tanis_38

This was by far the worst episode of the Mandalorian thus far, by a pretty significant margin. It almost felt like a separate show. The acting was very weak and the writing was especially bad. The characters' actions seemed to have been driving by where the plot wanted to go, not by how the characters should have acted.

Mando himself was out of character, taking very poor care of baby Yoda and leaving him alone several times where he wouldn't have in previous episodes. After all he has risked to protect him, it was just awful writing having him do that. He was also extremely vocal this episode, even offering up a lot of his personal background to characters he just met. Totally going against the stoic, quiet nature he has established in the first 3 episodes. I think he spoke more lines in this one episode than the previous 3 combined. Lets not even mentioned how he decides to remove his helmet in front of a fully open window facing the entire damn village literally 20 seconds after saying how he does not remove his helmet in front of anyone and hasn't done so since he was a child. Really?

I do not have an issue with the whole "Seven Samurai" plot, but it was just poorly executed here. You cannot properly pull that off with such a short episode and it felt rushed and out of place.

Probably my biggest issue was the entire "plan" on how to defeat the raiders by luring them and their AT-ST to the village itself and having it step into a deep pond. First, when Mando and Cara sneak into the raider village, why in the world do they decide to use their explosive in some random hut INSTEAD of just using it on the AT-ST itself?! Ugh. But ok, lets lure this death machine back to the village. Once it arrives at the village, the AT-ST seems to suspect that it is a trap and doesn't step into the pond. Yet, instead of just walking around it, it just stands there. Doing NOTHING. It shoots its extremely powerful blaster maybe 3 times? That's it? Why was it just standing there not shooting everything in sight? It could have destroyed the entire village, and those silly logs the villagers with spears were hiding behind, in seconds. Fight over. But instead, it just stands there doing nothing. Ugh, such bad writing.

I really hope the remainder of the episodes get back on track. This episode reminded me too much of other extremely poorly written TV where characters just do asinine things and go completely against character just to move the plot and scenarios towards specific points (think final season of Game of Thrones and the last several seasons of Dexter).

Here's hoping for the best!

I have no way to objectively review this film. It was my absolute favorite movie as a kid and I wore out my VHS copy. Seeing it now as an adult, I cannot see it through anything but child- like eyes and with overwhelming feelings of happy, sweet, nostalgia.

Is it a great movie? I am not sure. Is the soundtrack cheesy 80's rock? Maybe. Is it my favorite Transformers movie? Absolutely. Will it always bring a smile to my face? I have one right now just thinking about it.

Sure, the animation is wildly inconsistent, going from pretty amazing to laughably bad "Sunday Morning cartoon fare" from scene to scene. Sure, it can be seen as one big commercial for the future toy products of the series. But none of that matters when you are 8 years old. The Optimus Prime death scene was borderline traumatizing. The film is surprisingly violent by today's standards and outright gutsy in its willingness to kill off series regulars. It held no punches and if you were a kid in the 80's there is no way you can hear "You Got the Touch" and not smile, picturing Optimus Prime going to town on the Decepticons.

This will always be in my top favorites.

Being a self-proclaimed "Beer Snob", I found Beer Wars to be an entertaining documentary, yet as other reviewers have noted, it is pretty clear that the film maker, Anat Baron, had an agenda against Anheuser-Busch (and to a lesser extent, the other two big brewers, Millers and Coors). Don't get me wrong, I'm no fan of Anheuser-Busch and don't buy any of their products, but their portrayal in the film came off as a bit too mean spirited in my book.

The thing is, it didn't need to be. It could have just presented the facts and that alone would have shown what a crazy monopoly Anheuser-Busch has. Things like the law suit they slapped on Dogfish Head for their Punkin' Spice and Chickory Stout beer names goes a log way to show how these people do business. That spoke for itself. But certain segments, like when they show employees from Millers and Coors doing nice extra-curricular activities and enjoying a beer after work with their co-workers, and then Anat saying that she didn't see any of that "comradery" at Anheuser-Busch, was a bit too much of a blanket assumption on her part, given she was probably just given a small tour of their headquarter brewery. If it was an Anheuser-Busch employee making that statement, that would be different, but it wasn't. It was just the film-maker's assumption after one visit to the brewery.

