Sci-Fi

Star Wars – Episode I: The Phantom Menace (1999)

Posted on by recon8082

Star Wars: Episode 1 – The Phantom Menace

Running Time: 2 Hrs and 16 Min

Starring-Liam Neeson, Ewan McGregor, Natalie Portman  – Directed by – George Lucas

A long long time ago, in a galaxy far away….

Star War: Episode 1- The Phantom Menace

Two Jedi Knights show up for negotiations with the Trade Federation as ambassadors, Once they discover they are Jedi they attempt to kill them and fail the Jedi then attempt to save Naboo, they run into several paths of different characters and a young man who will bring balance to the force. As they are doing this the Sith resurface from hiding and try to put an end to the Jedi Knights work.

Ran-Dizzle (Host)

Since the Star Wars/Disney news I’ve wanted to go back and re-visit Star Wars, Of course these movies never get old with me, (and the Ep.IV – VI bring back some memories of me and dad on the  couch watching these movies.) Anyways back to the review

This particular Episode is one that I am 50/50 on. I like the Storyline, how they bring some essence of what Anakin was like, and get to know some back story of Darth Vader, Greedo, Obi Wan, and who gave birth to the hero’s down the line. Although I think Padme was rocking the cradle a little bit, especially when you see this then it jumps to Episode 2..but let’s continue on with Episode 1.

One Character I DESPISE!! Jar-Jar Binks, The most annoying, obviously he was thrown in when George Lucas was drinking or Smoking something at Skywalker Ranch, because this character is 100% annoying and couldn’t figure out other then they make him a connecting point between Jedi and the Gungans. Some compare him to Ewoks…Yes, if your going to compete on which one of any Star Wars Character is going to be considered the “Gay Icon” of Star Wars, My money would be on Jar-Jar…atleast Ewoks are furry and cute, yes annoying, but they are just Midget Chewbaccas… Something else that bothered me a little was the acting of Jake Lloyd, I mean for a Young Anakin, not bad but just when he’s talking to Watto, or just anyone else it kind made me feel like he was over acting, which isn’t hard to do being a child star you don’t really know emotions ect. (I know you are probably thinking “As if I know, your not even in Hollywood.” But  I have had some acting classes so I know a little)

I like how the Sith come to light in this movie, Darth Maul was interesting loved the Double-Ended Lightsaber, I think they killed him off too soon. They build this bad-ass sith and then Obi-Wan kills him in a matter of minutes…???

Over all the Special Effects and Storyline was good for a prequel. (Don’t Forget it’s now in 3-D)

4‘s

Big JD

I remember when this movie first came out.  I waited in line so excited for a matinee viewing and after it was all over said and done.  I was left more overwhelmed than anything.  I over looked the whole Jar Jar thing but just to see a Star Wars film was my only care.  There was an overload of information and at times there were moments that were completely unnecessary. (corny comedy).  After growing up with the original trilogy all that I could do was to take everything in and see how it all related.

We start by seeing a young Obi-Wan Kenobi (Ewan MacGregor) and his master Qui-Gon Jin (Liam Neeson) acting as ambassador’s in a trade negotiation.  Neeson does great in his role as the seasoned veteran Master Jedi.  Even with his great acting the Jar Jar Binks character turns it into Gungan mush.  Actually the addition of the whole Gungan race was sort of ridiculous.  Boss Nass was not much better than Jar Jar.  Although it was kind of nice expanding the universe as this movie did.

So Naboo is invaded by the Trade Federation and their crappy Battle Droids.  Queen Amidala (Natalie Portman) is captured and we get to see her in a different outfit every scene she is in.  Although the wardrobes are great, if she would spend less time changing clothes and more on Diplomatic Process she may have avoided this.  Battle Droids.  They are weak and not very tough for anyone to get by.  That’s all fine and dandy but why must we hear them say unnecessary things.  “That doesn’t compute, uh wait, uh your under arrest”.

