Faster - Thoughts

Though I’d seen the trailer for Faster, I didn’t quite remember what it was about when I saw the DVD at the video store. Figuring that it was probably a good action flick thanks to Dwayne Johnson, better known as The Rock, I decided to rent it. I normally give a short gist of the plot in my opening paragraph, but today I’m gonna say as little as possible, to ensure no spoilers! Things start with The Rock leaving prison after serving time; the events there after including, his unfolding plan, two detectives hot on his heels, an assassin, and an intriguing backstory to it all. 

Going by my rather unusual plot delivery, I’m sure it’s obvious that there’s something unique about Faster. Don’t ruin it for yourself by watching the trailer, or worse yet reading up on it on IMDB. The brilliance of Faster lies in not knowing and learning as the narrative unfolds. If like me you’re thinking it’s yet another in your face, Rock action movie, guess again. Faster is dark, gripping, and a wonderful blend of action and suspense. Similarly the sequences complement this mix, juxtaposing small town law enforcement investigations, flashbacks, collateral character development, and action sequences. It’s been a while since I’ve gone into a movie expecting above average to good, and coming out surprised and extremely impressed. George Tillman Jr. has done a wonderful job with Faster, making it one of the best crime drama’s I’ve seen in the recent years.

The performances in Faster are superb, with Billy Bob Thornton taking the cake as The Cop. His portrayal of the character being simply faultless; adding a level of realism to the role that makes Faster work so well. Dwayne Johnson, a.k.a The Rock, again surprising us all with his dark character delivery. While the action is consistent with his usual roles, the vengeance behind it and underlying anger come through well, leading me to believe that he isn’t just another wrestling superstar turned movie actor. Also worth mention are characters Cicero and Lily played by Carla Gugino and Maggie Grace respectively; the latter of Lost TV serial fame.

The source content sampled was a standard region 1 US release DVD. Video was good, but not crystal clear. In my opinion, that as well as the warm yellowish brownish tone was probably intentional. The intent being to present a dusty small town, seemingly in the 80’s yet in modern day. Sound was presented by means of a Dolby Digital 5.1 surround soundtrack. Positional sound was good, and action sound effects decent. I felt that the volume level variation on the center channel between general dialog and sudden loud sounds was a bit annoying though, requiring for constant volume adjusting. Also worth mention are the alternate ending and deleted scenes; make sure to check them out if you’re watching the original DVD with all extra movie content.

My Recommendation: Watch It + (An intriguing dark crime drama)

Bob's Burgers - Thoughts

I don’t quite remember exactly, but I think I was watching promo trailers and came to know of Bob’s Burgers a little before it aired. Realizing that it was from the makers of other fab shows like Family Guy and American Dad, I couldn’t wait to see it. The premise being a family run restaurant, and the dynamic of the odd couple and their crazy children; add to that several double meaning puns and comments in the dialog. I finally waited till the show aired and Season 1 was done, to get my hands on it and check it out.

Expecting for the similar brand of stupid funny as with the totally awesome Family Guy, I watched episode 1 of season 1 of Bob’s Burgers. At the end I realized that it lived up to 50% of my expectation; that being, the stupid part! The characters were annoying not funny, and the plot of each episode, extremely vague and mediocre. Though there is some character development, it takes patience to get through the episodes, and more importantly all the characters are downright boring. As someone who is quite accommodating to content not exactly matching my specific tastes, I still feel that this was lame to the point of being retarded. I normally write my reviews once I complete the season, but with Bob’s Burgers, getting to episode 5 in itself has been an effort, and I expect to drop this show like a bad habit. Even if you have free time, I’d recommend playing tic-tac-toe with yourself, over wasting your time on this. Frankly just about anything beats watching Bob’s Burgers.

Bob plays the central character in the show; the dad and the chef in the restaurant. While he is presented as pretty plain, he is possibly the best character of the lot. While relatively better, he is otherwise forgettable. Linda his wife fits a stereotype that is synonymous to a nut-job, and is more like someone in their 70’s going through their second childhood. Tina is never funny, and the attempt to make her character funny just comes across as pathetic. Louise is acceptable, but reminds me for most part of someone who suffers from a personality disorder. Gene is over the top, like most of the other character on this show, and perhaps can be seen as a little entertaining. While some of these character trait elements may have worked, the mix and setting in this show just doesn't.

