Sci-Fi

The Rating System:

Filet Mignon=Excellent, fresh, and a memorable piece of art.

T Bone= Good helping, but not worth trading for a Filet.

Pork chop= In the middle, barely recommended.

Hotdog= Nearly complete garbage.

Cat Food= The slums of the food/movie franchises.

________________________________________________________________

Immortals-(R)-(Blu-Ray worthy)

When I saw the trailer, my hopes were…well, I had no hopes. I thought that it would turn out like Clash of the Titans. But, my dad is a huge fan of Greek mythology, so we went anyways. I feared that it would be a re-run of 300, but thankfully, it was much better, and not even in the same ballpark. Immortals is about Theseus, a man chosen by the gods to defend Greece from King Hyperion, a ruthless king leading a group of ruthless men. The three key points to this movie are characters, mythology, and action. The characters were very strong, as well as the acting. Theseus pulls of a strong, purposeful performance as a hero, delivering a speech that convinces me that he could pull of being the next Superman. The leading lady, Freida Pinto, who was most recently in Planet of the Apes, has a great performance as well. Mickey Rourke is intimidating as King Hyperion, making a great bad guy that can easily be hated. Over all, the characters are all strong and necessary, excluding the gods, who were slightly embarrassing. This leads us to the mythology. It was extremely inaccurate, which could bother many people, especially the fact that the gods bled. If you are expecting this movie to be the one that accurately displays Greek mythology, this isn’t the one. The Titans looked and moved like monkeys, and the gods weren’t casted or portrayed well. But this movie’s highlight isn’t the story, it’s the action. Immortals features gruesome, bloody, impressive action. There are parts that are so gruesome that you wince and cringe, but that all changes as the movie progresses. At first, the action is bloody and stylistic, but by the end, it was just an excuse to have limbs and heads be cut off in a flurry of blood and gore. At the end, the action feels overdone, but seeing Theseus rip through guys is always fresh. The action is very satisfying and grand. The story was told well, though not perfectly, but it could be followed. This movie is a T-Bone. It was entertain you, and you will enjoy it, even though the mythology is completely inaccurate. It was a bloody, chopped up T-Bone.

Interviews

Fight Scene

_______________________________________________________________

Real Steel-(PG-13)- (Blu-Ray worthy)

Forget monkeys and aliens. Supercharged primates and aliens who feast on cowboys are things of the past. Now, there are robots. Real Steel is about Charlie Kenton, a retired boxer who has turned to robot boxing for money. Despite his amazing, champion-like past, he cannot win robot fights, which lands him in deep water. (or oil, in this case.) He owes a lot of people money, and to make matters worse, his eleven year old son is forced upon him for two months before he will be taken by his aunt and uncle into custody. The father and son are off to a shaky start, but robot boxing inspires Charlie to rise to the top with his son. His son discovers a sparring bot at a junkyard, and thus the triumph begins, as well as the true relationship between father and son. The three key points to this movie are plot, action, and visuals. The plot was emotionally deep, suspenseful, and intense. When I saw the robots beating the bolts out of each other, the crowd going wild, and I took a sip of my Coke, I really felt as if I was there. The plot develops at a steady pace, and your interest is there the whole time. Not once do you feel bored. In fact, I would say that I was entertained. I hate using that word when describing movies, but it was VERY entertaining. You root for the main characters, and you keep wondering what will happen next. The plot was masterfully planned, new aspects being thrown in every second. I was very impressed at how solid the story was. Because this movie features boxing robots, the action has to impress…did it?

