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MACROSS II (1992)

by ThePete 1:22 pm 2008-11-21

Every Friday I review the latest anime that I’ve watched recently. This week, it’s Macross II


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Positive Experience/Entertaining? Sure, but only in a way that most un-crappy Japanese animation is. Lots of explosions, sexy anime women and transforming robots.

Technically any good? First off, this isn’t a movie. It’s a video series they cut together to make a “movie.” I’m feel lucky they left the Japanese language track on it since I seem to recall too many “movie” versions of anime series being in English only. Speaking of which, the acting is just fine. The animation is more like Macross: Do You Remember Love than the original Macross series, which is a good thing. However, the story is the pits. It’s still got the love triangle that Macross fans love, but the music is kind of peripheral and the alien stuff just feels trite and cliche after watching everything else in the Macross Saga. The action was fun, but if you don’t care whether characters live or die there’s not much excitement in things going boom.

How did it leave me feeling? Disappointed. I just can’t recommend this one. I suppose if you’re a Macross purist you should check it out, if only to know how not good it was. This was the first attempt at a real sequel to the original series and thankfully, later attempts were much more successful at being entertaining.

Final Rating? DNS - Do Not See. Just check out Macross Frontier. Let’s just pretend that’s the final chapter in the saga. ^_^

by ThePete 1:22 pm 2008-11-21 Anime, PocketReviews.Net, Reviews | Tags , , , , , | $ |

MURDER BY DEATH (1976)

by ThePete 12:00 pm 2008-11-20

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Positive Experience/Entertaining? Wow, not really. I watched this a bunch of times as a little kid and remember loving it but as an adult, it had its moments but was surprisingly unfunny.

Technically any good? It’s a send-up of famous movie detectives and tries to take them to task for their various foibles–whether it’s Charlie Chan’s inability to speak proper English (despite his brilliance) or Miss Marple’s inability to let us in on what she knows before she names the killer (or was it Poirot who did that?). Either way, you can’t fault the acting–well, except for Truman Capote who was amusing, in his own way. The rest of the cast is stunning–David Niven, Peter Sellers, James Cromwell, Maggie Smith, and more, believe it or not (Alex Guiness!!) all did wonderful jobs.

While this movie does have flashes of true inspiration, I have a feeling the script was written at a point in Neil Simon’s life when he was riding off of the success of other projects. The plot feels weakly pulled together and while I get that the ending isn’t supposed to make sense, that doesn’t stop it from being stupid. If you want to make something not make sense in your movie, fine, but you can’t have not make sense inside the universe of the story. The sets looked great, though. :)

How did it leave me feeling? Disappointed. I think I was very easy to please as a kid.

Final Rating? DNS - Do Not See. I’m no fan of Clue but I think I laughed more at that then I did at Murder By Death. Sad to say, I guess.

by ThePete 12:00 pm 2008-11-20 On Home Video, PocketReviews.Net, Reviews | Tags , , , , , , , | $ |

MACROSS FRONTIER (2008)

by ThePete 1:36 pm 2008-11-14

It’s Friday once again and here’s another anime Pocket Review for ya!


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Positive Experience/Entertaining? This series was a tremendous amount of fun and at times was even moving.

Technically any good? This series represents the best of everything the Macross saga has to offer–the best music, the best animation, the best acting (not that previous acting was bad) and probably even the best writing. This is a series that is one-part sequel, one-part remake, one-part homage to everything that has led up to it. Viewers new to the franchise will probably have no trouble enjoying this series without having any previous knowledge–the story stands very much on its own, though more than a few references will be missed without having seen what has come before.

Meanwhile, old fans of the Macross universe will see a lot of great callbacks to the original Macross and Macross 7, as well. However, the score is composed by musical genius Yoko Kanno, which means that even covers of the very dated and cheesy music from both previous Macross series sound incredible (yes, even Kanno-san’s cover of “Watashi No Kare Wa Piloto” pretty much rocks). The story holds up pretty nicely, though the wrap-up is a bit too neat for my personal tastes. Of course, the acting is as solid as ever thanks to the Japanese taking their cartoons seriously. :) I should probably stop bagging on western dubs since I haven’t watched one in ages. Then again, I did try to watch a few minutes of Christian Bale as Howl in Howl’s Moving Castle and I couldn’t help but cringe.

