Big Epic Small Epic

This week I woke up the earliest of all time during my stay in Japan. I woke up before seven and got ready to catch a bus, catch a train, and catch another bus to get to the movie theater. Some sacrifice huh? The first film I watched today was Alfonso Cuaron's single shot-porn Gravity in 3D! This is the first time I watched a 3D film in Japan! The second is 47 Ronin, which makes this review quite special because this might be the very first few reviews of the film because it's released two weeks early in Japan (and it bombed in Japan).

Gravity
Gravity might be the most thrilling film this year, and possibly ever made. It is also might arguably be the most technically advanced film ever, beyond Avatar. Alfonso Cuaron has made a superb film that made you, almost literally, hold your breath. The film's decision to be super-realistic by using no sound in space is another point in awesome and an advantage too. The heroes in this film are Sandra Bullock who could carry the film almost all by herself, music composer Steven Price with his intense score, DoP Emmanuel Lubezki for his incredible shots from outer space, visual effects guys, and of course Alfonso Cuaron as the director. The 3D is also effective and might be the best 3D film I've ever watched. It's so great that the only thing I can comment is that if you haven't watched this, why haven't you? Gravity is intense, smart, thrilling, superb, and one of the best films of the year. Gravity: rated 5/4 TOO GOOD TO BE RATED.

47 Ronin
47 Ronin is a hyper ambitious film, with swollen budget and multiple delayed release dates. It stars Keanu Reeves and a flock of Japanese Hollywood graduates such as Hiroyuki Sanada (Sunshine, The Wolverine), Tadanobu Asano (Thor, Battleship) and Rinko Kikuchi (Babel, Pacific Rim). It also stars famous J-TV actress Ko Shibaseki and boyband member Jin Akanishi. Its decision to cast Japanese actors is commendable and deserves a standing ovation. It's a brave decision yet still they still feel the need to add Keanu's unimportant character. The film shows great deal of Japanese culture and honors them too. The bushido code of the samurais scenes are just perfect. It also improved the legend at some parts but it is plagued with cheesy lines, not a surprise coming from the writer who wrote Fast and Furious series and the writer who wrote the super minimum dialogue for Drive. The CGI is surprisingly not bad and the direction for a first-timer is quite okay. However, the other decision to add witchcraft and fantasy elements is also questionable. The film wanted to be an adventure epic but didn't explore the story too well that it actually came out like Clash of the Titans. We didn't get to invest much on the character, and they could omit some parts in favor of more important things but didn't do so. I'm not a fan of Keanu Reeves in this film, but the Japanese actors are great, particularly Hiroyuki Sanada, Rinko Kikuchi, and Min Tanaka. You could skip this film, but if you didn't it's not a bad thing either. Especially if you like Japanese stuff. 47 Ronin: rated 2.5/4

About the title, it refers to both Gravity and 47 Ronin. Gravity managed to be a great epic with a very little setting and story yet 47 Ronin just managed to be a small epic while it aimed to be a big one.

Next two weeks: The Hunger Games: Catching Fire.

Hellish Busy

I'm so sorry but this is going to be very short. I'm so busy out of nowhere and I have no time to write the blog and actually I had no inspiration to write the blog. So, almost two weeks ago I went and watch the new Paul Greengrass film starring Tom Hanks, Captain Phillips. That would be a short review and I'll add  late three reviews of some 2013 films.

Captain Phillips
It's Tom Hanks vs. Pirates, but not as glorious like Pirates of the Caribbean nor even it is that American-heroic. It's a tense thriller, seeing the sides of both parties. The story is about Captain Phillips who's a captain for a cargo ship that had to go through the Somali Basin, which is pirates' waters. The film did justice by showing the pirates' side as well, and it did more justice by casting Somali people. Barkhad Abdi is amazing, and so do the other Somali actors. Tom Hanks is even greater, by the final scene alone, he could get an Oscar nom. Greengrass' direction is indisputable as it has been his standard since The Bourne Supremacy. The film's so good and it's not even Greengrass' best three films. It kinda shows how the Americans are the evil ones, although there seemed to be no other option. It was a very realistic, intense film set only at the seas. The only downside is the film kinda drags too long in the middle and the final scene's music is a reminiscence of Hans Zimmer's Time for Inception. But all in all, a very good film. Captain Phillips: rated 3.5/4

Kick-Ass 2
Kick Ass 2's story revolves after the events of the first film. Kick Ass and Hit-Girl are trying to fit in like usual, not as superheroes and Red Mist swore to avenge his father's death by being a supervillain named The Motherfucker. Inspired by Kick-Ass, some of the people in the city braved themselves and put on costumes like superheroes too. The film is not a bad film on its own, it's actually pretty good. But as a franchise to follow the far superior Kick-Ass, this film sucked. And it sucked almost in all aspects, starting from CGI to story. The story is unworthy and kinda disgraceful on treating the deaths of important supporting characters. Some loose ends are not tied up too. The brilliance of Jim Carrey is wasted, unfortunately. No wonder he didn't want to promote the film. I bet it's not only the violence that turned him off, but also his own screentime. Now let's talk about the good parts, Aaron Johnson and Chloe Moretz are great. The story line for Mindy/Hit-Girl is superb and it deserves a film of its own. This film belongs to 'Films That Are Not Bad Yet Its Existence Is Questionable' along with The Bourne Legacy and The Amazing Spider-Man. Kick-Ass 2: rated 2/4

