Arrow(TV Series 2012) - Episode 1 & 2 Review

Name : Arrow
Status : Currently airing
Number of seasons/episodes : One season consisting of 10 episodes
Year : 2012
Genre : Action, Adventure, Drama, Crime, Mystery
Director: David Barrett
Main Cast : Stephen Amell, Katie Cassidy, Paul Blackthorne
Based on : Comic book, Green Arrow
Warnings : evil criminals, ass-kicking action, hot abs


Review : 
The series starres Stephen Amell as spoiled rich boy Oliver Queen, who ends up on a deserted island after a violent ship wreck and, after spending 5 years there, manages to return to his hometown. His mother and sister are happy to see he's alive but soon discover the stay on the island has changed him even more than it seems.

Once a spoiled teenager always looking for trouble and never meeting his parents' expectations, now Oliver is serious, physically and emotionally scarred and carrying the burden of a secret revealed to him by his dying father: the city is in the hands of powerful and dangerous people who have ruined the lives of many and will continue to do so unless someone stops them...Trained to fight and shoot with a bow (by a still unknown guy on the island), Oliver decides to personally right the wrongs in his hometown, but to do this he has to become someone else...Rich and spoiled playboy by day, he turns into a masked crusader for justice by night. Dressed in what looks likes a bad-ass, modern version of Robin Hood's costume and armed with high-tech arrows, Oliver fights the bad guys whose names his father diligently listed in a secret diary. Criminal after criminal, he makes a name for himself in town and has to hide his secret identity not just from his family but also from the police. In the middle of all this is Oliver's old flame for attorney Dinah Lance (Katie Cassidy)  -  a seemingly impossible love interest since Dinah's sister died in the ship wreck while spending some "quality time" together with Oliver, and since her father is the police detective (Paul Blackthorne) ardently trying to arrest the green-hooded vigilanty.

Before saying anything about the series, I have to mention that I haven't read the comic books about Green Arrow so my review is based solely on this TV version....and things don't look as good as I was hoping. The first episode started promising, the second one ended ever more excitingly, but the plot seems quite flat and simple. So, Oliver has this big burden to carry: save the city to honour his father's last wish, act like a spoiled child in front of everyone in order to keep his secret identity safe, try to stay away from Dinah to keep her from getting hurt...And? How many episodes can possibly be based on this "drama"? Fighting a different criminal each episode does not seem that exciting either, although it is suggested that there is a sinister organization lurking in the background that Oliver will eventually have to face. Adding to the somewhat boring plot is the lack of chemistry between the actors. They all play relatively well on their own: Amell, Cassidy, Detective Lance, Mrs Queen...But put together on screen, you can't feel any emotional interaction between their characters. Don't get me wrong, I can live with seeing no affection between Oliver and his mom or Dinah and her father, but the lack of chemistry between Oliver and Dinah is kind of a turn-off. When the main story isn't anything special, at least the characters could be developed more and their personality given greater debth. Of course, with two episodes out so far, it is early to say whether this is happening or not. Hopefully, the screen writers will give us, viewers, something more exciting than cheesy criminals, flat dialogue and made-up personal drama in the episodes to come.

On the positive side, this is an action series and good action is what we get. The fight scenes are nicely done, with Amell doing a very good job in his tight leather outfit. Given how the second episode ended, we're probably going to get a better insight into how his character became such a taugh fighter on an island in the middle of nowhere, so more action is bound to follow! And, let's face it, with a TV series based on a comic book, this should keep us entertained enough!

I recommend it to : comic book fans, girls who like watching half-naked men kick butt, action lovers not keen on a sophisticated plot
I do NOT recommend it to : fans of serious drama who like thinking

Favorite Scenes : Oliver training naked to the waist in the pilot
Favorite Characters : Oliver, Detective Lance
What I liked the most : the action scenes
What I liked the least : the interaction between the characters

review by DeeDee

 photos from www.stuffwelike.com  

http://www.g4tv.com

Movie Villains - Part 1 ( Disney Villains )

Since Halloween is coming soon, I decided to write a few posts about Movie Villains. Not sure how relevant this actually is to Halloween since some villains are evil but not scary but I am sure some of you will actually dress up as some particular movie villain and not just an anonymous ghost or a vampire , so … lets give you some suggestions with those posts ! 

