Sci-Fi Movies and Video Games [Article]

I wrote a piece for Sci-Fi Movie Hype discussing science fiction films and their ties to the world of video games.You can check it out here:

Sci-Fi Movies and Video Games: A Match Made in Fantasy

83rd Annual Academy Awards: Ryan calls it

Tonight's the night for Hollywood's brightest stars to come out and shine...Or so I'm told. All I know is I love movies and comparing my favorites from the previous year, which is why the Academy Awards have always held a special place in my heart.

Say what you will about awards shows in general, there's a great feeling that comes along with seeing one of your favorite stars or films get recognized for their achivements. Plus, the occasionally have something worthwhile to say when making their acceptance speeches. *fingers crossed for an F-16 reference*

Following are my predictions for this year's winners. While I did see the majority of films nominated this year, I unfortunately have to take a pass on such categories as Foreign Film, Documentary and Short Film. Otherwise, let's get to picking some winners.

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Review wrap-up: Loads of stuff

The bridge of weeks connecting 2010 and 2011 has proven to be a bit busier than I expected. I’ve been able to take in a lot of "stuff"; I just haven’t had the time to review any of it.

As such, it’s now time for one of my world famous review wrap-ups wherein I gloss over several movies, games and CDs deserving of far more attention than I’m currently willing to provide. Here’s the quick rundown.

Castlevania: Lords of Shadow
(Video game) I’m a huge Castlevania fan, so even knowing LoS was going to be a re-launch of the series, it still took me a while to get used to the idea of everything being so different. Despite my fanboyish reservations, LoS succeeds as an action/adventure title with gorgeous graphics, a sweeping score and a crapload of content. While it borrows heavily from the God of War brand of combat, LoS surpasses that series in a lot of ways, creating a more complex, yet fluid means of destroying a wide variety of opponents. There’s loads of epic boss battles, an interesting story that sadly falls apart at the climax and it’s just plain fun to play. Don’t go in expecting the series you grew up with and you should be in for a 15-20-hour action rollercoaster.

More reviews after the break.

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Review- Black Swan

If you’re looking for an end-of-the year festive flick to get you in the holiday spirit, Black Swan is probably a bad choice.

If, however, you’re in the market for a beautifully crafted thriller overflowing with desperation, jealousy, love, lust and characters consumed by their passions, then this is the one to check out.

Directed by Darren Araonofsky, the guy behind such films as Pi, Requiem for a Dream, and last year’s The Wrestler, you should already know you’re in for a dark, emotional and intimate thrill ride. Black Swan is expertly shot, especially during the hypnotic, dizzying dance sequences, and perfectly paced. The characters, all driven to an unsettling degree, show a passion that should be equally envied and feared.

Black Swan stars Natalie Portman as Nina Sayers, a young and beautiful ballerina who, while perfect on the stage, lacks the ability to let herself go and become the characters she’s portraying.

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Review wrap-up

I have once again fallen behind in reviews. Rather than flood the site with a bunch of posts that, let’s face it, would be far too long-winded (I love to hear myself type), I’ve decided to round everything up here and spare just a paragraph or two (or five) per item.

It’s a real mixed bag, as I’ve got a CD, a comic, a movie and a video game all here for your consideration. (Spoiler alert: They were all pretty fantastic.)

Mumford and Sons: Sigh no more
I heard the tune “Little Lion Man” by Mumford and Sons on the radio a couple months ago and did my damndest to remember the name of the song and/or the artist, ultimately forgetting both. That happened twice more, causing me loads of frustration. I was near my computer the next time I heard the song and immediately logged on to just download the whole album and be done with it.

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Review: Jackass 3D

It’s kind of hard to review a Jackass film. There’s no acting or plot to speak of. There’s little in the line of a soundtrack and, while some of the camera work is pretty great, I wouldn’t exactly call it “cinematography.”

