Terminator Salvation: Advance Review

Hey folks as you know I saw Terminator Salvation on Monday at 7pm. I planned to have the review done on Tuesday but I have been so busy with working on the new site.
Before I begin talking about the new Terminator movie let me go over a couple things about the previous ones. I remember as I watched the last three movies there were many major factors that made a Terminator movie so unique.
One being the very impressive special effects each movie brought in the year that it was released. You can see the advancement in Hollywood's ability to make special effects through each movie.
Another factor about the Terminator movies that made it so interesting was the continuous character development of John Connor. In Terminator 1 he wasn't actually IN the movie but we still learned about him through Kyle Reese. John Connor has always been portrayed as the fearless leader and the one who makes the toughest decisions.
In the first Terminator when Kyle talks about John Connor he says "You trust him, hes got a strength.. I'd die for John Connor." In the second Terminator John Connor's character was developed even more showing that he is a very smart kid who knows his way around technology. In the third Terminator he is more matured while still retaining his intelligence. You start to see a glimpse of the leader that he is destined to become. Im sure McG knew how important it was to continue this flow of development and not make the character all of a sudden seem like a stranger.

Now lets talk about the fourth Terminator. The biggest fear I had for this movie was the disconnection of the previous Terminator movies. I didn't want Salvation to feel like it was a separate movie. I wanted it to feel like it was a continuation of the Terminator series. I was happily proved wrong on this. I can see that the creators of the movie truely wanted to make that connection apparent both in screenplay and dialogue. There were a couple dialogues in the movie that made you reminisce about the previous movie and one which made you laugh when you hear it. So what do I mean by screenplay? Well there was one scene that reminded me of a scene from a previous terminator movie. I won't go into what it is so I don't spoil the movie.

Like I said in the beginning Terminator movies are always packed with amazing special effects. This movie has very powerful and explosive special effects. This movie doesn't fail to deliver the kind of action and stunts that we are used to. Terminator Salvation has many more different kinds of terminators that are very nicely designed. Which makes the series so much more interesting. You see how the Skynet adapts and creates more unique terminators for different types of locations or enemy.

When you think of the name John Connor you automatically think about a charismatic leader. Someone who makes others feel comfortable. When I first heard that Christian Bale was going to play John Connor I wasn't woried about it. Bale already has the experience of playing the leader in justice as Batman. Bale did a fantastic job playing the role of John Connor. He even brought his signature to the Terminator series. (Yelling for no reason).

Along with Christian Bale there is Sam Worthington as Marcus Wright. Marcus is a Terminator that was based off a human on death row. Sam plays this role really well and really makes you believe in his confusion. Marcus Wright is a new kind of terminator and he truly believes in being human as seen in the trailer.

This movie is one where you have to give yourself a minute to think it over. Replay what you know from the past terminator movies and fit them in to the giant puzzle. This doesn't mean that you won't like it if you have never seen a Terminator movie(It may cause me to hate you though..jk). If you haven't seen any of the movies then you will see it like it is and won't have to think about how events in the previous movies tie into this one. Salvation is a very phenomenal movie when it comes to script and direction. However I am forced to take a point off for a mistake in editing. There is a point in the movie where you can very easily tell that there was something missing in between the two scenes. It kind of hinders the flow of the movie which is very important. You don't want the viewer to have a doorway to escape from the movie and start thinking for himself. You want him to stay inside and be completely captivated by the movie.

The movie includes great cinematography that really compliments the special effects. The crisp and sharp look of CGI scenes are even more enhanced with great uses of camera angles. When introducing a terminator the camera starts below and goes up to reveal it. This shows the audience the fear you are supposed to have when faced with one in real life. The movie is a great summer movie and doesn't fail to deliver the feel of intense emotions.

If you like Terminator movies you will enjoy this movie.
If you haven't seen Terminator before then you can still enjoy this movie.
If you don't like Terminator? Well then it confuses me why you are reading this review but hey give it a shot. You just might like it! :)


So I give Terminator Salvation:

9 out of 10

The Fight against Machines, The Fight for Mankind

Terminator Salvation will be releasing on May 21rst 2009. However I will see it on Monday May 18th at an advance screening. I can't tell you how thrilled I am to see this movie. Terminator has been such a innovative series in its self. T2 being the best of them all with the T-1000 model as the villain. Every time I see the trailer for this movie I get this amazing feeling. I will report back to you guys with what I thought about this movie. I don't think I will be even close to disappointing because I am sure this movie will be epic.
Check out the HD trailer below:

The Evolved Dragonball Story (Updated)

As you know I went to see this movie with an open mind. So did I enjoy it? Yes. Do I think its a great movie? Nope. It took me a while after watching it to kind of wrap my head around it. The story was different in many ways but the characters were still close to the source material. Not in appearance but in presence.
You could feel Master Roshi's presence as Chow Yun-Fat was on screen. He did a good job bringing Roshi to the screen with his strange mixture of immaturity and maturity. Master Roshi has always been a character that can be childish and crazy one second and then BAM he turns serious when he needs to be. Chow was at the top of my list at bringing Roshi's persona to life.

