Godzilla

Godzilla
2014
Director: Gareth Edwards

I know nada about Godzilla and to be completely up front, I've never seen a Godzilla movie from beginning to end before. Not even that crappy one from 1998... and I only say it's crappy because I think it was universally hated by most people. All I know is that after the first trailer for this reboot and the fact that it starred Walter White, I was sold. Tonight I got to saddle up and take my first ride on the Godzilla train.

Synopsis: I think you can figure it out.

While I really enjoyed myself at the movies tonight, Godzilla wasn't a masterpiece. It's flawed in a lot of ways, mainly the underuse of its acting talents... mainly Bryan Cranston. There are a few lulls in the front end involving humans with their feelings and shit. The film starts to take a big turn after the first hour and the last half become worth the wait.

The special effects are incredible and the monster designs are perfect mostly. Add that up with great direction and you have yourself a fairly pleasing monster movie. It's a fun time and what you'd expect from a blockbuster of its caliber.

My top five scenes:
1. The skydive scene.
2. Cranston's interrogation scene.
3. The opening credits.... loved them.
4. Godzilla flame!
5. Godzilla swimming.

Nebraska

Nebraska
(2013) [Trailer]
Director: Alexander Payne [IMDB]

I've been to Nebraska on a few occasions in my lifetime. Whenever my travels would have me passing through the cornhusker state I would think to myself "I'm glad I don't live here." The only place that's tolerable there is Omaha, and maybe Lincoln, but outside of that, there's not much. I always find myself wondering who would decide to live in these towns you find yourself looking at, spread out between the farmland on your way out of Omaha. To be far though, I say that about any place outside a major city, in any state. Well Alexander Payne decided to tell you a story about those people. Let's see how good it is.

Synopsis: An old fart hits, what he believes, is the jackpot when he receives a letter in the mail stating he won a million dollars. He decides to head down to Lincoln to retrieve his winnings.

While watching Nebraska I was immediately reminded of David Lynch's The Straight Story, but in black and white. Payne does a fantastic job at bringing you into the story and into the setting of the film. The characters were all pretty believable and the performances were all decent, with the best one coming from Bruce Dern. Before watching Nebraska, I thought the comedy may come from showing you how absurd these hayseeds were going to be, which would be too easy. While there is a little of that (the two cousins mainly), Nebraska is relatable and the laughs just come from good writing. The score is subdued and pleasant, while the cinematography was bold but impressionistic at times. In the end, the whole package fit nicely together.

I really enjoyed Nebraska and felt the ending was perfect. It left me with happy feelings... I hate those stupid happy feelings. It's well worth your time and I believe it will be out on blu-ray by the end of the month.

All Is Lost

All Is Lost
(2013) [Trailer]
Director: J.C. Chandor [IMDB]

All Is Lost was a film I really wanted to squeeze in before I made my Top 10 List for 2013... sadly I didn't get the chance. After watching it, it probably would have made it in there, or been really close. Here's why.

Synopsis: A man is stranded at sea... you watch... you enjoy.

This film immediately sinks its teeth into you and doesn't let go for the rest of the ride. I loved it and was captivated by every minute of it. It's like a procedural for surviving at sea and almost has a weird documentary vibe to it. There's no dialog... minus the monologue in the beginning, Robert Redford says all of 4 words in the whole thing. It doesn't really need that though, I was just caught up in the act of him staying alive and keeping his shit together. Redford rules the role and is convincing enough that I think he may have lived on a sailboat in real life at one point.

I feel extremely satisfied with All Is Lost and I haven't seen anything like it before. It takes the whole "lost at sea" sub-genre (if there is such a thing) and reinvents it in an interesting way.

Ben-Hur

Ben-Hur
(1959) [Trailer]
Director: William Wyler [IMDB]

When I die I hope I'm remembered for something. I don't know, maybe this website and my words written down here will serve as a gateway into the kind of person I was (if the internet is still around then.) Maybe the music I write or the art I make will inspire someone I knew to create something meaningful to them. I just hope this wasn't all for nothing. I don't know what the hell this has to do with Ben-Hur, I just felt like writing, and this is my platform to do so... deal with it.