How did it leave me feeling? Definitely happy. The series ends with an amazing homage to the Macross universe as a whole and really made me feel bad to see it all finished. The good news is that there has been a Macross Frontier movie announced, though I haven’t heard if it’s going to be a remake of the series or a sequel to it, or both (the Japanese have done all three at times). My hope is for the sequel–I fell in love with these characters. There are also two more Macross titles to review, so be back here next Friday for my review of Macross II followed by Macross Zero which, while made earlier, reside at either end of the Macross timeline.

Final Rating? GSN - Go See Now - this is a classic anime crowd-pleaser, but also works well to please the purist. After finishing this up, I had a hard time going back to older anime, both for quality and story. It felt like going from caviar to tuna fish in a can. Still, I love seafood, so it’s cool. ^_^

Sadly, Macross Frontier has yet to see an American release. However, you can pick up Kanno’s score from Amazon.com if you have $50 laying around. T_T

by ThePete 1:36 pm 2008-11-14 Anime, PocketReviews.Net, Reviews, TheCultureJam | Tags , , , , | $ |

IN DEBT WE TRUST (2006)

by ThePete 12:00 pm 2008-11-12

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Positive Experience/Entertaining? Definitely–in a very depressing, disturbing way.

Technically any good? It’s not the tightest docu in the world for sure–also, it seems to cover the same ground a couple of times and it also seems to suggest that the national debt has something to do with the personal debts of individual Americans–which it is NOT (check out I.O.U.S.A. for that, I hear). However, it gets a lot of other stuff right (I’ve done my research) and actually predicts everything we’ve experienced economically over the past 6 months. From subprime loans to individuals with too many credit cards, this 2 year-old documentary nails it.

How did it leave me feeling? A little depressed–the film tries to suggest how we can stop the coming problems, but obviously, we know that none of it worked. :\ Still, it’s a nice history lesson for next time. :(

Final Rating? GSN - GO SEE NOW - and learn about some of the things that caused this mess.

by ThePete 12:00 pm 2008-11-12 On Home Video, PocketReviews.Net, Reviews | Tags , , , | $ |

MACROSS 7 (1994)

by ThePete 4:42 pm 2008-10-31

It’s Friday and come politics or high water, I’ve got another anime series to review!

Macross 7 Gameboy Color box art
Sadly, Macross 7 is not available in the US.

Positive Experience/Entertaining? Definitely positive, but you have stick with it. A lot of anime series suffer from the “WTF is this?” Syndrome but you can beat it and come to enjoy the crap out of it if you can just get past the cheese.

Technically any good? Well, it’s horribly cheesy, as I’ve mentioned, but the story ultimately got me caring quite a bit for the characters. This series takes place 35 years after the original Macross and features a few characters from that series. It is almost a complete tonal departure from the “space opera” feel of the original show, however. That said, some traditional Macross themes do show up and to great effect: transforming robot planes, music and a love triangle. The music this time out is some seriously dated 80s-style rock that, by the end of the series completely grew on me. I now rock out to “Holy Lonely Night” on my iPhone when ever I’m bored on the subway. The triangle works well, but sadly, the robot planes are secondary (or tertiary, I suppose).

The voice acting, as always, is spot-on. The Japanese take their cartoons very seriously. The story and scripts are generally solid and structurally strong, but the subject matter does take some effort to get used to. Still, it’s this fanboy’s opinion that it’s worth that effort.

How did it leave me feeling? Pretty damn satisfied. Most anime series end with a relapse of “WTF is this?” Syndrome with endings that are either so baffling or so disappointing as to leave the viewer feeling the series ended one episode earlier. I don’t think Macross 7 does this. While there are a couple of weird things that happen, the end is solidly satisfying. Of course, I may have been biased as I watched since I knew there were two more Macross 7-related projects I had yet to watch. I haven’t decided if I will review them as they ultimately weren’t very satisfying.

Final Rating? SIYCF - See If You Can Find - This series has not been licensed for broadcast or release on DVD in the US or in any English speaking country. However, you can get the soundtracks on Amazon.com and copies of the series are floating around. However, if you can find it, does that mean you should definitely watch it? Obviously, this anime isn’t for everyone. I think if you enjoy fun, 80s rock, cheesy plots and/or are a Macross completist, you should definitely check this out. If you think the original Macross is sacrosanct and feel that its serious space opera tone should not be sullied by lighter, more fantastical plots, don’t bother.

