Star Trek: Into Darkness (2013)

Firstly, regardless of the geeks that will want my head for this, I must point out that this movie was my first Star Trek experience. I knew a little bit about Star Trek, but this movie now potentially has me hooked. The story of corrupt leadership and loss marries beautifully with the hardcore sci fi of the movie.

Firstly I would love to point out Mr Spock. I was instantly attached to this character as he was clearly used as inspiration when writing the character profile for Dr Sheldon Cooper from one of my all time favorite TV series' Big Bang Theory. Spock is the type of character who interests the audience but makes you wonder "Why do people keep him around?" He is a dobber, an extreme realist and the kind of being that would rather die than break a rule. However in saying that he is loved by the crew and by Captain Kirk.

Another character I would like to discuss is Captain Kirk who is quite possibly the complete opposite to Spock. Kirk is optimistic, even when he doubts his own plans. He is also a rebel, to him "The rules are there for other people". He is also well experienced and thinks ahead more than any other character, his resourcefulness helps him in many different scenarios and his determination, whether it's to find Khan or save his crew, is enough to get himself killed. 

Much of the film is set on the border of the 'Neutral Zone' between the Humans and the Klingons. From what I have heard the Klingon and Humans do not get along very well, in the film the klingons attitude towards the humans were cold blooded and eager for demise. Another thing learnt about these species is that they are very much an honour bound race who do not take good care of their homeworld. 

Lastly I would like to talk about the Enterprise, possibly the most beautiful ship I have ever seen in my life! utilising a flying saucer body with two large engines that stick out the back. It is made very clear that this is not a combat ship, while they have the capability to fire missiles, is is no match for a ship that is designed for military. The ship, like many ships is referred to as a character of it's own right, particularly by the ships technician Scotty, who loves the ship like a child, and like any parent, he becomes very distressed when the ship is in danger or has been damaged. 

All and all this film is awesome! truly a film for the current Star Trek fan and a good watch for a new Star Trek viewer. I would highly recommend giving this a watch if you have not already. Live long and prosper.        

Real Steel (2011)

Being a complete geek there are only few sports I would enjoy to watch. Among Quidditch and Lightsaber Duels one of the sports I would LOVE to see instead of friday night football is robot fighting! and this film took the concept to a whole new level!

First of all you start with protagonist Charlie who is in debt, irresponsible and easily distracted during fights. He starts off every match doing well but eventually gets pinned and pulverised, it was made apparent to himself and the audience by his son Max that he usually starts off lucky and loses because he doesn't know the correct moves.

I can't help but feel that I would have taken a lot more from this film if I were a boxer. Whilst I don't know much about the sport, it is mentioned and referenced several times and is made clear that Charlie himself was a boxer before the introduction of robots, which comes in good use a couple of times during the film.

This movie elaborates the power that wealth can have over sports by the company that owns the undefeated robot 'Zeus' trying to purchase Charlie and Max's robot 'Atom' for $200,000. While Charlie was ready to accept the offer without thought, Max was the complete opposite as he and Atom share a bond more powerful than any other robot technician would have, at times you almost forget that they are in fact robots that are at all times controlled by other humans.

There are many fun lessons to be learnt from this film, but to avoid spoiling the grand finale I will discuss the lesson that Charlie learns from Max. This lesson is that there are some things worth fighting for more than money, he comes to realise this with Max's line "I want you to fight for me, that's all I've ever wanted".

All in all I can't believe I have put off seeing this movie! it is a fantastic inspirational film that got me more excited than any real sport ever has. It activates the circuit of human nature that roots for the underdog, to conclude, this movie shows real love, real commitment, real motivation and real steel.  

The Inbetweeners Movie (2011)

Before delving into my analysis of this movie, please note that I have only seen the movie, I assumed it was only a movie until a friend revealed to me that the movie is, in fact, based of a TV show, which explains the lack of time given to certain characters to watch them develop at the start. It is however a movie that has made me interested in watching the show.

In the beginning we are introduced to these four characters: Will, Jay, Neil and Simon in their everyday lives as they come close to graduating high school. All very diverse characters who you can't help but wonder why they put up with each other, then again these four seem to be the social outcasts of their school, they certainly are when they go on after school vacation to Crete.

On their first night they meet four attractive young women: Alison, Lucy, Lisa and Jane, who are also very diverse. They are all set up with one of the 'inbetweeners' and the story develops. My favorite being the relationship between Will and Alison who form a potential friendship that keeps at bay due to the fact that Alison has a local sweet heart who Will sneakily accuses him of being unfaithful without so much as a name. When Alison finds out that Wills hunch was correct, she suggests that a relationship be formed between them.

