Movie Review: The Great Escape (1963)

 

I am not sure if a lot of people in my generation realize how good old movies can actually be. I mean, my favorite movie is the 1966 Western classic “The Good, The Bad and The Ugly”. So I decided to look start watching a few older movies just because a lot of old movies happen to be really good. The reason I chose this movie to watch first and review is because the youtuber Caddicarus said that this movie is fucking great during his review of the video game adaptation of this movie. But what is MY opinion on this classic?
People…the war classic starring Steve McQueen, James Garner, Richard Attenborough, Charles Bronson and many more talented people. The Great Escape.

The story is set during World War II and is about a bunch of soldiers from different parts of The UK and US to escape form a Nazi camp. That is basically it. Not terribly interesting concept, but it is based on real life, so something interesting there has to be in it. Especially with all these great actors. Sure, the concept isn’t the most interesting, but it is so well made/executed that is becomes really fucking interesting.

Characters…they are only interesting because they are so well acted. In my opinion, the best performances honestly comes from Steve McQueen and Charles Bronson. Don’t know why, just think that. Sure, everyone in this movie does great performances, but to me, those two feel like the best ones.

The music in this movie is just fucking excellent. It is a mix of suspenseful bits and very happy and cheerful bits. So yeah, music is good, nothing more to it.

The reception for this movie was really positive. It grossed a whopping 11,7 million dollars. And it had a 4 million dollar budget, which made it the highest grossing film of 1963. Unfortunately I could not find any Roger Ebert opinions on it.

Hmm…good story execution, great characters (thanks to excellent acting), great music. Yeah I got a score for ya. The score for “The Great Escape” is…9,01. Yes I am that picky with scores and yes I think you should watch this classic movie. It is great. And if you can find it on DVD/Blu-ray then I am jealous.

Review of “The Great Escape” is completed.

Goodbye for now.

Anime Review: Baccano! (2007)

 

You know, as a fan of gangster movies and anime. I was surprised there isn’t that many gangster animes. There is a subtotal of around…5 (I think, at least real GANGSTER/MAFIA ones). But this…this is the first one I heard of. So I decided to give it a chance. And I really gave it a chance without it taking like…2 months before I do it. So is Baccano! (unnecessary exclamation mark) any good? Let’s look.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OOZ1hsb8smQ

The story is set in 1930’s ‘murica. It follows the “adventures” of like 10 different characters. And by adventures I mean their point of view during certain events that happen throughout the series. Most of the story is set on the train “The Flying Pussyfoot”, and no…I am not making that name up. There is not much more to say other than it contains immortals, mafia families, alchemists and thieves. If I say anything else I’ll go into spoilers. Oh wait, it is set during like the entire 30’s and a few more years/decades.

The characters in Baccano! are just so fleshed out and great that there is nothing to complain about. I’m gonna count up a few of them; Isaac Dian (J. Michael Tatum) who is the most lovable theif ever, his partner Miria (Caitlin Glass), Firo Prochainezo (Todd Haberkorn) the young immortal, Ladd Russo (Bryan Massey) the fucking psychopath, Ennis (Brina Palencia) who is Firo’s love interest and the assistant of alchemist/immortal Slizard Quates (R. Bruce Elliott). Those are just a few of the great characters of Baccano!

The animation is honestly Rock solid. The studio (Brain’s Base) had never really done anything really big up until then. And this show really is proof of their fantastic skills.

The music in Baccano! is…awesome. It is a great jazzy soundtrack that fits perfectly. There is no song on there that is bad per se. Especially the opening song (Gun’s n roses by Paradise Lunch) is a prime example of awesomeness. If you want an example of another great song on the soundtrack, I reccomend “Baccano no theme” (weird name). And of course the dub for this…is one of the greatest dubs ever. I am especially happy about it since the english with the Italian-American dialects are so well done and fits perfectly for it. I applaud you Funimation for it!

In a sort of overall look at Baccano! I will give it a score of 9,22. In other words, go buy the boxset now. The show is perfectly worth it. Everything is good in it. And the DVD set is not THAT expensive.

