axopnk Reviews

Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016)

The Good, The Bad, The Ugly

[1/10 · 27 March 2016]

The Good:

1. Batman-Although I consider Christian Bale to be the definite Batman (thanks to Nolan etc.) Ben Affleck did a good job as a older, bitter, jaded Batman. The fighting was on point as well. 2. Superman-Henry Cavill beefed up more for this movie and continues to be a pretty good version of Superman. If you liked him in Man of Steel, you'll like him here. 3. Wonder woman-Gal Godot is a hot Israeli chic period. Her as wonder woman? Great. She has a foreigner accent to give her that needed mysterious Amazonia aspect and her music has a cool tribal feel to it. She also was very tough on screen. Out of all the new DC movies, her individual movie (set in WWI) is the only one that looks promising (as long as Zach Snyder doesn't have any input...). 4. Batman Superman fight-gritty, brutal, cool. Nuff said.

The Bad:

1. Batman-For most casual movie goers, they may not know who batman is. He is a man on the verge of becoming a criminal himself but what separates him is his moral code and the promise to his parents. Here? He uses a gun. And he kills. I've always liked Batman because he was smart enough to defeat his enemies without resorting to a gun or killing. If you've watched the dark knight, he says "I only have one rule". He was referring to him killing people. Joker wanted him to kill because that would cause him to be one of them. But despite the pain, Batman endured. Here? Nope. He kills with the same weapon his parents died to. Guess Joker won. 2. Batman superman fight-We all waited for it but superman fans will be a little irritated that the man of steel looks so mortal. So incompetent, So unprepared and so inadequate to deal with Batman. Also, this fight was under developed. They didn't have to fight each other 3. Justice league-although I like wonder woman, her character was forced in. She didn't need to be there. She didn't add anything to the story. The email message from Batman was forced too. First, how would Lex even know the symbols (Flash's lightning bolt etc.) of the justice league? Last, Batman has always been the loner/rogue member of the group. Doesn't make much sense that he'd be the one to bring them together.

The Ugly:

1. Doomsday-looked like a bad cgi lord of the rings troll. Final fight was a big cgi fest, fast pace and completely takes you out of the movie. 2. Lex Luthor-"the red capes are coming" "ding, ding, ding". Jesse Eisenberg was a idiot/mad scientist which is different than any other version of Lex who is a smart, calculating villain. This Lex was trying to be a semi joker rip off. 3. The storyline-confusing, convoluted, messy. Biggest thing is things DON'T MAKE SENSE. Don't believe me? Think about the following: a. Mercy follows Bruce down stairs. Bruce says, I was looking for the bathroom. She says OK. THAT'S IT. Wouldn't mercy instead show him where the bathroom is at? But for the sake of moving the story along, she leaves allowing Bruce to set up the device. b. Clark follows Bruce downstairs. Clark kept hearing a conversation going on between Bruce and Alfred. He follows, get's distracted by the television then leaves. OK I get it, he had to save a little girl. BUT a better story writer would have him confront Bruce to find out what he's doing, maybe find out about the device which would cause Clark to start investigating Luthor himself. BUT because it's Batman vs Superman they have to fight each other. I guess they can't work together first then maybe 2 movies later fight. It means more when you care about what the characters have gone through, grown together but come to a place where they disagree. c. Final point (believe me I can keep going) Superman goes underwater to get the kryptonite spear. He almost dies coming back come. Few scenes later? He flies full speed WITH the kryptonite spear towards doomsday. No effects whatsoever from the kryptonite. Overall the critics were right...which is sad.

This movie could have been more. In fact Zach Snyder didn't have to do much. WB as a whole didn't have to do anything. Why? Simple. If they've watched the Justice league cartoons, Batman superman movie "world's finest" it would have been great. They literally could have just transported that to the big screen and it'd be successful. The writers understood the characters which is why it worked. Zach and WB as a whole could have set up something great. It should have been a worlds finest adaptation. Simple, concise, easy to follow.

WWE Money in the Bank (2011 TV Special)

Excellent PPV

[8/10 · 12 April 2014]

Definitely the PPV of 2011 was money in the Bank. Why? Easy. CM Punk. Looking back at it now, CM Punk brought back the attitude era feel to the new PG WWE. It's unfortunate that WWE Booking and story writing messed up what could have been a return to the attitude era.

1. Smackdown money in the bank ladder match 9/10

Very good match due to it's fast past and good use of the ladders. Kane and Wade Barrett showed a lot of strength dominance during the matchwhile the high flyers kept the action exciting. Daniel Bryan, Gabriel and Sin Cara did a lot of crazy high flying stunts. Only useless person was Heath Slater. He had limited offense. Couple of great sick spots involving ladders.

2. Divas Match Kelly Kelly v. Brie Bella 1/10

Standard Divas match. Kelly Kelly isn't one of the best wrestlers in the company. The storyline was pretty cheap. Mostly just bantering about Kelly Kelly's looks "She was airbrushed in her photos" Lame. Lots of holds by brie bella. Lame. Crowd was not into this match at all. I know the match was short but it felt long, dragged on and was not exciting. Skip.

3. Raw money in the bank ladder match 7/10

Solid follow up to smack down money in the bank ladder match but didn't have the same flare. Crazy move by Evan Bourne. This match had a lot more high flyers than smackdown but seems like there was more spots in the smackdown ladder match. For some reason people were really booing Rey mysterio. Not sure at what point people got tired of Rey mysterio.

4. Christian v. Randy Orton World Heavyweight Championship 7/10

Orton always worked better as a heel than a face and this feud went on for about 4 months. Little too long to have single matches at 3 strait PPVs between these two. Match started slow but slowly became much better as the match progressed. Crowd was solely behind Christian. Somewhat expected ending but Ortons actions afterwards were a shocker.

5. CM Punk v. John Cena 10/10

Match of the year. The storyline, the crowd, the match was epic. Again, started slow but quickly picked up. Ending was unexpected and easily the biggest stunner of the last 4 years. Very similar to ECW one night stand in 2006. Must see.

Overall this PPV was good mostly due to the CM punk Cena match but the Christian Orton match and both ladder matches were solid as well. Only crap match was the Divas match.

Push (2009)

Not very fulfilling

[4/10 · 27 December 2013]

Push is a interesting film. It had a lot of potential but ultimately it fell flat.

I think the biggest problem with Push is the storyline became a convoluted mess that the director/writer really couldn't get out of. It felt like the ending was literally written on spot.

This is my understanding. Dakota fanning (a watcher who can see the future) meets Chris Evans (a mover who can move things with his mind) to team up to find Camille Belle (A pusher who can push thoughts into peoples minds) who holds the key to bring down the division. The division is a top secret branch who uses people of there ability. The movie doesn't really explain what the division uses these people for. I'm assuming covert operations etc but it's never really explained. One of their experiments enhances their abilities and Camille Belle is the only one to survive.

Chris wants to help because his dad told him to follow a girl later who gives him a flower (which ends up being Dakota) and to save her mom. Further, the mom foresaw this years ago.

Problem is I don't understand how exactly by saving Camille the division would be brought down. If any of the people wanted to expose the division they could have done so easily (Dakota and Chris for example). In fact, in the end they never exposed the division. One could argue the division was actually after the drug that Camille stole but than why was the division even after Camille? Why did the division even take her later if all they wanted was the drug. It's clear they wanted Camille because she was the only one to survive. But then why care about the drug? As Djmon stated no one survived. So who cares if other people take it?

Another gaping question is why would someone not want to enhance they're abilities? If the division is offering why not do it and become better? There had to be a reason why Dakota and Chris are better people to say no before becoming power hungry. Dakota never saves her mom and at the end, killing Djmon doesn't change that.

Anyways the division sends sniffers and 20 of they're best watchers after her. Problem with the division is they never felt threatening or all powerful. We never see more than 4 agents and those 20 watchers are never seen. Another thing is the division agents have the same powers as Chris Dakota etc. but the movie never explains why they're after they're own kind or why they work for the division.

One thing i don't understand is the shadow and the wiper who are helping Camille. What exactly was they're motivation? The wiper says it's because Dakota's mother foresaw it and I guess for money. Pretty weak in my opinion. The shadow who hid the briefcase for Camille had no explanation as to why she was helping nor was she seen again. Very odd.

The Chinese were OK. They wanted the drug to enhance there abilities. But if the Chinese girl is such a great watcher, can't she see there own deaths in taking the drug?

