Popular Entertainment Review

Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist/starring: Michael Cera, Kat Dennings

2008-10-13T13:33:00.004-05:00

Isn't it funny that movies aren't really movies any more? Movies are more of a conceptual package of an attitude and persona. And that's okay. But if you want to get into people's heads and make them think, I think it would be more beneficial to everyone involved to make the attempts at selling an image to go deeper.

Nick and Norah would have been a broadening experience if I was still in high school. The jokes were only good because it emphasizes the current, awkward/confident humor. The use of Michael Cera as the fountain of this humor seems like a brutally ugly corporate tactic to bank in on his knack for playing a soft spoken smart ass.

The use of indie rock music in the film was pleasant, but it seemed too try hard. The film used the music heavily to give the audience a feel of a wild, teenage, emotional night. At the same time the periodic clashing of Norah's nomadic levels of confidence and Nick's undying longing for his ex-bitch of a girlfriend would fail to make you care about the outcome of their relationship. Albeit the acting was amazingly natural in almost all accounts.

This review is sparse but I guess that's okay because the movie felt sparse also. I don't have a lot to go on. But I'll do you one better, I won't drag on the end of this review like the end of the movie.

I give Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist 6 VIP passes out of 10.

Victor Penro

Bangkok Dangerous/Starring: Nicolas Cage, Shahkrit Yamnarm

2008-09-07T13:04:00.005-05:00

In all this time I've been reviewing movies, I haven't yet reviewed a new Nicolas Cage film. I know some will doubt my reasoning when I say this; Nicolas Cage is a skilled actor. He may seem silly and over the top at times, but he is very believable. I think he doesn't get offers for the right films. Just my opinion.

From the onset of Bangkok Dangerous, I could tell this movie was going to be as unsubtle as a kick to the groin. The theme of the lonely assassin was applied in three thick coats. The setting wasn't new either, but I enjoyed the crowded Asian cityscape. It brought me back to the days of the old kung fu flicks and 80-early 90's action films. In an interesting twist, the westerner teaches the Asian guy combat moves, when Cage takes Yamnarm under his wing in the film. The action was graphic and implemented in exciting ways. For instance take an Uzi, a motorcycle and a car full of targets and see what you come up with. Even though the aforementioned scenario could be acted out in a complex fashion, the simple road the directors took pleased me. However for the dramatic half of the film, I wasn't rewarded enough for my patience. In fact I was losing said patience about halfway through Bangkok Dangerous. And for the ending we had the usual bad guy dominance torn down by Cage and an uninspired gun fight. Plus the ending simply pissed me off.

Bangkok Dangerous...not a total waste of money, but a perfect end to a trip to Blockbuster in a few months.

I give Bangkok Dangerous 6 VIP passes out of 10.

Victor Penro

Hamlet 2/starring: Steve Coogan, Joseph Julian Soria, Skylar Astin, Phoebe Strole

2008-08-24T13:04:00.006-05:00

I was considering reviewing Death Race, but I took a long look at myself in the mirror and asked myself, "Do you really believe Death Race is going to be good?" My answer to my own question was...NO! So I saw Hamlet 2. The commercial for Hamlet 2 intelligently lets you know that a co-writer for South Park wrote this movie. That's what sold me. Not even the jokes they showed in the clips.

Comedies have simple plots and Hamlet 2 was no exception. A washed up commercial actor heads a high school drama club. He is tired of getting bashed by the high school newspaper drama critic and wants to put on a play that will fulfill his dreams of being good at something. Obstacles multiply as he tries to put on his sequel to the play Hamlet.

Hamlet 2 was purposely off-beat. But the film was so off-beat that at the beginning of the movie, I didn't know when a joke was being made or whether the plot was just moving forward. But when I got the hang of it, I had a smile on my face for 90% of the film. I even laughed out loud a few times. This mild contentment I had was the sweet and sour of the film. This film could've had me rolling out of my seat if the performances, writing and timing was better. It seemed like they were concerned about being too dirty. They hinted at dirty jokes in the dialogue but they never really got dirty. They could of got away with some smut if they wanted to. One thing that annoyed me was the setup for one of Dana's (the drama teacher)many heartbreaks. I saw it coming from the start of the movie. And what made it worse was that I had to wait through 60% of the movie to see it really happen. But the good of the movie was mostly in the hilarious Steve Coogan. He reminds me of a Martin Short that's always on. Hamlet 2 was a great attempt at greatness. And I can't say it isn't original. If you're an unpretentious person, I recommend that you check out Hamlet 2.

I give Hamlet 2 6 VIP passes out of 10.

Victor Penro

Star Wars: The Clone Wars

2008-08-18T12:14:00.004-05:00

I love animated movies. I wish more adult themed animated movies would hit the big screen. On the contrary, children's animated movies are still incredibly watchable. Star Wars: The Clone Wars is a must see for any Star Wars fan. Even so, I was a little apprehensive about stepping in the movie theater. But reassuringly there were a few other guys about 15 to 20 years older than me, by themselves, in the audience.

The plot time line of The Clone Wars is somewhere in between Star Wars: Episode II- Attack of the Clones and Star Wars: Episode III- Revenge of the Sith. The story is mostly simple unlike the Star Wars prequel trilogy. Jabba the Hutt's son has been kidnapped and he offers a reward to whoever brings his child back alive. Anakin and his new apprentice sort out this mess during the war.

What I liked about this movie was that it understood what it wanted to accomplish. It set out to be a stunning adventure movie in the Star Wars universe and it delivered. The action in the battles was riveting. It produced a similar sensation to playing through a white knuckle shooter on a video game console. The art style of the characters took about five minutes to warm up to, but overall the visual content of the film was excellent. The tale of The Clone Wars was not too deep. The action seemed to be the main focus, but a movie fails without a decent story. So I guess the story was adequate. The action was surprisingly original for a Star Wars movie. One disappointment I had was that the movie didn't even hint at Anakin's flirtations with the dark side. But it would have been out of place with the rest of the film. Also some of the dialogue was phoned in and lame. It would have helped if the movie were a bit more serious too. But those few points aside, I was glad I saw The Clone Wars.

I give Star Wars: The Clone Wars 8 VIP passes out of 10.

