Savvy Thinker » Sci Fi http://savvythinker.com thinking about life, playing with makeup Sun, 12 Feb 2012 10:15:26 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 Review Thor (no spoiler) http://savvythinker.com/review-thor-no-spoiler/ http://savvythinker.com/review-thor-no-spoiler/#comments Sun, 29 May 2011 23:35:33 +0000 Karin http://savvythinker.com/?p=7818

I thoroughly enjoyed Thor when I went to see it. It is a guy's movie that gals will appreciate too. (Chris Hemsworth!) (actually the storyline too.) It got a good review in our paper, but I wasn't sure if I would necessarily like it or not.

It pretty much had a winning combo with Kenneth Branagh directing Anthony Hopkins and Natalie Portman, not to mention Chris Hemsworth playing Thor (whoo hooo.) I was pleasantly surprised that Hemsworth's acting was not one-dimensional like so many comic characters might be and have been. Tom Hiddleston plays Loki, Thor's brother. I loved Idris Elba as Heimdall, the keeper of the pathway.

The story
Thor and his hammer can win most any war, but war is not always the wisest course of action. He feels he is invincible and leads his friends into a situation that could have tipped the balance of power against his father and his reign. Thor is set to be crowned the next king, but his father realizes he is not ready. Surprise! (for Thor.)

In the background is a traitor whose identity will be revealed and his motivation and his background which isn't as it seems. If you've read the comic book, you probably know who this is. Otherwise, no spoiler.

As a result of the near fiasco, Thor's father, played by Hopkins, banishes him to earth along with his hammer, which has been separated from him. Only the person worthy of the hammer will be able to use it.

Of course, then the hammer is investigated (and protected) by certain US agents. And Thor must find his way back to it and be able to use it.

How this is accomplished, which you know it will be, is the essence of the movie. Portman helps him in this endeavor, as does her colleague (Stellan Skarsgård) (I always like him.) And his friends stick with him, against the traitor, even as he sticks with them. Through the process, Thor learns to lead and to protect.

There is a good moral, or more than one, in the story. It is a kind of parable. Among them: Watch your back! Protect yourself. Don't go into situations unwisely.

Do not leave before the end of the credits!
If you do, you will miss an important scene/preview -- and the credits roll and roll and roll, but do not give up! It is worth it.

Have you seen it?
I give it 3*** out of 4****, as did our paper.

In Norse mythology, Thor (from Old Norse Þórr) is a hammer-wielding god associated with thunder, lightning, storms, oak trees, strength, destruction, fertility, healing, and the protection of mankind. wikipedia

I love the Trollbead Thor's Hammer bead -- there may be a link to it lower on the page.

Karin
www.savvythinker.com


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Online Stores ]]> http://savvythinker.com/review-thor-no-spoiler/feed/ 0 Review Paul http://savvythinker.com/review-paul/ http://savvythinker.com/review-paul/#comments Fri, 15 Apr 2011 19:38:42 +0000 Karin http://savvythinker.com/?p=7688

Paul is a comedic send-up of all the alien movies you have ever seen. Paul, the alien, is voiced by Seth Rogan who does a great job.

If you can remember that it will be a parody (and can get past the extremely bad language)(what can you expect from the writers of Hot Fuzz, Shaun of the Dead, and etc.) you will enjoy it more.

Simon Pegg (Startrek, Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz, and more) (who also co-wrote this movie with Nick Frost) plays one of the two comic-book geeks (Frost plays the other) who hit the road in an RV to sight see, after a comic-book convention and encounter an alien not far from Area 51.

What follows is a road trip filled with laughs -- some things that fall short -- and a bit of pathos along the way.

The alien is hip, funny, and running from his 'jailers' who have kept him under wraps since his capture. Now that he is no more use to them, he doesn't expect to live long, and he wants to go home (like E.T. perhaps.)

He is being followed by Men in Black -- and one man in particular (Jason Bateman) who is hell-bent on capturing him. And then one of his underlings becomes even more obsessed with finding the alien.

Jane Lynch (Glee) has a gum-chewing waitress part. She was fun!

What I didn't like
There is a strong thread of ridiculing a particular brand of Christianity (extreme fundamentalism.) Kristin Wiig plays the frightened daughter (of her father, not a husband). She ends up on the road trip with the 3 of them, and her father heads after her to rescue her from the alien and his cohorts. He is more likeable than you would expect -- and he sort of reminds me of a zombie in his singlemindedness -- which you would want if you were actually taken and kept against your will.

She has one eye that is deformed, which Paul is able to heal/fix for her.

She goes off the deep end with a trash mouth, when she realizes she is free of the constraints of her religion.

I did not appreciate the swearing, nor did Book Girl. It wasn't really funny to me, even the awkward (good way to put it) way she mostly uses it. I think it would have been funnier if she had just started spewing the 'damn' word. It was just way too awkward. It wasn't funny.

Both of these things detracted from the story for me, even if they were both added parodies.

What I did like
I liked the humor when it worked. I liked the double surprise ending.

Sigourney Weaver and Blythe Danner also star. (You can see I put them under what I also liked.)

Have you seen it?
I give it 2** out of 5*****. What I disliked outweighed what I did like. I think it could have been a whole lot better.

Karin
www.savvythinker.com

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Online Stores ]]> http://savvythinker.com/review-paul/feed/ 1 Review: The Star Trek Movie no spoilers http://savvythinker.com/review-the-star-trek-movie-no-spoilers/ http://savvythinker.com/review-the-star-trek-movie-no-spoilers/#comments Thu, 06 Jan 2011 07:10:43 +0000 Karin http://savvythinker.com/?p=3396

If you haven't seen this movie (yet) and if you are the least bit of a peripheral fan of the original series, get on over to your nearest theater and see it.

The movie critic in our paper gave it 2.5 stars, but said fans would love it. The official site shows 8.4 out of 10.

Well, we just loved it. It's got at least one memorable line. Lots of laughs. Plenty of insight into the original characters. Time travel. Black holes. Love. Love of family. Developing friendship. Lots of great CGI. We give it a 5 out of 4 stars. Maybe too many fist fights with Captain Kirk, but that's minor.

And we'll likely see it again, maybe even at a IMAX.

Most of the characters have more than a passing nod's acquaintance with the characters of the original. It doesn't take long before these actors become the characters that are so beloved.

Zachary Quinto plays Spock to perfection. I can't wait to see him again!

Chris Pine is James T. Kirk to a T. He even begins to look a little like him. Eric Bana is terrific as the evil nemesis Nero -- great makeup, BTW.

When Simon Pegg comes on screen as Scotty, the energy and laughs ratchet up. He's always funny and very clever. He's spot on with comic timing.

Karl Urban is Dr. Leonard 'Bones' McCoy. Bruce Greenwood is Capt. Christopher Pike -- I like him in everything I've seen him in. I couldn't quite get into Zoe Saldana as Nyota Uhura in the same way as the older Uhura. But she becomes her own character with a new story line.

I personally was happy that Leonard Nimoy revised his Spock Prime. One reviewer said it slowed down the action that never recovers from it. We didn't think so. We liked that part of the story line.

So when does the next movie in the franchise come out? We will be at the midnight showing.

Have you seen it?

Karin

Originally posted 2009-05-09 13:04:07.

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