Finally we get to Chris's big plan. He hands out letters to each person and told not to read it as it involves a briefcase which holds the drug. Melinda may's character is never seen again after she opens her letter. Indian guy changes the briefcase then leaves. Shadow guy takes Camille to Djmon then never seen again. Overall the 1st plan was to "insult" the Chinese watcher because the only thing it accomplished was the Chinese finding out it was the wrong briefcase. Weird. People may argue his plan was to make sure the Chinese don't know his true intention but that's the problem with this film. This whole plot could easily be edited out but the watchers power is too great and the writer seems that he backed himself into a corner. That's the problem with movies about future etc. It's OK as long as there is limits. Here, there seems to be no limits. It makes story writing a convoluted mess.

Even weirder is the Stitcher's motivation. She heals Chris in the beginning of the movie for unknown reasons than back stabs him later for money. Later she is tied up and left.

So the Chinese get hold of the fake brief case find out it's fake then go after the correct brief case. That should have been edited out. Pointless. Finally they set up a trap. Division vs Chinese at same place for the briefcase . Chris Evans then fights the division mover (which for some reason he now has better control of his powers) beats him than takes a fake drug to pretend he's dead while Camille goes with Djmon.

Later she opens the letter to kill Djmon as she was tricked/pushed into believing that she was part of division she then orders Djmon to kill himself. Done. End of movie.

No sense of finality that the division will be brought down, Dakota's mother is still locked up, Chris and Dakota hide with the briefcase laughing, Melinda, Shadow and Indian guy have unknown whereabouts. Stitcher is presumed tied up. Chinese girl has memory wiped and wiper leaves.

Problem with Push is the storyline had too many plot holes or weak/non existent motivations for certain characters. Certain characters are unnecessary and dis-believable. The only concept I liked is that each power is dependent on another. Almost like playing a RPG game where the Knight has certain attributes that compliment or cancel the Sorcerer. Otherwise the movie was unfulfilled.

King of the Ring (2000 TV Special)

Decent PPV

[7/10 · 3 November 2013]

KOR Quarter final

Chris Benoit v. Rikishi 7.0

Benoit brought a lot of intensity and technicality here and a crazy German suplex on Rikishi. Ended in DQ which was good because Rikishi had just won the intercontinental belt from Benoit.Good match.

Val Venis vs. Eddie Guerro 6.0 Another solid match from Eddie. Eddie had some good but not great moves in this one. Over his career he became much more intense and technical. Val was decent, nothing special but the ending sucked with a fisherman suplex. Not impressive.

Crash v. Bull Buchanan 3.0 Crash looked weak in this one but at this time period he was known as the "houdini" of hardcore. Meaning he basically was able to sneak out with a win out of nowhere. So maybe that's what they were going for because all he got in was just a barrage of punches. Bull was dominant during the entire match but the crowd didn't seem to care. That's because he was slow and sloppy (maybe that's why he's not in the WWE anymore). Crash won by a roll up. One of the worst matches the entire night.

Kurt Angle vs. Chris Jericho 8.0 Anything with Angle in it will be great. He's intense, has great technical skills and is fun to watch in the ring as well as out. The Mic bit in the beginning was funny as well as Jericho. Jericho looked good in this one. Great match and ending.

Four Team Elimination Match for the WWF tag team championship

Edge and Christian v. T & A v. The Hardy Boyz v. Too Cool 7.5 Promo kind of sucked with Edge and Christian on the Mic. Even when Christian was hyping up the whole Boston accomplishments the crowd was whatever. T & A worked well in this match with their powerful moves contrasting the Hardyz. Very good beginning with Hardyz and T & A. Crowd wasn't happy when Hardyz were eliminated and the pace slowed a bit when they were. Ending was classic heel.

KOR Semi Finals

Val Venis vs Rikishi 4.5 Rikishi had limited offensive movements here

because he was selling his injury to his arm. Honestly this is a match you could skip. Val isn't as technical, intense or good as Chris Benoit so it lacked a special quality to it. The crowd also didn't care too much. The ending was weak with a simple belly to belly suplex for the win. Not sure if the bookers told all participants in val venis matches to end with weak moves and non finishers but bad to have 2 matches end with non finishers in the same night.

Crash Holly vs Kurt Angle 6.5 Quick pace worked well in this match. Only downside is, as a casual fan, you knew that Crash wouldn't win against someone like angle but at least it was wishful thinking. Obviously Angle is the better draw than Crash (that would have been a weak WWF championship match. Crash v. Triple H or Rock yeesh. If you don't believe me check out the Big show v. Big boss man for the WWF championship. Horrible.). Still entertaining match and glad to have another heel win legitimately.

Evening gown match for the WWF Hardcore championship

Pat Patterson v. Gerald brisco: 1.0 Horrible match. Seeing two grown men in drag for a hardcore title or any title for that matter is terrible. Only saving grace that the crowd cheered for was Crash coming in and beating Pat. Skip this match. Worst match of the entire night.

Tag Team Handicap table dumpster match D-Generation X (X pac and Road Dogg w/Tori) v. The Dudley Boyz 7.8

The "X pac sucks" chants started early in this one as well as the "We want tables" chants. The match started with a good regular style tag match before going hardcore. Headbutt to Tori's "area" was not expected but a welcome surprise. Sick table spots in this one. Good match. After match mayhem was very good.

KOR Finals Angle vs. Rikishi 8 Overall it was smart to have Rikishi get hurt by chairs, stairs etc because it shows that, had he been healthy he may have been able to win the KOR. Plus, because he just won the IC, it didn't make him look like a weak IC champion due to his injuries. Angle did some awesome moves, good offense by both men.

6 man tag team match for the WWF Championship 7.5 Rock Kane and Undertake vs Triple H, Vince and Shane This was the only time in recent memory that they have ever done a tag team match for the wwf championship or any singles championship in this format. Didn't seem to translate too well. Kane got in limited offense as did Taker. Vince and Shane weren't used that much other than punching bags. Triple h was the only one from the team that was a threat and the Rock got in most of the offense. Think there was a missed save as the Rock kicked out of the Pedigree (undertaker was supposed to make the save but missed it). The match started slow but ended solid with some sick spots by Undertaker on Shane and good finish by the Rock. Very solid match but would have been better as either a fatal 4-6 way or elimination.

Justice League: Doom (2012 Video)

Good Justice League Adaptation

[7/10 · 22 December 2012]

Ever since the Justice League cartoon came out many years ago, running about 5 good seasons, we fans have always wanted more.

The Justice League movie was enough to me to want more. Obviously this the idea of "What if the Justice League went rogue?" was already answered in the 2nd season of Justice league. Project Cademeus and the Justice Lords were way better than this movie but the only reason for that is because the show had enough time to properly bring each character, story arc and connection over a whole season together. So Kudos to the writers of brining some of that same concept to a 1 1/2 movie.

There's some changes which I think were good. Animation of Metallo, Bane etc look more anime and just overall smoother/ better than the series. Bane was a good choice as the main Batman protagonist as the Joker would have been redundant and wouldn't fit his character (No one controls the Joker, not even Savage, he'd look at just brining Chaos), while Metallo instead of Lex was a good choice as well (Again, Lex would have his own motives of taking over and would obviously be a main threat and be a been there done that instead of Savage). Even Star Sapphire was nice.

Cheetor was the only poor choice in my opinion because she has almost no chance against wonder woman. Mirror man was OK, maybe they could have chosen a better villain from Flashes rogue gallery but Mirror man did a good job. Cyborg was a nice addition and they used him just enough to make him important.

Vandal savage was a interesting choice of replacement for the Legion of Doom instead of Gorilla Grodd. Savages plan to talk over the world as a dictator was a simple storyline. It's how he did it that was interesting, using Batman's brilliance of finding each persons weakness and take out each of the Justice League members. It really gives a lot of credit to Batman, showing his intellect, determination and character.

Overall the movie was good. The story could have been fleshed out more but the writers had to fit it all within a 1 1/2.

Lawless (2012)

Lawless is not Flawless

[5/10 · 26 September 2012]

Lawless has three main issues that makes it from becoming a terrific film: Expectations/presentation, Characters and Storyline.

