Alright, first thing I want to point out about this film is it is not what you'd expect from the trailer, the beginning of it, or what most people will tell you about it. It is, for the most part, a pretty realistic look at the time paradox that time travel can create. A lot, and I do mean A LOT, of people didn't see this one. I have no idea why though. Maybe it was because it has zero stars in it, maybe its because no one was attached to it producing, writing, or directing that was a name. Maybe it was just that it was marketed poorly, or not at all. The last one is probably why really. I had a chance to see this at the Philadelphia Film Festival one year, but I completely missed it so I could go on a different night (those tickets are kind of expensive). So I didn't see it until about a year, maybe a year and a half later thanks to good old Netflix. I don't remember if it was me, or my friend Matt who got it from Netflix when it was suggested to go on our queue. Either way, we watched it together. We were both blown away by it. Now I will stop talking about how much I love this movie and how underrated it is and get on with the review.
Alright, first things first, the camera. Look, this movie was made on a tiny budget, and by guys who hadn't ever made a big film before. The camera is a tiny bit shakier than maybe it should be, and it is definitely obviously a cheap camera being used. So the film doesn't look very good at all. This needs to be known to be able to enjoy the movie beforehand, so that way you won't be thrown off by it. The sound is decent, and the whole movie has a voice over almost the entire way through. The voice over never really distracts from the movie, and seems to only add to it, it also ends up playing a large part to why the films story is so excellent.
The story is the real star here. The actors are alright, none of them are going to be Oscar conetenders any time soon or anything, but they are all pretty decent for an indie film. The story is what brings you in though. It is about 4 friends initially who are working on projects to try and invent something to make some money. Honestly, what they are working on in the beginning or whether or not they are ever successful on that endeavor doesn't matter in the least. In fact, that there are 4 friends in the beginning doesn't even matter. Two of them go the way of Richie Cunninham's brother eventually, and are just gone, and kind of forgotten. So the two main friends inadvertantly create what is sort of a time machine. The way the machine works, and this is explained better than I can in the movie, is that you go into sort of a stasis within it and end up being backwards in time, but only having experienced what seems like moments to you or your body. So the two friends do what most of us would with something like this, they decide to find a way to make money. They play the stock market, in small doses, just enough to make some real money for themselves, but not enough that it looks suspicious or could cause a butterfly effect sort of thing. This works great at first, but we all know that something bigger is coming. What it is, or how it goes, I'm not going to tell you. All I am going to do is say, see the movie. You will enjoy it, I promise you.
So if you enjoy time travel movies, character pieces, or films that just are indie and a bit off the beaten path, watch Primer. It really is an extremely interesting, and even fun movie. It isn't a popcorn flick, but it is a thinking mans movie, and won't disappoint someone who goes into it expecting a lot more substance than style.
Friday, December 3, 2010
Monday, November 22, 2010
A great movie that didn't get the viewership it deserved
So this one is going to be about one of my very favorite movies. It is one of the first horror movies I ever watched from start to finish, although many would argue it isn't really a horror movie. It has a good cast, great script, and the special effects were pretty good for the time. The movie is called Lord Of Illusions written and directed by Clive Barker and starring Scott Bakula and Famke Janssen. If you haven't ever heard of this movie before, I'm honestly not at all surprised. It gets ignored by many people as either being nothing special, or for Barkers other bigger name films.
Clive Barker took one of his characters from one of his short stories in the book The Books Of Blood named Harry D'Amour. The character is a deeply troubled man who constantly comes to the very edge of what is referred to in the movie as "the darkness" but never quite crosses over into it. He is the main character and is a private detective that gets pulled into a string of events that started years before he became involved as we find out in the first 20 minutes of the film. The main antagonist of the movie is a man named Nix who has long since crossed through the barrier between illusion and true magic. He is first seen juggling an actual ball of fire from hand to hand and speaking about what the fire has said to him. He sounds crazy as a loon right away, and that part of him doesn't really change. He is running a Manson like cult in the desert and has recently kidnapped a young girl. A man who was his former protege named Swann has taken a group of people who all escaped this cult to come back and rescue this girl and to effectively bind and bury, literally, Nix. Nix tells Swann that he has so much to show him, and shares some of his power with Swann, stating that Swann is the only one worthy of his true wisdom. As Nix is distracted giving Swann some of his power, the girl shoots him in the back, and this gives Swann and his allies their chance to bind Nix. After this is done the characters seperate and we flash forward about 13 years later. This is when we first meet Harry D'Amour, our main protagonist of the story.
Harry, as I said, is deeply troubled, and has just come off of a case where a young boy was possessed by, as Harry puts it, "Oh you know, the usual." He gets put on a case by a friend of his in California to catch a guy trying to scam an insurance company out of their money. He goes out there, and inadvertently gets mixed up in something he doesn't fully understand. Now this is where I am going to end the plot synopsis, so as to not create any spoilers for anyone who hasn't seen this underrated gem of a film.
Now as for the visuals and overall story and directing. I put all of these in with one another because Clive Barker did write and direct this film, and he always makes a point of being very hands on with how the visual effects come out. First of all, the story, just fantastic. Exactly what you would expect from a man who makes his main living off of writing horror novels. It is a clean, distinct, no nonsense script that doesn't play around with a lot of useless words or events. Each event and each line is in turn meant to either enhance the tone of the film, or is there to help move the plot forward. The direction is fantastic as well. Barker really shows off how he can make certain his actors give him all that they can and make you believe that they are their particular characters. He also does something most horror movie filmmakers could learn from. He uses color to help enhance the film. See many horror filmmakers do the opposite of this, they would prefer to use the lack of color and light to set tone or to frighten you. But the thing with this film is that color is very important to how you see things. The main actress of the film is never seen in anything but bright scenes in order to help you understand that she is the light of the film. Whereas Swann is usually her stark contrast and is always shown in darker scenes with slightly less color or with reds and browns in order to show he is a man tormented by his past. While Harry is in between you see him in both settings and see him fitting well with them both. Almost like he straddles the two worlds and is a bridge for them. Than there are the actual special effects of the film. They aren't Earth shattering by todays standards, but they are quite good for when the movie came out. I can't really go into detail about them without giving away certain parts of the movie, but they are quite good.
So if you're looking for a good popcorn flick, a good horror movie, or just a good detective sort of movie and don't mind a little blood (it is, afterall, a Clive Barker movie, you know there is going to be some blood and a bit of gore), than you can't go wrong with Lord Of Illusions. Just make sure you're watching the directors cut. This way you can see the movie the way Barker meant it to be seen. Enjoy kiddies.
