Video Game Review - Uncharted 4: A Thief's End

Uncharted 4: A Thief's End
Developed by Naughty Dog

Out of the of the scores of video games I've played and loved, most tend to heavily rely on high-concepts and convoluted plots, vapid stories and shallow heroes that have been devoid of carrying much emotional weight or connection with the gamer. None of those things describe this game. This is a 15 hour interactive movie that will rival any blockbuster film you'll see in the theater this summer. Amongst the most cinematic video games, it stands as king. (In which case, The Last of Us would be queen).

Film Review - Elysium

Elysium
Directed by Neill Blomkamp

Summary: Elysium is a tale of two worlds.  Los Angeles looks a bit different in 2154, in fact the entire earth is a diseased and overpopulated slum.  The earth's wealthiest have relocated to a large satellite orbiting earth, a paradise where there is no disease, crime, or struggle. This is Elysium.  On earth, the hardworking ex-convict Max (Matt Damon) is given five days to live after a mishap exposes him to excessive radiation.  Five days to live and nothing to lose, Max, makes it his goal to get to Elysium, the only place he can find healing.  And he is willing to get there by any means necessary.

Film Review - The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey
Directed by Peter Jackson

There's been a considerable amount of skepticism surrounding The Hobbit movies.  And rightfully so... following up the masterpiece of The Lord of the Rings trilogy, there are pretty high expectations to meet.  Can Jackson successfully bring us back to Middle Earth again?  And why is he shooting it in HFR 3D on digital cameras? Why is a 300 page book being made into 3 films?

Summary: The film, based on the beloved novel The Hobbit written by J.R.R. Tolkien, takes place 60 years prior to The Lord of the Rings trilogy, following Bilbo Baggins (Martin Freeman) as the main character.  Bilbo, a part of a community of homely cheery people called hobbits, lives a quiet life in his home, until a wizard and clan of dwarves visit his home and pique his curiosity when they invite him to join them in an adventure to take back their home from an evil dragon.

TV Review - Tron Uprising

Every week on Thursday nights Disney XD has been televising an incredible show called Tron: Uprising.  There were many complaints about the poor and simplistic writing of Tron: Legacy, and I think that those complaints would not carry through with this show.  In fact I have heard multiple people say that this is the type of writing that Legacy should have had.

Summary: The show takes place in between the original Tron movie and Tron: Legacy.  C.L.U. has been gradually taking over the grid and his army has reached Argon city.  It mirrors a Nazi-like occupation which subjects the programs to various types of injustice.  As a result of certain events, one program, Beck (Elijah Wood), decides to fight back against the armies of C.L.U.  Taking on the identity of Tron, who is believed to be dead, Beck becomes a vigilante fighting against the unjust occupation.

Film Review - John Carter

So far "John Carter" has been a flop.  To the critics that is.  And to the box office.  But both groups have failed me before, as was the case with Disney's last sci-fi blockbuster "Tron Legacy" which has become a favorite movie of mine.  It always irritates me when people decide what is good or bad before it is even released.  Google "Oscar predictions 2012" and I bet you that more than half of the movies on that list haven't premiered yet and will end up in the Oscars.  The same preconceived perceptions goes for Hollywood's blacklist, and John Carter was added to it long before anyone had seen it.  Perhaps the horrendous marketing is at fault for that.

The Purpose of This Blog

What is this blog about?  This blog is about giving personal film reviews.  I haven't yet, but may eventually get some flack for my less-than scholarly reviews of films or television.  And so I think it's important that I take a moment to discuss why I created this blog in the first place.

I read all these reviews from critics and can't connect with any of them.  Sometimes they are very accurate in their reviews, sometimes not so much.  But there is one thing that the critic lacks - humanity.

As I have begun to see, no film is flawless, yet by critics, they are treated as though the should be. But I wonder if the flaws of a film are part of why we can connect with them?  If we as humans, are flawed and imperfect, then even our artwork will be, in some capacity, flawed.

Critics look at movies from a critic's perspective, not from a human perspective, not as a weak, vulnerable, faulty, real person with feelings and emotions.  Films were made for people not critics.  So why do we rely so heavily on their opinions?  Because we have no human voice to listen to.  I'm not saying I expect this blog to become some huge thing that "speaks for the people," but you should know that the reviews on here come from someone who watches and appreciates films from a human perspective.  These are reviews from an ordinary person.