Friday, February 11, 2011
X-Men First Class Trailer
X-Men First Class, coming out in June, going to be the fifth installment in the live action X-Men series. I have liked all the other movies more or less. I'm interested to learn more about the origins of the human/mutant adversity attitude.
Thursday, February 10, 2011
Academy Awards - 2011
Coming up on February 27! Be sure you catch it, it's a great way to get a to-watch movie list! With James France and Anne Hathaway hosting it should be a good time too.
Inception
Greetings everyone, I've got another review for you: Inception. I admit, I did see this in theaters last year, but I saw it again recently and thought it deserved a review. I'm going to include a few other criteria that I have found across the internet that I think will be helpful to you. Once again, if you want me to watch/review something, just post it below and I'll do it. Here we go.
The film Inception, starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Ellen Page, and Joseph Gordon Levitt is a film about mainly, dreams. These people have learned to go into the dreams of others using a...shared sleep inducing machine (can't think of a better term at the moment), which causes the users to share a dream with each other. While in the dream, they usually have an objective, such as extracting secret information or planting an idea in someone's head. In order to do this, there is a team of specialists that each have a different role in completing the task.
I watched it: +2 points in here, I saw it, finished it, enjoyed myself throughout. It was gripping in a sense, but was predictable after a certain point.
The Music: The soundtrack in this movie was great, +2 points. Hans Zimmer delivered, as he always does, with an intense composition that fit the scenes beautifully and added a level of depth that could only be done using the auditory senses. It was loud when it needed to be loud, and subtle when the mood called for it. I have this soundtrack on my iPod and would recommend it to any fans of cinematic composers such as Zimmer.
The Execution: This film took what we know very little about and expanded on it, making the almost inaccessible world of dreams become reality for its duration. In doing this, the laws of physics could be bent, and the world was an oyster to the dreamer. I'm giving +1 point in this category, simply due to the fact that this wasn't expanded on as much as it could have been. In a world where the laws of nature don't apply, anything is possible, and it didn't seem like the film took advantage of this.
The Cast: The cast overall, was passable, I enjoyed watching actors who aren't in the limelight for once, and they did a great job. However, I didn't really agree with the casting choice of Ellen Page as Ariadne. I think a more distinguished actress would've done better in the role, I thought she was a bit under aged for the part. Also, Leo DiCaprio often puts on the drama too thick, as he did in Inception. Many parts of the movie were intense but some of the stupid decisions made by his character were too...believable, which may sound counter intuitive but I think an unknown would have made the film more believable. +1 for cast.
The Direction: The director, Christopher Nolan, certainly delivered in this film, +2 points. With the vast use of scenery, colored lens filters, and CG special effects; the film was an assault on the senses and forced you to pay attention so you wouldn't miss any vital parts of the story. As with Nolan's other films, it was fun to follow and kept you intrigued as to what was going to happen next through most of the story.
Composite: 8/10
I'm recommending this film to any viewer that likes to have their mind probed a bit by a movie. This one isn't really a mindfreak like some say it is, but it will make you think after you finish it. It's a good mix that makes you pay attention, but makes sure you aren't confused at the same time.
Buy it: No (loses its flavor after you know what's going to happen after the first viewing)
Rent it: Definitely, maybe watch it twice if you feel as if you missed pieces the first time.
Watch it if: You're in the mood to think and pay attention to the screen, not a casual movie, good for discussion afterward though.
Well that's it, comment below and let me know what you thought of the movie and the review! Stay mad.
-umad?
The film Inception, starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Ellen Page, and Joseph Gordon Levitt is a film about mainly, dreams. These people have learned to go into the dreams of others using a...shared sleep inducing machine (can't think of a better term at the moment), which causes the users to share a dream with each other. While in the dream, they usually have an objective, such as extracting secret information or planting an idea in someone's head. In order to do this, there is a team of specialists that each have a different role in completing the task.
I watched it: +2 points in here, I saw it, finished it, enjoyed myself throughout. It was gripping in a sense, but was predictable after a certain point.
The Music: The soundtrack in this movie was great, +2 points. Hans Zimmer delivered, as he always does, with an intense composition that fit the scenes beautifully and added a level of depth that could only be done using the auditory senses. It was loud when it needed to be loud, and subtle when the mood called for it. I have this soundtrack on my iPod and would recommend it to any fans of cinematic composers such as Zimmer.
The Execution: This film took what we know very little about and expanded on it, making the almost inaccessible world of dreams become reality for its duration. In doing this, the laws of physics could be bent, and the world was an oyster to the dreamer. I'm giving +1 point in this category, simply due to the fact that this wasn't expanded on as much as it could have been. In a world where the laws of nature don't apply, anything is possible, and it didn't seem like the film took advantage of this.
The Cast: The cast overall, was passable, I enjoyed watching actors who aren't in the limelight for once, and they did a great job. However, I didn't really agree with the casting choice of Ellen Page as Ariadne. I think a more distinguished actress would've done better in the role, I thought she was a bit under aged for the part. Also, Leo DiCaprio often puts on the drama too thick, as he did in Inception. Many parts of the movie were intense but some of the stupid decisions made by his character were too...believable, which may sound counter intuitive but I think an unknown would have made the film more believable. +1 for cast.