Victor Penro

New Hardware

2008-08-13T14:19:00.003-05:00

I missed a few weeks of movies because of a rough move. But soon there will be an addition to movie and music reviews. Since I've just acquired a PlayStation 3, I will be reviewing video games now. Stay tuned.

Step Brothers/starring: Will Ferrell and John C. Reilly

2008-07-25T23:14:00.005-05:00

This Friday was a tough call for me. I love the X-Files TV show, but the last movie was lukewarm and I haven't been hearing good things about this one. As things would turn out, I saw Step Brothers anyway. The Ferrell-Reilly combination seemed like a no-brainer. The trailers reinforced the trust I had in the two's on screen chemistry. I didn't feel any remorse when the tickets were bought. Even though my mom bought them. Don't get me wrong though, I'm nothing like the ridiculously late bloomers in the movie. I have my own money.

Not surprisingly, the plot is mostly summed up in the trailers and commercials. Brennan (Will Ferrell) and Dale's (John C. Reilly) parents get married and the two funny men share a room. They hate each other at first, then after boundaries are crossed and fights, they start to like each other. Their parents are tired of both of the men living off of them and demand they get jobs. This creates more funny situations and ends hilariously.

You can see from the clips of the film that this movie has a definite theme; two grown men who live off their parents, move in with each other. To the film's credit, they stuck closely to the theme they presented to us. This movie was really funny. The only drag was the constant play on the immaturity of the two men. Other than that this film is the funniest I've seen since...since, boy it's been that long. Ferrell was a strong force in the laughter effect of this film, but John C. Reilly was almost equally as funny. They both formed this vulgar/childish/comically relevant duo that force you to laugh freely, even when you witnessed minor nuances in their performance. I knew this movie was going to be funny, but I in no way imagined it to be this funny. One warning I have is, if you plan to see it with some person without a sense of humor their silence might make you uncomfortable while you laugh your ass off to the explicit content of the movie. Or you may be surprised to find that this person does have a funny bone. Your call. I loved the flow that was there throughout most of the movie. The good jokes just kept rolling non-stop. Though it's hard to imagine two forty year old men really being that stunted in maturity, Ferrell and Reilly played the roles as believable and as funny as they could be played. Again the only thing that really annoyed me was the heavy reliance on the theme of the film. Other than that this was the best Apatow movie I've ever seen.

I give Step Brothers 7 VIP passes out of 10.

Victor Penro

Mandalorian Dance

2008-07-21T14:07:00.000-05:00

Your favorite assassin gets flamboyant.

The Dark Knight/starring: Christian Bale, Heath Ledger, Gary Oldman, Aaron Eckart, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Morgan Freeman

2008-07-18T22:32:00.005-05:00

The Dark Knight was the movie people were waiting for to fulfill their summer movie season. And for fans of Batman, they've been waiting for way too long after Batman Begins. I was guilty of losing interest in this sequel due to the long wait. Even when the trailers first started popping up, they didn't evoke that much excitement for me. But I was all for going to see the film for the moviegoing experience. What I got was much more.

Short summary of the plot (no spoilers): A new gang of criminals start causing trouble in Gotham City. Gordon is after the mobs and their money. The Joker becomes a major player in the underworld of Gotham. Harvey Dent is leading the fight against crime in the city. Batman and The Joker clash repeatedly. Lives of important people are in danger. Batman has a full plate of dilemmas until the credits come up.

If you haven't heard already, The Dark Knight is amazing. As soon as the first shot of the movie lit the screen, my bother said, "I can tell this movie is awesome already." I found myself agreeing with him. The visual footage in the beginning and all the way through to the end looked artfully stylistic and hip. The first scene reminded me of Heat. Well put together, intelligent and highly entertaining. However the real surprise of this film was Heath Ledger's performance of The Joker. He became a "sick" person on screen. He was hopelessly diabolical. He embodied an invincible enemy. The whole audience, including me, reacted to his performance. It wasn't out of pity though. Our reactions were involuntary. He pulled us into story and didn't give us a chance to lose interest. The Dark Knight is a long film. You can actually tell that you have been watching it for a while, but the film is delivered in such a way that all that extra screen time is fervently welcome. You get action, destruction, suspense, comedy, pain and fantasy. All of those things come out of the movie with pinpoint accuracy, firing your synapses, giving you pleasure for choosing to step out the house and see this film. Although this film wasn't graphic, The Dark Knight didn't pull any punches. For every action there was a cold, hard consequence. In Batman Begins, I could tell that the director was going for a dark toned film. It was obvious. The Dark Knight was twice as dark as Batman Begins, but it seemed more natural. The writers, director and producers were on the same page. They knew how to capture the feeling of chaos, without coming across as cliched as movies that show stressed out citizens resorting to the lowest common denominator. This iteration could be compared to blockbuster drama movies. We've got a comic book hero movie and it rises above what's expected of it. Way above.

I loved Iron Man. I cherish The Dark Knight.

I give The Dark Knight 9 VIP passes out of 10.

Victor Penro

Hellboy 2: The Golden Army/starring: Ron Perlman, Selma Blair, Doug Jones, Luke Goss, Jeffrey Tambor

2008-07-11T16:10:00.005-05:00

I hardly remember what happened in the first Hellboy, but I do remember that I liked it well enough that I wondered if the company was going to make a sequel. Now, about four years later, Hellboy 2: The Golden Army is here. My expectations were mixed. I've only been buying comics consistently for the past two years and I've never read a Hellboy comic in my life. The first one was obviously not that memorable because I could only recall parts of the ending and Selma Blair's wonderful face. But I wanted this one to be good, because Hellboy is a comic hero and I always root for superhero films. Iron Man restored my faith in what a superhero movie could be.

My summary of the plot: Hellboy kicks ass.

I don't want to divulge any of the plot because the film surprised me by paving the right sort of path for a good Hellboy movie.

