2K13 Summer Recap

Top 3 Films

1. Pacific Rim

Pacific Rim brings all those awesomeness and the joy of summer movies in a super intense two hours of robots fighting monsters. The action is crazy great, the actors are awesome and they definitely cancelled the apocalypse. What really sucked for me about this film is that I didn't get the chance to see this film in its full on awesomeness in IMAX 3D. Everything just falls into place in this film. Everything is perfect. I can't talk bad about this film, really. Best of the summer






2. Star Trek Into Darkness
Star Trek reboot in 2009 was one of the finest reboot ever made by Hollywood. The cast is young and hip and perfect. It has great action, great sci-fi concept, great story too. And now four years later, all of that still stands strong. Add Sherlock star, Benedict Cumberbatch to bring menace to everyone in the galaxy and you'll get a really cool film out of it. For me, Into Darkness is better in Captain Kirk's story while as a whole it's still on par with the 2009 film, which means it's far from bad.





3. Man of Steel
Chris Nolan had his magic touch in the Batman saga for three films. Who's to say he's not going to extend that magic to most recognizable superhero in the universe? The result is a darker take on the king of superheroes. Henry Cavill is definitely Superman and kids will forever recognize him as Superman. The film has amazing supporting cast and a more-than-enough action set pieces. Since it's a different take from the Superman we know, people dismissed the film as untrue to the mythology while it's just the beginning of something great in the years to come.




Honorable mention: Gore Verbinski's fun adventure that not enough people see, The Lone Ranger

Most Surprising Film
World War Z
World War Z has troubles almost as many as the troubles my country has on a regular basis. However, those troubles proved to be an extra promotion point. People become aware of Brad Pitt starring in a zombie film. The promotion for this film is also quite intense, delivering promises of a great zombie thriller. And yes, baby, it delivers. Apart from the out-of-place climax, the film is definitely one of the best zombie films out there and Brad Pitt may make long hair hip for men (hope not).





Most Underwhelming Film
The Hangover Part III
I'm a fan of raunchy, dirty comedy. Like a super fan. The first two Hangover films has all the qualities I want in a comedy film. It's offensive, it's crazy, it's fun and for Hangover films, it's unexpected! However, say goodbye to all those qualities for the third part of the Wolfpack's night of mayhem. The film is nowhere offensive and crazy. I laughed only twice or three times during the whole film. It's so safe that it could be rated PG-13. The biggest fun I had when watching this was during the post credits scene.





Honorable mentions:
- Shyamalan & the Smiths' cheap looking, yet passable sci-fi After Earth. It's not on the top of the disappointing films because we already have no expectations for it to be great.
- Shane Black's awful black comedy script and please-kill-me-now-it's-so-bad twist on Iron Man 3. It's not as disappointing as Hangover 3 because it still has its great moments in the film.


Next week: Elysium review!!
Ah and yes, if you noticed, I changed the layout of the blog since the black-white-red was so 2009.

Re-Origins

Once again a ridiculous movie scheduling in Japan where a film set in Japan opened later in Japan than anywhere in the world*. The Wolverine is the sequel to the prequel of the original trilogy which is actually a sequel to the original X-Men trilogy. In other words, a sequel to X-Men Origins: Wolverine but actually a sequel to X-Men The Last Stand. It stars as usual Hugh Jackman but with more unknown actors who are mostly Japanese. Besides Hiroyuki Sanada, I have never heard of the other Japanese actors before. The film is directed by James Mangold who made Knight and Day.

The story starts when USA bombed Nagasaki during WW2, Logan/Wolverine saved Yashida, a Japanese commander from the atomic bomb. Many years later, Yashida searched for Logan to say thank you and stuff. So, the physically wounded Logan who have nightmare after killing Jean Grey in The Last Stand, goes to Japan. There he actually faces danger and this time he's alone without the help of the X-Men.

While The Wolverine is definitely an improvement from X-Men Origins, it does not improve much. It shows that a solo Wolverine film isn't as compelling as the full mutant gang. The story is quite nice, but not in the scale of an expected superhero film, especially a big summer release too. But Hugh Jackman is always awesome as Wolverine. Apart from Viper and Wolverine, the film lacks mutants to make it more 'superhero'. It's just like a normal film, nothing special. Also, being in Japan makes me have a different perspective on the film. Yashida, the soldier who's rescued by Wolverine, isn't worth the rescue. Sure, he saved all the POWs but he didn't honor the bushido code, all that suicide shit y'know. In simpler words: he's a fucking chicken. And also the Hollywood bullshit ensues, Yukio drives all the way from Tokyo to Nagasaki and back in one day. WHAT THE FUCK.

