"Predestination" (2014)

Synopsis:
A time traveler (Ethan Hawke) must travel through time to stop a mysterious criminal who is plotting an attack on New york city and has eluded him throughout time.

Review:
There is not really much to say about this film without giving anything away, so this review will be a bit brief. All that you really need to know is that it's a time travel flick.

The story is intriguing, unique, thought provoking and compelling. It may seem confusing but it makes sense if you pay attention. I am not going to spoil it for those who have not seen the film but it goes a direction that you may not expect.

The film is well acted. I liked Ethan Hawke in this and I think he did a very good job with his role.

I think the Spierig brothers (Michael and Peter) did a very good job directing. It has beautiful cinematography, very believable make-up, and it does not rely so much on CGI effects. It also has some intense moments.

Overall, I thought Predestination was an excellent film and I would highly recommend it to anyone who is a fan of science fiction.

Max Scale:
10/10

"Mean Girls" (2004)

Synopsis:
Cady Heron (Lindsay Lohan) joins a clique of A-list girls known as "The Plastics", but then makes the mistake of falling for Aaron Samuels (Jonathan Bennet), the ex-boyfriend of "Plastics" leader Regina George (Rachel McAdams).

Review:
Let me stat off by saying that I am not a fan of these type of films and I have been avoiding this movie for longer than I can remember. However, the other day, I decided to give it a try, and it was actually not a bad film at all.

For the most part, it's pretty smart and clever and quite entertaining and has a bit of social satire. While it is not exactly "laugh out loud", it is often a bit funny at times. Also, the dialogue is quite memorable.

I liked the characters. The A-list girls, while often up to no good, are quite likeable. It is also well acted and I think the cast portrayed their roles quite well. I liked Lindsay Lohan in this. Amanda Seyfried, as a first time actress did quite a good job here. Amy Pohler is entertaining and funny as usual.

The one problem that I had with the film is that while the humor is often clever and funny, I felt that it needed a little more work and it could have been funnier.

I am normally not a fan of chick flicks, but I thoroughly enjoyed Mean Girls and I would recommend it to anyone who is a fan of comedies.

Max Scale:
8/10

"Project Almanac" (2015)

Synopsis:
A group of teenagers discover a secret plan to build a time machine, so they decide to construct one. However, things go haywire.

Review:
Let me start off by saying that I had very low hopes for this film. Upon hearing that it was produced by Michael Bay and from Platinum Dunes, I was like "Oh that will just be another failure". I don't think there has eve been a film from Platinum Dunes or Produced by Michael Bay that was good, and I was not surprised when it got mediocre reviews. So I did not expect this film to be very good at all. However, I gave it a chance and I was pleasantly surprised.

The story, while similar to other time travel films, is quite creative and intriguing. We have these teenagers building a time machine and one of them is bent on traveling back to when he was a kid after seeing a home video where he saw his current self in it.

Unlike all the other Bay-produced films, the characters here are interesting and likeable. You actually care for David and his friends as they get together and time travel while stuff goes out of control.

I think Dean Israelite, as a first time director, did a petty good job directing. For a found footage film, It is well shot and the cinematography is pretty nice to look at. For a low budget film, the effects are pretty impressive. A lot of cools things happen and it is quite intense.

There is also a pop/rock band cameo appearance which I will not give away for those who have not seen the film.

There were a few problems that I had with the film. One of them is that the camera was too shaky and over the top. The other problem is that it is a bit cliche at times. Also, while it is well acted for the most part, some of the acting felt a bit uneven.

Overall, I enjoyed Project Almanac and I would recommend it to fans of science fiction and/or the "time travel" concept.

If "Primer meets Chronicle" sounds good to you, then you'll probably enjoy it.

Max Scale:
8/10

"Tomorrowland" (2015)

Synopsis:
Loosely inspired by the Disney World park, "Tomorrowland" tells the story of a teenage girl with scientific curiosity, and a once genius inventor, who embark on a mission to discovery the mystery behind a place somewhere in time that exists in their collective memory.

Review:
I went and saw this with an open mind because of the mixed response, and I must say I had a blast.

