"300: Rise of an Empire” doesn't top or equal the original, but this companion piece to the 2007 blockbuster "300" still offers some deliciously sly camp filled with the franchise's signature speed-ramping fights and bloody CGI gore. This time, the story utilizes love and vengeance for its central theme, while consistently delivering a sense of duality to the story and character elements presented in the "300" movie canon. The film is primarily set in the Greek waters where epic naval
Tag: movies
Blu-ray Review: ‘Inside Out’ (2011)
The 2011 action-crime drama "Inside Out" comes out on a single-disc Blu-ray set featuring the story of a man imprisoned for 13 years, and just a few hours after finally gaining his freedom from his manslaughter case involving a man who intended to kill his best friend, this ex-convict finds himself in the middle of an accidental shooting that results to another murder. Yet again, this man who now simply wants to start a small business to live a crime-free
‘The Legend of Zorro’ Film Review: The Dela Vega heroes
"The Legend of Zorro" tones down a bit by fronting the more human issues about family relationships in its storytelling, as compared to the visually purist, action-filled premise driving the storyline for such an action genre offering. Yet, this follow-up to “The Mask of Zorro” doesn't lose its own touch of valuable action and playful camera work. The pompous stunts, grand production design, and outstanding cinematography often keep the spectators' eyes nailed to what happens next. The film captures the audience right from
‘Star Trek’ (2009) Film Review: Warpspeed wow!
Something old reboots as a glorious new. Reinventing a classic sci-fi series is prone to becoming victimized by the blackhole of franchise re-openings, but what this new "Star Trek" presents is a flaring shine of a supernova from start to end. The plot may be preposterous, but the way the film is constructed provides a genuinely rollicking adventure - a fine escapist entertainment that has just validated the tagline, "Live long and prosper." From the first stunning visuals of a pre-Enterprise time
Blu-ray Review: ‘The Atomic Kid’
Releasing on a single-disc Blu-ray package, the 1954 sci-fi comedy "The Atomic Kid" features a frenetic slapstick farce based on the story of filmmaker Blake Edwards. This film directed by Leslie H. Martinson revolves around a young uranium prospector's fate after surviving the radiation exposure in an atomic bomb testing site. It stars Mickey Rooney, Robert Strauss, and Elaine Devry. The story begins with a uranium search in a remote part of Nevada. Coincidentally, when a man gets caught up in
‘Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith’ Film Review: The force of tragedies
“Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith” serves as the final chapter to the culturally historical galactic empire saga from the real master behind the force George Lucas, along with his dedicated behind-the-scene heroes from the "Star Wars" of the 1970s and 1980s ("Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope" in 1977, "Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back" in 1980, and "Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi" in 1983) to the prequels produced two decades after ("Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace" in 1999 and
‘Beowulf’ (2007) Film Review: Motion-capture statement
"Beowulf" ambitiously blends CGI, motion-capture, and 3D technologies to bring a new level of hyperreality for the viewers to enjoy. Everybody knows, or at least, has already heard about the epic poem "Beowulf" in school, or perhaps, with the prior 2005 live-action offering "Beowulf and Grendel" starring Gerard Butler as Beowulf. This time, the Robert Zemeckis-helmed "Beowulf" utilizes the latest motion-control technology available to tell a tale approximately 1,400 years old in an astonishingly new way -- a sensory animation experience
Blu-ray Review: ‘Gangster Squad’
"Gangster Squad" debuts in home video format via a two-disc set housing the film's Blu-ray, DVD, UV digital, and iTunes digital copies. This 2013 picture's theatrical release was infamously delayed for a few months in the wake of the tragic Aurora theater shooting in 2012. The production decided to reshoot its mid-movie shootout in order to remove the sequence involving a massacre in a movie theater. Ruben Fleischer helms this period actioner that stars Sean Penn, Ryan Gosling, Josh Brolin, Emma
‘Rio 2’ Film Review: Perfectly fine, perfectly forgettable
"Rio 2" is a delightfully bright and breezy bit of computer-generated entertainment. As an acceptable family fare, this sequel maintains that blockbuster flavor that is expected of such an animated flick. It mostly hits the sweet spot when it comes to eye-popping visuals and feisty song-and-dance sequences. However, its predictable narrative plays too safe that it simply crafts nothing more than a fine commercial blend of heart-warming and toe-tapping moments for its target demographic. For this second installment in the "Rio"
‘Sky High’ Film Review: Soaring HS heroes and sidekicks
This is a Disney hybrid superhero movie: "The Incredibles" meets "X-men" via "Harry Potter." If you think Hogwarts is the only secret school for extraordinary kids, well there's also the heroic children's world of "Sky High." This film is a hybrid superhero flick: "The Incredibles" meets the "X-Men" via "Harry Potter." It may be a Disney flick with a big celebration of superhero cliches; but it is entertaining enough for its target market. As a derivative, it never claims to be genuinely superior to its more successful blockbuster sources. Despite having a