The Revolution Review:

Casa De Mi Padre

asmith38256@gmail.com (Tony Smith) — Thu, 22 Mar 2012 20:36:00 +0000

Hola mis amigos, esta es la reseña de "Casa de mi Padre". Casa de mi Padre is the third installment of Will Ferrell's every-man trilogy (Anchorman, Ricky Bobby, and now Casa) and this was a great way to close it out. What was this movie about? It was Will Ferrell doing a 1970's style telenova in Spanish and that's all I'm going to say about that. I feel if you go into this movie with any sort of expectation then you may find a bit of disappointment. You really need to walk in, let yourself go, and just enjoy all the things that are happening around you.

The thing that really made this film so great was how terrible it was. It was purposefully made with badly painted backgrounds, misplaced mannequins, wardrobe changes where they weren't supposed to be, and random scene cuts. All of these made the story that much more hilarious. The execution of these "bad filming techniques" is what made it funny instead of having to make too many jokes in the story and script itself; this allowed the comedy to not go too far but still leave everyone in the theater cracking up.

I would say go and see Casa de mi Padre in the theaters because it is built for the big screen more so than for home. But, like I said before, don't go into it thinking that it will be another Anchorman; and because it's not another Anchorman level of funny I give Casa de mi Padre 4 Scorpion Beers out of 5! Mi nombre es Armando Alvarez y Yo No Se!

The Lorax

asmith38256@gmail.com (Tony Smith) — Thu, 22 Mar 2012 20:34:00 +0000

(singing) "Humans suck they really really suck! Humans suck they really really really suck! We love to kill the Earth because we're all stupid. All corporations are greedy and evil; and all forest creatures can be enslaved by marshmallows!" I'm not saying that was Grammy worthy but I am saying this is the review of The Lorax. The Lorax takes us on a journey with a young man who, in order to impress a girl, goes and listens to the story of how the land outside of his all plastic town of Thneedville was ravished by corporate greed.

At first I was ready to walk out because the amount of human hating pulpit preaching in the first number alone was enough to make me puke. That, however, eventually subsided and it became a rather enjoyable movie. The story moved along at a good pace and never lost the attention of my kids who we took to see this.The look of the film itself was very visually appealing and my five year old daughter was very happy that it was animated and not another live action piece of Dr. Seuss nonsense.

On the other hand, there seemed to be some disconnect between the animated characters and their voices; there wasn't a good blend of the two which made it difficult not to visualize the actors doing the voices rather than just focusing on the characters in the story. Oh, and by the way, there are so many plot holes and unanswered questions in this movie it was ridiculous. Why would there be snails in a town completely made of plastic? Were the Lorax's only powers, as the spirit of the forest, to make you feel guilty? Couldn't they have used a ladder to harvest the truffula trees? If the Once-ler (the storyteller) had a solution all this time why didn't he fix things years and years and years ago? Not to mention the logistics of holding a people captive behind the walls of a city. Honestly, there was a lot to this movie that didn't make sense and I don't mean that in the fun Dr. Seuss randomness kinda way. This doesn't make the movie awful but you just need to shut of you're brain and enjoy the pretty colors.

If you have kids, go ahead and take them to see this and let yourself be inspired to plant a tree. If you're a small business owner you can take inspiration from this as well. Anyone else besides Al Gore, I'd say don't bother checking this out unless you take some shrooms beforehand. I give The Lorax 2 out of 5 Big Hairy Mustaches although I will probably being buying it on DVD so my kids can watch it over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and again...

