Hooray, the new Harry Potter film is here. Was it worth the wait? Well, more yes than no, which is a good thing.
Alright, so we all know the basic Harry Potter storyline, right? Harry Potter is the chosen one, and he is the one who must face Voldemort (=o !!!) and kill him. Voldemort (klhasdkjhsd!@(*&@#) is of course the deadliest wizard in the entire world (omg), and his only botched murder attempt happened to be on Harry Potter. As the story evolves, Harry Potter gets older, hornier, and progressively closer to facing Voldemort (damn it, stop saying his name) once and for all.
In this 6th installment of the Potter series, Harry and Dumbledore embark on a CSI style investigation of Voldemort's (!) stored memories from childhood in hopes of maybe unlocking some sort of secret that will help bring the evil wizard down to China town. While this is going on however, life resumes, and the audience gets a painful (maybe pleasant for some) reminder of what it use to feel like to be a teenage. I don't know if director David Yates decided on keeping the estrogen flowing throughout this movie simply to compete with the Twilight series, but shit, these kids are fraking horny.
Now, don't get me wrong. This whole hormone thing was clearly present throughout Rowling's series, and on purpose to boot. But, as a fan of the books, I never once felt that the Voldemort (!) storyline fell second to the teenage drama that was going on. I also felt that because there was so much emphasis on the teenage life throughout the film, there was little room for all of the wizardry that should have been going on. Now, I do hate comparing book to film, but this is an issue that I must bring up. I have not read the Half-Blood Prince book since it came out, mainly because I did not want to be disappointed when the movie came out because I knew that shit would get changed in the movie, thus leaving me utterly annoyed. However, with that being said, there were some very key things that this movie fumbled the ball on. For instance, the entire wizard battle at the end of the book is non-existent! What the fuck! Director Yates, shame on you! That could have been epic as shit! I just used four exclamation points in a row I'm so angry! (Fuck, now 5! 6?)
But lets be honest here. I'm not here to compare the book to the film. The film, on it's own, is a good one. There weren't any dull moments in the movie, but there weren't any that blew my mind either. The story was paced pretty well, and considering the amount of material Yates had to work with, he did a decent job cutting it up and creating a happy medium. Some things about this film that did absolutely 100% blow my mind however, were the special effects and cinematography. This is some Grade A shit guys and gals. And trust me, you don't need to be a movie junkie to realize that whats up on that silver screen, from a technical standpoint anyway, is nothing short of staggering.
Recommendation: The Potter book fans will be content, and surely consider this to be a worthy installment in the film series. The Potter movie fans however, won't know what was left out from the book, and will probably like this movie a lot more. Clearly, the only real recommendation here is to stop reading this review immediately, and instead, to start reading the Harry Potter series as opposed to watching it.
Rating: 3/4
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
Monday, July 13, 2009
Movie Review -- Bruno
Sacha Baron Cohen storms onto the silver screen once again, and naturally, he pushes the boundaries of comedic cinema once more. If you think Borat was offensive, or just plain disgusting, wait until you see this one. But then again, if you enjoyed Borat, there is a very good chance that you will like this one just as much, if not more.
The movie's central character, Bruno, is an Austrian, who by the way is a flaming homosexual, in case you were unable to deduce that little piece of information from the trailer, who just wants to be famous, and will do just about anything to realize that dream. Bruno travels all around the world, meets different people, and, just like Borat, embarrassing situations seem to find him.
The only difference between the ridiculous situations in this movie and Borat however, are the people that are found in them. They have a much higher profile this time around. Individuals such as Ron Paul and Paula Abdul, just to name a few, make appearances. This of course doesn't make the scenarios any less funnier, but the audience will certainly be more suspicious of the pranks authenticity.
There are some very funny scenes in this movie. I don't want to ruin anything for you, but some of these scenes need to be seen to be believed. There are also some other scenes with some profound moral implications. For instance, there is an unbelievable scene in which parents agree to do the most outrageous things to their little kids in order to get them in the spotlight. One parent agrees to use liposuction on her 30 pound infant! This scene, is of course, what this movie is all about. Exactly how far will someone go to be liked, or in Bruno's case, be famous?
The movie raises this important question because it is something that many people today struggle with. If you want to be gay, then whats wrong with that? Apparently, many people have a problem with such differences. Just youtube "Homosexuality Exorcism," and you'll get the idea. But it isn't just about being gay, it's about being different. It's okay to be who you are, even if no one else agrees with that, which is what the movie brilliantly highlights in one of it's climactic scenes involving a wrestling ring.
