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Popcorn-Sized Movie Reviews: Inception and Scott Pilgrim

Here are two popcorn-sized movie reviews (in 250 words or less) you can read on the go.

87% on Rotten Tomatoes

Everybody dreams, in one meaning of the word or another, and most people are familiar with the beliefs surrounding them: for example, when you fall in your dreams, you die, or in the case of Inception, you wake up.

Innovative director Christopher Nolan, a visionary of our time, takes a basic idea like dreaming and fashions it into a whirlwind of cinematography and storytelling. With expertly shot camera work and a well-rounded cast plucked from various movie genres, Nolan delivers a film that, while low on typical Hollywood excitement, pulls you into its building momentum of a dream within a dream within a dream in which a crew of mind hackers attempt the perhaps unachievable: the inception of an idea.

On screen, Inception lays down the groundwork of everything that’s universal about dreams, and from there spirals into an intelligent film that ticks like clockwork in its excellence and self-control. Romance, drama, suspense, action, and a dab of comedy engulf Nolan’s best production yet, a classic mind-bending film that refuses to stands still and always impresses with its masterful design and thoughtful progression.

Also, Leonardo DiCaprio doesn’t smother the movie, so tween fangirls, steer clear.

81% on Rotten Tomatoes

Pop culture might infuse Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, which stars the one-note Michael Cera and adapts the popular Oni Press series by Brian Lee O’Malley, but the film promises a richer time that breaks through any audience limitations.

Despite its hit-or-miss humor (especially during the beginning third), Scott Pilgrim brings a surprising charm that wins over moviegoers with its heartfelt story and colorful visuals. Easing into its groove once the ambitious Sex Bob-Omb band member Scott lays his eyes on dream girl Ramona Flowers, the movie sets a fun and knowingly silly beat. The real surprise is the movie’s nicely choreographed and energetic fight scenes, which never feel sloppy camera-wise and allow viewers to easily follow each kick and punch and K.O. to its dramatic finish.

The acting could use some polish, feeling painfully amateur at times, but each character quickly gains a comfortable, though often short-lived, place in the movie. The highlights-knocking power blast of indie music songs and hipster flair trumps any awkward first impressions. Scott Pilgrim might have short-fused at the box office, but it wraps up as an endearing story and a good flick that creatively blends comics and video games with broken hearts and love at first sight.

Want more popcorn-sized movie reviews, low on fat but with all that buttery goodness? Let me know!

Tags: Christopher Nolan, Edgar Wright, Inception, Michael Cera, Scott Pilgrim vs. the World
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Review: X-Files/30 Days of Night #1

X-Files? Vampires? Yes, please! This Wednesday, July 14, you can have both thanks to Wildstorm’s line-up. And how is the crossover? Click the link and head over to OneMetal to find out for yourself!

The television phenomenon whose supernatural, paranormal, and extraterrestrial graces earned it nine long seasons, two movies, and more praise than one basement office can tuck away has met revival in the comics community. After Topps Comics provided fans three years of issues, which matched the second through fifth seasons, the X-Files packed up and transferred to its new home at Wildstorm (DC). Now a successful writer and a guitarist are bringing two horrific sci-fi wonders together on the page. 30 Days of Night co-sire Steve Niles and Adam Jones of Tool fame have partnered for the six-issue crossover X-Files/30 Days of Night, which premieres this Wednesday.

Wildstorm isn’t holding back in celebration, either. They’ve arranged a total of three distinctive covers to accompany the debut: The standard cover features the work of Andrea Sorrentino (God of War), the X-Files variant that of Tom Mandrake, and the 30 Days of Night that of Sam Kieth (The Maxx, Lobo). With Mandrake previously contributing visuals to The Spectre and Batman comics, the DC familiar is providing the main artwork for this latest X-Files mystery.

Tags: 30 Days Of Night, Adam Jones, Andrea Sorrentino, DC, OneMetal, Sam Kieth, Steve Niles, Tom Mandrake, Wildstorm, X-Files
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Review: Firefly: Still Flying

Whedon fans enjoy a good venture into the Black once and awhile, and so does Titan Books, which has published a new companion book called Firefly: Still Flying. Here’s a preview of my OneMetal review:

Browncoats, gather ’round for more of your favorite Big Damn Heroes. Titan Books celebrates the legacy of Joss Whedon’s sci-fi runaway hit Firefly, revisiting every corner of the Black and charting new territories that the series’ dedicated, active fanbase helped build. Still Flying records the most influential moments in the beloved television show’s history, which extends far beyond its Fox shelf-life.