The Family/Malavita
Malavita boasts great cast and a pretty good director, with Michelle Pfeiffer and Tommy Lee Jones with Luc Besson. It has a killer premise of a mafia family in a witness protection program living in Europe. However in reality this actually looks like a parody of Robert De Niro films. At one point in this Martin Scorsese-produced film, Robert De Niro's character watches a Robert De Niro film which was directed by Martin Scorsese. The story isn't interesting at all and the use of violence as comedy might be fun at first but bitter when it was prolonged. The only violence I support is when Dianna Agron's character beat up guys for her women rights. It's completely forgettable although it's kinda fun at first. The Family or Malavita whatever you want to call this film: rated 2/4.

Insidious Chapter 2
After the so-so but technically great The Conjuring, I was thirsty for some real, jump-scare-moment-filled, scary horror films, then this film came. I loved Insidious' ending that I really loathed the idea of a sequel but apparently it's also good. As a horror film you'd want to watch at the cinemas or with your friends during slumber party, Insidious Chapter Two wins at every aspect than The Conjuring. The story satisfyingly answered some questions raised in the first film, expanding Patrick Wilson's character and ghost. However, the first Insidious is still better for it's prolonged horror atmospheric scene and the characters while Chapter Two resolves the story with more action, losing the stakes of a horror film and also loses the interesting characters introduced in the first film in favor of jump scare tactics, and sometimes unintentional, strange humor too. But this film succeeded in making the super-kind looking Patrick Wilson as a scary figure. Insidious Chapter Two: rated 3/4


LATER THIS WEEK: ALFONSO CUARON'S GRAVITY 3D REVIEWED!
I'd like to do 47 Ronin but apparently it's not even that well-received in Japan. Mind you, the film is already out for a week but it only collected $1.3m. And I'm not even that interested in the film so, yeah, SKIP.

Suffering

I had a double feature earlier today, celebrating my two done exams (actually two more to go). First is Denis Vileneuve-directed Prisoners and Kevin MacDonald's Brit-YA How I Live Now. Both films include lots of suffering and I am currently suffering because I have to study for final exams so I guess it's just fitting that the title for this post be Suffering.

Prisoners
This star-studded indie-feeling yet studio-funded film initially didn't catch my attention from the trailer. I dismissed it as generic, but of course there's more to that because look at the star power in this film. It turns out to be right, the film got a lot of awards buzz, and my brother was raving about this back in Indonesia. The story is about two families who lost their daughters and one father who's willing to cross the line to get her daughter back, and one detective who's assigned to this dismal case. The film's exciting and engaging story made you stressed out and emotional. The twists and turns are unexpected. The film's bleak color palette is gorgeous, and the quiet, atmospherical score is also fitting. However, the film's weakest point is Jake Gyllenhaal's Detective Loki's character who seemed to be incompetent on working the case. I bet you could work out the case before this Detective. However, Gyllenhaal was great in the role and it's a shame that this character didn't get the chance to be fleshed out. We already saw his weird eye-blinking, his Freemasons ring and strange tattoos on his fingers, but I guess that's up for our interpretation. Great performances by Hugh Jackman, Paul Dano and the near unrecognizable Melissa Leo. The film plays on the issue of religion and karma, mostly from the viewpoint of Jackman's Keller Dover. The film's overlong duration was necessary because in the end, we just want the film to continue. Prisoners: rated 4/4.

How I Live Now
Saoirse Ronan stars yet again in a young adult novel adaptation after her failed outing in Stephenie Meyer's The Host just earlier this year. But this film is based on a Brit YA, and of course it's so different. The story is set in the near future where World War III was breaking out, and Daisy (Ronan) was sent from the US to England to seek refuge to her family, things started to move when a nuclear bomb was dropped in London. The film kept it small scale but it could make us care for the character on-screen. Apart from the film's love story sub-plot, the story works. However, the things the characters do on-screen are sometimes downright stupid. For example a young boy lost his will to live after the terrorist group killed his dog, what the fuck right? Or, how Daisy, after one sex, decides to stay in England, a place she loathed, when she already got a ticket back to the States. Those are the ridiculous parts, but the rest of the film were doing okay. It has strong sequences accompanied with killer soundtracks, great sceneries, intense electronic score, and apparently it's rated R! I didn't even realize it. Did I mention that this film also stars the brilliant Tom Holland, who plays the kid in The Impossible? The little kid who plays Piper is another gem in the film. Unlike other YA which needs a big name actor who could carry the film, this one doesn't at all. In conclusion, the film is waaay better than Twilight, Beautiful Creatures, The Host, or most young-adult adaptations. But still this film is out of The Hunger Games's league. How I Live Now: rated 3/4

