First of all, I’ll straight off admit that as a kid, I never did read the original children’s book by Maurice Sendak. Second, I did do my homework and went ahead to read the book prior to writing this review Wow, am I glad I did, because I now understand the tremendous amount of torture it must have been for director Spike Jonze to adapt this 18-page book – 75% of which are illustrations – into a full-length movie.

After watching Spike Jonze’s “Where the Wild Things Are”, it is obvious that this beloved children’s book was never meant to be a feature film in the first place. With such a scarce amount of source material to work with, it’s clear that numerous revisions and additions needed to be made to the original storyline. This includes a slew of subplots involving Max’s (the protagonist) backstory and his interactions with the “wild things”, character development on each and every one of the “wild things”, extra characters not seen in the original story, and dialogue written completely from scratch, to name a few of the many changes. While I applaud Jonze’s attempts into making this a successful adaptation, I have to say there is little success about it. The film feels disjointed and unevenly paced throughout, the dialogue is oftentimes awkward and adds little character depth, and there really is no apparent message or revelation to the whole story.

Throughout the film, I found myself searching for themes or parallels that would bring any relevance or personal connection to the story, yet I was constantly left disappointed. For example, it is hinted many times that there is a romantic past between two of the wild things, Carol (yes, it’s a guy) and K.W., as we see Carol express jealousy over K.W.’s two friends, who turn out to be these “hooting” sage owls. By the way, K.W. introduces these two owls to Max by hurling giant boulders at them – PETA will be pissed, no doubt. Another example is Carol’s egoism, self-delusion, and inconsideration of others, which could’ve been a parallel to Max’s character, yet there was ultimately no confirmation of it in the end.  Furthermore, Jonze seemed to be making a parallel with the character of K.W. who may represent Max’s Mom (played by Catherine Keener), as she takes on a more motherly role, but yet once again, there is nothing.

The storyline focuses mainly on the friendship between Max and Carol, as Max convinces Carol and the rest of the wild things that he is actually a former king who ruled over a clan of Vikings.  Max and Carol then convince the wild things to venture off through the woods, where they construct a new fortress with Max as their new ruler.  Amongst this main plot are a bunch of subplots where Max and the wild things do a bunch of random activities, which often feel directionless and empty in message.  Some of the most emotionally-driven moments tend to fall short, especially with a continuous lack of narrative to the story.  While there are a decent amount of laughs throughout, the comedy is quite spontaneous and forgettable with the little we actually know about the characters.

The friendship that apparently develops between Max and Carol is inconsistent and lacks enough development from either end.  Issues are never addressed or resolved between the two as well.  For example, Carol eventually realizes Max is simply a “regular”, not a king, and explodes with rage; he then goes on to rip Douglas’ (the parrot wild thing) arm off (wtf?) and runs off into the desert.  Awkward.  More awkward is their final goodbye, which without revealing anything further, lacks any resolution or closure.  While there’s unfortunately little to spoil about the final ending, it ends on a silent note that does leave some revelation to the audience, but really nothing surprising or truly worthwhile to think about.

“Where the Wild Things Are” could’ve been a much better film than it is, but it’s still highly difficult to imagine what more could’ve been done without completely compromising the source material.  The additional characters, dialogue, and subplots usually fall flat in the end which brings into question whether it would’ve been better to leave these out entirely or further expand on them.  One thing I do know was that this film needed closure, which it was sorely lacking and that’s why we’re giving it the grade below.

AW Movies Rating: B-

With a record breaking midnight release, just beating “The Dark Knight”, “Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince” opened last Wednesday to an army of devoted fans. In order to avoid the tweens that dress up and read the book in line prior to the showing, I waited a day to see it and this is what I thought…

As a quasi Harry Potter fan, meaning I’ve read the books and seen the films but have yet to purchase my own wand, I went in knowing what the story was and hoped it would be translated well for the screen. For the most  part, the story was captured quite well even though some unnecessary parts dragged on too long and some important parts were absent altogether.

The directing was similar to the prior films so there wasn’t much of a change in that regard. My only gripe with the directing was that the swooping camera angles became a bit too excessive and made me a bit dizzy during a few parts of the movie. More so than when I saw “Cloverfield”, and that’s saying something.

“Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince” was definitely the darkest film of the series so far but it was also the best one. You get tossed into the story right from the beginning and the events that take place throughout the movie keep you captivated. As mentioned earlier, some of the scenes may tend to feel lengthy which makes the movie feel as long as it’s running time of 2 and a half hours.

The audience will be entertained regradless if they have read the books or not but there is a lot of backstory missing that may lead to some of those that haven’t read the novels unfulfilled. Important parts of the story were either not included in the film or weren’t given enough time to develop. The Horcrux, which I feel to be a major player in the Harry Potter series, was mentioned towards the end and really wasn’t described in detail.

As someone who has read the books, I found myself getting anxious in the slow parts and just wanted to see how the big ending (will leave out the details for those who haven’t seen it) would be translated. Though it was done well, I felt more emotion while reading it which means it probably could have been done better.

This movie will definitely not disappoint fans of the book or movie series. I highly recommend reading the books prior to seeing this, and probably the next, film so you can get the full experience. If you’re not the reading type, try and watch the prior films again to freshen up on what’s been going on so far.

I came into this movie with fairly high expectations and I certainly felt justified in feeling so. After all, with 2 hugely successful films in the “Terminator” archives being trampled over by a third subpar sequel, why add to the mess unless you’re going to pull a “Batman Begins” and completely restore as well as rejuvenate the franchise. Unfortunately, “Terminator Salvation” is more like the “Batman & Robin” of its series as it enormously disappoints fans by serving them a shallow, disjointed attempt at a “Terminator” movie that only strives to promote its relevance in the mythology. That’s right, everyone. “Terminator Salvation” is entirely irrelevant to the series.

First off, let’s talk about the story. When McG spoke at San Diego Comic-Con last summer, he made an effort to quell fans’ doubts about the film by stating that it would not have been made unless there was a story worth telling. He continued to say that “Salvation” would be primarily story-driven and even spoke to director James Cameron about his motivations for the series to introduce a film that would actually bring audiences into the future war versus the machines. Bullshit is all I have to say to that. The problem with “Salvation”’s story is that it lacks story in the first place. John Connor (Christian Bale) is a lowly member of the Resistance seeking out to protect his future father, Kyle Reese (Anton Yelchin), so that he can preserve his own existence and subsequently save the fate of mankind. Along the way, he meets fighter pilot Blair Williams (Moon Bloodgood) and Marcus Wright (Sam Worthington), who is revealed to be half-human half-machine, but with a superhuman heart. Connor ventures out to SkyNet headquarters to rescue Kyle Reese who has been captured by the machines, while Marcus sorts out his identity crisis and decides whether he still possesses a human conscience to aid Connor. That’s the story and guess what (No, there’s really nothing worth spoiling here)? He saves Kyle Reese and the war continues. Whoopee. Also notice I did not mention Kate Brewster (Bryce Dallas Howard) or Barnes (Common), who were completely pointless characters, but we’ll get to that later.

“Terminator Salvation” is a poorly-written script that offers very little exposition and insight into the mythology, while trying to make up for its deficiencies with homages to the first 2 films. While it presents an abundant amount of engaging, decently-directed action scenes as well as plenty of impressive CGI, it lacks any tension or momentum to drive the film forward. Yes, there are two narrative cameos by Linda Hamilton as Sarah Connor, played through audio tapes as John Connor listens in. There is also a spontaneous and highly unnecessary battle between John Connor and a T-800 with a digitally mapped face of Arnold Schwarzenegger. However, none of these cameos add anything to the story, but rather appear cheaply and ineffectively written in just to attract audiences. They are forgettable in the end. Classic lines such as “I’ll be back” and “Come with me if you want to live” induce eye rolls from audiences as they come out more as desperate nods to the series instead of applause-worthy nostalgia. The only reference that I enjoyed was a scene where John Connor alerts a Moto-Terminator by playing on an old stereo, “Guns N’ Roses’” You Could Be Mine, which you might remember from the 2nd film where Connor works on his motorbike in the garage. However, “Salvation” relies too heavily on these references to bolster its lackluster plot, without introducing anything new or potentially classic to the franchise.