Learn more about Maross 7 (complete with spoilers) and learn why this series won’t ever see the light of day in the US, check out the show’s entry on Wikipedia here: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Macross_7

by ThePete 4:42 pm 2008-10-31 Anime, PocketReviews.Net, Rare Finds, Reviews | Tags , , , , , , | $ |

INCREDIBLE HULK (2008)

by ThePete 2:08 pm 2008-10-30

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Positive Experience/Entertaining? Yes! It was a blast, actually.

Technically any good? Personally, I’ve never found the character of the Hulk to be terribly deep, so to me, Ang Lee’s take on him was a waste of time (read my Pocket Review for Lee’s Hulk). He’s not some dark, brooding character, he’s a guy doing his best to stay calm–ALL THE TIME. This movie is all about that struggle and I think it handles it very well, script and story-wise. Acting-wise it’s very spot-on with Edward Norton’s perfect performance as Bruce Banner being the highlight. It’s also a comic-fan’s dream as a LOT of references, which were missing from Ang Lee’s movie, show up in this one. I’m very interested to see a sequel to this as they’ve started a few interesting balls rolling by creating characters we know from the comic. My one gripe was the simplistic way the script handles Tim Roth’s character. I love him as an actor, but he was just too deep to play this one character. Everything else, as I said, is a blast.

How did it leave me feeling? Very entertained. Finally, someone gets the idea that big dumb action movies don’t have to completely insult the audience (Michael Bay, I’m lookin’ at you, buddy!). Also liked the zinger at the end (though I don’t get why it shows up before the credits and not after).

Final Rating? SIYL - See If You Like - obviously, not everyone likes big dumb actioners, but if you do, I would think this movie would be for you. Also, if you’re a comic book purist (like me) this movie is for you since it got a lot right.

by ThePete 2:08 pm 2008-10-30 On Home Video, PocketReviews.Net, Reviews | Tags , , , , , , | $ |

SHERRYBABY (2006)

by ThePete 5:22 pm 2008-10-29

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Positive Experience/Entertaining? Definitely entertaining, but definitely depressing. For a control freak like me watching movies about people on the edge of destroying their own lives is hard to do.

Technically any good? The script was very solid and entirely believable. It was just depressing as hell. The acting was equally solid. It was nice to see Danny Trejo in a film where he wasn’t a hitman or some other kind of killer. It was also great to see Giancarlo Esposito in anything at all (he’s great in EVERYthing). The movie does a great job of deeply portraying characters who are themselves not deep as they try determine what is best for their own lives (this was the part that was hard for me to watch as a control freak). Director/writer Laurie Collyer does an excellent job in directing. The movie is very much on the flawless side.

How did it leave me feeling? Entirely satisfied. It was interesting to watch a movie that wasn’t about a driving throughline, but instead focuses on the characters’ choices, right or wrong. Most stories feature characters who are forced to choose one thing or another. Sherrybaby shows us characters that have options, but perhaps not the capability to make the best choices for themselves. The film ends up being about how the characters make their decisions.

What I got from the movie is to remember that we, as individuals, always have options and that very little forces us to react one way or another.

Final Rating? SIYL - See If You Like - this movie is not for everyone. It’s depressing and there is nudity, sex and drugs. It’s not romantic sex, either. It’s depressing sex (the drugs are depressing, too). But see it if you love strong performances, especially from women. Maggie Gyllenhaal is great.

by ThePete 5:22 pm 2008-10-29 On Home Video, PocketReviews.Net, Reviews | Tags , , , , , , , | $ |

MACROSS PLUS (1994)

by ThePete 12:00 pm 2008-10-24

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Positive Experience/Entertaining? I’m a fan of the Macross universe, in general, but this felt pretty damn useless to me.