Clive Barker took one of his characters from one of his short stories in the book The Books Of Blood named Harry D'Amour. The character is a deeply troubled man who constantly comes to the very edge of what is referred to in the movie as "the darkness" but never quite crosses over into it. He is the main character and is a private detective that gets pulled into a string of events that started years before he became involved as we find out in the first 20 minutes of the film. The main antagonist of the movie is a man named Nix who has long since crossed through the barrier between illusion and true magic. He is first seen juggling an actual ball of fire from hand to hand and speaking about what the fire has said to him. He sounds crazy as a loon right away, and that part of him doesn't really change. He is running a Manson like cult in the desert and has recently kidnapped a young girl. A man who was his former protege named Swann has taken a group of people who all escaped this cult to come back and rescue this girl and to effectively bind and bury, literally, Nix. Nix tells Swann that he has so much to show him, and shares some of his power with Swann, stating that Swann is the only one worthy of his true wisdom. As Nix is distracted giving Swann some of his power, the girl shoots him in the back, and this gives Swann and his allies their chance to bind Nix. After this is done the characters seperate and we flash forward about 13 years later. This is when we first meet Harry D'Amour, our main protagonist of the story.
Harry, as I said, is deeply troubled, and has just come off of a case where a young boy was possessed by, as Harry puts it, "Oh you know, the usual." He gets put on a case by a friend of his in California to catch a guy trying to scam an insurance company out of their money. He goes out there, and inadvertently gets mixed up in something he doesn't fully understand. Now this is where I am going to end the plot synopsis, so as to not create any spoilers for anyone who hasn't seen this underrated gem of a film.
Now as for the visuals and overall story and directing. I put all of these in with one another because Clive Barker did write and direct this film, and he always makes a point of being very hands on with how the visual effects come out. First of all, the story, just fantastic. Exactly what you would expect from a man who makes his main living off of writing horror novels. It is a clean, distinct, no nonsense script that doesn't play around with a lot of useless words or events. Each event and each line is in turn meant to either enhance the tone of the film, or is there to help move the plot forward. The direction is fantastic as well. Barker really shows off how he can make certain his actors give him all that they can and make you believe that they are their particular characters. He also does something most horror movie filmmakers could learn from. He uses color to help enhance the film. See many horror filmmakers do the opposite of this, they would prefer to use the lack of color and light to set tone or to frighten you. But the thing with this film is that color is very important to how you see things. The main actress of the film is never seen in anything but bright scenes in order to help you understand that she is the light of the film. Whereas Swann is usually her stark contrast and is always shown in darker scenes with slightly less color or with reds and browns in order to show he is a man tormented by his past. While Harry is in between you see him in both settings and see him fitting well with them both. Almost like he straddles the two worlds and is a bridge for them. Than there are the actual special effects of the film. They aren't Earth shattering by todays standards, but they are quite good for when the movie came out. I can't really go into detail about them without giving away certain parts of the movie, but they are quite good.
So if you're looking for a good popcorn flick, a good horror movie, or just a good detective sort of movie and don't mind a little blood (it is, afterall, a Clive Barker movie, you know there is going to be some blood and a bit of gore), than you can't go wrong with Lord Of Illusions. Just make sure you're watching the directors cut. This way you can see the movie the way Barker meant it to be seen. Enjoy kiddies.
Friday, November 5, 2010
My continuing countdown of the Top 5 Most Underrated Actors Today
Drum roll please..... My NUMBER 1 PICK!
Sam Rockwell
So yes I do know this guy has done very few movies where he was a major actor in them. He is mainly known for being a character actor. But guess what? He is HUGELY underrated and has been in some excellent movies and he himself always brings a lot to the screen with his performances. So without further ado I am going to jump right into this one.
The first movie I want to talk about with this excellent actor is a film called Choke, based on a book by Chuck Palahniuk (the author of Fight Club as well). This one is kind of an odd choice for me to put on here, or to even mention I liked really. In fact, when I first heard about it, I thought I'd hate it. First of all, before even getting into this one, if you've read the book Choke and expect this to be an exact translation of it, skip to the next movie. Nothing I can say can make you like this movie if you want it to be exactly like the book. It is very little like it, sorry Palahniuk fans. The premise of this one is weird, but I'll do my best to explain it without giving away anything. Rockwell plays a man who is a sex addict who works as a "historical interpreter" (thats tour guide at one of those crappy places schools take trips to to learn about colonial times). By night though, he goes to restaurants, makes himself choke, and tricks the person who saves him into sending him money when he needs it. Kind of like that old adage of if you save a persons life you are responsible for them forever. As if this wasn't enough to entertain you, he also has a mother who has alzheimers in a very expensive hospital who lets it slip that he may or may not have divine heritage. That is where the movie gets a little weird, but a lot more interesting. The reason this movie is so great is because Rockwell starts off as this character that you couldn't care less for honestly. He is a liar, a con man, mean, and a degenerate. However, as the movie goes along, you start to see a different side of him, and he begins to become endearing, and actually have some depth in him. You start to not only care for him, but actually root for him to become this changed man that he is trying to mold himself into becoming. So check this one out, you might enjoy it.
Next up we have probably his most famous film to date, Confessions Of A Dangerous Mind. This one is just plain great. It is about the infamous Chuck Barris (played wonderfully by Rockwell), based on his autobiography. It starts off with a shot of Rockwells ass, unfortunately, and with him narrating. It goes on to shine some light onto his childhood, his middling years, and than his early years as an NBC page. Than it goes into how he got into TV and game shows in general. It goes through each of his various game shows and how he created them, how he became this legend in television and how he sort of disappeared. Oh, and it also gets into him being an assassin for the CIA. Did I forget to mention that? Yes, this movie goes on the assumption that that rumor is true, and that Barris was a killer for the government. This is really where the real meat of the film is in all honesty. His career in television is definitely expanded upon a lot more than I ever knew about it, however, it is just a background for the rest of his escapades. He was a womanizer, he cheated on his girlfriend for years. He also lied to everyone around him constantly, became extremely paranoid that everyone was going to kill him, and finally ended up leaving that end of things after everyone around him was killed. There is a great performance brought in by George Clooney (the director of the film as well) as Barris' handler. But Rockwell is the one who shines all throughout this movie. He never once fails to steal the scenes he is in, and always successfully makes the scenes that other actors may have made tragic or boring into comedic pieces and makes them work better that way as well. With the scenes that may have otherwise been farcical and boring he brings life and a certain level of tragedy to them. This movie never fails to stay interesting, and always brings you back into it when you might have started to lose interest thanks to Sam Rockwell's wonderful performance. Definitely a must see for anyone who is a fan of the spy genre, the black comedy genre, or remembers when Chuck Barris was releasing all of his insane gameshows.
