Movie Review: Deep Blue Sea (1999)

There are many types of horror movies. People watch suspense and thriller movies for atmosphere and buildup, so when the scares happen, they are effective. Slasher movies are used to see not only a darker side of humanity, but can also be seen as a creative ways people can die. There is one sub genre that almost happened on accident, Shark Horror films. Horror films where the monsters in question are sharks.

Jaws wasn’t the first shark horror film, but it was the first one to do it right and be great. Ever since then, we haven’t had a shark movie be nearly successful or the same quality. We have sharks being pulled into Land by tornadoes, ghost sharks, shark octopus hybrid, and that has only come out in the last 10 years. Imagine how many of these movies came out since the 1970. There are so many of these, the Cinemassacre did a list of the top 50 worst shark films list last year… And we have more Shark movies coming out this year or came out this year. That is why I am reviewing a 9 year old movie, Deep Blue Sea. A movie about scientist experimenting on Great White Sharks to find a cure for Alzheimer's Disease in an underwater laboratory and things go wrong. A bad idea? Duh...

With the sequel being released to DVD this year (seriously? 9 years later?) It gave me an idea to look back at the original and find out what went wrong and why it is a horror movie that is unintentionally hilarious being a film that got a major theatrical release and a 60 million dollar budget.

Warning: The movie is rated R for blood and language

Pros: The film has a surprisingly good cast of actors that includes Samuel L. Jackson, Stellan Skarsgard, LL Cool J, and Thomas Jane. Marvel fans will recognize at least two of these names. With what they were given they do a pretty good job creating the characters. You know who they are and are quickly able to recognize each stereotype. This is suppose to be my positive section, isn’t it? The practical effects are also pretty good for a 1999 release. When they use the puppet sharks, they look and feel like real sharks. Even when they use practical effects for blood, it looks like blood and is effective at creating tension. It makes use of camera angles and does it’s best to try to scare you.

Cons: The premise alone proves how much of a bad decision these scientist make in this movie. A lot of the atmosphere actually feels familiar. They tried to cross Alien and Jaws into one movie and the result is neither scary or thrilling. While the actors do their best, the script is not good. It is full of either forced exposition, one liners, and awkward dialogue. The actual death scenes are actually really funny. There is not enough tension to build up to the deaths and when they happen, it switches to CGI that has aged even worse that films that came even 5-10 years before this movie. Not only that but they are shot and done in such a rookie way, it feels like a B-Movie whenever a character dies. There are so many leaps in logic it is actually not surprising that the people others make fun of in this movie are the ones that survive and a character you think makes it, doesn’t. It is always either a surprise death (which isn’t scary) or deaths caused by bad decisions (which is comical). Since every character is a stereotype, it is hard to really care about them. We have the scientists, the engineer, the shark specialist on probation (no one explains his criminal record), the millionaire, and the cook. Those are the major characters. The soundtrack is as generic as you can get. Instead of being unique, it just borrows ideas from Alien, Jaws, and even a little bit of Terminator’s soundtracks.

Final Verdict: Despite how stupid this movie is and how often I found myself laughing at this movie, I kind of recommend it. Instead of Jaws meets Alien, we got Jaws 3 meets Jason X… and it is hysterical. No matter how much the actors tried and how much of a budget went into this, it could not save the concept or the aged CGI. It is the kind of bad movie that has even logic to be smart to its audience and not offend them, but not smart enough to be considered good or original. If you are a shark fan and favor something smarter than Sharknado, but not as smart as Jaws, check this out. Also, one spoiler: The Black Guy survives! How crazy is that?

Top 5 Favorite Films of 2017

2017 was a bit of a crazy year. Some worldwide craziness mixed with some personal craziness. I haven’t posted much because of all that has happened, but I can say one good thing about last year; We got some great movies!

Usually I share my favorite and least favorite films of the year, but I didn’t see a film I disliked this year. I missed some and ignored other that could have potentially put a bad taste in my mouth. While I don’t have much to look forward to in terms of films in 2018, I’m starting the year on a positive note and share with everyone my top 5 favorite films of 2017. If there is a movie you think should be on this list, I either didn’t see it or I don’t agree with you. Let’s get started!