Technically any good? The story on it’s own would have been fine, but it just doesn’t mesh with the rest of the Macross Saga. The involvement of the the pre-existing ships and history (but none of the characters we actually know) feels shoe-horned in and doesn’t make this Japanese animated mini-series any better. In fact, I think it hinders its ability to stand on its own–not that it does stand on its own very well. While the story is “fine” it’s not terribly good. It’s watchable, but ultimately not remarkable. It’s filled with several anime cliches–the young, brash, disrespectful, yet handsome rogue, the easy-to-bed goofy sidekick woman and the big, dumb, brute who ultimately redeems himself. The creepy girl is also represented. Meanwhile the Macross-specific themes are all there–a love triangle, fighter pilots and music–but ultimately the miniseries lacks anything that might resonate with fans of the Macross saga. The only good thing here is Yoko Kanno’s music. She is a brilliant composer and her stuff here is wonderful. Kanno is probably best known for her music for Cowboy Bebop, in case you’re curious.

How did it leave me feeling? Disappointed. The original Macross series and the movie-version/remake embodied the space opera at its best. Sadly, this just feels like a sequel capitalizing on an existing brand name.

Final Rating? DNS - Do Not See unless you’re a hardcore Macross fan or, like me, a completist who wants to see EVERYthing in the Macross universe.

by ThePete 12:00 pm 2008-10-24 Anime, PocketReviews.Net, Reviews | Tags , , | $ |

Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (2008)

by ThePete 5:10 pm 2008-10-23

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Positive Experience/Entertaining? You know, I really expected to not like this movie, but I did–aside from a few minor gripes, I enjoyed it much more than expected.

Technically any good? Shockingly, this movie is very much inline with the feel of the other three Indy movies. Aside from a few bad ideas in the first sequence between Indy and Cate Blanchett’s character, the film feels very much like an Indiana Jones movie. The mistakes, are minor ones–like Lucas and his CG creatures (not as bad as it sounds), Blanchett’s silly accent, and an odd message at the end of the movie that seems to suggest we should not want to seek knowledge. The acting was solid (for an Indy movie) and the script held up. Thankfully, I didn’t want to gouge my eyes out every time Shia Le Beowulf was on screen.

How did it leave me feeling? Definitely pleased. Sure, I don’t think this movie needs to have been made, but as far as sequels-we-never-wanted, this movie could have been MUCH worse. I just hope they leave Indy retired at this point. We don’t need more Indy movies. Let’s have a new franchise, what do you say, Lucas?

Final Rating? NFI - NetFlix It. Unless you’re a huge collector of Indy-related items. In which case, click the poster image in this post and buy the 2-disk set–it comes with a free mini-crystal skull skullpture! Haha, skullpture. Get it?

by ThePete 5:10 pm 2008-10-23 On Home Video, PocketReviews.Net, Reviews | Tags , , , , , , , , | $ |

W. (2008)

by ThePete 12:53 am 2008-10-18

Positive Experience/Entertaining? Definitely–Oliver Stone is a good filmmaker. I don’t always agree with the message he puts out through his movies, but his films are always entertaining and well made (in my opinion, anyway).

Technically any good? It seems like the film’s script was based solely on the coverage of these events in the press. As a result, the film feels a little shallow. We did get to see humanity behind most of the characters, but not much humanity. The acting was spot-on. Brolin should get an Oscar. Thandie Newton should not. She was the only actor who seemed to be there for (unintentional) comic relief (to be fair, her Condi Rice impression was hilarious, however). Over all, the movie was surprisingly subtle (though, somehow it still felt a little ham-fisted in spots). The music was minimal (which was nice) but still managed to be overused (in only one spot, though). The casting was great and, of course, the directing was invisible. Only a few times did I see the Hand of Oliver (or the HOO) in the film.

How did it leave me feeling? Satisfied, but I can’t help but think Stone should have waited until W. had left office to make this movie. For now it seems like a movie that could have been written by anyone–it’s a reflection of what we all know of George W. Bush. Usually, to be really useful a film needs to be made with more of a perspective, with more distance from the events it portrays. I’m not sure what we’re supposed to take from this movie aside from entertainment.