No Temperature

The Counselor is one of the rare example of how I managed to watch a film earlier than my home country Indonesia. To be honest, this only the second one, the first one being Les Miserables earlier this year. The Counselor is Ridley Scott's follow-up to his excellent yet polarizing sci-fi Prometheus. Scripted by Cormac McCarthy of No Country for Old Men and starring an ensemble cast that can't be refused, The Counselor definitely has everything on the table. The cast includes Michael Fassbender, Penelope Cruz, Javier Bardem, Cameron Diaz and Brad Pitt. And you'll be surprised by the film's 'cameo' extravaganza later in the film. This is an interesting trivia for the film: in Japan The Counselor is titled more vaguely 悪の法則 / Law of Evil. Strange because Japan tends to simplify movie titles (the latest I learned is that the Japanese title of Ben Stiller's The Secret Life of Walter Mitty is just Life!).

The story follows a counselor simply known as The Counselor as he made a seemingly great deal involving drugs from Mexico with his friends Reiner (Bardem) and Westrey (Pitt) to start a family with his lover Laura (Cruz). But there's a mole in the group with her own's scheme, Malkina (Diaz).

For me, that's the whole plot of the film. Since this film is extremely dialogue-driven and script-heavy, I may missed something due to heavy accent deliveries by Bardem or just I was still amazed by the greatness of the previous sentence. The film itself is too convoluted on the story for me it was quite confusing. It's almost like an appetizer to Cloud Atlas. There are bigger stakes than the life of the titular counselor but it was not conveyed clearly. The film was too long during the first half, but not until the story moved in the middle, the film started to get exciting. No doubt, I need to watch it again for clarity. But what McCarthy lacked on storytelling, he made it up in his excellent characters such as The Counselor himself, the bad-haired Reiner, or the possible-psychopath Malkina. The actors playing them are amazing. I mean this might be the first film I saw with a great Cameron Diaz performance in it. Fassbender is superb, Bardem is as always, Pitt also looked comfortable in the role although he's just Brad Pitt, it's a pity that Penelope Cruz's role isn't big enough.The second half of the film has a great number of cameos, from ASAC Schrader Dean Norris, John Leguizamo, Edgar Ramirez in a near-pointless scene, or hottie Natalie Dormer (sadly playing an American here). Cormac McCarthy's script is very great. It was full of killer one-liners or just thoughtful, undeniably great long speeches. However, McCarthy's script might be off-putting for some, Ridley Scott did a great job keeping the interest going on. The set-pieces in this film are also amazing, I counted two outstanding scenes, first of course, Cameron Diaz having sex with a Ferrari and second is Brad Pitt got Bolito-ed. The car sex scene was jaw-dropping and the Bolito was pulse-pounding accompanied with an eargasmic score by Daniel Pemberton. The Counselor is definitely the true definiton of 'that so cool' and 'wtf is happening!' combined.  Maybe the film was ahead of its time. The potential is there but not reaped entirely. Maybe it's going to be worshipped in the years to come. Maybe not. The Counselor: rated 3/4


I didn't review Carrie as promised, but I will review Captain Phillips in the next two weeks!

Summer Leftovers

You cannot believe how much I embrace the age of Netflix and iTunes where you could watch a film literally everywhere and without having to buy a DVD. I fucking love digital download. Let me rephrase this: I fucking love "digital" download. So, anyway, this week I caught up with the summer films I missed, which means a whole lot of hours devoted to watching a screen. But dude, that is the life. Not spending countless hours on meaningless lectures in university and dealing with too much stupid along the way.


The Heat
The Sandra Bullock/Melissa McCarthy buddy cop comedy is actually not among my watchlist in the summer. I find it too comedic for my taste, just like how Identity Thief didn't spark any interest in me. However, I find The Heat to be quite entertaining and funny at times, but didn't last that long in my memory. Melissa McCarthy stole the film for me, she's just too funny. But Sandra Bullock didn't do a bad job either, she can equal McCarthy and in a few times, top McCarthy. The jokes on the albino guy are the best in the film (although highly inappropriate, but that what makes it funny right?). The Heat: rated 3/4

The Conjuring
Finally I got to see one of two James Wan's horror films this year. The film got my attention after the news told that the film got an R rating just because it was too creepy and scary. The film is incredibly well-made, the main actors Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga are already used to this kind of environment (Wilson in Insidious and Farmiga in Bates Motel series). The child actors are okay too (in the sense that they are not annoying). What sucks is that this film is NOT that scary. Maybe I set a really high expectation on this film that I ended up disappointed. I bet Insidious Chapter Two is far more terrifying than this. The Conjuring: rated 3/4

