Unstoppable is High Speed Rail

Well, since we live in Ohio we had to mention our new idiot Governor, John "the Fox" Kasich gave away $400 million dollars which would have finally given us intercity rail again (since it was shut down in the 1950's) - so this movie is the closest we're ever going to get to High Speed Rail in our State.

And this movie was based on a real incident which happened in Ohio and it was filmed in in Ohio as well. We were wondering if either Chris Pine or Denzel were from Ohio as well but we were too lazy to look it up. Anyway, one thing is for sure - Tony Scott isn't from Ohio and he tends to put Denzel in his best movies (although he's worked with Tom Cruise, Will Smith and others). Tony Scott's brother, Ridley Scott who is our all time favorite director (see our Blade Runner review) and he likes action films - this one while relatively uncomplicated is built for high speed suspense.

The aged veteran versus the punky upstart, a timeless plot but it works

There is something to be said for uncomplicated plots - sometimes we just want to go to the theater and be transported to another state of mind - to the vicarious experience. This tends to work better at a physical level - where adrenaline starts pumping as we become part of the story without having to think too hard about the philosophical implications. In Unstoppable, the freight train is without a doubt the main character - we don't get too deep with the other characters - they are ordinary folks placed in an extraordinary situation. We'd like to think we would react the same way they do (at least the folks who are trying to rescue the town, not the morons who sent the train off without the brakes turned on).

The two stars represent action of today versus action of the last twenty years. Denzel Washington has wowed us since Glory (well, we like him on St. Elsewhere too, but the action films is where he really shines) and Chris Pine made quite the splash last year with the new J.J. Abrams version of Star Trek. Placing these two stars together as the crusty veteran and cocky punk was a good casting move. The rest of the cast was relatively unimportant and in some cases downright distracting (especially the scenes with Denzel's daughters working at Hooters). It's almost as if someone said - hey there's zero sex appeal in this movie so they threw in gratuitous scenes of Hooters girls (at least they were in the bar and not trying to stop the train, although that would have made for an interesting twist).

Saturday Night Live did an excellent spoof of the Trailer -
the Denzel impression is awesome...

Unstoppable is pretty easy to figure out - we sort of knew how it would end before it started - but in a movie like this, it really doesn't matter as long as you enjoy the ride - which we did.


Copyright 2010, Raving Reviews

Read More

Tron Legacy - Digital DoubleTake

We went to see Tron Legacy 3D yesterday - we were both amazed and disappointed at the same time - overall our impression was favorable but this movie certainly squandered an opportunity to become a classic.

First things first - you'll note at the beginning of the film that some of it is in 2D and some of it is 3D. We're not sure why this happened, but we're guessing that it partly had to do with Jeff Bridges animated alter-ego, Clu as well as a strategy change after Avatar's box office results last year. The film would have been better had it been filmed entirely in 3D - perhaps they'll have a chance to change that later.

The story is not a revisioning - but an actual sequel - 28 years in the making. In that time the vast majority of the personal computer, internet and mobile technology revolutions happened - so comparisons to the original film are hard to make given our hindsight. The plot seemed terribly thin throughout the movie and the actors had a hard time making the most of it. We never quite understood the references to the first Tron because quite frankly we forgot most of it and the effort to faithfully connect the two films may have been a wasted effort for most of us.

The special effects however were quite extraordinary. Not since Blade Runner have we run across a film that looked this interesting - if only it had sounded half as interesting it would have been an instant classic.

Jeff Bridges gets animated in Tron Legacy - Too bad
his acting was less animated

We like Jeff Bridges, a lot. But we were a bit confused about his performance in Tron Legacy. At times he seemed as though he were phoning it in while practicing his new John Wayne trumping western character for the soon to be release True Grit. The fact that he was playing two characters, one a computer animated version of his younger self, points to a future in Hollywood where no actor will ever grow old again and some actors may come back from beyond. That's both cool and creepy at the same time. In this film the animation was close, but still not 100% lifelike - we watched Against All Odds (from 1984) last night to make comparisons and the virtual Jeff didn't quite match the real one.