Well now its time for my honorable mentions. The Heist (fantastic heist movie, Rockwell has a small part, this one is really Gene Hackman's movie though), Gentlemen Broncos (this one really defies explanation, just watch it and enjoy it especially if you ever wanted to write a science fiction novel), Galaxy Quest (just a great comedy that does for Star Trek what Sean Of The Dead did for zombie movies), and Safe Men (great little indie flick with Rockwell and Steve Zahn as inept thieves that have more luck than brains, just a great comedy). Thats all for now folks, hope you enjoyed my list and perhaps you'll agree with me after seeing a few of these films I've mentioned in this one and the others that these all are extremely underrated actors. You keep reading them, and I'll keep writing them.
Sam Rockwell
So yes I do know this guy has done very few movies where he was a major actor in them. He is mainly known for being a character actor. But guess what? He is HUGELY underrated and has been in some excellent movies and he himself always brings a lot to the screen with his performances. So without further ado I am going to jump right into this one.
The first movie I want to talk about with this excellent actor is a film called Choke, based on a book by Chuck Palahniuk (the author of Fight Club as well). This one is kind of an odd choice for me to put on here, or to even mention I liked really. In fact, when I first heard about it, I thought I'd hate it. First of all, before even getting into this one, if you've read the book Choke and expect this to be an exact translation of it, skip to the next movie. Nothing I can say can make you like this movie if you want it to be exactly like the book. It is very little like it, sorry Palahniuk fans. The premise of this one is weird, but I'll do my best to explain it without giving away anything. Rockwell plays a man who is a sex addict who works as a "historical interpreter" (thats tour guide at one of those crappy places schools take trips to to learn about colonial times). By night though, he goes to restaurants, makes himself choke, and tricks the person who saves him into sending him money when he needs it. Kind of like that old adage of if you save a persons life you are responsible for them forever. As if this wasn't enough to entertain you, he also has a mother who has alzheimers in a very expensive hospital who lets it slip that he may or may not have divine heritage. That is where the movie gets a little weird, but a lot more interesting. The reason this movie is so great is because Rockwell starts off as this character that you couldn't care less for honestly. He is a liar, a con man, mean, and a degenerate. However, as the movie goes along, you start to see a different side of him, and he begins to become endearing, and actually have some depth in him. You start to not only care for him, but actually root for him to become this changed man that he is trying to mold himself into becoming. So check this one out, you might enjoy it.
Next up we have probably his most famous film to date, Confessions Of A Dangerous Mind. This one is just plain great. It is about the infamous Chuck Barris (played wonderfully by Rockwell), based on his autobiography. It starts off with a shot of Rockwells ass, unfortunately, and with him narrating. It goes on to shine some light onto his childhood, his middling years, and than his early years as an NBC page. Than it goes into how he got into TV and game shows in general. It goes through each of his various game shows and how he created them, how he became this legend in television and how he sort of disappeared. Oh, and it also gets into him being an assassin for the CIA. Did I forget to mention that? Yes, this movie goes on the assumption that that rumor is true, and that Barris was a killer for the government. This is really where the real meat of the film is in all honesty. His career in television is definitely expanded upon a lot more than I ever knew about it, however, it is just a background for the rest of his escapades. He was a womanizer, he cheated on his girlfriend for years. He also lied to everyone around him constantly, became extremely paranoid that everyone was going to kill him, and finally ended up leaving that end of things after everyone around him was killed. There is a great performance brought in by George Clooney (the director of the film as well) as Barris' handler. But Rockwell is the one who shines all throughout this movie. He never once fails to steal the scenes he is in, and always successfully makes the scenes that other actors may have made tragic or boring into comedic pieces and makes them work better that way as well. With the scenes that may have otherwise been farcical and boring he brings life and a certain level of tragedy to them. This movie never fails to stay interesting, and always brings you back into it when you might have started to lose interest thanks to Sam Rockwell's wonderful performance. Definitely a must see for anyone who is a fan of the spy genre, the black comedy genre, or remembers when Chuck Barris was releasing all of his insane gameshows.
Well now its time for my honorable mentions. The Heist (fantastic heist movie, Rockwell has a small part, this one is really Gene Hackman's movie though), Gentlemen Broncos (this one really defies explanation, just watch it and enjoy it especially if you ever wanted to write a science fiction novel), Galaxy Quest (just a great comedy that does for Star Trek what Sean Of The Dead did for zombie movies), and Safe Men (great little indie flick with Rockwell and Steve Zahn as inept thieves that have more luck than brains, just a great comedy). Thats all for now folks, hope you enjoyed my list and perhaps you'll agree with me after seeing a few of these films I've mentioned in this one and the others that these all are extremely underrated actors. You keep reading them, and I'll keep writing them.
Wednesday, November 3, 2010
My continuing countdown of the Top 5 Most Underrated Actors Today
Number 2: Ryan Gosling
So this one is a little hard to explain why I believe he belongs on this list. My main reason is because everyone assumes all he should be, and is known for is the movie The Notebook. Well that is what got him into mainstream cinema. It is what officially launched his career, but it is not at all what shows his skills as an actor. He has done many movies that are very diverse, and very interesting. Most of his movies make you use your head more than anything, and are very cerebral.
I am going to start this list with one of my favorite movies Ryan Gosling has done, and also probably his most controversial film. It is a movie called The Believer. What it is essentially about is a man who is in his 20s who is a rabid anti-semite. But the real kicker to that isn't just that he is anti-semitic, but he is also Jewish himself. He plays this angry, confused, and torn young man. He constantly explains his hatred of the Jews, and wants to prove he hates them and wants nothing to do with them. At the same time, as we delve more and more into Goslings troubled figure we begin to see that his hatred may not be as complete as we first supposed. He begins to be forced to face who he is, and why his hatred may be wrong. I can't explain much more as to why this movie is a great film without giving away quite a lot, but trust me when I say it is worth watching. Gosling shows his acting chops in this one in a big way.
The next movie I'd like to showcase in his diverse career is a film called Lars And The Real Girl. This one is an interesting movie, and can, at times, make you downright uncomfortable but at the same time makes you truly love it for that very reason. Lars (Gosling) is a quiet, private man who works a very menial job, he lives in the garage outside of his brothers house where his brother and his pregnant wife live, and he is essentially very alone, but by his own design. Everyone in the town tries to bring him into their world and to try and get him out of his own little world, but he fights it, and finally, in an act of desperation to get people to leave him be, he orders a mail order life like woman doll. He gives her a name, backstory, and even has conversations with her. So what does everyone in town do? They accept it, and try and help Lars continue to keep his act up without missing a beat. Everyone welcomes her with open arms, and with the help of the town doctor, Lars begins to change and open slowly to the idea of people being in his life. This one is a wonderful and ultimately uplifting movie. Ryan Gosling is a delight as Lars, and a huge surprise that you want to like his character so much.
