PACIFIC RIM (8)

Awesome things about PACIFIC RIM:

1. Giant Godzilla-monsters

2. Giant robots

3. Giant robots fighting giant monsters

4. Ron Perlman

5. Rampant destruction.

6. Watching giant robots fight giant monsters.

7. Leaving the theater after watching a big loud movie about giant robots fighting giant monsters and seeing the dark cloudy sky filled with the silent flashes of 527 lightning hits in Las Vegas (so far!) tonight.  It was almost more amazing than a big loud movie about giant robots fighting Godzilla monsters!

Well, okay, maybe it was cooler...

Questions I had after watching PACIFIC RIM:

1. Why is simply punching a giant monster considered an effective form of combat when the monsters have tough thick hides, bony potrubances to protect their brains, and highly-graspable blue glowing dangly-bits popping out of their bodies randomly?  Could we come up with a strategy that isn't "Punch It In The Face Till It Stops"?

"Anyone?  Anyone? I'm looking directly into the camera at you..."

2. Why does Raleigh spend the whole movie yelling condescending commands at his co-pilot, Mako, when they are MIND-MELDED TOGETHER??

"OBVIOUSLY I know what you are thinking. I have been in a "neural handshake" with you for three hours.
 The answer is still no."

3. Is it a rule that all Russians be blond and technologically backward?

"Da!"

4. How do giant robots designed to fight aquatic monsters keep running out of air for the two humans inside?

"Help!  I'm dying from lack of oxygen, which is a problem the dudes at NASA managed to solve in the 60's!"

5. If someone is arrogant or disrespectful, is there any way for that character to redeem himself which doesn't involve dying?

"Well, for me right now.... No. No there isn't.  Also, I look like a Ninja Turtle."

6.  If Japan (finally!) built a giant robot, do you think they would name it Coyote Tango?

Seems legit..

and finally

7. Why did the giant robot go into combat with the giant monster and ONLY use a sword when there was NO other option?

"When you make me VERBALLY REMIND you that we have a SWORD is when I really start to question mind-melding as a
combat tool...."

But, giant robots fighting giant monsters. So... who cares?  :)

"The apocalypse has been canceled.  I'm afraid we had a bit of a mix up on the calendar so it will be re-scheduled at a later date.  Thank you so much for your attention."

THE GREAT GATSBY - (5)

So, I really like Baz Luhrman's films.  I really wanted to love this one.  It was beautiful and thoughtful and the costuming was marvelous and the sunshine was everywhere and the set design was fantastic and the actors were all excellent and the CGI worked.

However, I didn't love this film.  It was poignant.  It made me think.  It was lovely to look at.  I didn't love it.   And, I think I didn't love it because I didn't love the music.   MOULIN ROUGE is a film I LOVED because the music supported the story.   PITCH PERFECT I loved because the music supported the story.   The music in GATSBY did not support the story.  The music was so obviously changed after filming that every single moment someone was singing or dancing one could see that their mouths and bodies didn't match the sound that was audible.  It upset me because I wanted to know what amazing song was being sung by the speakeasy dancers.  I wanted to hear what the goofy people were singing while dancing like idiots.

Because you just KNOW that's a stuipd song...

And yes, I'm complaining.  Some of the tracks were alright but I really want to hear what Lurhman had already filmed, and to hear the music which matched the lips of the performers.  It really makes a difference.  Here, I'll show you.  In honor of Amitabh Bachchan who was in this film,

"Hello, yes, I am Amitabh Bachchan..."

 I have taken the trailer of GATSBY and replaced the sound with a Bollywood song, specifically AR Rhman-Kabhi Neem Neem.





And, yes, I cut that off early because it's a good song and combined with that video it's terrible.  Okay, now let's watch the same terrible video with a different song, this time "Jeepers Creepers" by the Mills Brothers.

Different, right?  Better, right?   All I'm saying is that I, who has purchased only one DVD in the past three years, would run to buy THE GREAT GATSBY DVD if it contained a directors cut with the original sound.

That said, this Gotye song for the movie is really good...

IRON MAN 3 - (9)

I liked IRON MAN 3 but not for the explosions or special effects (which were awesome), or because Robert Downey Jr looks nice in a tight black shirt (he does), or for the heroics or any of the things one normally looks for in a comic book movie.  I liked IRON MAN 3 because it was low on magical timelines and high on reality.

Well.. it obviously isn't TOO realistic because we are talking about flying space suits powered by magnets.  But it did show that even genius phlanthropist billionaire playboys suffer from PTSD after fighting aliens from another dimension and protecting NYC from an atomic bomb launched by his own government.   In this movie, when people get really hurt, they stay hurt for a long time.  The movie quietly addressed issues of identity, relationships, past errors, and how getting through all of these things means getting help from others.  As Nassim Nicholas Talib says "It is a sign of weakness to avoid showing signs of weakness."

So it's a solid film which has good jokes, some awesome bad guys, Pepper Pots getting really angry,

"WHAT?"

plenty of loud explosions, imperiled people being saved, bad guys,

"I make this look FABULOUS!"

and echos the same emotionally-damaged form of communication our friend Tony Stark has always used.

HOWEVER, as good as it is, I do have a nit to pick and as usual it's a wardrobe complaint.  First of all, Tony Stark is a billionaire.  He would not wear baggy jeans and a blue sport coat he stole from a golf tournament official.

I couldn't find a photo of the hideous coat anywhere on the internet so this book jacket will have to do

Seriously, I know the costumer wanted to show him as being more grounded and honest and healed but this is NOT the outfit to do it with.

Also, when War Machine goes to Afganistan to trap a terrorist he probably wouldn't do it in this outfit:

I am, of course, referring to the chinos and green polo Don Cheadle is supposed to have chosen to wear while flying War Machine to Afganistan for 6 hours.  I know that Air Force guys are the nerds of the armed services but, a polo?  Really?  A respected Air Force Colonel would go into combat wearing something a bit more substantial than this if only to protect against the rattling around he must experience when flying a tin can that wasn't designed to fit him.

Yes, I'm being picky but these two wardrobe decisions were the only things which bothered me which .. is remarkable.   Yeah, see it.  It's good.