Journey 2: The Mysterious Island

asmith38256@gmail.com (Tony Smith) — Tue, 20 Mar 2012 16:55:00 +0000

Look up in the sky! Is it a bird? Is it a plane? No, it’s Dwayne Johnson here to try and save another movie franchise! This is my review of “Journey 2: The Mysterious Island”. Journey 2 follows the same kid as the first movie now living with his mom and stepdad and still obsessed over Jules Verne now more than ever. Receiving a transmission from his grandfather, Sean (Josh Hutchinson) and his stepdad Hank (Dwayne Johnson) set off to find the Mysterious Island. After hiring Luiz Guzman to get them there, they end up crashing on the island and now, with the help of Sean’s Grandfather Alexander (Michael Caine), they must get off the island before it sinks. Surprisingly this ended up being a rather good film. I don’t know if it was the fact that I was on vacation or how much disappointment I had prepared myself for due to the first one, but this ended up being an entertaining flick that I was happy to have seen. Dwayne Johnson and Luiz Guzman play off each other well and actually added some comic relief instead of making it cheesy and campy. The story itself was very predictable (which is ok, not every movie has to keep you guessing) and the CG left a little to be desired but all in all it was well shot and well formulated. My kids enjoyed it immensely and I had fun watching it with them; so in that scenario I would say definitely go and see it. All in all I give Journey 2: The Mysterious Island 3 man I really want to be a steampunk submarine captain more than anythings out of 5.

Tony Smith
Revolution Review 2012

Rise of the Planet of the Apes

asmith38256@gmail.com (Tony Smith) — Thu, 11 Aug 2011 19:10:00 +0000

Okay guys… it must say a lot about how much I liked this movie since it took a week to write this review. Technically I think Tony had a plan to write this review but he hasn't done it yet, so much to your pleasure (I’m sure), I’m taking over.

Last week we took a day date to see Rise of the Planet of the Apes. The movie is a prequel to the Planet of the Apes series, but it does not assume that you have seen the other movies. It follows the story of Will, a scientist for a drug company working on a cure for Alzheimer’s, whose obsession for his work is fueled by his father’s own battle with the condition. Due to an unfortunate incident, Will loses his funding and his group is ordered pull the plug but this doesn't stop him from stealing one baby ape and continuing his research from home. Over the years Will, his father, and the now moniker-ed “Cesar” grow into a happy family until one faithful day where Will’s father has an incident with the neighbor and things start going downhill rapidly. From here Apes get smarter, angrier, and rise-up-ier...but I don’t want to go into much more detail because it really is a good watch and lot of stuff happens.

Now… onto the review…

I actually liked the movie. I didn’t find it amazing but I didn’t dislike it either. The special effects were decent but making Cesar entirely CG took away something. I totally understand why this was the best option, but maybe a puppet or two would have helped with the realism. The acting was good but, again, nothing spectacular; though I will give credit to John Lithgow who is always pretty amazing, oh, and Tom Felton (it took a good 10-15 minutes before I leaned over to Tony and said “I think that’s Malfoy”, then another 10-15 minutes for us to both be convinced, and even then I still looked it up when the movie ended). He filled the role well but his character's personality wasn’t all that different from what we have from seen him before (minus the whole "P-P-Potter.." stutter action). I’ve heard some people (Tony…) say that the action was lacking and this brought the movie down.*

"Objection your honor!...You may approach the bench...why thank you. Hey y'all, this is Tony. What I was trying to say was that the movie is titled RISE of the Planet of the Apes, the previews showed apes on roof tops with spears, and scar faced battle torn bad-ass apes consciously pushing helicopters off bridges, but the end result seemed lack-luster in the PLANETARY UPRISING department. I was left a little disappointed wanting something more. The movie was good and filled (mostly...you could connect the dots) the gaps between this and the original, so don't get me wrong...I just wanted to put my two cents in...perhaps if I had been less lazy..."

*I tend to disagree. There wasn't much in the way of action but with this being a prequel we should expect a lot of build up, relationship building, and back story. It does, however, deliver in these areas immensely. I was so sucked into the story I didn’t care that there weren't a lot of explosions or monkey chases. Overall the movie was very enjoyable. Don’t walk in expecting some earth-shattering eye-opening mega movie but it was a decent and entertaining piece of cinema.

Due to the overall entertaining nature of the film, and the amazing acting of Lithgow, I give this movie 3 “Damn Dirty Apes” out of 5 (predictable, I know… but I had to...sorry Collin).