I will start first with those kinds of villains we grew up to "fear" – the cartoon villains and more specifically, the Disney ones. I will also comment on those who remain to be my favorite ones.

Disney villains are not at all really scary because their creatures’ goal was not to scare the sh** out of the kids and make them have nightmares but instead “the bad guys“ are representing “evil” in a soft , entertaining way . 

Almost none of those villains is very complicated – they are malicious and have bad intentions and you don’t usually pity them but also you don’t usually really hate them. Most of them are simple greedy to have something that doesn’t  belong to them . You know , the usual things -  beauty , power , world domination .

Most of those characters are characterized by being physically ugly and unattractive. Sometimes they might even seem ridiculous and “funny” but in any case they are all very strongly characterized. 

Take Ursula from the Little Mermaid , for example – her half octopus monstrous body does leave an impression but she is actually pretty entertaining while making her evil schemes or in her attempts to look “nice “ in front of Ariel. Also, I remember that when I was like 7 years old I found her quite menacing and intimidating at the end of the movie when she became enormous and start stirring the ocean water with her stick as if making a soup . Therefore, for me, she fulfills well the role of both an entertaining and scary villain. 

Another of my favorite bad guys is Iago ( the parrot from Aladdin ) . He is an example of a “bad” character that people loved so much that he got the chance to join the good ones in the sequels that Disney made for Aladdin.

The movie about the magic lamp, was , I think , one of the most funny Disney movie and was full of entertaining characters (the Jeanie leading the way)

The always sulky and complaining “evil” parrot is one of those characters, being as entertaining and loved as any of the “good ones “. 

No one can deny that a well made bad guy character can be more fun than any “good” one . Good ones can get boring at times and it is their opponent that gives the real flavor to the story. 

Now to prove that not all bad people are necessary ugly , here comes  Gaston in Beauty and the Beast . He is supposed to be good-looking but with bad character. His vanity and ridiculously high self-esteem makes viewers laugh at him most of the time until, almost like Ursula but in his own way, he gets pretty bad at the end . 

I may go on forever commenting on every Disney villain I have seen … but it is too late at night . 

Let me ask you – who is your favorite and least favorite Disney villain ? Did someone managed to actually scary you when you were a child ? 

I am will be happy if you post any comment! 

pictures from http://www.fanpop.com andwww.geekologie.com/

Vicky 

Profile : Viki

Few words about myself – a person who has too many interests to deal with and who loves stories too much

Type of Movies I like – I like basically every genre as long as the movie is well done but in general  I tend to prefer adventure movies ,  mystery ,  fantasy , sci-fi , comedy and thriller but I can also enjoy watching some heart breaking drama , for example . I am very influenced by my mood. If I happened to watch the wrong movie at the wrong time I might not like it at all, even if it is not a bad movie.

Type of Movies I don’t like – War movies. They depress me a lot. Still I have watched some very good war movies. I also grew bored of brainless action movie ( they seem more boring than exiting to me lately ) . and I  almost stopped watching horror movies that lack suspense but are only full with bloodsheds and screaming .

When and Why I watch movies – whenever I can! I watch them to forget , to laugh , to relax , to discover , to learn , to experience … for thousands of reasons !

Movie that made a great impact on me – Star Wars . I was 10 years old  when first watched it and I was very impressed .  Later on The Lord of the Rings had ( and still has ) a great impact on me .

Few ( very few )  favorite Movies – Star Wars, LOTR , almost all studio Ghibli’s movies ,  The Shawshank Redemption , Fight Club , Moulin Rouge , Brotherhood of War , Amelie , Singing in the Rain , The English Patient , E.T. ,  Batman Begins , Ice Age ,  Pirates of the Caribbean , The Matrix ,  the Indiana Jones movies , The Avengers , The Fall , ….

