A famous mobile discovery company by the name of Shazam
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"unique mobile content and valuable offers" in real-time. And now Stitch Kingdom reps have confirmed that among those
ads are the much-anticipated TV spots for Disney's John Carter and The Avengers movies.
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IMAX!!! Now the review!!!! It’s been
six years since star Kate Beckinsale donned the latex and corset for an “Underworld” adventure, with the producers
taking a prequel route for 2009’s “Rise of the Lycans.” It’s good to have the pint-sized porcelain
bruiser back in command of a sequel, and with her long-awaited return comes a blessedly simplified resuscitation of the franchise.
“Underworld: Awakening” won’t win any awards for sophistication, but what it lacks in refinement
it makes up for in wall-to-wall vampires vs. werewolves action. It’s a deafening joyride crammed with plenty of destruction,
slowing the development of the plot’s laborious mythos. Stripping down the experience to zero in on mayhem, the producers
have reignited the fun factor of the series, keeping the focus on exploitative elements instead of continuing to widen a wheezing
brand name.
As the human race begins to repel the vampire and lycan
infestation, death dealer Selene (Kate Beckinsale) is set to escape the obliteration with hybrid lover Michael (Scott Speedman
doesn’t appear, replaced by body doubles and CGI magic), only to be thwarted and frozen by government goons. Waking
up 12 years later in a lab, Selene discovers vampires and lycans have been driven into exile, with Dr. Jacob (Stephen Rea)
preparing a serum that could radically reshape the longstanding war, using Selene’s daughter and all-powerful hybrid
Eve (India Eisley) as his guinea pig. Claiming her child and escaping, Selene is confronted with a changed world, finding
lycans scrounging for scraps, while vampires (including Charles Dance, struggling with his fake teeth) have retreated to the
shadows. For fanged warrior David (Theo James), Selene’s return inspires revolutionary thoughts, following the snugly
bodysuited one as she battles to protect Eve from Dr. Jacob’s macabre interests.
The time jump forward is necessary
at this point in the story, with “Underworld” and the abysmal “Underworld: Evolution” anchoring the
events to 2003, while the prequel dipped back hundreds of years into the past. “Underworld: Awakening” jolts the
series back to life, revitalizing the ongoing narrative with a sorely needed reduction in backstory. Gone are the protracted
explanations of vampire/lycan history and destiny, replaced with an exploratory mission, as Selene comes to grips with the
downfall of her kind, amazed that humans could accomplish so much in so little time. “Awakening” isn’t burdened
with an expansion of plot, forced to keep the story on an epic trajectory to satisfy a feverish mythmaking urge I suspect
few fans truly care about. This installment is merely about catching up to the present and worrying about the future.
Directors Mans Marlind and Bjorn Stein (“Storm,”
“Shelter”) appreciate genre requirements, and they execute a convincing monster mash with “Awakening.”
While the screenwriting leaves much to be desired, the visual firepower of the picture is fantastic, finding the filmmaking
team serving up a robust routine of gunfights and splattery encounters, while the lycan menace is sold with satisfactory visual
effects, successfully integrated into stylish 3D cinematography that favors Beckinsale’s backside and slow-motion hero
shots. It’s a terribly violent movie, and one that doesn’t take many breaks to assess the situation, instead charging
straight into conflict after conflict, with the finest sequences pitting Selene against enormous lycan enforcers, flipping
and slicing her way to victory. The idea is to keep the effort humming along with sensorial submersion, and “Awakening”
is quite charming as a blunt cinematic instrument.
While I enjoyed the overheated swagger of “Rise
of the Lycans,” it’s nice to have Beckinsale back in the lead role, brandishing massive guns and flying around
the sets. “Awakening” makes good use of her implausible defense skills, keeping her suit shiny and her attacks
slick with wirework and glares. It’s fun to watch her reclaim the series, only lacking a strong supporting cast to fill
out the mayhem with some needed personality. The absence of Speedman is puzzling (what could he be possibly doing these days?),
and the addition of Eve doesn’t exactly provide the emotional outlet the script is looking for. Still, a one-woman show
is all “Underworld” needs to be at this point. Since Bill Nighy and Michael Sheen are gone, there’s really
no reason to watch anyone but Beckinsale, preferably double-fisting handguns while executing a double axel over a snarling
monster.