Fans will see Jackass 3D in hopes of laughing their butts off and being grossed out, and, for the most part, the film delivers. While this would be my least favorite of the series, there’s still plenty here to keep you and your friends talking long after the credits have rolled.

After so many years of watching these guys perform this shtick, it simply feels like 1) The gang is running out of ideas and 2) Most of their hearts just aren’t in it anymore. The closing credits leave one feeling like this film is being used as a sort of send-off to the long-running series, so let’s hope they stick by that and decide to go out while the welcome is still warm.

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Review: Due Date

I’m really scratching my head over why the critic community has such a hate-on for Todd Phillips’ Due Date, starring Robert Downey Jr. and Zach Reallyneedstogetanewlastname, also pronounced “Galifianakis.”


Resting somewhere around a 38 percent on Rotten Tomatoes, the general consensus seems to be that the starring duo lacks chemistry and the characters are so “out there,” it’s hard to root for them.

I’m gonna go ahead and disagree. Downey plays a seriously high-strung father-to-be while G-Town is the exact opposite, a flies-by-the-seat-of-his-pants man-child with abysmal social skills.

These two end up on a cross-country trek so, yeah, the film doesn’t exactly get major points for originality. But I thought the two played very well off of each other.

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Review: Let Me In and The Social Network

Two of the best films so far this year came out on the same day: The Social Network and Let Me In. While TSN continues to rake in millions, sadly, Let Me In already appears to have dropped completely off the radar, not even finishing in the top 10 in its second week in theaters.

But I’m not here to complain about injustices, even considering that Let Me In is likely the best suspense/horror film to hit the silver screen in a couple years and, you know, it’s freaking Halloween.

In all fairness, my initial reaction to both of these films was to make a loud, rude noise with my mouth. I had already seen and fallen in love with Let the Right One In, the two-year-old Swedish film Let Me In is based on. I’m a firm believer that Americans should learn to read and watch a film at the same time, so these types of remakes rub me the wrong way.

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Let Me In- Give it a chance

I’m of the belief Americans have a literacy problem. Why else would they feel such a strong desire to remake every decent foreign film known to man?

Subtitled films simply don’t do well in the good ole’ U.S. of A. While I refuse to believe cashing in isn’t at least part of the reason such films get made, I also like to believe it has to do with a desire to have English speaking viewers experience something they might otherwise miss.

Most recently, I’m talking about Let Me In, a Hollywood retelling of the recent Swedish masterpiece Let the Right One In, which is in turn based on the beautifully written John Ajvidi Linquist novel.

When it comes to vampires as of late, I like to think I’ve pretty much had my fill. Let the Right One In, though, is a unique tale of gritty young love, mystery and terror that reminds everyone these pointy-toothed night crawlers are to be feared rather than fawned over. In short, they don’t sparkle.

I fell in love with the Swedish film, which had a stay in U.S. indie theaters of about two weeks, and quickly moved on to the novel, which also held my attention in a death grip until I slammed into the final page.

When I heard there would be an American remake of the film, my first reaction was to scoff, moan and otherwise bellyache. I may have even kicked a small child. Now that the trailer for the film has been released, I find myself singing a different tune. Maybe it’s hypocritical of me, but it looks like all the pieces are in place to do the project right and I for one am warming to the idea.

Though the trailer is only two minutes long, I’ve seen enough to make me believe director Matt Reeves has a genuine appreciation for the source material and aimed to craft a film just as beautifully put together and disturbingly romantic as the original. He also seems to have focused on aspects of the story skipped over in the original film, so fans of the Swedish version should have something new to hold their attention.

Chloe Moretz and Kodi Smit-McPhee appear to be perfect for their leading roles (especially Smit-McPhee) and, judging from what’s shown here, the story’s hard edge looks to be intact.

In short, get stoked, horror fans. We might have the first decent film within the genre to come along in quite a while and, so help me, it’s a remake.

Review wrap-up blowout special- Summer 2010

The end of summer brought with it oodles of entertainment. That meant less posts this past week, but hey, I got to catch up on lots of good stuff.

