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Mar 18, 2006 I said I would, and I have. I have pulled my 2005 movie review list from this page. Now, it is still here, just not on the main page because it kind of clutters things up a bit. So what I have done is moved that list over to the Random Reviews page. So if you ever want to see what my rating was on any of the 2005 released movies, then you can check it out on Random Reviews.
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Mar 18, 2006 It’s been awhile since I did a full review of a movie. But I thought that this film really deserved it, so check out my review of V for Vendetta.
Mar 18, 2006 
V for Vendetta is set in a future Britain where, much like George
Orwell’s 1984, there is a big brother figure that is watching your every move,
and has control of your every emotion. In a world where many pieces of art or
other free speech are banned, there are those who strive to set the world free
again so that freedom can once again be at the forefront. The story is taken
from the Alan Moore graphic novel published by DC Comics. It stars Hugo Weaving
as V, Natalie Portman as Evey Hammond, Stephen Rea as police chief Finch, and John
Hurt as Adam Sutler.
As I said before, this is from the same minds that brought you the Matrix, and because of this, a high bar has been set, because of what they have left behind. You expect a lot of action, but not without reason. They have found a good marriage between the hyper-intellectual thought process along with the mindless action of movies like Die Hard or Commando. These men do not shy away from the issues that we face from time to time as we turn on the television and watch the news. We ask ourselves where our line is as to when the government has too much control over our daily lives. Where is the line between letting those above us take care of us, and letting those above us not allow us to think? In a world where most things are censored for the right-wing conservatives, what things are censored because the government simply does not want us to see them? These are the types of questions that are raised in Vendetta. If you don’t like to think when you go to the cinema, then stay away from this movie. But if you like to be challenged, then you might enjoy this film.
I will say that this movie is not for everyone. There is a lot of action, and a lot of blood, but it all works in the story, rather than just having random acts of violence that clutter the movie. There is really more dialogue and storyline than violence though, because that is really what the film is about. It is about substance and opening your eyes to let yourself be reborn, and relearn the things you feel you already know because you have been taught them for so long.
This movie was slated to come out on the 4th of November, but after the bombings in the subways of London, they decided that this movie was too close to that subject matter, so they delayed the release for a few months. This was not a bad decision on thier part for multiple reasons. The first reason is the comfort level of the subject matter in a time of terrorism in the actual place where this movie is supposed to be happening in the future. So that is completely warranted. The other reason is that since it is being released in the Spring when there are notoriously bad movies, it doesn’t have anything to contend with. The only action movies that have been released so far this year, minus Underworld, have been terrible. When you are competing with She’s the Man instead of Chicken Little and Jarhead, it is a good move. The quality of this film far outpaces most other films that will be released this spring. It is really more of a summer or winter movie, but blows away everything else released at this time, which will only help its chances at the box office.
The acting in this movie was really spot on. The dialogue is perfectly paced and never felt slow and sluggish, nor rushed. The casting was well done as each actor’s performance was completely transparent to the storyline and only played with just the right amount of emotion to keep you on the edge of your seat. Natalie Portman really showed up in this one. After her dreadful performance in Star Wars Episode III, you could tell that she was very focused on this role and felt good about every line that she said. I wondered after that catastrophe if maybe she was getting praised a little too much for her acting ability. But this film put my faith back into her acting chops as I hoped it would. Hugo Weaving somehow conveys through his body what most other people have trouble conveying through thier faces. Through almost the entire movie you never see his face, because he wears a mask that leaves him with only the expression that is plastered in front of him. But through voice inflection and body movement, he really takes a performance that could have been atrocious and turned it into a masterpiece.
I don’t think there is any doubt that I like this movie, and that I like comic books. But this is something all together different than comics. It is more of the type of movie that challenges you and makes you question the way you look at the world around you and how much of a difference you could make if you really wanted to. Even if the situations are unrealistic and over the top, it still challenges you to question your existence and what the reasoning is behind it. I really enjoyd this movie and think that it will be one of those movies that will play for a long time in my personal DVD player. Whether other people will receive it in the same way is questionable, but not unheard of. From most of the other reviews I’ve heard, it is doing well, but that doesn’t mean that it will get audiences into theaters to see it. But if you are reading this post, then you are not afraid to think about what is going on around you, so please, go see this movie, and question all of the things you are afraid to question. I give V for Vendetta a 9 out of 10.
Mar 13, 2006 Link: Holy Crap!!! The Movie Blog Audio Edition Wins Podcast Of The Year!!!.
Congratulations to The Movie Blog Audio Edition for winning the best Podcast of the Year. They are one of my favorite podcats, and I voted for them. You guys deserve it.
Mar 12, 2006
Mar 12, 2006
Mar 12, 2006 This is funny. SNL gets about 1 skit per week or two that is funny, the rest is terrible. Well, last week’s SNL has this hilarious clip of Natalie Portman rapping and bleep cussing. It is hilarious. It is very over the top, but it works quite well.
Mar 12, 2006 The long list of shows that may not return in the fall
Galactica’s third season starts in October
George Peppard approves of A-Team Special?
My ABC will offer free downloads of hit shows
Review of the 78th Annual Academy Awards
Stewart gets mixed reviews for hosting Oscars
And the best of all of all of these this last one because it is the Simpsons opening sequence done with live actors. It is spot on. I am thoroughly impressed.
Mar 12, 2006 IGN fools around with the Nintendo Revolution Dev Kit
The Fritz Mini: Wifi, Phone, MP3 Player, and lots of other stuff
The Sony eBook reader gets a price of around $350.
Keyspan Tuneview serves up iTunes and iPod menus on a remote
Samsung Digital Picture Frame stores pics, movies, and music
And then I have a lot of posts about the Ultra Mobile Personal Computer, also known as project origami. So here are a bunch of photos and quick reviews of some of the really cool little guys from CeBit.
Origami runs on Intel and Samsung Hardware
UMPC.com reveals some pics, info on the site’s purpose
Hands On with the Samsung Q1/ Origami
Live from CeBit Samsung, Founder, Asus UPMC/ Origami Devices
Live at CeBit: Intel Press Briefing — Origami is dead, long live UMPC
Hands on with the ASUS and Founder UMPCs
Mar 12, 2006 It’s been awhile since I have done a link dump, so I am going to put a few up today. First up is a few links to stories from The Movie Blog. Enjoy.
Kevin Smith Video talking Superman Development
iTunes positioning itself for movie downloads
In case you hadn’t heard, here are the 2006 Oscar results
Kevin Spacey confirms more Lex for Another Superman Film
Rocky Balboa Teaser Trailer
New X-Men 3 Full Trailer, and holy geez, still looking amazing
Brokeback Mountain didn’t win Best Picture, so the excuses start flying
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