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Teknojunkie
Teknojunkie's stats
- Review count7
- Helpfulness votes0
- First reviewJune 8, 2008
- Last reviewFebruary 23, 2011
- Featured reviews0
- Average rating3.9
Teknojunkie's Reviews
Overall rating
3
/
5
Cute, but 3D isn't required to enjoy
PostedFebruary 23, 2011
Teknojunkie
from Jacksonville, FL
First of all, I did enjoy this movie, and so did my 4-year old. However, it had nothing to do with the 3D presentation. In fact, I barely noticed it was even in 3D. I don't think it made a difference at all. I also found myself spending more time guessing whose voice was whose than I did to the plot.
The movie itself is a twisted, yet un-original retelling of Shakespeare's classic tragedy "Romeo and Juliet". Kids will love the characters (Fawn was my favorite), and adults will appreciate the subtle, and not-so-subtle references to other Shakespearean works. The movie even pokes fun at Romeo and Juliet's tragic ending. Of course, I won't spoil the ending, but suffice it to say it is not Shakespearean.
All that said, the movie was cute. James McAvoy voices Gnomeo, and Emily Blunt, whom I had never heard of before, voices the not-so-pristine Juliet. Surprisingly, Jason Statham and Ozzy Osbourne have prominent roles. Ozzy as Fawn, and Jason Statham as Tybalt.
I rate this movie 3 out of 5 stars, mainly for being a run-of-the-mill computer animated kids movie with no compelling reason to spend money on 3D.
Yes, I recommend this movie.
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Overall rating
5
/
5
Worth the $10
PostedDecember 25, 2010
Teknojunkie
from Jacksonville, FL
I have to admit, I was a little wary of this movie, especially after seeing the previews. Having been a huge fan of the first Tron, I had high expectations for this one. The digital effects in the first Tron, while primitive by today's standards, still made the Tron world believable. I was worried we'd just see another version of The Matrix, but with light cycles. That fear was quickly wiped away upon the opening of the film.
The first shot in the film opens with a digital pass-through of the Tron logo, which finally rests on the Flynn house, where Kevin is telling Sam about the Tron world. I'll admit, they did a pretty good version of 1989 Jeff Bridges, however, as Stephen Lisberger acknowledged, it wasn't 100%. Frankly, I didn't care, nor did it bother me.
For the next 20 or so minutes, we see Sam hack into Encom's mainframe and distribute the new OS out to the web, and then end up at the arcade. I was surprised how the transition to the Tron world was handled, especially by its brevity. In the original film, we glided through a kaleidoscope of digitization, where we drifted through electronic clouds, and landed. In this version, the transition is about 2 seconds, and it essentially "blockifies" the scene, for lack of a better term.
Upon arrival of the Recognizer, we can see the Tron world has changed drastically, with the most notable differences being how photo-realistic and dark the landscape appears to be. Sam is quickly integrated into "The Grid", which, as we soon discover, is not part of the electronic world we use every day. It is explained as a "Digital frontier", which makes it believable as a concept, and gave the director license to do whatever he wanted with the story and not be bound by modern-day rules for how the inner workings of a computer work. It is kind of interesting how the basis for "The Grid" is on UNIX, but that's another discussion.
From this point forward, it's an action-packed, techno-infused joyride through the digital landscape, and doesn't stop thrilling and shaking the theatre until the end. I wouldn't recommend the film for young children, mainly because of the loudness of the music. The 3D IMAX presentation was superb, and was well worth the money spent.
When this comes out on BluRay, I will DEFINITELY be buying a copy!
Yes, I recommend this movie.
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Overall rating
4
/
5
Great movie, bad theatre
PostedApril 27, 2009
Teknojunkie
from Jacksonville, FL
What I actually did see of this movie I did enjoy. The theatre, notorious for poor presentation quality, wasn't able to keep the sound consistent enough to understand the dialogue. But, this movie is actually very well-done. Seth Rogen steals the show as BOB, a gelatinous mass. His performance made the movie for me. It's definitely a good way to keep kids entertained for 90 minutes so we'll likely be buying the DVD when it comes out. I have a 2-year old and a 12-year old, this was a good way to spend the afternoon. I'd recommend the movie to anyone!
Yes, I recommend this movie.