The content I was sampling was a lossy XviD rip, the source being HDTV telecast. The files weighed in at 175 MB for approximately 22 minutes episodes. While normally this would be average to just about acceptable bitrate, with the solid colors and animation scheme used in the show, quality was pretty sufficient. Resolution was a little under DVD specs, but video was pretty decent throughout. Sound was presented by means of a stereo 2.0 mp3 soundtrack. Owing to the simple voice and occasional background music mix, dialog was clear throughout. Technically the show is not at all demanding and well suited for high compression rips and portable media player viewing.  

My Recommendation: Skip It (An everyday setting that’s mundane, annoying, and far from funny) 

Battleship - Thoughts

I get the feeling that it’s the season for alien invasion movies; in 2010 it was Skyline, in 2011 it was Battle Los Angeles, and now it’s Battleship. Being an ardent sci-fi fan, I’m not complaining in the least. While I am yet to watch the first 2, and most reviews have rated them either poor or average, they are on my ‘to watch’ list. With Battleship I found the trailer quite impressive, add to that my friends rave reviews post watching the movie. So making an effort to check it out was a given. In Battleship an alien invasion which is largely isolated to Hawaii, forces a cut off group of battleships to engage the alien intruders, and learn of and foil their seemingly hostile intentions.

To cut to the chase early, if you like sci-fi action flicks, you can stop reading here and go watch the movie. Is it fun? Yes. Is it blockbuster scale action? Yes. Are the sci-fi elements and the aliens cool? Indeed. Is Battleship entertaining? Without a doubt! Add to that Peter Berg’s efforts, and his Transformers touch becomes very evident; from the camera angles, narrative development, scene presentation, and character romance element. The plot is pretty straight forward, so don’t go into Battleship expecting intrigue. Similarly, don’t take it too seriously, as some things do seem a little over the top and illogical. Positives include the homage to senior war veterans, which was a wonderful addition. Pace was pretty decent, and though the movie had a 131 minute runtime, it wasn’t really noticeable. If you enjoy big sci-fi action movies, you’ll enjoy Battleship, especially if the Navy and sea forces interest you.

Taylor Kitsch plays the lead role of Alex Hopper, who is interestingly a very unlikely hero. From the opening sequences he seems more cut out to be in the next American Pie movie.  That said it’s a unique change and he does a good job of playing the D game and not necessarily the best naval leader. Brooklyn Decker plays Samantha, the female lead who does justice to both her character as well as the feel good/look hot factor. Being a relatively fresh face, who did a good job with her act, her performance was quite likable. Alexander Skarsgård of True Blood fame plays Stone Hopper; Alex Hopper’s elder brother and senior Naval officer. Other notable performances include Liam Neeson and Rihanna, who is making her big screen debut. Her performance though is pretty forgettable, not bringing much worth mention. She plays Raikes, and for most part is a stereotype Afro-American woman.  

Being in a rush to check this one out, I had to make a dash to the theatre. Video was impressive and clear throughout. The look and feel of the movie was pretty impressive, special effects being quite nice. The large panorama visuals and editing was very similar to Transformers and reminded me of Michael Bay’s work. Complemented with the remarkable surround sound, with noticeable usage of the 3D sound stage, the action sequences were very enjoyable.   

My Recommendation: Watch It + (Battling aliens at high seas) 

Knight And Day - Thoughts

I remember seeing the trailer of Knight and Day when it was released, and promptly added it to my, rent and watch the DVD sometime list. It looked like fun with a seemingly competent cast. I wasn’t particularly keeping track of this movie, but noticing it in the video store this weekend, I decided to watch it. In Knight and Day a secret agent is working covertly to protect a young genius and his invention while being hunted by various people and agencies.  Amidst the chaos, double agents, and underground agendas is June, an ordinary girl who gets thrown into the mix and gets involved with the secret agent.

10 to 15 years ago, insanely large production budgets of over 100 million dollars were mostly reserved only for blockbuster action movies. While the action romantic comedy formula isn't new, following in the footsteps of Mr. and Mrs. Smith, Knight and Day does very well in the romantic comedy narrative process amidst a storm of bullets. The movie combines elements of thrill, with entertainment, while keeping the action light enough to remain funny. Pace is pretty good, and there aren’t any overly slow or boring moments. A good deal of the scenes and stunts are over the top, contributing to the crazy factor of the movie; keeping things enjoyable throughout. If you’re looking for entertainment, you can’t go wrong with Knight and Day, which serves up both action and romantic comedy.