The Direction: The director, Christopher Nolan, certainly delivered in this film, +2 points. With the vast use of scenery, colored lens filters, and CG special effects; the film was an assault on the senses and forced you to pay attention so you wouldn't miss any vital parts of the story. As with Nolan's other films, it was fun to follow and kept you intrigued as to what was going to happen next through most of the story.
Composite: 8/10
I'm recommending this film to any viewer that likes to have their mind probed a bit by a movie. This one isn't really a mindfreak like some say it is, but it will make you think after you finish it. It's a good mix that makes you pay attention, but makes sure you aren't confused at the same time.
Buy it: No (loses its flavor after you know what's going to happen after the first viewing)
Rent it: Definitely, maybe watch it twice if you feel as if you missed pieces the first time.
Watch it if: You're in the mood to think and pay attention to the screen, not a casual movie, good for discussion afterward though.
Well that's it, comment below and let me know what you thought of the movie and the review! Stay mad.
-umad?
Wednesday, February 9, 2011
The Adjustment Bureau Trailer
This movie looks...really good. Let me know what you think.
Can't wait for this to come out, 2011 is going to be a great year for film.
Can't wait for this to come out, 2011 is going to be a great year for film.
Tuesday, February 8, 2011
The Social Network
Greetings Everyone, I've got my review for my readers today, I'll be reviewing The Social Network, directed by David Fincher, starring Jesse Eisenberg, Andrew Garfield, and Justin Timberlake. It's a (loose) retelling of the process Mark Zuckerburg went through to make Facebook, which I'm sure you've all heard of. The general feel of the movie was, in one word, melancholy. From the beginning of the film and throughout, we watch Zuckerburg go through the motions while he is getting sued by multiple Harvard students, along with his former best friend. Many of the moments in the story were not necessarily happy or sad persay, but bittersweet in that Zuckerburg more or less screwed someone over with almost every action he took. In that, we'll begin the review.
I watched it: The film gets +2 points because I watched, and finished it while enjoying myself throughout.
The Music: The film gets +1 out of the 2 points for the music. The music did well in fitting the theme of the film throughout, in that it was mild, soft, and shared the melancholy feel of the film. This being said, all of the songs began to blend together and didn't really create a good complement to the story in the end. While one song could be looked at as good or enjoyable, the soundtrack as a whole is boring and repetitive.
The Execution: Considering how much the film deviated from real life, I'm going to deduct 1 point, but that being said, if it had followed true events, it would have been downright boring. The writers made a decision to spice it up a bit to make it bearable for audiences who don't really care about buisiness dealings of online companies. +1 for plot.
The Cast: The film earns +2 points from me for the cast. I thought the cast was extremely well executed and Eisenberg did a great job portraying the nonchalant attitude the director wanted for Zuckerburg. Andrew Garfield was also great in that his emotion struck through the screen when he was double crossed and left in the dirt by Zuckerburg. Timberlake was also great, his superstardom didn't show through and he did wonderfully at playing his part of a washed up internet mogul.
The Direction: I'm giving the film +2 points for direction. The camerawork was very well executed and gave a feel of involvement for the viewer that was the best you could ask for in a film. Also, the sets felt very real and did a great job in showing the mood of the scene, especially with the lighting, some of the more dark parts of the film were shot in a green hue, which amplified the expected emotion in my experience.
Composite: 8/10
I would recommend this film to anyone using Facebook to get an idea of its roots and the founder behind it. With that being said, take the movie with a grain of salt because the director has stated that major dramatization occurred when writing the story. I'd also recommend the story to anyone looking for a movie that isn't action packed, but still engaging.
I'll be posting more this week, enjoy watching the movie (let me know if you like/liked it) and I always enjoy criticism and comments below. Stay mad.
-umad?
I watched it: The film gets +2 points because I watched, and finished it while enjoying myself throughout.
The Music: The film gets +1 out of the 2 points for the music. The music did well in fitting the theme of the film throughout, in that it was mild, soft, and shared the melancholy feel of the film. This being said, all of the songs began to blend together and didn't really create a good complement to the story in the end. While one song could be looked at as good or enjoyable, the soundtrack as a whole is boring and repetitive.
The Execution: Considering how much the film deviated from real life, I'm going to deduct 1 point, but that being said, if it had followed true events, it would have been downright boring. The writers made a decision to spice it up a bit to make it bearable for audiences who don't really care about buisiness dealings of online companies. +1 for plot.
The Cast: The film earns +2 points from me for the cast. I thought the cast was extremely well executed and Eisenberg did a great job portraying the nonchalant attitude the director wanted for Zuckerburg. Andrew Garfield was also great in that his emotion struck through the screen when he was double crossed and left in the dirt by Zuckerburg. Timberlake was also great, his superstardom didn't show through and he did wonderfully at playing his part of a washed up internet mogul.
