Netflix'd: Knowing

Knowing that Knowing is a terrible movie could save people a lot of time.  Knowing  is like sex without an orgasm for either side: the build up is great but when there is no pay off a flaming moose comes running out of the woods and gives everyone a giant middle finger.

I can't give this movie even an OK rating and I am a SciFi fan willing to give even movies such as The Day the Earth Stood Still an OK rating!  Knowing, not even worth a Netflix delivery.

Netflix'd: Old Dogs

Old Dogs is one of those movies that you watch because the trailer says "From the makers of ".  In this case, the same team behind Wild Hogs, is back with more old men urban drama in Old Dogs.

Robin Williams and John Travolta star in a movie that feels about 50% complete.  There are some great comedy moments in the movie: the weekend spent camping, child safing the apartment, and the tanning booth.  However, these moments are either too short or jaggedly out of place within the larger narrative.  The entire movie awkwardly jumps around before arriving at a predictable conclusion.

I liked the movie as a family popcorn comedy, but had this not been a Netflix delivery, I would have felt very cheated for the money I would have spent to see it.

Netflix'd Review: Pandorum

There is half of a really good Sci-Fi movie in Pandorum. Read on to find out more, but be aware that minor spoilers are ahead.

The premise of the movie is solid: two flight crew members awake from "space sleep" to cover their shift piloting their ship, the Elysium, as it travels to a second earth-like planet.  However, when they awake there is no previous crew to greet them.  Something is wrong.

The movie title, Pandorum, refers to deep space pilots who suffer a mental breakdown and kill their co-pilots.  As one might guess, one of the two flight crew members turns out to be mentally unstable.  The details of that, I will let the viewer collect, as its the good half of the movie.

Unfortunately, crew member #2 isn't bat shit crazy, but he does get to travel into the heart of bat shit crazy, hyper-evolved space ship people country.  This would be the half of the movie that sucks.  There is no build up or suspense to finding out what is haunting Elysium.  Within minutes of venturing out of the safe hold, crew member #2 is greeted by snarling, flesh-eating creatures.  Then some ninjas come and save him.  Long story short, feeding tubes with evolution juiced turned the ship's inhabitants into mutants.  I couldn't make this shit up if I tried.

My suggestion is to watch this movie as the ending has a good twist, but ignore everything crew member #2 does the entire movie, including the end of the ending.

Netflix'd Review: The Time Traveler's Wife

I love Netflix and since we religiously watch and return our Netflix movies two times a week, I figured I would take some time to write a few short reviews of movies I've "Netflix'd".

The Time Traveler's Wife

This movie caught me off guard as I wasn't expecting much more than a sappy love story. However, time travel is always an interesting plot mechanic, even when wrapped in a chick flick.

For a time travel story, there aren't many twists and turns in The Time Traveler's Wife. The entire story was easy to follow and understandable, which works to the benefit of the movie. The art of foreshadowing is masterfully executed; subtle camera tricks ensure the audience is focused on various clues to the future and past.

The movie was more about watching a story about time travel unfold than it was about the mystery of main character's ability to time travel. At its base, its about a woman knowingly marrying into an extraordinary situation. This leads to the age old question of what knowing one's future does to a person.

More importantly though, the movie follows the effect of this knowledge that trickles down to the friends, family, and wife. The cast of characters take the time travel in stride and before the end of the movie it is an accepted occurrence. Yet throughout there is an uneasy tension around the idea and its great to watch it push and pull the characters apart.

Overall, I enjoyed the movie. I would highly recommend it not only as a great date movie, but as a good movie to watch with friends. While there isn't much on the action forefront, there is enough substance to the story and within the characters to make up for it. This movie was a treat.

Movie Review: Avatar

Avatar: I should hate this movie.  It depicts a resource-hungry, western-style civilization destroying the native inhabitants of a planet through technological and military might.

The story is predictable and the characters one-sided.  The marine kills, the natives are misunderstood savages.  Everything fits into the expected cliches of a cultural clash on a clandestine planet.

On top of the stereotypes, the hype should have killed this movie, but it didn't.  Avatar is a masterpiece.

Reposted Movie Review: Star Wars: The Clone Wars

I am a Star Wars fan.  I am not a blind Star Wars fan and refuse to blindly love the movies.  I watch them, because I love the universe behind them.  Any glimpse into that universe will get some of my money, but not always my praise.  The Phantom Menace started out good, but fell down in the end.  Attack of the Clones was full of action, but not much else.  Revenge of the Sith made me smile, but only did the end finally make me feel like the actors were earning their paychecks.

