NevermoresRaven Blog

A classic style with a modern twist.

NevermoresRaven — Fri, 23 May 2008 01:56:52 GMT

Ok, i'm a stickler for my classics. Indiana Jones is one of those series(much like the original Star Wars films) that i'm very defensive and passionate about. So of course I had to go see it opening night, and I had to be ready for anything.

Let me say one thing first, for a man who's 66 years old Harrison Ford can still act like a bad-ass. And bad-ass he is, from start to finish.

I don't want to delve into plot because of two reasons. One: it's complicated and I don't want to ruin anything. Two: I hate trying to explain a movie's plot when it's just easier to say "Go see it you moron".
The acting is pretty good. It's not as spectacular as I would have liked, but it fits the film well. Everyone hits their marks and plays their part, and Harrison Ford acts like he's just putting the hat back on and it's time to go. The only person who bugged me was Cate Blanchett. First, she does a fairly lousy Russian dialect accent. Secondly, her character is just a bad villain. Thrid, her character is just so irritating(and not in a villainy way, in a stupid way) and you just wish she would have been shot at the the beginning of the film. Shia LaBeouf plays young tough-guy Mutt Williams, and he does it well. That's right, I like Shia as an actor!

The action scenes are vintage Indy, with the 20 minute long fist fights, the highly over exaggerated sound effects and the horrible grotesque deaths(you think a guy getting cut in half by a propeller is bad? Ha, just you wait). It's what kept this film as an Indiana Jones movie.

I know I said I wouldn't delve into plot, but I have a few things to say about it. It's a little cheesy sounding once they get into it, but you have to remeber: This is and Indiana Jones movie, the same films that found the Ark of the Covenant and the Holy Grail. It did seem like they were really reaching now and then, but it's a fun movie and i'm willing to forgive.

Is this as good as the originals? No, but I didn't expect it to be. The originals are great because they were something new, but don't let this fact detract from how good this movie is. It's worth seeing, and it's a great summer action movie with an aging actor coming back to fill some big shoes(better than the crap that was Rambo and Rocky Balboa). Go see it, and remeber: it's a movie, not everything has to make sense.

A great start to the 2008 summer movie season

NevermoresRaven — Fri, 23 May 2008 01:41:06 GMT

Iron Man has been a longtime favorite comic book of mine, I even have the dreaded first hardcover issue of "Ultimate Iron Man"(cringe, cringe in terror!), so i've been waiting excitedly for this film since they announced it's production. I had very high hopes(and yet a good amount of doubt) for this film, and it hits on all notes.

I won't go through plot details because if you're going to see this movie you should already know the basic plot behind Iron Man, if you don't know then you're just a fake who wants to seem cool by watching comic book movies.

First thing is first, the acting. Some of the finest acting i've seen in a long time. I lost a bit of hope in acting as far as comic book movies go after seeing Spiderman 3, he did do an emo dance after all. But this movie has top notch acting. Robert Downey Jr. makes an incredible Tony Stark with his ability to project sarcastic comments, deep feelings, bitter hatred, and even wonderous bits of comedic gold(flight testing being the best example). Terrence Howard makes a great Rhodey, and plays the semi-sidekick(later to be actual sidekick) role wonderfully. He comes across as being Tony's friend, but also a failed attempt to be the voice of reason. In steps Pepper Potts as the voice of reason. Gwyneth Paltrow steps up to the role of Tony's hard edged red-headed assistant, and does an amazing job playing opposite Downey Jr. And, i'll be frank, she looks smoking as a red-head, I didn't even think she had it in her anymore. Guess I was wrong.

The special effects are amazing, and work in a not too over-the-top comic book sort of style without seeming too fake. The sequence of Tony getting the Mark III armor put on is a true feat of CGI genius. Someone in some magazine said it seemed too much like Transformers at the end, but I fail to see how that's a bad thing since that movie is amazing as well. The scene with Tony flying with the F-22 Raptors is great to look at, and funny to boot.

The music is also great, and the soundtrack is a must have for fans of rock music. Utilizing very few acoustic strings(Violin, Cello ect.) and relying more on electric guitars and bass with a really hard rock drumming gives this film it's mood. Seriosuly, Iron Man is a metal movie and it needed a metal soundtrack. Best of all, there's no trendy crap-rock like found on the soundtracks of Transformers and Spider Man. The last two tracks on the CD are passes, but hey that's oly 2 out of like 18 or something.

In the end this is a spectacular summer movie, and I can't wait for it to hit blu-ray(i'm already drooling just thinking about that). If this was any indication of what this summer has to offer then it's a safe bet that we're going to have on hell of a summer. A must see.

The best historical movie ever made? Yeah, sure....let's go with that.

