Avatar: The Last Airbender

Earth, Wind, Fire and Water. Only the avatar can bend the four elements and bring harmony to the chaos. Now, before everyone starts freaking out, I'm not reviewing M. Night's "masterpiece" aka pile of crap, but instead I'll be reviewing each season. Avatar was a cartoon on Nickelodeon and it was pretty well received. The animation style is impressive and the story was well above par. Nobles sang, monks smiled and people were happy. Sadly, I was not one of those people. I was in highschool when this cartoon came out and deemed it too "childish" for me. Ironically, I was watching what the kids call anime then so joke's on me. As the years went by and I studied martial arts (hence the name of my blog) I grew to appreciate this kid's show. Recently, I purchased the first "book" and gave it a watch. Now the plot's this: Every blah blah year an avatar is born and masters the four elements; earth, water, air and fire. This avatar apparently brings peace by doing this and then the next avatar is chosen. Aang, an airbending monk is the avatar and must learn the elements before the Fire Nation does...more evil things? I'm not sure.

 

Can't say no to that face though.

Now, I'm going to review the episodes I deemed the best of the season and rate them. Don't get me wrong this is a decent show, but I can't review the whole thing in one go. Let me get you with a synopsis of the story: As said before, Aang, is the avatar. Katara and her brother Sokka find him and they learn that Aang must learn how to bend water. So, they set off to the North Pole to find a master. Hijinks ensue. Now, to the episodes I liked!!


Imprisoned: So, Aang and the gang (yeah, took me like five seconds to come up with that) see a boy practicing Earthbending. They scare him off, but they learn he lives in a village where those pesky Fire dudes are shaking down the villagers for petty cash. The boy, Haru, says that the Fire Nation forbids Earthbending and will arrest anyone who does it. However, an old man get trapped and Haru must use his bending to save him. The Fire army hears of this and arrests him. Katara feels responsible and "earth bends" to get arrested. She finds Haru and other benders on a metal rig in the ocean, and attempts to rally them. They are too discouraged, but eventually they learn they can beat the Fire army. It's a neat episode, once they learn that there is something to bend their hopes are raised and the beat the bully. Oh and George Takei makes an appearance, so this episode's awesome. Oh my... <George Takei voice>

I will be your host. And you will be my guests.

The Storm: A man notices Aang is the avatar and accuses him for not being there when it mattered. Aang runs off and we learn what really happened 100 years ago. Also, we learn why Prince Zuko (the main antagonist) is why the way he is. It's a cool origin story and we see different sides of each character. Aang normally fun and outgoing becomes closed and indifferent. Zuko, cruel and ruthless, starts out as an ambitious young man, only to speak out against his father and end up fighting him. The way this story is told is neat. It gives more humanity to the characters making them easier to relate to.

The King of Omashu: Yeah, it's somewhat out of order, but still. Aang and his friends stop by Omashu, an earthbending city to have fun. Their fun comes to an end when they cause massive damage to some cabbages, but the king decides to do something else. Aang is put through some challenges and ends up dueling the king himself, not knowing that the king is actually a powerful earth bender. In the end, the king actually knows Aang and gives him some helpful advice before he takes on the Fire Lord.

The Siege of the North 1 and 2: The avatar gang finally make it to the North pole. However, it's not what they expected. Katara, a water bender herself, cannot learn alongside with Aang because women are good for healing that's what. The Fire Navy decides to launch an attack on the Northern Water Tribe in hopes of capturing Aang. Aang must stop the Fire dudes, but he hasn't mastered water bending. Oh, Sokka falls in love with the princess of the tribe, but she can't love him back. Then she turns into the moon. Seriously. Aang defeats the Fire Navy and everyone is well.

Flying is the best.