Synopsis: Charlton Heston plays a Jew who lives under Roman rule in the time of Jesus. He runs into some problems with an old Roman friend and.... what the hell... this movie is long as shit and it's next to impossible to summarize in the normal one to two sentences that I always use... it's an epic, you get the idea.

Ben-Hur is considered a classic masterpiece and in the AFI's top 100. I'm trying to knock out the 25 films I haven't seen in that list... so here you go.

This film is impressive and besides Gone With the Wind, it's the longest film I've ever sat through.  Unlike Gone With the Wind, I didn't love it. It's fine and something I would recommend you watch once in your life... but that's the thing... I don't think I'd ever watch this again.

I loved all the elements surrounding Ben-Hur and his struggle, but found the injection of the story of Jesus to be pointless and I don't think it helped the film. I think the two stories would work well on their own, but in culmination with one another, they felt unharmonious. There are lots of fantastic films about the life of Jesus, why try to marry it with Ben-Hur's story. I'm sure there are tons of people who would disagree, and that's fine, but for me, if they trimmed Ben-Hur up a little you may have found a better movie in there somewhere. Especially towards the end, it takes a huge dive and I really started to lose interest.

One quick note: The film craftsmanship is insane and the efforts it must have taken to make this thing are mind boggling... I can see why it won so many oscars.

I don't think I could ever make something as grandiose as Ben-Hur and reviewing it seems silly, but I have to keep busy... death is ever present and I'm just trying to forget it's on its way. Blog on.

The Lone Ranger

The Lone Ranger
(2013) [Trailer]
Director: Gore Verbinski [IMDB]

I'm not going lie and say I was looking forward to seeing this back in the summer and never got around to it. Fact is, I kind of wanted to see it, but thought it definitely didn't merit the price of admission at the time of its release. I never watched The Lone Ranger as a kid, so this review will be a little unbiased, because who wants to hear some dude bitch about how Disney is ruining the memories of the original.

Synopsis: After his brother is killed, a straight laced lawyer finds his alter ego, The Lone Ranger. He teams up with Tonto, a loner Indian, to set out and find the man responsible for killing his kin.

The Lone Ranger wasn't a bad film, but far from great. I was surprised at how much I actually liked about it, but there were absolutely some elements of the film that didn't work.

I really could have done without the framing device with the old Tonto and kid, I found all of those scenes to be pointless and annoying. The film was extremely long, they could have easily cut out an hour of this thing and still achieved the same result. The action spikes high in the beginning and at the end, but in between there's not a lot of excitement going on.

Tonto, The Lone Ranger and the horse Silver save this film for me. I enjoyed Depp's performance and his banter with The Lone Ranger was interesting and funny at times. Most of the scenes involving Silver got the most laughs from me and the way they utilize him was pretty clever. I also thought Armie made a good Lone Ranger and was a perfect casting choice.

Technically the film is solid... the sets, locations, cinematography, score and costumes were all awesome and Gore Verbinski captured the essence of a great western. I could see myself revisiting this at some point, for me it has some charm that saved it from being completely lame.

Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug

The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug
(2013) [Trailer]
Director: Peter Jackson [IMDB]

The LOTR/Hobbit films will probably always score a 4 Arnold or higher as long as Peter Jackson is handling them and I will always go out to see them in the theater... why? Because they are awesome, that's why. At this point you're either on board or you are not, so really... it's like preaching to the choir doing this review. Jackson has crafted the art of Hobbit film making and I don't think you can win over anyone who's not already in agreement with me on that.

Synopsis: Bilbo and his posse continue their journey to the Lonely Mountain in order to reclaim Erebor from Smaug... the badass dragon.

This installment is a lot more energetic than An Unexpected Journey (click that link to read my review... do it.) and I found it to be more entertaining. The special effects, especially on Smaug and Sauron were fantastic, some of the best CG work I've ever seen. The action was innovative, including a fight that took place going down a river that was incredible and felt like nothing I'd seen before. Kate from LOST was a new addition to the roster and now I have an elf crush on her... but seriously she was great and perfectly cast. The Lake town of Esgaroth looked insane and to think of the time it must have taken to render that blows my mind.