The film does educate on certain aspects of the industry which are not "common knowledge" and those segments are very entertaining. Things such as how beer is displayed in a supermarket and how much influence the "big 3" have in deciding the layout, is surprising. So was the 3 Tier system segment, covering how beer gets from the brewer to the consumer and having to go through distributors.

My favorite parts of the film were whenever it would follow Sam Calagione from Dogfish Head or Jim Koch from Samuel Adams. Being a big fan of both those breweries it was a great "behind-the-scenes" look at how they work and what it took to get to where they are now. I can watch a documentary just on Dogfish Head alone. Very good stuff.

And then there were some segments which seemed to be just for fluff/show. Like the blind taste test of Coors Light, Bud Light and Miller Lite. Initially, this seems like a good test to show that most people can't tell those apart, but I am not too sure what she was trying to prove. All those beers are of the same style. American Light Lagers. Of course they are supposed to taste similar. If you put three delicious IPA's in front of me, I'm not sure I'll be able to successfully tell you which is which brand, since their flavor characteristics are so similar. Same with three Stouts, 3 different brand of vodka, etc. Overall I did enjoy the film, as it had plenty of informative parts, but it could have benefited from not taking the low road and bashing Anheuser-Busch as much as it did. Like I mentioned, it could have made its point without the sensationalized parts.

I saw Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest last night. I've had the DVD at home for about a week from Netflix and I finally got around to watching it.

I enjoyed the first movie (as most people did) and was surprised by how entertaining it was given its source material (as most people were). So, while I wouldn't say I had high hopes for the sequel (didn't think it was necessary), I was looking forward to some more Captain Jack Sparrow and top-of-the-line special effects (I felt the original movie's effects were the most impressive to date).

Wow, a lot of parentheses in that last paragraph.

Overall, the movie was entertaining, although not as good as the original. The story was hard to follow, the first 45 minutes were completely unnecessary and did nothing to move the plot forward and overall it was probably about ½ an hour too long. Actually just remove those first 45 minutes and it would have flowed much better and been a better flick.

But we must remember that these Pirates films are about having fun, and when the film gets going, it is just that: fun.

The cinematography, sets, costumes, audio, effects and acting are all top notch. Everything looks fantastic. Johnny Depp again reprises his role as Captain Jack Sparrow to perfection. Maybe some of the magic is gone, since it is not as new or fresh, but you can't blame Johnny for that.

I'm not going to bother with plot details, but I will say this. The folks at ILM have done it again. They've topped their previous effort and again delivered a special effects tour de force! The main antagonist, the pirate Davy Jones, a half man/half octopus creature is simply the most impressive visual effect ever put on film. Ever. He was created completely out of CG, overlaid over the actor playing him, and it is so convincing it looked like the actor was wearing a prosthetic mask. Only you know it couldn't be a prosthetic because if it was, it was the most convincing, organic looking prosthetic in history. The texture of his skin, his tentacles, the way the lighting would reflect off of him (in either night, rain or sunshine) was absolutely perfect. I can watch the scenes in which Davy Jones are in over and over and not get tired. They did a simply amazing job.

If you haven't seen the film, rent it just for Johnny Depp and Davy Jones. They are both worth the extra long run time, the so-so beginning, and at times convoluted story.

