Boogie, el aceitoso (Boogie) Review

Boogie at a glance may appears to be a stylistic and brutally violent cartoon. The film however whilst often brutally violent has no sense of style and is an absolute abomination of a film and is an artistic failure in every way I can fathom.

Boogie is a hitman who's is generally shown to only care about money, taking no joy in anything else. The question as to why he cares for money when he does nothing with it is asked early on, the question however is never addressed in the film. Likewise Boogie is driven throughout the film to prove that he is the best hitman, which contradicts the message that he fells nothing that is simultaneously being repeated ad nauseam throughout the entire proceedings. The story is likewise an inconsistent mess that is unable to present any redeemable qualities.

From a stylistic perspective the film is equally artistically bankrupt and looks like an at best amateur effort by those new to animation. The action lacks any sense of excitement, the pacing is all over the place, the acting ranges from bad to incredibly dreadful  and the editing is equally sub par.

I find it troubling giving the essentially infinite possibilities one has when telling a story that a film like Boogie can exist. I also find it equally difficult to put together an in depth review about this film as I have nothing positive to say and only can list negative aspects about everything present in a film that is as artistically bankrupt as they can come and makes even the worse films one usually has the misfortune of stumbling across seem less horrid in comparison.

Put simply Boogie is a complete disaster that makes even the most putrid hack Hollywood films seem comparatively like high art. I could easily further point out other numerous negative qualities but needless to say Boogie does not simply come not recommended, like the very worst films it comes recommended to never bother with and the rare want for it to be lost in time.

Tron Legacy Review

Tron Legacy is a sequel to the 1982 film Tron, and stars two of the leads from the original (both Kevin Flynn and Alan Bradley). However the film makers seemingly understood the cult but none the less limited appeal and knowledge of the first film and thus made this follow up as accessible to new combers as it is fans of the original Tron.

The star of this film is a new character Sam, the son of Kevin Flynn. The film begins as Sam is a young boy with his father suddenly disheartening and presumed dead. This leaves Sam the soul heir of the multi-billion dollar company Encom, whom twenty years later he plays a yearly stunt on Encom which is the only time he is shown to be involved with the company. Meanwhile Alan Bradely who is seemingly the only person to believe Kevin Flynn is still alive receives a page from Kevin's old arcade and tells and lets Sam investigate this for himself. Whilst their Sam finds his fathers old workstation and soon their after find himself in the grid (essentially inside a computer).

Needless to say for those who have seen any trailers or similar, the film is undeniably spectacular, from its light cycle chases to its brief but exciting real world action scene and of course it’s light disc battles and many more. The score is likewise simply phenomenal and I would argue is alone worth the price of 'admission'. However the film is not just a visual and audio treat as it does contain several interesting themes that seem to have been largely ignored by its critics. This is particularly evident with the relationship between Clu and Kevin Flynn and what Clu represent with regards to Kevins character. Their are also themes regarding perfection and imperfection and what that constitutes as well as the role technology plays in our life. Whilst this themes are not going to act as an interesting foreshadowing to our own reality as is the case with the original Tron they are none the less relevant to how we live our lives.

Tron Legacy is a film I would strongly recommend viewing with a quality surround sound system and in 3d (as it's video and audio minus some bass clipping is simply breath taking). Simply put Tron Legacy is a film that comes with my highest recommendation.

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La vie d'Adèle (Blue is the Warmest Color) Review

Now an undeniable critic darling, Blue is the Warmest Color released to universal acclaim and seeks to tell a coming of age story whilst following Adèle a young woman over the course of several years. The film largely focuses on Adèle and is a coming of age story about longing and love and is portrayed via Adele’s relationship with Emma.

Much of the dialogue and interactions in Blue is the Warmest Color are tedious and bloated. The most notable example of this are the now infamous sex scenes (one of which last for over six minutes and fails to portray the passion the characters supposedly fell for one another that other films have done with singular shots that last but a few seconds). Likewise sub plots are introduced to be simply forgotten by the time the next scene arrives and in spite of its three hour run time, Blue is the Warmest Color on several occasions also fails to provide necessary information until after it is needed to understand exactly why what is occurring on screen is happening. Had the information that had been skipped simply been minor details, or had withholding the information been able to successfully add something to the film I would understand. But as it is presented it comes across as nothing more than an oversight by the film makers, who whilst I am certain had their reasons, these reasons are unclear and only succeeded in causing confusion instead of being able to understand the reasons behind such scene.