Lawless was presented in the commercials and the tag line as being a Mob/Mafia crime thriller. That's the problem I have with this film, it was presented as something else and what we received was not expected. Again, that's the problem when you have expectations and actual reality. Should we be the one's to blame for it? No. It was presented to us that way. The commercials show Tommy Guns, violence etc. Instead what we got was very little action and a very slow place story. Literally, if you watched this at a midnight showing you probably would fall asleep at some point during the film. I almost did and I didn't even watch the midnight showing.

In terms of characters, first is the use of Gary Oldman. Gary Oldman is a excellent actor but the way he was under utilized in the film.He only has about 3 scenes in the entire movie. No more than 5 minutes. So out of a 2 1/2 hour film we get Gary Oldman, a Mob person for only about 10 minutes? Yes that's correct. The problem with the film is it didn't really focus on Oldman's character as a Mob boss despite his story being the most interesting and intriguing. Let's be honest, people love films about Mafia and the Mob. Look at Goodfellas, The Godfather, The Sopranos etc. So we want to see them more involved. Here? Very minimal. I certainty wanted to see why did Gary Oldman shoot that car in the beginning. Instead the story never goes down that road.

Second problem I have is Guy Pierce's ending. Guy Pierce through the entire film was excellent. You really hated the guys guts. He killed without mercy and was a very cold, calculating killer who used his position of authority to justify his ends. But his ending was terrible. For someone to be so smart and calculating it didn't make sense that he would allow Shia Lebeouf to just walk up to him shoot him and for his brother to knife him. That type of ending makes you feel like, why didn't they just shoot him in the beginning? It made a character that felt special feel average. Another point, why is the town Sheriff even helping him? He felt like a lone rogue out of everyone with no other man support from Chicago to force the Sherriffs to obey him. It makes his threats idle. What did the town sheriff's have to lose? Didn't seem like anything especially since one of them shot Guy Pierce at the end.

Lastly is the storyline. Maybe the director felt he wanted to keep it closer to the actual book. But the issue I have is if people want to know more, than read the book the movie is based on. Audiences want to see a movie that's entertaining and intriguing. Yes even a little Hollywood is good now and then. That's the problem with basing a movie on a book. One party, whether the book reader or the film audience is going to feel dissatisfied.

For me a better storyline would be brothers make alcohol, higher law officials become involved and want a part of that money, brothers refuse are pushed to a brink, deal with te mob, mob becomes involved to protect it's assets, than begins to control the entire town, now brothers must break free from mob. Instead? Some plot holes.

First, why didn't the mob become more involved with the brothers? Obviously the quantity and quality of alcohol brought the mob huge amounts of money. So why didn't they try to protect their assets? The mob must have known that their assets are being pressured by the law.

Secondly, my understanding is that Guy Pierce was hunting them down because the brothers refused to make a deal with the District Attorney.But that doesn't make sense. The District Attorney wanted to have a cut of the profits. After that Guy Pierce goes on a rampage killing, destroying etc. At some point you'd think the District Attorney would tell him OK stop, I want a share of the profits and your destroying the assets that makes profits. We just want to convince them to make the deal. Let me put it this way. You want to buy a farm. Farmer says no. You still want that farm so you tell a guy OK destroy the farm? No sense.

Third, Guy Pierce's character would make more sense chasing down Gary Oldmans character, later finds out he is dealing with the brothers, tries to cut off his suppliers to "hit him where it hurts" Gary Oldman becomes involved and maybe learns something on being a better person. Instead? Guy Pierce a trained Chicago law official wants to chase some moonshine making brothers who sell to small fish despite the mob being a bigger threat in Chicago as well as Gary Oldman being on the run.

Still I give it 5 stars because the actors were excellent in the role and I do give credit for orginality because it focused on the alcohol makers instead of the mob. But is that what we wanted or were presented? No.

Bleach the Movie 2: The DiamondDust Rebellion (2007)

Better than the first movie? You betcha!

[9/10 · 13 July 2010]

First, everyone should watch this movie with the mindset that this is a filler episode but one of the best filler episodes you'll ever watch.

The storyline is very good. I like how they referred to the past (you have to watch bleach seasons 1-3), especially how the soul society acted toward another potential traitor after Captain Aizen and Captain Gin Ichimaru.

Second, the first five minutes already intrigue you as you are trying to figure out the value of the Ouin. I love stories that have a mystery aspect to it.

Third the character depth is great. It's good to get more of a background story on certain characters, especially on Soul Society captains like Tōshirō Hitsugaya and even more about Ichigo.

The animation is crisp clean and very good. In fact it's even better than the first bleach movie.

The music is good and on par with the series. It's good to see the musical score is creating new music yet keeping the same feel.

The action was amazing, especially the final fight. It felt epic and was executed perfectly.

Overall it's a great movie and the best filler episode in that sense. All of the reasons why anyone wouldn't like the first movie are corrected in the second one. Would i skip Bleach's first movie? Maybe. I would definitely just watch this one after seasons 1-3. Then again it is after season 6 (so why they released the second movie before the actual release of season 6 box set is beyond me)so for a fan keeping up with the time line, you might be wondering how did X get this or when did X happen. But it's not as bad as you think. You can still watch it and enjoy it, as long as you are up to speed with seasons 1-3.

If you are done with seasons 1-3, as well as the second movie, and really have no other Bleach to watch, i suggest watching the first movie afterwards and the bount arc. Otherwise watch this one first and continue on to season 6 or vice versa.

Bleach: Memories of Nobody (2006)

Good Movie

[7/10 · 11 July 2010]

The bleach movie is basically a long filler episode but nonetheless, a good filler episode.

First off, the animation is superb. I disagree with what critics and others are saying that the animation backgrounds are stagnant and characters look stiff. The animation backgrounds are the best i've seen so far in the bleach series and characters look fluent and move even more realistic.

Second, the soundtrack and voice actors were also great. It's great to hear the familiar voices and music that make Bleach so good.

The only two problems i really have are the characters used and the storyline. Basically, it's almost the same problems i had with the bount storyline.

The storyline seemed intriguing in the beginning because you really are trying to figure out this mystery of what blank souls are. Then we find out it's some evil clan that was banished who wants revenge on the Soul society. It's disappointing that there was no plot twist. That's bad for either a bleach fan or a non fan because it just looks too simplistic. Evil clan wants to destroy good clan because they were banished. That's it? Yup that's it. Other parts were a bit confusing and some parts could have been cut out.

Second, i still don't see the point of throwing in certain characters. Granted, obviously Ichigo and Rukia are a must for the whole movie, but was Izuru Kira or any of the other soul society Lt's needed? What about Chad, or Orihime? Nope not necessary since they really didn't do anything. Again, as a fan, i appreciate that they tried to throw in familiar faces, but again, i would not throw in a face if they don't even matter.

Lastly, of course the big problem with filler episodes/movies is character attachment. Granted i did like Senna, but ultimately we all knew she wasn't going to be around. Neither were any of the Evil ones.So basically we knew they would no longer be seen in any form in the main bleach storyline.

Overall though, i still give it a 7 because as much as the storyline and characters could be flawed, from a pure entertainment value, it did it's job. I liked that the Evil ones would be killed quickly instead of being long and drawn out like the bount storyline. I like that Senna had enough backstory for you to care about her but not too much that you wouldn't get attached and be completely bummed out that she was never in any other Bleach story. Finally i like that the storyline was simplistic to follow and not a convoluted, dragged out mess like the bount storyline. Strait and to the point.

Supercop (1992)

Not bad but not great

[5/10 · 23 March 2010]

After Rumble in the Bronx came out in U.S, a lot of people were interested in Jackie Chan and Supercop, in my general impression, is it's not bad, but not great.

Action:

The action is all there. We all know Jackie does his own stunts so that's amazing. The fighting from Jackie is awesome and entertaining and surprisingly, Michelle ye-oh was also very entertaining and refreshing.

The only action sequence i say that is over the top is the one versus the drug lords. The drug lords vs. Military vs. themselves was good but a little dis believable. I mean 3 guys with rocket launchers can take down the entire militia like that? Makes no sense. Especially since one of the guys merely had a grenade launcher which for some odd reason exploded grenades like they were rockets but whatever.

Characeters: Jackie Chan is always great. His over the top comedy plus nice friendly attitude are what make Jackie enjoyable. If you don't like Jackie Chan then why are you even watching his movie?

