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.
I think apart of the reason I like college so much is that I am able to see movies that I probably wouldn't have found if it wasn't for the certain subject they cover.
Paradise now is one of those movies.
I began watching Paradise now through a class called Sociology of Terrorism. The class is focused on what is the roots of terrorism and how does it begin. Instead of being a Criminal psychology class though, it focuses on the social norms and cultural implications of terrorism and how it all connects.
The subject we've been focusing on for the last few days is actually on Suicide bombs and why one might go through with something as drastic and to some people insane.
I won't bore you with the academic side of this movie as to what cultural indicators make this movie great, instead I will try to give you my honest opinion of what I thought of this movie on its own merits as a film.
Paradise Now follows the story of two Palestinian men who are best friends. Their names are Said and Khaled. (They're played by Palestinian actors. I don't want to belittle their careers but you probably won't know who they are) While these actors are really unknown, I think that contributes a strength to film.
When we first meet these two they're just hanging out, working, and smoking a water pipe. They're not overly interesting characters just yet. The movie focuses more on their friendship and the relationship between the two which is actually really good.
Its not until maybe ten minutes into the movie that a friend of theirs comes to Said and says that they have been chosen for a mission that will require them to give themselves as martyrs for the cause against the Israeli occupation of Palestine.
The two are accompanied for the rest of the movie by members of the terrorist cell and groomed and prepared, pretty much like lambs getting ready for sacrifice coinciding with the themes of the movie.
Probably the only recognizable face from Western movies would be the head of the terrorist organization, (Played by Ali Suliman). Its really an interesting sequence as these men create martyr videos, get all cleaned up and shaved and head towards the last few moments of their lives.
The relationship between the two is actually pretty interesting because at the beginning, Khaled is the one very set that he will be giving up his life for the cause, whereas Said is a little more reserved and seemed to be having second thoughts on the matter.
Well the day finally comes and active bombs are strapped to the chests of the two men. They're about to make their way into Tel Aviv when something goes wrong and they are separated. Khaled gets back to the organization but Said instead is left on the other side. The rest of the movie is a search for a man with a bomb on his chest.
The movie is very fascinating because as far as the Western world goes, these guys are the bad guys. These men are the very things that 9/11 made Americans afraid of. There's actually a line in the movie where one of them says, "If we had planes, we wouldn't need these bombs".
For a movie that came out in 2005, that's still a pretty fresh wound there.
And yet the movie runs a fine line between portraying these men as terrorists, portraying these men as young youths being taken advantage of, and portraying these men as resistors in an occupation. Needless to say the movie is giving a pro-Palestinian message. This however should not discourage you from seeing the film. If you're pro-Israel, you should see it as a different perspective and outlook on the psychology of terrorism. There's a lot of angle this movie can be viewed from and it doesn't have to be a pro-Palestine view.
I think some of the best dialogue in this movie focuses on the means to the ends. There are a lot of conversations about what ends should one go to to seek freedom from something they think is oppressing them. When is the appropriate time to use violence to end oppression. This movie really asks some great moral questions and it presents points for both sides.
The performances of the film are really solid. There's a great contrast and development in almost all the characters as the story progresses. It may not end the way you think it will. And while this is a heavy topic, the film does have an interesting dry humor to it that is actually kind of entertaining and prevents the movie from being way too serious.
Overall, Paradise Now is a really interesting look into the mind of a suicide bomber. While you probably never thought you would want to go into that mind, it really is a interesting journey. The movie can kind of drag at points but overall it asks some really interesting questions and is very entertaining of a movie. Just get ready for a lot of subtitles.
Have you seen Paradise Now? What did you think of it? Comment and discuss below.
I'll leave you with this. I'm not sure if this is overly needed in this situation or incredibly inappropriate but this movie does ask the question of resistance and whether or not violence should be used as means to an end. So here's Martin Luther King Jr. and Gandhi doing an epic rap battle of history. I thought I'd lighten the mood after this movie's philosophical and moral questions. Enjoy!
So I've realized that its been a long time since I've done a legitimate review of a movie. The latest things I've been reviewing have been TV series, which are a lot of work and a lot of theories on Star Wars and... well Star Wars.
Not to say that I won't continue these things and the posts I promised won't happen but I thought I should A. Get this movie off my Netflix list and B. Shake things up a little bit.
Lost in Translation follows the story of a washed up actor by the name of Bob Harris (played by Bill Murray). He is in Tokyo for a series of commercials and promos. On the other hand you have Charlotte (played by Scarlett Johansson) , a recent Philosophy graduate who went to Tokyo with her photographer husband. She's very lost and unsure of what she wants to do with her life.
