Tag: FOX

Reviews

‘The Predator’ Review

Wannabe Movie Critic

  • Shane Black fails to relaunch this iconic franchise in a new and unique way. Instead leaving us fans wondering what could have been in more capable hands

    • I can’t believe it’s been 31 years since the release of Predator. One of the best action movies ever made, it spit out more elected officials than any other movie in history. It just also happens to be the most macho movie in existence. Look at that cast, you can almost smell the creatine when watching it. It gave us so many iconic moments and lines, that I still say today. It also introduced us to the most badass monster in the entire universe. Unfortunately in the newest instalment, he gets reduced to kind of a, well, a joke.

    The original has a special in my heart. It came out 1 year before I was even born, but it’s one of the earliest movie memories I have. The lure of Predator was instilled very early on in my childhood, yeah it has an insane amount of swearing and gore, but I turned out just fine. I have my badass grandfather to thank for this. He was responsible was letting me watch this masterpiece at such an early age. We even got together, went out for dinner and went to see Alien vs. Predator together, and I recall having a great time, and hoped that when I become his age, I’m just as cool as he was. So when I sat down to watch Shane Black’s The Predator Thursday night, my mind couldn’t help but shift to that night with my grandpa and the great time we had. Remembering that this 70 year old man, couldn’t wait to watch two of cinemas greatest monsters battle it out. He was a kid all over again. Plus the fact he was cool enough to let a 5 year old kid watch the original. Shane Black, who played Hawkins in the first, the comic relief of the elite mercenary team, that gets picked off one-by-one in the heart of the jungle by a mysterious foe. Coming off the spectacular Nice Guys in 2016 I had really high hopes. After the first few trailers, I was on the fence. But after seeing it last night, I know for a fact, just like myself, my grandfather would have also been heartbroken. Because this movie just flat out stinks.

    Without doubt, this will be the most disappointing movie of 2018. It is by far the worst Predator movie to date. Let me be clear, it seems like everyone had a blast making it. One of the strongest aspects of the film is the comradery between the cast, it’s a ton of fun, but after that, there isn’t a whole lot here. I adore Shane Black, and everyone involved here, but with all this talent. All the inner workings he has had with this franchise, this is what he cooked up? Something doesn’t make sense about this whole thing. It feels like just a bunch of poorly put together scenes involving a few Predators. The whole thing wants to be a comedy, but that can’t be right. One of the most feared creatures we’ve ever seen, and literally they are making him do prop jokes. So there I am, sitting waiting for this to begin and it starts. Let me tell you, the first 10 minutes, I was saying in my head “oh shit, this is going to be good!” It gets off to a fantastic start. Then the whole thing just utterly falls apart. Again, I don’t want to say I could have done a better movie or written a better script, but my god. I don’t think it’s difficult to write and make a great Predator movie. I don’t care what anyone says, drop a team of bad ass soldiers in an isolated location and have them get picked off one-by-one. We will always watch that. But the biggest thing we DONT need in a Predator movie, is a child. Jacob Trembley you’re cute as a button kid, but you have zero place in a movie like this. It ruined the whole thing, well mixed with about a dozen other reasons, but it just threw off the vibe and tone completely. I thought Boyd Holbrook, Olivia Munn, Sterling K Brown, who was eating the shit out of every scene he was in were great. Keegan Michael Key actually felt well casted. He was terrific and you could tell he had the most fun out of anyone on set.Now for the star of the show, the Predator themselves. The costume and design of the normal Predator I thought was the best I’d ever seen, but there wasn’t enough of him. There wasn’t enough stalking your prey, when the gore gets going, it’s enjoyable. But the whole movie takes place at night and that always takes away from them. You can’t see in the dark to begin with, so I feel it takes away from their character and their tactic of being camouflaged right out of the picture. I just wanted more of that. As for the new bigger badder one, unfinished CGI took me right out of it. Towards the end our main team is dying and it happens so fast and so rapidly, you’re left wondering who was left standing. Which again, they just rushed the whole 3rd act, and you never cared for these people, so when they did die, you weren’t invested to begin with, so why care?

    Just overall, I’m still shocked this is the movie Shane Black pumped out. He’s a very reliable director and he had a ton of talent to work with. What went wrong? How was this the best idea he came up with? Coming back to earth to take a kid with Autism? We are so far gone from what not only made this franchise successful, but why I loved it in the first place. It’s going to bomb and we will have to wait another 10 years for a reboot or something. There are still great Predator stories to be told, let’s make it happen please.

    Check ya later.

    Nate’s Movie Tour Reviews – The Predator = 45/100

    News

    Deadpool Moves Up, New Mutants Moves Down.

    Wannabe Movie Critic

    We were really close to getting an X-Men horror movie – thanks a lot Disney.

    (FOX)

    So news broke yesterday that FOX and soon to be Disney has decided to push up the release date of the UntitledDeadpool Sequel from June 1st to May 18th. A move that I find to be a little strange to be honest. First of all, June 1st is a great slot and weekend to be in. With the new release date of May 18th, it really will take away from Avengers: Infinity War box-office numbers. Yes, Infinity War will gross over a billion dollars worldwide, I have no doubt in my mind about that, but two weeks after it comes out, Disney wants it to go head-to-head with another one of their big properties? How does that make any sense? Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom comes out June 9th, I would imagine they would rather have Deadpool take away from that box-office than their own? I guess it’s all going to the same place, but at the same, it really is a weird move.

    Just like pushing back X-Men: New Mutants 10 months. Now for me, I think the reason behind this is simple. With Disney purchasing FOX and all their properties with it, Deadpool and X-Men included, I think Disney Execs saw a rough cut of New Mutants and thought it was way “to dark” for their liking and decided maybe some reshoots were necessary. The movie was scheduled to be released in April of this year, and now we have to wait until February of 2019? I can’t recall the last time a big budget movie like this was pushed back this long. Which is a real shame because I really enjoyed what footage we had gotten so far with New Mutants, the tone was great and I wanted to see a super hero movie that had a horror element to it.