And I leave you with this:

“If it doesn’t have a tail, it’s not a monkey.

Even if it has a monkey kind of shape.

If it doesn’t have a tail it’s not a monkey.

If it doesn’t have a tail it’s not a monkey, it’s an ape.”

-Aamber S. (Edited and Interrupted by Tony S.)
The Revolution Review 2011

Captain America: The First Avenger

asmith38256@gmail.com (Tony Smith) — Fri, 22 Jul 2011 22:09:00 +0000

"In two words: predictably exciting" -J.W.

"It captured the essence of what made the comic book so addictive for many of us when we were kids" -M.M.

"The acting was way better than expected and it was just a ton of fun to watch" -A.S.

"The story was good and not as predictable as I thought. Chis Evans did a good job of playing Cap but could have done a better job at playing Steve" -K.M.

"The lessons of Captain America are profound: patriotism is yummy and Nazis are dumb" -M.M.

"A truly epic thrill ride. Nothing but pure clean fun for the entire audience. Not since the first Iron Man have I been this entertained by a Marvel movie. Bravo!" -T.S.

T.S.? Wait a minute that's me! That must mean we're in the middle of my review of Captain America: The First Avenger. Captain America follows the determination of a scrawny big hearted young man by the name of Steve Rodgers (Chris Evans). Steve's parents were killed in service of the country and he feels it's time to do his part. After being rejected several times by the army because of his meek stature, he is selected to become a part of a secret super soldier program due to his integrity and good nature. Steve decides to use his new found abilities to go deep into enemy lines and attempt to dismantle the Nazi group know as Hydra and stop it's dementedly evil dictator, Red Skull (Hugo Weaving), from achieving world domination.

This film is great and follows suit in showing us why Marvel Studios is at the forefront of the entertainment industry. It was a little slow to start out but then the movie grabs you by the scruff of the neck and doesn't let go. The decision to shoot it as a period piece was the perfect route to take. This allowed the studio to rely on some of the same formulas that made Iron Man and The Incredible Hulk so good but it still had it's own flavor. As much as Chris Evans is saturated in the comic style movie industry (Fantastic Four, Silver Surfer, Scott Pilgram, The Losers, Push, TMNT) he was a perfect fit for this role. Speaking of perfect casting, how amazing was Hugo Weaving? He was demented, scary, and just down right evil. It was like taking Agent Smith and Col. Hans Landa (mastery played by Christoph Waltz) in a boiling cauldron of fear and depravity.

Let's get down to brass tacks here, I mean it's not all candy canes and lollipops. The CG in some of the scenes (two in particular: first, when he chases the Nazi spy after first getting his abilities; and second, when he is chasing after Red Skull's plane in the hanger) was put together with a lot of follow-through. It felt like a mix of re-colored scenes from Spiderman and a bad taste of Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow. Also I didn't feel that they made a solid connection between Cap and Bucky. They were supposed to be the best of friends but they didn't nurture that relationship enough for me to care what happens to Bucky throughout the film. All of that aside, I will say, the work that went in to making Chris Evans look like a puny little guy was spectacular. I know it was the same technology that went into making The Curious Case of Benjamin Button but holy crap it was spot on and flawless in this film.

Overall this is probably the best movie I have seen all summer and if you have an inkling of a curiosity to see it, DO IT, you will not be disappointed (and don't forget to stay till the end, one word, EPIC!). In the curious case of Captain America: The First Avenger I give it 5 Shield Shaped Head Concussions out of 5!

Tony S.
The Revolution Review 2011

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2

asmith38256@gmail.com (Tony Smith) — Fri, 22 Jul 2011 19:00:00 +0000

Hey Ladies and Gents, Aamber here. As I'm sure you've noticed, we decided to mix things up and have other people write some reviews to give Tony a bit of a break. That means that I got the final chapter of the Harry Potter series.

