Movie Review: Logan

Hello!
Yes. I’m back! Sorry for the hiatus, life’s been getting in the way. 

Several people have asked me to return to these series so I shall do that, because you seem to enjoy them. So today I have MY review for “Logan”. NO SPOILERS AHEAD. 

I’ve said it before, I don’t like superheroes. The only superhero that I like is Doctor Strange, but we can leave that for another post. 

I didn’t follow the X-Men/Wolverine movies but I know what all the noise is about, it’s the last Wolverine movie with Jackman – hey, they said they want to do more with a new younger, fresh actor. Which in my opinion, would suck because we don’t need more of those movies, thank you. 

Anyway, I heard the critics for Logan were good, but you want to know my opinion? I felt it was bland, repetitive and boring – it didn’t evoke any feelings in me. We all know how the movie will end so, why even bother? Wolverine is so full of himself which pissed me off. He was mean and disrespectful and I don’t know why I’d like a character like that, but it seems people are attracted to it. 

I sincerely didn’t enjoy it as much as I wanted to. I’m tired of movies with blood and many dead people – I am only ok with that if it is a Tarantino Movie, because yeah, he’s the only one that makes it an art with an aesthetic that is appealing to the eye. 

I felt I was watching Jason Bourne 6…7… whatever number we are in, with a “superpower” and basically the main character’s goal is to die. At least Bourne wants survive yadda yadda yadda.  

Man, that sounds depressing for a movie. 

However, if you do like these kind of movies, and you like Wolverine etcetera, etcetera… you’ll like it and maybe you’ll cry. 

If you want to know, the acting is fine. It’s not exceptional or incredible, but it is fine. I mean, believable enough for you to get connected with the story and the characters in it. But I do have to say that they gave the girl a good character to work with, they knew how to make her an important character with few lines. She was annoying for me at first because of her attitude, but you get used to her silence and way of being, and I think it was well done how they connect with the audience to make us understand what she wants to say – using actions and stares. 

I think it is an ok movie to end the series – or however you call them – yet I believe they could have done something more powerful and emotional. And I say this having no attachment whatsoever with the characters and movies. I know it is different for the fans, but I still personally think the ending could have been better and more touching than what it actually was. 
Rating: 6/10 

The most (un)useful Star Wars guide

Welcome, young Padawans!

Star Wars is an immense world, full of characters, planets, stories and lightsaber duels. I’m a big Star Wars fan, and throughout my life, I’ve found people who haven’t seen the movies. I always ask the question “why?”, and usually the answer travels from 1. They’re too long 2. There are too many, I don’t have time.
Fear not! For I bring you here a short (kind of) introduction to the Star Wars world, so you’ll hopefully get excited about it and watch the movies, or simply know what happens in each one so that you can talk about it with everyone else (and watch episode VII and the upcoming movies).

YES, before you ask, I’VE SEEN ALL THE 7 MOVIES PLENTY OF TIMES, OK? Don’t judge me. 

I know 7 movies sound like a handful, but they are quite entertaining, and come on – they’re classic films that are a must watch – or at least the first 3 released movies!
The order of release is confusing since we start off by having episode IV in 1977 then V and VI in the following 6 years. And when everyone thought that there would be no more, George Lucas throws in episodes I, II and III in 1999, 2002, 2005. And then in 2015, we get (probably my favorite Star Wars movie so far) episode VII, which is the follow up to VI (of course). So you’d think that watching Star Wars from I to VII would be the best option? Let’s see. (I’m not involving episode VII).

MOVIES:

Chronological order: In my opinion, this one will reveal to you some plot-twists before you even get to the prequels, but we all know about the “I am your father” part, so I guess you’re good to go with this one. You learn about Anakin’s life and why he turned to the dark side and why he is now his son’s enemy. (episode I, II, III, IV, I, VI)

Release date: This is the most typical way to watch for die-hard Star Wars fans, and I personally love this way of watching the movies. It’s cool to go through the evolution of special effects, too. But the story itself, is really nice as you venture through Luke’s era and then you go back to Anakin’s life that lead you to the why did he turn into the dark side. (episode IV, V, VI, I, II, III)

Just one: If you’re not up to watch all 6 (or 7) movies, then what die-hard fans suggest, is watching Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back, so you get introduced to Lucas’s vast spacial world. It is probably the best movie of them all, hands down.

What is episode VII about?: It starts about 30-40 years after episode VI finishes. Luke has vanished, and new strong dark forces are trying to take control over the Universe (again). The mission this time is to get Luke back to save the universe, while confronting the tantrum-lover villain, Kylo Ren.

