did The Sum of All Fears in 2002, Ryan fell out of popularity. Clearly, Jack Ryan was the spy figurehead of the 90s... and 2013 I guess, but we'll get to that in a different review.
But again, Ford does a great job as Jack Ryan. He's smart, he's great with the action he's given, and if you can pull one thing from all of Harrison Ford's action movies, its that you don't mess with his family.
His family is played by Anne Archer, playing his wife, and Thora Birch playing his daughter. They're good, I think they play well enough to their purpose in the movie as the call to action of the movie. They really are only there to give Jack Ryan a reason to go hunt these terrorists because one of them has a personal vendetta against him. That's not to say they're bad, they're just there for a purpose and they serve it. Anne Archer plays a good Catherine Ryan and Thora Birch actually didn't annoy the hell out of me. The good thing is, I buy that they're a family. There isn't a lot of conflict within the family, Catherine says a little bit about how she doesn't want Ryan to go back to the CIA and Jack blows off something his daughter wanted to go to once, but overall, they get along and they're more cohesive so that its more of a call for Jack to destroy the people who wanted him and his family dead.
And that leads me to the villain of the movie. Sean Bean plays Sean Miller, a member of a rogue IRA faction bent on killing the Secretary of State of Northern Ireland. In the beginning in their first kidnapping attempt, Ryan kills Miller's brother and therefore Miller has a personal vendetta against Jack Ryan. So much as he goes all the way to Maryland and shoots at a car with Ryan's family in it as their driving home from school. Pretty hardcore.
The problem is, as much as I like Sean Bean and thought that he did a good job considering, Sean Miller is probably the dumbest terrorist ever to be on the big screen. When he's chasing down Catherine Ryan, she crashes into a road divide and Sean just says, "Eh Good Enough" and assumes there dead. Furthermore, he goes after Ryan's family and not Ryan himself, why? I don't know. I mean you'd think Sean would want to kill the man who killed his brother personally. But no, he goes after his family for whatever reason. Furthermore, think about it. Jack Ryan is a CIA analyst. They make it very clear he's not a field agent. So when Sean and the other bad guys attack his house where the Secretary of State of Northern Ireland also is, they can't take down him and Samuel Jackson, the only people who really kill some of these terrorists and complete their objective? No because Sean Miller is a dumb villain.
Oh yeah, Samuel Jackson is in this movie.
And then there's the gaping problem with this movie and what kind of brings it down the most, is the pacing.
This movie is mainly focused on Jack Ryan and his family. While they do a really good job developing Jack Ryan as a character and what brings him do the things he does in the movie. In the end its all about his family.
Unfortunately, this lends itself to a very slow and pretty uneventful movie. The movie itself is a little under two hours and while it is a good story if you wade through it, its not the most engaging movie.
The main draw I think the movie has is the performance of Harrison Ford and the story, regardless of how slow it is executed. While Sean Bean's character is dumb as rocks, he does a great performance. While the IRA as a terror threat is really outdated, it is an interesting look at the fears and villains of the 90s when it comes to spy movies.
The movie is not phenomenal. I would say its a product of its time but I think there are better movies out there to be called classics, like The Fugitive. But all that aside, I had a good time watching this movie. Once you get past the slow parts, it really is a decent spy movie though maybe not the kind we're used to today.
So that's my review of Patriot Games. Have you seen Patriot Games? What did you think? Do you agree with what I've said about it? Comment and Discuss below.
So I'll leave you with this. Harrison Ford was on Jimmy Kimmel Live and since there is going to be a new Star Wars movie, obviously they were curious about Star Wars, but Ford would not answer any questions. Hilarity ensues. Enjoy!
So I'm kind of behind with this movie. It was in theaters for a long, long time. It originally came out in November and I think it only just recently left theaters. Now Disney movies come and Disney movies go but I don't know if I've heard as much hype about a Disney movie for a long time before Frozen came out. And I'll be honest, I was skeptical.
Frozen isn't the typical kind of movie I usually watch. Think about the last few reviews I did were on serial killers and Guardians of the Galaxy. But I do have a soft spot for the Disney movies. I grew up with the 2D animations and I love Pixar movies but I've always been a little bit at arms length with the 3D animation without the Pixar brand on it. But I've heard nothing but great things about Frozen, and with the songs I've heard from it, I thought its time to see this movie.
