Alice in Wonderland

First and foremost I would like to explain the lack of posting in the last month. I will be starting college in May, so getting that going has been interesting. Also my birthday was the 19^th of April and that derailed me a bit. Secondly I am not sure how much I will be able to post after college starts but I will try my best to be timely on them.

            Long overdue are my thoughts on Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland. Tim Burton is known for his neo-gothic, imaginative art style. Burton’s resume includes well known films such as Beetlejuice, Edward Scissorhands, Batman, The Nightmare Before Christmas, and Sleepy Hollow to name a few. This version of Alice is penned by Linda Woolverton. Woolverton may be known from her past works with Disney that includes Beauty and the Beast and co-writing The Lion King.

            The Film’s Cinematography is rather good, and the visuals are truly stunning. With the majority of the films landscapes being made with CGI it could have easily looked fake or even sub-par. The film is available in 3D, yet it is the horrible post conversion 3D, but that deserves its own post at a later day.  The directing is also not bad considering the story he was given to work with.

The Story is really the weak spot here. It is at times nonexistent, and the rest of the time it is boring. The story is so simplistic that it would be an insult to a child’s intelligence. Most if not all of the feel and heart of Lewis Carroll’s original story is absent. The script almost seems to be spit out of an automatic script generator on a website.

With such a lack of source to read from the acting is unsurprisingly terrible as well. The only bright spot is Helena Bonham Carter, who steals the show with her portrayal of The Red Queen. All other seem to walk through the film or worse just miss completely. One miss is that of Johnny Depp. With Depp being a proven actor it is sad to see him so off mark.

Depp’s problems start off with the script having him become the main character after he is introduced halfway through. This is Alice in Wonderland, not Mad Hatter in Wonderland. Also the character is over blown just so he will stand out. From make-up to costume, he screams “we tried too hard, look at me” Next is the voice Depp chose to use. It was constantly changing from Scottish highlander, to Sweeny Todd, to a strange mix of the two.

Sadly some actor’s parts were “Throw away” and others could have been played by a random street walker. Such are the parts of Alice and The White Queen. I feel sorry for Mia Wasikowska because she has talent but was given a second hand script to work with. Too bad this had to be her big break. The White Queen is played by Anne Hathaway. Why she even took the part is beyond me. The character could have been taken out of the story and it would still feel the same.

This movie is worth seeing if you have the money and are a fan of Burtons, but do not watch it in 3D. Save your money on the standard version if you can. Alice in Wonderland has completely stunning visuals but not much else. I recommend waiting to rent this or even wait for TV.

New Layout.

Trying a new layout may change a bit more in the up coming days.

Album Review: Zero Day

Treat time my friends. While I mostly stick to my movie and TV show guns, I am also a true music lover. I listen to a bit of every genre and love new music. After watching the documentary Nerdcore Rising, I was turned on to the nerdcore rapper MC Frontalot. I highly recommend you watch Nerdcore Rising. It is truly a great look behind the scenes of an indie band, and an even better look at the immensely nerdy world of MC Frontalot.

Being a fan for close to a year now, I was happy to hear a new album was in the works. Zero Day is set to release April 6^th, and for those who preorder it can also download it immediately at http://frontalot.com/index.php/?page=cd . With my copy soon to be in the mail and my digital download firmly on my hard drive, I am here to offer my take on Front’s newest work.

Zero Day is more solid of an album than any of Frontalot’s past work. Being a fan of rap or not, you are bound to enjoy this CD. Stand out tracks such as Jacquelyn Hyde, First World Problem, Spoiler Alert, and Better at Rapping really show Frontalot’s skill. Not only has his rapping improved greatly, but also his lyrical ability has show improvement. Also on Zero Day are a couple of LOL-worthy skits, notably one with John Hodgman of Apple commercial fame. These are seriously funny skits even after many plays.

Zero Day has its fair share of guests in and out of the nerdcore community as well. Nerdcore mainstays such as Schaffer the Darklord, YTCracker, and Beefy show up and make an impact. Also non nerdcore guests Ken Flagg, Sara Benincasa, Jane Silence, and Molly Hager add unique touches to the album.

