M.D. Geist II: Death Force (1997)

M.D. Geist II: Death Force (1997)

As its name suggests, M.D. Geist II: Death Force is sequel to the 1986 anime M.D. Geist. I have no idea why it took eleven years to make a follow-up. You can read my thoughts on the first M.D. Geist here.
M.D. Geist II is not as fun or even as good as the first installment. However, I'd say it's still worth watching if you loved the original, especially since like the first its only 45 minutes long. For me though I found parts boring or just rehashing from the original. I did think it was cool that this time there is another Most Dangerous soldier besides Geist, although that character turned was uninteresting and somehow more unlikeable than Geist. Vaiya, pretty much the only female character in both stories, returns but doesn't really do much. There is also a new character who looks like kinda Bane in The Dark Knight Rises.
While I'm glad I watched M.D. Geist II for completion's sake, I will probably never re-watch it as it's mostly more of the same but not as fun as the first. It didn't grab me at all and was kinda boring at times, which is something I cannot say about the original MD Geist!
Both M.D. Geist OVAs (original video animation) can be found at YouTube and Hulu.
3/10

The Dark Knight Rises (2012)

The Dark Knight Rises (2012)
I'm going to keep this short as much has already been said about The Dark Knight Rises and this is a spoiler-free review. The Dark Knight Rises is the last in Nolan's trilogy. I love Christopher Nolan and his Batman movies but its nice for this franchise to have a set of films that has a true beginning, middle, and end as opposed to just being continued forever by different people. 

The three main new actors in this film are Anne Hathaway, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, and Tom Hardy. When Hathaway was first announced as Selina Kyle, I was a little skeptical, but trusted Nolan. My faith was rewarded as I thought she did a great job in the role. Selina Kyle is also never actually referred to as Catwoman.
I remember Joseph Gordon-Levitt from Angels in the Outfield (1994) and the TV show 3rd Rock from the Sun so its pretty cool that he is making the jump from child actor to adult actor. JGL plays a cop named John Blake who aids Commissioner Gordon and Batman in their attempts to protect Gotham City from Bane. I didn't know what to expect from this role as it is basically a new character but felt it was handled very well from both an acting and writing point of view.
Like Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Tom Hardy was in another Christopher Nolan movie, Inception. Hardy has a lot more screen time in this film as his plays the main villain, Bane. I thought Hardy put in a nice performance as a memorable and intimidating nemesis. I also liked the design of Bane's mask and costume, which are different from the way he is usually depicted in the comics.

The only real negatives about this movie are the pacing and not knowing enough about the motivations of Bane. We got too much of some scenes and not enough of others. There were some parts left out such as more on Bane's backstory which was filmed but not in the theatrical cut. I have heard that this is because IMAX can only hold 2 hrs and 45 minutes of film which is exactly the run time of The Dark Knight Rises. Perhaps the rumored extended Blu-ray cut will rectify these issues. However, Nolan usually doesn't even include deleted scenes with his movies let alone have multiple cuts available, so we'll have to wait and see what happens.

The Dark Knight Rises is not a perfect film, but a great ending to this series. Anybody who really enjoyed the first two will probably be very happy with this movie. I still feel that The Dark Knight is the best complete film in Nolan's series followed by The Dark Knight Rises, then Batman Begins. But I love them all!
8/10

Prometheus (2012)

Prometheus (2012)
I wrote most of this post after watching Prometheus about a week after it came out. Even though this review is late to the party, it is still a spoiler-free as usual though it may be helpful if you've seen Alien before reading this.
I love Alien and Blade Runner so I was excited for Prometheus as Ridley Scott's return to science fiction. The Alien franchise has languished for a while but could Ridley Scott return to the series he started and revitalize it?