But Dani, there are too many characters! Yes, but it’s not easy to get lost. Learn the names and their basic stuff and you’re good to go (does not involve episode VII).

CHARACTERS: (WordPress has found a way to piss me off, so I am SORRY about the pictures not being in place).

 

Yoda: The good old Master Yoda. Little green fellow, strong with the force, trained by Qui-Gon. Wise and funny.

Do or do not, there is no try.

 

 

 

 

 

Qui-Gon Jinn: Master Jedi, strong with the force. Trained by Count Dooku. Trains Yoda and Obi-Wan.

 

 

Chancellor Palpatine/Darth Sidious: Evil Darth Lord who tricks everyone into thinking he’s a good guy. Turns Anakin to the dark side. EVIL PRICK.

 

 

 

 

Padmé Amidala: Strong, wise leader, Queen and Senator of Naboo. Anakin Skywalker is her significant other. Gives birth to twin babies, dies during birth.

 

Anakin Skywalker/Darth Vader: Intelligent guy, prone to his feelings. Strong with the force (REALLY strong). Trained by Obi-Wan and turned to the dark side by Darth Sidious. Plans on building Death Stars, because it’s super fun! (Jk) Wants to have ultimate power of the universe.

Obi-Wan Kenobi: MY FAVORITE CHARACTER. Master Jedi, trained by Qui-Gon. Has to train Anakin and tries to guide him through the light path. (Obi-Wan didn’t deserve any of it!!). Is in charge of baby Luke, ends up helping Luke with his Jedi training.

Han Solo: Your favorite scoundrel. Everyone’s favorite (my second favorite character). He gets away with things in his own way. Chewbacca’s BFF, and Leia’s S.O. (OTP). For reals though, he is just the best. I know.

Leia Organa: Luke Skywalker’s twin sister, daughter of Anakin/Darth Vader and Padmè. Why she’s not Skywalker? Because she was separated at birth from her brother, and the Organa family adopted her. She’s fierce, brave and a PRINCESS (did you hear me, Disney? – and everyone else). She’s princess goals.

Chewbacca: The best side-kick you’ll ever meet. You won’t understand a word this Wookie is saying, but you’ll love him for sure. Faithful to the Millenium Falcon, Han, Leia and friends.

R2-D2 and C-3PO: The dynamic duo! I somehow do believe that the story is told (some times) from their points of view? They are inseparable friends who will (surprisingly) save our heroes like 90% of the times.

Luke Skywalker: Fierce Jedi, who learns the ways of the force through Obi-Wan and Yoda. Defeats his father and becomes a Master. He (as well as his father) loses a hand during a lightsaber duel. In fact, his own father does it.

GLOSSARY:

The Force: “The Force is what gives a Jedi his/her power. It’s an energy field created by all living things. It surrounds us and penetrates us. It binds the galaxy together.”
Jedi: A knight trained to keep peace and justice in the Universe.
Lightsaber: Powerful energy weapon used by those who have the force within. Siths’ lightsabers are color red.
Millenium Falcon: The best and awesomest ship in the Universe, owned by Han Solo.
Stormtroopers: Soldiers from the Empire that use white armor, they tend to miss when they shoot.
Sith: Force-sensitive people, who belong to the dark side.

So I guess this helped you out somehow. If it didn’t, please leave your questions on the comments section or on my Twitter @DaniWillRock. I’ll be waiting then. Goodbye! and:

May The Force Be With You.

Series review: Sense8

(Spoiler-free zone)

Alright, alright, alright… I’m probably late for this one (as I usually am, I wrote this a few weeks ago but didn’t finish), but I REALLY have to speak about Sense8 because it’s just WAY too good. I finished watching not so long ago, and I’ve been busy trying to catch up on plenty of things. BUT here it is:

A Netflix-original series, Sense8, is something like you’ve never seen before. As you see on the picture above, we have 8 characters living in 8 different cities of the world (San Francisco, Chicago, Mexico City, London, Nairobi, Berlin, Seoul and Mumbai). They travel to 9 places (include Iceland on the list!), and it’s an amazing experience to watch, it’s a hell of a ride indeed! The Wachowskis brothers (Matrix movies, V for Vendetta, Jupiter Ascending, Speed Racer, and others) bring a truly worth-watching series, where you’ll be holding on tight to the edge of your seat like 80% of the time (and that if I’m wrong).