James Marsters as Piccolo was pretty cool since he was one of the characters that looked closer to the source material. The way they presented him in the scenes were so close to how he would be in the anime or manga. The introductory scene of him standing in the airship looking down at the earth really reminded me of when he was on Pilaf's ship. He really gave you the presence of Piccolo. I am glad James Marsters was Piccolo because if it wasn't for him Piccolo would be yellow right now. James was the one who tried to make sure his character got closer to his source material. He really fought for green and wanted him to be old when the producers wanted Piccolo to be young.
Justin Chatwin did a mediocre job at bringing Goku to life. I know he could still use some acting lessons but he still was able to bring Goku to us partially. I couldn't help but smile when he was eating the chicken. I could feel Goku coming to life there for a second and I could feel it again when he interacted with Roshi and Chi Chi. Granted that Goku wasn't naive in the movie which is a major factor in recognizing him. I could still partially feel him there. Emmy Rossum did a ok job at bringing Bulma to life. She was bossy but not bossy enough in my opinion. Still her interaction with Roshi was pretty familiar. The worst would have to be Joon Park as Yamcha he was bad. Not just the acting but he didn't remind me of Yamcha. His character just didn't make sense to me. He didn't really try to bring Yamcha to life but was just being himself. Yamcha is known for being shy when hes around women in Dragonball. Thats what makes his character so interesting. Maybe his horrible acting just made me overlook something.
Aside from the bad acting from Justin and Joon, there was bad directing and editing. I felt like I was watching it on fast forward. Too many things happening too fast and there wasn't enough time being spent on things that needed to be explained. A movie is like a painting if the artist doesn't put the lines in the right places then it is going to be a bad painting. The director just was not very good at telling people what should be done. If they had a better director to do this movie maybe it would have been more than just "fun". Even though it had so many flaws I still ended up enjoying it... I know what the hell is wrong with me? I can't seem to understand myself but I am not going to sit here and say it sucks and didn't enjoy it just to make sense.
Everything happens for a reason though even though I feel like James Marsters could make a better movie if he produced it and directed it also.
So after my long review and ranting I will finally tell you my score for this strange yet fun movie. I give this movie:

6 out of 10

EDIT:
So will the Dragonball fans like this movie? Well it all boils down to whether you want to accept the new story or not. Its a fun movie to watch just once but as far as the theatre goes... I don't think its necessary. I have never watched a movie based on reviews though so if you like the trailer then chances are you might like the movie. I don't mean on all movies but just this one.

Bottom line "Its a fun piece of nonsense."

Not Dragonball but Dragonball Evolution

When I first heard my favorite anime was going to be in a live action movie I was very happy. I absolutely loved all the amazing characters in the Dragonball and the Dragonball Z universe. Then I thought... how are they going to do it? I thought back on how the Lord of The Rings was made and hoped it would be like that. Obviously it didn't turn out like that which did frustrate me. After seeing more and more news about it I kept getting angrier and angrier.
Highschool!? 18 years old!? No tail?! .. You get the point.
Well after a couple months of anger I stepped back and thought about all the other live action "adaptations". I loved and accepted Spiderman 1 even though he didn't make a webshooter and Goblin looked like a mix between Iron Man and Green Goblin. I thought back and I remembered what made me like the movie so much. It was the CHARACTERS! They all were the same and acted the same as the comics or cartoons. That and the story flowed like a comic or an episode would.
So then I applied this knowledge to the DB:E movie. I thought about how the characters were. Roshi still goofy and a pervert? Check (Yes he does grab Bulma's ass). Goku is always hungry? Check(from the interviews). Piccolo still a raging evil bastard? Check. You get what I am doing here.