Frozen follows the story of two sisters who are the princesses of a kingdom called Arendale. In the beginning, they are great friends until there is an accident with the older sister, Elsa (voiced by Idina Menzel) and her powers. Elsa is sort of like Bobby from the X-men in that she can form ice. So there's an accident and the parents bring Anna (Voiced by Kristen Bell) to a group of trolls who quickly heal her but wipe her memory of the fact that Elsa has super powers. Why they do that... I'm not quite sure.
But then the king and queen pretty much lock Elsa away with the hopes that she'll learn to control her powers. Well... years pass and eventually the king and queen die and Elsa is suppose to become Queen. The way she sees it, its just one event and then she can go back to her isolated life. Whereas Anna who has had no contact with anybody outside of the castle as well, sees this as an opportunity to find true love.
In short things go wrong and Elsa's powers are exposed. She flees the kingdom, leaving it in an eternal winter and Anna takes it on herself to go find her sister, bring her back, and end the harsh winter.
On the way she's accompanied by a mountain man named Kristoff (voiced by Jonathan Groff), and his reindeer named Sven. They also are joined by a Snow man created and given life by Elsa named Olaf (voiced by Josh Gad).
Other voice credits belong to Santino Fontana, playing The Duke Of the Southern Isles, Hans, and Alan Tudyk (Firefly).
As far as individual performances go, the cast is really good. They were spot on when they casted Kristen Bell as Anna and they pronounce her name Ahna. The correct way. (I have a sister named Anna).
I was actually kind of surprised on how well Idina Menzel worked for the part. I think it was mostly from the music sequence I've watched of Let It Go and felt I was more hearing Idina Menzel singing as opposed to watching Elsa sing the song. But Menzel really does do the part well. I still feel Let It Go is a little bit more of a music video as it is a necessary sequence for the movie, but its a great song so I don't really care.
Here's the Sequence for you again
I'm also surprised how I didn't really feel this was just a recycled character of Elphaba from Wicked.
I also had a preconceived notion about this movie that it was just going to be Idina Menzel doing a character just like the one she's so iconically known for for Wicked. And while there are similarities between the two, Elsa is her own character and while she goes through similar developments throughout the story, she mostly just wants to be left alone for the majority of the story which was much different than what I had kind of deduced from the song Let It Go.
Which now that I think about it, is a really extreme way of declaring hermitage. Whereas Defying Gravity was Elphaba's way of declaring her rebellion and going against the norms by becoming the Wicked Witch of the West. Elsa sings the song to say, fuck society, I'm a hermit now, as she becomes the Ice Queen. It may seem like this ruins the song for me, but it doesn't its just a fun comparison and for what Disney was trying to do with this movie, it works really well.
Which, speaking of, is not what I expected at all. Now I didn't think Disney was going to have Elsa just become the villain and be irreversibly evil, mainly because that lends itself to some dark endings that Disney isn't ready to go down with their family entertainment. But I kind of thought Elsa was going to snap a little bit and have the power to get rid of this winter and just choose not to. Instead it becomes a personal study of someone just consumed by fear and not really having a great relationship with her sister. Which really made the movie great, creating a relatable and fun relationship between the two. Apparently, Disney originally intended for Elsa to be the villain of the story. I would have totally watched that. I don't think I would have wanted to see her go 100% villain but still, it would have been an interesting choice. So while I kind of wanted to see Disney go a different, maybe darker direction with Frozen, the direction they go works for this movie and again, its really good.
And that was kind of a theme with any of the criticisms I have with this movie. I just wanted to see more. The plot was so fun, the characters so charming, that I just wanted to see more. The movie was only about 100 minutes long and I would have totally fine if they had extended it another twenty minutes to make it a two hour long movie. This doesn't mean the movie wasn't good, I just wanted more.
Some other thoughts I had on the movie. I loved Olaf.
Again, when I saw the ads for this movie, I had a preconceived notion that I was going to hate Olaf. He looks pretty dopey and I saw him more as the dumb sidekick that really has no purpose to the movie in the end.
And again, I was wrong.
