"Tron: Legacy" Review, Too Bad, Too Too Bad.

Didn't mean to give away the review with the title there, but oh well. The movie is Tron: Legacy and is the sequel to the original Tron which was released 28 years ago. So we know that Disney has been hyping up this movie for 3 years now. We know the hype created at Comic-Con this past summer. We know that Jeff Bridges is back and we know the special effects are supposed to be incredible in 3D. Let's get started.


What I liked about the movie:
Special Effects
I know it's expected, but director Joseph Kosinski did a magnificent job with the special effects (that's about all he did right). The digital world he's created is a far cry from the "state of the art" special effects in the original film. Dazzling colors and amazing digital settings create a world that we know is not our own.

Same goes for the much talked about, much hyped light cycle battles. The battles are amazing and deliver on the promise made by the trailers.

SPOILER ALERT
If you thought that was cool, wait until you see the battle in the air. Our heroes and villains fight it out in a true dog fight in the air.
END SPOILER



What I didn't like about the movie:
The Story
The Oscar for ripping off other movies goes to... Tron: Legacy. 30 years ago, Tron was ahead of its time. I'm not just talking about special effects, I'm talking about story as well. In the sequel, I felt like I was watching a mash-up of Star Wars, The Matrix and Inception all in one. The story was contrived and forced and had no real direction.

Son (played by Garrett Hedlund) searching to find dad. Son runs into evil version of dad. Son finds real dad. Son tries to escape with dad. That's about the sophistication level of the story. There's viruses in the digital world, enter Oliva Wilde, who was absolutely useless in this film (but I'll get to that in a minute). There's a loony bar tender/Elton John impersonator (played by the usually awesome Michael Sheen). A hot robot escort thing and a bunch of henchmen. I'm not over exaggerating any of this, the story was just so stupid I was done about 45 minutes into the movie just after the light cycle battle.

The Acting

Oh me oh my. How the hell does Jeff Bridges go from winning the Oscar for Best Actor in 2009 to the performance he supplied in Tron: Legacy in 2010? He's like this overgrown Yoda figure with about as much personality as a snail. And it doesn't end there.

The newcomer Garrett Hedlund is terrible. Oldie but goodie Bridges was terrible. Then there's the aforementioned Wilde whose sole purpose is to look good and hopefully encourage prepubescent little boys to buy tickets to this movie. I mean come on. A little heart, a little passion for what you do folks. I couldn't care less about the characters these actors were playing. Seriously, by the end of the film, I just hoped they were all killed off so the chances of a sequel died with them. Yeah... THAT bad.

Action/Climax

I know what you're thinking. The trailer looked awesome right? How on earth could they screw up the action? They found a way to do so. The light cycle sequences are incredible, but way too short. Those scenes only make up a small portion of the film. The hand to hand combat is so pathetic I've seen student films with better action. Same goes for the climax of the film. Wait. What? That was it? That's how the movie peaks? See for yourself and let me know what you think.

Here is my final thought on the film. I have to be honest, about an hour into the movie I wanted to walk out. If it weren't for my 15 dollar ticket to watch this crap in 3D, I would have. So I have to be honest with you and myself, I was bias towards the end of the movie. I couldn't wait for it to be over. I did see it in 3D because I THOUGHT it was all filmed in 3D. Much to my surprise, a disclaimer pops up at the beginning of the movie saying 'there are portions of the film in 2D because they were intended that way'. Yeah right. The entire first act is in 2D making me want a third of my money back! Just another BS ploy to get more money.

I think Tron: Legacy had a lot of things wrong with it, some of which had nothing to do with the actual movie itself. First off, it's a sequel about 25 years late. Second, it's 2010. Directors have come and gone with stories like this. The Wachowski brothers made us think 'Tron who' with their Matrix films. Then there's Disney's unrelenting marketing of the film. Estimated anywhere between 50 to 100 million dollars, they've been force feeding us posters, trailers, teasers for 3+ years, only to deliver this utter crap.