Guillermo del Toro is a very creative director and writer. Pan's Labyrinth was visionary but I thought it didn't deserve the constant chatter it generated around me. This made me wonder if Hellboy 2 was going to be some overtly twisted action movie. I like twisted and weird, but del Toro and Hellboy seemed like an odd pairing. Thankfully the film was a breath of fresh air. From the beginning of the film I was smiling and snickering. Ron Perlman's knack for playing a smart mouthed tough guy is gold in this film. Then came the creatures. They looked familiar to some of the weirdos from Pan's Labyrinth, but it didn't bother me. Prince Nuada, the loyal villian, could fight his ass off. That posed an interesting threat to Hellboy. The weird thing is, I really liked this film, but there wasn't one area that carried the whole film. Overall this film was crafted expertly. I believe it was the timing. I wasn't bored once throughout the whole film. First you'd be laughing, then rooting for Hellboy to kick ass, then you're wondering if Abe is going to get some, then you're laughing again. What took away some of the VIP passes, was that my mind wasn't blown. The film exceeded my expectations, but it needed about three more brilliant scenes or it needed a more profound plot. But it's a Hellboy movie and you're supposed to get more testosterone and less brain activity. All my complaints aside, this is a film that is worth seeing without any question.

I give Hellboy 2: The Golden Army 7 VIP passes out of 10.

Victor Penro

Batman: Gotham Knight

2008-07-09T21:23:00.004-05:00

If you've seen Appleseed Ex Machina, you probably saw the preview for Batman: Gotham Knight. In the preview you got a taste for what the DVD was going to be like. The guys talking about the film made you think that this was a great collaboration project and that it was going to be a big hit. I believed them. Me and trailers, again.

I fired up the DVD player and settled in for the six stories. After ten minutes of the first story, I gathered that the team that made this story must think I'm a ten year old who's still impressed by costumes and over used character archetypes. Plus the story was weak, which made it boring. Then the next story came. The same thing happened. Cool looking fighting, boring plot. The characters in all of the stories were cookie cutter figures from anime. The voice acting was like dialogue in the Matrix but without the necessity for a style. The whole film seemed like it was trying to be cool based on what other anime films do but just winded up looking like a poser. I think if the film makers made one 90 minute story it would have been way better. The film was similar to watching clips of videos on myspace and youtube. They're short and watchable, but you never really get into it. I really wish this DVD was more original and soulful. I think this film was made to cash in on The Dark Knight. Sad too. I was hoping for an American hero to make a good anime film. Maybe HBO should consider putting Spawn back on.

I give Batman: Gotham Knight 5 VIP passes out of 10.

Victor Penro

WALL-e/Presto

2008-07-07T12:04:00.004-05:00

I very rarely go see a G rated movie in the theaters or for that matter even at home. But animation films are just cool. I wasn't expecting much out of WALL-e in terms of being entertained. During the trailers they hardly ever talked. I thought that would get old really quick. Somehow I still managed to remember that this is a Pixar film and Pixar rocks.

Before WALL-e starts, there is a short film. Presto. Presto is about a magician, his rabbit and the magician's magic hats. The magician is inconsiderate of the rabbit and the rabbit is fed up. Once the magician goes on stage he immediately goes for the hat trick. But the rabbit has something in store for him. The next three minutes are wildly funny and in the end you wish it was longer.

WALL-e starts with an introduction to WALL-e the robot. He picks up and compacts most of the trash he comes across. He collects whatever is to his liking. WALL-e returns to his home where he has thousands of odds and ends stored neatly. He even has a TV. Soon after a space ship lands and a mysterious robot starts searching the area for something. Soon after the "alien" calls it quits, WALL-e makes friends with it. Its name is Eve. After Eve finds what she came for, the space ship comes backs and takes her away. WALL-e becomes a stowaway on the ship. The space ship enters an even bigger space ship after traveling outside of the galaxy. Inside the large space ship are a community of humans from Earth. WALL-e follows Eve. After WALL-e catches up to Eve a conflict arises and WALL-e and Eve must work together for the sake of staying alive and the sake of the human race.

I don't know how Pixar does it but all of the movies I've seen from them are so well crafted and cool. I think the only feature length Pixar movie I missed was Cars. I might go see that now. WALL-e had very little verbal dialogue but that didn't matter. There was enough content in the actions and expressions of the characters to keep me involved. WALL-e and Eve were very cute too. It was like watching two kids playing the game of love but innocently. The film was very apt at putting the action and the funny stuff in their right places. The theme behind the humans in the film was a little stale but it's probably profound for kids, so it didn't bother me much. All around, the technical aspects of the story and the production were the cream of the crop. Go see it.

I give WAll-e 7 VIP passes out of 10.

Victor Penro

Hancock/starring: Will Smith, Charlize Theron, Jason Bateman

2008-07-07T10:43:00.004-05:00

I'm still doing it! I still prejudge movies by their trailers. It must be really hard to convey the feel of a movie through a trailer. Hancock had a different flow than what I expected when I saw the trailer. Also, I'm not a huge Will Smith fan. I think he can act well most of the time and he's funny, but I don't go to a Will Smith just because Will Smith is in it. But Hancock looked different, albeit not that great, but it looked like a new take on a superhero movie. So I saw it. I had nothing else to do.

The movie begins with Hancock drunk and asleep on a street bench. There's a police chase and Hancock isn't too thrilled to be awakened by a concerned kid. Hancock destroys a great amount of property on the way to the criminals' location. He stops them by impaling their truck on top of a huge spike on the roof of the Capitol Records building. The city is fed up with this destruction and his past recklessness. After a rescue, Hancock meets Ray. Ray wants to be Hancock's public relations spokesperson. After some resistance Hancock agrees. Hancock spends a little time in prison for the sake of showing his regret for messing up the city. When Hancock gets out he's different. Shortly after, the plot has a surprise. Conflict arises and isn't settled until two very important people's lives are in danger.

The first twenty minutes of the film was peppered with a little too much out dated humor. After I got used to the one liners, I started to get pulled into the story. That's the thing that Hancock had that most other superhero movies don't. Story. The mysterious origin of Hancock and his funky attitude were key things that the storytellers wanted you to be interested in. It worked. And when the answers were given they didn't disappoint. Will Smith proved he knew when he supposed to make you laugh and when he was supposed to make you think. He had a subtle technique that some actors can't attain. There weren't really humongous "boss battles" but in terms of the characters' lives and relationships the battles had more weight to them than a blockbuster superhero film. What I really liked about this movie was that the characters became my friends. I didn't want anything to happen to them. They were easy, but not too easy, to relate to and likable. That's hard to come by in any type of other genre, including drama, nowadays. After the movie was over I was still talking about it. I guess I was surprised that a gimmicky looking Will Smith movie turned out to be decent.

I give Hancock 7 VIP passes out of 10.