The story is unique, creative and quite compelling. It is original science fiction which we do not get too often. The film is inspired by the Disney park, but at the same time, it's more of it's own thing.

It is well acted and the characters are quite likeable and believable. Frank Walker is interesting, entertaining and has a sense of humor. Casey is also an interesting character. I think George Clooney and Britt Robertson portrayed their leading roles very well.

The film is also quite funny at times. During this film, I think I may have laughed more than I usually do at the movies, which is saying something.

I think Brad Bird did a very goo job directing. The visuals are stunning and the special effects, while mostly CGI, are impressive. The action scenes are neat and intense. There is not a single moment where I was bored with the film. It also pays a nice homage to the Sci-fi genre.

The one problem I had with this film is that I was expecting a little more of the "Tomorrowland" place and that the story needed a little more work.

Overall, this was a great film and I highly recommend it to fans of science fiction. Plus, I think it totally puts "The Haunted Mansion" (2003) to shame.

In the end, say "Tomorowland" may not fully realize it's potential, but it should be satisfying as a fun and intriguing family sci-fi/adventure comedy romp.

Go see it.

Max Scale:
9/10

"Seventh Son" (2015)

Synopsis:
Loosely inspired by the novel, "The Spook's Apprentice", an evil witch named Malkin (Julianne Moore) has broken free from imprisonment and is wreaking havoc across the land. An old spook and monster hunter named John Gregory (Jeff Bridges) recruits Tom Ward (Ben Barnes), a seventh son of a seventh son, to help him stop the witch.

Review:
Let me start off by saying that have not read the novel nor even heard of it prior to hearing about this. I went into this film expecting a cheesy but fun flick. Generally speaking, I often enjoy a good corny supernatural action flick. But this was quite disappointing.

Before I get to the point, let me go ahead and note that this film was originally distributed by Warner Bros. and was set for a January 17, 2014 release. But at the last minute, after releasing the teaser trailer, Warner Bros. sold the distribution rights to Universal and the release date was postponed to February 6, 2015. That is exactly an entire year plus one month. I have never ever seen that happen before. Apparently, Warner Bros. did not want to have anything to do with the project.

This film has a lot of things going for it, and it looked promising from the trailers, but after watching it, I can now see why Warner Bros. didn't want to feel responsible for it. But before I go into the bad things about the film, I am going to name the good things.

The Good:
I like the film's style, setting and tone. I liked Jeff Bridges and Julianne Moore in this. They are what you would call the "strongest parts of the movie". I liked Julianne Moore as the villain. The witches and wizards are cool as well as their creature transformations. It has some intense moments and I really enjoyed the third act. Unfortunately, that is all that I can say about the good.

The Bad:
This film is, for the most part, a snooze fest. I was literally bored out of my mind throughout the first and second act. The characters are wooden, boring and just plain uninteresting. Jeff Bridges did a pretty good job portraying his character but his character is just boring. Bridges usually makes his characters entertaining (The Dude, Flynn, Rooster Cogburn, Starman etc.), but unfortunately, this is not the case. There is not a whole lot of action and nothing exciting happens until the last 30 minutes or so. The film is also uneven. The plot is rushed, the special effects are cheap looking and the opening sequence is downright laughable. The script is very derivative to the point where it felt like I have seen it all before. The final act is basically the only part of the film that I enjoyed.

Overall, Seventh Son, despite it's redeeming qualities, is a pretty poorly made film and I do not recommend it.

Max Scale: 
3/10

"Mad Max: Fury Road" (2015)

Synopsis:
Set in a dystopian future where humanity is broken and there is nothing left except a desert, there are two rebels who just might be able to restore order: Max (Tom Hardy), a man of action, and Furiosa (Charlize Theron), a woman of action who is searching for a way back to her homeland.

Review:
This film is just awesome in every way.

Just to clarify, this is not a direct sequel to the original three "Mad Max" films but rather the start of a new series featuring the "Mad Max" character. So you should not be confused if you haven't seen the older ones.

