'The Avengers' (2012)

I'm guessing you have already seen 'The Avengers' by now along with the rest of the world, but just in case you haven't seen it yet or would just like to see what I thought of it, here's my review. If have seen any of the recent Marvel superhero movies like 'Thor', 'Iron Man', and 'Captain America' you probably knew 'The Avengers' was coming. With such hype surrounding this movie I was curious as to whether it would live up to its hype like LeBron James or land flat like Darko (where else can you get a Darko reference in a movie review?). There are movies that come out every summer with the tagline of 'non-stop action', and a lot of those movies are just plain terrible. In the case of 'The Avengers', it has that non-stop action quality that is both enjoyable and entertaining.
When the world is threatened by Loki (Tom Hiddleston), an evil super villain from another universe, the world must turn to a group of misfit superheroes to save them. Known as the Avengers initiative, secret government agency headed by Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) seeks help from the earth's finest. There's the playboy genius, Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.). The all-American superhero, Captain America (Chris Evans). The reclusive scientist with a dark angry side, Hulk (Mark Ruffalo). And a pair of super assassins, Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson) and Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner). Oh, there's also a demi-god who stops by to help out, Thor (Chris Hemsworth). Can such an eclectic group of people with huge egos and personalities work together or will they fall flat? I can't tell you that, you need to watch to find out.
Overall, I was very impressed by 'The Avengers'. It really kept me entertained from the start to the end. The movie did a good job of dividing the screen time for all the characters without extending the total time. Every character had his or her special moment in the movie, and left you always wanting more. The combination of action, fancy graphics, and humor of this movie is just what every huge blockbuster should emulate to have. 'The Avengers' lives up to its hype and you can see that with its box office dominance. Only the future will tell whether this franchise has reached its peak or if there's room for improvement. Let's just say, it has set the bar very high for itself.


IMDB-8.7/10
Metascore- 69/100
Rotten Tomatoes- Critics-93% Audience- 96%
Yong's Rating- 4.5/5 Stars

Deconstructing Harry (1997)

'Deconstructing Harry' is one of Woody Allen's more darker comedies. It tells the story of Harry Block (played by Woody), a successful writer experiencing his first writer's block. Burdened with failed relationships, financial troubles, depression, and slight addiction to pills and prostitutes, a case of writer's block seems like the least of his worries. When his former college invites him to be honored for his works, Harry plans a road trip to his old school. The trip serves as a reflection into his past as characters from his novels and people from his own memories intertwine. It's obvious that Woody got the main idea for this film from 'Wild Strawberries'. Will Harry's trip lead him to profound insights into his life as it did for Dr. Borg? Well, I guess you just have to see to find out.


IMDB- 7.3/10
Metascore- 61/100
Rotten Tomatoes- Critics- 71% Audience-79%
Yong's Rating- 4/5 Stars

The Hunger Games (2012)

In its first opening weekend, 'The Hunger Games' is already busy setting box office records . Featuring Jennifer Lawrence as the heroine Katniss Everdeen, the movie is an adaptation of the popular book series by Suzanne Collins. Being a fan of the series, I have been looking forward to seeing the book come to life on screen.
Set in a distant future of what seems to be the United States, the country is divided into 12 districts and ran by the Capitol who rules the land with an iron fist and fear. All of the districts are subjected to an annual event as a punishment for its past attempts at uprisings known as the hunger games. It serves as a lesson to show the districts how powerless they are. Each district is required to send two 'tributes' for the event. One boy and a girl between the ages of 12-18 are chosen in an annual lottery. All the tributes are put into an arena for a fight to the death until only one is left alive. When Katniss's 12 year old sister is chosen in the lottery, Katniss volunteers herself in her sister's place. She promises her sister that she will do her best to try to win and we are taken away to the Capitol to watch the Hunger games and all of its spectacles unfold.
It is always difficult to capture the same amount of connection with reading a book than with watching a movie. The author has a much wider range of medium to create the connection to the storyline and the characters. 'The Hunger Games' does do a good job of staying very close to the book. With that being said, there's some downfalls as well. The only characters who really felt close to the book was Jennifer's portrayal of Katniss and Stanely Tucci as Caesar Flickerman. Even with its length of over 2 hours, the other characters did not have enough screen time to develop a connection.  I was expecting much more from Haymitch (Woody Harrelson) and Cinna (Lenny Kravitz). Maybe having read the book did cause me to have much bigger expectations. Oh well. Overall, if you are a fan of the series, I feel the movie does do the book justice and I'm sure you have already seen the movie by now. If you are new to the series, I think reading the series first would be a good idea, unless you'd just rather get the Cliff's notes version. I'm not judging.


IMDB- 8.1/10
Metascore- 68/100
Rotten Tomatoes- Critics- 86%, Audience-95%
Yong's Rating- 3.5/5 Stars

Idea of home

One of my favorite scenes from 'Garden State'. I'm still searching for home, have you found yours?

Hugo (2011)

The bad thing about watching a movie with a lot of hype is that it's more likely to disappoint than to live up to its high expectations. Well, 'Hugo' lived up to the hype and surpassed it in my opinion. Anyone who has love for movies and film history will have a hard time not falling in love with 'Hugo'. So, you can see why it wasn't so hard to win me over. Martin Scorsese shows his versatility by proving he can make a film that parents can feel safe about their children watching.
Set in Paris, the movie follows the adventures of a boy named Hugo (Asa Butterfield). After losing his father in a terrible accident Hugo devotes all of his energy to finding a purpose to his life and his current predicament. Living hidden behind the clocks in a train station, Hugo meets a strange and grumpy toy shop keeper (Ben Kingsley), and his lovely god-daughter (Chloe Grace Moretz). His encounter with these two strangers lead Hugo into a wild and wonderful adventure that helps to give him all the answers that he was seeking. I won't get too much into the storyline because it would take away from the magic of the film.
All I can say is that it is because of movies like 'Hugo', I am reminded of why I fell in love with movies in the first place. Anyone wanting to rekindle their love affair with movies, do yourselves a favor and go watch 'Hugo'!

