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Reviews
Kaydara (2011)
Worth watching once.
Kaydara is based in the Matrix universe but if you compare them too closely you'll be sorely disappointed. It is still an enjoyable movie and well worth the hour.
The first bit of the film is slow and confusing. The Ratrix intro (an old school claymation style 'commercial' of sorts) threw me at first; I thought this was going to be a joke film. When the real story starts it doesn't make any sense for a while but it gets better.
Expect a lot of action, camera angles, and special effects taken straight from the Matrix play book. The actors are rather good and I hope to see them in other films. Very little attention is paid to character development and the story chugs along in jerks and jumps but that's to be expected in a budget film. The English dubs are done well and seem natural in places. I definitely won't be adding this title to my collection but I'm glad I got to see it.
Oh yes. The spoiler. It looks like they pasted Keanu Reeves' face on The One to make him look more like Neo. Think Clu from Tron Legacy. Yeah... you get it now.
Game of Thrones (2011)
Surprisingly good
This series is definitely a fantasy piece. The locales are outstanding, there are knightly games and battles, and the costumes are what you'd expect for a Dark Ages period story.
But don't let any of that lull you into a sense that you'll be seeing a "Lord of the Rings" copy cat. Game of Thrones is a political intrigue story about several Houses (clans, family groups) and their struggle for dominance. The story is very engaging and quite well scripted. It is very easy to imagine something like this had actually happened in history.
The acting is standard for the genre. Expect to hear generic English accents from most of the cast, although the story specific language is spoken very well. It sounds like a mix of Elvish and Arabic; the actors must have practiced it a lot. There are a few moments where the acting is stiff or forced but all in all it's good.
It should be noted that this is an HBO original series, and like other series from HBO and Showtime you can expect the cookie-cutter formula for "risky and shocking". What it amounts to is an abundance of nudity (male and female) and strong language (F-bombs) that isn't actually necessary. In several places it actually slows the progression as the episode stops for a moment to allow naked people to randomly pop into the scene. If full frontal nudity is a major turn off for you then you will not enjoy the series as it pervades every episode.
The only complaint I have is that it seems like something has been left out, most likely for timing. There are a few minor arcs that are introduced and then disappear for quite a while, only to jump back in at an odd time. For example: in the first episode there is a lot of emphasis put on the dire wolves. They get a bit of screen time in the first two episodes then disappear except for parts where it's necessary to move the story forward. I know I'm supposed to care about the critters as much as the characters (apparently) do, but they don't get enough screen time to be more than furry props.
Still, this is a very good series. I'd recommend it to anyone who can stomach HBO shows.
Lost Girl (2010)
Another disappointment
If you're looking for softcore porn under the guise of legit entertainment look no further. While this may appeal to some viewers, not all fans of the Fantasy genre will appreciate the slap in the face.
First let's walk through the writing process. Start by squeezing in sex scenes until it loses all credibility then remove one. Now weave a water-thin plot around the sex, add a few movie clichés, and toss in a bit of fairy tale lore for good measure. Viola -- Lost Girl.
Seriously. Even the last season of "Heroes" had more direction.
The story plays out like a 5th grader's book report on a classic novel. You know there should be a lot of substance, but what you get is a highlight reel. With boobies! The characters don't have enough time to develop and end up with ridiculous monologues.
The sad thing is that Lost Girl has a lot of potential. The characters are actually interesting, the plot (as little as there is) deals with realistic emotional baggage, the actors are believable, and the Fae lore is a unique take on existing legends. It's too bad it will never live up to its potential so long as it's competing with shows like Tru Blood for the "Most Gratuitous Sex in an Almost Legitimate Series" award.
Dawn of the Dragonslayer (2011)
Very good for a B-flick
Live action movies with the word "dragon" in the title have a long history of being disappointing budget films. This is not one of the rare exceptions but for what it is, it's entertaining.
The scenery and sets are very well done. The dialogue is natural and the actors pull it off well. The costumes are pretty good too with a few minor issues. For example - when Kate is helping Will put on the livery it looks and sounds like she's using a snap rather than a button.
The plot is obvious and predictable but that is to be expected in a B-flick. Also expect the dragon to look unfinished. The shape and color of it look great but the texture is too cartoonish, the shadows are wrong, etc. and the actors' eye lines are a bit off in spots.
All in all it's definitely worth watching one time but I won't be putting it in my collection.
The Dragon Pearl (2011)
Mildly entertaining
I had the opportunity to catch this film as a prerelease promo. Knowing nothing about it except that the story took place in China I thought it would be a good waste of an evening. It was. A waste, that is.
There is a long standing tradition among American film viewers that, with rare exception, any movie with the word "dragon" in its title is going to be disappointing. The Dragon Pearl is not one of those exceptions.
