Trollhunter

Get out your rocks and UV rays, we're reviewing Trollhunter!

So what do these trolls look like anywa-BATMAN IN HEAVEN IT'S MORE HORRIBLE THAN I COULD HAVE IMAGINED RUN FOR YOUR LIVES!!!

Trolhunter is a Norwegian found footage film in the vain of Blair Witch Project or Cloverfield. I wouldn't say it's scary, but it's interesting. It's refreshing to see a property of something other than ghosts or zombies.

Quick Review: Cabin in the Woods

You may be thinking, why didn't I just use a pattern in photoshop?  And to that I say, shut up.

Cabin in the Woods is a genre-bending horror film staring Chris Hemsworth and Bradley Whitford and written by Joss Whedon. It starts off as a generic horror film about five kids going off into the woods for a party weekend, and then it gets weird. It was made in 2009 and wasn't released until now because I'm sure the studios didn't think people would see it (since it's so weird) without first mainstreaming Hemsworth and Whedon.  And they are probably right, because this thing is twelve shades of awesome. There's no way I can review it properly without ruining the whole premise, but just know that it's funny, has a perfect script, is always entertaining, got tons of gore, and the most amazing third act battle you'll see in a horror movie ever. No, it is not a regular horror movie, and that's why it's so great.


Overall: $$$$$ See it multiple times!

New money system!

If you've read my reviews You'll notice I try to stray away from giving movies a numerical value from whence to judge it on.  I agree with reviewers like Yahtzee that some things aren't a matter of good or bad, but each person's personal flavor, that certain things are much more complicated than a five star system, and that it's hard to compare one movie or game to another when they could be seen for two completely different purposes.

But.

I think, especially in times like these, a huge deciding factor is whether or not a movie is worth spending your hard earned and possibly few dollars on.  And especially big budget movies that just came out with ticket prices approaching 15-20 bucks.  In the beginning, I tried out a non-sensical rating system that game people a general idea of how good a movie was, but it never really took off. So now, mainly for the movies just released in the theater, I'm introducing the money scale! A scale of $ to $$$$$ to see how worth it it is to see this movie.

$$$$$- indicates this is an outstanding movie! Why aren't people making more of these?! See this multiple times! Think The Dark Knight, or Scott Pilgrim vs. The World or Attack the Block.

$$$$-indicates this is a great movie. It's exceptional, and you should definitely see it in theaters before it goes, but you probably only need to see it once. Think The Grey, or The Artist.

$$$-It's still a good movie, you'll probably enjoy it, it's good if you want to see something and there's nothing else out there, but I wouldn't run out to see it. Think John Carter or Red Tails.

$$-indicates it's not very good. There are very few reasons you should see this. Unless you're part of a rabid fanbase or you get dragged to it with a friend, there are better ways to spend your money. maybe wait until it's on netflix or DVD. Think The Lorax or Transformers 3.

$-this is a terrible movie! Don't watch it! Run away! RUN FAR AWAY! Don't ever think about Conan the Barbarian or Green Lantern.

Hopefully this will help you in your decision of how best to spend your dollars and time. What do you guys think? Helpful or a waste of time?

Quick Review: Winter's Bone

Ree(Jennifer Lawrence) has to infiltrate the seedy crime underbelly of Ozark Mountain to track down her scumbag father before she loses her house. Lawrence is great in her role as a badass teenager that won't let go and it's a great strong female protagonist.  It's a rough drama that almost feels like a noir set in the country. It's sometimes difficult to understand what characters are saying(from their thick accents and country dialects) and to understand what's going on, and the end feels like everything jsut wrapped itself up, rather than Ree doing anything, but it's an entertaining ride nonetheless.  If you like hard-edge drama with plenty of country flavor and a strong heroine, I'd recommend picking it up. Great cast and acting, some tense violence, and a tension induced story.

Catch .44

Get out your long dialogue and anti-climactic action, we're reviewing Catch .44!

They do a good job of making Bruce Willis look old but trying to look young.

If Quentin Tarantino didn't have a hand in making this, he should probably be suing someone, because I'm pretty damn sure this is a Quentin Tarantino movie.  But is it a good Tarantino movie?

Quick Review: The People Vs. George Lucas

The People vs. George Lucas is a very interesting documentary on the love/hate relationship fans have with Star Wars and George Lucas.  On the one hand, it's his work and he should be able to do what he wants with it. On the other, after it become a seminal part of history and subculture, doesn't it part also belong to the fans?  It's fascinating seeing the back and forth between fans and professionals alike, ranging from Simon Pegg, to Niel Gailman, to authors of the subject, to fans who have made fan films or edited versions of movies, to George himself.  If you're any kind of Star Wars fan and have ever wondered if Lucas is trying to piss off his fans on purpose, I'd recommend picking it up. It's a fun and informative piece chocked full of fan love for the Wars.

Sketched TV: Ultimate Spiderman

Get out your invisible webshooters and web shooting motorcycles(yup those are real) we're reviewing the Ultimate Spiderman cartoon!

This post will be a little different as I'll be talking about the boring and uninspired character designs. The Ultimate Spider-man from the comics is slender and acrobatic.  Even though he's strong, he should look smaller, because even with his powers, he's still the runt of the superheroes. Also, why does no one  show off his toes instead of going for that generic footy? 

These are my thoughts after the first three episodes they've shown thus far.  I'd like to say it's too early to tell, but so far It's a fairly ok Spider-Man cartoon but a pretty poor Ultimate Spiderman cartoon.

The Raid

Get out your punches and kicks, we're reviewing The Raid!

The Raid: Redemption, as it's being called in America(blame that on the Needless Title for American Movies Committee), is unlike many American action movies you're liable to see today.  It's pure wall-to-wall action, with very little story, and shot amazingly well.

Downfall Degeneration Double review

Get out your zombies AND your necromophs! It's a special double review of Dead Space: Downfall and Resident Evil: Degeneration!

That's one of the necromorphs, right? I'm pretty sure it is.

I thought it was fitting reviewing these together. They're both animated movies based on action/survival horror videogame properties.  Dead Space, at least to me, always felt like Resident Evil 4 but in space.  So which animated horror will win out? Or will it be a double draw?!

Sketched Discussion: 7 good uses of 3D

After watching Wrath of the Titans and The Avengers trailer, I got to thinking what makes good 3D and what are some techniques to best use it.  Whether you see 3D as the big new thing like color TV or a flash gimmick like 80's 3D, there's no denying there are some great ways to incorporate it effectively into the movie experience. Here are seven great uses of 3D(with mock storyboards from The Avengers trailer)!

Wrath of the Titans

Get out your medusa heads and krakens and...wait their not in this one? What do we have? Cyclopses and Chimeras? I guess that's ok...we're reviewing Wrath of the Titans!

Hey guys! I think this one actually has titans in it! Although it only has one titan, so really it should be called Wrath of the Titan I guess? Anyways, it's about as mediocre as the last one.