In the title I said it, and I'll say it again, too bad, it's just too too bad. The movie COULD have been so much more than what it was. The director, Joseph Kosinski, ruined the movie and any potential for a franchise (the movie opened and continues to play very weak at the theaters). Any other director would have noticed the flaws in the script, built a better story and executed a better plan. Advice to the studios, don't let a first time director who comes from a music video background take over a 300 million dollar project. Know that! I'm out.

Robert De Niro Chases a "Limitless" Bradley Cooper In This New Trailer

It's rare, but it happens... a Hollywood plot I haven't really seen before. Bradley Cooper plays a guy who just found a way to use the entire power of his brain. Imagine that for a second. The average human uses something like 10%, what if that were 100%? This trailer shows us what happens. Enjoy Robert De Niro chasing Bradley Cooper in this Limitless trailer. The film hits theaters in March of 2011.

"The A-Team," "Despicable Me," "The Town" DVD Reviews

It was a big week on DVD and Blu-Ray. Three movies I really enjoyed in theater, all available this week to own. Let's start with The A-Team. For my theater review, click here. As far as the Blu-Ray goes, there's some cool stuff. You get an extended cut for starters. One of things I touched on in my review was that there were 5 significant action scenes in the film, rather than the standard 3. The Blu-Ray offers up one more, just for good measure!

There's also some cool behind-the-scenes material, along with deleted scenes and a gag reel. Here's all the details from Amazon.com:

The Devil's in the Details: Inside the Action with Joe Carnahan

Deleted Scenes

Gag Reel

A-Team Theme Mash-Up Montage

Plan of Attack

Character Chronicles

Visual Effects Before and After with Commentary by Visual Effects Supervisor James E. Price

Theatrical Trailer

The next big movie to hit video shelves this week was Despicable Me. The movie was sooo good. I was really looking forward to getting the Blu-Ray on this one. In my original review, I mentioned how visually stunning the movie is, the Blu-Ray is out-stand-ing. A ton of goodies, including 3 mini movies featuring the adorable Minions. There are a lot of extras that are a bit different from what you're used to. There's games and recipes, as well as the standard making of footage. Below is the full detail from Amazon.com:

Disc 1 (Blu-ray)

Exclusive on Blu-ray and Double-Pack DVD: 3 All-New Mini-Movies Featuring the Minions

The World of Despicable Me

Despicable Beats

Gru's Rocket Builder

A Global Effort

Despicable Me Game Previews

Commentary with Directors Chris Renaud & Pierre Coffin Featuring the Minions

The Voices of Despicable Me

Super Silly Fun Land

Blu-ray Exclusive Features

Gru-Control - see the making of the film with behind-the-scenes footage and cast interviews with a PIP window

Miss Hattie's Top Secret Cookie Recipe

pocket BLU - featuring the 'Minion Me' and 'Minion Dominion' apps for iPhone & iPad

uHear - Never miss another line of dialogue when you're watching Despicable Me with this feature that instantly skips back a few seconds on your Blu-ray disc and turns on the subtitles

Disc 2 (DVD)

DVD of Despicable Me

Disc 3 (DVD)

Digital Copy of Despicable Me (expires 12/31/11)

Finally we have The Town. From the first time I saw the trailer, I was hooked. Then I watched it and reviewed it, and then I sat and waited for the Blu-Ray. The extras here are nice, but I really wanted more to be honest. There is an extended cut of the film, which is great. But I don't know if this happens to you, but I usually can't remember the original cut frame by frame to notice the extras. But there is SOME behind the scenes stuff. One cool feature is "Ben's Boston" where there's a lot of talk about the various locations in the film.

I wish there was a bit more detail and discussion about the characters and what their various motivations were. Especially Jon Hamm and Chris Cooper's characters! Here is the rest of the goodies from Amazon.com:

Includes theatrical version
Extended cut not seen in theaters
Commentary on both versions by Ben Affleck
Ben's Boston
Segments include: The Cathedral of Boston; Nuns with Guns: Filming in the North End; Pulling Off the Perfect Heist; The Town and more.