The Internship
Some regard this as a semi-sequel to the superbly funny Wedding Crashers with both Owen Wilson and Vince Vaughn. The story follows the two of them chasing jobs at Google via a summer internship. They became misfits and worse, ended up with other misfits. The film is funny and kinda dirty (just like my preference), but not as funny as Wedding Crashers. But the story is good enough. Although some logic are just fucked up like how come Wilson and Vaughn's characters know The Hunger Games but not Harry Potter or X-Men? In this world nowadays, even my mother and father knows about them. And it's great to see Will Ferrell here although once again, not as funny as Wedding Crashers. AND THERE'S ROSE BYRNE AND JESSICA SZOHR. YES. Anyway, The Internship: rated 3/4 (but funnier than The Heat)

White House Down
I actually can see this film in the theaters in Japan but I decided to skip this. Mostly because the trailer for this film was off-putting for me. The trailer showed a strange mix of action and comedy that didn't appeal me. But hey, in the actual film, it works! White House Down might not be listed as anyone's favorite this year, but the film is a great time. There's an equal amount of action and comedy along with great actors and great destruction. It seems that after G.I. Joe Retaliation fucked up with Channing Tatum, I get to appreciate his role more, especially in this film. Tatum and Foxx are a great pair, supported by stunning cast that includes child actor/young Talia Al-Ghul Joey King, Jason Clarke and James Woods. This film doesn't disappoints but it's just not that great in terms of quality. White House Down: rated 3/4

*BONUS: WHD versus OHF
Olympus Has Fallen may the better film in overall but White House Down has that irresistible and spot-on casting. White House Down may have a greater action but Olympus Has Fallen has that gore action. I bet if they teamed up and made Olympus House Down the result would be..............  disastrous. No just kidding, it could be better than both films. See you next year for the battle of the Hercules films.

Monsters University
This is also the other film that I can see in Japanese theaters but I would definitely waste 1k yen because animated films are dubbed in Japan. The film itself is the second top grosser only after Miyazaki's The Wind Rises. The film itself is a pleasant surprise because I honestly have very low expectations for anything other than an original Pixar film except Toy Story films. The story is your usual heartfelt Pixar although not the 'back-to-form' Pixar, but an acceptable 'getting-there' Pixar. Love the voiceworks especially when you recognize Nathan Fillion's voice right away. Honorable mentions (not mentioning the Monsters regulars--Crystal, Goodman, Buscemi because they are already greats), Charlie Day as Art and Helen Mirren as Dean Hardscrabble. Monsters University: rated 3.5/4.

Man most of em are rated 3/4. is it me that's hard to please, or is it them?
Actually there are many leftovers that I haven't watched, but then again they are THE leftovers.

7 Years of Tradition

This may not mean much to other people but this tradition means a lot for me. I have no idea why. It all started back in 2006, when one of my best friends had a birthday party and decided to watch Casino Royale. It's not a big deal but I already watched the film days prior with my family. From that year, every year I watched at least one film twice in the cinemas. 7 years of tradition. Never thought I would be that committed even until in Japan, where cinema tickets are highly overpriced. Let's go back to 7 years ago. [This post is sponsored by Breaking Bad as I wrote this listening to my BB playlist, most importantly Badfinger's Baby Blue]

2006: Casino Royale
The film that started this tradition. It's a darker, Bourne-esque James Bond reboot with Daniel Craig in his first outing as James Bond.

2007: Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End
Same scenario, but different order. Watched this first on my friend's birthday and then re-watched it again with my family. The film got better everytime you see it. The best of the series.

2008: The Dark Knight
Again, same scenario with Casino Royale. I'd watch this a thousand times if I could.

2009: Avatar and Up
Avatar is the only film that I watched three times in the cinemas, but to my defense, I watched different versions every time I watched it. The first time was in 3D, and then 2D. And then a couple of months later in 2010, I spent 3 hours of my life for the special edition. And for the fourth time, I watched the extended version on DVD. The biggest shame is that on 2012, they released it on IMAX 3D but I already went to Japan. Whereas Up has the same scenario with TDK and Casino Royale.

2010: Toy Story 3 & Tron Legacy
I was obsessed with these two films back then. To be honest, I have never watched Toy Story 3 without tears flooding. That two times I watched in the cinemas, that two times I cried like a baby, literally. As for Tron Legacy I was crazy about the film and Olivia Wilde's Quorra. I even attended the Tron Night event months before, for approximately 20 minutes preview of the film.

2011: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part II, Fast Five, Sherlock Holmes: Game of Shadows, and Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part I
Yeah I know. Baby boom. Bada boom. Mostly because I watched the films with my family and then with my x. Except for Harry Potter which I was incredibly obsessed at that time. Also note that the year 2011 was the year that Hollywood films were boycotted for about 6 months. Take this boom as redemption for me.

2012: The Dark Knight Rises, Prometheus, and The Hunger Games
I watched TDKR twice because the other viewing was to feel the fire rising in IMAX. It was my New Year's resolution: to watch TDKR in IMAX. Whereas Prometheus was one of my 2012 favs and it's my first IMAX film. For THG, I was obsessed with the amazingness of the film and of course Jennifer Lawrence's breathtaking performance. Literally, I can't stop thinking about the film right after I first watched it.