To make matters worse is whilst the films takes places over several years the pacing of time is often unclear and occasionally unknowable. Instead of simply prompting the viewer with a message such as “two years later” or similar, Blue is the Warmest Color simply skips forward in time with little to no hint of time passing. This isn’t necessarily an issue if the film is able to successfully convey the passing of time by other means. Blue is the Warmest Color is however not successful in doing this, or more to the point makes little effort to do this. The result is whilst Blue is the Warmest Color does take place over several years you could be forgiving (or even expected) to often not realize when the age of the characters has changed. For instance whilst at a party Adèle says she is a teacher when asked what she does. Whilst at this point we know that the she wants to be a teacher it is unclear whether she is responding honestly and is a teacher, or is simply lying, possibly embarrassed that she is several years younger than her partner Emma (and possibly still at high school). This ambiguity could of course work in the films favor if it had been addressed elsewhere or was used to make a point. It however isn't and the film as a result simply furthers the sense that the film is not only bloated but also fragmented. Likewise when Adèle and Emma first meet Emma states she has and is in a relationship that has been going on for two years, but seemingly soon after they meet they enter a relationship with one another, yet no mention of a break up or similar is made.

Whilst the films aim is clearly to show the growth of Adèle as a person over several years the actress portraying the character fails to portray a complex character that was able to hold my interest. Sure she cries (with overbearing frequency) and smiles when upset or happy, but I found little present in her portrayal that gave a real sense of character. Adèle as a result is a rather flat character that not only looks more or less the same at both the beginning and start of the film, but acts in the same way seemingly having learnt little from her life experiences. Thankfully Léa Seydoux as Emma is successfully able to portray a multi-faceted character (especially in the latter half of the film) that gives the film some emotional weight. However as she is only a supporting character this is far from enough to save what is akin to a sinking ship.

Blue is the Warmest Color has lofty aims that it is unsuccessful in reaching and instead is a bloated, overly long mess. There is the possibility for a great film among the copious bloat and rather weak performance by the lead actress. However as it is in its current form it simply unrealized potential and thus Blue is the Warmest Color does not come recommended. 

Thoughts on the UHD (4k) Blu-ray Announcement

The long overdue announcement for UHD blu-ray (often incorrectly refereed to as 4k) has been made and it is meant to launch late next year. Whilst the standards still have yet to be released beyond resolution (making this announcement of sorts more of an announcement for an announcement) it does seem as if higher frame rates will be supported along with a larger color gamut and HDR.

I am very glad to see the likely inclusion of a higher color gamut and higher frame rate support (like the recent and upcoming Hobbit films have been shoot at) though currently the content of which is very limited. The same of which can be said about UHD in general, with most films still being made using a 2k digital intermediate and only a select few using a 4k digital intermediate (and even fewer getting an actual 4k release in cinemas). Thus whilst I am excited for a UHD disc format I can't help but fell television manufacturers may be looking to release sooner then the content and market is ready for (as I felt about 3d at home).

Likewise the benefits of the resolution increase is severely limited by the content currently available and we are far from seeing a surge of films using a 4k digital intermediate. Though this may of course change. If and in all likelihood as it does change, I expect it will be a rather slow gradual change. Likewise given how far many sit away from there tv screen, and the size of the average tv screen (last I heard it was still less then 50" from around 10 foot) is is likely few will get any benefit from a higher resolution alone. Thus for many it really comes down only to everything else this new UHD disc format will bring (the higher frame rate, color gamut increase etc) which puts this discussion in an odd situation as all we know is the resolution that will be used and a general estimated release date.

I do have some reservations about HDR (especially as films are made for cinemas first and foremost which as I understand is unable to support HDR and thus I can't see films embracing HDR), but my larger reservation is the general interest for an even higher fidelity video format. I absolutely can see videophiles clamoring for this format. But in a world where blu-ray still only makes up for around thirty per cent of physical movie sales I question whether there will be interest in an even higher fidelity format. This is even moreso the case when convenience seems to be a far larger concern for an increasing number of people. Even when this convenience comes with what I view as a substantial drop in both video and audio fidelity when compared with what is available on a blu-ray disc (though of course streaming isn't of interest or even possible for everyone).

I currently find myself conflicted as to whether the market is one soon to be ready for a new higher fidelity video format. There does seem to be many factors working against it and I can see UHD being little more then a niche product much like LaserDisc was depending on what standards are decided upon and how well it is utilized by content providers. However as nothing beyond resolution and now an estimated release date has thus far been confirmed all we can do is speculate and hope that the changes to the color gamut, support of higher frame rate allows for a substantial upgrade. Color me interested, but not entirely excited.