I think it has a lot to do with Josh Gad's performance and writing but Olaf was just a lovable character. He kind of reminds me of the old 2D animation sidekicks that wouldn't take away from the main story but would still be a chance for comic relief. The only problem I foresee with Olaf is if they try to give him his own movie or try to make more money off of him. He's great as he is in this movie. If there's a Frozen two, which I really hope there isn't (its a great standalone film) he can come back but for now just keep him to this film. But overall he's one of the better comic sidekicks I've seen for a long time.
And that's another great thing the movie does. It really brings me back to the 2D animations that were just phenomenal. This movie just feels like the kind of movie that came out around the time of the Lion King, Aladdin, and countless others. The music and the animation is brought up to date to make sure the movie doesn't feel dated but at the same time there's a classic-ness to the movie that I think will make it timeless.
There are other great elements of the movie. There's a twist near the end that I won't give away, but while I will say I called it from the beginning, they did a good job at concealing it. Also the resolution to the movie really is great.
Overall, Frozen just did a lot of things right. So many that I can't really think of anything bad to say about it besides the fact it could have gone longer and I would have been totally fine with it.
The music was phenomenal, the story was awesome, and the movie was just progressive. Now I'm usually not one to make a huge deal over how progressive something is, I think if you have to make a huge deal over something being progressive you're wasting time in making things bigger than they need to be. So while I won't go over all the reasons Frozen is soooo progressive, I'll lead you to a place that will.
So have you seen Frozen? What did you think? Where does it rank with Disney classics? Comment and discuss below, let me know what you think.
I'll leave you with this. There are a lot of covers of Let It Go and while I want to be different, I did find this cover and I really enjoy it. Its done by the Piano guys and it combines the song with Vivaldi's Winter. Enjoy!
So if you haven't seen it already, The Guardians of The Galaxy trailer has hit the internet. If you're into superhero news chances are you have already seen it but if you haven't here it is right here.
Now I was a little bitter about this trailer, mainly because it hit the news that it was going to be premiering yesterday. Which it did. But it premiered on Jimmy Kimmel live. Now, I don't watch Jimmy Kimmel Live... live. But I was under the impression I was going to get to see the trailer yesterday. So while its nice to see it now, I feel I'm a little bit behind, and its Marvel's fault.
Pettiness aside... the trailer is... alright.
I think the best thing that probably came out of this trailer was the fact that everyone (myself included) is now obsessed with the song Hooked on a Feeling by Blue Swede
But the trailer is suppose to give more than catchy songs right?
And for what this trailer is trying to accomplish, it does really really well. Marvel knows what they are getting into when it comes to Guardians of the Galaxy.
The fact of the matter is, nobody knows who any of these (quote from the trailer) A-holes are. And
Marvel knows that. The only reason I know who the Guardians of the Galaxy are is because I've read up on them since I've heard about this movie months ago.
But the trailer takes a really funny approach in making them just seem like the misfits of the Marvel universe and playing off what might seem a fault. For that I have to give Marvel major props for making such a sound marketing decision. They put the Marvel logo behind it, they give a little bit of a background but really make this film something that will get people to just think, that looks weird... I'm intrigued now.
And its funny. The trailer has some funny jokes and again, doesn't try to be something its not. I think one of the most obscure scenes I've seen in a trailer is the last scene where it just goes to the chorus of Hooked on a Feeling and shows the five of them standing in a row. Its not really climactic, its not incredibly flattering, its just saying, here's what's happening, let's have some fun in August.
Now the next question is, does this trailer point to us having that fun time in August?
The short answer is, I think so. Listen, I have total faith in Marvel. They have proven themselves over and over again and any doubts that I have are issues that could erupt in the future but not now.
Marvel knew that they couldn't do something like Guardians when they first started and now they have the opportunity to take a risk, just like they did with Iron Man back in 2008. So when it comes to faith in Marvel, I think they're going to do a good job with this movie.
The trailer itself... doesn't really sell me though. I like it, I think its smart, and it knows what its selling. However I'm still very skeptical of this move just in general. Its a risk to move from straight up superheroes to a Star Wars like universe but keep it in the same realm as the heroes you've brought up before.