There’s a lot of shiny treasure to discover within this collection’s pages. Spilling with storyboards, production art, rare exclusives, and previously unreleased photographs, Still Flying takes apart the acclaimed show and reconstructs it piece by piece for the reader. Key members of Firefly family remember the short-lived drama by infusing otherwise humdrum explanations of the writing process, costuming, location scouting, prop and “boat” designing, and stunt coordinating with personality and anecdotes. The book spotlights the actors, meshing together fragments of interviews, and recollects the crew’s behind-the-scenes, episode-to-episode efforts. The vibrant web that results sleekly embodies Firefly’s overall spirit and intelligence.

Read the rest here.

Tags: Bed Edlund, Brett Matthews, Firefly, Fox, Jane Espenson, Jose Molina, Joss Whedon, OneMetal, Serenity, Still Flying, Titan Books
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Review: Yippee Ki-Yay Moviegoer

Two thumbs up for movies! Who doesn’t love ‘em? Well, I guess old school reading elitists, and people who despise Hollywood idiocy … okay, I’m not making a very convincing defense of movies, but I do adore them, generally speaking. And so does Vern, Ain’t It Cool News writer and long-time moviegoer. Recently he put together and shipped off to Titan Books a new paperback that collects over eighty film reviews and essays.

Moviegoers, hold that popcorn; cinema lovers, be kind and pause; amateur and professional film critics, move over because the Seattle familiar and internet scribe popularly known as “Vern” has once again entered the literary arena, widening the scope of film studies with his intense and utterly entertaining new book.

Two years after publicizing Seagalogy: A Study of the Ass-Kicking Films of Steven Seagal, Vern returns to Titan Books to channel his energy into another instant hit: “Yippee Ki-Yay Moviegoer!”: Writings on Bruce Willis, Badass Cinema, and Other Important Topics. The frequent Ain’t It Cool News website contributor packages more than a love for ’80s action movie icons like Bruce Willis and Clint Eastwood into his roughly 400-page monster, a lovechild of his movie career that spans film generations and traces genre and actor legacies. Always insightful, Vern groups his eighty-plus reviews into thematic sections, dedicated to such topics as the warrior code and masculinity, society, the near pornographic (or downright disturbing), summer blockbusters, and various other oddball trends. Sifting through little known or foreign gems (several of them still only available on VHS) and then grazing more mainstream classics, Vern’s collection offers a well-rounded film education: He focuses his attention on such titles as Enter the Ninja, Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome, Knightriders, Brokeback Mountain, The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie, Zoo, The Gingerdead Man, and Yojimbo, to name a handful.

Read the full review at OneMetal.

Tags: Titan Books, Vern, Yippee Ki-Yay Moviegoer
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Iron Man 2: He’s Good for Peace Consulting

Yesterday I watched Iron Man 2 with a good friend of mine, and only a day later, after chewing over the film a bit more, we both (separately, mind you) arrived at the same conclusion: The more we thought about it, the less we liked the sequel. For me, if a movie doesn’t sit quite well, and I can’t figure out straight away my impression, then I maybe need to sleep on it or drink some coffee or take a shower and think about it. Other times, the very act of writing helps me figure out what I like and don’t like about a movie or comic or video game, et cetera.

My point is, if you weren’t gushing over Iron Man 2 and you can’t figure out exactly why, maybe a line or two of my review with strike a chord:

Two years ago, Robert Downey Jr. charmed audiences with Tony Stark’s smarmy playboy attitude. Jeez, we’re chumps for assholes, as long as those assholes look good wearing Jaeger-LeCoultre and several flirtatious women. If he hadn’t endured months of terrorist torture, developed a knack for responsibility and peace and other heartwarming attributes, and came within minutes of dying horribly, Stark would have gleefully trampled egos like bubble wrap for the entire movie. Thank God those terrorists nurtured some character in him, right? Screenwriter Justin Theroux mulled over these various elements and decided that the “dying horribly” part was most endearing of all because that’s what he ran with for the popular movie’s sequel. And ran … and ran.