    I also believe it is possible that both Deadpool and the New Mutants could be finding their way into the MCU, and that is why both of these things are happening. Marvel is looking past Infinity War and paving the way for their future films and universe. Perhaps they want all of these characters to be involved so reshoots for New Mutants would make sense, so they could incorporate them into the MCU. As for Deadpool maybe after being released on the heels of Infinity War, they have something planned where he pops up at the end or someone from the MCU appears in his movie.

    Those are just my thoughts, overall I’m pretty bummed about this New Mutants news because I was really looking forward to it, and I don’t believe we will be getting the same movie as we would have if it were still being released in April. Hopefully I’m wrong, but it’s just too much of a delay for them not to be reshooting the majority of this film.

    Check ya later.

    Reviews

    ‘Kingsman: Golden Circle’ Review

    Wannabe Movie Critic

    This movie is suited and booted, and I think the majority of critics were wrong about this action packed sequel.

    kingsman2-feature-2
    (Twentieth Century FOX)

    Some minor spoilers, like the littlest of spoilers, mostly stuff from the trailers.

    Okay, so I’m a little late to the Kingsman: The Golden Circle party, and after the reviews came out, and it’s sitting at 50% on Rotten Tomatoes, I was honestly surprised by this. I know going into any movie you shouldn’t look at reviews or take that into consideration what they say when deciding what movie you want to go see. Critics should never decide if you want to go see a movie or not, or have that impact how you feel about a certain movie. People often fall into this trap, and sometimes I even do it myself. Maybe that’s why I put off seeing this for about 2 weeks, and I’m happy I finally sat down to watch Kingsman, because I had a really great time doing so. After its 2015 predecessor, the sleeping hit that was Kingsman: The Secret Service, fans from all over the world fell in love with Eggys (Taron Egerton), Merlin (Mark Strong) and Harry Hart (Colin Firth). This was a commercial success, and it left people wanting more, so FOX decided it was in their best interest to green light a sequel, and here we are, 3 years later with The Golden Circle. This was number 7 on my most anticipated movies of 2017 list, so when the negative reviews came pouring in, I found myself kind of in shock. The first Kingsman was so well received and it was just something new and refreshing. They had managed to take all the coolness of James Bond and blend it perfectly with a Kick-Ass kind of vibe, and making into not only funny but so action packed, that it was kind of like nothing we had really seen before.

    So the gang is all back, yes Harry doesn’t die after being shot in the face, and they actually do a great job telling us how he survived. That was not a spoiler, because they show him in the trailer! Why I put the spoiler warning in, they kill Roxy (Sophie Cookson) who was so good in the first one, she had great chemistry with Taron, and I was really bummed they did that. I feel like this is Kingsman so theres a chance we may see her again somehow, but I don’t know, I feel like she really got the short end of the stick here. Also that prick Charlie (Edward Holcroft) from the first one is back, and once again he does a bang up job of playing a real prick. One of the reasons I was so excited for the sequel is when they released the all new cast members, which included; Channing Tatum (Agent Tequila), Jeff Bridges (Champ), Julianna Moore (Poppy), Halle Berry (Ginger) and Pedro Pascal (Agent Whiskey). That’s a star studded cast if I say so myself, so this had all the makings to be a great sequel. So here’s the rundown Poppy is the new baddie and she’s out to destroy the world, so when she rids the world of Kingsman, Eggys and Merlin are left to fend for themselves, so they cross the pond to good old America, Kentucky to be exact, to their cousin agency The Statesman for some much needed assistance.

    My biggest fear going into the movie, was having it feel bloated with sequel fatigue. You know, bigger and better. I don’t think that happened, I just don’t think it was a great overall story line. One thing this franchise does so well, is create great and unique characters. Characters you feel invested in, and that you ultimately care about. It was the same old, “save the world, kind of situation” but it just felt a little more watered down. One thing I will say, this movie felt a lot more cartoony and comic book like, than the original. I’m all for the larger than life villain, that was one of the best things about the first. Samuel L Jackson did such a good job in that role. But having Poppy have robot dog guards just felt like a little too much, and at the end of the day, she seemed way less intimidating than Jackson’s character did. I just kind of wanted a more physical villain for the heroes to fight, she has her henchmen, but I think this franchise could really get a boost if they have a stronger villain next time around. I don’t want this franchise to stop, it’s not doing really well at the box-office, but it certainly deserves a third installment.

    Director Matthew Vaughn once again brings the action, and does so in spectacular fashion. The over the top violence returns, and at times it almost feels like we are watching a music video, in the sense that the violence is going along to the rhythm of the music and it works really well. Any movie that plays “Lets Go Crazy” by Prince is alright in my books. I honestly thought the last action sequence was the best one of the entire series, and some of the most fun I’ve had at the movies in 2017. It’s a ton of fun, and Vaughn did such a spectacular job at making this movie work. I don’t know why it’s getting such hate, I thought this was a great popcorn flick. The humour is back, and pair it with the great action sequences, I think its a real shame that people aren’t getting out to see this movie.

    A major highlight that I did not see coming was Sir Elton John. He plays himself, and saying that he would be a stand out in an action movie, well I can’t really believe I’m writing it. He was great, and had some of the biggest laughs of the entire film. So kudos to Sir Elton. I really hope FOX doesn’t do away with this franchise, there is a ton of potential hear, especially if they take their time and get back to the drawing board. Channing Tatum isn’t in it a whole lot, but they make it seem like he could be a huge part of this universe. I want to see what he can bring to Kingsman, and I honestly think they owe it to him. I’m happy I walked out of the theatre smiling, and realizing that you should never take anyone else’s word on a movie, just go in with an open mind and see for yourself. This is a perfect example of this. Really hope we can get a Kingsman trilogy.

    Check ya later.