I wish I could say that Attack of the Clones satisfied the void I've felt after being disappointed three years ago with The Phantom Menace. But I can't. I left the theater contemplating if I even enjoyed it more than Episode I. As mediocre as Episode I was, I still left that movie feeling exhilarated after witnessing the best lightsaber battle ever. I was a bit distraught that Darth Maul had died, but in the short time he was there he kicked major ass. I had heard that the last 30 minutes of Episode II were intense and non-stop action. I kept waiting for it. Oh, there was action, but it barely raised my pulse. And why? Everybody else seemed to be enjoying themselves. When the movie ended everybody cheered. So why, why didn't I get that same enjoyment from the movie? I know why. It was a problem with Episode I and is even more apparent in this one. It's what the Star Wars franchise has become, and unfortunately there's no way around it. What am I referring to? Well, there was one word that kept popping into my mind the entire time while watching this movie: Artificial. This wasn't a movie I was watching, this was all one big special effect. Every scene and I mean EVERY scene just oozed computer trickery. No matter how simple a scene might've been, it was "touched up" by the folks at Industrial Light & Magic. But hey, this is ILM, the very best in the business right? It shouldn't be a problem. Oh, but it is. I don't understand why, if George Lucas owns ILM, and this is freakin' Star Wars (the reason ILM was created), why then do the special effect look so sub-par. Maybe one or two scenes were impressive, but it's hard to get "into" a movie when you can't believe what you're seeing on screen. Sure, the Star Wars franchise has always depended on special effects - there's no way around that. But in the original trilogy they were used to enhance the movie, they were not the movie itself. And that's what Star Wars has become. There's no heart anymore. There's nothing "real". It has become so artificial it's difficult to bond with the film. The entire time while watching this movie I was wondering if anything was filmed on location. Hell, I even would have taken sets. Sound stages. Anything that the actors could reach out and actually touch and interact with. But no. I'd say that 95% of this movie was filmed in front of a blue screen. And it shows. You can't blame the actor's for stale performances - it's hard to act when there's nothing there. Can it be just me? Am I the only one who can see just how fake everything looks? In many scenes it was as if real actors were just inserted into a CG movie (which is essentially what it is).

Ok, so the effects are a problem, what about the movie itself? Well, it's no where near as slow as Episode I was, but it did feel longer than it really was. This was supposed to be the love story of Anakin and Amidala. It was? I barely noticed. It was as if in one scene they are meeting each other for the first time in many years and in the next they are declaring their love for each other. Very little time was spent developing the love story, which is probably a good thing since what's there is extremely corny. George Lucas' dialogue is just plain awful. Talk about sap! Nobody talks like that, and if they do, they should be taken out back and shot. Please George, PLEASE, get somebody else to write the script for Episode III, and for the love of God take a break from directing and let somebody else take over.

So what about the scene that everybody is talking about? You know the one, Master Yoda kicking some ass. Well, that scene, I'm happy to say, doesn't disappoint. He may not show it, but that little green guy can move. There's nothing like watching Yoda put down his cane, open his Jedi robe, and bust out with his Lightsaber. Yes, I had a smile on my face. Yes everybody, including myself, cheered. But as great as that scene was, just as I was starting to get into it, it was over. It was nowhere near as climactic as the epic Darth Maul vs. QuiGon/Obi Wan battle at the end of Episode I. I wanted more. I wanted more Yoda. I wanted more from the movie itself. I wanted to experience the joy that I saw on the faces of the people around me. I wanted to enjoy this movie. But I just couldn't. God, I feel cursed with eyes which can't see past the effects. I wish I could be oblivious to these short comings, but I'm not. Maybe I know too much about how they're made. Maybe I expect miracles. I don't know. I'm pretty distraught at the moment. I left the theater last night p***ed off. Pissed off that I didn't like the movie. P***ed off at what this beloved series of mine has become. It's become something created on a computer. It's all just little ones and zeros, texture maps and artificial lighting, blue screens and post production. It has nothing to connect with at a personal, emotional level. No characters to bond with. I don't even see myself watching Episode III on opening day. I don't feel it's worthy of me standing in line for 2 hours. This franchise has to win me over again. It has to prove to me that it can find that special magic that made the original so special. Hopefully that "magic" wasn't just a child's awe. Hopefully it isn't just nostalgia that makes those movies enjoyable even today. Hopefully they'll get it right. God I hope so, 'cause there's only one movie left. One movie left to end on a high note. One left......and then it's over, and I'll be left with two great movies, one good one, and three that I wish were never made.........