2013: Man of Steel
It's a bit tricky now that I'm in Japan. There are films that I really want to re-watch right after watching it, like Tom Cruise's Oblivion, the Pirates' team's The Lone Ranger and ultimately Pacific Rim. However there are things to consider: money and time. It's expensive to watch a film twice in the cinemas and it's hard to squeeze a film in your tight schedule. But then, Man of Steel compelled me to watch again. Even after a month of its initial release in Japan. The film gets better after second viewing and you get to discover overlooked details like the Wayne logo on a satellite.

Here's to the continuation of this (for you-unimportant) tradition. CHEERS.
Achtung: no new film reviews in October. But still there will be posts.

Update Aug 8, 2015
The tradition is very much alive. 2014 entries: Godzilla & Interstellar. 2015 entries: Kingsman: The Secret Service, Cinderella, and Jurassic World.

The Bourne Apocalypse

Elysium is my last on the list for summer movies in Japan. The film is Neill Blomkamp's follow-up to his brilliant District 9 and now it stars Matt Damon and Jodie Foster. It is also the last of the 'scorched-Earth' films of 2013, after Oblivion and After Earth. Basing it on the premise and D9, it is fair to say that we expected a different kind of sci-fi film. A more grounded, yet socially relevant theme is expected to be employed in the film.

The story takes place in Los Angeles, year 2154 after the Earth became overly populated and polluted. The rich lives in some kind of sustainable, livable and highly exclusive space station named Elysium. The world is also overly reliant on droids and robots. Enter Max Da Costa, one of the 'slum people' who are left to live on Earth breathing on dust and dirt. After an accident happened, Max has to reach Elysium in order to save himself by getting himself on the high-tech, 100% curing medical equipment up in the rich people's place.

It's safe to say that Elysium lands second place among 2013's 'scorched earth films', definitely ahead of Shyamalan's After Earth. Elysium is also a decent sci-fi too, if you're willing to overlook the glaring plot holes. So good news first, the film has Matt Damon in one of his bests. Starting from the brave physical transformation to the performance on screen. Although intriguing, it's hard to see Eminem in that same kind of dedication. The actors are basically one of the strongest driving force, with amazing work from Jodie Foster and Sharlto Copley. And also the surprise appearance from William Fichtner. The other driving force is Neill Blomkamp himself, with his vision and story. There are also some exciting camera works too during action scenes. Plus, the music by Ryan Amon is a perfect fit and quite surprising to have that kind of music comes from an unknown composer. I was expecting Harry Gregson Williams for some reason (it sounds Zimmer-y but he's too busy).

Now the bad part: the logic of Elysium is all over the place. Firstly, how does the Elysium work? It looks amazing yet there seems to be no gravity and pressurized atmosphere. Plus with all the problems with Earth-settlers coming to Elysium, there are no space-bound security. And people on Elysium does not stay at home. Second, Max's exoskeleton is not as awesome as promoted in the trailers. The ending is also one big plot hole. [spoiler alert] Now everyone has the MedBays, so no one will die? What a way to fight overpopulation. One more thing, Sharlto Copley's Kruger is arguably worse than Bane, and he does not even wear a mask. Also on Kruger, when he went to the MedBay, the thing restores Kruger's beard too. That's the simplest offense that shouldn't have happened. Also when Max has his exoskeleton suit on, no one seems to give the tiniest damn. It's like common fashion. Despite all the problems, Elysium is a good time at cinema. Come for the actors, setting and action, but don't settle for basic sci-fi rules and common logic. Let's hope Blomkamp's Chappie isn't as laughable as the title. Elysium: rated 3/4.


I may not be watching films in the cinemas on October because apparently The Conjuring isn't playing in my city and Diana turns out to be so bad (the rest of the movies on October is either bad or I already watched, like RIPD--Jap-titled Ghost Agents and Now You See Me--Jap-titled Grand Illusion). Though it's safe to say that I'll be back reviewing films on November with Carrie remake. Though I would be very sure, to post something in October too, probably relating to the end of Breaking Bad and pilot season.

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!

Wet Hot Japanese Apocalypse

It's super hot in Japan, and it justifies people to have an excuse to go to a cinema to have two hours to kill in a dark, air-conditioned room, or in my case, four hours. This week in strange Japan movie market: Guillermo Del Toro's Pacific Rim and Brad Pitt-starring World War Z are released. So, Hollywood, if you wonder why a Kaiju movie failed in Japan, blame the market because in my experience, people watch Brad Pitt and zombies rather than awesome robots fighting '2500 tonnes of awesome' Kaiju. Anyway, this double feature is my best so far.

