Category: Movie Review

The Mist ( book)

mist book

What can I say, Stephen King is a legend. I’ve read short stories and 1,000+ page books alike and even those I wasn’t in love with, still weren’t god awful. The Mist is a novella previously from his collection Skeleton Crew that in recent years has been made sold separately more, which is how I read it; the movie is a pretty damn good adaptation with a much more heart wrenching ending that I recommend watching, even if some of the creature effects haven’t aged well ( a mini review, look at that).

David Drayton and his family feel lucky to be alive after a massive storm tears through there lakeside home. The damage is heavy but everyone is safe; just a nasty summer storm after all. Dave and his son Billy, along with his despicable neighbor go to the local town grocery store as a fog emerges. The fog is heavy and reaches seemingly everywhere. Understandably, the store is pandemonium from the storm of like minded folks who wanted to move on with there lives. Someone emerges that there is something in the mist. It’s not long before they see a series of ungodly horrors roaming the mists and the deaths that accrue when anyone ventures out. Trapped, another threat looms from within as people turn on each and a mini cult rises claiming the end of days has come leaving David with the choice of venturing out or get sacrificed to the monsters outside…

For the most part, The Mist is a simple but effective quick horror story. It’s nice to see King switch things up and do a first person story, which he does well and I’d like to read more of from him. There wasn’t any characters I disliked and I thought they were all solid. I like the variety of monsters and the gory kills throughout the story. The biggest problem I have is the first few chapters, I’d say first 3 to be more specific drag, and the story doesn’t really pick up until a decent ways in so the story feels longer than it should. Regardless, it’s a pretty good creepy shorter story from the horror master if his gigantic works put you off and honestly, the movie was a pretty faithful adaptation as well, just with a way more bleaker ending. May the gaming gods bring you glory.

Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius

jimmy neutron movie

The other night I was feeling old as hell, recently turning 29, and I needed to feel like a kid again. I remember seeing the trailer for the first time and being perplexed by this new CGI animation. So almost two decades later, did I still enjoy a old childhood favorite or did it die with much other nostalgic things?

Retroville is a quiet little suburb that would be a run of the mill town if not for the chaotic inventions of Jimmy Neutron, 10 year old boy genius. Jimmy is mostly a normal kid with normal parents, has friends, and a robot dog named Goddard and has a desire to communicate with extraterrestrial beings. After sending a probe into orbit, a race of egg based aliens finds it and heads to Earth for the adults because of Jimmy. At first, the kids are living a dream that becomes a nightmare once reality sets in- they need there parents. So the kids of Retroville have to ban together and save there parents before they are sacrificed to a Kaiju chicken god!

I’m pretty surprised how much fun I had with Jimmy Neutron as an adult. The movie has a good blend of humor and heart with a solid story and characters behind it. Patrick Stewart as King GooBot is a pretty nice touch as well. The animation holds up well enough but I have to admit the pop music makes the movie feel dated as shit. In the end, I’d say it’s a pretty good movie the whole family can enjoy. May the gaming gods bring you glory.

Brahms: The Boy II trailer 2

First, I gotta give the studio credit for posting this trailer on Make A Friend Day. Besides that, I still haven’t stopped asking why this movie exists. I guess Brahms possessed a kid, even though he wasn’t a ghost, this just gives me a hard kind of generic vibe. I can’t say I’m waiting it. May the gaming gods bring you glory.

The Possession

possession

You ever watch a movie and think to yourself  “Damn, this actor is way too good for this movie”? Well that was me throughout the entirety of this movie with Jeffrey Dean Morgan.

Clyde is a basketball coach who is recently divorced, taking his daughters Hannah and Emily for the weekend. During a casual trip to a yard sale, Emily comes across a cute wooden box with some carvings in on it. They buy the box. Emily becomes infatuated by the box and starts becoming distant, ravenous, and eventually hostile when not without it. What’s her obsession with the box?