This show gets the “Markus Anime Seal of Approval of Doom”.

This was my review of the great show Baccano!

Buh-bye.

Movie Review: Mud (2012)

 

Matthew McConaughey…he’s just too cool. For a while he made a bunch of mediocre movies. But in the last couple of years he have done some great ones. Lincoln Lawyer, Wolf of Wall Street, Dallas Buyers Club…even Killer Joe. And this movie is an interesting example of a McConaughey movie that have gotten a lot of recognition lately. But what are my thoughts on it? Let us take a look at the strange movie…MUD.

The story is about two boys called Ellis (Tye Sheridan) and Neckbone (Jacob Lofland) who while on a trip out into the woods/swamp area, they find this mysterious man called Mud (Matthew McConaughey). This guy wants to be reunited with his true love Juniper (Reese Witherspoon). So these boys help him fix an old boat that Mud lives in so he and Juniper can get away from there. But hwat the boys at first don’t know is that Mud is a fugitive who had killed someone. But still, Ellis forms a sort of bond with Mud and they become good friends. The story I have to say is very different and pretty original. When I saw the movie it reminded me of movies like Stand by Me (1986) and Winter’s Bone (2010). A sort of “coming of age” story. I really digged the story.

When it comes to the characters…they are flawed, but interesting. They are interesting mainly by the great performances everybody gives. Even relative newcomer Tye Sheridan gives a really good performance. But when it comes to the acting/character, the show is stolen by motherfucking Matthew McConaughey as Mud. That guy does such a great job that he is Oscar worth in the movie. And ladies, he is shirtless in one scene…but you have to be able to stand some bad dentures.

The music in this movie is honestly fucking awesome. It is the kind of music you’d expect for this type of setting. The south. Like, swamps and remote towns and shit. Yeah, it’s so good.

This movie lloks really good, it is beautifully shot and edited.

Reception for Mud was excellent, a lot of people and critics really liked it. Even Roger Ebert liked it. But a few people called it a snooze fest. I see what they mean, but I don’t fucking care.

So this movie got A LOT going for it. A neat little coming of age story, great performances, amazing music, beautifully filmed. So I am going to give Mud my personal 8,99/10. So I reccomend you to go and buy this gem! You can get it off amazon for like 10 dollars.

This is my bad review of Mud.

Arrivederci!

Psychedelic Bracelet of Doom

So what is up peoples!? I’m back for another blog post thing. SO HERE WE GO!

The title says the most important thing that happened-ish. I made a psychedelic bracelet. During the last scout meeting which was yesterday. It got the the colors of bright pink and lime green. It it fucking awesome. 

As you may have seen, I did a review of “Hunger Games: Catching Fire” the other day after I had watched it with my mom. I thought it was fairly good. Loved Woody Harrelson in it. Oh wait…I love the dude in everything!

 

Nothng more have happened really.

Random Facts:

My favorite video game is Kingdom Hearts 2.

At first, I wasn’t a big fan of the Tomb Raider reboot (didn’t think it was bad, but I didn’t love it as well).

I always go to second hand stores to find cheap movies that I might be interested in buying.

My favorite actor is honestly Leonardo DiCaprio, since he has made so many great performances.

 

Goodbye!

Movie Review: Hunger Games Catching Fire (2013)

I honestly expected myself to ignore these movies. I really did. But then my mom wanted to see it and I thought “Fuck it, I’ll do it”. So I did. I thought the first one was…okay. Then one day my mom came home with the DVD for Catching Fire and thought we could watch that some day. And that day came. So what did I think of it?
Well read my review to know.

Ladies and dudes…Hunger Games: Catching Fire.