Inception
Unless I’m forgetting something, this was probably the most entertaining film I’ve seen all year. The cast is great and the story is imaginative. Some additional background and character development would have been nice, but I honestly believe these things were left out to make room for the intricate plot, which magically teeters on the edge of understanding and leaves you with plenty to think about, which is what’s important in a movie like this.

Despicable Me
Not as good as some of the Pixar classics (I hate to compare, but there it is), but manages to provide just enough cuteness and cleverness to make it a winner. Also, bravo for taking chances with some darker humor uncommon in such family fare.

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Review: Iron Man 2

I was delightfully surprised by the original Iron Man film. Director John Favreau put together one of the best comic-to-movie adaptations of all time with Robert Downey Jr. breathing an unprecedented amount of life into the eccentric millionaire, Tony Stark.

The whole team showed the project respect and, because of that, audiences were treated to top-notch dialogue, an engaging and adult story and tons of ‘splosions. It was everything a summer blockbuster should be.

Thankfully, Iron Man 2 follows closely behind its predecessor.

Downy has gotten more comfortable in his role, Samuel L. Jackson gets more face time, Gwyneth Paltrow’s Pepper Potts becomes a stronger, more well-defined character and Don Cheadle does an admirable job of taking over the role of James Rhodes (a.k.a. freaking War Machine).

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Review: Kick-Ass

Kick-Ass is one of those movies you can't help but enjoy. It never takes itself too seriously and openly borrows from its fellow "super hero" films while turning the genre on its ear.

From designing a costume, to the training montage, to the first fight with the bad guys, everything hints at the greatness of someone like Spider-Man while constantly reminding the viewer the world of Kick-Ass is more firmly rooted in our own and, therefore, everything must eventually go wrong in hilarious fashion.

The bad guys of Kick-Ass' world don't wear capes and spout evil catchphrases. They shoot people in the face. And when a do-gooder shows up in a mask to cause trouble, their approach to the situation is similarly violent.

While Kick-Ass (the character) is still living in his comic book dream land, a couple masked vigilantes by the name of Big Daddy and Hit Girl show up to make it clear real-world criminals require real-world solutions of the gleefully vicious variety.

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Review: Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland

It must first be said that I did not see Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland in 3D. Blasphemous, I know, but it did clue me in to something I would have missed had I been watching the full, glorious, multi-dimensional version.

As 3D takes more steps toward becoming a legitimate part of our viewing experience, movie, television and game developers must be careful not to cross the line between “viewing enhancement” and “gimmick.”

I’m sure everything looked spectacular in 3D, but a few too many odd angle choices and objects being thrown at the camera proved distracting in this particular film.

Also, there are three scenes of someone riding an animal/beast across a large landscape with orchestral music blasting in the background. Fine the first time, but I can’t help but guess these scenes looked particularly pretty in 3D, thus justifying their frequent use. Otherwise, I was left baffled by the recurring treks.

Also used to the point of distraction were the CG effects. I’m reminded of a scene in one of the Hannibal novels where the good doctor informs Clarice dining room decorations are tricky. Too little is fine and too much is fine. Fall in the middle, though, and it can look like a mess. District 9 would be an example of the former with Avatar being the latter.

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Review: The Crazies

The Crazies is a rare breed- a horror remake that's actually quite good. Still, despite all that the film gets right, I left the theater feeling a little disappointed. More annoying is the fact I can't, for the life of me, figure out why I had that feeling.

The story is simple, but effective. I'd say it's cliche but, since it's based on a movie from 1973, the premise was probably pretty original back then. Today, though, we've all watched the government screw up big time and try to cover it up in explossive fashion about a million times.

So, here we are in Everytown, America, enjoying an afternoon baseball game when a local yokel shows up with a shotgun and a mean case of creepily-staring-off-into-space. Turns out this dude is street-rat crazy. I'm talking needlessly homicidal crazy.

