Greetings to everyone out there!
So, last night I saw Cloverfield, and basically it was totally awesome.
I really enjoyed it. The story was cliche, but the way the movie was shot, and the dialog really made for an enjoyable experience. That being said, this movie is not for everyone. You have to be okay with not finding much out about the history of the monster attacking New York, and the hand held cameras can make some people queasy or give a headache. I would suggest sitting to the side in the theater, as opposed to directly in the middle.
The way the movie was presented, though, was really cool. From a film making perspective, the movie was great. They really captured the characters, in my opinion, and though some people were turned off by the seemingly lengthy opening at the party, before the monster ever attacks, I thought it was a brilliant way to get you somewhat invested in these characters at the start. Also, the dialog was perfect, and really made you feel like these were real people caught in this massive situation. The movie is not perfect, and definitely has its major flaws (these people have an inhuman ability to survive catastrophe and injury). Suspension of disbelief is necessary going in.
All that being said, I loved this movie, and am intrigued to see if a sequel does happen. I know I will be there for it.
Now, in the vein of movies to see, there are a couple of movies that I feel like all of you should go see if you haven't yet before they are taken out of theaters. I want to say they will last a little while longer now that they have both been nominated for best picture Oscars, but that could have absolutely no bearing whatsoever on how much longer they stay in theaters.
First, there is No Country for Old Men. This movie is awesome. If you are familiar with the Cohen Brothers' previous films(O' Brother Where Art Thou?, The Big Lebowski, Fargo), you will know that these two are gifted film makers. This movie, however, is on a whole new level. I feel like it was the best movie to be released in 2007, and I have heard agreement from many places. One of the craziest things, in my opinion, about this movie is that there is absolutely no background music. The only time you would even hear music is if a character were listening to it, or could hear it. Because of this, the film is brilliantly suspenseful. You can hear every creak of a floorboard as someone walks slowly by a door, and the character on the side we experience sits there, patiently waiting, listening for any sound of threat. Also of note, is Javier Bardem's brilliant turn as Anton Chigurh, a sociopath set on the trail of the "hero" of the story. Bardem conveys an insanity beneath the surface, and the cold, expressionless face he puts forward is haunting. I would put him down as having one of the best performances of 2007, if not THE best. Also, if you are curious as to what the movie is about, here is a rundown without giving away too much: Llewelyn Moss is out hunting one day when he stumbles across the remnants of a shootout that left 2.4 million dollars up for grabs. He takes the money, and from then on he is running from Anton Chigurh, a ruthless sociopath trying to retrieve the money, most likely for his own gain.
Second, is Juno. Juno is somewhat dark, but the characters are very real, and endearing. The movie left me feeling very good as it ended, and I was pleased with the way things happened. The movie was really funny, attributed mainly to the dialog. There were definitely bad things that happened to Juno, that put her into situations that no 16/17 year old should have to face, but Ellen Page really shined in this role. I have been hearing her name thrown around over the last couple of years as someone to watch out for because she is going to do some pretty great stuff in film. Apart from Page, the supporting players were really helped me to invest in the story. If you don't know already, Juno is about Juno McGuff, a 16 year old girl who becomes pregnant after her first time having sex. The film revolves around her response to this situation, and what she will do with the baby.
So, that is all I have for you now. Until next time,
-Brandon
You can't stop the signal...
1.22.2008
1.21.2008
The Inagural Post
Greetings to everyone out there in cyber-land!
So this is the first of, what I hope will be many, posts. This blog is really going to be my way of expressing what I think is totally awesome, and that you, my soon to be loyal, readers should check out. Also, I may rant about things that really bug me.
So, to start things rolling, I want to run down exactly what I predict will be worth your time/money in the coming year. My list of ten things I anticipate, and you should too. Here goes nothing:
Top 10 Things to Come in 2008 as Predicted by Me:
10. Iron Man - This movie just looks pretty awesome. I am really interested to see how they get this story going, and I feel like the cast is going to do a bang-up job with it. I mean, Robert Downey Jr. is totally awesome in anything I have seen him in recently, and I feel like this will be no exception. The trailer looks awesome, so, you should look out for it come May 2.
9. Grand Theft Auto 4 - I love video games that let you explore a massive world where you can really do whatever you want. There are consequences, but who cares? GTA 3 was totally awesome, and the next installment in the series looks to be even better. The city is modeled after New York City, and that in an of itself gets me pumped for it. I don't own either of the systems it will be coming out for, but I know people who do, and I have a Blockbuster Card, so... I have no idea when this is coming out because the date keeps changing, but when it does, I will definitely want to be playing it.