First, a little background! I never considered myself a Potterhead (even though we own most of the films). In fact I have never even picked up the books and I fell asleep during the 6th movie. Last year we finally broke down and saw part one of the Deathly Hallows. It was pretty awesome, and it definitely got me excited for the finale.

This movie is a lot less fun and games than the previous seven and it is definitely more centered around the battle that inevitably ensues. The story follows Harry Potter and his buddies on their journey to find the final pieces of Voldemort's soul (seriously...Horcrux sounds so much less intense) in order to stop his quest for immortality and eventually destroy him. This takes the trio through the vaults at Gringotts Bank, on a high flying dragon ride, and eventually back to Hogwarts where everything began; ending in a final battle that could rival most war epics.

Now...how was the finale, you may ask? Honestly, it was kind of amazing. This is no longer the kids movie that Harry Potter started out as. I definitely wouldn't let my daughter watch it, because I'd wake up with her in my bed every night for a week if I did. I don't want to give away too much, but this movie definitely gave me a greater appreciation for some of the actors. Maggie Smith (who plays Professor McGonagall), in particular, was fantastic, though I felt her role was rather limited. There was a lot of death and destruction in this chapter, most of which was done very well. However, some key characters met their demise, yet it seemed like an afterthought. I believe that the film makers truly missed out on a great opportunity for an emotional impact. I also took issue with the epilogue. Set 19 years in the future we get a brief glimpse of what life is like for some of the characters now. I loved the concept, but the film makers really copped out on the "movie magic" here. They attempted to age the actors, but instead implied that everyone in their late 30's looks tired, fat, and bald. These actors are adults now, it would not have been difficult to give them a little aging, but still keep them looking good.

All in all this movie was made very well. The score, as always, was fantastic. The special effects were flawless. Even Voldermort's nose was pure perfection and did exactly what it needed to (ya know... induce vomiting). The only issue I have is that it was shot for 3D.... meaning that some gestures (aka gags) in the beginning were intentionally played out for the 3D aspect (but if you've been following us, you already know that I am not a 3D fan); so, we saw it in the normal 2D. One thing that really stuck out for me cinematically was the dragon in Gringott's vault. It would have been easy for them to just throw in a simple CG dragon, but the film makers really took their time and made him as life like as possible. That made it easier to focus on the whimisical side of there actually being a dragon, instead of focusing on how fake it looked.

With everything taken into consideration this is definitely a movie worth the watch, but I wouldn't if you haven't been following the story so far. I recommend that even the most seasoned Harry fan watch at least part 1 before venturing into this one. So brush off your sorting hat (you know you've got one), throw on some black rimmed glasses, and settle in for the ride. This one gets 4 Golden Snitches out of 5.

Aamber S.

The Revolution Review 2011

Transformers 3: The Dark of the Moon

asmith38256@gmail.com (Tony Smith) — Fri, 22 Jul 2011 15:43:00 +0000

(Whistling "That's Amor") Mix in Skrillex dub step without the music portion, throw in a small gun, a big sword, toss in my fantasy actor team (Simon Pegg is benched), an entire jug of awesome, and vala! Transformers 3: Dark of the Moon. I know there are a lot of haters out there that love to bag on the second film. It wasn't that bad. I know it wasn't the greatest movie ever made but it wasn't eye gougingly awful, hey we all make bad choices (testicles on a giant robot humping a pyramid) but we need to look past them. Past oops-a-daises aside, there was nothing to look past in this installation of the series; in one word...EPIC!
This third installment of the series revolves around the idea that an Autobot ship crashed on the moon back in the 1960's and it contained a device that could transform (pun completely intended) the war for the Autobots. Now Sam (Shai Labeouf) and all our old friends (sans Megan Fox) must team up with Optimus and the others to stop the Decepticons before they get their hands on it.
This movie was a...wait for it...mazing! It had bigger robots, more explosions, sharper iron age weaponry, hotter love interests, and better actors! What more could you ask for? Star Trek jokes? Has it! Bad ass militia units? Has it! Matching pajamas? IT FREAKING HAS THEM!!! The plot runs well and never loses focus. I loved the Armageddon post apocalyptic feel it had which even trickled into Megatron at the beginning.
My favorite thing of all? CAST! I never expected it and it blew me away! Alan Tudyk (Firefly, Knights Tale) = amazing, Ken Jeong (Knocked Up, Hangover Series) = hilarious, John Malkovich = disarming, Glenn Morshower (Aaron from 24) = classic, Patrick Dempsey = unexpectedly perfect, Lenord Nemoy = legendary, and as always John Turturro (Oh Brother Where Art Thou, Secret Window) and Hugo Weaving (Matrix, LOTR, V for Vendetta, Captain America) rock my socks! Also the cinematography was a lot more spot on than it has been in the previous films. Thank you Micheal Bay! We like to see robots fighting not the legs of robots fighting! POV is an important tool but let's not get carried away (new spiderman trailer)!