The storyline, while it's the fourth installment in a series, is quite unique and creative. It is also very well thought out and compelling. I like the characters. Just like in the older films, Max is likeable and a really cool protagonist. Joe is an awesome villain. I like Nux. He is quite an entertaining antihero. Furiosa is also likeable and I actually had feelings for her as well as those other women that Ally Max. I like the chemistry between Max and Furiosa.

I think all the actors and actresses played their roles very respectively. Tom Hardy is surprisingly great as Max. He's not Mel Gibson but he's about as close to another "Mad Max" as you're going to get. I liked Nicholas Hoult as Nux as well as Charlize Theron as Furiosa. I also think that Hugh Keays-Byrne did an awesome job as Joe.

As usual, George Miller did an incredible job diecting. It's visually stunning and the action scenes are stylish and downright intense and really keep you at the edge of your seat. It is action packed but still leaves room for a well constructed storyline. I like the design, costumes and make-up as well as the setting. Also, the film is-what some people would not expect-funny at times.

***Minor Spoiler***
I loved that guitar guy.

There is not a single thing about this film that I did not like.

Overall, I thought Fury Road was an awesome film and it just might be the best film in the "Mad Max" series (besides "The Road Warrior"). I highly recommend this to fans of action flicks. Go see it!

Max Scale:
10/10

"Mad Max: Beyond Thunderdome" (1985)

Synopsis:
In this third installment of the "Mad Max" series, Max (Mel Gibson) is back and this time he leads a tribe to rebel against a vengeful queen.

Review:
This film is not as good as the first two but still quite enjoyable.

I like the environment. Just like "The Road Warrior", Beyond Thunderdome expands the Universe and explores places that were not explored in it's predecessors. It has a great first act and intense final act.

I liked the characters. I liked Master and Blaster and Aunt Entity (played by Tina Turner) is a pretty awesome villain.

I think George Miller did a pretty good job directing this film, though not as much as the previous two. I like the sets, the costumes, and the make-up. The action scenes, just like in the first two, are intense. That road action scene towards the end is awesome and probably my favorite part of the whole film.

There are a couple of things that bugged me. One of them is that it's a bit silly at times. The other thing that bugged me is the second act. After the first act, the film kind of slows down and takes a bit of a ridiculous turn.

However, the third act picks it back up and makes up for it.

This film does some stupid things but I enjoyed it for what it is.

In the end, "Beyond Thunderdome" is not quite the best in the Mad Max series and does not have a very good second act, but overall, the film is enjoyable and should be satisfying to fans of dystopic fiction.

Max Scale:
7/10

"Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior" (1981)

Synopsis:
Picking up where "Mad Max" left off, "The Road Warrior" centers around a drifter who helps a small community escape a gang of bandits.

Review:
This is a great sequel and better than the first one.

The story is unique and compelling. It has an expansion of the Universe and explores in areas that the first one left out.

Just like in the first film, George Miller did a great job directing this one. The action scenes are neat and intense. The special effects are impressive for the time. I cannot name a single thing that I did not like about the film.

Overall, this is the best in the series and I highly recommend it.

Max Scale:
10/10

"Mad Max" (1979)

Synopsis:
In a post-apocalyptic future, Max (Mel Gibson), an Australian policeman, has his world turned upside down by a gang that wreaks havoc and murders his family. Max hits the road and sets out to seek revenge.

Review:
This is a really good film overall.

The story is compelling and unique. It is set in a world of it's own and I like the environment. While it is not as dystopian as the sequels, it is a very good introduction to Mad Max and his world.

I like the characters. The protagonist Max is very likeable and he leaves the audience rooting for him. The gang members are cool looking as well as their vehicles.

I think George Miller did a great job directing. The sets, costumes, make-up and design are all quite impressive for 1979. The action scenes are neat and downright intense.

The one problem that I have with the film is that not a whole lot happens and it sort of left me waiting for the plot to kick in.

Overall, this is a great classic film and I highly recommend it.

Max Scale:
9/10

"Dragonball Evolution" (2009)

Synopsis:
A young warrior named Goku must set out on a quest, racing against time and the vengeful warlord Piccolo, to collect seven dragon balls that will grant unlimited power.