MC Frontalot has made an amazingly enjoyable album with major playback and not a single must skip track. This is Frontalot at his best and this sets the bar for all nerdcore. I look forward to April 6^th and I highly recommend buying the CD as soon as possible. If Nerdy is cool (and it is) that easily makes MC Frontalot the Nerdbassador to the non-nerd world.

Post Oscars

The Oscars are done and the results are in. It is now time to recap and see how I did. I will only be talking about the ones that I got wrong. Over all, out of my predictions I was twelve for twenty. With the ones that were guesses and the ones that were my favorites out of the way, there were a few surprises.

Best Costume Design – They say never to vote against a period piece for a reason my friends.

Best Documentary – Well this one was a guess out of left field. Out of this list I had only saw one of the nominees.

Best Film Editing – Hurt locker won this and while I wanted District 9 to win, I would have not picked Hurt locker over Avatar.

Music (Original Score) – Up won this and I can’t argue really. It was a toss up at best.

Sound Editing – Hurt locker won again. Oscar politics at play for most of these toss ups.

Sound Mixing - Hurt lock in another toss up.

Adapted screen play –Precious won this and I disagree 100%. Up in the air was a much better screen play. This was a shocker to me.

Original Screenplay – Hurt lock won to my surprise. This one I disagree with completely as well. Quentin Tarantino’s Inglorious Basterds not winning this was a major disservice to Tarantino. This one left a bad taste in my mouth. A war movie about a bomb squad member who deals with his life in Iraq verses a war movie that rewrites history with Jewish soldiers killing Nazis, including Hitler himself. Which sounds more original to you?

Well there you go. With a 60% I am feeling good, yet look to next year’s show to try and bump up my numbers.

Also I have gotten my first request for a review. I will be sure to get to that after my next review, which is going to be Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland. If any of my readers have suggestion for me you can drop be a line on my facebook page (http://bit.ly/9vVPCt), follow me @BlindReviewer on Twitter, or email me at theblindreviewer@gmail.com.

Oscar Predictions

With Oscar time right around the corner, thousands prepare ballots in their work places. I have made my picks and it could give you a head up when picking on your ballot.

Performance by an actor in a leading role – Jeff bridges should win easily for his role in crazy heart.

Performance by and actor in a supporting role – Christoph Waltz is the frontrunner for his role in Inglourious Basterds.

Performance by and actress in a leading role – Sandra Bullock is the strong leader here for her role in The Blind Side.

Performance by an actress in a supporting role – No doubt that this one will be won by Mo’Nique for her role in Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’.

Best animates feature film of the year – Even though the race is tight look for Up to come out on top.

Achievement in art direction – Although all are possible winners expect Avatar to win based on scope alone.

Achievement in cinematography - Once again expect Avatar to win with Inglourious Basterds being a close

second.

Achievement in costume design – This one is up for grabs, but my money is on The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus.

Achievement in directing – This one is a tough one. I am betting on Kathryn Bigelow’s Hurt Locker to make history by naming her the first female director to win in this category.

Best documentary feature – Having not seen all of the nominees I have to give a partial guess, but I have faith in Food, Inc.

Achievement in film editing – I am making a risky bet with District 9. I think it will win at least one, and this one is it.

Achievement in Makeup – With a slim field for this category, Star Trek will win hands down.

Achievement in music written for motion pictures (original score) – Look for Fantastic Mr. Fox to have this Oscar in a loaded category.

Achievement in music written for motion pictures (original song) – The Weary Kind (Theme from Crazy Heart) will win this without fail.

Best motion picture of the year - Hurt Locker all the way. Even though I do not think it should win, look for Kathryn Bigelow to win this close one.

Achievement in sound editing – Another toss-up vote. I am going with the easy Avatar vote.

Achievement in sound mixing – Toss-up category again, Avatar for the guess on this one.

Achievement in visual effects – Avatar has this one in the bag, solid vote.

Adapted screenplay – Even though I would love for District 9 to win look for Up in the Air to win.

Original Screenplay - No film in this category was more original that Inglorious Basterds, bet on it to win here.

There they are. Hope this gives you a slight edge when you pick yours. Look to after the Oscars for my thoughts and to say “I told you so” on my winners.