Now how should I rate this...I would consider giving it a five but the POV slips and lazy reuse of shots from The Island (yes Micheal Bay, we caught you) knocks it down to a four...but...robot heads being ripped out by the spine with battle axes and the comedy combo of Ken Jeong and Alan Tudyk bring it up to 4.5 Teleportation Pillars out of 5!

Bad Teacher (by guest writer Heather C.)

asmith38256@gmail.com (Tony Smith) — Fri, 22 Jul 2011 15:37:00 +0000

For being tardy you must write 15 times on the board: "This is the review for Bad Teacher"!

This is the review for Bad Teacher
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Have you ever had a bad teacher? I'm sure we all have, but none as bad a Elizabeth (Diaz) who is a new age teacher. She has it all: sex appeal, drive, and determination. Too bad it's for all the wrong reasons.

This film captures all that a bad teacher would or could ever think of doing. This film will most likely offend the weaker teachers out there and make other (non educational professionals) wonder if that is how schools can be run these days. I personally didn't care for the movie. I felt the script and acting was way under par for the caliber of talent that these stars normally produce. With names like Jason Segel and Justin Timberlake on the bill I expected to see some side splitting comedy but all I got was an open dropped jaw for most of the film. With bad acting,a bad script, and only a few funny moments (honestly most of the laughing was at the audiences reaction and not the movie itself) I would have to give Bad Teacher Two Thumbs Down and I wouldn't waste my money to go see it.

Heather C. (edited by Tony Smith)
The Revolution Review 2011

Green Lantern

asmith38256@gmail.com (Tony Smith) — Fri, 22 Jul 2011 04:47:00 +0000

In brightest day in blackest night no evil shall escape my sight, let those who worship evil's might, beware my power Green Lantern's REVIEW!!!

The Green Lantern follows the plight of a pilot named Hal Jordan (Ryan Reynolds) who is the first human to ever become a part of a universal superhero corps known as the Green Lanterns. Although the other lanterns don't favor his presence in the corps they must learn to fight together to eradicate a threat that can destroy the entire universe. If Hal can learn to face his fears and rely on the one thing the other lanterns don't have, humanity, then he can become the most powerful Green Lantern of all time.

Even though I'm a huge comic fan and usually the one to rely on when it comes to comic continuity in the movies, I actually never followed the Green Lantern series. What I do know is that Sinestro (purple guy with the funny mustache) get's kicked out of the corps, Hal gets his ring, so Sinestro finds another source of power and comes back for revenge. I thought that's what the plot was going to be, I had know idea what "The Darkness" was, so I guess they have some fodder for a second film. I know what you're thinking (cause I'm psychic like that), "But Kyle, Ryan Reynolds was Deadpool; how can he be Green Lantern too?" That is a very good question and I don't know the answer but he pulled it off. I prefer him as Deadpool but you get what you get.