The introduction of R2-D2 was very exciting to me.  I love R2!  Better yet we get to see what his main purpose was.  Astromech droid.  He fixes ships.  It makes so much sense now!  The intro to his pal C-3PO was also pretty cool “My parts are showing, My Goodness!” Yes, 3PO without his gold body.  The comments from him are a bit corny but it is only a taste of what is yet to come in Episode II.  And to think… he was built by Darth Vader… Damn that memory wipe!

Anakin Skywalker (Jake Lloyd) was young to say the least.  Put him in a scene with Jar Jar and it is just painful.  Although his “hitting” on Padme was equally uncomfortable.  It all comes down to his acting though.  “I’m a person, and my name is Anakin”.  Not funny.  Enter Darth Maul.  The second coming of Darth Vader for the fans.  They needed to see a bad guy.  Darth Maul was pretty cool and so was his initial fight scene.  Although we don’t get to see much of him. His final fight scene has to be one of the better Lightsaber fights I’ve seen.  Coupled with John Williams’ score only made it great.  “Duel of the fates” was/is spectacular.

The whole podrace/Anakin and him being freed felt a little forced story wise but it works out In the end.  The podrace in general was pretty neat-o when I first saw it too.  Anakin’s Ingenuity and his ability to control the force slightly is really stressed upon here.  The announcers were one of the many unnecessary additions to the movie.  Oh, and I haven’t seen a digital Jabba I have liked yet.

Why did the “force” need to be broken down?  Midi-chlorians?  I remember hearing that for the first time and thinking “ok, yeah, that makes sense?  But why?”  So in the end, Jake Lloyd’s acting, The corny characters (such as Jar Jar, Watto, Battle Droids, etc.) mixed with the one liner’s that were written throughout, and the Midi-chlorians all detract from the movie it could have been.  Speaking of Detracting…  When I first saw Yoda, I was like “What!?”  I thought that he looked that way because he was younger but that much of a difference between 30-40 years when he is like 800 plus years old anyway?  Whatever.  The Blu-ray release has him digitized and he looks much, much better.  I mean, I was all for the use of puppets before but that puppet looked nothing like Yoda.

So, with this being my least favorite Star Wars movie, after you watch it a million times it does get better, although the corny one-liners seem to become more prominent after every watch.

Comic Book Movie Plus:  Samuel L. Jackson: The Avengers, Iron Man 2, Marvel Post Credits, The Spirit – Liam Neeson: The Dark Knight Trilogy – Natalie Portman: Thor, V for Vendetta, Terrance Stamp: Wanted, Elektra, Superman, Superman II – Ray Park: X-Men – Dominic West – Punisher: War Zone

3.5‘s

Willie Good-Cook

-Lucas, WHY!!!-

This is going to be long folks, so get your popcorn and drinks ready! Ok, first off I was not alive during the original 3 movies being released. So I missed out on the first Star Wars nerd fever. My parents however did not and they were nice enough to have me watch the movies and impart onto me a little of the madness. I was very excited to hear about this movie coming out. My own generations trilogy. How cool did that sound?! But then came George Lucas….

This movie had some of the things that made the original trilogy great. Great light saber battles, pretty good special effects, a decent story, and nice new characters. He also failed in many ways. Who the f#$% decided to cast that guy as Anakin? Who thought it was a good idea to call him Annie?! Jar Jar….why? WTF is a midi-clorian? Why tamper with the force from the first trilogy?

These were all things that easily could have been avoided had Lucas and his team of writers had their heads pulled firmly out of their a$$es. The actors/actresses did a wonderful job. The score to this movie is one of my favorites in any movie to date. They did a great job of matching the music to the first movies without making it identical or some cheap knock off.

The story line and plot are ok in this movie as well. Except a couple things. How does a kid make a fully functional robot? I tinkered around when I was that age…but come on. Seriously? Why bring two important characters in and then kill them off in one movie? Annie single-handedly takes down the control ship which conveniently shuts down the whole droid army (Avengers style).  How did Qui-gon get owned so fast by Darth Maul. They have an even fight for like 20 minutes then all of a sudden he gets facerolled. Whats up with that?

-Suggestion-

Star Wars is for nerds…just like Star Trek. If you have a little nerd in you, indulge him and watch this one.