I still have no idea how the Guardians are going to fit in with this universe or if they're going to continue being in the universe if this movie bombs. The good thing is, this is, in context, is a very low risk movie. Yeah its a risk in that Marvel is doing something totally different and there's a chance people won't like it. But if this bombs, Marvel isn't in any trouble. If it fails, they go back to what they're good at with Iron Man, Thor, Captain America, etc and they never have to do a Guardians movie again.
However, I hope this movie is going to be good. Marvel is very impressive when they can bring in a group of heroes nobody has heard of and try something new with it and I think it'll be a fun movie to see come August.
So while I have my doubts about Guardians of the Galaxy, I'm not worried because Marvel has proven time and time again that they're a force to be reckoned with and best case scenario, Guardians knocks it out of the park and its great movie. Worst case scenario, its not good and Marvel can just leave it and try something new.
So now that you've seen the trailer, what did you think? Comment and discuss below and let me know your thoughts. Were you sold on the trailer? Are you excited?
The 90s were a weird set of years. I don't really know what totally set it apart from the 80s but suddenly everything became a big deal. Homosexual characters started showing up on TV shows, even having a TV show surrounding the idea of a gay man and a sassy woman became huge entertainment. Also people were willing to talk about issues of race. I'll be it in the most awkward way possible but still, race became an issue, gay rights became an issue, war was no longer popular, it was just a different time.
But again, it was awkward. Not only the fact that it was the 90s and everything was awkward but it also had to do with these issues never really being addressed on a global scale. And in keeping with the theme of awkward mediums of entertainment, there came the movie Higher Learning.
I watched this movie as part of a class called Revolution, Resistance and Liberation. You can probably guess what that class is about. We watched the movie with the purpose of finding the different faces of oppression and seeing how those stages evolve into one another.
But I'm more interested in looking at this movie from a straight up movie stand point. I will keep the purpose of the movie in mind and actually use the elements of the movie as ways to show whether or not it fulfills that purpose or if its just... awkward.
The movie focuses on a small handful of college students at a college. They all come from different walks of life, walks of life you'll really only know from their appearance. For example: Kristen (played by Kristy Swanson) is a white woman. Malik (played by Omar Eeps) is a black man. Remy (played by Michael Rapaport) is a socially awkward... just overall strange guy... whos also white.
The movie mainly focuses around these three along with the people they interact with and the circles they join in order to feel accepted in a new environment.
An environment that is fucking insane.
Seriously, imagine the most dramatized college party you can imagine, like something from animal house. Apparently those happen every day in this strange universe. The university openly calls out students who don't have the financial aid to pay for college in class and kick them out. The campus safety is like Officer Krupke from West Side Story, openly favoring white students and busting black students for lesser offenses. I know college campus security probably weren't the most culturally aware people in the 90s but these guys are just ridiculous... oh and they're fully armed.
Anyway, Kristen, Malik and Remy really immerse themselves in college life but find it difficult. Malik has trouble running track and getting good grades, Remy finds it hard making friends and ends up being a social outcast, and Kristen is raped... Now you may be saying that escalated quickly, and you'd be right. That happens a lot in this movie.
Let's start with Kristen's story. She goes to a party and is raped. When she goes home from the rape, she's crying and her roommate (played by Regina King). When the boy who did it calls her, Regina tells her she doesn't want to talk to him and then he calls her a "Black bitch". Then Regina King calls in Ice Cube... I wish I was kidding and he beats the crap out of the guy who raped Kristen. But Kristen's friends don't look too highly on that and turn their backs on her... And I get what the movie is trying to do, its trying to point out how victim blaming happens, but if you watch the scene and see Kristen, you'd either have to be stupid or heartless not to see that she is the victim here. Which makes the scene somewhat effective but at the same time obnoxious. From there she gets involved with a group of activists on campus led by a very young, lesbian Jennifer Connelly. She spends a lot of the movie questioning her sexuality and develops a kind of "We are the World" mentality. I don't want to say it gets this far... but it gets this far.
Her storyline kind of gets overshadowed halfway through and in the end her character doesn't really amount to anything. I won't say she's pointless but her storyline ends kind of anticlimactically.