So those are the two main movies I recommend watching with Ryan Gosling in them. He has done a few others worth a brief mention though. They are, Fracture (great main stream movie with Gosling as a hot shot lawyer trying to put Anthony Hopkins in jail for murder), Stay (an interesting movie that is hard to explain and best left to be said that it is worth watching), Half Nelson (a fantastic little independant movie that almost got Gosling an Oscar nod with his wonderful performance as a teacher/basketball coach in the inner city and also a drug addict), and Blue Valentine (a new movie he is in with Michelle Williams basically a disection of a courtship and marriage that seems destined to fail despite its wonderful beginnings). So check out these films, and enjoy the great underrated actor that is Ryan Gosling. Honestly, do not see The Notebook if you haven't already unless you have a wife or girlfriend who just loves romantic movies. If you do have one of those though, get her to watch it with you, guaranteed points in her book. One other thing to keep in mind, The Believer and Half Nelson are NOT for the faint of heart. They are dark movies that have strong themes in them that honestly if you aren't keeping an open mind and trying to think as you watch them, you won't enjoy them. So hope you enjoyed reading this as much as I did writing it. Tomorrow, number 1.....
So this one is a little hard to explain why I believe he belongs on this list. My main reason is because everyone assumes all he should be, and is known for is the movie The Notebook. Well that is what got him into mainstream cinema. It is what officially launched his career, but it is not at all what shows his skills as an actor. He has done many movies that are very diverse, and very interesting. Most of his movies make you use your head more than anything, and are very cerebral.
I am going to start this list with one of my favorite movies Ryan Gosling has done, and also probably his most controversial film. It is a movie called The Believer. What it is essentially about is a man who is in his 20s who is a rabid anti-semite. But the real kicker to that isn't just that he is anti-semitic, but he is also Jewish himself. He plays this angry, confused, and torn young man. He constantly explains his hatred of the Jews, and wants to prove he hates them and wants nothing to do with them. At the same time, as we delve more and more into Goslings troubled figure we begin to see that his hatred may not be as complete as we first supposed. He begins to be forced to face who he is, and why his hatred may be wrong. I can't explain much more as to why this movie is a great film without giving away quite a lot, but trust me when I say it is worth watching. Gosling shows his acting chops in this one in a big way.
The next movie I'd like to showcase in his diverse career is a film called Lars And The Real Girl. This one is an interesting movie, and can, at times, make you downright uncomfortable but at the same time makes you truly love it for that very reason. Lars (Gosling) is a quiet, private man who works a very menial job, he lives in the garage outside of his brothers house where his brother and his pregnant wife live, and he is essentially very alone, but by his own design. Everyone in the town tries to bring him into their world and to try and get him out of his own little world, but he fights it, and finally, in an act of desperation to get people to leave him be, he orders a mail order life like woman doll. He gives her a name, backstory, and even has conversations with her. So what does everyone in town do? They accept it, and try and help Lars continue to keep his act up without missing a beat. Everyone welcomes her with open arms, and with the help of the town doctor, Lars begins to change and open slowly to the idea of people being in his life. This one is a wonderful and ultimately uplifting movie. Ryan Gosling is a delight as Lars, and a huge surprise that you want to like his character so much.
So those are the two main movies I recommend watching with Ryan Gosling in them. He has done a few others worth a brief mention though. They are, Fracture (great main stream movie with Gosling as a hot shot lawyer trying to put Anthony Hopkins in jail for murder), Stay (an interesting movie that is hard to explain and best left to be said that it is worth watching), Half Nelson (a fantastic little independant movie that almost got Gosling an Oscar nod with his wonderful performance as a teacher/basketball coach in the inner city and also a drug addict), and Blue Valentine (a new movie he is in with Michelle Williams basically a disection of a courtship and marriage that seems destined to fail despite its wonderful beginnings). So check out these films, and enjoy the great underrated actor that is Ryan Gosling. Honestly, do not see The Notebook if you haven't already unless you have a wife or girlfriend who just loves romantic movies. If you do have one of those though, get her to watch it with you, guaranteed points in her book. One other thing to keep in mind, The Believer and Half Nelson are NOT for the faint of heart. They are dark movies that have strong themes in them that honestly if you aren't keeping an open mind and trying to think as you watch them, you won't enjoy them. So hope you enjoyed reading this as much as I did writing it. Tomorrow, number 1.....
Tuesday, November 2, 2010
My continuing countdown of the Top 5 Most Underrated Actors Today
Number 3:
Guy Pearce
This guy, no pun intended, is one actor who I truly do think is HUGELY underrated, maybe more so than even all the others. He has been everything from a time traveling scientist to a French nobelman to a man who is seeking revenge for his dead wife bu can't remember what happened 5 minutes ago. He has been a lover, a villain, a genius, and a sympathetic sob story. So here is my run down of a few reasons why this actor should be considered a true force in film.
Well I am going to start with my favorite movie of Guy Pearce's, and also the one that first showed me the great acting skills of him. This is a film called Memento. The easiest way to explain this movie is to say that it is about a man who the same night he and his wife were attacked he was injured in such a way that he no longer can make new memories. After this his wife is dead, and he wants to find her killers, and also the men who caused this injury for him, whom he assumes are the same ones. How does he do this? Notes. Lots and lots of notes. He tattoos notes on his body, he writes them down on paper to a certain degree, he uses polaroids to keep track of important things, people, and places. If he talks too long with someone he might forget what the conversation was about. If he wanted to alter his own recolections all he would have to do is tattoo one thing on himself that said something different that what he wrote on paper. So this is where you might be asking yourself, "Well what about all of this makes Guy Pearce so great?" Well I will tell you. He never once tries to make you feel sorry for him, or at least not for long. See this movie isn't about his search for the killers, or for his search for the truth even. Yes, it is what seems to be central to the plot, but really this movie is about the importance of memory, and how fragile it really is. The most wonderful line in the movie, that essentially explains the whole central theme is this, "I ahve to believe in a world outside my own mind. I have to believe my actions still have meaning even if I can't remember them. I have to believe when my eyes are closed the worlds still here. Do I believe the worlds still here? Is it still out there? Yeah. We all need mirrors to remind ourselve who we are. I'm no different." Essentially, see this movie if you like movies that could still be called cinema, and that make you actually use your brain a bit.