Daybreakers

Vampire movies are a dime a dozen. With the sudden flood of vampire interest how can a new property make an impact? Daybreakers gambles with something a bit different with the genre. Can Daybreakers sink its teeth into the movie going public or does it come off dry.

Daybreakers is a vampire thriller written and directed by Michael and Peter Spierig. The Australian born brothers are known for a visceral and violent style of movie making, and Daybreakers does follow suit. Still relatively new to the movie world, Michael and Peter have two other films to their name, with one being thirteen minutes long.

Daybreakers brings in a few heavy hitters to fill its roles. Ethan Hawke plays Edward Dalton, a vampire hematologist who is working on a blood substitute for the pharmaceutical company Bromley Marks. Dalton is sympathetic to the human race and feels the need to save them. His boss Charles Bromley (Sam Neill) is less caring about humans, and runs Bromley Marks. Willem Dafoe plays Elvis, a human resistance fighter, and ex-vampire. The acting is a strong point in this film, and pulls you into the story fairly quickly.

The art direction is steady with a few shots that seem to be out of place, though this is a small complaint. The CGI is at times terrible, and really hinders the films pace. Luckily this only happens two or three times with the rest of the film looking rather good. I do feel that while the acting was good, a more experienced director could have gotten a bit more out of the actors. That being said I have no doubt that Michael and Peter will do better with each future film.

I liked this movie. While it did leave me wanting more, I still feel that this film is solid and should be seen. The acting is good. The feel is good. A film about a civilization of vampires could easily come off cheesy, and Daybreakers makes its mark.

Sorry about the vampire puns…I could not help myself.

Legion

If god loses faith in humanity, does it make a good show? Legion tackles this question head on and runs with it. Do angels fighting make lots of money? Read on and see if this movie flies or falls.

Legion is from director Scott Stewart who is best known as a senior staffer at the visual effects company The Orphanage, and has done a few small films. Legion is set in a small New Mexico diner, and centers on the archangel Michael’s (Paul Bettany) need to protect a pregnant woman from the wrath of god. While the cinematography is not terrible, it does show that this film is from an inexperienced director. The direction is another story. A lot of weight falls on the director’s shoulders be it good or bad, and in this case it is mostly bad.

The story has immense potential but sadly comes off as a subpar zombie survival flick with angels who act like demons who look like zombies. The story is paced about as poorly as one could get it. With 10 minute spots of no action, Legion’s story can not hold it’s self up. Stewart is no Tarantino. The characters are uninteresting for the most part, and not due to the acting. The cherry on top of Legion is the ending. Not only is the ending unbelievable, unlikeable, and uninteresting, it is also close to nonexistent.

Now the acting is where most of the light comes from in this film. Paul Bettany and Kevin Durand are the only ones who seem to care about this job. Dennis Quaid and Charles S. Dutton are great actors, yet sleep through their roles, and the rest of the cast is made up of mostly actors you have never heard of. Paul Bettany is really up and coming in America. He is solid in mostly every role he takes and Legion is no different. Kevin Durand has been acting for 10 years yet is just now starting to get leading roles. Look for him to be in many more if he keeps up the level he was on in Legion.

Legion is not a terrible movie, yet it should not be seen in theaters. Wait till it comes out on DVD and watch it. I did not hate nor love Legion. It is a middle ground film that will be easily forgotten in the coming weeks though.

The Blind Review's Top Ten of 2009

After much review and 2^nd, 3^rd, and even 4^th watching I have come to my top ten movies of 2009. This was rather difficult to be honest. I am not sure if it is this hard every year, due to my lack of experience with the matter, but it took me a few days to come to a decision. So with out further ado I give you "The Blind Review's Top Ten of 2009".

10. It might get loud

9. The brothers bloom

8. I love you, man

7. District 9

6. Zombieland

5. (500) Days of summer

4. Star trek

3. Up in the air

2. Avatar

1. Inglourious Basterds

AVATAR

What is Avatar? A movie with more hype than most movies combined this year, Avatar had more going for it than any movie this year prior to release. Was it all worth it? Did Avatar knock the socks off of this film reviewer?


