Topic: Tom's Random Reviews

[Tom]

Man of Steel (2013/United States) IMDb | Wikipedia [tom]stars_30_6.png[/tom] Warner Home Video (Germany) Director: Zack Snyder Writing: David S. Goyer (Screenwriter), David S. Goyer (Story By), Christopher Nolan (Story By), Jerry Siegel (Original Characters By), Joe Shuster (Original Characters By) Length: 143 min. Video: Widescreen 2.40 Audio: English: DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1, German: Dolby Digital 5.1, Hungarian: Dolby Digital 5.1, Russian: Dolby Digital 5.1, Turkish: Dolby Digital 5.1 Subtitles: Bulgarian, English, German, Other, Lithuanian, Russian, Hungarian, Estonian, Latvian, Romanian, Turkish

[tom]5051890189295.5b.jpg[/tom]

Stars:
Henry Cavill as Clark Kent/Kal-El
Amy Adams as Lois Lane
Michael Shannon as General Zod
Diane Lane as Martha Kent
Russell Crowe as Jor-El

Extras:

• Scene Access
• Featurettes
• Bonus Trailers
• Digital Copy

My Thoughts:

This movie is a mixed bag for me. I liked some parts, but on the other hand, it was too much of a CGI action fest.
When I had seen it for the first time, I was also a little disappointed, because I had very high expectations.
On the positive side, I think Henry Cavill did a very good job as Superman. His looks also reminded me very much of Tom Welling, who played Clark Kent in Smallville. I am curious about the sequel.

[Tom]

I have decided to switch to a star rating system instead of our DVDCO rating system. I want to better reflect my half-star ratings (instead of "rounding up" to the next rating).

Although I am not sure yet where exactly I want to place it in my review postings. I have updated the above review. What do you think?

[GSyren]

What do you think?

Looks good to me!

[Tom]

I have added the rating stars now also to my online collection.

[Dragonfire]

The stars are nice.

[Tom]

Star Trek Into Darkness (2013/United States) IMDb | Wikipedia (Germany) Director: J. J. Abrams Writing: Roberto Orci (Writer), Alex Kurtzman (Writer), Damon Lindelof (Writer), Gene Roddenberry (Original Material By) Length: 132 min. Video: Widescreen 2.35 Audio: English: Dolby TrueHD 7.1, German: Dolby TrueHD 7.1, Audio Descriptive: Dolby Digital 5.1 Subtitles: English, German

[tom]4010884256215.5b.jpg[/tom]

Stars:
Leonard Nimoy as Spock Prime
Chris Pine as Kirk
Zachary Quinto as Spock
Zoë Saldana as Uhura
Karl Urban as Bones

Plot:
After the crew of the Enterprise find an unstoppable force of terror from within their own organization, Captain Kirk leads a manhunt to a war-zone world to capture a one man weapon of mass destruction.

Extras:

• Scene Access
• Featurettes

My Thoughts:

I enjoy this movie quite a bit. It does not get a higher rating because of all the plot holes and contrivances. But I liked the interaction between the cast.
Regarding the controversial ending:

(click to show/hide)

I liked how they re-enacted the ending of "Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan" only with the roles reversed. But I think they went too far with Spock shouting "Khan". I knew from the beginning, that Kirk will be resurrected. The clues were all there. So I was not surprised. But I think the way they did this, has unfortunate side-effects. Theoretically they are now immortal, because they just have to get some more blood from Khan or the others.
Maybe that will be addressed in a future movie. Just like Scotty's trans-warp transporter idea (or how it was called) came to bite them in the ass in this movie

[Tom]

Pacific Rim (2013/United States) IMDb | Wikipedia Warner Home Video (Germany) Director: Guillermo Del Toro Writing: Travis Beacham (Screenwriter), Guillermo Del Toro (Screenwriter), Travis Beacham (Story By) Length: 131 min. Video: Widescreen 1.78 Audio: English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1, German: DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1, Hindi: Dolby Digital 5.1, Other: Dolby Digital 5.1, Other: Dolby Digital 5.1, Commentary: Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround Subtitles: English, German

[tom]5051890203960.5b.jpg[/tom]

Stars:
Charlie Hunnam as Raleigh Becket
Diego Klattenhoff as Yancy Becket
Idris Elba as Stacker Pentecost
Rinko Kikuchi as Mako Mori
Charlie Day as Dr. Newton Geibzler

Plot:
As a war between humankind and monstrous sea creatures wages on, a former pilot and a trainee are paired up to drive a seemingly obsolete special weapon in a desperate effort to save the world from the apocalypse.