#5- Star Wars: The Last Jedi-

It may be an imperfect film (like all the Star Wars movies), but it was entertaining and had elements for both adults and children. I enjoyed the deeper look into Kylo Ren and Rei as characters and the resolve with previous characters was also satisfying. It left me satisfied until Episode IX comes out. I was nervous about it after Rogue One (that movie sucks), but The Last Jedi was a step in the right direction and it is my hope that the main storyline ends on a high note and the expanded universe films just end in general.

#4- It-

Yup, I am putting a Horror movie in my top 5. I don’t care if someone gets offended. My biggest issue with most horror movies is the amount of tension; they either have too much or not enough. It has that balance. It had enough tension to keep the scary moments consistent and enough moments of breathing for those scary moments to have the same impact every single time. After the mini series of 1990 for TV, this was a great return to form for Stephen King’s iconic story by focusing on only one element with a sequel coming in 2019… Just please don’t have the same ending. Giant Spiders are not as scary as demon clowns!

#3 Beauty and the Beast-

This caught me off guard… I haven’t like a lot of Disney’s live action films, so a remake of Beauty and the Beast had me sceptical until the day came my wife and I went to see it. From the very beginning I enjoyed it, but found myself loving it more and more as I watched it. It pays homage to the original animated film and adds new elements to not only make it feel fresh again, but also expands the lore and made me love both versions equally. With all other announcements from Disney, it will be awhile until another good Disney Live Action film is released… Seriously? Why Lion King? Is CGI Action a thing yet, but that is what it is going to be. Whatever, at least I have this version to watch and enjoy again and again.

#2- Wonder Woman-

I must confess that I liked both Batman V. Superman and Suicide Squad, even with all the flaws. I’m a DC fanboy, I fully admit it. However, Wonder Woman felt like an apology for how those films turned out. While I haven’t seen Justice League, I have hope that Warner Bros. will let DC comics do there part to tell good stories and have strong action. I loved every moment of Wonder Woman, because it captures the best elements of DC. These heroes don’t fight because they have to, they do it because they want to. They don’t care about personal recognition or fame, they do it because it is the right thing to do. Marvel has mortals being among gods. DC is gods among men. They need to take every note from Wonder Woman and use its structure to make all future films without building up to future films and be there own strong movies. Only one other film has stood stronger for me this year.

#1- Logan-

I did a Facebook Live video about this one, but I was half asleep, mumbling, and just not professional. Logan is my favorite film of the year and my favorite comic book movie for two reasons. 1. This is the best representation of the character in his old age and Hugh Jackman nailed it like he always did. 2. This was a farewell movie to all the old cast of X-Men and I could not be happier about it. I grew up with all the X-Men movies. I even found something to enjoy about the bad ones. After Days of Future Past, I did not expect something better to come from this franchise and then Logan comes along and blows it out of the water in all the best ways. I don’t care that it is an R rated movie. It did everything right in terms of an X-Men movie and I have a heartfelt “Thank You” to Hugh Jackman for bringing this character to the big screen. I know he would likely never read this (I’m just some random guy with a blog), but I have a message for him, and all the original cast of X-Men and everyone involved. The X-Men movies are the only films that strengthened my childhood. Now that I am an adult, these movies have grown up with me. Logan is that final farewell to my childhood and embrace my adulthood. That is what Logan means to me. See it whenever you get the chance, whether edited on TV or on DVD/Blu-Ray. It will not disappoint.

That ended on a somber note! So what were some of your favorite films of 2017. Let me know in the comments or on social media. Here's to 2018 having lackluster movies, great albums coming out, and some long awaited video games finally hitting shelves

Anime Review: Berserk (2016)

I like older anime compared to modern anime. Not that the new stuff is bad (some of it is really good), but the series and movies from the 90s and early 2000s have always stood out to me since that was what I grew up watching. I would sit down and watch Toonami after a day at school and watch series like Dragon Ball Z, Tenchi, Outlaw Star, and even stay up late and watch Trigun and Cowboy Bebop on Adult Swim. You know, a time before you could stream whatever anime you want and before Crunchyroll, Netflix, YouTube, and Hulu. It was that mentality that got me curious to see 1997’s Berserk and I loved it.