The seeds of Avatar were planed years ago, near fifteen years to be exact. The brain child behind this monster is James Cameron. Cameron originally had an 80 page script back in 1994 that was set to be filmed soon after Titanic was finished. Cameron who is known for his “epic” movies sited the lack of technology as a main factor to as why Avatar took so long as it did. It was not until 2008 when Cameron saw the leaps in CGI, such as King Kong and Gollum that he felt confidant that the world of Pandora would turn out right.


Movies on such a grand scale, like Avatar, can leave the important things behind. Things like acting, story, cinematography, and direction can be overlooked, if not totally thrown to the waste side. While the story of Avatar is fairly simple and has been done many times before, it is still solid in the delivery with a few twists added in for flavor. The story is one of the few down sides of this film. It is extremely easy to follow. So much so that I know of several 10 year olds that understood what was going on throughout Avatar.


With only a handful of actors in the film physically, the burden of believability does weigh more on actors. Sam Worthington plays Jake Sully who is the main protagonist is the film, and delivers as well as anyone could want. Sigourney Weaver brings experience and a solid anchor to the cast as Dr. Grace Augustine as the head of the Avatar program. Michelle Rodriguez, Giovanni Ribisi, Joel David Moore also deliver rock solid roles in the film.


I am going to take a second to talk about Zoë Saldaña who plays Neytiri. While she is only in the movie by the way of performance capture, and is entirely computer generated, she gives one of the best performances I have seen all year. She captures the soul of the Na’vi with what seems like ease. If she is not at least nominated for an Academy Award then something is seriously amiss.


So that leaves cinematography left that could hold Avatar back. The camera work is sweepingly epic in the grandest sense. With a world solely from the mind of Cameron, he knows exactly what he wants and the camera delivers. From landscape shots to intense action scenes the camera seems to be everywhere you want to be. At times you feel fully emerged in the world, and James Cameron’s direction is fully to thank.


After hearing comic con attendee’s talk about how amazing and new the CGI was, I was skeptical. After seeing the trailers I was still skeptical. After seeing the film I can saw that I was impressed. It is the next step in Computer graphics. Think back to when you saw Jurassic Park for the first time. It is that big of a step. Now is it some amazing new CGI, sadly no. It is the best CGI I have ever seen, but still just CGI.


Is Avatar worth the estimated five hundred million that it took to make? Is it even worth the twelve bucks I paid to see it? YES YES AND YES. This film is mind blowing. The first hour or so I did have my doubts about it, with the introduction and set up, yet after that I rarely could close my jaw. During the last battle I found myself saying “wow” more than I ever thought I could. This is the epic that film needs at this moment. This is the film that film fans need at this time. This is a must see in theaters. Home DVD will do injustice to Avatar, which does sadden me. With two sequels still in the mind of James Cameron would I, given the chance, give him the green light to spend five hundred more million to spend? YES! Go see this movie now. It is truly one of the best films of the year.

Buy or Sell: Dexter

The second of my Buy or Sell series looks at the Showtime hit Dexter. Developed by James Manos, Jr., Dexter is about a serial killer that kills the evil that slips through the system of Miami. With three solid seasons under its belt could the forth season stand up?

The forth season of Dexter's main plot line involves Dexter’s hunt of the elusive “Trinity killer”. The serial killer “Trinity” is played by John Lithgow. He is so named by the pattern he leaves in his wake, a bath tub killing, a jumper/suicide, and a bludgeoning. Lithgow is amazing in this role. He surprised me every episode with how deep he was in the character. The rest of the cast, including Michael C. Hall, Julie Benz, Jennifer Carpenter, and James Remar, are all in true form this season as well.

In comparison with my last review of Glee, this show does it right where Glee falls short. Everything to do with this season of Dexter was well laid out and executed perfectly. Everything from the slow burn start of the season to the shocking ending is top notch. The story is compelling and driven with a purpose. The cinematography is amazingly “Dexter-like”, yet new and fresh. If I had to fault any one part of this season, it would be the slow burn start. Unlike myself I know not everyone likes that type of storytelling, and it could have gotten to the meat a bit faster.

I do feel the need to talk about the last episode a small bit. This will be spoiler free so fear not. The last 10 minutes of this season is the main reason to watch the first three seasons if you have not in my opinion. This is the type of ending you want as a storyteller. This is the type of ending you long for as an audience. You want an ending that leaves you speechless, questioning what you just saw, and wanting the next season to start tomorrow.