Three great movies, three great Blu-Ray discs. I spent some serious money this week and next week should be no different. That's when Salt comes out on Blu-Ray and the third chapter in the Family Guy Star Wars parody. Til then, keep your DVD players on and watch some behind the scenes awesomeness.

"Tangled" Review

It's been a while and I may be rusty, and I know I'm about 2 weeks late on this film, but let's get started. I am a male, and didn't really grow up knowing this fairy tale. I knew Tangled was originally titled "Rapunzel" though. Disney attributed the failure of The Princess & The Frog to one thing; little boys didn't want to see it. I enjoyed the that film, but could see where little boys had no desire to watch it. So Disney quickly changed it's title and marketing scheme; showcase the male character! And so the adventure began.


What I liked about the movie:
The Animation
Pixar gets a lot of credit for their films, as well they should. Dreamworks has always been in second place with their films. Disney's in-house animation doesn't get the credit it deserves though. They now have three successful films in a row (Chicken Little & Bolt).

This is probably the last time I'm going to list this on my "likes" list. The quality of the animation SHOULD be spectacular. The animators have no boundaries to make these films look amazing. Tangled does not let us down. From the different settings to all the various characters and of course, Rapunzel's insanely long hair. There are a few fight sequences that stand out in my mind that showcase the animation. There is one involving Rapunzel and the other involves the male lead character, Flynn Ryder, awesome!

The Voice Acting
This is going to be a tough pill to swallow folks; but Mandy Moore did a great job as Rapunzel. There I said, don't make me say it again. So you know why that was tough... I can't STAND Mandy Moore's acting. This is sort of a nice fit for her though. She started as a singer and this movie showcases that "talent".

Zachary Levi from "Chuck" is a great lead. His character, Flynn Ryder, is funny, and this is due to Levi's delivery. The character has to be witty, charming and sarcastic, Levi conveyed all of those things. Ron Perlman, Jeffrey Tambor and Brad Garrett round out the supporting cast who are great.

The Story/Heart
This is pretty cheesy to talk about, considering I'm almost 30 years old, but hey, it's true. Disney has always done well in this department. Their stories can be summarized into one sentence and this movie is no different; its about an innocent girl eager to learn more about the world. There is one scene in particular that has no dialogue that had my wife and I reaching for tissues. You'll know it when you see it, as most of the people in our theater were teared up (it was a packed house by the way).


What I didn't like about the movie:
The Settings
One thing Pixar does so well is create a larger than life experience in their films. Whether its Nemo in the ocean or Woody and Buzz in a daycare, they create these amazing worlds for the characters. Tangled didn't offer up the same. Most of the movie takes place in the tower where Rapunzel is being held captive. When our characters do venture out into the world, it's not very far. There's the woods, a bar and the tiny village. It didn't have the scope of other Disney films like Aladdin for example. With Aladdin, you felt how big Agrabah was, the marketplace, the palace, etc.



There really wasn't too much else I didn't like. I wish there was just a bit more humor to appeal to adults, but overall I was very entertained the entire time. The cast was great, the story was solid and the execution was there. The songs were very fitting on the story and that's always nice, unlike some B movies out there. I would recommend this movie to young and old, but keep in mind it's very G Rated. My wife and I watched in 2D and believe me, it was just fine that way. Save your money and avoid the 3D version, I just don't see it adding much to the experience. Other than that, be a kid for 2 hours, go see Tangled, and you wont regret it.

"Three Stooges," Is Anyone Still Interested?

It had the perfect directors for the job: the Farrelly Brothers. The perfect Moe: Benicio Del Toro. The perfect Larry: Sean Penn. The perfect Curly: Jim Carrey. Now? Well, the Farrelly Brothers are still attached; hell they wrote the movie, they should be directing it.

First was Sean Penn dropping out to 'focus on his family'; that went well, he and his wife still got divorced. Then they recast him for Paul Giamatti, great! Then Jim Carrey dropped out because he didn't feel he could do the character justice with a fat suit; admirable. Then Giamatti and Del Toro were both gone due to all the postponements. So... does anyone still care?