Anyway, as the local sherriff, played by Timothy Olyphant, tries to figure out what the hell went wrong, a group of soldiers outfitted with big guns and gas masks storm in and put the sleepy town on lockdown as more and more people start coming down with the "I want to kill my neighbors" virus.

This is perhaps the film's strongest point. Between the perfectly normal, overly aggressive soldiers and the infected townfolk, you never really know which group to be more afraid of. I'm sure this says something about the human condition and our apparent need to kill one another, even without the help of a government created virus, but I'll leave that to the more scholarly reviewers to decide.

A big plus for The Crazies is the fact you actually care about the core group of survivors you spend most of the movie following around. They aren't the most lovable bunch, but you want to see everyone get through this whole mess safely. It's that very connection I find missing in the vast majority of horror films and, for that reason, the cast should be commended.

I think what bothered me the most was the fact the film was a bit too straightforward and the crazy folks only show up a handful of times. There's no big twists or reveals here. Nothing left to ponder. And as for the movie's namesake, the crazies are visually arresting and do a great job of creeping you out, but they simply aren't a big enough part of the film for my tastes.

I'd recommend The Crazies to any horror fan in desperate need of a fix. There simply aren't many quality films in the genre and, when a good one pops up, you pretty much need to make seeing it a priority. Go in looking for a few good scares, great "monster attack" set pieces and possibly the best knife-kill of the decade and you should be a happy camper.

Movie review wrap-up

Legion- This one was an odd sort of take on the zombie genre...with an opening five minutes straight out of Terminator. No, really. The most annoying thing about Legion is that there probably was a good movie somewhere in this mess of bad acting, poor editing and a final act that can only be the result of a writer freaking out and pulling random words from a fishbowl until it made a sentence that resembled something like a sequence of events. Prepare for a five-take of WTF moments. My advice is don't even try to analyze how Legion ends. It's only going to hurt your brain. Otherwise, a couple cool fights and the occasional decent scene make for a "why the hell not" rental.

Big Fan- Big Fan couldn't have survived as a wide release film, which is a shame, but damn if it doesn't make for a great indie DVD release. It feels odd saying this, but Patton Oswalt delivers one of the best performances of the year in a film about the New York Giants' biggest fan and the events following his violent run-in with the team's star linebacker. There's some great stuff to take in here, a lot to think about and a payoff that's pitch perfect. I highly recommend checking this one out.

World's Greatest Dad- Yet another independent film that saw a quick release in limited theaters before making its way to DVD. Robin Williams plays an aspiring author with a life that pretty much sucks and a son you wouldn't mind seeing get thrown under a bus. When the kid does kick the bucket in David Carradine fashion, what's a dad to do save write a suicide letter in hopes of saving his only son a little embarrassment? When that letter launches the father's writing career, we're left with a surprisingly touching dark comedy and one of Williams' best performances to date.

Review: Crazy Heart

I’m one of those smart-asses who, if you ask me if I like country music, answers with, “Yes, but none of that crap they play on the radio these days.”

I grew up in the South, so country music is in my blood. It’s not my genre of choice, true, but I’ll be the last to turn the dial if a good ole tune were to pop up on the radio.

While there is some true blue country out there these days, much of what makes its way to the mainstream can’t be labeled as such. Honkey Tonk Badonkadonk? Are you freaking kidding me? Just shy of pop or rock, ninety percent of this stuff deserves to be listed under its own banner, leaving country to sound the way it’s supposed to.

Now that I’ve preached at you, let’s get down to the business at hand: Crazy Heart.

The story of fictional country legend Bad Blake, Crazy Heart follows this tragic hero into the twilight of his career, drunkenly stumbling to gigs in the back of a bowling alleys and watching as the music he loves gets turned into a mockery of its former self.

Rightfully compared to last year’s The Wrestler, Crazy Heart shows us just how far the mighty can fall and, more importantly, that it’s never too late to claw back out of the much and reclaim something resembling a normal life.

