by rodvanblake | Jul 24, 2017 | Blog, Character Journey, movie review, Storyline
War of the Planet of the Apes heralds the return of Caesar. Everyone’s favorite accidental genius chimpanzee from the new Planet of the Apes trilogy is back. As trilogies go this is a good one. Most trilogies have a good to great first film only to trend downwards into the third. Thankfully this one has a steady quality throughout the three films. At least that’s my humble opinion. Then again I like action science fiction movies as I have been enthralled the genre and even published my very own science fiction novel as a result. Are there plot holes? Senseless ploys for cheap attempts at emotional connection? Absolutely but I believe if you are a fan of the first two films, you will like this one as well. If you have not seen the first two films, stop what you’re doin cause I’m about to ruin…never mind go see the first two before this one for continuity and better enjoyment. Seriously book mark this review rent the first two digitally and go see Rise of the Planet of the Apes and Dawn before heading into to see their conclusion with this film. Then come back to finish this review to see if you agree with my analysis. Now for the rest of you that have seen the first two films you already know how Caesar came to be the intelligent leader of the apes in Rise, then the problems that came with his right hand ape Koba who could not forgive humans for the atrocities committed...
by rodvanblake | May 10, 2017 | Blog, Character Journey, movie review, Storyline
It seems that Marvel/Disney has achieved what for many motion pictures is a nearly impossible feat in that the second Guardians of the galaxy movie is as good and possibly better than the first! Now in my humble opinion Volume 2 does not surpass the first film but comes very close. I have seen a lot of reviews saying it was better and while I feel it was a bit more substantive as far as emotional content, it falls just shy of the mark that film hit for me. I am also honest enough to admit that could possibly be due to the attachment I have with our first cinematic introduction to Peter Quill and his band of intergalactic misfits. First of if you’re not a comic book fan and have not seen the first film, stop what you’re doing, bookmark this blog, rent or buy Guardians of the Galaxy then go see Vol. 2 if you have not done so already! These are easily two of Marvel’s best efforts to date that have everything even if you’re not into super hero, action, or sci-fi films. These two films have a lot more to offer than awesome space battles and intense action which are two of my favorite things personally but they’re combined with comedy that’s not forced and emotional weight that makes it all easy to relate to despite the fantastical veneer. In this second installment we are reintroduced to Peter Quill(Starlord), Gamora, Drax, Rocket Raccoon and Groot now in adorable baby form...
by rodvanblake | Apr 12, 2017 | Blog, Character Journey, movie review, Storyline
It took me a couple weeks but I was finally able to check this film out despite the angst and vitriol spewed at it in the wake of Scarlett Johansen being cast as the Major. I liked the original anime released back in 1995 directed by Mamoru Oshii based on the manga series written and illustrated by Masamune Shirow, neither of which had a problem with the casting by the way. If you’re unfamiliar this story follows the exploits of a leader of an elite team called section 9 who is basically a brain housed inside of a fully synthetic android body. I believe the brain, or “ghost” of the woman who is in the body is definitely Japanese, but the body can be modeled after what ever race you want. Also interesting to add that many anime characters often have European features but the Japanese still consider them as Japanese or Nihonjin in their eyes. Most of the uproar occurred here in the U.S. where it’s at approximately 31 million in revenue yet 96 million worldwide and doing well in Japan. Go figure. That’s not to say I think whitewashing doesn’t happen because I know it does. I just don’t think that was the case with this film. Getting back to the plot the Major in the anime and loosely in this film is always questioning her existence and searching for a past she only vaguely gets bits and pieces of through flashbacks they call glitches. The film is visually stunning with plenty of CGI but not so much that it gets overwhelming. Where it...
by rodvanblake | Apr 12, 2017 | Blog, movie review, Storyline
I wasn’t quite sure how this was going to go given how many times the source material has been used over the years. Needless to say I was pleasantly surprised with both the execution and the prospect of expansion they teased with the end credit scene. I won’t spoil it for you but if have yet to see the film stay for the credits. They went away from the old storylines where they take Kong from his home and bring him back to NYC to climb the empire state building and swat planes. I like this latest rendition better than the Peter Jackson version because it strayed from the usual plot line and it placed an importance on Kong not present in other iterations. Kong in this film is more than a huge mindless overgrown ape, and its refreshing. Not to mention that they waste no time in introducing him to the viewers unlike the latest Godzilla film, but it that films case I agreed with it to a degree because that’s what they did in a lot of the Godzilla films. John Goodman plays a survivor of some old attack on a ship from years past who has put together a team of researchers that are looking for a mystical island that for some reason (insert Bermuda triangle cliche) they cannot easily find and travel to where the thing that attacked the ship now resides. With the help of a politician he finds passage and...
by rodvanblake | Mar 6, 2017 | Blog, Character Journey, Storyline
20th Century Fox who owns the rights to X-men, and Wolverine have always had the bad habit of putting kid gloves on their films from the Marvel universe. I’m thinking the surprise success of Deadpool gave them the confidence to give Logan an R rating. Comic fans from the 80’s or prior who may have kids…this is not a kid friendly movie! There is extreme violence, vulgar language, and is themed for adults despite it’s comic book origins. That being said I think it had to be that way in order to be faithful to the character and it hit the perfect tone for an old disgruntled mutant on his last leg as far as how they would act and see the world if it ever happened in reality. In this latest effort we see Logan who is not a spring chicken anymore, seems to have fallen on hard times scrapping for money as an uber driver with a limousine. He is taking care of Charles Xavier who is suffering from ALS and mutants have been gone from the world as far as Logan knows. He later finds out there are in fact other mutants and one in particular is a clone which shares some of his genetic material. Enter Laura or X-23. The X program is still going and this little girl is a fugitive from the company currently running it. She turns to Logan for help. Donald Pierce...
by rodvanblake | Feb 25, 2017 | Blog
Well this game has been a breath of fresh air for some and a massive annoyance for those not able to pick up and understand the mechanics. It’s been out for a couple weeks now so I decided to give my thoughts and opinion of Ubisoft’s latest game For Honor. For those of you wondering why a science fiction author would blog about a video game featuring medieval warriors fighting each other there are a couple reasons. One, we have in this game three factions of warriors who did in fact exist in overlapping time frames but one faction in particular is using wooden armor which technically should be out of use by the 11th century so it qualifies, but it is a game after all. I am only citing it because it’s an interesting observation, and two, I happen to play games as well as write and would like to have more than just movie reviews on my web site. Diversity of content is a good thing. First lets talk about the premise of the campaign. There’s a natural disaster that influences a massive depletion of resources forcing infighting among three factions of warriors. The knights, vikings, and samurai. There’s a character named Apollyon who takes an army to defeat the Vikings destroying enough of their resources to force them to fight each other over the scraps until they turn their eyes to the samurai as a possible source to pillage. You don’t get to play all the heroes for each faction during the campaign but it’s broken up into three...
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