    Nate’s Movie Tour Review – Kingsman: The Golden Circle = 77/100

    Reviews

    ‘War For The Planet of The Apes’ Review 

    Wannabe Movie Critic

    You can call Caesar, in a dark Czar. Please follow the leader.

    (FOX)

    Remember back in 2011 when FOX decided they were going to reboot the Planet of The Apes franchise, and everyone still had a sour taste in their mouths from the god awful Tim Burton adaptation. Well jokes on us, because 6 years later, not only have 3 incredible new Apes movies dropped, but this could honestly be one of the best trilogies of this century. War For The Planet of The Apes is the newest installment and it didn’t disappoint. I’ve always been a massive fan of this franchise and it really has revolutionized capture motion performances. These movies are story driven, which is rare these days and Caesar is truly a unique and special character. Rise of The Planet of The Apes really did a great job kick starting this franchise, but it wasn’t until Matt Reeves came on for directing duties, that this franchise really got some serious recognition. I can’t state this enough, Matt Reeves is going to do an incredible job at directing The Batman. I can’t wait to see what him and Ben Affleck can do together; I think it has serious potential to be the best Batman movie ever made. Only time will tell, but this review is about Apes not Batman, so let’s get into it.

    So this movie picks up a little after the events of Dawn of The Planet of The Apes, and Caesar is still fighting the ape resistance against the humans. The Apes have grown in size, and are getting smarter with each passing day. The human resistance is still hell bent on killing all the apes and taking back their planet. After Koba (the bad ape from Dawn) tried to take down Caesar, now more than ever, all he wants is peace. He didn’t start this war, and he just wants what’s best for him and his ape family. When they are attacked at their home and countless lives are lost, well let’s just say Caesar goes off the deep end. If you’re going into this movie thinking it’s going to be non-stop action, you’re going to be sadly disappointed. Don’t worry there is some action, but this is Caesars swan song. This movie is not an action movie, it’s a story driven drama. It deals with humanity, loss, survival and what it’s like to feel hopeless and alone. I mean that for both the humans and apes in this case. The Colonel (Woody Harrelson) yes that’s all he’s referred too, plays the main bad guy who’s leading the resistance against not only the apes, but other humans as well. You see he’s a ruthless man, who wants to eradicate all the apes, because a new form of disease as been spreading, which causes humans to turn mute, and ultimately return them to their primitive state. Again the apes are being blamed for something that isn’t their fault. The irony of all of this is the humans are responsible for the way the apes are, and now blame them for anything that is wrong in the world. Nature and evolution can be a real bitch sometimes, so the colonel is killing anyone who has a trace of this virus, and that is why another human faction wants to put an end to him. He’s even convinced other apes to fight along side with him, and turned them against their own kind. Now it takes a pretty evil man to do something like that. It was a really interesting dynamic to see apes working along side humans, while fighting other apes. Woody was great in this role, he didn’t really need to say much to be intimidating, and I thought his scenes with Caesar were just fantastic, he really knows how to play a villain, and he was a great addition to the franchise.

    Again Andy Serkis is phenomenal in the lead as Caesar, and maybe this time around he could get some Oscar recognition. It’s tough because its motion capture, but then when you actually think about it, and see the final product, it truly is remarkable how this whole movie comes to be. Especially when multiple people that are in scene are doing motion capture for the apes, and at the end of the day, you think you are actually looking at either fully CGI apes, or real animals. These movies have really brought to life, just what you can accomplish with motion capture, the apes are honestly just breathtaking. Not only are the apes incredible to look at, but so is the cinematography. The picture I chose for this review is from my favorite scene in the movie, because just how beautiful it looked. It’s snowing and the apes and the setting is just remarkable, there was something about having the apes roam around in a snow like climate that just made me appreciate what I was watching even more. Like those were three actors in that photo pretending to be apes, and that was the final product, it absolutely blows my mind.

    The action we do get to witness comes at you pretty fast, it’s scattered throughout the film, but like I said before, this isn’t an action movie. I was okay with this movie being a slow burn, because it was the conclusion to everything that has come before it. They needed to finish off Caesar’s story and I feel that if this movie was nothing but apes fighting humans it would have taken away from something truly unique they had built for Caesar in the last 6 years. He’s a remarkable character, and one of my favorite movie characters in the last decade. You really just don’t see trilogies like this anymore, which focus more on telling a great story, they are usually just full of action and awful story lines. This is probably the best trilogy since Nolan’s Batman, and I would rank it 2nd behind in for trilogies of the century. I think they did such incredible things, not just from telling a great story, but what these movies have done for the film industry. I’ll miss Caesar and the apes, because with Reeves jumping ship and going to direct Batman, I don’t think FOX with put this franchise in anyone else’s hands. They rap everything up so well too, something that he deserved. I waited a few days to write this review, because at first I didn’t really know what to think about the movie, but the more I thought about it, the more I realized just how special this movie is. There really haven’t been any other movies like this, and I think we have these movies to thank for Disney finally going ahead and creating live action versions of some of our favorites. Jungle Book and Lion King don’t happen if these movies hadn’t come around, but that’s just my opinion. Never forget, apes together strong!

    Check ya later.

    Nate’s Movie Tour Reviews – War For The Planet of The Apes = 91/100

     

    Reviews

    ‘Alien 3’ Review 

    Wannabe Movie Critic

    Imagine getting 40K for shaving your head, well Sigourney Weaver did.

    (FOX)
    Quick note, I watched the assembly cut for this movie, its much better than the theatrical release.

    Talk about studio interference. There is a lot of backstory when it comes to Alien 3. The legendary David Fincher directorial debut back in 1992. To this very day Fincher has a hard time talking about this project and rarely does so. In fact there was so much studio interference in the making of Alien 3, which they spent roughly 13 million dollars on 10 separate writers before finally locking down a final draft for the movie. After the massive success of James Cameron’s Aliens, FOX wanted to cash in on this mega franchise and thought they needed another Alien movie a.s.a.p. So after all sorts of re-writes, some involving Ripley – some not. A draft even involved Hicks and Bishop to be the main characters while Ripley would be in a coma for the majority of the movie. To many cooks in the kitchen can best describe Alien 3. The studio could never figure out what exactly they wanted and little did they know they had a master craft of a director at the helm, who had a vision and could never fully let it be played out.