The entire thing feels like it was written, cast, and directed by a high school drama team. The story is bland and predictable, following the typical adventure theme. The characters were cookie cutter clones of every adventure movie character we've seen. The actors might as well be made of cardboard for all the emotion they showed. The poorly choreographed fight scenes rely on bad camera angles and 1 second shots to drive them along. And the film itself... maybe it was just the version I watched, but it had a grainy late-80's style to it. (Think: The Goonies.)
I missed about 1/4 of the dialogue due to lack of subtitles (Chinese and English are both spoken throughout the movie) but that should be fixed in the actual release.
The dragon itself amazed me. It wasn't very good (it looked like a plastic toy) but the amount of fluidity to its movement was excellent. It swam through the air, curling around itself, almost like a slow moving eel. They really should have textured it better.
All in all it's one of those budget flicks you won't mind watching on a rainy Saturday afternoon. Assuming there's nothing else to do.
White Lion (2010)
Very nice
For the most part I enjoyed this movie very much. It is worth watching for the scenery alone (the visuals are easily worth 9/10). There are several areas where the retouched colors and CGI sky is blatantly obvious but it adds a larger-than-life feel to the savanna.
The story, unfortunately, is a mismatching of a folk tale and a Nat Geo documentary. The voice over technique works well enough but the narrator abruptly stops to interact with his audience. This causes the story to jerk between scenes. At the end of 90 minutes I felt like I had been watching for several hours... and not in a good way. Still, it is a tale of courage, strength, and loyalty, and the intended audience (kids) should enjoy it.
Note for parents: as I mentioned, "White Lion" plays a bit like a documentary; there is some raw footage in this film including lions' eating habits and territorial disputes. The themes of death and loss are also touched a few times, albeit briefly. You will want to watch this movie with your little ones so you can explain things to them. (Kids 12+ should have no trouble with it.) I will watch it with my 10-yr-old nieces to reinforce their studies, but the 4-yr-old will have to stick with Dora the Explorer for now.
Resident Evil: Afterlife (2010)
Great action movie
I just saw this movie in the cinema today. I know the first thing everyone wants to know will be "is the 3D really worth the extra cost?". In a word - yes. I had some trouble adjusting to it (the way I view colors is slightly different from 'normal' vision) but about 20 minutes in I had my focus and thoroughly enjoyed it.
There are a fair amount of the cheesy 'traditional' 3D effects (oh look - yet another bullet/shell casing/knife/sword/whatever was thrown directly at the screen for no apparent reason...) in the movie. But what really tips the scales is how much of the normal stuff is in 3D. Every scene in the movie (even the opening credits!) has some 3D element to it, and the backgrounds are simply amazing. Most of the time I felt like I was actually on the other side of the screen watching the story unfold.
Which brings me to the story. Fans of the video games already know; the movies are a universe unto themselves, keeping some characters and locales but creating an entirely new storyline. Anyone who hasn't played the games will be left wondering what's going on from time to time. The executioner is one such character who adds nothing to the plot of the movie, but fans will appreciate the nod in our direction.
In general the story is predictable as it follows the same pattern as the first three but it's relatively good. Before the second half you already know who will survive and who is zombie fodder. There is some good character development with the main pro/antagonists, a little less with the supporting characters, and none with the zombie fodder. But, you already know who they are so you don't really care.
The graphics are great. It's all been done before but it's still visually appealing. The airplane-exploding-in-slow-motion scene is brilliant; one of my favorites next to the beach scene. Again, the 3D is well worth the price and in these cases required to fully appreciate the beauty of the filming. The gore wasn't too over-the-top but I definitely understand the R rating. Older teens (or anyone who has played the games) will be able to handle it though.
If you liked the first three movies you will definitely like this one. And if you haven't seen them, but enjoy action movies, you'll still like it.
The Last Airbender (2010)
If Cliff's Notes made a movie...
I have to admit I'm a fan of the animated series. Book 1: Water (which is the story for the movie) is 20 episodes in length. The movie took app. 10 hours of information and condensed it into a 90 minute film. What we're left with is a discombobulation of scenes with no point of reference. It plays like a sanitized Tarantino flick. The travesty of the movie's storyline is that it could have focused on one major aspect of the Last Airbender world, or better yet been an original chapter. Instead it is a plot less, unintelligible, mish-mashed 3rd grader's plagiarism.
There is no time for character development. The actors are doing their very best to convey emotion but, without understanding their motivation, it's impossible to feel involved in their plight.
The one high point of the film is the visual effects. There are some amazing Bending scenes, Appa and Momo look great, and I'm quite pleased with the glowing avatar tattoos. But alas a movie cannot exist on eye candy alone.
If you have never seen the series then the movie will be confusing (at best) and you won't be able to identify with the characters. If you have seen the series you'll probably demand your money back.