Tag Archives: review

REVIEW: Django Unchained

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Let’s talk about Django Unchained.

Plot:
 
The plot is simple – Django, a slave, is freed by a Dr. Schultz (I’m probably spelling that name wrong. LOL), and is told to help him find the Riddle brothers. Afterwards, the two journey to find Django’s wife. The story is an adaptation of an old german legend, and to be frank, I think it’s pulled off quite well.
Acting:
 
For me, Tarantino‘s films are at their weakest when it comes to the plot, and their strongest hen it comes to acting and atmosphere. Django Unchained is no exception: Jamie Foxx, Christoph Waltz, Samuel Jackson, and Leonardo DiCaprio are all brilliant. I love a film where you can tell the actors are enjoying their roles, and you can definitely tell it here.
No word in this film is wasted, the dialogue is as witty as ever, especially during the KKK scene (which is my favorite scene in the movie)!
Atmosphere:
 
Django Unchained is set in the United States just before the civil war. That means there’s slavery, and in classic Tarantino style, the film throws political correctness to the wind and makes sure the film is true to its setting, and that’s something I like about his films. Apparently, some people are taking offense to Django Unchained, and all I can ask is why? If you can’t bear to hear the word ‘nigga’, don’t watch this movie, but don’t feign offense just because the film tries to emulate what it was actually like back during those times.
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Anyone who is a fan of Tarantino (like myself) should go see this movie. I think it’s one of his better films, and is definitely my favorite amongst them.
Rating: 5 out of 5 (stars)
Just sayin’.

REVIEW: The Hobbit

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Years after enjoying the Lord of the Rings trilogy, I was really excited to see The Hobbit. After all, when I read the books, The Hobbit was the first one I read, and I still remember it well. How does the movie stack up? I’d say it does splendidly.

I’m not going to go into detail in case you want to read the book, but it follows the book quite closely, which is really nice. The character arcs and development all follow the book’s path, which is great, because there are some really nice arcs, especially Bilbo‘s and Thorin‘s as they come to accept – and even welcome – each other’s company.

Now, there were a few parts that confused me. The part where Gandalf and Saruman are talking and the part with the Forest Wizard (I completely forgot his name. LOL) are two such parts that I don’t remember being in the book. Fortunately, some friends of mine explained that these were parts from the Appendices, which are extra bits of story at the end of the books explaining some of things that the reader never read about, such as those two very parts. This does one very important thing for me – explain why this is going to be a trilogy.

You see, when I first heard that The Hobbit was going to be a trilogy, I thought to myself, “how in the hell are they going to make one book a trilogy?” Well, the Appendices are the answer to that question, and I think it’s an awesome idea now that I know it’s not just the book, because they go through half the book in the very first movie.

Now, as for the look of the movie: as I mentioned in a previous entry, I saw it in 48fps, which completely changes how the movie looks. But, the look is very similar to the Lord of the Rings trilogy, which is very nice. The grandeur landscapes and towns all look fantastic, and even the Shire looks awesome. And in 48fps, it’s simply eye candy.

Oh, and the music, much like the trilogy, is fantastic.I have a soft spot for medieval sounds, however, so the music may not be your cup of tea. I definitely enjoyed it, though.

The Hobbit is a movie any Lord of the Rings fan will enjoy, especially those whom have read the Appendices, but don’t think that someone new to the series wouldn’t enjoy it. It’s got plenty of action, adventure, and good development and plot. Nothing stellar, but definitely solid. And believe me when I say that seeing it in 48fps is worth it.

Rating: 8/10.

Just sayin’

REVIEW: Skyfall

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Ah, finals are over, and my exceptionally long winter break is here! With that comes the review of Skyfall that I was going to write last week!

Plot:

The plot is pretty standard Bond, actually, except for the beginning. Bond is killed mid-mission, and comes back to help fight against someone who has attacked MI6. It’s that classic, “Bond goes to get the bad guy” plot.

There are some cool twists, and some that I saw miles away, but the ones that surprised me were really good.

Acting:

I want to touch upon Daniel Craig, here. I really like him as Bond, and I really don’t. There are times when I think he’s absolutely spot-on, and there are times that I just want him to stop talking and tell him to be more…well, Bond!

This is one of those movies where I, for the most part, enjoyed him playing the part of James Bond. I think he was smooth, cool, and not the James Bond of Quantum of Solace.