The rest of the cast was adequate, but just. It was great to see Bruce Boxleitner again - in anything - but Flynn's son was kind of boring and the cyber babes while undeniably hot were somewhat two dimensional even when they were 3D. Michael Sheen made an odd and flashy appearance which seemed reminiscent of a mix between the Matrix and David Bowie - his attempt at breathing life into the plot was ultimately unsuccessful.

We still enjoyed the movie for the sheer visual, visceral experience of it - the characters were an afterthought - the story relatively unimportant. Those who make movies ought to have some vision... (the folks who made the original Tron did to some extent but that didn't carry over this time).

We vote that the screenwriters for this Tron be "DeRezzed"

Copyright 2010, Raving Reviews

Read More

The West Wing – Season One Review

First off, let me introduce myself. I’m Mike, the new (and at the moment only) guest blogger here at Ye Olde Raving Reviews! I’ll be giving you my sage wisdom and advice from time to time (which is quite naturally to be respected with the utmost respect, if not total admiration) so keep your eyes peeled for more of me!

Moving on to our topic of interest (and the title of this post naturally) “The West Wing”…. Well, let’s just say I have a few things to say on the matter. Most people probably wouldn’t find the prospect of a political television series based in the “West Wing” of the White House to be of very much, if any interest… however after watching the first season of the show; I have to say that they ought to change their minds.

The cast of the West Wing

The pilot starts off quickly, with various members of the White House senior staff being informed of the President being involved in a fascinating bicycle accident which ends up with him running into a tree, and stumbling again as he attempts to stand up. Then it goes to show how the staff cleans up nicely with some damage control to make sure the President isn’t too embarrassed, which includes a large series of political jargon, and fast walking in the hallowed halls of the White House.

The season continues with a series of intertwining plots about the senior White House press reporter wooing the Press Secretary, the Deputy Communications Officer accidently sleeping with a prostitute, the President’s daughter becoming girlfriend to his “bodyman” who happens to be African American, causing some of the crazier right wing groups to threaten them, and a test of the President’s grit when he learns of an attack that killed several Americans in the Middle East.

Most—no every episode is taken from a politically slanted left view. In fact, I would go as far to say that this show is the dream of many liberals in the US, a strong compassionate liberal leadership that doesn’t cave on issues easily, and in most cases strikes back hard (which quite frankly isn’t something the current liberal administration is very good at doing) at their opponents.

Of course, the show wouldn’t be complete without its consistent flow of sarcastic remarks and jokes to lighten the mood a bit. There are a few different situations in which the reactions of the staff to genuinely serious situations make you want to laugh out loud. Two examples of this are shown below.

Who knew maps were such a serious issue?

Not only does the combination of brilliant acting (and sometimes not so brilliant, but still quite good) and settings work out well, but the writing is fantastic. Aaron Sorkin, the creator and chief writer for the West Wing brings out the dialogue in such a way that it feels as if you’re there, and that this is really what’s going on in the White House now. It also gives the average viewer a somewhat clearer view of politics, turning people who usually spit at the word politics into raving political nuts who can’t wait for the next season.

Even if you aren’t a political person, this is a show definitely worth giving a try (and possibly even six or seven more tries). And for those who enjoy parodies, check this spoof of West Wing's Season 1 from Mad TV.

The West Wing Cast was always on the Move...

My task to turn you all into West Wing loving fanboys and girls is now c—er… I mean have a good day folks… and tune in to wherever the West Wing is on the air! (or get the DVDs).

Guest Reviewer - Michael J.


Copyright 2010, Raving Reviews

Read More

Inspired by Inception

We've been dreaming about doing a review on Inception since last Summer, but somehow we can never quite finish writing it no matter how long it takes - it seems as though we're going in slow motion.