I thought Spider-Man was awesome! I think it is - without a doubt - the best comic book movie made so far. Tobey McGuire was the perfect Peter Parker, I can't think of anybody else that could have been better suited for the role. I liked the fact that the movie dedicated a lot of time to the human aspect of the story, building the characters and such. It could have easily skimmed through the origin, had him become Spider-Man and filled the rest of the movie with straight action sequences, but it didn't. I loved the parts when Peter was discovering his powers, I could have watched 30 more minutes of that. Story wise, I have no complaints. I felt the movie moved along well enough and the great performances kept the slower scenes from going too stale. And aside from the organic web shooters it stayed pretty faithful to the comics. I like the little reference to Dr. Connors (The Lizard) which they threw in for the fans. As to the technical part of the film....well, first, I'm still not a fan of this Green Goblin outfit, even though it actually didn't bother me as much as I thought it would. But in some of those close-ups the mask looked really, really cheap. Like those plastic masks that you wear with a rubber-band. It would be interesting to see some of the other costume designs which they went through, and why they decided to go with this one. Now, Spider-Man's costume was freakin' awesome! I couldn't have imagined it to look any cooler than it did. I remember before this movie was being made I would wonder how they would make the costume in a live action movie without it looking ridiculous, 'cause in the comics it's really just a spandex skin-tight costume, and that would look really dorky in real life. But man, they nailed it! It looked great. As to the special effects, I felt they could have been better, but considering the complexity of the shots, I felt they more than got the job done. Seeing Spidey swinging around, while it didn't photorealistic, it certainly looked as I've pictured it in my mind reading the comics. Me - being the huge Spidey fan that I am - just had a huge smile on my face throughout the entire movie. **possible spoiler ahead*** And once I saw the scene when he's chasing down Uncle Ben's killer in the car (the best sequence in the movie in my opinion) I just knew the movie was going to be alright. **end spoiler** That scene just nailed it for me, and brought back so many memories of the comics. I think Sam Raimi did an outstanding job. This movie could have easily been a total mess, and I feel he brought the audience a great origin flick, with heart, solid performances, and great action sequences.

I had mixed feelings going into this one. On one hand, it's directed by Ridley Scott; who has done his fair share of great movies. On the other hand, Jerry Bruckheimer's name is attached to it; who seems to be involved in big, pretty movies, with very little substance in them, *cough* Pearl Harbor *cough*. I hoped Ridley's artistry would overcome Bruckheimer's `presence'. So, did it? For the most part yes.

The film is beautifully shot. After the initial set-up, which I believe makes up the first 30 minutes or so, the troops get sent in and that's when the film takes off......and doesn't stop for 2 hours. Man, this movie is intense. Think: the opening scene of Saving Private Ryan, only six times longer. You get a real sense of being caught in the cross fire. My only major complaint are some obvious CG effects, such as the dust being kicked up by helicopter propellers, but overall they don't distract too much from the experience and most people might not even notice.

Some might not enjoy the graphic nature of the movie. It doesn't turn away from the violence, in fact, it zooms in on it and keeps it there, forcing you to watch. It's a very powerful picture which I don't hesitate recommending. Try catching it in theaters to get the full effect.

I happened to catch this movie on The Disney Channel last night. I had heard good things about it from my friends, but it's overall theme just seemed too kiddie for me to watch. But since Princess Monoke happens to be my all time favorite Anime, I decided to give it a chance.

Wow! I was blown away. Hayao Miyazaki is a genius and a true master of his craft. The animation is beautiful. Miyazaki adds so many little details to the animation that other movies don't bother with, that really sets his movies apart and gives them an amazingly real, natural feel to them. I was amazed by the scenes of Kiki flying on her broom; you really get a sense of flight unsurpassed by any other movie I've ever seen.

