Author Archives: lovepirate77

Review: Oblivion

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I wish Hollywood would make more movies like Oblivion.  That’s not to say that Oblivion is great, but just that it’s the sort of film that feels like it has been abandoned lately.  The current state of the science fiction film genre consists of either indie dramas like Moon or Another Earth, or big budget spectacles that turn out to be pretentious messes like Prometheus or Inception, with a special category set aside for superhero movies.  (One of the few exceptions is Super 8.)  However, Oblivion is the sort of sci-fi movie I love.  It’s got an interesting plot and setting, great effects, a good cast and stellar visuals.  It may fail somewhat on the execution, but I have to give them full credit for the attempt.

We’re told it’s 2077, approximately 60 years after Earth was attacked by aliens. Continue reading →

In Memoriam: Ray Harryhausen

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Every movie fan is sad today at the loss of Ray Harryhausen at age 92.  Born in 1920, his first job in Hollywood was working on Mighty Joe Young for Willis O’Brien, the pioneer of stop-motion animation whose work in King Kong inspired Harryhausen to follow in his footsteps.  That successful beginning launched a decades-long career as one of the leading visual effects masters in Hollywood.

Despite never winning, or even being nominated for, a competitive Oscar, Harryhausen left a lasting mark on the visual effects industry.  His style and creativity helped inspire a generation of filmmakers, including legends like Spielberg, Lucas, Burton and Cameron.  Harryhausen’s ability started to truly blossom with The 7th Voyage of Sinbad and its two sequels in the 50s and 60s, but continued all the way until his last movie in 1981, Clash of the Titans.  By that point, fantasy films were dying out (until Lord of the Rings revived them in the 2000’s), replaced by science fiction as the popular spectacle movie genre.

Harryhausen’s last film was released before I was born, and I grew up as a member of the Jurassic Park generation of special effects, but his films are still impressive today, especially my favorite, Jason and the Argonauts. Continue reading →

Trailer Tuesday: Star Trek Into Darkness

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Welcome to “Trailer Tuesday” where I talk about trailers for upcoming movies, since I’ve always found them to be endlessly fascinating.

I’m a Trekkie and I have to be honest: I didn’t like 2009’s Star Trek.  Oh, don’t get me wrong, it was pretty enjoyable, had a solid cast, I love seeing Leonard Nimoy as Spock, and I’m a big J.J. Abrams fan (Super 8 is a masterpiece).  But it did not feel at all like Star Trek to me.  I thought the time travel/parallel universe story was a cheap way for the writers to be able to sidestep history, I thought the movie was far too dumbed-down so as to appeal to modern audiences, and they completely screwed up the Kobayashi Maru sequence.

So I feel a bit of trepidation when I see the trailers for the new film, Star Trek Into Darkness.  Take a look and then read on for my thoughts:

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Review/Analysis: Iron Man 3

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Iron Man 3 opens with a flashback to 1999, narrated by Tony Stark.  It’s the eve of the new millennium, and Tony is partying with an attractive scientist who is interested in DNA modification as it relates to regeneration.  They have an elevator encounter with an enthusiastic scientist interested in recruiting Tony (and the woman) to his new company.  We’re told via Tony’s voice over that this is where it all started.

We then jump to modern day Tony Stark, struggling to deal with recent events.  Christmas is approaching, and Tony has been spending all of his time in the lab, hardly ever sleeping, working on perfecting a new suit of Iron Man armor that will fly to his body in pieces at just a thought.  He’s currently living with Pepper Potts, who is still running his company.  Tony hasn’t been sleeping because he’s still haunted by his near-suicide in the wormhole in New York during the events of The Avengers.

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Friday Favorites: Favorite Location – Dogma

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Welcome to “Friday Favorites” which highlight some of my favorite movie-related things.  It could be a favorite character or casting choice, a favorite song or score, a favorite scene, line of dialogue, shot or simply a moment.  Anything is possible (costumes, sets, etc) and I’d love to hear your suggestions.  Note: Just because something appears here does not make it my absolute #1 favorite thing in that category, but it is simply “one of my favorites”.

Dogma is an interesting movie.  In fact, it’s a movie that feels like several different movies that don’t belong together wrapped into one.  One part tells the story of two familiar stoners who get caught up with the forces of heaven and hell, and is filled with sex and poop jokes of the lowest common denominator.  Another part is the ensemble comedy about a band of holy misfits trying to prevent the end of the world.  And the third part, the part that keeps me coming back to the film after 14 years, is an interesting drama about faith in the modern world, featuring two angels who were kicked out of heaven for showing mercy towards humanity, and their quest to get back to the place they belong without regard for the consequences.