    So Alien 3 takes place right after the events of Aliens, we have our three survivors in their stasis pods in hyper sleep. When an egg is onboard their ship, it crash lands on “Fury 161” a wasteland of a planet, home to an all male prison facility. Right off the bat, fans were not happy, because they killed off both Newt and Hicks. We had come to love these characters in Aliens, and Ripley finally had a sense of happiness and somewhat of a family. That was taken away so quickly in this movie, so Ripley goes to sleep at the end of Aliens the happiest she’s ever been, to waking up and realizing her whole world has been turned upside down. Personally I wanted to see the characters of Hicks and Newt explored more and was bummed out the first time watching this, and finding out they won’t be a part of this continuing journey that we see Ripley go on. The biggest change we see Ripley go through is the fact that Sigourney Weaver shaved her head for this role. I like it, it works for the movie, and everyone at the prison is bald, because they have a lice problem. I’ll give it to Sigourney she pulls off the look. One other thing about Sigourney Weaver, she was nominated for an Oscar for her work in Aliens, so let’s just say she went into Alien 3 with some clout. Not saying that’s a bad thing, but when you have clout, it can go a long way. With that, she didn’t want any guns in this movie, she is very anti-gun, so that was one of her stipulations, and FOX agreed to meet that demand. Because a big plot hole of Alien 3, is that they are located at a maximum-security prison but have no weapons and I always found that to be odd.

    So Ripley finds herself surrounded by killers and rapists, but is never intimidated or scared. Again it’s Ripley she’s a total badass and doesn’t back down. Dillon (Charles S Dutton) is the leader of these guys; he’s a believer and very religious man. One of the biggest themes of the movie is religion and about finding God. They were all once terrible men, but now they believe they can make peace with God and still be accepted into heaven when they are dead. Charles S. Dutton is just spectacular; actually all around the acting is top notch. Sometimes it’s hard to work with such a poor script, so everyone is really doing the best work they can with the material provided. Dillon gives some incredible speeches throughout the movie, and for me, he’s one of them most memorable characters in the alien universe. The guy fights one with his bare hands, he’s just got a real hard attitude and Charles S. Dutton, did a bang up job portraying this guy. Ripley finds herself nestling up to the medical doctor Clemons (Charles Dance) as she needed some sort of comfort after everything she had been through. I enjoyed seeing their relationship grow, but again whenever something good comes along in her life, it fades even quicker. Clemons doesn’t stick around too long, again I would have liked to see him survive a bit longer or even till the very end. Charles Dance is a phenomenal actor, and they didn’t use this man properly in Alien 3. The other inmate worth mentioning is actually the lone survivor of the movie, Morse (Danny Webb) and I friggin love this guy. He serves as the comic relief for this movie. The inmates, especially Morse, don’t care for Ripley all that much and treat her poorly. Some even try to rape her during the movie, but when things start to go to shit, Ripley steps up and the inmates realize how strong and courageous this woman really is. Especially Morse, when she saves him during the final act of the movie.

    So when a face-bigger attaches itself onto an Ox, a new breed of Xenomorph is born. Something that Ripley has never seen before and it’s stalking the prisoners one by one. With no weapons to kill, what the prisoners call “the beast” they all have to come together and think of a way to get rid of it. When Ripley finds out that she has one inside of her and not only that but a queen. She realizes that things just got serious, when her ex employer wants to take the creature out of her and study it. The tone of Alien 3 is a bit iffy, it wants to be suspenseful  like Alien, but also give us some action like we saw in Aliens. The effects in this movie are not the best in the franchise. Considering this came out after Alien and Aliens, you would imagine this would have the best effects of the three. That’s not the case, I’m not saying they are bad, but they simply just don’t hold up the way the other two films do. The Xenomorph itself at times looks great, when you can tell it’s being done practically, but when it’s not, it can be a bit messy at times. Fincher used the POV shot of the alien running a lot in the third act of the movie, it’s a cool effect but its a tad overused.

    Here are my final thoughts on the movie. This movie is really only hated or loved. There really isn’t a middle ground for Alien 3. I feel that it’s so hard to try and compare it with what came before it, because both of those movies are masterpieces. So you have to look at this movie with those in the back of your mind, and just take it for what it is. Remember, there was so much interference with this movie, that it’s hard to tell what David Fincher ultimately wanted to accomplish, and I can’t even begin to imagine what working on a big budget movie like this would be like, let alone having hundreds of people breathing down your neck, or questioning every little decision you make. I love the last 45 minutes, it’s some of m favorite alien stuff, and I’m on the side of people who love this movie. I feel like maybe over time, more people will come to the idea of liking it the way I do. Appreciating it for the way I do, and understanding that this isn’t a perfect movie, and understanding that so much stuff was happening behind the scenes, and Fincher has gone on to make some incredible films. If you look up interviews of him talking about this movie, good luck because they are super rare. When he does talk about it, you can see how much it pains him, because he had a vision for what he wanted this movie to be and it never got to happen, and being a film maker that is probably their biggest fear. This was the last great alien movie, okay until Prometheus, but that took almost 20 years to happen, so enjoy this movie for what it is, because I know I do.

    Check ya later,

    Nate’s Movie Tour Reviews – Alien 3 = 77/100

     

    Reviews

    Let’s Talk About That Kingsman: The Golden Circle Trailer! 

    Wannabe Movie Critic

    Under water cars, bazooka suit cases, and dope suits, I’m in! 