Review:
There is really nothing to say about this film besides that it's utter garbage. I am one who used to watch Dragon Ball Z on Cartoon Network as a child. Ever since then, I have been waiting for a live-action DBZ movie to be made. They did, and I must say they completely butchered it. As a brainless cheese fest, it's okay, but as a Dragonball movie, it's awful. This film has "Dragonball" in the title purely for money.

The story is very poorly constructed and way too fast paced. Even for a film based on a world building franchise, nothing in it makes any sense whatsoever. It's like Piccolo had a servant named "Ozaru" who has been imprisoned for years. Piccolo wants to destroy the word for whatever reason, so he plots to gather seven dragon balls so that he can wish for the world to end. Pretty much the whole movie is just action scenes that go nowhere and Goku and the gang gathering dragon balls for no apparent reason. The action scenes are terrible and pointless. For instance, there is this one scene where Goku is at a party and he gets bullied. He and the bullies get in a fight. Instead of fighting back, Goku just avoid the bullies' attacks causing them to beat each other up. towards the end, we find out that Ozaru was trapped in Goku's body the whole time and unleashes transforming Goku into some monster. I am not making this up.

They pretty much messed up the characters and made them very paper thin. Goku is played by an American, Chi Chi and Bulma are very one-dimensional, and Master Roshi and Piccolo look nothing like their counterparts. Master Roshi is in his mid 40's when he's supposed to be an old man in his 70's or 80's or so. Piccolo looks absolutely horrendous. It's like they used the most generic looking alien design that they can possibly find and call it "Piccolo". One thing that I must give them credit for is that they had the Piccolo character be an actor in make-up as opposed to being a CGI character.

The special effects are very poor and quite laughable. Not to mention that the CGI looks like a Sony PS1 game.  Also, when they summon the wish granting dragon, it's too bright to see him.

You want to know what the worst part is? It's only 75 minutes long. 75 minutes is too short to tell a story like this. It could have been 2 and a half hours and had character development and a well constructed plot. This film is rushed beyond belief. What was their hurry? It takes time to make a good movie.

Overall, I found Dragonball Evolution to be an awful film and a disgrace to the franchise and I absolutely hated every insulting moment of the film. Even as a stand alone film, it's awful, because it's poorly written, horribly acted, and not even remotely well directed. I do not recommend it. Even a 1 out of 10 would be far too generous. Someone should "kamehameha" every copy of this film.

Personally speaking, I think this film should be shown in every film school as an example of how not to make a movie, let alone a Dragonball movie.

Max Scale:
0/10

"Where the Wild Things Are" (2009)

Synopsis:
Longing for adventure, a young boy runs away from home and sails to an island populated by creatures that claim him as their king.

Review:
This is a really good film about fantasy escapism.

The film has a very good storyline. While based on a children's book, it is quite unique, creative, imaginative and symbolic. It's fun, heartfelt, and clever.

The characters are likeable. The protagonist Max seems like a Brat at first, but you have feelings for him and he eventually comes of age when he meets the creatures. The creatures are very entertaining. I like the chemistry between Max and Carol.

Spike Jonze did a great job directing. It is beautifully shot and it has very little CGI in it. The film is actually done in film rather than in green screen with a CGI background. The creatures are people in costumes while the faces are computer generated.

It also has a very catchy soundtrack by Karen O.

I do not think that it's just a kids movie but rather more of a family film. I think adults will also enjoy it and be inspired.

Overall, this is a great film and if you haven't seen it, I highly recommend it.

Max Scale:
10/10

"The Book of Life" (2014)

Synopsis:  
Manolo, a young man, is torn between following his father's footsteps and following his heart, embarks on a journey through three different lands to face his greatest fears and win the heart of the woman he loves.

Review:
This is a very good animated film overall.

The story is unique and well constructed. It has a dark and gothic tone, and at the same time, it is quite cute and light-hearted. It is structured as a fairy tale and has a pretty neat musical aspect. It is heartfelt, charming, clever and often funny.

I like the environment. It is well thought out and I like that they show you these different lands as the protagonist explores them.

