Stuff So Good 2013-1

I have not done Good Stuff in a while but I was going thru' some of my old files and found some images that made me laugh.

Hopefully, they will also bring a smile to your face =)

 

Movie Review - Dredd

Movie Title

Dredd

Year

2012

Genre

Action, Sci-Fi

Story

A new motion picture based on the British comic book 2000 AD’s bad@$$ Judge Dredd  (Karl Urban). This action-packed roller coaster ride (it’s a wild ride where the insanity doesn’t let up) takes place in a futuristic world where most of the Earth has been destroyed by a Third World War and national boundaries no longer exist and people all live in giant sized cities where criminals run rampant on the chaotic streets until Judges show up. Judge Dredd happens to be the meanest & baddest law-enforcement officer of Mega-City One.

 

In Mega-City One, a reality-altering drug called Slo-Mo has become an epidemic that’s slowly destroying the city. Judge Dredd, along with Trainee Psi-Judge Anderson (Olivia Thirlby), had been assigned to look into a multiple homicide in one of the city’s 3km high towers. The very tower where Slo-Mo head honcho, the sadistic Ma-Ma (Lena Headey, from Game of Thrones) had set-up her highly fortified HQ.

When Ma-Ma finds out that a Judge in within her tower, she commandeers a lock-down where all her minions (numbering in thousands) within the 3km high tower, start their hunt for the 2 Judges – Dredd & Anderson. 

Audiences really start to root for our 2 heroes and see how they get to survive the murderous onslaught!

Acting

At no point in the movie does Dredd remove his helmet. So we never get to see Karl Urban's face other than the dreaded (heh-heh) grimace. So despite not having the need to show any emotion other than that, it doesn't take away the enjoyment.

I have not seen Olivia Thirlby before this movie but she seems pretty capable in showing the tension of inexperience while trying to impress her supervisor, Dredd. 

Meanwhile, Lean Headey seems pretty menacing but somehow, I wasn't quite convinced as many of her minions could very well take her place as the villain.

Overall

Much better than the dismal Judge Dredd by Sylvester Stallone from 1995. This was very successful in portraying the no-nonsense Judge we all know and love. Plus, fans get introduced to Judge Anderson.

 

Despite the extreme violence, I rather enjoyed it (not for the violence but for the movie as a whole). I am hoping that the success of this one would lead to a sequel where we get to see Dredd's  arch-foe: Judge Death and the Dark Judges. Now that is a movie I (and I'm sure many other fan-boys) would LOVE to see.

Rating: 6.5/10

Movie Review - Seeking a Friend For the End of the World

Movie Title
Seeking a Friend for the End of the World
Year
2012
Genre
Drama

Story

In a possible alternate future, a 70-mile-wide asteroid named "Matilda" is on a collision course with Earth. With just 21 days more before the END (of the world!), the movie explores what people will do when humanity's last days are at hand and focuses specifically on the journeys of the 2 protagonists – neighbors Dodge (Steve Carell) and Penny (Keira Knightley) who are hoping to spend their final days connecting with their respective long lost love and family members.

Acting

I wasn’t expecting to see Steve Carell in a movie that isn’t a comedy. So it made me feel a little uncomfortable seeing him in this role which was pretty melancholic to the point of depressing. With that being said, I’m not putting down his acting skills. 

From this movie, we can see that he can be equally comfortable in doing comedies as well as dramas unlike Jim Carrey, when he was doing Truman, you couldn’t really take him seriously because he had that constant smirk in his face. 

For me, Keira was kind of out of place and their “chemistry”, if you could call it that, didn’t quite work. Her role could have easily been replace by almost any other actress out there.

Overall

I wasn’t expecting this to be a drama as I had thought this to be a comedy the moment I saw that Steve Carell was in it. And the movie was trying to evoke a certain emotional connection with viewers and the pace & tone it was in were to me, a little uneven as there were segments of the movie I really wanted to press fast forward.

Sadly, for me, this is a movie that I do not foresee myself watching again any time soon.

The movie has a fabulous soundtrack. I rarely stay to watch the credits unless I know that there’s something to see either in the credits (like the Jackie Chan out-takes) or at the end of it (like the Marvel Superhero movies). However, in this case, there were nothing else in the credits except for the great song playing which I thought was not only beautiful but very appropriate for the feeling the end of the movie had evoked from the viewers.

Rating: 5.5/10

Movie Review - TED

Movie Title

TED

Year

2012

Genre

Comedy

Socially awkward from young John Bennett (Mark Wahlberg) wished that his teddy bear named,...Ted (voiced by Family Guy creator Seth MacFarlane) would come alive and be his best friend – AND IT DID! 

Now, as an adult, he needs to decide whether his priority lies with his magic teddy bear or the realities of adult life, especially if you have a relationship with a drop-dead gorgeous girlfriend Lori Collins (Mila Kunis) who’s ready to take the 4-year relationship to the next level. And that’s basically the premise of the entire movie – to see how or if John manages to grow up.

Acting

Well, first of all it's a comedy, and with Mark Wahlberg & Mila Kunis (not forgetting Seth MacFarlane). None of whom are known for producing any fancy award winning work like the SAG or Oscars. With that being said, it's very suitable for this genre of movies. At no point in the movie did I feel that their work was annoying or took away any of my enjoyment from it.

Overall

Most of the comedy comes from situations arising from the crude, immature and extremely inappropriate teddy bear and his habits. And if you’re familiar with Seth MacFarlane’s Family Guy, you’d know what flavor of comedy to expect.

I really enjoyed this movie and the references to the 80's like John & Ted's childish idolization of Flash Gordon was really something that many of us from that era may be able to relate to and funny. The Thunder Song was also something that we can all relate to because deep down in each of us, there is still a kid with all of our quirky bits and phobias, etc. Nice touch there.

Go and watch it. I am certain you'd get a few good laughs from it. However, a word of caution, this is strictly NOT FOR KIDS! There's lots of cursing and situations that are,...inappropriate for kids. And if you grew up in the 80s, you'd get a few extra laughs and moments that bring back memories.

Rating: 6.5/10