Anyway, let's get to the good parts. The action is cool and quite crazy. Marco Beltrami did a great job scoring the film, it is definitely one of the high points of the film. It's kind of pleasing to have Famke Janssen as Jean Grey back although it's more like a cameo role despite her top-billing. Hiroyuki Sanada is appearing in many films lately, this year he still has 47 Ronin and the great-looking The Railway Man with Colin Firth and Nicole Kidman. Tao Okamoto is definitely the best Japanese girl I've seen, although her acting still needs brushing. And the post-credits scene is jaw-dropping, shoe-stopping amazing. Psyched and pumped for X-Men: Days of Future Past next year! It's on the top of my 2014 summer films. And please tell me, if I missed the Stan Lee cameo because I didn't see him at all in the film. The Wolverine: rated 3/4.

*Japan's scheduling, for once, is for a reason. If they released the film in July it would be too close to the atomic bomb memorial in early August.

Later today, summer re-cap
Next week: Neil Blomkamp's Elysium.

Space Jesus in Tights

My number one anticipated summer movie of 2013 finally opened in Japan yesterday, August 30 and I dropped everything I had to do and took a two-hour bus to watch this film in all its glory in IMAX. Man of Steel is a super clean reboot of the most recognized superhero of all time from DC Comics, Superman. It stars Henry Cavill, Amy Adams, Michael Shannon and Russell Crowe. It also has the one of the best supporting cast ever with Kevin Costner, Laurence Fishburne, Ayelet Zurer and Diane Lane. The film is directed by one of the most stylish/coolest/visionary directors in Hollywood, Zack Snyder and produced by the man behind the mask behind the camera of The Dark Knight trilogy, Christopher Nolan. The trailers looked amazing especially the third trailer and I was beyond psyched to see this.

The story is about Clark Kent/Kal-El's beginning before donning the suit. It started from Krypton with Jor-El and Lara Lor Van, Kal-El's biological parents. Kal-El himself is already the special one and must be saved from the planet's destruction. He was sent to Earth and found by Jonathan and Martha Kent who raised him as their own child. In his early adult years, Clark went around to find himself and the meaning of his existence, until some fellow Kryptonian headed by General Zod, found him and unleashed his plan on Earth.

The first two-thirds of the film might be one of the best approach to show the origins of a superhero. It was filled with all the reasons that Clark will carry while donning his iconic cape. Best bits comes from Kevin Costner's Jonathan Kent and a few from Diane Lane's Martha Kent. While the human parents gave Clark a more down-to-Earth view on how should the boy grow up, Russell Crowe's Jor-El gave him the very reason on why he was sent there and how to put the powers to a good use for the people of Earth. Jor El's monologue, as heard on the teaser trailer, is definitely the best lines in the whole film. Henry Cavill nailed it as Kal-El/Superman. Not only he has the body, but the face and the coolness. Brandon Routh has the face and the quirky Clark Kent but not quite the body of Superman. But we still have to see Cavill as Clark in the next film. Amy Adams is also great as Lois Lane. It is only a shame that they kinda wasted Perry White, Jenny (Olsen?) and that Lombard guy. Michael Shannon is awesome as General Zod, although not comparable to Terrence Stamp's embodiment because it is a whole different take on the character. One of the stand outs is Antje Traue as Faora who's very badass and given all the cool, evil lines by scriptwriter David S. Goyer.

