Oz the Great and Powerful

Oz the Great and Powerful
(2013) [Trailer]
Director: Sam Raimi [IMDB]

I really enjoy Sam Raimi's movies... Spider Man 2, Evil Dead, Drag Me to Hell... all good stuff. I was very interested to check out his new film Oz back in March, but time got away from me and I missed it. Disney just delivered the blu-ray yesterday, so here we are...

Synopsis: James Franco plays a washed up magician who finds himself mysteriously transported to an enchanting land where he must help kill a wicked witch.

Oz is a prequel to the Wizard of Oz with an updated feel, but it basically runs along the same lines as it's predecessor. It looks fantastic, in terms of visual effects, but part of me (most of me) wanted less computer shit and more physical stuff... especially with Sam Raimi behind the helm. The score by Danny Elfman sounds just as you would expect and seemed like a fitting choice. I also enjoyed how they started the film in the 1.3 aspect ratio and then went wide as soon as Franco arrives in Oz, that was a nice touch.

I'd heard a lot of negatives about Mila Kunis in Oz before watching it, but honestly I thought Michelle Williams was worse. Maybe it was because she was in front of a green screen for the majority of the film, but something seemed really stale about her performance. James Franco, was James Franco... you're either a fan or you're not, but he definitely comes across as he always does.

I enjoyed this film mostly and found it entertaining. Oz is not great and powerful, but it gets the job done.

Star Trek: The Odds (I, III, V)

Awhile back I reviewed all the even numbered Star Trek movies from the original series...guess what? You can check those out right HERE...  go ahead, do it. After watching the new Star Trek Into Darkness film I decided to go back and give all the odd numbered movies from the original series a re-watch.

Star Trek: The Motion Picture
(1979) [Trailer]
Director: Robert Wise [IMDB]

Synopsis: After a 10 year absence from television, the crew of the Enterprise have reunited to go up against an unknown alien presence that's threatening to destroy the Earth.

This film gets a bad rap and many consider it the worst Star Trek film (of the original series.) The main problem for me is... it's way too long, there are all these long drawn-out scenes in space that are unneeded and make things pretty boring at times, especially at the beginning of the film. It has some pretty spectacular special effects, especially for the time, so I think that's why they spend so much time showing them off, but it's really unnecessary.  This was my third time watching this film and like the two times before it I had forgotten what takes place during the movie, I don't know it that's good thing or not. Other than that, the same staples that make most Star Trek films enjoyable are there... a good cast, dialogue and an interesting story... too bad it just takes forever to roll out.

Star Trek III: The Search for Spock
(1984) [Trailer]
Director: Leonard Nimoy [IMDB]

Synopsis: Kirk and the boys set out to the Genesis planet to find Phil Collins... I'm kidding, they're looking for Spock.

This film relies heavily on Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan to set it up, so I would recommend you watch that before diving into this. That said, it's a pretty descent follow up to Wrath of Khan, but not nearly as good. I like the addition of the Klingons and thought Christopher Lloyd was a good villain, even though it's hard to imagine him as anyone but Doc Brown. The heist of the enterprise was fun to see unfold, although one plot hole... you're telling me there's only one ship Starfleet has available in the surrounding area that can chase after the Enterprise? I call bullshit. I'm not sure why there's so much hate for this film, I've always thought it was alright. There is one thing... the fingering of Spock was a pretty creepy scene.

Star Trek V: The Final Frontier
(1989) [Trailer]
Director: William Shatner [IMDB]

Synopsis: The Enterprise is highjacked by a man who believes he has found God and takes the crew on a trip to the center of the galaxy to find Heaven.

The first time I saw this film I remember thinking it was really good (I was very young), after a second viewing it dropped tremendously in favorability... so where does it rank now? On my third viewing of The Final Frontier, one thing that stands out immediately, and that's is how bad the dialogue is at times. The comedic tone felt cheesy, as opposed to part IV, which is a genuinely hilarious film. There are definitely some cringe worthy moments, like both scenes involving the rocket boots... ughhh.

One thing really quickly: The Klingon captain is hell bent on fighting the Enterprise, but why, cause he's bored... he just seemed like a wasted character and really unnecessary.

I did like the overall idea of the film, it reminded me of something that would have been explored in the TV series, it just wasn't executed very well. I still don't hate this film, even with all its flaws it was still enjoyable for me, maybe it's because I'm into the characters and the universe... I would imagine this film would be hell for someone that's not into Star Trek.



Next up for me in Star Trek Land will be the Next Generation films. I'm gonna pick up the set on blu-ray soon and I'll have those coming your way at some point soon. Get pumped... or don't. Whatever... asshole.

The Loved Ones

The Loved Ones
(2009) [Trailer]
Director: Sean Byrnes [IMDB]

I had heard lots of good things about The Loved Ones before going into it, so I bumped it to the top of my Netfix queue on behalf of a few friends who had recommended it. It has been sitting at my house for over 2 months, along with two other discs from them that I need to watch and return. Ever since Netflix instant my physical discs have been getting the short end of the stick, so I'm gonna try and navigate through these damn things.

Synopsis: After asking a stoner named Brent to prom and getting rejected, Lola decides to take what she wants by force. With the help of her father she throws her own prom and guess who's invited?