The other relationship I enjoy to think about is the one that forms between Jay and Jane. Jay, from the start and possibly over the series has always gone for the stereotypical 'Hot Chick' and constantly gives Jane a hard time for having a larger body structure. Jay then blows off a chance to go skinny dipping with her because some nearby A-Holes were mocking Janes plump form, and he felt bothered that he was with her. Later in the film he stops being shallow and openly requests to 'snog' with her out in the open for everyone to see, not the type of thing I'd suggest after an apology, but to my surprise it worked better than he had hoped.

While I won't go into detail about Neil and Simon's relationship with Lisa and Lucy I can tell you that they characterise relationship morals and how naive someone can get when they are chasing someone they 'Love'.

From male nudity and strange drinking devices to corny pickup lines and even cornier dancing, this movie is a great watch for anyone who can take a bit of poor language and a lot of sexual references. Definitely one I would want to own, and one I would probably watch a few times.    

Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World (2010)

"You haven't seen Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World?!" is what my cousin asked me the first time I ever heard of this movie, and probably the first thing I will say to you if you have not seen this film. She assured me it would be worth the 1km walk to the shops to rent... she was correct. After finding it on sale I now have the esteemed title of proud owner of Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World on Blu-Ray.

This film is based of a graphic novel and shares similar graphic novel techniques, such as onomatopoeia, such as "BAM" when the drum is hit, "POW" when someone is hit, etcetera. It also cleverly utilises boundaries to act as frame borders, for instance, there is a scene where scott is thrown through a wall, both sides of the wall can be seen, This is probably the best representation of staying true to the graphic novel. Thirdly the speed in which certain actions are done, for instance, Scott instantaneously putting his hat on whenever someone comments on his hair.

Another technique used is the concept that Scott's life is a video game by using +1's, points and coins whenever an enemy is defeated. Supernatural themes are also introduced as each enemy in the game has a form of power: some inherited, some earned, my personal favorite being the vegan character. Todd Ingram is one of the "evil 7 ex's" that Scott has to defeat, it is mentioned that his powers of telekinesis, flying and supernatural strength are a result of him being a vegan. "Todd's a vegan... That makes him better than everyone else".

There are also many metaphors used throughout this film. The primary story is Scott wanting to be with a very attractive and mysterious young woman Ramona Flowers, however to have a functional relationship he must defeat her 7 evil ex boyfriends, this I believe is a metaphor meaning that in order to have a functional relationship Ramona must loose the emotional baggage, and she needs Scotts support through this. Scott however does not always make things easy, for instance when facing the first evil ex he called out to Ramona "Did you seriously date this guy" at which point she is put in a spotlight, which is metaphorical for her being put on the spot.

Whilst fighting Ramona's evil ex's Scott creates one out of a young high school girl that he was dating at the start of the film, just like Ramona's evil Ex's she becomes aggressive and tries to hurt Ramona as if it would win her back her boyfriend. But this is my favorite part of the story, the fact that Scott was put through 7 battles where it seemed that he would not win, but he was determined to win Ramona over, so he fought her crazy powerful ex boyfriends who were more powerful, successful and good looking, and through 6 of these boyfriends Ramona sticks right by Scott.

A beautiful combination of sci fi, action and romance which delves into the psychology behind emotional baggage in a way that engages an audience. I would recommend buying this film regardless of the cost, as it is a film I could watch 100 times and never get tired of it (considering those 100 times were well spaced apart that is)        

The Amazing Spider Man (2012)

It took me a while to catch onto this film as I had been turned off by the original Spider Man movie. Reasons for this could be repetitively watching it with my cousins or the fact that I was younger when watching it. However as this film began to captivate the Marvel audience, which I was not part of until I saw The Avengers, I began to find online references and gifs from Tumblr. When I saw it on special I decided to invest, a decision that I do not at all regret.

Although I do not remember much of the original Spider Man movie, I believe that while following a similar basic storyline, the Amazing Spider Man has told this story in a more engaging and emotional sense. One of my favorite differences being that Peter Parker never locates the criminal who murdered his uncle, but locating him is what motivated Peter to fight crime. Another huge difference being that Peters uncle died while looking for him after an argument, which displayed the underrated message that interactions with people should be treated carefully.

Another change that I admire is the character of Peters bully Flash. In the original movie he was a mindless bully who only ever hurt Peter, however in this film he is given a moment where he becomes more human that bully when he gives Peter his condolences for his uncle passing away, despite Peter acting aggressively towards him.

