ParaNorman is not only the best animated film I’ve seen this year, it’s
one of the best films of 2012, period. This stop-motion-style movie, directed
by Chris Butler and Sam Fell (Flushed Away), fills a void left by
Pixar’s surprisingly disappointing Brave, released earlier this
year. Finally Pixar’s crown passes to the animators at LAIKA, who previously
worked on Henry Selick’s Academy Award-nominated Coraline.
ParaNorman is the story of Norman (Kodi Smit-McPhee), a boy born
with the ability to speak to the dead and foresee the terrible events of the
future. When an ancient witch’s curse threatens the Massachusetts town of
Blithe Hollow, Norman is the only hope the once-puritanical borough has for
salvation.
Thursday, August 30, 2012
Sunday, August 19, 2012
Movie Review: The Expendables 2
The Expendables 2 is a huge improvement over its
predecessor, full of bloody action, self-depreciative quips, and a
whole lot more Arnold Schwarzenegger. While this testosterone-fueled action flick may not be for everyone, fans of the star-studded cast will
find exactly what they’ve been looking for -- explosions, gunshots, and a
whole lot of fun.
It’s unreasonable to expect a movie that exists only to package together a ridiculously-cool cast to be much more than just a good time. The first Expendables (2010) was a huge disappointment, focusing too strongly on its very weak plot, while not providing enough of the action moviegoers hoped to see.
The story in Expendables 2 is definitely lacking, but still strong enough to tie all the fist fights, gun battles, and jokes about Randy Couture’s ears together into one cohesive package.
There’s a story here about a bad guy who is so evil that he enslaves women and children to dig in his mines, searching for a stash of old soviet warheads.The film’s villain, Jean Vilain (Jean-Claude Van Damme), seems to have an endless supply of henchmen and weapons at his disposable. His motivations remain unclear, likely because he’s just too evil to be understood by a movie audience with normal ambitions.
It’s unreasonable to expect a movie that exists only to package together a ridiculously-cool cast to be much more than just a good time. The first Expendables (2010) was a huge disappointment, focusing too strongly on its very weak plot, while not providing enough of the action moviegoers hoped to see.
The story in Expendables 2 is definitely lacking, but still strong enough to tie all the fist fights, gun battles, and jokes about Randy Couture’s ears together into one cohesive package.
There’s a story here about a bad guy who is so evil that he enslaves women and children to dig in his mines, searching for a stash of old soviet warheads.The film’s villain, Jean Vilain (Jean-Claude Van Damme), seems to have an endless supply of henchmen and weapons at his disposable. His motivations remain unclear, likely because he’s just too evil to be understood by a movie audience with normal ambitions.
Saturday, August 4, 2012
Movie Review: The Dark Knight Rises (2012)
I had to see The Dark Knight Rises twice before I knew exactly how I felt about it. Leaving the theatre after the first viewing, I felt thoroughly let down. After my second screening I found myself still retaining some of the same disappointment; however, I was able to look at the film more objectively, and come to some mixed conclusions. So, as a huge fan of Christopher Nolan’s Batman saga, I can finally say this: The entire trilogy is an incredible achievement, but Rises is absolutely the weakest entry in the series.
Part of the problem here is the level of expectation I had going into this final chapter. The first two, Batman Begins (2005) and The Dark Knight (2008), were incredible films, packed with a level of depth not previously seen in any comic-book adaptation. My desire for this third movie to match its predecessors in quality is a tall order in and of itself, but part of me had been hyped to believe Rises would be the best in the series.
Sunday, July 29, 2012
Nintendo Wii Review: Ice Age: Continental Drift - Arctic Games
After only one hour of playing Ice Age: Continental Drift – Arctic Games for the Nintendo Wii, I
was confident that I had experienced enough of the game to write this review. Before
you accuse me of being the laziest critic in history, I’d like to present an
important piece of evidence in my defense: Arctic
Games contains only 10 mini-games, and each of them will take you only a
couple of minutes to play. The result is a completely forgettable experience
with so little content that it’s not even worth a rental, let alone a purchase.
Yes, these 10 mini-games come packaged in three different
flavors: Story Mode, Tournament, and Free Play. Sadly, each mode is essentially
the same. All three game modes contain the exact same mini-games, with the only
change being how you gain access to them.
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