The Loved Ones is an interesting movie, I suppose I should tell you why... that's why I get paid the big bucks. It's a horror film, but I didn't find it scary... just really fucked up. It's like a torture film if anything, but the first half of it plays out like a drama as well. It's strange and unconventional... if some of the cast from Dazed and Confused met the family from The Texas Chainsaw Massacre you'd kind of be somewhere near the feel of this film. I definitely liked the movie but there were things that didn't work for me, the build up and some of the characters involved seemed unnecessary. There's also the casting of Lola.... while she did a fantastic job in the role, she just didn't seem like the kind of girl who would be this weird outcast hell bent on torturing her dates.

The Loved Ones is an interesting movie and worth a view, I may even pick it up for a future rewatch to see if it gets any better with time.

Behind the Candelabra

Behind the Candelabra
(2013) [Trailer]
Director: Steven Soderbergh [IMDB]

I love HBO. They have cranked out Game of Thrones, The Wire, and tons of other great content and there are no signs of them slowing down. I saw the trailer for their newest movie, Behind the Candelabra and knew I was in for a good movie. Soderbergh directing, Matt Damon, Michael Douglas, and HBO... all ingredients for success... this better not suck.

Synopsis: A bio-pic of sorts, following the interesting 6 year romance between Liberace and his much younger lover.

First off, the casting of this movie is perfect. Everyone does such an outstanding job and besides Michael Douglas and Matt Damon, there are some other cool cameos like Scott Bakula, Rob Lowe, and Dan Aykroyd. I didn't know much about Liberace and I found the subject matter really intriguing, especially their tumultuous relationship. Soderbergh's direction is great once again and this definitely feels like one of his films, which is awesome being that it's a made for TV movie.

The story is a little one sided, being that it's adapted from the lover's book, it would have been fun to see how Liberace would have recalled it... obviously that's not an option. Still, Behind the Candelabra offers a unique movie going experience and is available to watch right now on HBO. Get it.

After Earth

After Earth
(2013) [Trailer]
Director: M. Night Shyamalan [IMDB]

M. Night has been getting a lot of hate recently, but I still like the dude. I haven't seen Airbender (I'm scared) but I have sat through every one of his other films and I like them all... except The Happening. When I saw the trailer for After Earth, I thought there was potential there, let's see if Mr. Shyamalan has got his groove back.

Synopsis: Humans left earth thousands of years ago and have settled else where in the galaxy. Will Smith and his son Jaden are traveling through space and crash land on earth, but it's not the same awesome planet any more... we should have listened to all the environmentalist hippys.

After telling my wife I went to see this today, she said "Oh, I would have told you but it has been getting terrible reviews." I looked online, she was right, it has shit reviews everywhere... and this is going to be another one.

I'm playing, it's not as awful as it sounds, but it isn't great either. I felt the storyline was insanely predictable and it heads right where you think it will, which is odd for a Shyamalan film. In the beginning of the film we get this quick, lazily voiced over narration to help give us the set up for why and how the humans have exited the planet.... I think that could have been handled more creatively. Will Smith's kid just isn't there yet. He is pretty bad at times and other times he is serviceable. The special effects were OK, but there were a few scenes where you could obviously tell they were acting in front of a green screen.

The idea behind the film is a boy stepping into manhood and overcoming his fears. I thought After Earth conveyed that idea fairly well without being too offensive to my movie senses. Again, this isn't a great film, but I also didn't feel it was a total waste either.

Heat

Heat
(1995) [Trailer]
Director: Michael Mann [IMDB]

I picked up Heat on blu-ray because I remember really liking it the  first time I saw it. From what I recalled, it was a great crime drama and full of action... then I watched it last night and realized I'd actually never seen Heat. I guess somewhere along the lines I talked myself into believing I had... who knows, people are weird.

Synopsis: A crew of robbers are on the defensive after the cops start tracking them on their next job.

I enjoy Michael Mann's direction in most films I've seen of his and Heat is no exception... it's beautifully shot and has a fantastic score. The cast are all pretty strong, but I felt like Al Pacino went a little overboard sometimes. The story is very standard for a crime flick so it was Mann's job to move it along in a unique way. He was successful overall but I did feel like it started to drag towards the last 40 mins.

If you're into crimes movies or police procedurals, check this out.

Star Trek Into Darkness

Star Trek Into Darkness
(2013) [Trailer]
Director: J.J. Abrams [IMDB]

I just rewatched Star Trek (2009) for the 3rd time last night in preparation for this film and I must say, I absolutely loved it. 5 Arnolds easy and afterwards I thought "I can't wait to see what happens next." So here we are... Abrams' follow up and hopefully second installment in a trilogy of new Star Trek films (I guess we'll see what happens now that he has Star Wars to direct as well.) Into Darkness is one of my most anticipated films of the year, so let's see if it's a bust.

Synopsis: The crew of the USS Enterprise are back and on the hunt for a man responsible for planning an attack at Starfleet headquarters.

Into Darkness is a big hit for me and continues the winning streak for Mr. Abrams. It has everything you'd want in a sci-fi blockbuster and it's all wrapped up in a pretty bow. The pacing is extremely smooth and Abrams injects the action at all the right moments. The cast, just like in 2009, is perfect and seems to have settled into their roles. Benedict Cumberbatch was awesome and pulled out a Khan who was unexpected and different from Montalban, but in a good way. I really enjoyed the changes Abrams decided to take with Into Darkness while still paying homage to The Wrath of Khan, there were some other nice nods to the original series in there which were cool to see as well.

I can't imagine how someone who's into Star Trek wouldn't enjoy this film on some level. Into Darkness is why we go to the movies... it's exciting, fun, action packed and delivers a intriguing story that's easy to digest.