Raptors Breaking his Day

Daybreakers goes on a great premise, the world has been converted to Vampires and there are only a few humans left. This is a problem for Vampires since they need blood to survive….because they are Vampires see. It’s just like if all the cows in the world suddenly died how would we get our Macas? McTofu burger anyone?

It's really not the Matrix and 28 days later at all....FYI Yo!

So the Vampires go about farming humans for blood but knowing this isn’t sustainable they also look for a blood substitute. This has not gone well like exploding of said vampire not gone well. Charles Bromley (Sam Neil) is head of the corporation which farms the blood and his lead scientist Edward Dalton (Ethan Hawk) is the lead scientist working on the blood substitute. Dalton has become disillusioned with his failures and when he runs into a group of human survivors led by Audrey Bennett (Claudia Karvan) and decides to help them. Bennett takes them to Lionel Cormac (Willem Dafoe) who is leader of a camp of survivors. He used to be a Vampire but cured himself by accident using….THE POWER OF THE SUN….yes that’s right. Now Dalton is trying to replicate this. Oh vampires that don’t get blood for a long while go feral and turn into these half bat creatures.

I'm soooo pretty! Oh so pretty. So pretty and witty and gaaaaay.

Daybreakers is directed by the brothers Peter and Michael Spierig who brought us Undead and is largely and Australian production. It’s quite polished and has a very dark dystopian feel to it, sort like Ethan Hawks older movie Gattica.  Ethan Hawk and Dafoe put some effort into in to their characters and Sam Neil is quite insidious as Bromley, he seems to do subtle evil pretty well. Must be all that practice at being the Anti-Christ from Omen 3. Claudia Karvan gives us some female acting muscle here. We also get Vince Colosimo as a scientist here. What? Wasn’t he in the Wog Boy? Ok what ever. Finally with a minor part we get Isabel Lucas the girl that played the sex transformer chick from Transformers 2. She’s basically eye candy. All in all the performances were adequate. I wouldn’t call this Oscar wining acting but good enough.

Isabel Lucas. Role: Eye Candy.

On the Special FX side we do get some crazy bat vampires. There are explosions, car chases, gun fights, a few bodies getting ripped up and lots of blood. There are also some freakish scenes of vampires lining up for Coffee/blood or kid vampires just hanging, as you do or peoples eyes lighting up when the lights go out breifly waiting for a train.
I did like the plot overall. It grabbed me more towards the end when the true version of the cure was show but I’d have to say the last 2-3 minutes kind of spoiled it some. It was if they wanted to tie off the loose ends. It was virtually the last few mins. They didn’t need that.
Overall the Daybreakers was quite watchable with some good ideas put on screen and some competent acting. I give it a 7/10.

Raptors Dream

How many times do you go to a movie and think that was really cool? Ok given I’m amused by shiny rocks but Inception was one of these movies.

Written and directed by Christopher Nolan who is really heading up there on my favourite directors list. The movie could a have dissolved in a complete mess and it’s kudos to Nolan that he manages to keep the story of tight and on track without letting the ideas and concepts of dreams and reality break down and wonder off.

There go the Armani shoes

Inception revolves around the basis that people are able to enter other peoples’ dreams and through various means steal information from the person being invaded. The movie itself revolves around not stealing information but implanting and idea in a process known as Inception that is thought to be impossible. Leonardo DiCaprios’ character Cobb is approached by Sato (Ken Watanabe) the owner of a large energy corporation which is being threatened by Robert Fishers(Cillian Murphy) Multi Corporation. He proposes the that Cobbs uses Inception to implant an idea into Fischers mind to pull apart his corporation and in return Sato will clear Cobbs name of allegations of having killed his wife and so can return back to America and his two children. Cobbs then goes about putting a team together and planning and executing a classic heist with more twists than a bendy straw.