8. Wanted - Wow, another movie based on a comic that looks awesome? Whoda thunk it? I woulda. The trailer alone makes this look pretty spectacular. I mean, it is a comic story about a league of superVILLAINS who can manipulate laws of physics because they are so bad ass. If nothing else it promises some awesome action, and Morgan Freeman is in it. Hopefully if there is any voice over in the movie he will be doing it, because a voiceover is not at all worth paying attention to if he isn't doing it.
7. Super Smash Bros. Brawl - I have been waiting for this game for quite a while. The character roster keeps growing, and the fact that it is one of 7 games in history to get a 40 out of 40 from Famitsu in Japan. The game looks totally sweet, and the only thing that upsets me about it is that it has been pushed back twice now. It drops on March 9 in the States.
6. The Solomon Key - The next Dan Brown novel about Robert Langdon is set in the US, and has to do with the CIA and Freemasons. I don't really know much else about it, except that Angels and Demons and The Da Vinci Code both proved to be good reads, so I am optimistic that this will follow suit. Sure Dan Brown may write factually inaccurate stories, but they are entertaining. It is supposed to come out December 30.
5. Serenity: Better Days - One of the most enjoyable experiences of my last summer was watching through Joss Whedon's Firefly series, followed by the film Serenity, so when it was announced that there was going to be a comic series released that takes place between the end of the short lived show and the awesome movie, I got pretty excited. The story is about a heist the crew of Serenity pulls that goes right for a change. It is slated to start in March, and I am pretty excited to see where the adventures take the crew. If you haven't seen Serenity and Firefly, and enjoy well written stories, then you should check them out.
4. Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles - This started last week, and it was pretty freaking awesome in my opinion. Since the WGA strike is on, there is not a lot of new programming right now, but this show is a welcome addition for now. It is nowhere near as great as LOST but it is action packed and holds my attention. A good watch if you are a fan or action or the Terminator films. It is set after the second movie, and regarding the third as if it never happened. The series runs Monday nights after Prison Break on Fox at 8:00 Central time.
3. Cloverfield - I wanted to see this movie before I even saw a trailer for it. I heard that JJ Abrams (Alias, LOST, Mission: Impossible 3) was producing a movie, and that it was shrouded in secrecy, and I was like, "I am down for that," and then I saw the trailer. It is a pretty brilliant concept in my opinion, and the mere fact that they have kept what the monster looks like a secret until it released last Friday is awesome for me. It is now playing, and I will be seeing it tonight, and giving my thoughts sometime within the next 24 hours. Go see it now, before someone spoils it for you.
1. The Dark Knight - This is a really tough call for me. So tough, I had to give it a tie for the two things I am most excited for this year. The Dark Knight is the next film in Christopher Nolan's (Memento, The Prestige) Batman series. It is amazing to me how many people still do not realize that Batman Begins was a restart of the Batman franchise, and makes it so that the Tim Burton/Joel Schumacher series NEVER HAPPENED. This film introduces the Joker, Batman's archnemesis. Heath Ledger will be playing the part, and I am extremely excited for this. All the major players from the original are back, save Katie Holmes, who will be replaced by Maggie Gyllenhaal. The story apparently centers around Harvey Dent, as portrayed by Aaron Eckhart, and deals with the journey that leads him from being District Attorney, and close friend of Batman, to becoming Two Face. I am pumped for this to say the least. It comes out July 18, and will be phenomenal.
1. LOST Season 4 - The way things ended in May on LOST, the story promised to get pretty great. The survivors of Oceanic 815 had made contact with a freighter who would hopefully provide rescue, yet as Charlie gave his life to make sure this would happen, he passed along the message that those on the boat were not who they said they were ("Not Penny's Boat"). The series has been amazing from the get go, and now that they are using flash forwards to show what happens in the future, pieces of the puzzle will really start to fall into place. The season has been promised to be darker and more action packed than before, and there are new characters to be introduced, and a couple old one returning. I am beyond excited to see what happens next. The season begins on January 31.
So, there you are. I will try to update this often. Leave feedback about anything you think is worth my coverage.
Signing out for now,
Brandon
You can't stop the signal...
So this is the first of, what I hope will be many, posts. This blog is really going to be my way of expressing what I think is totally awesome, and that you, my soon to be loyal, readers should check out. Also, I may rant about things that really bug me.
So, to start things rolling, I want to run down exactly what I predict will be worth your time/money in the coming year. My list of ten things I anticipate, and you should too. Here goes nothing:
Top 10 Things to Come in 2008 as Predicted by Me:
10. Iron Man - This movie just looks pretty awesome. I am really interested to see how they get this story going, and I feel like the cast is going to do a bang-up job with it. I mean, Robert Downey Jr. is totally awesome in anything I have seen him in recently, and I feel like this will be no exception. The trailer looks awesome, so, you should look out for it come May 2.