Victor Penro

Futurama: The Beast With A Billion Backs

2008-07-02T22:21:00.003-05:00

This installment surprised me. I didn't even know it was coming out. I was at Blockbuster and it was just there on the New Release wall. I didn't know what to expect after Bender's Big Score. So I procrastinated for two days and today I finally watched The Beast With A Billion Backs. At the beginning I could almost tell something was going to be different. Previously in the opening credits the Planet Express ship crashes into the huge TV on the skyscraper and that's it. But this time the ship went inside the TV screen like some kind of plasma portal. After that there is a treat for classic cartoon fans.

The story starts with everyone being concerned about a rip in the fabric in the universe that hangs ominously in the sky over Earth. Kiff and Amy go through a special ceremony to join their families. Bender starts stalking Calculon, the famous robot from the soap opera All My Circuits. Professor Farnsworth battles Professor Wernstrom to form a team to examine the rip in the universe. Fry has a girlfriend, but the only problem is he has to share her with four other guys. The story unfolds as unpredictably as any other Futurama episode.

This movie was funny! The team that made this feature were operating on a whole other level. The jokes were hilarious. The timing was right. The premise wasn't boring. The Beast With A Billion Backs was literally the best Futurama show that has come out that I can remember. It really makes me wish they'd hurry up and show new shows on Fox already. The weird thing about "Billion Backs" was that it was so "on". Normally Futurama doesn't make me laugh out loud as much as it did. I think the team worked hard on this one. I hope this is just a taste of what they have in store for the future.

I give Futurama: The Beast With A Billion Backs 7 VIP passes out of 10.

Victor Penro

Is Digital Safe?

2008-07-02T15:13:00.004-05:00

There is a problem. A number of digital feature films archived today won't last five to ten years. The hard drives the films are stored on can "freeze up" in as little as two years. DVD's only last fifteen years. But there is an option. The digital footage can be transferred to film and a digital master file can be made. These options are cheaper and will keep the movie watchable for many years to come.

You can read about this in The Future of Movie Making 2008/MovieMaker magazine.

Wanted/starring: James McAvoy, Morgan Freeman, Angelina Jolie

2008-06-27T19:32:00.002-05:00

The curving bullet. It just looks so cool doesn't it. The whole trailer looks like it could be the sequel we wanted to The Matrix. Angelina Jolie's in it. I don't know if that counted for much more than sex appeal, but she's the talk of the town (like I give a sh*t). I just wanted to see an action flick that wasn't so gimmicky it'd make you sick. The industry believes that most of the people that want to see action movies are visual effect junkies would could care less about plot and good acting. A small number of filmmakers occasionally get together and make competent action movies with quality across the whole board of production. Was Wanted a breath of fresh air?

I hate spoiling movies for people, so I'll give you the bare bones of the plot. There's Wesley. He hates his life and has trouble feeling any emotion for anything. Something happens that brings him into a world of pain. But the pain pays in fulfillment and excitement. Wesley becomes something he was destined to be. An assassin. It isn't easy though. He's a natural but he's still wet behind the ears. Some amazing action scenes are heavily peppered into the meat of the story and then they just pour it on in the end.

Wanted had a narration. At times this narration could be cute, but for most of the time it was overbearing and try hard. Thankfully the story started picking up quickly and it distracted me from the narration. From the start people start dying and they die nasty. Yes, the action was satisfying but the movie was missing something. The story was adequate for an action movie. I kind of guessed the plot twist about thirty minutes before it happened. What I think was missing was coolness. You could tell that this movie was supposed to be really amusing but it was supposed to look effortless. But it didn't look clean and stylish like it should have. The movie seemed like it was made by a guy that was a really good indie filmmaker that got a shot at the big leagues, but he wasn't ready for such a big project. Also, I found myself waiting for the movie to pull me all the way in. That only happened for a moment or two in the end of the picture. Wanted could have been great but it just missed the mark on style and performance. But it wasn't a total let down. Some people out there will love this film, no doubt. But if you value your time and money, you may leave the theater feeling like you left about four bucks in your seat. Not the whole ten, just four.

I give Wanted 6 VIP passes out of 10.

Victor Penro

The Incredible Hulk/starring: Edward Norton, Liv Tyler, Tim Roth, William Hurt

2008-06-26T16:44:00.003-05:00

When a movie stars Ed Norton, it usually has at least him going for it. So I thought The Incredible Hulk was going to be awesome. The Hulk looks cooler, there's an anti-Hulk, and the filmmakers know they have to do good this time around because the last Hulk movie kind of sucked. There are so many reasons why this Hulk iteration should be the shiznit.

The movie starts with Bruce Banner in hiding in Brazil. He lives a pretty low key existence and for us that means boring. Somehow General Thaddeus "Thunderbolt" Ross finds Banner and brings in the forces for his capture. The action at this skirmish is shrouded for dramatic effect. Throughout the film Banner is being chased. Blonsky (Tim Roth) is a professional soldier who is second in command to the general. Blonsky is obsessed with the Hulk. Hint hint. So the chase ends 45 minutes later and there is about fifteen minutes of action to put a cap on it. Then, the end.

Story doesn't seem that interesting huh? It wasn't. I understand and am patient when a film has to take time to build a plot. But there are ways to make the gaps in between action compelling. Just because this is a PG-13 film and the target audience is young kids, that doesn't mean you can't have a smart, stimulating story. Norton didn't really have a chance to flex his acting guns, which was sad. I want Ed to be the next big thing in Hollywood. This film is like a leech for his career. But I think he'll bounce back. Also the quality of the action fluctuated. Thank God that the last battle was adequate. I just saw this film today. I was thinking that I missed out on a good movie for these two weeks that it has been out. I guess I was duped again by cool looking trailers. Maybe I should start watching Ebert & Roeper.

I give The Incredible Hulk 5 VIP passes out of 10.

Victor Penro

Get Smart/starring: Steve Carell, Anne Hathaway, Dwayne Johnson

2008-06-22T18:13:00.000-05:00

Everyone loves Steve Carell. Why not? He's funny, witty and his timing is impeccable. I'm one of the people who prejudge films off of trailers. I didn't get a good feeling about Get Smart and I felt bad for Carell. But I saw the film anyway. The film started off very subdued. It was throwing out jokes like apologies. I got an overbearing feeling that Steve just ad libbed his way through the whole film. Don't get me wrong, he was funny, but this is a movie. If you ad lib, you've got to bring it. Anne Hathaway is halfway cute but her comedic skill just isn't there. There was also action in the movie, of course. The action was silly most of the time, it got me to chuckle, I admit. The climax action was acceptable, but not in the league of real spy film action. It all came down to whether I was impressed or not. I wasn't. I wanted to like it more for its sincerity but with the Will Farrells out there and the whole Apatow camp you've got to get the audience rolling more than a couple times.

