This is Madness! This! Is! ...

... Not a very good movie. Nope, as expected, 300: Rise of an Empire is a cheap imitation of the first movie, one that possesses no actual understanding of what made that movie good, fun, and enjoyable in the first place.

The story takes place concurrently with the story from 300, focusing on the battles at sea, where we follow a generic, uninspired protagonist whose name I've already forgotten as he aims to lead a united Greece in their battle for freedom against the Persians. And by the end of this little side story, the one thing I couldn't help but wonder was what the point of this even was.

That's the thing, this movie is all but entirely pointless, and even goes so far as to neuter any of the drama in its big climactic finale by showing us in the opening scenes that the Spartans are, indeed, on their way to aid in the battle (and not even the battle that the first movie ended on, either. Guess we'll have to wait for a third movie to see that? Blah...). Not that it was ever really in doubt, but it just goes to show how misguided this movie was from the get-go.

But bland as the storytelling can be, where this movie's writing really fails is in its dialogue. As the credits rolled and my friend asked me what I thought, I merely turned to him and asked him a single question. "Can you recall a single line from this movie?" And therein lies the problem. Where the first movie couldn't go five minutes without throwing some epic one-liner at you that'll remain ingrained in your brain for the rest of your days, even as the credits were rolling on this one, with this movie as fresh in mind as it'll ever be, there wasn't a single memorable line from this movie that I could recall.

Where this movie also falters from the first is in its action scenes. Where as Snyder's signature style from the first movie incorporates a mixture of slow motion, fast motion, zoom-ins, and zoom-outs, all compiled together to form stunningly slick and stylized action sequences that are a sight to behold, this movie only got so far as the slow-mo. And that's it, just a bunch of action scenes shot in slow motion, which is about as boring as it sounds. And in addition to that, this movie also relies far too heavily on splattering the screen with terrible looking CGI blood at every single available opportunity, which grew tiresome within the first couple minutes, and doesn't let up to the very end. Blargh!

Now, that all said, there were a couple things that I liked about this movie, mostly involving Eva Green's character, who is quite the bad ass chick.

Commanding the Persian navy, her character is pretty sick and demented, yet with a backstory that actually compliments her actions. She's quite the character, and is the one thing that keeps this movie even the least bit afloat, and is unquestionably the most interesting aspect of the entire film.

Also, between the boring action scenes and the pointless plot, we're actually treated to some stunning imagery from time to time. Scenes such as the explosion at sea have moments of such majestic beauty that it's kind of a shame to see them go to waste here. Such images deserve a far better picture than this, but alas.

So yeah, I honestly can't say that I was expecting much from this movie, but there's always some hope that it could've possibly recaptured the magic of the first. But, no, we got Rise of an Empire instead, which quite frankly shoulda probably been a straight to DVD release. And assuming this one makes money, it definitely implies that they wanna make room for more sequels. However, if they're gonna be anything like this one, then we really could do without them. But as it concerns this movie, if you're a fan of the first, then you're better off just rewatching that one rather than suffering through this disappointment.

Velcro: The Green Lion - Now Available!

Finally, the wait is over. In the highly anticipated sequel to The Ninja Kat, Velcro is back and is ready to own in her latest ventures in Velcro: The Green Lion. And you can order your copy today on amazon.com in either paperback or e-book form.

I'm actually pretty pleased with how this one turned out. The last few chapters especially were some of the most fun pieces of writing I've ever churned out, and I hope they're just as fun to read as well. But it still took me quite a while to actually get to those chapters, as this book took me much longer than expected to finish up.

I started writing the first chapters of this book only about a week before the real Velcro passed, after which I kinda had to take a step back from the story for a while. A year later, I finally published the first book in the series, but progress was still slow going on this one for the most part, as I shifted focus on promoting and marketing that one. However, right around the time I was wrapping up conventions for 2013, something sparked in me, and I was finally able to just sit down, stay focused, and finally get this thing done and out there. And I'm glad that I finally have, and I'm now ready to move on to other projects that I've been putting on hold in the meantime.

It's kinda funny, while working on The Green Lion, I constantly had ideas for other stories nagging at me to pay them attention, distracting me from completing this book. And now that The Green Lion's finished and I'm finally working on those projects, now the next installment of The Ninja Kat series is nag nag nagging at me to continue work on them first. Ah, the life of a writer, haha!