The story line is way too predictable. About half way through the movie I had already figured out everything that was going to happen, my brother did too and that's saying a lot! Then, after staying for the special scene during the credits, it ended up being nothing more than lack luster. As far as the graphics go I liked the green lantern suits and the compilation of aliens but "the darkness" smoke thing and the guardians did not look realistic at all. I didn't have any complaints about the manifestations from the rings except that Hal's were a little convoluted. He made flame throwers, two jets, and even a hot wheels track to stop a helicopter that just crashed into the ground anyway. It was too much. On top of all that the film editing made it hard to follow and it ruined the flow and lacked the tiniest bit of continuity.

The one redeeming factor was Blake Lively, she's hot. I was on comingsoon.net last year reading some of the fan posts and when Blake Lively was announced to be the lead actress, some of the people (most of them guys...ok...all of them guys) said she wasn't hot enough...FOOLS ALL OF THEM!!!!!

In the end, when I go to the movies I don't want to know that I'm at the movies. I want to be so engrossed in the film that I literally lose myself....that just didn't happen for me this time. I give The Green Lantern 4 Dying Purple Aliens out of 10.

Kyle M. (edited by Tony Smith)
The Revolution Review 2011

The Hangover Part II

asmith38256@gmail.com (Tony Smith) — Thu, 21 Jul 2011 19:32:00 +0000

I would definitely be lying if I said I expected Warner Bros to make a sequel to The Hangover but lo and behold here is a review of The Hangover Part II. I absolutely loved the first movie, though completely shocked and appalled, I laughed through the entire film; it was a definite riot entirely on an obscenely comical level.

The story begins with finding Stu (Ed Helms) getting married to Lauren (Jamie Chung). The entire wolf pack, Phil (Bradley Cooper), Alan (Zach Galifianakis), Doug (Justin Bartha), and now joined by Lauren's brother Teddy (Mason Lee), come together to witness the union of their friend. Getting together for a drink by the beach, they awake with absolutely no recollection of what happened, where they are, or how they got there. They find that they have lost Teddy and begin on an adventure to locate him while finding the shocking and humiliating truths of the night before.

The movie was an absolute riot. I was a fan from the very beginning. However, I feel that the sequel tied too close to the original movie. Much of the premise is exactly the same. A night filled with debauchery and the adventure of retracing their steps backwards. This movie doesn't pull any stops though. The jokes are cruder but the imagery is more of a shock factor as opposed to enhancing story or humor. However, the movie definitely serves its purpose on all levels, comically speaking, and the chemistry of the Wolf Pack is an invaluable part to the success of this film.

Whether or not you've seen the first entry in the Hangover series, The Hangover Part 2 is definitely one to see (although, it may help to understand the back story of THIS movie). I give this movie 8 ภาพวอดก้า out of 10.

Derek S.
The Revolution Review 2011

Cars 2

asmith38256@gmail.com (Tony Smith) — Mon, 18 Jul 2011 21:34:00 +0000

Hey that car has eyes on it, hey that car has eyes on it, hey...that car has eyes on it, wait a minute...that mountain is shaped like that car and that car has eyes on it...and that is my five year old's review of Cars 2. Wait a minute, but this isn't her blog...oh well, here's my review of Cars 2. I was a little hesitant when we decided to take the kids to see Cars 2. I knew that they would enjoy it so I rested upon those laurels and didn't set my expectations too high. "But why", you may ask; well if you would be patient I just might tell you...sheesh...some people. Anywho, my primary concerns with another Cars movie was that I had already seen it before. All the gags about how the cars are people now and how a world can be rebuilt with nothing but automobile euphemisms had been force fed to (that seems harsh...let's go with: pleasantly gobbled up by) me already in a great and memorable film known as Cars and I didn't want them to beat me in the head with all of it again and make me not like the franchise anymore. So the question remains, was this an accurate prediction of the events to come? Nope. They ignored most of that cars are people too stuff, took us way into left field, and we enjoyed every minute of it. Surprisingly the plot didn't even revolve around racing that much either; I mean sure it took place during a race but that wasn't the focus of the story. The second Cars film follows Mater as he is mistaken for a secret agent and has to help Micheal Cane prevent a mad man from monopolizing the oil industry. The movie deals with complex, important, and relate able issues (such as friendship, tolerance, and being judgmental) that kids can really focus on and enjoy. I thought the fact that they took this film in a completely new direction, instead of just re-telling the old story again, was a home run for this production team. Not to mention there was a decent cast to boot including those from the previous movie, Micheal Cane (as mentioned before), Eddie Izzard, Bruce Campbell, John Turturro, Emily Mortimer, and Joe Mantegna (just to name a few). Was it as good as the first one? Hard to say, it was different which made it entertaining in it's own way, but didn't have the same charm as the original. Should they make a Cars 3 (or worse, Cars 3D!)? Absolutely...not. In conclusion, if you want answers to the age old Cars questions: How do they use the restroom? How do they fly in planes? How do the political and economical struggles that our country and/or world face today translate into a world completely made up of cars? and if you want to sit through a two hour pilot episode of "Cars: The Animated Series" (cause I can see that coming from a mile away); then Cars 2 is the film for you. I give it (as a dad taking his kids to go see a movie) 3.5 Giant Eyeball Windshields out of 5!