The characters are likeable and well developed. I like the chemistry between Manolo and Maria and Joaquin is an entertaining character. Xibalba, the mariachi band, and Manolo's ancestors, and the candle maker are also entertaining characters.

The animation is very stunning and creative. While it is mainly a computer animated film, it uses various animation techniques such as figurines and hand drawn animation. As the animators used those three animation techniques, I think they pulled it off very well. It is also very colorful.

Overall, this is a very well done and creative animated film and I highly recommend it to anyone who is into animation.

Max Scale:
10/10

"Paul" (2011)

Synopsis:
Two British comic-book geeks name Graeme (Simon Pegg) and Clive (Nick Frost) are traveling across the U.S. and encounter and alien life form dubbed "Paul" (Seth Rogen) outside of Area 51. Together, Graeme, Clive and Paul must go on a perilous road trip to find Paul's spaceship so he can fly back to his home planet. 

Review:
I thoroughly enjoyed this film for the most part.

The story is quite compelling and quite heartfelt. We have these two buddies who come across a friendly alien. I think they pulled off the friendship aspect quite well.

I like the characters. The two best friends, Graeme and Clive, and Paul the alien are quite likeable and entertaining. I liked the chemistry between the two geeks and Paul. Seth Rogen, while providing the voice, makes Paul believable and the CGI on him is quite well done. I also like the love interest Ruth. I think Kristen Wiig did quite a good job portraying the character.

While it isn't exactly laugh-out-loud hilarious, it is quite clever and often funny at times. It has some clever pop cultural references to science fiction classics. One thing that bugged me is that it could have been a lot funnier.

I think the humor aspect needed a little more work, but overall, I enjoyed this film very much and I highly recommend it to fans of science fiction.

Max Scale:
8/10

"The Astronaut Farmer" (2006)

Synopsis:
Former Astronaut in training, Charles Farmer, is force to retire from NASA to take care of his family and family farm. However, Charles is still pursuing his dream of space travel and attempts to build his own rocket, regardless of the government's threat to stop him. 

Review:
I thoroughly enjoyed this film.

The story, while not a whole lot happens, is quite compelling and heartfeft. I like the characters. The protagonist, Charles is likeable as well as his family. You have feelings for Charles as he tires to follow his dreams although it gets in the way of taking care of his family. I like the chemistry between Charles and his wife and children.

It is well acted. I think Billy Bob Thorton did a very good job as the titular protagonist. I liked Bruce Willis and J.K. Simmons in this as well. I think Michael Polish did a very good job directing. It's very well shot and beautiful to look at. The opening sequence is very well done.

Also, I am not going to spoil anything, but at that last part, it did not seem like it would end well. However, it ended up having a good ending. I think it was well done the way they did that.

I can't really think of a single thing that I did not like about this film.

While it got decent reviews and ratings, I feel that this film was sadly overlooked and deserves a little more credit and recognition.

Overall, I thought this was a great film and I highly recommend it.

Max Scale:
10/10

"Neighbors" (2014)

Synopsis:
Mac (Seth Rogen) and Kelly (Rose Byrne) are force to live next door to a fraternity lead by Teddy (Zac Efron) and  Pete (Dave Franco). Mac and Kelly do whatever they can to take down the fraternity boys.

Review:
I enjoy a good raunchy comedy and I like Seth Rogen in just about anything he's in. However, I was not impressed here.

The story is utterly ridiculous. Basically, there is this married couple who have a baby daughter and they are having to live next door to this fraternity house during an "end of the year party". It seems like a passable premise for a comedy, but half of the scenes barely go anywhere. For instance, there is this scene where Mac's wife Kelly has this breast disease and Mac has to milk it to make the disease go away. That served not purpose to the plot. Then, the fraternity boys decide to make their own dildos. What did that have to do with anything? Also, that fight scene between Mac and Teddy is stupid. Basically, it's them fighting with dildos and acting like idiots.

This film lacks cleverness. The humor is all unfunny genital jokes that are just downright annoying. Not to mention that cringe worthy pubic hair joke that they threw in.

On a positive note, Zach Efron is surprisingly not bad in it and the airbag scenes are quite clever. Unfortunately, those are the only positives that I found in this over hyped piece of junk.