The two find each other in the midst of a streak of loneliness and just uncertainty of what they want. Charlotte is unsure of her marriage and whether or not she is happy and Harris is having somewhat of a midlife crisis. There's a line in the movie where he says, I could be at home with my wife, with my children, I could be doing plays or something more productive as an actor. But instead I'm here, alone and bored. (Paraphrased of course)
When the pair begin conversing, they almost immediately hit it off and when Charlotte's husband leaves, the two start hanging out together, going to clubs, singing karaoke, and just having fun in general.
From the very beginning, there's a very strange chemistry between the two of them. And its strange because its strangely romantic. I mean think about it. 2003, Bill Murray is pretty past his prime, obviously not as old as he is now but still pretty old, and then you have up and comer Scarlett Johansson. But one way or another, the two share this really interesting chemistry.
Its an interesting contrast because on one hand you have Charlotte who is really at a crossroads in her life but at the start of it. She has yet to really live on her own and she's very confused of what path she should take now. And then there's Harris who looks as though he's lived a good portion of his life and he's questioning whether or not his path makes him happy or not. His cross road is similar but at the same time very different from Charlotte and I think that's where they find intrigue in each other.
Again, its a strange chemistry, especially with the age difference, but its definitely an unorthodox approach at romance and connections between people.
Now all metaphors and "deep meanings" to the film put aside, what did I think of the movie?
Its alright.
Whenever I put movies like Lost in Translation on my Netflix Queue, I usually pick them because I've heard about them. These are usually movies I've heard really great things about but never got around to checking them out before.
Lost in Translation, I've heard great things about. While I will say its a well made movie and has a lot of content mull over, I really have to come out of with nothing but a shrug. Its good but I don't know if I would absolutely need to see it again. Its a smart movie but I'm not going to overly recommend it to my friends.
The relationship between Johansson and Murray is actually really touching and interesting, and there are a lot of funny moments, especially with all the scenes of Japanese people talking to Murray and he can't understand a word they are saying.
However, I just came out of the movie really underwhelmed.
I think I understand why people might say its a good movie and I would agree with them that its a little bit better than a run of the mill drama, however not by much.
Bill Murray, to me personally, is a little bit of an overrated actor. I respect him for the work that he's done and how iconic I guess he is. Its hard for me to say anything bad about him because the truth is, he's not a bad actor. However, I just don't quite get why people are so batshit crazy about him. He's very dry, we get it. I like a dry joke here and there but with Murray, its everywhere. In almost every movie he's in, he just looks downtrodden and bored.
Like I said, its hard for me to write this because like this movie, I don't think Bill Murray is bad, I just think he's a little bit overrated.
Overall, his performance was pretty good. He brought the dramatic moments, the always dry and bored humor that brings a smile to my face when he can't understand a lick of Japanese. It was good, but not brilliant.
Scarlett Johansson is also similar to the movie. Good but in the end not very memorable. I think the thing I'll remember most about this movie is the interesting chemistry between Murray and Johansson. In any other case, their relationship would just come off as weird and a little creepy on Murray's part. But the relationship works. As par as it is, it works and I think its mainly because you can see the love and connection between the two characters. Individual performances, pretty par. Together really carries the movie and I guess sets it apart?
All that aside... she's incredibly attractive in this movie. I guess this was one of her break out roles and I understand why now.
Overall, I think Lost in Translation is a good movie but in the end, its not really my cup of tea. I'm sure some people may enjoy it and there are things to enjoy. But for me it just felt a little bit lacking. Am I glad I finally got this off my list and got to see what everyone was talking about when they were talking about Lost in Translation? Yes. Was it everything everyone was raving about when they were talking about Lost in Tranlsation? No. Take what you will from that.
So that's my thoughts on Lost in Translation. Have you seen this movie? What did you think? If you disagree and think this movie is well above par let me know. Comment and discuss below.
I'll leave you with this. While the movie doesn't really go into Japanese stereotypes, it does have some funny moments where the characters are... "Lost in Translation" and can't understand the Japanese people. Well that's close enough to warrant a Cracked video on stereotypes. Enjoy!
So along with the announcement of a new trilogy, when Disney bought Lucasfilms they said that they would also be making Star Wars standalone films. Films not apart of the new trilogy. Now they said something about having a Star Wars film each year... yeah we'll see about that, they said that about the Pirates movies and look how that turned out.
So this made me start thinking about what kind of standalone films I would like to see. As far as I know, there hasn't been any confirmations as to what they are absolutely going to do for standalone films. There have been rumors and speculation but as far as I know, nothing has been confirmed. The main rumors focus on origin stories. Such as the origin stories of characters like Boba Fett, Han Solo, and Yoda.
Now personally, I don't really need origin stories, especially for these three characters.
The main problem I have with these three characters is the fact that I'm not sure giving an origin story will enhance these characters. Sure they will complete their stories but will it enhance them?