3.5 ‘s

Spaced Invaders (1990)

Posted on by willygoodcook

Willie Good-Cook(Host)

-Synopsis-

Martians mistakenly believe their fleet is attacking earth. Once they crash land their ship is disabled. Thinking they will easily invade earth they journey out into the small town of Big Bean. After wreaking havoc in hilarious ways they are in a race against the clock to get off Earth and back to the martian fleet.

-Review-

This movie comes from my childhood. We decided to do Halloween movies and this one came up so I went with it. I think this movie is still funny to this day. The actors are nothing exceptional but they are not bad either. We have to take into context the cinema of the time. We can’t compare this to all the stuff coming out today. At the time this movie was pretty good. Compare it to E.T. They are like twins. (Except this one is way better.)

It could be the nostalgia factor, but I really do enjoy watching this movie. From the cheesy one liners to the terrible acting. The props and makeup were also fairly cheap and cheesy. It all adds up into another great example of 90’s movies. Just barely removed from what I call “The Terrible 80’s”, they always tend to be bad in my mind. This one is a good example of one this. So bad it is good.

-Suggestion-

Watch it with your kids. It is a whole family affair.

3‘s

Big JD

People get paid to make these movies.  That’s what I kept thinking to myself when I was watching this movie.  Forgettable.  That is probably why I don’t remember much of this movie in existence.   I’m not sure this movie could have been good with the story it encompassed.  Let me sum it up.  Small town broadcasts Orson Wells “War of the Worlds” and aliens in the area mistake that for their kind attacking the earth.  Your not suppose to ask yourself “They are in space but yet the hear 1 radio broadcast from a small town probably broadcasted with a tiny radio tower.  Anyway, they go to earth to vanquish.  Although they wouldn’t be able to vanquish a public pool during winter time let alone the entire planet.  They finally realize they had made a mistake and the humans involved help them escape the planet and old man Wrenchmuller gets a surprise in his back yard.

The acting was subpar to say the least.  I understand that this movie is geared towards children but even children would be annoyed at some of these… sorry, most of the characters.  Their biggest player comes in the form of Ariana Richards which she goes on to greatness in a small movie called Jurassic Park and the sequel.  I say greatness but I really mean mediocrity.  I don’t fault her though.  I was mostly the writing.  It was the others that disturbed me the most.  Brian (Duck) was quite the annoying boy that had a speech impediment as well as getting “tough” at weird times.  Wrenchmuller was the old man that was losing his farm (cliché) and he was just mad.  So, So Bad.  I could go on with almost each individual character and tell you that they were horrible.  But let me just say that this movie wouldn’t have been anything without the mundane creations that made me believe that anyone can make movies.  The Spaced out aliens.  Ok.  Voice acting was about enough to make me take a spoonful of cinnamon.  Especially the alien that impersonated Jack Nicholson.  It was like listening to someone try really hard but never does get it.  Oh, and they wear human clothes and use human references but don’t know anything about humans and want to destroy us?  Makes sense.  Not really.  Someone had told me that the aliens were very similar to the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.  To that I have to say “yeah they were.  They were both green”.  That’s where the similarities stop.  The actors in the suits were virtually blind and had to be talked through their actions.  It was very noticeable.

The music:  Cheesy.  Suitable for children under zero.  Directing?  It feels like the director had the script written as he was filming.  Everything seemed to march along without much really happening.  Was this movie original?  Not really.  Ever heard of a movie called “Don’t make this movie”?  Yeah, the director never saw it either.

Aside from the annoyances, plot, & about anything involved I didn’t find the ending to be horrible.  1.  It was the end and I was grateful for that.  2.  Everybody came out on top.  Even old man Wrenchmuller when they dumped space crap all of his crops and he got “big beans” by early morn.  So, if your ever feeling like torturing someone please pop this one in.  But fall asleep early because you will not come out feeling satisfied.  Trust me.

1‘s

Randizzle

Where to start on this movie. I remember seeing this in theaters with my Uncle, and honestly I thought then that this movie was a bad movie.
However after having to watch it so many times I think it’s starting to grow on me, which kind of scares me. I think it’s one of those movies that if I am bored as hell or even sick I would probably pop this movie in and wait for sleep to happen, and wouldn’t be upset if I woke up to ending credits, but I am sure there are other movies I’d watch previous to this.