NevermoresRaven — Mon, 21 Apr 2008 01:54:33 GMT

Mel Brooks has a way with words, and music, and dancing, and just about everything he touches....does that sound dirty to you too? Good, it's not just me then. So what happens when this man gets his hands on some of the biggest events in human history? Hilarity ensues, that's what.

The film covers several major events in the span of humanity: the dawn of man, the stone age, Moses bringing the commandments, the roman empire, the last supper, the Spanish inquisition, and the French revolution. All of these are covered with your standard Brooks' type of humor: bad sex jokes galore in Rome, Moses dropping a tablet of the original 15 commandments, someone using "Jesus" as a swear at the last supper and a whole cycle of "What?".

The Spanish inquisition, on the other hand, is by far the most memorable of the vignettes. It's not very long, but it's toe tappingly good! Yeah, it's a song and dance number stlyed like a broadway show. The inquisitors sing and dance and torture all at the same time, talk about multi-tasking. The song is also just so damn catchy, and I even ahve it saved on my computer for when I need a good laugh.

The acting is your standard Brooks' tounge in cheek sarcasm and wit. It's not a bad thing, because his writing makes it work so well.

So this is another classic spoof from Mr. Brooks, and another classic film.

Keep an eye out for my review of "History of the World: Part 2", featureing Hitler on Ice, and Jews in Space! Coming this fall.

A spoof to top all others

NevermoresRaven — Mon, 21 Apr 2008 01:21:27 GMT

I am one of the biggest nerds around, and the original "Star Wars" trilogy is one of my biggest nerdisms(wait, is that a word?). So you think someone who gets into arguments over who would win in a fight between Darth Vader and Captian Kirk would take his prized movies as a godsend, and I do. However I also happen to have this thing called a sense of humor, and Mel Brooks' "Spaceballs" tickels my funnybone(oh god, the cliches!) and then some.

Now any idiot could spoof sci-fi classics like "Star Wars" and "Planet of the Apes"(Planet of the Grapes could net you millions!), but Mel Brooks does it in a way that not only satires the films but also pays homage to them with subtle jabs.

Let us not forget the iconic dialouge this movie has, and the great lines it presents. "I knew it, i'm surrounded by assholes", "Spaceballs the Flamerthrower! The kids love that one", and the famous:
Dark Helmet: I am your father's brother's nephew's cousin's former room-mate.
Lone Star: So what's that make us?
Dark Helmet: Absolutely nothing!
Those are by far my favorite lines from the film, and some of the best in cinema if you ask me.

This whole film just shows Mel Brook's talent for satire and witty writing, and every scene gives a sense of respect at the same time to the source material.

Needless to say, the acting in this film is spot on to what they needed. Rick Moranis plays the villianous Dark Helmet with a surprising wit and tounge in cheek attitude, but he also plays the most incompitent villan ever. I think that's why his character is so likeable. And let's not forget John Candy as Barf, the heroic Mog. The stupid dog puns that he's able to spit out add a sense of simple familiarity to the character.

So please, for the love of all things awesome, see this film if you haven't. I just about killed my friend when she said she had never seen it, but she is now one of those who has basked in it's glory.

Racism covered from the other side of the spectrum

NevermoresRaven — Sun, 20 Apr 2008 03:28:56 GMT

"American History X" is a movie about racism, and anyone who knows me(or read my review of Spike Lee's "Do the Right Thing") knows how I feel about movies that try to seem intellectual and edgy by covering racism. This movie, however, covers it in the sense of a family trying to stop it, and to top everything on it's a white family.

So how do you take a movie about an older brother who goes to jail as a Neo-Nazi jerk who kills two people in his fornt yard(and commits other crimes as seen in flashbacks) and make it touching and profound? Add in a little brother who's following in his footsteps.

The plot may come across as a little thin(yeah, we get it, people are racist), but this doesn't bother me so much with this film because it shows the other side of things, it shows the reasoning that these people have for being the way they are(and promptly shows how twisted and vile it is). But it also focuses less on a "White people are all racist pigs" aspect and more on a "Ideals can be easy to corrupt" view. By showing the leader of the Neo-Nazi group as a man who uses the kids to his own sick agenda, you get an idea of the fact that these kids aren't really bad.....just misguided fools following the words of a psychopath.

The cinimatography in the film lends to a simple, yet compelling, idea. Using both color and black and white shots(color for current, black and white for the past) adds a new aspect. In a film about racism and the devides of skin color and ideas, the black and white shows how everything is really shaded in gray. It's a neat touch, and I like it.

The only things I dislike about this movie are the somewhat thin plot, the idea that Derek has become some informant for the cops and not explaining it, and the ending.