But anyways, as I said, I am pleased with how this one turned out, and early readers have already expressed their enthusiasm for the direction the story takes as well, so I hope you'll all check it out and be just as enthused with Velcro's latest adventures!

www.VelcroTheNinjaKat.com

V-Day Music Video

So for the past few weeks, I was brought on board to co-direct a Valentine's Day music video. Pretty much every single day I went on set having absolutely no idea what we were actually going to be filming, and yet even so, these turned out being some of the smoothest shoots I've been a part of, and I was really impressed with how the footage came out. So anyways, here's the final product, so check it out and listen to that build up! Yeah! YEAH!

2013 – My year as it relates to the quality of film

While working on my Top 10 Movies of 2013 list, I mentioned how interesting the year in film was in terms of quality, how the first two thirds was mostly very, very weak, with the summer delivering a seemingly endless stream of disappointments, and only a fair few bright spots here and there. It got to a point where I was just about ready to give up on this year being able to deliver the goods at the theater, but then as summer came to an end, the quality of movies as a whole took a stark and sudden shift for the better, and my feelings on the year in film changed accordingly. And as I thought about that, I couldn't help but notice how that tonal shift in quality pretty much mirrors the past year for me in my personal life as well.

Like the movies, the first part of this year was pretty rough. In one fell swoop, I lost my job and my health insurance, and struggled with finances as I experienced first hand just how terrible the economy had become in my desperate search for new work. And all the while I dealt with a world of personal problems, including probably the worst and longest lasting bout of depression I've lived through. But then, after a certain point, right around the tail end of the summer, things started to shift a little more in my favor.

For one thing, I kind of took a step back and assessed a lot of the various stressors in my life, and pretty much completely restructured my entire social life accordingly. And as a result of these changes, for the first time in a long, long time, I actually feel okay. I haven't had a fit of depression or attack of anxiety since, and while things may not be exactly perfect, overall, I feel fine. And, quite frankly, fine works for me. I'm really okay with fine right now.

And right around the time that this restructuring of mine was beginning to take place, and after a longer search than I ever would have expected, I finally wound up finding a job at the new Whole Foods that opened up in town (where our old indie movie theater used to be, in fact).

It may not be the best job in the world, but it's still pretty decent. I work with some pretty cool people for the most part, and even cooler managers, who really listen and go out of their way to make a schedule that best works around my life. And as a result, I work a relatively stress free job that's not a soul-sucking experience, leaving me with plenty of energy to work on my creative endeavors afterwards. And speaking of those creative endeavors, I actually accomplished quite a bit this year.

Another life long dream of mine came to life this year with the release of my first comic book. Along with my artist, Trevor Tee, we've released the first batch of chapters for the comic book adaptation of Velcro: The Ninja Kat online (check 'em out for yourself here). And after overcoming a few setbacks, we're ready to start releasing new chapters again soon enough.

And in other Ninja Kat news, just this month I finished writing the sequel to the novel, Velcro: The Green Lion, which will be ready for release early next year, so I'm really excited for that!

I also had quite the experience touring around a bit, selling my books at conventions and such throughout the state.

I met a lot of interesting people in my travels, and made quite a few new fans and friends in the process as well, which was a really cool deal, and something I'd love to continue to do in the coming year.

And I also ended up meeting a group of fellow aspiring film makers, and we've been busy working on a number of projects, which will hopefully be coming to fruition sooner rather than later. I've really felt like I've been a bit stagnant on the movie making front after I finished The Red Scarf last year, but finally working behind the camera again really served as a reminder of just how much love and passion I have for film, and how, more than any other creative aspiration, this is really what I want to do in life. And we've got a number of scripts we're working on right now, so I can't wait to get rolling with that!

So yeah, that's kinda been my year in a nutshell. Like the movies, it didn't start off so swell. But, also like my movie going experience, it ended up turning around and being a pretty decent year in the end. And now, as the year fades to black and the credits get ready to roll, I'd like to say thank you to everyone who was there for me and put up with me over the course of the past year, because for a while there, things really weren't easy at all. But more than anything, I need to thank my Mom for all of the help and support that she's provided through my rougher times, and continues to provide to this day. I really don't know how I would've made it through the year without her, so, thank you, Mom!

