Epic

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Epic_(film)

Epic lived up to its name.

This movie follows the adventures of M.K., a magically shrunken teenager who meets the miniature "Leafmen." They protect the forest from the ever encroaching rot made by the Boggans, with a plethora of side characters. The plot is a pretty standard human-meets-magical-race-and-helps-them-save-the-world story, but I felt it was anything but ordinary. 

I was immediately hooked by the amazing action sequences (SO MANY good ones), the detailed animation, the warmth to the story, and the well written characters. They were the best part really- the side characters. 

My favorite was the queen- a likable, strong character, who had a heartbreaking side story.

http://movies.about.com/od/epic/ig/Photos/Queen-Tara-Pic.htm

I love it when the side characters have great stories.

Though, the slugs came in a close second.

http://www.indiewire.com/tag/blue-sky

Look how not-disgusting these guys are!

It was an exciting roller coaster ride through a tiny, beautiful world. You should see it, and I think your kids (not too young, there are some scary characters) will LOVE it. I know I did.

I do have one complaint, though.

With a character like M.K., there was such potential to focus on a strong, female teenager, reconnecting with her estranged father through an epic journey, while learning to see the world in a different way.

http://www.kernelscorner.com/2013/03/its-raining-plenty-of-posters-from-blue.html#.UkONcIZJOAg
Kind of looked a bit cross-eyed sometimes, but otherwise a pretty cool gal.

Amanda Seyfried did an excellent job with her voice (as did many of the other voice actors). She wasn't written as a whiny girl: you empathize with her, and plus, she's tough. While the story revolves around her, the side characters get their fair share of attention too. 

Unfortunately, quite a bit of that slice of attention-pie involved this guy, a very predictable rebel-without-a-cause type.

http://www.flicks.co.nz/movie/epic/

He just kept holding onto the spotlight.

Josh Hutcherson's vocal talents in a cartoon fall slightly flat, but that wasn't the part that really disappointed me. 

Why can't a movie production company realize that an exciting story can revolve around a young heroine without there needing to be a romantic sub-plot?

http://seespeakhearmama.com/tag/brave/

Besides Pixar, of course.

Nob, the young, restless teenage boy, who just doesn't seem to fit in and must break free from the confining grip of his psuedo-father/commanding officer, is a character we've ALL seen before. 

At least Epic didn't fall into the cliche of having the love of a woman change a rouge into a prince.

http://iheartthetalkies.com/2012/04/30/film-review-beauty-and-the-beast-3d/
Darn you, Stockholm Syndrome!
I'll never watch this movie the same way again.

Anyhoo, in general, Nob isn't too annoying, and he sets Ronin, the commanding officer of the Leafmen, up for some great one-liners.

http://www.digitalspy.com/movies/review/a481466/epic-review-beyonce-stars-in-new-blue-sky-studios-animation.html
Nob, your purpose is to make me look awesome.

Nob did have some (and by some, I mean A LOT) of thrilling, spectacular, and just plain awesome action sequences. So, I will tolerate his presence in the film, though I think M.K.'s character would have been just fine without him. 

All that said, this is a minor complaint, one brought on by my little sister who notices these things. The film rocks, like watch-it-twice-in-a-row rocks. 

Well done, Epic.

PS- Thanks Corey, for making me see the light on this one.

Rifftrax Live: Starship Troopers

If this image makes you think of guffawing at amazingly bad movies, then we are kindred spirits. Mystery Science Theater 3000 created a rift in time and space where it is alright to talk/provide a running commentary during movies. Anyone else who dares to speak during any other cinematic experience will surely go to the special hell. 

That reminds me of the worst date I've ever been on...but that's a tale for another time.

Here's a bit of background for the unfortunate souls who need to be educated: Mystery Science Theater 3000 takes the ridiculous premise of a guy and robots stuck in space, making fun of terrible movies they are forced to watch as part of a mind experiment, and creates comedy gold. It's a joy that must be experienced (I Accuse My Parents is an especially good episode, and MST3K: The Movie is the best. Ever.). 

I can still hear their voices, after all this time...

After MST3K was cancelled, the wisecracking kings (Kevin, Mike and Bill), unable to contain their awesome gift of gab, created a website named Rifftrax. This is movie nerd heaven. You watch a popular movie (such as Jurassic Park or Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, two of my favorite Rifftrax...) on your own entertainment system, download the MP3 off the Rifftrax website and play that on your computer in tandem with the movie, and it's like having your own personal peanut gallery in your living room. A peanut gallery that makes you laugh so hard popcorn might shoot out of your nose.