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Overall rating
2
/
5
Rent it
PostedOctober 27, 2008
Teknojunkie
from Jacksonville, FL
If you have a kid in your household, you'll likely be forced, out of fear of ruining your child's life (*sic*), to go and see this movie. Thankfully this is the final (I hope) episode in the HSM series, I doubt they'll make any more, unless they really want to start a "College Musical" series (*crosses fingers in hopes Disney isn't reading this*). The film was bearable, and startling at times. A few times I jumped when they suddenly broke into song. This probably would have been better viewed at home where I could find something else to do and let the kids watch it themselves.
No, I do not recommend this movie.
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Overall rating
3
/
5
Meh...
PostedAugust 18, 2008
Teknojunkie
from Jacksonville, FL
Anyone who is a true Star Wars junkie will be somewhat disappointed by this movie. First of all, the famous Star Wars intro is absent from this film. Instead, it's replaced by an imitation opening, which seems odd, since this is a George Lucas property. The movie is obviously aimed at kids, and entertains them thoroughly in much the same way as a cartoon. This movie probably would have been better watched in my living room rather than in the theatre, where I could have spent less money. In fact, this movie probably should have been aired on TV rather than being released in the theatres. In any case, I give it 3 stars since it is Star Wars, just not what you'd normally expect.
No, I do not recommend this movie.
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Overall rating
5
/
5
A Masterpiece!
PostedJune 30, 2008
Teknojunkie
from Jacksonville, FL
Pixar has done it again. While not always creating compelling or interesting storylines (Bug's Life??), Pixar has solidified its name in the annals of animated film with WALL*E. The story starts out in an eerie, desolate Earth devoid of all humanity. Humans left on a 5-year cruise that has lasted 700 years so far. The reason for this is a spoiler so I won't tell. Andrew Stanton's storytelling uses few words, but masterfully communicates so much. This is one of those movies that you'll want to watch again and again!
Yes, I recommend this movie.
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Overall rating
5
/
5
Skidoosh!
PostedJune 8, 2008
Teknojunkie
from Jacksonville, FL
This is a definite buy when it comes out on Blu-ray. The plot is the typical "believe in yourself and you can do anything" plot that Jack Black has become known for playing well. This time he's playing it as Po, a Panda and the son of a noodle-making duck (they almost come close to telling how this happened, maybe on the DVD?) who wants to become more than he is. He idolizes the "Furious Five", the most famous Kung-Fu masters in all of China. Through random events (there are no no accidents, as you'll find out in the movie), he becomes chosen as the Dragon Warrior, the only one who can defeat the evil Tai Lung, played by Ian McShane.
The cast is awesome, with David Cross voicing Crane, Set Rogen as Mantis, Angelina Jolie as Tiger, Lucy Liu as Viper, and Jackie Chan as Monkey. Dustin Hoffman nobly voices their master, Shifu. There are tons of hilarious moments, mine being the scene under the peach tree when Po is caught eating peaches by Oogway, the old and wise turtle, played by Randall Duk Kim. Just watch and you'll see what I mean.
This is a definite must-see for the family, and a sure pleaser for kids of all ages. We took our almost-two year old daughter and my 11 year old, and we all were on the floor laughing!
It's amazing how far technology has come since Toy Story, with Kung-Fu Panda upping the ante as far as detail and photo-realistic imagery is concerned. Also, seeing this in DLP is a must if you can. Being able to see the details in the scenery and details of the characters adds a new dimension to the experience.
We'll definitely be seeing this one again, either in the theatre or on Blu-Ray!
The cast is awesome, with David Cross voicing Crane, Set Rogen as Mantis, Angelina Jolie as Tiger, Lucy Liu as Viper, and Jackie Chan as Monkey. Dustin Hoffman nobly voices their master, Shifu. There are tons of hilarious moments, mine being the scene under the peach tree when Po is caught eating peaches by Oogway, the old and wise turtle, played by Randall Duk Kim. Just watch and you'll see what I mean.
This is a definite must-see for the family, and a sure pleaser for kids of all ages. We took our almost-two year old daughter and my 11 year old, and we all were on the floor laughing!
It's amazing how far technology has come since Toy Story, with Kung-Fu Panda upping the ante as far as detail and photo-realistic imagery is concerned. Also, seeing this in DLP is a must if you can. Being able to see the details in the scenery and details of the characters adds a new dimension to the experience.
We'll definitely be seeing this one again, either in the theatre or on Blu-Ray!
Yes, I recommend this movie.
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