You start off by meeting the characters in the first episodes, then you sink in through their lives as they help each other do tasks that life itself brings upon them. These 8 interesting characters are sensates, they can connect with each other through their minds, and gain control of each other’s body at any necessary (dangerous) moment, plus be in the moment with one of the other sensates while being at the other side of the world. I know it sounds weird and complicated, but believe me, it will make sense once you start watching. Apart from their life problems, they have to answer a few questions why, why me?, who’s the lady I keep dreaming of?, why us?, who is Whispers?, why is Whispers behind us?… And more. So there’s that for now. You’ll gain knowledge as you watch the series.

The Wachowskis take this to the next level, which is amazing and refreshing to watch. So, how do they make the show doable, when you have 9 cities planned to film in? You have shots from Gay Pride in San Francisco (where something key to the series happens), you also have some shots from the Ganesh Festival in India, real car stunts in San Francisco, a real car explosion in Berlin, a real plane landing (actors aboard the moving plane), and it all was done with little post-production, since the actors are doing their acting in real-time with well prepared choreography (you’ll understand this when you watch), most of the scenes are a 1-shot only scene, which is super impressive… And, hey! They even used drones to get amazing views (specially from Iceland, WOW) and they did it all in just 4 months!

All the characters are special, since the actors were actually casted (born and raised) in the character’s country of “origin”. The sense of culture in each character is rich, organic and true to its roots, there are no impostors (as in if the character is Mexican, the actor has to be Mexican too). All these different cultures collide beautifully, to bring you inside their world and help you understand more about them. It’s truly inspiring to see this work, because imagine recording the same scene 9 different times in 9 different cities in the world? Ok, maybe not 9, but I do know of the one scene that has more cities involved, and it has 4! How did they make it possible? Could’ve been complicated, but they made it work and it is a beautiful piece of art.

WATCH TRAILER HERE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iKpKAlbJ7BQ

 

So yes, this is a must-watch for me, because the work in it is so neat, very well done, it’s like layers on top of layers perfectly put together. A story that catches your attention, characters that hold on tight to your hand and won’t let go until you finish watching (the last scene brought a huge smile to my face).
Thrill, adventure, action, bullets, movies, dancing, cultures, hobbies, people… Just another story. I would give this a 10/10, really, but I’m going to go with a 9/10. I can’t wait to watch season 2, which will air somewhere between June and November (because no one is 100% sure about the actual release date). If you get to watch it, and finish it, please do let me know what you think because, after all, this is just my own personal opinion – which I do really hope you enjoy.
Thanks for reading!

Movie review: London Has Fallen

From the ones who brought you “Olympus Has Fallen” in 2013, here it is: “London Has Fallen“!!! Another movie to avoid watching (unless you are really bored and you want to get some sleep). Also, I’ve never seen the one from 2013.

Seriously, it is the same old story where the Americans are the heroes and the people from the East side of the world are the bad ones. And there’s always this guy (main character) who confronts about 1,000 bad guys throughout the movie… And kills them all… With guns. There are no surprises in this movie (oh, so unexpected!). I swear to god I saw very ugly (badly-done) helicopters flying in this movie. Not to mention a few explosions as well.

I laughed many times throughout the movie, not because it had funny lines (it had like 2, actually). Let me tell you, it all is a joke, we all know something like that won’t happen IRL: You don’t fight against 30 people using guns, making things explode, and using your bare hands and a machete… To only have one ONE drop of sweat and one little cut on the forehead at the end of it all. Are you kidding me? Why you do this?!

The story needs more background, because explosions and fights take like 70% of the movie, and it takes its charm off. I think there should be more information provided for different things. Directing was good, though, some great shots. Good sound, too. Don’t know the music though, I don’t recall any of that right now (but it probably wasn’t good, if I don’t remember).

Long story short: DON’T WATCH IT. And thank me for letting you know. Even Morgan  Freeman had only like… 6 dialogues? I wanted more. He was sitting there most of the time, staring at a screen. Boohoo!

Movie review: The Jungle Book

Spoiler-free zone. 

Okay, I have to start off with… I LOVED this movie as a kid. I owned the VHS of this movie, and I knew EVERY single word to “Bare Necessities” and “I Wanna Be Like You”. I mean, who doesn’t? It’s a Disney classic! Am I right?

It was definitely weird to see Mowgli as, well… A real person. And the animals (most of the time) looked legit. I mean, they did a pretty good job doing everything. I felt like I was there in the jungle with them, I could almost feel their furs with my bare hands if I reached out enough. The quality of the effects is really good. 

The characters are well done, and you can tell they took their time to bring Bagheera, Baloo, Shere Khan and Kaa to life. Always be aware of Bagheera’s eyes – you see them even in the dark – they’re beautiful light green eyes and they shine when he looks at Mowgli. Also, his accent (British) makes Bagheera (Ben Kingsley) sound more fancy in a way, which gives the character this special style and (classic) sass. Baloo is everyone’s favorite because he’s a fun and lazy bear, he’s super cute. Bill Murray did a great job with his silly bear character, specially when he sung!