Final Rating? SIYL - See If You Like. I doubt Republicans will get a big kick out of this film. It definitely gives the benefit of the doubt from a more lefty side of things–still, it does give Bush the benefit of the doubt, which I think is awfully kind. It’s certainly more than Bush deserves.

by ThePete 12:53 am 2008-10-18 Now Playing, PocketReviews.Net, Reviews | Tags , , , | $ |

MACROSS: DO YOU REMEMBER LOVE (1984)

by ThePete 1:34 pm 2008-10-17

Positive Experience/Entertaining? Definitely, though it was hard to reconcile this with the series it’s based on. In someways I prefer the series-version of the story and in other ways the movie. Sheesh…

Technically any good? It’s definitely tighter than the series–it covers a lot of the most important ground from the series in just a couple hours. The series needed 26 episodes and meanders at times. However, predictably enough, there are nice subtleties that got lost in this movie–the story does feel stronger in general, though. As a purist, I say watch them both. But on a technical level, I think that Macross: Do You Remember Love is better made and it’s a standalone movie. The animation is also superior–I don’t believe anything was recycled from the series and while the animation isn’t quite Disney-class (even for 1984, when this movie hit theaters in Japan), it sure as hell beats animation on a TV budget! All the original voice actors reprise their roles, so you know the voice acting is great.

How did it leave me feeling? Definitely satisfied. The story goes further into the origins of Protoculture than the series does, so things are more clear in the end. However, I wonder why they didn’t just make a sequel movie to the series and cover that extra ground, rather than retelling everything. The climax also makes more sense than the series.

Final Rating? SIYL - See If You Like. Macross is iconic in Japan. It’s like Snow White or The Lion King only it involves aliens, a love triangle and epic space battles. If you’re interested in Japanese culture or sweeping space operas (or both) then you shouldn’t miss this movie. Of course, if you’re an anime fan it’s worth checking this out.

Sadly, Amazon.com doesn’t carry it, so I don’t know how easy it is to find it on DVD. I’d suggest checking your local mom n’ pop video store and see if they have any old VHSes of this laying around. Maybe you might get lucky and find an old DVD of it.

PS. This is NOT Robotech. Robotech is an Americanized series using the same animation and story elements of the original Macross series this movie was based on. There is an English-dubbed version of this movie floating around but it sucks. There is not Robotech-ized version of this movie, however.

by ThePete 1:34 pm 2008-10-17 Anime, PocketReviews.Net, Rare Finds, Reviews | Tags , , , , , , , | $ |

IRON JAWED ANGELS (2004)

by ThePete 12:00 pm 2008-10-16

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Positive Experience/Entertaining? Not at all. It’s a shame, too, since a woman’s right to vote is incredibly important and this story is incredibly important.

Technically any good? NO. While the acting was fine, it didn’t matter. Every damn line in this movie was a cliche or contrived or both. The movie’s story is odd and meandering. The editing is terrible–it’s cut like a music video. There are something like six or seven montage sequences in the movie. Where I come from you resort to a montage when you simply can’t tell the story any other way–with so many montages, you can imagine how much trouble the filmmakers had telling the story the rest of the time. Also, the music is completely inappropriate for a movie about an important historical event. Do you want techno music playing over the signing of the bill that gave women the vote in the US? Me neither. Don’t watch this movie.

How did it leave me feeling? Very disappointed. It’s a shame that such an important story was so dumbed-down and simplified for a music-video style movie. I seriously don’t know what they were thinking. The movie trivializes something incredibly serious. It’s pretty unbelievable that this movie is as bad as it is.

Final Rating? DNS - DO NOT SEE. Seriously. It made me feel stupid for watching it.

by ThePete 12:00 pm 2008-10-16 On Home Video, PocketReviews.Net, Reviews | Tags , , | $ |

ZERO HOUR (1957)

by ThePete 5:24 pm 2008-10-13

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Positive Experience/Entertaining? Definitely. While not the best airport disaster movie, there actually are some things to like about this film, most notably, it being the basis for the classic airport disaster parody Airplane!

Technically any good? This is classic campy B-movie stuff. It’s hard not to make fun of it MST3K-style, especially since Airplane! lined up its jokes so well with this movie. You can literally hear a line of dialog in Zero Hour and speak the punchline from Airplane! It’s actually pretty fun to do. However, since Airplane! doesn’t take Zero Hour as its sole source, there is plenty in the movie that goes un-lampooned. To be fair, the actors all did perfectly adequate jobs for the kind of movie they were in. I also found the flight footage and even some of the model work to be pretty good, considering the budget (though one model scene was pretty unfortunate). The story works and is, in some ways, actually pretty intense. The lead character’s stakes are actually much much higher in this than in Airplane!. I was also surprised at how tense I was feeling during some of the shots of guys talking on the radio.