The good:
The majority of it to be honest with you. The art is stunning. The action scenes look good. Some of the fights remind me of a Jackie Chan film, because Aang does some stuff similar to Chan's style. The characters are well written and you feel like you're alongside them and living their adventures. The stories are well thought out and aren't run of the mill. I even like the uses of Chinese martial arts. Yes, each style of bending is based off a style of kung fu. I can even name the styles. Ready? Fire: Shaolin Kung fu (crap, that must mean I'm a fire bender) Water: Tai Chi. Earth: Hung Gar. Air: Bagwa. See? Nailed it. There's even Chinese symbolism and art styles used through out the season. It's a well done series.

The bad:
Unfortunately, kung fu can't make me ignore some flaws. First off, Aang. I get that he's 12 years old and has a lot to learn, but didn't the monks he learned with leave any lessons? Aang likes to have fun, I get it. I'm cool with it. But when he's learning something new, he's too impatient or too busy goofing off. For example, when he's learning water bending at the North Pole, instead of taking it seriously, he uses his newfound powers to turn him self into a snowman. Kid, fun is good for you, but turning yourself into a snow man ain't going to save the world. Other than that, Aang is awesome. Zuko, oh Zuko. Listen to your uncle. After losing so many times, you could learn a thing or two from your uncle, who happens to be a general. Oh, and that means he has more field experience than you. Now for the princess thing. When the water princess is introduced, her father says: "She's 16 and that means she can be engaged." Did that mean like one second later, someone asked to marry her? Poor Sokka goes through hoops but she's all "Boo hoo, I can't like you because I'm marrying random citizen No. 32." Random citizen is introduced and he....I don't know what happens to him. He just kinda stopped showing up. But, don't tell me princess here can be engaged, but whoa! She's totally marrying someone now. That was dumb. Then she turns into the moon. I can't say that enough.

Overall:
Avatar: The Last Airbender is a solid cartoon. Even after all these years, I consider it a titan compared to some other cartoons that have just come out. It's original, funny and serious rolled into one. Personally, I can't wait until I watch season two. I give this cartoon (at least this season)

4.5 staff glider thingys out of 5. 

Did you like this review? Want me to review Book 2: Earth? Let me know! Other than that, I'll keep reviewing movies.   

Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark

Indiana Jones. Professor and archeologist. He's the guy who most archeologists dream of being. I mean, who wouldn't want to fight off bad guys and save the world from destruction? Excitement at every turn, this movie brings back the classic adventure genre. Directed by Steven Spielberg and produced by George Lucas, this movie entertains and keeps you on the edge of your seat. I'm talking about Raiders of the Lost Ark.

The Plot:
The story opens somewhere in South America, where Jones is searching for some relic. He manages to find the location of it and outwits the booby traps in order to get it. However, once he gets the relic, the place comes crashing down on him and he barely escapes. He's then captured by his rival, Belloq, who's convinced the local natives to join forces with him. Jones makes a run for it and flies off to safety. Later, while teaching archeology and basically lying to his class about how archeology is mostly book work and not expect any excitement whatsoever. His friend, Marcus Brody, a museum owner, mentions to Jones that two army specialists wish to speak with him about something. The army specialists and Jones meet, where then the specialists mention that they received a transmission from the Nazis about the Staff of Ra, an artifact that can pinpoint the location of The Ark of the Covenant. Jones agrees to help and sets off to Nepal, where he meets Marion Ravenwood, a former lover, and the owner of the headpiece of the staff. Marion tells Jones to come back, but Nazi forces arrive to get the headpiece themselves. After a gunfight, Marion joins Indiana with the headpiece. They head to Egypt, where the excavation of the Ark is located. Another friend of Indiana, Sallah (jeez, for a guy who says archeology is bookwork, not field work he sure knows a lot of people) mentions that the Nazis are digging in all the wrong places. However, Belloq is leading the dig and is closing in on the Ark's location. Jones and Sallah get the headpiece translated and use the instructions to find the location of the Ark. Indiana digs up the ark, but the Nazis and Belloq find him. They trap him and Marion (who was captured by the Nazis) in the site, but they escape. Jones chases after the Nazis who are transporting it to Germany, and he commandeers the truck and plans to send it back to the U.S. Yet again, the Nazis get the ark back, and yet again, Indiana manages to sneak aboard and try to reclaim it. The Nazis and Belloq attempt to test the Ark on an island before sending it to Germany, but the wrath of God wipes out the Nazis, because you know, Nazis are evil. Jones and Marion survive because the plot demands it. They send the Ark back, but those wiley military guys claim to be "studying" the Ark. The Ark is put in a warehouse, while Indiana and Marion get a drink.

