Dienstag, 27. Mai 2014

GODZILLA 3D - Movie Review

 Title: Godzilla 3D
Running Time: 123 min
Director: Gareth Edwards
Starring: Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Bryan Cranston, Elizabeth Olsen, Ken Wanatabe

Review:
Finally, I got to see the King of Monsters return to the big screen for yet another time! After the first American atempt in 1998 was considered an abomination by Godzilla Fans, this movie really brings back the key elements of the old Japanese classics.
 As everyone probably hoped, the cinematography is phenomenal. Beautifully constructed shots with some great camera angles and mixed with top-notch special effects. Especially a real epic parachuting sequence.
Bryan Cranston gives us damn-fine acting as usual, and Aaron Taylor Johnson is a very sympathetic main character, who's luckily not as overly heroic as others in this genre. His chemistry with Elizabeth Olsen is pretty good too, and it will be interesting to see how they switch from couple to siblings in the upcoming "Avengers: Age of Ultron". Oh, and Ken Wanatabe has the best japanese accent to explain everything about: "Gojira" (as he's oiginally spelled).
Concerning the story, the trailers for this film really didn't give away much, and eventhough one would argue that there is not much to know about a monster movie, the film will most likely not quite be what you expected. Wether that is a good or a bad thing depends on the kind of movie goer you are.
Firstly, about half an hour in, the movie introduces a big part of the main plot, which might leave those not-so-well-versed in the Godzilla lore scratching their heads. Secondly, the film puts a big focus on the perspective of the humans, who will not only have to cope with a monster invasion but also with its side effects like plane crashes, earthquakes and tsunamis. This means that our beloved monstreous destructor doesn't get a full body action shot till the climax of the movie. However, this doesn't result in boredom as it brilliantly teases a leg, tail or an eye of the iconic character and it gives you chills as you really get the impression that this is a humongous creature.
All in all, Godzilla is a great modern monster film that feels oldschool while still staying fresh. Note that, obviously, it is not highly intellectual cinema, but it is an awesome piece of entertainment and a worthy installment of the Godzilla franchise, that by the way should be seen on the best screen you can get.
I myself chose 500m2 IMAX 3D.... worth every penny.

For Fans of:
Pacific Rim (2013)
Godzilla (1954)
Gidorah, the Three-Headed Monster (1964)
Predator (1987)

And check out my friend's review over at B.A.'s Screentest for a second opinion!

Dienstag, 20. Mai 2014

CINEMARTIAN'S BIRTHDAY 1992 TRIVIA:

Hello there puny humans,
'Tis my birthday and since I am turning 22 (yes, your cinemartian is such a young fellow), I thought I'll give you a little movie trivia about the day and year I was born, so enjoy:


My Personal Top 3 Films released in 1992:
1.Reservoir Dogs
2.Batman Returns
3.Aladdin



My Personal Top 3 Modern Films set in 1992:
1. Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (2001)
2. Into The Wild (2007)
3. The Informant!  (2009)



Top 3 Highest-grossing Films of that year:
1. Aladdin
2. The Bodyguard
3. Home Alone 2: Lost in New York



Oscar-Winners:
Best Picture - Unforgiven
Best Director - Clint Eastwood (Unforgiven)
Best Actor - Al Pacino (Scent of a Woman)
Best Actress - Emma Thompson (Howards Ende)
Best Supporting Actor - Gene Hackman (Unforgiven)
Best Supporting Actress - Marisa Tomei (My Cousin Vinny)
Best Original Screenplay - The Crying Game (Neil Jordan)
Best Adapted Screenplay - Howards End (Ruth Prawer Jhabvala)



Number One Film the day I was Born, 20th May 1992: 
Lethal Weapon 3

 
  

There were also some interesting acting debuts in 1992: 
Jack Black, Daniel Craig, Penélope Cruz, Ralph Fiennes, Jamie Foxx, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Jennifer Love Hewitt, Whitney Houston, Heath Ledger, Bernie Mac, Mike Myers, Gary Sinise,Will Smith, Hilary Swank

...and directorial ones:
Quentin Tarantino, Ang Lee, Robert Rodriguez, Baz Luhrmann

Lastly, a big shout out to Jack Gleeson, the actor known for his role as Joffrey Baratheon in the HBO series Game Of Thrones, who is also celebrating his 22nd birthday today! You do a brilliant job portraying that little Lannister bastard! You own that role, so happy birthday to you too!

Sincerely,
Your Cinemartian!

Mittwoch, 14. Mai 2014

Movie Newsflash: FIRST GLIMPSE AT BEN AFFLECK'S BATMAN & NEW COMIC BOOK TV-SHOWS

 Hello there puny humans,
the 21st Century is a great time for comic book- and film fans, and hardly a week goes by without any news about costumed heroes on the big or small screen. So let me sum up the most recent ones:


Firstly, (and this made me very happy) ABC announced that they renewed Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. for a second season. The show evolves around Agent Coulson and his Team of Shield-Agents solving mysteries and weird cases, and ties in heavily with the Marvel Cinematic Universe (including guest appearances of Nick Fury, Maria Hill & Lady Sif). And if that wasn't enough, they also announced that there is going to be a new mini-series about the adventures of Agent Carter, whom you might remember as Captain America's love interest from his first movie. She was also featured in a Marvel One-Shot, that appeared  on the Iron Man 3 BluRay Edition, and was pretty much the kick-start for this series. Even though she is an "Agent of Shield" herself, the show will most likely have a different tone than the first one, as it will be set just after World War II, with an old-school (and hopefully Indiana Jones like) vibe.

But where there's a Marvel announcement, a DC-Comics one won't be far, and they too announced two new TV-Shows: One of those is Constantine, and yes, that is the same demon-chasing Constantine as in the 2005 Keanu Reeves movie of the same name. Both are based on the Hellblazer Comics and the first look promises, that the TV-Show will be much more faithful to the source material. The other show DC is putting out there is a show called Gotham, a show about the Dark Kight's famous hometown. However, the show will take place before Bruce Wayne became the Caped Crusader and rather focus on a young Jim Gordon. New to Gotham, he will have to face the town's biggest criminals, including younger versions of the Penguin, Riddler, Catwoman and others.

Speaking of Batman, there was another big reveal yesterday, concerning Man Of Steel 2 aka. Batman vs. Superman. After casting Jesse Eisenberg as Lex Luthor and Jeremy Irons as Alfred back in January (before this beauty of a blog existed), Zack Snyder now twittered a first picture of Ben Affleck in his costume with the Batmobile behind him:


Seeing the new suit, i can imagine that it was inspired by Frank Miller's Dark Knight Returns Comics, that showed us a grumpier, grittier and older Batman, which could be pretty cool  for this movie too. I personally think it looks bad-ass (or should i say bat-ass?) and it just makes me more excited for the team up. Hopefully, it will be the Batman vs. Superman movie we deserve AND the one we need right now! So fingers crossed that Batfleck learned from his Daredevil days....and maybe George Clooney gave him some advise warnings too...

Sincerely,
Your Cinemartian!

PS.: I know I've been lazy, but my X-Men, and Godzilla Review will be up in less than two weeks!