How did it leave me feeling? Pretty satisfied. Sure, it’s cheesy and I’d be lying if I said I didn’t quip my way through the film, but it definitely has some merits to it beyond just being cheesy fun. Though, if you don’t like cheesy fun, this movie probably isn’t for you.

Final Rating? SAM - See A Matinee–well, Netflix it or grab it for $13 from Amazon. It’s perfect for movie parties or just putting it on in the background on a Saturday afternoon.

by ThePete 5:24 pm 2008-10-13 On Home Video, PocketReviews.Net, Reviews | Tags , , , , , | $ |

MACROSS (1982)

by ThePete 4:47 pm 2008-10-10

Positive Experience/Entertaining? Definitely. While the music is dated, the over all “space opera” feel of the series is timeless. Great, classic (if not a little cheesy), storytelling.

Technically any good? The animation is at a standard level for animated TV series of the early 1980s. It’s not perfect and compared to what we’re used to today (even in the US) the animation’s pretty unimpressive (don’t get me wrong–it tells the story perfectly well). The voice acting is phenomenal and, really, a helluva lot better than the American (Canadian?) dub we Americans are more familiar with (under the title: Robotech). The story is solid–it weaves triumph and tragedy, comedy and romance pretty nicely throughout the twenty-six episode series. The music is dated, as I mentioned, but there’s a fun cheese-factor to it that makes it enjoyable. Try not to roll your eyes too much while reading the subtitles for the song “Watashi no Kare wa Piloto”.

How did it leave me feeling? Mostly satisfied. I think the production ran out of time before they could fill in all the answers to the questions this series was asking. Things felt rushed and even unexplained. Thankfully, some of this is dealt with in the movie version of the series which condensed, altered and manged to elaborate on the original story so well that it is often equally loved by fans in Japan. I’ll review it next week. That said, the way the series leaves you somewhat hanging is proof of how good the rest of it is at making you care.

Final Rating? SIYL - See If You Like. This is THE animated series for anyone who enjoys a space opera with an artistic soul. There’s a reason this series spawned two movies, two sequel series, and several more miniseries. If you’re into anime, this is a must see as one of the biggest iconic series in Japanese animation. If you’re some jock who hates girly stuff (romance) then you should probably stay away. ;P

by ThePete 4:47 pm 2008-10-10 Anime, On Home Video, PocketReviews.Net, Reviews | Tags , , , , | $ |

AIRPLANE! (1980)

by ThePete 5:41 pm 2008-10-09

Positive Experience/Entertaining? Hell yeah!! If you haven’t ever seen this movie or haven’t seen it in a while you NEED to get this movie and watch it. It’s incredible therapy for today’s woes.

Technically any good? I’ve always thought this movie was brilliant stuff. I also always thought this was a general parody of all cheesy airport disaster movies from the 1970s. However, thanks to the extras on the DVD (and the Hucklebug.com podcast) I’ve learned that this movie is largely based on a single movie called Zero Hour from 1956. Knowing Airplane! was trying to be a send up of this particular bad b-movie gave me a new appreciation for it. So, it’s not just a parody, but an homage, as well. So, needless to say, the script is hilarious, the acting solid but in that great cheesy b-movie kind of way, and the FX are less than perfect, but who can see the FX when you’re laughing so hard?

How did it leave me feeling? Stomach cramps from laughing. There is just too much to laugh at in this movie and the extras on the DVD really make the entire experience even more fun. Seriously–stop paying attention to the world, pick up this DVD (or Netflix it) and just let it envelope you like a warm, hilarious blanket.

Final Rating? GSN - GO SEE NOW. NOW DAMMIT!

by ThePete 5:41 pm 2008-10-09 On Home Video, PocketReviews.Net, Reviews | Tags , , , , , , , , , , , | $ |

WALL-E (2008)

by ThePete 3:22 pm 2008-10-08

Positive Experience/Entertaining? Definitely! Also, it was surprisingly dark for a film from Disney and Pixar.