    (FOX)

    Have you ever wanted to see Channing Tatum and Elton John in the same movie? Well the wait is finally over with Kingsman: The Golden Circle! So I waited around all day yesterday for this bad boy to drop online and it never did, not until I fell asleep that is. So this was a really nice treat to wake up to. One of my most anticipated movies of 2017, and the teaser trailer didn’t disappoint. Hey, any trailer that’s got “My Way” by Sinatra is good in my books! 

    Okay, I will be blunt I was hoping for a little more from this trailer. I still have no idea if Tatum is going to be a bad guy or not, and really have no clue what this movie is going to be about. But what we did get to see was pretty awesome. I love how colourful this movie looks, from the suits to the cinematography, I just really like how everything looked in the trailer. It appears that The Kingsman will be heading across the pond to the U.S after their headquarters gets blown to bits, and that’s where we will meet our new cast members; Tatum, Jeff Bridges, Elton John, Halle Berry and Julianne Moore. So I’m excited to see what they all bring to the table, especially Tatum, because he’s never played a villain before so that will be awesome to see! One of the best things about the first Kingsman were all the cool gadgets and guns and from what we see in the trailer they aren’t holding back! Imagine trying to get through TSA with that suitcase, well you might need that if you’re flying United. 

    All the old gang is back, including Harry (Colin Firth) now sporting an eye patch, curious to see how he survived his fate in the first one, but I’m excited that they brought his character back to be honest. The director Matthew Vaughn is back and I’m glad because he’s one of the best action/comedy director working right now, and I felt switching directors for the sequel would have been a bad move on FOX’s part. These movies have all sorts of fun, and the action is bonkers and they really push the limits but with a franchise like this, that is to be expected. 

    Like I said, I wanted more from this trailer, but I can’t honestly can’t get to worked up over that because this movie isn’t due out till the fall. From what we did see, I’m glad I put it on my most anticipated list because this movie looks so promising and if it’s anything like it’s predecessor I will be truly happy about that. 

    So let me know if you’re excited for Kingsman? And if you enjoyed this trailer! 

    Check ya later. 

    Reviews

    Throwback Review – ‘Aliens’ 

    Wannabe Movie Critic

    I could never decide what was scarier, the aliens or Newt carrying around that doll head.

    (FOX)

    See I told you, I’m a man of my word, and this week I just watched Aliens, highly regarded as one of the greatest action movies of all time! Again this movie was released even before I was on planet Earth, in 1986, directed by the legendary James Cameron, he took what Ridley Scott did in Alien, but he made it his own. Right off the bat I’ll say this, it would have been pretty damn easy for James Cameron to take this franchise and these characters and just ruin them, or try to change them, but he doesn’t. He didn’t try to redefine the Alien franchise, he simply expanded on it, and made Aliens his own thing, and well it’s just short of perfection. I remember growing up; I would always call this movie the sleepover movie, or the birthday party movie. I can recall countless times this is the movie that would be put on at night, because at the time there just weren’t too many movies like it, and it just kicks so much ass. I fell in love with this franchise at a very early age, and I’m glad I did because there are some wackos out there who’ve probably never even seen this movie. That’s simply just a crime against humanity, or maybe that’s just me being a complete and utter nerd, someone step up and tell me please!

    So Aliens takes place 57 years after the events of Alien, our hero Ripley has been floating in her stasis pod the entire time, and by dumb luck a cargo ship comes across her vessel and BAM, our story continues. As she tells the tale of her encounter with the Xenomorph, the company she works for just isn’t buying it, seeing how since she’s been in deep sleep, there is now a colony of people living on the planet where her and her crew stumbled across the parasite (face hugger) in Alien. So relieved of her duties, it isn’t till a few days later, where suddenly they have lost all contact with anyone on LV-426, mysteriously after no events of anything happening, now dead silent. So they are sending in the Marines, and they want Ripley to tag along to be a special advisor to the operation, seeing how she’s the only one who knows first hand with what they are dealing with. Sigourney Weaver was nominated for an Oscar with the performance she gave in Aliens. Just stop and think about that for a second, that is unheard of. Someone from a massive summer action blockbuster being nominated for an Oscar, not in this day in age, so kudos to Sigourney, because she is actually simply spectacular in this movie. Ripley decides to tag along with these Marines, and that’s where we meet the rest of our lovable cast! Corporal Hicks (Michael Biehn), the leader of the crew, who is our main male character in the movie, Bishop (Lance Henriksen) a droid who Ripley isn’t to fond of due to the fact that the last droid on her mission tried to kill her, but Bishop really becomes a hero at the end. We have Vasquez (Janette Goldstein) and can I just say, I’ve always loved this woman in Aliens, she’s such a badass character and honestly they don’t really have female characters like this in movies anymore. Well they try to but they usually fail miserably, Vasquez always sticks out in my mind for being one of the first real tough, badass chicks in movies. We got the Sergeant of the group, Apone, who just has some of the best lines in the movie, “you know the drill, assholes and elbows everyone!” Kind of wish he stuck around longer in the movie, and we got to see him kind of do some ass kicking of his own. The slim ball company man of the group Burke (Paul Reiser), what can I say about his character, another than the fact that he’s simply just an asshole. He is truly the films main villain and the movie does a great job not really showing us that card until the last third of the movie, and I always thought that was pretty cool. It’s not a twist or anything, there are clues along the way, but going into Aliens, you would think the bad guys would just be the creatures themselves, when in fact their biggest threat was actually one of their own. Rounding out the crew, good old Hudson played by the phenomenal man Bill Paxton himself. We lost this great man earlier this year, the only person who could say that they’ve been killed by a terminator, an alien and a predator. Now that’s some legendary stuff. He’s the comedic relief of the movie, and his most infamous line “game over man, game over!” was actually improvised during that scene, which makes it all that much better. He’s almost the best part of the movie, but that title always stay with Ripley, he’s a goofy douche, but can throw down with the best of them, and is a Xenomorph killing machine. We simply lost this man way too soon. So these Marines land of LV-426, only to find it deserted and what once was a rescue mission, quickly turns into a survival mission. The only survivor is a little girl, known as Newt. She has somehow survived weeks, living in the air vents and when you think about it, she’s honestly just such a little trooper, I would have lasted all of 10 minutes before one of those things would get me. One of the big reasons Newt is such a vital part to this story is that when Ripley was in her deep sleep, she lost her daughter, she simply died of old age and when Ripley hears about this, it crushes her. It makes her realize just how long she’s been gone for and how different the world must be. So when they find Newt, Ripley takes it upon herself to not only be a mother figure to this poor helpless girl, but to protect her at all costs. It just added a nice extra layer to Ripley’s character and made her just seem a little more human and have compassion for someone in such a dire and intense, life-threatening situation.