Whew. What a plot.

The Good:
A whole lot actually. The story's pretty well done and the pacing is just right making everything work well together. The action sequences are arguably better than most action flicks made today. There's no cheesy CGI, and I like that. Harrison Ford does a wonderful job playing Indiana, he says some pretty good one liners that are memorable. For example, Jone has a phobia of snakes. When they open the entrance to the Ark's location, the floor is crawling with snakes. Jones says, "Snakes. Why'd it have to be snakes?" Funny stuff. You're rooting for Indiana as he tries to get the Ark out of the wrong hands. And the other characters are well done too. Marion, is a tough yet lovable girl with an attitude. She's not a damsel in distress, she's the damsel helping Indiana when needed. Sallah's hilarious. I'd love to be friends with that guy.

The Bad:
I honestly can't think of much. There's a stupid sub plot where someone attempts to kill Indiana, but naturally, the main character can't die. It's pretty pointless to be honest.

Bonus Round:
Again? Fine, fine. For those who don't know this, C3-PO and R2-D2 make an appearance in this movie. Not in person, because that would make no sense. They're actually in the room where the Ark is.

Oh dear, it seems we're doomed R2.

 Cameos are fun.

Score:
4 rolling boulders out of 5.

Double Fail Feature! The Prisoner and Mr. Nice Guy!

I'll be frank here. Unfortunately, actors do have their fair share of bad movies. Such is the case in this Double Fail feature, starring Jackie Chan. I'm fairly sure I've mentioned that I'm a Jackie Chan fan, and it pains me to watch bad movies with him in it. It's about as bad as watching Tony Jaa succumbing to cheesy green screen fight scenes and simplifying his stunts. (Oh wait. He did that. Damn.) So, let's get on with these movies.

Mr. Nice Guy: Jackie Chan is a famous TV chef living in Australia. He accidentally finds himself caught up in a news reporter's story gone bad. Basically, the reporter (played by Gabrielle Fitzpatrick) manages to get video evidence of two drug gangs and they want it. Jackie constantly fights his way through waves of gang canon fodder and gets the bad guy arrested. That's it. There is literally no story telling whatsoever. Jackie's called "Mr. Nice Guy" once in the entire movie and we see no evidence of him being a nice guy. I mean, he's not kicking puppies or anything, but he just seems like a normal guy. Diana, the reporter is...there. She does get some pretty good video evidence despite the fact she and her camera man where about two stories up in a super dark room though.

The Good:
It's a Jackie Chan movie, so there's bound to be some decent fight sequences. That's about all I can say nice about this movie.

The Bad:
Everything. The acting, the story, even the characters are just dumb. And the gangs...how in the hell do they manage to know where everyone lives? Seriously? Is looking for people that easy to do in Australia? It's just...bad. Even the last scene of the movie is disappointing. It's neat, but it's not how a Jackie Chan movie is supposed to end. Oh, and slow mo...lot's of slow mo.

Overall:
I'm going to be blunt here. Mr. Nice Guy is a bad movie. If you're a fan of this movie, more power to you, but I was disappointed through the entire thing. The only good thing I can say were the fight scenes, and even those got old. A flimsy story with action scenes trying to cover it up is just lazy or bad writing. 

2 out of 5...bad video tapes.