Everyone, I have to be honest, this is one of those times I felt bad for the actors involved. Jeffrey Dean Morgan tries his ass off to make something out of this movie and the cast is pretty solid around him with a decent horror score. BUT this is pretty much every by-the-numbers haunting/ possession movie ever. There aren’t really any curve balls but there is some spotty CGI  and unnecessary jump scares. Honestly, I think this could have been a better family drama because all the horror elements bring down what could’ve been a alright movie.  In the end, this is totally skip-able and generic. May the gaming gods bring you glory.

28 Weeks Later

28 weeks

28 Days Later is hands down my favorite zombie film and one of my all time favorite horror movies. The sequel, many consider to be a superior sequel or at least of the prestige few horror sequels achieve by being near as good as the first.

We join a family torn apart during the Rage virus outbreak in Britain. John and his wife were hiding out until a massive swarm descended upon them; he watched his wife seemingly get devoured and instead of trying to save her, he ran. 28 weeks after the outbreak, NATO declares a small part of Britain is clean to re-inhabit and the Rage virus has been cleared out. John is reunited with his kids Sam and Andy, who discover that there mom is still alive after breaking quarantine. In her blood is a natural immunity to Rage but she still is a carrier and highly contagious. And with a single kiss, the hope of that the Rage virus was destroyed comes to a violent and bloody end…

That last part I can’t stress enough, 28 Weeks is way bloodier and more disturbing than the first. There were a few times where I felt my eyes pop open in surprise how far it went. While I admire the choice, I also feel the gore became too gratuitous for it’s own good ( the helicopter scene as an example). I will say, the movie continues the original’s legacy of good characters and being filmed really damn well as well as being genuinely scary. What’s nice is this is a completely standalone sequel so you don’t need to have watched the first one. The opening is expertly done and one of my favorite opening horror scenes. Something I regretfully have to say unfortunately besides the overuse of gore, I hate the couple jump scare scenes they add in but, to the movie’s credit, only one is just totally fruitless. In the end, 28 Weeks Later is a damn good sequel I’d highly recommend and may the gaming gods bring you glory.

“The Batman” Bat-suit reveal

This is going to be a quick post, but a juicy one for the Bat fans out there: our first look at Rob Pattinson in the iconic Bat-suit. I love the Batman: Arkham Knight kinda vibe with the armor and I love the idea of the symbol being forged from the gun that killed his parents. I’m excited to see the coloring on the suit, but so far the look is brooding and realistic and a welcome sight so far. May the gaming gods bring you glory.

Dragonball Super: Broly

dbs broly

Dragonball Z: Broly, the Legendary Super Saiyan was one the Z series most popular features but wasn’t considered canon officially. With Super overtaking the divisive GT, the door opened to justify this by retelling the story of the mad Saiyan as well as add a new layer to the story and character unseen before…

The fall of the Saiyans was upon them as Frieza was about to lay waste to the Saiyan populace when a child was born with an exceptional power level, even more than the prodigal Prince Vegeta. The king was furious, damning the child to death by sending him to a hellish planet. His father Paragus stranded himself to save the boy, raising him to seek revenge against Vegeta, seemingly the last Bastille of the old regime. Broly, trained to be a monster, is actually a kind soul who never got to blossom with a keen fighting ability and a frightening power he can’t control. Without achieving Super Saiyan, he easily matches the power of Goku and Vegeta at God level but it’s Frieza, remembering what drove Goku to snap, decides to snap Broly and the 3 are faced with something nearly unstoppable but can they defeat him before his power leads the power of Gogeta to destroy him?

This very well maybe the best DBZ movie yet and I’m really surprised how well Broly was reinvented. His character has a lot of depth and is surprisingly tragic as well as extremely badass. The fights are top notch and are shown in some really awesome, fresh ways on top of the vibrant colors and fast action. The new backstory I’m mostly good with but I have to say Goku’s part reminded me too much of Superman’s origin which is my only real gripe along with not seeing Beerus or Whise facing off against Legendary SS. In the end, it’s a hell of a movie I’d definitely recommend. May the gaming gods bring you glory.

broly lss

Dragonball Z: Resurrection F

dbz F

Frieza, one of the Dragonball Z series greatest and cruelest villains, is in hell. Tortured and angry, his existence is torment. One of his devout followers summons his returns to lead his forsaken army and continue his universal tyranny but Frieza has something else in mind: revenge. Frieza, who has never trained, commits and strives towards his true potential. Meanwhile Goku and Vegeta are training with Beerus and Whise, mastering SS God Blue form when Frieza visits Earth with the strongest and massive army he’s ever assembled, causing the Z fighters to reunite after many years. Once again Goku and Frieza face off, but this time Frieza has a power unlike anything Goku has seen: Gold Frieza!