    So once they find Newt, they start to dig deeper into the complex, to see if anyone else is still alive, and they just so happen to stumble across the alien hive. Not knowing this of course sets our Marines up for total annihilation and the majority of them are wiped out before our very eyes. The hive scene for me will always be one of my favorites from all of cinema. I think its perfect, to how its shot, you have the Marines point of view, and then you have the view of Ripley and the others watching horrified through monitors, as they see them being picked off one by one. It manages to blend horror, suspense and action all into one and James Cameron does it tremendously. It’s really hard to blend so many different feels, and movie genres all into one scene without over doing it. The hive is just so cool looking, as the aliens use the walls of the cocooned hive to camouflage themselves so well, that when they re moving towards our Marines, even though they have a motion sensor tracking system, they simply just cannot see them coming. This always stands out to me, as just masterful filmmaking. Just one of the many iconic scenes throughout the movie, when it’s all said and done, only a few Marines are left standing and now it’s time for them to find a way off this rock. Trapped on the planet with the aliens, this is where James Cameron really gets to show off the awesome weaponry. For being made in 1986, the weaponry in Aliens is some of the best stuff I’ve ever seen in film. From the sentry guns, to the pulse rifles, to the guns I don’t even know the name of, you know the BFG’s that Vasquez and Drake use in the hive scene, those things will cut you in half.

    So when it’s just down to Ripley, it’s her duty to save Newt from her potential fate, so she has to go back into the hive but this time around she stumbles across the queen! Surrounded by eggs, Ripley grabs Newt and they think they are in the clear. It’s then they notice the queen has attached herself to their ship and it’s time for one last showdown between the queen and Ripley, in a some kind of cargo moving mech suit! You know “get away from her you bitch!” line. Again this is just such an iconic scene and one that I’ll certainly never forget. How else were we expecting Ripley to go toe-to-toe with the mother of all aliens, the queen! For what this fight is, obviously it’s slow but powerful, and you couldn’t really expect much else from two huge things battling it out! They just simply don’t really make movies like the used too, 1986 and it still holds up to this day. My opinion, the greatest science-fiction action movie ever created and one of my all time go to movies. It’s just damn near perfect, I can’t think of a single flaw in Aliens, I can try and maybe if I think long and hard about it, I could nitpick something, but what’s the fun in that. James Cameron made a masterpiece and one thing I’ll say about James Cameron. His ability to find young actors and get the most out of them, whether it’s Newt from Aliens or Edward Furlongs character in Terminator 2. These were both their first roles and you wouldn’t have guessed that for a second, it really is something special, an underrated talent of directors. Up next is a film that I think is way undervalued and that would be Alien 3!

    Check ya later,

    Nate’s Movie Tour Reviews – Aliens = 97/100

    Reviews

    ‘Logan’ Review – Goodbye Old Friend

    Wannabe Movie Critic

    “What’s Wolverines costume? The guy wears a fucking tank top and a pair of jeans”. – Deadpool

    la-et-hc-logan-trailer-20161020

    As I live and breathe, the Wolverine. That Hugh Jackman, he making me cry. Logan, written and directed by James Mangold is one for the record books. Logan is more than just a comic book movie; it transcends the genre and should be an example of what a comic book movie can be. I’m going to go pretty light on the plot details, because there are a few surprises in the movie, and FOX did an incredible job at marketing this movie without giving too many things away. Ultimately Logan has to cart this girl around, and he’s not to sure about who she is and what her background is. Him and Professor X must keep this girl save, but the thing is she doesn’t really need much protection. She’s the one protecting them at certain points in the movie; she kicks all sorts of ass in this. This little ass-kicker is Laura played by the new comer Dafne Keen and she is simply marvelous. For this being her first role, she really knocked it out of the park. Essentially these three go on a road trip, to a safe place called Eden where the remaining Mutants are staying. As Logan finds out more about this young girl, he starts to learn more about himself, as she teaches him to reach out to the people you care about and it’s never to late to start a family. Think of it as Thelma and Louise meets Unforgiven. I loved it from start to finish, and actually watched it twice in 2 days before I wrote my review.

    Logan is all sorts of brutal; from almost the opening frame the violence in this movie is gruesome. I loved everyone second of it, it wasn’t over the top or felt out of place or unnecessary either, it felt just right. Fans of Wolverine have been waiting 17 long years for a movie like this, to see him slicing and dicing this way through each enemy. There is so much blood and limbs in this movie, oh my god. The action sequences are very hard hitting, fast paced, violent, and masterfully crafted pieces. It’s unlike any action we have seen in the X-Men universe so far, well really any comic book movie that has come before it. James Mangold manages to do what Christopher Nolan did for the Batman franchise. This is a very grounded movie; it has a western style vibe to it. It’s a very serious, dark and somber drama that has incredible action bursts throughout the movie. You really don’t feel how savage the action is until it’s all said and done, and we are left in a quiet setting seeing Logan’s wounds, as for the majority of the movie he is beat to shit. This isn’t the Avengers, bright lights and jokes every few minutes, where you feel like nothing is ever at stake. Yes there are funny moments sprinkled into Logan, and our heroes are not walking around sad and depressed throughout the entire movie but there is a lot of emotional baggage that comes with it. Our heroes are seriously broken in this movie; there is almost zero hope in their eyes. Logan and Professor X have gone through so much and lost so many friends and loved ones that it’s hard for them to see any good in the world they are now living in. It’s not until they meet this new mutant Laura that a little flame of hope sparks inside of them. As they learn how to become heroes again, in a world that seems to have lost most of them. They learn how to help one another again and be part of a team and more importantly care for one another. Logan is seriously such a broken human being in this story, he’s old and beaten down and it was fantastic to see the Wolverine we have come to love over the past two decades reappear when the right emotional buttons were pushed. The action wasn’t forced either, these intense and brutal action scenes were always because our heroes found themselves in dire situations and they were always fighting for their lives. It was warranted and fit so naturally in the story.