This movie does pivot around Leonardos’ Cobb and his relationship with his wife. It literally, and without revealing too much, becomes the pivot point of the move towards the end. The style and coolness does come from the characters and their nick names such as the Architect, The Point Man, Forger, The Extractor. This was all part of the marketing campaign but it also prevalent in the movie too. The character of Cobbs is a broken man. As mentioned before he was unjustly accused of his wife’s murder and had to flee the country. His wife played by Marion Cotillard has now, due to his guilt, become a real and unknown quantity in the dream world and due to this he has tried to keep this a secret from the rest of the team. Cobbs partner and right hand man is Arthur played by Joseph Gorden-Levitt and man I think will be one of the great character actors of our time. It must be true since I said it. He’s building himself a nice resume with Brick and now Inception. The new Architect, the person who builds a dream environment, is Ariadne (Ellen Page) who is brought in after they loose their original. She stumbles onto Cobbs’ secret and becomes his pseudo psychiatrist.  Sato (Watanabe) brings some class to the heist as well and you’re never quite sure where his loyalties lie until the later half of the movie and the last part is really a kicker with him and Cobb. Finally there is the little surprise of the Forger, Eames played by Tom Hardy who literally takes on an army in one of the dream “levels”. Now while all that characters were pretty cool the only one that was really fleshed out to a great depth was Cobb. All the others had some back story but not near to any degree as Cobb. Although Cillians’ Robert Fischer story with his father is revealed in depth as well and is used as a plot device to persuade the character into accepting the inception idea.

And this is the scene where we go Full-Michael Jakson

One of the most important parts of Inception is the way dreams work and are used to create tension. Basically dream time is quicker than real time. Say ten times quicker, so you can do things ten times as fast. You can also have dreams within dreams and within dreams again. For every level of dreams the time becomes ten times quicker again. The heist involves three layers of dreams but there is also a subconscious layer they call Limbo where time literally stretches for years and you could live a life time before waking up. All this is used in a car chase which filters down to sub dream layers in a brilliant execution of events. Other little things such as if you get bumped in real life the dream also bumps or if you need to go to the bathroom then it rains in the dream.

The music score was amazing. In the dream it uses this menacing bass baritone tuba like sound which seems to be setup to warn the user when ever the characters are within a dream or something massive is happening such as scenery being changed. This is also where Inception shines in the creation of the dream world. It’s not overdone and you wont see weird creatures or giant robots but the environment itself morphs and changes but this is used sparingly. Also action! There is action and thrills galore. If you want gun fights, Car chases and everything in-between then it has it here.

Inception will be a purchase for me once it hits DVD/Blue-ray. I highly recommend you see this if your looking for a great thriller that will leave you thinking about it way after you’ve left the movies. I give this a 9/10 bazingas!

Raptor gets Hunted

I’m one of those people that liked Predator 2 so sue me. I also didn’t like Predators vs Aliens but I though PvA2 was pretty good. See first sentence. So I decided to check out Predators brought to us by one of my favourite directors Robert Rodriguez but not directing this time but producing, instead we have Nimrod Antal. So what did I know going in? Well there would be no Schwarzenegger and there would be Adrian Brody as the lead.  There would be multiple Predators, a gazillion I hear. It would be set in an alien jungle and there would be a bunch of bad asses tagging along.

Oh Snap! You got served!

The story went like this: dangerous people from our world are picked up and dropped onto this planet so that the Predators can go hunting. They then try to figure out what happening, survive and turn the tables against the Predators, so really the first movie but with more Predators.

The Predator hounds are pretty horny...hehehe what?

Did it suffer because of the lack of good old Arny? I have to say defiantly not, I didn’t want to see another Arnold film, I wanted to see something a bit different and I pretty much got that with Adrian Brody. He brought a lot of screen presence to the film and he buffed up even on his wiry frame. He is quick like the Minx. He character Royce is ex-military turned merc and is jaded by life and believes that you can’t count on anyone else but yourself. This ideal is questioned by Alice Bragas’ Isabelle, a sniper from some war who lost her spotter on her last mission.  Other characters include the crazy felon Stans (Walton Goggins), Nikolai a Chechnyan soldier who is the 2^nd rate stand in for Schwarzenegger, a cool Yakuza by the name of Hazo (Louis Ozawa Changchien), Mombasa an African soldier and Danny Trejo one of Rodriguez favourite actors and soon to be in the up coming Machete. Then the black sheep and they guy who doesn’t seem to fit into it all is Topper Grace playing a scitterish fish out of water, Dr Edwin.  I guessed it and you will too as to what his bad habit is but he turns out to be a bit of a bastard. One of the cool but disappointing cast members was Laurence Fishburne who played a previous survivor.  His part felt a bit short and expendable. I guess he was there to explain the fact that they were all seriously fucked.  Who knew? The group worked well as a whole and for an action movie there is some character development unless they got killed off early.

 

The most touching part of the movie was the love story between Predator and man.