Atmosphere:

The atmosphere in Skyfall is a mix of awesome, explosions, gunshots, and hand-to-hand combat. Oh, and some swag. Lots of swag. It has a lot of that classic Bond feel to it, which I loved. The music is very good, and the classic Bond melodies and riffs always send a shiver down my spine, because you know something awesome is happening.

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Skyfall is a must-see for those that are fans of the James Bond movies and those who enjoy a good action film (like myself). Anyone looking for something more substantive might be disappointed.

Rating: 3 out of 5 (stars)

Just sayin’.

REVIEW: Wreck-It Ralph

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Last weekend, after much hyping on my friends’ parts, I finally got to go see Wreck-It Ralph, a movie that is not so much about video games as it is a movie featuring a video game theme. This film could easily be the best video game-themed film I’ve seen. Ever. So, let’s get into the review!

Plot:

Wreck-It Ralph is the bad guy of Fix It Felix Jr. During the game, he gets thrown off a building while Felix gets a medal if the player wins the game. He’s okay with that. What he’s not okay with is how the game’s characters continue to treat him like a bad guy when the arcade is closed. To fix this, he decides to prove that he can be a good guy and go get a medal and bring it back.

This is a really interesting (and completely character-driven) plot, and I really enjoyed it. When I think of a good movie, I think of a movie that doesn’t waste a single scene. I think Wreck-It Ralph does that, so kudos to Disney. You’ve made the video game equivalent of Toy Story!

Acting:

The acting is spot-on. Every character is casted perfectly (and I love Jane Lynch). To add some bonus points, every recognizable video game character (besides the zombie and the Pac Man ghost) was voiced by their respective actors in the game. How can you go wrong with that?

Atmosphere:

I’ll admit, I’m a little biased towards the atmosphere because I’m a gamer, but I want to point out something about this film that I thought really made it stand out: you don’t have to be a gamer to truly enjoy this film. Gamer’s get that nostalgia boost and will be excited to see some recognizable video game characters (Sonic, Bowser, Zangief, Ken, Ryu, Pac Man, etc…), but really, that’s it. The games portrayed (to my knowledge) are completely original games, and so gamers and non-gamers alike are introduced to it.

This is really important. Everyone’s calling Wreck-It Ralph a “video game” movie. To me, placing that label on it kind of pushes a few prospective viewers away, but the film does an absolutely fantastic job not excluding anyone in terms of its look and feel. This is a film any non-gamer will enjoy, maybe even more than a gamer would.

The music is great. The 8-bit retro was awesome when it was played, but the only composition that really stood out was the ending theme (I admit I love Owl City).

Character:

The characters are fantastic, and complement each other really well. The humor that comes from these characters interacting is great! And, they all have clear-cut arcs that you can see change in throughout the film, and all of them are resolved. It’s nice to see every major character resolving their arcs instead of being left in the dark.

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Wreck-It Ralph, while being hyped as one of the best “video game” films of all time, is one of the finest films I’ve seen all year. If you love games, go see it. If you don’t love games, go see it. If you love Pixar or Toy Story, go see it!

Actually, don’t even put the if statement in there. Just go see it!

Rating: 5 out of 5 (stars)

Just sayin’.

REVIEW: Code of Princess

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A couple weeks ago, I bought Code of Princess, a new game for the 3DS by one of my coveted campaniles, Atlus. I didn’t have a lot of time when I bought it to really play and formulate an opinion on it, but now I’ve had some time and have finally beaten it. So, let’s jump into this fun little beat-’em-up RPG!

Plot:

The plot is pretty subpar. You’re Sloange, the princess of DeLuxia, and are wielding the DeLuxcalibur, a legendary sword with unfathomable power. In this world, monsters and humans have coexisted, but suddenly the monsters have become violent, and it’s up to you to find out why. Along the way, you discover that some demon is trying to take over the world and defy the Gods. That’s pretty much it. But, while it is subpar, the characters advancing the plot more than make up for it.

Characters:

The characters are, simply put, fantastic. They all have unique personalities, but the best part is they play with their own stereotypes and game. The banter between Allegro and Ali about how Allegro’s level 99 and is ‘almost’ a Sage is hilarious. The game knows its story is there just to advance the plot and give some sort of substance to the game (besides the combat), and toys around with it, which is awesome.

Atmosphere (Music/Graphics):

The backgrounds and effects are nice, and the music is good, but nothing really stands out to me. It was all very subpar, which is disappointing because I was hoping for some awesome music. I haven’t listened to the included bonus CD, so my opinion might change once I hear that, but the in-game music never impressed me.