My only complaint was the last battle of Superman vs Zod which was destructive in every possible way. We did get some cool scenes there but is the whole destruction necessary? Even now Transformers: The Dark of the Moon's Chicago battle looked puny compared to Metropolis' carnage. It was a sensory overload at its very excessive. One thing that must be noted is the absence of Zack Snyder's trademark slow-mo fights scenes. He did that with an animated film about owls but not a Superman film? Honestly I was a bit disappointed with that but in return we had a super gritty and brutal fight scenes, especially the one in Smallville with Faora looking super badass and that big Kryptonian beating up Superman. Hans Zimmer's score is amazing although sometimes lost in the overwhelming massiveness of the battle on screen. The docu-style is definitely new to Snyder and I must applaud him for trying something new. And that docu-style is a plus point too because it made the film distinguished from other normal superhero films. The look of the film is also cool courtesy of DoP Amir Mokri. Moreover, you just got to love the Jesus imagery in this film. And, helloooo: best ending ever, Clark! Definitely looking forward to Batman vs Superman or whatever it is going to be called. Although I have to suggest to tone down the destruction meter. I might be super-subjective to this film but who cares, Man of Steel: rated 4/4

Casting suggestions for Man of Steel 2/Batman vs Superman:

- As much as I loved Bryan Cranston, I'd have a younger Lex Luthor ala Michael Rosenbaum of Smallville. I've seen some posts around the Internet and I'd say yes to Jason Clarke or Jason Isaacs. There are some interesting suggestions like Jude Law, he could do it but I may need some convincing. But definitely not Cranston or Mark Strong

- Now, a role that would be perfect for Cranston is Commissioner Gordon, as heard in the animated Batman: Year One. That would be beyond great.


Coming in September: The Wolverine, Elysium, and a summer recap.
The Wolverine opens in Japan September 13
Elysium opens September 20
The summer re-cap should follow The Wolverine or Elysium

In the Dark

My first ridiculous movie-waiting in Japan is finally over! Star Trek Into Darkness finally opens in Japan yesterday and got around to watch it today! YEAH, SCIENCE! I'm really waiting for this film since the first Star Trek is a blast with all the cool cast from Chris Pine and Zachary Quinto to John Cho and Anton Yelchin. Let me remind you, I have never watch the William Shatner/Leonard Nimoy films or even the Next Generation films, except for Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan. I even watched that film after watching this. So, I'm a purely new Star Trek fan. What got me really pumped for this film is the fact that one of my favorite actors Benny Cumberbatch is here! And also one of my movie crush Alice Eve is also hereeeee. And don't forget it got one of my fav directors JJ Abrams too! So perfect.

The story is that the Starfleet is facing a new, mysterious villain named John Harrison bombed London and attacked the headquarters. Captain Kirk and his crew of the USS Enterprise begins a manhunt to search for this John Harrison and planning to run this bastard down. As always, Captain Kirk is aided by his friend Spock and the great crew of USS Enterprise along with newcomer Carol Marcus.

God, definitely Star Trek Into Darkness is one of this summer's best! The action is top-notch, the effects is crazy great, the cast is amazinggg. I actually have never seen Chris Pine this good in any other film. I wished they gave Cumberbatch, Zoe Saldana and Alice Eve more things to do. But love it. I love Alice Eve here and not just because she had that scene. She's just irresistible as always since She's Out of My League. Benedict is definitely a scene-stealer if you had not seen Sherlock before, but for me he's not a scene-stealer, he's so good. I like Zachary Quinto's portrayal of Spock too. I loved it, because finally his Sylar image from Heroes is gone with this role. Despite sharing similarities with Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, this film has its own strength to differentiate itself from the former like Captain Kirk's story arc, which is definitely well-made. For the story in a whole, it has some questionable plot holes. But I'm willing to see past through it, that's for the guys at CinemaSins to pick on. Granted, the film would be more interesting to watch if we're a fan. This film is like Skyfall to the Bond series, full of homage and Easter Eggs. But the film's very satisfying and really worth the price of admission. Loved it, and would've loved it more if I didn't have to wait for 4 months. Even those guys at ScreenJunkies had already released their Honest Trailer version before I watched this. Even iTunes already has an early release on VOD. Shame on you Japan. Star Trek Into Darkness: rated 4/4.

*note: STID was just voted recently by die-hard Trekkies as the worst Star Trek film. This shows how ungrateful the Trekkie community is after having a film full with homages to their beloved series made. And that also shows how little the Trekkie community is in movie audiences. Star Trek Into Darkness is currently in IMDb's Top 250 and 87% in Rotten Tomatoes, which is the highest for major 2013 summer blockbuster film. Also in RT, 91% of the audience liked the film which leaves Trekkies and other haters in the 9%. Worldwide, the film stands 9th in 2013 highest grosser with more than $450m. So, in the words of Simon Pegg, "fuck you"

BONUS 1!