Yes, it did. In fact, the action was very stylistic and…once again…entertaining. My dad tells me how much he enjoyed watching Mohammed Ali when he was younger, how absorbed he was when he watched his fights. I can understand the feeling. I felt like I was among the crowd, and the action was very fast-paced and unpredictable. You won’t be blown away, because it’s not so unbelievable that it’s godly, but it will impress you. Robots have never been cool. (Unless you count Arnold as the Terminator a robot. That was pretty cool.) The visuals didn’t look the slightest bit animated, and the armor looked grimy when it wanted to, and shiny when it wanted to. The robots all looked realistic. For example, they weren’t polished up looking all glossy. They looked like the real deal, and their structure was easy to comprehend. For example, the bodies in Transformers look so mechanical and metallic, but with Real Steel, you could lay back and enjoy these nearly humanoid robots fight. Overall, Real Steel is a high T-Bone. It kept my eyes glued to the screen, it was very non-linear, and you felt emotion for the characters. I really can’t find anything bad in this movie. It was done right, and I would recommend it. Is there something wrong with me? I haven’t felt so strongly about a movie since Super 8. Why do movies with kids interest me? Maybe because these movies aren’t based on recycled plots or remakes. (hint hint) Go see Real Steel. I don’t understand the claims of: ‘Family movie’ and ‘cliche.’ Have these people seen same movie as me? I understand that trailer wasn’t the greatest, but trust my word and check out Real Steel. You’ll thank me.

Interesting Facts: A lot of the robot boxing fights were motion-captured using boxers, and they were advised by Sugar Ray Leonard.

This movie parallels Rocky.

The world champion robot is named Zues, and in Rocky, the champion’s name is Apollo. Apollo is the son of Zues.

See How they Created the Punches

Training Atom

_______________________________________________________________________________________

Rise of the Planet of the Apes-(PG-13)- (Blu-Ray worthy)

The coolest monkey that I know is Amy the gorilla, from Congo. That all changed when I saw Caesar, the offspring of an ape who was injected with a drug being tested on primates. The drug is supposed to repair brain funtion, primarily Alzheimer’s. It turns out that this drug improves brain function, not just repairs it. Caesar turns out to be very intelligent, and he uses his brains to free his fellow apes. This movie is a prequel to the old-time movie, Planet of the Apes. It shows how the apes became intelligent, but is it worth your money? The three key points to this movie are acting, visuals, and story. The acting wasn’t amazing, but some may find it a bit exaggerated. It depends how you interpret the acting: You may see it as overacting, or you may see it as strong, purposeful acting. It is how you see the characters. The visuals were very impressive. All of the apes were computer generated, and they looked as realistic as can be. Though the last shot of the movie looked very animated, it was over all very well done. Animated apes have never looked better. The eyes, hair, and faces all looked great. You find it hard to believe that they are fake. The apes all expressed emotion, and you could easily tell their personalities from their first looks…like people. Yes, the makers of this movie showed these apes like people with advanced emotions and feelings. I cannot complain about how this movie looks. These visuals were very believable.

The story is a very surprising one. It shows a variety of different personalities and people. Caesar is shown growing, and  lots of things happen at once. If you are a fan of Planet of the Apes, don’t worry. Many of the scenes contain references to it. Still, the story contained a relationship that led nowhere. Aside from that, the plot has many suspenseful and “are you serious!” moments. There are some big wow moments, as well as times where you are thinking, “that’s amazing!” You feel for the characters, and especially the apes. Many interesting characters were thrown into the mix, each with their own contribution to the story. Over all, this movie is a T-Bone. If you are a fan of the series or a person who appreciates slower developing, different side of life movies, you will enjoy Rise of the Planet of the Apes. If you want to see apes cause chaos the whole movie…stay away, because there isn’t much of apes destroying cities. This movie isn’t a must see, but it is a theater experience because of the great moments. It is interesting to see whether the audience will smile or laugh or gasp. Don’t think that if you miss this movie you’re missing out. This isn’t anything too memorable or special.

Interesting facts: There is a bit a few seconds into the credits showing what will happen to the human race.

The names of some monkeys and characters are connected to the names in the Planet of the Apes.

The reference about astronauts gone missing is to the astronauts who come to the Planet of the Apes.

