My response to that generalized statement is simply “Who cares?”. When was the last time an audience was intellectually challenged by a director? It can be argued that the last time that happened was in 1999 with the Matrix, but I say you have to go back to Stanley Kubrick’s films (any of them done after Lolita) for an answer. Let’s face it and admit that audiences have become dumbed down somewhat lately. I’m not saying that with a snarky elitist sentiment. I don’t really view myself as particularly of intellect, but I’m certainly not the dumbest creature on Earth. The problem is that intellectual films in the past twenty years haven’t been successful because, to be honest, they’re not all that entertaining. So hats off to Nolan for finding a way to make the audience think without boring them to death.

The film follows a family as they try to recover a little girl who has been taken by a river monster.

Sounds simple enough, right? Well, no. First of all, this family is disfunctional at best. The main character, Gang-Du is “slow witted”. Not the sharpest tool in the shed, and it can be argued that his daughter’s, Hyun-seo, being taken is his fault. His slow wittedness is attributed to being beaten up and malnourished as a child. His brother is a college dropout and alcoholic. His father is somewhat of a pushover. His sister is an archery competitor, ashamed of only winning a bronze medal due to taking too long to fire. And to make it all worse, the US and Korean governments report that the creature is carrying a virus.

The thing that makes this monster movie stand above every monster movie since Jaws is simple: There’s a genuine heart and message behind it. The film shows how tragedy can bring a family together. Not only that, but there is also a biting political satire in it towards both the US military as well as (but to a lesser extent) the Korean Government. Director Bong Joon-Ho sets up some great shots to make this fim nice and atmospheric. Another great thing is that the monster only appears a few times in the film, instead choosing to focus on the main characters. And the monster itself is also a high point. Instead of a gargantuan, couple hundred foot tall beast, this monster is roughly the size of a large truck. Somehow that makes it scarier and more realistic to me. This movie stands as one of my favorite, if not my favorite, monster movies.

You can pick it up here!
The Host [Blu-ray]

The Host (Two-Disc Collector’s Edition)

I think the first and immediate thing that makes Blade Runner different from the book, and what ultimately makes me think it stands alone from the book, is that Harrison Ford’s character, Rick Deckard, is a replicant. Now, to those who haven’t really looked too deeply into the movie, there has been a large group of fans who have analyzed the movie over and over and believe the character to be an android, just like the ones he has been hunting throughout the rest of the movie. This, of course, was just fan speculation up until and interview with both Ridley Scott and Harrison Ford confirmed that it was true. That, in of itself, seperates the film drastically from the book, where Deckard was simply human. I feel that the fact that Deckard is a replicant adds a whole new level of depth to the story. When I read about the book, I feel like I’m reading about an entirely seperate story with entirely seperate charactgers, even though the stories are very similar.

Another thing I love about this film is the strong imagery. I usually don’t go for gritty, dark design, but Blade Runner brought a beauty to that sort of landscape I don’t thik has ever been successfully replicated.

And finally, the performances need to be brought up. The biggest scene stealers are Daryl Hannah as Pris, and Rutger Hauer as Roy Batty. Throughout the film I find myself heavily interested in Roy, finding him a character equally as interesting as Deckard. The thing about the performances that I really love is the fact that, at least in the director’s cut as there are many different versions of the film, you never know what is going on inside the character’s heads, but you understand completely how they are feeling. It’s all written on their faces, and in their words. This film doesn’t beat you over the head with details and challenges you to think it through along with the characters.

I heavily, heavily recommend Blade Runner to any sci-fi, detective, action, or movie fans of any kind. If you want to pick it up, then here you go!

Blade Runner (Five-Disc Complete Collector’s Edition) [Blu-ray]

Blade Runner – The Final Cut (Two-Disc Special Edition)

Returning on the film is Milla Jovovich as Alice, the superpowered zombie killer. It is also being directed by Paul W.S. Anderson. It makes me wonder though if a fourth film would be overkill or not. General I like to stick to the rule of trilogies when it comes to movies, because a trilogy may be awesome, but generally when you put a fourth film on, it usually does not turn out as good as the others, especially when the other films’ reviews were so mixed. We’re going to have to wait and see whether or not this new one is worth watching or not.

If you want to pick up the other three movies, here ya go!

Resident Evil – The High-Definition Trilogy (Resident Evil/ Resident Evil: Apocalypse/ Resident Evil: Extinction) [Blu-ray]

Resident Evil Trilogy 1-3

“The ambition for a sequel to ‘Star Trek’ is to make a movie that’s worthy of the audience and not just another movie, you know, just a second movie that feels tacked on. The first movie was so concerned with just setting up the characters — their meeting each and galvanizing that family — that in many ways a sequel will have a very different mission. it needs to do what [the late 'Trek' creator Gene] Roddenberry did so well, which is allegory. It needs to tell a story that has connection to what is familiar and what is relevant. It also needs to tell it in a spectacular way that hides the machinery and in a primarily entertaining and hopefully moving story. There needs to be relevance, yes, and that doesn’t mean it should be pretentious. If there are simple truths — truths connected to what we live — that elevates any story — that’s true with any story.”

