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Heroes Reborn: Brave New World (2015)
A Major recovery from the web-isode
Watching episode the prequel Web-isode left me utterly disappointed. It was nothing like what I had expected to come after a 5 year hiatus. I had pretty much decided that they had abandoned the complex character development and gone the funny zombie movie route. But, I begrudgingly watched episode 1 anyway.
Hooray! It is everything I expected from the series. Granted, I don't think anyone can replace the brilliance of the original cast, it still delivered in its own way. Plus, some (no spoiler) of the original cast is back in the series, and surprisingly they look to be in great physical shape. Its disappointing when you watch a squeal where some of the cast looks like they really let themselves go.
Cast: good. Acting: good. Special Effects: good. Cinematography: good. Story line: good. Screen play: good. There really are no short comings.
I'll be honest, I don't think you can one-up the original characters like Peter, Hiro, Sylar, and Noah (to name only a few.) Peter and Hiro alone were so well developed and cast that they could have had spin- off series. But, only one episode in, and I can't wait to see whats going to happen next.
If you were a fan of the original, I think you will not be disappointed.
Heroes Reborn: Dark Matters (2015)
On par with paranormal activity
The two main actors, the brother and the sister, are horribly bad at over acting. It is like watching any camera shaker movie: Blair Witch, Paranormal Activity, etc. And yes, like those movies, most of the footage is from the point of view of a shaky amateur camera. You are supposed to believe that people just leave the camera on while the world is blowing up around them.
The plot isn't half bad, but the acting and cinematography are horrible. I hate to say it, but the siblings just aren't camera friendly either. Maybe the modern trend is to have actors that look 'like us normal ugly people', but really who wants to watch ugly people? Sorry.
Luckily, from what people have told me, the first two real episodes are nothing like this episode. If it weren't for the excellent special effects, I would have seriously questioned if this episode was even official.
Hopefully the next time we have to see these actors, they will have taken some acting classes on how not to over act. The girl that plays the dorm mate isn't that bad an actress. Too bad she didn't have more lines.
Generation Um... (2012)
Much better than its rating
If I could give it a 6.5, I would. While it was not hugely captivating, it did hold my attention.
First of all, one of the best things about the movie is that it appears to be an independent film. What that means to me is that you will not have to suffer through all the trite Hollywood-isms like the boy risking his life for the girl of his dreams.
I will say that if you do not like dialog driven movies, this is not the movie for you. Nothing 'happens'. In fact, there isn't even much dialog. But, the content was fresh and cohesive. I think the acting/actions and cinematography carry the movie adequately enough that I never feel myself urging to hit the fast forward or stop button. Oddly enough, I do not recall if there was any soundtrack music. If there was, it blended in well enough as not to be a distraction.
Of major importance is the fact the the acting was good enough that at no point in the movie was I reminded that I am watching an actor. You know how in Django, every time Jamie Fox said something, you were reminded that he is an actor from the 21st century. To me, that ruins the movie experience. Some one is going to say, 'Every time I watch Keaneau Reeves, I think of "Bill and Ted."' To that I can only say, "Every time I hear Sean Connery talk, I think of James Bond. Every time I hear Robert DeNiro talk, I think of Taxi. Every time I hear Al Pacino talk, I think of Scarface. Yet these are all actors who are never criticized for being one-denominational" My point is, there are chameleon actors, and there aren't. The bulk of the actors out there aren't like Gary Oldman, who reinvents himself every movie.
Moving on, the last thing I have to say about the movie is that the ending was awesome. I can't say much more without spoiling it. I love when a movie forces me to re-frame events. Well done.
If I had to categorize the movie, then I would use the key words 'psychological drama'.
Seven Pounds (2008)
Incredible Movie
I did not know what this was movie was about before I viewed it. With Will Smith, I expected some type of action film or maybe a cheesy romance/comedy. An hour into the movie, I could have stopped watching and felt entertained "enough". But, entertainment is not the right word. Could you describe Mozart's "Requiem" as entertainment? This movie was just such a mix of overwhelming emotions.
How far does someone have to go to make up for the accidents they made in life? You have to watch this film. It should be rated much much higher. It would be a shame if people can't see past the suicide. If you couldn't handle "Million Dollar Baby", then this film is not for you. But, if you are tired of rehashes of the same old story line, or you are tired of cookie cutter Hollywood films, then you have to give this film a view.