Lets begin with Yoda
Yoda is a cool character because of how much is not known about him. He's a species that isn't as well known. He's this wise Jedi with such immense power and yet we don't really know that much about him.
Sure getting his origins will complete his story but will it really enhance it? Will it enhance the story that they're building with the new trilogy? Unless Yoda's ghost is an intricate part of the new trilogy we don't need to elaborate more on him. We don't need to enhance his story anymore.
Furthermore, a part of Yoda's charm is how much we don't know about him. Instead of being a really deep character, Yoda is instead a simple character of wisdom. He's the epitome of the light side and by being a character filled by mystery, he almost becomes a more complex character. So as far as standalone films go, I think a Yoda film is the one I want to see the least. I think it is definitely not needed and would be a sad attempt to rationalize a symbol of complete good in the Star Wars Universe.
But what about Han Solo? What about Boba Fett? There's an interesting story there? Right? What was Han doing before A New Hope? What was Boba Fett doing before The Star Wars Christmas Special? (Yeah that was the first appearance of Boba Fett)
But again, I will ask the question. How will it enhance their story?
Take Han Solo for example. Ask yourself the question, Why do I need to watch a Han Solo origin film? To see him meet Chewbacca? To see him do the Kessel Run in under 5 Parsecs? Okay, but how do those contribute to Han as a character?
We already know Han and Chewie are great friends. If you want to just show the way they met, fit it in a flashback or explain that in one of the new movies. And the Kessel Run was just a great way to show Han is a cocky smuggler. Bragging about it does a lot more to show Han Solo's character rather than showing it.
Also, staying on Han Solo, who is going to play him? Harrison Ford was in his 30s when he played the role. That makes Han Solo in his late twenties, early thirties, give or take. I don't think anybody wants a teenage Han Solo. And you could bring in another actor to play Han Solo but in the end, its Han Solo. Nobody can play the part better than him. So unless the origin story is absolutely vital to the story of Han Solo, I don't see them casting someone to play a "young" Han Solo.
And that would be the absolute exception would be if the origin story was absolutely necessary for the story telling of the new trilogy.
An example I could see is perhaps a character appears in the new trilogy from Han's past. Someone absolutely vital to the new trilogy story. Its been rumored that Han Solo is going to have a bigger role, perhaps someone from his past creates conflict in the new trilogy. In that case, an origin story would be called for because it would serve a larger purpose and it would mean something. It would enhance not only Han's personal character but the trilogy story, instead of just completing the gaps in Han's story.
And that goes the same for Boba Fett.
I really hope Boba Fett shows up in the new movies as a more important character. However, Fett has been built up as just the epitome of awesomeness. Similarly to Yoda, I love how Boba Fett is shrouded in mystery. His armor, his silent demeanor just exuded badassery.
I would love to see Boba Fett come back with a vengeance. But I think that can be done without an origin story.
However, I do know there is a story there worth telling, especially if they bring him back in the new films.
Boba Fett, I think, is in a position to have a meaningful backstory and one that contributes to the Star Wars galaxy as a whole, but again, it has to be more than just completing the story of Boba Fett. It has to enhance his story and make his presence in this world worth while.
If its just a movie in order to complete the gaps in his personal story, what's the point?
Here's the best example I can think of. Having a simple story just completing the backstory of characters like Han Solo and Boba Fett is like giving an origin story of Luke Skywalker before A New Hope. I mean there's a story there, Luke going to Toshi Station to pick up some power converters? I mean c'mon, that sounds like an awesome movie right?
My point is, just because there are gaps in the story doesn't mean they necessarily need to be filled. If doing an origin story doesn't contribute to Boba Fett as a character or a larger story, I would say there are other things those standalone films can be going towards.
For an example of how this could be done very poorly is the prequel trilogy.
In a New Hope, Ben Kenobi explains the story of Anakin Skywalker who was seduced by the dark side of the force. He fought in the Clone Wars, was a great pilot, and hunted down the Jedi of the Old Republic when he became Darth Vader.
That sounds like a great premise for a prequel film or in this day and age, a standalone film apart from the trilogy.
The problem came in the execution. Many of the problems with the prequel trilogy was it was telling a lot instead of showing. It told us Anakin and Obi-Wan were good friends but it never really showed us. It telegraphed that Anakin was turning evil but the result was...
Well... this...
Now this is not to say the prequels shouldn't have happened. Not at all. Like I've said before, I still love the prequel films just as much as the original trilogy. Do I know they're bad, of course I do. But if I knew how they were going to turn out, I think I'm not alone in saying I would have rather stuck with Ben Kenobi's speech on Tatooine.
But the purpose of the prequel, however horribly executed, was to flush out the reasons why Anakin fell to dark side. In a larger scale, the contrasts to Luke's journey and his adventures as a Jedi were formed by the adventures and journey of Anakin Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi.