I think my favorite character out of all the ones in this “movie” would be the Jack Nicholson knock off alien(Even had on a L.A. Lakers Shirt under leather coat). That was something that did bother me about the aliens they never been to earth before and yet they had clothes from the 80’s an 90’s clothing. I was like how does that happen? There were several things that annoyed me…Some instances were just majority of the acting, no one really made a career out of it. Sometimes I even think if they went to another Casting call for another movie and if they referenced this movie they may have been like “NEXT!!! Thanks we’ll call you if we need someone that can do a shitty role” The girl knowing what Polypropylene was at like 9 years old…seriously? And the dad saying “You better have a good excuse for being in that Alien space ship” Ummmmm right like there was  good reason to that… And the Alien Fertilizer at the end…that makes me wanna go and eat some veggies…
All and All I wouldn’t say it was horrible it got some chuckles out of me here and there…

2.0‘s

The Avengers (2012)

Posted on by bigjd1976

The Avengers (2012)

Running Time: 2 hrs 23 mins – Action, Sci-Fi

Starring:  Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, & Scarlett Johansson  – Directed by Joss Whedon

Synopsis:  Following the events from 5 previous Marvel Studio’s movies: The Incredible Hulk, Iron Man, Iron Man 2, Captain America: The First Avenger, & Thor we finally get to see the Team-Up of a Lifetime!  S.H.I.E.L.D now possesses the Tesseract (cosmic cube) and they are trying to analyze the cube to determine its full capabilites.  Loki (The God of mischief) has his own plans in motion.  while floating through the oblivion’s of space a group of alien warriors pick him up and make a deal with him.  He will get to rule Earth with their minions and in return they receive the Tesseract.  In order to combat the oncoming threat’s Nick Fury wants to set in motion his Avengers Initiative.  Which in theory are a “group of remarkable people that when needed could fight the battles we never could”.

Big JD (host)

This is one of those movies you wait your entire life for.  Well, I guess with this specific movie if you have ever been a fan Marvel Comics then that statement stands to be true.  But for anyone else it’s just a really good movie.  Which asks a question.  Can I write an objective piece on something I love so much?  You be the judge.

The movie stands out for the obvious reason.  Having other main characters from other superhero movie come together and act in an ensemble movie.  In the past I’ve always felt like this would never happen.  I didn’t know about character rights or anything like that back then it was just about the “ego’s” that I felt got in the way.  Having an actor come from his solo franchise to play second fiddle to others?  Yeah Right!  Well, this was something Marvel accomplished.  Very well, I might add.  Because when you get so many BIG characters in one movie you better make sure that you got a good writer.  Started by Zack Snyder (300,Watchmen) and finished by Joss Whedon this movie is written with just the right amount of character development needed to keep you involved while bobbing your head back and forth with of all the action.  Sure, character development is really important but I feel that this movie did more than bring all these characters together.  It created a massive Marvel Cinematic Universe.  Only teased in the post credit’s in all of the 5 previous reference movies.  Now, the MCU exists and can only get bigger.  Which to me, is a huge excitement.

One more big plus is the acting caliber you witness in this movie.  It’s like a Superhero Rat Pack Movie!  Robert is definitely Dean.  The acting standouts to me were the performances of Tom Hiddleston (Loki) & Mark Ruffalo (Hulk).  They all were really great but these two played characters we’ve seen before but very differently.  Loki really found his darkness here.  This is the Loki everyone knows.  I thought Tom played the role with precision.  As for Mark?  His take on Bruce Banner was a stand out.  Even though his body type doesn’t match up, his intellect does in ways that his predecessors missed.  We’ve seen Mark Ruffalo in drama’s before but what we didn’t see was that he survived a brain tumor, he lost his brother recently, strong political views and all of this comes through in his acting.  A very good choice for Bruce Banner.  Do I miss Eric Bana or Edward Norton?  Answer: No

The CGI Hulk was the best of the bunch.  The first one looked like a bright green bloated Shrek.  The second looked like a Hulked-out Zombie from “I Am Legend”.  This one was juuuusssttt Right.  Although I missed Lou Ferigno’s voice over, I really got over it quickly seeing how it was only a couple of words.  There weren’t much speaking in this movie either actually.  I don’t think the viewing public is quite ready for a talking/thinking Hulk.  I can’t wait for that moment though.  Bring on Planet Hulk!!!