Jackie Chan is the Prisoner:
First off, this is the most misleading title ever. Jackie Chan at best is a secondary character in this movie. The star is actually Andy Lau. Jackie has a few appearances, but they're pretty short and pointless. The story is Lau is an undercover cop who is sent to a prisoner under the suspension something else is going on. He befriends Charlie, a convict who did...I have no idea. But Charlie is the go to guy on info. Then there's Samo Hung. He's a guy who has a family, and he keeps trying to escape to see his only son. He gets away once, then gets sent back to the slammer. Wait, this movie is starting to sound familiar. Oh jeez, this is kind of the plot to Cool Hand Luke. Cool guy? Check. Corrupt guards and warden? Check. All we need is...a girl getting wet from something and the prisoners oogling her. Check. Seriously? You ripped off the plot from Cool Hand Luke? (goes off to rant for a bit) Okay. I'm back. There are a few fight scenes, then the plot decides to steal from another movie. That's right, they're going to kill off Charlie The Longest Yard style. A light bulb bomb. Ugh...this movie is just...okay. I can do this, almost to the end. Turns out the corrupt warden "kills" certain prisoners only to bring them back to do his dirty work in hopes of having a second chance at life. Andy, Chan, and Samo do a assassination job, only to have Chan and Samo killed off. There's another guy but he's not that important. Andy arrests the corrupt warden because....get this, the warden was a drug lord who wanted his partner killed. <sigh>

The Good:
Um, no. There's nothing good about this movie.

The Bad:
Everything. The title is misleading, the story's dumb and the majority of the plot is ripped off from two other movies. I could have watched Cool Hand Luke instead of this! Except for the undercover cop part, the majority of this movie is Cool Hand Luke! As I said before, the title is misleading. Jackie Chan probably gets about 15 minutes total of screen time in this movie. Even the back of the DVD box plot is misleading! The last time I was mislead this bad, I nearly put a hole in my TV. This movie sucks. The fights are not exciting, the characters are something we've seen before, and did I mention the plot is bad?

Overall:
This movie is just one gigantic mess of disappointment. Save yourself some time and just watch Cool Hand Luke instead. It's a much better movie.

Since this movie was so bad, it's not getting a special rating. It's getting a star.
0 Stars out of 5. 

21 Jump Street

I like to think of myself as a man with fine tastes. I drink chardonnay from the early 1800s, whilst listening to Beethoven. I eat only the finest chocolates made in Italy. I drive luxury cars such as Bugatti, Ferrari, and Porsche.  Every now and then, when I'm in the mood, I like to watch stupid comedies. This is one of those movies. Now, those who like this movie, don't get offended. I do like this movie, but in all regards, it's stupid. A stupid comedy. What am I talking about? 21 Jump Street of course.

21 Jump Street used to be a television show starring Johnny Depp and Peter DeLuise. However, this movie does not (well, kinda) star them. Our heroes are Jonah Hill and Channing Tatum. They're cops who aren't the best at their job, so they're sent undercover to bust a drug supplier who's making big waves. The story opens with Schmidt (Hill) a nerd in highschool, trying to ask out one of the popular girls. Greg Jenko (Tatum) teases Schmidt, embarrassing him. 7 years later, they run into each other at the police academy and become fast friends. Schmidt (the brains) helps Jenko (the brawn) and vice versa, thus both graduating police school. They become partners, naively believing being cops will make their lives more exciting. Sadly, this is not the case. They are on patrol and notice an infamous biker gang. In hopes of becoming heroes, they try to arrest said gang, but in the end fail, because Jenko did not read them their Miranda rights. (Which is not true, but hey movie rules.) Due to their lack of arrests, Schmidt and Jenko are sent to the 21 Jump Street undercover division. Their case? Go undercover as students, find the supplier of a new super drug, HFS.  Also, if you get expelled from school, you get kicked out of Jump Street.

Their first day goes smoothingly. Jenko forgetting his undercover identity, thus switching the roles of the two would be cops. Schmidt and Jenko are put out of their comfort zones. Schmidt in drama and track; while Jenko is in AP chemistry and band. They found out a supplier and are asked to take HFS to prove to the supplier, Eric ( an eco friendly popular kid played by Dave Franco) that they aren't cops. Naturally, they have to go through school while high on this drug. Hilarity ensues.