The only character i have a problem with is Jackie's girlfriend. I'm not sure why every Chinese movie has to have some air head, annoying, irritating Chinese woman in it but it does. It was very foolish for her to spill out Jackies character to a co worker in a crowded elevator. Every time she hit Jackie you wanted him to sidekick her ass out the door. In my opinion, Jackie could have just stuck with Michelle and cut her out her part entirely.

Storyline:

First the storyline seemed strait forward. Jackie is a cop, is hired by Chinese government to infiltrate a criminal gang learn there secret bring him down. No problems there.

From that point is gets tricky and bad. It seems like the movie was written literally on spot, or as the movie went along. The transitions were not smooth towards the middle and to be honest, the movie started to get semi boring.

It all started with the police that wanted to take down the criminals in the restaurant. It made no sense that the officer would not recognize Michelle as she is a top notch high brass officer. Second, wouldn't Chinese interpol or what not let all the police in on what is going on?

It's the same on the boat ride. Why again? It just isn't realistic to have the police force always after the criminal when they know or should know they have two officers undercover. At first i thought it was apart of the plan but when they started firing guns at them on the boat, it obviously wasn't.

Another point is the fact that such high profile criminals wouldn't know high profile good guys. Most American movies already know this so they capitalize by having the criminals get close to finding the truth and are from day one suspicious. This movie didn't go that direction but what another direction which was not great or expected. It left a lot of grounds it should have covered, not traveled at all.

Further, another weird storyline is with Panther's older brother. The movie throws a wild card by bringing in his brother who simply wants to take over the drugs by killing all other drug lords then he tells the general to fly to wherever to meet with the main people but instead we never see the general again and next thing we know, there trying to free the wife? Why?

The hotel resort sequences were bad also. How many times does Jackie have to tell his Girlfriend IM UNDERCOVER. He told her before he left, he told her there, he told her after she was pushed in the pool, but she played the dumb blonde part and opened her mouth in the elevator. Whoops. I can't stress enough how she makes this movie semi enjoyable to irritating in no time.

The final part which made NO SENSE is when they finally tell Panther there undercover, he captures them but next thing we know there not captured anymore and are trying to use the wife as bait to get back Jackies girlfriend. Why have the whole drug-lord thing of going to meet with the main guys? Wasn't Chibot supposed to be for the drugs? If there cover was blown why not just call in everyone? Michelle even said they've had no contact from Hong Kong. Why? See how confusing it is? Why drop the girlfriend off before they even have the wife? Did panther really go through all that trouble to get out of prison just to help his brother get his wife out of prison? What happened to that money Panther had promised Jackie? What about that shipment of heroine?

See the problem is there's just too much going on. Drugs, escaping wife from Prison, Military, Older brother etc. It just becomes a convoluted mess.

Overall the movie was good in action, good in most characters but the storyline got weak and confusing. Certain scenes should not have been written in and generally this film should have been put in the editing table, tested and redone but probably due to a low budget, it probably wasn't possible.

In conclusion, -1 1/2 for the girlfriend, - 3 1/2 for storyline = 5/10

Star Wars: The Clone Wars: Blue Shadow Virus (2009) Season 1, Episode 17

Probably season 1's worst

[2/10 · 11 February 2010]

Again i will approach this story from storyline, action, characters and overall

Storyline: The Seperatist are working on a biological weapon that has been extinct for thousands of years.

Sounds cool right? True but the execution was horrific. When someone hears the line of "biological weapon" they automatically think some powerful, fast working virus that kills insanely.

Not only did this episode fail in this aspect, it failed in the way it was delivered. The virus was very slow working and in fact, had a cure. Im not sure about bio weapons but there should be almost zero chance of survivability, except for some antidote created by the creator of the weapon. The fact that it was so slow working made the threat seem lower or non existent.

Action: The first episode didn't really have any outstanding fight scenes as they were pretty basic. The second was enjoyable with the plant creatures, the whole set up of the "ghost" that destroyed ships etc. So the action was there for the second, but average for the first.

Characters: Keep in mind i'm only addressing new characters introduced. The kid in the second part was OK. Kinda nice to have another boy genius that knew a lot about robots etc (similar to anakin) but then again, it made the separatist threat seem unrealistic and artificial.

If a boy could do that to droids, then whats the point for a whole clone war? Where's the threat of a separatist army when some kid can just reprogram them easily? Why didn't other kids or people just reprogram them...well you get my point

The mad scientist was the worst character i have ever seen in star wars. He seemed like a 40's news reel German scientist. He even had a German accent. Not only was the episode pretty discriminatory, the character was cheesy, looked bad, sounded horrific and had absolutely no place in the Star Wars universe.

Overall: The story started with a nice concept, but failed by the characters used, and the execution of the storyline. It simply did not deliver. AVOID AT ALL COST.

Star Wars: The Clone Wars: Downfall of a Droid (2008) Season 1, Episode 6

Really has that kid feel

[4/10 · 7 February 2010]

Again i will approach this based on storyline, action and characters Storyline: Basic premise is that R2-D2 is caputured, and Anakin must save R2 from the seperatist. Second, a seperatist spy R3 unit is involved to stop them from doing so.

It seems like a great storyline and then when you watch it fails in the execution. The first episode felt right but the second seemed hokey at the end with R2 fighting R3.

This episode tried to show how important R2 D2 is. But if you think about it, if Anakin had erased the republics strategies, there'd be no need to save R2. A more realistic approach actually was from Obi wan's point of view.

The evil R3 unit seemed very cheap. I can't say enough about how cheesy that fight at the end was (Good robot vs. Bad robot).

Still though, the first episode had some cool moments (with the IG 88's) but the second was a let down.

Action: The action in the first episode worked well with a star battle, then a fight with IG 88's till the ending. The second was pretty bad. Ashoka's fight with Grevious was OK, but that ending fight was the worst.

Characters: Anakin and Ashoka had a good interaction in this episode but nothing more than what has already been seen. R2 D2 had his same fiestiness, and Grievous was...well grievious (i will deal with them myself). The tradorian trader was itneresting and did have that disgusting feel to him while R3 clone was a cheap dopplengagner.

Overall: A cheap episode to bring up R2 D2's value as a "friend". Has one of those My little pony moments (Awwwwwww). You could skip this one.

Star Wars: The Clone Wars: Ambush (2008) Season 1, Episode 1

One of the best

[9/10 · 7 February 2010]

In this review i will break it down into storyline, characters, and overall Storyline: The storyline was pretty simplistic. Yoda has to negotiate with Watto's race for a republic base. In order to do that he needs to pass a "test" of count dooku. The storyline is simple and lacks anything more than that simple premise but for Yoda's introduction, it works well because it brings out what a great Jedi Master he is to overcome the odds.

Characters: Who doesn't love Yoda? This episode once gain shows Yoda's ability to Mentor others (as a teacher) and also his ability to use the force (when he stopped ventress). The other characters were well done (clone troopers)in that it helped establish that the Jedi cannot overcome all odds without support. Of course the droids made the episode feel a little kiddish at time (especially the whole argument with them bringing the tanks into the reef). Ventress didn't do much here, but it worked with the storyline (not that she could have done anything against Yoda anyways)

Overall: The story was good, it worked well with Yoda and the connection he had with his troopers. Overall great introduction

G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra (2009)

Very Similar to Transformers

[5/10 · 29 November 2009]

First off, i've never watched the original cartoon series so i am basing this review purely on an objective viewpoint.

To me, this movie is similar to Transformers for the following reasons: 1. Has a hot chic 2. Fun/ Entertaining 3. Based on a 80's cartoon 4. A lot of unrealistic CGI Action 5. Confusing Storyline

First, this is of course based on the big 80's cartoon of the decade so for cartoon fans there is a lot of characters there that they will recognize and love, but for most audiences some of the villains seem cheesy (Dr for example, Destro etc.) and the costume designs look average. Not bad just not great.

Second, like all remakes of 80's cartoon's there has to be eye candy/bomb shell girl and while Megan Fox loves becoming the male fantasy dream, Sienna Miller is pretty hot just not as hot.

Third, if you want a lot of CGI action like Transformers this is it. I'm just not a big fan of the whole CGI wave that has come about since the early 2000's. Even worse is this movie's CGI looks OK in some parts (jet) but really bad in others (sea craft, polar bear etc.). At least with Transformers they really invested into it, but in this movie, CGI wasn't a must have. They could have done better without it.