These guys are the only reason I made it through all FIVE of the Twilight torture sessions.

But wait, that's not all! Rifftrax also riffs movies live, a performance which is beamed to audiences in movie theaters across the country. I was able to finally see these guys in action last month with their hilarious take on Starship Troopers. 

That is a REALLY BAD movie. The acting was bad. The 90's technology is so silly looking it's bad. The writing was bad. The storyline was bad (Ender's Game did this plot oh-so-much-better). Bad, bad, bad. Granted, the giant bug effects have held up wonderfully over time, and the idea of equality of the sexes in the future was a refreshing sight, but my goodness was this a BAD movie. Perfect fodder for Rifftrax.

The one joke I'll give away is that this smile gets made fun of. A lot.
And yes, that is a giant bug leg sticking through her shoulder.

There will be another showing of this grand event on the 12th of September, and I highly recommend it to anyone within 100 miles of a theater playing Rifftrax Live: Starship Troopers. They are also doing a Halloween live recording of a riff on Night of the Living Dead on October 24th. 

My one complaint, and maybe they'll have fixed this for the second showing, is that the audio was hard to follow. At times, when both the actors of Starship Troopers and the Rifftrax guys are talking, I couldn't distinguish actual words, but that only happened a few times. Other than that, it is an experience worth the ticket price.

Find both of these in a theater near you, and you'll laugh the night away, I guarantee it. 

Pacific Rim

I can not tell you how wrong my perception of this movie was. 

Well, I'll try.

I thought this was going to be another Transformers. 

It was NOT.

I thought this was going to be a Godzilla meets I Am Robot reboot. 

It was nothing of the kind.

In fact, it was a well-written, thrilling adventure that had me on the edge of my seat, barely blinking for a solid 131 minutes. It was more of a kung fu Independence Day, with the technology of Avatar, only the plot felt crisp and the dialogue was so nerdy it was cool. This movie doesn't just present giant robots fighting huge alien monsters of every shape and form. No, it screams at the top of its lungs, I AM A MOVIE ABOUT GIANT ROBOTS AND ALIENS AND I AM NOT ASHAMED! 

That's the only way to go about it, really.

For those of you who haven't heard of this film, here's the basic premise. Along a major fault line, deep in the Pacific Ocean, a rift in time and space has opened up to allow enormous monsters through that cause a lot of damage and are very hard to kill. Hence the need for a new kind of weapon...gigantic cyborgs mecha! (My sister refused to let me write such a misleading description of these giant robots as "cyborgs," as these are human controlled robots, not humans with robot parts. I honestly was just trying to find another word for 'robot')

Here are a few facts you must know about this movie (no more plot points- half the fun is that you don't know what these humongous beings are going to do next).

1. You need to see this on a big screen. The fight scenes and special effects are so well done that I actually felt small while I was watching these giant beings go at it with anything they could get their hands/talons/tails/teeth on. Twas thrilling, to put it mildly.

2. The casting rocked. With the exception of some over-the-top side characters, the cast was a refreshing, fresh faced pool of talent that reflected what might happen if the world was being attacked by a nearly unbeatable force. 

3. The female character was actually a character. Well rounded, interesting, and not there as eye-candy. 

I have nothing to say.

In fact, the eye candy was decidedly aimed towards a female audience, methinks....

Fist pump of equality, Charlie Hunnam!

I have found this to be a refreshing pattern in a few recent movies...

Thor's bringing the thunder from down under...he he...

Uhura did not take off her clothes and actually spoke some wicked Klingon.

Another one of my favorite things from Australia, film and reality.

4. You've got to ignore the "science" to enjoy the movie. Don't pay any attention to why things are happening: those lines were put in to ease the perfectionist portion of the audience who need to know the reason giant aliens are invading the planet. The rest of humanity just wants to watch huge robots and beasts duke it out on land and sea. Luckily, Pacific Rim glosses over these potentially weak points in the story by saying them really fast in a British accent, which lends a certain sense of mystery and authority to the line. It worked for me.

RAWAR! Guillermo del Toro approves this message.

5. Marvelous soundtrack- I hummed it for the rest of the day, loudly and randomly, much to the chagrin of my family. 

6. Last, but not least, I think this movie had the shortest motivational speech that seems to be required in Hollywood to steady warriors as they face certain doom. Short, sweet, to the point, and oh-so-quotable. I liked it.

Go see this movie in the theater- it's TOTALLY worth it.

Here's the trailer, if you're interested!