I was surprised I enjoyed this movie as much as I did. If you judge it from its cover you aren't giving it a chance. A story about a 13 year old witch who leaves her home to begin her training. Alright, that sounds like a great plot for a target audience of girls in the 6-13 year range. I'm a 24 year old male and I can't recommend this movie enough.

Go out and rent this movie as soon as possible. I saw the dubbed pan&scan version on t.v. and I thought the dubbing was actually pretty good. And I'm a die-hard subtitled anime fan. So do yourself a favor, rent this movie, and enjoy the experience. You won't regret it.

I was expecting the worst going into Jurassic Park III. After the abomination that was The Lost World, all my expectations for any sequels were pretty low. Being a huge fan of the first one, I was already prepared to have the series plummet into mediocrity, destroying the integrity of the first film. Despite my low expectations, or maybe because of them, I thoroughly enjoyed this movie. As the movie opened, and I heard the familiar JP theme music, I knew it was already a step in the right direction, seeing as The Lost World was practically void of the great compositions John Williams established in the first movie, this was a refreshing surprise. Of course as is the case with many summer `blockbusters', anyone looking for a deep story and complex characters need not apply. This movie solely relies on it CG dinos to deliver the goods; and that they do. It cuts right to the chase and gets the human prey...uh, I mean characters, straight to the island without delay. And that's when the fun starts. While the first movie set up it's action sequences with building suspense and tension, this movie mostly just throws them at you in large quantities. The sequences are fast and exciting, with some truly amazing special effects and sound assaulting on you senses. While the action is great, a lot of about the movie is a little hard to swallow. A little more realism would have been much appreciated and would have been a nice change of pace from the usual predictable Hollywood formula. I'm sick of the `separated couple get thrown together under extreme circumstances and rekindle their love' angle. It's been done to death. Speaking of death, there should have been a lot more of it. Ok, so the movie is PG-13, but I don't mean it had to be a blood bath, but I have to figure that if you get all these humans stranded on an island overrun with dinosaurs, they have no weapons or shelter and are supposed to be facing these `super intelligent' velociraptors, you'd think at least half of them would become dino-food right? And I don't buy the kid surviving on the island by himself for 8 weeks. The ending also leaves much to be desired. It seemed very anti-climactic and leaves you expecting more, some sort of grand finale that never comes. Ok, so far it seems like I didn't enjoy myself at all watching this movie, which isn't true, I actually had a great time. But being such a huge fan of the first one, after watching this movie it made me realize that this movie had the potential to be so much more. It seems like the studio has become complacent and isn't trying very hard. The ending also hints that a sequel might be in store for us in the future. I'm not too sure if one should be made. While part of me can't get enough of seeing these CG dinos battle it out on screen, unless this series takes a drastic turn in the right direction, it might end up being nothing more than another Friday the 13th. I really hope that doesn't happen. This movie is sort of a catch 22 for me; I had a great time watching it, but since I actually enjoyed myself as much as I did, made me wonder how much better it could have been if it's flaws were fixed. After all is said and done, the next day at work I recommended it to everyone I spoke to. So while nowhere near the caliber of the first movie, it runs circles around the second. Should make a really nice DVD.

Man this movie is bad. First off, I'm a huge D&D fan. I had dreamed of a D&D movie for a long time, so when I heard that one was finally being made I was ecstatic. Joy quickly turned to horror within the first few minutes of this horrendous film. This movie's gotta have some of the worst acting I've ever seen. The special effects, which are a huge part of a film of this nature, are ridiculously bad. Granted, given this films budget, one shouldn't expect miracles. The only enjoyment you might get out of this movie is to invite some friends over, have some drinks and snacks handy, and just have a grand time making fun of this abomination. At least we have Lord of the Rings to look forward to.......

Memento rocks! From the opening scene you know this isn't gonna be your regular Hollywood movie. I won't even mention what this movie is about, it's better if you go in not knowing anything. Just know that it is quite a ride. Very original, with great acting and superb writing. Go watch it!