The characters in “Salvation” are practically as flat as the stacks of cellophane film that were unfortunately wasted on this project. Believe it or not, this may possibly be one of Christian Bale’s worst films to date as not only does he have a mediocre script to work with, but he also tends to overdo it with an intensity that’s often without precedent. With Marcus Wright being a slight exception, the remainder of the cast is incredibly undeveloped with little to no background or character development to help the audience identify with them or better understand their agendas. Connor’s wife, Kate Brewster, who was introduced in the 3rd film literally does nothing in this movie as well as Barnes, who is simply a freedom fighter whose brother was killed by the machines. Absolutely nothing is known about Moon Bloodgood’s character Blair Williams, only that she’s a fighter pilot who sees the humanity in Marcus Wright and helps him escape from the Resistance base. Anton Yelchin gives a respectable performance as Kyle Reese, but once again, we learn very little about him besides that he wanders around with a mute, frizzy-haired black kid who constantly tries to warm the audience with his oh-so-cute baby face looks. Aww, he gave Marcus a band-aid for his boo boo. Please. The only character, in fact, I’ll make an exception for is Marcus Wright who does have a backstory and ironically, a fleshed-out (no pun intended) personality as opposed to the human characters. Sam Worthington does a satisfactory job in the role and is the only redeeming asset to this two-dimensional lineup. The fact of the matter is, this film had a brilliant cast behind it; they simply had a dull, directionless script with bare-bones dialogue without any meat to enrich the movie as a whole.

“Terminator Salvation” is remotely out of the league of the first 2 films and I, personally, would have rather watched “Terminator 3″ again instead of this pointless train wreck. If you’re primarily an action film moviegoer, then “Salvation” is barely enjoyable as an average popcorn flick, but if you’re looking for a worthy “Terminator” film that continues the series’ reputation for good storytelling, look the other way and return in approximately 3 years to check back on our review for “Terminator 5″, if it even has a chance of being greenlit. James Cameron’s “Terminator” officially ended with “Judgment Day” for a reason. Unless Warner Bros can find a far superior director to replace McG for a third attempt to salvage the franchise, I think it’s best that the studio terminates any plans for a sequel while they’re ahead.

AW Movies Rating: C-

Let me first start out by saying the following – I have never ever been remotely interested in anything concerning Star Trek – I thought the original 60s series was dorky and humdrum, and that there was no possible way for me to even stay awake through one episode without immersing myself in a bucket of ice every 5 minutes. I’ve never been intrigued by any of the Star Trek spin-off series either; in fact, I usually detect a yawn building up at the sight of moderately fit actors in drab one-piece outfits exchanging tech lingo with one another while occasionally flinging out their VCR remote-looking phasers to stun a cheaply-costumed alien. As much of an entertainment geek I already am, Star Trek has been the epitome of all that is “geek” and I’ve continued to avoid this epidemic at all costs…that was before I was enlightened by J.J. Abrams’ “Star Trek”.

J.J. Abrams is a man who has been gifted with producing quality entertainment that rarely, if ever, ceases to live up to its promise.  With successful television shows like Alias, Lost, and Fringe under his belt, it is without question that Abrams knows exactly what he’s doing in his projects.  Screenwriting duo, Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman, are a force to be reckoned with as well, having written and produced along with Abrams on a number of projects.  Together, this is a powerhouse team that serves as a benchmark for what good filmmaking should be today.

What Abrams, Orci, and Kurtzman do right with this picture is that they plunge deep into the Star Trek universe and pull you in with them for the ride.  From what little I knew of “Star Trek”, I felt like this was a mythology that I truly wanted to immerse myself in and explore afterwards.  What really caught my attention that I never realized from the original series, was how layered and original each and every member of the U.S.S. Enterprise crew was.  I was particularly impressed by how strongly developed the characters were, considering the handful that Orci and Kurtzman had to juggle through.

In the beginning of the film, we witness the birth of James Tiberius Kirk in the midst of a space battle between the U.S.S. Kelvin and the Romulan armada led by the lead villain called Nero.  Kirk grows up from being a rebellious young boy speeding down a lone Iowa highway, to an arrogant mid 20s drifter philandering with future crew member, Uhura, and picking bar fights with members of the Starfleet Academy.  He finally receives a wake-up call to join Starfleet from U.S.S. Enterprise Captain Christopher Pike, who is aware of Kirk’s potential.  At the same time, we are introduced to a young Spock on the planet Vulcan, as he is bullied by the school kids for his  half-human, half-Vulcan heritage.  Growing up, he continues to be discriminated by members of an academic council from whom he seeks to become a scientist.  Spock consults his human mother on his identity crisis and eventually chooses to enlist in Starfleet.  The budding friendship between Kirk and Spock becomes a continued theme and a powerful focus of the story, as the two don’t exactly start out on good terms.  This friendship is eventually fortified by the momentous appearance of a pointy-eared “Star Trek” veteran, which we’ll return to later.