Recommendation: While this movie isn't a masterpiece, that doesn't mean it isn't beautiful. I highly encourage everyone to see this film.
Rating: 3.5/4
The movie's central character, Bruno, is an Austrian, who by the way is a flaming homosexual, in case you were unable to deduce that little piece of information from the trailer, who just wants to be famous, and will do just about anything to realize that dream. Bruno travels all around the world, meets different people, and, just like Borat, embarrassing situations seem to find him.
The only difference between the ridiculous situations in this movie and Borat however, are the people that are found in them. They have a much higher profile this time around. Individuals such as Ron Paul and Paula Abdul, just to name a few, make appearances. This of course doesn't make the scenarios any less funnier, but the audience will certainly be more suspicious of the pranks authenticity.
There are some very funny scenes in this movie. I don't want to ruin anything for you, but some of these scenes need to be seen to be believed. There are also some other scenes with some profound moral implications. For instance, there is an unbelievable scene in which parents agree to do the most outrageous things to their little kids in order to get them in the spotlight. One parent agrees to use liposuction on her 30 pound infant! This scene, is of course, what this movie is all about. Exactly how far will someone go to be liked, or in Bruno's case, be famous?
The movie raises this important question because it is something that many people today struggle with. If you want to be gay, then whats wrong with that? Apparently, many people have a problem with such differences. Just youtube "Homosexuality Exorcism," and you'll get the idea. But it isn't just about being gay, it's about being different. It's okay to be who you are, even if no one else agrees with that, which is what the movie brilliantly highlights in one of it's climactic scenes involving a wrestling ring.
Recommendation: While this movie isn't a masterpiece, that doesn't mean it isn't beautiful. I highly encourage everyone to see this film.
Rating: 3.5/4
Sunday, July 12, 2009
Concert Review -- Judas Priest
I just saw Judas Priest last night at the PNC Banks Art Center in Holmdel, NJ, and holy shit, what a show. I've seen them a couple of times now since Rob Halford has returned to the band, but this show, mainly due to the set list, was easily one of their best.
I wasn't to sure about them playing the entire British Steel album live, but I have to say, that shit rocked like there was no tomorrow. The rest of the set list contained songs from that same era, except for the one Nostradamus song they played, so for the entire show, I felt like I was rocking out in the 70s somewhere. Some of the slower moving stuff in songs like The Rage & Victim of Chances really had people tripping out. I think I actually saw some people dancing and grooving out...at a Judas Priest show.
But the show wasn't all groovy rock though. Once the lights hit on Breaking The Law and Freewheel Burning (yes, that's right, Freewheel fucking Burning...motorcycle and all), you bet your little ass that everyone had their heads banging & fists pumping in the air (please do not confuse this for the Jersey fist pump, none of this nonsense here). Fuck me silly, what a show.
The openers, Pop Evil, I missed, I think, subconsciously, on purpose. I've heard a couple of their songs on the radio, and their music just isn't my thing. Whitesnake on the other hand wasn't bad at all. They played a lot of songs from the one album that I have of them, so, at times, I was actually enjoying them.
These opening acts didn't matter though, is what I'm really trying to say. Once the mighty Priest hit the ground running with Rapid Fire (woo!), and Halford ambled onto the stage in his new Denim outfit, that was it, I was completely and utterly sold, and so was everyone else in that joint.
Thank you Judas Priest for 40 long years of Heavy Metal, and may you keep on rocking for another 40.
I wasn't to sure about them playing the entire British Steel album live, but I have to say, that shit rocked like there was no tomorrow. The rest of the set list contained songs from that same era, except for the one Nostradamus song they played, so for the entire show, I felt like I was rocking out in the 70s somewhere. Some of the slower moving stuff in songs like The Rage & Victim of Chances really had people tripping out. I think I actually saw some people dancing and grooving out...at a Judas Priest show.
But the show wasn't all groovy rock though. Once the lights hit on Breaking The Law and Freewheel Burning (yes, that's right, Freewheel fucking Burning...motorcycle and all), you bet your little ass that everyone had their heads banging & fists pumping in the air (please do not confuse this for the Jersey fist pump, none of this nonsense here). Fuck me silly, what a show.