I could go paragraphs and paragraphs about each one of the characters but I want to leave some room for my two comrades’.  Let’s move on…

The score at first view was sort of lackluster but in time has really grown on me.  Loving the Avengers Theme music.  Would I be a huge geek if I said that I have bumped around in my car to it??  Nevermind, if that is a yes.  As for all the stuff (Lighting, Wardrobe, casting, Special EFX, editing) yeah, it was all good.  Actually most of the casting was already done before this movie was even started.

The only semi-negative thing I can give this movie is something more to do “outside” of the movie.  I really missed Hank Pym & Janet Van Dyne in this.  They were both original founding members and actually, I want to say that The Wasp (Janet) was the one who suggested the Team Name.  Well, that aside Hank has been a huge part of The Avengers.  I mean, it felt like it was his book for most of the time.  He never really had a strong solo book of his own but he owned his storylines in The Avengers.  The Avengers Mightiest foe?  Ultron.  Created by who?  Hank Pym.  Do I feel that they were replaced by Black Widow & Hawkeye?  Yes.  Do I feel bad about it?  I’ll get over it.  Hank & Janet will make their way into the MCU at some point.  Nuff Said!

Ps.  It troubles me Not that they went with the Ultimate Nick Fury in this.  I felt that he brought more character to the table.  Although Earth 616 Nick Fury had character too but at times he just came off as boring.

Comic Book Movie Plus:  Chris Evans: Fantastic Four, Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer, Captain America: The First Avenger, Scott Pilgrim vs. The World, The Losers – Samuel L. Jackson – Iron Man 2, The Spirit, Robert Downey Jr.: Iron Man Trilogy – Chris Hemsworth: Thor – Scarlett Johansson: Iron Man 2, The Spirit, Ghost World – Tom Hiddleston: Thor – Clark Gregg: Iron Man 2, Thor – Stellan Skarsgard: Thor – Gwyneth Paltrow: Iron Man Trilogy – Paul Bettany: Priest

5‘s

Ran-Dizzle

Bo-Zheh Moy!

If you know anything about me comic book movies always get my attention. Now lets take Iron-Man, Thor, Captain America, And Hulk and put them all in one movie, I know comic nerds everywhere were foaming at the bit once they heard Marvel’s Avengers was going to become a movie. This movie was the closest thing to the Ultimate Avengers that I think could have been done. Now I am sure John touched base on this but there a number of different Avengers out there…West Coast Avengers, Avengers: Earth’s Mightiest Heroes, and of course Ultimate Avengers…Each branch is well its own world in the Marvel Universe. Ultimate happens to be the most current unless I am missing something and after seeing the movie I think it’s going to be around for a while.

In the Ultimate Avengers Nick Fury has gone from the classic white guy with the eye patch to Samuel L. Motha****in’ Jackson, and to me there is no one else that could play Nick Fury better than Samuel L. Jackson. (They tried the white guy approach with “The Hoff” in a made for TV movie and honestly it sucked…as Made for TV movies usually do.
The best part about this movie, if Imagine you have 2.5 hours to make 4 major comic book heroes into one movie and have a decent plot. If anyone else can do it better I would like to see it, but this movie has a lot of talent in this writing crew, A LOT of comic book knowledge, and story lines of current and older lines.

There are a few things that did kind of stick out to me, but maybe it’s just me…

Mini Arc Reactor in Tony’s Chest not lighting up in his chest after Agent Phil Coulson dies, and again it doesn’t show when he’s talking to Loki right before the fight. Honestly its little things like that I catch but doesn’t really mean I am right, it could be wardrobe error, or just not able to see it through his Black Sabbath shirt.