The film ends on a cliff hanger and it just made me end up wanting more. I can't wait till next year... no... actually I can't wait till 2016, so I can own all of them and have a super Hobbit/LOTR mega marathon.

More Star Trek - The Next Generation Films: Generations, First Contact, Insurrection, Nemesis

I'm continuing my love of Star Trek and reviewing the last set of the films in the franchise I haven't yet addressed on this site... The Next Generation movies. I've done the Evens, the Odds, Into Darkness (which also contains a mini review of Star Trek 2009) and now these films. From here I patiently wait for JJ Abrams, or whoever Hollywood decides to hand the reins to, to make another chapter... or I can just go watch re-runs of Deep Space Nine.

Star Trek: Generations
(1994) [Trailer]
Director: David Carson [IMDB]

Synopsis: The Enterprise tries to halt the activities of a maniac hell bent on finding a passage into a alternate dimension... just give the dude some LSD.

Generations is the bridge film between the old and the new. It feels like it had to be made from some reason... as if Shatner demanded it or something. It's a decent film, I think the one thing it lacks is proper closure. It feels a little rushed and not very climactic. Maybe it was Malcolm McDowell as the villain... I just felt like he wasn't ominous enough. Who knows, but for me the back end of Generations didn't give that wow factor... whatever that is. I do like it mostly as a whole and would definitely rewatch it.

Star Trek: First Contact
(1996) [Trailer]
Director: Jonathan Frakes [IMDB]

Synopsis: The crew travel back in time to stop the Borg from destroying Earth before we made our first jump into warp speed.

Lets be honest... this is the film all Next Gen fans wanted. The Borg were/are the greatest adversaries the Federation has ever known and they needed their own film. Commander Riker takes the director's chair and knocks it out the park. I love this film and it's light years ahead of any of the other TNG titles. First Contact is a really well balanced film and takes all the elements that made TNG great and elevates them. I'd say if you're only going to watch one Next Generation film, it should be this one, but go ahead a watch all of them, okay?

Star Trek: Insurrection
(1998) [Trailer]
Director: Jonathan Frakes [IMDB]

Synopsis: A loner planet is the source of internal youth and the Enterprise steps in to protect it from a threat within the Federation.

Insurrection is widely regarded as the worst Star Trek film ever made and after watching it I realized it was the only film in the franchise I hadn't seen. I'm not sure why I actually never got around to watching it, maybe it was because it got such a bad wrap, but I have to say after checking it out... I like it. I don't understand why it gets the hate it does. There are a few corny moments, but as any fan of TNG will attest to, so did the series. It does feel like a glorified TV episode, but it was still fun to watch. Shit, even my wife, who hates Star Trek, liked it. Don't get me wrong, it's not great by any stretch, but it's still a solid installment.

Star Trek: Nemesis
(2002) [Trailer]
Director: Stuart Baird [IMDB]

Synopsis: Tom Hardy is a genetically modified, younger, Jean-Luc Picard with a secret past and now he's looking to help the Romulans plan an attack on Earth.

First thing I noticed when watching Nemesis, is how similar Tom Hardy's character is to his Bane character in The Dark Knight Rises. Only thing is, he's not as effective in Nemesis and he's one of the better elements of the film. I felt like this one dragged its tail a lot and would definitely be my least favorite of all the TNG titles. It's feels like its story arch peaks early then you're on this extremely long climax that just seems to keep going and going. I didn't hate this film, I was just bored with a lot of it.

Jack the Giant Slayer

Jack the Giant Slayer
(2013) [Trailer]
Director:  Byran Singer [IMDB]

"Nibble, nibble, gnaw who is nibbling at my little house?" Hansel and Gretel answered "It's not us, its Jack!"  The witch confused as to what fairy tale it was said "Jack be nimble Jack be quick? Hurry up to the clouds upon those windy green sticks!" The witch, still in a state of confusion from the children's hungry collusion, to see a little clearer, decided it was time to consult her mirror. Mirror Mirror on the wall . . . could this be the worst fairy tale <dramatic pause> of them all!