Besides that we still haven't figured out what's really about - but in the meantime we're going to bring you several interesting Viral Vids from the Internet from others inspired by Inception. The first candidate comes from the college crowd - a sort of frat boys comedy ensemble called atomic:

Please don't do this at home or your dorm...

We loved spoofed trailers - in fact we may be doing some ourselves next year - in the meantime, we'll take some lessons from these folks who've done it pretty well.

The following one is our favorite - Dora the Explorer's Inception. This kid, who was also in the Karate Kid spoof, is likely to be a big star...

Who knew Dora was Deep and So Edgy...

And for the most juvenile of all - and this is R-rate folks - an Inception Trailer called Contraception. We're guessing the guys who made this one have not been studying much at school...

If Only Bristol Palin had starred in this one

We've seen far fewer examples of parodies of the rest of the movie - we're guessing because like us, most folks still don't understand it - but hey - the effects are great !

Copyright 2010, Raving Reviews

Read More

Karate Kid - Then & Now

Bullies are the same everywhere aren't they and lord knows, they never change. Plots often don't change much either but sometimes that's a good thing as with the Classic Karate Kid and this year's remake. We watched the 1984 original recently and compared it to this years slick and star-studded version of the age old tale - student learn from master - both kick ass."

"Everything is Kung Fu." How true those words are, except that the Classic Karate Kid didn't use Kung Fu but "Open Hand" Karate from Okinawa. Watching both of these movies you'll notice how much of the original story is kept with slightly new twists - somehow this homage makes them both more rather than less interesting.

Casting for both of these films was excellent - Mr. Miyagi's character was certainly the high point of Pat Morita's career and Jackie Chan as the revisioned maintenance man/sensei was a master-stroke. Jackie Chan has got chops for more than his kung fu opponents - he is also a truly gifted actor and has not yet been given a real opportunity to showcase that side of his talent (action hero and comedian yes, dramatic lead, no). And you couldn't find two skinnier, less likely karate stars than the adolescent Ralph Macchio or prepubescent Jaden Smith - superstar in training. Both movies revolve almost totally around the teacher - student bonding with minimal interface from love interests and the constant presence of overprotective mothers.

Sanding Deck, Kick-Ass Dragon

And the bad guys in these shows - they're great! They're total jerks but lovable and completely rehabilitated once taken away from the influence of their evil Karate coaches - because like Mr. Miyagi say - "they no bad students, only bad teachers." Don't we know it - years of coaching soccer taught us that first hand. Yes, there can be mercy on the field in the ring - we are not animals are we - are you not entertained ! Oh, sorry about that mixed metaphor - anyway there's nothing quite as satisfying as skinny guys beating the crap at of Arnold wannabes (no offense Arnold, we know you're old and political now but once you were feared and admired by your enemies - the girlie men).

The New Karate Kid Proves that Nerds even get beat up in China or that a Chinese nerd is not so nerdy if he knows Kung Fu or that short people can really fight or that China has much better location shots than East LA - actually we don't think it proves anything, but it looks great.

The suspense - the fights - the personal triumph - the catching of flies with Chopsticks - the cute rich girls that can't get enough of the penniless, skinny nerds... Karate Kid the original and Karate Kid 2010 were separated by oceans of time and the Pacific and yet the story remained as entertaining as the match-winning Crane kick. Both films earn our much coveted "No-Yawn" awards.

Oh, and perhaps our survey of the Karate Kid's impact on popular culture across generations wouldn't be complete with a parody - the following one created by Electric Spoofaloo...

Pilates, Karate - it's sounds close enough...

Copyright 2010, Raving Reviews

Read More

SyFy Channel - Wy ?

First it was Caprica, next came Stargate Universe - the two anchors of the season canceled in mid-season. Then SyFy renews Haven and picks up Merlin and seems to be going forward with Sanctuary.

It seems as though SyFy is morphing into SyFantaSy which may help to explain how any of its programming could coexist with professional wrestling. We were worried when they changed the name of the channel a few years back - as if programming science fiction was too narrow or too embarrassing to embrace - now they've gone and done this.