Pacific Rim

 Amazing. Unforgettable. Epic. Pacific Rim is definitely the best film of the summer. It has great characters, great action too. It's everything that you want from the last two Transformers film, it's also everything you want Tony Stark to do in Iron Man 3- to be in danger inside the suit. The actors are amazing: Charlie Hunnam picked the perfect film to leap from TV to film. Rinko Kikuchi finally gets that big role after her Oscar-nominated performance in Babel and don't forget the scene-stealing Mana Ashida as young Mako Mori. Idris Elba is uber-cool (nothing beats the 'apocalypse cancellation speech' as the best quote this year). Also special mention must be made to the characters Gottlieb and Geiszler and Hannibal Chau. Films need these unique characters! Also I approve Max Martini as Bruce Wayne in Batman vs Superman.

The story among the characters are the one that makes it for me. The relationship between the Hansens and even with Max the dog is great. Mako's story is also superb. As for the action sequences and story ideas with the 'drifting' and others are as you expected: to be not what you expected. IT'S SUPER AWESOME. Jaegers might be the coolest thing since Optimus Prime in 2007. All those robot controls makes Iron Man look obsolete. The fight scenes are staged greatly, with all the neon lights and the rain. Add that with Ramin Djawadi's epic score. It's just the best thing ever happened to cinema for a very long time. I love Guillermo Del Toro's attention to detail and creativity. In the end, I love the relationship between Raleigh and Mako--it's different than other films. That said, I actually don't want a sequel to this film. This film ended perfectly but if Del Toro and co. can make it great, who am I to refuse? Pacific Rim--two hours plus of awesome: rated 5/4 BEST MOVIE OF THE SUMMER SO FAR.

World War Z
It's apocalyptic film starring Brad Pitt. The production's so apocalyptic, we hear that they got their weapons props seized in Hungary and also got the third act rewritten by Damon Lindelof. In the end we got this super intense thriller that makes you hold your breath and doesn't give you space to breathe. Brad Pitt stars as Gerry Lane a former UN officer who gets to investigate the origins of the zombie outbreak. The film moves from USA to South Korea to Israel to Wales and along with it comes a great sequence of zombie horde running and attacking. Brad Pitt was great in this film. He's a great lead even if this kind of film isn't his kind of film. It's a shame that Matthew Fox's role got edited. And what's the deal with James Badge Dale appearing in many movies these days?

The film was great until the end credits rolled. The rewritten third act just didn't do it for me. It was great and intense yeah but for a film titled World War Z, that ending seemed too contained, too small-scale. The supposed ending was way better for me, more brutal and more 'World War'-like. [spoilers] The third act also had a plot hole or a forced heroic moment when Gerry just injected himself with the disease. He could ask the guys in the other building to ring the telephone so that the zombie would look the other way, or just utilize the phone to pick the disease to use. I was thinking that the film didn't end there. Nevertheless, World War Z was a quite satisfying movie experience. It's a different kind of zombie film and smarter one at that too. Marc Forster handled this film better than he did when Quantum of Solace. The film does not leave a room for you to catch a breath and it's so intense and heart-pounding, it also moves you. I can tolerate the third act although it would be far better to have a massive one. World War Z: rated 4/4

Next two weeks: Star Trek Into Darkness! Finalleeeh

Right Brother

Gore Verbinski, Jerry Bruckheimer, Johnny Depp, Terry Rossio, Ted Elliot and Hans Zimmer teamed up again after the third Pirates of the Caribbean film. This time they're bringing the adventure to the Western territory. The Lone Ranger is a modern adaptation of the popular radio and TV series. Even this title produced a modernized spin-off The Green Hornet which was already adapted into film by Michel Gondry and Seth Rogen. The production of The Lone Ranger was troubled, Disney shut down its production for a while due to budgetary concerns. But here we are, a blockbuster-to-be with the price tag of $225 million.

The story is being told from Tonto's perspective. He met John Reid in an unlikely situation and then John Reid and his brother plus a group of Texas Rangers were killed by a criminal named Butch Cavendish. In the meantime, the town of Colby is preparing a new railroad track to connect cities in the USA. However, the guy in charge Latham Cole might have something else in mind rather than just railroads.

For me, The Lone Ranger is one of the best movies of the summer. It's fun, it's thrilling, it's so full of action and interesting characters. While the story is quite predictable, the action and the story leading to its climax is awesome. As much as I hate seeing my favorite actor Johnny Depp in the same weird make-up in every movie, I find the role of Tonto really is for him. Well I didn't get to watch the TV series back then so I guess this is the mix of old-style Tonto and Captain Jack Sparrow. Armie Hammer is also born for this role. His face fits the mask nicely and the role nicely too. The other supporting actors are also great. Especially William Fichtner as Butch Cavendish, sooo good. Director Gore Verbinski treated this as Pirates of the Caribbean on the desert and it's supa great. The over-the-top action are top-notch. The intricate action sequence are amazing. Thanks to writers Terry Rossio and Ted Elliot, the ones responsible for the Pirates trilogy (whom Disney should bring back for Pirates 5 if they want to do it right). The music by Hans Zimmer is eargasmic. Easily one of the best scores of the year along with M83's Oblivion. Zimmer's take on William Tell overture is incredible, so creative and epic. The 10-minute finale might give you the biggest shivers throughout the movie. The film might start out high with the amazing opening sequence, and then its pace went down in the middle for enough character talk and origins story but then it went back up again and ended the film in quite a high note. And maybe the film feels too Tonto-centric, but we do get quite a fair share of The Lone Ranger himself. All in all, The Lone Ranger is actually Pirates of the Caribbean 4. It is the true sequel to Pirates 3 that never was, this is the right brother to Pirates series. It is a shame that the film flopped, maybe it's time to change the location from Monument Valley to someplace else because John Carter used this place too. If you're reading this, please don't believe the critics and judge the film by yourself. It's safe for me to say that The Lone Ranger is better than Iron Man 3, and you can totally hate me for saying that but that's the truth. The Lone Ranger: rated 3.5/4

