I should probably put out there that I have not seen the original Dark Shadows series. I believe I've heard a synopsis, but I couldn't tell you much about it. So really, I have no idea how this movie compares with the source show, but I'm going to guess it mostly just uses names and locations and probably condenses everything else into a few minor points. I guess what I'm saying is, that shouldn't impact my view of the movie, I am merely judging it on what I experienced... and that was generally pretty fun. Although I feel like Tim Burton's characteristic style has diminished, it is still recognizable in a few scenes, but outside of that, the Danny Elfman music, and Johnny Depp, I wouldn't likely take this for a Burton movie. I will say that I enjoyed the film overall. It's fun and the characters are quirky and the general plot is, well, overdone, but I get it. Mostly there are just lots of set-ups for this "fish out of water" scenario that Johnny Depp's character is thrown into as a vampire unearthed 200 years after being buried in an iron casket by the witch who cursed him with vampirism. Barnabas is forced to acquaint himself with 1972 and the curious ways of the people then (mostly hippies). His language is dated, his world views are dated, everything about his behavior is out of place, and that's where most of the humor comes from. Most of the rest of it comes from some sort of sexual reference or euphemism, which I was tickled by, though it was all a bit unexpected. Perhaps the most curious part of all of this is that it all turns on a romance between Barnabas and a woman who may or may not be the reincarnation of the lover that the witch killed 200 years ago... but very little screen time is spent on that relationship. It almost feels like they kept forgetting about it and decided to toss in a quick little reference here and there to keep people reminded what the main plot is, but it's never really convincing.I guess the most difficult recommendation would be to those who are familiar with the TV series, since I haven't seen it, I can't recommend one way or the other whether you should see this movie. I enjoyed it, but that's pretty much the best I can do.
This movie opened last week and based on box office take, I'm fairly sure everyone in the world has seen it already, so I question the need to even bother summarizing. I'll do it anyway... In short, Loki is a prick and wants to rule the Earth, so he forms an alliance with an alien race and goes about implementing some diabolical scheme to achieve the desired result. In response, Nick Fury forms the Avengers out of Black Widow, Iron Man, Captain America and The Hulk and also Hawkeye. Fighting ensues (on both sides) and then New York is smashed and the end. I suppose it's not really that complicated, but it works and it works really well with fun little call backs to the source movies (Captain America, Thor, Iron Man) sprinkled about. Generally, in order for me to score a movie really high it has to provide some sort of life-changing experience for me, either through message or art. I would probably say The Avengers technically did neither. There's no real message to be had and it isn't especially moving in any other way... but it is enormously fun and does an excellent job of bringing together so many pieces and making it look effortless. I'm going to go ahead and give that credit to director and co-writer Joss Whedon, even if he can't take credit for it.
I was walking outside today when I overheard a guy explaining to a woman about the "merman" and I knew exactly what he was talking about. I would love to tell you what they were talking about, but you haven't seen the movie yet, so we can't be friends. Please go see it so we can talk and I can maybe consider you a friend again. I'm not trying to be mean here, but there's very little I can say about Cabin without giving away one of the many fun twists. What I can say is that Cabin knows it's a horror movie and it basically dances around in the bloody showers that pour out of that statement. It delights in playing with all the classic horror movie tropes, and not in a Scary Movie parody sense. The gore is realistic, the terror is well played, and the truth is not what you think it is. So go see it and then catch me in chat so we can talk about it.
The director provides an introduction to this movie in which he strongly recommends you watch this movie while under the influence of your favorite adult beverage. As someone who watched completely sober, I think his advice should definitely be taken into consideration, because this movie is fucked up. But you know, in a good way.
This story bears a strong resemblance to a number of other stories with Battle Royale probably being the strongest. There are some interesting differences, though. The basic premise is that every year, the twelve districts give tribute to the capital in the form of one man and one woman between the ages of 12 and 18. Those 24 people then fight to the death in an arena until only one is left. What I think makes The Hunger Games interesting, though, is the dynamic between the twelve districts (where the tributes come from) and the capital (which "consumes" the tributes). I'll leave you to watch and work out, I just want to get across that while it isn't the focus of the movie, it is what makes it so powerful.