Special Effects

Interview with James Franco    

_______________________________________________________________________________________

Cowboys and Aliens-(PG-13)-(Blu-Ray worthy)

I hate cowboys. I hate country music. I hate westerns. I refuse to see True Grit and I have never played one second of Red Dead Redemption. I don’t like Southern twang, deserts bore me, and I hate seeing men on horses with 6-shooters and Models…and yet I saw this movie. Daniel Craig, Harrison Ford, and Olivia Wilde tempted me, and I was bought. This movie is about Jake Lonergan, a man who wakes up in the dirt with a metal collar on his hand and no memory of anything. After taking some cowboy clothes and a horse, he rides into Absolution, a town with a tough Colonel who will do anything to keep his town safe. Though he is controlling and powerful, he joins with Jake after the town is attacked by ships that took some residents and leaving it wrecked. The people who are close to the people taken decided to join Jake’s and the Colonel’s posse to find the people, but they realize that they are up against something more dangerous than previously thought. The three key points to this movie are acting, visuals/audio, and plot. The acting is great all-round, even from the no-names. Every performance was believable. The characters each had their little role and contribution to the story, and the character development and character motivation was very believable. This movie is the only one I’ve seen where the director cares about the characters since Super 8.

The visuals were great. These aliens looked great, and they weren’t laughable like the ones in District 9 or Battle LA. What this movie does is create a different mood every scene. When the aliens are revealed, it is very dark, and they look real. The atmospheric visuals were impressive, as well as the special effects. The audio was extremely loud, however. Maybe the theater I was in was loud, but I actually cringed at some points because it was so loud. I never cringe. This is actually the loudest movie I’ve ever seen. Let me know in the comments if your audio experience was fine, because mine was not. The plot is takes a lot of turns. You don’t know what will happen next, but then again, you have an idea because of some foreshadowing. There are some surprises, and the fact that you care about the characters adds a lot to the plot. This movie takes the plot and situations from a traditional western and bends it with great dialogue, strong characters, and changing atmospheres. My only complaint would be that there were so many jump scares. The first few times were unexpected, but then it just got old. Surprisingly, it didn’t make the movie any less professional. Actually, I got to see my cousin fly into the air at one jump scare, which was very satisfying. This movie has one of the worst titles this year, but I assure you, it is a very good movie. I have read numerous reviews, and most name this movie to be a bad one, but I don’t see why. I enjoyed it, and so I’m calling it a cowboy T-Bone. I would suggest you to see it despite what the other reviews say. My opinion is so far off from everyone else’s that I would like anybody who has seen the movie to leave their opinion in the comments below. This movie is what most movies should be: Strong characters, a time other than a modern one, and experimentation with settings and time-periods. I was impressed.

Interesting Facts: At first, Harrison Ford refused to wear a hat, because of his previous roles with Indiana Jones.

Daniel Craig has always wanted to play a cowboy.

Daniel Craig Interview

Olivia Wilde Interview

________________________________________________________________

Super 8 - (PG-13) -(Blu-Ray worthy)

 Young children running around with cameras has never been more fun. Super 8 is one of the better Sci-Fi movies this year, and for good reason. Super 8 is about Joe Lamb, a boy who is determined to help his friend finish an amateur zombie movie for a film competition. While filming late at night near train tracks, a train unexpectedly derails, and the friends realize that it wasn’t an accident. As they try to find out what happened, Joe’s father, a policeman, has do deal with many problems, such as lost dogs, missing car parts, and disappearances. There are so many sub-plots, conflicts, and side-stories added that it feels new and fresh for a Sci-Fi thriller. Before I start to give any opinions, let me point out that though there are kids in the movie, this is not a kid’s movie, because of the swearing, violence, jump scares, and deep story. The three key points to this movie are action, acting, and story.

The action was breathtaking and fast-paced, especially the derail scene. In fact, it was the best derail I have ever seen in a movie. The action will get your heart pumping and it will satisfy your need of adrenaline. Jump-scares, deaths, and risky business will keep you satisfied when you walk out of the theaters. The acting was the best I’ve seen from child actors in a while. The boys in the film were 100% believable, as well as Elle Fanning, the two fathers in the film, and most everyone else involved. The acting would mean nothing if the characters weren’t likable, but they are. Throughout the whole movie, there are interesting  characters, and you care about them and root for them the whole way through. The acting was phenomenal all round, and the characters are so likable you could relate to each one. Lastly, the story was great. J. J. Abrams combined simple concepts and conflicts to create a movie that thrives. The only problem I could imagine that anyone would have would be the ending, and though it wasn’t amazingly surprising, it serves as a sufficient ending that makes sense. Also, some may complain about the zombie movie in the credits…it was supposed to be corny. I would suggest this movie highly, and it’s a not miss movie for sure. Make it a point to see this one. Why? These kids can act, they can make you laugh, and they could make you say wow. This movie is a very big, very rare T Bone.

