*Fellow hater/oftentimes Friend/sometimes rival, "That Urban Punk" has finally put up a blog page. Like me, he is no longer content with wasting his verboseness on MySpace (I've contemplated dropping MySpace altogether if it weren't for some great, talented and creative "friends" I have there).
UP's a cool guy, a good draftsman, great idea man (still waiting for him to put a story to paper), and a great storyteller. And I mean "storyteller" in the "spin a yarn" sense of the word (which is an art in itself). Check him out. He's a bit delusional for George Lucas so don't judge him too harshly.
LINKING PARK:
*Here's what McDonald's commercials are like in Japan...
*Here's why you should vote Republican.
*Here's some Netflix reviews I typed up instead of proof-reading Bamn (shame):
The Mist
A nearby military compound is insinuated to be the cause of mysterious mist that blankets a small Castle Rock-esque town. This causes the towns inhabitants to be trapped in the local grocery store with little explanation of the proceedings as issues of classism, religion, and distrust stir up tension amongst the town folk. Director Frank Darabont (Green Mile, Shawshank Redemption) is no stranger to adapting Stephen King material but seems quite unfamiliar with the mechanics of a horror/suspense story. He ruins some tastefully subtle dramatic moments with some frustratingly naive characters. The Special Effects show the work of a thoughtful director but the plot's cliches show the work of a smart filmmaker stumbling among the fog of conventions.
A nearby military compound is insinuated to be the cause of mysterious mist that blankets a small Castle Rock-esque town. This causes the towns inhabitants to be trapped in the local grocery store with little explanation of the proceedings as issues of classism, religion, and distrust stir up tension amongst the town folk. Director Frank Darabont (Green Mile, Shawshank Redemption) is no stranger to adapting Stephen King material but seems quite unfamiliar with the mechanics of a horror/suspense story. He ruins some tastefully subtle dramatic moments with some frustratingly naive characters. The Special Effects show the work of a thoughtful director but the plot's cliches show the work of a smart filmmaker stumbling among the fog of conventions.
Sunshine
Sunshine's bad guy is the Sun. Capable of sustaining for 10 billion years or eradicating the entire solar system. The future is now. The sun is about to completely burn out and has caused earth to turn into a wintery wasteland. A team of scientist (particularly, Cillian Murphy and Chris Evans, who makes me wish the FF movies were more like this) take a mentally-taxing trip to re-ignite the sun with a "payload" that contains enough energy/fire power to get it up and running again. Director, Danny Boyle (28 Days Later), keeps everything confined to space (that made sense right?), but never lets you lose touch of what this means for the people back on earth if this mission fails. Idealism and curiousity are the only enemies the scientist face, as they attempt to continue this mission that was failed several months prior. It makes for some tense special effects moments that manages to sustain a good chunk of the movie up until it's last minute, vertigo-inducing, twist. Which seems a litle displaced with the rest of the film but doesn't detract from it. Real quick. Science-Fiction can take a severe beating in the realm of genres. It can be complete tentacled pornographic-fuel for Japanese comics or it can be a biting commentary on humanities lowest points and pitfalls. It's the latter that made science-fiction such a formidable form of literature. It is the latter that tends to be forgotten by the general public. It's the latter that is most underappreciated. Even by me. But Sunshine is Sci-Fi poetry and I actually liked it. Alot.
Sunshine's bad guy is the Sun. Capable of sustaining for 10 billion years or eradicating the entire solar system. The future is now. The sun is about to completely burn out and has caused earth to turn into a wintery wasteland. A team of scientist (particularly, Cillian Murphy and Chris Evans, who makes me wish the FF movies were more like this) take a mentally-taxing trip to re-ignite the sun with a "payload" that contains enough energy/fire power to get it up and running again. Director, Danny Boyle (28 Days Later), keeps everything confined to space (that made sense right?), but never lets you lose touch of what this means for the people back on earth if this mission fails. Idealism and curiousity are the only enemies the scientist face, as they attempt to continue this mission that was failed several months prior. It makes for some tense special effects moments that manages to sustain a good chunk of the movie up until it's last minute, vertigo-inducing, twist. Which seems a litle displaced with the rest of the film but doesn't detract from it. Real quick. Science-Fiction can take a severe beating in the realm of genres. It can be complete tentacled pornographic-fuel for Japanese comics or it can be a biting commentary on humanities lowest points and pitfalls. It's the latter that made science-fiction such a formidable form of literature. It is the latter that tends to be forgotten by the general public. It's the latter that is most underappreciated. Even by me. But Sunshine is Sci-Fi poetry and I actually liked it. Alot.
