Immortals

PITCH

"In peacetime, sons bury their fathers. In wartime, fathers bury their sons... are we at war father?"

VIEW

arefully is the way I want to approach this write up.  Hopefully at the end of this movie shake-down, I won't discourage you from seeing this flick.  It truly was a pretty good movie and DEFINITELY worth every penny.  My letter grade for it is a B-.  I just have some issues when watching flicks where the hero may be touched, influenced, or helped by a mythological god... let me explain...

          Through the journey of movie watching, the hero is usually defined as an average person going above and beyond for something greater than himself. It is that plight that we cheer.  Normally, there is some great obstacle or  tragedy that the hero to be has to overcome and we all, normally, can relate to the great obstacle.

  That's what makes these types of films so great! We can, most times, relate to the predicament of the hero.

     To me, if Zuess decided to help any individual, then that person should emerge as a pretty special person. That's why the hero of this movie didn't resonate with me as much as say.... King Leonidas from 300.  Even Achilles from the movie TROY was allegedly 'favored' by the gods because he was such an elite killer.  No time in that movie did we see him being influenced by these higher powers.

In a nutshell, this movie was not inspiring at all.

  

   It was fun seeing Stephen Dorff playing a good guy.  Him playing the 'wildcard' character was at the least, satisfying for those of us that are use to seeing him as a villain.   Speaking of which, Mickey Rourke played a pretty good villain... again.  If only he could stop mumbling his lines I could understand a complete thought. I can make out bits and pieces but I'm sure that I've missed out on some great quotables simply because I could understand what it was I was hearing. 

   Aside from that, there were some minor concerns that I won't bore you with... Lets just say the major concern was a very questionable decision made by the virgin oracle. Other than that, I feel like I'm knit-picking.

      The art, on the other hand, was truly remarkable; Oscar quality stuff.  Many beautiful wide angle shots captured a majestic landscape while throats were being slashed and eyes being gorged. The costumes and garments enticed even the most lethargically imaginative mind.... The priest in the movie wore one of the most imaginative whimsically religious hats near the beginning of the movie.  That gave me a small hint to the incredible art direction that was to follow. 

   I applaud the producers for going with the "R" rating.

   Lastly, it was really cool getting a glimpse of the new "Superman"...  I can't put my finger on it but he has a certain 'way' about himself that reminds me of a younger Christopher Reeves.

   Reiterating, this movie earns a B- from me.  I also deem this movie as worth watching and if you have the means, the 3D version is a pretty good investment... as I see it.

WORTH

$$$$

The Versatile Blogger Award Goes To...

         Hit a dry spell a few weeks ago.

  Not only was I not posting like I usually do, but I also wasn't going to the show that often either.  Couple that with a hernia out of no where and surgery to follow... let's just say I probably missed out on some pretty good movies [Driver] and I felt like I let my readers down.

    Not to worry because I got back on my horse and began to write and as I'm in the dashboard section of my blog I noticed a couple of comments!  I don't get very many of those so I race over to see what they were and they read:

Bonita~Keme said...

Hey! Great Blog!! I have an award for you on my page :-]

October 16, 2011 4:59 PM

VIVA.V said...

Ok so this is going to sound cheesy with some extra cheese dip to go along. But I'm gonna say it anyway - I really like your blog, it's different to a lot of the other blogs out there. I love the personal experience attached to this and your straight to the point reviews. As for the movie 'Real Steel'. Well I'm a bit of a sci-fi, futuristic, action nerd so I'm sold esp. for the fact that it actually has a decent story line. Keep the quality reviews coming! C.ULT FRIDAY.

November 3, 2011 1:59 AM

     Man! I was grinning like life was just... alright now!!!  I carried that grin for a while and I thanked them the best way I knew how.

    How incredible is it to be recognized by your writing peers?!  Of all the things I wanted to do, I would of never thought I would find my niche in writing. All this award did was propel me to become better at honing my craft.  Thank you again Bonita~Keme and Viva.V, both of which, have awesome blogs!

    Bonita~Keme's scribe is a blog that I like to read to keep up with the things I missed.  Whether it's that song from an independent artist to a story that touches the heart.

   We truly live in an awesome age where we can all connect in the name of enlightening each other.  This information era is truly our height of civilization and I thank God for making us all different.  Life is sooooo much more interesting that way.

The Rules:

The rules state that you must link the person who gives you the award, list 7 things about yourself, and pass the torch to 15 other deserving bloggers.

7 Things About Conroy:

• I love movies [surprisingly right?]
• I live my life saved, for Christ and our Father
• I've been single longer than I care to mention and it's getting a lil scary.... I really enjoying my own company.
• I love everybody.  That's not a blanket statement. It took me awhile to get to this point. I really enjoy people that are different, think different, and act different from me.
• I never completed A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens and even though my life has absolutely nothing to do with deceit, lies, or a French Revolution... I always refer to the title to accurately describe my love for Chicago's professional teams as well as Detroit's professional teams.
• I will probably be the first guy to get married with 3 best men.
• Charlie Day's character in Horrible Bosses reminds me of me the most.  Having a career and money is great but since middle school, all I ever wanted to be was married with kids.