“Underworld: Awakening” isn’t the best, but it retains a crunchy, smashmouth quality that
provides proper escapism, reinstating forward momentum to a franchise that was close to permanent stasis. Overall, see this
in IMAX 3D, it looks like a F**kin' Blu-Ray Disc on screen, this to me was the best out of the
series I give this a high octane FULL PRICE rating!!! and that's the bottom line cause the Wolfman
said so!!!!
RED TAILS is a project that “Star Wars” creator
George Lucas has shepherded to the screen, despite first-time director Anthony Hemingway being at the helm. It’s the
story of the Tuskegee Airmen, the all-black World War II squadron that was designed to fail and went on to be among the most
decorated units in the war. Although the story has been told before, it bears repeating.
Colonel A. J. Bullard (Terrence Howard) has his work cut
out for him. His men are flying secondhand planes that barely hold together and are given “missions” that keep
them far away from the war. His superiors don’t believe “colored” soldiers are equipped to be in the frontline
of battle. Not all of them feel that way, though, and eventually the men get a mission of major importance. They are to escort
the “Flying Fortresses” whose mission it is to bomb Germany into submission. Being an escort may seem like a secondary
role, but it is their job to fight off (and shoot down) the German planes going after the bombers. It turns out they are very
good at this.
This would be just another World War II movie but for
two things. First, it is the story of how “Negro” soldiers proved their worth and eventually won the respect they
deserved. Early on we see Joe Little (David Oyelowo) being told that even though he is an officer, the officer’s club
is for whites only. Later in the film, Little and several of the other airmen are welcomed into the club by the grateful pilots
of the bombers who acknowledge they owe their lives to the black airmen. Stories of how ignorance and prejudice are overcome
are always worth telling.
The other thing is the use of CGI (i.e., digital computer
effects) to take us into the air and into the dogfights with the Germans. Short of documentary footage of actual air battles,
this may as close to seeing what it’s like to be in an air war up on the big screen. The good guys are easy to spot
because their planes have been painted red in the back, giving them a distinctive look as well as the title for the movie.
Their swooping and maneuvering is like a game of three-dimensional chess.
Howard and Cuba Gooding, Jr. (sporting a pipe) are good
as the officers caught between racism above and frustration below, but it is the young actors playing the pilots who deserve
most of our attention. Chief among them are Oyelowo as a hot dog who doesn’t always follow orders but also finds himself
in a romance with a local Italian woman (Daniela Ruah). Nate Parker has the less showy role of Captain Martin “Easy”
Julian, who tries to lead his men and but secretly drinks to numb the pain and the pressure. He has to learn that the key
to leadership is not always knowing the right thing to do, but simply being able to make decisions.
In many ways, “Red Tails” is an old-fashioned
movie, but for younger viewers who haven’t seen most of the films about WWII it will seem fresh and original. Even those
who are well-versed in the genre will find a lot to like in this solidly told story of men proving they have what it takes
not only to others but to themselves Just came
back from seeing it...i know the movie isn't perfect but i think the movie was very entertaining..I think the movie is great
for young black kids to see and I think the creators weren't trying to make a film for Oscars but at least to pay respect
the Black Fighter pilots of WWII and I feel like I got my money worth tonight (wait, I saw this for free) and how often do
you see a black cast or film not involving the hood, gangsters or even Tyler Perry.. I give the movie a high MATINEE
rating, and that's the bottom line cause The Wolfman said so!!!
CHRONICLE (2012)
CHRONICLE (2012)
Peter Parker’s uncle Ben once famously said (just before he got blown away by some scumbag with a gun, natch),
“With great power, comes great responsibility”. Peter Parker certainly learned that lesson, and has used it as
the basis for his crimefighting career as Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man. The three high school seniors at the center
of director Josh Trank and co-writer Max Landis’ new film “Chronicle”, on the other hand? Not so much. Mixing
the found footage genre (which I hate with a passion, by the way) and the very familiar (and by now very well-tread) superhero
Origins Story, Trank and Landis give us “Chronicle”, a shockingly good coming of age tale wrapped around the conventions
of a superhero movie. If, you know, your coming of age involved weird glowing rocks in mysterious underground caves, telekinesis,
and a superpowered battle in the middle of Downtown.