My favorite scene in the film comes as these angels, Bartleby and Loki (Ben Affleck and Matt Damon), have encountered a setback.  They’ve been challenged by a heavenly host of misfits, including the 13th Apostle, the voice of God, the last descendent of Jesus’s family and the two stoners.  Take a look below and then read on for my thoughts (and turn your sound up to get the full effect):

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Review: The Wizarding World of Harry Potter – from the heart of an obsessive fan

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Hogwarts at the Wizarding World of Harry Potter

I recently visited The Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal Studios’ Islands of Adventure theme park in Orlando, FL for the first time.  I’d been to Islands of Adventure many many times before, but the WWoHP was still under construction the last time I was there.  I had read a lot about the WWoHP and I was very curious as to what my reaction would be, considering I’m a hugely obsessive Harry Potter fan.  Unlike some other fans, however, I’ve never shown much of an outward expression of this obsession.

I don’t own boatloads of Harry Potter merchandise, I’ve never dressed as a wizard or drawn a scar on my forehead, I’ve never been to a Wizard Rock concert or to a convention.  Other than the ring I wear every day that has the sign of the Deathly Hallows on it, my HP obsession has always been inward.  I have a deeply personal connection to the books, and while I’ve occasionally written about it, it’s not something I share or talk about much.  Of all of the things I love, it’s the one that I have the most trouble finding the right words to express the depth of my feelings, and I’ve so often been antagonized for it that I’ve mostly given up.  (I’ve written about it a bit on my blog, but I’ve never been very satisfied with how it turned out.)

It was with a mixture of excitement and nerves, therefore, that I first entered The Wizarding World of Harry Potter. Continue reading →

Trailer Tuesday: The Philosophers

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Welcome to “Trailer Tuesday” where I talk about trailers for upcoming movies, since I’ve always found trailers to be endlessly fascinating.

Today I’m bringing you a trailer you probably haven’t seen before.  It’s for The Philosophers (Note: title changed to After the Dark), and it caught my eye a while back for being something different and original.  It’s set to come out sometime this year, but doesn’t yet have a firm release date.  Check it out below, and then read on for some of my thoughts:

The Philosophers initially came to my attention when I read that it was Bonnie Wright’s (Ginny Weasley in Harry Potter) next film. Continue reading →

Friday Favorites: Favorite Moment – Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom

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Welcome to “Friday Favorites” which highlight some of my favorite movie-related things.  It could be a favorite character or casting choice, a favorite song or score, a favorite scene, line of dialogue, shot or simply a moment.  Anything is possible (costumes, sets, etc) and I’d love to hear your suggestions.  Note: Just because something appears here does not make it my absolute #1 favorite thing in that category, but it is simply “one of my favorites”.

I talk about “movie moments” a lot.  My definition of a moment is pretty amorphous, but it’s generally anything in a movie that makes a sharp impact.  It can sometimes stretch to an entire scene, and sometimes is as quick as a blink.  It can be a line of dialogue or a particular look, a bit of action, a single shot or something longer.  It’s almost impossible for me to define what I consider a moment without using the word “moment”.  It’s what makes your heart skip a beat, or that brings tears to your eyes or a sob to your throat, it brings you to your feet, makes you hide your face, causes you to burst into applause or just to laugh with abandon.  Movies are a string of moments, and everything between is providing context and connection between them.  They often occur at great moments of change, either to character or story, or as the culmination of a plot.  In a way, they’re tiny (in duration) climaxes to one section of story.  Some movies only have one moment and spend the entire film building to it, others have many; some are like a tsunami, others are barely a ripple.  Moments are the moments that stand out, that we remember, that are burned into our minds.

I have a personal connection to Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom. Continue reading →

Trailer Tuesday: The Hunger Games: Catching Fire

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Welcome to “Trailer Tuesday” where I talk about trailers for upcoming movies, since I’ve always found trailers to be endlessly fascinating.

Today we have the new teaser trailer for The Hunger Games: Catching Fire.  Go ahead and watch it and then read on for my thoughts:

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Friday Favorites: Favorite Character Intro – Pirates of the Caribbean

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Welcome to “Friday Favorites” which highlight some of my favorite movie-related things.  It could be a favorite character or casting choice, a favorite song or score, a favorite scene, line of dialogue, shot or simply a moment.  Anything is possible (costumes, sets, etc) and I’d love to hear your suggestions.  Note: Just because something appears here does not make it my absolute #1 favorite thing in that category, but it is simply “one of my favorites”.

Few movies spend enough effort on character introductions, in my opinion.  Just like in real life, the first impression of a character can have a lasting impact, sometimes setting the standards so high that the rest of the film is a disappointment and other times ruining a perfectly good character from the beginning.  The best character intros are the ones that play with expectations, and engage the audience by making the character both memorable and something of a mystery.

There are a few character intros in film history that stand out above the rest, and one of those near the top is the introduction of Captain Jack Sparrow. Continue reading →