The Wolverine - Hugh Jackman still has it as the eternal X-man.

     Well, I'm back and ready to deliver another movie review from Hollywood's summer stable of films. Now, looking back at this summer as it starts to wind down, Hollywood has not had that big of a blockbuster summer with most of their big-budget films being big bombs financially and with audiences. Films like The Lone Ranger, R.I.P.D., and White House Down have fared worse than expected. I don't think that The Wolverine falls into that category. 

 

     When a sequel was announced for X-men Origins: Wolverine (2009), I will say that I was sad because origins was not that good, despite Hugh Jackman's great performance of Wolverine. Then they lost the director and the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami happened so the film was set back. But behind every dark cloud, there is a silver lining ready to break through. That came through with a new director, a reworked script, and, therefore, a wonderful superhero movie is created. 

     In The Wolverine, set after the events of X-men: The Last Stand, Logan (Hugh Jackman) lives in seclusion and being haunted by his memories of Nagasaki in 1945 along with hallucinations of Jean Grey (Famke Janssen). Being summoned to Japan to visit a man from his past, he must battle assassins, the poisonous Viper (Svetlana Khodchenkova), and the Silver Samurai along with his personal demons once he's stripped of his immortality. 

     I applaud that Hugh Jackman and the director, James Mangold, were determined to make this entry into the X-Men film series a stand alone film. It proved the staying power of the Wolverine character and Hugh Jackman's performance of this hardcore hero. The writers could not have picked a better story than the Japanese story arc, arguably the favorite story arc of this character. While I didn't read this comic (trust me, I plan to), it is an awesome story that resonates with the depth of the X-man and it was definitely shown on the silver screen. 

     Seeing Famke Janssen was a small surprise to me but I understand her importance to Logan so she was needed  in Wolverine's pursuit for an end in the movie. The characters, Yukio (Rila Fukushima) and Kenuichio Harada (Will Yun Lee), were both particularly both cool and lethal to watch. Mariko (Tao Okamoto) is not the typical damsel in distress and helps in Logan's personal journey as he protects her. Also, with next year's X-Men: Days of Future Past on deck for the superhero film series, it would be best to stick to your seats after the post credits to see a scene that will open up the door and prepare us for that incredible ensemble movie. 

     I hope you all go see The Wolverine this week and enjoy it as much as I do. I'll be back with another post possibly today or later this week with some Comic-Con news, in case no one keeps up with it. 

     Enjoy the movies everyone!

Top 10 - Movies that should not be rebooted or remade

     Hello, everyone! While I'm looking for my next movie to see (shortage of money being the main reason), I began thinking on the course that Hollywood is on right now. A lot of films or franchises are being rebooted these days to either give new life to a decades old franchise such as James Bond or bringing a classic to a new generation such as Footloose.

     Now, there are a list of movies that other sites have brought up for movies that should not be rebooted or remade and most of them, I agree with. I mean, seriously, what can you do with a good movie or a classic if the original was done so well? While there are exceptions to this way of thinking, such as James Bond being rebooted with Daniel Craig portraying a younger and colder 007, or, Christian Bale setting the superhero standard as a more emotional, realistic Dark Knight; sometimes, remakes and reboots should not be done and the originals should be left alone.

     So, with that being said, here is my top ten list of movies or series that should not be rebooted (these are in no particular order, by the way) :

1) Star Wars


     Now, when I say Star Wars, I'm referring to the original trilogy. Not the prequel trilogy, even though they were alright in their own ways, but they don't hold a candle to the originals. No matter who they recast in the main roles or who directs, there is NO way that the original trilogy should be touched. Leave it as it is. Also, Good luck, J.J. Abrams. Don't let the Star Wars fans down.

2) Indiana Jones


     Now, let's be serious. It's Harrison Ford. Indiana Jones IS Harrison Ford. There is no debate there. I mean, when Shia LaBeouf tried to put on the Fedora at the end of Crystal Skull, I was thinking, "No. Absolutely not." No one can redo and top the series, especially the first three, because of the magic that is generated by the trio of Harrison Ford, George Lucas, and Steven Spielberg. Even Crystal Skull was decent enough, even after the disappointing ending. If you haven't seen it, I think you should because I don't want to spoil the ending.