Sorry Steve. I like the Office, but you've got to make some better movies.

I give Get Smart 6 VIP passes out of 10, barely.

Victor Penro

Viva La Vida/Coldplay

2008-06-18T20:52:00.000-05:00

It seems like a while since the last Coldplay album came out. Honestly I skip through most of the last album's songs when I'm listening to my iPod. I was expecting the same the to happen when I came across this album's songs, within a few month's residence in my iPod. But happily, I don't think that will happen. I don't have a problem with any of the songs on this album. The music is sometimes dark toned, but not heavily. But I like a little darkness in my music anyway. The songs come off natural. They have a pulse. Coldplay doesn't beg for you to pay attention, but if you do, you'll be rewarded. The lyrics on most of the songs are soulful and almost bohemian. Some may claim that Coldplay is an utter whore and too mainstream, but these guys are real artists. They just sell a lot. I think their career is a model for all up and coming musicians. And I'm happy to say this album rocks! It may be chilled out, but damn it it still hits the spot. Viva Viva La Vida!!

I give Viva La Vida 8 VIP passes out of 10

Victor Penro

Viva La Vida Review Coming Very Soon

2008-06-18T16:26:00.000-05:00

Bought Viva La Vida this afternoon. I have to listen to it a couple times before I write my opinion. Stay tuned.

The Happening/starring: Mark Wahlberg, Zooey Deschanel, John Leguizamo

2008-06-15T23:13:00.000-05:00

The previews for The Happening were very provocative. It was one of the must see films of the summer. And I bet most people guessed that M. Night Shyamalan was back. I don't follow the business side of film that well, but it is safe to say that this film was pivotal in Shyamalan's career.

From the start of the film the mysterious "happening" is shown. People start dying in very peculiar ways. Mark Wahlberg is a high school science teacher. Not a role you'd expect him to play, but he's adequate. John Leguizamo, Julian, is a math teacher and a good friend to Wahlberg's character, Elliot Moore. The school is closed due to the mysterious deaths and Julian, his daughter Jess, Elliot and Alma, Elliot's wife, leave the city on a train. Unfortunately the train has to stop in a small town because of loss of contact between train crew and train control personnel. Throughout these events the weird deaths are shown periodically. This film has some of the most disturbing footage of a Shyamalan film to date. The group find themselves running from this "attack" and find there are less and less places to hide. Most of the rest of the film is focused on escape from the terrifying threat.

The concept of this film is so richly creative. It is like going into the mind of a genius. There was horror, comedy, action and of course drama, all beautifully blended together. The actual shots, footage and special effects all were obviously executed by skilled artists. The story was magnetic and thought inducing. Everything was good up until the end of the climax. After the climax, the film fizzled out colossally. Some guy behind me, four rows back yelled, "Weak!" Even though this was very disrespectful, he had a point. Because of the ending, the whole film had almost no residual effect on me. The only thing that stuck, was the implications of such an event actually happening.

The Happening would make a great rental. I feel for M. Night Shyamalan. I still believe he is a great filmmaker and I will probably see all of his subsequent movies. But The Happening was short of the mark.

I give The Happening 6 VIP passes out of 10.

Victor Penro

The Recurrence of the Score 7

2008-06-12T11:33:00.000-05:00

I know, I know. I have noticed that I give out a lot of 7's.

Truthfully, I do have a theory on those scores. I think I gave so many 7's out because that's the level of skill most of the production teams out there have. They can make competent music or movies or whatever else I review. The learning curve out there is really starting to reflect the talent of the last generation and the newcomers' too. I admit that I'm not one of those critics that has to be pleased on a checklist of nuances of filmmaking or whatever-making. But I don't just give out high scores.

So there might be a lot of 7's, but that's for you to decide whether you want to partake in the average or wait for an 8...or higher.

Victor Penro

Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull/starring: Harrison Ford and Shia LaBeouf

2008-06-01T14:17:00.000-05:00

It has been a while since I've seen any of the Indiana Jones movies. I came into Crystal Skull with no expectations, other than a solid film from Lucas and Spielberg. I guess other people's expectations were higher.

Spielberg eases the viewer into the movie with grace and throwback scenery. Then the cool guy, Harrison Ford, shows that he still has his knack for giving the bad guys lip. He starts out in trouble and we meet the villains quickly. Trouble seems to follow after Jones gets out of the initial squabble. By the way there was a lack of follow up, later on in the movie concerning his problems with the government. However, the story was paced so that there wasn't much time to get bored, until three fourths of the way into the movie. The feeling of the film at that point felt as if the story teller were tying up loose ends, but your investment in the story makes the tedium tolerable. As for Shia LaBeouf... he seemed status quo, to be blunt. To be fair though, this was a Harrison Ford film and Shia did what he could with the time he was given onscreen.

The tally is that this was a fun movie. If you get over the nostalgia of past "Jones" films and bitterness at George Lucas for soiling Star Wars, you can enjoy this movie without much regret for the ten dollars and fifty cents.

I give Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull 7 VIP passes out of 10.

Victor Penro

Speed Racer/starring: Emile Hirsch, John Goodman, Susan Saradon, Paulie Litt

2008-05-10T09:18:00.001-05:00

I know there are others out there that thought, "These guys made The Matrix. I have to see their new movie". With such a cool IP as Speed Racer and the Wachowski brothers' imaginations this had to be a hit...right? This movie looked like it could be the next big thing. We'll see.

After the trailers were done and Speed Racer started, what was on the screen became very stylized. Which isn't always bad. But it took a little time to get used to the bright and flamboyant backgrounds. Speed is introduced and his back story is told in tandem with his present situation. It involves you on an emotional level. But after a while the story just gets a little boring and not amusing. When they were talking I just wanted to see more racing. The racing in this film is entertaining, but to the directors' credit, any more of it wouldn't have made the film better. As a matter of fact it wasn't just the racing that was more entertaining. It was the emotion behind it. But still, the emotion couldn't save me from wanting the story to progress better.