     As I give out my awards according to the rules, I will recognize just a few of the many blogs that I visit through out the week... and without any further delays [rump pump, pump, pump]

and the awards go to...

click on the title to visit the blog

http://www.thepeopleofdetroit.com/
    

This blog is awesome.

 Faithe's Lounge

Her's is a Christian publication that I like to read... or should I say absorb.  A very easy and delightful read with much substantial depth.

       Her writing puts me  at peace and usually speaks to something that I'm going through or has gone through.  A lot of it is just having fun reading about her adventures and how she deals with different situations.  

   Her compositions are always applicable to my life somehow.

 

 

 Bonita~Keme®

Entertainment and Music Health and Beauty Must Read News Real Talk Relationships Success We Love
   As I explained earlier, this blog is organically diverse in culture, Entertainment, and news.  Love it!



Now Is Your Time To Reign In Life!

 One of my favorite blogs. Inspiring, spiritually sound, very health conscience and very very very informational.
  Really enjoy this one!

Most Beautiful Islands

This is my other favorite!  I LOVE this blog. Of course I love to travel [who doesn't], so I come here when I need to drift or gain information on my next trip!

http://www.connercoaching.blogspot.com/

   

    Great blog for  finance tips, business ideas and overall money management!

Culinary Adventures with the Spear Family

     I love food and I experiment with recipes.  I'm starting to enjoy veggie dishes and this blog is REALLY helpful with ideas!  Love this one.

BamaLoveSoul

This is the blog that I have frequented the longest.  I used to really be into NeoSoul and Hiphop heavy. This site was head and shoulders above everything on the net (next to GiantStep.net).

Now that I've slowed down from that, I still visit to keep my ear to the earth.

      There is no blog more thorough with [new] music.

Man and Wife Living Life

Their faith, love, and atypical Life...  and I really enjoy reading about it!

Great blog guys!

WeLoveGamez 

 Any gamers out there? This blog offers a very broad spectrum of information pertaining to new releases without being... over bearing.  Very nice blog indeed.

   

PadStyle

    I like interior design especially domestic and I visit this blog when I can.  Just a great, great blog. 

I linked their 

Top 25 Interior Design & Furniture Blogs  for an added bonus.  It has links  to 25 other great Interior Design blogs. Well done PadStyle and please keep up the great work.

The Tattooed Librarian

  The life of a librarian can be very interesting.  I like reading her posts. 
Very interesting stuff!!

 

Popcorn and Sticky Floors 

A film buff like myself, only his is more retro.  His blog also has a certain noir feel to it and way more ris'ke than mine.  I love learning new things about cinema that I would have never found out otherwise.

The Code Is Zeek

 A film buff just like myself.  Our stuff is a little more contemporary than P&SF and I frequent this site because I love their perspective on today's movies. The blog is a lot of fun and full of energy.

 

Great place to read about current events
(click the caption for link)

 I stay well informed reading this blog... especially if I missed the nightly news.

 

 

 

Thanks sincerely to everyone that

reads my 

blog.

'cut!'

Tower Heist

PITCH

" A shark is born swimming."

VIEW

     As we continue down memory lane cinema, we come to the always enjoyable and loveable Eddie Murphy.   Personally, this was my favorite movie star coming up.  ESPECIALLY in that era where there weren't very many young black faces on the big screen.  I remember my big sister sneaking me in the living  room to watch him on Saturday Night Live.  This was the only guy that made me laugh using grown-up humor as a kid.

      I'll will admit that I may be biased when analyzing the bulk of his work with the exception of  "The Klumps"[there's no excuse for that movie]. I sometimes feel as if I'm the only person in the world that loved him in "Vampire in Brooklyn" and "Norbit".  The truth is that even though I can bypass a lot of what others may call mediocre Eddie, I can still sit back and easily enjoy his work although, I too must admit that I indeed miss the days of 48 hours and Beverly Hills Cop...  who hasn't?  

         How great is to have the real Eddie Murphy back. Plus, I like Ben Stiller in movies.  I spoke of Steve Carell being among the best at situational comedy in the Crazy,Stupid,Love post.  I have to put Ben  Stiller in that same category, in fact both Steve and Ben are in my top 5 for cinema 'situation' perspective humor.

       Here's that word again, nostalgia; Matthew Broderick and I go all the way back to WarGames.  I loved him in that!   I think Michael Peña makes a great supporting actor in mostly all the flicks that he has been in. Téa Leoni on the other hand...  and I will admit, her role in Bad Boys taints my opinion of each of her characters in every flick thereafter.  Honestly, she was okay in this one.