This next one is a great movie based on an old classic, The Count Of Monte Cristo. I don't think this needs a lot of introduction or explanation considering how old it is. So I will get right to it. Guy Pearce plays the villain in this one who frames the central character (played by Jim Caviezal in a wonderful role, showing he can play someone other than Jesus) for conspracy with Napoleon. He than steals his friend who he has framed's girlfriend and his life. He squanders his money, and his title, and essentially gets what is coming to him. But he plays the part perfectly. Never once do you remember that he is an actor playing a part. It is an excellent adaptation to the classic book, and excellent performance in a complex role, that is as classic as villain roles get.
This next one is a movie that was not well received, was not well played, and was only a fan for the critics. So why am I mentioning it? Because it is a damn fine movie, and a damn fine part. It is called The Proposition and it takes place in Australia during the time when Australia was first being settled and was essentailly still full of criminals and was very much like the United States old west. Pearce plays the middle of three brothers. The oldest is such a horrendously evil man that the local law when they catch Pearce and his younger brother offer Pearce a deal even after Pearce and his younger brother have raped and killed people. Bring in your older brother and we let you both go unharmed and your crimes forgotten. Pearce than has to make a choice. Either let pretend to take the deal, run off, and let them keep his younger brother and eventually hang him. Or catch up with his older brother, bring him in, and let the law hang him instead. Pearce agrees to the proposition and heads out after his older brother. You can almost feel the tension all throughout the film of Pearce trying to make a decision as to what he is going to do. The movie keeps you guessing as to what his ultimate decision will be right up until the end. This one is a must see for western fans, and fans of great old time cinema really. The whole feel of the film is more of a time long forgotten in movies. There are a few scenes that are a little rough getting through, but otherwise, just an excellent movie showcasing our number 3 here.
Well a few honorable mentions and that will do it for number 3. First of all, The Time Machne, a reimagining of the classic H.G. Wells book. Check this one out if you don't mind them monkeying with the story a bit. L.A. Confidentail, honestly, if you haven't seen this one yet, what are you waiting for? It has been out since 1997, was nominated for several Oscars, and is just a great movie about Hollywood of the 1950s. It has Guy Pearce, Russel Crowe, Kevin Spacey, Danny DeVito, and Kim Basinger. With a cast like that you know it has to be good. Traitor and The Hurt Locker are also good ones, but not really his movies, and in fact in The Hurt Locker he has a very tiny role. These two are just worth mentioning because they are just great movies.
There you have it, our number 3, Guy Pearce. Someone with some very different roles under his belt. Most people don't even know his name, they only know him as "that guy in that movie that I liked." Be sure to check these ones out when you can. You won't be sorry.
Guy Pearce
This guy, no pun intended, is one actor who I truly do think is HUGELY underrated, maybe more so than even all the others. He has been everything from a time traveling scientist to a French nobelman to a man who is seeking revenge for his dead wife bu can't remember what happened 5 minutes ago. He has been a lover, a villain, a genius, and a sympathetic sob story. So here is my run down of a few reasons why this actor should be considered a true force in film.
Well I am going to start with my favorite movie of Guy Pearce's, and also the one that first showed me the great acting skills of him. This is a film called Memento. The easiest way to explain this movie is to say that it is about a man who the same night he and his wife were attacked he was injured in such a way that he no longer can make new memories. After this his wife is dead, and he wants to find her killers, and also the men who caused this injury for him, whom he assumes are the same ones. How does he do this? Notes. Lots and lots of notes. He tattoos notes on his body, he writes them down on paper to a certain degree, he uses polaroids to keep track of important things, people, and places. If he talks too long with someone he might forget what the conversation was about. If he wanted to alter his own recolections all he would have to do is tattoo one thing on himself that said something different that what he wrote on paper. So this is where you might be asking yourself, "Well what about all of this makes Guy Pearce so great?" Well I will tell you. He never once tries to make you feel sorry for him, or at least not for long. See this movie isn't about his search for the killers, or for his search for the truth even. Yes, it is what seems to be central to the plot, but really this movie is about the importance of memory, and how fragile it really is. The most wonderful line in the movie, that essentially explains the whole central theme is this, "I ahve to believe in a world outside my own mind. I have to believe my actions still have meaning even if I can't remember them. I have to believe when my eyes are closed the worlds still here. Do I believe the worlds still here? Is it still out there? Yeah. We all need mirrors to remind ourselve who we are. I'm no different." Essentially, see this movie if you like movies that could still be called cinema, and that make you actually use your brain a bit.
This next one is a great movie based on an old classic, The Count Of Monte Cristo. I don't think this needs a lot of introduction or explanation considering how old it is. So I will get right to it. Guy Pearce plays the villain in this one who frames the central character (played by Jim Caviezal in a wonderful role, showing he can play someone other than Jesus) for conspracy with Napoleon. He than steals his friend who he has framed's girlfriend and his life. He squanders his money, and his title, and essentially gets what is coming to him. But he plays the part perfectly. Never once do you remember that he is an actor playing a part. It is an excellent adaptation to the classic book, and excellent performance in a complex role, that is as classic as villain roles get.
This next one is a movie that was not well received, was not well played, and was only a fan for the critics. So why am I mentioning it? Because it is a damn fine movie, and a damn fine part. It is called The Proposition and it takes place in Australia during the time when Australia was first being settled and was essentailly still full of criminals and was very much like the United States old west. Pearce plays the middle of three brothers. The oldest is such a horrendously evil man that the local law when they catch Pearce and his younger brother offer Pearce a deal even after Pearce and his younger brother have raped and killed people. Bring in your older brother and we let you both go unharmed and your crimes forgotten. Pearce than has to make a choice. Either let pretend to take the deal, run off, and let them keep his younger brother and eventually hang him. Or catch up with his older brother, bring him in, and let the law hang him instead. Pearce agrees to the proposition and heads out after his older brother. You can almost feel the tension all throughout the film of Pearce trying to make a decision as to what he is going to do. The movie keeps you guessing as to what his ultimate decision will be right up until the end. This one is a must see for western fans, and fans of great old time cinema really. The whole feel of the film is more of a time long forgotten in movies. There are a few scenes that are a little rough getting through, but otherwise, just an excellent movie showcasing our number 3 here.
Well a few honorable mentions and that will do it for number 3. First of all, The Time Machne, a reimagining of the classic H.G. Wells book. Check this one out if you don't mind them monkeying with the story a bit. L.A. Confidentail, honestly, if you haven't seen this one yet, what are you waiting for? It has been out since 1997, was nominated for several Oscars, and is just a great movie about Hollywood of the 1950s. It has Guy Pearce, Russel Crowe, Kevin Spacey, Danny DeVito, and Kim Basinger. With a cast like that you know it has to be good. Traitor and The Hurt Locker are also good ones, but not really his movies, and in fact in The Hurt Locker he has a very tiny role. These two are just worth mentioning because they are just great movies.