Tony Smith
The Revolution Review 2011

Episode 3: A Nightmare On Elm Street

asmith38256@gmail.com (Tony Smith) — Thu, 06 May 2010 21:49:00 +0000

WARNING: IF YOU DO NOT WANT TO HEAR ANY SPOILERS ON THE MOVIE THEN SKIP THE "MAIN ATTRACTION" PORTION OF THE SHOW (from 2:35 till 1:00:20), BUT BE SURE TO LISTEN TO IT AFTER YOU HAVE SEEN THE MOVIE OR DECIDED NOT TO!

or the direct link

http://ia331226.us.archive.org/1/items/Episode3ANightmareOnElmSt/05.06.10.RR.3.mp3

The Revolution Review

*INSERT SOMETHING JUMPING OUT AT YOU UNEXPECTEDLY* AHHHHHHHH!!!!! And That's my review of "A Nightmare on Elm Street". Just Kidding. As a fan of the horror genre I never know if I should get excited for these re-invention of classic horror movies or scared that my childhood butcher-ers will be, well, butchered. If you don't already know, "A Nightmare on Elm St" is about a group of teenagers who all start having the same nightmares of a scary burnt faced guy with knives for fingers but things start going south when the nightmares start to become reality and the teens start dying. As the story goes on you find out all of the teenagers and the supernatural psychopath are all connected to a sorted past and if you fall asleep Freddy's going to get you. The first quandary in this much anticipated remake was if Jackie Earl Haley could take over the legacy of being Freddy Kruger that was so lengthily held by Robert Eungland for eight whole films. I say he pulled it off nicely; as nice as a burnt faced, psychopathic, nightmare haunting, razor blade fingered, monster serial killer could be. Haley was really able to creep me out and added some nuances to Freddy that really brought the character out in a new and frightening way; plus, with the addition of some golden nuggets of dialogue, he was a character that was fun to watch. Speaking of which, his face makeup/graphics were spot on. In the original films you could really tell Freddy was wearing a mask where as this time it was very life like. There were other visually stimulating moments, like when an entire classroom turns to ash (so look for that one) but there were moments that were "movie magic-ed" in the original that lost their flavor when they re-did them in C.G. for the new movie. Was the movie scary? No. Was it entertaining? A little more than slightly. If I compare it to the "scary" movies that Hollywood has been putting out lately (such as Cellular, Prom Night, My Bloody Valentine 3D, etc.) or even to the horrible classic remakes that have come out such as Halloween and Friday the 13th (Please stop, Rob Zombie, just stop it!); then I would say new Freddy comes out somewhere near the top. If I were to compare it to the classic and best horror movies of all time, then it would fall closer to the bottom. Therefore, I'm a little undecided as to how I should rate this one, so I give "A Nightmare On Elm Street" 2 and 5/8 Stabby Knife Fingers out of 5?

