Reviews by Prelude

We all know Stephen King is the undisputed master when it comes to horror novels, but not all his works have translated well to the big screen. But I'm glad to say this one, based on a novella (mini-novel) of his, is a beauty. When I read it a few years back in college, I remember thinking 'man, this would make an awesome movie!' so I was excited when I found out that not only was it coming out, but that Frank Darabont was at the helm. The critics came, and many were harsh towards it. I suppose they just didnt except such a King-style ending. lol

All the things that make King special are in this film; the slow build-up of suspense, the complete unexplained mystery, a raving lunatic, terrifying monsters, and finally, the end.

And what an ending. Speechless. wow

THAT alone is worth the price of admission (or at least a rental). The ending. Predictable if you know King (as Voxy points out in her review), but shocking nonetheless.

Well, that, and the justice dealt to the crazy bible thumper. It's been a while that I stood up and yelled 'YES MUTHAFUCKAA!' at my TV. :)

For starters, Steve Carell is the only reason I watched this film, and its the perfect role in which he excels at - as a lovable down-on-his-luck good guy with great punch lines.

Not being a fan of romantic comedies (i'm a guy, after all), I still found myself somewhat impressed with this one, and even fought back tears in one scene (when Steve was telling his three daughters which part of them reminds him of his dead wife). And many of the jokes throughout are brilliant and funny.

What I didn't like about this film was the cheezy family dynamics. Seriously, does ANYONE know a family out there that meets up for a week, get along perfectly (for the most part), exercise together, play football together, and even do special talent shows in front of each other by the fireplace? guitar and all? come on... that's not 'REAL LIFE'.

The plot also was way too predictable. I knew right away things would be awkward, then they'll fall in love, then all hell will break loose in the family, but then everything will work out perfectly and last scene will be a wedding with everyone all happy and perfect. Its about as predictable as a period.

And *despite* all that, I still give it a generous 7 out of 10 because, well Steve Carell is in it, and its NOT Evan Almighty. :)

Leave it to the eccentric Herzog to make a Vietnam War movie about 15 years after Hollywood stopped making Vietnam War movies.

This movie is loosely based on real events of an air pilot's capture, life in a POW camp, and a daring prison break with his fellow american prisoners.

If you know Herzog, you'll quickly notice his very sparse use of music, very slow-paced cinematography, and with all the sounds of the crickets in the jungle while time slowly passes by, I don't recommend watching this if you're tired (I fell asleep twice before I finally finished this film).

But despite all that, it's truly a beautiful film. So if you are seeking a great film that's off the beaten path, might want to give Rescue Dawn a chance. But don't blame me if you fall asleep ;)

To anyone who loves westerns but feel like the genre has died, you owe it to yourself to go buy this movie. It is quite easily the best Western since 'The Unforgiven', and I consider it up there with 'Good Bad & Ugly' and 'Once Upon a Time in West' masterpieces.

First off, Christian Bale - quite easily one of my fave actors lately - pulls off another intense performance. Is there anything this guy can't pull off? He riveted me in 'The Machinist', he mesmerized me in 'Prestige', he blew me away in 'Batman Begins', and now comes out smokin' in '3:10 to Yuma'. (like the metaphors? lol)

And after a few duds, Russell Crowe is back in top form as the bad-ass gunslinger in this western, revolving around getting him to the 3:10 train to Yuma, while his entire posse is determined to free him. While in captivity, Crowe and Bale's characters develop respect and sympathy for each other, leading to an incredible shootout thru town as the train awaits them.

Seriously, if you like westerns, don't you dare miss this one. Even if westerns are not your thing, the action and suspense in this film will keep you hooked throughout.

A flawless film. 10/10

It seems great thrillers are getting scarce these days, so I simply had to check out Michael Clayton. The film has a certain 'Erin Brokovich' feel to it, with the plot based around an agrochemical corporation that is trying its hardest to fight off a massive civil lawsuit where one of its products has poisoned farmland and destroyed families. In comes Michael Clayton. He is a clean-up man for the lawfirm which is defending the corporation. There's been a problem...

I want to give a few thoughts and discuss the excellent plot at a later date, but I won't give away plot spoilers here because this film is best enjoyed with a clean slate. I'll say this though; it is a very complex story so if your attention span is not one of your strong points, you may want to pass on this one and rent 'Meet the Spartans' instead.

The performances that impressed me most were George Clooney and Tom Wilkinson. Not sure why Tilda Swinton got an Oscar though - it was just a typical run-of-the-mill acting, with very few memorable lines. But the confrontation between Clooney and Swinton at the end - magnificent. That scene alone was worth the price of admission.