Normally people think of and talk of serious dramas when stellar performances come to mind. It is rare when excellence is identified and appreciated in comedy movies. Tom Cruise and Cameron Diaz’s performances in Knight and Day are simply amazing, leaving practically nothing to question or criticize. The energy that they bring to the movie is key in keeping it fun, while the genuine character portrayals help the audience in relating to their roles. Cruise plays Roy Miller who is just too good to be true; you may question his character for a bit, but after that expect to find him nothing short of dreamy. June Heavens played by Diaz is so seemingly everyday and ordinary, but before she knows it, her mix-up with the secret agent transitions from chaos to fondness. Similarly audience attachment is bound to grow as the narrative progresses, culminating in the June Heavens character being super adorable.

After the recent increase in theatre visits, it was back to the reliable formula of sampling a Region 1 US release DVD in the home theatre. Video was consistently good, color stayed vibrant, and picture crisp and clear. No post production color filters or hue’s were used. Being formatted for the big screen, expect the 16:9 version to appear with minimal horizontal letterboxing on a home widescreen TV. Sound was presented by means of a Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround soundtrack. Dialog was clear thanks to the center channel delivery, and action sequences were supported well by the overall sound effects. Surround stage usage wasn’t very noticeable, but was probably present and sufficient.

My Recommendation: Watch It (Mad, crazy, secret agent romance)

V: Season 1 - Thoughts

This one actually completely slipped through my radar, and I only got to know of it when I saw the DVD box set for sale in a duty free store in the Muscat airport. I made a note of it and did my research once I was back home. The limited buzz surrounding the show coupled with it being cancelled after 2 seasons leads me to believe that it wasn't exactly stellar. V - Season 1 opens with the arrival of The Visitors, a technologically advanced alien race, with a message of peace to all of humanity, though the possibility of a sinister ulterior motive being ever present.

Season 1 of the show had 12 episodes, each lasting around approximately 45 minutes. With very little idea of what expect, I got into it hoping it would be an engaging sci-fi experience, only to be somewhat let down. Considering the magnitude of what was happening and being presented, the overly polished, seemingly soft matte finish of the show made it a little lifeless. Agreed that the lack of true violence probably made it better suited for a larger audience group, but frankly V – Season 1 lacked the edge to be gripping. Aside from the obvious similarity with The 4400, that being a common cast member, there were a lot of parallels between the two shows. Some of the individual episode plots were weak, and seemed insufficient in the bigger scheme of the show and the alien presence on earth. If you’re big on sci-fi and just cannot have enough of it, V – Season 1 will work well, but otherwise with the multitude of television entertainment available, it’s unlikely that you’d want to invest as much time in it.

Elizabeth Mitchell of Lost fame plays FBI agent Erica Evans, the female lead and possibly the central character in the show. While I believe the dreamy character she played in Lost better suited her, she did a good job as the single mom balancing her career and raising her teenage son, in the midst of an alien invasion. Joel Gretsch of The 4400 fame plays Father Jack Landry, a man of strong value, forced to deal with extreme circumstances in testing times. Morena Baccarin plays Anna, the high commander of The Visitors. She does a pretty fabulous job of coming across as two faced, and it would be hard not to hate her character after a mere 1 episode.

Though the content I was sampling was an Mpeg 4 AVC rip, thanks to HD 720p specifications it was pretty decent. There was some video loss, with color vibrancy being average, and faded greys and beiges being more dominant; but that said the high resolution and the rip characteristics made it worthwhile. Picture was sharp, and definition was quite impressive in some scenes. Like most television shows formatted for 16:9 home widescreen TVs, the fit was perfect with no letterboxing. Sound was presented by means of a 5.1 Dolby Digital AC3 Surround track. Dialog delivery through the center channel was clear, and overall sound effects were decent. There was probably some surround stage usage, but nothing standout.

My Recommendation: Dicey (A relatively relaxed alien invasion)

Armored - Thoughts

I remember seeing the trailer for Armored a year or two ago and thinking it looked pretty cool. A friend of mine, who was seeing it with me, shared my sentiment. From the looks of it, it seemed like an action movie based on the events surround a heist of an armored car transporting money from a bank. I decided to catch this one on DVD, and finally got around to renting it and checking it out a few days ago.