IMDB-8/10
Metascore- 83/100
Rotten tomatoes- Audience- 82%, Critics- 93%
Yong's Rating- 5/5 stars

Whatever Works...

The Artist (2011)

Most of you are probably aware that 'The Artist' is the favorite to win the Oscar for Best Picture this year. It has become the critics' darling much like 'The King's Speech' was last year. It's a much better movie than 'The King's Speech', but I guess that's a topic for another entry.
After seeing 'The Artist' I understood the reasoning behind all the praises, and I will be very surprised if it does not win the Best Picture. 'The Artist' is the very antithesis of today's big budget Hollywood movies. If you could make a movie that is the complete opposite movies like the Transformers movies, I think you'll end up with something very close to 'The Artist'.
It tells the story of the demise of a famous silent film star, George Valentin (Jean Dujardin), whose vanity and pride prevents him from adapting to the introduction of talking pictures in the film business. Peppy Miller (Bernice Bejo) is a young, up and coming star whose fresh look and youth is exactly what the audience dying to see. The introduction of talking in movies changes the very foundation of the film industry and sets the two actors into two very different paths. It was hard not to be captivated by the facial expressions and body language of the actors. It is still amazing to see how a simple smile, a simple hop in the steps, or even a wink can express so much more than any amount of words ever can. Jean Dujardin and Berenice Bejo both delivery a very genuine and memorable performances. 'The Artist' is an experience that requires your complete attention and if you allow yourself to be captivated by the silent, black and white screen for an hour and forty minutes, you will walk away amazed knowing that you can have a delightful cinematic experience without having your eardrums blown away and your eyes spinning from 3-D objects flying all over the place. Do yourself a favor and go check out 'The Artist' with an open mind.


IMDB-8.5/10
Metascore- 89/100
Rotten Tomatoes- Critics- 97%, Audience- 91%
Yong's Rating- 5/5 Stars

Bridesmaids (2011)

'Bridesmaids' is an all women cast comedy that shows girls can be just as raunchy as the guys. And every bit as funny. When Lillian (Maya Rudolph) gets engaged, she asks her childhood friend, Annie (Kristen Wiig) to be her maid of honor. This does not go well with Lillian's new friend, Helen (Rose Byrne) who is determined to steal the position of best friend. Wiig and Byrne's lives are the complete opposite. Wiig's life is in a mess. She has a failed business, financial problems and relationship troubles.  On the other hand, Bryne seems to have everything in her life in order. And she always looks pretty. When Bryne uses her power to manipulate her friends to get what she wants a fun, hilarious adventure ensues.
'Bridesmaids' isn't just a raunchy rated-R comedy, it also has a heart warming story that's very enjoyable. The cast is very funny and work very well with each other. Melissa McCarthy definitely steals the show with her portrayal of Megan. She made me laugh in every one of her scenes. 'Bridesmaids' is a good balance of comedy and drama that I highly recommend. Most importantly, it teaches us that girls do poop. A lot.

IMDB-7/10
Metascore- 75/100
Rotten Tomatoes- Critics- 90%, Audience- 76%
Yong's Rating- 4/5 stars

Happy New Years!

Happy New Years Everyone! What movies did you enjoy in 2011, what are you looking forward to in the new year?
Here's a cute video from Zooey Deschanel and Joesph Gordon-Levitt.

Video Games and Movies

As long as I have enjoyed watching movies, I have shared the same kind of enthusiasm for video games as well. Video games as a medium to tell compelling storylines and entertain its audience have come a long way. There have been many attempts to turn video games into movies, but that formula just doesn't seem to work out very well. Movie after movies of bad video game adaptations continue to be made. Well, instead of having to  sit through those terrible adaptations why not just playing the games like they were meant to be. Just as you feel a special connection with a well made movie, I believe you can share that same kind of connection with a well made video game as well. In this post I wanted to share some of my favorite video game memories. Some of these games may already have movies made about them or will be having one made in the future. My recommendation is for you to go and play them, the way they were meant to be enjoyed.

'Suikoden II' is by far one of my favorite games. Some of the most fun I've had playing games is from this role playing game. The fantasy world this game creates with its immense storyline and characters gives the players a unique experience that only a game of this caliber can deliver. 

The 'Metal Gear Solid' series is one of the most popular series of all time and for good reasons. This was one of the first video games that made me feel as if I was actually watching an action film. 

'Resident Evil 1 &2' showed me how playing video game can be just as thrilling and frightening as watching a good horror movie. I'll never forget the first time the zombie dogs jumped out through the windows without any warning.

'Uncharted' is one of the more recent games I have played. It introduces the world to Nathan Drake. I guess he's like the male video game version of Lara Croft. It has the perfect combination of adventure and humor that you would find in any good adventure movies. Plus, it's just a really fun game.

'Heavy Rain' is another one of the more recent games. This was one of the most innovative games I have played. The storyline is excellent and the games gives you the complete control over what paths to take. Therefore, that can be multiple endings depending on your choices. Now, how cool is that. 'Heavy Rain' also makes you feel like you are watching a movie.

Finally, the game that made me buy my first video game console. I don't know how many countless hours I spent playing 'Final Fantasy VII'. This was the first game I had for playstation and will always be my favorite. The graphics were ahead of its time and I was amazed by gameplay. Cloud, Tifa, Aerith, Barrett, chocobos and Sephiroth are some of the most memorable video game characters ever made. Great storyline and character development really makes you feel connected to the characters just as you would in a great movie.