So unless you're a member of the KKK, or a Neo-Nazi, or just some closed minded dolt then you should see, and enjoy, this film. It gives a new look at racism, but keeps the pont there in the end.

More like "AWESOME PARK", am I right?

NevermoresRaven — Sun, 20 Apr 2008 03:09:18 GMT

Holy crap, has it really been 15 years since this came out? You mean to tell me I was 7 when this came out? Wow, I feel kind of old all of a sudden.

So "Jurassic Park", where do I begin with this movie? This is, by all means, one of the single greatest survival-thriller-action movies ever made. The combination of thrilling action and dinosaurs just sets this apart from most anything else out, sure the sequels were both pretty bad but they don't count anymore.

First of all, the acting in this movie is stupendous on all accounts. Sam Jackson, Sam Neill, Laura Dern, and Richard Attenborough all give stellar performances. Even the kids who play Lexi and Tim give great performances and set the bar(even though both of them have sort of fallen from the face of the Earth). And lest we forget the big stars of the movie, the Dinosaurs themselves.

Speaking of those Dinosaurs, how awesome are those things? The CGI may seem a little dated, but it still holds so strong even all these years later. Come to think of it, it looks more convincing than some other movies i've seen since the turn of the century(I, Robot for example). The scene where the T-Rex chases the jeep down the road is still an impressive specticale of visual magic, and credit must be given to the masters at ILM. The anamatronics are equally amazing, and to this day remain some of the most realistic robots and puppets i've ever seen in my life. The sick Triceratops still makes me gasp in wonder at the effects the pulled off.

And let us not forget the amazing soundtrack by John Williams. The theme song alone(like so many of Williams' previous works) captures the imagination and is easy to notice anywhere. It's like Jaws or Star Wars, you just know that song.

So what is bad about this film? Well to nit pick a little bit, it's got some vast differences from the book. But hey, what novel adaptation(Sin City excluded) is truely faithful to the book in the end?

Either way, this is one of the best films of the 90's, or the century, or of ever. Watching it brings back fond memories of my childhood and my eccentric quest to become a palientologist.

Is this a movie about racing?

NevermoresRaven — Fri, 18 Apr 2008 23:55:21 GMT

What happened to racing films? Where did we lose our way? How did we go from "Days of Thunder" to things like "Fast and the Furious"(which calling it a racing film is a big stretch and giving it too much credit) and "Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby"?

So let's talk about the latter, shall we? According to "Talladega Nights" all NASCAR drivers and fans are nothing but moronic rednecks from the deep south, giving the film a very one demensional feel with a "HURR HURR, REDNECKS ARE STUPID!" vibe. Will Ferrell's character(Ricky Bobby) has no depth and comes across as just a stupid southern boy(he names his kids "Walker" and "Texas ranger" for god's sake!). Even the other characters just come off as nothing more than yamering white trash drunks(with the exception of Ricky's pit cheif and Sacha Baron Cohen's French import driver).

Speaking of Sacha Baron Cohen, this guy just ain't that funny. He does a somewhat decent job here as the French driver Jean Girard. The only problem is the film relies on such low-brow humor that they made his accent so thick that everything sounds like he's talking into a pillow(I won't use the line from the film because it's just stupid sounding). This ruined what could have been a good character in this film.

So are there any good characters? Yes, Michael Clarke Duncan gives a good role as the sort of voice of reason and Ricky's pit cheif. Another mention goes to Amy Adams, even if she does have a small part she is a wonderfully talented actress, and damn good looking to boot.

So how do I, as a NASCAR fan, stand on this film? While the racing scenes are fairly accurate to the real thing(with drafting and what not), the whole "NASCAR is for rednecks, HURR HURR" thing will forever bring this movie down. Don't bother with this, unless you're a closed minded moron.

A good film, but not the best by any stretch.

NevermoresRaven — Fri, 18 Apr 2008 23:18:09 GMT

I'm the type of guy who's sort of on the fence when it comes to teen comedy-dramas that involve people getting pregnant, simply because it's been done before. Maybe it's also got to do with the fact that I knew so many girls in highschool who were pregnant that it's made me take a sick and twisted view of teen pregnancy issues. Yet something about 2007's "Juno" made me forget most of my quarrels with this style.

As you know, Juno(Ellen Page) gets pregnant by Bleeker(Michael Cera), and goes off to find a good family to give the child to(Jason Bateman and Jennifer Garner). Ok so the plot is pretty thin, but that's to be expected when you think about most films these days.

There's a lot of talk on the ol' interwebs about how this movie is nothing more than "worthless hipster bullshit", which makes no sense to me. Most people are just bitching about it because it was the big popular movie, just like they did with "Transformers" and "The Matrix". People online will find anything to complain about so that they can seem cool, popular, and intellectual. Don't listen to these poeple, but please listen to me.