     Even though the trailer didn't lure me at all, I made my way to the theater anyway.  The very first thing I noticed is how much this movie felt and almost looked like Trading Places.  I feel myself drifting and about to unfairly compare the two so I shake my head real hard and regain focus.
      The movie's story line is set up beautifully.  Character introduction was very easy to absorb.  Which, in turn, allowed for very believable character development as the movie gained speed.  Along the way we are privied to some excellent casting as we meet ambient characters that become... pretty important in the main conflict and generally the overall mood of the picture. Surprisingly, there are quite a few 'emotionally' stirring moments.

     Even as preposterous and over-the-top to down right silly  the main caper was, it didn't irritate me as much as it should of.  I award that to a pretty good script, with some awesome dialog between the participants and an awesome recreation of the Thanksgiving Day Parade.

  There were a few surprises, misdirection, deception, and just the right amount of funny to not really be labeled as a comedy but a pretty good heist flick.

   I give this one a strong B.  Definitely worth the dollar.





     

WORTH

$$$$

 

Puss in Boots

PITCH

"Fear me, if you dare!"

VIEW

    Walking in the theater auditorium I'm thinking: "Puss in Boots had better be a good story because I already know the Dreamworks animation is going  to be top notch".... It really was.

        Extracting showcase features from other original ideas/movies(spin-offs) are very risky.  Sometimes you get Red Sonja or Chronicles of Riddick which enjoyed some very good cult  success; Or it may yield a Catwoman from the gamble.  Other times, however, you can get extremely good  to classic features like:

• The Professional from La Femme Nikita (1991)
• The Scorpion King from The Mummy Returns (2001)
•  Wolverine from  X-Men (2000)

 

        Of course when I spoke of a 'classic' earlier, certainly, I was referring to The Professional.  Not only do I have that as the best spin-off of all time but one of the best films of all time!  To put it in perspective... I have yet to see the conclusion of the film that spawned it: La Femme Nikita .  Don't get me wrong, 3 quarters of the way through La Femme Nikita I find it to be a really good movie.  It's just one of those things that I can't explain, for whatever reason I just never finished it *hunching my shoulders*... One day I'll complete it but I say all of that to say if the spin-off was good enough to stand on it's own, then there's a very good chance that the source or original film was pretty darn good.

    There may not be too many people in the world that have not seen a "Shrek" movie.  There may also be a substantially shorter percentage of folk that didn't like the movie(s) but Shrek is loved by darn near everyone that has viewed it.  I believe Puss In Boots can share that same success or something close to it.

   I really feel that there could be a successful spin-off from this flick.

          Ethnic authenticity is key here.  From the town, to the music,and the accents, shoot, the overall all feel was just... smh.  YOU NEVER FULLY REALIZE HOW WEIRD IT SHOULD BE FOR EGGS AND CATS TO CARRY CONVERSATIONS WITH HUMANS because the story is so awesome!  You get lost in it to the point where the particulars are really a non-issue.  Even the sex-appeal is not appalling because of the careful way it is used.  Kids will be non-the-wiser as Puss and Kitty Soft Paws salsa up the screen with a little... flavor.

   Very much worth your dollar I can give this movie no less than a -A.

I love this!

WORTH

$$$$1/2

The Thing

PITCH

"In the three years that I have known him, this is the most excited I have ever seen him."

VIEWING

     This has been an incredible couple of months for memories & movies.  There is no stolgia like nostalgia.  Sooooo much history with this movie and me and it all started with going to kindergarten and seeing this poster all over the "El" train stations in Chicago.

     I KNEW one day I would see what all the fuss was about but never would I of thought it would be all the way in the year 2011[and] right before viewing the [remake] in the same day. [flash-forward to movie day] Awestruck at how great the monster looked in the 1982 version, all I could think about is how blessed I was to have not watched it back then.  The makeup, puppeteering/animatronics, sound effects were incredible for that time period.  The course of the story had my eyes glued to the screen.  Compelling, it's like watching Clue and Alien at the same time!  Needless to say I really liked it and now it was time to watch this very anticipated [remake] approximately an hour and a half later...

        

   This version was awesome.  All the original tense moments,camera angles and fear were somehow transferred seamlessly to this picture but with a bit more 'Mmphhh!!' than I was expecting.  Every actor & actress nailed their parts.  Emotion is  HUGE in these types of movies (think Aliens) and this cast was superb in selling to me lost, lonely, fear, anxiety, ect...

        The monster itself looked great this time around too!  I wouldn't be surprised if this film is nominated for some type of cinematography or special effects award. 

    
      I really like movies like this. A Psychological grinder. "Who are you?", "Are you really who you say that you are?" " Don't you trust me?"... This is the type of flick that you see in one of your weirder nightmares where you are around a gang of friends and family then all of a sudden you are alone in the world. The only difference is that 'you' could be any one member of this crew, the cold of Antarctica, someone/something is trying to kill you and the dark of the night when it falls.

Worth watching! Letter grade: -A

WORTH

$$$$1/2