The story of Remy and Malik kind of connect so I'll describe their plots as interconnected as I can. Malik runs track. He spends the majority of the movie riding a line between being a good college student, improving his writing and eventually getting involved with Tyra Banks (yeah she's in this movie) and developing a mentor/student relationship with his professor (played by Laurence Fishburne). Fishburne's character in this movie is really good. He's by far the most sensible of the entire cast but unfortunately this movie isn't about him so his screen time is limited, which is a bummer.
On the other hand you have Remy.
And I'd like to say that Remy is more of a tragic character and what happens with him is just a series of unfortunate twists and turns and while what he eventually becomes is awful, its sad because he was a nice guy at the beginning.
But no. Remy is a douche this entire movie. He's a douche when he can't find friends, he's a douche when he joins up with a neo nazi group, and he's a douche when he perches on top of the school with a sniper rifle for the "good of the Arian nation"
Again... that escalated quickly.
Yes Michael Rapaport gives a performance of a lonely boy who finds companionship with neo nazis. This causes troubles between him and Malik eventually, going as far as Remy just going on a slew of racial slurs and pointing a gun at Malik. But does he get in trouble? No that would assume people were smart at these colleges.
I'm going to talk about the campus security again. Again, I realize that they're suppose to represent how racism and prejudice can seep into law enforcement but there's a scene where Remy points a gun, not only at Malik but at his roommate, A WHITE GUY! I don't care if he's jewish or not, I don't care if Remy drops out of school, there is absolutely not repercussions for Remy pulling out a Glock on two students. None at all.
In which I say... bullshit!
Well Remy and Malik's paths cross and it really incites what I can only call, a race war.
I may joke, but that's really how its described in the movie. Remy calls up his Neo nazi group, filled with probably the most obnoxious white guys spouting calls for "White Power" (I'm not fucking kidding) and Malik goes back to his group of Black Panthers headed up by Ice Cube and... Busta Rhymes (I Wish I was kidding) and the two groups are just at odds with each other.
The climax of the movie is actually Remy going on top of a school building and opening fire into a crowd of people at a rally celebrating diversity.
And its a really dark scene. People are freaking out, people get shot, you see a bunch of college
students panicking, and people die.
I won't say who but it is a very dark scene. Its interesting because the movie came out in 1995, four years later Colombine would happen. I'm not really sure if this scene would fly in today's society.
Which it really makes me question if this scene is jumping the shark a little bit. Its obviously trying to show the calamity of the violence stage of oppression, but its just so intense and so over the top that you start to think about the circumstances that led up to this scenario and you just think, how the fuck did this happen? And maybe that's the point. Maybe I'm suppose to say what the hell would bring someone to this point, but that's kind of the problem. Its not subtle at all.
I do not claim that shit like this doesn't happen. It does. And maybe the fact that I think that a college campus isn't really a great setting for a story like this is exactly the point, that we need to stop this oppression so it doesn't effect the places we feel are safe. But at the same time, I have the feeling that over exaggerating a problem doesn't raise awareness, it just raises fear and exacerbates divides. So overall, I'm torn on whether or not I think Remy going on a shooting spree was a good choice for the movie in an attempt to get a message across.
However, I will say. The scene to the right. Was a great scene. Without giving too much away, Malik is just overcome with grief and Laurence Fishburne just holds him. As much as Malik tries to struggle, Fishburne just holds him as he loses his shit.
This was a great scene.
And in the end, this movie really comes down to individual performances. Laurence Fishburne of course was awesome. Omar Eeps was good but at some points was a little over the top. Kristy Swenson on the other hand was pretty bland. Michael Rapaport was incredibly over-the-top but parts of it worked. His nazi brothers, obnoxious.
Ice Cube was funny but never really had much development throughout the movie. Busta Rhymes and the rest of the Black Panthers, obnoxious. Jennifer Connelly, kind of bland. Tyra Banks... hilarious and not in a good way. Any other characters really didn't have a purpose in the movie and therefore were kind of bland and didn't really stand out.
Overall I wasn't really impressed with the acting in the movie. It's a lot of actors before they got big but they're all very strange actors that, with the exception of Fishburne, aren't really known for being great actors even now.
So I think the consensus for this movie is that its just awkward. It has a great message to send but just beats you over the head with it. The movie does raise some really interesting questions but its just over the top and obnoxious at times.