Screw you science!- Censored Jenko

Unfortunately, they aren't moving fast enough. The Captain of Jump Street (played by Ice Cube), warns them the drug needs to be contained before it spreads. However, Schmidt, seems to become friendly with the popular kids, while Jenko becomes closer with the nerds. They decide to get in Eric's (Dave Franco) good graces, so that they can mingle with the other dealers and meet the supplier. They throw a party, and Schmidt manages to impress Eric, while Jenko seems to annoy Eric. As Schmidt gets closer to Eric, Jenko gets pushed away. The friendship is pushed to the limits as Schmidt unknowingly calls Jenko Rain Man, while Jenko is listening to Eric's tapped phone. (It was tapped earlier by Jenko's nerd friends) Jenko, does manage to get a tip that a deal is going down, so Schmidt and him go after it. After a highway chase to outdo any movie car chase, the two get into a fight during a school play, causing them to get expelled. Eric comes by and tells the two guys, that he needs security for a meet with a gang and that the supplier will be there. They prove to Eric that they aren't cops (again), so then they get ready for prom.

I don't remember prom being like this though.

Naturally, their cover is blown and this leads to a limo chase to end all limo chases as far as I'm concerned. They manage to get the bad guy and they read him his MIRANDA RIGHTS, OH MY GOSH GUYS, THEY DID IT. Once they made the arrest, they're hired back at 21 Jump Street and might be going to college?

The Good:
For the most part, it's pretty funny. Yeah, it's not for everybody, but as I said before, this is a stupid comedy. Tatum and Hill work pretty well together too. They're always on beat, making the duo funnier. I kinda like the whole, hippy eco friendly people as the popular kids at the school. It's sort of wrong in a way, but it works. And one of them is a drug dealer? Pretty amusing. The car, oh man. For those who didn't read my review of Man of Tai Chi (check it out!) I kinda have a thing about nice cars. A custom 1973 Camaro. Whew. Lovely car.

The Bad:
Way too much use of CGI guys. The car chases, the gun fights, everything is CGI and you can tell. I know this is a comedy, but it's okay to use real stuff. The famous Wilhelm scream. You know, I'm starting to think that this sound bit is becoming sort of an inside joke in movies now. That sound bit is 50 years old! Use something else!

Overall:
If you have a fine taste in things, such as myself, and are needing a break, might I suggest this movie?
As I said before, it's not for everyone, but does provide some laughs. I have yet to see the sequel, and hopefully it's as good as the first.

I give this movie 3 Miranda Rights out of 5.

Justice! 2012's Dredd

Ahh, Judge Dredd. Jury, executioner, and Judge. A no nonsense guy who will stop at nothing to see justice served the best way as possible. Originally a comic book series, Judge Dredd has gained a cult following over the years. He's been mentioned in other comics, video games and recently Hollywood. In this review, I'm doing the 2012 remake of Dredd, not the 1995 Sylvester Stallone version. First of all, this movie gets right what Stallone's did wrong. This movie doesn't stroke the ego of some lame (personally, I'm not a Stallone fan) action star. It sticks (mostly) to the comic books, though it's a tad bit more serious. The comics are basically political satire, amusing to read, not easily translatable on the silver screen. Let's get to the review!

 

 

Easy there, I'm on your side!

In the future, the world is a nuclear wasteland. Humanity resides in Mega Cities, stretching millions of miles, sheltered from the deadly wastelands. With so many residents, everything is in a Mega something. Mega Blocks (not the toy) Mega Highways, Mega Banks....you get the point. Though this being the future, crime still manages to cling on and ruin everyone's day. In come the Judges, peacekeepers who fight crime and are allowed to give sentences on the spot. For example, you jay walk, a Judge can give you two years in isocubes (aka prison). Enter Judge Dredd. The top Judge. The name itself brings fear to criminals and law abiding citizens alike. He's assigned to assess rookie Judge Cassandra Anderson (played by Olivia Thirlby). Anderson failed the Judge test, but the Chief Judge gives her a second chance due to the fact that Anderson's a mutant with psychic abilities. Dredd (played by Karl Urban) is skeptical, but takes Anderson out on assessment. A triple homicide is called in and the Judges go to Peach Trees apartments (a mega block). Turns out the triple homicide leads to something bigger than they thought and the plot thickens! The Ma-ma clan, run by Ma-Ma, produces a fancy new drug known as Slo-Mo and the killings were a warning to other drug lords. (Slo-mo is a narcotic that makes the brain feel like it's moving at 1%.) Dredd and Anderson raid a drug den, taking one of Ma-Ma's lieutenants in for questioning. Ma-Ma gets word of this and locks down Peach Trees using the security control room. She then announces to Peach Trees that she wants the two Judges dead and no one gets out until it happens. Dredd and Anderson now must fight for their lives in order to escape.