Read the full review now at RadNerd.

Another thing: I was just having a conversation about Mickey Rourke the other day. Supposedly he was damn good looking in his younger days, but drugs, wrestling, plastic surgery, and other fun activities zapped all the physical magnetism right out of him. But hey, everything has a silver lining, right? Now he gets to portray fucked-up Russian villains. And man, does he know his fucked-up Russians.

Rourke and Kim Basinger, who both starred in Nine 1/2 Weeks (1986)

Tags: Clark Gregg, Don Cheadle, Gwyneth Paltrow, Iron Man 2, Jon Favreau, Justin Theroux, Mickey Rourke, Robert Downey Jr, Sam Rockwell, Samuel L. Jackson, Scarlett Johansson
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Let Hit-Girl In

I’m fond of the Swedish vampire film, Let the Right One In, which stars Lina Leandersson as a “young” girl named Eli who befriends a twelve-year-old boy named Oskar. So of course, Hollywood decided we need an American remake. Of course. Because subtitles are hard.

Director Matt Reeves (his writer/producer/director experience consists mostly of Felicity TV credits) has reportedly delved into the original novel and, from the source, scrambled together a different take and renamed the central characters with more American friendly names: Abby and Owen, two names you rarely hear, so I guess that’s better than Ashley and … okay, what’s an overly popular boy’s name beginning with the letter “O”? Oswald? Oliver? … Otto? Let’s just move on.

So there’s good news and bad news. I wouldn’t count Reeves as a brilliant choice who’s going to pump out some remake that justifies the remaking, and the idea of a “different take” probably isn’t the greatest sign, all things considered, but at least the actors hold some promise. I don’t know much about Kodi Smit-McPhee (The Road; Stranded), but many recent moviegoers such as I were impressed by Chloe Moretz in last month’s Kick-Ass. She looks cute, sure, but she has bite to her.

Heh. Get it, “bite”? … Yeah, okay.

Am I the only one who can’t stop envisioning, “Let me in, you cunts”?

[via /Film]

Tags: Chloe Moretz, Kodi Smit-McPhee, Let Me In, Let the Right One In, Matt Reeves
Posted in Movies/TV | 3 Comments »

Mathematical! It’s Adventure Time!

I don’t know about you, but I’ve been searching for my next favorite cartoon since Futurama finally bit Bender’s shiny metal ass and met its sad end (sort of … don’t get me started, right?). Episodes of shows like The Simpsons and King of the Hill always give me that warm feeling inside, but I can’t help but crave a show that will charm me into loyal submission with its daring, colorful animated exploits.

Problem solved: Adventure Time has saved this lonely princess’ heart for a good, long while (hopefully).

While most of the cartoons I see floating around Cartoon Network and Comedy Central tend to make my stomach churn, Adventure Time (Cartoon Network) is a magical concoction of pure cuteness that’s somewhat disturbing in the end. Full of hilarious phrases that catch on like a wildfire worth talking about, Adventure Time (created by Pendleton Ward) stars the brave good-doer Finn the Human Boy (voiced by Jeremy Shada, who apparently played a young Charlie in two episodes of ABC’s Lost) and the flexible, Clifford the Big Red Dog-esque Jake the Dog (John Di Maggio, aka Bender from, hey, Futurama). The two happy adventurers explore the fantasy land of Ooo in search of trouble, trouble that often involves saving weird princesses (Hot Dog princess, Lumpy Space princess) from much weirder conundrums. They also reprimand the super tool Ice King on a bi-weekly basis, discover incredibly adorable creatures, and battle evil monsters in evil forests. On weekends, they party in Princess Bubblegum’s royal castle.

As you can see from the previous paragraph, Adventure Time is easy to love and full of character. Of course, once you’re hooked, you’ll have to put up with its thirty-minute, two-part episode schedule. That’s not nearly enough Adventure Time.

Only eight episodes (four TV spots) have aired so far, and you can catch Adventure Time every Monday at 8 pm (E/P).

Until Monday rolls around, you can watch clips on Youtube here. Righteous!

Tags: Adventure Time, Cartoon Network, Jeremy Shada, John DiMaggio
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