The story is set one year after the first movie. Katniss (Jennifer Lawrence) and Peeta (Josh Hutcherson) won by being really fucking clever. And they are about to go on their victory tour. But in the background, President Snow (Donald Sutherland) and the new guy Plutarch Heavensbee (Philip Seymour Hoffman, R.I.P) plan on the Quarter quell where previous winners of the games will be chosen to compete in the Games and then murder each other in horribly brutal fashions. While at the same time a revolution is starting among the districts. More I’m not gonna say because that would be spoilers. But I can say that my personal favorite character Haymitch (Woody Harrelson) is making his glorious return! The story is honestly only good (at least for me) during the parts including everything with the revolution/rebellion. But the romance parts I have no fucking care for what-so-fucking-ever.

The characters are the same as in the first movie. But with a few additions. The only additions I really care for are the ones of Plutarch (Philip Seymour Hoffman) and Beetee (Jeffrey Wright) mainly because they are awesome in different ways.

The music in this movie are the typical orchestrations that you usually hear in action/adventure movies of this style. So it is…better than okay but so stereotypical for this type of thing that it is difficult calling it good. Even though it is.

One thing I want to mention is the fact that the unnecessary shaky-cam that they used every fucking second in the previous movie is gone. THANK FUCKING CHRIST. Just wanted to mention that…thank you.

The reception this movie got was what you would expect…pretty much every teen who saw this loved it. While adults with a sense of a decent movie were skeptical but still liked it. Roger Ebert unfortunately couldn’t say anything about this because he sadly passed away a few months prior to the release of the movie. 

This movie got a lot of things going for it like action and some good acting. Mainly from Jennifer Lawrence, Donald Sutherland, Woody Harrelson and Philip Seymour Hoffman. But everything else are clichés and stuff we have seen/heard a bunch of times. So my score for this movie will be 7.56/10. So I am not sure if you should buy or stream. Eh, what the hell…buy at your own risk. 

This was my odd-ass review of Hunger Games: Catching Fire.

Hasta luego.

Movie Review: Tombstone (1993)

 

Yet another movie review from me that features a western. What can I say? I love westerns! They are my favorite genre of movies (Except for the Lone Ranger with Johnny Depp). And I had heard some great things about this movie. So I decided to sit my ass down and watch it.

People, the movie that features performances from Kurt Russell, Val Kilmer, Sam Elliott, Bill Paxton, Dana Delany, Powers Boothe, Michael Biehn, Charlton Heston, Michael Rooker, Thomas Haden Church, Stephen Lang, Billy Bob Thornton, Billy Zane and many more.

The lawman Wyatt Earp (Kurt Russell) just wants to retire after a success of cleaning up crime in Dodge City, Kansas. So he comes to the “quiet” little town of Tombstone. He goes there with his brothers Virgil (Sam Elliott) and Morgan (Bill Paxton). But the retirement plans are gonna have to be interrupted. In the litte town of Tombstone trouble emerges and the three brothers have to become lawmen again. They also team up for that with Wyatt’s old friend Doc Holliday (Val Kilmer). There is also a sort of love triangle between Wyatt, his wife Mattie (Dana Wheeler-Nicholson) and a woman named Josephine Marcus (Dana Delany). While the western, lawman stuff of Tombstone is great, I still have to complain about the love triangle thing. It’s so sappy and unnecessary. Sure, they wanna add more felsh to the bone, but the love bullshit is not one thing that is needed. I also have to mention the suspense that comes from the fact that Doc has tuberculosis which adds the suspense of not knowing when he’s gonna bite the dust. That is why he’s so reckless with his life, he doesn’t wanna die in a hospital bed, he wants to go out in a gunfight. Or as he called it “Die with his boots on”.

The characters are so well portrayed by their respective actors that I can’t see any problem in them. What I have to give most credit on however is Val Kilmer as Doc Holliday. That man is honestly giving an Oscar worthy performance. Well done Mr. Kilmer. You won my ass over.

The music in this is your typical western movie soundtrack and you should then know that it is fucking amazing. Not saying that it is Howard Shore – Lord of The Rings amazing. But westerns usually have great soundtracks. Tombstone included.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pO3h2KX6poU

Here is a new segment of the review that I will only have if I review a western. And that is where I talk about the gunfights. A western is usually not complete without a good gunfight. And this movie have those, a good amount I have to say. The gunfights here are well made and entertainging as hell to watch. But I do wonder how their guns never run out of ammo except for when the story demands it. Realism is not the strong suit. But that does not matter as long as the scene is entertaining.

