Category: Movie Review

Man Up (2015)

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Man Up is the story of a blind date that went wrong mostly because it involved the wrong people. More specifically the wrong woman. See when Jack (Simon Pegg) meets up with his blind date it turns out due to a weird coincidence he meets up with Nancy (Lake Bell) thinking she is his date, Jessica. Nancy is happy to let him think this however since she is surprised by how mice he is. The date is going great actually, that is until she is caught in the bathroom with a guy threatening to blackmail her by telling Jack the truth.

The story itself is pretty nice and is quite original, the problem is much of it is quite cliché. The ending, the date itself, the dance scene. It’s all quite been there done that in romantic comedies which is disappointing. Not that it was done badly, quite the opposite. Simon Pegg and Lake Bell play their roles well and worked well together. The script was also well written, my issue is simply that an original idea falling back on so many old tropes saddened me.

All that being said, I still suggest a fan of romantic comedies check the movie out. It’s still pretty above average and worth checking out at least once. Best wishes and may the gaming gods bring you glory.

Jurassic Park: The Lost World

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Jurassic Park , originally a novel by Michael Crichton, became a massive success after Spielberg directed the film adaptation. Actually, massive would be a massive understatement. So of course, a high grossing film needs a sequel, and Crichton had another book in him and Spielberg was up to another dinosaur adventure, so did lightning strike twice?

Years have passed since the epic events of Jurassic Park and Ian Malcolm is just trying to get on with his life. A dying Hammond urges to talk to him, revealing Isla Nublar wasn’t the only site they were breeding dinosaurs. A family vacationing on the island discovered them and Hammond dispatched a team of scientists and mercenaries to investigate- the scientists led by Malcolm’s fiance. Reluctantly Malcolm goes to get her back, unintentionally followed by his teenage daughter and of course things go bad, but it gets worse when he discovers the mercs were there to capture dinosaurs , including baby T Rexes, feeling the wrath of it’s mother on US soil…

Lost World is a mixed bag for me, but overall I don’t like it that much. First, it is a damn nice looking movie with really good effects, score, and even acting. I like the story for the most problem but a big problem I have is the pacing- you feel how long this movie is and until part way into the second act, I was bored. Another problem I had was the idea of Malcolm being the main character this time around. Malcolm was a great supporting character in the first because he raised a lot of the fundamental questions to be asked and he had a cynical kind of humor. In Lost World we go deeper into his relationships with his girlfriend and daughter, which nether really hooked me. there are some coo moments and it was badass to see a T Rex stomping around  California but in the end, I found the movie to just be flat, not to say it ain’t worth a watch if you loved the first. May the gaming gods bring you glory.

Jurassic Park

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Spielberg gave us some of the most epic, memorable movies of all time- that’s a fact. How many times do you smile hearing John William’s classic score; how many times did your heart sink when you saw the might of the T-Rex ripple through the water and feel your eyes widen when you see the vast splendor of Stan Winston’s dinosaurs? Welcome to Jurassic Park.

Jurassic Park, a massive open world theme park located on Isla Nublar where John Hammond commissioned a group of scientists to return dinosaurs from extinction. through the miracle of genetics, they have played god, restoring living, breathing dinosaurs to the planet. The park is nearly opened, but Hammond requests a small group to preview the park before opening including Dr Alan Grant and his colleague/ love Ellie Slater, chaos theorist Ian Malcolm, Hammond’s preteen grandchildren, and a lawyer. At first, the group is in awe once they see the dinosaurs but fear sets in once its revealed not all the revived species are of the friendly kind and once a storm hits, sabotage from inside goes down, the dinosaurs are unleashed into the Park and a pleasure getaway becomes an adventure for survival…

Honestly, there is nothing about Jurassic Park I can say that hasn’t been said. It’s a fantastic movie of great, well developed characters full of memorable quotes and a plot that is smart, heart felt, and suspenseful. Almost 2 decades later, the effects hold up phenomenally and the score is unforgettable as one of the best in film. Jurassic Park is a must see, pure and simple, and may the gaming gods bring you glory.

Joaquin Phoenix Joker screen test

A few days ago we finally got the first real look of Joaquin Phoenix as Joker via screen test from directer Todd Phillips of the Hangover trilogy. I personally really like the look, going for more of the Heath Ledger vibe- simple but realistic and unnerving. It’s definitely a step up from Jared Leto’s look in Suicide Squad and I’d say it’s a good step in the right direction. May the gaming gods bring you glory.

The Witch 2015

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The Witch (2015) is an odd film for me. It involves a family on a farm who have lost a son and is being tormented by a witch. As the movie goes on this family in the 1600’s becomes more and more paranoid.

I won’t get into to many specifics on the movie or its story because honestly the fun of this movie is deeply dependent on not knowing much about the story itself, and I worry by telling you too much I will spoil the experience. The acting is well done and as a period piece it is actually one of the best I have ever seen. As far as I can tell most of not all of ti was filmed using natural lighting or at lighting for that time such as candles. The clothing choices also seem to do a very good job of matching that as well.

The sound of it all is also rather nice, with the actors doing a fair job at talking in an older dialect of English. I do however have a few issues with the movie. First off the movie can only sort of be called a horror or thriller movie since it rarely attempts to do either of those things. There also wasn’t too much excitement to be had. The story was interesting, and the last 20 minutes or so was great but I would have liked a little more.

The movie itself however is only worth watching for certain people. I don’t mind a slow-paced period piece so for me it was a pretty good movie. The story was interesting and the religious zealousness was pretty well done. However, for those looking for a fast paced and exciting horror movie, this is not what you are seeking. Best wishes and may the gaming gods bring you glory.

Haunting of Hill House trailer

Normally I’d ask why but it’s been almost 20 years since the god awful remake of a terrifying book and eerie black and white movie. I can say the movie visually looks nice and there is some nice scenery but other than I get a generic feel. I think because the original has been emulated so many times a remake is going to feel like it’s a copy of a copy. Still, it looks meh. May the gaming gods bring you glory.

Alien Contact: NASA Exposed

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Every so often I like to check out a documentary and see how it goes. Alien Contact, while the info may or may not be various levels of accurate is very poorly made. Not from a CGI or voice acting point of view, those are perfectly fine. The problem for me really is about the first half of this hour-long documentary is talking about Nazi Germany.

After much talk of the occult in Germany and the false assumption that no UFO had been sighted or reported prior to that. We then movie on to what happened to the Nazi scientist after Hitler shot himself.

It isn’t until the last 15 minutes or so we even get to talking about NASA and it mostly focuses on the moon landing and Apollo missions. This is where it truly breaks down with mostly conspiracy theories and voice overs done by the same people who represent radio calls from numerous historic figures that really just destroy any possible credibility. I normally enjoy stuff like this but honestly I couldn’t enjoy this one. Best wishes and may the gaming gods bring you glory.

Captive State trailer

Was I the only person who saw this trailer and immediately thought of The Purge ? Seriously, the intro to the trailer as well as the “give thanks” chanting and some the imagery automatically made me think Purge knockoff…until after rewatching the trailer you see the giant ass meteor at the end. I really hope the next trailer is a lot better and give us a better, less derivative look at the movie so I’m voting to wait for next trailer to see if this turns out to be something cool or a dud. May the gaming gods bring you glory.