Interesting Facts: During the beginning of the ending credits, you could see the completed zombie movie.

 

 

Interview with the boys

Interview with JJ Abrams

____________________________________________________________________________

Source Code -(PG-13)- (Blu-Ray worthy)

The last movie I saw with Jake Gyllenhaal was  in Prince of Persia, and I wasn’t impressed with his performance in that movie. Still, I saw this anyway. Source Code is a movie about Captain Colter Stevens, a helicopter pilot whose last memory is fighting in Afghanistan. He wakes up on a train, confused and  perplexed. He is there for eight minutes until he wakes up in a pod-like room. He is told by a woman on a screen named Goodwin that he must find the bomb on the train. He is transported back on the train and things happen all over again. Every time he comes back to reality, he finds out more and more about what he has to do and what is going on. The creator of the Source Code program explains that it is a system where a person can transport into the last eight minutes of someone’s life. Stevens is told that he isn’t going back in time, but going into the consciousness of a man on the train.

He has to find out who the bomber is. Stevens keeps going back onto the train to rule out passengers and find the bomber. The two key points to this movie are acting and plot. The acting was right on. Jake Gyllenhaal’s performance was very believable. Him being confused in the beginning of the movie was very realistic, and his confidence at the end was visible. He did a great job, and he played his role as a captain very well. His performance was believable and successful, which is very important for this kind of role. Michelle Monaghan also took her role well. Her character was peppy and laid back the whole time, and she delivered very well. Bottom line: The acting was great. The plot, in my opinion, was forced. What do I mean? Well, when Dr. Rutledge explains how source code works in the movie, he uses weak examples and basic ideas. After giving the basic idea of going into the last 8 minutes of someone’s life, he barely says how and why it works. I understand that sometimes directors want to allow the audience to inference and fill the holes for themselves, but leaving the main idea barely explained is daring. Imagine Inception without the plot explained. You would be dazed and confused. The simple concept of going back into the conscious is simple, very simple, but I would love to know exactly how it worked. I still understood the movie to its fullest. The plot had some holes in them, and it felt like a short-lived story. Overall, this movie was a forgettable T-Bone. The acting was solid, the ending has a moral, and it was filmed well. The story had some issues, but it was still solid. This movie got much praise from critics, but I believe that it had a bit of a cliched, cheesy vibe. Chilched because the characters seemed way too familiar, and cheesy because the scene with Stevens in a container (you’ll know what I mean if you see the movie.)  The only reason it was a T-Bone is because it is in no way as good as a Filet, but not average, like a Porkchop. If you want to rent a  movie, go ahead, but the full theater experience isn’t necessary for this movie.

Interesting Facts: The military says that the bomber has to see the two trains in irder to time the bomb’s explosion, but the bomber is nowhere near the train when it blows up. He cannot see both.

One part of in the Pod

First 5 Minutes

Interview with the director and Jake

___________________________________________________________________________________________

Tron- (PG)-(Blu-Ray worthy)

This movie was made to be bigger than what it was because of the 1982 version of the movie. The old Tron attracted fans, and so this movie was made. Tron is about an alternate universe made by Kevin Flynn, who disappeared after telling his son, Sam Flynn, a story. Sam eventually grows up, when his dad’s old friend delivers news: He says that he got a page from Kevin Flynn’s Arcade, which has been shut down for years. Sam, being curious, goes to the arcade and enters the digital world that his father has been trapped in. After that, there’s a loose, clichéd plot, with the only good part being the visuals. The three key points to the movie were the plot, the visuals, and the characters. The plot is so common: Father is lost, son finds him, they have a strong relationship. There is an evil dictator who has goons do his work, and one of them is a coward. And with all futuristic movies, the programs go bad. Same old, same old. The plot was predictable, and I could guess what and who everything was even before it happened. There is no suspense or intensity, except for the disc battles and light-cycle races. The visuals were the strong part of the movie. As soon as you enter the computerized world, you get sucked right in.