Why yes, this movie is old, but I had a great opportunity to watch it in a theatre, so I took it. I don't really want to give this movie a rating as I don't really feel capable of not comparing it to modern movies and that wouldn't be fair. There is a nugget of interesting social commentary in there, but it never really develops into anything satisfying. So for those not familiar with this classic science fiction flick, after the great wars, humans are contained inside a domed city. Babies are born and raised in nurseries completely without parents. It seems like life is happy enough, except that life ends at age 30 in a ceremony termed carousel in order to control over-population. Those who try to escape the carousel are termed "runners" and are hunted and terminated by Sandmen. Logan is a Sandman who, with time left on his clock, is turned into a runner by the city's computer to force him into tracking down the secret location of the runner sanctuary. So begins the adventure.
I didn't know anything about this John Carter of Mars story before this movie. I'm a little ashamed of that. So let's back up a little... John Carter of Mars was a story written by Edgar Rice Burroughs in 1912. Based on what I've read of the 
Depending on what you're looking for, Act of Valor may be the perfect movie or slightly annoying wannabe. If you're looking for an extremely accurate looking military movie focused on actual military tactics and capabilities, then this movie (seems to me) nearly perfect. There are some amazing action sequences that feel completely authentic. The tactics employed feel right and the cast clearly knows what its doing. Of course, the good guys are actually active duty Navy SEALs, so they should know what they're doing. Things break down when these guys have to act, when they aren't doing their job, but instead exchanging dialog. It felt to me, wooden and forced. Of course, given these guys aren't professional actors, I am perfectly fine letting this slide in favor of watching these warriors do what they do. Not only is it inspiring to see the effort, skill, and sacrifice these people employ for the United States, but it's enlightening to see the things this force is capable of. There's no other way to say it, these men kick ass. And I don't really care that they can't act. I definitely got what I went in for.
Another heartwarming Studio Ghibli film distributed by Disney in the US that once again succeeds in making my heart melt a little (in a good way). This time we're focused on Arrietty, who is a teenaged "borrower," a 3 inch tall person, who lives in the walls and floor of big-people (called "beins" by the borrowers, I think that's short for human beings) houses along with her mother and father. Like other Ghibli films for young audiences, there isn't much here for the adults and pretty much no significant subtleties or implied plots. It's pretty much exactly what it says it is and that's all there is to it. That's not entirely bad, as the movie succeeds wonderfully at being adorable and making me melty inside. I found the voice acting to be satisfying and the sound design to be exemplary. It's a fun movie without being too deep, and sometimes, that's just fine.
My expectations for this movie were not high. I feel like I enjoyed the first movie, but I can't remember much more than scraps and I don't recall the story. The sequel, Spirit of Vengeance was also entertaining, and probably won't be memorable either. What I found sort of odd is how much went into explaining the Rider's backstory. Not only was there a refresher course at the start of the movie, it seemed like there were several additional explanations sprinkled throughout the movie as if in response to anticipated viewer questions. For those who understand basically what the Rider is, that all felt remedial and almost insulting ("why would we be here if we didn't know who the Rider was?") but I guess the studio or film makers were assuming the majority of the audience never saw the first movie and this would be their first exposure to the story behind Ghost Rider. Fine... I'll go along with that if I have to. Things I can say in favor of this movie, it moves fast. It felt like it was under an hour, which I guess means it's a fairly tight movie or maybe that the action sequences, which almost felt too short, moved very fast. Maybe? It's also fun watching the Rider be a total badass and I did find myself frequently distracted by the special FX, which is mostly the cool flame effects. On the downside, there's very little substance to this movie. It's also, plot wise, very simple. No real subtleties, no gray areas, it's generally right out there. That's the point of the Rider. He sees the evil in people and it doesn't matter what sort of good they do, it's black or white with him. So while there wasn't anything to really dig into or anything that kept me thinking outside the movie, it was still fun. It was also pretty interesting seeing small parts from both Tony Head and Christopher Lambert. Who both play priests? Weird.