There you have it, our number 3, Guy Pearce. Someone with some very different roles under his belt. Most people don't even know his name, they only know him as "that guy in that movie that I liked." Be sure to check these ones out when you can. You won't be sorry.
Part 2 Top 5 Most Underrated Actors Of Today
Number 4:
Well faithful readers this next one is someone who is greatly underrated, and thought of mainly as a bit actor, or as one part. His name is Viggo Mortensen, and if you don't know who he is that may not be a huge surprise. Most people really only know him as Aragorn in The Lord Of The Rings movies. If you know him from anything else it more than likely is from one of the movies that shows just how underrated he must really be. That movie is David Cronenbergs A History Of Violence. This one is an excellent character film with Mortensen playing a man who after defending some of the members of his sleepy small town in his diner he becomes the subject of media attention and than the attentions of a mob heavy hitter. However, Mortensen really wasn't the star of this in a lot of ways. Honestly, the people around him are the ones who shine more so than him. Ed Harris in particular delivers a powerful performance.
But one of his next movies truly does show how wonderful and stoic an actor our Mr. Mortensen is. This movie is a little film called Eastern Promises, and was again directed by David Cronenberg. It is about a woman who is the midwife during a delivery of a baby from a young teenage girl one night in an England hospital. She begins to try and learn about this girl through her journal that is in Russian being translated by her uncle, a Russian immigrant himself. This than brings in the Russian mafia into the picture, and mainly our man Mortensen. He truly shines in this one as the driver/buttonman for the local Russian mob. From start to finish Viggo steals every scene he is in, even when he isn't speaking. His body language alone speaks volumes for him in the film. The film takes many twists and turns, and does not end even close to what you would expect. Mortensen truly deserved some award for his performance in this one. If you haven't seen it, I definitely strongly recommend seeing it.
Our next one by Viggo that we will discuss is a film by the name of G.I. Jane. Now I know this one isn't his movie at all. I also know a lot of people have seen this one and probably didn't even enjoy it that much. But if I am going to talk about this mans body of work, I have to talk about this. In this one he shows how much of a badass he really is in films honestly as the Navy Seal bootcamp drill sargent. He is down right nasty to the recruits he has in his camp, and in particular to Demi Moore's character. Honestly, if you haven't seen this already, I'd be surprised considering how long it has been out. So I don't think i need to dwell on it, it was more of a reminder that he was in it and played the horribly mean drill sargent.
One last film I want to be sure and mention his performance in is Apalossa. Once again our stoic character actor shows his chops in this modern-ish western with Ed Harris. All throughout this one he is the narrator, and the rock to Ed Harris' slightly foolish character. He quietly and continually tries and pushes Harris' character into the right direction when he would have otherwise self-destructed. Essentially, if you like old western movies or modern westerns you should see this one. The two actors in this one take a story that honestly would have been predictable and even a bit boring and turn it into an excellent and intriguing story with characters you actually care about.
So that is my number 4. He has done quite a few bit parts in his career as well, and he also was in all three Lord Of The Rings movies. If you'd like to see him in a rather small part the movie Carlito's Way has a great scene with him and Al Pacino in it (also just a great movie in general), as does the movie The Prophecy (he plays the devil in it trying to help the humans stop the renegade angel played by Christopher Walken). Hope you enjoy the movies if you haven't seen them and go watch them.
Well faithful readers this next one is someone who is greatly underrated, and thought of mainly as a bit actor, or as one part. His name is Viggo Mortensen, and if you don't know who he is that may not be a huge surprise. Most people really only know him as Aragorn in The Lord Of The Rings movies. If you know him from anything else it more than likely is from one of the movies that shows just how underrated he must really be. That movie is David Cronenbergs A History Of Violence. This one is an excellent character film with Mortensen playing a man who after defending some of the members of his sleepy small town in his diner he becomes the subject of media attention and than the attentions of a mob heavy hitter. However, Mortensen really wasn't the star of this in a lot of ways. Honestly, the people around him are the ones who shine more so than him. Ed Harris in particular delivers a powerful performance.
But one of his next movies truly does show how wonderful and stoic an actor our Mr. Mortensen is. This movie is a little film called Eastern Promises, and was again directed by David Cronenberg. It is about a woman who is the midwife during a delivery of a baby from a young teenage girl one night in an England hospital. She begins to try and learn about this girl through her journal that is in Russian being translated by her uncle, a Russian immigrant himself. This than brings in the Russian mafia into the picture, and mainly our man Mortensen. He truly shines in this one as the driver/buttonman for the local Russian mob. From start to finish Viggo steals every scene he is in, even when he isn't speaking. His body language alone speaks volumes for him in the film. The film takes many twists and turns, and does not end even close to what you would expect. Mortensen truly deserved some award for his performance in this one. If you haven't seen it, I definitely strongly recommend seeing it.
Our next one by Viggo that we will discuss is a film by the name of G.I. Jane. Now I know this one isn't his movie at all. I also know a lot of people have seen this one and probably didn't even enjoy it that much. But if I am going to talk about this mans body of work, I have to talk about this. In this one he shows how much of a badass he really is in films honestly as the Navy Seal bootcamp drill sargent. He is down right nasty to the recruits he has in his camp, and in particular to Demi Moore's character. Honestly, if you haven't seen this already, I'd be surprised considering how long it has been out. So I don't think i need to dwell on it, it was more of a reminder that he was in it and played the horribly mean drill sargent.
One last film I want to be sure and mention his performance in is Apalossa. Once again our stoic character actor shows his chops in this modern-ish western with Ed Harris. All throughout this one he is the narrator, and the rock to Ed Harris' slightly foolish character. He quietly and continually tries and pushes Harris' character into the right direction when he would have otherwise self-destructed. Essentially, if you like old western movies or modern westerns you should see this one. The two actors in this one take a story that honestly would have been predictable and even a bit boring and turn it into an excellent and intriguing story with characters you actually care about.
So that is my number 4. He has done quite a few bit parts in his career as well, and he also was in all three Lord Of The Rings movies. If you'd like to see him in a rather small part the movie Carlito's Way has a great scene with him and Al Pacino in it (also just a great movie in general), as does the movie The Prophecy (he plays the devil in it trying to help the humans stop the renegade angel played by Christopher Walken). Hope you enjoy the movies if you haven't seen them and go watch them.
Sunday, October 31, 2010
Top 5 Most Underrated Actors Today
So this next bit will be a series for me. My first actually. I want to do a run on who I see as being the top 5 most underrated actors in cinema today. This probably won't be in any order, unless maybe I choose a number 1 when I finally finish, we'll see. So on to the actual subject.