After the forth season finished I found myself torn between writing this while it was fresh in my mind or letting it fully set in. The latter seemed to be the best choice and gave me much to write about. Dexter is one of the few shows I will recommend to anyone without a second thought. This is TV done right. This is the bar that other shows with have to shoot for. As long as Dexter keeps up seasons like this, I will never stop watching.

VERDICT: BUY!

TV show buy or sell: Glee

With a few TV shows wrapping up their seasons, I figured I would throw my opinion into the hat. Glee is a show that most love or hate with very little middle ground. The show is from the mind of Ryan Murphy, who you may also know from his other shows Popular, and Nip/Tuck.

Glee starts off stronger than any show I had seen in a good while. The pilot was promising and I had high hopes. As the season went on it became a rollercoaster of emotions. My opinion varied from love to hate, and every point in between. At times it seemed like the music was the only thing holding me from never watching it again. Then at others times I found myself embracing the acting and story for that week’s show.

At the end of the day I know where the show is the weakest. The story on average is par at best. With story lines that emotionally upset me (False father Baby storyline and the fake pregnancy), I found myself not wanting to watch the next episode much less the rest of the one I was on. Yet something pulled me back in and I found myself watching it still.

With all things considered I found myself unsure about what I truly thought about Glee. The season finale started weak, yet finished extremely strong. After I watched the finale I had to seriously think about the whole picture the show gave me. For this show to survive the next season the writing will have to get much better. It would also not hurt for more emphasis to be placed on the students and the music they sing. I will say that I will watch the second season with little doubt and will do so because I want to see it, yet I will not recommend this show to many people.

Glee is neither bad nor great. It is an average show. I have hopes that the second season will be better, but I do not really care if it stays on TV or not as it stands.

VERDICT: SELL

Five word DVD Review : Gran Torino

Every so often I feel like I need to talk about a movie that is already in my collection. Movies that I felt were good enough for me to go out and spend money on(and some I wish I could get my money back). I also feel the need to break up the normal posting on my site. A bit of shake up every now and then. So I came up with "Five word DVD review"

Five Word DVD Review : Gran Torino

Clint Eastwood is a god.

Pirate Radio

Pirate Radio, also known as The Boat that Rocked in England, is a British ensemble comedy film directed by Richard Curtis. While this film is not a true story it is based on real events of the mid 1960s. With a cast make up of Bill Nighy, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Rhys Ifans, Nick Frost, and Kenneth Branagh to name a few this movie brings serious acting ammo to the screen.

You might know Richard Curtis as a director from such movies as Four Weddings and a Funeral, Bridget Jones's Diary, and perhaps his best known work Love Actually. Curtis brings all his directorial chops to this film. While it is a bit long, nearing two hours, it seldom leaves you bored.

I have to talk about the music. Without the music this film would be a shell of what it is. Songs from popular bands of the era such as The Kinks, The Beach Boys, The Who, Cream, Jimi Hendrix, and David Bowie keep the film rocking all the way through.

Actors Bill Nighy and Philip Seymour Hoffman anchor this cast with solid acting. Nighy plays Quentin, the boat captain/Radio station boss, and all around guy you want to be when you get his age. Philip Seymour Hoffman pulls off the role of “The Count” as well as anyone could have. He is the cool guy. He is the guy you want to know. He is the guy you would go out of your way to meet. Other actors to have great roles are Nick Frost as Dr. Dave, Rhys Ifans as Gavin, and Kenneth Branagh Minister Dormandy.

This film is a British film that came out in April of this year across the pond. It also was a commercial and critical failure in the UK. It was re-edited and re-named for the US release. Originally it ran closer to 3 hours in length, but a few scenes were cut to shorten and stream-line the movie. The North American release cuts some odd twenty minutes more.

So does The Boat that Rocked actually rock? Though a little long it is not enough to take away from the film. This movie reminds me of movies such as Animal house and The Beatles “Help”. The feel of this film is marvelous. It is a party film. Few movies have made me feel like I was there like this one did. This is how memories feel when looked back upon. Pirate Radio is one I will watch again and I will push on friends.

Slight delay

Just a slight delay in my next review. I am in the process of getting college things together, so I will throw my next one up asap. Pirate Radio!!!!