The chronicler of “Chronicle” is one Andrew (Dane
DeHaan), a put-upon lad with no real friends, and whose home life really, really sucks. His mother’s sick and his dad’s
a violent drunk. Beat that! “My Super Sweet 16″, this is not. But he does have a cousin name Matt (Alex Russell),
who takes pity on the kid and drags him to a local rave, along with Matt’s buddy, Mr. Popular Steve (Michael B. Jordan).
But it’s not the rave that forever alters the lives of our trio of budding BFFs. Nope. It’s the hole in the ground
nearby, which leads to a subterranean cave and, inside, outerworldly objects that grant the boys telekinetic powers. (For
the non-geek among you, that means they can move stuff with their minds.) How do they develop powers exactly? Don’t
worry about it. That’s not the point. (Plus, potential sequels, baby!) Fast-forward to many weeks later, and the boys,
now close friends, are discovering what it means to be “superheroes”. Okay, not really.
Giddy at the idea
of having secret superpowers (who wouldn’t be?), the boys act their age: freak out kids in stores, orchestrate a glimpse
at the cute girl’s panties, and turn a talent show on its head. But it’s not all mischief; the boys also learn
to fly in a sequence that feels entirely real. Yes, you’ll think to yourself, finding out you can fly should look and
feel just like that. But those innocuous moments soon lose their luster for Andrew, who suddenly realizes that he doesn’t
have to take the crap he’s been taking when he can easily fight back — and win. Will he suddenly go all Magneto
on us and try to conquer the world? Not exactly. At its core, “Chronicle” is going for gritty realism (high school
teenagers with superpowers notwithstanding), so Andrew doesn’t so much as attempt to subjugate the world like a one-man
Brotherhood of Evil Mutants as he exacts some revenge and pulls strong-arm robberies for the one thing all teens crave, cold
hard cash. And thanks to his powers, Andrew no longer has to hold his camera to record his every actions. Telekinesis, as
it turns out, is even better than a professional steadicam operator.
As I’ve said, I’m not the biggest
fan of the found footage genre, but I found myself not minding it at all here. For the most part, Trank manages to justify
a lot of the film’s shot-from-a-camera perspective, and the beginnings of “Chronicle”, in particular, work
very well. Eventually, though, Trank has to cheat a little, but unless you’re a stickler for absolute realism, these
moments can be excused, and frankly, they benefit the film more than they distract. This gimmick truly earns its keep during
the film’s climactic battle, with the film’s perspective suddenly switching between multiple sources. This is
the YouTube generation, after all, where just about everyone has a cellphone and the will to pull them out at a moment’s
notice, yours and my privacy be damn. It’s not too hard to believe that a superpowered battle in Downtown Seattle would
capture lots of attention from witnesses, along with CCTV cameras and circling news helicopters. As it turns out, seeing this
kind of comic book battle from this angle was surprisingly exhilarating.
So what’s with the glowing stuff in
the hole? Who cares. That’s not even remotely the point of what first-time feature film director Trank is going for.
(Although this is his debut on the big screen, Trank has previously directed episodes of the mini-series “The Kill Point”.)
Clocking in at a lean and mean 80-ish minutes, “Chronicle’s” superhero, “X-Men”-style finale
works because you care about the characters, because Trank and Landis have invested the time necessarily to make you understand,
even if you don’t necessarily agree with Andrew, Matt, and Steve. Dane DeHaan turns in a star-making performance as
Andrew, a Clark Kent of sorts if Clark never crash-landed in the countryside of Kansas, but instead landed in the posh backyard
of one Lex Luthor. That’s not to say the other lads do bad work. Alex Russell is good, but he doesn’t have nearly
the meaty role that DeHaan has; plus, his subplot with with a girlfriend is mostly pointless. Jordan, the most experienced
actor of the trio, actually has the least to do, which is ironic.