After discovering that they do infact act like the manga and anime I started to think how cool it would be to see them in an alternate dimension. How cool would it be if this same character was brought up this way instead? It would add an extra element to the experience that we wouldn't get if it flowed the same way as the anime or manga.
Now I am NOT saying it is going to be a masterpiece neither am I saying it will be the best movie. I am just trying to shed some light in that dark alley some of you might be walking in. You don't have to watch it if you don't want to. I am going to see it on Friday and will try to write up a review as soon as I can.

Apocalypse Meow

A few weeks ago I posted news of a trailer released by developer The Behemoth at the Tokyo Anime Fair. And now I'm here to present you with another trailer that came out of the same event, but from a totally different category of entertainment. Above is the trailer for the 12 episode animated series Cat Shit One, which is based on the 90's manga of the same name. 

AICN describes the plot as follows: Packy, Botasky and Rats are special operations experts working in a private military company. Every day they are embroiled in combat somewhere around the world. In the first episode, they intend to come to the assistance of a hostage captured by guerrillas demanding the withdrawal of the US Army, but instead become surrounded by a large number of guerrillas.

The CGI animation is said to rival that of Pixar, which is definitely impressive, and totally shows in the trailer. I love the departure from what I consider the typical CGI movie (i.e. cute, talking animals) and putting a more mature spin on it. It's pretty interesting how each nationality fighting in the war is depicted by different animals. For instance, the American is a rabbit, that kind of reminds me of Peppy Hare from the Star Fox series. The animated series of Cat Shit One is set to be released in early 2010.

Gotham Knight Leaves Me Hungry

I should preface this 'article' by saying how big a fan of Batman I am, especially in his animated form. Batman: The Animated Series is one of the few shows from my childhood that sticks out in my mind. On top of that, I'm a huge fan of Batman Begins and The Dark Knight, so I had pretty high expectations before watching Batman: Gotham Knight. Apparently I set myself up for disappointment, and I'll explain why.

The first main gripe I have about this sort of mini-movie is the fact that there are only 6 stories, where the majority only run about 15 minutes, if that. Furthermore, B:GK was pretty much advertised as a sort of story extension that would go beyond Batman Begins, leading into TDK. However, aside from two stories, it really doesn't do that at all. Also worth noting is the fact that only 2 of the stories even have established Batman villains in them. It's incredibly difficult to introduce new characters to an audience when the story only runs for 15 or so minutes. New characters come off as undeveloped, rushed, and boring when compared to villains like Scarecrow.

Another problem that I have with the compilation is that the storylines feel like they are meaningless. There's nothing really ever at stake, no sense of urgency, no sense of fear that you get from practically any other Batman movie. At times it feels as though the 6 stories aren't even connected and they don't lead you into TDK like they were supposed to. I'd rather they have been 6 progressive stories that actually relate to the Christopher Nolan films. It feels like they exist just because, and for me personally, there is only one that has some redeeming qualities in it's story.

"Have I Got A Story For You" This is probably the part that I disliked the most, on both a storyline and art level. Without spoiling too much: all it essentially contains is a group of kids who have all run into Batman on the same day. They recall what happened at their encounter and prove that everyone's intrepretation of Batman is different. The ending is pretty cheesy and the whole story feels pointless and a waste. This particular story could have taken place at any time; it doesn't fit into the break between BB and TDK at all.

"Crossfire" At least this story somewhat relates itself to the two films. The setup is that a conflict has arisen between different factions of the mob in Gotham City, and naturally, Batman is trying to fix it. Two cops are also trying to help out; one who believes Batman is a vigilante, and the other who defends him. The shootout sequence is one of my favorite parts in this 'episode'. There isn't much else to say about this portion, it has a better art style than that of the first, but no real "wow factor."

"Field Test" This story borrows a lot from "Crossfire" and that allows it to fit into the film adaptations a bit as well. There is another problem inside the mob of Gotham City and Batman sets out to resolve it. However, it really irked me how the art team didn't model the character Lucius after his film counterpart, Morgan Freeman. How cool would it have been if he actually looked like the character?! He still had the wit and charm though, I'll give them that. The best part of "Field Test" is the new device that Batman gets.

"In Darkness Dwells" This is by far my favorite story of the whole disc and I think it's the only true gem in B:GK. It seems like a total throwback to Batman: The Animated Series. They included some actual villains in here, imagine that! Scarecrow and Killer Croc make appearances and help create a cohesive plot. As many of others have said, if you can only watch one part or choose to only watch one, watch this!