Now let’s get to the Predator. I lied. There weren’t a gazillion, there were only four. Three of them are from one Predator race while the last is the seemingly classic Predator who they have captured. The three Predators had quite distinct looks and hunt in different ways and they also set traps to lure and weaken their prey. They have their big face offs and such as the Hazo with a samurai sword vs wrist blades which is all pretty cool. Even the classic Predator get’s a few licks in with one of them although not fairing to well. 

Oh come back, I just want to play with your spine.

The SFX were pretty good all round. I can’t really complain at all. The predator hounds looked awesome and were pretty viciouse. There was also a spaceship, laser blasts left right and centre and even a net trap. Dam that Wookie. There was a bit of gore even Predator gore and included such hits as stabbing, beheadings and blaster wounds, overall nothing that would make you to squeamish though. And finally no boobies to be seen unless you count Predator and Brody bare chests.

Mucho Mucho Man. I want to be a Mucho man!

I have to say I liked this instalment of the Predator franchise. It when back to it’s roots but with a bit of a twist. The first act was built up at loping pace and the final act brought it all home. I would defiantly be interested in seeing a Predators 2 if there is talk about it. I give this one an 8/10 for action in your eye.

Raptor Takes a Peak into the 8th Dimension

I do like 80s Sci-fi movies. Mainly for the fact that they were still quite eccentric and hadn’t conformed quite to what we perceive as your typical sci-fi today and the fact that the fashion sucked so hilariously! What movie embodies 80s Sci-fi in your mind? Blade runner? No too good. The Thing? More horror really. Battle Beyond the Stars? Oh yeah, now we are getting somewhere but what I’m talking about it is The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension. This has it all, 80’s hair styles, 80’s cloths a who’s who of 80s actors and let’s not forget 80s sensibilities like every hero is in a band. Hey it was acceptable in the 80s.

Anyone wanna rockout with your cock out?..ok no then.

Buckaroo starts off with a great little voice over about how Buckaroo, our hero played by Robocops’ Peter Weller, grew up with a Japanese Scientist Professor Hikita (Robert Ito). It reminded me of a narrative to a documentary about the great American pioneers poetic and matter-of-fact. We then are introduced to the adult Buckaroo who is now a Scientist/Brain Surgeon/Test pilot/Rock Star and adventurer. Wow, women want him and men want to be him. His band, the Hong Kong Cavaliers, are all scientist and adventurers themselves as well as being musicians. With Hikita, Bukaroo has developed a device that allows him to pass through the 8^th dimension….with a car and through solid objects. When they do this they discover rebel aliens locked away by these Jamaican like aliens. They give the Earth an ultimatum, stop the Rebels from escaping or they blow the planet up. What’s a Scientist/Brain Surgeon/Test pilot/Rock Star/Adventure to do but save the world.

Actually I admit, this is a cool shot.

Bukaroos’ cast is really quite large and include Jeff Goldblum (the Fly), John Lithgow as crazy scientist, Clany Brown the bad Highlander from Highlander, Christopher Loyd (Back to the Future) and Ellen Barkin as Penny, Bukaroos’ love interest. You’d probably notice a smattering of other faces that you’ll recognize too. All of them play this for fun and there isn’t a mean bone in the script at all. There are typical 80s scenes like the band getting all rock star and singing and did I mention he knows the America President? Yeah who knew.

I know what your thinking you dirty Fly boy

The SFX are not too bad, we get bug eyed aliens, weird organic ships and little poisonous spider bullets but l some of it is also pretty “oh deary me” too like the trip into the 8^th dimension or the protective masks they put on at one point (think chipped mirrored masquerade ball). You can’t blame them really, I’m sure all the kids were doing back then.

Unfortunately I’m sad to report there was no nudity what so ever in this movie. Alas we see no Ellen Barkin bits but she does so some nice leg action, phwaar. Overall I did like the movie and good natured attitude. I give this one a 6.5/10.

Humanity's End (2009)

A great example of how far we've come with CGI when a movie can (at times) look so good but play so badly.

Cool fonts, things blowing up and someone in a welding mask....so far so good.

Humanity's End (YouTube trailer) promised so little yet delivered slightly more than expected. Far off in the future of a cliche story involving too many races, sub-races and plot holes - homo sapiens is wiped out by the Nephilim. The Nephilim are a race that evolved parallel to homo sapiens but always strived to grind humans under their heel. After being destroyed, coming back, being destroyed again and coming back again,  the Nephilimhave teamed up with Homo Technis(I think) to destroy all humans. Homo Technis is an off shoot of homo sapiens, their street name being the Konstructs. Throw in some bio engineered races and bio engineered robots (not clear on the distinction) and you've got a movie that tries to do too much with too little yet succeeds at creating some, at-times, impressive visuals regardless.