Admittedly, neither show was that great, but at least they were both real science fiction shows and we watched diligently hoping somehow they'd improve. But perhaps the writing staffs of the SyFy channel shows have been watching too much wrestling or worse yet Harry Potter movies and the exposure proved damaging to their cognitive and creative abilities.

Caprica Season 1.5 Preview

We know Caprica was stupid - but it was OUR kind of stupid ok? Can we make a series based on Inception, please? Anything - just no more Harry Potter, Sexy Vampires or Wrestling !!!


Copyright 2010, Raving Reviews

Read More

Public Domain Movies

It's been awhile since our last post, we promise not to let it happen again. Today we wanted to talk to you briefly about the emerging sources of public domain movies that are beginning to crop up around the Internet.

Quite Frankly, this is something we'd always hoped would happen - to make available thousands of films and documentaries available without purchase through web. More important perhaps is the historical significance of these resources and the ability for all sorts of filmmakers to have access to these types of resources while making their own films.

You can find these movies at that the following locations:

• Openflix
• The Internet Archive
• and of course you can find many on YouTube as well
  

This combined with sites like Hulu is beginning to change the way we view the Internet and of course so many people are using Video on Demand that Comcast is now charging folks extra to use Netflix online.

We came across two remarkable examples (documentaries related to WW2) - The Memphis Belle (The Internet Archive) and The Secret Life of Adolf Hitler (Openflix - http://www.youtube.com/user/openflix) as well as old commercials, newsreels and silent films.

The Memphis Belle

BTW - we will review the 1990 movie named after and inspired by this documentary sometime soon - it's kind of hokey but we love it anyway.

Copyright 2010, Raving Reviews

Read More

Me & My Avatar

Is it me, or is it a virtual expression of myself? Does it make it any difference? Is my virtual expression of myself anything like my residential self-image (The Matrix). These are some of the deeps thoughts I managed to avoid totally while watching Avatar on the big screen twice over the past several months - once in the visually stunning 2D and another time in the visual hangover of 3D.

Even though I wasn't inspired to any profound philosophical musings, I did enjoy viewing the crowd reactions during the screenings as well as the cultural ripples that emanated from Avatar as Avatar-Mania swept the country over a 2 to 3 month period.



Avatar Mania Part 1 - "Do you want to Date my Avatar"


Even though I had refused to watch the Superbowl in protest of the Bengals inability to make it there again (an annual ritual), I did however watch many of the Superbowl commercials this year and I thought the Avatar Coca Cola one was among the best (reminded of the good ole days when we taught the world and that polar bear to drink coke). Avatar mania was everywhere, for a while at least.



Avatar Mania Part 2 - Avatar didn't really need anymore caffeine but Coke provided it anyway...

And what of the movie itself? Was it as spectacular as the hype? Well, yes.

Avatar is pure entertainment, in the tradition of Lucas, Spielberg and of course James Cameron. Cameron out-cameroned himself with his biggest, most compelling tale yet. Avatar was fun to watch - it moved effortlessly across three hours without seeming to drag at any point. It even managed to hit us over the head with some contemporary politics and succeeding in doing so quite well without seeming preachy, boring or too depressing.

I was keenly disappointed that Mr. Cameron failed to win more than a handful of concession Oscars this year. It was shocking considering he won 11 Oscars for a far inferior film - Titantic - a decade ago. Avatar was Cameron's best film yet. Perhaps Hollywood was suffering from Hype Overdoes on Avatar given how many years its been talked about out there - whereas the rest of the country only had to endure about three months of that viral marketing. The films that did win at this year's Oscars were quite frankly, an embarassment. The Hurt Locker was a single punchline cliche of a war movie and the rest of the winners were so forgettable that I can't recall them.