Ellen Page gives a good(not great) performance as a semi-geeky girl who has no quarrels spitting out pop-culture references whenever able. Sure there's some things that seem a little odd and out of place, but people bring up that "She's supposed to be 16, no 16 year old talks like that". That's a BS argument, because I was spewing pop-culture satire and the likes when I was that age(and that was only 6 years ago mind you). I like the fact that she makes a Thundercats joke(and I don't want to hear the whole "she got the line wrong! RAAAAAGGGGEEE!" crap because you're a moron if you can't just accept a fun reference). Michael Cera gives a somewhat half-assed performance as Bleeker, but that seems more due to the fact that his part really isn't as big as one might expect. In fact, I think Jennifer Garner has more screen time than Cera does. I can't blame it all on him, but in the long run Michael Cera is sort of a one trick pony, kind of like Rachel Dratch...that same tone and facial expression no matter the role.

J.K. Simmons(of Spiderman fame) does an exceptional job as Juno's father, with the sort of wit and charm you'd expect from him(and the line "I'm gonna' punch that Bleeker kid in the weiner" is great).

The music is a big downside to this film. it's all acoustic "indie"-pop junk that could have been taken out n favor of something to better suit the personalities of the characters. Sure there's a Sonic Youth song in there, but who even likes Sonic Youth anymore? Nobody, that's who.

So in the long run this is an enjoyable film, if you don't mind some missed character development, a thin plot, and some strange lines(yes, even I admit that "honest to blog?" is fake as all get out), and a few missed jokes. Just don't let the whiney idiots that lurk about the lands of the internet deter you with all their anti-"hipster"(what the hell does "hipster" even mean?) junk.

Silent classic that holds it's ground

NevermoresRaven — Fri, 18 Apr 2008 22:54:25 GMT

"The General" is another one of those silent classics(like "The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari") that seems to hold it's own 81 years after it's debut. I won't go in to the details of the plot, needless to say it's a slapstick comedy taking place during the United States Civil War(yes, other countries have had civil wars too).

The comedic aspects of this film are great, and the slapstick works well. In fact, it tends to work better than most modern slapstick attempts. It's really simple stuff too, a guy falling through a hole in a bridge, or tossing a plank of wood over the train car he's trying to get it into. Yet it made me laugh out loud, which is something this movie should be proud of.

The acting isn't really something you can comment on when it comes to silent films, because it's not like you can really get into a character if they have no voice right? So i'm going to avoid trying to comment on this for fear of being yelled at by the mavens.

Overall? A good laugh, Buster Keaton really knows(knew, whatever) how to get people laughing. Even if you don't like silent films, this is good for it's lack of dialouge.

Classic Film Noir, classic goodness

NevermoresRaven — Fri, 18 Apr 2008 22:38:51 GMT

War is hell, and the second world war drove that point home in Europe. Vienna is one such place that took a beating during the war. This crumbling, war torn, damp, conflict riddled hell hole(no offence Vienna, you're beautiful now) is the backdrop to the 1949 film noir classic "The Third Man". As I've said before, some older films don't hold up too well, but others still stand out decades after(we're talking 59 years already for this one). This is one such film.

The film is a mystery(what, a film noir as a mystery? Crazy, I know), where a man who comes to Vienna to work for a friend is instead left to figure out what happened after his death. The different occuping armies(United States, Britian, France, and Russian) are all playing a part somewhere along the road, and none are too keen on playing well with others it seems.

The acting is very well played, Joseph Cotten plays the protaginist Holly Martins(I kid you not, he's a guy named Holly) with passion, humor, and a style that seems all his own. Orson Welles plays his recently dead buddy Harry Lime, giving that wonderful Welles touch that we've seen him add to characters so often("Citizen Kane", and even Unicron in the 1986 "Transformers" animated film). Another honorable mention goes to Trevor Howard as Major Calloway, he just seemed so confident, yet confused and over the top at the same time.

The cinimatography adds a feeling of depth as well, with city streets only so visible and almost every cornor shrouded in darkness. The ending scenes in the sewer are almost haunting as vocies echo from the darkness, and nobody's quite sure where the others are.

The music is on a whole different level, using some odd multi-stringed insturment that I cna't recall the name of(but it has something like 8 million strings). This is the only insturment heard in the entire film, which gives the film a somewhat laid back feel amongst all the deception, lies, and attempted murder. It could have taken away from the overall feel of the film, but really it gives it a great little sense of humor.

In the end, this is another one of those classics that I just have to say "go, watch, now!". The acting is top notch, the music is fun, and the whole thing just rings of greatness. No wonder it's considered one of the best film noir's ever.