And here's to an even better next year!

My Top 10 Movies of 2013

It's that time of year again, and what an interesting year it's been for film. At first I was just about ready to write the whole year off after the first two thirds provided a seemingly endless barrage of mediocrity and disappointments, with few bright spots here and there. And to say that this summer was an especially frustrating miss at the theaters would be a huge understatement.

However, just as summer ended and we entered the fall season, the quality followed suit and ended the year in film on a relatively high note. And while there are a few notables that I wasn't able to get to (Her, Inside Llewyn Davis, and Nebraska haven't released in my town just yet), now I'm here to talk about the best of the best of what I did see in this oddly discombobulated year in movies. But first, here's some honorable mentions for you, listed alphabetically:

American Hustle
Blue is the Warmest Color
Captain Phillips
Mud
White House Down
The World's End

All great movies, and all that were damn close to making my list, but didn't quite make the cut. And on that note, let's starts things off with...

#10

Gravity
(Alfonso Cuarón)

In a year that saw a slew of thrill rides at the movies, none was quite so edge of your seat thrilling as Alfonso Cuarón's technical masterpiece. An absolute marvel in every regard, mesmerizingly shot and with a great performance from Sandra Bullock that'll suck you right in, more than any other movie this year, Gravity is an experience, and one that you absolutely must have.
Original review.

#9

Stoker
(Park Chan-wook)

This movie was a visual feast for the eyes, with stunning shots that'll stick in your head, and a slick editing style that really made it stand out. I've heard people claim Stoker to be little more than style over substance, but what substance there is was substantial enough for my tastes, and the actors all did a great job elevating the material, particularly Mia Wasikowska, who was fantastic in the lead role. This movie could at times be disturbing in nature, and yet the way this film was pieced together more often than not left me more fascinated than disturbed. And speaking of fascinatingly disturbing...

#8

The Wolf of Wall Street
(Martin Scorsese)

This movie wasn't just disturbing, it was flat out one of the most ridiculous things I have ever seen. And yet, despite being three hours in length, this movie is completely fascinating from start to finish. Never missing a beat and loaded to the brim with outrageous laughs, Leonardo DiCaprio, Jonah Hill, and everyone else involved absolutely kill in this movie. And after being robbed an Oscar nomination last year for his role in Django Unchained, DiCaprio needs to be nominated for his performance here, which quite frankly is his best to date.

I initially walked out saying that this was a great movie that I'm not sure I ever needed to see again, mainly due to its long length. But the more I think about it, the more I think screw it, I wanna see this thing again already! There's so many scenes that are still stuck in my head, though it is still the freshest movie in mind, so it's hard to fairly judge at this point. However, I can already tell that this is probably gonna be my movie that I end up regretting not placing higher up on the end of year list (there's always one or two).

#7

The Frozen Ground
(Scott Walker)

Probably the most surprising movie of the year is also one of the most intense. Nicolas Cage plays it straight this time around, and John Cusack plays against his usual type as well, bringing a convincingly threatening presence to the screen that'll keep your pulse pounding. But the biggest surprise of all comes from Vanessa Hudgens, who proves herself to be a hell of an actress, and one to take seriously, giving among the absolute best female performances of the whole year. Not too many gave this one a chance, and it's a damn shame, 'cause this is certainly one of the better all around movies that went under the radar this year.
Original review.

#6

The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug
(Peter Jackson)

Speaking of surprises, I was surprised by just how much I ended up liking this thing, especially considering that I really wasn't looking forward to it at all. But this movie was a huge step up from what I technically named the worst movie of last year (the High Frame Rate version of it, at least!). And while this movie might not technically be the best Lord of the Rings movie to date, it's certainly the most fun, without question. Even the padding and the filler don't take away from the enjoyment to be had here, with exhilarating action scenes, and one of the most satisfyingly haunting endings to a movie that I've ever seen. Just thinking about that ending still gives me chills.
Original review.

#5

Pain & Gain
(Michael Bay)

Thrillers weren't the only hot ticket this year, we were also in store for an excess of films about American excess, including The Bling Ring, Spring Breakers, and the aforementioned Wolf of Wall Street. But, in my opinion, the best of the bunch that also continues the trend of surprisingly good movies that I wasn't necessarily looking forward to would have to be Pain & Gain.