9. Grand Theft Auto 4 - I love video games that let you explore a massive world where you can really do whatever you want. There are consequences, but who cares? GTA 3 was totally awesome, and the next installment in the series looks to be even better. The city is modeled after New York City, and that in an of itself gets me pumped for it. I don't own either of the systems it will be coming out for, but I know people who do, and I have a Blockbuster Card, so... I have no idea when this is coming out because the date keeps changing, but when it does, I will definitely want to be playing it.
8. Wanted - Wow, another movie based on a comic that looks awesome? Whoda thunk it? I woulda. The trailer alone makes this look pretty spectacular. I mean, it is a comic story about a league of superVILLAINS who can manipulate laws of physics because they are so bad ass. If nothing else it promises some awesome action, and Morgan Freeman is in it. Hopefully if there is any voice over in the movie he will be doing it, because a voiceover is not at all worth paying attention to if he isn't doing it.
7. Super Smash Bros. Brawl - I have been waiting for this game for quite a while. The character roster keeps growing, and the fact that it is one of 7 games in history to get a 40 out of 40 from Famitsu in Japan. The game looks totally sweet, and the only thing that upsets me about it is that it has been pushed back twice now. It drops on March 9 in the States.
6. The Solomon Key - The next Dan Brown novel about Robert Langdon is set in the US, and has to do with the CIA and Freemasons. I don't really know much else about it, except that Angels and Demons and The Da Vinci Code both proved to be good reads, so I am optimistic that this will follow suit. Sure Dan Brown may write factually inaccurate stories, but they are entertaining. It is supposed to come out December 30.
5. Serenity: Better Days - One of the most enjoyable experiences of my last summer was watching through Joss Whedon's Firefly series, followed by the film Serenity, so when it was announced that there was going to be a comic series released that takes place between the end of the short lived show and the awesome movie, I got pretty excited. The story is about a heist the crew of Serenity pulls that goes right for a change. It is slated to start in March, and I am pretty excited to see where the adventures take the crew. If you haven't seen Serenity and Firefly, and enjoy well written stories, then you should check them out.
4. Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles - This started last week, and it was pretty freaking awesome in my opinion. Since the WGA strike is on, there is not a lot of new programming right now, but this show is a welcome addition for now. It is nowhere near as great as LOST but it is action packed and holds my attention. A good watch if you are a fan or action or the Terminator films. It is set after the second movie, and regarding the third as if it never happened. The series runs Monday nights after Prison Break on Fox at 8:00 Central time.
3. Cloverfield - I wanted to see this movie before I even saw a trailer for it. I heard that JJ Abrams (Alias, LOST, Mission: Impossible 3) was producing a movie, and that it was shrouded in secrecy, and I was like, "I am down for that," and then I saw the trailer. It is a pretty brilliant concept in my opinion, and the mere fact that they have kept what the monster looks like a secret until it released last Friday is awesome for me. It is now playing, and I will be seeing it tonight, and giving my thoughts sometime within the next 24 hours. Go see it now, before someone spoils it for you.
1. The Dark Knight - This is a really tough call for me. So tough, I had to give it a tie for the two things I am most excited for this year. The Dark Knight is the next film in Christopher Nolan's (Memento, The Prestige) Batman series. It is amazing to me how many people still do not realize that Batman Begins was a restart of the Batman franchise, and makes it so that the Tim Burton/Joel Schumacher series NEVER HAPPENED. This film introduces the Joker, Batman's archnemesis. Heath Ledger will be playing the part, and I am extremely excited for this. All the major players from the original are back, save Katie Holmes, who will be replaced by Maggie Gyllenhaal. The story apparently centers around Harvey Dent, as portrayed by Aaron Eckhart, and deals with the journey that leads him from being District Attorney, and close friend of Batman, to becoming Two Face. I am pumped for this to say the least. It comes out July 18, and will be phenomenal.
1. LOST Season 4 - The way things ended in May on LOST, the story promised to get pretty great. The survivors of Oceanic 815 had made contact with a freighter who would hopefully provide rescue, yet as Charlie gave his life to make sure this would happen, he passed along the message that those on the boat were not who they said they were ("Not Penny's Boat"). The series has been amazing from the get go, and now that they are using flash forwards to show what happens in the future, pieces of the puzzle will really start to fall into place. The season has been promised to be darker and more action packed than before, and there are new characters to be introduced, and a couple old one returning. I am beyond excited to see what happens next. The season begins on January 31.
So, there you are. I will try to update this often. Leave feedback about anything you think is worth my coverage.
Signing out for now,
Brandon
You can't stop the signal...
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
