Percy Jackson & The Olympians: The Lightning Thief Review

This review train is just chugging along with the next review: Percy Jackson & The Olympians: The Lightning Thief.  WOO WOO!

In the midst of Hollywood going gaga over book to movie adaptations (Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings) it seems like everyone is trying to copy off their success and this movie is both no different yet is different to all the other copycats out there.  The story follows Percy Jackson, your typical teenage kid until he finds out that his mom got it on with Posideon and he's actually a demigod similar to those in Greek Mythology.  Along with that we learned from the first 5mins that Zeus is missing his lightning bolt and blames Percy as the thief.  Zeus gives Percy 14 days to return the bolt, or else Zeus is going God Mode all over Olympus and Earth.

Percy isn't alone in his quest to find the bolt.  His best friend, protector, and Satyr - Grover and Demigod Annabeth join in him touring America to find clues as to who the lightning thief is while also saving Percy's mom from Hades.  Sound familar?  Like a certain boy wizard and friends?  Yeah...I didn't think so....

I think my biggest problem with the whole movie was how much Greek mythology is inside the U.S. according to the movie.  Medusa living in a garden shop in Maine?  Olympus' entrance is the top of the Empire State Building?  A secret demigod only training camp somewhere in the northeast?  The gateway to Hades is under the 'H' in Hollywood?  Really? 

Now blame me for not reading the books but I think the movie could have explained why most of Greece's mythology decided to pack their bags and come over to the U.S.  If you've read the books, please let me know.

Other than that I did enjoy the movie.  Most of the actors/actresses cast were good choices.  I do think that Hades could have been cast better, but only if they casted James Woods.  I loved his Hades in Hercules, and is still my favorite Hades (but not my favorite Devil, that's different).

Rating:  RIFF IT

Till Next Time,
Mike

The Wolfman Review

Moving on to the film in line, we come across The Wolfman, a reboot of the 1941 classic.  Lets see how it holds up, shall we?

The movie follows Lawrence Talbot (Del Toro) as he comes home to native Britain following his brother's death.  After overlooking his brother's wounds the villagers believe it to be the bear owned by the local gypsies that are passing through town.  Lawrence goes to investigate only to be bitten, and cursed, by a werewolf.  From then on it's a battle between the bestial side that is the werewolf and remaining both alive and sane as a man.

Now I have to say, this movie does good on its own.  I think the best part from my perspective was seeing that most of the make up was actually prostetic make up and not all special effects.  Most of the special effects are done while the transformation takes place and here and there while Benicio is a werewolf.  In a day where 3D effects are the norm, I felt good seeing a guy covered in fake hair slashing people left and right.

Other than the throwback to prostetics, I'd have to say that Anthony Hopkins plays a great old man, though most of the time you'd think he was just like some kind of troll that lived in a mansion.  That and Benicio Del Toro's mouth breathing through the film helped give me something to laugh about.  I mean seriously, Del Toro's character seemed like an obessed stalker with asthma than a cursed man/wolf hybrid.

Rating:  RIFF IT

Till Next Time,

Mike

Edge of Darkness Review

I'm on a role or something tonight!  On to the second movie, Edge of Darkness.  It's the first movie that Mel Gibson has been in since the whole "Sugar tits" incident.  Let's see how he's done for himself.

After picking up his daughter from the train station, Detective Thomas Craven (Gibson) takes her home to catch up on how she's been.  While steping out his front door, Craven watches as a masked assailant guns down his daughter in front of his eyes.  At first this seems like someone from Craven's past as a homicide detective was looking for revenge, but as Craven digs deeper he soon finds out that she really was the target.  Now driven by self guilt and the loss his daughter, Craven begins his own investigation on what lead to his daughter's demise.

Now without giving too much away, I will say that this movie was well made.  Most of the scenes kept a natural sense about them by having little to no background music accompanying them.  You feel bad for Craven, but you also want to see him get revenge by any means possible.  It has a feeling of a noir detective film, but that's not exactly what it is.  The only real downside to it all is that at points it can drag and make the movie seem longer than it actually is.  I will say though that if you like honest detective films where you learn with the character the facts, go see it.

If that doesn't do it for you, go see it to see Mel play a cop on the edge.  Hell, he even has a line in the movie where he says, " I'm on the edge and have nothing to live for, so don't get in my way."  Come on, you know you want to see that.

Rating:  SEE IT

Til Next Time,

Mike

Book of Eli Review

Guess who's been putting off his reviews for the blog?  Yes, this guy, that's who.  But it's time for me to make amends, here's number one of many reviews:  Book of Eli.  WARNING: There will be some slight spoilers for those who have not seen it.

The movie follows a man by the name Eli (Denzel) as he goes on a sort of pilgrimage to the west through a post apocolyptic wasteland because he was "told to" while carrying something of great importance.  By who?  We don't know, Eli merely says that it was told to him by a voice to go west.  Along the way he has to face off against bloodthirsty raiders, cannibals, and the most evil of them all -- Gary Oldman.  Gary plays the mayor of a small town that Eli makes his way through.  When he finds out that Eli is the man with the rumored object of power, he goes out of his way to try and keep Eli in the city as long as possible while trying to nab the object.  Too bad for Gary Oldman though, as Solara (played by Mila Kunis) helps Eli get out of his room and ultimately joins up with him to get west or die trying.  Ultimately there's a huge stand off between Mayor Oldman and Eli, where we find out that the mystery object Eli has is a book that "can change the world", as Gary Oldman's character claims.

Now on to the ending.  Gary Oldman gets the book from Eli after a very explosion filled shoot out.  He leaves Eli and Solara for dead while he goes off to change the world, or so he thinks.  When he finally gets back you find out that the magically book of power is actually a bible.   Don't worry, this isn't about to become a huge religion heavy movie, so keep with me.  After the stunner that the book is a bible, we get what I like to remember as a great moment in movie trolling history.  Gary Oldman opens the book to find, get this, no words in it.  Now, you may be asking, "How could Eli read a book with no words?"  Well, the answer is great - Eli is blind and the book is in braile.  Now I know this may seem like a cop out on the writing staff's part but I think Shamaylan himself couldn't have thought of something as trollfaced as this.  Now the best part of this is that Eli, since gaining the bible, has memorized the entire thing.  He even speaks the whole bible so that it can be written down and reprinted.  Talk about an odd end, right?

Overall, the movie was good.  To me it was like if they took The Road and went with action instead of drama.  That and the twist ending that made say "wat." made it worth watching.  If you haven't seen it, it should be coming out on DVD soon.  If you can find it in a theater though, go enjoy yourself.

Rating:  RIFF IT

Till Next Time,
Mike