Monday, January 13, 2014

Xbox 360 Review: Adventure Time: Explore the Dungeon Because I DON’T KNOW


Adventure Time is one of the most creative, ingenious, and completely awesome cartoons to ever grace television. Considering that, it may come as a shock to hear that this video game adaptation, Explore the Dungeon Because I DON’T KNOW, is anything but. All of the charm and crazy, random humor from the cartoon is absent, and instead gamers are delivered a repetitive, boring dungeon crawler with so little charm that you wonder if the title was meant to be ironic. Why the hell does this game have me exploring dungeon after dungeon, completing inane quests and doing the same thing over and over again? Honestly, I don’t know.

Wednesday, January 8, 2014

Movie Review: Despicable Me 2 (2013)


Felonious Gru (Steve Carell) has given up on his career as a super villain, and now enjoys a quiet life as father who makes less-than-delicious fruit jellies in his basement.  But when a new bad guy threatens the world with a powerful mutagen, Gru joins the Anti-Villain League, lead by the all-too-British Silas Ramsbottom (Steve Coogan), in hopes of thwarting any nefarious plans. And since he wasn’t so keen on living a life as a jam chef, a return to the crime business is exactly what Gru has been longing for – even if he’s now on the other side.

Despicable Me 2 isn’t as fresh and fun as the first, but it is a crowd-pleasing animated spectacle sure to make kids smile -- and maybe a few parents. The same wit and clever writing that made the first film stand out is still here, but it’s hampered now by an excess of minions. Lots of minions. Too many minions. The cute little guys overtake the film, forcing the smarter moments to sit in the backseat, which is a real shame. Because I’ve got to tell you, they’re kind of a one joke act — all they do is screw things up and hurt themselves over and over again.

Monday, January 6, 2014

Movie Review: The Secret Life of Walter Mitty (2013)

 


Walter Mitty (Ben Stiller) sported a mohawk as a young boy, skateboarded with his friends, and had an idealistic, punk rock image of how he would live his life. But along the way, reality trapped him. The monotony of daily life took over his identity, and Walter found himself working as a Negative Asset Manager -- or a photo archivist -- for Life magazine, living an adventurous life vicariously through the images of photographer Sean O’Connell (Sean Penn).

Walter “zones out” constantly and day dreams that he’s another man, one less suppressed by the world and more in control of his own destiny. Sometimes his dreams mold perfectly into reality, culminating in a beautiful, surreal amalgam of wish fulfillment. Other times they are less enchanting, becoming manic special-effects-ridden spectacles that don’t fit well with the tone of the film – in fact, they sometimes detract from it.  While the fantasies work to add to the depth of the themes and characters, toning them down wouldn’t hurt at all.

Much like its protagonist, The Secret Life of Walter Mitty suffers from an identity crisis, unsure if it wants to be a wacky family comedy or a quieter, sweeter film about a man who is inspired to live a fulfilling life. It’s the latter that works far more, and it’s the former I could do without completely. I found myself wishing Walter’s fantasies were more grounded, giving me more insight into what goes on in his head.

The strange thing is that, while I know this movie is flawed (and makes a much better trailer than it does a two hour film), it still moved me on a level that few other works have accomplished. If you can get past its zany shortcomings, this really is one of the better movies of the year — when the tone and images on screen fall into sync, the result is truly spectacular.

Wednesday, December 18, 2013

Movie Review: The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug

 


When Smaug slowly emerges from the massive pile of treasure at the heart of the Lonely Mountain, making only his eyes visible and keeping his immense size a mystery from the audience, the young nerd deep inside of me was just about as gitty as you can be. I was hooked, drawn into the world of Middle-earth in a way I never imagined possible again, especially after the first part of this Hobbit trilogy, An Unexpected Journey, turned out to be such a massive disappointment.

If there’s one thing I can say for certain about this latest Hobbit film, The Desolation of Smaug, it’s that it’s better than its predecessor in nearly every way: It’s more exciting, the story is more coherent, and the photography is a hell of a lot better. Yes, when compared to the Lord of the Rings trilogy, the adventures of Bilbo Baggins (Martin Freeman) and the dwarves of Erebor falls short. But if Desolation is any indication of what comes next, The Hobbit trilogy may yet be able to craft its own unique take on the world of Tolkien — assuming Peter Jackson stops pushing hard for this to be a prequel, and allows this adventure to stand on its own two feet.