The lighting was spectacular, and everything was animated like it wasn’t a blue grid, and more like it was terrain. You adapt to the world quickly, and the disc battles keep you on edge. The cycle races on the big screen put a big smile on your face, and get your heart pumping. I have never seen anything like the effects. Avatar has the character animation  as the highest visual quality out of any movie, but Tron’s graphics set a bar for terrain graphics. Also, seeing guys depixalate instead of bleed out is pleasing. Next….The characters made no sense to me. The father barely told anything to his son when he saw him. He just smiled and said he was happy. He says, “We’ll discuss everything that happened over dinner.” For God’s sakes, he hasn’t seen his son for over 20 years, and he wants to delay explaining? I expected Quorra, (the girl), not to be clueless. She seemed out there and confused the whole movie, and had no substance. I expected her to be like Angelina Jolie in Wanted: Hard to read, smart, and attractive. She seemed like a weak, helpless character who doesn’t think. Oh well. I didn’t expect it to turn out well. Bottom line: This is a Hotdog that has a horrible plot but great visuals.Bleh.

Interesting facts: The wardrobe for this movie cost 13 million dollars.

Behind the Scenes

Tron theme

_____________________________________________________________________________________________

Inception: (PG-13)-(Blu-Ray worthy)

This has got to be my favorite movie. It is and most likely always will be. Inception is about a man named Cobb (Leonardo DiCaprio), and how he must recruit a team to implant an idea into a businessman’s mind…the idea that will cause him to shut down his corporation. In return for performing that job, he is promised to go back to his kids, which were taken away from him when he was accused of murdering his own wife. I know that isn’t a great way to explain the movie, because there are so many twist and characters, and terms, but thats the jist of it. There were 3 key points to the movie: Action, effects, and plot. The action in this movie was at every corner. The movie starts with a mysterious encounter in a dream, riots, and some gun-play. Then before the men get to the big job, there is some slow motion sequences, a stabbing, suspense, and more. During the big job, there are dangerous forces, private armies, danger at every corner, bridges, cars that leap OFF bridges, etc. I can’t even explain how amazing the action was. There was lots of exhileration. Every time you encounter Mal (Cobb’s wife) you wonder if shell shoot, attack, or kill who she has the edge on. Suspense about the dreams and reality is always there. The effects in this movie weren’t huge explosions, but slow motion, shifting terrain, and some mirror work. The slow motion wasn’t just bullets whizzing past someone’s face. It was used at the oddest times, like: Cobb falling into a bathtub, market-shops exploding, a truck hitting the ocean, everybody bouncing around in the car, etc. It was special in some way. It was fresh.

There were a few explosions, but they weren’t too different from the usual explosions. The plot of the story  was perfect and new and different. The concept of going into people’s dreams is just amazing, and the way it is displayed is awesome. There were lots of twists, most of them coming from Mal, who is part of Cobb’s sub-concoius. Sometimes she intrudes with knives, guns, giant trains, threats, and glass. Oh, and one more thing. THE END OF THE MOVIE KEEPS YOU guessing, which I loved. If you see the movie, you’ll know what I’m talking about. This is definitely Filet Mignon topped with shrimp.

Interesting facts: Cobb  means dream in many different languages

Yusef is Arabic for Joseph. In the Bible, Joseph is a person who interprets dreams

My personal video review

http://www.xtranormal.com/watch/7329341/

Howey giving a review (I made this review)

Interviews

Behind The Scenes

Dora in INCEPTION!!!!

Inception Cat:)

____________________________________________________________________________________________

District 9-(R)- (Blu-Ray worthy) This movie was…………………………………………………….different. It started as being a Documentary about the aliens living in Africa in Junkyards. It is strange for the fist half hour, and then it gets ……not  good…….even more different.Strange things start to happen to a reporter who can speak and interact with the strange aliens…..he changes to one. He is then taken into custody to be experimented on. But when he breaks out, he is a world wide wanted fugitive. This movie wasn’t only for Sci-Fi fans. It had a bit of horror, if you find the strange visuals horror in some parts, a bit of Romance, Drama, Action, and of course,……….Sci-Fi. Everything was a crappy mess of garbage.