My biggest problem with the prequels was the character of Anakin Skywalker.  He was weakly written and horribly acted, which lead to a big gaping whole in all three prequels.  When Anakin finally rose up as Darth Vader in Revenge of the Sith and screamed "NOOOOOOOOOOO!", I screamed "YES, Anakins gone."  This brings me to my thoughts on Star Wars: The Clone Wars and unfortunately the lackluster Anakin rears his ugly head.

Fortunately, the movie is completely computer animated, so no Hayden Christensen was needed.  Unfortunately, the character of Anakin still feels stiff and forced through the entire movie.  Good thing there is enough action and comedy to save Clone Wars from a failure.  The graphics are cartoony, but believable against vivid backgrounds and settings.  The important note here is that the movie is consistent and easily fits into the epic Star Wars movie saga.

Also, the move to complete computer graphics opened the door for much better action sequences.  I don't want to spoil the movie, but one scene has our heroes scaling vertically up a cliff face while fighting the never ending droid army.  It was believable and did not once feel faked for the sake of a live actor.  That single scene absolutely convinced me this was the right move for the Star Wars franchise.

Overall, the movie was fun, albeit aimed at a younger audience.  The general aim helped me forgive some plot shortfalls and out of place comedy.  The movie was a general mix of the classic Star Wars we all love and the new age Star Wars that is hard to enjoy even as a fan.  I highly recommend a viewing for any Star Wars fan, especially those with children.

Movie Review: Chronicles of Narnia

Here is my Chronicles of Narnia review for your viewing pleasure.

Not having read the books I went into this movie with an open mind. I understood the mindset that this was geared towards children and it was obvious from the onset. However, this did not impact the pleasure of watching this movie at all. I think back to some of the greatest fantasy ever. The Hobbit, which later spawned the Lord of the Rings, was written as a children’s book. Even when Tolkien began the LotR saga he was gearing it towards a children’s story.

There is something about the child’s mind that inspires true fantasy. As I watched the movie I immediately understood why the youngest child of the group, Lucy, was the first one into the world of Narnia. Narnia is a place you do not seek out; it happens when you are the least expecting.

Let's get back to the fact that this movie is geared towards children. This leads to some awkward scenes where the young actors fail to really carry the weight their roles required, but overall the movie was excellent. Looking at the roles I will give my thoughts on each.

Lucy - The youngest of the group she quickly sets herself apart in terms of acting. She carries many awkward scenes and that is a lot to say considering her young age. Her first initial interaction with the faun character of Mr. Tummus is by far one of the best of the movie.

Edmund - Really the only character in the movie with any sort of character development he definitely fits the role. He evolves and over the movie I believe he grows indefinitely on the audience.

Susan - The A-typical older sister attitude. The sad part about her role is that she seems to be there mainly to fill in holes in various scenes. There never seems to be a connection built between her and her younger sister which was disappointing.

Peter - As the designated "hero" for the story he is a very lateral character. He fits the role well, but the role leads nowhere. Like Susan, Peter suffers from being a filler character. In the opening scenes of war stricken Britain a connection begins to form with his younger brother Edmund, but by the end of the movie it is relegated to weak and quick scenes of bonding.

However, the movie is a sum of its parts and together they make for one hell of a kick ass ride. Pardon the language if there are young ones around. Outside of the four children the movie is filled with a host of computer generated characters that range from talking beavers to half-man/half-horse centaurs.

On the note of the special effects it is noticeable in some areas that Sony Imageworks is no Weta Workshop or ILM. We are still in the transition period for major motion pictures using large amounts of special effects and if Narnia is any sign its getting better by the movie.

The special effects and complete CG characters never fail the movie. The prominent character of Aslan, a Jesus inspired lion voiced by Liam Nisan, is a joy the entire movie. The comical duo of Mr. and Mrs. Beaver are a wonder to behold. I loved the imagination put into the various creatures and it makes me want to learn about each and everyone of them.

Comparisons to the Lord of the Rings trilogy were apparent before Narnia hit theatres. I’m glad to report that Narnia is nowhere near as dark or moody as Peter Jackson’s films. Again this is akin to the fact it was a Disney production developed from stories meant for children. As the scenes lift from winters blight to spring bliss the mood never strays far from the scenery.

The other disagreement point of the movie before release was the religious overtone of C.S. Lewis’s work. This is left up to interpretation during the movie. To some it has overtones into their religion while to others it is simply Narnia. It by far does not disappoint those faithful to the books from what I’ve read.

Overall the movie is like its final battle scene. It starts with a triumphant roar and as it nears its collision point it silences itself into a single heartbeat that explodes into the rage of battle. The dark points of the movie pound to a dramatic turning point, but silence into the light and magic of Narnia. It is then preserved and there is enough magic left for both adults and children alike.