Couldn’t agree with him more. Here’s hoping that the new film doesn’t take forever to come out and that it rocks even harder than the first film did.

Anyway, back on track, Spider-Man 4 is on the horizon with a date of May 5, 2011. Look, I’m not trying to say Spider-Man 3 was the best movie ever, but there was simply too much in it that was good to dwell on what was bad. If you do your research, you see that Sam Raimi was forced to put in Venom and other story elements that he cared nothing about. The end result was rushed, despite his wishes. It is a prime example of why you don’t mess with a director’s vision. So here’s the thing, this is why I think Spidey 4 will be much better.

Sam’s back in full control of the sequel. That’s an immediate plus. Since he did Drag Me To Hell, he’s had more of a chance to unwind. Seriously, folks, he had been doing Spider-Man movies for almost a decade, it was obvious he was fatigued by the time the third one rolled around. Drag Me To Hell gave him a vacation to get back to his roots and get back into Spidey mode.

Another reason it’s going to be better is for two words: Bruce. Campbell. While the man with the mighty chin has only had cameos in the previous films, it has just been announced that he will be playing a major character in the third one, a fact that makes me very happy.

And finally, I think Spider-Man 4 will be better because they’re taking their time with it. Raimi knows that he took a lot of heat for 3, and has publicly stated he plans on fixing his mistake. So come on. Cut the guy a break and give the movie a chance.

If you want to pick up the first three movies, you can do so here!

Spider-Man – The High Definition Trilogy (Spider-Man / Spider-Man 2 / Spider-Man 3) [Blu-ray]

Spider-Man – The Motion Picture DVD Trilogy (Spider-Man / Spider-Man 2 / Spider-Man 3)

Double focuses on 2 characters specifically. Shotaro, and Phillip, who both run a detective agency in ecology based city Futo. In this city strange USB like devices called Gaia Memories give the users superpowers and turn them into monsters. Shotaro and Phillip are able to use Gaia Memories to become Kamen Rider Double. That’s right. Two people become one superhero. It’s a really cool plot device if you ask me.

The best parts about Double are the facts that Double has a much higher production value than any of the previous Rider series. The opening scene has more spectacle in it than the rest of the series did throughout their whole runs. The effects are leaps and bounds over the previous series. And like I said, this series actually feels like the original rider series where we get an idea of who the villain is right off the bat, instead of making us wonder throughout the whole season like the rest of the series have done.

My only nitpick so far is the character of Akiko. She comes off as whiney and annoying. But here’s hoping some character development fixes that.

So yeah, if you’re at all curious about the new Kamen Rider series, definitely give it a try.

First of all, the film is low budget, much like Wood’s original film. But this film looks like it is pulling all the stops to introduce the film to new audiences. If this film proves successful on any level, it could bring in a lot of new Ed Wood fans. I also love how they kept (although altered to remove mistakes Wood made in the writing) the opening speech from The Amazing Criswell in. It makes the trailer actually creepy, and just might do the original film justice. I’m not expecting a mindblowingly awesome film, but at the very least this looks like a wonderful tribute to the worst film of all time.

Oh, and if you want to see the original, or even the Tim Burton Ed Wood movie, you can find them here.

Ed Wood (Special Edition)
The Ed Wood Box (Glen or Glenda / Jail Bait / Bride of the Monster / Plan 9 from Outer Space / Night of the Ghouls / The Haunted World of Ed Wood)

I think I have a lot in common with the majority of American Final Fantasy fans in the sense that I had my first experience with the franchise in 1997 with Final Fantasy VII. It’s considered the quintessential FF game for a reason. It has the best story, the best characters, and of course, it has Sephiroth. I mean it’s Sephiroth! There hasn’t been a homicidal maniac with mommy issues as bad as his since Norman Freaking Bates! Sephiroth, up until Heath Ledger’s Joker, was like THE precedent for every villain to follow in his twisted little footsteps! The game was monumentally successful, and as a little “Thank you” to all of the fans that continued to buy it, Square released the movie Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children. And when it came out, I bought it the first chance I had and I liked it. But I felt like it was missing something. Parts of it felt incoherrent, and it just felt unfinished. Then, when Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children Complete was announced and was said to have nearly 30 minutes of new footage, much of which was plot relevent, I was happy. Then, when I heard it was going to be on Bluray, the happiness only increased. When I went out and bought it on the day it came out, I was excited. And when I had finished watching it, I felt two things: 1. I was blown away. And 2. I felt satisfied.

The film was great. It felt like a full movie, unlike the unfinished original. The plot made much more sense, but what truly makes this movie worth buying a second time is the completely re-rendered for Bluray look. Everything is so much crisper and more detailed. It truly makes the film unforgettable, and I whole heartedly recommend it. The only way, obviously is Bluray, and if you think you want to revisit Midgar, then here you go!

Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children Complete [Blu-ray]