Tag: unavoidable nostalgia

Ready Player One

On By filmrollerIn action, dice roll: 4, review, sci-fiLeave a comment

posterReading the novel by Ernest Cline felt a bit like watching an episode of The Big Bang Theory – not necessarily in a bad way, but more in the way that I wasn’t exactly sure who the book is written for. The book is, at first glance, for young and old geeks who like geeky things and aren’t opposed to a bit of pulp in their fiction. That’s definitely me! But at the end of the book, I didn’t really feel anything, and it had not felt like an adventure. Maybe I’m just not of a “good enough” nerd, you might say. If you do feel inclined to say that, maybe the book’s for you.

The film, on the other hand, does away with a lot of the American Psycho-esque listing of esoteric knowledge and keeps the story grounded much more in reality, both in the reality of the characters and the reality of, well, actual reality.

Some spoilers below.

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Prometheus (Finally!)

On By filmrollerIn dice roll: 5, review, sci-fiLeave a comment

I finally got to see Prometheus, Ridley Scott’s prequel-but-not-really to Alien this weekend. Even though I had been looking forward to this movie for a long time, I tried to keep my expectations “open”, meaning I had high hopes, but tried to not let those hopes wander in a fixed direction. I think that philosophy served me well. Those who expected yet another “they end up in a closed space with chest-busting aliens and get picked off one by one” will be disappointed.

Since the movie has been out for quite some time, and the fans have already seen it, this review contains spoilers.

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I’m Already In Line – Movie News of the Week.

On By filmrollerIn movie, newsLeave a comment

So I thought I’d try to post some news bits I care about since SOMEONE gets annoyed every time I fail to keep them updated with the news they care about. So, in easy bullet-point form, here is the stuff I noted during my weekly troll of the best movie blogs.

(And you’re no longer allowed to complain. You know who you are!)

  • Following the WTF storm of comments when Michael Bay mentioned the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movie would not, in fact, include mutant turtles, the directer now confirms it’s not even in the title. My sadness at this is profound, but from a marketing standpoint I understand. I’m still not looking forward to Ninja Turtles. Via Topless Robot.
  • Ron Burgundy is making a sequel to Anchorman. He showed up on Conan and made a very funny announcement. I enjoyed Anchorman very much, so this could be good. Via SlashFilm.
  • Some new shots of Hugh Jackman as Jean Valjean in the upcoming Les Miserables. I am looking forwards to this movie more than ever. It’s coming next December in case you’ve missed it! Via Cinemablend.
  • The big news this week wasn’t actually about movies. James Cameron reached the deepest depths of the Mariana Trench. He brought along 3D cameras and has gotten footage for a documentary that could be very interesting. Via SlashFilm and everywhere else.
  • There was a trailer for the trailer of the upcoming remake of Total Recall. As a huge fan of the original, I am a little worried, but I have to keep faith that it might be good. Colin Farrel did remake another classic I loved, Fright Night, which I thought was just on par with the original. I’m keeping my fingers crossed. Via Nerd Basterds and a lot of other blogs.
  • Kenneth Branagh is the new directed for the next Jack Ryan thriller, starring Chris Pine. Despite the fact that I’m not a fan of the genre, I did enjoy Ben Affleck in The Sum of all Fears. After the success of Thor I’m fairly certain Branagh is more than up to the task. Via Den of Geek.

That’s all the stuff I’m looking forwards to this week. Next week I’ll wait until Friday to post this, but since I’m on a plane tomorrow I thought I’d get this out now. If you think there’s something I missed that I should care about, please enlighten me!

Nostalgia at Midnight

On By filmrollerIn dice roll: 5, historical, review, romanceLeave a comment

Movie: Midnight in Paris (2011)

With the Oscars over, I thought it high time to actually watch some of the winners, and Midnight in Paris, an ode to nostalgia by Woody Allen, is first up. I believe it won Best Screenplay, which I can imagine it deserved. As for Best Picture, I’m surprised it was nominated, but why don’t I get back to you once I’ve seen them all, just to be sure.

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Initiating Unnecessary Third Sequel

On By filmrollerIn action, dice roll: 4, movie, reviewLeave a comment

Movie: Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol (2011)

Hollywood never wants a franchise to end, and that’s perfectly understandable from a economic point of view: franchises are brand recognition. The advertising is halfway done before you’ve even started. That’s why we’re getting a Spiderman reboot, and why the Borne Trilogy is getting revamped with a new Borne – incidentally starring Jeremy Renner, who plays a key role in Mission Impossible 4: appealing to the younger generation. He’s not replacing Cruise, but he’s there to make sure everyone has someone to drool over. Let’s face facts, Tom Cruise may still be an A-list actor, but he’s on the same slippery slope Bruce Willis, Stallone and the others have already slid down. He’s not sliding just yet, mind, but it’s clear he could not have carried the male lead alone, even though he tries to steal the show as much as possible.

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Is Stab 6 Better Than Stab 5?

On By filmrollerIn dice roll: 3, movie, scaryLeave a comment

Movie: Scream 4.

Nostalgia runs high as 90s kids sit down to revisit Woodsboro for a good-ol’ stabbing time. Due either to low expectations or the ingrained appeal of Ghostface, I found myself not disappointed. Scream 4 does exactly what you expect it to, and breaks no rules.

As fans can easily guess, Scream 4 opens with young, pretty girls answering scary phone calls. Soon we learn it’s the anniversary of the original Woodsboro murders, and Sidney Prescott has returned for a book-signing. It’s a recipe for stabbings we know by heart, with a nice updating of meta-references, facebook, twitter and iPhones. Ghostface is going viral.

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