If you could imagine Michael Bay's version of an arthouse film, then you've got an idea for what this movie has in store for you. It's probably Bay's best film to date, his best since The Rock, at least, and also happens to feature the best performance in the career of The Rock himself, Dwayne Johnson. And Mark Wahlberg is on his A-game, giving his own best performance since The Departed. With a very '90s flair and a self-aware editing style used throughout, this film was a blast. And as you're watching these awful, terrible people doing such awful, terrible things for selfish, personal gain, all the while basically just making it up as they go while their situation only continues to get worse and worse, you just gotta keep reminding yourself that all this absurdly awful, terrible shit actually happened!

#4

The Counselor
(Ridley Scott)

This is definitely an unpopular pick, but I can understand why this movie gets hated on. However, I still personally thought this movie was tremendous, and it was even better on a second viewing, in which I was able to pick up on so many of the subtleties strewn all about, and all of those seemingly random scenes made so much more sense and felt altogether more connected in the grand scheme of things.

With a smart, Shakespearean screenplay and a director who has the confidence in both his material as well as his actors to pull it all off in flawless fashion, The Counselor may well be the most underrated movie of the year. Sure, it's not for everyone, but for those who can accept it for what it sets out to be, you'll find that there's a lot to appreciate about this movie.
Original review.

#3

Prisoners
(Denis Villeneuve)

The best and most intense thriller of the year is one that'll keep you guessing all the way to the very end. Prisoners is a hell of a mystery, one that keeps you in the dark and never leaves you waiting on the characters to play catch up. And this movie definitely goes to some dark places along the way.

Hugh Jackman is just incredible here. As deserving as he was for his Oscar nomination last year, he outdoes that performance and then some with his sheer raw emotional intensity on display in this film.

And Jake Gyllenhaal, too, deserves some recognition for his own phenomenal contributions, playing the increasingly sleep deprived and increasingly desperate detective working the case, and a nice counter to balance out Jackman. Add in a similarly chilling yet satisfying ending as in The Desolation of Smaug, and this movie is one that'll definitely stay with you.
Original review.

#2

Frozen
(Chris Buck, Jennifer Lee)

It may not be the most consistent movie, but that doesn't keep it from being one of the best, most stunningly gorgeous works of art I've seen this year. (And besides, in hindsight, I actually found it somewhat fitting that the weakest parts of the film happen to be the songs that deal with "traditional love".)

But when this movie gets it right, oh man does it get it right. I loved the angle this movie takes, how it goes against the grain from what we've typically come to expect from Disney. And while not all the songs may be great, the ones that are are truly some of the best and catchiest numbers to come out of a Disney flick, and are bound to become classics.

"Let It Go", in particular, is hands down the single greatest piece of cinema to release in film all year. Brilliant, beautiful, moving, stunning, these are all words that don't even begin to do that sequence justice. Here, just watch for yourself:

I was kind of alarmed to find out just how many people still haven't seen Tangled as a result of Disney's abysmal mis-marketing of that movie, and it makes me wonder how many will miss out on Frozen as well for the same reason. But if you still haven't seen Tangled, and you're hesitant about Frozen due to the trailers, please ignore the false advertisement for both of these films, which makes them out to be something more akin to the worst kind of Dreamworks picture that would've been relentlessly mocked several years back. These movies are nothing like that, they're a resurgence of classic Disney through and through, and should not be missed.
Original review.

And now then, my pick for the #1 movie of 2013 is...

#1

Iron Man 3
(Shane Black)

You're damn right. I wasn't sure if this one was gonna go the distance, but sure enough, come the end of the year, Iron Man 3 is still the best movie I've seen in 2013. And the reason why, for me at least, is because, more so than any other movie this year, Iron Man 3 has balls! (Iron balls!)

I'm not even necessarily that big a fan of the Iron Man series (the first one was good, though it was essentially your standard superhero flick, with nothing especially spectacular about it that makes it stand out among the pack. I have no kind words for Iron Man 2, however), but I still loved this movie all the same. Iron Man 3 wasn't afraid to break the mold and take chances at any given opportunity, becoming something more than just another generic superhero movie in the process.