Fourth, the storyline got messy toward the end. The basic storyline seemed simple. Creator of weapon wants to use his own weapons to rise to power by using Cobra. Seemed strait forward but it soon got to confusing: First by using the jump back method. Basically something happens then we view that character 4 years earlier then back to that character presently. This is done for facts and character development but the problem here is the director used it way to much. After awhile i started getting pretty bored and tired of the whole method and it suffers in the pace of the movie. Secondly, the storyline gets drowned out by to much CGI/ Action which makes the flash back scenes pointless. Third the flash back scenes are more CGI/Action. Overall the storyline gets confusing with too many characters, flashback scenes, actions, and plot twist which leaves the audience with "i'm tired of trying to figure it out. Let me just watch action". Not great if you want to have a sequel.

Overall though, it is fun and entertaining. If you want a lot of action, dumb comedy, eye candy, and cool technology then this movie is for you.

Australia (2008)

Nothing Epic here

[4/10 · 24 November 2009]

When i bought this movie, i had no idea it was supposed to be a epic adventure along the lines of gone with the wind. After the movie was done i don't know who thought it would ever be.

First, the cover is very deceiving. In fact the preview is very deceiving. I thought it would be a high action movie with settlers going into Australia for the first time somewhere along the lines of the last samarai. The movie had ridiculous action (fight scene in the beginning) along with standard WWII action (towards the end). Otherwise most action scenes weren't really action just suspense (such as sheriff coming to visit) or adventure (cattle run). So if your looking for a action movie this isn't it.

Second, the romance scenes felt planned out and cliché. Hugh and Nicole really tried to look like they had some type of chemistry or connection but it felt artificial and stale at times. It also felt pretty cheesy and scenes made you feel like "i've seen that before". So if your looking for a romance movie, it's OK.

Third, the comedy didn't flow right in the beginning. Looking back it failed because it started off as a comedy fun type but later tried to be serious. This makes the beginning kinda whatever. So comedy movie is a bust.

Finally the drama. If cliché could be any more apparent then this movie then it's probably in a cheesy B movie. The whole trying to save a kid, getting a connection with a child and the cheap "no don't take him away" scenes had no emotional impact whatsoever.

Overall this movie is standard. It had to many classifications that it wanted to be and it did OK in each area but didn't live up to expectations. I would not buy this movie again if i had a choice. Watch it once then sell it on ebay.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Splinter No More (1988) Season 2, Episode 9

First of the weird episodes

[6/10 · 27 July 2009]

First, before i begin my review let me bring the reader up to speed. Season 1 had pass, the heroes have driven Shredder and Krang to Dimension X along with the Technodrome. Season 2 began with Shredder mostly returning to earth with not to much technological help from Krang. Season 1 was great and season 2 began the experimentational phase of the TMNT. First with the alien crystal then with a few more Monster theme gimmicks. Although i liked the series as a kid, this is the first episode which i felt the need to comment on This episode had good and bad: Good 1. Splinter wanting to return to human form was very realistic as he showed that he still doesn't want to be a rat for all his life 2. The TMNT fighting was another great little bit, eventually the heroes would have to get into some type of conflict with each other Bad 1. This was a really strange episode. First with the whole cult thing. A little extreme into the realm of wizardry/sorcerer for a kids show. 2. A temple underground seemed weird in itself. Would the construction workers demolished it instead of build tracks around it? 3. The TMNT mentioned that they had to drive the creature back into the Dimension. This is the first time they failed, and instead they resorted to simply just killing the creature. Overall the only bad point i have is the shredder's idea itself. The ending was kinda strange and didn't leave the viewer with a great sense of security (felt like a loose end wasn't tied up).

Closer (I) (2004)

Be true to yourself

[8/10 · 6 December 2008]

I think the big thing this film portrays is the word "Sacrfice" (i think i read that somewhere in tag lines etc.). For those of you that want to side with one character, it is somewhat difficult because each character has their flaws but definitely Clive owen and Natalie portman's is the easiest to side with and her lines really portray what love is all about. Its not about saying "i love you" it also takes sacrifice even in situations when you don't want to. Best analogy is it's all about give and take. If you give to much the other person gets smothered while you are left unsatisfied. If you take too much you are seen as selfish and the other person feels unloved and abused.

In terms of Natalie portman her flaw throughout the movie was pretending to be someone shes not instead of being true with Jude law strait up. Her good points though, as stated, is she truly does know what love is all about. As Clive Owen said, she may be young but is definitely deceitful (meaning more mature and older for her age). At the end of the movie she learns the lesson that she should have been honest with Jude and also should have been true to herself (she knew he was cheating but choose to ignore it).

Jude law's flaw on the other hand was believing in love at first sight without really looking at what matters: the inside. If you think about it, he loved Natalie portman first off but later saw Julia Roberts and immediately fell in love with her to the point where he was willing to risk someone who actually cared for him because he thought it would be better. Later as he is with Julia he lies to himself to believe that she would never cheat on him (even though she already did so with Clive Owen) but eventually his love begins to fade. Jude laws character is interesting because he is conflicted by his own nature. In the end he learns that he was deceived by both women (Julia never truly loved him as much as Natalie, yet Natalie deceived him by being someone else). The lesson he learns is sometimes its better to have one in the hand then none at all as well as the phrase "love is blind"

Julia Roberts character flaw was not taking a stance and choosing to give up a good marriage for something that she felt. She essentially lied herself into loving Clive Owen initially instead of just "getting it out of her system" with Jude law. Of course she didn't want to disturb Natalie portman, but again that's Jude's fault for convincing her to believe it would be OK. For her, she should have took a stance against getting with Jude law for her marriage sake and for Natalie's sake. At the end though she learns to take a stance and becomes the bigger person and goes back to Clive Owen to retry her marriage satisfied.

Clive Owen's character i found really no flaw. He's the rule of "for every action there's a reaction". He loved Julia, saw something in Natalie portman but was willing not to do anything to disturb his marriage. It's only later that he actually has sex with Natalie but only because Julia's actions (plus they were already separated).

Basically in a breakdown of sacrifice, Jude's sacrifice was to not give into his emotions but love Natalie portman regardless because she gave love. Natalie's sacrifice was to be herself even if people may not like who she was rather than living a lie with someone who gave no love. Julia's sacrifice was to preserve her marriage at all cost rather than gamble with someone who truly loved her. Clive's sacrifice (which he did correctly) was to try to repair his relationship even at the expense of never having something he wanted:Natalie portman.

Overall the movie is about being true to yourself. Don't stick in a relationship if your not sure. Don't love someone who loves someone else. Many of the characters don't want to tell the truth but the truth will eventually be revealed. Be truthful to a person but don't let it get to the point where someone will be hurt. If your gonna do something, break it off initially, don't wait. Most of all, for every action you take in love, think about what future consequences may be.

"Love can be right or wrong"-Bread "Make it with you"

The Scorpion King 2: Rise of a Warrior (2008 Video)

Things to learn from scorpion king 2

[2/10 · 2 December 2008]

1. Whites comprise much of the civilization b/w the Euphrates and Tigris rivers rather than Arabs/Persians

2. If oil is engulfed w/ fire, a handful of dirt can extinguish flaming oil

3. Extinguishing the flames on the wall will stop the flaming oil from spreading on the ground

4. an Indian girl can clearly communicate w/ a Chinese person (who only speaks Chinese) by speaking English

5. Don't trust a Greek

6.Randy Couture forgot that he should never trust a Greek

7. A Chinese acrobat can catch a flaming arrow and then chuck it back at the archer w/ pinpoint accuracy and with more force than a bow

8. All Chinese guys are superbly proficient in martial arts

9. Randy Couture uses black magic

10. Despite knowing black magic, Randy Couture doesn't see that the Greek had no intention of serving him

11. Kings practice MMA w/ their bodyguards

12. Every citizen wears middle-ages clothing.

13. The main city of Arcadia is located in the middle of the desert without any water supplies or fields.

14. Despite how many times you lie to an Chinese guy, he will always follow you, and eventually setup a store in your town.

15.The King's palace is best placed right in front of the city gates.

16.Randy Couture keeps a replica Sword of Damocles on his table.

17. A white woman and an Latin man can produce a half Filipino warrior.

18. If someone is trying to kill you because you told them there would be vast treasure, point them to a single ring and they will leave you alone.

