Here and back again.

Well after a long rest, I am back.  The time has been spent wisely watching my expanding blu ray collection sifting through mainly classic movies of the 70's and 80's (classic but in all honesty some of my purchases haven't aged well).  Also in June I attended the Armegeddon Expo in Wellington  where I drooled over a wealth of collectibles many of which were beyond my price range.

My moviegoing though frequent has been a mixed bag of entertaining delights and disapointing failures. The first half of this year has the distinct vibe of playing it safe with sequal after sequal. Stand outs so far for me have been Captain America 2, Godzilla and Dawn of the Planet of the Apes.
Spiderman 2 and Transformers however Stand out as boringly predicatable and lacking in pace. Each had their standout moments but there is more boom and bluster present than great story telling.

The direction of my blog will change, I'm a film fan, and not a film reviewer so I will be toning down that part of my blog in favour of book reviews and some blu ray reviews for the collectors amongst my audience. These will be for those with doubts about potential purchases due to potential quality issues. Of course these will be of a Southern Hemisphere slant as that is my location.

So I will be back with more of a local flavour but also I hope a more general chat like vibe. A diary of my geek life, freeing me up to be more open in my opinions.

Robocop 2014

1987 was the start of a good run for Paul Verhoeven, already well established as a Dutch filmaker his transition to Hollywood kicked off with Robocop a movie that courted as much critisim as praise for its dark ultra violence mixed with a blacker than black satirical edge. This was the time of the greed is good 80's.

       I loved it at the time, for daring to go out on a limb, and for Paul Wellers outstanding turn as Alex Murphy. in fact it could be argued that it was his performance that brought class to the whole enterprise.  I was an avid reader of Judge Dredd and this was as near as I would get to taste of that bleak black comedic view of a world gone mad and consumed by greed and violent civil unrest.

       The film delivered it appealed to gore hounds as well as action film fans and this was a period of the 80's when Stallone and Shwarzenegger dominated.   When action was king with anti heroes bleaker than Dirty Harry.

        So now we come to the new 2014 verison of Robocop. Instead of critics being polarized by the movie we instead have dissent from the rank and file fans who despite an endless  stream of reboots and reimaginings seem overly protective over the mettalic future of law enforcement.

        I hold no such qualms this is a film that relects the current time as much as the original is very much a product of the 80's.  The violence is toned down but still there, the idea of man becoming machine and which is the dominant factor Murphy or Robocop is now front and centre and very much the heart of the film.  So my first bit of advice therefore would be to ignore the original. Take this new film on its own terms as it is a vastly superior film to the originals lacklustre sequals even if it doesnt reach the originals emotional wallop. 

       Everything about the set up is different , the big bad is different and theough violent it is less bloody it is very much a relection of current times.  This is a world in which politics is in conflict with corporate interests.  Villains are more ambigious and less clear and if there is one critisism this film lacks a big scenery chewing baddy for Alex Murphy to go up against.

       I feel strongly its because the man or machine element is of more interest to the film maker rather than being a pure action movie.

       On the whole I enjoyed the film on its terms.  The original is still out there, it can still be viewed and loved the new reboot exceeded my jaded expectations and deserves to exisit in its own right. It was a journey I am glad I took and if there was to be a sequal i would gladly welcome it. But next time, we need a bigger, badder villain for Alex Murphy to go up against.

And a little extra More pics from yesterdays visit to the Roxy in Mirimar

Just some more pictures taken yesterday at the Roxy with one older picture of the Roxy for a comparison to the Lego Sculpture in my last post.

2014 Happy New Year and a Day at the Roxy

Well currently I'm enjoying a well earned break and one that has recharged my desire to see some new releases where they deserve to be seen on the Big Screen.  From the very start of my blogs, I had expressed my desire to visit the Roxy, to savour the atmosphere and hell even have a meal at Coco's. So as I'm officially on leave for a week my wife and I decided to leave the snug confines of Porirua and experience the Hobbit Desolation of Smaug at the Roxy. A cinema that has though retaining the original Mirimar cinema's façade has been rebuilt to the latest safety standards incorporating an Art Deco look but with filled with Weta magic from the Gollum's statue greeting you before you ascend the stairs.

Below are photo's taken yesterday, a marvellous Lego reconstruction of the Roxy. The old style Cinema 1, it was here we watched the second part of the Hobbit but not until we had experienced the sheer magic of Coco's restaurant. The food and service was fantastic and this is definitely the place movie magic. The detailing and consistency of design shout out quality.

So recharged, on Holiday and raring to go so far this year I have experienced The Hobbit Desolation of Smaug, which is critic proof I have now seen it standard 3D and HFR 3D and the latter wins hands down. The film felt a lot better the second time around and though a tad too long is still a satisfying experience that leaves you thirsty for more.

