Prometheus -- REVIEW

There has been a lot of debate as to whether or not Prometheus is a prequel to the Aliens trilogy (I personally do not consider the 4th film as part of the series).  The film was not advertised as a prequel but from the first glimpse of the giant alien in the chair which is an iconic image from the 1979 film there was no question in my mind.  Prometheus was going to be a story from a time predating Ripley and hopefully one that would give us some back story as to where the aliens came from.

For anyone that still has not seen the film I do not want to spoil too much, but I will say that I was barely satisfied with the amount of information given during the 2 hr film.  The opening sequence alone left more open to debate than it answered, and I'm still unsure the point was for the mysterious man on the edge of a waterfall.  There was no indication as to what year we were being told about or where it was taking place, and then it cut to 2089 where the story of Prometheus truly begins.  I mean it was a true ‘WTF’ moment.

From beginning to end the film tries to push you along and give you some answers but there are themes and elements within the film that might leave an odd taste in your mouth as you walk out of the theater.  I personally was excited that the evolution of the alien was finally explained, however there was almost no explanation as to where any of the other characters came from and the almost desperate push for answers by Elizabeth Shaw (Noomi Rapace – Girl with the Dragon Tattoo) left me unimpressed.  In the end I found that the acting of almost unrecognizable actors in Prometheus far surpassed all other aspects of the film.  The cast was strong and carried the weight of the film far better than the story, and my favorite was the android David portrayed by Michael Fassbender (Inglorious Basterds and A Dangerous Method) whose acting skills appeared to surpass those of Charlize Theron (Snow White & the Huntsman and Monster)who was just there.  The special effects were of course impressive even if they left you scratching your hear as to what you just saw, but ultimately the “big reveal” was not as big as I would have liked.  I would have preferred to have gotten a few more answers out of the film rather than a new list of questions that were left unanswered.

Don't get me wrong I'm not saying that you shouldn't see Prometheus, I'm just advising that one should lower their expectations as the film may not quite satisfy your needs.  But don't worry, there is talk that this is not a stand-alone prequel, but in fact part of a trilogy of its own that would eventually give us the answers we are hoping for.

Over all I give Prometheus a 3 out of 5.  

**Review written for PacMan & the Hot One -- http://pacmanandthehotone.blogspot.com/2012/06/prometheus-2012-film-review.html.  Check out the link to read other reviews.**

Dark Knight Rises - New Trailer

When it comes to summer block busters there's always one film that stands out.  Dark Knight Rises is that film for me.  Granted I have some personal attachment to the project as I was lucky enough to get to be an extra in a scene, so my excitement to see the final product is heightened even more.

I remember driving out to Pittsburg last August for a full day on the set of DKR.  It was hot and humid with scattered rain in the early morning that broke up rehearsals, but watching the men and women working on set with all of the excitement of the unknown that we would be witnessing was beyond belief.  And now that the release of the film is approaching I'm desperately trying not to ready spoilers or watch clips that could potentially give away any hints to the plot, but this particular trailer leaves me feeling like a kid in a candy shop with the anticipation I'm feeling for the release of Dark Knight.  So enjoy watching the below clip.

Beastly -- REVIEW

There is something fun about film adaptations to pieces of literature.  Granted there are some books that should NEVER be messed with, but there are others that have potential of being something... well... interesting. Beastly is a fun book for what it is, and I feel that Young Adult lit is kind of one of those "touchy" areas because kids and teens read at different levels and have such a wide variety of interests that it quickly becomes one of those "agree to disagree" zones.  Alex Flinn's YA novel is an interesting modern twist to the classic 'Beauty and the Beast' tale.  The concept is fun and I like that it's trying to get new generations into the "classic fairy tales", however being a slightly older YA reader I did hope the film adaptation would help mature the story just enough that slightly older audiences would be able to enjoy the story as well.  The film, however, was a monster all of its own.

Beastly ultimately feels like it is a film meant for audiences 12 and under.  Although I loved that the art director decided to take the beast in a different direction than the traditional furry animal, I found that the tattoos and scars were a fun concept.  Granted I could not take my eyes off the words that were tattooed on Alex Pettyfer's in place of his eyebrows (Embrace Suck) and found it extremely distracting.  Aside from the unusual take on what makes a beast I found little else to be enjoyable about the film.  I'm not saying that I don't enjoy watching "pretty people" in movies, however my sympathy for the main character was not developed well enough for me to really care what happened to him over the course of the film.  I also think that transition from page to screen is difficult when you have "older" actors playing younger characters and it is made even worse when the film character is older than the novel character and yet the behaviors are exactly the same.  I almost wish they would have just told the story of a 16 year old boy suffering rather than a kid who shouldn't even be in high school because the believability of the actions just falls apart.  It is a problem I also found with Alex Pettyfer's role as John in I Am Number Four.

The best part of Beastly is watching Neil Patrick Harris play a blind guy.  Granted the role does not give him a whole lot to work with, but he definitely helps push the story alone.  The other character I wish they had used more was Mary-Kate Olsen's Kendra.  Although she has been changed slightly from the book, I found her to be the most believable of all the characters.  I wanted her to be a larger influence into the change that Kyle experiences and was saddened that that element of the book was lost.  I also wish the "magic mirror" was included and possibly could have changed the whole feel to the story.  I know that is getting back to the Disney tale and making it too "kiddie", but sometimes I just hope... hope that the things that work in books and have been laid out so well that they just translate over.  I know it is not likely to happen but I can keep dreaming.  I mean it is all fantasy after all.

Over all I give Beastly a 1 out of 5 and the one piece of advice I'd like to throw out into the cyber world...(hoping to be heard - but knowing I wont ) Alex Pettyfer BEWARE of the YA curse.  If you get type casted to only play roles based on childrens lit your reputation as an actor might become limited.