You're going to have to suspend a lot of disbelief in not just the structure and integrity, but also the existence of any kind of authority at this school. Cause a lot of shit goes down and it may be a little hard to believe if you're looking for believability.
So that's my thoughts on Higher Learning. Have you seen it? What do you think? Comment and discuss below.
I'll leave you with this. I know I wrote this review with a lot of South Park clips. And out of context, they probably seem offensive. But that's what I love about South Park, Family Guy and the way issues of race and other controversial issues are dealt with these days. Its very satirical and pokes fun at issues while still putting the mirror up and showing that these issues are issues. But then you just get funny scenes like this. Enjoy!
Now that I think about it, a more appropriate ending video would have been this one... so you get two.
This is going to be a little bit of a different post. I'm going to be commenting on a sort of obscure category of the Oscars: Best Original Song.
I remember last year first really hearing about the category when I went and saw Les Mis. Halfway through the movie, Hugh Jackman suddenly starts singing this song I had never heard before. I know Les Miserables like the back of my own hand but this random ass song was never one that I had ever heard.
Once I got past the fact that the song wasn't in the show, I started listening to it a little bit more and realized I really liked the song. I thought it fit well in context and it was a cute little song. Well I didn't think too much about it until I saw that the song was up for an Oscar nomination for Best Original Song.
I think last year I was just rooting for Les Mis to get as many Oscars as it could because I didn't really see many of the other movies, so this kind of fell on my list of hopefuls.
Well it didn't win, Skyfall did, which I understand, its a pretty badass song. But the entire process kind of got me interested. Its not the most glamorous Oscar category but it is an interesting one and a great way to hear good music.
So this year came along and I had only heard of one of the songs nominated for Best Original Song and that was Pharrell's Happy from Despicable Me 2.
Now a quick disclaimer, I really haven't seen any of the movies that these movies are from. I watched a little bit of Despicable Me 2 on a bus a week ago but I didn't really feel like I saw enough of it to warrant a review, so in short, I didn't watch it.
Another disclaimer: A lot of this review is just going to be off my opinion. I'm not a musical genius and the most experience I have with music is my college choir and a couple voice lessons. I'm not going to claim I know which song is a superior song, I'm just going to explain how I felt when I heard each song and how that adds to my decision.
So we'll start out with Happy from Despicable Me 2.
Now I heard this song on the radio a couple weeks ago and I instantly started humming it. When I hear a song I like, I don't stop listening to it until I am worn out of it and this song was one of them. Its got a very catchy RnB feel to it that people just find catchy. You should watch the music video because its just different people from different walks of life just dancing and looking happy. But you don't even need to watch the video, all you need to do it listen to the lyrics. It just kind of makes your day a little bit brighter. I don't know how you could listen to this song and not smile just a little bit.
Its fitting that this song came with Despicable Me because while I don't really feel I fully watched the second one, I remember watching the first one and just thinking this movie is not out to prove something, its just having fun with little yellow monsters. Hopefully I can do a review of both because I'd like to see if they keep that fun easy going feel or if they change it up in the second one.
The only complaint I have with the song is the length. Now there are different lengths of the song but if you haven't already noticed, the music video is about four minute longs and eventually its just the chorus over and over again. I think this was mainly for the sake of getting people like Jimmy Kimmel and Steve Carrell in there while still having a focus on normal different people for the music video. This isn't a huge complaint because its a fun song and the length is just something I've noted.
The funny part about the length of the song is there's actually a website of the song going on a loop for 24 hours. Pharrell was involved but it was also a number of random people just dancing to this song.
Its suppose to be the world first 24 hour music video. I'm not sure why the world would want a music video that runs for 24 hours but its an interesting concept and worth checking out. Its fun seeing different dance moves and there's a segment on youtube for each hour of the day.
Overall, Happy is a catchy bright feeling tune that just makes you feel happy. Regardless of whether or not it wins, you should definitely download it. Its really fun.
The next song is Let It Go from Frozen
Now I haven't seen Frozen and I'm bummed about that because I have heard nothing but great things about it. I know the basic premise of the movie, but I'm going to try and keep the story aside and just judge the song off its own merits.
In short, I love this song.
For a while before I heard it, I thought it was just another Disney Princess song and while those are great, especially from the old 2D cartoon era, I don't listen to those songs over and over again. Like Happy, I am doing that with this song.