This movie is about a good person who made a simple mistake that drastically changed his life, and how he chooses to deal with that mistake and the losses that it incurred. It's a tragedy. It's one of the best movies I have see in a long time.
Religulous (2008)
Selling Doubt, in a local theater near you
I watched this film hoping that it was educational. The introduction it self admits "I am selling doubt." Wow. What a powerful statement. I am not a religious person. I claim no religion and yet I also speak against the root of most religions. I personally believe that what most religions teach -the ones that teach selflessness, is "Hope." Hope that even though you may live in a world corrupt with greed and gluttony, there is some good and there is a greater power that rewards those who are good in the end. If that alone guides someones life so that they strive to be a better person, then I have to say that particular religion is good, for that individual.
What this movie does is point out all the obvious flaws in the religion, mostly the inaccuracies of the bible from a scientific point of view. Congratulations, captain obvious. Do you expect an Oscar for such trivialities? Everyone on the outside can quickly point out whats wrong. How about a film about what is right? Do you really have to depict President Bush as a religious fanatic? Was he not democratically elected? Do we not use popular vote (yes, I know how the electoral college works)? I get your not so subtle point, Mr Mathers. That we, the United States, can not continue to elect our nation's leader based solely on religion. Or maybe the point was more about how religion is just plain stupid, from your point of view, and that Bush must be stupid if he is religious. I get your point. I just think that your point is weak.
It becomes obvious that this film is not only Anti Christian, but Anti Conservative. How much of this film was dedicated to defending homosexuals? I am sorry, but what exactly does that have to do with religion? Homosexuals, Jesus Christ, and the Jewish Holocaust are all about the same...right? The execution of over 6 million Jews, a god sending down his son, and homosexuals not being able to get tax breaks...that's all of equal importance. Hundreds of years from now, we will read about how those poor homosexuals weren't permitted to have a Christian marriage... right? Wow. So anyway... he uses the word "homophobic" several times. Because anyone who is not tolerant of homosexuality is obviously 'phobic', afraid of it. Well using the same line of logic, wouldn't that make this a "Religi-phobic" movie? I mean it just seems that he has such a huge intolerance for religion, especially Christianity, that he even made a movie to express his dislike.
What I find most interesting is that the interviews are mostly conducted with apparently uneducated individuals. Why not interview someone with some intelligence? Ask some poor back woods, high school drop out, drug addled, individuals a few questions and I am supposed to act surprised that you stumped them? I only took one class on Stat's in college, but I learned enough from that course to know that the observation on his survey sample was not an accurate representation of the population. Go ask 100 US Marines what they think of the US Navy, and act surprised when the unanimous results are that they think the Navy are all limp wristed sissys.
Whatever. Unfortunately I watched the movie in its entirety. My conclusion is 4 stars. Why four, because even 'Leprechaun 3' got 4 stars, and that's about where this film ranks with me.
W. (2008)
Another stab from Hollywood
The acting was top notch, as well as the directing. No question. The only thing to question is the accuracy and the motive.
Is anyone surprised that yet another Hollywood film is taking a stab at the Republican party? I watched the film in its entirety hoping that at some point the emphasis would shift away from every 5 minutes portraying the President as an imbecile. Unfortunately, that turned out to be the plot of the movie. The movie focused entirely on every negative aspect and of course filled in the gaps with fabricated scenarios that would only further support the grand plot, which is to ridicule the former President of the United States of America.
The most shocking aspect of the film is the way in which it actually tries to spin Christianity as one of the President's character flaws. What else would you expect from Hollywood? As a human and as an American patriot, I find it embarrassing to find films such as this even making it to the box office. If we, Americans, can do no better than to ridicule our own democratically elected leader, then what can we expect from other nations? In some nations, a film like this would incur swift execution of the producers, and yet some here stand and applaud it for no other reason than pure hatred for an opposing political party. How sad. How trite. How low can we sink? I watch movies for entertainment. Oliver Stone, great producer, but I couldn't care less about his political stance. Unfortunately, he has the power of the media. The exclusive power to not only shape reality to his liking, but to place that reality all over the world and sell it as entertainment, and worse, as fact.
If you want to learn about politics, then read the Wall Street Journal or even watch any of the far left or far right biased news networks. Listen to talk radio. Research on the internet. You can even trust the History Channel for information and facts. But I beg you, do not be so simple minded and foolish as to let Hollywood tell you about its version of the truth. This film is a pathetic scam to spread ignorance and hatred, all in the name of liberal entertainment.
Fail