How is showing Han Solo make the Kessel Run in 5 Parsecs or meeting Chewbacca tell us anything about the character that we don't already know?
If I could dictate which standalone films I would want to see, I would choose something like an Adam Driver standalone film.
Let me explain. We still don't know who Adam Driver is going to play in the movies. There have been rumors that he is going to be the villain of the film "Similar to a Darth Vader character". Well in the case that that is true, and Driver is bad from the very beginning, give us some indication of his backstory, enough to let people get through movies on their own but also enough to get the curiosity of the audience going so they would like to see how he fell. This would add to the development of the character so when we see him again in a trilogy movie, we like him more. It also adds to the development of the story within the trilogy.
If you're going to do a Boba Fett movie, have it be how he got out of the Sarlac pit, what he's been doing for 30 years up until the 7th movie.
Don't just fill the gaps, enhance the story.
A great example of how not to do an origin story is X-Men: Origins Wolverine.
There are A LOT of things wrong with this movie. But one of the main things, I think, is its impact.
Why did I need to see this movie? Yeah sure I got to know how Logan got the name Wolverine, sure I got to know how he got his claws, sure I got to know how he lost his memory, but in the grand scheme of things, what difference does it make?
The movie wasn't good because there was no suspense. Wolverine had to survive, he had to come out with the claws and he had to come out of it with memory loss. One of the reasons X-Men Wolverine didn't work was because it didn't develop Logan as a character. It was just a lot of action with underdeveloped characters we don't need to care about.
That's why X-Men 1 was good because it showed how Wolverine joined the X-Men. Wolverine filled gaps while X-Men filled gaps but enhanced the characters.
Coming back to Star Wars, the important thing with any standalone movie they do is how it will connect and enhance the overall universe.
The only exception to this might be something like Knights of the Old Republic. Elements of the Star Wars galaxy that can stand on its own two feet.
Part of the reason the story KOTOR was so good was because it was an original story in the Star Wars universe. It created its own gaps to fill and enhance as it went along.
I'd still like to see some connection to the new trilogy but this would be a case where that wouldn't be totally necessary because its strong enough material to stand on its own. Its got to create something worth watching and produce something I can care about.
Its not enough to just scotch tape a story together and put it in a familiar universe. There needs to be thought put into it and it needs to be done well. Hopefully Disney has learned from Pirates of the Carribean and when they say they'll be producing a Star Wars movie each year, they'll be creating quality material instead of something to sell merchandise or create new action figures.
So there's my rant on the Star Wars standalone films. I want comprehensive stories that connect to the greater universe and mean something as opposed to just filling gaps for fan service.
But what do you think? What Standalone films do you want to see in the future in the Star Wars Universe? Comment below and let me know!
I'll leave you with this. as skeptical as I am about a Boba Fett movie, the guy is freaking awesome. There was definitely a story behind him going into the Sarlac Pit so easily. Enjoy!
Part of the reason Star Wars is so precious to me is because of the world that has been created since, and even before, the completion of the films. For those who don't know, the story of Luke, Han and Leia did continue past the movies in other mediums like Comic Books, Video Games, and Novelizations. They have kids, they go on more adventures, its a very rich and awesome universe that has been created.
And its not just the characters from the movies.
Arguably some of the best storytelling to come out of the expanded universe has been about characters
not even mentioned or made reference to in the movies. Stories like Revan and Malak from Knights of the Old Republic, Kyle Katarn from the Jedi Knight Video Games, the list goes on and on.
Star Wars has created such a rich and captivating universe that it was hard for writers not to find brilliant stories that flow so well in the universe.
Well here's the bad news... and the slightly good news.
Now this is slightly old news but I said that I would do a post on this and I want to give my opinions on it and see what yours are.
With the announcements of the new trilogy and more movies to come, Disney and the people in charge of the Star Wars universe have retconned, or thrown out all that Expanded Universe. All the stories outside of the major movies, and the Clone Wars television show have been deemed not canon, or not officially part of the Star Wars timeline.
Now I will go into the Clone Wars in another review, there is A LOT I can say about that. But I want to stay on this announcement for a little bit longer.
On one hand I'm really bummed. I am not an avid reader, especially of Star Wars novels. I don't really read comic books that often but I do love Star Wars videos games, especially the ones from the expanded universe. And even if I don't read, I still am aware of all the stories that have come out of stories. I know what happens to Han and Leia's kids, I know how Chewbacca is suppose to die in the expanded universe. And apart of me really feels bad for the men and women who have spent hours upon hours writing Star Wars stories just to have those stories be denounced as not apart of the official timeline. I don't think anybody at Disney wants to insult those authors who worked hard on that material but on the same token, it kind of is a slap in the face to them.
All that being said, it makes a lot of sense.