Jeff Bridges is electrifying as Blake, adding this as the largest jewel in his already impressive crown of roles. I hate to say “he was born to play this character,” but it fits in no better place than here.

Helping Blake find his way are longtime friend Wayne (Robert Duvall), protégé turned superstar Tommy Sweet (Collin Farrell) and love interest Jean (Maggie Gyllenhaal), all doing a great job in their supporting roles. Gyllenhaal, as a strong, too-many-times-wronged single mother, is particularly noteworthy and impossible to look away from.

As Blake says, country ain’t what it used to be. So it suits, then, that the soundtrack--much of which is sung by Bridges himself--is a bona fide dose of the good stuff.

Crazy Heart is a genuine slice of American history, telling the tale of yesterday’s forgotten heroes and the life our fleeting recognition has left them to lead. A year-in-the-life-of look at a man struggling to find his own brand of salvation, I mark it down as one of the best films of 2009.

Best of 2009!

It feels like I’ve taken in a lot of entertainment over the past 365 days. Despite that fact, I had some real trouble coming up with a few of these “best of 2009” selections.

In the end, I just sat down and wrote down the first thing that came to mind when asking myself, “what (fill in the blank) did I enjoy most this year?”

Keep in mind staticEchoes.com has an editorial staff of exactly one person and, as such, I still missed out on loads of games, movies, etc. this year From what I did get around to, though, the results follow.

Game
Uncharted 2: Among Thieves- This one, at least, was a no-brainer for me. Three months later and I still find myself returning to the single and multi-player modes of this gaming gem. Uncharted 2 had a fantastic story, top-notch gameplay and enough going on onscreen to warrant multiple playthroughs just to catch everything. Games don’t get much better than this.
Honorable mention- Demon’s Souls

Television Show-
Battlestar Galactica- Season 4.5 came to a close in early 2009, but this year marked the beginning, middle and end of the journey for yours truly. I finally invested in the entire series in boxset form and consider every penny money well spent. Season 4.5 was one of the best of all with a conclusion that literally left me weeping like a small child. Every episode of the series was of the highest quality, making BSG one of my favorite TV shows of all time. It’s that damn good.
Honorable mention- True Blood

Comic Book

Hotwire- Picking a favorite comic from the year was especially tough for two reasons. 1) Due to their size, I’m able to get through more comics in a year than anything else, making recalling many of them a real chore. 2) Despite the number of comics I got around to, many still sit on the backlog stack just waiting for my attention. Some of those, I’m sure, are absolutely fantastic. In the end, Hotwire-the story of a digitally enhanced super detective cutie who hunts down ghosts-got top honors for the simple fact, no matter what the backlog looked like, I always stuck Hotwire on top. I enjoyed the story so much, I refused to wait any longer than absolutely necessary to continue it.
Honorable Mention- The Boys

Album
Tom Waits: Glitter and Doom Live- I know I just reviewed this album a month or so ago, but I can’t seem to keep it out of my CD player for very long. My favorite musician of all time, I have yet to see Mr. Waits live in concert. Glitter and Doom, at least, gave me the opportunity to pretend I was actually there. Beautifully flawed, I can’t stop listening.
Honorable mention- Them Crooked Vultures

Review: Trick r' Treat

Trick r’ Treat can only be found on DVD or downloaded from game consoles and I seriously suggest you do just that.

What would you get if horror pulp comics were turned into a movie? You'll find the answer right here.

The film was supposed to release in 2007, and then again in 2008, but Warner Bros. got cold feet and kept hanging on to the project until this year, when it was finally sent straight to DVD. Idiots.

The film has built up some amazing word of mouth buzz thanks to indie and horror film festivals and I’m hard pressed to find a single person with one bad thing to say about this purely holiday offering.

Most horror movies that come out this time of year have little to nothing to do with the Halloween itself. Trick r’ Treat is the exception.