Gameplay:

The meat of this game comes from it’s AMAZING combat. Every character has their own specific combos, strings, and special skills, and learning what chains, what doesn’t, and combining combos and strings makes this combat a very deep experience. In Campaign, you can only choose 4 characters (Solange, Ali, Zozo, and Allegro), but in Free Play you can choose from more than 30 characters, which is awesome!

Another important part of combat is locking on and bursting. Locking on lets you see that specific enemy’s HP bar, and you do double damage. It’s a nice perk, but once you burst, you do double damage to all enemies, meaning that you have a built-in boss destroyer by doing quadruple the damage you would normally do. That’s huge, and the best part is, it’s doesn’t make the game any easier because of how quickly your MP drains while using it. And, you can be doing a combo, burst midway, and still continue it, giving strategic timing to when you should and shouldn’t burst.

There’s an equipment system, but these do nothing but increase some of your stats (which, by the way, you can increase in any order after leaving up), except for your weapon. If your character can, equipping a weapon can change some aspects of your burst (like doing damage to enemies and knocking them down, having unblock able attacks while bursting, etc…) Sometimes, a certain burst is much more useful than just stunning everyone. My favorite is the one that knocks enemies down. It’s saved me in the harder missions.

Oh, and let’s not forget that this has local co-op for up to 4 players, meaning you can string together some truly ridiculous combos on enemies, making the game that much more fun.

All in all, Code of Princess is a fun little game that offers you a surprisingly deep combat experience and an awesome multiplayer. I highly recommend!

Score:

Plot: 5/10

Characters: 9/10

Atmosphere: 5/10

Gameplay: 10/10

Final Score: 7/10

Old Woman is over-powered.

Just sayin’

REVIEW: Soul Eater

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Fools!

A couple weeks ago, before school started, I decided to try to start watching anime again. While I haven’t started anything recently, I did manage to power through an anime I’ve been meaning to watch thanks to the godlike powers of Netflix: Soul Eater. Don’t worry, the English Dub is good! I’m starting to really appreciate Funimation and the effort they put into making English dubs great. Anyway, onto the review!

Background: Fool!

This is pretty straightforward – there’s an academy run by Death to help prevent evil (known as Kishin) from coming to the world. To do this, a human Meister and their weapon partner (a human that can transform into a weapon) must collect 99 Kishin Eggs (souls that are on the verge of becoming a Kishin soul), and 1 Witch Soul. Only then may that weapon become a Death Scythe and allow Death himself to use them.

Maka and her weapon, Soul, are two such students of the academy, and are very close to turning Soul into a Death Scythe.

Animation/Art: Fool!

The animation is very Halloween, and I liked that about the show since it ties in so well with the theme and characters. I never once saw a reduction in quality, and the battle scenes are very well-done. I think my favorite art aspects of the show are the sun and the moon, which are shown as being living things (they even have the moon bleed when there’s death, which I think is really awesome). There’s a very surreal look to it all, and I kind of wish I had watched it near the end of October.

Music: Fool!

The music was…OK. There’s one opening theme and two ending themes I really enjoyed, and during the show the battle music and other music was just OK. Nothing really stood out and really caught me.

Plot Direction: Fool!

The plot, while looking very simple at first, soon grows very complex, and I liked that it never jumped too far whenever it decided to. And most of the direction of the plot stems from the characters themselves, which is always a big plus in my book. The only iffy part to me is the ending, where they suddenly pull out all this plot-changing stuff that was never really touched on in the series. And, in the end, they do nothing to help the characters achieve their goals.

Character: Fool!

I really enjoyed most of the characters in Soul Eater. Many of the characters (Maka, Soul, Dr. Stein, Crona, Death the Kid, to name a few) all grow and change. Some stay the same, but are understandable (Liz, Patty, Death, Spirit). And then there’s Excalibur, the worst character to exist since Ryou in Clannad. Most of the characters are great. They all change, some of them who don’t facilitate the change in others well, and with so many characters in the series, it’s really quite impressive they were able to pull off the amount of change they did without leaving anyone out. I was a little disappointed with Black Star, but he does change, even if it’s miniscule.

Did I mention Excalibur is bad? I hate him. Although, I have to say, they got the perfect voice actor for him.

Animation/Art: 9/10

Music: 5/10

Plot Direction: 7/10

Character: 9/10

Final Score: 7/10

Just sayi-(Fool!).