Think about it. If Disney hadn't retconned all this material, one of two things would have happened. Either they would have had their hands tied, telling stories that go in line with what has already been penned down. And there's very little wiggle room with that. I haven't read and seen it all but I know that the expanded universe has been thoroughly touched on. This may be an exaggeration but its almost as if they penned out the moments right after the camera stopped rolling and what Han, Luke, and Leia did right after they left Endor. That doesn't leave much room for creativity for J.J. Abrams and the writers penning out the new movies.
The other situation that could happen is that the movies are different than the expanded universe and you have a bunch of angry fans saying, "But that's not what happened!" Granted you still have angry fans right now who say that, but by officially saying, none of that happened, it clears the slate and puts everyone on the same page.
The silver lining with this announcement is that while none of the expanded universe beyond the movies and the Clone Wars tv series are canon, the material from the expanded universe can and might be used in the future. Now this was probably more to appease fanboys and give them hope that they might see a Grand Admiral Thrawn movie, but the point is that Star Wars is doing something very similar to comic book movies now. There's all this material in what is called the Star Wars Legacy now that writers can draw from. Grand Admiral Thrawn might show up, Revan could be referenced. Darth Vader could have a secret apprentice. At this time he doesn't but it could be referenced or used if the writers and Disney sanction it.
And I think that works out for the best. It gives Disney, Abrams, and everyone involved with Star Wars a clean state to do with Star Wars whatever they want. This provides new material and new routes that Star Wars could go and I think that's what I want. I want to see something new with Star Wars. I want to see Abrams take it to a new place its never been before.
That being said, it does open up to bring those beloved characters from the expanded universe and having something familiar about it but at the same time giving opportunity for new routes and stories with those beloved characters.
That may sound contradictory but I'd like to see something like a Kyle Katarn movie but taken in totally new direction.
For those that don't know, Kyle Katarn was a mercenary turned Jedi with a lot of different stories connecting to him. What I would suggest is take a character like that and try something new with them.
That being said, I want them to bring in original characters and have them interact with the old characters. Old and New.
Personally, I think they should change characters like Han and Leia's children, give us something new with that. But bring back some EU characters but give them different stories and backgrounds.
Overall, I'm looking forward to what they're going to do with these new movies and the clean slate they have with the canon. I want to see a good combination of characters from the expanded universe and new characters.
This is a topic I want to hear from you on. I want to know what you think of the new canon and how they should approach the material from the EU. Any other thoughts I'd love to hear.
I'll leave you with this. Its going to be pretty immature of me but here is the top 10 pornographic lines from Star Wars... Enjoy!
Okay I know Constantine isn't a muppet frog that looks like Kermit the Frog, at least that's not the one I'm talking about. (Although I do remember I saw that movie and should do a review about it when I get more time, so look forward to that)
Little bit of a disclaimer, I have no idea what Constantine or the HellBlazer comics are about. From
what I have gathered. Hellblazer follows a detective of the supernatural by the name of John Constantine. He exists in a world of the ghosts, hell spawn and other entities. I'm not really sure whether or not he fights them or if he keeps them at rest, protecting the normal world... I don't know.
Constantine also exists in the same universe as many other DC superstars like Green Lantern, Green Arrow, etc. There have been many crossovers between the two.
DC is trying to get back the hold that it used to have on the small screen with new shows like this and Gotham. I really think that DC got freaked out when Marvel's Agent's of SHIELD came out because suddenly they started looking for anything they can put on the small screen to increase their profit. That is the beauty of competition like this, hopefully its bringing out the best of DC and causing them to find anything to take away viewers from Agents of SHIELD and bring them over the to the DC side.
So all that said, a trailer recently came out for the new NBC show, Constantine. The show will follow John Constantine in his supernatural world.
Now it should be noted that there was a movie of Constantine well before this TV show aired.
But because I don't know anything about Constantine nor did I see this movie, I can't say whether or not it was good. All I've heard is that it did not follow the comics very well and... well its Keanu Reeves.
You wanna see a funny video basically about Keanu Reeves, check out this one.
But from what I've heard, the movie isn't that good, Keanu is... well Keanu. And it doesn't follow the comics very well.
This TV show I've heard will try and follow the comics more. Now I'm not a huge stickler for comic book accuracy. Maybe its because I don't read comics but I realize that when you're doing an adaptation, it really ties the writer's hands when they have to do everything according to the comic.
Constantine may be a bad example because I don't know if the movie was a complete affront to the comic but can you understand my point here? Its an adaptation so it'll try to be as true as it can but at the same time its an opportunity for writer's to have fun and go places with a property its never been before. That should be something celebrated by fans, not criticized.
Now its only a trailer but I already like the character of John Constantine. He's funny, he's British, and he gives a couple laughs in the trailer. There is a woman he travels with who begins to see the world the way he does and the trailer really alludes to some development that could be very interesting.