Few ( very few ) favorite actresses/actors –  Ewan McGregor , Anthony Hopkins , Nicole Kidman , James McAvoy ,   Charlize Theron,  Tom Hiddleston , Michael Fassbender , Christian Bale , Gary Oldman , Johnny Depp , Meryl Streep , Dustin Hoffman , Owen Wilson , Cate Blanchett , Kate Winslet , Helena Bonham Carter , Edward Norton , Robert Downey Jr. , Natalie Portman ,  Benedict Cumberbatch , Martin Freeman , Lee Pace , Daniel Bruhl ,Rachel Weisz , Simon Pegg , Michael Sheen ,   .... 

TV series I currently watch   - The BigBang Theory , True Blood, Game of Thrones, Sherlock, Once Upon a Time , The Vampire Diaries and  few Korean ones … (they wait me unfinished for some time),

Profile : DeeDee

Few words about myself – While trying to find the answer to the million-dollar question "What the Hell Should I Do with my Life?", I try to escape from reality by giving in to my darkest passion -  books and films!

Type of Movies I like – Fantasy, Sci-fi, Horror, Action

Type of Movies I don’t like –  Comedy, Romance, Drama

When and Why I watch movies – Whenever possible because they add colour to my gray existence

Movie that made a great impact on me - The Lord of the Rings

Few favorite Movies – The Mummy (1999), Blade, Aliens, Perfect Creature, Aeon Flux

Few favorite actresses/actors – Marton Ksokas, Michael Fassbender, Sean Bean, Gerald Butler, Christian Bale, Charlize Theron, Saffron Burrows

TV series I currently watch   - True Blood, Game of Thrones, Haven, Once Upon a Time, Teenwolf, Fringe, The Walking Dead, The Vampire Diaries, Nikita (2010), Supernatural

Profile Alq

Few words about myself – An aspiring director, part-time Master's student and bartender, breathing in London and never missing the opportunity to go to the cinema :)

Type of Movies I like – sci fi, action, adventure, fantasy, historical because of hot men in sandals (picture Alexander and 300), thriller, crime, mystery, political, courtroom, mind-fuck movies (also known as WTF films) etc...

Type of Movies I don’t like – romantic comedy, drama, experimental/art films

When and Why I watch movies – My favorite occasion is going to the cinema to see a film with friends, but I also love watching a film with my family on a big TV screen, preferably with 3D glasses on, but I am most often found watching films alone in the dark on my laptop in the wee hours of the night when I should be sleeping.

Movie that made a great impact on me - Star Wars, Lord of the Rings and Batman have literally shaped me in the person I am now

Few favorite Movies – Star Wars, Lord of the Rings, The Matrix, Fight Club, Indiana Jones, Kill Bill, Gladiator, Taxi Driver - all time-favorites, but I'd also add some new favorites - Avengers, Thor, Iron Man, Inception, X-men FC, Sherlock Holmes, Tron Legacy, Inglourious Basterds and so on and so forth…

Few favorite actresses/actors – RDJ, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Ewan McGregor, Michael Fassbender, James Mcavoy, Keanu Reeves, Brad Pitt, Leonardo Dicaprio, Colin Farrel Natalie Portman, Charlize Theron, Angelina Jolie…

TV series I currently watch   - none

Animations - Death Note, Durarara, anything by Miyazaki, anything by Tim Burton

Comics - The Mighty Thor, Journey Into Mystery, Iron Man, Batman, Catwoman, etc

Dredd Review

Name : Dredd

Year : 2012
Genre : Action / Sci-Fi
Director: Pete Travis
Main Cast : Karl Urban, Olivia Thirlby and Lena Headey
Based on : 2000 AD comic book
Warnings : ultra violence, drug use, sex/rape

I recommend it to : sci-fi, visual effects and 3D lovers, geeks, comic book lovers, M gamers, post-apocalyptic stories fans, visual thrill seekers
I do NOT recommend it to : your grandma, children, people with a weak heart or stomach, I wouldn't recommend to go see it as a romantic date or with your parents.