Throughout the first half of the film, we come to meet the rest of the crew members such as Dr. Leonary McCoy, Nyota Uhura, Hikaru Sulu, Pavel Chekov, and Montgomery Scott.  What I found incredibly impressive here was that each of these characters is so well-developed and all have their shining moments in the film.  Orci and Kurtzman really dug deep into their distinct personalities and conveyed them in a way that even a former anti-Trekkie like myself began to embrace all of them.  Teamwork was a crucial aspect with this movie.  Whether we’re talking about the production crew behind it or with the crew of the U.S.S. Enterprise, you knew that every individual played a key, essential role into driving the story forward and producing a winning end result.  The only character that I felt needed a little more development was Nyota Uhura.  While she did have plenty of screentime, you really don’t see her as a relevant contribution to the crew besides a love interest for Spock.  Other than that, these characters will grow on you and you will not be disappointed.

The interesting concept behind this story is that it actually exists in an alternate reality, as opposed to what we have come to believe from the 60s series.  Correct me if I’m wrong about the mythology, but in this story, Kirk grows up fatherless, him and Spock are more like rivals than friends, and Spock is appointed by Christopher Pike as Captain of the U.S.S. Enterprise.  The gist of the story is basically this (SPOILERS AHEAD): Several years into the future, an elderly Spock (Leonard Nimoy) discovers that Vulcan, his home planet, is on the verge of being swallowed up by a star.  He develops a substance called Red Matter that when released, creates a black hole swallowing anything within its reaches.  Spock tosses a canister of red matter into the star, which not only swallows up the star, but also the planet Vulcan.  An enraged Nero discovers the destruction of his home planet, captures Spock, and time travels 130 years back in time.  He sends Spock onto an abandoned ice-cold planet and seeks to destroy all of Starfleet, by dropping the Red Matter into planet Earth.  Meanwhile, Spock and Kirk’s disagreements causes Kirk to be exiled to the ice planet where elderly Spock now resides.  The rest of the story continues with elderly Spock motivating Kirk to make things right between him and young Spock, as Kirk takes command of the U.S.S. Enterprise as Captain, and brings an end to Nero’s plot.

I thought the story was a great way to reimagine the world of “Star Trek” from a different angle while remaining an honorable homage to the original series.  Leonard Nimoy actually appeared more than I initially expected in the film and it was a joy to see how brilliantly crucial his role was to the story, rather than simply being a 30-second cameo. The on-screen chemistry he has with “certain” crew members is amazing and you simply get that warm, nostalgic feeling once you see him return as Spock.  Once again, I’m speaking from the perspective of someone who was never a fan of “Star Trek” in the first place, so I can imagine how much more of a marvel it was to see all these characters so respectably portrayed back on the big screen.  What is so well-done with this film overall is that it manages to attract all types of audiences without having to compromise the source material.  Poignant lines that most audiences will even remotely recognize like “Live long and prosper”, “Beam me up, Scotty”, and “Space, the final frontier…” are referenced throughout, reminding us of how significant and widespread this pop culture franchise really has been for many of us over the past half century.

What I realized while watching “Star Trek” was that while there was a good amount of thrilling action sequences, this was a film that was truly invested in the characters.  It’s now no wonder that I never liked the series as a kid in the first place as I was always expecting an explosive intergalactic battle like a scene from “Star Wars”.  Therefore, “Star Trek” does have a few less epic moments for exposition purposes and there are times where the action feels a little more intense than it should.  For example, Scotty is accidentally beamed into a water duct in the U.S.S. Enterprise as Kirk tries to get him out before he’s channeled towards a spinning blade mechanism.  There’s also an exhilarating fight scene that takes place between Kirk and Sulu, and two or three of Nero’s men on top of a giant drilling rig.  Make no mistake, this is a great scene that serves as one of the peak developing moments for Sulu, but the two of them fighting against two or three men?  I think Sulu could have handled way more than that with his swordfighting skills (one of few attributes I know about the characters).  As for comic relief, the humor bits are executed nicely and you knew that writers Orci and Kurtzman were taking the film seriously, but not too seriously, especially with the stoical Vulcan nature and Spock’s steadfast, logic-driven dispostion.