If you can't see already, I'm excited for this show. Its cool to see how a trailer can draw someone in. Its fun for me because I know the origins of Constantine but not exactly what its about. So on one hand I'm seeing it as an objective non-involved viewer, but on the other hand I'm seeing it as a person knowledgable of comics and know the source material.
So well done Constantine trailer for intriguing me, someone who was not interested in anything Constantine until I saw the trailer.
The main reason the show intrigues me is because it looks and feels like Buffy the Vampire Slayer.
Now before the fanboys freak out, I must admit, I'm not a huge fan of Buffy. I watched maybe 4 seasons of it mainly because my girlfriend at the time was into it and wanted to get me into it.
I'll give the show credit, at some points it was really fun and I did enjoy the show for the brief time I watched it, but in the end I'm not a huge fan of Sarah Michelle Gellar as an actress and Buffy was really starting to get too high school drama for me. I've thought every once in a while to go back and watch it all the way through, cause I've heard it only gets better as it goes on, but I just can't. I don't have time. Bring on the flame.
My point is, the elements I liked about Buffy, the fighting of demons and the supernatural, they appear in the Constantine trailer. I think with an update in the special effects and a more focused storyline, (as opposed to who Buffy is going to bring to prom) might actually entice me to watch and really enjoy this show.
In short, the trailer caught my attention, now we'll see if it gets my curiosity (Name the reference) If you haven't seen the trailer, check it out. It definitely is a kind of show only a few people will enjoy and for right now I think I will. Check it out and leave a comment below on it or my analysis of it.
For people who read this blog regularly, you may notice the last month has been very sparse as far as posts. I had to apologize but as a college student finishing up my junior year, I have a crap load of finals I need to get done. While I consider blogging a relaxing remedy to the stresses provided by my tests, I feel bad writing something recreationally when I could be writing something for a grade.
This is the reason I wrote the Gotham Trailer review instead of my 24: Live Another Day pilot review. If you looked at my queue of posts and drafts, my list of things I want to write about but only have drafts on is WAY too long. However, I watched those movies and TV shows, I have thoughts about them and I WILL write them. This post will serve as more of a teaser for what is to come based on the drafts I have. The end of the month will be much more open than I am right now and will bring a lot of posts and hopefully good reviews, reviews you all deserve.
24: Live Another Day - This is the most current. I did watch it, I do have a lot to say about the pilot and there are a lot of things I can say to make it good for the rest of the series.
In case you didn't know, I really like 24. I have watched a lot more than I have said here of 24 and there's a lot I can say about it. Perhaps I will even bring up my thoughts on the 6th season which was the most current season that I watched and it was one of the more lack luster seasons.
So in short, I will definitely review 24: Live Another Day and possibly bring in some other seasons if I get some good reception on this pilot review and if I have time to re-watch some of the high points worth talking about.
How I Met Your Mother Finale - There is A LOT I can say about this finale. I fell behind with this TV show because I was watching it with my girlfriend. I would have finished it a long time ago and probably would have had a post up here by now but I had to make my viewing schedule work with my girlfriend's and we just finished it recently.
This finale had a lot of backlash from it and I'm interested to put my thoughts up on it because I may have a little bit of a different view then others. How I Met Your Mother has been a very fun show and its definitely worth saying something about a show that has been known as the "Friends" of this generation. I personally think it was better than Friends and it had a lot of great elements about it. I'll try and talk about why the show as so good and how the finale worked and why it may have not worked. So expect this review as soon as I re-watch it and give you a fresh view on it.
Daniel Craig James Bond films - To be honest, I watched Skyfall about a month ago if not two months ago. I was about to write the review for it but then I realized that I wanted to watch Casino Royale, and when I watched Casino Royale and started drafting a post for that I realized that I needed to watch Quantum of Solace and then things got busy and it never happened.
What I finally decided to do is watch all three, write a review for both of them in their respective order, Casino Royale, Quantum of Solace, and Skyfall and then figure decide which one is the better of the 3 at the end of the last review.
I would like to watch more James Bond films and compare Craig's interpretation against that of Connery, Dalton, Brosnan, etc. We'll see if I'm able to watch those films but the priority will be put on the Daniel Craig films first then see what we can do.
The 10th Doctor - This was a post I was actually really excited about when I first started drafting it. The reason was that it is hard to do a review of Doctor Who. The episodes are so different and unique that its hard to review seasons as a whole as I do with 24.
I also wanted to do this mainly because its less focused on the seasons this character is in but the character himself. I love characters and in particular, I love David Tennant's interpretation of the Doctor.
And I'm not alone. David Tennant for whatever reason is one of the most favorited Doctor's and I wanted to look at his seasons as a whole and his character and ask the question, Why is he so popular?