 OFFICIAL TRAILER ( link)



Review : Possibly the coolest thing about Dredd is the refreshing presence of two strong female characters - aspiring-Judge Anderson and violent drug-lord and clan-leader Ma-ma. There is no love story between Anderson and the the legendary Judge of Mega City One - Dredd, which makes the film even more refreshing, since we get a heroine who is more than just a love-interest with a gun. The quality of the visual effects is just stunning and I would recommend this film to all 3D lovers, who can handle their gore well. Another great plus is the booming electronic soundtrack which accompanied the tense action scenes of the film, which also contribute greatly to the visual thrill, which is Dredd.

The story of the film is quite simple - in a future America, Mega City One stretches from Boston to Washington DC and constitutes of a world of violence and criminal rule. Andreson is on her final assessment to become a Judge, some type of law reinforcement agent, who has to power to dispense "judgement" on sight (judgement which most often being death.) So, heavily armed and armored, the angle-faced heroine sets off on her first day with one of the most bad-ass Judges in town - Judge Dredd as her examiner.

Dredd is a rather antisocial character. He makes up for the lack of words with punches. He shakes the ground when he walks and never takes off his helmet. Despite never being able to see his face, Dredd ended up growing on me during the film in the way that a massive, rubber-clad, ultra-violent teddy-bear might.

Anderson is also quite special - a mutant with psychic powers, she could have been the young female Charles Xavier, but regrettably she only remembered to use her powers when it was time to see how much the enemies wanted to rape her. She missed several good opportunities to use her powers in combat or defense, but in the type of stunning 3D action film that Dredd is, story logic doesn't matter too much.


If Anderson was the cute little angle, then Ma-ma was the twisted, dark devil. Former prostitute, turned gang-leader and drug-lord, practically everyone in Peach Trees was her bitch. Broken, used, angry, violent and way beyond redemption, Ma-ma is feared with a good reason. When faced with the two Judges entering her territory, she throws everything at them without a glimpse of remorse.

However Dredd lives up to his reputation and Anderson shows what she's really made of. The sentence is ALWAYS death!

Favorite Scenes : Ma-ma taking SLO-MO in the bath tub, splashing her hands in the water and watching droplets fly in 1% normal speed, all the while glistening like diamonds - a truly beautiful scene!
Favorite Characters : Anderson and Ma-ma - the kick-ass female characters of the year!
Favorite Quote : "The sentence is death," Dredd
What I liked the most : the gorgeous graphics, flawless 3D, the extreme colour correction and the slow-motion footage
What I liked the least : the ultra-violence and the sex/rape scene - a bit too much for my gentle soul

Ratings 

Review by Alq

Photos are Property of Leonsgate, Reliance and DNA, 2012  

Game of Thrones ( season 1 and 2 )

Name : Game of Thrones

Status : (currently airing)
Number of seasons/episodes : ( 2 seasons completed  ( 10 episodes each ) , 3rd season currently in production )
Year : 2011 – present
Genre : Medieval fantasy

Creators: David Benioff, D.B. Weiss
Main Cast : Peter Dinklage , Lena Headey , Michelle Fairley , Emilia Clarke , Richard Madden , Sean Bean  … and many more
Based on : book series A Song of Ice and Fire by George R.R.. Martin

Warnings : might be addictive to some ;  a lot of characters ; violence ;  nude scenes ;  you might start considering taking a wolf as a pet ....


I  recommend it to : basically I think everyone should give it a try , but those who might like it more are people who like fantasy ( more “realistic” one ) or medieval stories ;  young ( and old ) man ;  those who like stories based more on characters than on action ;
I do NOT recommend it to : people who can’t stand violence or bloody scenes ( still you can just close your eyes and skip that ) ; people who like more action and less talking ;  children ;

REVIEW 
Warning ! this post  might be very long and might contain spoilers . If you want you can skip to the end to see my ranking for the TV series. 