The film just seemed too long. I don't know how the young audience will handle all that screen time. Towards the end, there was first one long race and then the next and very last race was medium length. Watching those two races back to back seemed very repetitive. It is hard to explain what is missing from this movie. I guess you can say it wasn't cool enough. The complex pieces didn't fit perfectly together this time.

All in all, Speed Racer was a decent movie, but I expected better from the brothers Wachowski. This film is independent of any pressure to be compared to The Matrix from me by the way. Speed Racer comes in third on its own four wheels.

I give Speed Racer 6 VIP passes out of 10.

Victor Penro

Iron Man/starring: Robert Downey Jr., Terrence Howard, Jeff Bridges, Gwyneth Paltrow

2008-05-03T11:50:00.001-05:00

For a majority of guys, this release for Iron Man in the theaters was a must see. First of all Iron Man just looks cool. He always has. Plus he can out-fly jets! I had to see this movie, no matter how bad I thought it was going to be. I had low expectations from the outcome of other Marvel movies, Hulk, the last two Spiderman's, The Punisher. I thought Iron Man was just going to be one of those movies that can make a great trailer but stink as an actual movie.

Iron Man surprised me. The movie built Tony Stark into this kind of American Rock Star genius. Plus there was a good comedic rhythm between the actors in the beginning. Then the film got a little more serious and it took on that role well also. The story kept building and building. It was a story that the other Marvel movies didn't get. It was cool, genuinely funny and nice to look at. All at the same time. I respected Tony Stark. And any guy probably wishes they could be him. There was a limit on pure action but there wasn't a lack of it. Iron Man was put together well by director Jon Favreau. I thank the whole team for making a good super-hero movie.

If it isn't clear, I recommend that you go see this movie. It is worth the $10.50. And stay after the credits.

I give Iron Man 8 VIP passes out of 10.

Victor Penro

Appleseed Ex Machina

2008-04-09T21:35:00.000-05:00

Appleseed Ex Machina is one of the biggest anime releases of the year. I've only known of the Appleseed series peripherally but the trailer for this film was amazing and I had to give it a try.

Appleseed Ex Machina was produced by John Woo, one of the good things this film had going for itself. The gun fights seem to be styled after some of Woo's other works. The gun fights are a big part of this movie, along with the overall action of the film. The action was mostly fresh and creative. The motion capture team should be honored for a job well done.

However the action is enhanced many times over by the beautiful CG work. The film is simply breathtaking. The phrase eye candy doesn't grasp the artistry of this film, it's more like eye orgy. The landscapes are so detailed and so well designed. The characters look cool and expressive. The mechs are hip. Everything visually was so pleasing to view that I felt shallow for focusing so hard on look of Ex Machina.

The story was the weak point. It was the only weak point of the film. The events unfolded predictably. Reactions of the characters were cliche. Sadly, the bad guy bored me with his philosophy on humanity. If the story was as fresh as the visual wizardry, then this film would be the Matrix (the first one, of course) of anime films.

I value story above all else when it comes to films. That being said I still recommend seeing Appleseed Ex Machina. The story isn't so horrible that you'll turn off the DVD player mid-movie. Plus the film is beautiful enough to enjoy just on its looks alone. I hope that doesn't mean I'm shallow.

I give Appleseed Ex Machina 7 VIP passes out of 10

Victor Penro

Juno/starring: Ellen Page, Michael Cera, Jason Bateman, Jennifer Garner

2008-03-17T17:51:00.000-05:00

Juno has been out for a while now and it has picked up its Oscars. I guess when the opportunity came to see it I had to at least see why it had all its buzz.

Juno is a story about a sixteen year old girl that gets pregnant. The story focuses mainly on the old and new relationships of Juno's life.

The story unfolds in a way that is mostly lighthearted, causing laughs and snickers. Unlike most consciously non mainstream films, Juno was more than just an indie or college rock soundtrack with middle class characters swimming in angst and awkwardness. Juno does incorporate these things but in a less formulaic way.

The story gave standard enjoyment, but what made this film resonate with me was Ellen Page's performance. She was funny, witty, believable, and interesting. Her performance had a certain wisdom to it.

The film as a whole was a worthwhile experience. However strictly as a film it was only moderately above average. I think what people like most about it is its originality and its magnetism for a class to identify with.

I give Juno 7 VIP passes out of 10.

Victor Penro

It Is Time For A Love Revolution/Lenny Kravitz

2008-02-05T17:30:00.000-06:00

This is my first time owning any piece of Lenny Kravitz's music. In the past for the most part I was never impressed. But I saw that he came out with a CD today and I haven't had any new music for a while so I bought it. It was hard to part with the money. It was a big leap on my part because I usually listen to a harder brand of rock.

So I played the first song on my iTunes player, Love Revolution. The song had the usual clean, somewhat funky beat you'd expect from a Lenny Kravitz song. Love Revolution isn't a breakout hit, but it didn't bore me like I expected his songs too.

So I let the album play on. When I got five songs in the album, during the song Love, Love, Love, I thought, "Hey, I kinda like this album." And I sustained that feeling of satisfaction all the way to Uncharted Terrain, the last song.

This album has new school percision with a old school funk work ethic. Some people cringe away from uplifting and positive music. I usually like a chilled out electronic beat or thrashing guitar strums. But this album has a zen balance to it. It just works and it works easily.

For the record, I've only listened to the album once all the way through. But I don't see myself getting annoyed with the songs if I come across them on my playlist moderately.

The two best songs on the album are: This Moment Is All There Is and Uncharted Terrain.

This Moment Is All There Is, has a well paced rhythm and music that is pleasing for a person with a judgemental ear. On the track Lenny imparts sound wisdom and gentle motivation, like a big brother.

Uncharted Terrain, has a reggae feel to it. The story he tells with the music has a good message for those trying to stay on the right path.

Those two songs capture the potential of the whole CD and present a deeper side of Lenny Kravitz that doesn't get much attention from the radio and videos. Uncharted Terrain and This Moment Is All There Is aren't similar to the majority of songs on It Is Time For A Love Revolution but the majority of songs are still fun to listen to and worth the money.

I am pleasantly surprised.

I give It Is Time For A Love Revolution 7 VIP passes out of 10.