The reception Tombstone got was pretty good when it came out. It was even called “One of the 5 greatest westerns of all time”. Most of the praise towards the movie was because of Kilmer’s amazing performance. Even Roger Ebert called this movie good.

So based on my mostly positive opinions on the different aspects of Tombstone and the bonus for being a western point it will get from me a 9,1/10. It is that good and worth picking up. It even made position 4 on my “Top Movies list”. So go buy this, like…now. Go. Fucking do it. I command you!

This was my odd and meh review of Tombstone!

Goodbye for now!

Anime Review: Samurai Champloo (2004)

I love Shinichiro Watanabe (Creator of Cowboy Bebop)…and I like Samurais. So combining them should be great right? Guess what? The combination happened. This anime is what you get when you combine Shinichiro Watanabe, historical fiction about Samurais and Studio Manglobe.

People…Samurai Champloo.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=txBGoTVGLQc

The story is set in Japans Edo period. There is a young waitress at a tea house named Fuu (Kari Wahlgren), and by young I mean 15 (She looks like she’s motherfucking 20). There are also these two Samurais named Mugen (Steve Blum) and Jin (Kirk thornton) who duke it out in the tea house. Prior to duking it out they had both caused trouble with people who got contacts in the government-thingy. They both get sentenced to death. But when they are about to be executed Fuu come and saves them. In exchange they have to promise to help her find the “Samurai Who Smells of Sunflowers”. And so they embark on an epic adventure where they meet a ton of people and trouble.

The animation in this show can be summed up in one word: Stylish! (Insert Devil May Cry reference here). Like I mentioned earlier, the animation is made by Studio Manglobe who later made the amazingly looking shows “Ergo Proxy” and “Deadman Wonderland”. But this show came before those and it looks great.

The characters are like in every Shinichiro Watanabe project, awesome-ly interesting. No one over-stays their welcome. And they are all good. I have nothing more to say on the matter.

The soundtrack is for the most part hip-hop music…and I actually kinda like it. I am not a hip-hop fan, but here it works. I have noticed that music is a big part of Watanabe’s shows and it shows itself here. The music is like I said overall pretty good.
And the dub…it is so good. Like Shinichiro Watanabe shows usually have. Steve Blum, Kari Wahlgren and Kirk Thornton are doing a great job as our main heroes. And every supporting VO/character are great as well. Good job Funimation!

So overall…A decent story, good characters, great animation, good music, great dub and it gains bonus points becuase of my love for Shinichiro Watanabe. The total score for Samurai Champloo will be 8,56 from me! So go buy it! It’s not even difficult to get your hands on. It is also decently priced everywhere you find it. I even bought it a lot cheaper than the original price (Mainly because I bought a used copy that was in good condition).

This has been my little review of Samurai Champloo.

Au revoir!

Meetings and sucking at Halo

WHADDUP!? Okay that was bad and I am sorry for it. I really am.

Not muc hhave happened recently. Like I said I had a friend over from friday the 28th february to saturday the 1st march. We played some video games. Mostly Halo, Final Fantasy and The Darkness 2. We both kinda sucked at Halo…but I sucked more since weird controls. Damn you Halo: ODST controls!!! I also got him to watch Star Trek (2009). He liked it, a lot actually. But so do I so…yeah.

I was at a meeting this wednesday. It was the important annual meeting at the scouts. We talk about a lot of different shit and eat stuff. We talked about a bunch of shit and came to some conclusions. Done.

Watched and finished the anime “Anohana: The Flower We Saw That Day” the weekend that just were. It was a beautiful series. Go watch it, it is only 11 episodes so it’s not gonna take that long.

Random facts:

I laughed during 99% of “Sharknado”.

I love shows/movies with mechs.

I am a big animal lover…except for snakes.

 

See ya later!