    Everyone really gave it their all in this. They were all in for their roles and the acting was all around exceptional. Dafne Keen really blew me away. Chalk it up to another strong and silent but deadly little girl. With the success of Stranger Things, X-23 really had an Eleven vibe to her, she doesn’t say much but her facial expressions alone were worth a thousand words. For a little kid to step into a role like this, in a movie like this is so impressive. She was honestly Hit-Girl mixed with Eleven, and in a movie as brutal as this she really held her own. I’m curious to see where they take this character, or if they will even expand on her. When you’re stealing scenes with Patrick Stewart and Hugh Jackman, and it’s your first major role, that’s insanely impressive. Speaking of Patrick Stewart he gives an Oscar worthy performance. Such a raw and gut wrenching portrayal of the leader of the X-Men, he’s on his last leg in Logan, having lost control of his powers and becoming more and more dangerous to everyone he loves. He’s fragile and senile and wants Logan to find his inner peace, as he doesn’t have much time left to enjoy the simple joys in life. Just like Hugh Jackman, Patrick Stewart has been playing this character for 17 years now, and this was his last time doing this role, so it was an emotional performance to say the least. Now let’s talk about the man himself. Hugh Jackman, this obviously is sadly his last kick at the can. First things first, without Hugh Jackman there is no X-Men franchise plain and simple. He helped build an empire of movies, and is the reason why these movies have been so successful, when you think about X-Men, Wolverine is usually what comes to mind first. They give him the proper send off that he deserves and there is some really strong symbolism at the end of the movie that sums up everything I just mentioned. Flat out after watching Logan, I don’t think it’s smart to recast this character for at least 5 solid years. That’s hard to do, because like I said Wolverine and even Professor X are so synonymous with this franchise this puts FOX in a very tricky situation. It felted like comic book pages were being ripped from their book and being put onto the screen. Hugh Jackman is the embodiment of Wolverine in Logan, and I left the theatre really upset that he can’t continue on after this incredible performance. There are some serious gut wrenching emotional beats, which just leave you almost breathless. This is a very human story, it’s about losing hope and the feeling of being alone and forgetting what it’s like to be loved and to give it.

    At one point of the movie Logan notices that Laura has some X-Men comic books in her book bag and I thought this was a really cool concept to actually have physical comics about the X-Men existence in this universe. Wolverine went on to say that they were all “bullshit” and the majority of the stuff that happens in the comics didn’t even happen in the real world. It was interesting that they decided to put something like this in the movie, that the X-Men had become so beloved in the world that people were writing fictional stories about them. One gripe that most people have about Marvel movies is the villain but I thought Boyd Holbrook was one of the better bad guys yet, as Donald Pierce the head of security at Transigen the company that is trying to hunt down and eliminate any mutants. He was a compelling villain and they really didn’t need to have a big baddie in this movie because we just really wanted to see Wolverine cut though a ton of idiot henchmen and that’s exactly what you get. Stephen Merchant plays Caliban, a Mutant friend of Logan’s who helps care for Professor X as well, he serves as sort of the voice of reason in the movie, and I thought he did a fantastic job, so he deserves a shout out.

    In terms of how everything wraps up, I found it to be satisfying, I might have wanted a few more little emotional beats towards the end, but overall I think life long fans will be happy with how things shake out. Watching everything play out throughout the entire movie was kind of heart wrenching, this is an emotional journey that our characters go on. Finding out things about themselves that maybe they didn’t know they had in them. It’s a beautiful movie, it’s shot and edited so well and James Mangold really made a masterpiece. This is in the upper echelon of comic book movies and it will redefine the genre, because at the end of the day I think this is more of a drama piece with super hero elements tied in. I haven’t enjoyed a comic book movie like this since The Dark Knight, I will miss Hugh Jackman but he gave us fans 17 wonderful years. Hearing Wolverine whisper, “so this is what it feels like” was very chilling and it was the kind of human emotion that was even more powerful than the extraordinary powers these people had themselves. Something I’ll never forget.

    Check ya later,

    Nate’s Movie Tour Reviews — Logan =97/100

    News

    ‘The OC’ – How I Miss You

    Wannabe Movie Critic

    “Confidence Cohen” – Anna

    This show will always hold a special place in my heart. It’s one of those rare shows that will stick with me for the rest of my life. Certain moments, certain songs, which I still jam to. The OC, it’s been 10 years since the series finale, so I thought why not blog about it. It kind of came into my life at the perfect time, I was just starting high school or entering my second year, it was cool, hip and a great conversation starter with girls, and quite frankly I needed all the help I could get. I loved this show and there is a ton of “what ifs” when it comes to The OC. What if they never killed off Marissa? What if the each season was only 13 episodes instead of 24? They burned through so much in the first two seasons that it was hard for them to keep making 24 episode seasons after that. One of the shows biggest downfalls for sure, was not milking these awesome stories for everything they were worth. If the show were to come out today and be released on Netflix, it would be one of the best binge watches of all time, I know that much. With great TV shows, comes great characters and for me that was Seth Cohen. What a guy eh?! Seriously I’ve never resonated more with a TV character and honestly probably now more than ever. I wanted nothing more than to be him, and sometimes I wish Adam Brody were in more stuff. I’ll never forget this promo for the show, because I knew when I saw it, this was going to be an all-timer television show. If there’s one thing this show did incredibly well it was blending in soul crushing scenes with music. So many awesome bands even got their start on this show (The Killers). For me, The OC had the best music and it’s one of the many reasons why I love it so much. Here are just some great moments to take you down memory lane.