I never believed the promos, "This isn't your parent's galdiators!!!" referring that its a vast departure from that cheesy 80s show with the same name.

I went out of my way to avoid this show, and after accidentally being exposed to a whole 20 minutes of it last night, I'd like to dispute their sales pitch... ummm, yes, yes it is in fact EXACTLY like that cheezy 80s show. just because you claim it isn't doesn't mean it really isn't, because I'm old enough to remember the first time it was on TV, and much like electro-shock therapy, you tend to remember the horrible things you were forced to watch back then. Heck, most of the gladiators appear to be in their 40s and are probably the exact same gladiators used in the first show. and did I miss something, but since when did Hulk Hogan become popular again? I see his wrinkled up senior-citizen face in yellow spandex all over my tv screen, promoting this show, and he also seems to be on his own personal reality show everytime I flip the channel. Is the writer's guild strike affecting the studios so bad that they bring dinosaurs out of retirement to subject us to this torture? If that's the case, please give the writers' ALL DEMANDS THEY ASK FOR! if they demand a million each per episode, so be it. small price to pay to make these pathetic shows vanish.

Oblivion is easily the most perfect role-playing game ever made. When it first came out a couple years ago, I tried it and didn't really get into it, but it was because of my video card holding me back. Running most games, especially one such as Oblivion, on low and even mid-range video cards is not recommended, as you miss out the true beauty of the game. Yes, the world was expansive, but everything was choppy and always loading and only a few trees were visible to forest looks so barren, and as you walk thru them, trees kept popping up. and along the cliffs, you saw the imperial city simply dissapear when you got to far, so back then, I just couldnt get into it.

But this was then and this is now. With my overclocked 8800GTS that can make even Crysis run smooth, i decided to try to get back into Oblivion, and opted for the GotY edition (includes all latest patches as well as both official add-ons). And I started a new character from scratch. and man am I hooked! What used to be choppy pound-the-mouse-button type of 'battles' is now a perfect fluid combat where I have to time exactly when to raise my shield, when the enemy drops his guard so I can swipe him with my sword, sneak up on him with an arrow to the skull, or fire off a ball of flame right into his face. The battles are awesome and nerve wracking - no other game comes as close to making you feel 'right there' in sword & sorcery fights. The sound effects are amazing as well.

Next comes the scenery. oh, the scenery. Many times, I would just gaze off into the distance and don't even notice a bandit or a rogue mage ambush me. With all graphics on max, the forests are alive, the scenery seems never ending, and the HDR lighting as well as dynamic day/night is something to see. And after spending a week in it, I feel i'm just barely grazing the surface of all the side quests and vast environment that can be explored. This game is as massive as a MMORPG yet doesnt require you to connect to internet and pay ridiculous monthly fees to keep playing. And that also helps keep the addiction in balance, because if you pay monthly fees for a MMORPG, you feel like you have to keep playing to get all your money's worth. Instead, I find myself playing Crysis one day, a rally game another, and back for some more dungeon exploring in Oblivion the following day. And for a game pushing on 2 years old, for it to feel so fresh and new simply by maxing the graphics shows how ahead of their time this release was. And its got an easy 2 or 3 more years before it would start to feel dated.

If Wolfenstein 3D is the equivalent of giving birth to the First Person Shooter genre, then DOOM is when the doc takes the baby, smacks its bottom, and makes it cry out to make sure its alive and well.

I grew up during the golden age of DOS gaming, and I remember both titles fondly, but back then, Wolf 3D felt just like a fun action game. It didn't give off an 'OMG! THIS IS THE FUTURE OF GAMING!' vibe - it just felt like a fun violent nazi-killing game. And despite its great 3D feel, it still felt so fake with all the same looking walls, hallways, and square rooms.

When DOOM was released, the levels came to life with two simple advancements - platform heights and angled walls. And the difference it made to gameplay was like night and day. The moment someone tried DOOM for the first time, they stopped playing Wolf3D. You just couldn't compare them. And for this reason, IMHO, the real birth of FPS gaming began with DOOM.

Ok, let's be honest. Did anyone buy a GameBoy for a reason other than to play Tetris on it?

When Tetris came to the world of handhelds, one was now able to leave their house and be somewhat social without giving up their crack.. er, i mean Tetris addiction. Assuming 'somewhat social' means playing Tetris on you GameBoy at the restaurant, or at school, or on the bus, or while playing a game of baseball with your friends...

I had to cut this baby cold turkey by 'accidentally' dropping my GameBoy out a moving car's window. I then proceeded to have a life once more.