My dad and I watched it from On Demand TV, and when we saw the main character at his desk, we had to make sure we had the right movie. That’s how odd it was. Then, we had to make sure it was the right year etc. We almost decided to exit out, but he payed money for it. We barely managed to sit through the movie. Overall, it was a Cat Food to my taste buds.

Interesting Facts: The clicking from the aliens were made by rubbing a pumpkin.

http://www.xtranormal.com/watch/7342005/

Bot Head Reviewing  This (I made the video)

Video Footage of District 9 to Muse’s Uprising

___________________________________________________________________________________________

Avatar-(PG-13)-(Blu-Ray worthy) The McDonald’s commercials that advertise Avatar mislead you in many ways.They show Avatar as  being an adventurous joyful land of natural wonders. WRONG! Sure, there is tons of nature in  the movie, but Avatar was far from happy. The movie is about a young boy named Jake Sully,who takes place of his passed brother. He is asked to step into a special booth, in which he may control a body or ‘avatar’ of a native of the the planet Pandora. The natives there are graceful people called the Na’vi. Now, Jake looks like a Na’vi, and must collect info fom them while undercover.

Then, he feels for the tribes and fears that the unit he is working for is destructive and heartless. In Avatar, there are arrows, hunters, humor, violence, guns, explosions, giant birds, violent rhinos, and lots of other odd creatures. There were some corny lines, and the plot is very cliched and recycled, but it started a legacy for this type of film. It turned out beautifully and will bring people together. Lots of effort was put into all the points of the movie, and that’s why this movie was a Filet Mignon, died blue, and I am sure the world would agree with me.

Interesting facts: Na’vi only have 4 fingers. Avatars have 5.

When Jake was learning the Na’vi language, he greatly exposes his Australian accent

Fire would not be possible in the Pandoran atmosphere due to the gases found in it.

My review

INTERVIEW WITH JAMES CAMERON

SPECIAL EFFECTS OF AVATAR

Parody of the “second one”

_________________________________________________________

StarTrek-(PG-13)-(Blu-Ray Worthy)Since it has a 40 year history, this movie may seem old-fashioned, corny, and horribly thought out, but really, Star Trek was amazing. My dad is a huge Star Trek fan, but I was never interested in it. When you see the movie, you understand everything clearly, because it’s a prequal. The movie introduces the characters and plot like it was a fresh new movie idea. There were amazing effects, with detailed space battles, costume design, and the large ‘space’ atmosphere. Also, there was tons of humor and lots of  action. Checkoff’s voice was hilarious, and he couldn’t talk, which was always a good laugh. Also, Commander Scott’s carelessness is fun to watch. It was just as funny as violent. The violent way of the enemy brings out a perfect villian, and the Enterprise Ship’s crew is funny and daring. Spock’s violent outbursts and green blood brings you in the world of Sci-Fi, and so do the character’s new looks. Everything was brought back nicely, and a great cast was chosen for the recreation of the old show. Trekkies will be very pleased I believe, except for the fact that Spock falls for Ahura. That’s what got my dad complaining.

Nothing was too changed or too overacted. I am sure that the actors watched many Star Treks before performing in this one, because the way each one walked and talked symbolized the original character. It was a great action and movie, for teens, guys, and girls. It wasn’t missing anything, except for a really “WOW” kind of special effect moment. Maybe the young Kirk just barely escaping his car in the beginning could, but I was looking for something a bit more concerning WOW stunts. Still, it was very amusing and pleasing. Perfect pace, perfect acting, perfect humor. Overall, I see a Filet Mignon, very well seasoned, no doubt. Live long and prosper.

Interesting facts: Zachary Quinto(SPOCK) had to have his fingers glued together to perfect the Vulcan salute.

http://www.xtranormal.com/watch/7410385/

Daniel is reviewing by mistake:) I made this video

FUNNY REAL BLOOPERS

BEHIND THE SCENES

INTERVIEWS WITH THE CAST

____________________________________________________________________________________________