Synopsis:  Long ago magic beans created a windy green stalk that allowed evil giants to come pillage our lands.  A great and noble king created a mind control crown to conquer the giants and send them back up the stalk which he subsequently chopped down.  He had the the crown and remaining beans buried with him for all eternity until an evil would-be king dug them up to gather the giant army to lay siege upon the lands once more.  Somewhere along the way an 18 year old Jack, gets tossed into the mix and has to slay the giants to save the beloved princess and all the land.

Fee-Fi-Fo-Fum Hollywood's desire to modernize childhood fairy tales is . . . quite dumb!  A glutton for punishment after watching two, I should have called it and been through.  With those two,  Hansel &Gretel Witch Hunters (awful) and Snow White and the Huntsman (decent) that I did review, I should stopped ahead and bid adieu.  Unfortunately, the WFR trifecta was needed so with this review my warning should be heeded!

Jack is a limited tale with plenty of CGI which left me to wonder why-oh-why.  I should have stopped at number two but the trifecta forced this onto my queue.  As I followed along with their magical trek I realized they were only in it for the paycheck!

Take my advice and save yourself time because you will likely be more entertained by these musings and rhyme.



  

Battle Beyond the Stars

Battle Beyond the Stars
1980 [Full Movie]
Director: Jimmy T. Murakami [IMDB]

A childhood favorite of mine right here. I remember this movie being an epic one as a young lad, but up until now I had forgotten it mainly... except for some imagery. I recently discovered it on blu-ray, so I decided to give you a review and I also made a poster.

Synopsis: A peaceful planet must seek out the help of mercenaries to defend itself against an upcoming invasion.

This movie is basically Seven Samurai in outer space. Take that and mix it with the most popular movie franchise at the time, Star Wars, and you have Battle Beyond the Stars. It's campy, it's fun, and also not that great of a film... but I still enjoyed watching it. The score by James Horner is massive, it's truly a work of art to behold. The special effects and model work (partly by James Cameron) will remind you of Star Wars big time, but they still hold up mostly. Battle Beyond the Stars is toted as a Roger Corman cult classic, although I don't know how much he actually had to do with it, as far as I know he was only a producer. Still... it feels like something he would direct.

The main negatives are character development and plot. Lots of weird holes are left open and most of the seven mercenaries are forgettable.

I included a link to the full movie on youtube up at the top of the review, so if you wanna get your retro 80's sci-fi action on... feel free.

Pacific Rim

Pacific Rim
(2013) [Trailer]
Director: Guillermo del Toro [IMDB]

I wanted to take another stab at adding some more exclusive content to Williams Film Review, so I designed the poster for this review. I think it has a nice minimalist vibe to it. Check it out over there to the left. You done? Ok good. On we go.

I've been looking forward to checking out Guillermo del Toro's newest film, the monstrosity (pun intended) known as Pacific Rim. It stars Idris Elba, aka Stringer Bell, who I love and based off what I saw in the trailer, it looked like a knock out... let's see if it holds up to its promise.

Synopsis: Sea monsters come from a parallel dimension that opens up from a crack in the Pacific Rim. We create giants robots to fight them. There you go.

I was totally on board for the Pacific Rim express and found it to be exactly what I want from a summer block buster. It's del Toro's take on Godzilla or any of the other Japanese monster movies, only more stylish and modernized. The story and characters are what you would expect from a block buster, they weren't perfect but Guillermo manages to inject enough of his own vision into the equation to really have those elements not stand out in a negative way. The one thing I thought I was going to hate, I actually liked... the special effects. I was worried Pacific Rim would end up being a shitty CG love fest, akin to Transformers, but I found everything to be well crafted and quite the opposite. Having it set in places like Sydney and Hong Kong helped give it a unique feel, and the robot/monster designs felt inspired but fresh.

Pacific Rim won't win Oscars for its drama, but it totally offers a fun time at the movies and it's perfect for the season.

Escape from New York & L.A.