I’ve got a lot of mixed feelings on this movie but overall it’s pretty good. While I was against it at first, it was nice seeing Frieza become relevant again, although Gold Frieza is kinda lame in my opinion. My favorite thing about the movie was seeing some of the classic Z Fighters back in action again like Gohan, Piccolo, Krillin, and Tien. I did love seeing Goku and Frieza’s rematch as well as Vegeta and Frieza’s. What pissed me off was the end result; I’m going to be the first to say, the ending fully makes sense in the context of the characters but I couldn’t help thinking it was cheap. In the end, it is above average anime film and it’s got some great fights but a poop ending. May the gaming gods bring you glory.

Dragonball Z: Battle of Gods

dbz gods

Is there any force in existence Goku and his friends can’t overcome? After DragonBall Z: Buu Saga (Kid Buu) came to an end, Goku has the opportunity to meet Beerus, the God of Destruction. Goku begs Beerus for the chance to spar against him, only to have Beerus one shot him easily in his Super Saiyan 3 form. Beerus comes to Earth with his assistant/trainer Whise and for a time is content at Bulma’s birthday party until his temper goes awry and he threatens to destroy the world. With no one strong enough to big him down, desperate times call for a ritual to create a Super Saiyan God with the total power of all the Saiyans combined into Goku. Can this new form be enough to hold Beerus at bay?

I was definitely surprised by this movie in more ways than one. First, I like that it feels like a actual feature film developing the characters and is at full length. Beerus and Whise are fun characters and Beerus is a awesome badass. I love how this movie takes a different kind of look at Goku’s character and his flaws. It is a little bit of a slow build but the climax is well worth it. In the end, it’s a great continuation of the show and a great start to Dragonball Super. May the gaming gods bring you glory.

Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith

sith

Here’s the conclusion the the Star Wars prequel trilogy, the movie everyone stuck around for: Anakin  Skywalker’s turn to the dark side and the rise of Darth Vader. This movie was ultra hyped in 2005, and why not? Darth Vader is one of the greatest villains of all time and myself and millions of fans couldn’t wait to see the final turn. Were we disappointed like the previous did however?

The Clone Wars have come to a head and victory could go either way, but as Qui-Gon predicted, Anakin Skywalker has grown into an exceptional Jedi Knight and hero. After defeating Count Dooku and saving Palpatine and Obi-wan’s lives, Anakin is facing the chance to become a member of the Jedi council  but only as a means of spying on the chancellor who they believe is a Sith lord. Besides that, Anakin is facing the conflict of Padme being pregnant and the stress of them losing everything for there budding family and the fear he has of losing his beloved wife. Palpatine reveals himself as a Sith to Anakin with promises of a power that can save Padme, tantalizing him until the fatal choice comes and a new threat arises as the Jedi collapse. Enter Darth Vader.

It’s pretty well accepted that Revenge of the Sith is the best of the prequel trilogy and is one of the darkest entries in Star Wars. There’s a ton of epic fights, including the iconic fight between Anakin and Obi-wan as well as Yoda vs the Emperor which was also pretty badass. Darth Sidious is honestly my favorite part of the movie and is brilliantly deceptive but also menacing as hell. Sadly this movie has it’s fair share of issues. There are some cringe worthy moments, including Vader’s infamous “NO!” scene and some pretty cheesy dialogue. The pacing feels off as well, because of the amount of ground the movie has to cover in a set time, the beginning feels rushed. In the end, it’s one of the better Star Wars movies and one of the most epic so it’s well worth a watch. May the gaming gods bring you glory.