The Direction: I'm giving the film +2 points for direction. The camerawork was very well executed and gave a feel of involvement for the viewer that was the best you could ask for in a film. Also, the sets felt very real and did a great job in showing the mood of the scene, especially with the lighting, some of the more dark parts of the film were shot in a green hue, which amplified the expected emotion in my experience.
Composite: 8/10
I would recommend this film to anyone using Facebook to get an idea of its roots and the founder behind it. With that being said, take the movie with a grain of salt because the director has stated that major dramatization occurred when writing the story. I'd also recommend the story to anyone looking for a movie that isn't action packed, but still engaging.
I'll be posting more this week, enjoy watching the movie (let me know if you like/liked it) and I always enjoy criticism and comments below. Stay mad.
-umad?
The Official umad Rating System
Greetings Everyone, I told you I'd let you in on my system for rating any particular film. That being said, these are criteria that not only I find important, but that I think would transfer over to the average moviegoer quite well. The way it works is point based, ranging from either one to five. The composite score can then be used to determine the overall quality in my eyes. However, the reason I like my system is because if there is a specific quality you look for in a film, you can hold it in higher regard in relation to any other quality/category. Stay mad.
Here we go:
1. A movie pretty much automatically gets a point if I'm drawn to see it either by advertising or word of mouth, it receives another point if I finish the movie, this being said, every movie I see will receive at least one point.
2. A movie will also receive two points for the music/soundtrack included. The things I look for would be the general tie in the the feel of a scene, the emotional effect it has as a whole, and also the composition as a standalone, without the movie to bolster its effect.
3. A movie will receive two points for plot execution. The storyboard behind any film can look good on paper, but execution is a different story. Movies that have been based on books often get judged more critically in this category because high expectations are to be had.
4. Two points are given for the cast chosen, if the actors generally meet the correct criteria for a role and if that role is believable by the average moviegoer. High dollar actors are critiqued more critically than unknowns because it is more difficult to play dozens of vastly different roles and have them all be believable.
5. Two points are also going to look at direction, whether or not the director played his part well and transitioned the film from paper to silver screen adequately. This is a wide category and ranges from camerawork, set design, character blocking, and execution of dialogue for the most part.
-umad?
Here we go:
1. A movie pretty much automatically gets a point if I'm drawn to see it either by advertising or word of mouth, it receives another point if I finish the movie, this being said, every movie I see will receive at least one point.
2. A movie will also receive two points for the music/soundtrack included. The things I look for would be the general tie in the the feel of a scene, the emotional effect it has as a whole, and also the composition as a standalone, without the movie to bolster its effect.
3. A movie will receive two points for plot execution. The storyboard behind any film can look good on paper, but execution is a different story. Movies that have been based on books often get judged more critically in this category because high expectations are to be had.
4. Two points are given for the cast chosen, if the actors generally meet the correct criteria for a role and if that role is believable by the average moviegoer. High dollar actors are critiqued more critically than unknowns because it is more difficult to play dozens of vastly different roles and have them all be believable.
5. Two points are also going to look at direction, whether or not the director played his part well and transitioned the film from paper to silver screen adequately. This is a wide category and ranges from camerawork, set design, character blocking, and execution of dialogue for the most part.
-umad?
Just getting started
Greetings everyone, I've finally decided to take some time away from a busy college and work schedule to let everyone know what I think of my/your favorite films. I figure I'll set up a bit of a guide, to see if I can get some structure going on in here.
In the beginning, I'll start off by reviewing or critiquing movies I've seen recently, or if it happens to be a favorite of mine, I have a system that I use to rate, which I will post later, that will be used on all movies. This will be accompanied with a short (no spoilers) synopsis, and also a few words by myself from what I thought of the movie in detail. When comments start rolling in, I'll be taking suggestions on movies to review, whether I've seen them or not, or if you haven't seen it and would like to know what I think, you're welcome to post one.
Obviously, don't be afraid to let me know if you think my reviews are rubbish, or if you like them for that matter, I've got thick skin and I enjoy listening to people talk about what they see when they are watching a certain film. As they say:
I'll also post some relevant film information that I see around the web for you to enjoy. Anyway, let us get rolling with our first review, coming shortly. Stay mad.
-umad?
In the beginning, I'll start off by reviewing or critiquing movies I've seen recently, or if it happens to be a favorite of mine, I have a system that I use to rate, which I will post later, that will be used on all movies. This will be accompanied with a short (no spoilers) synopsis, and also a few words by myself from what I thought of the movie in detail. When comments start rolling in, I'll be taking suggestions on movies to review, whether I've seen them or not, or if you haven't seen it and would like to know what I think, you're welcome to post one.
Obviously, don't be afraid to let me know if you think my reviews are rubbish, or if you like them for that matter, I've got thick skin and I enjoy listening to people talk about what they see when they are watching a certain film. As they say:
I'll also post some relevant film information that I see around the web for you to enjoy. Anyway, let us get rolling with our first review, coming shortly. Stay mad.
-umad?
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