However, I have decided to not talk about that for two reasons. One, I encourage you to watch it and form your own opinion without my input. Two, Bennett the Sage has already talked about it and he does a great job sharing what is good about it. Here is the Link- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tO5bXW1tfhE . Which is why I chose to talk about the sequel that came out in 2016… Almost 20 years after the original series.

Berserk didn’t gain a big following when it originally came out, but then it developed a cult following years later, so Universal and Funimation decided to team up and localize a trilogy of films to abridge the original series (don’t bother, they suck), and release a new series and continue the story where the original ended and pick up on where the manga continued (and still continues to this day).

The new series had potential to be one of the best anime for the modern era… Instead… Let me explain. Also, I am focusing on the English Dub, so this is based on season 1 and I know future seasons are in the plans to come out.

Pros- It has some of the best voice acting I have heard. The cast does a great job portraying the characters and they fit better than I could have possibly imagined. I found myself caring about the characters, like I did when reading the manga. That is the best thing about this anime. It has one of my favorite opening credit scenes in anime right now. It pumps you up for what you are about to see and gives you a brief history of past events, so you have an understanding of the weight the main character is going through. I need to talk about the main character, Guts. This is one of the manliest characters in anime history. His appearance is very masculine, and he wields a sword that is as big as he is and it’s very size makes people fear him. He is the best part about this story in every format you are able to see it in.

Cons- The animation is inconsistent. They switch between hand drawn animation and CGI, and while CGI does not bother me in anime, but when it switches between the two at random moments in time (sometimes the characters are just talking and they use CGI and some of the action is done in hand drawn animation) it can cause visual whiplash and confusion. Note this any creator of media: PICK A VISUAL STYLE AND STICK WITH IT. They also tried using the same art style as the manga and while that itself is not a bad thing, the chibi and sometimes cartoonish look of only two characters can really be distracting, because it is only the two characters that make such faces. The pacing is all over the place. They explain what doesn’t need to be explained and leave out details that should be in the story. Also, I need to mention one more thing that hurts the experience. The manga has a lot of nudity (Game of Thrones levels) and the anime decides instead of allowing the R rating to happen to make all the character look like Barbie Dolls when naked. No reproductive organs or nipples are present. I know someone may think, “That can’t be so bad.” The anime takes place in a dark and very serious world and at moments that should be emotional and engaging, all you can think is, “where are her nipples?” The manga has it, the original series was able to avoid it, but if you are going to have explicit content, MAKE IT EXPLICIT CONTENT!

Final Verdict- This was the first time I was truly disappointed in an anime. While the action scenes are fun and the characters are enjoyable in some cases (always when it comes to Guts), I can’t help but feel like all the problems are distracting from the good to stop you from truly enjoying it. So in conclusion, Watch the 1997 original, read the manga, if sex and violence don’t bother you (seriously, Game of Thrones levels of sex and violence), and ignore all modern iterations of this incredible story.

Anime Review: Those Who Hunt Elves

Comedy is a tricky thing. People have different perspectives on what is funny, the genre itself is hard to judge or rate. You may find the dialogue of Monty Python funny, but the slapstick immature. You may even enjoy the immaturity and unscripted nature of Jackass, or find it to be unfunny and juvenile. Now, imagine the struggle with Comedy Anime. Not only is it a cultural separation, but it is also harder to catch the concept of humor. What is funny in Japan is not funny in America for the most part. Anime like Love Hina and Girl’s Bravo are just not funny in English, because it doesn’t translate well. Not to say Anime can’t be funny when they come into the States. Excel Saga, Dragon Ball, and even Pokemon had great moments in Comedy that are well remembered and people still laugh at them. Which brings us to what may be one of the funniest Anime I have seen, Those Who Hunt Elves. Last time, we went to 2007 for an anime, this time we are going back to 1997; 20 years ago. This came out at a time, we got so much anime, a bunch was overlooked. This is one of the overlooked anime, and it had 2 seasons.

If you are not familiar with this, the title may confuse you. Those Who Hunt Elves is not about people who kill Elves in a fantasy world; it is about people who strip the clothes off female elves. Let me explain. The story is, a group of three people from Japan get pulled into a Fantasy world and an elf tries to use a spell to send them back, something goes wrong and the spell leaves the book and implants itself as fragments onto different female elves around the world. So, they three characters, the elf that attempted the spell in the first place, and a tank that is later possessed by the spirit of a cat (you did not read that wrong) go out into the world in search of the spell fragments and get the title, Those Who Hunt Elves, from the citizens.