NUMBER 5: Hugh Jackman
Alright, alright. I know this guy is mainly known for playing everyone's favorite adamantium laced mutant on the big screen. However, believe it or not, this guy can act in other very different roles. For one thing, does anyone know what kind of roles he played other Wolverine for the most part? Romantic comedies. Yep, that's right, this guy was a sucker for the chick flick scripts. He did Kate and Leopold with Meg Ryan (kind of a stinker, but he was good in it), and Someone Like You with Ashley Judd (far better film, and far better acting role for him).
But that's not all, what really got everyone's attention was a film by a little director by the name of Christopher Nolan. No it wasn't Batman, it was The Prestige.
In this one Jackman plays the foil to Christian Bale's semi-good guy role. See neither one of them are particularly sympathetic characters. They play dueling magicians trying to find out each others secrets to their acts. Jackman plays an excellent anti-hero in this one. He never completely becomes the good guy, but never truly crosses over to the evil side until a pivotal moment in the film that I will leave you to find out on your own (who said I was going to include spoilers in this?).
Next movie I want to make sure everyone knows about is a little known film called The Fountain. This one was directed by a guy named Darron Aronofsky. His big claim to fame a movie called Requiem For A Dream (one of the most depressing and dark looks at drugs ever). However, in The Fountain Aronofsky gets a performance out of Jackman that many Hugh fans believe should have been at least Oscar nomination worthy. This movie has some of the best special effects ever, especially considering they are all done without the use of computer generated graphics (thank you IMDB.com for that piece of trivia, check out how Aronofsky did it on there if you want to know, this is about the actor, remember?). But even with these amazing graphics, it is Hugh Jackman who truly shines here. In it he plays a doctor who is trying to essentially cure Cancer and along with it possibly death entirely. This is due to his wife (played by the wonderful Rachel Weisz) slowly dying of this dreaded disease. The movie follows him in three different eras of time with one common tie to them all. Hugh Jackman is trying to eradicate death itself using a special tree.
In one time period he is trying to deliver his love, the queen of Spain, in the 15th century or so from bondage by the Catholic church (a great little metaphor). In the next he is the aforementioned doctor (this one is the main thread in the story). Finally, in the third he is a tattoo covered man traveling through space in the distant future on a small island in a bubble with the great tree itself. Where he is headed is explained as the movie goes along. Now see this movie could have easily been all style and no substance. There honestly isn't a lot of dialogue or deep conversations. But does that stop our Hugh? Not even a little bit. In fact in one scene that explains why he has all of the tattoos in the future, he not only cries because of a great loss, he nearly bawls. As he is being so emotional, he conveys all of the basic motivations and emotions he has had throughout the movie in an almost completely wordless scene. This guy is brilliant.
So enjoy the wonderful actor that is Hugh Jackman. Watch his two completely different movies from anything you've probably seen him in with The Prestige and The Fountain. I guarentee afterwards, you won't look at Wolverine the same. Also, if you haven't seen the most recent X-Men movie that was all about Wolverines origins. I recommend a rental on that one. It isn't quite buy worthy, but Jackman and Liev Shreiber (playing Sabretooth in a way that only another gifted actor could do it) make the movie worth watching. It isn't very close to the comic book, and if you are going in expecting a direct adaptation, than you might as well stop watching comic book movies all together really. But if you want a good action movie with our number 5, check it out as well. Also, as a brief edit to my original post, that no one probably had a chance to read yet, take a look at Flushed Away as well. It isn't Jackman doing actual action, only voiceover, but it is a great movie and worth mention. It's from the creator of the beloved dog and owner duo Wallace and Gromit. So you know it must be good.
You keep reading them, and I'll keep writing them.
NUMBER 5: Hugh Jackman
Alright, alright. I know this guy is mainly known for playing everyone's favorite adamantium laced mutant on the big screen. However, believe it or not, this guy can act in other very different roles. For one thing, does anyone know what kind of roles he played other Wolverine for the most part? Romantic comedies. Yep, that's right, this guy was a sucker for the chick flick scripts. He did Kate and Leopold with Meg Ryan (kind of a stinker, but he was good in it), and Someone Like You with Ashley Judd (far better film, and far better acting role for him).
But that's not all, what really got everyone's attention was a film by a little director by the name of Christopher Nolan. No it wasn't Batman, it was The Prestige.
In this one Jackman plays the foil to Christian Bale's semi-good guy role. See neither one of them are particularly sympathetic characters. They play dueling magicians trying to find out each others secrets to their acts. Jackman plays an excellent anti-hero in this one. He never completely becomes the good guy, but never truly crosses over to the evil side until a pivotal moment in the film that I will leave you to find out on your own (who said I was going to include spoilers in this?).
Next movie I want to make sure everyone knows about is a little known film called The Fountain. This one was directed by a guy named Darron Aronofsky. His big claim to fame a movie called Requiem For A Dream (one of the most depressing and dark looks at drugs ever). However, in The Fountain Aronofsky gets a performance out of Jackman that many Hugh fans believe should have been at least Oscar nomination worthy. This movie has some of the best special effects ever, especially considering they are all done without the use of computer generated graphics (thank you IMDB.com for that piece of trivia, check out how Aronofsky did it on there if you want to know, this is about the actor, remember?). But even with these amazing graphics, it is Hugh Jackman who truly shines here. In it he plays a doctor who is trying to essentially cure Cancer and along with it possibly death entirely. This is due to his wife (played by the wonderful Rachel Weisz) slowly dying of this dreaded disease. The movie follows him in three different eras of time with one common tie to them all. Hugh Jackman is trying to eradicate death itself using a special tree.
In one time period he is trying to deliver his love, the queen of Spain, in the 15th century or so from bondage by the Catholic church (a great little metaphor). In the next he is the aforementioned doctor (this one is the main thread in the story). Finally, in the third he is a tattoo covered man traveling through space in the distant future on a small island in a bubble with the great tree itself. Where he is headed is explained as the movie goes along. Now see this movie could have easily been all style and no substance. There honestly isn't a lot of dialogue or deep conversations. But does that stop our Hugh? Not even a little bit. In fact in one scene that explains why he has all of the tattoos in the future, he not only cries because of a great loss, he nearly bawls. As he is being so emotional, he conveys all of the basic motivations and emotions he has had throughout the movie in an almost completely wordless scene. This guy is brilliant.
So enjoy the wonderful actor that is Hugh Jackman. Watch his two completely different movies from anything you've probably seen him in with The Prestige and The Fountain. I guarentee afterwards, you won't look at Wolverine the same. Also, if you haven't seen the most recent X-Men movie that was all about Wolverines origins. I recommend a rental on that one. It isn't quite buy worthy, but Jackman and Liev Shreiber (playing Sabretooth in a way that only another gifted actor could do it) make the movie worth watching. It isn't very close to the comic book, and if you are going in expecting a direct adaptation, than you might as well stop watching comic book movies all together really. But if you want a good action movie with our number 5, check it out as well. Also, as a brief edit to my original post, that no one probably had a chance to read yet, take a look at Flushed Away as well. It isn't Jackman doing actual action, only voiceover, but it is a great movie and worth mention. It's from the creator of the beloved dog and owner duo Wallace and Gromit. So you know it must be good.