Going by the trailer and its largely misguiding effect on my expectations, Armored turned out to be a bit of a letdown. First off, it’s not a fast paced action movie; the bulk of the narrative being quite slow. Many a time I found it to be dragging, and though the movie is just a mere 88 minutes long, it felt like a hell of a lot more. There are no thrilling on road chases and action sequences, which is largely what the trailer had me believe. In fact I was expecting circumstances similar to the final moments of The Italian Job; trust me, there’s none of that here. What Armored is, is a slow suspense flick, with action elements. From that perspective the movie is relatively competent. So if you’re in the mood for that, you’ll probably like it. If you’re looking for an edge-of-the-seat action joyride, you will be largely disappointed.

The cast of Armored is pretty capable, and that is perhaps one of the successes of the movie. The lead role of Ty Hackett is played by Columbus Short. Going by his filmography his efforts look to be minimal, with mostly small supporting roles in other movies. He does admirably in Armored, portraying effectively, a quiet nature coupled with good values. Amidst a group of heavy hitters including Laurence Fishburne, and Matt Dillon who do well as expected, there is a nice contrast of character that comes through.  Also part of the cast are popular TV actors, Amaury Nolasco playing Palmer (of Prison Break fame), and Milo Ventimiglia playing Eckehart (of Heroes fame).

The DVD I was sampling was a Region 1 US release; video was clear, though not outstanding. There was a dull look to the picture which was consistent throughout. The indoor and night scenes thus felt a bit dark. There were no vibrant or bright colors, and some scenes favored browns. The soundtrack was a Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround track, which was pretty good. Dialog being clear and surround stage usage noticeable in several scenes.

My Recommendation: Watch It – (a low key bank heist flick)

The Hunger Games - Thoughts

A couple of months ago I downloaded and watched the teaser trailer for The Hunger Games. For someone who knew nothing about the movie, and had no backstory, it didn’t really catch my attention. The next I heard of it was about a month ago when a friend who had read the book said we should see the movie once it opens in the theatres. Based on what he said, it sounded like a sufficiently interesting premise, surrounding a fight to the death sort of televised sport, set in a post-apocalyptic future.

While neither the post-apocalyptic setting, nor the televised ‘battle to the end’ idea are new, The Hunger Games packages and presents it nicely, thus making it distinctive. The movie is broken out into the buildup to the actual event, which provides some sense of setting, and then goes into the actual challenge. So it’s not all action and adventure, and does have a decent deal of drama and character development. With a runtime of over 2 and a half hours, pace has been managed well, keeping the momentum continuous, and delicately holding on to audience attention. The contrast between the districts and the obnoxious lengths of depravity that human beings can go to is captured well, serving somewhat as a cynical reality check. While the carnage isn’t as intense as some of the other last man standing themed movies, The Hunger Games isn't appropriate for the faint of heart. Though I’m told the movie doesn't do justice to the book, viewed independently it’s certainly worth the watch. If you’re into fiction, and enjoy action adventure themes, you’ll probably find The Hunger Games refreshingly fun.

Katniss Everdeen is probably the only name you need to really make note of in The Hunger Games. Just about every other role, including those played by relatively well known and acclaimed actors such as Donald Sutherland, and Stanley Tucci are only supporting characters in the narrative. The role of Katniss is played by Jennifer Lawrence, probably known from her role as Raven / Mystique in X-Men:  First Class. Considering the pivotal requirement of her character in The Hunger Games, she does astoundingly well, as the rough around the edges, street smart girl from a small town, new to the glitz of upscale society. Her efforts as an athlete are again portrayed believably, not coming across like a stretch in anyway.   Also worth mention are Josh Hutcherson who plays Peeta Mellark and Lenny Kravitz who plays Cinna.

I watched this one in the theatre, and the digital video experience was pretty impressive. Picture was clear throughout, and definition was good even in the darker scenes. The futuristic and extravagant presentation of the Capitol was outstanding, in a wondrous fabricated utopia way. Sound was probably a 7.1 Dolby mix, but it’s hard to tell for sure.  That said, dialog was perfect, and the sound effects accompanying the movie were all on point. Being seated towards one of the sides, my opportunity for surround sampling was limited. In my honest opinion the best sound experience is in that ideal seat in a home theatre, and not in a large commercial theatre. It’s probably got to do with the acoustics of a medium sized room as compared to a large room built for several hundred folks.

My Recommendation: Watch It + (A refreshing spin on a post-apocalyptic future)