I actually found this anime as a young teenager. A friend of mine had episodes 5-8 on VHS tapes in the original Japanese audio, and we both laughed at it every time we watched it, without knowing everything that was going on. Fast forward to the present day and I find it not only on a reliable streaming source, but in the English Dub. So, after over ten years of wondering if it really was as funny as I remembered, I rewatched it and was not disappointed.

Pros- The characters are all unique; we have the Elf, the Muscle Head man, the actress, and the female weapons expert. With a small cast, it is do-able and their individual relationships are also done really well. The humor translates really well and even manages to be funny in both the Japanese Audio and the English Dub. I laughed during both of them. That is a pretty rare thing, so I can recommend both forms of audio. The episode specific characters are also interesting and there is still a level of investment even when we see them in one episode. With the concept, this could have easily been an R rated, fan service show, but it is actually very tame in comparison to others. We don’t see any full nudity and even when the elves are naked, we don’t see anything provocative or sleazy. It comes off as funny; the way it was intended to be. You would also think the main characters are also not likeable due to what they do, but actually the opposite happens. They not only make it clear that they don’t enjoy it, but they do good in areas of the world when they see a dilemma. They do the right thing before rushing to strip the clothes off of elves. Sometimes an elf does it voluntarily because of how they helped out. You want to see the characters succeed and get back to Japan with how they talk about it. The ending to the first season will make you laugh out loud. The humor is well set up and works in all languages. Physical humor is well done with the concept and it has some great laugh out loud moments.

Cons- The animation has not aged it. You can tell it was made on a budget, and while it’s not as bad as others, it definitely looks like a 90s anime. Same thing with the voice acting. Since it is a low budget anime, it was localizing was done in the early days of ADV, so we got no name voice actors and people who were new to voice acting at the time. It’s not incompetent nor is it as bad as other voice acting from the 90s, but it is another element that shows it's age. While Season 1 had a funny and well done ending, season 2 feels kind of abrupt and sudden. It isn’t as well set up and it left a little to be desired. As far as I know, we did not get a 3rd season, so this was the ending we got. It was still funny, but not as fulfilling as a series finale should have been. For anyone that is looking for a fun opening or closing, you are not going to find it in this anime. They are not interesting or grab your attention as well as other do, but it is just a nitpick. If you don’t care about that, then it won’t bother you.

Final Thoughts- If you find older anime to be a bit more your taste, compared to newer anime, this is one I recommend. It is funny in all the right areas, and it handles the concept in the best way, by being more funny and less sexy. This could have been bad, but it is fun to watch and a joy from start to finish. If you are picky about English Dubs, watch it with the Japanese Audio and the subtitles on. If not, you can find joy in watching either version.

Anime Review: Romeo X Juliet

Anime is tricky. Not only does the medium have a long history, but it's own variety of genres. With all that is available (and missing out on October for personal reasons) I have decided to turn the month of November into Otaku Month. I will be looking at anime from different decades and a movie before the month is over. Now to start with an anime from the year 2007, Romeo x Juliet.

This is an interesting anime, because it isn't from a Japanese story, but is an adaptation of Shakespeare's tragety, Romeo and Juliet. Unlike other adaptations that use all the dialogue from the famous play, this anime creates it's own world and takes an original approach to the story.

Pros- It borrows elements from other of Shakespeare's plays to create something not only unique, but also familiar. It creates a world with a great flow and elements that are helpful in making this version feel fresh and original. The action and animation is well done. It feels more western than a typical anime and even the opening song is a Japanese cover of "You Raise Me Up" made famous by Josh Groban. Believe it or not, it fits well and establishes the mood of the anime. Most of the characters are well written and even William Shakespeare has a character in the series and he is more than a fun Easter egg. He is a key character and plays a big role towards the end of the series. They do make Romeo and Juliet individual characters and even show more development as a couple, while also making them older than in the original play to add a level of believability to the world. Instead of it taking place in a typical European country, the creators instead go in a different direction and create Fantasy world with dragon horses and a structure that plays a large role by the end of it all. If you have seen or read the original play in one way or another, you know how it ends, but it is done in a way that is refreshing and you feel satisfied by it. Resolves are made and nothing is ignored. Funimation provides the localization and English Dub for the anime and they go in the poetic route to feel more like one of Shakespeare's plays. It is refreshing, because it is kind of a rare thing for an anime dub to be like that.