For all those wondering why I haven’t addressed this supposed “sex scene” that geeks seem to be looking forward to drool over (you know who you are), let me clear this up for you.  There is no sex scene, but rather simply a scene where Kirk, dressed down to his boxers, lays in bed on top of some green-skinned girl with gold lips (an Orion – thanks to Google for that) as they intimately feel each other.  15 seconds later, Kirk hides under the bed as her roommate, Uhura walks in.  End of story.  Let’s move on.

“Star Trek” is a beautifully crafted, well-executed film, driven by richly-developed characters and bolstered by a fresh, engaging storyline.  While certain characters seem to stand less prominently than they should, Orci and Kurtzman have made an impressive and valiant effort into bringing the legendary crew of the U.S.S. Enterprise onto the big screen.  Action sequences are well-balanced with exposition and drama, as Abrams kicks the suspense factor up a notch while preserving the tones and themes that have made “Star Trek” as uniquely memorable as it has become.

AW Movies Rating: A-

*The chances are, after you watch this film, you will want to explore these characters even further by digging up the classic episodes from the 60s series.  I for one certainly do.  CBS.com currently has the entire series available for free viewing on their website at the following url: http://www.cbs.com/classics/star_trek/.  Live long and prosper.

If there ever was a generic summer action, popcorn flick, this is it.

Everything about this movie screams generic. The mediocre storyline, stale dialogue, less than stellar special effects, and uneven casting. As the superhero genre has evolved, so have the expectations for these movies, especially with the lately fashionable “origin”-type stories dating back to “Batman Begins”. But where “Batman” and “Iron Man” had strong storylines to back the psychological depths of their characters, this movie doesn’t do Wolverine’s character justice enough. Instead it wades through his background from his war-fighting days alongside Sabretooth to a love interest to a chase sequence to the unfolding of events bigger than Logan is privy to.

Now this movie isn’t complete trash, but it’s far, far from good. There are few moments of levity with humor (even bordering on the “Austin Powers”-ish in a particular scene), a few interesting special effects (splitting of a bullet), as well as the casting that works at times (sorry Will.I.Am, it’s not you though), and the ending isn’t terrible. That the movie takes too long to get to its end is unfortunate though.

More importantly, there is nothing that significantly sticks about this movie. If the story was written by a 5 year-old it could perhaps be seen as impressive, but that’s not the case here. I was actually bored for certain moments in it. In many ways, I would have to compare it to the latest “Bond” film wherein action was given a huge precedence over substance (except even the “Bond” flick had more compelling action sequences in it), or some mediocre 90’s superhero offering. It’s absolutely the type of movie that you will forget about 30 minutes after you finish watching it. And that it looks amateurish in many ways is perplexing. How Hugh Jackman and a certain cameo guest signed on for this is equally confusing.

I was hoping that an exploration into the origins of the X-Men would give the series a needed fresh breath of life, instead I came away feeling that the movie is much more akin to a lackluster spin-off, much like “Joey” was to “Friends”. And for fans like me of one of the more interesting characters in the X-Men series, that is a shame. But don’t take my word for it, the movie will be out in theaters in about a month’s time.

AW Movies Rating: D-

“Where’s the squid?”

That probably crossed the minds of a few movie-goers who already had read the revered graphic-novel Watchmen as they watched the credits roll on Zac Snyder’s recent adaptation. Indeed, Watchmen presents a plethora of challenges for a filmmaker attempting to bring Alan Moore’s unconventional visions to the big-screen. But, then, that problem is nothing new, Moore has already sworn off previous Hollywood versions of his comics like V for Vendetta, Constantine, and League of Extraordinary Gentlemen. Snyder’s goal, then, is less to please Alan Moore and more to build around the delicate balance between good-filmmaking and a faithful rendition of the source material.