The story is indeed a bit different from the original Disney created back in the 90s, but it still sticks to the plot and is engaging. The music oh my god, don’t get me started with that! I loved it. During the dark times when Mowgli had to run for whatever reason it was, I somehow felt anxious and somewhat scared. But also at the most fun times, you’ll get sweet and happy tones delivered straight to your ears. I loved the way this movie was scored.  A+!

I was scared that my dad would fall asleep during the movie, since it started around 9:30pm and he doesn’t really enjoy “children” movies, BUT guess what? He didn’t fall asleep! He said he had liked it, and got scared 2 times. I also got scared 1 or 2 times throughout the movie, but we also laughed – which was great! I enjoy a good laugh every now and then. 

Look out for the cute wolf, Gray. My dad and I loved him! Several animals made me go “awww“, but Gray was just way too cute – even more than Baloo! I want to adopt a dog that looks just like him and name him Gray. Oops!

I am a big Star Wars fan and Lupita is in The Jungle Book as well, so I (of course) heard Maz Kanata’s voice whenever she spoke her lines. It was weird at first, and it reminded me so much of Maz, but you get used to it and it’s the perfect voice for the character. I love Lupita. 

I don’t want to go into too much details, because it is a definitely must watch if you love good graphics, Disney, The Jungle Book, and animals. I recommend it, I really enjoyed it and it is better if you live the experience instead of reading it. So GO WATCH IT!!! 8/10

Movie review: Perfect Sense

Spoiler-free zone.

Ever wonder how your life would change if an indescribable plague started to appear all over the world, no way of stoping it, affecting every single human being? Your uncle, your grandpa, your dad, your mom, your loved one, you. One by one you start to lose your taste, your sense of smell, your hearing. All your senses start to vanish, and it is unexplainable.

The movie tells the story of a romance between a chef (Ewan McGregor) and an epidemiologist (Eva Green), who struggle to keep their love alive as an unknown disease starts to spread all over the world. It’s definitely not a movie about zombies and weird things like such, no. In my opinion, it is a post-apocalyptic kind of movie, that is way too real. In a sense that this “what if” could become real – we just never know. It’s an eye opener, it makes you realize how important the things around us are. How our bodies are essential for many things.

The movie has a nice narrative that doesn’t get boring, the actors do a good job as their characters develop and grow as the movie runs. Besides, there are incredible and harsh images that will make you realize how complicated, beautiful and horrible the world we live in is. The scriptwriting is also good, it gives the movie a constant beat that you won’t get tired of. It has some great lines.

What amazed me the most was how they managed to pull out the loss of senses. There’s a point in the movie where I went WOW, because I had never realized how important sound was, and I got so into the movie that I was perplexed (you have to live it to believe it!). I must admit that I cried at the end, simply because the movie evoked so many feelings inside of me. It is not your traditional sci-fi love story, it is well thought, and it resembles what people would do in real life: suffer, get anxious, get angry, frustrated… There’s no cure, what can I do now?! It’s the end of the world!

I think this is a must-watch, it is definitely an interesting movie and well thought-through. You won’t be disappointed, I hope. Because I know the plot sounds boring, but when I saw that it was on a IMdB list as a “must-watch” movie, I gave it a go and I personally I loved it.
7.5/10 (contains nudity and strong language).

(SPOILER QUOTE AHEAD)

Susan: It’s dark now. But they feel each others’ breath. And they know all they need to know. They kiss, and they feel each others’ tears on their cheeks. And if there had been anybody left to see them, then they would look like normal lovers, caressing each others’ faces, bodies close together, eyes closed, oblivious to the world around them. Because that is how life goes on, like that.

Movie review: Cassandra’s Dream

Spoiler-free post!

I’ve always said this: Allen movies are not for everyone. His movies are known to have repetitive characters, and frequent recurring themes: money, food and sex. This movie contains two, money and sex. Don’t get me wrong, there are no sex scenes, but it’s something they refer to several times in the movie. However, the main theme in this one is money.

I must admit, this is not the best Woody Allen movie, but it is quite entertaining if you’re bored on a Saturday night and don’t know what else to do. I probably laughed like 5 times through out the movie, and would constantly go like “this dude is crazy/stupid” a few times.

The script is fairly done, and it has a constant narration, which is pleasing to the audience. It’s a fine dramatic, and dark story that unfolds itself beautifully. And to be honest, I liked seeing Ewan McGregor as the main character. I mean, who doesn’t like some Obi-Wan? But he did a good acting, and his character was one of the keys to unfold the unexpected ending.