3) Casablanca


     It's Humphrey Bogart. Bogie. An American movie legend. Possibly his greatest movie and most iconic role. When you hear Bogart's name, the first movie that you think about is Casablanca. Some of this movie's quotes have appeared in AFI's list, ranked at number one for having the most lines on AFI's "100 years...100 movie quotes" list. This movie should not even be thought about as far as being rebooted, even having a sequel. If you haven't seen this movie, you are doing yourself a disservice.

4) The Godfather Series


     I don't need to say anything here about this trilogy. You know that fans might send threatening e-mails to Hollywood if they announce The Godfather trilogy.

5) Back to the Future


     Great Scott! Out of all of the movies and series on this list, this one is the most likely to be remade. But, honestly, what new additions could you make to it? Would the DeLorean make a reappearance? Honestly, the charm of Micheal J. Fox and wacky humor of Christopher Lloyd can't be replicated. There are some young actors that could fill the Nikes of Marty McFly but some more time should pass before ideas start floating around to reboot Back to the Future. 


6) The Shawshank Redemption


     Stephen King is a great author and the adaptations of his works have been adapted successfully to the silver screen (Carrie, The Shining, Misery, The Green Mile). But, the staying power of this movie about freedom, life, friendship, integrity, and hope in a hopeless situation stands above them all in my opinion. No one can recreate the close friendship chemistry that Tim Robbins and Morgan Freeman generated in this movie. The realism of prison and what it can do to a man, even with the strongest fortitude. The uplifting theme in a terrible situation can't be duplicated. Plus, who else are you going to get to narrate the movie besides Morgan Freeman? Good luck with that.

7) The Breakfast Club...or any other John Hughes films.


     John Hughes movies still have recognition and themes that can be applied to today's generation of teenagers. So, why tamper with a good thing? The Breakfast Club is, arguably, Hughes' most iconic film and put five actors on the fast track to stardom as "The Brat Pack." This movie shows that, despite how different someone might be, no matter their upbringings, you can still connect on some kind of level. A main theme that resonates even today, 28 years later. Do. Not. Touch. This. Film, Hollywood.

8) Jurassic Park


     I thought long and hard about this and despite the fact that it has spawned two, soon to be three sequels, nothing can beat the original. CGI wasn't huge back in 1993 so Spielberg became very inventive and creative with his dinosaurs, making them more real. Now, CGI is used to create animals like dinosaurs and that's not a big problem. What would be the major challenge is to replicate Spielberg's fantastic directing. You could make the movie closer to the book and try to do the film better but the way Spielberg directed, that is something that can't be replaced.

9) Pulp Fiction


     I'm a fan of Quentin Tarantino. I love his work because of how insane it is but he makes it all come together to create something wonderful. If you haven't seen Django Unchained, go to Redbox and watch it. Pulp Fiction was unconventional for its time as far as story-telling, originality, and closeness to neo-noir films makes it an original classic. With this movie, John Travolta reinvented his career after being in a slump but also launched the careers of Uma Thurman and Samuel L. Jackson, especially Jackson, whose role as Jules made him a highly-sought after actor after completing work on this movie. This movie has proved to be an inspiration for various other films based on its style and opened the door for independent cinema to be taken more seriously and considered for contention for awards.

10) The Terminator


     I was going to go with the whole series but it's best to start at the beginning. This movie has been deemed "culturally, historically, or aesthetically important" by the United States National Film Registry and I would agree. The fast pacing action, compelling story, and strong performances helped solidify Schwarzenegger as a solid, bankable action star and launched James Cameron's film career. This film really helped put science fiction action films into the mainstream and made cyborgs cool. The tension throughout the movie kept everyone on the edge of their seats and is still watched now. Hollywood has made many sequels to this movie, Terminator 2: Judgment Day surpasses the original in my opinion but this film or series does not need a reboot or a remake at all.