Victor Penro

Futurama: Bender's Big Score

2008-01-25T19:36:00.000-06:00

They're back! And I'm happy. Futurama has always been one of my favorite animated comedies. The parodies, the period humor, the characters, the colorful art...I can go on. I'm sure a lot of old Futurama fans thought picking up Bender's Big Score was a no brainer.

I'm sorry to say that the creators seem to be a little rusty. If this DVD was a regular episode I would say it would be in the top five best episodes, but Bender's Big Score is a full length animated film. It's gotta do better than that. Indeed I laughed. Some jokes were hilarious. But I wanted to have my socks knocked off and they weren't. I liked the story more than the comedy. The story baited me into the next five minute block and the next, even though I knew what the big surprise was before it was revealed.

Futurama in general was never as funny as an "on" episode of Family Guy but the tales were mostly well done and this DVD is no exception.

I just want to laugh. We all love to laugh.

Well you can rent a few laughs at Blockbuster. It'll only cost you four and half bucks. Bender's Big Score is worth that at least.

I give Futurama: Bender's Big Score 6 VIP passes out of 10.

Victor Penro

Rambo/Starring: Sylvester Stallone

2008-01-25T19:00:00.000-06:00

I chose to see Rambo purely out of nostalgia. I used to play Rambo with my friends and cousins when I was younger. I remember not liking the Rambo/First blood movies as a whole. I just liked seeing him with that big ass knife. But I guess I went into this movie with the right attitude, which has nothing to do with how good the movie is, "show me what you got".

Rambo takes place in Thailand and Burma. John Rambo is a boat driver that makes money by finding cobras and other snakes for a snake show by the river. One day Christian missionaries ask Rambo to take them into warn torn Burma so they can give aid to a village. That's basically the story. Not too impressive right.

The sub-standard acting throughout the movie was slightly annoying. I was starting to feel validated about my low expectations. But then the action started. The raw-style action saved this film. Rambo and his team of rag tag mercs cause high damage in their mission. But it isn't ever easy for them. Both sides deal out graphic kills with steel blades, pistols, bows, high powered sniper rifles, missile launchers and turret guns.

The movie is eye candy for action/war fans. Yeah, Sly is getting old but the guy still has ample kick left in him. And also to his credit he was the best actor in the film. He still makes a better Rocky but Rambo is his cool dark side. At an hour and a half, I think this movie's length was just right. The action and the acting could be labeled over the top if it went on too much longer.

I recommend seeing it before it goes to DVD.

I give Rambo 7 VIP passes out of 10.

Victor Penro

Correction

2008-01-23T19:36:00.000-06:00

Instead of reviewing Untraceable I will be reviewing Rambo. Although you shouldn't be surprised if I review both.

The Next Two Reviews

2008-01-22T13:18:00.000-06:00

The Next Two Reviews will be:

Futurama: Bender's Big Score and Untraceable.

Both will be posted by Friday January 25th.

Victor Penro

Paprika

2008-01-21T12:30:00.000-06:00

This anime feature film was below my radar. It just came in on Blockbuster's shelves but Paprika was released on DVD in the US in November. Anyhow, I want to review it to put some anime on my blog.

Since this isn't a major film, I think it's okay to give you the gist of the story:

A psychiatric research organization has been testing a machine called the DC mini. The DC mini is a machine that one attaches to their head, they are monitored mostly by someone else wearing one, and it transfers the dream of the subject to the other person wearing the mini. There were three of these machines that were built by a very obese genius. But the three DC mini's were stolen and someone has become a dangerous "dream terrorist". But the problem is these terrorist acts are causing deaths in the real world. It is up to a team of three from the psychiatric research organization and a bubbly girl called Paprika to save the world from this unknown terrorist.

I wasn't too interested to see the movie by what I read about it. Everyone was talking about the wonderful art and not the story. The art is great by the way. And the story is interesting. But the film had a "dragging on" sensation. (It could of been the subtitles) I just wasn't terribly interested in what was going to happen next. There's a detective in the film that had a provocative storyline to follow but he was the fall back guy in the story. The story also got a little ambiguous. Sometimes it was hard to tell what was a dream and what wasn't. I understand that was the aim but I like to know where the story is in a film and it was hard to tell when dead characters kept coming back to life and dying again.

What Paprika lacked in its attention grabbing ability it mostly redeemed in creativity. The ideas that this film throws out to the viewer are rarely seen in more popular media. I wish more creators would go "out there" just for the sake of keeping things fresh. Paprika's story had a dream-like quality to it and I think that was one of the main goals for the film. But I think the makers of this film could have done even better with the vastness of the subject of dreams, so...

I give Paprika 7 VIP passes out of 10

Victor Penro

Family Guy Presents Blue Harvest

2008-01-19T10:37:00.000-06:00

As I said before, I'm easy on comedies. Plus I'm a big fan of Family Guy. So I had no trouble purchasing Blue Harvest.

Blue Harvest is a Family Guy spoof on Star Wars Episode IV. The characters of Family Guy are cast as the classic Star Wars characters. Peter is Han Solo. Stewie is Darth Vader. Lois is Princess Leia. Chris is Luke Skywalker. There are many other funny casting choices. Quagmire makes for a cool C3P0.

I was surprised when I saw the first scene of the spoof. The actual ships that are in Star Wars were drawn in faithfully into the cartoon. Another thing I noticed off the bat was that the story was following the timeline of Episode IV rather closely too. I appreciated these things because I'm somewhat of a Star Wars geek. If you love Star Wars you have to get this DVD. You'll laugh just because the gist of your old favorite is there but silly cartoons are in the place of your usual heroes.

The funny? Well the funny seems to sort of taken a back seat to the faithfulness of the spoof. I don't know if it had something to do with the writer's strike but this DVD didn't make me laugh as much as a usual Family Guy show would. And there were opportunities where big jokes could have killed but it seemed like whoever wrote this special episode wasn't paying attention. I did laugh hard a few times but for most of the film I was just smiling at the film nostalgically.

I would value this film mostly as a treat for Star Wars fans than for Family Guy fans. Which means it was funny but it's mostly cool just because it was based on Star Wars. It may have the potential to grow on you. I've only seen it once so I may like it more later. But here is my first impression.

I give Family Guy Presents Blue Harvest 6 VIP passes out of 10.