I'd like to answer 'yes'. But, I'm going to be fickle and disloyal to the Farrelly Brothers. It's one of those situations where it's like, "if it happens, great. If it doesn't, I'll live". I would like to see a modern day trio of stooges, but it doesn't seem like this movie was meant to be.

Although this week, it has been revitalized. With MGM cleaning up its debt situation, the movie may go to Fox. It's full speed ahead, it starts filming in March. So, with THAT in mind, who plays the parts? Ok, here goes, off the top of my head, no real thought, just spit balling:

Moe: Tom Hanks. Hear me out! The guy is funny, period. He is funny. And remember where the man got his start: "Bosom Buddies". That was somewhat physical comedy, he could do it, I'm telling you.

Larry: Woody Harrelson. The man is versatile and can be really really funny, check out Zombieland. He has that long skinny face that looks like Larry and they could work the hair however they see fit. Woody is Larry.

Curly: Kevin James. In one of the most obvious casting moves there is, he's on a short list of big guys who can do physical comedy. He has a knack for it and could pull it off.

And my wildcard: Andy Samberg for a younger version of Larry. It must be the hair. Ok, that's enough. This was all for fun, we'll see what actually ends up happening as the brothers are saying they'll cast unknowns if they have to. Do you still want to see a Stooges film?

Hugh Jackman in "Real Steel" Trailer

I haven't had time to post this, but I enjoyed it enough to share. Check out the trailer for the Hugh Jackman starring, Real Steel. I'll tell you my thoughts after the jump.

Well, they did it. They took the kids game and turned it into a big budget Hollywood movie. More than can be said for some other toys turned movies. I still love the premise of the film. Humans aren't allowed to box anymore; so to quench people's thurst for blood (or oil in this case), robots go at it in the ring. The special effects are nice, as well they should be in 2010. The premise is there and so too is the action star. Should we hold off even more to say it's going to be good? I think we should. Let's wait for trailer 2 and the film itself to make any other conclusions.

"Uncharted" Movie with Wahlberg, De Niro and Pesci?

We all know directors like working with actors they've worked with before; so a new rumor about the Uncharted movie comes at no surprise. Mark Wahlberg as Drake? Pretty cool casting huh? But again, not a huge surprise. What WILL surprise you is the following.

There was a crazy rumor online that Robert DeNiro and Joe Pesci were also set to star in the film. I don't know much about the game, but I'm assuming as a father or uncle or whatnot. That rumor died really quickly. BUT! Wahlberg revived it when he was asked about taking on the role of Drake, and here's what he said:

That’s who he wants to write the parts for. I talked to Pesci about it and I know David’s people have talked to [Robert De Niro]… I’m obviously in whatever David wants to do it but the idea of it is so off the charts: De Niro being my father, Pesci being my uncle. It’s not going to be the watered-down version, that’s for sure.

Whoa, the rumors were true? Or they weren't? I don't know what to think anymore. Still sounds pretty interested. David O. Russell is getting a lot of attention for the Wahlberg and Christian Bale starring The Fighter. The movie is getting some pretty amazing reviews, and will surely be a favorite come Oscar season. So what do you think about Wahlberg, DeNiro and Pesci in a video game adaptation?

Liam Neeson's "Unknown" Poster

Here's the IMDB to Liam Neeson's Unknown. The poster looks awesome. And even though it was released a few weeks ago, I really wanted to share it.

"Superman" Casting Rumors: Matthew Goode and Anne Hathaway? I Say McAdams or Bullock!

Matthew Goode for Superman; Anne Hathaway for Lois Lane? Whoa, whoa, whoa. Don't the fans have a say in this? Let's take Matthew Goode for example. Ok, he's been a superhero before. He was one of the best additions to the new Superman director, Zack Snyder's Watchmen. I can see that a director and an actor want to work together, ok. I also understand that they're going for a younger version of the hero. But, in my opinion, Goode is a relative unknown.