     And there you have it, everyone. My top 10 list. I know there can be debates made that some of these movies can be remade but I think that these are the movies that should be left alone. Hollywood should look into new ideas from fresh minds before digging into the golden well of their classics. If anyone has any opinions or their own lists, I would like to hear from you.

     I hope everyone is having a great summer and getting out there, despite the humidity, and enjoying the movies! I'll be back soon with another review! Until then, to quote Arnold: "I'll be back."

Man of Steel - Despite lack of balance, this reboot soars

     Hello, everyone! I know it's been a while but we all get busy from time to time. As I promised, I'm back with a review of one of the biggest financially successful movies of the summer, possibly of the year.

   
     We all remember Superman Returns, right? Bryan Singer (X-men and X2) had left the franchise that helped make him a highly sought after director to help resurrect the franchise of the greatest and most recognized superhero of all time. We were all jumping for joy, ready to see the red caped alien soar across the silver screen once again...and then the movie came out. I'm not saying that it was bad and by no way am I blaming Singer at all but the acting sort of seemed uninspired, besides Kevin Spacey's Lex Luthor. Brandon Routh was made to look too much like Christopher Reeve. While I have nothing against the green screen or special effects, I felt like the movie didn't have the emotion that another DC movie had in 2005: Batman Begins. I think that's what audiences were looking for because the new Batman raised the bar.

     So, trashing the idea of continuing the original Superman film series, Warner Bros. decided to reboot Superman. Enter Zack Snyder (300 and Watchmen) to direct this superhero vehicle. But with a new direction, the groundwork has to be paved with good writing. Enter Christopher Nolan (The Dark Knight Trilogy director) and David S. Goyer (Screenwriter, The Dark Knight Trilogy and Jumper), who wrote both the story and screenplay. Once the cast was rounded out by a who's who of Academy Award winners such as Russell Crowe, Kevin Costner, Diane Lane, who all played Jor-El, Jonathan Kent, and Martha Kent, respectfully, and respected newcomers such as Amy Adams (Enchanted, Doubt, and The Muppets) playing Lois Lane, the main role needed to be filled to see who would fill the red boots of Superman. Enter Henry Cavill (The Tudors). With these pieces in place, Man of Steel was ready to fly.

     The film begins on the planet Krypton with Jor-El (Russell Crowe) pleading with the council to evacuate the planet, that was facing imminent destruction. General Zod (Michael Shannon) staged a coup and eliminated the council. Jor-El and his wife, Lara, launch their newborn son Kal-El in a spaceship to Earth, infusing a genetic codex into his DNA in order to preserve the Kryptonian Race. The film continues through Clark's time growing up in Smallville, being raised by Jonathan and Martha Kent (Kevin Costner and Diane Lane), and how he learned to master his powers. After learning the truth of his origins and losing his father some time later when he was a teenager, an adult Clark lives as a nomad, not living in the same place for long and helping people when he can with his powers. In the Arctic, he comes across an ancient Kryptonian ship that allows him to speak to the consciousness of Jor-El, preserved in a key that came with him in his ship. Learning of his origins and assuming the Kryptonian suit bearing his family crest, Clark becomes Superman as he fights to defend his adoptive home from General Zod and his crew.

     From the previews, we could tell how epic this movie was going to be and it did not disappoint. The film was able to do something that Returns did not do and that was humanize Superman the best you can. I know it's hard to humanize someone as powerful as Superman but if anyone could tug at the emotional strings of this superhero, Christopher Nolan is the one to do it. He revealed the hardship that Clark Kent/Superman go through to be accepted by society, the difficulties of being one of a kind with his powers and being alone in the world, and making sense of it all. Despite the fact that they changed some of the elements that helped Clark become Superman, the story line and the human element was excellent for the film. 

