Joe, You're Cool!

The last big stop on summer, G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra. The trailer looked very cool and this is a must-see movie of August. The movie is based on Hasbro's action figures--similar stuff like Transformers. G.I. Joe is directed by Stephen Sommers, the director of The Mummy, one of my childhood movies. So, I saw the super cool poster and watched the movie.

The story is about a secret elite team who faced a major threat from the terrorist organization Cobra. Cobra was backed by an ambitious businessman James McCullen. McCullen made an advanced warhead with Nanomite--some kind of microscopic metal-consuming bugs. The secret team, G.I.Joe, needed to save the world if that Nanomite falls to the wrong hands. McCullen with his evil mind, worked on both sides-the good and the bad. He had an ambition to be the hero of the world and made his family name remembered.

The movie was so action-packed and cool. The action started right from the beginning until the end. The movie was so loud and intensely decorated with Alan Silvestri's score. The story itself was very interesting though it seemed to take elements from The Day The Earth Stood Still with that cannibal bug. The story lacks motive for Joseph Gordon-Levitt's Destro. Why did he become Destro? Why did he became obsessed with Nanomites? The casts were quite star studded from Dennis Quaid, Channing Tatum, and Sienna Miller. Miller was so different from her other characters in her other movies. In the first bit of the movie, Tatum was very bad. How come he became a soldier with the attitude of a lazy boy? But after he joined G.I. Joe, he got better. Unfortunately, the CGI effects in this movie were not good enough. The Eiffel Tower scene was quite good though. But most of them were still visible to the eyes as a computer effect unlike previous effects-filled summer movies such as Terminator Salvation, Star Trek, and Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen. However one thing did catch my eye: Rachel Nichols. She was marvellous with her red hair. The way she drove her bike in Paris (although I think it was a CGI), was incredibly stunning. She definitely became one of my favourite. As the ending was very open, a sequel is a must. So, I'm waiting for the second installment with Rachel Nichols returning as Scarlett. G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra: rated B+.

Up and Away!

I would never miss a Pixar movie which I always find very interesting and sometimes heart breaking, except Ratatouille which I missed. Last year we had WALL-E, one of the best movies of last year. Pixar always comes up with a really great story and smart characters which makes the movie worthful to watch. This year we are going to South America with an old man and a five-year-old wilderness ranger in Up.

The story told us about young Carl Fredericksen, a boy with vast imagination who idolized an explorer named Charles Muntz. Muntz was convicted of fraud of bringing back a skeleton of a giant bird from Paradise Falls. But Fredericksen was still a die-hard fan of him. Then he met a girl who was also a fan of Muntz too. They eventually got married but they could not have a baby. So, they had a dream to live in Paradise Falls. But that never happened. On the present day, Fredericksen's house was surrounded by a mall construction. He would not sell his land to be a part of the mall. So, he embarked on a journey with his house by balloons, many balloons. Unpredictably, a talkative broken-home boy named Russell came along with him. In Paradise Falls they went through jungle, chased by talking dogs, met a giant colorful bird, and encountered the long lost explorer Charles Muntz.

Once again, Pixar made it mark. Up is so sweet and delightful. It is also funny and enchanting. The real magic here is the flying house. Fredericksen is a very strong 76-year-old man and Russell unexpectedly was a boy with many troubles. That made this movie so interesting. It was about dream and goals. Russell was so eager to have his last wilderness badge, he would do anything to get it. Fredericksen was an adventurous man, he wanted to fulfill his promise to his wife. Some things are out of logic here but what the hell? It made a perfect movie. Defintely Oscar material, one of the best movies of the year, no doubt this is the best animated feature this year. One more thing, watching this in 3D is really a waste of money. The usual presentation will do just fine. Looking forward to next year's Toy Story 3! Up: rated A