19. If you are hired as the kings bodyguard,he will let you have sex with most of his concubines.

20. If somebody tells you that Underworld is a shortcut to China then you should consider it twice.

21. Prisoners learn English very fast. One second they don't understand it, the other second they do.

22. Even if you don't look like your father, people who are in debt to him will recognize you as his son.

23. Everyone spoke English in Egypt and used words like "agitated"

24. If you are a queen of power, you must talk slowly, real slow. So slow in fact, that you ensure all viewers have disappeared for a coffee and cake only to return to the next scene when, supposedly something else is supposed to happen.

25. The King's veteran elite personal guard can be taken out by a new single Black Scorpion and his untrained brother.

26. Even though tea was discovered 1000BC, the Accadians knew of it. As Mathayus mentions " a cup of tea" at the end.

27. If I don't want to marry my arranged fiancé, I can run away, steal my dowry, and return back to my village as if it were no big deal.

28.Getting branded by hot branding iron leaves no smoke.

29. If you're enough of an acrobat, and have the aid of a bumbling Greek poet, you can catch a magically spinning sword without losing a hand or even getting a cut.

Batman & Robin (1997)

Things to learn from batman and robin

[3/10 · 29 July 2008]

1. As a director it is VERY important to get a close up of Batmans ass going into the bat suit. This is to help the audience know that bat suit protects all vital areas.

2. Superman does not want a partner because partners tend to want cars that chicks dig.

3. Mr. Freeze, despite being a professor, has very a very limited vocabulary, which includes ice puns or sayings.

4. Professional henchmen, mob etc. will gladly wear hockey mask and tights to match their bosses criteria for wardrobe.

5. Heavy metal doors are the best for sky boarding, skydiving etc. and are known for their crisp clean accuracy and precision.

6. Mr. Freeze, despite being unable to survive without sub cold temperatures, frequently smokes cigars.

7. As a villain it is IMPORTANT to wear fuzzy slippers in front of your men and force them to sing songs like frosty the snowman etc. This helps ensure discipline and fear.

8. Diamonds are typically used today as a source of energy for such things as power suits, weapons etc.

9. Batman and robin, despite being busy with thugs mob bosses etc., have no problem making a appearance at foundations, benefits etc.

10. Batman now has his own bank complete with credit card.

11. Both batman and robin suits come standardized with hockey skates

12. In terms of momentum, if you are riding down a statute, building etc. going about 70 mph, you will be are able to stop dead in your tracts, regardless of such scientifically proved concepts as speed, velocity, gravity.

13. Batman and robin typically fight over love or other emotional problems while fighting villains, thugs etc. This helps the villain understand that batman and robin have feelings like everyone else.

14. Gangs today are all themed based. For example, one gang will all wear fluorescent colored clothes. This is done for fear and intimidation while showing the victim that themes and paint can be useful tools in your opponents mind.

15. Shopping carts are typically found in prison.

16. Officers, Despite being hit with a vapor that causes your lungs to freeze, are highly resistant and are known to survive.

17. If you see a person get hit with a freeze gun DO NOT run, instead look at the person with the gun and either scream, jump at them, or charge towards them. Although ineffective, this causes the user to have momentary fear.

18. As a girl/guy, despite having no formal training in combat, as long as you put on any variation of a bat suit, your skills will improve by a recorded 100%.

19. Vines can be used as a whip and administer the same amount of damage

20. Despite having years of detective skills and deductive reasoning, batman has trouble identifying people who change their hair color , stop wearing glasses (Poison ivy) and people who wear mask large enough to cover the eye area (see Batgirl).

21. Concentrated sunlight from a powerful satellite, cannot be used to melt thing layers of ice on a mirror. Hand held lasers are the best for such problems.

22. Through years of fighting together, batman, robin and bat girl have learned it is best to use language as a junior higher such as "watch and learn little boy" "the heat is on" "chicks dig cars"

23. Mr. Freeze, despite wanting to destroy the world, carries antidotes in his suit. Typically, most antidotes also come in a cool blue color.

24. Most prisons still allow villains to wear battle suits despite being in prison. This is to ensure the prisoner is comfortable in his new surroundings.

Legionnaire (1998)

Unique Van Damme film beautifully done

[7/10 · 1 July 2008]

From the moment you look at the cover and back you think to yourself, well it's Van Damme, probably not going to be that great but whatever i'll watch it. And then wow. What a movie.

From the very beginning of the film it has a historical feel with the intro, and then musical score kicks in (which is awesome by the way) and you knew you were in for a treat. Van Damme's character has depth but what makes the movie unique is that Van Damme may be the main actor but doesn't need to go over the top to achieve this. He didn't play the "bad ass guy" from Universal Soldier or the "world's greatest fighter" from bloodsport. He played a hero with flaws, which made him so much more real.

Secondly, the supporting cast was great, all with their own back stories to how they ended up in the legion. It was different to see how each character came from a different part of the world, had their own struggles, yet found a way to look past those differences to survive. Again just by Van Damme listening to their stories and getting to know them personally made his character shine.

Overall this is a great flick that many people overlook just because Van Damme is in it. If it had been Orlando bloom, Brad Pitt etc. as the lead actor everyone would have rated this movie higher. Don't judge this movie by it's cover.

Doom (2005)

Interesting spin but ultimately unfulfilling

[3/10 · 29 January 2008]

Video game movies are very difficult to make because gamers have their vision of what the movie should be like, while the audience has their expectations. Unfortunately in this movie both groups needs end up being unfulfilled.

The 1st major problem with doom i would say is the story. Granted it was a video game, so creating a story around a game could be difficult...but NOT that difficult.

1. The pace of the movie is a problem. Let's face it, watching a bunch of guys around dark environments with guns drawn is pretty boring for an hour and 50 minutes when the environments to dark, can't really see any enemies and when you seem them their already dead. (see Aliens for correctness).

2. The plot was completely misadvertising. From the first initial moments you think that mars base is completely under monster infested control. WRONG. Really awkward to see other people there and going about their business when there is a major threat that's happening literally down the door way.

Plot holes

a. The mission. There supposed to go there to find out what happened to 6 scientist. You would think after finding some deranged mad man and a severed arm that a special ops force would set up a perimeter plan, ultimate object, gather data information etc. WRONG. (see Aliens for correctness).

b. Speaking of threats, it seemed VERY pointless for the rock to continue to ask Sam what is going on. Finally after an hour and a half of killing she gives him the information. One of those "idiot" moments. You would think a scientist would have told them the situation right up front and what they were working on instead of having a special ops team walk into a trap.

c. Why would you keep other people around the complex when there is a major threat that just occurred? Why not just send them through the arc initially?

d. Why did sarge never want back up? He wasn't trying to "steal" a monster's blood/research.

e. OK so there's this whole 24 chromosome thing. So what? It's never explained how one becomes a "super human" and a "monster".

f. How did Sam know her brother wouldn't be a monster? Oh right, i guess saying "your my brother i know you" is enough. Yeesh.

g. Why have a open top area containment field for an experiment?

h. A duh moment is when the rock says "they weren't trying to stop something from getting in, they were killed trying to get out" DUH.

i. Why did sarge want to kill non monsters? A soldiers knows that protection of civilians is first priority. Unrealstic.

j. Why didn't rock become a zombie monster? why didn't john become a monster? no explanation

k. Never solved issue of whether condition was "reversible" so why even leave the audience wondering? ex. "it may be reversible" "it's irreversible" then rock shoots monster dead.

l. Why shoot a team member when you could just do it yourself?

2nd problem is cast

1. The rock-every movie needs a wild card in the group to add that needed "he needs to die/ creep" aspect, but it shouldn't have been the rock. Asking a lead character/ actor to play the bad guy while leaving a supporting actor to take the glory is terrible. The audience naturally wants to follow and side with the lead and not a support. Having the rock become a double cross makes the audience feel they've been cheated of a good character. A double cross needs to a supporting actor. NEVER the lead.

2. Sam-for some reason she didn't seem right for this movie. The most irritating thing of this movie is she doesn't accomplish anything with her research. The only thing that solves the "mystery" is the data she downloaded, which makes her research pointless.

3. Duke-the "I'm hitting on your sister" angle died very quick. Especially the flirt scene. Yeesh

4. Portman/Frontman-is it just me or does this guy look creepy and too much like a drugged up junkie then a special ops soldier? Another idiot scene is the reaching for the clip scene in the bathroom. Wouldn't a soldier be prepared at all times? I would think reloading your gun would be first priority before being put in a position of vulnerability.

