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The Rise of the Guardians, A Movie and DVD review

A few ideas have been tossed out from the book version to make Rise of the Guardians work, and it shows.

Rise of the Guardians DVD Case The Rise of the Guardians (RotG) is an interesting legends to lore tale that turns characters like Santa Claus or the Easter Bunny to superheroes. It’s not like Marvel Comic’s Avengers, but rather a stripped down version of X-Men. The CGI and cinematography are wonderful to behold, especially in high definition, but the story is all too familiar. It’s like watching a re-imagining of Peter Pan.

Jack Frost replaces the titular character of Pan, and Pitch Black aka the Boogeyman (or Nightmare King) is Hook. They have a relationship which can get forged if the two decide to mutually work together. While one story deals with eternal youth and all the irresponsibilities it can represent, the other looks at accepting the consequences of age and developing wisdom. These themes are loosely explored in RotG but the emphasis is on Frost and how well he can work in a team environment.

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Monsters vs Aliens, A Movie Review

As an action/comedy, all the elements required to make Monsters vs Aliens hilarious is here. But young children will not necessarily get all the jokes.

Watch out Shrek! Dreamworks’ Monsters vs Aliens is more than just another franchise in the making. It has now arrived on the boob tube and where the movie fits in is with a blu-ray/dvd video release that delivers a bunch of extra content. The upgrade to the higher-resolution format is worthwhile, and the 3D version on the smaller screen is just as good as the big-screen presentation. And in a combo set, the DVD has extras likes deleted scenes whereas the Blu-ray has an animated extra, B.O.B.’s Big Break in 3D.

While this film does not compare to PIXAR’s movies for depth or meaning, it does keep up with recent 3D trends. The animated short, Monsters vs. Aliens: Night of the Living Carrots became available first on the Nintendo 3DS first, and, of course in 3D, natch! The visuals in both products are very eye popping, and the visual experience is more enjoyable than grating. And the movie experience is a wonderful tribute to the B-movies of yesteryear with a dash of dyslexia mixed in. That is, sci-fi connoisseurs will find plenty of pop culture references of even some current films of the past century to snicker at, but as for Godzilla—he’s a fluffy bug!

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The Great Ghost Rescue, A Movie Review

Despite the hiccups that The Great Ghost Rescue has for pace, this product can be an enjoyable light-hearted Halloween treat for the entire family.

Humphrey was once an ordinary boy with an ordinary life. Well, that is, until he died—quite by accident, really. But just do not tell his best friend, Barnabas, that. His death literally sets in motion The Great Ghost Rescue, a tongue-in-cheek horror comedy from the UK about dislocated spirits looking for a new home.

This movie made a quiet release on this side of the pond with very little fanfare during a Halloween season. Also, this film is by no means a faithful adaptation of Eva Ibbotson’s original novel of the same name, published 1975. And the message it makes about how one particular family can stay strong during a moment of crisis cannot go unnoticed.

While children may not get all of the jokes, older audiences can easily chuckle at the hilarious sight gags and crazy societal dysfunction going on. This production is a blend of the humour from Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy and the grisly silliness from The Addams Family. Even though the laughs are cheap and the acting over the top, this film can be enjoyed when everyone is sharing that same sugar rush after trick or treating.

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Looking Deeper into Marvel Comics’ Avengers Movie & Guessing at What’s Next

Marvel Studio’s magnum opus The Avengers kicked off the 2012 season of summer blockbusters and with Robert Downey Jr. confirmed to play Stark in Avengers 2 for 2015, this universe will no doubt be sizzling

The Avengers Movie Poster

Marvel Studio’s magnum opus The Avengers kicked off the 2012 season of summer blockbusters and with Robert Downey Jr. confirmed to play Stark in Avengers 2 for 2015, this universe will no doubt be sizzling. Answers have to be made to address what Iron Man has witnessed after entering that worm hole. With more comic book films like Thor: The Dark World to come, the stories being introduced will no doubt concentrate on each individual hero and maybe tease at how each film will tie in to the next movie. The focus may move away from the mysterious cube that was introduced in this first film, but for fans in general, they will be asking the question of for what reason will the Avengers reassemble in the sequel coming up?

Like every other first movie in Marvel’s long line of theatrical releases, the first film develops the origins first, camaraderie second and the high octane fights last. In the case of this film, it is to resolve the story thread that started in Iron Man 2, where Howard Stark has in his notes a sketch of a hypercube, called the Tesseract, which is said to hold unlimited power. Just what’s next will have to be in locating Loki’s sceptor, said to hold another mysterious power just as equal to the hypercube.

Director and writer Joss Whedon is tasked to develop this plot. Instead of always focusing in about who has this magic cube now, this producer has to now showing how the team of Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson), Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner), Iron Man (Robert Downey, Jr.), Captain America (Chris Evans) and the Hulk (Mark Ruffalo) gets along. As the first film concluded, Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) revealed that not all of them are all that really interested in working as a team.

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Pacific Rim Delivers Plenty of Scale and Memories

Plenty of heavy metal thunder can be found in Guillermo del Toro’s Pacific Rim. Once the action happens, this film’s many battle sequences are fast and furious.

Pacific Rim Poster

Plenty of heavy metal thunder can be found in Guillermo del Toro’s Pacific Rim. Once the action happens, this film’s many battle sequences are fast and furious, and that’s how real fights should be wrought. Anything drawn out makes those moments slow. Audiences must be tired of Matrix-style “hang-time” effects by now and this film is anything but. Plenty of striking visuals can be seen in this movie that is very different from del Toro’s previous products.

Even the 3D finally offers some punch. Out of all the movies that have been converted to 3D in post, this film is the best of them all. Not one moment feels flat.

Although there is plenty of familiarity to this product, fans of giant monster movies and anime will no doubt love this film. The pacing could have been better and the camaraderie further developed, but that would shift the focus. This movie is layered to introduce smaller conflicts for the hero, and to have more explanation happen would make this film run longer. In a tale that is like the classic anime of the previous century, the hero is introduced to a precarious situation, has to lose something (or someone) dear to him, and that drives him for the remainder of the series. If there are plans for another movie, the threat will have to come from the stars next. Del Toro may well finally get to make a Cthulhu inspired movie after all!

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Tron Legacy. The Franchise and The Future in Jeopardy

TRON Legacy expands the original’s digital mythos, exploring the dangers of perfectionism, the consequences of creation, and the search for meaning within a machine-made world. Beneath its dazzling neon visuals lies a story about legacy, responsibility, and the human spirit coded into every program.

Tron Legacy new IMAX Poster The most enduring gift TRON gave pop culture is its glowing, neon aesthetic. Its CGI style still looks sleek today, and back then, who didn’t want to toss a glow-in-the-dark Frisbee? TRON Legacy takes that iconic look and pushes it even further.

Original creator Steven Lisberger tapped into the same space-fantasy energy that fueled a Star Wars generation. Swap out lightsabers for identity discs, and you’ve got familiar thrills. This sequel puts the spotlight on Sam Flynn (Garrett Hedlund) and his long-lost father, Kevin (Jeff Bridges). When a mysterious page appears on Alan Bradley’s (Bruce Boxleitner) phone, Sam is pulled into the Grid—and straight into his father’s unfinished business.

Inside the digital world, both Flynns wrestle with pride and the fallout of trying to play God. Kevin set out to build a perfect system, only to unleash chaos—a Pandora’s box of his own making. His creation isn’t just rebelling; it craves recognition.

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