"Working Through Pain" This makes the package take a step back in a sense; you go from something so great in "In Darkness Dwells", to this. The story details how Batman learned to deal with pain, only it's done through a flashback. And he's really in pain in present time, which is an odd, yet nice tie-in. Again, this chapter could have taken place at any time, not just between the films, so it fails in that aspect. Altogether it's a pretty mediocre story, especially because of the lackluster ending.

"Deadshot" This chapter comes in a close second place in my book. It introduces Deadshot into Nolan's universe and is quite action packed. It's great to have another portion where there is an actual memorable villain! The fighting sequence on the train is entertaining and I love how they did the zoom in/out on Deadshot's gun. Watch this one if you have the time as well.

Like I mentioned at the beginning of this article, I set myself up for disappointment. I had expectations going into seeing this, which usually leads to dissatisfaction. I may also come across as very critical, but I really expected a lot from B:GK. The majority of the stories are boring, lifeless, and don't relate to the gap between BB and TDK. The different interpretations of Batman and unique art styles used are pretty impressive. I feel as though they nailed the art and the story is totally missing. I wish the 6 chapters were connected or related in some way, but they feel all over the place and disorganized. I also wish that they turned this idea into a coherent animated series or something of the sort. However, there are a ton of extras included on the disc as well; they make it somewhat worth it, I guess. Most notable are the 4 episodes of Batman: The Animated Series that are on it. I'd suggest just giving it a rent or borrowing it from a friend, unless you are a huge Batman fanboy. As an alternative, watch some old episodes of Batman: The Animated Series; you'll be way more entertained and you can probably find them for free.

The Dark Knight - Best Movie of all time?

After seeing The Dark Knight at the midnight show.. I have no words to express on how amazing it is. Heath Ledger plays the joker with superb enthusiasm.. I don't think anyone will have the guts to even TRY to be joker after this performance. This movie never got me bored and it never got me to sit back and enjoy. I was always at the edge of my seat with curiosity at every corner. The direction, the lines, the acting all are amazing. Heath Ledger deserves a huge round of applause for not only his greatest performance but.. for the greatest performance ever seen by an actor. Perfection is hard to get and he was perfect.. I have no complaints on his part. I highly recommend you go see this movie as fast as you can.. because I truely beleive it is the best movie ever made to date. No other movie can be so insane, moral, gratifying, touching, intense, surprising and leave you completely speechless.
Rest In Peace Heath Ledger... you gave us the best performance.
Do I really have to give a rating now? I am sure you know what it will be..

10/10

Why So Serious?

So I thought it'd be good to actually be awake and even more important, let The Dark Knight sink in a little, before I wrote anything about it. Now I've had a few hours rest and have also been thinking about the movie ever since I left the theater. The bottom line is, it's great, fantastic, amazing-- it's every positive word you can think of. But the one that sums it up the best? Masterpiece.

The full storyline is interesting by itself, however there are several major plot twists that make you think "what the hell is going to happen?" It's pretty intense. And then there is the acting, which is most obviously overshadowed by Heath Ledger's performance as The Joker. Speaking of which, he did a beyond terrific job capturing the villain's insanity and makes you the viewer believe that he's really a psychopath. He portrays one of, if not the, best villains of all time. In the back of my mind I knew it was Heath Ledger under the makeup, but I couldn't understand how. He really became The Joker and it shows in every scene he's up on the big screen. I could gush and gush about his performance, but there are other actors in the movie as well. Christian Bale (Batman), Aaron Eckhart (Harvey Dent/2 Face).. and even 'smaller' roles like Michael Caine (Alfred), Maggie Gyllenhaal (Rachel), Gary Oldman (Lt. Gordon), and Morgan Freeman (Lucius). I thought they all brought stellar performances and all deserve a special mention in this because without one of them it wouldn't be the same. Every character in The Dark Knight contributes to the grand scheme of things in their own way.

Whoever wrote the script needs a raise. The catchphrases of The Joker and witty comebacks by Alfred and Lucius stay with you even after the film is over. After seeing it, you'll most likely find yourself repeating lines aloud over and over again. It starts off action packed and throughout the whole movie you are taken on a roller coaster ride of emotions and really evolve in a way with the characters. I found myself cheering for The Joker at times, not because I'm evil, but because what he was saying was so true and believable. I could go on and on, unfortunately there's a lot I can't talk about without spoiling the movie. So I'll leave you with this, The Dark Knight is a movie you have to see; there is no option. Even those who aren't fans of Batman will fall in love with this genuine package of greatness, I guarantee it. I hope that everyone out there gets a chance to watch it soon because it's really a movie you have to witness in the theaters themselves. The atmosphere is one of a kind. So do yourself a favor and go see it, now!