Overall, I thought this film was lame and uninventive and I do not recommend it.

Max Scale:
3/10

"Angry Video Game Nerd: The Movie" (2014)

Synopsis:
In this independent feature film based upon the cult web series, a famous upset gamer who reviews games for a living is requested like crazy to review an old Atari game based on Spielbergs "E.T.", which is considered the "worst video game ever made" and is said to have had all of it's cartridges buried in a landfill at the New Mexico desert. As the Nerd succumbs to the pressure, he must go on a quest to prove that legend is not true. However, the Nerd has garnered attention from the government and is being tracked down.

Review:
This is no different from the web series. The Nerd plays and reviews a bad video game and gets upset to the point that he makes entertainment out of it, only the feature film has more of a plot and an environment.

I like the characters. The Nerd is foul-mouthed and humorous as usual. His two allies, Cooper the wannabe video game dude and Mandi the chick gamer, are pretty entertaining. The antagonist, General Onward, is also entertaining.

For a film based on a web series revolved around a guy reviewing bad video games, the story is quite well thought out and interesting. It is focused on a bad video game and he does a review on it, but that is not all the film is. I think Kevin Finn and James Rolfe did a good job directing. I like the sets and the way some scenes are structured like a video game. The special effects are pretty impressive for it's shoestring budget. I like that it relies more on practical effects and animatronics then over the top CGI. The humor, while not as "laugh out loud" as the show is quite clever and often funny. The final act is excellent. It also has a catchy soundtrack.

There are a couple of things that bugged me. One of them is the humor. While the humor is clever and not necessarily "unfunny", it's not quite as memorable and hilarious as the show. The other thing is that, while the special effects are impressive for the budget, there were times where it looked a bit cheap.

Overall, I really enjoyed this film and I highly recommend it to anyone who is a fan of video games and/or into film.

In the end I'll say "Angry Video Game Nerd: The Movie, while not entirely living up to the show, should be satisfying to devoted fans, movie goers, and gamers alike.

P.S.: I'm not going to spoil anything but you might want to stick around during the end credits.

Max Scale:
8/10

"The Signal" (2014)

Synopsis:
Three college friends are encountered by an evil-minded hacker during a road trip. The trio suddenly get abducted by a mysterious force and become victims of the techie's scheme.

Review:
This seems to be one of those films that you either like or dislike or it just isn't your cup of tea. Personally, I found this film to be quite enjoyable.

There is not really much to say about this film without giving anything away. Basically, it begins as an indie drama, then it becomes an intriguing science fiction thriller, then it becomes an intense sci-fi action flick. It has a similar pace to William Eubank's previous directorial film "Love" as it starts off a bit slow and then it picks up the pace and has a great final act.

The story, while similar to some other science fiction thrillers, is quite unique, creative, compelling and thought provoking. The characters are quite likeable and believable. I liked the chemistry between the three college friends Nic, Haley and Jonah.

It has some good acting. I liked Brenton Thwaites in this, which is saying something because he's not that great of actor. Laurence Fishburne basically stole the show. In fact, Fishburne's performance is probably my favorite part of the whole film.

Just like in "Love", I think Eubank did a very good job directing the film. It is very well shot, has neat visuals, and it has impressive special effects for a low budget independent science fiction film. Also, the music score is great.

There are a couple things that bugged me though. One of them is the special effects. The special effects, while impressive for the budget, felt a bit unbelievable in some areas. The other thing that bugged me is the ending. I am not going to spoil the ending for those who haven't seen it, but while it isn't a bad ending, it kinda made me go "huh?" and I think it probably could have concluded better.

Overall, I really enjoyed this film and I highly recommend it to sci-fi fans.

In the end, I'll say "The Signal", while not fully realizing it's potential, is quite an intriguing indie sci-fi action romp that should satisfy sci-fi lovers.

Max Scale:
8/10

"Love" (2011)

Synopsis:
After losing all contact with Earth, an astronaut named Lee Miller is stranded alone in orbit on an international space station. Lee suddenly discovers something that allows him to travel through space and time.