John Carpenter... the man, the myth, the legend. Probably my favorite director of all time (well him and a few others) and one whose movies I can easily watch at the drop of a dime. I decided to rewatch two classics in his arsenal... Escape from New York and it's predecessor Escape from L.A. Boom!

Escape from New York
(1981) [Trailer]
Director: John Carpenter [IMDB]

Synopsis: In a dystopian future Manhattan Island has become home to all the United State's prisoners... glad I moved over to Queens recently.

A good way for me to write you off as a person is for you to tell me you don't like this movie. Sure you could joke around and say it, but if you were honest, I'd would think differently about you.

This film is so easy to watch and take in... and even as ridiculous as the concept is, it still makes for a great film. It obviously takes some suspension of disbelief to get behind what Carpenter is selling in EFNY, but if you can, you'll find a story that's dark, satirical, and filled with suspense. I've said on the site before how much I love Kurt Russell and in the role of Snake Plisskin he is the man. A quiet badass who doesn't give a shit about anyone, but still has this code that he follows that make you respect his character.

I could go on about this title, but you just need to see it; stop reading and watch it, or rewatch it.

Escape from L.A.
(1996) [IMDB]
Director: John Carpenter [IMDB]

Synopsis: Same thing as Escape from New York, except in L.A.

Snake is back, yeah buddy! I think the last time I saw this was when I was fresh out of high school.  I had forgotten most of it and really the only thing I remember is everyone always saying it sucked. I would disagree completely. This movie rules and if you're a fan of the first one there's no reason not to like this. It's more of the same... only slightly different. I felt like EFLA was a lot more satirical... I especially loved that they moved the capital of the U.S. to Lynchburg, VA. The story is still completely absurd and some of the effects don't hold up, but I really thought this was a fun movie.

Also the surfing scene with Peter Fonda is incredible... one for the history books.

All Things Planet of the Apes (aka Planet of the Apes Marathon)

I'm a big fan of the original Planet of the Apes film and have seen it a few times now. I recently picked up the box set which includes the 4 other movies from the 1970's, which I haven't seen. I will now go through those and the rest of the franchise including the 2001 reboot and Rise of the Planet of the Apes. Basically every damned dirty ape film ever made. Giddy up.

Planet of the Apes

(1968) [Trailer]

Director: Franklin J. Schaffner [IMDB]

Synopsis: A team of astronauts crash land on a planet filled with... monkeys? Ok, they would be pissed if they heard me say said... filled with Apes.

This is a classic film and one I enjoy watching. I feel like each time I dig into it, it gets better and better. This time around was no different. For a sci-fi film from the 60's it actually holds up really well, maybe because they don't have to rely on special effects as much because of the setting. The costumes of the apes, while dated, still are effective and the set pieces are amazing... especially the ape city. On top of that, the cinematography and locations they decided to shoot in all look fantastic as well. The score by Jerry Goldsmith is a monster, soooo good, one of my favorites.

The story of Planet of the Apes is unique and twisted. It ultimately is a nightmarish look at where our actions as humans could lead us, although a bit heavy handed, it's still a cool idea. The evolution of the Apes is a parallel to our own, and it's interesting to see how science and religion dictates how the story unfolds. The payoff at the end makes the ride worth while and it's the kind of ending I love in a story. This definitely a must see for any sci-fi fan, or those looking to explore the genre.

Beneath the Planet of the Apes

(1970) [Trailer]

Director: Ted Post [IMDB]

Synopsis: The lone survivor of a search party for the crew that crash landed on the Planet of the Apes finds a hidden world underneath the planet's surface.

This follow up starts off right where the last film ended. You have a lot of the same characters and even Charlton Heston makes a brief cameo. I feel like it tries too hard to emulate the first film and doesn't quite succeed. It is still a fun watch, and it manages to throw a few twists into the mix that I wasn't expecting. The major curveball is what Brent (the lone survivor who looks an awful lot like Charlton Heston) finds underneath the planet... it's an interesting direction to take the film, but it also dishes out a lot of plot holes. I won't get too into it, as it's spoiler territory, but it makes for a much more exciting second half of the film.