5. Mac-terrible character who could have been much more. He was put in there for 5 minutes total. Here i am at the arc. Here i am dead later.

6. Pinky-this guy is strange. He looked and sounded weird, whiny and irritating through the entire movie. Nuff said.

7. John/ Karl urban-probably the only solid character in the movie but not really that much star quality power to be a lead.

8. The kid-I'm going to use the line front man said "i asked sarge for some pussy. Then you showed up". That sums up his character in a nutshell.

3rd-was all the cussing/ profanity really necessary? I guess the director wanted to show they were "bad ass" grunts or something but actions speak louder then words. Secondly, a special ops marine soldier use of profanity would be almost none.

Overall this movie does not do justice to Doom with the exception of the first person shooter view point. One can only hope Halo doesn't end up like this....

Extreme Ops (2002)

Extreme tries to be too Extreme and fails partially...

[2/10 · 19 November 2007]

What didn't work and things i learned:

1. If you are a director or group leader, don't worry about your group's health or the safety of your job because constant drinking, unprofessional ism, snowboarding on the back of trains are what make a director Extreme.

2. If you are a gold medalist,that is not "respectable" or Extreme. Thus you should hang out with a bunch of amateurs to become Extreme. Also, drinking and falling under peer pressure is OK if you want to be Extreme.

3. I don't know about you, but if your going to set up a love story, at least let it come to it's conclusion. No date or kiss scene? Weak.

4. Silo's entrance and character was just ridiculous and laughable. The whole skateboarding scene on the train is the first example of how Extreme ops tries to be too "Extreme". Good job dude, that's one Extreme dumb ass right there.

5. Every Extreme person has rock entrance music to show he is more Extreme than others.

6. A good camera man SHOULD ALWAYS hang upside down beneath a moving train for the best camera shot.

7. A snowboarder SHOULD ALWAYS grind their board on their train tracks while chanting like an Indian if they want to be Extreme.

8. Snowboarding off the top of a roof and doing back flips onto the bar was just complete BS. Why would you fill up alcohol in glasses when you know there just going to knock them down? It's either: A. There's a dumb ass bartender B. There dumb ass customers who spent money to fill the glasses up to look "Extreme". Take your pick.

9. Snowball fight inside the resort was really misplaced, especially after meeting a creepy guy

10. The dog escape scene was really misplaced. It felt like a fight scene but then it didn't. Especially with the garbage can lid slide scene down the mountain. Also, that's the best time to videotape. Dumb ass.

11. The night time snowboard/ski scene was misplaced. What did it accomplish? Nothing at the end since it's accomplished in the hot tube scene.

12. Director trademark: Why not throw some sexy panty action at the cliff "over the edge" scene where Kittie is about to fall to her death?

13. Always say bastard and smile when your being shot at.

14. You SHOULD NOT fill a helicopter up before taking off.

15. Shotguns are the best long range weapons for killing.

16. Uzi and AK-47 ammunition is rare. So use a shotgun as directed.

17. Generals do not have good shooting skills.

18. Throwing rope down onto helicopter blades is not Extreme. Instead you must jump across the blades and throw the rope down.

19. Always throw hot coal into a hot tube with people in it.

20. Terrorist generals only have 4 men under the control at best.

21. Being shot in the arm by a shotgun will have no effect, if you are Extreme.

22. Being dropped on by a girl who weighs 105 pounds when you yourself are 6 ft about 250 will instantly knock you out. (Note: If you are the girl dropping on the guy, you will not be hurt if you say words like "totally" "radical" "narly" after wards)

23. What information did the helicopter pilot trade? What else was there to learn?

24. If 2 people need to ride on 1 snowboard, you will still move at the same speed, and your maneuverability and control will be crisp clean accurate.

25. When your a inexperienced amateur, listen to your buddy who tells you to cut the rope if your about to fall.

26. Cameras are now made with bullet proof covers.

27. Being shot at in the chest will also have no effect if you are Extreme.

28. Trying to plow your snowboard into a helicopter to hit someone is your best weapon.

29. As an adult it's a good idea to let one of the kids sacrifice themselves for the benefit of the team.

30. As an adult, leave a kid to watch someone wounded while you get help with 2 other adults.

31. When you return to the states, DON'T notify the press of the ordeal you went through. Instead go get your money

32. Cell phones will have good reception in mountains when enemies are nearby but will have poor reception when there is no threat.

33. Make sure to videotape when you just got out of a life or death situation and are followed by a avalanche.

Overall not a great movie but at least the casting (exception of a few) was alright.

WWE Vengeance (2002 TV Special)

The Best Overall PPV i have seen

[9/10 · 4 November 2007]

I have seen a lot of PPV's in the past but this is the most entertaining, intense PPV and the most complete DVD i have ever seen. The DVD extras are worth it because they it gives a different view of how the wrestlers act after the show (such as the chris benoit interview/edge interview), some glimpse into the Monday Night Wars era,the first match of Hogan winning tag title gold and some promotional talk. Additionally there is a good music video.

1. Tag Team Table match: Bubby Ray and Spike Dudley vs. Eddie Guerro and Chris benoit 7/10 This was a pretty good intense match to start off the show. Not too many holds and just pure raw physicallity. Spike can hold his own in tables matches and Guerro and Benoit gave good pure wrestling skills on the mat.

2. WWE Crusierweight championship: Jamie Noble w/ Nidia v. Billy Kidman 3/10 The crowd really didn't care about either wrestler and didn't get interested until Kidman did a shooting star press. Usually people expect a lot of high flying in a cruiser weight championship, but this had very little. In fact it was so bad that when Noble hit his finisher, no one even cared or knew (you can tell by the lack of camera's flashing). The ending was quick though.

3. WWE European Championship: Jeff hardy v. William Regal 5/10 I've never really liked regal as a wrestler, he lacks intensity and style. Hardy was impressive but really didn't get a chance to show off his high flying act, although he still performed some good counters and added that needed fast pace to the match. It ended off quickly which was perfect for this match.

4. John Cena v. Chris Jericho 6/10 It's funny looking back at Cena's very first PPV, how he used to act, how he used to dress, and how he used to look (watch his interview, it's pretty funny). This was a good intense match with Cena showing a nice variety of holds, suplexes, counters and some aerial. Jericho was sub-par but definitely helped Cena launch his career. Cena Wins.

5. WWE Intercontenital championship: RVD v. Brock Lesnar 8/10 This was a very intense and good match. Both wrestlers styles really matched up well on the screen, with Brocks pure power and raw energy vs. RVDs skill full moves and quickness. RVD looked great in this match (better than his later matches with edge and cena)and the entire match was fast pace. The ending worked perfectly because it still preserved Brock's undefeated streak while giving RVD his just desserts in his home state.

6. No disqualification match: Booker T v. Big Show 7/10 Another solid match that lacked a certain intensity as the RVD match but still a good follow up. Although it started off kinda slow (which it always is with big show) Booker T was impressive and did a sick move on the announcers table. The finisher was awesome, the ending was a great upset and big move up for Booker T.

7. WWE Tag Team Championship: Hogan and Edge v. Christian and Lance storm 5/10 This was a mediocre match. Hogan comes out like usual to a huge pop but his variety of moves lacks that intensity and energy. Then again Christian doesn't exactly have the greatest athletic abilities himself. This ended up being a mediocre match at best but was still OK for PPV.

8. Triple Threat Match for the Undisputed Championship: 10/10. Rock v. Undertaker v. Kurt Angle.

Easily the match of the year. This is by far the best triple threat match i have ever seen. It had close falls, plenty of finishers, stolen finishers, raw energy, intensity and fast pace. No one could predict who would come out of this one. If your going to buy this DVD i would buy it strictly for this match. (ending? watch for yourself!)

Overall this was a solid PPV with plenty of extra goodies to keep you watching again and again. Although this is hard to find (i had to pay a little more than usual for this DVD) it is definitely worth your money.

Batman Beyond: The Last Resort (2000) Season 2, Episode 16

I really wanted to like this episode but..

[3/10 · 2 November 2007]

I really want to say i liked this episode but as we will see, some of the pros are also cons.

What worked:

1. Voice talent for this episode was unmatched. Having David Faustino (aka Bud Bundy from Married with Children), the late John Ritter and Rachel Leigh cook (By the way, what happened to her? She hasn't been in any good movies since She's All That) was awesome.