Extras:

• Scene Access
• Commentary
• Deleted Scenes
• Featurettes
• Outtakes
• Digital Copy
• Notizbuch des Regisseurs

My Thoughts:

Growing up, one of my favorite TV series was "Saber Rider and the Star Sheriffs". Other "giant robot" series I have watched and enjoyed in recent years was Full Metal Panic! and Neon Genesis Evangelion.
When I first heard about this movie, I got curious. I thought that with the current special effects technology the time is right to get a good live-action giant robot fighting monsters movie. And I was right. I really enjoyed this movie. It is very noticeable that "Neon Genesis Evangelion" was a huge influence on this movie. Especially the need for the pilots to have emotional attachment to the robot (or more to co-pilot in this case). Also I think the German terminology for the robots I think it a nod to the Japanese series, which has a lot of German names for the organization which runs the robot program.
For the most part of the movie, although I knew that I was watching a CGI fest, it didn't feel like it. It looked really great. Only towards the end it was very noticeable, that it was all CGI, but that came because of the location. It didn't take place anymore near human constructions.

[Piffi]

Thanks for the great review Sir!

[Tom]

Epic (2013/United States) IMDb | Wikipedia Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment (Germany) Director: Chris Wedge Writing: James V. Hart (Screenwriter), William Joyce (Screenwriter), Dan Shere (Screenwriter), Tom J. Astle (Screenwriter), Matt Ember (Screenwriter), William Joyce (Story By), James V. Hart (Story By), Chris Wedge (Story By), William Joyce (Original Characters By) Length: 102 min. Video: Widescreen 2.40 Audio: English: DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1, French: DTS 5.1, Spanish: DTS 5.1, Catalonian: DTS 5.1, Dutch: DTS 5.1, German: DTS 5.1, Flemish: DTS 5.1 Subtitles: Arabic, Chinese, English, French, German, Spanish, Dutch, Turkish

[tom]4010232060280.5b.jpg[/tom]

Stars:
Blake Anderson as Dagda (voice)
Aziz Ansari as Mub (voice)
Allison Bills as Dandelion Jinn (voice)
Jim Conroy as Race Announcer (voice)
Todd Cummings as Fruit Fly (Old) (voice)

Plot:
A teenager finds herself transported to a deep forest setting where a battle between the forces of good and the forces of evil is taking place. She bands together with a rag-tag group characters in order to save their world -- and ours.

Extras:

• Scene Access
• Trailers
• Featurettes

My Thoughts:

I have been curious about this movie since I first saw the trailer. It looked promising. And I have to say, I was not disappointed. Of cource the stories is nothing special, but I really liked the visuals and it was a fun ride.

[Tom]

Fight Club (1999/United States/Germany) IMDb | Wikipedia Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment (United States) Director: David Fincher Writing: Chuck Palahniuk (Original Material By), Jim Uhls (Screenwriter) Length: 139 min. Video: Anamorphic Widescreen 2.40 Audio: English: Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround, English: Dolby Digital EX 5.1 (Matrixed 6.1), French: Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround, Commentary: Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo, Commentary: Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo, Commentary: Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo, Commentary: Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo Subtitles: English, Spanish

[tom]024543000358b.jpg[/tom]

Stars:
Edward Norton as Narrator
Brad Pitt as Tyler Durden
Meat Loaf Aday as Robert Paulsen
Zach Grenier as Richard Chesler (Regional Manager)
Richmond Arquette as Intern at Hospital

Plot:
A ticking-time bomb insomniac (Edward Norton) and a slippery soap salesman (Brad Pitt) channel primal male aggression into a shocking new form of therapy. Their concept catches on, with underground "fight clubs" forming in every town, until a sensuous eccentric (Helena Bonham Carter) gets in the way and ignites an out-of-control spiral toward oblivion.

The New York Times raved that FIGHT CLUB "just might require another viewing." Here's your chance. Brace yourself.

Awards:
Won:

Empire Magazine Awards (2000)		Best British Actress (Helena Bonham Carter)
Online Film Critics Society Awards (2001)		Best DVD
Online Film Critics Society Awards (2001)		Best DVD Commentary
Online Film Critics Society Awards (2001)		Best DVD Special Features

Nominated:

Academy Award (1999)		Best Sound Effects Editing (Ren Klyce, Richard Hymns)
Blockbuster Entertainment Awards (2000)		Favorite Action Team (Brad Pitt, Edward Norton)
Costume Designers Guild Awards (2000)		Excellence in Costume Design for Film – Contemporary (Michael Kaplan)
MTV Movie Awards (2000)		Best Fight (Edward Norton, Lincoln Kennedy)
Online Film Critics Society Awards (2000)		Best Actor (Edward Norton)
Online Film Critics Society Awards (2000)		Best Director (David Fincher)
Online Film Critics Society Awards (2000)		Best Film
Online Film Critics Society Awards (2000)		Best Film Editing (James Haygood)
Online Film Critics Society Awards (2000)		Best Screenplay, Adapted (Jim Uhls)

Extras:

• Booklet
• Closed Captioned
• Commentary
• Deleted Scenes
• Featurettes
• Multi Angle
• Music Videos
• Outtakes
• Photo Gallery
• Production Notes
• Scene Access
• THX certified
• Trailers

My Thoughts:

It has been awhile since I last saw this movie. It is a good movie with very good performances. And it can be enjoyed even knowing the twist. Maybe even more so. But it is not a movie I can watch again and again.