Overall, despite its found footage foundation, “Chronicle”
had an estimated $12 million production budget, which is of course how it affords its many special effects. These moments
are not seamless by any means, but they nevertheless work pretty well in the confines of the film’s faux documentary
style. It will be intriguing to see if bigger budgeted superhero fare like “The Avengers”, “The Dark Knight
Rises”, and “The Amazing Spider-Man” can match what Trank and company have achieved with, by comparison,
a miniscule budget. Marc Webb’s “Spider-Man”, in particular, will be treading familiar grounds, and I have
to wonder if Andrew’s dalliance with a spider was a not-so-subtle dig at the Sony film? Here’s the deal: despite
its claims of an “untold story”, Webb’s “The Amazing Spider-Man” (and most superhero movies
based on existing comic books) is still working with decades of established canon that it must adhere to. “Chronicle”
has none of those restrictions. And that, really, is why “Chronicle” will still be mentioned months from now even
after the blockbusters have come and gone — because it’s very familiar, yet entirely fresh. You don’t have
to be a comic book fanboy to appreciate that (“Chronicle” is damn good anyway), but you will certainly appreciate
it a lot more if you were
I rate this film "BETTER THAN SEX!!!" And that's the Bottom Line
cause The Wolfman said so!!!!
The Phantom Menace hasn’t really found a following
over the years, neither has the entire prequel trilogy for that matter. There’s no getting around it, Episode I is the
ugly duckling of the Star Wars saga…but that doesn’t mean that it isn’t entertaining. I won’t go into
the story as I’m sure all of you must have some clue as to the first chapter of the series, if not, well then you might
be the only one.
Episode 1 isn’t a particularly bad film, it just had
the misfortune of being made when it was. Before Jar Jar’s debut film, Lucas had last directed A New Hope – that’s
a whopping 22 years since the bearded one was in the directors seat. We all look back on Luke’s first adventure with
much fondness but through these rose coloured lenses we fail to see the all the Star Wars chapters are just as campy as Episode
1. The Public accepted it back then because it’s what they were used to but on the verge of the 21st century people
had become used to sensitive tales rendered with realism in both story and acting. Unfortunately Lucas as a director still
lives in the ’70s but his idea of visuals always remained current. This is where it all fails but we have to enjoy it
for what it is.
The draw card this time around is the 3D effect. I’m
not mad about 3D for the most part, I’ve only seen a few films that have benefited from the effect. Thankfully the Phantom
Menace uses it in a very practical way with George Lucas making sure that the 3D not only enhances the visuals but doesn’t
destroy the film.
The effects are used well for the most part, with special
attention going to the pod racing scene that just gets blown out the water with it’s hyperkinetic stereoscopic prowess.
The 3D isn’t just emphasised in the action scenes though, Lucas and ILM add the effects albeit more subtly to the entire
film ensuring that we get our money’s worth but not the eye strain. While it may be nearing it’s 15th anniversary,
The Phantom Menace’s visual still hold up nicely and have only aged in slight but noticeable ways, the production values
are still out of this world though.
Unless you haven’t seen it in cinema before or you’re
a fan I can’t imagine the reason for a second viewing. Many kids and (subsequently) parents will be lining up for this
but even with the added 3D it seems silly to put yourself through over 2 hours of Jar Jar Binks. However, the Pod racing is
worth a look as well as seeing Darth Maul (Whom I've sat next to in the Theater last night) and it will probably be a
while before you’ll get to see it in 3D on the home circuit. That said, the future of the rest of the Star Wars 3D conversion
rides on the success of Episode 1 – if you want to see Luke kissing his sister and Obi-Wan taking one for the team again,
you’ll have to get your ass to see this film now.
The Bottom Line: Star Wars
is like wobbly marriage, you mostly remember the good parts but there are the rough patches and bitch slaps that leave their
mark. In the end though it’s still a marriage and it is great to see it again. Sure the story isn’t as tight as
the original trilogy but the ethos behind the whole shebang is just to enjoy the ride and not take it too seriously. Star
Wars was made for big screen so go see it now before it returns for a Special Edition. I am however thankful they used the
Digital Yoda instead of the Chester the Molester crackhead muppet Yoda, I was a bit iffy on this but I enjoyed it on the big
screen once again so I'll will give this a high MATINEE rating for the new generation of fans
out there. And as always, "May the Force be with you", That's the bottom line cause the Wolfman said so!!!