I've written about it a million times on this blog, I don't want to see another "unknown" play Superman. Enough of that crap. I want to see a strong, built, A-list actor carry the franchise beyond Superman: The Movie. 1978 was a long time ago. The director of that film, Richard Donner had an unbelievably difficult task at hand. He had to discover the actor set to play one of the most recognizable characters in the history of man. Really an unknown was the only way to do it. Clear the audience's minds of any preconceived notions of what the character looked like. It's not 1978 anymore.

I've spent enough time on Mr. Goode. Now, to my other gripe. Anne Hathaway for Lois Lane? Really? Like, really? In my opinion.... she's one of the most over-rated actresses in Hollywood. Yes, I mean that. What has she done that has earned her the critical success she receives? The Princess Diaries? Disney camp. Rachel Getting Married? As over-rated as she is. Please don't say Get Smart? I don't need to say anything.

Listen, how about Rachel McAdams?! If they're truly going younger, how about her? She's smart, sexy and can easily be a convincing reporter. She played a blogger once, does that count? If Snyder and producer Christopher Nolan go a bit older, I've got that covered as well! Jon Hamm has been rumored to play the Man of Steel; what about Sandra Bullock as Lois Lane? Huh? Huh? She's amazing and has never really done a franchise type film. I want to see her and Hamm saving the world! What do you guys think of my casting ideas?

"Mission: Impossible" without Tom Cruise and a "Bourne" Film without Matt Damon?

Ok so we know Mission: Impossible 4 is filming right now. We also know it co-stars Tom Cruise and Jeremy Renner. But what we didn't know was that the studio wants to continue the franchise without Cruise. Crazy thought considering Cruise has been the face of the franchise for the better part of 15 years. So Jeremy Renner is going to carry the franchise?

I don't know. I'm scared to say "he can't do it", then he turns out to be the next Matt Damon/bad ass (more on him later). I also don't want to say "that's a great idea" because Renner is yet to carry a film on his own. His biggest part obviously came in The Hurt Locker, but he wasn't the main attraction there. Here's what Renner had to say about the rumor that he's taking over the franchise:

It’s a franchise to potentially take over… I can’t predict the future and what they want, but that’s certainly the idea.

Sounds like he's pretty confident what's set to occur. I'll hold judgment until after I see Renner in M:I 4. Now, the other franchise losing it's main actor... 'The Bourne' franchise. I hate to admit it, but I just wrapped up the trilogy the other day after watching The Bourne Ultimatum. Wow, it's freakin' awesome. It is so good, so well directed, so well acted, I was blown away. It was a fitting end to Damon's take on the man rediscovering his past. But the film makers kept it open fore more chapters in the saga.

Now it's been confirmed that not only is director of parts 2 and 3, Paul Greengrass, leaving the franchise, so too is Matt Damon. And we also know that the studio has started pre-production on a fourth film. It's not a re-boot per say because the are not recasting the Jason Bourne character. They're launching a new franchise with a new lead actor. Why? The hell for?

I mean the studios are so greedy it has come to this? The director and actor don't want to continue so we'll just swap them out for someone else. I understand the studios want to profit off of a hot property, but come-on! At least go a few more years before starting another franchise and let people forget the past incarnation. I hate that both franchises are losing their stars, how about you?

"Thor" Trailer Premier and New Poster

Chris Hemsworth is the hammer yielding God. I don't want to waste any time... here is Thor. Click the jump to watch the trailer and read below for my comments.

So what did you think? Let down? Cluttered? Choppy? Unorganized? All of the above? I have to say, this did less for me than the stills I've seen over the past few months. I've been on the fence about Thor since I heard it was being made. It's almost TOO different from Iron Man and The Incredible Hulk. Yeah yeah, I know it has to be different to stand on its own two feet, but this is waaaay different. So, who's going to go see it? I still might, but definitely not in 3D the way they're flaunting it. Nope! Good 'ol 2D will do it for me. Hey, that rhymes. Cool.