Escape from the Planet of the Apes

(1971) [Trailer]

Director: Don Taylor [IMDB]

Synopsis: Three Apes escape the Planet of the Apes only to arrive back on Earth in the 70's.

After the ending of Beneath the Planet of the Apes, there weren't many places the franchise could go. The direction they took it in, for me, was a bit of a disappointment. The fish out of water attempt at taking the apes into the real world just didn't work. The idea that the Apes were able to fix a fucking spaceship and fly back in time is pretty absurd, but the way the US government handles the arrival of talking monkeys in spacesuits is retarded... they send them to the Zoo?? I mean they touched down in a rocket, I think security would be a little tighter. The ending of this film is probably the best thing about it, but the pay off isn't worth the investment. 

Conquest of the Planet of the Apes
(1972) [Trailer]
Director: J. Lee Thompson [IMDB]

Synopsis: In the 90's apes are kept as slaves to humans and Nirvana is a really popular band.

This film follows the rise of Caesar, who was the baby of Cornelis and Zira, two of the stranded Apes from the last film (and all the other installments for that matter.) Conquest most closely resembles the 2012 remake Rise of the Planet of the Apes... which I'm gonna get too. There are things that I love about this movie, and things that annoy me. The first half is pretty slow and a lot of it doesn't make sense. Ricardo Montalban (Khaaaan!), who's been taking care of Caesar for the last 20 years, all of the sudden wants to head into the big city and throw him into harms way? When they are on the run, Montalban turns himself in? Why not keep running? Also, the humans find out in the last movie that the apes well eventually take over the planet, so what do they do.... take them as pets and slaves?

The ending makes up for a lot of the issues, it turns into a fantastic jail break/revolt flick that keeps you on the edge of your seat... aka my couch. I would recommend if you watch it, go with the unrated cut, it's a much darker ending.

Battle for the Planet of the Apes
(1973) [Trailer]
Director: J. Lee Thompson [IMDB]

Synopsis: Roughly 15 years after Caesar's revolt, the Earth has been ravaged by nuclear war and Apes and man coexist... like those stupid bumper stickers.

This movie was pretty bad. It's extremely boring and I found getting through the whole thing to be challenging. There is a huge plot hole... all the Apes learned how to talk in 15 years? At the end of Conquest only Caesar could talk (him being a direct descendant of the future apes) and all those other apes were just that... apes. They were still primitive. Makes no sense whatsoever. The ending of this film is a total bummer in my opinion. The Apes movies always end on a dark note, which is awesome, but this one ends with all this peaceful hippy bullshit... lame... ughhh the early 70's, what a dreadful time.

Planet of the Apes
(2001) [Trailer]
Director: Tim Burton [IMDB]

Synopsis: Same shit as the original... only with Marky Mark.

I was excited the first time I saw this... Tim Burton tackling Planet of the Apes... yes! After seeing it, I remember feeling bummed a little. Now after another go around with it, I love it... just kidding, it's still not that great. You can't help but compare the original to this.... you see everything they got right with that and how it all misfires in 2001. The script is pretty bad and there are a lot of characters in this that don't need to be there. There's this weird love triangle between Mark Walhberg, the slave girl, and the Ape played by Helena Bonham Carter. The ending makes so sense at all, I won't spoil it, but it just feels completely wrong. I'd pass on this and stick to the original if you're gonna spend the time.

Rise of the Planet of the Apes
(2011) [Trailer]
Director: Rupert Wyatt [IMDB]

Synopsis: James Franco gets the surprise of a life time after injecting a lab ape with super drugs.

Those who have followed this site and my reviews my recall one of the very first posts I ever made... it was my top films of 2011... you can see it right HERE... go ahead... I'll wait. You'll notice Rise is pretty close to the top... and for good reason. I love it. Plain and simple.

This was my third time with it and nothing has changed, it's still superb. The story is solid, the pacing towards the climax works smoothly, and the ending leaves you wanting more... hopefully they won't screw up the next one. If you haven't seen this yet... do so, absolutely my favorite of the series.