Cons- Romeo's father is the only character that is not well done in the localization. He is a villain with a rather weak motivation for his actions and by the end, he comes off as more of a bad joke when the real threat arrives at the end of it. While the Dub is beautiful at times, it can also feel awkward at times... Like a Shakespeare play (he wasn't perfect. Accept that). Also, not every character is well cast in the dub either. Some voices are odd with some of the minor characters in a couple episodes. It's not awful, but it can be distracting.

Final Verdict- Despite the flaws it has, I do recommend it for anyone new to Anime. It has enough Western elements to feel familiar and is a great overall story. I do recommend the dub, since it fits the world better, but you can really go either way. It is a good adaptation and it had my attention for all 24 episodes. Check it out if you are a fan of Shakespeare's work, or just want a good story to enjoy.

Movie Review: Ed Edd n' Eddy's Big Picture Show

One of the silliest arguments I have seen is animation versus live action. Both have pros and cons by themselves, but the way I see it, it all depends on genre. Both can be strong in storytelling and visuals, but Life Action can give a feeling of reality and Animation can throw reality out the window and make the visuals not only crazy, but also illogical. You will see someone running through a wall in a cartoon and find it funny, but it doesn't have the same effect in Live Action. All it does is raise eyebrows and question it. Physical humor can be more extreme in animation and can be even more dramatic and even more comical. That is where one of my favorite cartoons, Ed Edd n' Eddy, stands out the most. The physical humor not only is crazy and illogical (some of what these kids go through would be deadly in real life), but it also features fun characters and humor that is more than just physical, so it can be enjoyed for anyone looking for a laugh.

The show stayed around TV from 1999 to the movie that ended the series in 2009. A movie that aired on TV before it's DVD release, but it can be found on YouTube since the show is over and the creator doesn't seem to care too much. I decided to take some time to talk about the movie because after how serious my last movie was, I needed a good laugh.

Pros- The setup is simple and quickly explains what is going on early in the movie. The Eds try to scam the other children of the cul-de-sac again and it goes so wrong they end up running for their lives away from the cul-de-sac and seek out Eddy's brother for help while the other children go after them. It doesn't tell this to use, it actually starts by showing us the after effect of what happened. Starting it with enough tension to grab your attention, but not enough to break from the humor and make it feel like whiplash. The voice cast of the show is in the movie and all the major characters are present, so we get to see everyone and even see the character flaws and make them feel like people. That is pretty hard for some animated shows. We also finally get a pay off from what was the biggest build up of the show; we meet Eddy's Brother. The result is a pay off that ends on a high note; resolves are made, lessons are learned, and it ends with full acceptance. The animation is flawless for this movie. The characters move like they should and the slapstick is top notch. I find myself laughing at it every time someone runs into something or they get hit. Also, the dialogue is also funny. Ed has some of the funniest lines with what is going on. He is just as random and creative as he is in the show. Keep in mind, these are kids, not adults, and the movie makes sure you know this. Ed and Eddy have their immature fun while traveling and even roping Edd like in the show and the interactions are fun and they end up bonding even more so after the movie is over. References and even breaks in the forth wall are present throughout, but not enough to be distracting or annoying. It is well timed to make everything work and fit.

Cons- The only real issue with the film is how much of a coincidence everything feels in terms of story telling. They just run into things and get lucky. If they ever show them as adults in Vegas, they would drain the city dry with how lucky they are. That isn't the focus and it isn't a distraction upon first view, but later watches it is more obvious. If you don't like the show's humor and animation, this movie isn't for you. It doesn't offer a lot of differences from the show when it comes to humor, so it is hard to recommend to people to don't like the show.

Final Thoughts- If you love the show, you will love the movie. If you don't, this isn't for you. If you have never seen the show (where were you for 10 years?), I would say to watch some of the show to understand the characters, then watch the movie. I love it, but I also love the show. It aimed for it's audience and hit a bull's eye.