The whole twist with the villain alone was a huge risk, one that understandably pissed off purist fans, but one that I felt was pulled off to brilliant effect. And the fact that they made an Iron Man movie where Tony Stark spends the majority of the time outside of the actual suit was another big risk, but one that really paid off, while also serving as an answer to the question posed to him by Captain America in The Avengers.

But as much as I appreciated this movie's willingness to takes risks, even more than that, I appreciated the hell out of this movie for its show of creativity throughout. The action scenes in this thing are among the most inventive I've seen, particularly the climactic battle, which was just a whirlwind of imaginative ideas on the screen, and I dug the hell out of all of it.

Alongside Thor: The Dark World, this movie certainly gives me hope for the future installments in these Avenger flicks, as they both show that Marvel is addressing what did and didn't work in the first go-arounds of these Avengers movies and not only fixing them, but improving upon them in leaps and bounds. And as a result, the overall quality and creativity has been amped up to levels previously unseen in the these flicks before now.

This movie just did so much right, and was so much fun all throughout. It's without a doubt the very best Iron Man to date by a large, large margin, and I'm damn near close to calling it the best movie in the Avengers altogether as well (not to mention being the best movie I've seen in 2013!).
Original review.

So there it is, my Top 10 Movies of 2013. And now, in prior years I would usually follow this post up with my picks for the worst movies I've seen over the year. But this year, well, bad as the year may have started, there really wasn't much that I saw that would warrant such a post. I mean, yeah, there were definitely bad movies, but outside of Catching Fire, there was nothing that actually pissed me off that I can really give a good rant on, so I figured it'd probably make for a somewhat dull post. So instead, this year I'm just gonna list off what I thought were the worst (or at least my least favorite) movies of the year and just leave it at that.

5. G.I. Joe: Retaliation
4. Escape From Tomorrow
3. The Purge
2. To the Wonder
1. The Hunger Games: Catching Fire

So there you go. And hell, while we're at it, let's throw some dishonorable mentions at A Good Day to Die Hard, The Hangover: Part III, and Oz The Great and Powerful as well.

And so those are my picks for the best and worst movies of 2013. And that's all I got for ya, so I hope you enjoyed this post, and let me know how you might agree or disagree with my picks, and what your own picks would be.

The Secret Life of Walter Mitty

Ben Stiller's latest creative outing is one that leaves me with mixed feelings. On the one hand, I do love its messages to live for the moment and to not be afraid to take chances. But on the other hand, I really don't dig at all how it uses those messages as a means to promote and support drunk driving.

Now, I'm probably going to be getting into spoilers as I continue to discuss this movie, so heads up on that.

The story is that Life Magazine has been bought out and they're preparing the print the last issue, but Walter Mitty, played by Ben Stiller, has lost the image that was to be used for the cover. And so, after some urging, he goes out on a quest to solve the mystery of the missing picture, all the while finding himself in the process.

Based on the trailers, I was really looking forward to this as an awesome visual treat, what with the way that our main character, Walter Mitty, has a tendency to daydream some pretty elaborate things, which this movie brings to brilliant life. And in that regard, the movie does deliver for the most part, though some of these sequences do tend to get a bit too silly at times, and the best of this aspect is all pretty much shown in the trailers already.

But the purpose of this movie is to encourage you to quit dreaming and start making those dreams a reality, which, sure, it's a message that's been done before, but the way this movie goes about showing this message was pretty neat, and felt like some of my own ideas at times as well. The thing is that this movie at times gives a pretty warped message, and I'm not even sure that it's aware of what it's done.

The scene where Walter needs to board a helicopter in order to catch a ride onto a ship is probably the most powerful in the movie, as well as the most disturbing and offensive. See, prior to this scene, we're introduced to the pilot, as he's getting absolutely wasted in a bar and drunkenly singing karaoke. He's so drunk that he can barely speak or stay awake as he stumbles to the helicopter to make his trip. Initially, Walter wisely declines joining this pilot on his drunken flight, until he begins to daydream about his dream girl, played by Kristen Wiig, singing "Ground Control to Major Tom" to him, motivating him onto the flight. And this is where this scene gets messy. On the one hand, the song and the buildup to him making his decision and chasing down the chopper at the last second is really powerful stuff. On the other hand, this movie just told its audience that to live for the moment, sometimes you gotta take a leap of faith that'll leave you riding shotgun with a drunk driver behind the wheel, but you gotta just push yourself to go with it. And, I'm sorry, but that's just not cool at all.