Review:
Let me start off by saying that I am not exactly sure what to think of this film but I think I really liked it. There is not much to say about it without spoiling anything but it is a very interesting science fiction film.

The story is unique, thought provoking and quite compelling. The basically deals with isolation and psychological trauma as our protagonist is lost in space and it depicts it quite well. Boring as it may sound, it's actually quite interesting and intriguing.

I think the director William Eubank did a very good job as a first time director. It's very well shot, and has beautiful cinematography. It has very stunning visuals and the special effects are quite impressive for it's budget. I also like the sets and the scenery, and the final act is excellent. It also has a catchy soundtrack/music score from the band Angels and Airwaves, whom I had never heard of prior to coming across this film.

There is one thing that bugged me though. At times, the film is a bit slow moving and at other times, the story was a bit difficult to follow, so I sort of struggled with it. But it may be one of those films where you have to watch it more than once to fully understand and appreciate it.

Overall, I enjoyed this film very much and I highly recommend it to sci-fi fans.

In the end, I'll say "Love", while slow moving, is a pretty impressive directorial debut for William Eubank and it should be able to satisfy big sci-fi nerds.

Max Scale:
8/10

"Legend" (1985)

Synopsis:
A young warrior boy named Jack must go on a quest to save Princess Lili and the world from the clutches of the evil Prince of Darkness.

Review:
I enjoyed this film very much.

The story is very intriguing and compelling. It is a neat take on fairy tale lore and gives it a dark tone.

I like the characters. Tom Cruise is believable as Jack. Maria Sara is beautiful and perfect as the princess. Jack's allies; Gump the elf, Oona the fairy, and Brown Tom and Screwball the dwarves are all very entertaining characters. Tim Curry steals the show as Darkness. He is terrifying, but at the same time, he is entertaining. In fact, this is one of those films where my favorite character happens to be the villain.

Ridley Scott did a great job with the directing. The cinematography is great and beautiful to look at. I like the sets and the scenery. I like the costumes and the make-up. The special effects, while seemingly dated in today's standards, are quite impressive for 1985. The action scenes are quite intense. Also, he music score is quite catchy. I can't think of a part of the film that I did not like.

The problem is that there are two different versions of the film. There is the theatrical cut and the director's cut. Both versions have different music scores. The music score in the theatrical cut is from Tangerine Dream, while the music score in the director's cut is from Jerry Goldsmith. Both are quite catchy music scores.

The theatrical cut has an opening narrative text that explains a bit too much of the plot and it lacks in character development. Also, it shows too much of the Darkness character. The director's cut has more character development, has the narrative text cut out and keeps Darkness mysterious up until the final act. So, if I had to pick which version I like better, I would say the director's cut. Even so, I recommend both versions of the film.

Overall, I was very impressed with the film and I highly recommend it to anyone who is a fan of the fantasy genre.

In the end, I'll say "Legend", while it may seem dated, is quite an impressive dark fairy tale adventure that should be satisfying to fantasy lovers.

Max Scale:
8/10-Theatrical Cut
10/10-Director's Cut

"Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" (2014)

Synopsis:
When the head of a corporation threatens New York City, a group of mutated turtle warriors, trained in the arts of ninjutsu, must rise from the shadows and fight to protect their home.

Review:
Let me start off by saying that I did not have terribly high hopes for this film. I do not consider myself a hardcore Ninja Turtles fanatic. But I enjoyed watching the old TMNT cartoon series as a child, so I went into this one open minded. I must say that this film is pretty terrible. As a mindless popcorn flick, it's okay, but as a Ninja Turtle movie, it's disgraceful. This film is titled "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" purely for money.

It has a promising first ten minutes, and then it quickly turns into a carbon copy of Michael Bay's "Transformers". For instance, it includes non-human CGI characters fighting each other and constantly blowing stuff up for the remainder of the film, and the human characters are one-dimensional. I even features Megan Fox as the same character (sort of).

