This blog covers Movies, TV, and other Geeky things...... Movie Reviews (over 3,400 movies rated so far) Countdowns of my top movies by year.... and much more.
I just updated my Top 10 Movie list for the first time in quite awhile. A couple movies fell out and a couple of classics moved their way back in. Without comments (because that could take forever) This is my current list using just Movie Posters.
Now that is how you do a sequel to a 35 year old sci-fi
movie. If you listen to our podcast you
will know by now that I’m not a big fan of Reboots and Remakes I general (there
is an exception to every generalization).
I am however a fan of a sequel that builds on a pays tribute to the
original film. I loved both The Force
Awakens and Tron Legacy –because they expanded on the previous films –while introducing
new characters into the story as well.
In my opinion Bladerunner 2049 succeeds in doing this as well. If you are a fan of the original Bladerunner
than you are more likely to enjoy this sequel as well. It definitely feels like an extension of the
universe created in the first film.
The sets in this film are amazing. Every set piece is like a work of art. The visuals and music set the mood that puts
you right back into the Bladerunner world.
This picture takes place about 30 years after the original and features
a Replicant named K (played by Ryan Gosling)
that is tasked to hunt down older model Replicants. On one of his missions he stumbles upon a
mystery that leads him down a dangerous rabbit hole. Like the original this film is sci-fi noir set
amongst the rainy underworld that is Los Angeles in the future. The film seamlessly blends into what you
would expect the extension of the Bladerunner world would look and feel
like. The story consists of a satisfying
mystery that ties in with the events of the first film that eventually leads
the Bladerunner to find Deckard (played by Harrison Ford). Of course this happens late in the films 2
hours and 45 minute running time. My
only complaint that I wish we had more time with Harrison’s character.
Bladerunner 2049 is not for everyone. Like the original it is a science fiction
mystery story. It isn’t an action
adventure film with big explosions ---but instead a slow thought provoking
For this third installment the 1980's action dream team has added Harrison Ford, Antonio Banderas, Wesley Snipes and Mel Gibson I'm still trying to imagine how much money these movies would have made if they could have put this cast together back in 1989. The Expendable movies are just a fun. These films are throwbacks to the time when action movies were the biggest movies of the summer.
This third installment gives us more of what we got with the previous films. A bunch of tough guys taking on an impossible job and facing off against Mel Gibson in top form as the villain. Wesley Snipes has come out of hiding from tax evasion to co-star in the film and even jokes about it. Then of course the addition of my favorite actor of all-time Harrison Ford joins in a role that starts out more like what Bruce Willis and Arnold's characters were in the first 2 films ---but he eventually joins in the action as a daring helicopter pilot.
The action sequences: The action was top notch. Michael Bay would be proud of the explosions in this flick. Each star basically gets their moment to shine in this action packed film. The movie starts with the crew breaking Wesley Snipes character out of a moving train jail. Then the move on to another job that ends with one of their crew getting shot by Mel Gibson's character that is supposed to be dead. Mel Gibson used to be an Expendable himself, but has turned evil so the rest of the story is Sly trying to bring him down. The plotis just an excuse to get these actors into an arena for an fun action battle royale. The whole third act of the film is one big long action scene.
I personally enjoyed Expendables 2 better because it seemed like the ending was a little better, but I would keep watching this franchise for as long as they keep making them, unfortunately it sounds like Sly has decided not to continue with the franchise.
Anchorman 2 was an a really mixed bag of a movie. As a full movie is was a little underwhelming and typical of a comedy sequel that doesn't live up to the expectations of the original. It was a very silly film with a plot that was really unimportant to the experience or enjoyment of the film. Some moments in the film were just plain dumb, other moments were laugh out loud brilliant (like the Cruise control RV crash). So despite it flaws any comedy in this day and age that can make me laugh out loud has done something right. Too many modern day comedies feel like a bunch of unconnected sketches and Anchorman 2 suffers from that as well. The only recent movie that succeeds for me in having a fully functional 1980's era comedy plot was We Are the Millers.
How to rate this film?
It is really hard for me to rate it.....I remember the first time I watched the original Anchorman and gave it a 6 out of 10, but like many other Will Ferrell movies.... it grew on me to eventually be a 9 out of 10 and a comedy classic. Will Ferrell just makes me laugh for some reason (unlike say Jack Black). Even in a bad SNL sketch--he found ways to shine and as a result this film will probably grow on me as well, despite its not having a quality plot and re threading on much of what it had already done in the original. The star studded newscaster battle was great in the original and just fell flat for me the second time around. It was a very inconsistent film and yet its high moments help to wash away some of its really dumb moments when reflecting on it a day later.
So for now it gets a 7 out of 10 for me.....
The DVD
The DVD definitely enhances the movie. The menu screen is super funny ---watching the stars doing bad disco dancing (Carrell kills it with his lackluster dance moves.) The gag reel is almost more enjoyable than the movie itself. Watching the extras it definitely looks like the actors truly enjoyed making the movie. I haven't even dug into half of the extras yet---but with all the different improv lines and behind the scenes features, it is definitely on its way to being a great DVD and definitely worth buying for any Will Ferrell fan.
Harrison Ford in a Sci-fi movie......I'm in... Of course this movie which is based on a classic Sci-fi book called Ender's Game is more about the kids than Harrison. Think of it as Harry Potter meets Starship Troopers (with a little more Troopers) . The story follows a brilliant young boy named Ender as he makes his way through battle school. Earth was attacked by an alien species called the Formics awhile back and has been preparing to battle them if they return. Although the movie features young children and has a laser tag in space feel to the training sequences, it somehow at the same time feels more adult. I liked the concepts and the story of this film and if I find the time would like to read the book version. It was one of the better sci-fi movies of the year and a lot better than Obilivion (which came out earlier in the year). The movie had a very satisifying ending as well.
When I heard Indiana Jones was coming to the Discovery center I was excited. I'd heard about the exhibit when it was in Canada and was hoping that it would make its way to the Los Angeles/Orange County area eventually.
The Holy Grail!!!!!
The Sankara Stones!!!!
The Ark!!!!
I was so there.
Up first Raiders of the Lost Ark
Indy's outfit
The exhibit included an audio tour and video displays along with the movie props. There was also an interactive adventure for the kids
Here is some Indy Concept art
"Throw me the Idol, I'll throw you the whip"
The ark
Props from the Marion's bar
The Headpiece
Temple of Doom
Anything Goes Concept art
Club Obi Wan outfits
Mola Ram's Headdress
"It's only a model"
The Stones
Fortune and Glory
Coming up in part 2 The Last Crusade and Crystal Skull