The song is performed by Idina Menzel which should be saying something right there. I may have given her some crap in my Rent review but Menzel is a talented singer. Her voice combined with the piano in this song is just a perfect combination to make a really powerful and entertaining ballad. You don't really need to know the plot of the movie to know this song is a huge symbol in the movie for womanhood and things I will not claim to be an expert on. (Listen to the lyrics and you'll know what I mean)
A complaint I have with the music video, not so much the song, and hopefully this is something I will address in my Frozen review after I watch it eventually, is that Idina Menzel's voice doesn't really match with the character in the music video. Again, this is not knocking the song so I won't dwell on it too much but when I watch the video above, I hear Idina Menzel's voice as opposed to seeing the character sing the song. If that makes sense. Maybe that will change when I see the movie.
Now, I'm pretty sure the nomination is for Menzel's version... but there's another version done by Demi Lovato.
Its hard for me to really like a song that sounds like Ellen Paige and Michael Cera singing it like out of tune teenagers and I thought they sang that song better than the original song.
And what puts this song apart is the fact that I keep forgetting this song after I listen to it. Obviously its going to be easier for me to remember a song like Happy and Let It Go because they're grandiose and catchy songs whereas this one reminds me of a sadder version of Tonight You Belong to Me from the Jerk
And that song was really great and very catchy. (I just listened to it and I already forgot Moon Song again!)
Maybe if I listen to the song some more this sentiment will change but its such a short and forgettable song that I don't see it winning by a long shot.
Overall, Moon Song is definitely not my favorite song on this list. I think its quite an accomplishment to get a song nominated for an Oscar but I don't think its going to win.
The next song is Ordinary Love from Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom.
What can I say about this song? Its U2. That's a good sign right there. I think the real measurement of whether or not you're going to like this song is if you enjoy U2. If you do, you're going to feel right at home with Ordinary Love. If you don't like U2, chances are you won't fancy this song very much.
I personally really like U2. I think this song is a great. You can tell in the music video I have above that it really is a tribute to the life of Nelson Mandela and the lyrics really have a deeper meaning to them if you take a listen.
Overall, I don't think there's really anything wrong with Ordinary Love coming off my personal opinion. I think its a good U2 song and is a good tribute to Nelson Mandela. However, I feel it isn't really a song that totally stands out and says Oscar winner right there.
Now there's a fourth song that was nominated for a while but got its nomination revoked. I thought I'd mention it since I'm on the subject.
This was the final song that was nominated for Best Original Song. However, the nomination was rescinded due to one of the producers or someone involved with the movie reaching out to gain support from the academy.
Frankly, I don't know if it would have made much different either way if the Academy had kept the nomination or it hadn't, the song is only alright.
It's a pretty song and the story behind it, that the woman singing it has a disability that prevents her from singing on her own so her husband needed to push on her diaphragm in order for her to breath properly for the higher notes.
Overall, its a pretty song, I just don't think it would have gotten very far if it was in the running for the award. I'm more curious about the movie because its not a movie that I've ever seen and it looks kind of cheap. I don't know the story, I don't know what its about and frankly I don't really feel the need to.
So if you probably haven't guessed from my reviews, I think this will come down to Let It Go or Happy. They're just the more entertaining and, I think, better made songs. I wouldn't be unhappy if Ordinary Love won and it might just come back and take the award in the end. Hell what do I know. In the end I think I'm going to put my bet on Let It Go. Its just a beautiful song and I think it has a pretty powerful chance of winning the award.
But we will see in the end won't we?
So what do you think? Have you heard these songs? Which of them do you think will win Best Original Song? Or do you care? Comment and discuss below.
So I didn't think it would happen, and it took me almost a month to do it, but I finally finished the first season of Dexter.
And... it alright.
I'll give the show a lot more credit than I originally did. I thought it was overhyped and didn't really see how its was so great. And sitting through the entire season has given me at least a little bit of an appreciation for the show.
So what happens in season 1.
