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!