Technically any good? Pixar has only once ceased to amaze me with how good their movies are. This is not that time. Wall-E is amazing. Absolutely solid, story and script-wise. Sound designer Ben Burtt does an AMAZING job of acting through the sound effects he gives the lead robot. CGI-FX-wise, this film was amazing. For large chunks of the film I simply could not tell that the film was computer generated. It did make me long for the days of live-movie making. I felt like there was very little of this movie that could NOT have been shot with a real robot. Sure, the film would have taken years longer to make, but I’m just saying it’s always a better movie when real things are used to create the images.

How did it leave me feeling? Good–but puzzled. It seems that a movie that speaks out against corporate monoliths telling us all what to think and what to consume is kind of ironic when it comes form a giant corporate monolith. Isn’t a corporation making a movie about it’s bad when a corporation tells you what to do kind of hypocrisy in action? So: don’t listen to corporations except for now. This odd paradox doesn’t mean you shouldn’t see the movie. If I were you, I’d do a triple feature of Silent Running, Idiocracy and then Wall-E (in that thematically chronological order).

Final Rating? GSN - GO SEE NOW! Seriously, this is one of those great movies that is just so close to perfect you can’t see it enough. Sure, it’s a hippie, green movie, but what do you want? It happens to be a good place to come from.

by ThePete 3:22 pm 2008-10-08 On Home Video, PocketReviews.Net, Reviews, ThePete.Com | Tags , | $ |

SHANE (1953)

by ThePete 2:07 pm 2008-09-25

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Positive Experience/Entertaining? Definitely! I can see why this is one of the classic westerns.

Technically any good? Structurally, this movie relies on a lot of classic western cliches. However, since this movie was made in 1953 I think it just might have created some of them. The acting is solid, though I was shocked to learn that the kid won an Oscar for his performance (which I feel he didn’t deserve). I also feel that directors should hire actors who can do accents accurately. Sadly, two actors’ accents were so bad they knocked me clean out of the film. The script was good, the direction solid and the music was fun. I was particularly impressed with a music-free fight scene though I was disappointed with the use of music during the build to the climax.

How did it leave me feeling? Entertained, for sure. I’m not a big western guy so it’s not surprising the movie didn’t blow me away. However, it has some really nice moral messages in there and while I give them credit for trying to make the bad guy sympathetic, I don’t think they tried hard enough. I wouldn’t mind seeing these themes explored again in another movie with both the Shane character and the Ryker character portrayed as good men. That said, the movie is solid and is quite deep for the time period it comes from.

Final Rating? SIYL - See If You Like (3 stars) - If you’re into westerns you’ll likely dig this (if you haven’t already seen it). Perfectly reasonable movie for anyone who enjoys movies from the early 1950s.

ONE LAST NOTE: DO NOT watch the trailer for this movie! It’s riddled with spoilers. Seriously. Don’t watch it!

by ThePete 2:07 pm 2008-09-25 On Home Video, PocketReviews.Net, Reviews | Tags , , , , | $ |

SPLIT: A DIVIDED AMERICA (2008)

by ThePete 4:37 pm 2008-09-23

utterli-imageHere’s my "pocket review" for the documentary "SPLIT: A DIVIDED AMERICA". Watch my blog for more on this movie.

Positive Experience/Entertaining? Definitely! Any documentary that gets you talking so much that you want to pause the film and talk in the middle of it is a documentary that is doing its job.

Technically any good? I think the film does a really good job of engaging viewers. Minutes in I was hooked and found myself getting mad at the conservatives talking, hence proving the film’s point. We’re all getting played and that we’re ultimately more similar than we are different. I definitely think this film is a great primer for people interested in breaking out of our system of "divide and conquer" politics and media. Anyone sick of the "black & white" of American thinking should see this movie.

How did it leave me feeling? Fired up! It was great to see a film point out that there just might be something wrong with the underlying system–the system that suggests everything can be boiled down to a binary argument. Black or white, on or off, with us or against us, red or blue, Republican or Democrat, our system short changes us by over simplifying our interests and our needs. While I think the film does lean a little toward the liberal side, I do think SPLIT: A DIVIDED AMERICA does a great job of establishing that this is a bipartisan crime–everyone embraces the binary argument in a world of vast variables.

Final Rating? GSN - GO SEE NOW!! FOUR STARS! **** <– see? There they are! Now go find a copy of this movie, watch it and become more aware of how we’re all being played.