     However, I feel like it was sometimes overloaded by the supercharged, explosive fight scenes, especially when Zod's crew arrives on Earth. This film was also more serious than the other films, lacking humor to balance out the action and the drama. The main problem that I could see was the balance between the wonderful storytelling and the directing of the film, especially with the fight scenes.

     With the financial success of this film, I don't believe that there will be another reboot of Superman anytime soon. With Christopher Nolan and David S. Goyer's emotional and soul-searching writing staying on board, I believe that Man of Steel is the reboot that the franchise needed in order for DC Comics to compete with Marvel Studios. With another planned Batman reboot and rumors of a Justice League movie swirling around Hollywood, Man of Steel might just be the start of something greater. 

     I hope you all enjoy this review. I will do my best to return with another review of either This Is The End or World War Z. I hope to make another update that won't be a movie review in the next two weeks. Until next time, stay cool and enjoy the movies! 

Fast and Furious 6 - Franchise continues to get hotter

     Hello, everyone! I know that it's been a while and I'm behind on my promise for an update but my move back home is complete for the most part. So, here I am, bringing another review of another movie that has graced the silver screen in the early part of the summer season.

     Fast and Furious 6, the sixth installment in the Fast and Furious franchise, has shown that this series of movies continues to update its model just when we think the vehicle has run out of gas. When it comes to most franchises, very few reach this longevity because sooner or later, the same formula starts to grow stale with audiences. No matter how you try to change it, audiences know when the same formula is being used over and over during a movie franchise. The Fast and Furious franchise made sure that this did not happen.

  

     After the events of Fast Five, Dominic Toretto (Vin Diesel), Brian O'Connor (Paul Walker), and the rest of the crew have scattered to different countries and enjoy their freedom from the law. But everything is not as perfect as it seems for the retired fugitives. After a persuading visit from Agent Luke Hobbs (Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson), Dom recruits his team and they all gather in London to take down a team of renegade drivers led by Owen Shaw (Luke Evans) and his second-in-command, the presumed-dead girlfriend, Letty (Michelle Rodriguez). 

     Using the similar formula that made Fast Five as success, instead of a heist film, Fast and Furious 6 is an adrenaline rush for fans of the series and good but relaxing summer action movies. When the first Fast and Furious film came out in 2001, no one could imagine that audiences would still be invested in this series more than ten years later. It really says a lot about the series because the writers and the input of Vin Diesel as a producer. When audiences start a movie, they seek to enjoy the story but also become invested in the characters. When the sequels are spawned from the first film and seeing if it can re-create the magic of the first, as an audience, we seek growth within the characters. We want to see how events change them and affect their lives, for better or for worse. 

     Vin Diesel's character, Dominic, is undoubtedly the heart of this series as far as his outlook on life and devotion to his family. He's willing to do anything to protect them and to make his family whole. The rest of the characters have their roles of one-liners, tech support, and tension to help make the film complete. But it wouldn't be complete without its share of outrageous, physics-defying, action scenes. This is especially true during the cargo-plane ending. Speaking of endings, stay seated for a post-credits scene that will surprise everyone. 

     While this is a good movie for fans of the series, definitely check your brain at the door and strap in for a wild ride.

     Well, that's it for now but be on the lookout for my review of the new Superman reboot, Man of Steel, which I'll have uploaded by the start of next week.

     Until then, have a great weekend, everyone!

-Robert
   

Star Trek Into Darkness - Latest voyage feels oddly familiar

     Hello everyone! I'm back with another review of the beginning of the summer movie season. This one is a personal favorite of mine. I, along with millions of others, grew up with Gene Roddenberry's vision of the future and humanity's journey into the deep recesses of space with the powerhouse franchise, Star Trek.

     2009 brought us back to the Trek universe with new actors to play the classic characters of the original series. With some help from Leonard Nimoy, playing the original Spock, the torch was passed to the new crew of the U.S.S. Enterprise and Star Trek became one of the highest grossing movies of that year. With Into Darkness, we expected more of the same but with sequels, you can't help but be a little skeptical.

