Oblivion - Are you an effective team?

Never in the years I have been watching movies have I ever thought, "Man, I sure do want to see a Tom Cruise film." I take that back, Rock of Ages was one of those movies. But none-the-less. I saw the trailer for this film and immediately thought that this was Scientology film. No joke. But as time went on and I learned a bit more; my opinion quickly changed. Oblivion starred Tom Cruise, Morgan Freeman, Olga Kurylenko and Andrea Riseborough. The director was Joseph Kosinkski, who's only other film was Tron Legacy, and is currently working on another sequel to Tron. Not a fan of the idea of another Tron. The general basses of this film is that Tom Cruise's character, Jack, is in a futuristic, post-apocalyptic Earth. Where there was a terrible war between man and aliens. In the end man had to leave Earth to survive. Jack and another woman are the mop up crew that maintains drones and other important machinery. But Jack is haunted by these flashes of memory about a mysterious woman. Blah, blah, blah. There was too much story for this film. The ideas and movie itself was intriguing, and interesting enough to keep my attention. Some parts felt as if they ran a bit long. But at the same time this film also felt like I was watching a play almost; with the exception of having an extraordinary special effects budget. It seemed I was looking at a jigsaw puzzle, but pieces were missing, or had no right being there in the first place. Oblivion seemed like an incomplete thought. I couldn't very well ask for more, the film felt like it ran long any how. Though there is enough story here for two separate films. I honestly want to hate this film, I do. But I don't for the reasons that it did keep me entertained. There is one thing I will elaborate on that I usually don't, and that is the ending. I won't spoil it for you. But it was such a cop-out, I couldn't believe it. You have to take certain, careful steps to ensure that your hero does not fall. Really? Did it ever occur to you that the hero's journey isn't always a happy one? And the woman! Don't get me started! What happened at the end is just a typical woman thing to do. It's not your fault, it's written in your genes. With that being said, I don't care to write about this film anymore. It was an entertaining incomplete thought, that jumped around and had some stuff in it that the main plot could have done without. I give Oblivion a 1 1/2 out of 4. It could have been better. But at the same time, it could have been a lot worse. OH! One last thing! The swimming pool in it! Best swimming pool EVER!

Evil Dead - Don't speak the words!

I have been pumped for this move for weeks, if not months. I love the Evil Dead series. Its perfect blend of horror, comedy, and gore was amazing. The intentional cheesiness of the film was great, making an instant cult classic. Then a year or so ago I hear of a remake in the works. I was against it for the most part. It was almost blasphemous to recreate something that was perfect. There was no need for a remake; and to have Bruce Campbell give his blessings was even worse. Then they decide to put a serious twist to it. A "Serious Twist"? Are you kidding me? I could only scream at my computer screen when I found this out. But as time went on I let the notion slip into the back of my mind and let it be forgotten until a few months ago. I see it's coming out, and the weeks leading up to it, I hear all of these wonderful things about it. How great it was. How it was a must see. Possibly one of the greatest horror creations to date. My interest had peeked and I could not wait to go. I literally dragged my friend kicking and screaming to this film. Needless to say she was terrified just at the previews. I went into the film having in my head that this remake was a completely separate entity from the original; it was its own thing. To actually compare the two would be unfair; you couldn't top the original. So I went in with an open mind and very, very high expectations. The beginning set the tone very nicely. I couldn't imagine a more perfect beginning to it. Seeing a little back-story to the location was very refreshing. And for those who aren't movie buffs or have any kind of supernatural knowledge. Here is a little explanation/spoiler. Or at least it was my take on it. Cats are the guardians of the underworld. That's it...during the scene I saw a lot of confusion in the theater. After the beginning, the movie slowed some, but not much. I really want to talk about each scene with you guys; there is a lot I want to say. But to be fair to those who haven't seen it, I would not want to spoil it for you. Where are my manors? I forgot to tell you who starred in this film. The stars in this film are: Jane Levy, Shiloh Fernandez, Lou Taylor Pucci, Jessica Lucas and Elizabeth Blackmore. The director was Fede Alvarez, who has done nothing of note other than short films. Evil Dead followed the formula to any horror film exactly, without flaw. I hate formulas, I hate the expected and predictable. SURPRISE ME! But this time...I didn't seem to mind as much. The movie had a creepy atmosphere to it. From what I was hearing about the film, I went into it scared. And for the first forty-five minutes, I had psyched myself out and was scared. Then I realized that this was an Evil Dead movie. Then the fear slowly slipped away, and I enjoyed myself. The acting wasn't bad, minus the main character played by Shiloh Fernandez. He seemed like a douche. The effects with the gore were both awesome and cheesy. The cheesy parts made me laugh and reminded me of the old Evil Dead, and I didn't mind it so much. I found myself laughing at a few scenes. Thankfully, I wasn't the only one. This movie wasn't without flaws though. I felt like the director was holding my hand, trying to explain what each scene meant coinciding with the Book of the Dead. I was able to figure it out! I didn't need your hand to help explain it. To do this more subtly, you may want to rearrange the scenes in such a way where you see the pages earlier on, and then the events happen. Then you let your audience figure it out, making them feel smarter and allowing them to dig themselves deeper into your story. I hate being babied. My other issue was some missing dialogue, maybe an homage to Ash. Nobody says "Give me some sugar, baby." Or "Groovy," anymore but I think I would have liked a little something, not much, but something. We are living in a land of remakes right now. Where Hollywood is running dry on ideas, and they are tapping back into the past and reintroducing the old to newer generations. Ninety percent of all remakes are garbage. But Evil Dead, I believe can stand on its own two feet, it is unique among its peers. When I got comfortable it wasn't scary. Though there was an overwhelming amount of gore. If you are squeamish when it comes to blood, dismemberment, or any vial acts committed on the human body. I couldn't recommend this film for you. But if you can handle yourself, and keep the thought out of your head that this film isn't the original, but a separate entity, then I could recommend this film. I give Evil Dead a 3 out of 4. I liked this film. But let me remind you that this is just MY OPINION. Oh, and there was no "Dead by dawn, dead by dawn!" very, very disappointing. That would have been the homage I was missing.