Prometheus is a prequel in the sense that it takes place before the events of Alien and in the same universe. However, the movie is not a "direct prequel" since we (thankfully) don't see a younger Ripley for how the "Space Jockey" ship got on LV-426. This is a prequel in the way that Enterprise was a prequel to the other Star Trek TV shows. When it comes to film, most prequels usually don't turn out well and are disappointing. Star Wars, anyone? Many prequels are completely unnecessary prequels like The Thing (2011). Although I was not blown away with Prometheus, I think it is one of the better prequels out there alongside movies such as Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (technically a prequel) and X-Men: First Class, which like Prometheus is sort of a reboot and prequel at the same time.

Let's start with what I liked about Prometheus. The special effects and visuals are incredible and aided by an excellent soundtrack. The costumes and set designs are great and help give the film a distinct look and feel in setting up the world in which the story takes place. The cinematography is outstanding and the film was simply beautiful to watch in IMAX 3-D. Overall the acting is good as Noomi Rapace, Charlize Theron, and Idris Elba all did a fine job in an ensemble cast. Michael Fassbender put in a stand-out performance as David, who we find out in the beginning is an android. The David character and the fantastic "birthing scene" were the most memorable parts of the movie.

Prometheus plays on themes and imagery from Alien but is also influenced by classic science fiction films such as Forbidden Planet and 2001: A Space Odyssey. It is clear that literature from the Golden Age of Science Fiction (late 1930s through mid 1950s) by authors such as A.E. van Vogt and Ray Bradbury also played a role in shaping the story.

Now to get to what I didn't like. The character development could have been better. We do have a lot of characters though, in fact I would say that there are too many characters! The amount of people on board the Prometheus ship is at least double that of the crew the Nostromo had in Alien. In Star Trek we have spaceships with hundreds of crew members, but the focus on a small group of people is generally handled better than it was here.
There is an old character who is played by a much younger actor in make-up that frankly isn't very good. Why was this necessary? Unless there is some important deleted scene showing a younger version of the character why didn't they simply cast an older actor?

A lot is left open ended in Prometheus. While there is nothing wrong with that, some stuff was intentionally left a mystery while other stuff seems to have been the result of writing problems. I liked the third act unlike a lot of people, but it I agree that it does suffer some pacing issues. An extended version might make some things more clear and answer some of the film's perceived plot holes.
There are a few of continuity issues with Alien. One is that the Prometheus spaceship appears to be more technically advanced than the Nostromo. This didn't bother me as it is simply the result of Alien being made in 1979 and Prometheus being released in 2012. But there is a more important continuity error that did bother me, though I won't get into details for those who haven't seen Prometheus yet. Any prequel written after the original is going to have this problem to some extent so I can't fault the movie for it, but it annoyed me as a fan of the original. I wish Prometheus was its an original sci-fi movie not tied to a preexisting series so that continuity problems could've easily been avoided.

Although I quite liked Prometheus, it's not a masterpiece like Alien or Blade Runner but instead more along the lines of a film such as Sunshine, which I also enjoyed. But this is a problem with Ridley Scott's return not just to the science fiction genre, but the Alien franchise. It feels like Scott came back not because he had an amazing story to tell within this universe, but because Hollywood was going to hire some random people reboot the series and only Scott's return to the director's chair could stop it. While this is probably better than the Hollywood remake alternative, I had hoped Scott had something better up his sleeve. I have no problem with Scott taking the series in a new direction, as James Cameron did with Aliens, but feel that Prometheus would have worked better as a film in its own continuity. I mean what's the point of using the tagline "The search for our beginning could lead to our end" if we know humanity will still be around so that the events of Alien can take place? Had this been a stand alone movie it would've raised the stakes and allowed for more risks to be taken.

I still don't understand the extremely negative reaction this film has gotten by many people on the internet, as critics generally gave it good but not great reviews. I'm guessing they just had unrealistic expectations built up in their heads and overlooked what the movie does well. I don't think it's fair to tear a film apart that does some things very well, simply because it struggles in other areas.