  

      The film begins with Captain Kirk (Chris Pine) and Dr. McCoy (Karl Urban) running through a red forest and avoiding spears being thrown at them (obviously intended for the 3D effects) as they race off of the cliff into an ocean. It turns out that the Enterprise, at the time, and her crew is on a mission to prevent the eruption of a volcano on this primitive planet and save its inhabitants. Spock, risking his life, ends up trapped in the volcano and is prepared to sacrifice his life for the good of the mission. Kirk, in order to save his first officer, violates the Prime Directive and raises the Enterprise from the ocean water to fly over the volcano and save Spock.

     The movie then cuts back to Earth, where Kirk is relieved of command because of his violation of the Federation's prominent rule, dictating that the Federation is not allowed to interfere with the development of alien civilizations and there is no revelation of the Federation's identity. A general emergency meeting is called for the Federation's high ranking officials to meet in order to discuss a threat in their own organization. Starfleet agent John Harrison (Benedict Cumberbatch) bombed a secret Starfleet installation in London and has been ordered to be taken in. Knowing this meeting would happen, Harrison attacks the conference, killing Kirk's mentor, Christopher Pike (Bruce Greenwood). Taking this attack personally, Kirk reassumes command and is tasked with hunting Harrison down and bringing him in.

     All original and all good. It really relates to the current world we live in. No one knows who to trust in our government and there are even dangers inside it that threaten our way of life. But then, the turn happens and this is where the originality fails. Harrison's true identity is revealed as Khan, an iconic and classic villain from the original show and whose storyline spawned one of the best Trek films: 1982's Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan. If you haven't seen it, I highly recommend it to any Trek fan or anyone that knows the Trek universe.

     The inclusion of Benedict Cumberbatch's portrayal of Khan, while not as epic as Ricardo Montalbán, helped keep the plot interesting as he faced off against Kirk and the Enterprise crew. Cumberbatch proved to make Khan a force to be reckoned with throughout the entire film. His delivery of the ruthless, intellectual, and determined Khan shined as bright as a supernova with his charisma and making his villain believable to the audience.

     Knowing this is a reboot, I let it go and I will say, as a whole, the film is a rousing, awesome, space adventure. It's filled with great action, special effects, and just an all around great installment into this popular franchise. My only criticism was that the film is not as fresh or original as its predecessor. A lot of Khan's story lines and scenes were re-created for this film but Into Darkness does a great job of standing on its own as well as trying to honor the past. If you are a Trek fan or not, you will enjoy this movie but as a Trek fan, I will say that the chop work the writers put together by blending Wrath of Khan with Into Darkness will leave you wanting a little more originality.

     I'll be back soon with a review of another high action film franchise's recent installment, Fast and Furious 6!

     Please leave any comments or reactions! I gladly welcome them! Take care and enjoy a movie or two!

Iron Man 3 - Marvel's Cinematic Universe begins Phase 2 with a Bang

     I have to say that I was fairly impressed by the third movie in the Iron Man trilogy. Given the fact that a new director in Shane Black (Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang) stepped in and rewrote the script, some fans were skeptical, myself included. There was also the fact that this was the third film and it usually is not as strong as the first two. That was not the case here.

     Tony stark (Robert Downey, Jr) starts narrating the film, taking us into his past on New year's Eve in 1999. There, we meet Maya Hansen (Rebecca Hall), inventor of Extremis - an experimental treatment program that regenerates the body and allows recovery from crippling or devestating injuries but has some explosive side-effects. We also meet Aldrich killian (Guy Pearce), a disabled scientist who wanted Tony's support for his company but since this is pre-iron Man Tony stark, he blows him off.

     When we return to the present day, Tony is working on his Mark 42 Iron Man suit and has been busy in his lab, apparently busy perfecting his new suit. Pepper Potts (Gwyneth Paltrow), his girlfriend and CEO of Stark Enterprises, has noticed this and is not too happy with Tony's obsession with his suits. This is all a distraction for Tony because he is still suffering from the events of the battle of New York during The Avengers. During this time, the world is being terrorized by The Mandarin, responsible for bombings but leaving no evidence at the site. Stark finally steps up when a attack becomes personal and challenges the Mandarin at his home.