(photo taken from IMDB)

Movie Review: Death Note (2017)

Something people have been forgetting recently is that there is a difference between White Washing in movies, and Cultural Adaptation. White Washing is casting a white actor to play a character of another race (Breakfast at Tiffany's and The Last Airbender are the best example of that), while Cultural Adaptation is rewriting a story to aim at an audience and look at the source in the eyes of a culture that does is not in the source material. Magnificent Seven from 1960 is a Westernized remake of 1957's Seven Samurai, a Japanese movie, and Throne of Blood from 1957 is a Japanese adaptation of Shakespeare's Macbeth, and it is my favorite version of the play.
Why do I explain this? Because when Netflix picked up the contract to make a Westernized Adaptation of Death Note, the anime community got their panties in a bunch and claimed White Washing and it isn't. Instead of taken place in Japan, like the manga/anime, this adaptation takes place in Seattle, Washington and they had to do some rewrites to both story and characters to fit the movie format. If they didn't, it would have been a rushed and poorly plotted mess, like the Japanese Death Note movie... YOU KNOW I'M RIGHT!!!

As a fan of the anime, I would be willing to nitpick and tear it apart for being so different from the source material, but I took some time to think about it and watch it a second time to put the bias aside and look at it for what it is.

Minor Spoiler Warning.

Warning: I'm breaking my "No rated R" rule to review this movie, because it needs to be talked about. The movie contains foul language and gore. Treat it like the source material and it is only for Mature Audience.

The Pros- It is actually well acted. I'm serious. The actors fit all the written characters for the movie and do the best they can with the script given to them. The best actors are Nat Wolff as Light Turner (not Light Yagami) and William Dafoe as Ryuk. Both of which steal the scenes they are in and when they interact, it is fantastic. I know one thing people will complain is the change in characters, I will argue that the way they are written fits this format and it works with what the movie is trying to do. It gives us a 'What If' scenerio. Light isn't someone sick of the world as an outsider, he's a victim of the world he lives in and wants to change it. Simple as that. Also, they cut out most of the characters in the manga/anime for a smaller cast and that is the best thing they could do with a movie format. It gives more focus to the characters we got. Director Adam Wingard's touch also helps in adding tension to the film. His camera work and the scenes he uses work well and it helps you feel what you need to in scenes. Ryuk's introduction is terrifying, and the realization of it all being real is also well fitting for the right emotion. That is how it's supposed to work. The character chemistry between Light and his Father is a focus of the movie and it does work out well. You see how the relationship works in the early scenes and the interactions between them are always good.

The Cons- This film's plot is not well paced. Not as bad as Batman V. Superman, but still at a point where it can be confusing. I'm going to go ahead and say that right now. Relationships are rushed for the sake of the tense sense. It becomes more clear in the second half of the movie and if you watch it, you will understand. Some moments of facts are ignored for the sake of the plot (Kira does not translate to Light in Russian or Celtic, I checked, movie!). The film also has too much tension. A good Horror/Thriller movie gives us pockets to breathe and relax a moment before the tense scenes happen. This movie is tense from start to finish. Do not watch this before going to bed, you will not sleep well (I speak from experience). When I first watched this movie, I felt almost out of breath. While the actors are all good, not all the written dialogue is. It's not laughably bad, like Dragonball Evolution, it's mostly just a 'huh' moment. The one character that suffered from westernizing is L. He is the same character we love in the first half, but the second half he falls apart and no longer feels like the genius detective. It does fit the story and what he ends up going through, but it feels kind of cheaply put in to just have a chase scene between Light and L.

Final Thoughts- Looking at it based on the source material (like the anime community) it's awful, but from the perspective of it being it's own movie, I kind of liked it. I have struggled between those two sides all weekend to come up with a clear thoughts towards the movie. It isn't something special or will last forever, but it is entertaining. If you are curious, go ahead and see it. If you have never seen the anime, you may find yourself enjoying it. If you are a fan of the anime, remember this is a Westernized Adaptation and they had to change A LOT to fit the format. At least, I liked it more than the Japanese Live Action movie... And I look forward to pissing off more of the anime community in the future.