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thydarkangel
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Almost Human (2013)
New, Exciting, Clever Sci-Fi.
Having watched through what has currently aired, 'Almost Human' promises to be one of those milestone sci-fi's that come along much like Firefly or Dark Angel.
The point in which it excels past other offerings like 'Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.' currently on TV is it's cleverness. The premise of an era of rapidly advancing technology allowing for new and exciting tools and plot points. Synthetic police officer Dorian, an android, is used to shortcut usually dull moments (e.g. analysis of evidence), generating an exciting pace.
Sci-Fi's typically have large production costs due to special effects budgets. Whatever they were given, the show is very polished and clean. 'Almost Human' rides the line between TV series and movie in it's overall feel.
Karl Urban recently played the titular character in a new version of the Judge Dredd universe titled 'Dredd'. It is far and away one of my favourite comic films and mainly because of his gritty performance using nothing more than a gravelly voice and his chin. 'Almost Human' seems the perfect future-set sci-fi world to transfer into TV for Karl Urban, and has a lot more freedom to express himself outside of the Judge's helmet.
The show at times borrows heavily from some of the titan sci-fi's like 'Terminator', 'i-Robot', and 'Minority Report'. However, this is not done out of an attempt to rip off, but of a desire to learn from those films.
Fox would appear to have a winner on their hands. Now all I pray is that Fox don't slip into past habits regarding show selection/cancellation. This cannot be another Firefly moment.
Iron Man Three (2013)
More Iron Than Man.
Let me start of by saying I am a big fan of Iron Man. The first movie as many of us know was gold, followed by a pleasing but lacking Iron Man 2. There was a lot of hype leading up to this third installment of the Iron Man series and I admit I was caught up in it. Having seen IMDb brand it a score of above eight and several movie critics give it a decent score I figured, naively, that it was almost going to be a sure thing to be a great film.
Sorry to say guys, I was wrong.
Iron Man 3 was ultimately a disappointing experience. There are a number of reasons, but the main issues included grandiose action, cop outs in the plot, and a distancing from the comic itself.
Shane Black seems to have taken up the 'Baysplosion' (a term relating to the overuse of explosive effects by director Michael Bay) mantle in a very big way. This is a man with an action pedigree including the Lethal Weapon series, The Long Kiss Goodnight, Last Action Hero, and The Last Boyscout to name a few that he has been associated with. He still managed to create a film with too many action scenes that were often excessive. The result was a disconnection between non-action scenes, leaving plot and character development to be drowned out by fight sequences that became tedious and silly to watch. All of this could have been avoided via Shane Black exercising a lot more restraint which, coincidentally, may have given said action scenes greater impact without interrupting the rest of the film.
Another major offender in Iron Man 3 were the convenient escapes. Multiple times we see Tony or loved ones in danger only to have his suit fly in to save them. While I get it is Iron Man and that the suit will at times save the day, the number of times this occurred sucked away a lot of the movies tension.
Finally without putting too fine a point on it as I have no desires to spoil, there were a number of divergences from what was in the comic to how the story played out in the film. It is a Hollywood film and I understand this will happen, but usually they do it for the right reasons. Here what was changed seemed to be a lesser, more confusing version of what was originally an enjoyable, logical journey. Go figure.
Anyhow,its how I felt walking out of the film and still feel days later. I'm not going to go on about what good points there were as this is more a review of grounding some peoples high expectations for this film, in the hopes it may better their film experience. I write this only wishing I'd had something similar to have read before going in.
Man cheng jin dai huang jin jia (2006)
Curse to anyone who spends the time watching it..
In coming to this film i had expected more, or at the least to be entertained. To be honest, not even the action scenes or choreography for them saved this film.
Usually, that could be a saving grace for any ancient-based eastern film, however it was not the case here. If there were any great lengths of action, they were ruined by poor, choppy close-ups and overly flash 'dramatic' lighting effects. While this tried to serve Jay Chou's character well towards the end of the film, making up for a possible lack of martial arts ability, the rest of the epic battles lacked thrill or wonder.
Mid way through the film, i began thinking "Will this film pick up the pace?", and "Is it the quiet before the storm?", it was neither. The movie didn't go anywhere. There was tension amongst the family sure, and shocking themes like incest and treason, but this failed to climax appropriately or culminate anything of real value.
The credits rose, and i sat there with my dear girl puzzled and asking what on earth was that. The highlights that merit the one star (apart from i couldn't give it a 0), was the performances of Yun-Fat Chow and Jay Chou. Both of them added some depth and flavour, along with the beautifully coloured backdrops and costumes.
Man on Fire (2004)
The bear has turned, and he's packing heat
Browsing over comments, how disappointed i was to see people sucked in with a couple of the lesser points of the film, rather in its entirety being a excellent film with some very well thought out moments.
Washington again goes out his natural self playing 'Creasy Bear', a man and ex-assassin having lost the will to life, only to be saved by the small girl he is trying to protect. The moments of torment in the film, and the quiet will to take care of matters after they have gone down all but showing why this man is a heavyweight in the Hollywood A-List. Granted, the role was nearly completely typecast for him, but just because a glove is tailor made doesn't mean it doesn't do a great job.
Little Dakota Fanning playing her role with a maturity some adult actors can even get right was almost a slap in the face with surprise, but a welcome one at that. Her bond with Washington truly one of the high points of the film, and that in time we'll only see her more and more.
Spoiler alert so bare with me. Some reviewers have talked about the movie being too depressing, which to tell you the truth is a joke. Too long has Hollywood tried to stick to the tried and true methods of 'Happy Endings' and that the good guy always wins and goes home happy. Its the depression this film places on the end that is refreshing as is some of the editing work. The morales that society carries do leave you feeling sad, but not all stories are made of sunshine, and why this films choice was a welcome one.
Special effects and editing again one of the main things of this films talk. The use of text upon the screen a nice touch to drive home key points in the film, but sometimes a little overdone. There was also some talk of people being unable to understand half the time what was going on, i'd have to ask if they rival Forrest Gumps' IQ. The film was clearly set out, able to be understood and watching it through a second time, you'll be able to see some of the earlier conversations undertone kept the story toward the end true.
Another quick mention is the score of this film. Keeping with the theme of the location and of the drama taking place, from rave scene heavy to the quiet lone piano as the kidnapping fell into place, shall be one to look for in store.
Kill Bill: Vol. 1 (2003)
Your action is served, with a twist!
Quentin Tarantino has done it again, bringing something fresh back to the table in a time where action films have been lacking of late.
Being now synonymous with his violent spaghetti-westerns with a twist, this surely doesn't disappoint. While come critics condone his use of violence in his films, at times its so over the top it comes off as comical, and not to be taken so seriously. A light humor that hangs in the background of most of the carnage that happens in his films, and i'd ask for anyone who has not yet gone and seen it on that side of the film, to take a look, keep an open mind. You're sure to be left with something that will be remembered with mixed feelings, but a unique flavor that is rare to find in box office blockbusters.
The music alone is memorable to say the least, Quentin Tarantino's choice in odd songs adds to the experience. We heard the surfy tunes of Pulp Fiction, and in the lead up to seeing Kill Bill it was a big question in my mind to what we'd find next. Cheesy but oh so lovable is what i was left with at the end of the film. Great soundtrack that i'll personally be buying when its out. From japanese sounds of old, coming through with its haunting strength, all the way to stuff we'd all thought had been buried back a few decades ago, all of it complimented the film.
Go and see, enjoy another Tarantino masterpiece.