After a series of gunfights, punching, Gatling guns, and incendiary rounds, Anderson gets captured by her prisoner. Dredd understandably gets ticked off and goes after Ma-Ma and her gang. Now, there is a pretty cool twist involving crooked Judges and a fight between good and bad Judges. It's pretty intense. Anderson manages to free herself and meet up with Dredd. Then Dredd and Anderson fight their way to the top of Peach Tress to finish Ma-Ma once and for all.

The Good:
The special effects. This movie keeps it simple with the effects and only uses CGI when it's necessary. The scenes when the Slo-Mo drug is used seems to me that they're enhanced with CGI but, it's not cheesy. Also from what I could tell they were the only scenes with CGI. The story's decent too. The writers kept the story simple and it works. Go in, bust bad guy, stay alive, get out. Seriously, that's the plot in a nutshell. No insane plot twists, one location, and simple character roster. The people you're supposed to care about get screen time and the one's who are nameless and get taken out, well, you don't feel anything. And it works. Karl Urban as Judge Dredd. Move over Stallone, Urban's officially Dredd. He's got the iconic scowl down, the gruffy voice, Urban nails it. Olivia Thirlby does well as Anderson too. She grows as a character though the movie and you witness it. She starts out unsure and somewhat passive, then grows into a fully fledged Judge. In the beginning, when Dredd and Anderson are about to bust the drug den, Dredd comments on her not looking ready. Then, towards the end Dredd mentions that she looks ready when they're about to take out Ma-Ma. Anderson's also not some damsel in distress either. She's a badass girl who takes care of herself and that's nice to see in this day of age.  There isn't a whole lot bad to say about this movie.

The Bad:
Ma-Ma. She's not given a whole lot to work with. I mean, I wouldn't want to be living in the same building as her, she's pretty evil. I just wish she was given more back story. She's pretty much a cliche bad guy. To be fair, on the DVD, there is a comic book thingy that explains how she became who she is, but eh..not a whole lot of people are going to watch that. Lena Headey, who plays Ma-Ma does well for what's she given though.

Overall:
Overall, this movie's pretty darn good. It hits the right spots, and doesn't overdo anything. As said before, this movie keeps it simple. The casting for the Judges was spot on. The effects weren't over the top and made it feel more realistic. Hopefully, there will be a sequel and hopefully, they use the same recipe as before. Keeping it simple.

Bonus Round!
Wait, what? Bonus round? I wasn't notified about this! Anyways, this bonus round goes to the Lawgiver! That's the gun Judges use to dispense baddies and do other crime fighting stuff. The movie made the Lawgiver look utra realistic and something that might be used in the future. Look at this thing:   

   That's awesome. Where can I get one?

Score:
4.5 lawgivers out of 5.

X Men: Days of Future Past

Time travel. The mere mention of spiraling through time and space sends shivers down sci fi lovers and possibly some scientists necks. It's a fairly common theme, I mean look at all the different media that involves time traveling.  The Time Machine, Terminator, Terminator 2, Doctor Who...the list goes on. Well, comic books also involve traveling through time, so Hollywood took one of said comic books and made it into a movie. I'm talking about X Men: Days of Future Past. Now, this particular comic book did come out in the 80s, and there were a few things different from the movie in the comics. However, the plot somewhat remains the same: Giant mutant killing robots are taking over the world and a mutant must go back in time to stop these killing machines before humans and mutants are no more. So turn on your lava lamps and get in your Cadillac, we're going into the...70s!