2. The school setting was kinda cool, felt like a old creepy type of concentration camp mixed with a futuristic feel.

3. The Hamilton Hill drop of students felt kind of creepy also, like a Halloween special.

4. Terry using his talents outside the suit was refreshing because it shows that he has learned some skills from Bruce as in detective work.

5. The Sean character was interesting, especially the laugh. Pretty freaky.

6. The "backlash" teen issue is a realistic issue which still occurs every generation.

What didn't work:

1. The whole letter to the principal was kind of "stupid" to me. Chelsea may not be the brightest, but most students would not have put their name in the email. Instead they would have sent it from a dummy e-mail account. Secondly, if her dad is an editor, she would have made the e-mail sound more professional instead of "Un-schway! that's what i think of this new solution". Not very bright from a editor's daughter.

2. The first pro that is a con is the school setting. Would a parent really enlist their kid into a detention type of school? Wouldn't the parents check out what type of facility or classrooms this new school provides? Would parents allow their children to be manhandled by security guards (ex. visiting parents scene which allowed Terry to sneak in)?

3. Why are all the security guards uniforms generic? It seems like those same guard outfits have been used several times in Batman beyond.

4. Where do you hire such security guards? That's not to say that there aren't some weird/ mean people out there willing to beat kids and treat them like prisoners but would a realistic person really be willing to take a job like that? Even if they interviewed and were not hired, wouldn't they at least alert the media or officials of some type of corruption? Realistically, It kind of takes away the whole idea of why Batman needed to be the whistle blower on the place.

5. The Vincent character was pretty useless as a villain because Batman takes him down without much of a fight. If he is supposed to be "Mr. Bad ass" security guard he didn't show it.

6. Wouldn't Vincent have checked the contents of the backpack or at least put a visitors backpack in some type of security locker instead of a cleaning closet?

7. What was Sean thinking? He states, "the only reason why i stayed in was to get at Wheeler" How did he expect to accomplish that? With the way the prison was run, that was close to impossible.

8. There is no explanation of who Dr. Wheeler is, nor his motivation for treating students like prisoners. Secondly, why would Wheeler hold on to incriminating evidence instead of just destroy it right on the spot?

9. Lets talk Economics for a second (this is in reference to pro number 3). A public school would obviously be concerned that most of their students have now transferred out of Hamilton high school. Why? Economically, no parents means no primary source of income. So wouldn't the school at least check into this matter? Would a principal be so willing to just "red-flag" students? Publicy, this is not good Personal Relations with parents out there, because they would see Hamilton high as a school that cannot solve their children's problems. Is that really what Hamilton high wanted? Maybe not. But that's the effect. So wouldn't Hamilton high at least put some type of limit or check into the private schools methods to see what there doing effectively instead of just having the school become a ghost town? I know this goes beyond the premise of a "kids show" but still, with so many great episodes before, it makes you wonder.

10. It was a shame for the great voice cast to do a mediocre job. It's not their fault though as much as it is the writers.

11. Couldn't Sean figure out Terry was Batman? It doesn't take a genius. Terry tells Sean, "you go" and then all of a sudden Batman shows up. Sean knew Terry wanted to stay behind, but for what? Sean knows Terry couldn't handle the guards by himself, so Terry had to have had some type of "edge/advantage" to even the odds. Again, most episodes it's hard for anyone to figure out Terry is Batman, but this time it's pretty obvious.

Overall this is not one of the best episodes. I really wanted to like it but just too many cons outweigh the pros.

Batman Beyond: Rats (1999) Season 2, Episode 9

With the good comes the bad

[5/10 · 27 October 2007]

Batman beyond season 2 was an interesting season, mixing awesome episodes (lost soul, Bloodsport), to good episodes (once burned/joyride/splicers), to average episodes (earthmover) and now borderline average/below average episode.

What worked:

1. The entire "escape" scene with Dana had a very erie feel to it the entire time. Felt like something from SAW or a horror movie.

2. The very human feel to the episode felt good for a change. It's natural that a father would be concerned and even go to Terry's house to find out just what happened. The Terry/ Dana fight was also very real

3. The sewers itself felt erie, a lot of credit to the music score on this one. Very good.

What didn't work:

1. Virtually no character development of Patrick. No explanation of how he became able to control rats, how he gained his appearance etc.

2. I know the episode had to move on, but i thought it was cheap of patrick to turn on Dana so quickly. Most outcast cling to the things they like regardless of the other persons actions, thus becoming "annoying" ex. Like that weirdo back in highschool remember? So what if Dana didn't like him? It wasn't like she could do anything about it anyways so why try and kill her?

3. No explanation of Patrick's hybrid plant flowers.

4. Kinda unrealistic for Dana to just go to Terry so quickly. OK maybe initially but it's still a angle for Dana to attack Terry on because she could always use him as a focal point for how she got captured. So the whole "makeup" was way too quick.

5. Rats? Rats are probably the worst type of creature to use. It reminded me of the sewer king in the BTAS with his alligators. Only difference is the rats are not that intimidating as alligators and, again, no explanation in either of how a person could control such animals. Very unrealistic. Additionally, because there creatures are not robots/ rock men, batman couldn't even use any batarangs or other gadgets so it got boring just seeing him wrestle a giant rat. At least they didn't make it cheesy by having patrick be known as ratman. Ratman vs. Batman yeesh.

Overall this episode had some good elements to work with (horror/SAW type feel, realistic human nature, environment), but poor elements also (rats, little character development and some unrealistic human nature). This could be a episode you could miss but you won't really get that same horror type feel in other episodes

Batman Beyond: Earth Mover (1999) Season 2, Episode 2

Pretty good but still average

[7/10 · 23 October 2007]

I've always liked the original batman and when batman beyond came out, i was intrigued. A future batman turned out to be absolutely awesome in every sense of the word. Well anyways on to this episode...

What worked:

1. I thought the whole idea of having a corpse somewhere at the end really pushed the limits of the show. I didn't think they would be that graphic on a kids show but hey, it was pretty freaky.

2. Bruce was pretty funny in the episode refusing to say interesting, as a common batman characteristic. It's always good to refer somehow to the past, especially on how the original batman always acted.

3. It was cool to play a role reversal with Terry in this one. What i mean by that is in Shriek everyone thought Bruce was crazy. This time Bruce thinks terry is crazy and it took some convincing by Terry for Bruce to believe him.

4. The rock/dirt monsters look cool and fight cool. Nuff said.

5. Batmans fighting the rock/dirt monsters looked even cooler, using a combination of martial arts, Bata-rangs and a awesome fan type blade at the end.

What didn't work:

1. Depending on how you look at it, it seems kinda unrealistic for terry to be in the girls locker room (especially a cheerleaders lockeroom). But hey, i have a thing for cheerleaders so i guess it could be cool also LOL

2. It was uncharacteristic for high school girls to be so trusting of a guy, regardless of Terry and Dana's relationship. Usually girls keep matters about stalkers and other stuff like that to themselves. So for Dana and Jackie to have Terry that much involved is just unreal.

3. Going back to uncharacteristic, a typical girl would be jealous or worried that her boyfriend was so concerned about another girl other there her. I would think Dana would steer Terry away and say, "she can handle it with her dad."

3. Speaking of Bill, it didn't make sense for the episode to end the way it did. I would think Batman would turn Bill in for industrial pollution. Instead he says "(refering to Tony) he was a ghost." Again uncharacteristic for batman to say something like that and not bring Bill to the authorities.

4. Why would Jackie be so quick to call Bill her "dad" all of a sudden? Again, most people need time to form a close relationship with someone. During the whole episode she gave the impression that she doesn't respect Bill, but now one incident and your my new dad now? People carry scars for a while.

5. Why did Jackie's former father (Tony) move the rock? Tony wanted her to stay there with him and he gave the impression that he would have her stay him regardless of death or life (as evident by Tony creating a rock monster and holding Jackie down) it makes no sense again just to have a "sudden change of heart". Seems like the producers couldn't figure out which "father" they wanted to be a good guy. Bill had the industrial pollution and manslaughter of Jackies father. Jackies father is a crazy psychopath. I think Jackie needs to go to a foster home lol.

6. Lastly, i don't think a typical high school girl would go walking around a cave after just being dragged underground. Even if Jackie is different, i think the corpse would be enough for anyone to run back in the house.

Overall a still enjoyable episode, but definitely some fantasy type writing which disregards human nature.