To the latter end, many have already commended Snyder’s reverence to the comic, from direct dialogue to story-boardesque scenes filling much of the movie. Synder does well to imitate, certainly to the delight of fan-boys everywhere greatly anticipating the day this film would get made. And after all, if it ain’t broke, why fix it right? There are times however, where Snyder does misfire. Specifically, in the scenes detailing Rorschach’s transformation into, well, Rorschach (these scenes are done over several meetings with the psychiatrist in the comic), Snyder does not let the scenes breath enough to pack the enlightening and emotional punch for one of the more intriguing and mysterious characters in the story. Certainly time is an issue, as it will be for any movie topping the two-and-a-half hour mark, but Snyder could have rearranged this issue by cutting time from other places (like, say, the unnecessarily long sex scenes) and injecting that nuance into those scenes where it was more necessary.

More times than not, though, Snyder gets it right. He ably directs the Comedian, Rorschach, Nite Owl, and Dr. Manhattan into solid performances which are so necessary in a film driven by not-quite, but almost super-hero caricatures. It’s no easy task to bring to life the inner turmoil each character represents into a singularly woven story on-screen, but Snyder mitigates the novel to find those elements which are absolutely necessary to the tale.

It’s easy to see, though, why many people will not care for the film. There is no easily identifiable protagonist and the story’s format of flashback sequences can be trying on some audiences’ patience. The flashbacks and lack of hero structure tend to negate the progressive journey necessary for an epic film, and for this perception, the marketing is partly to blame. I had the same expectation of a greater epic arch (before reading the novel) when I saw the trailer so gloriously colored by stunning visuals (Snyder borrows well in slow-mo captures from 300) set to the equally epic retro-grunge tidings of the Smashing Pumpkins. Instead the film focuses on those inner turmoils of its ordinarily extraordinary characters and the sadistic nature of humanity set to the soundtrack of folksy/rock-pop Dylan and Hendrix types, which adds an interesting contrast throughout (I particularly enjoyed the opening credit sequence a great amount).

Ultimately, Snyder should be proud of what he accomplished. Regardless of expectations, the film is solid, hits the core on many levels of its story, and handles the balance well enough to create an enjoyable and, perhaps, thought-provoking experience.

Maybe Alan Moore doesn’t approve, but that shouldn’t stop the rest of us from watching and enjoying the film for what its worth.

AW Movies Rating: B-

Oh, and…HEY, Watchmen just started playing in theaters a couple hours ago!  Seeing as I was there and it’s now 3:30 in the frickin’ morning, how about a mini-review?

Okay, here goes – It was brilliantly crafted and one of the most spellbinding 2 hrs and 43 minutes of my life.  But hold on a second, let me first tell you why.  I have read the graphic novel – 3 times, that is.  That’s why.  Bluntly stated, if you haven’t read the graphic novel, you won’t enjoy it half as much as those who have.  Detailed bits of dialogue will fly right over your head, character names will drift off from memory within seconds, historical references might be overlooked, and certain scenes may just be harder to comprehend without a chuckle or an eye-roll.  You may also become quite bored, not because of the lengthy dialogue sequences or pacing at all.  It is rather that because this is a complex, multilayered story, it is understandably easy for a non-reader to become swept in the confusion and to begin drawing criticisms based on its esoteric appeal apart from general audiences.

Rotten Tomatoes currently has “Watchmen” at 65%.  My honest opinion is that from a general audience’s perspective, this film deserves that rating – make no mistake, this is an incredible film, but only if you have read the graphic novel.  Zack Snyder, a devoted fan himself to the comic, made this movie for the fans and has paid the greatest respects to its literature as well as to the comic book community.  We could not have received a more faithful adaptation to the comic book than what Snyder has created.  And regarding the squid, believe me, it’s better left untouched and preserved within the confines of the comic book pages.  While I’m sure if you’re reading this, you already know how the ending has been altered, but for those who don’t, I’m telling you that you won’t be disappointed.  The ending works and perhaps it even improves upon the original ending when you do think about it (shh…don’t tell Moore I said that!).

Become a fan, read the 416-page graphic novel (I don’t care how you do it…cozy up at Borders for a few hours and if they kick you out, hop over to Barnes & Noble), and finally enjoy “Watchmen: The Movie” as everyone who steps foot  into that theater should.

AW Movies Rating for Geeks Who Have Read the Comic: A-