As mentioned before, Days of Future Past is based off a series of X Men comics in the 80s, but with a few things switched around. First of all, Kitty Pryde (the girl who can run through solid objects) is sent back into the past. In the movie, Wolverine (played by Hugh Jackman) is the lucky guinea pig. The story is this: Sentinels, mutant killing robots, enslave anyone who is either a mutant, human helping mutants, or a potential genetic candidate to have a mutant offspring. Thankfully, John Connor- I mean, the X Men, start up a resistance to put an end to this. Problem is, the Sentinels have a cheat code; they can use mutant powers to fight mutants. This puts the X Men at a disadvantage, obviously. However, Kitty (played by Ellen Page) has a new, unexplained power, and can send people's consciousnesses back through time. Kitty uses said unexplained power and warns Professor X and some other X Men about the Sentinels, so they can come up with a plan. The plan is this: Send someone back through time and stop Mystique (Jennifer Lawrence) from speeding up the Sentinel Program and possibly murdering a scientist, Bolivar Trask. Wolverine is the best candidate and he is sent back into the 70s.

Wolverine must get Prof. X and Magneto to work with each other so they may convince Mystique that killing is kind of a bad thing to do. It won't be easy though, Prof. X has lost his powers and Magneto is well...locked up. Wolverine must convince the former to save the latter and also must give Prof. X his confidence back. There's some neat little cameos and a really cool scene or two, but the movie focuses on Magneto and Prof. X. Wolverine plays a secondary character, but when he's in the spotlight, he does a decent job. Jennifer Lawrence as Mystique does well too, but there a a few minor things that could have been left out. Micheal Fassbender and James McAvoy do show some good chemistry and I daresay they do as well as Patrick Stewart and Ian McKellen together. Hugh Jackman -is- pretty much Wolverine at this point, though he didn't say "Bub." as much. The story's well writtten, however, it would have been interesting if they had followed the comics more closely. We need more well written heroines and an X Men movie with Kitty as the lead could have been different. Hollywood came up with some lame excuses as to why they couldn't have a female lead so, there's that. Then there's Quicksilver. He had the coolest scene in the movie, and he's only in it for 10 minutes. Seriously? And I have no idea how they're going to explain how Quicksilver's in his 20's and not as old as the hills in the new Avengers movie. Anyways, on to the good and bad.

Yeah, I don't trust him either, Blink.

 The Good:
Overall, Days of Future Past is a good movie. The special effects are visually stunning, and the casting was well done. The story is interesting and at times well paced. And some of the mutants, guys. Personally, Blink is my new favorite X Man (X Men?) Why? Freaking portals. There are the classics too, Colossus...that's about it. The casting for the most part is well done. Everyone does a decent job and there are some convincing moments. For example, Prof. X and Magneto have an argument about loss and Magneto nearly crushes the plane they're in from anger and how you should fight instead of giving up. That was really well done. Another is when Wolverine is trying to boost Prof. X's confidence as Prof. X's powers come back. James McAvoy does a well done performance there. The old school Sentinels are pretty badass.  And Quicksilver. He stole the show.

The Bad:
Kitty's new powers. Where did they come from? How does running through solid objects give you mental powers? They never explain this is in the movie. I would have been okay with it if they'd come up with something. But no, we're just stuck with, Kitty can send people back through time, deal with it. Then there's the mutants. Man, they got screwed in this movie. Their powers are so watered down it's pathetic. We have Warhawk, a native American, who's only power is to sense where things are. That's like, seriously racist. Oh, he's good with knives, but that's not a mutant power. In the comics, the dude's 250 pounds of muscle and makes Captain America look like a wimp. Then there's Storm, the woman who's considered a Goddess in the comics, become a useless "I can shoot lightning like Thor." She dies first, (surprise, surprise). Quicksilver seriously needed more screen time. In fact, the whole plot could have been solved faster,  (possibly less messier too) if he had stayed longer. And the mutants from First Class? Screw 'em they're dead. Not a one alive, except Havok. Whoop de doo, he gets 2 minutes and is never heard of again. And Marvel's favorite thing to do in movies is....trust the bad guy who was obviously evil in the first movie, but this time he's changed, only to find out he's still bad. Marvel, I'm obviously to keep giving you my money, but stop this. I already know the bad guy is still bad. Loki is still bad, Magneto is still bad, The Red Skull is still bad, stop! You can't keep doing this and acting like it's a new thing.