Les yeux sans visage (Eyes Without a Face) Review

Christiane is a young woman who is left with a horribly disfigured face after an automobile accident that she blames on her father Dr Génessier. Dr. Génessier has his assistant Louise (a woman who for reasons that become clear throughout the feature is seemingly willing to do anything he asks) finds young woman they deem suitable and kidnaps them. Dr. Génessier and Louise then remove the kidnapped women’s face and attempt to graft it to Christiane’s damaged face to repair the damage he fells responsible for. Unfortunately these attempts to graft a new face onto hers have been unsuccessful and thus there have been several victims.

Unlike many monster movies Dr. Génessier is shown as a caring and compassionate character that is not driven by some sociopathic tendency. Rather his driving force for his horrible actions is his love for his daughter and the guilt he fells for the accident he fells responsible for. Hence unlike many films in the horror genre (especially at the time this film was released) the horror serves to reinforce the characters motivations rather than simply as a gross out visceral ‘thrill’. For instance during the film there is a grotesque scene that is sure to leave many felling sickly whereby a woman’s face is slowly and methodically cut off so that it may be grafted onto Christianes face. Not only does this show the horrors Dr. Génessier is willing to commit to fix the damage he has caused and thus shows how much he loves his daughter and is filled with guilt, but the scenes that proceed show that he genuinely doesn’t directly wish harm on his victims. This all cumulates in a very human character that is conflicted by the inhumane things he feels compelled to commit not out of desire, but out of a need to fix the damage he has done to his daughter.

Christiane (the woman with eyes but not a face) is shown understandably as a very troubled individual who both wishes for a new face but is shown to detest the actions being undertaking to hopefully achieve this. As the film progresses Christiane becomes increasingly convinced that her father will never be able to successfully graft a new face onto her and slowly begins to wish for death. What is most remarkable about Christiane is Edith Scob’s performance, who is able to convey an array of developing emotions despite the limitations of playing a character that mostly wears a mask and has relatively few lines.

When Eyes Without a Face was originally released it was generally received with mixed to poor reviews. However given that Eyes Without a Face is still readily available to this date I can only assume that the films disturbing content was simply too much for many at the time of its release. Resulting in numerous critics being unable to see past the surface level grotesque factor for the more interesting character study that is present (one critic even almost lost their job for simply liking the film and daring to do their job in saying as much).

Make no mistake, whilst Eyes Without a Face is in terms of its disturbing visual content relatively tame to what is often released today. It is the story that surrounds this grotesque imagery that gives the film a level of impact that few films can hope to achieve and thus the film remains one that many will find confronting to view.

Hence Eyes Without a Face comes highly recommended.


Note: I highly recommend considering the criterion blu-ray which is a stunning blu-ray that’s presentation quality has likely not been seen for this film since its original release.

Samsung to End Plasma Production in November

Late last year it was confirmed that Panasonic was leaving the plasma television business and Panasonic plasma stock is now seemingly exhausted in most locations. Samsung sadly is now following suit and the production of Samsung plasmas is due to end in November this year. If you are not a videophile or are not up to date with the market you may be wondering why you should care. The answer is simple, both Samsung and Panasonic plasma's are widely considered to provide the best visual fidelity television within a price range that isn't overly exorbitant (eg: the numerous OLED televisions that often sell for thousands more then what both Samsung and Panasonic flagship plasma's sold for). With the zt and f8500 being the respected leaders for the two companies.

The only real competing tech currently available given the exorbitant cost of OLED televisions (which is a tech still in its infancy) are LCD televisions. LCD televisions include what many painstakingly refer to as LED televisions (which are no more then LCD televisions utilizing an LED light source).

LCD televisions typically fall far behind plasma's in many regards. For instance the black levels of an LCD generally look gray in comparison to a plasma of similar cost, the contrast is notably lower, the motion resolution is worse (which is what lead to the use of frame interpolation, which deviously clever marketing somehow twisted what is a bandage for a flaw into a perceived positive), poor viewing angles when compared to the essentially limitless viewing angles of a plasma, more accurate colors, and the biggest issue I have with LCD's is the poor screen uniformity that plagues all but a select few LCD televisions.

That is not to say that LCD televisions are without there positives. Or more accurately, one main positive which put simply is the brightness advantage LCD has over plasma. This brightness advantage results in better relative performance in brightly lit environments where plasma's look their worse and LCD's their best. Hence for those interested primarily in watching films in a dark or darkened room plasma's continue to be the clear leader and only if one views material mostly in a brightly lit environment would I consider an LCD over a plasma.