Victor Penro

Cloverfield/Starring: Michael Stahl-David, Odette Yustman, T.J. Miller, Jessica Lewis and Lizzy Caplan

2008-01-18T01:55:00.000-06:00

Ever saw a movie and even about an hour after it's over you feel like it's still going on around you. That's how it'll feel after you see Cloverfield.

Its been a while since I've seen The Blair Witch Project. I suppose you can compare Cloverfield to The Blair Witch Project but I have a feeling that the satisfaction rate for Cloverfield will be much higher.

The film basically starts off letting you adjust to the fact that the entire film is shot with a handheld camera. We also are quickly acquainted with the main characters. The story shapes up at the party that they show on the trailers and commercials. I try my best not to give away any plot for all the movies I review but during that party all hell breaks loose.

From the party's end to the end of the movie the viewer is on a ride. You will be glued to your seat.

There is constant entertainment in the film. If there isn't a lot of action, then Hud (the guy holding the camera through most of the movie) will crack you up with his innocent observations and his unrelenting attempts to pick up Marlena. The actors are authentic. The film seems like real amateur footage of an amazingly chaotic event.

Every film is a gamble these days. And I can safely bet that the makers of this film were a little nervous that the style they shot this film in may not be accepted. But I enjoyed the film and so did most of the people in theater from their response. I guess the awesome special effects and lifelike destruction had something to do with that but it's safe to say that this will be one of the hits of the year.

People, you have to see this in the theatres.

I give Cloverfield 8 VIP passes out of 10

Victor Penro

First Sunday/Starring: Ice Cube, Tracy Morgan, Katt Williams

2008-01-15T21:59:00.000-06:00

Lets be honest, we all are hoping for Ice Cube to come out with a comedy that was as good as Friday. When you look at the comedic talent in the starring roles for First Sunday, the dream of a "new Friday" seems to have been answered.

Wrong.

But I was almost fooled. The beginning of the film started off genuinely funny. Tracy Morgan, known in the movie as LeeJohn, was hilarious. I haven't seen him that "on" even when he's cutting up on 30 Rock. The story was heading in a nice direction too. Durell (Ice Cube) and LeeJohn needed money. So they set their eyes on a church and its hard earned funds. This sounds like it could be a funny scenario right? Wrong again. The funnies dried up considerably about halfway and on through the rest of the movie. If it wasn't for the smart alleck Katt Williams, there would be even less laughs. The film could've still been funny but the plot was simply inadequate. It got boring. There was a clear moral message to the story being plugged in the dialouge when ever it could. Even that message was unoriginal and poorly implemented.

I hoped I would like this movie. I'm easy on comedies too. I was mocked for liking The Brothers Solomon.

I give First Sunday 5 out of 10 VIP passes

Victor Penro

No Country For Old Men/Starring: Josh Brolin, Tommy Lee Jones, Javier Bardem and Woody Harrelson

2008-01-15T12:20:00.001-06:00

I know this review is late but I couldn't resist putting in my own two cents about the movie. No Country For Old Men has still got a lot of buzz around it. After seeing the film I can see why.

A crime film from the Coen brothers is expected to be a movie that will have the audience talking when the credits roll. At the end of No Country For Old Men, the group I was with didn't say a word until we were out of the theater.

The first thing you notice about the movie is the lack of a score. The most common sounds in the film besides talk is bootheels clicking on the floor and pavement. A fellow movie goer complained that it made the film seem sparse, which in turn made it feel like a three hour movie. I understand this point of view but I moderately appreciated the silent score. The lack of music left the actions of the characters up to interpretation.

Josh Brolin as Llewelyn Moss and especially Javier Bardem as Anton Chigurh (sounds like sugar) were excellent characters to interpret. Tommy Lee Jones as Sherriff Bell got to flex his huge acting biceps as well. Josh Brolin is the first character we meet and right from the start you know he's a good ol Texas boy. It doesn't even seem like he's acting. Something happens and then that crazy guy with the silencer on a shotgun, Bardem, is in the picture looking for Brolin. Bardem must have studied mental illness patients because his portrayal as a psychopath was all too real.

For most of the move Bardem is chasing Brolin. On the way to the climax bodies are dropped. Bodies are dropped hard. By the way the photography was the best I've seen all year.

Around the climax is where I see problems for the viewers. I was surprised at the direction the Coen Brothers took around this area in the film. I was minorly disappointed to be honest. I guess the writers and the directors know what's best for the story. So after the surprise in the climax, the movie goes on. It takes on a eerie feel. It almost seems to become real. That's why I still like this movie more than I think I should.

The way I see it is, if you have the Coen brothers, great actors and a gripping scenario you'll get a good movie. And it is a good movie. It's what you'd call a film experience.

No Country For Old Men is probably still out in some theaters and will probably on DVD soon enough. It's not the greatest film but it's a "real" film.

I give No Country For Old Men 7 out of 10 VIP Passes.

Victor Penro

Make Sure They See My Face/Kenna

2008-01-14T15:16:00.000-06:00

The Pharrell beat junkies out there are probably getting more than they expected from this upcoming artist. Kenna has been out there for a while now but he’s not yet a superstar. Superstars usually fit well into the molds we have for them. Kenna broke his mold when he got into the business. I think this album could possibly be the start of something huge.
Being a Star Trek artist, good production values are expected. “Make Sure They See My Face” doesn’t break that trend. All of the tracks are crisp and as to the point as a well paced film.
The album’s first track, Daylight, starts with synth waves you might hear on a self hypnosis CD, that’s a good thing. Then the beat kicks in at a lively pace and you want to tap a finger or foot to it. The vocals then take charge and you find yourself thankful that you’ve paid for the album.
From the first song until the seventh the album seems to keep churning out jams that you swear you’ve heard before and are happy to hear again. But don’t be fooled, there is no one out like Kenna. The two Pharrell tracks that happen to come in a row pack a nice punch. Kenna and Pharrell seem to get each other’s style and they use both of their strong attributes and leave out the fat.
The majority of the second half of the album is way above average in competence but there’s no mistaking that the best has already came.
On the whole “Make Sure They See My Face” is a surprisingly fun album with high replay value. If you like genre mixing and acceptable vocals give this album a try. If you can’t comprehend music that isn’t in a certain mold then take caution. But still the two Pharrell tracks are hot!!

Eight out of Ten VIP passes.
Victor Penro