You keep reading them, and I'll keep writing them.
Saturday, October 9, 2010
Anime, not just what we remember from TV in 80s anymore
So I decided to write this after a conversation I had with a friend of mine last week. I know I don't post often, I'm a busy guy with working 2 jobs like I do, but I feel this is a subject a lot of people should know about. See I am someone who used to hate anime, I thought it was stupid and all the same. Than as I got a bit older, and I got to be about 15 or 16 I saw two movies that started a change of mind for me. They were called "Ghost In The Shell" and "Akira". These two movies if they were live action and made today, they would have had blockbuster budgets and would have been directed by someone like Stephen Spielberg or at the very least James Cameron. Check out their descriptions on Amazon.com if you'd like to know what they are about. I'm not doing this one as a review this time. Maybe in another post. So I saw these movies, and I was blown away by their stories and their quality. They opened my mind to cartoons being for adults as well as kids even.
But I ignored anime after that, assuming that they were rarities. I watched a few here and there, mostly the stock stuff that teenagers watch like "Dragonball Z" or "Transformers" (yes, I don't care what anyone says, "Transformers" is technically anime. Sorry people out there who don't see it that way.). Than a few years ago I gave it another chance and I watched something called "Spirited Away", and I was very very surprised. It was good. Not only was it good, but it was for all ages. Anything by Hayao Miyazaki is essentially high quality. That was it, after that I was hooked again.
So yeah, after that I thought maybe there are a few good ones out there. I watched so many after that that I saw whatever I could. "Neon Genesis: Evangelion" in particular being excellent, it has a mysterious story, giant robots, and tons of action. Lots of anime are not exactly what we would call good. Yes, that is true. You have to sift through lots that are horrible to find the good ones. However, the good ones are well worth the looking. A few for everyone to look at are as follows. Give them a shot, see what you think. Not all are perfect, but plenty are good, even great in some cases. My taste varies quite a lot, and plenty of them can be seen for free on the internet somewhere or other. The ones you can't find there, most you can find on something like Netflix for rental or amazon.com for purchase. Most of them are well worth seeing at least once or twice. Some you will watch once, forget all about for a while, and than all of a sudden want to watch again. Others, like "Akira", or "Ghost In The Shell" after watching once, you might end up wanting to just watch them again and again. So have fun! Give some of these a real chance. You won't regret it. Remember, anime isn't just for kids, and it isn't just for perverts either.
Fullmetal Alchemist (The series is far better than the movie, which takes place afterwards); Howl's Moving Castle; Neon Genesis: Evangelion (Show and than watch the movie); Nausica Valley Of The Wind; Ghost In The Shell (The movie is the only thing worth it not the series at all); Akira; Hellsing (The shorter run of the series is better than the longer one); Perfect Blue; Vampire Hunter D; Vampire Hunter D Bloodlust; Ninja Scroll; Afro Samurai; Cowboy Bebop; The Animatrix; Lupin III (kind of silly, and a bit raunchy but not bad); Naruto Shippuden (a sequel to its predecessor, Naruto, and is far superior to it. Where Naruto was for kids mostly, this one is mostly for late teens or older)
But I ignored anime after that, assuming that they were rarities. I watched a few here and there, mostly the stock stuff that teenagers watch like "Dragonball Z" or "Transformers" (yes, I don't care what anyone says, "Transformers" is technically anime. Sorry people out there who don't see it that way.). Than a few years ago I gave it another chance and I watched something called "Spirited Away", and I was very very surprised. It was good. Not only was it good, but it was for all ages. Anything by Hayao Miyazaki is essentially high quality. That was it, after that I was hooked again.
So yeah, after that I thought maybe there are a few good ones out there. I watched so many after that that I saw whatever I could. "Neon Genesis: Evangelion" in particular being excellent, it has a mysterious story, giant robots, and tons of action. Lots of anime are not exactly what we would call good. Yes, that is true. You have to sift through lots that are horrible to find the good ones. However, the good ones are well worth the looking. A few for everyone to look at are as follows. Give them a shot, see what you think. Not all are perfect, but plenty are good, even great in some cases. My taste varies quite a lot, and plenty of them can be seen for free on the internet somewhere or other. The ones you can't find there, most you can find on something like Netflix for rental or amazon.com for purchase. Most of them are well worth seeing at least once or twice. Some you will watch once, forget all about for a while, and than all of a sudden want to watch again. Others, like "Akira", or "Ghost In The Shell" after watching once, you might end up wanting to just watch them again and again. So have fun! Give some of these a real chance. You won't regret it. Remember, anime isn't just for kids, and it isn't just for perverts either.
Fullmetal Alchemist (The series is far better than the movie, which takes place afterwards); Howl's Moving Castle; Neon Genesis: Evangelion (Show and than watch the movie); Nausica Valley Of The Wind; Ghost In The Shell (The movie is the only thing worth it not the series at all); Akira; Hellsing (The shorter run of the series is better than the longer one); Perfect Blue; Vampire Hunter D; Vampire Hunter D Bloodlust; Ninja Scroll; Afro Samurai; Cowboy Bebop; The Animatrix; Lupin III (kind of silly, and a bit raunchy but not bad); Naruto Shippuden (a sequel to its predecessor, Naruto, and is far superior to it. Where Naruto was for kids mostly, this one is mostly for late teens or older)
Monday, August 30, 2010
An excellent read by anyones standards
So I recently finished World War Z by Max Brooks. Let me tell you boys and girls, this is a good one. It is essentially a book about what if the zombie apocalypse happened, and everything that happened after. A journalist is the narrator of the story and he is going around collecting peoples reactions, interactions, and experiences that happened just before, during, and just after the zombie outbreak. Some of the stories are what you'd expect, soldiers fighting and dying, people turning on one another, etc... However, there are also some really surprises in this one. Max Brooks (the narrator who the author named after himself) talks to some political figures who made the tough decisions throughout the war, and some people who are just basic people who lived through it and made sacrifices and changes for it. Honestly, the best stories are the ones from the people who just lived through it as civilians. Yes, the soldiers stories are interesting, and so are the political figures, but the real meat of this one is with the civilians who tell it like it was on the ground trying to survive. If you are a fan of political literature, biographies, war histories, zombies, or any combination of those than read this book. You will not be sorry.
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