Overall:
X Men: Days of Future Past is a good sequel to X Men: First Class. And it's indefinitely better than that train wreck that was X Men 3: Movie that Shall never be Mentioned. And yeah, they hint at it like it's still there, but thankfully the movie erased 50 years of stupid history so it never happened. Anyways, decent movie. I'll keep watching it for the time being. If you're an X Men fan, this is a good film to watch.

Rating:
3.75 lava lamps out of 5. 

Rush Hour...2!

"Get on with force, don't stop til you get enough." -M. Jackson.

These wise words are sung in 2001s Rush Hour 2. The- oh yeah. Hey fellow movie watchers! It's been a long time since I reviewed a movie. There are going to be a few changes to this blog too. First of all, I'll be reviewing movies of all genres now. Now, that doesn't mean I'll stop doing kung fu flicks, just maybe less. Secondly, this blog shall henceforth be renamed The Shaolin Fist of Movie Reviews! And third, I'll be asking my loyal follower(s)? suggestions of movies that they'd like to see reviewed. So, leave a message in the comments! On to the review!

Today, I'll be reviewing the second movie in the Rush Hour movies. Why start with the second, you ask? Why not. Anyways, to the movie! Rush Hour 2 is the sequel to the first where we follow Inspector Lee and Officer Carter in their hijinks in Hong Kong. Lee and Carter are having fun, well, just roaming around Hong Kong doing Lee's police work. The U.S. Embassy in HK is attacked and Lee is called to the case. Carter, who's on vacation, reluctantly joins Lee in the case and they have to stop the Chinese Triad from importing....something. They join forces with a double agent, Isabella Molina to stop the Triad's evil scheme. Fists and feet of fury fly through out the flick! And there's Las Vegas too, so that's cool.

Not pictured: Las Vegas.

So that's the gist of it. Let's get on to the good and the bad parts of the movie.

The Good:
Personally, I like this movie a tad bit more than the first one. There's more action, jokes and more scenery. Chris Tucker does a good job reprising his role as James Carter, as well does Jackie Chan as Lee. The story's not too bad either, though this being a comedy, you can't take it too seriously. The action scenes are pretty well done and you feel pumped when Carter and Lee do their super high five thingy. Isabella's a nice touch to the story as well. She's not a useless female character that the males have to keep saving. She has her useful moments and keeps the boys alive when it's needed.

The Bad:
The bad guys. Bleah. Seriously, does every action movie bad guy have to be so cliche? "I want more money." "I want to sell drugs." "I want to steal diamonds and sell drugs." My goodness, I just want a bad guy in a kung fu movie I can get behind when their motives are more realistic. Or better written. Not to say that Ricky Tan is badly written, it's just that he's so cliche. And the double agent thing. You know, can we trust the agent or are they actually a bad guy too? Every time it's the same. The agent is protecting the others and trying not to blow their cover at the same time. And there's Carter. While Chris Tucker is slightly funny, Carter is a bit too sex maniac at times. It gets old when he's hitting on everything in sight, including walls. Then there's the slightly racist jokes. Sure, it's funny maybe once or twice, but telling the same joke over and over loses it's panache. 

Over all:
Rush Hour 2 is a fun movie to watch when there's nothing better to watch. It's still somewhat amusing after all these years. (Man, I can't believe this movie's 14 years old.) Chan and Tucker perform well, and I daresay that this is one of the few sequels better than the first movie. So, if you're in a mood for kung fu and comedy, pop in Rush Hour 2. You might enjoy it.

Rating:
3.5 Micheal Jackson songs out of 5.