Moving forward Panasonic had promised that their new LCD's would be even better then their plasma's. A statement that was doubtful due to the sub par LCD displays that they typically have released, and a statement that has become increasingly ridiculous now reviews for their new displays are now being released (and the results are less then satisfactory for someone looking for a display that exceeds what their plasma's displays are capable of). Likewise, whilst as far as I’m aware Samsung has made no comments as arrogant or spurious as Panasonic has, there is no known 'replacement' that they have planned yet either for their plasma lineup. This leaves LG as the only company still producing plasmas beyond November (and from what I can tell the only company still sinking money into further developing OLED's).

Could this result in LG becoming the go to company in the future for videophiles, it is of course impossible to say. It however would seem rather unlikely given their past of mostly solid but few stand out displays (I also would be surprised if LG didn't stop producing plasma's soon as well). However in the current climate with the potential exception of an unlikely surge of FALD LCD televisions being announced and released, the near future is looking increasingly bleak for those looking for the best visual fidelity available.

Just as Panasonic plasma's are already missed by many videophiles, I am certain Samsung plasma's will likewise be missed. Hopefully LG not only continues producing plasma's, but is able to substantially increase the quality of their plasma's so as they are a comparable product to what has been available with both Samsung and Panasonic plasma's until (and indeed if) OLED displays become a feasible mass product.

Transformers Age of Extinction Review

The Transformers film series is one that whilst at times visually stunning has also been unable to find a consistent tone. The narrative whilst minimal has at times been serviceable such as in the first and third films, and at other times it has been complete train wreck as in the second film which the director himself has now declared as “crap”. Like the director I found the second to be a truly terrible film, however I did find the first and third films to provide for more then serviceable fun action escapism.

Transformers Age of Extinction starts with the American government (or at least a branch of the American government) who once worked alongside the Autobots systematically hunting down both Autobots and Decepticons. From their the plot quickly evolves (or devolves) into a mess of ideas and plot points that are forgotten as quickly as they are introduced. The core idea however revolves around Optimus Prime and the Autobots having there faith restored in humanity. This core idea is one that holds promise, the problem however is that the rest of the film seems to simply be about what Michael Bay thinks would be 'cool', like a kid playing with transformer toys. Thus the narrative fells like it is simply mentioned in passing as apposed to actually being developed in any real way.

The characters as one may expect are lifeless inconsistent caricatures and little to no reason is present to care about any that are present. Mark Whalberg as Cade and Nicola Peltz as Tessa in particular give horrid performances and even the ever reliable Stanley Tucci gives a performance that is passable at best. This problem however extends beyond just the human characters and whilst the performances by the voice actors for the Transformers are extraordinarily good, the characterization for these characters is so basic that it removes one of the few aspects in the story that if handled with more care could provide for the basis of a compelling narrative (the Autobots/Optimus Prime having their faith restored in humanity). Likewise the relationship that existed between the Autobots and humanity in the previous films is not touched on, this absence is in particularly odd given that several of which worked alongside the Autobots in the military that is now hunting them down which could easily have been used to create the conflict that lead to the Autbots loosing their faith in humanity (as apposed to it simply being lost already as the film begins). Likewise the human and Autobot relationship which at times ventured into tenuous territory in the prior films now fells in no way a natural progression for the characters and what is happening. The reason for the continued interaction between Cade, Tessa and the Autobots is simply no longer present, and they exist seemingly for no reason beyond that the film makers decided they wanted human characters to remain the focus.

Transformers Age of Extinction however was clearly not made with the intention of the narrative being the focus. Rather the story simply seems to exists as a framing device for the action. The problem is the action present in this film is far from impressive. The visual effects vary from admittedly impressive to what appears to be embarrassingly unfinished. The action itself also rarely flows together and whilst there are some impressive shoots they remain the minority of the film and even when these impressive shoots do show up there is a complete lack of flow from not only scene to scene but within scenes in of themselves that results in what is simply a chaotic mess to watch that is rarely interesting or exciting. The use of 3d however is well done and whilst some scene it does fell more like an afterthought that is more then enough truly impressive use of the extra dimension to make 3d the way to view the film.

Transformers Age of Extinction in many ways could be described as Michael Bay turned up to eleven. Unfortunately it is all the worst aspects that have been focused on. The narrative achieves the impressive feat of making the seconds films narrative look cohesive in comparison as plot point and characters are introduced only to be not utilized for any purpose beyond a bad joke or getting to an action scene and then is simply discarded. Even the catalyst for the films finale is seemingly forgotten about with the expectation that the chaos that ensues would cover up that little that is happening makes any sense. The problem however is as little makes sense and the action is largely boring, nothing on screen matters so even whilst some shoots are in of themselves spectacular the whole film devolves into what is nothing more then a rushed lifeless bore, full of egregiously in your face product placement that is overly long given the absence of a compelling narrative.