Iron Man: Don't take my word for it.

Check out this exclusive clip from Apple.com/trailers/
Click here to be amazed by the visuals and how superbly they portrayed the suit in action. Now this is not the final suit, this is just Mark II. It still looks amazing though! :P

Iron Man The Movie

REVIEW:Yes I have seen it.. I went to an advance screening on Tuesday April 29th. I have two final exams tomorrow so I am going to make this short.
So when I first heard Iron Man was getting a live action adaptation I had many expectations from it. I knew a movie of this kind would take a lot of special effects and I hoped that they didn't try to cut corners. Usually when I have very high hopes they are rarely met (I.E: Spider-crap 3). I am sorry to tell you guys this but... I absolutely..positively.. LOVED the movie.
This movie met every single expectation of mine and even went an extra mile. One thing that is very comendable about the movie is the comic timing. The movie has many funny moments neatly kept in most of the movie. It isn't too much and it isn't too less, it is just the perfect amount. The moments don't go on to become cheesy.

As for the special effects.. do I even have to say it? The look of the suit is just fantastic and perfectly represented. I was never worried about Downey playing as Tony Stark. I always knew that he could do it. I honestly don't see anyone who could do it better. Like all the first Superhero movies it does lack some Iron Man action but at least it wasn't like Superman Returns which had no action at all. Ooohh he picked up a big ass piece of land! ZZZzzzzz... wake me up when there are people flying left and right. You will be happy to know you get to see some people flying around from some fierce punches.
So I bestow Iron Man with a 5 out of 5.

PS: I am actually probably going to see it again on Friday.

Some Thing Has Found Us.

I'll admit, I didn't know exactly what to expect going to see Cloverfield. The only thing I really knew was that it was a monster flick, but would it be any different than others? Would it live up to the hype? I found it genius how they used the unknown and people's curiosity to promote the film, but that's a whole other post in itself. It must have been nerve wracking for them to wait and see if people would bite. Apparently it worked!
Without giving away too many details, I might as well set up the general synopsis for Cloverfield. It's present day and all is peaceful on planet Earth. A small group of friends in New York City decide to plan a suprise going away party for their good friend Rob. Rob was lucky enough to be promoted to Vice President at a company in Japan. The party his friends throw is in celebration of his accomplishment and to remember all the good times they spent together. Unfortunately, the party comes to a sudden halt, as the power flickers and news reports talk of an oil tanker that has capsized. Realizing how close they are to the attack, our group of friends rush outside to get a better view of what has happened. Growls, screams, explosions, blood, and falling debris. New York City is under attack yet again.

Now that you know a little more about it, I think it's time for me to say that I really enjoyed Cloverfield. I found the way the story unfolded (sort of like Blair Witch) to be especially effective. This technique really draws you in that much more and makes you, well, frightened. I can only imagine what it would be like if something of this magnitude happened in real life. But I think that Cloverfield is crafted in a way that makes it somewhat believable. If this were to happen, this is exactly how people would react-- in utter chaos! The monster is without a doubt the big draw of the movie, but "it" only acts as a backdrop for the rest of the film. It's more about how these group of friends deal with such a gruesome and horrific event. Don't get me wrong, my face had a huge smile across it every time they showed the monster. The pacing is perfect, it starts out slow and as it goes along, more of the monster is revealed. The directors clearly wanted to keep their audience on the edge of their seat. For instance, the guy sitting next to me was literally leaning forward in his chair, in a hope of catching a glimpse of the monster. Again, genius.

To finish this off, I'm not a very big fan of monster movies. But for some reason, Cloverfield just did it for me. I think it has some beautiful shots if you can appreciate the way the movie is shown. The special effects team really deserves a lot of credit for making everything look so believable and blending it all in with the real world. Even the dialogue can be praised for being so witty and sarcastic. It goes without saying that I obviously liked Cloverfield. It was worth every penny to me and at $9.50+ tax, it's no joke. If you haven't seen the movie yet, I strongly recommend it. Get a friend or two together, sit back, and enjoy. It's really something you'll want to see with someone else and see on the big screen (with incredible surround sound.) The only thing that made me a little disappointed was the fact that it's only 80 minutes long. It kind of ended abruptly, whereas I wanted it to keep going on. But it's better than it being drawn out any further I suppose. And just as a tip, stay after the credits roll!

SOME THING HAS FOUND US
1-18-08