This is also another situation where I've been re-watching Doctor Who with my girlfriend We are finishing up the David Tennant episodes and by the time we finish it, it will be prime time to do this post and I'm looking forward to it.
So Many Things Star Wars - It was recently May the 4th and I was very happy with myself for getting out at least my preliminary thoughts of the new cast for the new Star Wars films. However, I have watched and done a lot of things Star Wars since and there is a LOT I need to talk about.
I want to talk about some video games. I have played both The Force Unleashed games and the Knights of the Old Republic recently and there's something to be said about those two games. I'm not sure if I'll want to do a review for both games or do a comparison between the two as these are my two favorite game franchises. I think there are a lot of things that are worth talking about.
And that kind of leads me into another topic and what I guess will its own post. There was recently an announcement on what mediums of Star Wars are canon or part of the official Star Wars timeline. This is very important because this announcement effects the countless books, video games, comics that I and may Star Wars fans have grown to love so much. This change will effect the past and legacy of Star Wars that has been created up to this point and it will also change the future and what will be put out as far as the Star Wars Universe goes. So that will be an interesting post and one I want to put a lot of effort into.
The Clone Wars - And that brings me into a review that will be hard for me mainly because I have so much to say. My review of the Clone Wars will include the movie and the television show. This will be difficult because to be put briefly, I am not a huge fan of the Clone Wars. I am currently in the process of watching it and I've seen the movies. I have a lot to say about these things but it will take some time as I will not review it until I am totally done with the series, hopefully that comes sooner than I think it will.
Its even more interesting because the Clone Wars does tie into the announcement about which mediums of Star Wars are part of the official timeline and which parts are not. I have a lot to say about this and this will be an important and very critical review.
Hopefully it will entertain and be educational for you all and give you a better understanding of my thoughts on the Star Wars universe, a universe I have grown up with and loved for a long time. I hope you stay tuned for my thoughts on that.
And that brings me to a post I'm a little hung up on and may or may not happen.
The Star Wars films themselves - A part of the reason there is so much to talk about with Star Wars is because I went back and re-watched The Phantom Menace. I wanted to look back and watch those films as objectively as I could. You'd think that that would enable me to do a thoughtful and constructive review of the entire film series right?
Well there are two problems with reviewing this film series and they lie within the two trilogies themselves.
The first problem is that anything bad said about these movies, especially the prequel trilogies has been said countless times over. I'm not totally sure I want to do a review like this because I would just be restating exactly what someone else has said. There may be things that don't bother me as much but for the most part I'd just be restating what has already been said. Now when it comes to the actual time I sit down and consider whether or not I want to do this review and I figure out I have more to say that hasn't been said before, I may consider writing a review for the entire film series, however there is another problem.
I freaking love Star Wars. Almost everything about it. I love the prequel films just as much as I love the original trilogy. The only reason I say the original trilogy is better is because the little objective normal movie goer in me recognizes that the original trilogy are good films while the prequel films have a lot of plot holes and problems.
But even with that knowledge, it would be hard for me to point out the problems with the prequel films without saying something like, I know its not good but I don't care I love it. And with the original trilogy, I have grown up considering them to be masterpieces. Its hard for me to go into any of the movies and pick out anything wrong with them, the original trilogy especially.
So while I'd like to give my 2 cents on Star Wars and give you an interesting review, I feel like the only fair things I could say in a review of them is, I LOVE THIS MOVIE. You may not, but I do. End of review.
This is one of those reviews that I may or may not do. I will think about it after re-watching them and considering the points. Maybe I'll find something unique to put up similarly to the Nostalgia Critic review of the Top 11 Things that worked in the Star Wars prequels.
If I can find something unique to write about like this that will be different from what has been said over and over, good and bad about both the prequel and original trilogies, I may write a post. But for now don't expect anything yet.
House of Cards: Old and New - Stepping away from Star Wars, this is a review I have been wanting to do for about a year. My House of Cards watching started last year when the show came out. But instead of watching the American version like a normal red blooded America, I decided to watch the British version (I was in a British television mode) In fact I wanted to do an Old and New of this show basically since I started this blog. Remember my IT crowd review? I was watching that while I was watching the British House of Cards.
But its always had its pitfalls and hiccups. At first I wanted to just do a review of the British Version then a review on the American version when I got around to watching it. Then I stopped watching the British Version and started watching the American version and realized it'd be better to do a review comparing the two. And then I didn't finish the American version for another 6 months.
And then I wanted to keep watching the American version but then I thought about going back and re-watching the British version and then I got busy and it just never happened.
Needless to say, this is a review I've wanted to do for a long time and it will happen this summer. There is a lot I need to say about the series, I love the idea of comparing the two to find out which one is better and I think you'll be interested to find out which one I prefer over the other.
So stay tuned because this review will happen one way or another. Be patient and hopefully you will not be disappointed.