Featuring four interconnected stories about werewolves, vampires, zombies, creepy neighbors and a monster that takes trick or treating way too seriously, this fantastic offering is all about All Hallow's Eve.

The production value is off the wall (it was supposed to go to theaters, after all) and the performances are great.

More like a collection of campfire tales, Trick r’ Treat is the perfect film to put you in the holiday spirit. It has everything a horror fan desires without being too gimmicky or going for the easy gore-porn approach so popular these days.

If you like a good scary story (or four, for that matter) and are one of thoe folks who really digs Halloween, you have no excuse not to see this film.

Review: Zombieland

What is it with monsters these days? It’s like they’re awesome, then suddenly everyone is too cool for them, then we move on to a new monster to adore and repeat the process.

While the vampire craze is starting to die down a bit (thank god), zombies seem to be back on the rise. (Get it!) From movies to videogames, if it ain’t out for brains, nobody wants to her about it.
All of that, somehow, leads us to Zombieland, the latest horror/comedy about everyone’s favorite ambling undead cannibals.

Following the tales of Columbus, Tallahassee, Wichita and Little Rock (since people are only known by where they came from in Zombieland) the film takes viewers on a quick trek through post-apocalyptic America following the zombie outbreak.

The undead actually take a back seat in this film that wisely chooses to focus on the main characters and their relationships rather than simply splash one graphic kill scene after the other on the screen.

The kills are there, and boy are they awesome, but even more interesting is this rag-tag group of survivors learning to live for the little things.

I feel bad for Jesse Eisenberg, a.k.a. Columbus, who plays an awkward recluse who has managed to survive the zombieocalypse thanks to his strict list of rules. He does a fine job in the role, but I couldn’t help but feel he was a blatant substitute for Michael Cera. Not his fault, I’m sure, but the two even look a lot alike. Never mind the fact they have the same voice and delivery.

It doesn’t matter who took on the role of Columbus, though, or any of the other roles for that matter, because they would have all been easily outshined by Woody Harrelson. The dude is a better actor than most give him credit for and, once again, his portrayal of the stereotypical badass survivor is pitch perfect.

Really, in a movie like this, the cast makes or breaks it. Lady stars Emma Stone and Abigail Breslin are easy to attach to as sisters with an edge and a certain cameo, I don’t want to spoil it, offers up some of the best laughs in the film.

There’s plenty to love in Zombieland. It’s warm. It’s hilarious. It’s a winner.

Review: Inglourious Basterds

Dear Inglourious Basterds,
Spellchecker hates you.
Hugs and kisses,
-Echo

Inglourious Basterds can be summed up in three simple words: Christoph Freaking Waltz. The dude’s portrayal of the bipolar, slightly crazy, wickedly devious “Jew Hunter” Col. Hans Landa is impeccable. And he can act in three languages! How cool is that?

Including the awesomeness of Mr. Waltz, Basterds has a lot going for it. Both Melanie Laurent and Bradd Pitt are on their A-game and, though he thankfully says little, Eli Roth’s Bear Jew is one of those semi-iconic characters you can see lingering in movie-goers’ minds for quite some time.

Quintin Tarantino’s latest piece, as odd as it feels describing a movie with an extremely graphic scalping scene by this word, is absolutely delightful.

The music is fantastic, as always, and the dialogue moves along at a perfect rat-a-tat pace.
Some scenes drag on a little and I would have liked to see more of the Basterds onscreen, but otherwise, I have few gripes with this over-the-top war epic.

Paying homage to the propaganda films that serve as a key focus of the plot, Tarantino cares little for historical accuracy in Basterds, but that doesn’t take away from the enjoyment to be had in this complex, multi-layered “wo/men on a mission” tale.

With a couple cameos thrown in for good measure, including the surprisingly appropriate Mike Myers and the voice-over work of Samual L. M-er F-ing Jackson, there’s little not to like about Inglourious Basterds.

You care about the characters, even the bad guys, and that is perhaps one of the best compliments I can give.