Frozen marked my first film of 2014 and I found it to be pure Disney magic , a worthy addition to the Pantheon of Disney movies that confidently embraces Old and New Disney. I loved it, the songs were perfection the characters engaging and the pace perfect for both Adults and children.

After my disappointment with last years movies this year kicked off brilliantly and my next visit I hope to be the Wolf of Wall Street. So Happy New Year long may it continue.

Technology, blu rays and mastering the home theatre system

Well the pre christmas buildup has begun. Time to cast aside my blu rays for the real deal. First out of the gate next week will be Enders Game. This will be followed by the Hobbit Desolation of Smaug.  Meanwhile my local entertainment emporium, will be flooded with christmas product all fighting for my attention.

It all seems daunting but last week I bit the bullet and treated myself to Pacific Rim and In 3D no less.  The presentation is jaw dropping, the sound incredible and the sheer detail on display just draw dropping.  For a 3D experience this disc is demo quality,  simply astounding. Colours pop, the spectacle is all there for you to see.

Yesterday I also treated myself to the Hobbit extended edition which again is a stand out presentation with brilliant supplementary material. Of course this is to be expected the precedence having been set by the Lord of the Rings extended editions. With releases this good then Christmas promises to be a real treat this year making up for a less than impressive year of movie going.

Thor the Dark World and my return to cinema going.

Well after three lacklustre months of lousy cinema, and having resorted to hiding away in my man cave devouring blu ray after blu ray and rediscovering the joys of gaming on my negleted PS3.

The last two weeks however have been a tonic to my cinematic hunger. Its almost as if the stars in alignment. Last week I sat through a wonderful ninety minute documentary on Ray Harryhausen which left me with a strong desire to sit through The Golden voyage of Sinbad. Why?, because its been quite a while since I have seen the film that haunted my youth up to the arrival of Star Wars. It was the Kali sequence that I found so exciting, but its one of many that sticks in my mind.

So After three months of watching some fantastic blast from the past finally a movie came along that screamed must see to me. So I took the plunge, braved the elements which this winter and spring in NZ have been particularly windy and extreme to venture out to my local Reading cinema to see Gravity in 3D.  I'm so glad I did, as a bold experiment in story telling and visuals it was a stand out and though I doubt its Oscar worthiness I cannot deny it grip, brilliant effects and masterful use of 3D.

So I am excited again,and today my second trip this time  to catch Thor 2 The Dark World. This is a film of noise, colour otstanding visuals , makeup and costumes all whizzed in a blender of wonderful CGI effects. To brilliant and entertaining effect , a sequel that really delivers and eclipsing the original to truly deliver as a comic book movie.

Its as if the Avengers has really kicked the marvel franchises into high gear at the same time truly embracing their comic book origins.  This film has a truly evil opponent for Thor is the guise of Christopher Eccelstons almost demonic Malekith and the film is perfectly paced with some outstanding action scenes culminating in a fantastic closing battle that is shere eye candy. Go see , enjoy and stick around right through the credits for two surprises.

Is this it, 2013 the year the blockbuster took a dive.

Its been quiet on here, mainly because I came out of quite a few films in the past two months and thought is that it?. Is that your idea of original, is that bad excuse of a script actually got made and this is the result. There were a few stand outs for me, but they were films of moments but that didn't really blow me away.
Man of Steel delivered, it has superhuman beat downs, iconic moments of patriotism, grand operatic imagery. Zack Snyder delivered but it still didn't feel like a total success to me. It was missing something yet I can't say what. It had all the beats.

 Pacific Rim certainly knew its corner and came out punching. Literally.
 Bright eye popping colours big kick ass monsters vs high techs mecha's. I loved it, it delivered for me and then I saw the finale of the Cornetto Trilogy.

The Worlds End, it wasn't my favourite of the trilogy but the boys were back, it entertained, and it was a fitting conclusion. Shaun of the Dead will always be no 1 in my books.  But I got the point, some brave choices were made and the pay-off was worth sitting through.

But disappointments were many, I hated Epic,enough to actually walked out, accompanied by my 5 year old who was in a like mind and has voiced his dislike a little to loundly . I avoided the Lone Ranger purely because the reviews suggested a snore fest with the same faults of over indulgent set peices as the last two of Gore's Pirate trilogy.

Iron Man I made the choice I would wait for on Blu ray.

There are films that I am impatient for. The next Mad Max, the second part of the Hobbit trilogy but I have been revisiting a few classic old films on Blur ray which have left me wishing that summer films stateside were less about following sequal after sequal but actually daring to be new. Where is the next Godfather, Good fellows, Tootsie, Kramer vs Kramer.

Maybe that is why the Great Gatsby reignited my excitement to the point that I had to purchase the book and start reading. It was stylistically dazzling, daring in your face and at the same time loud brash and colourful.

So as I kick up again, so will my personal observations of things that catch my eye. Elysium will be my next film of choice and I will begin commenting on some of my more recent Blu ray purchases. So keep and eye out.