Paranormal Activity

Independent movies are a gambling man’s game. The chances of an Independent film being picked up are small to say the least, but every so often a gem does emerge. Paranormal Activity is one of those gems. It seems like the last few movie I have reviewed have had small budgets, but this one makes those look like big budget films. At $15,000 this movie is, dollar for dollar, one of the best movies I have watched in a long time.

The film is directed by Oren Peli who previous worked as a video game designer, and has had zero film work prior to this film. Paranormal Activity is a mockumentary horror film that centers on a young couple that is being haunted by a supernatural menace. Katie and Micah are played by Katie Featherston and Micah Sloat. Both actors have little acting experience but pull off the roles with ease.

Although he is uncredited, Steven Spielberg produced this movie after being given the movie to view by the higher ups at DreamWorks. Rumor has it he took it home to watch and the next day brought it back to DreamWorks in a garbage bag because he thought it was “Haunted”. Spielberg cited that “his doors locked themselves” minutes after he viewed the film. Needless to say he loved the film and helped it get green lighted and bought by Paramount for $300,000.

The film went on to be remade and that remake would have been put out if it was not for one screening of the original. Movie goes started to walk out during the movie due not to the films being bad but because it was “too scary” After a few delays the film finally came out in theaters with a viral marketing campaign that let the fans decide where the movie would be shown.

Paranormal Activity is shot on a typical store-bought handheld camcorder and looks great. The lack of polish from the handheld adds to the feel of the movie, and is without a doubt the only way to pull this movie off. There is not much negative that can be said about this movie. I was not overly scared but there were scary parts. I was freaked out by this film more than once though. The effects in this film look real and at times you find yourself wondering “how was that pulled off”.

This movie is what we as film fans need. This movie is what makes people want to make movies. It is a well directed, well laid out story that keeps you wondering when the bubble will burst and scare the crap out of you. You care about what happens to this young couple. You care about what is going on in this house. Watch this movie in the dark with a few friends, and let yourself go. You will not regret it.

-The Blind Reviewer

Zombieland

Nut up or shut up is the de facto slogan of Zombieland. That phrase sets the tone of the movie from the start. Zombieland is a non stop ride of action, comedy, and thrills. Zombieland is a movie that will make you laugh out loud and even scare you a few times

Set in a post-apocalyptic America, two months after “patient zero” took a bite of a contaminated burger at a Gas ’n gulp, zombies out number humans by the thousands. With only six humans seen in the movie you get the idea that things are not going to be easy for the 4 main characters, and at times it is not.

With a budget of $23,600,000 this movie looks remarkable. The make-up is top notch, and the effects are simply stunning. The man behind the make up is no other than Tony Gardner. His most known work was on Michael Jackson’s Thriller. The Director of this film, Ruben Fleischer, is a rather new to the directing scene. It is safe to say that Zombieland will be Ruben Fleischer’s calling call from here on. The movie is written by Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick who are mostly known for TV shows like “The Joe Schmo Show”.

The acting is where this movie shines. Woody Harrelson plays Tallahassee, the lovable psychopathic bad-ass. Jesse Eisenberg plays Columbus, the cautious rules for survival making loser. Emma Stone and Abigail Breslin play the sister con team of Wichita and Little Rock. All four roles are strong despite a little more character development needed on the part of Wichita and Little Rock.

I must devote one small part of this review to the cameo to end all cameos in this film. Never would I say that a cameo that doesn’t further the story at all and that takes up near ten minutes of a movie was a good decision before Zombieland. I stand corrected. The ten minutes in question steals the show and gets some of the strongest laughs. Epic is not even close to what I would begin to call it. If anything Zombieland is a must see for this cameo.

So at the end of the day what is Zombieland? Is it as good as Shawn of the Dead? I would have to say it is as good as and better in some ways than Shawn of the Dead. It holds its own as a comedy and as a horror movie just the same. Some have also said it is Left 4 Dead the movie. I would say that is very close to that, if you are a gamer and know what Left 4 Dead is. Zombieland is one you need to see. Drop what you are doing and go see this movie. You will not regret it at all. As for me, I am off to find a damn Twinkie.

