Raw Consciousness

FILM - Terminator Salvation...

So at the behest of some co-workers we car pooled and went to the movies yesterday to watch Terminator Salvation.  After commiting to this choice while still at work, I decide to take a glance to the tomato meter - and I see its not scoring very high.. Hmmm oh well what the hell, I need to get out, see more people etc, why not.

Er. no. After watching Chun Li and now this (no mistake: the Chun Li movie is by far the worst), I am doine watching "bad movies for fun."  Nope. Maybe in a barbecue in a house with friends for kicks and food and chat, as half/background but not for real. By the end my brain was hurting from the cheese and I just wanted to go back home. I value my time more now.

In short, this movie feels like a bad (or typical some may say) next generation PS3/360 video game- dark/brown/grey, lots of bloom, cliche script.  Roger Ebert- someone who I don't always agree with, pretty much said in his opening paragraph it seems like it's a maquet of storyboards (my conclusion/paraphrasing), and he's right. Super light on story, super heavy on action, but nothing.

The actors aren't that bad, it's just the script/direction and ... storyboarding.  The movie has micro slices that if you take them out, are cool. But things that could have been explored so much were left not to the imagination, but just abandoned.  No depth. Can't care about the characters.

It was just bad.

Film - yes it's good.

FILM - Silent Hill.. another thought...

I have been thinking about the movie a bit.... there are some scenes that are memorable.. visually that is.  My brother still loved it... and I just read the review of Ars Technica. 

The review over there makes an interesting point- which you can take it as a good thing or bad thing I suppose: this movie as a horror film is much more intelligent at least than the average nowadays horror film. Or I would agree that at least they tried, a couple of things.  A lot of that though comes from the game - which you know, is fine. The worse they could have done is throw away what the good things the game provides that can make it to film.

FILM - Silent Hill....

GRRR.... sorry, they didn't escape THE CURSE(tm).  The curse of videogames->movies.  They did some things right though and probably one of the best attempts (which is sad or good depending on your point of view).  It saddens me that as a movie, I have to give this 5 out of 10, but I still enjoyed it some. But then I am a Silent Hill fan.

FILM - DOOM....

... not that I should need to warn you but JUST DON'T.  Bad bad bad. Did I watch it? Yes. I went with a friend (a "pseudo-ex" I guess I can say).  Hollywood just doesn't get a videogame into a movie translation it seems...  Maybe because when you make a movie and NOT a game, you lose the interactivity and *you have to* do something different perhaps?

    Is Mortal Kombat 1 and Resident Evil 1 the only two movies I can think of that at least are half-decent? Any more?  Silent Hill is coming next year as a  movie... and boy there's material for a *really good movie* - if they say based it on the first or second Silent Hill... I hope they don't screw it up.

FILM - Blade Runner....

I have *finally* watched Blade Runner.  Before you tell me "I can't believe you haven't watched that until now" let me tell you that neither can I.  It's definitively a great movie, and I should have seen it on the big screen back then.

So one less from the list of movies "I should have watched a long time ago" which included also StarShip Troopers and Cinema Paradiso.  So what remains on this list?

  * Pulp Fiction
  * Brazil

I am sure there's one more somewhere.

FILM - Batman Begins

Well I watched the movie last night with an EA-Insomniac couple, and a friend of theirs. Christian Bale looks way hotter than I could have imagined from the trailers, and without giving things away, I think he makes an excellent Bruce Wayne. As Batman... he's allright, but like someone said Michael Keaton may make a better bat.

Anyway, stop reading now if you don't want to potentially charge yourself with some bias....

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The movie special effects seem a bit lower key.  The movie relies it seems more on dialog, psychology, and camera takes more than just special effects- and I love that.  About time.  I definitively enjoy the fact that you get out knowing who Bruce Wayne is.  The concept and operation of one of the villains is something I believe was very well done.

I would classify the monvie as good, there were two things that got in my way a bit:

#1. I thought the camera takes in the fights were just too fast. I realize it is the intent to portray Batman as someone who strikes fast and you don't know what hit you, but doing so and in the dark like that every single time, made me feel the same way "I don't know what hit me."  I wanted to see the performance. I think it's ok to do it once but in all scenes...

#2. Some of the skills of the main character seem a bit pulled "out of nowhere."  Due to the fact that they do show how he acquires most of the skills (good), to have some of these out of the blue doesn't make much sense.

FILM - La Mala Educación (Bad Education)

Everyone that knows me well enough, knows I am a HUGE Pedro Almodóvar fan since I watched Mujeres Al Borde De Un Ataque De Nervios ("Women On The Verge Of A Nervous Breakdown") back in 1988-1989.  Almodovar's style is simply unique. Surreal, excellent social critique, creative.

I would say his last two movies before this one present a departure from the usual.. more emotionally charged. But this one brings a new interesting mix of elements... but it's still defnitively an Almodovar film.

A writer and director from Spain, that dares to present a certain reality, in a way that apparently no one else seems to dare, or be capable of. And were Antonio Banderas made if I understand correctly, most of his films before being famous in the US.

Bad Education is the title in English... go and watch it. Let me know what you think.  I had to watch it twice to emotionally understand it, but it's really good.

FILM - Revenge Of The Sith

Ok, so I watched this morning, calmly, no waiting, about 1/3rd of the theater full at 10:00 am. Nice.

I guess my brother and I are going to differ. I think this movie is the best of the prequels (not a hard feat to accomplish) and I would say "it's ok." Not bad but not something that blew me away or any such thing. I kinda feel bad for the actors because most of them in the movie are really good, Ewan (Ben Kenobi) comes to mind.

FILM - early Starwars Warning...

My brother just called me at 12:01 am my time to tell me something very simple about the 3rd episode of StarWars - "don't watch it."

He warned me if I thought the end of the destruction of the StarWars universe happened at the end of the mitocloreans (spelling?) explanation or Joda fighting, then I haven't seen the end of it just yet.

Of course, unfortunately, I am going to have to watch it- if only to be able to talk about it and special F/X.