-Tony Smith
The Revolution Review, 2010

Episode 2: The Losers

asmith38256@gmail.com (Tony Smith) — Fri, 30 Apr 2010 09:36:00 +0000

WARNING: IF YOU DO NOT WANT TO HEAR ANY SPOILERS ON THE MOVIE THEN SKIP THE "MAIN ATTRACTION" PORTION OF THE SHOW (from 3:45 till 33:20), BUT BE SURE TO LISTEN TO IT AFTER YOU HAVE SEEN THE MOVIE OR DECIDED NOT TO!

or the direct link

http://ia331213.us.archive.org/2/items/Episode2TheLosers/04.30.10.RR.2.mp3

The Revolution Review

Wow, another comic book movie! However, this time I had no idea! This is my official review of The Losers. Like I mentioned, The Losers is based off of a DC Vertigo comic that involves Special Forces agents getting betrayed by their handler, therefore causing them to start their own personal war against the CIA. I felt the movie really captured this well. The movie itself presents a classic element of the team dynamic (where each character has there own relational feel) that is more often then not forgotten by the film writers of today. The film is abundant with adrenaline fueled action sequences, laugh out loud comedic moments, very quotable lines, and Journey (and I ain't talking about no double vision). What's not to like about any of that? However, the beginning felt a little presumptuous in the fact that the writers expected you to have a pre-existant understanding of the characters. Yet, my minuscule distastefulness was lost in the pure fun of this film. Visually stimulating, this is one of those films that you can take your teenager to go see and it will feel like a bad-ass rated R action flick (pssst...it's only PG-13). My expectations were low and they were blown out of the water! I give this film 5 telekinetic pistols out of 5!

-Tony Smith
The Revolution Review, 2010

Episode 1: Kick-Ass!

asmith38256@gmail.com (Tony Smith) — Sat, 24 Apr 2010 02:46:00 +0000

WARNING: IF YOU DO NOT WANT TO HEAR ANY SPOILERS ON THE MOVIE THEN SKIP THE "MAIN ATTRACTION" PORTION OF THE SHOW (from 4:00 till 21:00), BUT BE SURE TO LISTEN TO IT AFTER YOU HAVE SEEN THE MOVIE OR DECIDED NOT TO!

or the direct link

http://ia331211.us.archive.org/1/items/TheRevolutionReviewEpisode1/04.23.10.RR.1.mp3

The Revolution Review

If you didn't already know, Kick-Ass! is based off of a comic book written by Mark Millar and John Romida Jr. Much to the chagrin of the creators of the film who purposefully strive to make fun of comics and the comic culture in the movie; this film does play out much like that of a comic book. The hero comes from humble beginnings, he becomes acquainted with a set of super friends, and ends up making some villians for enemies. How would I describe Kick-Ass! in one word? EPIC! The plot line was very easy and fun to follow which allowed the creators to go gang-busters when it came to busting gangs. What I mean by this is that the spectacle of a movie was saturated with blood, gore, language, and moral depravity. Those are all the reasons, however, that made me love the movie so much. The character known as Hit Girl really stole the show with her crazy spider monkey ninja acrobatic fighting of doom. The film also had a surprising compilation of great cinematic moments particularly noted with the comic style back story of Hit Girl and Big Daddy, and also a certain scene with fire, strobe lights, and an eleven year old shooting lots and lots of bad guys (so look out for that scene). But don't strap on your tights and spandex just yet. The movie was a little predictable. One of the notable things about the comic was it's ability to continuously surprise you and keep you guessing, but I'm afraid the movie robbed you of that experience. Also there was a bit lacking in the C.G. department. I understand that this was not and giant budgeted film but give us a little more movie magic and rely less on the green screen. Oh, and the exit scene at the end of the final battle...lame. All in all, very entertaining! If you read the comic, then go see the movie. If you haven't read the comic, go see the movie, then go read the comic (it's only eight issues, I know you can do it). I give the movie 4 Killer Butterfly Knives out of 5.

-Tony Smith, The Revolution Review 2010