They pretty much ruined the characters. In the cartoon, April O'Neal is believeable, but here, she's a cardboard cutout. Splinter is okay in it, but they pretty much completely messed up the Turtles and shredder. I know that they are supposed to be mutants, but could they not have at least made the turtles more turtle-like? But hey, at least they had the decency to give them turtle shells so I guess that's excusable. Shreddar looks like and uninspired mishmash of Wolverine (yes, THAT wolverine) and Megatron in the sense that it's almost a blatant copy of the two.

***SPOILER AHEAD***
The storyline is idiotic and the script is juvenile. It's as if a 5-year old kid wrote this film. Almost none of the action scenes went anywhere. To punish the turtles for being disobedient, Splinter decides to use pizza (their favorite food) as a torture device. Also, what was that "Sacks" guy doing there in the first place. Do you want to know what the worst part is? They completely changed the back story. In the cartoon, Splinter was once a human being named Yoshi, who was an expert at Kung Fu, but was later exiled and turned into a rat, and came across four turtles that got into some ooze that made them anthropomorphic. In this film, the turtles were once April's pets and were being tested at a lab. Splinter was an ordinary rat who was in the same lab. Splinter and the turtles got injected by some chemical as they were escaping the lab. That's just stupid and downright insulting. I am not making this up.

Also, the humor is just a bunch of bland pop cultural references.

It tries desperately to cope with the likes of Avengers and Guardians of the Galaxy, and it fails on every level.

One positive thing is that it's a nice looking film. It has great cinematography and a neat animated opening sequence. But that's about it.

Overall, I found this to be a disgrace to the Ninja Turtle franchise and I do not recommend it. I have not been this upset with a live action film based on a cartoon since Dragonball Evolution. In fact, I put it in the same category.

If you have any appreciation for Ninja Turtles whatsoever, do yourself a favor and do not support this film.

This movie belongs in a sewer.

Max Scale:
1/10

"Avengers: Age of Ultron" (2015)

Synopsis:
Earth's mightiest heroes are back. This time, they must face a great evil known as Ultron who plots to rid of the human race and make way for an age of artificial intelligence.

Review:
Just like the first film, this is a really good superhero flick.

It has a great and compelling storyline. Again, like the first one, they did a very good job making the characters likeable and believable.

The action scenes are intense and very well shot. There isn't a single moment when I was bored with the film and they did a very good job by making it action packed but still leaving room for the story. In fact, the action sequences are part of the story. Also, the CGI effects are quite well done.

The dialogue is great and often clever and funny. Ultron is a very fun villain. He is quite intimidating but at the same time, he can often be, what some would not expect, funny.

There are a couple of things that bugged me though. One thing is that the film is often overstuffed. While, the film leaves room for the story, it seems to rely a bit too heavily on CGI effects. Another thing is the romance betwen Black Widow and the Hulk. Romance in a movie is not necessarily a bad thing, but it seems to stray a bit from the excitement of the rest of the film. Plus, the first film did not rely on romance so that part was a little disappointing. Even so, I liked the chemistry between The Hulk and Black Widow.

Overall, the film is not as good as the first one but it's still a very enjoyable flick.

In the end, I'll say "Avengers: Age of Ultron" may not surpass it's predecessor but it is still a compelling action packed thrill ride that should be satisfying to big fans of Marvel superheroes.

Go see it.

Max Scale:
8/10

"The Avengers" (2012)

Synopsis:
Marvel superheroes, Iron Man, Thor, Captain America, Black Widow, Hawkeye, Nick Fury and The Hulk must team up to stop the mischievous Loki and his alien army from enslaving mankind.

Review:
This is a great film overall.

It has a very good storyline. I like the connections it has with the superheroes and the previous Marvel films leading up to it. I like the chemistry between all of the different superheroes and the way they come together.

It has some great and intense action sequences. I like how the action is part of the story and the way the action scenes are shot and the special effects are very well done. There wasn't a single moment when I was bored with the film.

It is also quite funny at times. The film blends action and comedy and it pulls it off quite well. there is not think about this film that I did not like.

Overall, I thought this was an excellent film and I highly recommend it to fans of comic book heroes.

In the end, I'll say "The Avengers" is a compelling thrill ride.

Max Scale:
10/10