Did I say humans were wiped out? Well mostly. Two survivors, a breeder and a mercenary captain, team up with another woman who thinks she's human but turns out to be a robot, plus a bio engineered bald guy and a ship called Blue. They fly to Mars with the purpose of finding weapons that turn out to be of no consequence to the plot, then manage to destroy the entire Nephilim fleet with a single fighter (their big ass ship being all crashed on the planet). Also, the Konstructs are now humanity's friend as part of a suddenly revealed double cross by the Konstructs against the Nephilim. Could have sprung the surprise BEFORE killing all other humans. Oh and the mercenary guy is killed at the end. His character was rubbish and his acting poor so it didn't matter so much. I was a touch sader when Blue, the computer, was taken offline.

While on the topic of acting, I must say I struggled to detect any. There was talking at each other, bad emoting, fake crying, a laughable sex scene(but in fairness I think it was supposed to be) - but no actual acting or character building.

The effects on the other hand were plentiful and generally well executed. Given the low budget there was obviously a mix of good and bad, but for the money they got some decent sets and many many effects. Ships, explosions, more ships, guns, more ships. All externals shots were quite attractive and the ships well realised, however the explosions and some of the incidental effects came out pretty awful. Overall, plenty of eye candy and most of it good.

I'd be interested to see what the same studio could do with more money. My sincere wish is that it'd free them not only to create more and flashier effects but also pay some decent actors and buy a proper script. That's a movie I wouldn't mind watching, the world needs more sci-fi movies with ships, explosions and humorous one-liners. Throw out the fucking subtext and intense stares and throw in more leather pant and cleavage. There, done.

No boobs, no acting but lots of decent effects (remembering the budget).

5/10

Berserk for X-Men Origins: Wolverine

 I have to say I am a comic book geek.  Iron Man, Kapow! The Hulk, Smash! X-Men, Boom! So when I heard that X-Men Origins: Wolverine was going to be made I was like a giggling little school girl with too much candy at her tea party. So what did I think? Does anyone care? Of course you do! It was great. For those that wanted to see Wolverine go sick on some bad guys asses (in a purely plutonic way of course) then this is the movie for you.

Ok now give me EMO! Yes! Yes! You dirty monkeys!

 

The Actors: Hugh Jackman is a perfect Wolverine (Logan). I couldn’t imagine anyone else barring myself in the role. I honestly believe he enjoys playing an un-killable guy with metal claws, the sick little monkey. Liev Schreiber plays Victor Creed (Sabertooth), Wolverines brother, and I’m glad he did. He brings a subtle menace to the performance and a feeling of unpredictable violence. Good choice I say.  William Stryker is played by Danny Huston, who I loved as the head vampire in 30 Days of Night. In here he is ruthless and manipulative just like you’d expect him to be. Now some misgivings on casting, Ryan Reynolds, What the fuck! He was in it for like 10 mins. His dry witty sense of humour was great but in the end I wanted to see more. To bad. Also Dominic Monaghan from Lord of the Rings fame as Bolt was one of the guys which I was hoping would make it a little longer. Oh SPOLER ALERT! Bah too late. We also get some guest appearances from other mutants such as Cyclops (Scott Summers) as a kid and Charles Xavier which tie in this to the X-Men Trilogy quite nicely.  Oh and finally Gambit played adequately by Taylor Kitsch was a bit of left field fun.

Where's my rubber ducky!

The pace of Wolverine is pretty good. It did let up a little during the middle where we had Logan living the happy life for a little while, awwwe isn’t that nice, just before the inevitable screwing over and we get to see Wolverine go schytzo again. Yay, my moneys worth. At the beginning of the movie we delve into Wolverines past and his relationship with his brother Creed. While both are angry old men, Creed revels in the violence and doesn’t deny his base nature that eventually ends in them parting ways. The end fight scenes are awesome with Wolverine, Creed and Weapon X all at it and had me cheering for more schnikitta schnik action.

So was Wolverine the best movie I had ever seen, ever? No, but it was a lot of fun, with a few misgivings here and there that I could easily overlook. So for my rating I give X-Men Origins: Wolverine a solid Comic Geek 8/10.