If Molly* was a hard 10, Stainer himself will give Carol a 100

*refer to She's Out of My League

BONUS 2!

On Ben Affleck as Batman/Bruce Wayne
Ben Affleck isn't the worst choice to play this, but he's certainly not the one in people's minds. I actually find myself accepting although I rather have someone else play the role. One thing for sure, Ben Affleck as Batman is so much better than Ryan Gosling as Batman. My personal pick? Max Martini of Pacific Rim, who is more fitting to the Frank Miller's The Dark Knight Returns comics. Josh Brolin is a great choice too and if they want it a little younger, they can definitely go with Jensen Ackles who had voiced Red Hood in the animated film. But, hey, let's give Ben Affleck the benefit of the doubt and wait for July 2015.

Next week: Man of Steel (finally)

The Sponsors of Your 2013 Eargasms...so far

Hello again, it's me again. I just don't have that much things to do. And I am currently obsessed with one magical aspect of cinema: music/score/soundtrack. For the past years people are being magically hypnotized by the power of music in movies like John Williams' iconic themes for Star Wars, Indiana Jones or Harry Potter films. This year we have many hypnotizing, addictive soundtracks too! Therefore, I present to you the greatest soundtrack/score track of the year! Ranked! With YouTube videos!

7. Lana Del Rey's Young and Beautiful from The Great Gatsby

This song is definitely the one you hum after coming out of the theatres after watching your favorite old sport. The song is a perfect fit for the film and the film itself uses this song's melody as the main theme. Beautiful. Nevertheless, don't ignore the rest of the soundtrack album. It has great songs from Flo + the Machine, Gotye and the xx. 

6. Hans Zimmer's What Are You Going To Do When You're Not Saving The World from Man of Steel
I haven't seen Man of Steel yet, blame JAPAN. But seeing the third trailer for MoS is enough to justify that this score is one of the best. I put this on rank 6 because I still have to see the film first. The rank definitely could change after I watch the film. There's a reason why Hans Zimmer keep making great score: he's a fucking genius.


5. Cliff Martinez's Wanna Fight from Only God Forgives
Cliff Martinez always has a knack for creating cool ambience with his electric score. He did it in Drive, Contagion, and even Spring Breakers. This stand out score is both a stand out in the album (that includes Vithaya P singing) and the film, accompanying the coolest yet most contained fight scene ever to be filmed.


4. Ramin Djawadi's Pacific Rim from you where it's from.
Awesome score for an awesome film. It's a super cool theme and it's really addictive because it's the Gipsy Danger theme everytime that Jaeger comes to save the world from Kaiju. Four minutes of awesome. Ramin Djawadi always makes great themes, he even did that for Clash of the Titans, isn't that crazy brilliant?

3. Brian Tyler's Can You Dig It? from Iron Man Three

This song is is a homage to the 80s cartoon show. It sounded campy, it sounded fun. Brian Tyler definitely made Iron Man 3 a better film with his score. He made a whole new theme for the hero rather than recycling Ramin Djawadi's rock n' roll theme like John Debney did for IM2. But this song is definitely the stand out in the film, along with the super cool credit titles. IM3 also has a kick-ass companion album with Imagine Dragons, Passion Pit and Neon Trees.

2. Hans Zimmer's Finale from The Lone Ranger
An epic track of almost 10 minutes that has everything in it. The William Tell overture is done amazingly both as the main melody and as the accompaniment for the original score that Hans Zimmer made. It's incredibly epic and the film itself is already a great adventure, add that with this it becomes a superb amazing adventure film. It's Zimmer's best album since Pirates 3 (not counting MoS yet)


1. M83 & Joseph Trapanese's I'm Sending You Away from Oblivion
The whole album is great. But my personal favorite is this track, because it has melodies from the track Starwaves and also the ending song Oblivion by Susanne Sundfor. Director Joe Kosinski tried to duplicate the success of using Daft Punk by using M83 in this film. It paid off, mister.



Special mentions to the use of Muse's Isolated System in World War Z and Skrillex's Scary Monsters and Nice Sprites in Spring Breakers. Also to Danny Elfman's goth/fairytale-like theme for Oz the Great and Powerful and a must-mention Michael Giacchino's super theme for Star Trek Into Darkness!