Hence I would recommend staying far away from Transformers Age of Extinction.

Captain America: The First Avenger Review

Captain America: The First Avenger is the fifth movie in the Marvel film series which ultimately lead to The Avengers film in 2011 which features several of the characters from prior films including the Hulk, Iron Man, Thor, Captain America and more. Captain America does succeed admirably in introducing the character and preparing audiences for his existence in The Avenger. However despite this and the many promising moments Captain America has, the film as a whole never comes together into a cohesive satisfying whole.

The most problematic issue present in Captain America is the action is simply nothing special. Their action is admittedly rather well staged, but they fell more like a collection of action moments sporadically edited together in the hope that they may wow. This does work when it is intended to be viewed  in such a way, for example when Captain America is shown defeating enemies in several locations at different times in a montage it works ever so well. It however does not work when it is in a more straight forward scenes with moments from the same action scene lacking the sense of flow and continuity between shoots one shoulkd expect from an action film, let alone from a film with a budget the size this film commands.

The previous Marvel films where action films but they also contained many laughs as well. Captain America is comparatively devoid of such humour which given the setting does make sense. However it must be said the easiest way to have one pay less attention, or at least care less about the larger leaps in logic present would be to them laughing (and laughing with the film, not at it). This is something the Thor and Iron Man films understood and implemented extremely well, and something that could have helped the few cringe worthy moments present in Captain America be less problematic then they unfortunately are.

Performances throughout are strong as one would expect from the cast present. Hugo Weaving in particular helps the villain seem more threatening then he really should be. It doesn't help that the henchmen are so stupid and incompetent that they make Stormtroppers look like super soldiers. Thankfully the films finale is one of the films strongest points. Both bitter-sweet and providing a level of maturity and emotion that is otherwise not present the ending propels Captain America to be far more memorable then what the rest of the film deserves.

Captain America is not the spectacle film many would have hoped for, and is without doubt the second weakest film in the Marvel series thus far (Iron Man 3 would have to take the 'crown' for the weakest). It however is still a decent action film with a few moments that seem to pull away from the cliché and the fantastic end one well likely be reasonably entertaining throughout. Sadly reasonable is hardly the most positive of comments and Captain America: The First Avenger like the Thor films comes recommended as a decent rental.


What about the 3d?
Captain America, much like all the Marvel films thus far presented in 2d is yet another 2d to 3d conversion and the results whilst not bad aren't anything special either. Captain America is a fairly good conversion and doesn't feature any of the egregiously obvious cardboard cut-out effect moments that are present in Thor. It however also tends to feature very little depth and whilst the 3d adds to the experience the mentioned lack of depth remains problematic. Thus far the only Marvel film worth viewing in 3d has been The Avengers (which was rather spectacular), which is sadly expected as The Avengers along with this film are the only two films that where shoot with 3d in mind.

The Bling Ring Review

The Bling Ring is the latest film from director Sofia Coppola and is based on real events whereby young adults and teenagers ‘tracked’ celebrity movements finding out when said celebrities would be at an event or similar, and when said celebrities where out for events and similar they broke into there house and stole various good. These good they then either held onto and in the film seemingly wanting to mimic that kind of ‘lifestyle’ or sold the stolen property. The ingredients thus for a wickedly black satirical comedy are all in place, however in spite of this The Bling Ring marks the continued downward spiral of the once promising director Sofia Coppola.

The Bling Ring has numerous failings; firstly it is a mostly empty and vacuous experience presumably to reflect the same characteristics in the characters present. The film however stumbles as it has nothing to say regarding this and there are no features that I found particularly engaging or interesting. It simply presents superficial characters who steal for superficial reasons with a slightest of hints the a lack of adult presence in there life may have been the cause for their actions and nothing more. Put simply the film lacks a sense of direction.

This lack of direction is most notably present in the performances. Whilst newcomers Katie Chang and Israel Broussard provide for strong performances (especially given the lack of substance present) the performances from others involved are average at best. The most notable instance of poor acting combing with poor direction would have to be from Emma Watson who plays Nicki and early in the film refers to her younger sister Emily as Gabby. Admittedly I can see how this could be an easy mistake to make as Emily in the film seems to have been based on the person Gabby. It none the less highlights the problems of the film effectively and what I presume is the over reliance Sofia Coppola to have her actors and actresses create their lines ad libitum who in this case where simply not up to the task.

The Bling Ring is Sofia Coppola’s weakest film thus far and continues her spiral down from the remarkable film Lost in Translation. Their are many promising ingredients present in The Bling Ring but they are left undeveloped resulting in a film that is devoid of emotion, satire or direction. Hence The Bling Ring does not come recommended.