District 9

First off I would like to say sorry for the delay in putting up this review. Between computer issues and a small bit of procrastination I have finished. I am also going to promise a speedy review to the new film in theaters “Zombieland”.

District 9 is a low budget ($30 million to produce) sci-fi flick with a no name and little or no acting experience cast. Those two stipulations will normally net you a straight to DVD movie, but with the backing of Peter Jackson and an amazing script you get a surprise success.

District 9 is directed by Neil Blomkamp, who is known for the halo short “landfall” and more for his visual effects work than directing. The movie is about of a group of aliens, whose ship becomes stranded a few miles above the earth in Johannesburg, South Africa in 1982, and come to be held and not able to leave the slums of “District 9”.

The first item to catch your eye is the visual effects. Not only do they look amazing, but also real to this world. The ship looks to be entwined with the clouds in the distance and the “prawns”, named so for their shrimp like body shape, look to be as real as the actors if not more in some scenes. The detail alone in the effects earns this film enough credit to stand on its own.

The story is a straight metaphor for a number of issues, from racism and xenophobia to forced evictions in South Africa. Those issues are so brilliantly woven in to the main story that they do not take away from the action or take you out of the mythos of District 9. This movie can do more for those issues than most other tactics will ever do.

Last but not least is the acting. The actors in District 9 are not the typical bunch. The main lead of Wikus van de Merwe is played by Sharlto Copley. Copley is known as a commercial and music video director. District 9 is his first major acting role. Even with no acting experience he blows the part out of the water. The rest of the cast is just as unknown to most as Copley yet do the film justice.

This is a movie you want to show your friends. This is a slam dunk by Neil Blomkamp. Movies as visually stunning, as action packed, and that have as thrilling of story as District 9 only come around a few times a generation. This is a must see for any fan of the sci-fi genre.

-The Blind Reviewer

Next Review

Just a quick post to let you all know that the next movie on the list is District 9.

Inglourious Basterds

What can one say about Quentin Tarantino’s Inglourious Basterds? For starters the film is a ride for the ages from start to finish. Tarantino masterfully lulls you into the movie just to set you on edge with the “battle of wits” in the first act of the movie a few moments later. Hans Landa (Christoph Waltz) as the “Jew Hunter” is sure to be ranked with the best movie antagonists in future discussions from the first act alone.

This Tarantino film delivers on all fronts. From the first act on, Basterds is beautifully shot and never loses the directorial eye, even though each act is uniquely shot. The script is wordy as any of Tarantino’s past works. For many this is a problem, not for this fan. The acting is top notch from the whole cast. Not everyone is on the level as Brad Pitt and Christoph Waltz, but only due to those amazing performances. Others to stand out are Mélanie Laurent as Shosanna Dreyfus, Eli Roth as Donny Donowitz, and Diane Kruger as Bridget von Hammersmark.

Inglourious Basterds is about as Tarantino as anything he has done. This movie is a thrill ride that knows when to talk, knows when to walk, and knows when to use a baseball bat. If you love Quentin Tarantino then this is a must see for you. If you do not know who Quentin Tarantino is then this is one heck of a way to get started with his work. Beautiful shots of violence with remarkable settings, and acting performances from an amazing script is what this movie is in a nutshell.

-The Blind reviewer

A bit about me and a small peak at my first review!

First off I would like to say thank you for checking out my blog. I hope this will grow and reach many people. Now for a bit about me. I am a 20 something year old male who loves movies, TV, music, comics, and all other types of media. This blog will mainly focus on movies and TV, but do not be surprised if a bit of music or other media makes it in. I am writing this blog as a source for others like me, others who love the art form of direction, design, music, acting, drawing, etc. I also write this for the ones who like cheap laughs and big explosions. Like what I say or hate it, it will not change the fact that I will give you my opinion straight up. A few names that have lead me to where I am at now would be Quentin Tarantino, J.J. Abrams, Steven Spielberg, George A. Romero, Ivan Reitman, Harold Ramis, and last but not least Paul Thomas Anderson. If you like these fellows then we will be off to a good start. My Name, as well as the name of the blog, stems from my attempt at an unbiased view on what I will be reviewing. Now, as for my first review. Told you I would give you a sneak peak. "Once Upon a Time in Nazi-Occupied France"