    Season 2, Episode 3 (The New Kids on the Block)- Racheal Yamagata “Worn Me Down”

    Seth and Summer, one of TVs greatest love stories people! Honestly, remember how mean Summer was to Seth, actually she never even talked to the guy at first and then totally married him. Seth had major game, and yes their relationship hit some bumps along the way, but what relationship doesn’t. This is a soul-sucking scene, after Seth leaves for the summer, without telling anyone, only to come back and see Summer dating the new guy Zach. I really hated Zach, that water polo playing douche. Any who, Seth goes to confront Summer and tell her he’s sorry only to see this and it was really hard to watch, still is to this day. The scene raps up beautifully with Seth and Marissa sitting on a bench together both realizing what they’ve lost.

    Season 2, Episode 23 (The O.Sea) — Coldplay “Fix You”

    “But he’s a tool!”

    First of all don’t insult Coldplay they have some bangers. Secondly if this song doesn’t make you emotional in anyway shape or form, visit your nearest doctor because you simply do not have a heart. All right I forgot how much of an emotional punch this scene packed. My god, a lot of crap just went down. Where to begin, the Seth and Summer romance finally blossomed in this episode after the shit storm of a season they went through. Zach decides comics are more important than girls, and Seth goes to confess his undying love for Summer only to find out she was happy he was the one who showed up to prom. Julie wants to kill Caleb, and is about too, until she realizes she can’t do it and finds him floating at the bottom of the pool. Fun fact I actually wrote RIP Caleb on MSN Messenger and multiple people told me they were sorry for my loss. It wasn’t until I told them what was actually going on and the conversation ended abruptly. No joke, that’s how serious I was about this show and I actually kind of liked Caleb and felt bad for the guy. Lastly we had the booze hound Kristen shitting all over Sandy for what felt like the 1000th time that season, poor Sandy, without doubt in the HOF (Hall of Fame) for TV Dads! Shout out to Absolute Vodka!

    Season 1, Episode 21 (The Good-Bye Girl) Nadasurf “If You Leave”

    “Who am I suppose to play Jenga with?”

    Seth and Anna, what a friendship, but in the end she had to go to Pittsburgh. With only a tiny backpack and a little carry on? Something seems fishy about that…Also this episode I gained a ton of respect for Ryan for loving Journey, even tough guys can’t resist Steve Perry. Anna was really the first girl Seth ever clicked with, they had so much in common, but the heart never lies, and it was tough for Seth to truly get over Summer. In the end he picked Summer and felted devastated that Anna was leaving, because he felt responsible. This episode really showed the progression of Seth from the first few episodes when all he cared about was Magic the Gathering, to now having two strong beautiful women in his life. High school really picked up for that guy once Ryan showed up. Seriously he owes everything to that guy. I think Seth just knew that he was losing a great friend and someone he could relate to, and that’s always tough. This song captured the moment perfectly.

    Season 2, Episode 24 (The Dearly Beloved) Imogen Heap “Hide & Seek”

    HOW IS THIS NUMBER 16 ON THIS PERSONS LIST? This episode man, this song still gives me goosebumps sometimes. Trey always in the wrong place at the wrong time. This was the conclusion to the second season, the final confrontation between Ryan and Trey. Things were brewing all season and you knew it was going to end in some tragic way. After Trey sexually assaults Marissa and keeps it from Ryan, it wasn’t long before he found out the truth and had to put this Chino brotherhood on the line. I’ll never forget how rattled I was once this scene ended, and had to wait the entire summer to find out what the fate of these characters would be. One thing was for certain; Marissa shoots a gun like all rich white girls.

    Season 2, Episode 12 (The Lonely Hearts Club) Bell X1 “Eve is the Apple of My Eye”

    One, Olivia Wilde is smoke show. Two, I really dig this song that’s playing here. Alex was the badass chick who shows up in season 2 and just starts kissing everybody. She was actually a really great character, and I’m pretty sure this is where it all started for Olivia Wilde. Marissa and Alex were both just feeling neglected and wanted some attention, and the show was doing things that really no other show was doing at the time. They really should have tried to keep her around longer than they did, really dropped the ball on that one.

    Season 1, Episode 13 (The Best Chrismukkah Ever)

    This guy even invented a holiday! One of the best openings to an episode ever, and without question one of the best episodes the show ever aired. Guys remember Summer in that Wonder Woman outfit?? Seth just wants everyone to get into the holiday spirit, but there’s so much going that no one has any time. THEN BOOM a Chrismukkah miracle baby. Just what a fantastic episode, I hope there are people who celebrate this joyous holiday around the world and if so I’d love to be apart of it. How money is Seth’s sweater in this scene though!

    I could have gone on forever listing memorable scenes, it’s really hard to narrow it down and pick a select few. Those are just some that really stick out to me, along with 15 more that I can think of (New Years Eve first season). So many great memories come up when thinking about The OC, and it’s crazy to think it’s actually been 10 years since it went off the air. So many shows have tried to replicate what this show had, but nothing could ever come close. I always forget how incredible the cast was, and how many young actors got their start on this show. Chris Pratt for example was in this show, I had completely forgotten that and he’s probably Hollywood’s biggest star right now. I even tuned into Gotham for 2 seasons just so I could see what Ryan Atwood was up too on a weekly basis. I miss this show, so I think I’m going to do myself a favor a rewatch it from start to finish, it just feels like the right thing to do. Another thing that felt right was to wear a white beater while writing this and that’s exactly what I did. So I guess California here I come!