Despite its flaws, Prometheus is still very good and appears to reward multiple views. The film asks interesting questions but is complex with a lot going on at once, unlike Alien which was much more focused. I'll need to see Prometheus again, especially with an extended director's cut coming out on Blu-ray soon that may be an improvement. There is also the strong possibility of a sequel since Prometheus started out as a two part Alien prequel. Prometheus did well in theaters so perhaps that is still the plan after all.
7/10

The Avengers (2012)

The Avengers (2012)
The Avengers was the first movie I saw released in 2012. However, the first 2012 movie I wrote about on this blog was actually Jersey Shore Shark Attack! I saw the The Avengers a couple of weeks after its huge opening weekend. The Avengers has now made over $1.5 billion worldwide and even when you factor in rising ticket prices and the cost of 3-D that is quite an accomplishment. I guess this post is a little late as most people have already seen it!

The Avengers, not to be confused with the crappy 1998 film adaptation of the same name based on a great 1960s British show, is the sixth movie made by Marvel Studios, part of the Walt Disney Company. While I never read the comics these characters come from, I have enjoyed all these movies since I saw Iron Man in the summer of 2008. While I need to re-watch all the Marvel Studios movies when The Avengers hits Blu-Ray later this month, it is currently my favorite of the series.

Before I get into the meat and potatoes of this review, I just want to say that Alan Silvestri has always been one of my favorite composers (Back to the Future, Predator, Forest Gump, Captain America, and many more) and came up with a brilliant score for the film. I also enjoyed the song Soundgarden contributed to the soundtrack, "Live to Rise."

I have to give Joss Whedon a lot of credit with the directing and writing. There was a high degree of difficulty with this project in balancing all these characters. Like with Whedon's show Firefly (I never saw Buffy the Vampire Slayer but have heard good things), he did a fantastic job. It is a lot of fun to see all these characters together and interacting with each other. The dialogue and banter is witty and each character has their own unique arc. All the previous movies and characters are tied in without feeling forced. This creates an epic free flowing universe that hasn't really been done before in film and is right out of the comics.

Coming into The Avengers I was afraid it would essentially be Thor 2 since Loki is the villain or Iron Man 3 because Robert Downey Jr. is so popular right now. However, I was pleasantly surprised that no one character dominated the story. Apparently there was a lot of deleted footage, said to be mostly scenes with Captain America, which will be interesting to see even though I don't think another cut of the film is necessary. I loved the job they did with the Hulk as The Avengers team needed the help of Dr. Bruce Banner and not the Hulk. Mark Ruffalo replaces Ed Norton who did a good job in 2008's The Incredible Hulk though I actually preferred Ruffalo's take on the character.

As I mentioned earlier, Joss Whedon directed the movie and wrote the screenplay. Whedon was a fan of the source material, has actually written comics, and it clearly shows that he cared to make the best possible film out of it. While I don't think that The Avengers is the best movie based on a comic book, I think that is is the movie that feels most like a comic book. I could practically see the panels and dialogue bubbles appear on screen. Loki is a true comic book villain, and the movie truly embraces the fact that is is trying to be like a comic book. Much has already been said about the the final long action scene, which is simply amazing. The camera work there truly feels like you are flipping through pages in a comic and staring in amazement at the artwork of a giant two page spread.

Marvel's The Avengers is a blast to watch and perfectly balances its action, drama, and humor. The Avengers is the perfect summer popcorn movie so its no surprise that it dominated the box office this year. The two after credits scenes were awesome as well and I'm looking forward to what Marvel Studios has in store next!
9/10

This is my 100th post! Here's to another 100!

Fall 2012 Schedule Update

My classes are finally over so I plan to get caught up (again!) over my break the next couple of weeks.
My next several posts will be on five movies I saw in theaters in 2012 so far, of which four were also released this year. After that I have a couple of odds and ends to tie up before getting back on track.

After that my schedule is going to change. I am no longer going to do weekly wrap-up posts as its just easier for me to get a post up on a movie right after I see. But hey, this just means I'll be posting more! My classes start in September so I probably won't be able to watch as much as I like but there will be at least a few movie posts up each month.