In the Amazing Spider Man, Peter is only given the power to climb walls, increases his strength and agility, and gives him super keen senses (or spidey senses for the classic Spider Man lovers). His ability to create webs comes from a device he wears on each wrist that he had to create himself. This adds a more personal connection between Peter and his incognito alias Spider Man, as he too has to contribute to the abilities given to him via spiderbite.

The last note I will make on the Amazing Spider Man is Peters sense of sarcasm and sass. Possibly my favorite part of the movie is when Peter catches a car thief by sitting in the back of the car and waiting for the car thief to notice. When the thief draws a small blade to intimidate Spider Man, Peter get's on his knees and begs for mercy sarcastically "you've found my weakness, it's tiny knives".

Since I saw The Avengers I have made it sub priority to familiarise myself with Marvels films, The Amazing Spider Man is definitely one I would buy if you can find a good price (I got it in a bundle of 4 blu-ray discs for $50). My spidey senses tell me that the sequel, Rise of Electro, will also be worth watching.  

Warm Bodies (2013)

Anyone who knows me knows that zombie movies are one of my favorite types! and I was not disappointed in the least when I watched Warm bodies.

The film begins with the commentary of a zombie walking around other zombies, just shuffling around, grunting "occasionally bumping into eachother". The unnamed protagonist admits he can not remember his name but he thinks it started with the letter R. There is also a relationship established between the 'walking corpses' and the 'bonies'. The way it works is once you are dead enough what is left of your skin dies and sheds off, all that is left is a black skeleton like figure called a 'bonie'. The bonies are like walking corpses but more aggressive, determined to eat living flesh, and scary as hell!

My favorite part about this movie is that it gave me a new insight to zombies, a new perception of what they are, and what they can be. The protagonist, later named R, is attacking  group of humans like he always does, until he see's Julie, a pretty young lady who he sees in a vision... while he eats her boyfriends brains. He proceeds to wipe dead blood on her face to mask her living cent and take her to his hiding place back at zombie central.

R continues to change, as his crush becomes more strong, his heart begins to beat again, he is able to speak more english. Eventually Julie gets caught, R protects her from his best friend "eat" his best friend grunts, R shakes his head, as disappointed as his friend was, he protected R and Julie as they escaped the bonies, who are not as easily convinced. Eventually they are witnessed by several zombies as they leave holding hands, this sparks something in all of them, and they become  more human.

My favorite part of the movie is when living soldiers come to kill both bonies and walking corpses but find them fighting each other. "which one's do we shoot?" asked one soldier. Even the leader of the army couldn't believe over the radio that walking corpses were helping the humans.

In the end it is discovered that the way to cure zombies is to treat them like people. This offers a huge social comment on any outcast in society, stating that the reason they are outcasts is because they are treated like outcasts. I love this movie and would definitely 100% recommend buying it!  

The Pirates: Band of Misfits (2012)

I originally bought this because it was created by the same people as one of my all time favorites, Chicken Run. I was not disappointed with the humour in this film and the characters, like in Chicken Run, were diverse and interesting.

Charles Darwin (voiced by my second favorite Doctor, David Tennant) was portrayed as the person he is in real life, however the writers made him a desperate loner, often sulking over his loneliness in his work notes and diary entries. He is also portrayed as a bit of a trickster, as he tries to trick the pirate captain into giving up his pet Dodo.

The Pirate Captain is the least likely character you would expect could be a leader. He takes advice from his first make 'Number Two' (I feel a Muppet Movie number coming on) only when it suits him, having accepted his words of encouragement when he was considering retiring from pirating, but not listening to him when Number Two suspected Charles of trying to steal the Dodo. Number Two however is very humble, not at all put down by what he is called (not that the Captain means any harm) and sticks through the captain through most of their adventure, only walking away when the Captains selfishness was shown.

While the factors of what happened to persecuted pirates was not tampered with, the idea of pirates being executed was made more humorous and child friendly, particularly in one moment where the Pirate Captain is sailing into London Port and meets an old friend of his in the gallows, who then proceeds to have a friendly chat as the Pirate Captain continued to sail past.

Finally the concept of trusted leaders doing unspeakable things outside the view of their subjects is brought up in this film as Queen Victoria hosts an annual world leaders get together on a flagship where they each bring a rare or endangered animal to eat. This concept was strange, but did open the writers to a delightful pun when Queen Victoria commented that her dish was "Not rare enough". This also ties with the Pirate Captains almost incomprehensible decision to sell the crews beloved pet for gold, so that he could contribute to his own reputation.  

Given all this I would recommend buying this film, it's a fun watch and I especially think it carries a good message of loyalty to your friends, your crew and your pets.