I am very confused about my own opinion on this one.
Let’s make one thing clear from the beginning – I have not read the books, I do not know any extra facts about neither the story nor the characters. This is only bases on my impressions form the TV series.

I was told it is very addictive and that once I start to watch I won’t be able to stop. This actually prevent me for watching it earlier because I  was very busy and I though that if I start it , it would ruin me ( I tend to get addicted to movies very easily ) .

But now that I have watched it ( both seasons )  I can say that Game of Thrones just didn’t turn out to be all that strong and addictive for me.  That doesn’t mean it was bad, on the contrary - I liked it , I liked it a lot , but  I  simply cannot say I liked  all of it . This is why I mentioned  that I was confused about what to write -  it is because there are many things I like about this movie but also many things I am not satisfied with.

I feel there is a great potential in the story that is never truly fulfilled. Yes, some episodes ended in a way I just couldn’t resist not to start watching the next one immediately, but there were also those moments I felt like the story is dragging a little.

I should clear up one more thing – I do like stories where characters are well developed, who evolve and about whom there are many things to discover . But as much as I like stories that focus on characters, I think there're too many characters in here. This is, however, not the main problem I have with the story. It is the way these characters interact, or do not interact with each other that I have some complains about .  I will come to comment more about it later.

From now on, I will point out more clearly the things I like and the things I do not like about Game of Thrones

1 – I really like the atmosphere of the movies. It is realistic, but it has its hints of mysteriousness. There are many and various locations and as the story goes, more and more of this world is revealed to us. I think they have chosen the locations for filming this movie really well. In general the production is really good, made with a lot of care. (most of the issues I have are coming from the script )


2 – The cast is really amazing. I am a fan of Sean Bean from before (and he played the role of Ned Stark perfectly ) , but I also liked almost all other members of the cast. They make the characters believable and get you easily involved in their problems. The child actors are also very good !

3 - The characters are interesting. Most of them at least. I guess different people will like one of them more than the other and this is the good thing about the series – it can please different taste . Also I find it very intriguing how the actions of one character influence the life of others and I like to see how their ambitions, desires or background stories lead them to go against each other.  But … here comes the “but-s” …

First - there is not enough interaction between the “main” characters. They do not confront each other directly. Maybe it is more realistic that way – they fight wars against each other even if they might have never met … but sometimes the story becomes too fragmented ( for my liking ) .  Take the Stark children for example – each of them is in different place and has its own problems with minor characters around him/her. As the story goes it becomes more and more complicated but nothing is resolved. This is the main source of dissatisfaction for me. At the end of the second season, I was just not satisfied enough with what we get to see and known or with the slow pass certain stories took. Maybe each season should have more episodes to get us further into the story. I feel I have been given a crumb at the time.
If the story keeps “falling apart” into different sub stories, I fear that it will lose of its initial appeal … I want to see more of the characters I already like but their story is abandoned so that we can see a new character and so on and so on …

I feel like the author had too many ideas … maybe he could have saved some characters for other books or stories.

I repeat – I am the kind of person who likes many characters whose lives are tangled together in a complicated way , but in reality the relationship between the characters are not all that complicated as they seem to be , the characters themselves are not all so complex and deep as they might appear  and the relationship in between them are not so intense as I wished them to be.

4 – About the dialog – there are great lines but there also boring ones ( or cliché ones ) . Sometimes I get bored of listening to this or that character telling some story of his past with his eyes “full of memories “ , stories that are supposed to reveal more about the characters  … but some of those stories are instead banal . As the stories of King Robert – I understood already 10 times what he was and what he had become … I do not need to listen of more of his stories about killing or the glorious past ….I just prefer sometimes people would talk less about themselves as if in a theatrical monologue.

5 – I guess the budget of the movies is not that big so I won’t complain about it but I will only mention it – there are many battles we hear about but we never see . It leaves a little empty space here and there ...