[Tom]

Inside Man (2006/United States) IMDb | Wikipedia Universal Pictures (Germany) Director: Spike Lee Writing: Russell Gewirtz (Writer) Length: 123 min. Video: Anamorphic Widescreen 2.35 Audio: English: Dolby Digital 5.1, German: Dolby Digital 5.1, Italian: Dolby Digital 5.1, Spanish: Dolby Digital 5.1 Subtitles: Croatian, English, German, Italian, Portuguese, Slovenian, Spanish, Turkish

[tom]5050582427844.5b.jpg[/tom]

Stars:
Denzel Washington as Detective Keith Frazier
Clive Owen as Dalton Russell
Jodie Foster as Madeleine White
Christopher Plummer as Arthur Case
Willem Dafoe as Captain John Darius

Plot:
A police detective, a bank robber, and a high-power broker enter high-stakes negotiations after the criminal's brilliant heist spirals into a hostage situation.

Awards:
Won:

American Film Institute Awards (2006)

Movie of the Year

Extras:

• Scene Access

My Thoughts:

The last time I watched it, I remember enjoying it much more. This time around the movie seemed to drag. Nevertheless it is a good bank heist movie which I can recommend.

[Tom]

Kick-Ass 2 (2013/United States) IMDb | Wikipedia Universal Pictures (United Kingdom) Director: Jeff Wadlow Writing: Mark Millar (Original Material By), John S. Romita Jr (Original Material By), Jeff Wadlow (Screenwriter) Length: 98 min. Video: Widescreen 2.40 Audio: English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1, French: DTS 5.1, Italian: DTS 5.1, German: DTS 5.1, Spanish: DTS 5.1, Hindi: Dolby Digital 5.1, Commentary: Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround Subtitles: Arabic, Danish, French, German, Finnish, Italian, Japanese, Hindi, Norwegian, Portuguese, Spanish, Dutch, Swedish, Icelandic

[tom]5050582961751.4b.jpg[/tom]

Stars:
Aaron Taylor-Johnson as Dave Lizewski/Kick-Ass
Chloë Grace Moretz as Mindy Macready/Hit-Girl
Morris Chestnut as Detective Marcus Williams
Claudia Lee as Brooke
Amy Anzel as Mrs Zane

Plot:
After Kick-Ass's (Aaron Taylor-Johnson) insane bravery inspires a new wave of self-made masked crusaders, led by badass Colonel Stars and Stripes (Jim Carrey), our hero joins them on patrol.

When these amateur superheroes are hunted down by Red Mist (Christopher Mintz-Plasse) - reborn as The Mother F!?ker - ony the blade-wielding Hit Girl (Chloë Grace Moretz) can prevent their annihilation!

Extras:

• Scene Access
• Commentary
• Deleted Scenes
• Featurettes
• Digital Copy

My Thoughts:

The sequel to Kick-Ass is a nice movie, but it misses the punk the first one had. I wasn't much a fan of the "Kick-Ass 2" comic when I first read it, but that was more because of my expectations of it. But since then the prequel comic "Hit-Girl" came out, which was more like my expectations and bridges the time between the two Kick-Ass comics. Luckily, the film is based both (Kick-Ass 2 and Hit-Girl).
I am not much fan of some of the changes for the movie adaptation. Like the introduction of the "sick stick" and the adrenaline shot. I liked the scene in the comic, where Hit-Girl decides that Mindy is here secret identity and starts treating it as such. I.e. she "plays" the role of Mindy at school, but she really is Hit-Girl. In the movie she only recognizes this truth towards the end.
Jim Carrey did a great job in his role. I am not sure if I would have recognized him, if I hadn't known he is in the movie.
On the one hand I am glad of the changed ending, in case there will be no sequel, as it takes away the downer ending of the comic. But if a sequel is made, then they lost some great basis to continue from.

[Achim]

If the sick stick wasn't in the comic, then that is indeed a stupid addition. But I quite liked how the adrenaline was used at the end of the film, that was a rather effective moment of the film.

Are you reading Kick-Ass 3? I have the first 4 issues on my iPad, but still need to read the other two books first.

[Tom]

Are you reading Kick-Ass 3? I have the first 4 issues on my iPad, but still need to read the other two books first.

I have the completed Kick-Ass 3 comic on pre-order. I prefer to have all issues in one book. And I can wait.

[Achim]

I have the completed Kick-Ass 3 comic on pre-order. I prefer to have all issues in one book. And I can wait.

As a physical book, I will also get the complete version, I have the same preference as you. But comixology doesn't release them like that, so I am actually getting the individual releases as they come...