Robin Hood Blu Ray Review
September 28, 2010
The combination of Ridley Scott and Russell Crowe has produced some great movies in the past. They seem to like to work with each other as shown by the sheer number of movies they have done together. And, for most part, they have made good solid movies. So, I was fairly excited when Scott and Crowe teamed up once again to make Robin Hood. There have been countless Robin Hood movies and it seemed like there was little Scott could do to add to the already abundant Robin Hood story. After watching the film, I was fairly impressed with the direction of the story.
Instead of the standard Robin Hood story where he is an outlaw from the start, we start off at an earlier point where Robin Longstride is a part of the English army returning from the crusade. During the return, the king is killed in a siege. Few of the knights are instructed to return the news of the death. However, during the return, they are ambushed and killed. Robin Longstride and few of his friends fled the battle once the king was killed. On the way back to England, they happen to come across the dead knights. There, he promises Robert Loxley that he will return the Loxley family sword to his family. Once they return to England, he decides to stay with Loxley family and assume the family name Loxley in order to help out the family.
This movie really has nothing in common with previous Robin Hood movies. This could have been any generic medieval sword and adventure type of movie. This isn’t said to disparage the movie. On the contrary, Ridley Scott and Russell Crowe deliver a great movie. But, for people expecting the typical story line of Robin Hood might be disappointed. What we do get is a prelude or part 1 or the overall movie. The movie screams for a sequel that details the typical outlaw life Robin Hood leads. The end feels like a set up for the next movie. The disappointing box office result may prevent a true sequel to this great movie.
What do you think about this movie? Please leave your thoughts below.
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Looney Tunes - Golden Collection
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Prince of Persia Blu Ray Review
September 16, 2010
It is not easy to make a great transition from video games to the big screen. Only handful has made a successful jump from game to movie. The movie industry is littered with awful video game adaptations. We only need to look at Mario Brothers or Street Fighter franchise to see the massive failure attempts. It’s not surprising the movie studios were bit hesitant to make a video game movie. However, with the video game sales surpassing the box office sales, it is inevitable that there will be more video game movies. It’s no surprise Disney jumped into video game movie with producer Jerry Bruckheimer behind the Prince of Persia. While there are bigger franchise in the video game sphere, Prince of Persia might be the most suitable franchise for the Disney Company.
Dastan is a street rat who gets adapted by the King of Persia after some altercation. He grows up as a Prince surrounded by royalty. Dastan distinguishes himself as a warrior prince in various battles. Persian Army learns of Alamut’s involvement in supplying weapons to Persian enemy. Persian army invades the city on this information. Dastan distinguishes himself again as a great warrior. After the battle, the King of Persia dies under suspicious circumstance. The blame is placed on Dastan as the killer. In order to prove his innocence, he runs away with the help of Alamut’s princess. While investigating the matter, he learns of the special dagger that could change the history of Persia.
With Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time, you get everything you expect from Bruckheimer production. While it is rated PG-13, adults should be able to enjoy this film unlike some other Disney films. At first, I was skeptical of Jake Gyllenhaal carrying a big budget action film. But, he does great job as the lead. Gemma Arterton as the princess Tamina is what you would expect from the role. The other surrounding cast such as Ben Kingsley and Alfred Molina are top notch actors who compliment the main characters very well. This is a very enjoyable summer pop corn flick you should not miss.
What do you think about this movie? Please leave your thoughts below.
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The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian
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Kick-Ass Blu Ray Review
September 2, 2010
Kick-Ass, a comic book adaptation, has received some great reviews and buzz. A lot have compared it to Superbad or any other nerdy-sex comedies to come out of Hollywood in droves. While I’m not denigrating Superbad or other similar films, Kick-Ass is really different film. While it does retain the nerd factor from Superbad, it is mainly an over the top live comic book movie. There are some crazy over the top violence in Kick-Ass. While there have been more violent films, non has come from a small girl with a very violent streak.
The story revolves around Dave Lizewski, a nerdy high school kid with a big crush on the school’s popular girl. As expected, Dave is a big nerd who is into comic books and video games. Tired of being pushed around, Dave decides to become a “superhero” even without any super powers. On one of his outing, he stands up to three thugs who are beating on one guy. Even though he doesn’t really take care of the thugs, he does just enough to chase them away. This entire encounter is caught on tape and Dave becomes an internet sensation. Through some misunderstanding, he becomes entangled in a crime that involves real superhero duo Hit Girl and Big Daddy. Together, they have to deal with dangerous drug dealer.
This is different type of superhero movie. It is not Marvel or DC comic book adaptation. You will not see any Spiderman type of story. While you do see some elements from Batman, you will not associate this movie with any other superhero movies. While movie does center around Dave Lizewski, aka Kick-Ass, it is Hit Girl that takes the center stage. The diminutive Chloe Moretz delivers a winning performance as the foul mouthed assassin. You will be hard pressed to find better young actress to deliver this type of performance. Overall, Kick-Ass is an enjoyable movie.
What do you think about this movie? Please leave your thoughts below.
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London Calling: Live in Hyde Park [Blu-Ray]
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