If you're not sold, let me give you Zimmer's amazing William Tell arrangement


Sorry no McConaughey in this post, been quite busy. Next week, double feature with Pacific Rim and World War Z

Let's Fight

The only words that Ryan Gosling spoke in Nicolas Winding Refn's Only God Forgives' trailer was 'Wanna fight?'. I say, let's do it. Only God Forgives landed on VOD and iTunes this week and I got the chance to watch it! It's the second Refn/Gosling collaboration after the instant classic-although some might say overrated-Drive in the year 2011 or some might call 2011 AG (Anno Goslingi, the year of Gosling). Adding to collaboration is Kristin Scott Thomas who plays Gosling's character's mother. The film is set in Bangkok and by the looks from the trailers, prepare to be blinded by neon lights.

The story is about this (once-again) verbally inactive character called Julian who resided in Bangkok and ran a front for drug business. His brother was killed brutally and their mother wanted revenge. However, things are not that simple as it involved some Bangkok powerful cop, Lt. Chang who loved using swords to instate justice.

That's basically the plot, add that with Refn's usual brilliance for visuals, Ryan Gosling staring at blank space, over-the-top violence, crazy great cinematography, and the super dreamy, electric score by Cliff Martinez. And you will get Only God Forgives. Yes, that's my first impression after watching this. Shouting loudly in my mind, 'what the fuck just happened?' But then again you review the whole film, read trivia on imdb and you can understand more about the film while not wholly understand the film's stupendous brilliance right away. That would need two or three more viewings. First things first, don't think this film as a reality-based film. Think of it as a fairy tale about a man who seeks redemption from the higher power for something he did in the past. Ryan Gosling is as usual cool in his role. Kristin Scott Thomas is AMAZING, so speechless. And the guy who played the God cop, Vithaya P (sorry I cannot write your last name), is equally disturbing and menacing while keeping a straight face all the time. Some sequences just won over me like the torture scene (which serves like the hammer scene for Drive) and the climactic fight scene. That fight scene was incredible because it's so nicely shot and the music is eargasmic. The world definitely needs Nicolas Winding Refn to top that scene. My only complaint about this film is that it plays too slow with people just staring at blank spaces. However, I need to watch it again to make my final judgment on whether I loved this film, or I liked this film or just hate it. As a whole, I liked Drive more than Only God Forgives but this film has that something special that Drive didn't have. For now, Only God Forgives: rated 3/4. 

Next week's The Lone Ranger review might include something else! clue: McConaughey.

From Nerdvana

Comic-con just wrapped up, and I just started my exam week. Just a quick post on the geek fest and what did we get from it and how do I feel about it. A super quick post because right now I'm studying for my psychology finals. Please do keep in mind, I'm not a full-on hardcore geek nerd that reads comics and can name the villains of Justice League of America. I'm a guy who loves watching films and that will be my perspective.

1. Jennifer Lawrence in Comic-con
Verdict: YEAH
Appearing in two panels, X-Men: Days of Future Past and Catching Fire, Jennifer totally took over The Hunger Games panel while almost took over the massive panel of X-Men that includes Michael Fassbender, Ian McKellen, Hugh Jackman, Patrick Stewart and Halle Berry. Even Peter Dinklage didn't get to speak while Jennifer talked more. I'm a fan of Dinklage but YEAH, JENNIFER. On the other news we got the show-stopping new trailer for The Hunger Games: Catching Fire.

2. On Superman/Batman movie
Verdict: EMM
It should be a super-great, groundbreaking premise..... ten years ago, when Troy director Wolfgang Petersen proposed the idea. Now, post-The Dark Knight trilogy the idea seems strange. What the world need the least is the reboot version of Batman. The Comic-Con audience may realize that it will be Batman reboot, but come on even some of my friends are still wondering whether The Amazing Spider-Man is a sequel or prequel to Spider-Man trilogy. Suggestion for DC, let's not try to match The Avengers.

