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Friday, May 15, 2015

Avengers: Age of Ultron - Movie Review

So Much Stuff!
So I've been on a big movie kick lately, watching all the big scifi and action blockbusters coming down the pipe, and was able to go check out Avengers: AoU in 3D. I still have trouble seeing 3D because of my stupid eyes, so I had to go again and watch it in 2D to see what was going on.

There is a TON going on. So much stuff it's hard to describe. Basically the story is about the world's first fully intelligent artificial being, Ultron, and his attack on the world. The Avengers, being the Avengers, have to stop him. Honestly though, that's not what the movie is about. This is a Joss Whedon movie, so it's about character character character.

One of the high points of this movie is that it gives us a nice look at Hawkeye's character. He doesn't have his own movie so giving him a lot of screen time here is a good choice. You also get some unlikely flirty stuff going on with some of the characters as well, that was fun to see. Probably the best sequence in the movie is the all character and no action party scene where everyone, including Falcon, Warmachine and several Shield agents are standing around chatting it up.

And The Vision! He's fantastic. Quite the addition to the movie franchise.

I'd recommend this movie to just about everyone, it has some comic violence so if you aren't into that then steer clear. It is essential viewing for anyone that liked the first Avengers and any comic book movie fan. Comic book fans will probably also like it but maybe not quite as much, Ultron is certainly not as scary as he is in the comics.

I try not to criticize anything here, my goal is to keep it all positive, but I will warn you on this one. This movie has a TON of moving parts. Too many I think, so be prepared, if you are paying close attention you might get exhausted. I advise you to switch off and just have fun. This one is a real roller coaster.

Mad Max: Fury Road - Pure Insanity

Yes. That's a dude with a flame throwing guitar. He inspires the troops.
Okay. So this is the most insane movie I have ever seen. Ever. Remember The Road Warrior? Where in the end there is this big chase with a huge semi and tons of tricked out chopper cars? Yeah? Well that sequence lasted maybe 20 mins or so, Fury Road is that for 2 freakin' hours. Seriously. My God.

When I was a kid I played with GI Joes, in the 80's. But I didn't play GI Joe v. Cobra, I mostly played Road Warrior. The dudes would get in their vehicles and ram each other and jump from car to car. Totally awesome. I would play this game for hours and hours and hours.

This movie is my childhood fantasy come true.

You'll read some stuff online about this movie being feminist or something? Well, I dunno about that. Cuz I have no idea what feminism is anymore.

Women are portrayed in a realistic manner. I think the big deal is that there are a lot of women characters, they talk to each other, and it ain't about dudes. There's no talk about boys at all really, though I did have to run to the restroom for 90 seconds in the middle of the movie. Yep. I timed it. 90 seconds on the dot. I probably missed like a million car explosions or something in that minute and a half.

I recommend this movie for any dude. And anyone that thought The Road Warrior was awesome. And anyone that wants to see ladies kick ass without knowing how to ninja fight. Seriously, what is that, every strong lady character has to ninja fight? What an interesting cliche.

In the action genre this one is probably in my top 10. Time will tell, but goddamn, right now I'm still pumped.

Top Three Movies so far this year, in no order: Ex Machina, Mad Max (oxford comma) and Chappie. Sorry Age of Ultron and Furious 7, you are fun but didn't quite make it.

Thursday, May 14, 2015

Ex Machina - Movie Review

Sweet hot robot
So this is the best movie of the year so far. Better than Chappie, better than Age of Ultron and Fast and Furious 7. But it's not a huge popcorn blockbuster. It's a thinker. It's small. Just a handful of characters.

It's hard to even talk about without ruining things. It has 4 perfect actors nailing every second of the movie. The tone is great, the visuals are perfect. The pacing. GAH! The pacing makes you want to jump out of your seat over and over and over. There are so many uncomfortable scenes with the men followed up by the warm and comfortable scenes with the android. Just that dichotomy is worth the price of admission.

This review is short on details because this movie can be spoiled, badly. DO NOT WATCH THE TRAILER. It's way better if you don't, go in fresh and be ready to be blown away.

I recommend this movie for everyone. Not kids though, they won't get it. This is not a PG popcorn fest, at all. I especially recommend this movie to anyone interested in the thinking side science fiction.