6 – The North – probably is the place I like the most. I was really interested in those “zombie” things and in the fact that while all those “kings” in the south are fighting their wars , another threat is upon them . I like Jon Snow as a character also. But it took a lot to set things into motion there . I was very very curious about what lies beyond the wall until I actually saw the White Walkers in the last episode of season 2 .... Lets say they were much scarier before seeing their leader in the bright light. Anyway , I am still very interested in this storyline ( as "frozen" as it might be occasionally ) 

A side note - I am also very fond of Winterfell and  the ruined castle - Harrenhal ( it is creepy and sad place but I liked it )... ok , I like all locations actually . Also I love the "wolves" ( they had another name ...direwolves ?)  ! I wish I could have one , a white one .

7 – Boobs and Blood – to have plenty of both in a HBO production is nothing new. At times those elements really spice up the story but they could also be totally useless in other cases  ( I guess most of the male audience loved them anyway ) . For example ,  in 50% of the time the naked women passing on the screen are for pure fan service. Their presence is to be enjoyed by whoever enjoys looking at naked women ;) . 
But just to warn you - do not sit to eat dinner while watching ... a lot of heads are flying in the air (and legs and other parts …)

One last thing– no matter how many sex scenes there were , I couldn’t care less for a great number of them , cause  there was no built up tension or anything to make me care .

8 – I also want to mention the characters I like the most and the least. ( the ones that are not mentioned are those who  I like in general and I think they are ok for the story , but I am just not  too fond of them )

On the top of my list are -  Tyrion ( the “half-man”) – he really is a character , it is never boring with him around . Especially I liked when he became the Hand because he was actually smart enough to deal with those around him quite well .  Ned Stark ( his dead was a blow for me ! ) because even he was following his principle too fiercely , even to the edge of stupidity ,  he was a cool character and had a strong presence .  I also like Jon Snow ( I cannot single out   a particular reason right now , lets say I like him in general  - It is my personal preference , I guess  ) and Arya – I like her spirit and her "boyish " manners.

Second Best –  Daenerys Targaryen – she evolved a lot in the first season but in the second season she remained too stuck in her circumstances.
I also like Robb and Catelyn Stark but the first  misses something to be really interesting … maybe he just rose to be a king of the North mostly by words ( there were some good scene with him convincing people to follow him , though )  but I never really saw him lead those battles so … something is missing there . As for Catelyn – she is a cool women , but sometimes makes very stupid and not well though decisions .

Can’t Stand them! – Joffrey . I really dislike him from the first moment. As the story goes I dislike him more and more .I wish something really heavy can drop on this head ... Also Viserys Targaryen – I was so glad that they killed him , honestly !

Boring –  Stannis Baratheon . I don’t have particular reason for it but he and the people around him are a little boring for me . There is the “witch “ and all the black magic and so on … but even after he killed his brother , I still feel no particular interest in him .

Additional Note – Drogo had really a killer look . I think he can just  look in his enemies' eyes and they can drop dead .

Ok , I can keep writing like this until tomorrow so I better try to stop now .

In conclusion I can say that Game of Thrones was so close to grab my total fan devotion … but it just walked past it . I will watch the next season for sure because even with all those complains I mentioned , I enjoyed watching it so far. Actually now that I am more aware of what to expect I may even like it more and stop expecting things to happened that will never happened ….until maybe season 10 ( if there is such ) .

As for the George R. R. Martin ‘s books - I do not intend to read them for the moment. My apologies to Martin but I do not want to get disappointed .
I read comments about the first 2-3 book being absolutely fantastic but also comments about the last one being not so good …. Maybe when one day all those books are finished I could give them a try . But if they do have such a good start and then decline in quality  I will really feel bad . For the moment  I will stick with the TV series .

I want to make  one last compliment for Game of Thrones series – it made me write so much and discuss so much – it means that I am very interested in it.

RATINGS 

Review by Vicky