My Tales from the Archives posts will return on a weekly basis after I am back on schedule. Instead of being posted on Thursdays I am going to move them to Tuesdays. Assuming all goes according to plan that means Tuesday October 2nd will be the long anticipated return of Tales from the Archives! I still have a lot of material on silent and early talkie movies to go through, so it should be an interesting ride through a fascinating time of film history.

Now its time to get posting!

My First Movie Blogathon - Pinocchio and Aladdin

Welcome to the second day of the My First Movie Blogathon hosted at Forgotten Classics of Yesteryear! The Blogathon runs through August 4th so please check out the other entries!

The first movie I saw in theaters was the 1992 re-release of Pinocchio (1940), the second Walt Disney animated film. I was only three years old but still have vague memories of watching it in the theater with my family. The first "new" movie I saw in a theater was Aladdin which came out later that year. This was the first time I watched a movie with just myself and my Dad, a tradition we keep up to this day!

I was three years old around the time I saw these movies. While I don't remember anything about what I thought about Pinocchio at the time, I have seen it several times since and have always enjoyed it. I haven't watched Pinocchio recently but when watching the movie later it always struck about how dark it was. Sure we have the great songs "I've Got No Strings" and the Oscar winner for Best Song "When You Wish upon a Star," but we also have the evil puppet master Stromboli, kids who literally transform into "jackasses" then are sold to work in salt mines, and the giant whale Monstro who swallows Pinocchio!

I have stronger recollections from seeing Aladdin. One thing I specifically remember was laughing when the genie accidentally picks up Sebastian the crab from The Little Mermaid! I had already seen that movie at home before watching Aladdin so the joke was not lost on me. This must have been the first time I had ever encountered both reference jokes and meta humor which probably explains why I love those types of comedy to this day!

While my Dad also picked up on that reference, I noticed that he didn't giggle as much as I did. However, in another part of the movie I noticed that he was laughing hysterically and I didn't get the joke. I wouldn't fully understand it until years later, but my Dad loved the Genie's Jack Nicholson impression! While Aladdin is not unique in having some jokes for kids and other jokes for parents, I enjoy it when family films do this as it truly makes them for all age groups. Movies with humor for people of different ages tend to be even more watchable when you get older as you now get a joke you didn't understand earlier and can view the movie in a different light.

Disney films, such as Pinocchio and Aladdin, often have a high range of emotions and tones. We have ups and downs, funny moments, scary parts, musical numbers, and memorable characters of all types. Disney movies are the first movies a lot of young people watch, and therefore the formation and basis for their future film viewing. This sets up how they look at movies when they get older. Sure the villains will get more complex and there won't always be happy endings, but Disney films are the blueprint for getting used to watching feature films and certainly a big step up from most Saturday morning cartoons. And as was the case for me, Disney films can be a great early theater experience! Even with today's world of giant flat screen TVs and home theaters, nothing beats watching a film in the cinema on the big screen and hearing the reaction of the audience to the movie. This is something I learned at a young age thanks to both Pinocchio and Aladdin.

Thanks for reading, and enjoy the rest of the My First Movie Blogathon.
This is the fifth blogathon I've participated in, and hopefully there will be many more to come!

Summer 2012 Schedule Update

It has taken me about six months, but I am finally caught up! The only other posts I have left to do are on the movies I have seen in theaters this year: Avengers and Prometheus. However, I am going to hold off on those due because I've gotten too busy with classes and work. Plus I still need to see The Dark Knight Rises so I'll just get those three posts up around the same time!

In early August I'll be participating in the My First Movie Blogathon hosted at Forgotten Classics of Yesteryear. Then in September I'll finally get to the summer 2012 movie posts. After that I'll be able to bring back my Tales from the Archives series on a regular basis. I am thinking about changing the day of the week for that and getting rid of the weekly wrap-ups for individual posts on films whenever I see them. More on that when the time comes.

Also I just realized that this is my 97th post on this blog. Three more until the big 100!