The world Cameron created in Avatar may be called Pandora, but it is of course our world and our story super-imposed (like avatars) in outerpace using the Science Fiction genre - and the best Science Fiction is usually a metaphor, isn't it. We're not 10 foot tall dragon flying blue tribal warrors with plug & play ponytails, but often times we don't perhaps feel that our current lives reflect who we really are. On Pandora, both me and my Avatar get to fight for what's right, what's sacred and a future that's consistent with our beliefs - which makes Avatar the ultimate vicarious experience. I also appreciated the references to Native American culture in the movie although it seems as Hollywood is the only place that values that part of our culture these days (partly in contrition for the many years in which they helped vilify it).



Avatar Mania Part 3 - Well this one is just silly as the Na'Vi invade Wisconsin


So don't be discouraged Mr. Cameron, the Oscars may have not rewarded you for your vision but the box office certainly has - keep doing what you're doing - we're looking forward to more.


Copyright 2010, Raving Reviews

Read More

More Classic Than Classic

The other day someone asked me what my favorite movie of all time was, without hesitation I answered back “Blade Runner.” While I think Artificial Intelligence is a distant second, Blade Runner will likely continue to hold its first place ranking for the foreseeable future. So why do folks like me still obsess over this movie, after all it is now nearly 30 years old (that’s frightening to admit by the way as 1982 is the year I graduated High School)?

For me, this film represents everything that a movie can be – a synergy of art and entertainment, a visual banquet and a symphony. The story is simple, the characters are complex, the direction is flawless and the performances are memorable. This was the movie that introduced us to Edward James Olmos, Sean Young and Rutger Hauer; it gave Harrison Ford a depth that we hadn’t seen before. Blade Runner also provided us with what I still believe is the single best soundtrack in motion picture history, scored and performed by Vangelis. The soundtrack was so powerful that it literally became one with movie, narrating it in emotional overtones which transcended the music. I still listen to that soundtrack to this day and it never, ever gets old.


Both the music of Blade Runner & Sean Young were beyond compare...

Blade Runner sets a mood, builds its own universe and then draws you in bit by bit. Even though it is Science Fiction, it felt like a combination of reality + film noir. There are some scenes that simply stood out for being visually unforgettable. One example that comes to mind is where Dr. Tyrell opens the patio of his penthouse suite and we see the sun streaming in to fill the luxurious surroundings. Director Ridley Scott used a variation of the same scene nearly 20 years later when filming Gladiator. Between Ridley and his brother Tony, the brothers Scott have directed or produced the majority of my top ten film favorites of all-time. These guys instinctively understand cinema, what works, what looks good, what compels us to experience movies rather than merely watch them.

The story told in Blade Runner also plays an important role in making it a classic. Like the Matrix, Blade Runner tackles a fundamental philosophical paradox and makes us question what is humanity; what does it mean to be human, to be real. And it confronts this dilemma without ever referring it directly. In other words, it makes us think and read between the lines to grasp the full scope of what is actually unfolding before us. This is not to say that the Scott brothers don’t know how to employ action, they surely do; but they prefer the Mozart version over say Jerry Bruckheimer’s Salieri. In a Scott film, action can and does further the plot without turning it into roadkill. And the parting message of the film is as true today as it ever was, the final truth about one’s humanity is usually most apparent when we are closest to losing it.

The performances in Blade Runner were nothing short of iconic. From Leo, to Joanna Cassidy’s Snake Dancer, to the Eye Doctor to J.F. Sebastian and the intellectually cruel Dr. Tyrell – the characters simply came alive. Sean Young really stole the show though – her picture even ended up on the Vangelis “Themes” soundtrack cover. She took the film noir replicant temptress and made her believable – both vulnerable and passionate, one of the great female leads of all time. In this movie she harnessed Marilyn Monroe level star power, it’s too bad Hollywood never gave her chance to repeat this type of performance.