As I've explained in past reviews, Dexter follows the story of a serial killer who lives by a certain code. This code prohibits him from killing at random, only people who are truly evil. Instead, he serves as a kind of vigilante, taking out the murderers who slipped through the system. This code he lives by is established by his adoptive father who was a cop who realized what Dexter was before he grew up
The show also centers around his sister, a cop who gets detective in the first episode in homicide. Dexter himself is a blood spatter analyst, he analyzes the blood at crime scenes and based on the way it spatters on the crime scene, he can paint a picture of how the crime was committed. Again, very interesting.
Other characters include other detectives at Miami Metro including the Lieutenant La Guerta, a overly masculine Sergeant Dokes (Suprise Muthafucker), and others.
While these characters were alright, throughout the season, none of them topped Dexters emotionally damaged girlfriend Rita. A victim of domestic violence, she attaches onto Dexter because he's initially not interested in sex and she is too emotionally disturbed to have sex so it works.
But she really develops, especially when her ex husband is released from prison. And the great part about it is that while Dexter does help out a little bit with that problem, for the most part her ex-husband is her problem and she deals with it for the majority of the season. While I wanted Dexter to just off the ex-husband, he never does and for the most part he lets Rita deal with it herself and she does. I definitely think Rita was my favorite characters.
But the main story arc from the first season is Dexter's secret rivalry with another serial killer infamously known as "The Ice Truck Killer". This nemesis occasionally leaves clues and pokes at Dexter in order to egg on a game between the two. And I think the resolve to that storyline is pretty good.
Overall, the writing for Dexter is very good. Its a smart show and its good to see a show about a serial killer on a network like Showtime where they're not restricted by primetime censorship and they can just go nuts with the fact that this is a show about serial killers.
The Following did a pretty good job, especially with showing somebody with their eyes gouged out, but at the same time, there are avenues that Dexter can go down that The Following can't. Dexter just has the opportunity to go places primetime would never let them.
So that is a plus of the show.
Also the cast is pretty decent.
Starting from minor roles, there are definitely some memorable characters... and then there are the one note characters that you can't really care about. As funny as I think Sergeant Dokes is, I wasn't a huge fan of him throughout. Angel is good but under utilized. Lieutenant La Guerta was a pretty good character sometimes and of course I loved Rita.
And then we get to Jennifer Carpenter as Dexter's adoptive sister Debra. I can't stand her. I may have mentioned that Deb is kind of an insecure, winey character in the pilot, well that doesn't really change throughout. I think I got to a point where I tuned out whenever Deb was angry at Dexter for stupid stuff like talking to her boyfriend instead of her or getting angry at him for wanting to know who his biological father was. And in the first episode she had this voice that would crack when she was nervous or something and I thought that would go away... fore warning, it doesn't. She was really the only character I really didn't like.
And then there's Michael C Hall as Dexter. In my pilot review I said he was just bland. Well Dexter is suppose to be masking all his emotions because apparently he doesn't feel any. Yeah they ditch that pretty quick. And I'm fine with Dexter having a personality, I just don't see the point in saying he fakes it all? I don't know if this is a complaint of the lack of a convincing emotionless serial killer or a compliment of Michael C Hall making a likable serial killer.
He's still pretty vanilla in his performance but as the season went on, I warmed up to him a little bit, especially when the relationship with Rita develops and things actually start picking up.
I also mentioned that the pilot was kind of slow. And the rest of the season... was too.
I think I may have just gotten used to the pace but it still remained a show that I can only watch an episode or so of at a time because I could feel the time I was wasting instead of using to do something else productive.
So I guess the next question is, will I continue watching the show?
And the answer is... maybe?
Again, I have begun to appreciate the writing and most of the characters are semi-memorable characters. But the show is slow. I feel like it will be a long time till I do a review of the second season, if ever, if I decide to keep watching this show. Not to mention, the finale of the first season closed things up pretty well. It had a couple teases to entice viewers to go onto the next season but for right now, I feel pretty satisfied with the ending. I guess time will tell.
Overall, the show is better than alright but for the most part is just a matter of personal preference, not really my cup of tea.
So what do you think? Do you think I should keep going with Dexter? Have you seen it? What do you think? Comment and discuss below.
I'll leave you with this. I already left you with the Surprise Motherfucker montage. So I'll leave you with something quite unrelated. This is a video a buddy of mine did. I'm in it, its kind of funny. I ended up with a huge bruise from it. Check it out!
.jpg)