After that scene, the movie did sorta lose me a bit, though it wasn't a total bust. For the most part, it is still a decent movie, until the ending opens up a world of plot holes. For one, the picture that Walter was searching for that was to be the final cover of Life Magazine is an impossible shot to have been captured, considering all the information given to us during the movie. It doesn't fit the timeline at all, and as a result, it could have never been where he eventually found it. And if it was there, then the people who put it there had to have had the foresight that not only would Walter go out on this big search of his, but that he'd wind up throwing away his wallet in frustration in the process.

Earlier in the movie, Walter goes to visit Kristen Wiig at her home, only to find a man answer the door. A man who calls her "honey", and who we assume is her husband, whom she's apparently gotten back with. But then, at the end, Kristen Wiig says that this man was just the repair man, and nobody she's linked to romantically. So... was the words he was saying just stuff that Walter was hearing in his head? And the same for the man’s weirded out facial expressions? And for that matter, why the hell was the repair man answering her door anyways? Or was she lying about who he was? In which case, wouldn't Walter easily catch her in that lie sooner or later, assuming that they continue to date? You see, these are the kinds of questions that the plot holes presented at the tail end of this movie present, those of the frustrating variety.

But those bothersome issues aside, this movie's intended message does remain a pretty important one. Though I do have a friend who felt like this movie was shoving the whole "Life" thing down our throats enough as it was in the trailer, which I didn't personally take issue with. However, if you felt that this movie was being too forceful with its message from the trailers, then the movie itself is gonna absolutely smother you, because this movie literally spells it out for you all throughout. And yeah, it does tend to get a bit overbearing at times, so some restraint would have really gone a long ways.

And there's more that I can go on about, such as some obnoxious product placement (not Man of Steel obnoxious, mind you), as well as the fact that this movie somehow got away with a surprising amount of swearing for a PG rated movie (holy shit, indeed!). And at this point, I really find myself failing to come up with much good to discuss about the movie. The visuals, certainly, as well as the creativity at times, and the acting was pretty solid throughout as well. But really, the more this sinks in, the more I can't help but feel that Walter Mitty's life might've been better off left a secret after all.

Hours

To everybody who felt it necessary to point out that Paul Walker wasn't a good actor upon his death, to that I say, I agree with you. He wasn't a good actor. He was a great actor. And to any naysayers who may continue to dismiss such a claim, look no further than his performance in his latest movie, Hours.

Hours is a movie that takes place during Hurricane Katrina, in which a man is stuck in a hospital trying to keep his newborn baby alive on her life support system after the hospital's lost power. The movie opens with his wife dying during child birth, and throughout the course of the movie, we see as Paul Walker has to deal with the grief of his loss, as well as coming to terms with his new responsibilities in keeping his baby alive and safe throughout this crisis.

For the majority of the movie, Walker is on the screen entirely alone, sharing his thoughts aloud to his daughter as he mulls over the loss of his wife. And as the hours tick by, the gradual shift in tones perfectly match the acceptance and the direness of his situation. Walker gives a genuinely emotional performance that single handedly elevates this otherwise mediocre movie into something truly noteworthy.

As for the movie itself, it can at times be pulse pounding as Walker desperately searches the hospital for ways in which to rectify his situation, all the while having to beat the clock to race back to his daughter in order to recharge the battery on her life support system. The moments where it's just him desperately searching for a way out is when this movie truly works its best. And even the flashback sequences where we actually see the key moments from his relationship with his wife were really nice to watch. However, it's once other characters start to get involved that the film feels just a bit cheapened.

But thankfully, those other moments with wandering stragglers are few and far between, and the rest of the movie is actually a pretty compelling watch. It's a bit of a slow moving movie, despite its short length, and yet Walker continues to keep this thing interesting throughout, and as the days go by, the sheer exhaustion that he displays is truly wrecking.

So yeah, this was a decent little flick, with a surprising and tremendously powerful performance by Paul Walker. It's not only the best of his career, quite frankly, it's among the best performances I've seen all year at that. I don't know for certain whether or not this is going to be his last movie (who knows what they'll do in the next Fast and Furious at this point), but should it be, then this is a hell of a note to go out on from a truly great actor.