3. Marvel Cinematic Universe
Verdict: EMM
It is a quiet panel for me, if it's not for the bombastic entrance made by Tom Hiddleston in character as Loki. The reveal for the new villain for Avengers is not that exciting. I find it crazy that Marvel started out really grounded in reality with Iron Man and then continued on to have stories like Guardians of the Galaxy that has a talking raccoon in it and also Ant-Man which is totally okay to laugh at the premise if it's not Edgar Wright who's bringing the character to screen. The anticipation is still there, but not pre-Avengers great.

4. Days of Future Past
Verdict: YEAH
The most interesting and exciting panel this year, bringing First Class actors alongside the original trilogy actors. Definitely bound to be one of the biggest films next year.


Honorable Mentions:
Godzilla's teaser poster might be the coolest in Comic-Con alongside with X-Men's. Plus we got a glimpse of Tom Cruise's latest Edge of Tomorrow. On the small screen panels, we got exciting video tributes from Game of Thrones titled In Memoriam and also from Supernatural. Don't forget Bryan Cranston cos-playing as none other than Walter White in a Bryan Cranston mask to promote and talk about the final episodes of Breaking Bad.


Next week: The Lone Ranger review!

Quarter Mile on a Fast Lane

Finally Fast and Furious 6 hits Japan! Or as Justin Lin called it, Furious 6; or as the Japanese called it, Wild Speed: Euro Mission. Thanks to the brilliant Fast Five, now we have this sixth entry to the ever-growing franchise. The film adds Haywire's Gina Carano, Luke Evans and brings back Michelle Rodriguez while totally removes the two Mexican siblings character. After the cliffhanger ending to Fast Five, we know what would happen: bringing back Letty to the family.

The story starts as Agent Luke Hobbs (The Rock) tries to capture the global terrorist Owen Shaw (Evans) by putting Torretto's team back together, fight wolves with wolves he said. O'Conner and Mia already have a kid, Han and Gisele are trying to settle together, while Roman is just Roman with more money. Toretto wants to help Hobbs because they found Letty to be one of Shaw's crew.

The film is crazy entertaining. It's packed with action right from the start until the end. The action might be super over-the-top but hey, anything to make our tickets and time worthwhile. Particularly the Toretto's super-jump to save Letty, that's like the coolest and sweetest thing at the same time. Although, as a whole, Fast Five wins by default. FF6 is better in the villains and the stunts. I like Gina Carano's addition to the franchise although not liking the way her character turned out. Gina Carano vs Michelle Rodriguez might be the coolest girl-on-girl fight ever filmed. Everytime Gina Carano flips and locks, my jaw dropped, which happens throughout Haywire. But her acting might be a little off from the others. And then there's Joe Taslim from Indonesia (woohooo!). His screentime apparently is quite plenty which I did not expect. So proud of him being in one of the biggest Hollywood film of the year. For the other cast, everyone seems to be better than before, most notably Paul Walker. Vin Diesel is cooler, Tyrese is super funny, and whoever doesn't love Sung Kang and Gal Gadot together can start looking for their lost soul. And there's a cameo from Rita Ora too!

Letty's return might be too cliche but still passable. And the writer's decision to include Braga from FF4 is quite smart (not to mention the Tokyo Drift connection, which is incredible). Plus, the always-included 'family comes first' motto is a high point in the script. But my least liked decision about the film is still the fact that Mia is pregnant which avoided her from doing much action. And also the exclusion of Elsa Pataky's character in the story which is a big loss. In all its great action sequences, Fast and Furious 6 still manages to be the Game of Thrones of Hollywood films by killing the beloved characters and doesn't give them a proper closure. Come on, if Han really loved Gisele, would he just wait for her to emerge from the fires? He would find her body and bury her himself! That waiting from the fire scene is just plain silly. Also Elena's total willingness to be traded with Letty is cringe-worthy. But that's nice of Dom to still invite her to the family. However, I can live with that now that JASON STATHAM IS ON BOARD FOR FF7! SPOILER ALERT B*TCHESSSSSSS. Fast & Furious 6: rated 3.7/4 (minus points for the silly parts, plus points for the cool parts)



BONUS three-sentence reviews:
1. Trance
Danny Boyle's latest is a fun, trippy film like its title drawing inspiration from Inception. James McAvoy is amazing but the film's level of mindfuck is just slightly below standards for these kind of films. 3/4 

2. Spring Breakers
One of my most anticipated film of the year. Think of it as your average teen film meets Terrence Malick meets Nicolas Winding Refn and add that with cool Cliff Martinez/Skrillex soundtrack and one of James Franco's best performance. It has flaws but can you really hate a film with two Britney Spears song? 3/4

3. 42
A good old-fashioned true-story drama. Great direction, great acting, great film. It has Harrison Ford, Alan Tudyk and also Lucas Black of Tokyo Drift. However it's just so formulaic to default. 3.5/4

4. Evil Dead (2013)
The remake to one of the most effective horror film ever. It substitutes black humor with gore, with so much gore. The final scene is just the best sequence ever in a horror film but this being the most terrifying film experience? Definitely not. 3.5/4


Maybe no new film reviews until The Lone Ranger finally opens on August 2. See you soon!