There are a couple other things I'd be interested in reviewing, a few movies here and there and some pieces on random things. The things I mentioned above are more of the planned things that I plan to get done once my workload is lifted in the summer. Of course I'll probably see some of the movies in cinema between now and then, there are a couple movies I watched half of and never got around to finishing, so needless to say there are things still to come beyond the ones listed above. I'm hoping to reward you all for your patience with as many reviews as I did in January. I won't promise that but I expect it to be a productive month when June rolls around.
Is there anything you want me to review? I haven't gotten any requests but if I start getting them I will make them priorities. Be sure to let me know if there is something you want to get my opinion on.
In the meantime, I'll leave you with this. Ever wondered who would win, Harry Potter or a Jedi? Well here's your answer. Thank you for all your support and patience. Enjoy!
So I was enjoying the season premiere of 24: Live Another Day last night. Now I've had my rants about live TV (Doctor Who Finale) but this was different, 24 was always a show I watched live, I had to at least watch the premiere live. I will of course do my review of the pilot but I have other stuff I need to get done so it might take a while. I did however want to update the blog because I've been falling behind. Here's something pretty quick. So I was watching 24.
But then something came up that took me by surprise.
When this trailer started, I thought it was just another run of the mill police procedural. It didn't look like a show watching on TV even if I still watched shows live like that. And then the kid says his name is Bruce Wayne. And that got me interested.
Gotham is a television show set in Gotham City but centers around Commissioner Gordon (played by that guy from the OC, the guys a good actor and he's been in a lot since but I'll always know him as the guy from the OC, not because I watched the OC but that was the first thing I saw him in.) It looks as though the first episode will focus on Gordon becoming a detective and investigating the murder of Thomas and Martha Wayne, where he meets Bruce Wayne.
From there, as it seems, it will be a procedural with popular villains from Batman in their early years. The show is suppose to feature young Catwoman, The Riddler, Poison Ivy, the Penguin.
And the trailer really knocked me off guard. I had heard about the Gotham TV show, saw stills of production but I don't think I ever really thought the show was actually going to happen. So when I saw the trailer, suddenly it became real and it looks really damn interesting.
The world of Batman is such a rich and loved universe but something like this has never been approached at this angle before. Commissioner Gordon is a intricate part of the Batman universe and if they were going to have a TV show set in that universe without having it be focused on Batman, Gordon seems like the obvious next choice.
Now the choice for Gordon was an interesting one for me because as much as I call him the OC guy, Ben Mckenzie is a good actor. I'm actually bummed he hasn't been in more stuff and I think this will be a great role for him.
The one struggle I can see is comparing Mckenzie to Gary Oldman. I don't think it will be a huge problem for the show as its too different mediums and this Gordon is suppose to be a younger version. But you know it will come up. They both will have the scene where Gordon is comforting Bruce Wayne after his parents have been killed. And its going to be hard especially since Gary Oldman just played Gordon a few years ago.
I don't foresee it as a problem for the show, its just worth mentioning the interesting parallel and comparison between the two.
Now as my TV watching as evolved, I'll admit it, I have become a little bit of a snob. So to see this airing on Fox instead of HBO, AMC, or be a Netflix original where they could do so much more with it, I am wary. Fox and other primetime channels get shows like this every year and not all of them succeed. In fact a lot of them don't succeed. Yes the subject matter makes it stand out initially but if its not good, this show will not last.
But I have hope, it is an interesting concept and I will definitely check out the pilot. I really hope it does well and there's a lot of good things we could see coming out of this show. What I think will make this show be really good is that of course they should show the origins of the iconic bad guys. However, what they should do is establish villains for Gordon to face off against who aren't from the comics. That way we actually have Gordon get some victories, we get to see some strange and awesome bad guys and we still get those origins everybody loved.
I think that is what they're doing with Jaden Pickett Smith but I want to see a lot more original characters rather than origin characters. Just a thought.
The one thing that was interesting about the trailer was that I liked the teaser better than the Extended trailer.
I think the Extended Trailer showed a little bit too much and it didn't have that ambiance to it that the teaser did. I think the point of the teaser was to catch audiences off guard just like it did for me. Its suppose to surprise people when the kid says his name is Bruce Wayne. The Extended does it to a fault but if you look closely and know your comics, you'll know this is for a Batman universe TV show.
I would compare this to Agents of Shield... but I don't watch Agents of Shield. Its still on my list but we'll see when I get to it.
But I'm going to wrap this up. I just wanted to give some quick thoughts on the trailer and say I'm excited for this show.
Did you see the trailer? What did you think? Comment below and let me know.
I'll leave you with the Extended Trailer I mentioned before. Let me know which one you like better, maybe I'm just a little bit more into the suspense of it but I'm interested to hear what other people thought. Enjoy!
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