Movie review: Real Steel
In a near future, human boxing has been outlawed, replaced by fast-paced, high-tech robot boxing. Hugh Jackman plays Charlie Kenton, a washed-up fighter who now promotes similarly washed-up robot fighters. He travels to rural fairs and shady underground fights trying to scrape together enough cash to keep his steel warriors slugging. He rarely has enough left over to pay rent to his former girlfriend Bailey (Evangeline Lilly), who owns the gym where he trained as a fighter, and where he now lives.
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Superman leads a huge new release week; 24-Hour Comics Day is Saturday; Brad Meltzer interview
Kyle’s latest video has NES flair; 24-Hour Comics Day pushes artists to their limits; Brad Meltzer’s Decoded to start season 2; and it’s the largest release week of comics in more than a decade in this week’s Planet 46 Comics Podcast.
Batwoman #1 and other DC Comics’ The New 52 week 3 reviews
The beautiful art of “Batwoman” was a highlight of the third week of DC Comics’ The New 52, which also featured new launches for “Batman and Robin” and “Green Lantern.”
Movie review – Transformers: Dark of the Moon
“Transformers: Dark of the Moon” will likely be seen as a return to form for the franchise, though Michael Bay’s robot-battling epic does still go on too long and has some serious problems with making sense. But there are some great technical moments interspersed, and there is some fun to be had along the way.
Movie review: Bad Teacher
L-r, Cameron Diaz and Justin Timberlake star in Columbia Pictures' comedy "Bad Teacher."
It’s not going to win any awards for inspiring students, but the R-rated comedy “Bad Teacher” manages to provoke a few guffaws in its examination of one woman behaving badly.
Cameron Diaz plays Elizabeth Halsey, a middle-school teacher who can’t wait to leave the schoolbooks behind and marry her wealthy beau. But when her engagement falls apart, she’s back in the classroom again, planning to expend as little effort as possible teaching, but instead finding a new sugar daddy.
Movie review: Sucker Punch
Emily Browning as Babydoll in "Sucker Punch."
With scenes in a dragon’s castle, an alternate World War I with steampunk zombies and anime-inspired battles, director Zack Snyder’s “Sucker Punch” takes viewers down the rabbit hole with its heroine, Babydoll (Emily Browning), as she retreats into her mind to escape her life in an insane asylum.
In the screenplay by Snyder and Steve Shibuya, an accident ultimately caused by Babydoll’s abusive stepfather has landed her in the asylum, with no family or outside help she can call on. Her stepfather has bribed an orderly (Oscar Isaac) to put her in line for a lobotomy.
Fearing the loss of herself, she begins to plan her escape with other inmates: Sweet Pea (Abbie Cornish), Rocket (Jena Malone), Blondie (Vanessa Hudgens) and Amber (Jamie Chung). Carla Gugino plays Dr. Vera Gorski, who sympathizes with her charges but isn’t able to stop their systemic abuse.
Babydoll retreats into her mind to deal with her situation, which provides the movie’s visual panache. She sees her fellow inmates and herself as prisoners in a high-class brothel, performing for the management and their guests. And when she dances, she moves her mind to a third level, a level where she and her allies are warriors on a quest to gain the items needed for their escape.
It’s this third level where the most action-packed scenes take place. Snyder has created worlds filled with allegorical vistas as Babydoll struggles for freedom. Fantastic in scope and brilliant in design, “Sucker Punch” showcases Snyder’s cutting-edge visual style. With instruction from the Wise Man (Scott Glenn), the women turn into action heroes, battling orcs, zombies, dragons, robots and more. The strength of “Sucker Punch” is in these sequences, with amazing music and brilliant visuals. It’s four fantasy shorts in one, embedded within a tragic but hopeful arc with multiple layers of meaning.
- Matt Price
From Friday’s The Oklahoman
Listed on wimgo Movies under Action
Movie review: Paul
In this film publicity image released by Universal Pictures, Paul the alien, voiced by Seth Rogen, left, and Simon Pegg are shown in a scene from the film, "Paul." (AP Photo/Universal Pictures)
Simon Pegg and Nick Frost star as British geeks visiting America in the sci-fi comedy “Paul.” Starting at Comic-Con International in San Diego, the pair plan a cross-country trip in an RV, hitting the highlights of alien encounter sites such as Area 51 and Roswell, N.M.
All-Star Superman DVD review
The 12-issue comic-book series “All-Star Superman” by Grant Morrison and Frank Quitely was one of the most critically acclaimed comic books of the recent past. The love letter to the Silver Age version of Superman highlights what was great about the Man of Steel while updating it for a modern audience. Clearly, screenwriter Dwayne McDuffie — who passed away last month — had his work cut out for him in adapting it to a 75-minute animated film.
Lord of the Rings (Theatrical Editions) Blu-ray review
“The Lord of the Rings” trilogy, directed by Peter Jackson, is one of the most fantastic cinematic achievements of the new century. Taking J.R.R. Tolkien’s source material of “The Lord of the Rings” novels, Jackson created an award-winning trilogy that redefined epics.
The theatrical cut of the three films come to Blu-ray this week, and they do look good; Mordor hasn’t been this scary since the theatrical release. In “The Fellowship of the Ring,” Frodo Baggins (Elijah Wood), a young Hobbit, inherits a powerful ring, which he must try to destroy, with a group of allies, the fellowship of the ring. In “The Two Towers,” the fellowship is divided. Aragorn (Viggo Mortenson) must defend Rohan, as Gollum leads Frodo and Sam (Sean Astin) to Mordor to destroy the ring. And in “Return of the King,” Aragorn and his allies fight in the spectacular battle of Minas Tirith, in an attempt to allow Frodo to fulfill his quest.
While these films are all fantastic, and look great in high-definition, most will want to pass on buying this version. The discs feature the theatrical editions only. With the space available on a Blu-ray, it would have been preferable to include both editions. Also, the bonus features are also the same bonus features that are already out on DVD. At a retail price of around $100, fans deserve more. This is the best way to watch the theatrical editions for now, but it’s not the best edition it could have been.
- Matthew Price
Comics vodcast: Amazing Spider-Man 593, Flash Rebirth 2, Final Crisis Aftermath Run 1 and New Mutants 1
The New Mutants team up again, and Spider-Man works around the clock in this week’s comics. Kyle Roberts and Matt Price discuss those highlights, plus two comics about running: Final Crisis Aftermath Run and Flash Rebirth 2.