Here are some interesting deleted scenes from Blade Runner

At the Tyrell Corporation, we have a slogan; “More Human than Human.” Even the dialog from Blade Runner has become iconic, with White Zombie turning this line into what is now a classic hard rock song in the 1990’s. I don’t think anyone ever could or perhaps ever should make a sequel to this movie – it is almost inevitable that fans of the original would be disappointed.

A true classic can stand the test of time all on its own.



Copyright 2011, Raving Reviews™

Read More

The WWF & Wall Street Villainy

Many years ago as part of short-lived and sometimes bizarre writing career I found myself working for a professional wrestler, one of the stars of the WWF in its heyday. Back in the late 1980’s and early 1990’s the World Wrestling Federation was a billion dollar enterprise and had become very mainstream. While I found myself a bit out of my element (I had never been to a wrestling match or NASCAR race in my life), I had to admit the experience was somewhat exhilarating. Professional Wrestling is the ultimate spectacle, sort of a combination morality play, political convention and circus all rolled up into one, larger than life event.

The whole thing came together quite unexpectedly, I met the wrestler through a family member and soon discovered that he was working in Japan. I struck up a conversation with him (he shall remain nameless, at least for now) and happened to mention that I was studying Japanese. The wrestler then offered to pay me to help develop an identity for him to use in Japan. So I had my assignment and began putting together names and personas that I thought might be appealing to the Japanese wrestling market (of course I had no idea what that was, but it was an interesting assignment).

Not long after the assignment began I heard back from the wrestler, he told me that he’d reconsidered going to Japan and wanted to revitalize his North American image instead with a new character. He had been used to playing the “good guy” and felt it was limiting his star or earning potential. He wanted to go rogue and I was just the guy to help him get there. I studied the WWF, where he worked, almost as though I were an anthropologist trying to understand both the spectacle and the culture which supported it. I soon realized that he was absolutely correct, in pro wrestling bad guys definitely have more fun. We started talking about the possibilities and he then asked me if I would help him with his WWF transformation and I immediately agreed.


These bad guys couldn't hold a candle to the Wall Street American Nightmare Team

In many ways, the exercise was like developing a character for a book or movie although here the plot wasn’t altogether that important and would remain fairly predictable. The fact that the plot never changes is rather cool though if you think about it because then everything revolves around character development. I gave him 100 notorious villains to choose from, some of them borrowed from common culture references, some of them quite funny and others more menacing. We worked together on that character for more than a year and at that time it became one of the most popular (or unpopular depending on your point of view) stars in the WWF. Working with pro wrestlers didn’t seem like a viable career path though so I moved on – never even got to meet Vince McMahon, but suddenly this week I was struck by an inspiration or urge perhaps. It seems to me that now is perfect time to create the ultimate pro wrestling villain.

The entire nation is restless and worried about war and economy; the nation is outraged at bailouts and scandal, the nation is ready for the best wrestling villains ever, so here they are, ready for the new year:

Character 1 – The Goldman’s Sacks: A shifty looking man in a banker’s suit with a rather large, gold colored sack which he fills up with taxpayer dollars. The Goldman Sack’s sometimes tag teams with Senator Scandal.

Character 2 – The Geithner: This character resembles the Hamburglar and steals lunch money from impoverished children, handing it over to foreign banks at 100 cents on the dollar.

Character 3 – Senator Scandal: What can we say, this guy has everything. He cheats on his wife, takes bribes and helps The Goldman Sacks scoop up all of the money while ordinary folks lose their homes and go bankrupt.

Character 4 – The Outsorcerer : He has magical powers and looks a little bit like a deranged Merlin, he can wave his wand and poof, American jobs disappear in a flash.

Character 5 – The Politician: Need we say more? He lures his victims in by pretending to be reasonable and then lowering the boom on them once they’ve bestowed their trust to him he crushes their hopes and dreams (and vital organs). He can tag team with any of the other characters.

Together these arch villains might make up the 4 1/2 horses asses of the apocalypse? What do you think, should I call up Vince McMahon?


Copyright 2009, Raving Reviews™

Read More