     Tony's challenge is answered and his home is destroyed, leaving everyone to believe that he is dead. in actuality, Tony is in rural Tennessee. Without the power of his suit and his technology to assist him, stark has been stripped of everything close to him and left with nothing but his wit and creativity. After he teams up with Col. James Rhodes/iron Patriot (Don Cheadle), Tony is able to discover the true identity of the Mandarin, the source of the attacks, and its relation to Extremis. The final battle showed Tony's obsession in full force as many Iron Man suits come to battle the Extremis soldiers. Dedicating himself to Pepper, Tony destroys all of the Iron Man suits and makes a huge life change to remove the shrapnel from his heart. In the end, Tony proves that he doesn't need the suit to be Iron Man.

   Superheroes seem to be the common theme in Hollywood these days and with the success of Iron Man 3, the other movies that are in store for the Marvel Cinematic universe, They aren't going anywhere. Even though we, as an audience, love the escapism of our spandex or metal-suited heroes, it shows that they are still human beings, going through real problems, and sometimes, you don't need a suit to be a hero. I hope you all go see this movie to start off your summer season.

     Later today or the near the end of this week, I'll be back with a review of Star Trek Into Darkness. I'll be back!

Movie Review - 42

Hello, everyone. I know it's been a while since I have posted but I'm back. Everyone knows that money is pretty tight right now for everyone, especially for a recent college graduate. But, anyway,  I finally got a chance to go to the movies two weekends ago and I think I picked a good time to return to the theater.

     42: The Jackie Robinson Story or as it was billed in it's movie poster: The True Story of an American Legend. This movie didn't receive the hype I thought it deserved or could have been promoted better, considering its topic. While I have nothing wrong with the promotion and endorsement that our superhero movies are getting (see Iron Man 3), this movie told the story of not just a sports hero and legend but an American hero during a time when one was needed.

     Jackie Robinson (Chadwick Boseman) was playing for the Kansas City Monarchs in 1945, where the film starts. During that time in New York, Branch Rickey (Harrison Ford)  was looking to make a change, not only with his team, the Brooklyn Dodgers, but to do something that was never thought of in baseball at the time: signing an African-American player and breaking the baseball color barrier. He discovered Jackie Robinson and signs him, with Jackie having to promise to control his temper if he wants to play because Branch and Jackie know the level of scrutiny and bigotry they will both fee from inside and outside the sport.

 
     Although the film focuses only on the 1947 Brooklyn Dodgers season and some of his 1946 season with the Montreal Royals and I wish it had expanded onto more of his career, this film did a great job by viewing the most important part of his career: the beginning and the challenges Jackie faced. The taunting that Jackie took from Philadelphia Phillies manager Ben Chapman (Alan Tudyk) was a little uncomfortable to watch as an African-American and watching Jackie's struggles to make the team so far in the film. It was a true test for Jackie, who was forced to go to the dugout and smash his bat to vent his anger from the abuse. Rickey approached Jackie and encouraged him to silence Chapman and other critics by performing and he did just that. Later on in the film, Chapman and Robinson pose for newspaper and magazines with both of them holding a bat. This was Jackie's idea so they, in his words: "we won't have to touch skin." Another iconic scene is when Jackie and Pee Wee Reese (Lucas Black) showed solidarity in front of a hostile crowd during a game in Kentucky.

     The film is a testament of the strength of a man to challenge society's view and inspire future generations of black athletes to follow their dreams. Jackie Robinson is a true hero. He didn't have superpowers or sidekicks or looking to save the world.  All Jackie had was a bat, a team uniform, and the guts to not fight back when being harassed by those who didn't want their perfect work changed. I would recommend this movie to anyone, even if they aren't a sports fan. I hope you all go to see it.

     Also, as everyone knows, the summer movie season is upon us. I'll be covering the first tremendous month of this season soon. Until then, everyone. See you at the movies!