The openers, Pop Evil, I missed, I think, subconsciously, on purpose. I've heard a couple of their songs on the radio, and their music just isn't my thing. Whitesnake on the other hand wasn't bad at all. They played a lot of songs from the one album that I have of them, so, at times, I was actually enjoying them.
These opening acts didn't matter though, is what I'm really trying to say. Once the mighty Priest hit the ground running with Rapid Fire (woo!), and Halford ambled onto the stage in his new Denim outfit, that was it, I was completely and utterly sold, and so was everyone else in that joint.
Thank you Judas Priest for 40 long years of Heavy Metal, and may you keep on rocking for another 40.
Wednesday, July 8, 2009
Movie Review -- Away We Go
Alas, the new Sam Mendes movie, Away We Go, starring John Krasinski (The Office!) & Maya Rudolph, is here. The story revolves around two individuals, Burt & Verona, who are madly in love with the each other. The fact that they are piss poor, for instance, is of little significance because, hey, they are in love (duh!). Once the couple discovers that Verona is pregnant, and that Burt's parents will not be there to take care of the child however, they decide to tour the country in hopes of finding a place to settle down and start a nice little family. How quaint. This movie, in short, is a film about life, and how crazy it is, the ups and the downs of it, and no matter how hard we try, we have no control over how everything turns out. Might as well enjoy it while you are enjoying it, I guess.
Throughout their little excursion however, Burt and Verona make little pit stops here and there to say hello to some old friends, who are, for the most part, rather strange to say the least. The eccentric personalities that Burt & Verona run into during their little road trip are all very interesting characters, and to some degree, keep the movie rolling along. Mendes uses these different characters wisely in a sense that he creates a pretty good balance between humor & some very touching moments.
Despite the well timed humor and the sweet moments though, this movie was just 'okay.' I will say that I was almost positive that I was walking into another brilliant Sam Mendes movie, but for some reason, I just wasn't crazy about this one once the credits started to roll up. This movie felt like filler to me. Something to keep the Mendes fans at bay while he meticulously prepared his next mammoth sized film behind the scenes. Let's face it, films like Road to Perdition, Revolutionary Road, and American Beauty are on a totally different level when compared to Away We Go.
However, please don't take this as me saying that Away We Go was an 'okay' movie simply because it wasn't as good as the other movies that were directed by Mendes. What I'm trying to say is that this movie was good, and that's it. A very fine movie indeed. The movie started off in an interesting fashion, but then it started to drag a bit towards the end, and then I just didn't care as much as I did in the beginning. Nothing to write home about, but nothing to cry about either.
Recommendation: Catch it on a matinee, or wait for the rental if you're going to be watching this one alone. Might not be a bad choice of movie if chicks are in the audience though, and even then, I'm not so sure (dahhhh, I'm such a chauvinist pig! whatever).
Rating: 2.5/4
Throughout their little excursion however, Burt and Verona make little pit stops here and there to say hello to some old friends, who are, for the most part, rather strange to say the least. The eccentric personalities that Burt & Verona run into during their little road trip are all very interesting characters, and to some degree, keep the movie rolling along. Mendes uses these different characters wisely in a sense that he creates a pretty good balance between humor & some very touching moments.
Despite the well timed humor and the sweet moments though, this movie was just 'okay.' I will say that I was almost positive that I was walking into another brilliant Sam Mendes movie, but for some reason, I just wasn't crazy about this one once the credits started to roll up. This movie felt like filler to me. Something to keep the Mendes fans at bay while he meticulously prepared his next mammoth sized film behind the scenes. Let's face it, films like Road to Perdition, Revolutionary Road, and American Beauty are on a totally different level when compared to Away We Go.
However, please don't take this as me saying that Away We Go was an 'okay' movie simply because it wasn't as good as the other movies that were directed by Mendes. What I'm trying to say is that this movie was good, and that's it. A very fine movie indeed. The movie started off in an interesting fashion, but then it started to drag a bit towards the end, and then I just didn't care as much as I did in the beginning. Nothing to write home about, but nothing to cry about either.
Recommendation: Catch it on a matinee, or wait for the rental if you're going to be watching this one alone. Might not be a bad choice of movie if chicks are in the audience though, and even then, I'm not so sure (dahhhh, I'm such a chauvinist pig! whatever).
Rating: 2.5/4
Sunday, July 5, 2009
The First Post
This is the first post, and somewhat of a test. Someone told me that I should create a blog, and I did, but now that I am here, I don't know what to write about.
I like Doritos.
I like Doritos.
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