There is a number of crazy,zane and Cheesy one liners in the movie but to me that made them all the better, The cast for all these characters was done very well, I couldn’t see anyone else play a better role especially Robert Downey Jr. Playing Tony Stark…He was born for that role.

Mark Ruffalo plays Bruce Banner very well, I’ve not seen anyone play a Bruce Banner better the original (Bill Bixby) We’ve had Eric Bana, and Edward Norton play the roles but no one really seemed to fit Bruce to me better than Mark Ruffalo.. I am not a huge Mark Ruffalo fan but he did very well as Banner and had me convinced he is the next one to play Hulk, and I hope they keep him in that role…

Chris Evans originally played Human Torch in Fox’s Fantastic Four, and he did well for hot head but I think his true calling was Captain America for the Comic Book movies. At First I had my doubts but he surprised the heck out of me when I watched Captain America.

Chris Hemsworth did awesome as Thor, although his part in this movie wasn’t as strong as I thought it could be but then again it’s not about Thor it’s all about Loki..

Tom Hiddleston does a fantastic performance in this movie, we get to see a bit more Loki in this then in Thor, which I liked. Especially the Scene in Germany is one of my favorites, it also showed a little bit more dark comedy with Loki in a few scenes which I liked also.

Scarlett Johansson and Jeremy Renner did a wonderful Job although you don’t hear them call Barton Hawkeye until way down in the movie but at least they called him his name. Scarlett did a good job playing the stealthy assassin Black Widow, and learning a bit more about her in this movie was a good little origin although they didn’t tap it too much… (Makes me wonder if they might do a little side story for her?)

All and All I would have to say it was done very well and Joss Whedon did a great job directing what some thought was a difficult task.

5‘s

Willie Good-Cook

-Through the eyes of a non-fanboy-

This movie was ok. I know, I know. Everyone was raving about this movie. The movie as a whole was pretty good but I feel there were some places for improvement. The big up to this movie was the ensemble cast from the three prior movies. This (correct me if i am wrong,) has never been done before. That being said, that was the only thing that we had never seen before. Nothing else about this movie stuck out to me as new or original. Another cookie cutter super hero movie.

Once again I felt astounded that Hollywood still cannot make me believe their heroes are in mortal danger. Never once this whole movie did I think one might die. And who ever did the casting for this should be fired. Sam Jackson DOES NOT MAKE A MOVIE BETTER IF YOU PUT HIM IN IT!!! STOP IT!!! FUCKING STOP! They did it to Star Wars and now they are doing it to The Avengers. They should dub him Sam “Jar Jar Binx” Jackson for his ability to ruin roles in movies.  He can’t act! All he does is yell and use the same acting he has for 30 years. DROP THE BAD APPLE!! Not to mention (And i know this sounds racist but hear me out,) my Nick Fury is white. The source material has him that way. Call me a bit of a purist, but don’t start using alternate versions of my child hood heroes. It makes the fans not happy. (Except Big JD when it suits his purposes. Avengers Vs. Transformers for example.)

And who picked Mark Ruffalo as Bruce Banner? Not for a second did I ever think he was doing a good job. I would much rather have had Ed Norton (Idiot who got himself recast) play Banner. I also never was convinced that Jeremy Renner was hawkeye either. He just seemed like a badass with a bow. Not Hawkeye.

Now that I am through the criticisms, I really did like the movie itself. The returning actors from the prior three films did a great job. I loved RDJ as Ironman. He always delivers a great performance. The story was strong except maybe the ending (One ship powers the whole army? How very ID4 of you.) The plot was kind of slow to start because of all the back story, but Joss Whedon found ways to make it interesting. And who else thought the Black Widow scenes reminded them of Whedon’s Buffy days? And where was Thor’s helmet? He always had that thing. Loki gets some awesome armor and a helmet but Thor runs around looking like a scrub. Where was War Machine during all this as well? Just letting the world get F’d up and not caring?

Though there were a couple of holes in the story (probably due to budget concerns. Ant man? Wasp? War Machine?)  But, overall it was pretty good.

-Suggestion- If you are a fan boy like these two, have a drool cup and blogs ready. You won’t want to miss this.

4.5‘s

For those of you who saw the movie, what did you think?