Here’s the trailer:

Check out official SPLIT website here: http://splitdoc.com/

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by ThePete 4:37 pm 2008-09-23 On Home Video, PocketReviews.Net | Tags , , , , , , , , | $ |

DARK KNIGHT (2008)

by ThePete 12:35 pm 2008-08-05

Positive Experience/Entertaining? Definitely entertaining but only a positive experience if entertainment is all you want. This was a mess of a movie with just enough explosions and “drama” to keep audiences unaware that this was a poorly made film.

Technically any good? The acting from all involved was just fine. The FX were solid and believable across the board (if not a little corny). The music was inventive and actually did some very cool things. The script, however, was a heavy-handed, plot-challenged, lightning-paced mess. Batman felt stapled into the movie, so much so that I felt the film should have been called “Two-Face.” Joker is in it (duh) but he feels more like he’s stapled in, as well. The plot (what there is of it) congeals around Harvey Dent’s story arc. Sure, it’s all from Batman’s point of view, but don’t expect to see him do anything more interesting than good stunts and talk too much. The Batman from Batman Begins had to wrestle with his past, confront his demons and go against his mentor. In this he does almost none of that.

How did it leave me feeling? Disappointed. As the audience was clapping I was wondering what movie they’d just seen because the one I saw had gaping plot holes where characters would vanish from the movie randomly and return only when the plot called for them. The film I sat through featured characters openly discussing morals in blatant, obvious, and boring terms. In the second-to-last (of four) climaxes, as Batman explains to Joker what he’s just be shown, I found myself wondering why the movie felt the need to have Batman explain what we’d just seen. Imagine, as Luke is flying away from the destroyed Death Star, he contacts Vader on the radio and explains the morals behind what he did.

Final Rating? NFI - NetFlix It. Honestly, the stunt work will make more sense on the small screen and I don’t think it’s worth the money to sit through the bad script. If I knew then what I know now, I’d have saved my $12.

Check out my absurdly long diatribe against this movie.

by ThePete 12:35 pm 2008-08-05 Now Playing, PocketReviews.Net | Tags , , , | $ |

IRON MAN (2008)

by ThePete 12:08 am 2008-05-02

click to buy!

Positive Experience/Entertaining? Dude–this is the kind of movie I had hoped for from last years Transformers. Lots of great effects and a story that didn’t make me feel like I was being treated like a moron. The fact that I enjoyed the hell out of this movie and didn’t feel like I had just been peed on in the process (like John Turturro in Transformers) I greeted like a miracle. Now, don’t get me wrong–this wasn’t some deep, thoughtful treatise on the evils of corporate greed and America throwing it’s weight around the planet in the interest of cash. To the movie’s credit, that was a theme, however.

Technically any good? Dude–to say the CGI was seamless is almost an understatement. Instinctively, I always look for that seam. I found it in one shot. A while after that, I gave up looking and just enjoyed the damn movie. The acting was pretty damn solid (amazing for a modern action/adventure movie) and the script was pretty faithful to the comic (though it did cherry-pick plot elements, but I didn’t mind). The only technical aspect I didn’t care for was how the script treats Iron Man’s personal assistant. She came off way too girl-next-doory for someone who would be in her position. When you’re the only woman in the movie, I’d appreciate a stronger acting choice than “Oh no! He might kill me!”

How did it leave me feeling? VERY entertained. Is the movie perfect? No. There was a rushed quality to the film that I think too many Hollywood movies have these days. Apparently characters never sleep, eat or go to the bathroom–or recognize the passage of time, the weather or take moments to breathe (or allow the audience to breathe). Such things, if done well, don’t have to slow down the movie, either. Also, I could go into the racism/ethnocentrism of this movie (Afghanis are portrayed as either evil thugs or innocent, simple but helpful martyrs) but I really think the movie’s message is more powerful than it’s lack of a depthful middle-eastern characters. The movie is about a guy taking responsibility for what he’s done. These days, anyone who does that in a movie or in real life is a hero in my book. Jon Favreau is my hero for making this movie with this message at this point in American history.

Final Rating? GSN - Go See Now - it’s summer action/adventure fun with a message. Bring the kids and teach them (and remind yourself) how much fun taking responsibility can be! (That will make more sense when you see the movie.)

by ThePete 12:08 am 2008-05-02 Now Playing, PocketReviews.Net | Tags , , , , , , | $ |