Colin Farrell’s character is probably the most annoying and entertaining in the story. We see “Terry” develop himself as events keep on happening. He is constantly growing deeper and deeper into a dark abyss of confusion, depression, anxiety and exasperation.

The beauty of the story, is that it takes you to British lands, and you live this life with these well portrayed characters, and you feel like this could happen to anyone. We see two well raised brothers, Terry (Farrell) and Ian (McGregor), trying to desperately make some money as they, at the same time, are struggling with their love lives.
Ian seems ok with his life as a restauranteur, but wants to make money fast. While Terry gambles hard, drinks and smokes, and has a not-so decent job at a car repair. Both brothers seem to have won a fair good amount of money, but sooner than expected, they both seem to face Terry’s big money debts. It seems that an angel fell from the sky as their wealthy uncle comes to visit; but money won’t come easy, as they must commit a crime in order to receive the money.

So, if you feel like watching a dark movie, with a fair narrative, and Ewan McGregor, this is your movie. It’s definitely not bad, but it’s not the best.
7.5/10.

 

Movie review: Batman Vs. Superman

(Spoiler-free zone. Scroll to the bottom of the post to read spoilers).

As for my first entry, I think I should talk about “Batman Vs. Superman“, a long-awaited movie by Superhero fans. I’m not a fan of Superheroes, but I do like “Iron Man” (1 & 2) and “Spiderman” (the very first movie). I’ve seen few Superhero movies.

Yesterday, as I walked inside the movie theater, I was rather impressed to see a half-full place. Many of them were teenagers and people on their 30’s and 40’s, no kids! So I got on my seat, and enjoyed the trailers. I was actually excited to watch BvS, just as everyone else in the room (except for my mom). I had never felt that excited about a Superhero movie since Iron Man 1 came out.

So the movie started, really dark as they first show a probably 8 year-old Bruce Wayne running away; it starts very interesting, until the scriptwriters lose it. There were way too many holes in the story, things left unanswered, and plenty of running time to do a better job (2 hours and 30 minutes, or so). They could have left out several scenes in order to answer the questions. The holes in the movie make the audience get lost in the (rather slow) narrative, as they are left out with doubts and many “why” moments. It has also a feeling that the characters all have a side story that never gets explored because they cut it and move on to another thing. Therefore, the characters do not get the chance to fully develop their, let’s say, psychology.

Let’s talk about the special effects: they SUCK! I mean, come on guys! It’s BATMAN and SUPERMAN! There were some pixelated special effects with fire and explosions, and that is a huge WHY? I was very excited to see the special effects, because Star Wars VII has some pretty neat ones, and usually Superhero movies have some good ones, too. However, this one was just crappy, and I was very disappointed about that.
Let’s not start with sound. Holy guacamole, it was probably as bad as the visual effects. They were either too loud or too annoying for the moment the audience was  faced to. Some of them seemed a bit out of place, while others just crashed into your ears, trying to find its place in the movie.
However, not everything was bad. Even though I didn’t like Ben Affleck, and he is a pretty bad Batman, Superman saves the day with his pretty face and blue eyes. But the ones who take the prize are Jesse Eisenberg as Lex Luthor (probably one of my favorite characters so far), and Gal Gadot as Wonder Woman. So keep an eye on them if you’re going to watch this movie!

I agree with the 30% (over 100) rate “Rotten Tomatoes” gave to the movie, and if you haven’t noticed, “IMdB” dropped from a 9 to a 7.6 (over 10) in just a day. I wouldn’t be surprised if it keeps on dropping. This movie is definitely not for everyone and won’t please too many people. But I do REALLY hope they make a better job in the upcoming movies.  I feel that I want my money and time back, Marvel has been doing a better job than DC so far. But it’s just my opinion!

(SPOILERS AHEAD)

• There’s a fight between Doomsday and Superman/Batman/Wonder Woman that is very stupid. Why did Doomsday appear? (Was it really necessary, Lex?), and why is Superman the one who has to look for the Kryptonite spear to kill that terribly ugly (and badly done) monster? Was it too much to ask? He nearly died there stupidly!
• Batman’s suit as he fought against Superman in Gotham, was incredibly unnecessary. It was so bulky and big, that it looked like it was incredibly heavy and hard to walk with.
• The fight scenes (basically all of them) were poorly staged. I’ve seen better ones in bad Jackie Chan movies.
• SUPERMAN’S DEAD WAS SO 1. Unnecessary and 2. Idiotic. We didn’t need that, and he deserved a better death.