The Nightmare Before Christmas
Tim Burton's best film (even though he didn't direct it) is Nightmare Before Christmas. Bored Jack Skelington lords over the town of Halloween but when a chance encounter has him stumble over Christmastown, he realizes that old Saint Nick has it made and that he wants a piece of the fruitcake. What follows is a film the can only be described as a bewildering trifecta of art, story, and music, as Skelington tries to (forcibly) retire Santa Claus so that he can bring his own brand of misguided Christmas cheer to everyone. I cannnot stress the level of imagination accomplished in this piece as Henry Selick's directorial wit, Danny Elfman's impish music, and Tim Burton's playfully moody designs create a completely hypnotic film.
Tim Burton's best film (even though he didn't direct it) is Nightmare Before Christmas. Bored Jack Skelington lords over the town of Halloween but when a chance encounter has him stumble over Christmastown, he realizes that old Saint Nick has it made and that he wants a piece of the fruitcake. What follows is a film the can only be described as a bewildering trifecta of art, story, and music, as Skelington tries to (forcibly) retire Santa Claus so that he can bring his own brand of misguided Christmas cheer to everyone. I cannnot stress the level of imagination accomplished in this piece as Henry Selick's directorial wit, Danny Elfman's impish music, and Tim Burton's playfully moody designs create a completely hypnotic film.
Long Kiss Goodnight
Inexplicably underrated movie! Screenwriter, Shane Black reminds us why he was the most sought after screenwriter at one time. Geena Davis plays Charlie Baltimore, amnesiac school teacher whose settled into her home life. Naturally, her past starts knocking at her door (with a sawed off shotgun no less). With the aide of private dick, Sam Jackson, she discovers that she was a spy, dealing in the blackest of black ops. The movie is lighting fast with it's humor, a key staple in any Shane Black movie, granting allowances for some of the well-earned action ridiculousness that follows. Davis keeps up with Jackson's quick-wit turn for turn, and the film packs an insane finale. Thoroughly entertaining.
Last Action Hero
Unsuccesfully riffing off of "Who Framed Roger Rabbit," Austin O' brien is given a magical ticket that transports him into the screen with his favorite action hero Jack Slater (Arnold). But when Slater's (Don Simpson-esque) villians start stepping into the real world, Slater has to stop them from killing the real Arnold Schwarzenegger because "in the real world, bad guys can win.". The misconception is that "Last Action Hero: is a failure. But that has more to do with the money spent to make the film than the film itself. Underneath it's silly extravagance is an intentionally funny film. Schwarzenegger, wisely, pokes fun of his celebrity persona and the film genre he is most associated with. Austin O' Brien manages to never actually be annoying (which is rare feet for any child actor), Charles Dance is hilarious as Benedict, and there are little bits (like when Schwarznegger's "Jack Slater" meet's O' Brien's mom) that make the film alot of the fun to watch. Despite some entertaining pay offs, the film is a one-trick pony. Never fully commited to executing it's promise of seeing "King Kong" or "Darth Vader" despite it's ridiculous budget.
Inexplicably underrated movie! Screenwriter, Shane Black reminds us why he was the most sought after screenwriter at one time. Geena Davis plays Charlie Baltimore, amnesiac school teacher whose settled into her home life. Naturally, her past starts knocking at her door (with a sawed off shotgun no less). With the aide of private dick, Sam Jackson, she discovers that she was a spy, dealing in the blackest of black ops. The movie is lighting fast with it's humor, a key staple in any Shane Black movie, granting allowances for some of the well-earned action ridiculousness that follows. Davis keeps up with Jackson's quick-wit turn for turn, and the film packs an insane finale. Thoroughly entertaining.
Last Action Hero
Unsuccesfully riffing off of "Who Framed Roger Rabbit," Austin O' brien is given a magical ticket that transports him into the screen with his favorite action hero Jack Slater (Arnold). But when Slater's (Don Simpson-esque) villians start stepping into the real world, Slater has to stop them from killing the real Arnold Schwarzenegger because "in the real world, bad guys can win.". The misconception is that "Last Action Hero: is a failure. But that has more to do with the money spent to make the film than the film itself. Underneath it's silly extravagance is an intentionally funny film. Schwarzenegger, wisely, pokes fun of his celebrity persona and the film genre he is most associated with. Austin O' Brien manages to never actually be annoying (which is rare feet for any child actor), Charles Dance is hilarious as Benedict, and there are little bits (like when Schwarznegger's "Jack Slater" meet's O' Brien's mom) that make the film alot of the fun to watch. Despite some entertaining pay offs, the film is a one-trick pony. Never fully commited to executing it's promise of seeing "King Kong" or "Darth Vader" despite it's ridiculous budget.
0 comments:
Post a Comment